NBA NewsSaturday, Feb 21, 2026

History tells us that teams need playoff experience for a deep run, but not always.

Munetaka Murakami was a late arrival for his first spring training game with the Chicago White Sox. Murakami had two hits and two RBIs in his Cactus League debut on Friday. The Japanese slugger is learning his way around the major leagues after reaching a $34 million, two-year contract with the rebuilding White Sox in December.

Second night of a b2b.

Collins is in the league's concussion protocol and won't return to Friday's game against the Lakers, Law Murray of The Athletic reports. He'll finish with 12 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), one rebound and one steal across 16 minutes. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

The Los Angeles Lakers secured a 125-122 win over the LA Clippers on Friday, and head coach JJ Redick made it clear what moment defined the night. “I thought that the charge was the play of the game and frankly the second charge would have been the play of the game had they made the […] The post JJ Redick calls Austin Reaves’ charge “the play of the game” after Lakers edge Clippers appeared first on TalkBasket.net .

Cleveland Cavaliers (36-21, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14, first in the Western Conference) Oklahoma City; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland hits the road against Oklahoma City looking to prolong its five-game road winning streak. The Thunder have gone 23-7 in home games. Oklahoma City ranks fifth in the league with 34.3 defensive rebounds per game led by Chet Holmgren averaging 6.8. The Cavaliers are 17-10 in road games. Cleveland is ninth in the E...

Memphis Grizzlies (21-33, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Miami Heat (29-27, eighth in the Eastern Conference) Miami; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Heat -9.5; over/under is 238 BOTTOM LINE: Memphis hits the road against Miami looking to stop its four-game road losing streak. The Heat have gone 16-11 at home. Miami is second in the Eastern Conference with 54.4 points per game in the paint led by Jaime Jaquez Jr. averaging 10.3. The Grizzlies are 9-18 on the road. Memphis ran...

Charlotte Hornets (26-31, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Washington Wizards (16-39, 13th in the Eastern Conference) Washington; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte will try to keep its six-game road win streak alive when the Hornets take on Washington. The Wizards are 2-6 against division opponents. Washington allows the most points in the Eastern Conference, giving up 122.7 points and is allowing opponents to shoot 47.7%. The Hornets are 8-4 against the rest of their division. Cha...

Toronto Raptors (33-23, fifth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (24-30, 11th in the Eastern Conference) Milwaukee; Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Milwaukee will try to keep its three-game home win streak intact when the Bucks play Toronto. The Bucks are 17-18 in Eastern Conference games. Milwaukee has a 13-17 record in games decided by 10 or more points. The Raptors are 25-15 in conference matchups. Toronto is the league leader with 19.4 fast break points per game led by RJ B...

Boston Celtics (36-19, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (34-21, fifth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Sunday, 6:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Boston hits the road against Los Angeles trying to continue its three-game road winning streak. The Lakers have gone 16-10 in home games. Los Angeles is seventh in the Western Conference with 25.4 assists per game led by Luka Doncic averaging 8.6. The Celtics are 18-10 in road games. Boston is third in the league averaging 15....

Denver Nuggets (36-21, third in the Western Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (29-27, eighth in the Western Conference) San Francisco; Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Golden State and Denver face off on Sunday. The Warriors have gone 19-16 against Western Conference opponents. Golden State is 3-3 in games decided by 3 points or fewer. The Nuggets are 21-10 against Western Conference opponents. Denver is sixth in the NBA with 33.5 defensive rebounds per game led ...

Assigning Grades for the Mavericks in their 122-111 loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves