The Bulls were doing what they could to tank this game ahead of time, with Josh Giddey and Nick Richards late additions to a growing Bulls injury report that also includes Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith, Anfernee Simons, and Zach Collins.
In basketball, rudeness is a two-pronged trait: It's being good enough to make a hard game look easy, but more than that, it's being good enough to make your opponent's hard work seem like a waste. It's strutting into a department store, knocking over a stack of neatly folded sweaters, and heading home. What you feel when you watch a defender stay in front of Booker, only for her to rise up and nail a midrange jumper over their head, is overwhelming pity.
The Denver Nuggets roll into the desert tonight as 5.5-point road favorites against a Phoenix Suns team that is desperately trying to claw out of the Play-In bracket.
The Celtics are 39-27-1 against the spread this year. In the Suns' 67 games this year, they have 40 wins against the spread. This season, the Celtics have an against the spread record of 11-6 in their 17 games as a favorite of 9.5 points or more. So far this year, the Suns have been installed as underdogs by a 9.5-point margin or more eight times and are 3-4-1 ATS in those contests.
The Celtics connect on 15.4 three-pointers per game (third-most in the league) while shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc (11th in the NBA). They are making 1.4 more threes per outing than their opponents, who drain 14.0 per game while shooting 36.0%.
The Washington Wizards have an abundance of young talent on the roster, but as of late, one talent in specifc has began to turn heads. Reigning No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson began the season rather slowly after adjusting to the NBA game, but over the last few weeks, the explosive guard has seen his confidence grow. With head coach Brian Keefe making it a priority to maximize Johnson's skillset on offense, the rookie has began to finally find his rthym.
The Golden State Warriors are now at the center of that shift. Jimmy Butler III' s season-ending torn ACL comes just as Golden State had found momentum, winning 12 of its last 16 games and posting its best on-court plus-minus with Butler as the connective piece. His absence removes more than just scoring, stripping the team of structure, late-game decision-making and defensive stability.
Free agent Haywood Highsmith has agreed to a multiyear deal with the Phoenix Suns, his agent Jerry Dianis told ESPN on Saturday. Highsmith considered multiple playoff teams before reaching an agreement with the Suns, sources said. Highsmith was acquired by the Brooklyn Nets in a trade with the Miami Heat last offseason and then was waived at this month's trade deadline to become a free agent.
