The Bounce Newsletter 
| This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.
Last week, I wrote an NBA Misery Index about fan bases suffering the most. I included Dallas, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Phoenix and Washington. The funniest criticism I’ve ever received in my career, by far, is fan bases being mad they didn’t make it. My apologies to Chicago and Charlotte — you definitely have misery, and I see you!
Back to Podcasting
Paul George’s disastrous season is now done
76ers wing Paul George got paid nearly $1.2 million per game this season. No, he didn’t sign a historic deal that paid him $98 million. George’s $49 million salary got Philly 41 games, and his season is over. The 34-year-old received injections in his left knee and left adductor muscle, Philly announced yesterday. He’s out at least six weeks.
We can just call it the rest of the season because not only will the Sixers not make the Play-In Tournament, but they also don’t want any part of it. They’re tanking hard. Philadelphia is 23-45 on the season, Joel Embiid has been shut down, Tyrese Maxey hasn’t played in two weeks, the 76ers are six games out of 10th in the East and they’re trying to lose enough games to end up in the top six of the draft so their pick doesn’t go to the Thunder (who else would it go to?).
This was not the vision when the Sixers signed George to a four-year, $212 million deal last summer. Philadelphia thought it would be positioning itself with Boston among the contenders in the East. Instead, the 76ers are hoping they land themselves with Washington and Charlotte by the time the lottery balls decide Cooper Flagg’s basketball fate. George finished the season averaging 16.2 points on 43 percent shooting. Such is life for the Sixers this year since the Allen Iverson era.
This season was beyond a disaster, and the future of this club will be contingent on what it figures out regarding Embiid’s health. But I wouldn’t call George’s deal a failure yet. Remember the Rudy Gobert trade and how it was being called the worst trade in NBA history during his first year in Minnesota? They figured it out. The Sixers can too. They’ll just need more than 41 mediocre games of George and this roster.
The Last 24
Can the referees fix future officiating?
🙅 Help wanted. NBA officials are trying to improve with an app and hire new options for the future.
🏀 Getting defensive. The NBA has kind of ruined the All-Defense candidates. The 65-game rule strikes again.
📐 New math? Jovan Buha breaks down how Luka Dončić has changed the geometry of the Lakers’ offense.
🥱 Feeling fatigued? Warriors coach Steve Kerr says Steph Curry is exhausted. What can Golden State do about it?
📈 Around the NBA. Are you curious where your favorite team is trending? Law Murray’s Power Rankings have you covered!
📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Bucks (38-29) at Warriors (39-29), 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV or Fubo (try it free!). Can the Bucks ruin Jimmy Butler’s good time?
📺 League Pass gem. Cavaliers (56-11) at Clippers (38-30), 10:30 p.m. ET on League Pass (get it here!). Will the Cavs start a new win streak?
About Last Night
The ‘other’ Pacers end Wolves’ win streak
No Tyrese Haliburton. No Pascal Siakam. No Myles Turner. No Aaron Nesmith. No Rik Smits. No Derrick McKey. And Andrew Nembhard was ejected four minutes into the second half. Somehow, Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, two-way contract player Quenon Jackson and the rest of the Pacers went into Minneapolis and took an overtime thriller against the hottest team in basketball (eight straight victories) with a 132-130 win.
Ever watch that movie “The Other Guys” with Will Ferrell? It’s about these tertiary detectives in a New York City precinct who would never be the main characters in an action movie. And they end up uncovering a massive conspiracy in a hilarious comedy. It was a lot like watching that. Just one ridiculous moment after another, and after a while, you felt like the Pacers were going to find a way to snatch this game from the Wolves.
It happened in overtime. Minnesota was up five with 1:06 left. Thomas Bryant hit a 3-pointer. Then, Toppin banked in a 3 from the top of the arc to take a one-point lead. After Anthony Edwards knocked down his 18th and 19th free throws of the night to put Minnesota up by one, Toppin had shades of Jeff Malone (if you know, you know!) as he hit a fading 3-pointer from the left corner.
Julius Randle missed the game-tying attempt in the lane as the Pacers won. Toppin finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 7-of-10 shooting from deep to outlast Edwards’ game-high 38 points and steal the win. Indiana (38-29) stayed a game ahead of Detroit (38-31) and pulled even with Milwaukee (38-29).
More action from yesterday
Knicks 116 (43-24), Heat 95 (29-39): After the Knicks got smoked in the first quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns went on a personal 15-0 run in the second period to get New York back in this game. The Knicks dominated from then through the third quarter for the easy win. Towns finished with 23, and Josh Hart (12-13-11) tied Clyde Frazier’s Knicks record with his eighth triple-double of the season. Hart never had a triple-double in the first six years of his career. He has 14 in the last two seasons.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history.
Buy
Nuggets 114 (44-25), Warriors 105 (39-29): No Nikola Jokić and no Jamal Murray killed this game’s hype. But the Nuggets had a spirited outing, and the Warriors played dumb basketball to lose their win streak. Aaron Gordon had 38, and Russell Westbrook had a triple-dub.
Rockets 144 (44-25), 76ers 137 (23-45), OT: The Rockets were down by 21 at halftime and then remembered they were playing Philadelphia (see above). Jalen Green had 30 points and 13 assists, Jabari Smith Jr. added 30 points off the bench and the Rockets survived 46 points and 13 rebounds from Quentin Grimes. Houston (seven straight) is the hottest team in the NBA.
Lakers 125 (42-25), Spurs 109 (28-39): The Lakers were one of the few teams not to struggle against a bad team, and moved up to fourth.
Kings 132 (34-33), Grizzlies 122 (43-26): The Kings hit 20 3s to overcome 44 points from Desmond Bane.
Pistons 127 (38-31), Pelicans 81 (18-51): The Pelicans were down by 31 after two quarters. They had only 32 points at halftime. Detroit showed very little mercy in this one. I hope Pistons fans will understand that, despite this dominant win, Pelicans fans need something to cheer … so we’re posting Zion Williamson dunking all over Isaiah Stewart.
Unrivaled Champion
Sykes, Rose take home first league title
With Rose Basketball Club leading 59-54 and the target score set at 62 to win the game, Brittney Sykes wanted to take the title on her terms. She drove to the hoop, took the contact and finished the layup. By knocking down the free throw, her Rose team, which also features Chelsea Gray and Azura Stevens, would take home the first crown of the new Unrivaled league. Sykes smoothly knocked it down, finishing with a team-high 21 points and the title. Stevens had 19 as Gray added 18. Angel Reese is on the roster but hurt her surgically repaired hand before the playoffs.
Unrivaled is another opportunity for the stars of the women’s game to earn big money while not having to go overseas for a proper payday. Playing 3-on-3 basketball on a shortened full court might seem a little odd, but the first season brought a lot of fun competition. Unrivaled was a fun couple of months, but what’s the future of this league? I threw a couple questions to one of our women’s hoops experts, Ben Pickman.
On a scale of 1-10, how successful would you say the inaugural season of Unrivaled was, and how sustainable is it?
Ben: This may be generous, but I feel like it was in the 8.5-9 range. The competition itself was intense and competitive, players routinely spoke about their on-court improvement and the player-led league succeeded in providing an excellent experience. Unrivaled outfitted a facility specifically for its needs, drawing high praise from players and visitors, and kept many of the world’s top players in the cultural conversation throughout the winter. Significant financial incentives (in addition to the record-breaking salaries) also helped many players come away satisfied.
In terms of its stability, Unrivaled entered its debut season with a six-year TV deal, which helped it establish solid footing in the marketplace.
Are there any changes you’d suggest or think they’ll outright make moving forward?
Ben: In terms of changes, Unrivaled is expected to play at least a few games on the road next season, taking the league outside of just the Miami area. League president Alex Bazzell has said it is looking to grow its fan base and the sport as a whole, and it is targeting college towns and non-WNBA cities for potential sites for at least a few weekends in 2026.
There will almost certainly be other tweaks too. Bazzell said the league will look at putting in a developmental pool of players who will be present the entire season, which could offset competition drop-offs due to injuries. The training room was a social hub inside Wayfair Arena, and I’d expect that space to get even more amenities (and discussion about how it can be even bigger and more comfortable). I’m curious to see if there are any tweaks to the one-on-one tournament, though that event was undoubtedly a success — the final four of the tournament drew nearly 400,000 viewers, which was a league high-point.
One other question I personally have: Will Unrivaled make it so free throws can’t end games? I understand you don’t want constant hacking when one team is within a basket of the winning score, but it certainly is an anti-climatic way to end a game.
Love The Bounce? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.
(Top photo: Bill Streicher / Imagn Images )
