In a stunning turn of events – one that seemed farfetched even when the possibility surfaced in recent days – legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick has accepted the top job at the University of North Carolina.

Belichick, 72, who has no previous coaching experience at the college level, agreed Wednesday to a five-year deal with the Tar Heels, pending approval by the school’s board of trustees. The move comes nearly a year after he and the New England Patriots ended their partnership after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles.

‘I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill. I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times,’ Belichick said in a statement.

‘I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill.’

It didn’t take long for #ChapelBill to start popping on social media feeds.

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Belichick had been a leading candidate to take over the Atlanta Falcons earlier this year, interviewing multiple times with a team he famously vanquished in Super Bowl 51, but that post went to Raheem Morris. Belichick has had no known talks with other NFL clubs since – even though the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets have initiated searches for replacements in 2025 after firing their coaches in recent weeks.

Now he pivots to a completely new domain, ironically one that sent ex-UNC QB Drake Maye to the Patriots in this year’s NFL draft.

What comes next will be appointment viewing for fans of the college – and, to a lesser extent perhaps – pro games. For now, these parties seem to be the initial winners and losers of this seismic football development:

JARRETT BELL: Belichick rejects NFL before it can reject him – again

DAN WOLKEN: Belichick chases one last football high

WINNERS

ACC

It’s been something of a rocky 2024 season for the Atlantic Coast Conference, which saw a seemingly formidable Florida State team that was in the national championship chase a year ago disintegrate almost instantly. And while the conference managed to get Clemson and SMU into the first 12-team CFP tournament, they are the lowest-seeded entries – both qualifying only because Clemson, the lone three-loss squad in the field, beat the Mustangs in the ACC title game.

However, despite being an NCAA newbie, Belichick’s arrival is sure to give the ACC, widely perceived as the weakest of the Power Four conferences from a football perspective, a shot in the arm – at least in terms of public perception and interest. When and whether the wins start rolling in are great unknowns. But after a 6-6 campaign in 2024, the Tar Heels should see their national profile elevated in a manner similar to what Deion Sanders has done for Colorado – and that should mean greater exposure and attention for the conference at large, too.

Don Shula

The Pro Football Hall of Famer died in 2020 as the winningest coach in NFL history with 347 victories, playoffs included – a standard Shula set following his retirement from the Miami Dolphins after the 1995 season. It was widely believed that Belichick, whose 333 wins rank second to Shula, wanted to return to an NFL sideline to notch at least the 15 additional wins he needed to take ownership of the record.

Tom Brady

Though “BB” didn’t give the notion much oxygen, there was also at least an outside perception that he hoped to win another Super Bowl without help from Brady, the Patriots’ longtime quarterback. The duo won a record six Lombardi Trophies during their 20-year run in Foxborough. However Brady, who left New England as a free agent in 2020, added a seventh ring – more than any single NFL franchise – after joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Like Shula, it appears TB12’s historic achievement is also safe … at least from Belichick.

Michael Jordan

As if there isn’t enough demand for Air Jordan apparel, the legendary Tar Heels hooper and business mogul should only benefit if the football team rises to prominence with his Jumpman logo attached to it. Just when you thought you’d seen it all – Jordan Brand hoodies.

UNC football

It’s generally been a relevant program throughout its history, one that’s sent many notable players to the NFL – Belichick favorite Lawrence Taylor leading the list – but never a bona fide national power. The Tar Heels only have one season with double-digit victories this century and have never reached the CFP. Obviously no guarantee Belichick can raise Carolina to that upper tier, but that will clearly be the expectation amid what will doubtless be heightened interest in the operation, not only from prospective players but also potential assistants who might want to work for Belichick and, if nothing else, benefit from his experience … and maybe connections.

‘This is an exciting day for Carolina football and our University,” said chancellor Lee H. Roberts. ‘Carolina is committed to excellence and to creating an opportunity to succeed in everything we do, from the classroom to the field of competition. I know after speaking with Coach Belichick that he shares that commitment. His legacy speaks for itself, and we look forward to working together on the next chapter of Carolina football.’ 

Bill Belichick

This year was the first he hadn’t been employed by a football team since the Baltimore Colts hired him as a special assistant in 1975. To say Belichick is a football lifer is an understatement. He grew up watching his father, Steve, coach and scout (including a stint at UNC) – his dad also the gateway to Belichick’s longtime love of the Naval Academy given a childhood spent in Annapolis, Maryland. Now, after nearly a year dabbling in various NFL-centric media endeavors, Belichick will go back to school to tackle perhaps the biggest football challenge he’s ever embraced – certainly given the focus that will be on him and assumption he’ll learn the college game quickly, if on the fly.

LOSERS

Bill Belichick

Has he bitten off more than he can chew? Will he have buyer’s remorse in a month – especially if, say, the top job for the New York Giants, the NFL franchise that rocket-fueled his coaching arc and with whom Belichick won two Super Bowls as Hall of Famer Bill Parcells’ defensive coordinator, becomes available? Is he really wired to collaborate with the teenagers and twentysomethings he’ll have to court and keep happy in the NIL and transfer portal environment given it will be much easier for them to drop Belichick than it was for NFL players who were under contract? Is a guy who “recruited” for years by offering – even if unspoken – the hope of Super Bowl glory truly going to connect with youngsters who will have far more competing priorities than money and championships?

And given the learning curve he’s about to encounter, can Belichick possibly fulfill the hopes of a Tar Heels fan base that is certainly looking for far more than invites to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl – to say nothing of the mandate to beat Duke after suffering a loss to the hated Blue Devils in 2024. Belichick wants to coach and wants to win, as has long been his brand, but he could run a serious chance of incurring late-career tarnish if this doesn’t go well after his lackluster post-Brady seasons in New England.

UNC football

What have they really signed up for here? The Heels have gone way out on a Carolina pine limb to make a splashy, expensive hire with no college track record. And how much program-building can a septuagenarian, even one as accomplished as Belichick, achieve in what will be, by definition, a limited window? Also, what sacrifices, concessions and consequences – and there will certainly be some as components of this hire, many assumptions already being made about a potential succession plan involving Belichick’s son, Steve – is UNC agreeing to, particularly any that could reverberate well after Belichick is no longer on the job?

Hubert Davis

Carolina has always been a basketball school. But what’s long been the university’s signature athletic program and one of the country’s most popular nationally might just have to play second fiddle in Chapel Hill … at least for a minute. And, sure, maybe Belichick’s arrival offers some brief cover for Davis, who’s now in Year 4 after taking over for beloved predecessor Roy Williams and currently scuffling along with a 5-4 record that just dropped the Heels out of USA TODAY Sports’ Top 25 Coaches Poll. Yet Davis certainly can’t ignore the fact that athletic director Bubba Cunningham has signaled the school’s championship aspirations with Belichick’s hiring – while also telegraphing a clear pledge to football, the sport that is the flagship and primary sports revenue generator for most American universities.

‘We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking,’ Cunningham said. ‘Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win – today and in the future. At Carolina, we believe in providing championship opportunities and the best experience possible for our student-athletes, and Coach Belichick shares that commitment. We are excited to welcome him to Chapel Hill.’ 

As for the hardcourt? It’s been nearly eight years since Williams won UNC’s most recent basketball crown, and Davis’ receding high-water mark came at the end of the 2022 season when the Heels – thanks to players largely imported by Williams – beat Duke in a Final Four semifinal that doubled as Blue Devils legend Mike Krzyzewski’s final game. Davis hasn’t won a game of significance since – at least by this program’s standards – and Belichick’s presence could well amplify the pressure that wasn’t going to relent at the Dean Dome under any circumstances.

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Belichick’s media ventures

Whether it was contributing to former NFL adversary Peyton Manning’s projects, on ‘Inside the NFL’ or even his spots on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ Belichick did provide unique football insights – and probably stronger opinions and humorous asides in many cases than many would have expected (looking at you, New York Jets) – during his coaching gap year. Presumably, he’ll be winding down those temp jobs almost immediately, and you can forget about any revelatory observations into whatever the Super Bowl 59 matchup winds up being.

Dabo Swinney

Fresh off his latest – if somewhat unexpected – conference title, Clemson’s head coach has lorded over the football side of the ACC with infrequent challenges for the better part of 15 years. But the Tigers haven’t been the same kind of national championship-caliber powerhouse since QB Trevor Lawrence’s departure following the 2020 season. Now the stakes have been raised anew in a year when the conference had already undergone rampant change amid the expansion that lured schools like SMU. Whether or not North Carolina is a clear and present football danger in 2025 remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt that Swinney’s job – as it pertains to regional recruiting, national recruiting and simply winning sufficiently at an elite level – just got more complicated and, likely, difficult.

The NFL

If this was the back side of a now-completed Urban Meyer swap, the deal doesn’t feel equitable for the NFL. Football exile is probably something of an overstatement as it relates to Belichick, but is the league really better off without the man who has been its most identifiable coach – and archvillain – since the turn of the century? After being passed over by Atlanta, Belichick pretty clearly didn’t want to be left at the altar again – and there’s no guarantee he would have even gotten a serious look for any of the jobs that have materialized or will during the upcoming coaching cycle. Whether or not Belichick has legitimately departed the pros on his own terms, it does feel like something of a shame that he won’t continue chasing Shula while trying to push another franchise toward Super Bowl glory in the waning stages of his largely incomparable career.

This story has been updated with new information.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers (6-7) find themselves in an unfamiliar position as they enter their Week 15 division rival matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers franchise that’s made three consecutive trips to the NFC championship game and has won two straight NFC West titles are currently sitting in the basement of the division with just four regular-season games remaining.

“Last week felt like the playoffs already,” Shanahan said to reporters this week. “Since that Buffalo game, every week is a playoff game. So, it feels like it this week and hopefully we can take care of business, so next week feels the same.”

Injuries have certainly played a huge role in the 49ers’ 6-7 record. 49ers stars Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and Javon Hargrave are among 13 San Francisco players who are on injured reserve. Left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) hasn’t played since Week 11 and is ruled out again for Thursday. Defensive end Nick Bosa, who’s missed the past three games with hip and oblique injuries, is listed as questionable.

Despite being hampered by injuries, the good news for San Francisco is they are just two games behind the Seattle Seahawks in the loss column (they split their season series vs. Seattle). And the Niners are one game behind a Rams club that they host Thursday night.

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One key factor that could help the 49ers make a late playoff push is finding a way to get versatile wide receiver Deebo Samuel the football. Samuel is averaging career-lows in receptions per game and yards per game.

The wideout aired out his frustrations on social media earlier this week.

‘Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!’ Samuel wrote on Monday in a since deleted tweet.

When local reporters asked Samuel about the deleted tweet. He replied: “[I’m] a little frustrated for sure.’

Shanahan admitted that he preferred that Samuel had kept his frustrations “in-house” but the head coach understands Samuel’s point of view.

“Deebo and I talk every day, I understand Deebo saying that,” Shanahan said. “Deebo wants to help us out and the only way he helps us out is getting the ball more, and we’d like to get it to him more and we’ll continue to work at that.”

The 49ers are a better team when they a variety of ways to get Samuel the ball, especially when the offense is missing players such as McCaffrey and Aiyuk. The wideout is the second player in NFL history to register 4,000-plus receiving yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards in his first five seasons.

Samuel should be a focal point of the 49ers’ offense if the team wants to defeat the Rams, get out of last place in the NFC West and make a late postseason surge. The 49ers seem to understand that after Samuel’s deleted social media post.

“I want to get Deebo the ball every play if I could. I want to have him break all the records as best as possible. I want Deebo to do Deebo things and we all do in this building,” 49ers QB Brock Purdy said.

“That’s just how the games have gone. But I love my guy and I’m going to do everything I can to give him the ball.”

After two nights of NBA Cup quarterfinals games, the league returns to its regular programming until Saturday – when the league heads to Las Vegas.

That’s when the NBA will host the semifinals, starting with a matinee showcasing the upstart Atlanta Hawks (14-12) against the Milwaukee Bucks (13-11), who have won eight of their last 10.

Then the nightcap in Vegas features a pair of young, athletic teams, and the current top two seeds in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets (17-8) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5).

That all leads to the NBA Cup final, which will feature the winners from each conference, and will take place Tuesday.

Here are some takeaways from the seventh week of the NBA regular season.

Amid Jimmy Butler trade rumors, Heat playing their best basketball of season

Star forward Jimmy Butler’s name popped up in trade rumors this week. Despite that, the Miami Heat (12-10) are playing their best hoops of the year.

After tinkering with different starting lineups, coach Erik Spoelstra appears to have found a winning combo: Butler, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and defensive stopper Haywood Highsmith. Of all five-man lineups with at least 115 minutes on the floor, this unit leads the entire NBA in net rating (20.8).

The starting lineup the Boston Celtics used prior to the return of center Kristaps Porziņģis, by comparison, ranks second (20.6).

Herro, the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, is easily playing the best basketball of his career, averaging career highs in points (24.2) and assists (5). The bigger development is his shot selection. Herro has virtually eliminated the less efficient mid-range portfolio, opting for drives and 3s. The result has been increased efficiency; Herro is averaging career bests in field goal percentage (47.7%), 3-point percentage (42.2%) and effective field goal percentage (59.6%).

Miami has won three in a row and is 7-3 over its last 10, with victories against the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-4), Los Angeles Lakers (13-11) and Dallas Mavericks (16-9) in that span.

But, Butler, 35, has a player option for next season, so Miami must make a decision on trading him before the deadline or risk losing him for nothing if he opts out of his deal. Yet, if the Heat keep winning into the new year, it will only make it tougher to justify breaking the up nucleus.

Suns dealt another injury blow, struggle to stay afloat

The Phoenix Suns (12-11) have their last three games, all of which have come without star Kevin Durant (sprained ankle). It’s just the latest setback in a season complicated by injuries.

The Suns have lost nine of their last 12, though, it’s becoming clear Durant is the key to their success; from the 10 games Durant has missed this season, Phoenix has scraped together just one single victory. Of the 13 games he has played in, Phoenix has lost only two.

Center Jusuf Nurkić has been dealing with his own ankle injury, though his production is way down, averaging his lowest point total (8.9) since the 2016-17 season (8). Because his playmaking opportunities have been reduced – given the offseason addition of point guard Tyus Jones – Nurkić is averaging just 1.3 assists per game, down from 4 last season.

Hawks hitting the glass, could be a candidate to break out

There has been a clear reason why the Hawks (14-12) have won seven of their last eight: rebounding. No team has been better than Atlanta over the last eight games, with the Hawks leading the NBA in rebound percentage, hauling in 54.2% of them.

In fact, the Hawks have outrebounded their opponent in each of the last eight games, and they’ve done so by an average margin of 8.4 rebounds per game. And it’s not just scrubs that the Hawks have beaten recently.

Atlanta has wins against the New York Knicks (Wednesday night to advance to the NBA Cup Eastern Conference semis), Lakers, red-hot Bucks and against the NBA-best Cavaliers (twice).

So, now, the Hawks have the NBA’s best record since Thanksgiving.

Grizzlies are on an absolute tear. It may be something of a mirage

First, a caveat: beating weaker opponents is something good teams should do. Still, it’s tough to draw any sweeping conclusions from the recent play of the Memphis Grizzlies (17-8), winners of nine of the last 10.

Eight of those wins during this stretch came against teams currently under .500.

Granted, the other victory came against the defending-champion Celtics. Memphis limited MVP candidate Jayson Tatum to just 1-of-10 shooting from 3 and clamped Boston to 40% field goals – tying their lowest output of the season.

Ja Morant is once again a play-making wizard, Jaren Jackson Jr. has been steady and the Grizzlies have solid depth, especially with the addition of rookie Jaylen Wells. Young GG Jackson remains out after offseason foot surgery. The Grizzlies rank fifth in offensive rating (116.5), seventh in defensive rating (108.4) and fourth in net rating (8). They have pieces to contend.

76ers are finally healthy. Can they save their season?

The Philadelphia 76ers are on a nice, little five-day break from game action. It comes at a perfect time.

On Sunday, their most recent game, the 76ers (7-15) took down the Chicago Bulls to win their fourth out of their last five. It also marked the first time all season that Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George – their unquestioned Big Three – started and finished a game.

There was no notable minutes restriction, and Embiid put up a double-double (31 points, 12 rebounds), while Maxey recorded his first career triple-double (25 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds).

Frankly, a little patience might be in order. Embiid missed his first seven field goal attempts and seemed to lumber a bit early in the game. But the second quarter was a glimpse of what the Sixers can be when they’re clicking; Philadelphia – led by Embiid’s methodical shot making – went on a 16-0 run to drop 39 in the second quarter. The Sixers never trailed from that point on.

Bill Belichick’s motivation runs a lot deeper than chasing Don Shula. 

In waving farewell to the NFL and resuming his coaching career at the University of North Carolina, Belichick, 72, provided what is probably the final answer to the notion that he was stoked to leave a mark as the winningest coach in league history. 

No, in heading to the collegiate level, Belichick’s NFL legacy is merely stamped with the six Super Bowl championship rings he won during his 24 seasons as the New England Patriots coach – plus two more rings as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator. 

That, and eventually a bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. 

This stunning development – the five-year deal, with an average annual salary that reportedly could be significantly less than the estimated $22 million salary he earned on his last Patriots contract – is such a Belichick move. 

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Even if many, including some of his most prominent Patriots players, doubted that it would come to fruition after reports surfaced last week that he interviewed with the school for Mack Brown’s old job. 

Six of the seven NFL teams besides the Patriots that had openings after last season didn’t even bother to interview Belichick? 

Well, it’s on to Chapel Hill. 

Belichick could have waited a few weeks for the next NFL hiring cycle to begin in earnest, including the three teams who have already fired their coach this season, but apparently, he was not about to set himself up for further NFL rejection. Besides, teams with openings or projected openings, could have surely signaled interest by now. 

Of course, Belichick’s NFL prospects were complicated by the expectation that he would command complete control of the football operation, including the personnel department and GM power, which for many franchises makes him a no-go. It’s unclear how much Belichick would have backed off that perception of desired power if he landed an NFL job – and perhaps that would have depended on the specific franchise and who is already in place in key roles – but that’s water under the bridge at this point. 

And it is probably fitting that if Belichick would take a college job it would be in Chapel Hill, where his late father, Steve, was an assistant coach for three years during the early-to-mid-1950s, when Belichick was a toddler. 

Belichick’s father was an assistant coach and scout for 33 years at Navy, which is where Bill became indoctrinated to football. 

All these years later, Belichick maintained, according to a statement from UNC, “I have always wanted to coach in college.” 

Go ahead, say it out loud: Belichick is a Tar Heel. Strange, but true. 

Undoubtedly, this is a big loss for the NFL, and not because of hype that could have surrounded Belichick in chasing the late Shula’s record as the winningest coach in NFL history. Belichick indeed holds the mark when it comes to career postseason victories with a 31-13 record, but his 333 total wins were 15 shy of surpassing Shula’s output. And Belichick’s tally of 302 regular-season victories trails Shula’s 328. 

Now, barring another unexpected episode, Shula’s record is safe. 

It’s optics, to one degree. If a man with six Super Bowl rings (OK, eight) can’t get another shot as a coach, then, as Lombardi might have said, “What the … is going on?” 

In any event, Belichick has delivered quite a message of his own in bolting from the NFL: It’s still about the football. 

The opportunity to coach, it turns out, is a bigger draw than chasing the record. No, Belichick has never promoted the idea that he wanted to continue coaching because of the record. The record chase became a byproduct of his success and longevity. 

He left it to the rest of us, mindful of his appreciation for history, to gauge how much a motivator it was for him to chase Shula. 

Now we know. 

Sure, the college landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, to the point that Belichick envisions developing a program that will serve as an NFL pipeline. With name, image and likeness megabucks now layered on top of the cash machines that schools and super-conferences have rolled with for generations, major college football is, well, increasingly professional. 

Still, as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman discussed during a riveting segment on Fox’s pregame show on Sunday, the thought of Belichick recruiting 18-year-olds to play for him takes some imagination. 

Then again, let’s not undersell the kids – or Belichick. You can believe that UNC envisions it has just landed some top players lured by the chance to be trained for their NFL dream by Belichick. Colorado’s program, rebuilt by “Coach Prime,” aka Deion Sanders, can certainly vouch for that. 

How well Belichick is able relate to a younger generation may fuel other questions. Then again, he had roughly 50 years on his last few Patriots rookie classes. And when it comes to coaching football, winning would go a long way toward relating. And presumably, he’ll have plenty of help in dealing with other aspects of life for his players, including academics and social development. 

Belichick will ultimately be judged on the college level as he was on the NFL level: by the football. And by the wins and losses. 

Chasing Shula might not be in the cards now for Belichick, but he’d surely better handle his business against Duke, North Carolina State, Wake Forest and the rest of the ACC. 

The NBA will bring star power and one of the league’s promising young teams to the NBA Cup semifinals.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Atlanta’s Trae Young and the up-and-coming Houston Rockets, who have three starters 22 years old or younger, will be featured when the Bucks play the Hawks in one semifinal (4:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and the Thunder face the Rockets in the other semifinal (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The winners will meet in the NBA Cup final Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

After Milwaukee and Oklahoma City won Tuesday, Atlanta and Houston secured the two remaining spots Wednesday. The Hawks defeated New York 108-100, and the Rockets edged Golden State 91-90 in a game that included a controversial call in the final seconds.

Here are the winners and losers from the NBA Cup quarterfinals:

Winner

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun

Alperen Sengun, the 22-year-old Turkish big man, has developed into one of the best centers in the league, and that was on display against the Warriors. Sengun had 26 points (10-for-18 shooting), 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. He is averaging a double-double (18.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, plus 5.3 assists) for the Rockets, who are 17-8 and tied for second place in the Western Conference. Get to know these Rockets. It was their first victory against Golden State since 2020.

Loser

Golden State Warriors’ final 3:03

The Warriors are unhappy about a foul referee Bill Kennedy called on Golden State during a loose ball scramble with 3.5 seconds left and the Warriors up 90-89. It was an iffy call even if justified in the league’s Last Two-Minute report, and Jalen Green made the two free throws for the victory.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr will be fined for his postgame comments. However … the Warriors didn’t score in the final three minutes after taking a 90-84 lead with 3:03 left in the fourth quarter and still had a six-point lead with 80 seconds remaining.

Winner

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson and Hawks’ offensive rebounding

Loser

New York Knicks’ third quarter

The Knicks owned a 62-52 lead with 9:50 left in the third quarter. Now, a 10-point lead in the NBA can be eliminated in four possessions. But at home, with a spot in the Cup semifinals at stake, the Knicks stumbled. In the next nine minutes, Atlanta outscored New York 29-8 for an 81-70 lead. Jalen Brunson (just 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting, 10 points below his season average) and OG Anunoby were a combined 10-for-32 shooting, including 3-for-15 on 3-pointers.

Winner

Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is No. 1 in USA TODAY’s NBA MVP rankings, added another line to his MVP-caliber season with 39 points on 15-for-23 shooting, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block in the Thunder’s 118-104 victory over Dallas in an NBA Cup quarterfinal Tuesday. Oklahoma City is playing as well as any team in the league, and Gilgeous-Alexander is the cog that makes the Thunder roll. He averages 30.2 points, 6.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks and shoots 51.5% from the field – the only player posting at least 30 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game this season.

Loser

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Donic’s first and third quarters

Luka Doncic, another MVP candidate, went just 1-for-5 from the field and scored just two points and committed three turnovers in the first quarter. He was just 1-for-3 shooting in the third quarter as the Thunder outscored Dallas 65-43 in those two quarters. Doncic finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals, but had six turnovers and the rough shooting mitigated the good.

Winner

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and guard Damian Lillard

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals and Damian Lillard delivered 28 points and nine assists in Milwaukee’s 114-109 victory against Orlando in an NBA Cup quarterfinal. The Bucks have won 11 of their past 14 games, and in that stretch, Antetokounmpo and Lillard have combined to average 51.2 points, 13 rebounds, 12.7 assists and 1.4 steals. It’s what the Bucks envisioned in this pairing when they traded for Lillard before the start of last season.

Loser

Orlando Magic’s 3-point shooting

In a five-point loss to Milwaukee – a game which the Orlando Magic led by three points with 63 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter – shooting 22.2% on 3-pointers and getting outscored 33-18 from that distance hurt the Magic. Orlando was without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner – both sidelined with oblique injuries – and that played a part in the loss. But the Magic’s 3-ball is worth watching: they are last in 3-point shooting (30.9%) and No. 26 in 3-point makes per game (11.6).