Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was not happy with the application of his team in their 114-110 defeat at the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Going up against the team bottom of the Western Conference and on a run of four wins from their previous five, the Lakers had been hoping to give their playoff hunt another boost in Houston.

However, with a depleted side, they were unable to do so, allowing seven Rockets players to end the game with double figures at Toyota Center.

"We've talked about it and I've said it before games, after games, non-game days: energy, effort and urgency," Ham said after the loss. "And I thought coming out of the gates that kind of was non-existent.

"It's a product of us not being good on the ball. That individual pride it takes to keep the ball in front and guys behind you knowing that the paint is the priority. This team lives in the paint. The Houston Rockets live in the paint... And we preached that to them before the game."

The Lakers were without LeBron James (foot), Anthony Davis (foot) and Mo Bamba (ankle), with recent recruit from the Washington Wizards Rui Hachimura starting.

Ham was mostly critical of his defense, saying: "When you struggle defensively and you're playing against a set defense, the offense is going to struggle. You're not going to be able to be in a good rhythm."

He added: "I mean, it's the NBA. If you're not cut out for this, you're in the wrong business. I love it, personally. Would I rather have a sound and secure spot in the postseason? Yeah. Who wouldn't? But our circumstances are what they are."

The Lakers sit 10th in the Western Conference, just inside the play-in places on 34-36.

D'Angelo Russell, who scored 18 points with seven assists, pointed to the lack of star power available to them, recalling the days of Kobe Bryant.

"I mean, I'm not going to go against [the] coach. He obviously sees that as well. I agree," Russell said. "But when LeBron is playing, we're a different offensive team. When [Davis] is playing, we're a different offensive team. I compare it to with Kobe [Bryant].

"He was on his way out and he didn't practice a lot and we had a practice group in there at practice and ran the plays and did all that. But when Kobe would play, everything we practiced on kind of went down the drain. We kind of had to adjust. So, it's similar to that."

Ja Morant says he made a "bad mistake" but now realises what he has to lose following a series of poor off-court decisions leading to his eight-game NBA suspension.

The NBA announced the suspension without pay for Morant on Wednesday for carrying a gun in a Denver nightclub in an incident that the Memphis Grizzlies guard posted in an Instagram Live video earlier this month.

Morant, who has been away from the Grizzlies since the March 4 incident and underwent counselling during his absence, will receive credit for the five games he has already missed and will be eligible to return for Memphis' March 20 home game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The latest incident is the latest in a pattern of behaviour from Morant, who met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday after the league's damning condemnation of his "irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous" conduct.

"I realise what I have to lose, and for us as a group, what we have to lose," Morant during an interview with ESPN's Jalen Rose. "It's pretty much just that being more responsible, more smarter and staying away from all the bad decisions.

"I feel like in the past we didn't know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realise everything, have that time alone, I realise that now."

Morant showed remorse for his actions at the nightclub, clarifying that he did not own the gun in the video, while adding that the behaviour did not represent him truly.

"It's not who I am," Morant said." I don't condone it or any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I made a bad mistake.

"I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes. But in the future, I'm going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative that everybody got."

Morant has spent time away from the Grizzlies since the incident reflecting on his behaviour, including undertaking a counselling program in Florida.

"I feel mentally good that I haven't been in many years," Morant said. "I'm in a space where I'm very comfortable.

"I was constantly talking to therapists. I've been doing Reiki treatment. I've been doing anxiety breathing, different stuff to help me manage that and release all that stuff from my body.

"I made a terrible mistake being inside a club and went Live. I put myself in a bad position."

The Grizzlies have gone 3-3 in Morant's absence, sitting third in the Western Conference with a 41-27 record.

Arizona State piled on 53 first-half points on their way to a 98-73 rout of Nevada to secure their passage into the stacked West Regional of the NCAA tournament.

Sun Devils guard D.J. Horne top scored with 20 points, shooting four-of-five from three-point range, while Desmond Cambridge Jr added 17 points with six assists on Wednesday.

Arizona shot at 63.6 per cent from the field in an outstanding offensive display, winning their No.1 First Four round game to set up a first-round clash with No.6 seed NCU on Friday.

The Sun Devils finished with the highest points total in a First Four game, with head coach Bobby Hurley calling it a "complete performance".

"You want to be playing this way at this time of year," Hurley said. "That’s what it’s all about.

"I truly believe that our schedule and the games we’ve been in, especially late in the season, prepares you for these types of games and it was across the board, just everyone contributed. Our defense was outstanding in the first half."

Fairleigh Dickinson triumphed 84-61 over Texas Southern in their First Four round game, with the No.16 progressing to face East Regional No.1 seed Purdue.

Forward Ansley Almonor scored a game-high 23 points on five-of-eight three-point shooting with eight rebounds for the Knights.

John Walker III was impressive for the Tigers with 22 points on nine-of-17 shooting from the field, with four rebounds.

Stephen Curry's 50 points were not enough for the Golden State Warriors to avoid a ninth straight road loss going down 134-126 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

The Warriors' dreadful road record worsened to 7-27 across the season, with Kawhi Leonard top scoring for the Clippers with 30 points at Crypto.com Arena.

Curry piled on 21 points in the third quarter, shooting 20-of-28 from the field and eight-of-14 from three-point range, matching his season-high 50 points from the November 16 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The reigning Finals MVP is the only player in the NBA to score 50-plus points in a loss multiple times this season. All other players are 18-2 in 50-point games this season.

Curry, who turned 35 earlier this week, also tied Wilt Chamberlain on seven for the most 50-point games after turning 30-years-old, moving past Michael Jordan (six).

Golden State's latest defeat comes in the first game of a five-game road trip which may define their playoffs aspirations, with the Warriors in sixth in the Western Conference at 36-34, while the Clippers are fifth on 37-33.

The Clippers claimed their fourth straight win after an 0-5 start after the All-Star break.

Leonard led the way on 10-of-19 field shooting, while Paul George added 24 points including four triples and seven assists.

Jordan Poole provided the Warriors' next best output with 19 points off the bench, while Draymond Green received his 16th technical foul of the season, meaning he will cop a one-game suspension.

Sixers clinch sixth win in a row

Joel Embiid scored 36 points with 18 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers continued their momentum with their sixth straight win in a 118-109 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Embiid had a charging call against him overturned with 4:12 remaining, which would have been his sixth foul, allowing him to play out the game and guide the 76ers home after the Cavs had led 96-95 in the last quarter.

James Harden added 28 points with 12 assists for Philadelphia, while Donovan Mitchell was kept to 21 points on nine-of-19 shooting, making only one-of-seven from beyond the arc.

In the Eastern Conference standings, the third-placed 76ers move to 46-22, just behind the second-placed Boston Celtics (48-22) who edged the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-102. The Cavs are fourth at 44-28.

Clutch Fox sinks Bulls on buzzer

De'Aaron Fox landed a go-ahead pull-up three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to earn the Sacramento Kings' 117-114 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Fox finished with 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting, making four-of-six three pointers including the game-winner under pressure from Ayo Dosunmu, after DeMar DeRozan tied the game at 114-all with a four-point play.

Domantas Sabonis managed a triple-double with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists for the Kings, who improved to 41-27 with the win in the race for second seed in the West.

Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant has been suspended a total of eight games without pay for carrying a gun into a Denver nightclub earlier this month, the NBA announced on Wednesday. 

Morant, who has been away from the Grizzlies since the March 4 incident and underwent counselling during his absence, will receive credit for the five games he has already missed and will be eligible to return for Memphis' March 20 home game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The decision was announced after Morant met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver in New York on Wednesday. 

Although Morant was not charged by Colorado authorities with any crime and the NBA said its investigation could not determine whether the gun belonged to him or was brought by him into the club, Silver concluded that the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year's conduct was detrimental to the league when announcing the extended penalty. 

"Ja's conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous," Silver said in a statement.

"It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him. He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behaviour.

"Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court."

Morant was seen holding the gun as he conducted an Instagram Live session from the nightclub hours after the Grizzlies' 113-97 loss to the Denver Nuggets on March 3.

The Grizzlies announced the next day that the two-time All-Star would be away from the team indefinitely as the NBA undertook an investigation of the incident.

The 2019 number two overall pick issued a written apology for his actions shortly afterwards and entered a counselling programme in Florida last week for what he said was to "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being".

Morant, who ranks fifth in the NBA in assists per game and ninth in scoring, was previously involved in another off-court incident following a game against Indiana on January 29 that resulted in several of the star guard's acquaintances being banned by the NBA from attending Grizzlies home games.

In that event, members of Morant's group reportedly confronted representatives of the Pacers' travelling party after the game, and a red laser was pointed from an SUV believed to be carrying Morant towards Indiana players and coaches as they made their way to the team bus. 

Morant is averaging 27.1 points and 8.2 assists in 53 games this season for a Memphis team who hold the second-best record in the Western Conference.

Memphis lost their first two games during Morant's current hiatus but have since won three straight, following up a 131-110 victory over defending NBA champions the Golden State Warriors on March 9 with a home-and-home sweep of Dallas. 

Michael Malone suggested complacency is behind the Denver Nuggets' four-game losing streak.

The Nuggets went down 125-110 to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, and are now winless since March 6.

Denver are still hold a four-game lead at the top of the Western Conference, with a 46-23 record for the season, but coach Malone is far from happy.

"Right now we're just in chill mode," said Malone. "And you can't be in chill mode with 13 games to go in the season.

"We've got to try to find a way to get our swagger back. Maybe we've gotten a little soft with success.

"We've been on cruise control for so long, number one in the West since like December 15.

"I just told our players we've gotten away from who we are."

Denver never led on Tuesday after allowing 49 points in the first quarter, going on to concede at least 100 points for the fifth consecutive game. Indeed, they have conceded over 120 in each of their past three games.

"We just dug too much of a big hole and couldn't climb the mountain from there," said Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.

Toronto led 88-64 after Pascal Siakam found the net with eight minutes remaining in the third, before Denver went on a run to cut the gap to 98-92, but they struggled to maintain that momentum in the final quarter.

Malone added: "When you expend so much energy getting back in the game you have nothing left to finish."

The Nuggets remain on the road for their next four games starting with Detroit Pistons (16-54) on Thursday, before a home meeting against the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks (50-19) on March 26.

Giannis Antetokounmpo warned his team-mates not to get ahead of themselves after the Milwaukee Bucks became the first side to clinch a playoff spot.

The Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104 at Footprint Center on Tuesday to make it 20 wins from their past 22 games and reach 50 victories for the season.

Giannis backed up Monday's 46-point return against the Sacramento Kings with 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in another convincing victory.

Milwaukee are the favourites to land the NBA title, but Antetokounmpo believes there is room for improvement.

"We're in a good place," said Antetokounmpo, whose average of 31.5 points per game this term is the fourth-best in the division. "We've got to keep on learning, staying humble."

Antetokounmpo later added on Twitter: "One game at a time. You can't skip steps."

The Bucks let a 57-48 lead slip in the fourth quarter against the Suns, who were still missing Kevin Durant, but they responded well to make it back-to-back road wins.

"We just mentioned it in the coaches' locker room to appreciate this," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. 

"Making the playoffs in this league is hard. You should never take anything for granted."

The Bucks are back in action on Thursday with a home game against the Indiana Pacers, who are down in 12th in the Eastern Conference.

Darvin Ham confirmed the Los Angeles Lakers will not risk Anthony Davis against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Davis starred in a 123-108 win over his former team the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, scoring 35 points while adding 17 rebounds and one assist.

The 30-year-old is enjoying a strong season, with his 26.1 points per game his best average since the 2019-20 campaign – his first in Los Angeles.

Davis has also stepped up in LeBron James' absence. In the eight games Lakers' talisman has missed since February 26, Davis has played seven, scoring 30 or more points on four occasions.

The Lakers are above the play-in line in the Western Conference, but they will have to face the Rockets without Davis, who Ham explained will not be risked in back-to-back games.

"He's not going to play," Ham said of Davis, who missed a large chunk of this campaign due to a stress fracture in his right foot.

"He hasn't been cleared. Even though he's been playing pain-free, we made an organisational decision, starting with our team doctors, to hold him out of back-to-backs.

"It's just one of those things where even though he's playing pain-free, it's still an active injury.

"So we have to monitor it and stick to the plan, as we always have done. And just go out there with our other guys and try to get a W and finish the trip the right way."

With a comfortable 75-40 half-time lead over the Pelicans, Ham would have ideally liked to hand Davis a rest, yet New Orleans fought back to reduce the deficit to 13 in the final quarter.

"It definitely was a thought, but obviously, that's a hell of a ballclub over there that has a lot of pride and they made their push, so having to reinsert him into the game kind of nixed any delusions of grandeur," Ham said.

While frustrated that he will be watching on from the sidelines in Houston, Davis knows it is likely for the best.

He said: "It's tough, especially because each game you want to go out and play.

"But before I even came back, it's something the doctors and the organisation discussed that they thought it would be best for me not to play back-to-backs. 

"It's still a stress reaction, and we're doing all the right things to make sure that I'm ready to go and I still need that day break. Obviously it sucks."

Despite their win, the Lakers dropped from ninth to 10th in the West, due to the Oklahoma City Thunder's win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won 75-71 victory over Southeast Missouri to advance to the NCAA tournament where they will face no.1 seed Alabama in the South Region.

The Islanders held off SEMA in the First Four matchup of no.16 seeds, having led 33-27 at half-time with Jalen Jackson top scoring with 22 points and six rebounds, while Isaac Mushila managed 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The triumph was a first-ever NCAA tournament game win for Texas, who were without guard Terrion Murdix due to a left knee injury.

SEMA had squared the game up at 64-64 with 3:07 to play but could not maintain the rage. Chris Harris top scored for the Redhawks with 23 points.

Pittsburgh also advanced via their First Four game, claiming their first victory at an NCAA tournament since 2014, getting past Mississippi State 60-59 in a see-sawing contest.

Jamarius Burton came up with a go-ahead two-point pointer with 10 seconds remaining and Pitt held on to clinch a clash with no.6 seed Iowa State in the Midwest Regional.

Shakeel Moore missed an open three-pointer to win the game for Mississippi, with D.J. Jeffries unable to convert the tip-in attempt.

Nelly Cummings top scored for the Panthers with 15 points with three rebounds and four assists, while Dashawn Davis also had 15 points with five assists for the Bulldogs.

The Milwaukee Bucks underlined their NBA title favouritism as they reached 50 wins for the season with a commanding 116-104 road victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo backed up Monday's 40-point return against the Sacramento Kings with 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists at the Footprint Center.

The Bucks have won 20 of their past 22 games, including a 15-game winning streak during that stretch, while the Suns have now lost three consecutive games.

Milwaukee's record is 50-19, pulling clear of the Boston Celtics (47-22) in second in the Eastern Conference, while the 37-31 Suns remain among the mayhem in the tight Western Conference playoffs race.

The Suns had rallied from a 57-48 half-time deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter but the Bucks steadied, with Antetokounmpo's block on Devin Booker's two-point attempt among the highlights.

Bucks center Brook Lopez added 21 points with 10 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Booker top scored for the Suns, still missing Kevin Durant due to an ankle injury, with 30 points on 13-of-27 shooting, while Chris Paul added 11 points with eight assists. Phoenix only made eight three-pointers for the game.

Nuggets fall to fourth straight defeat

The Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets slumped to their fourth straight defeat despite a third-quarter rally, going down 125-110 to the Toronto Raptors.

Fred VanVleet scored 36 points on 13-of-22 shooting including eight triples as the Raptors flew out of the blocks with a franchise-record 49-point first quarter, improving their record to 33-26.

The Nuggets fall to 46-23 amid their slump, with Nikola Jokic scoring 28 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Michael Porter Jr added 23 points with five three-pointers.

Lakers hit franchise record in key win over Pels

Anthony Davis produced a bounce-back display after his "terrible" showing two nights ago with 35 points and 17 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers won 123-108 over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Malik Beasley added 24 points, shooting seven-of-12 from beyond the arc, as the Lakers moved closer to .500 with a 34-35 record to boost their playoffs hopes.

Beasley's three-point shooting helped the Lakers achieve a franchise record for threes made in a half, with 15 as a team before half-time.

All-Star Luka Doncic has been ruled out for a third straight game for the Dallas Mavericks as he continues to recover from a thigh injury sustained last week.

Doncic will miss the Mavs' game against the 17-50 San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday with a left thigh strain.

Fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is listed as questionable due to right foot soreness, having missed the past two games as well.

The Mavs have lost those past two games, both against the Memphis Grizzlies, without their star duo, putting pressure on their playoffs hopes.

Dallas have fallen below .500 with a 34-35 record, slipping down to eighth in the tight Western Conference, having lost six of their past eight games.

Christian Wood (foot) and Tim Hardaway Jr (calf) are also listed as questionable for Wednesday's game, potentially further depleting the Mavs' offensive options.

Doncic avoided serious injury after an MRI on his thigh came up clear last Thursday having exited Wednesday's defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans due to the injury.

It had been expected that the Slovenian would return to the court one the discomfort and pain subsided but his prolonged absence will not help their playoffs aspirations.

Doncic is ranked second in the NBA for points per game at 33.0, behind only Joel Embiid (33.4) this season.

The Golden State Warriors' NBA title defence has so far been beset by problems – primarily the absences of key personnel.

Even now, there remains no return date for Andrew Wiggins, who has played only 37 of 69 games this season and missed the past 12 for personal reasons.

Stephen Curry is back now but has sat for 26 games this year.

Although the Warriors' most-used lineup in the 2022 playoffs – including both Wiggins and Curry – has again been their most-used lineup in this regular season, it has started just a third of their games.

Yet that does not explain a quite remarkable trend that has developed across this campaign and now causes the Warriors real concern as they go on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Golden State have won their past eight home games, the longest active streak in the NBA, yet they have lost their past eight road games, also the league's longest active streak.

This form extends beyond the past month, too.

Ahead of Tuesday's games, the Warriors possess the fourth-best home record at 29-7, actually improving on last year's winning percentage after a 31-10 performance at Chase Center en route to taking the title.

However, on the road, only tanking duo the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets are worse off than the Warriors, who are an alarming 7-26.

Those contrasting records are still good enough to have the Warriors fifth in the Western Conference, but they are 1.5 games behind the fourth-placed Phoenix Suns, meaning Golden State are set to miss out on home advantage for every round of the playoffs. Clearly, that is an issue.

The Warriors' eight-game losing streak on the road has included each of their prior three games in Los Angeles this season, beaten by the Clippers on Valentine's Day ahead of defeats to the Lakers in consecutive road games. All of their eight straight losses have come against Western Conference rivals.

Now, this latest game at the Clippers – who are sixth in the West with an identical record to the Warriors – marks the start of a five-game road trip, with eight of Golden State's final 13 matchups away from San Francisco.

Their home record may have kept them competitive to this point, but hopes for success in the postseason will require vast improvement on the road moving forward.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Los Angeles Clippers – Kawhi Leonard

As for several Warriors stars, this has been another stop-start season for Leonard, yet he has started seven of the Clippers' eight games since the All-Star break and is finally building momentum again.

Leonard had averaged 22.1 points prior to the All-Star break but has scored 31.0 points per game since then. That is tied for the sixth-best mark in that time, along with Curry.

Golden State Warriors – Klay Thompson

Curry has actually averaged more points on the road this season (30.3) than at home (28.9), but he has lacked support in away games because the same has not been true of team-mate Thompson.

The 33-year-old has scored 24.8 points at home but just 19.0 on the road. However, he has still averaged 24.6 points in those rare road wins.

Golden State will need Curry and Thompson to turn up together to get their road form back on track.

KEY BATTLE – Fast start vital

As much as any Clipper, the Warriors will be battling themselves in the first quarter. Their slow starts in road games have been ever so costly.

Golden State have trailed through the first quarter of 17 games on the road this season. They are an incredible 0-17 in those games.

The Warriors must either make a rapid start or rediscover the sort of championship grit that would allow them to recover when they are up against it on their travels.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Warriors are 2-1 against the Clippers this season, although those two wins have of course come in San Francisco.

Since 2019, Golden State have won just one of five road games against the Clippers. They had won eight of nine such matchups prior to that in a series they have dominated 137-94 all-time.

There aren't many months on the US sporting calendar that capture the imagination quite like March.

Fans around the country and around the world are furiously filling in brackets as they undertake the futile task of trying to correctly predict every game of the NCAA Tournament.

Spoiler alert. None will succeed. All brackets will eventually be 'busted' as March Madness delivers the chaotic upsets that have come to define it.

There will be top seeds who fail to justify that status and suffer defeats to supposed inferior teams, although the cream consistently rises to the top.

Twelve of the past 15 National Champions have been one seeds, including each of the last five.

Ahead of the first four tipping off in Dayton on Tuesday, Stats Perform looks at three storylines surrounding one seeds looking to keep that streak alive.

Houston eyeing home victory

The Houston Cougars have never tasted glory in the NCAA Tournament, finishing as runners-up in 1983 and 1984, but they are many people's favourites to end that drought in a year that will see the Final Four held in Houston.

Despite losing the AAC Tournament title game to Memphis, the Cougars still earned a one seed as they seek a maiden National Championship.

Top of Stats Perform's TRACR (Team Rating Adjusted for Conference and Roster) rankings, which give Houston the highest chance (13.4 per cent) of winning the title, the big question surrounding the Cougars is the health of power forward Marcus Sasser.

Sasser missed the defeat to Memphis with a groin injury, and Houston will likely need him at full health if the Cougars are to go all the way. He has averaged 17.1 points per game this season and shot 38.3 per cent from the three-point line.

He suggested he likely will be ready for the tournament, saying he "played it safe" by not featuring against Memphis.

Houston shouldn't need Sasser to get past Northern Kentucky in their first-round matchup, but the Cougars can't afford for him to be on the shelf much longer if they are to realise their potential and finally end their wait for a title.

Controversy clouds top-ranked Alabama

The top overall seed belongs to the Alabama Crimson Tide, who will face either Texas A&M-Corpus Christi or Southeast Missouri State in the first round.

But much of the talk around Alabama does not concern their play on the court.

Alabama removed Darius Miles from the team in January after he was charged with capital murder following the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman near the campus.

Police are said to believe that Brandon Miller, the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year, supplied the firearm to his former team-mate.

Miller has not been charged, nor is he considered a suspect, and according to the university, he has been cooperating with the police as a witness.

Alabama coach Nate Oats has been insistent Miller has done nothing wrong, and he remains on the court as the standout for a team looking to reach the Final Four for the first time.

He will carry much of the burden for Alabama having averaged 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds and shot 40.1 per cent from beyond the arc.

After easing to an 82-63 win over Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament finale, Alabama look in excellent shape to justify their position as the number one seed in the entire tournament. 

But the further they progress and the larger the spotlight gets, the more questions they will face around Miller's presence and the lack of discipline he has faced after a tragedy that may overshadow their campaign.

Self set to return for Jayhawks repeat bid

The Kansas Jayhawks go into the tournament looking to do what no team has done since Florida in 2007 and claim back-to-back National Championships.

Entering the tournament as the one seed in the West Regional, Kansas' performance in a season that has seen them go 27-7 would appear to indicate they have a strong chance of repeating.

Yet the TRACR rankings give them just a 3.2 per cent of doing so, and history is firmly against them.

Since Florida made it two in a row in 2007, no defending champion has advanced past the Sweet 16, with only two even reaching that stage.

This year, the Jayhawks face a potential Sweet 16 matchup with UConn, a fourth seed with the third-best odds (6.9 per cent) to win it all, according to TRACR.

So, not a great draw then, and Kansas' preparations for the tournament have not exactly been ideal.

They lost the Big 12 Championship Game 76-56 to Texas, having played that tournament without head coach Bill Self after he was admitted to hospital with chest tightness and balance concerns.

With Self expected to return for the tournament and Kansas possessing the Big 12's top scorer in Jalen Wilson (20.1 points per game), there is reason for optimism this powerhouse can replicate the achievements of Billy Donovan's Gators 16 years ago.

Regardless of whether they succeed, the Jayhawks have already fared better than the team they defeated last year, North Carolina, who failed to make the tournament. They became the first preseason number one to miss out on the tournament since 1985.

This season has already seen unwanted history for the Tar Heels. The Jayhawks will look to end it by writing another celebratory chapter in the record books. 

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has entered counselling in Florida, with the timeline for his return to action still uncertain.

Morant remains away from the Grizzlies following an incident in early March where he posted an Instagram Live video that appeared to show him flashing a handgun inside a Colorado nightclub.

Glendale police confirmed it had decided not to lay charges on Morant for the incident, citing a lack of evidence, while the NBA's investigation is ongoing.

According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, Morant sought out counselling as part of his efforts – as Morant had previously put in a statement: "[T]o get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

The Grizzlies made it three wins in a row despite Morant's absence on Monday as they beat the Dallas Mavericks 104-88 at American Airlines Center.

After the game, Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins said: "Outside of what I have said in the past, being respectful to the nature of the situation, I think I said on the outside that he is taking time and responsibility to get better himself so that he can be better for our team. I am not going to really comment further until there are other updates necessary."

Jenkins also confirmed he has been in regular communication with the player, saying: "Yes, he and I have been communicating every couple of days trying to get him in the appropriate space, but also just keeping him up to speed on what the team is doing, and how he is doing as well."

On a return date, he added: "Not ready to comment. We need to get through the next couple of days he is out, at least for the Miami [Heat] game [on Wednesday], and then we will know more beyond that."

Mike Budenholzer hailed a "really special" game from Khris Middleton and described a scuffle that marred the closing moments as "unfortunate" as the Milwaukee Bucks won 133-124 against the Sacramento Kings.

Three-time All-Star Middleton's 31 points were a season-high, shooting nine-of-15 from the field and adding nine assists. He was the perfect sidekick for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ended up scoring 46 points on 19-of-28 shooting, with 12 rebounds and four assists.

It was Antetokounmpo's sixth game this season with at least 45 points, while no other player has more than Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid's four.

Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists, completing his 10th triple-double of the season.

The game's final stages saw tensions boil over as Sacramento's Trey Lyles and Milwaukee's Brook Lopez were ejected after an ugly melee.

That set-to broke out with 15.4 seconds remaining, sparked by a shove on Antetokounmpo by Lyles, with Lopez stepping in and squaring up to the Kings man, leading to a mass grappling match at courtside.

Budenholzer said that moment was "just unfortunate" as he preferred to look at the positives from a fine road win.

"I think it was a great game, a lot of good things happened," Budenholzer said. "I was so impressed by Sacramento and the way they played, and it was good for our guys to fight back in the second half. I'm really not going to say anything about what did or didn't happen. To me, it was unfortunate."

At one point in the game, Lopez needed patching up as blood flowed from a wound on his face. He and the Bucks came back strongly after trailing 49-33 to get the win, improving their NBA-leading record to 49-19 for the season.

While Antetokounmpo was excellent on his return from a three-game hand injury lay-off, Budenholzer saved his highest praise for Middleton.

"Khris was really special," the Bucks coach said. "He had a stretch in the third quarter, he had a stretch in the fourth quarter. Down the stretch the ball was in his hands; the execution, the decision-making, the shot-making was high level, and it's good to see. We've just got to continue to grow, the execution down the stretch was good.

"I think the first half was not our best and down the stretch with the ball in his hands, we do that a lot, and it's like falling into a good old habit. And he and Jrue [Holiday] and Giannis were good. Everybody played together and executed and Khris sometimes is that guy that's at the point of it."

Lopez and Sabonis fought a running battle that Budenholzer likened to a prize fight.

"We were just talking in the locker room. It was like a 15-round heavyweight boxing match," the coach said in his post-game press conference.

"Sabonis was incredibly impressive and I feel the same way about Brook. They're just two great players going at each other. His best stuff against Brook's best stuff. The whole game was a match-up to watch, Brook and Sabonis going against each other, and I think everybody got their money's worth.