Zimbabwe are hoping to begin the process of rebuilding their national side, with at least two confirmed Test series in the next two months, and several white-ball fixtures in the lead up to the 2023 World Cup. The windfall of matches, which starts with two Tests and three T20Is against Afghanistan in the UAE, comes after a lean year for Zimbabwe in which they only played six internationals, none of them Tests. This return to the rigours of the longest format is what captain Sean Williams says his team needs to improve across the board.

"I would love this team to play Tests as often as possible. It's the ultimate," Williams said. "And having the opportunity to play in Covid-19 times is massive. It's character building. The challenges you face in Test cricket are huge and if you can overcome those challenges, it prepares you for ODI and T20 cricket. I am very excited to see the Tests against Pakistan (in April) are on, and the Ireland (white-ball) tour and then the qualifiers next year leading into the 2023 World Cup."

Though excited at the opportunity to get on the field again, Zimbabwe, like many other teams, are finding that playing during the pandemic brings challenges of its own.

"It is difficult. The team sacrifices a lot. They sacrifice family time, and there is a lot of alone time," Williams said. "The mental aspect is big. The time you spend in the room, with quarantine and testing, over and over and over - it's extremely tough. You spend a lot of time on your cellphone and your screen time goes up. You spend a lot of time on social media and social media can play mind games with you, especially when it comes to international sport."

The squad have moved from a biosecure environment in Harare, where they were training, to a bubble in Abu Dhabi, their base for the entire Afghanistan series. Although they are no longer confined to their hotel rooms, there are still restrictions on their movement and how much they can interact with each other.

"You've trackers around your neck so you can't spend too much with each other. After 15 minutes, the beeper goes off and you've got to head off," Williams said. "We are separated a lot of the time. It's tough. It's not for the faint-hearted."

But it's the only way to ensure they get the game time Williams is so desperate for to prompt an upskilling of their players.

Zimbabwe have to go back more than two years to remember their last Test win, against Bangladesh in Sylhet in November 2018, and more than a year for the last respectable performance in the format, when they drew against Sri Lanka in Harare. For that reason, the goal for this series is simple: "I want to win. I just want to win. Simple," Williams said. "And we need to have team goals hour by hour like we had in the Sri Lanka Test match. And make decisions collectively as a group. There will always be a guy that struggles and someone else will have to step up and carry him along."

The emphasis on the collective is in part a response to the number of players Zimbabwe are missing for this series. Six first-choice players - Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha and PJ Moore - are out of the tour through illness or injury, putting more pressure on Williams and other senior members of the side, like Sikandar Raza.

"Missing them is huge. We need them in Test cricket but at the same time, we have a young bunch coming through. We are in a rebuilding process again," Williams said. "Missing them is huge not only for the juniors but for guys like Raza and myself as well. They are support for the group but they are not here so we have got to get on with it."

The absence of Taylor, Ervine, Chibhabha and Moor, which leaves Zimbabwe with an inexperienced middle-order, will not be used as an excuse for below-par batting. In fact, Williams is specifically targeting improved first-innings scores of "450-500 plus which is what's expected in a first innings total Test cricket nowadays," which is much more than Zimbabwe's recent average of 280 across their last nine Tests.

"The mental aspect is big. The time you spend in the room, with quarantine and testing, over and over and over - it's extremely tough"

It will be up to Prince Masvaure and Kevin Kasuza, who are established as the top two, to step up and Williams believes they are more than ready for the task. "Their characters speak volumes on them. If I had to pick a team on character and not on talent, they would both be there," he said. "They have that sacrificial mindset and that makes a big difference when it comes to Test cricket. They are opening doors for themselves and for us. I am extremely happy to have them and I value them massively. The workload that they do and the work ethics they have is massive."

Zimbabwe have several options in the bowling department, particularly when it comes to spinners, but that's not where Williams' focus is. Although conditions are expected to favour slower bowling, he wants his quicks to come to the fore against the Afghan line-up. "Pace against them is a big thing so we are hoping our bowlers get an opportunity to have a crack at them," Williams said.

That means Donald Tiripano and Victor Nyauchi will have a big job to do, as will Blessing Muzarabani, who returned to Zimbabwe last year after a Kolpak stint, and will play his first Test since 2018. "It's a huge thing to have him back. His height, his pace, the bounce that he gets is a big thing for us, especially against a team like Afghanistan," Williams said. "His leadership skills coming from the county scene is also a big thing for us and our bowling unit."

Both Tests and all three T20Is will be played in Abu Dhabi.

Mumbai, Saurashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala have filled up the last four automatic qualification spots for the quarter-final stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. They join Gujarat, Andhra, and Karnataka, who had sealed qualification on Sunday by topping their respective groups. The eighth quarter-finalist will be decided by a playoff between Delhi, who finished eighth on the combined Elite division points table, and Uttarakhand, who finished as toppers of the Plate group.

This season's format has the top-placed teams of the five Elite division groups qualifying automatically, alongside the top two teams on points from a combined Elite division table. Mumbai won their last Group D game by 200 runs against Himachal Pradesh to finish top with five wins in five games, while Saurashtra stayed on top of Group E with 16 points despite their first loss of the season to Services.

For the other two automatic qualification spots, the teams in contention were UP and Kerala (both from Group C with 16 points), Baroda (Group A, 16 points) and Delhi (Group D, 16 points). Baroda lost out to Delhi on net run-rate, while UP's and Kerala's vastly superior NRRs ensured they qualified as the sixth- and seventh-placed teams.

The Plate division, which plays as one group, had two teams - Uttarakhand and Assam - finish with five wins in five games. But Uttarakhand's NRR in excess of +3 was far too much for Assam to better on the final day of the league stage. As a result, it will be Uttarakhand who play Delhi for the last quarter-final spot.

Group D

Mumbai began the day all-but-qualified, on 16 points with an NRR boosted by their explosiveness against Puducherry last week. They fell to 49 for 4 against HP after electing to bat and it took three of their most senior players - Suryakumar Yadav (91 off 75), Aditya Tare (83 off 98) and Shardul Thakur (92 off 57) - to not only rescue them but put them far beyond the reach of HP, who folded for 121 in a chase of 322. Legspinner Prashant Solanki, in his debut season for the Mumbai senior team, took 4 for 32 to take his tally to 11 wickets in three matches. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani took 3 for 42, including the wicket that ended the game.

Delhi's bowlers arrested Rajasthan's charge in the slog overs and bowled them out for 294, before an unbeaten 117 from Himmat Singh, and his unbroken 183-run stand with Nitish Rana (88 off 75) helped them win by eight wickets with more than five overs to spare. Rajasthan had been on course for bigger runs on the back of Manender Singh's 73 and Arjit Gupta's 51-ball 78 before Simarjeet Singh (4 for 36) and Pradeep Sangwan (3 for 62) intervened.

In the only other Group D match, Maharashtra's Yash Nahar made 119 to end his maiden List A season with 390 runs in five matches. That knock in a big partnership with Ankit Bawne, who made 110, and Rahul Tripathi's 30-ball 59, combined to help Maharasthra put up 333 for 4 and win by 137 runs. Kedar Jadhav bowled a 10-over spell that went for 34 and got him two wickets.

Group E

A career-best 158 for Rahul Singh Gahlaut helped Services pick up their second win of the season, and upset of table-toppers Saurashtra. After being put in and falling to 26 for 4, it took a 182-run stand between Gahlaut and wicketkeeper Devender Lochab (64 off 86) to lift Services past 200. They scored at more than ten an over in the last eight overs, a 21-ball 43 from former Delhi allrounder Pulkit Narang helping them get to 301 for 7. Saurashtra's middle order collapsed in chase, courtesy of left-arm spinner Rahul Khajan Singh's 4 for 45, and medium-pacer Varun Choudhary's 3 for 62. They fell short by 68 runs with about seven overs to spare.

Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir made light work of chasing down Chandigarh's 241. Shubham Khajuria's 120 off 86 balls, and Henan Nazir's - playing only his second game - unbeaten 110 off 88 balls formed a partnership of 183 that came in fewer than 24 overs as they won with eight wickets and 16 overs to spare. Umar Nazir, Parvez Rasool, and Auqib Nabi had previously taken three wickets each.

Bengal's campaign ended with a loss to Haryana at the Eden Gardens. All five of Haryana's bowlers were among the wickets, led by Sanjay Pahal's 3 for 32, as the hosts folded for 177. In response, Haryana had fifties from both openers - Chaitanya Bishnoi and Shubham Rohilla - anchoring different parts of their chase as they won by five wickets. They did, however, finish bottom of the table.

Plate division

Left-handed Kamal Singh made his first ton in senior cricket to help Uttarakhand post 306 against Sikkim. Sikkim's response never took off, and they ended their campaign with the aim to bat out 50 overs - which they did, finishing on 161 for 6.

In the other Plate matches, Assam and Meghalya followed similar templates - putting up scores in excess of 300 and winning by 83 and 182 runs respectively against Manipur and Mizoram.

The only match to buck that trend involved Nagaland chasing down 287 with eight wickets and just about as many overs to spare. Captain Rongsen Jonathan and Shrikant Mundhe both made centuries, while allrounder Stuart Binny capped his 100th List A game with a 37-ball 55 to see them home against Arunachal Pradesh, who had been fueled by an unbeaten 138 from Rahul Dalal earlier.

The finger injury he picked during the 2021 PSL is set to rule out Rashid Khan from Afghanistan's first Test against Zimbabwe, starting on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. ESPNcricnfo understands Rashid suffered a minor fracture to the middle finger of his bowling hand, which is yet to heal, and, will now force him to sit out the first match of the two-Test series.

Although the Afghanistan Cricket Board has given no official update on Monday, the ACB did signal Rashid was likely to miss the first Test in a media release issued on February 25 and that a "final call on his inclusion" would be taken after a "reassessment of his injury" on February 28.

On February 22, playing for the Lahore Qalandars against Quetta Gladiators in the PSL, Rashid hurt his finger while intercepting a hard-hit stroke from Chris Gayle. Wincing in pain, Rashid was forced to walk off the field to get treatment. The legspinner did return to finish his four-over spell fetching one wicket, that of arch nemesis Gayle.

That was Rashid's second and last match of the PSL before he travelled to Abu Dhabi for the Zimbabwe series. It is understood Rashid had taken scans of the finger in Pakistan before exiting the PSL which revealed he had a fracture. He had "displaced" the intra articular distal phalanx (the base of the top part of the middle finger).

Upon joining the Afghanistan squad, Rashid had to wear a splint to protect the finger. It is understood that he would need to be in rehab until March 4 subject to the injury healing well before that.

It is also understood that Zahir Khan, the left-arm wrist spinner, who has played two Tests, is a potential frontrunner to replace Rashid.

Monday night's Pakistan Super League (PSL) match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators has been delayed after legspinner Fawad Ahmed returned a positive test for Covid-19. Ahmed had showed symptoms two days ago and had been immediately isolated, his franchise Islamabad United said. Other members of Islamabad United have returned negative tests while the Quetta Gladiators players are being tested. The start of the game, which was scheduled for 7.30pm local time, has been pushed back to 9pm.

A spokesperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told ESPNcricinfo that members of every franchise are currently being tested for Covid-19 as well.

This is the PSL's second major Covid-related incident, and the second case of a player testing positive for the virus. On February 21, Peshawar Zalmi's captain Wahab Riaz, and coach, Darren Sammy, had been forced into a three-day quarantine after meeting a person outside the team's biosecure bubble. The breach had come three days after the PCB had briefed players, support staff and match officials to "religiously follow" all Covid-19 protocols. Each PSL franchise has its own Covid compliance officer, who is responsible for testing, implementation of protocols, sanitisation, and players' temperature checks. The whole process is bring regulated by the event doctor.

The other player to test positive, an anonymous one from Lahore Qalandars, had gone into 10-day isolation on the same day and will need to return two negative tests and clear a fitness assessment before he can be re-integrated with the squad. This is likely to be the case with Ahmed as well.

Ahmed had made his first appearance of this edition of the PSL on Saturday, February 27, during United's loss against Peshawar Zalmi. United's statement on his isolation suggests that would be the evening during which Ahmed went into isolation. Ahmed, who has represented Australia in ODI and T20 cricket, is a regular at the PSL and in leagues around the world. The 39-year-old came into this edition on the back of a long run of games in the Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers, including a miserly 1 for 16 in the final against Sydney Sixers.

Scotland and Harlequins number eight Jade Konkel has announced she is "taking some time away from rugby" to become a firefighter with the London Fire Brigade.

She joined Harlequins from Lille two years later.

"I've made some difficult decisions over the last few months," Konkel said on Twitter.

"However, this is an opportunity I could not turn down.

"I'm not hanging the boots up just yet. I'll be seeing you on the other side."

A social work graduate, Konkel became the first player to receive a contract through the Scottish Rugby Academy while playing for Hillhead-Jordanhill and moved to Lille in the French top flight a year later.

She is also a qualified fitness nutrition specialist and has combined playing rugby with running her own personal training business.

Konkel, capped 43 times for Scotland, did not state in her tweet whether she will be available for the delayed Women's Six Nations, which will be played in a reduced format across four weekends in April.

She was not in the Harlequins squad as the English club defeated Sale Sharks 45-5 on Saturday to sit second behind Saracens in the Premier 15s.

France head coach Fabien Galthie has been backed by his federation despite leaving the squad's bubble on the opening weekend of the Six Nations.

Galthie provided the squad's first positive test after the 15-13 victory over Ireland in Dublin on 14 February.

Eleven players, including captain Charles Ollivon, have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu has threatened to withdraw France from the Six Nations amid reports players went out to eat waffles while they were in Rome to play Italy in their opening game on 6 February.

But French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte has now revealed the day after the Azzurri had been beaten 50-10, Galthie was in the Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris to see his son Mathis play.

"For me, he has the right to leave from the moment he is masked. He was outside," Laporte told France 3 television channel.

"He watched the match alongside [Stade Francais director general] Thomas Lombard, who himself is tested every three days and also wore a mask. I don't see where the problem could be. But then again I'm not a doctor.

"Why wouldn't I support him [Galthie]? I am not a prosecutor. And it's not because I really like Fabien. He knows very well that I don't give gifts to people."

Six Nations organisers have yet to reveal a date for the re-arranged match between tournament favourites France - who have won both their matches - and Scotland.

"Nobody knows what I've been doing since I left the game," Theo Fleury says. "Everyone thinks I'm still this crazy person with problems and issues, but I've actually been trying to figure it out."

Fleury last played in the NHL in 2003; he was suspended by the league for violating its substance abuse aftercare program, and never returned afterward. The winger, a 1,000-point scorer and Stanley Cup champion, previously entered the program voluntarily in 2001, seeking treatment for addiction.

Fleury, then with the Rangers, said he was approached by those around him, saying they heard rumors that he was struggling with abuse of drugs and alcohol. "There were tons of people wanting to help, but I wasn't ready for the help," Fleury said. "That's part of the equation too. Ultimately, every time I went to treatment, I was saving my job, saving my marriage, doing it for everyone but myself."

Fleury went to four different treatment centers, at four stages of the program. "I've never followed a rule in my life, so I'm not surprised I blew through four stages then got kicked out," he said. "But I'll tell you, at every treatment center I picked up tools that I use today to stay clean and sober."

He continues: "I should have gone away for a whole entire year, worked on myself, got my s--- together, and came back," Fleury says. "I probably would have had eight or nine years playing if I had done that. But I didn't. And we don't know what we don't know, right?"

Fleury's addiction, he says, was a coping mechanism for managing his mental health. And that all stems back to trauma -- Fleury revealed in his 2009 book that he was sexually abused by his junior coach -- which is a lot to unpack. He's still in that process, but now takes an enlightened and active role on the journey. What he's learned? "I believe mental health is the biggest epidemic on the planet," Fleury says. "We've never seen anything like it."

Fleury, now 52 and living in Calgary, has been connected with other like-minded individuals, and has immersed himself into the mental health space.

"I get to hang around with neuroscientists and all types of amazing people who are smart," Fleury says. "And they're on speed-dial so I can have a conversation with them whenever I want."

That has led Fleury to pursue business ventures, which ultimately could help others. He just joined a virtual reality company, XR Medical Solutions, which uses sound to recalibrate the nervous system and create new pathways. Fleury is also sitting on the advisory board for Universal Ibogaine, a Canadian company working to combat the opioid epidemic through plant-based medicine. They're currently doing trials in Mexico on Iboga, a root that grows in Africa.

"What it does is completely bypasses the detox off of opioids," Fleury says. "A lot of people don't want to get off opioids just for that fact. Because detox can be an exorcism. So this drug would help you bypass all of that, which would really help people's recoveries."

This month, Fleury is excited to launch a podcast entitled "We're All A Little Crazy." The co-hosts are Eric Kussin, the founder of #SameHere (the nonprofit Robin Lehner has supported, including on his helmet) and Darren Rovell, the former ESPN business reporter who now works at the Action Network.

Kussin said the podcast will focus conversations around current events -- and how the media's coverage of mental health can often be more damaging than helpful, especially if it doesn't explain mental health in a larger context, or how things are interrelated. That's why Fleury saw the need for a long-form format.

"There's not enough men who are openly talking about their struggles with mental health, because of stigma," Fleury says. "Just as many men suffer as women, but in my experience there's really not a space created to have these conversations. We're going to try to normalize how people should talk about the subject. Because there's so much stigma. If you have mental health challenges, guess what? You're in the majority, you're not in the minority."

The landscape in the NHL is reflective of society's relationship with mental health, Fleury says. While there have been great strides with awareness about mental health, there are still "a ways to go" to better support players.

"Awareness about mental health is the only thing I see that's different," Fleury says. "Awareness, that's it."

Fleury uses the Flames, the team for whom he played 791 games, as an example.

"Calgary has a program called 'Hockey Talks,'" Fleury says. "And it's like, what are you guys actually talking about? They say, mental health. Well, what is mental health? What are you actually talking about? There are 30 layers to treating mental illness, and talking is one of the 30. That's it. They use it as a way to get eyeballs and clicks and all that stuff. 'Bell Let's Talk' in Canada, it gets 150 million impressions a year in one day. It's good for business. What they've done is they created an incredible amount of awareness around the subject, but that's it. So the awareness is there. But on the other side of the coin, we are seeing the highest suicide rates ever on our planet. So why isn't all of this awareness turning into action and getting people well? Because we're not talking about trauma. Trauma is the catalyst for all of this stuff."

It's one of the reasons launching the podcast now was important to Fleury.

"COVID is the most traumatic thing we've seen since World War II," Fleury says. "Why are we seeing a higher rate of suicides? Why are we seeing a higher rate of overdoses and deaths? Because people are using that for a coping mechanism. And then when people lose hope -- because we all don't know when this will be over and return to some sort of normalcy -- the whole entire world is living in high anxiety because we don't know what's going on. And then you're isolated. The best way to deal with that is through connections and relationships, and we don't even have that. We have Zoom screens."

Talking it through, Fleury hopes, will help others realize they're not alone.

Jump ahead:
Three stars of the week
What we liked this week
What we didn't like
Best games on tap
Social post of the week

Emptying the notebook

A team turning plenty of heads this season is the Florida Panthers; at 13-4-3, they are neck-and-neck with the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning for the Central Division lead. The question everyone in the NHL is asking: Are the Panthers for real?

"I think if you would have told me before the season started, without watching our group, here's what the record would be after [20] games that we'd have 29 points, I'd say, 'Wow!'" Florida general manager Bill Zito told me this weekend. "But then when you watch the games, the guys have played really well."

Florida's offense looks legit; for the second straight season, Florida is tracking as a top-10 team in goals per game. Zito, the first-year GM, deserves a lot of credit for the players he brought in. Newcomers Anthony Duclair, Patric Hornqvist, Alex Wennberg and Carter Verhaeghe have combined for 52 points. But perhaps just as impressive in Joel Quenneville's second campaign in Florida is how much he's getting out of the now-veteran core. The defense looks much improved this season. Aaron Ekblad is playing some of his best hockey in five years in Florida.

Jonathan Huberdeau has surpassed Aleksander Barkov as everyone's favorite answer for who is the league's most underrated player. (Huberdeau is on pace for the equivalent of 20.5 GAR over a full season, tied for 15th-best among forwards, according to FiveThirtyEight). As for Barkov himself?

"Sasha, he's really enjoying hockey," Zito said. "It's like you watch him, and he gets the puck, and you can just tell. He's having fun. His leadership I think has been infectious. That whole leadership group really stepped up. Sasha, and Huby and Yandle. Keith Yandle!"

The 34-year-old defenseman, who was potentially going to be scratched in the season opener (which would have ended his 886-game ironman streak, which ranks third in NHL history) has been a revelation. "I mean, the offensive game for Yandle -- he's blessed, he's a magician with the puck," Zito said. "But on the other side of the game, he came out strong and was a leader on the ice."

The most interesting aspect of Florida is their goaltending. Ahead of the season, the Panthers touted that they had formed a Goaltending Excellence Department. Zito explained the purpose was an integrated department to provide guidance and coaching for goalies from the moment they are drafted to when they reach the NHL. (The Panthers, it should be noted, have one of the league's top goaltending prospects in 2019 first-rounder Spencer Knight). However, it doesn't feel like a coincidence that the department was formed, and all of a sudden unheralded 26-year-old Chris Driedger is suddenly playing out of his mind. (Driedger has the sixth-best save percentage, .928, of all goalies who have played at least six games this season).

Zito laughs at this notion. "I think that would be self-serving to just say we snapped our fingers to get that result," Zito said. "You've got to give some credit to Chris Driedger. And I don't know, is he playing out of his mind or did he start doing it last year? And he kind of got the chance, and showed what he can do. It's funny, a lot of goalies, it just seems to happen that they come into their own a little bit later. Some people might say that because nobody gave them the chance earlier. ... But it does happen where some pretty good goaltenders get their chance later or develop later, and they're ready for the opportunity."

Driedger and Sergei Bobrovsky have each made 10 starts, though Driedger has outplayed the 32-year-old who signed a seven-year, $70 million contract ahead of last season. (Bobrovsky has a .899 save percentage so far, and is at minus-2.9 goals saved above average, while Driedger is at 6.33 GSAA, per Evolving Hockey). Asked if he is concerned about Bobrovsky not performing up to expectations, considering how big of an investment the organization has made in the goalie, Zito was emphatic.

"No, no," he said. "There's ebbs and flows in our game and we're a team. We have to worry about day-to-day. We go to work every day as a team. ... He's the consummate professional, the hardest-working guy. As a general manager, he's a pleasure to have, because he makes everyone around him better with his work ethic, his focus, and his diligence."

Can the Panthers keep it up? Florida was embarrassed by the way it exited last year's bubble, losing in four games to the Islanders in the qualifying round. The franchise has made it past the first round of the playoffs just once in the last two decades.

"Consistency is the key -- trying to see if we can keep it going," Zito said. "Can we play the right way, and continue to do what we're doing?"

It's not going to be easy for the Panthers, who had a lighter first-half schedule and are one of six teams feasibly in the race for four Central Division playoff spots (assuming the Dallas Stars can right their ship).

"I think fatigue is the thing that is going to creep in here as the season evolves," Zito said. "Who can manage it as the play gets sloppier and guys get more and more tired and teams figure out how to manage themselves?"

Three stars of the week

Mats Zuccarello, RW, Minnesota Wild

The Wild are on a six-game winning streak and the veteran winger has been a catalyst, sparking a red-hot line with Victor Rask and Kirill Kaprizov. Zuccarello had two goals and six assists for eight points in four games this week.

Mats Zuccarello (@zuccarello36) finishes off some pretty passing on this one. pic.twitter.com/KluTjASE4p

— NHL (@NHL) February 25, 2021

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

Vasilevskiy's new helmet may function like a mood ring, but the vibe has been great all week for the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner. He won all three starts (against the Canes and Stars) including two shutouts, for a .975 save percentage and 0.67 goals-against average.

Wait... what?! ?

Andrei Vasilevskiy's new mask changes colors.

(? @Sylabrush) pic.twitter.com/bEt3iEg0xg

— NHL (@NHL) February 23, 2021

William Nylander, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

The 24-year-old is sometimes (um, almost always) under the microscope in a tough media market. Production is the best clapback. Nylander scored three goals in three games this week, including two game-winners.

Willie Nylander calls game pic.twitter.com/mEJ1eI7p3z

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) February 25, 2021

What we liked this week

1. It's a shame for American hockey fans that Brady and Matthew Tkachuk are both playing for Canadian teams, therefore getting less exposure down here. They're two of the peskiest -- but most electric -- players in the league today. As father Keith told NHL.com: "I assume there are going to be a lot of guys in the Ottawa Senators dressing room who aren't going to like Matthew, and vice versa in the Calgary room about Brady, if they're doing what they're supposed to do."

We're in the middle of the Tkachuk brothers facing off five times in an 11-game span, which has also generated some incredible content:

These photos of young Matthew & Brady Tkachuk posing with NHL stars are golden.

(? @Sportsnet) pic.twitter.com/bHZ9hVG4ny

— NHL (@NHL) February 25, 2021

Both brothers scored on Saturday night -- a 6-3 win by the Flames -- but my favorite moment came as Brady Tkachuk began yapping at Calgary captain Mark Giordano on his way to the box for a tripping penalty. Matthew Tkachuk is seen laughing on the bench, saying: "Give it back to him, G!"

Brady Tkachuk= ?️

Matthew Tkachuk= ??#CofRed #GoSensGo #OTTvsCGY https://t.co/JXwAxRaTfl pic.twitter.com/UkKkFkwKtd

— Coolbet Canada ?? (@CoolbetCanada) February 27, 2021

2. Kirill Kaprizov's edge work is insane. You see why so many Minnesota Wild general managers were desperate to get this winger over from the KHL (and might we remind you, he was a fifth-round pick). Kaprizov's arrival has totally changed the complexion of the team; the line of Kaprizov, Victor Rask and Mats Zuccarello is one of the hottest in the league, having outscored teams 9-2 on the ice, with a 60.64 expected goals for percentage, per Natural Stat Trick.

Minnesota has won six in a row, the franchise's longest winning streak since 2016. Kaprizov, meanwhile, has scored in consecutive games for the first time this season. Four of his six goals so far have come against the Kings, but it's his vision, creativity and skating that have his teammates most impressed.

"He's dangerous when he has time and space," Zach Parise said. "He's strong on the puck. If we get those scenarios, 3-on-3 or 4-on-4, he could have the puck on his stick for the whole shift."

Kirill Kaprizov is blowing the minds of opposing team's commentators pic.twitter.com/qJzsdbdYfc

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) February 25, 2021

3. J.J. Watt already put in the work to speak in hockey language. I wouldn't mind this as a second act for him, at all.

Clappin an absolute heater up where grandma keeps the good stuff.

Just wish I had the lettuce and lip sweater to match the dangles.

Wouldn't mind doing a few years on the pond after I hang up the cleats someday.

? https://t.co/pjYBaHYprt

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 22, 2021

What we didn't like this week

1. There are unwritten rules in the NHL. Before making their NHL debut, rookies get a solo lap. Skaters shouldn't shoot high on their goalie in warm-ups. Nobody should shoot the puck after the whistle, period. In the general managers' fraternity, offer sheets are frowned upon.

And then there's the one that's kind of uncomfortable to talk about: The coach of the Montreal Canadiens must speak French. (A joke I heard from a longtime NHL assistant coach this week: "You don't have to be bilingual to coach the Habs, you just need to speak French).

It's a unique market, with about 80% of Quebecers using French as their first language, and previous tenures for English-only speaking coaches have not ended well. Interim coach Randy Cunneyworth was the last (in 2011), and his promotion was met with a firestorm of criticism -- including from provincial culture minister, Christine St. Pierre, who said she hoped the Habs would "rectify the situation" but did not call for his firing, saying she was taking the team at their word that Cunneyworth's job title was temporary.

Claude Julien was fired this week, which isn't necessarily surprising given the pressure Habs GM Marc Bergevin feels to contend with the moves he made this offseason. I meant this as no disrespect to Dominique Ducharme, but I was surprised to see him get the nod at interim coach over Kirk Muller -- a franchise legend himself, a former NHL head coach, and the man tapped to lead the team in the bubble when Julien had to go to the hospital for a heart procedure. Then again, I shouldn't have really been surprised. Muller doesn't speak French. Heck, when Muller was announced as interim in August (with Julien in the hospital) Bergevin felt the need to apologize.

"We understand that Kirk does not speak French," Bergevin told reporters then. "But there are exceptional circumstances, and we're asking you for your understanding."

I understand the importance of finding someone who can communicate to their fans and the media in both languages, but I also wonder if the team is limiting itself from finding the most qualified candidate, all because of an arbitrary rule. This league is more international than ever. Its coaching force should, in theory, reflect that.

2. I mean, the whole "goal suppression" thing appears to be an issue in the North Division:

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

- Wayne Gretzky
- Michael Scott
- Erik Brannstrom #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/w0nfdtU68j

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) February 26, 2021

3. Jordan Binnington got pulled on Saturday night after allowing four goals to the Sharks (the Blues would win, 7-6), and the Blues goalie was quite upset thereafter:

Things get heated as Jordan Binnington exits the game.
TV: FSMW
Stream: FSGO - https://t.co/qLg8tquQ1b#stlblues pic.twitter.com/7wilYqKTIe

— FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) February 28, 2021

Remember, this is the same Binnington who got a penalty for slashing an unsuspecting Ben Bishop during the commercial break of a playoff game in 2019.

It was funny watching completely different reactions. St. Louis seems happy to get behind Binnington's passions. "Give me 20 Binningtons!" former Blues defenseman and current St. Louis radio host Jamie Rivers tweeted.

Then there's Binnington's San Jose counterpart Devan Dubnyk in a postgame interview: "I don't know why he's skating around, pretending to punch guys. I told him to get off the ice; he's 165 pounds, swinging at guys, fake punching guys."

Top games on tap this week

Note: All times Eastern.

Monday, March 1: Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers 10 pm (ESPN+)

Another round of Connor McDavid vs. Auston Matthews? Don't mind if we do (provided that Matthews can play after being held out of Saturday's tilt with Edmonton due to a wrist injury). The Oilers are on a torrid stretch, having lost just twice since Jan. 30 (best record in the NHL in that span). Matthews has been nursing that wrist injury, but it doesn't seem to be affecting him too much when he plays; the only difference is he's not being set up as much for one-timers.

Tuesday, March 2: Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.

Ron Hextall was the general manager for the Flyers for nearly four years, building one of the top prospect systems in the league. But he was fired in 2018, and only now is Philly enjoying the work Hextall put in. Now the GM of the Penguins, Hextall faces his former team for the first time. The intrastate rivals have not met since a two-game series to open the season.

Wednesday, March 3: Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.

This is the NBC Sports primetime game on Wednesday, the first of a two-game series for these teams. The obvious storyline is Zdeno Chara once again facing the team he captained for 14 seasons. The Caps are getting past some new coach growing pains, and are hoping Ilya Samsonov can return to form after a rough start to the season, including a bout with COVID.

Social media post of the week

A legitimately great question posed here. These photos are stunning:

Why aren't more hockey photos taken from an overhead angle? These are from Leafs team photographer @mblinch (who captured the famous Kawhi shot) from an overhead camera with a strobe, and they're like goddamn Renaissance paintings pic.twitter.com/SRJOEWTpkS

— ℳatt (@matttomic) February 25, 2021

Big picture

The A-Z of Test cricket will be on full display this week when, in Ahmedabad, India and England enter into the final tussle to decide the World Test Championship finalists and in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan host Zimbabwe for a series that has no bearing on the points table at all.

In fact, it is only Afghanistan's fifth Test, and their first since November 2019, while Zimbabwe have not worn whites in just over a year, since February 2020. In that time, India have played nine Tests and England 11; these two teams also have another five-Test series to look forward to in this year's northern hemisphere summer. The issue of unequal distribution of fixtures, which South Africa have raised among their concerns with the ICC following the indefinite postponement of their series against Australia (who also pushed back series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe) that was also due to kick off this week, means Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have to content themselves with what they can get. For now, it is each other.

It's something of a restart for both sides with Afghanistan's squad containing eight uncapped players and two teenagers in opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran and fast bowler Mohammed Saleem. They have given the captaincy back to Asghar Afghan, who was in charge for their first two Tests but then handed over to Rashid Khan, who has since been unburdened. The change has come at an opportune time because Khan is doubtful for the first Test after picking up a finger injury in the PSL.

Zimbabwe have also included some new names, largely necessitated by injuries and illness to some of the key players. Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Kyle Jarvis are all out of the tour for health related reasons while Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha and PJ Moor have upper-arm, thigh and hamstrings niggles respectively. Former under-19 star Wesley Madhevere headlines the newcomers which includes left-arm pace bowler Richard Ngarava, while there are also returns for two-metre tall quick Blessing Muzarabani, seam bowler Tarisai Musakanda and batting allrounder Ryan Burl.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Afghanistan LWWL
Zimbabwe LDLLW

In the spotlight

Afghanistan are still in the foundational phase of creating Test milestones and their No.3 Rahmat Shah has, so far, led the way. Shah is their first (and to date only) Test centurion and is two away from completing 300 runs in this format. He has established himself as reliable and responsible No.3 and will be key to their ability to post challenging totals in this series. Though there hasn't been much cricket for Afghanistan to gauge form, Shah notched up his fifth ODI century in a series against Ireland in January.

The Emirates may not be the ideal place for Blessing Muzarabani to make his Test comeback but conditions aside, this is the most eagerly anticipated return for the visiting team. Muzarabani has only played one Test, and it was a pink-ball game in South Africa which lasted barely a day-and-a-half, so this series might as well be regarded as his first proper introduction to international cricket's longest format and he will be keen to show what he can do. Since opting out of his Kolpak deal, Muzarabani has been a stand-out performer in white-ball cricket and his captain Sean Williams hopes that his height, the bounce he can extract and the pace at which he bowls will prove a strong secret weapon for Zimbabwe.

Team news

Khan's absence presents Afghanistan with their biggest selection dilemma and they will have to lean on the limited bowling experience of Shah for legspin. Amir Hamza will provide left-arm spin while the No.8 spot could be occupied by a debutant. Hasmatullah Shahidi, who missed out on Afghanistan's last Test against West Indies, will slot back into the top four.

Afghanistan (possible): 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 5 Asghar Afghan (capt), 6 Nasir Jamal, 7 Afsar Zazai (wk), 8 Fazalhaq Farooqi/Mohammed Saleem, 9 Amir Hamza 10 Yamin Ahmadzai 11 Sayed Shirzad

The absence of Ervine, Taylor and Moor has opened the door for Madhevere to earn his first Test cap and Burl to return in the top five. Muzarabani will lead the pace attack, which includes Victor Nyauchi and Donald Tiripano while Brandon Mavuta's legspin and Sikandar Raza's offspin will ensure Zimbabwe have a varied attack.

Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Prince Masvaure, 2 Kevin Kasuza, 3 Wesley Madhevere 4 Ryan Burl, 5 Sean Williams (capt), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Regis Chakabva (wk) 8 Donald Tiripano 9 Brandon Mavuta 10 Blessing Muzarabani 11 Victor Nyauchi

Pitch and conditions

Less than 24 hours before the Test, Williams had yet to see the playing surface but on previous evidence, surfaces in the UAE tend to be placid for the first few days before taking turn as the match wears on. Though Williams was keen to unleash his quicks on Afghanistan, it will probably be hard work for the pace bowlers, who will need to be at their quickest to get anything out of the track. Winter may be the most pleasant time to play in this part of the world, but temperatures are still set to get up into the 30s, with clear skies and no wind expected throughout. The series will be played behind closed doors.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first Test between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe but they have a storied white-ball history against each other in which Afghanistan hold the upper hand. They have played in 25 ODIs, of which Afghanistan have won 15, and nine T20Is, of which Afghanistan have won eight.
• Zimbabwe's 15-man squad has more than double the number of first-class caps as Afghanistan's 19-man group. Between them, Zimbabwe's players have featured in 747 first-class matches while Afghanistan have played in 356.

Quotes

"Our country is watching, all the way down to grassroots level. It might be the first time in more than 10 years since we've had our games live on ZBC. It's a huge thing for us, and it gives us purpose."

Sean Williams on the importance of an away series being shown on free-to-air television for the first time in at least a decade in Zimbabwe

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

Ian Harvey will become Gloucestershire's interim head coach at the end of the month, when Richard Dawson leaves the club following his appointment as the ECB's elite performance pathway coach.

Harvey, the former Australia allrounder, played 168 times for Gloucestershire across formats between 1999 and 2006, and has been the club's assistant coach since Dawson's appointment as head coach ahead of the 2015 season.

Dawson has worked regularly with England squads over the past two years, leading the England Lions' tour to Australia in early 2020 and working with England's spinners on a camp in Mumbai in late 2019 and during the Test series against West Indies last summer.

During his tenure at Gloucestershire, Dawson oversaw the club's triumph in the 2015 Royal London Cup, when they beat Surrey at Lord's, and their promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2019. While they have never gone past the semi-final stage, they have also been among the most consistent counties in the T20 Blast: only Nottinghamshire have won more games than them over the last six seasons.

"It has been a huge privilege to have been the head coach of Gloucestershire since 2015," Dawson said. "There were highs and lows on the pitch but winning the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2015 and gaining promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2019 were highlights on the pitch, as was seeing a Gloucestershire player [James Bracey] breaking into the England set-up last year.

"As a playing and coaching unit, we have faced a lot of challenges off the field, and I'm proud of the togetherness of this squad, who have been incredibly supportive of one another through good and bad times. I'm confident the group is in a strong place with a healthy mix of experience and youth to compete in all formats of the game."

Will Brown, the club's chief executive, said: "Richard has been a fantastic coach to work with from the outset engendering a belief and excitement that has filtered into all areas of the club. His dedication to building a positive and winning culture has been evident throughout his time in Bristol and the impact he made will be felt long after he is gone.

"Richard has taken huge pride in his role as head coach, working tirelessly to get the best out of himself and the players. His likeable easy-going personality, coupled with his commitment to Gloucestershire, garnered respect from the playing squad and meant he had a great rapport with the wider club staff."

Dawson will continue to oversee pre-season preparations until the end of the month, when Harvey will take over with the support of the club's existing coaching staff, as well as Matt Windows (chairman of cricket) and David Graveney (an executive board member).

A Gloucestershire statement said: "The club will now begin a review of its cricketing requirements in order to continue and grow ahead of a formal recruitment process later in the year."

The raft of coaching appointments announced by the ECB on Monday also had ramifications further down the M5, with Marcus Trescothick's association with Somerset coming to an end after nearly three decades.

Trescothick, who made his Somerset debut in 1993, retired at the end of the 2019 season to become Somerset's assistant coach, and has now been appointed as the ECB's elite batting coach. In a Somerset press release, he set his sights on returning as head coach in the future.

"Although I'm leaving, I'm still going to be around the place to come in and see some of the batters that Somerset have," Trescothick said. "Not being around the ground as much as I normally am is certainly going to be a bit different.

"I want to further my career so that I can eventually become a head coach at a domestic county with the hope of moving into international cricket somewhere down the line. To do that I need to branch out and look at different environments in order to get a better understanding of certain things, and this will certainly give me the opportunity to do that. Hopefully, this might be the stepping stone for me to one day come back and look after the team here."

If the season ended today, the New York Knicks would be hosting a first-round playoff series.

Backed by three straight wins, the Knicks are one of only four Eastern Conference teams -- the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks being the others -- with records greater than .500. But the Miami Heat are on their way to joining that group.

Jimmy Butler & Co. have won six straight, are getting healthier and are starting to look like the team that went to the NBA Finals last season.

Where do all 30 teams stand as we close in on the All-Star break? Let's dive into our Week 11 rankings.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Eric Woodyard, Royce Young and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10

1. Utah Jazz
2020-21 record: 27-7
Previous ranking: 1

Mike Conley has the best net rating in the league among regular starters -- the Jazz outscore opponents by 16.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor -- but Utah is undefeated in the seven games Conley has missed. That's in large part due to the luxury of being able to plug Joe Ingles into the starting lineup. Ingles has averaged 16.4 points and 5.4 assists with .543/.492/.895 shooting splits in nine games (all wins) as a starter this season; his net rating in those games: 122.4. -- MacMahon

This week: @NOP, @PHI

2. Los Angeles Lakers
2020-21 record: 24-11
Previous ranking: 3

When certain teams have a four-game losing streak with two of their starters sidelined, rational observers consider the context. That wasn't the case for the Lakers last week, as the absences of Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder were seemingly dismissed in describing the supposed demise of the defending champs. Getting Schroder back helped restore some faith, as L.A. won two in a row over Portland and Golden State with their point guard back in the fold, and the sky stopped falling. -- McMenamin

This week: PHX, @SAC

3. Brooklyn Nets
2020-21 record: 22-13
Previous ranking: 4

Their win streak was snapped on Saturday, but there was context, with Kevin Durant missing his seventh straight game with a hamstring issue, and Kyrie Irving sitting out unexpectedly because of fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder. The Nets are an established colossus, and at this point, their main focus will be on making sure they're healthy for the postseason. -- Young

This week: @SAS, @HOU

4. LA Clippers
2020-21 record: 24-12
Previous ranking: 2

It wasn't one of the Clippers' best weeks. They pounded a tired Washington team at home but then opened a back-to-back against Memphis in lackadaisical fashion before being routed by the Grizzlies. Coach Ty Lue voiced his frustration with the lack of energy and urgency, and the Clippers rebounded with a 20-point victory in the rematch. But then Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were outplayed by Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, and the Clippers blew an eight-point lead in the final eight-plus minutes. Leonard pointed out that the Clippers aren't "there yet" and that they should learn from losses like the one to the Bucks. -- Youngmisuk

This week: @BOS, @WAS

5. Milwaukee Bucks
2020-21 record: 21-13
Previous ranking: 7

Coach Mike Budenholzer said the "joy and passion" has returned after the Bucks won their fifth consecutive game on Sunday against the Clippers. Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a show with 36 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists to rally Milwaukee. (He outscored the entire Clippers team 17-10 in the final 8:30.) It also was Antetokounmpo's fourth straight game with at least 35 points; that hasn't been done by a Bucks player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1973. -- Woodyard

This week: DEN, @MEM

6. Phoenix Suns
2020-21 record: 22-11
Previous ranking: 5

There was some outcry around the league when Devin Booker wasn't announced as an All-Star with the reserves named on Tuesday, but the NBA fixed that as Booker was selected Anthony Davis' replacement the next day. With Booker and point guard Chris Paul named as All-Stars, it's the first time Phoenix will have multiple All-Star selections since 2010 (Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire). -- Lopez

This week: @LAL, GSW

7. Philadelphia 76ers
2020-21 record: 22-12
Previous ranking: 6

An ugly home loss to Cleveland on Saturday night exposed a concern in Philadelphia's offense: 3-point shooting. Philadelphia now ranks 14th in the NBA offensively after falling to the Cavs and 28th in both 3-pointers made and attempted per game. That puts even more pressure on Joel Embiid to continue being the league's most dominant interior force to keep the Sixers' offense afloat. -- Bontemps

This week: IND, UTA

8. San Antonio Spurs
2020-21 record: 17-12
Previous ranking: 10

DeMar DeRozan's playmaking has been on full display this season. On Saturday night in a win over the Pelicans, DeRozan had 32 points and 11 assists. It was his fourth game this season with at least 20 points and 10 assists, after he had five such performances in his career prior to this campaign. It also was his second 30-point, 10-assist game of the season. The last Spur to have multiple such games in a season was Tony Parker in 2012-13. -- Lopez

This week: BKN, NYK, OKC

9. Denver Nuggets
2020-21 record: 18-15
Previous ranking: 9

The Nuggets continue their frustrating up-and-down play. After beating the Blazers, Denver dropped a frustrating 112-110 loss to the Wizards after it had a 3-on-1 fast break at the end but squandered a chance to tie and send the game to overtime when Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. didn't go toward the rim and the Nuggets settled for Facundo Campazzo launching a 3-pointer, instead. Denver rebounded with a 30-point win at Oklahoma City to start five straight road games. -- Youngmisuk

This week: @CHI, @MIL, @IND

10. Portland Trail Blazers
2020-21 record: 18-14
Previous ranking: 8

The bell has finally tolled for the Blazers, who through the adversity of the season had maintained a top-five status in the West. But now, with four straight losses -- all against quality teams, though -- there's a bit of urgency to jump-start the engine. Help is on the way, with both CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic set to be reevaluated for their return to play. McCollum stressed last week he isn't going to rush it, especially with the way the Blazers have stayed afloat in his absence. But as the second half opens, they're going to start needing him. -- Young

This week: CHA, GSW, SAC

11. Golden State Warriors
2020-21 record: 19-16
Previous ranking: 13

All the good vibes from the Warriors' first three-game winning streak of the season got flushed on Sunday after they got blown out by the Lakers in a game that looked a lot like some of the blowouts Stephen Curry & Co. lived through early in the season. The good news for the Warriors is that Draymond Green is in the midst of the best stretch of his season. He combined for 30 points, 42 assists and 30 rebounds over the winning streak and said he is feeling the best he has felt all season. Steve Kerr said after Sunday's loss in L.A. he doesn't think Green's ankle sprain is too serious. -- Friedell

This week: @POR, @PHX

12. Miami Heat
2020-21 record: 17-17
Previous ranking: 19

Miami continues to be one of the league's hottest teams after pulling off its sixth straight win on Sunday over the Hawks. After finishing up their West Coast swing in solid fashion last week, the Heat kept rolling at home -- highlighted by an impressive win over the NBA-best Jazz during which Jimmy Butler rattled off 33 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Miami is hitting a nice stride heading into the All-Star break. -- Friedell

This week: ATL, @NOP

13. Toronto Raptors
2020-21 record: 17-17
Previous ranking: 14

After Sunday's game against the Bulls got postponed due to the NBA's health and safety protocols, only three teams -- the Lakers, Clippers and Nets -- have not yet had a game postponed this season. Toronto's two contests this week are in jeopardy, as well. If they aren't played, the Raptors will have to try to fit their remaining 39 games into just 67 days in the second half of the season. -- Bontemps

This week: DET, @BOS

14. New York Knicks
2020-21 record: 18-17
Previous ranking: 15

When will the Knicks realize they aren't supposed to be doing this? Seemingly not anytime soon. With Sunday's win over Detroit, the Knicks are over .500 this late in the season for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign. That also was the last time the Knicks made the playoffs. If they can do that again this year, Tom Thibodeau might be able to steal the Coach of the Year award away from Utah's Quin Snyder. -- Bontemps

This week: @SAS, DET

15. Dallas Mavericks
2020-21 record: 16-16
Previous ranking: 16

Dallas is 9-9 when Kristaps Porzingis plays this season and 7-7 when he sits, but the Mavs are encouraged by his progress as he works his way into shape following offseason knee surgery. "I thought his rim protection and defense were the best that they've been all year," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said after Porzingis blocked three shots in Saturday's win over Brooklyn in his return after missing three games due to lower back tightness. -- MacMahon

This week: @ORL, OKC

16. Boston Celtics
2020-21 record: 17-17
Previous ranking: 12

Things were looking bleak for the Celtics after Luka Doncic ripped their hearts out Tuesday at the buzzer in Dallas and Danilo Gallinari and Trae Young buried them under an avalanche of 3s in Atlanta on Wednesday. But Boston responded with a pair of hard-fought home wins over the weekend -- Friday against Indiana and Sunday versus Washington -- to get them back to .500. -- Bontemps

This week: LAC, TOR

17. Indiana Pacers
2020-21 record: 15-17
Previous ranking: 11

Outside of Domantas Sabonis being named a replacement for Kevin Durant in the All-Star Game, it was a rough week for the Pacers. They dropped three consecutive games to Golden State, Boston and New York to fall two games under .500. -- Woodyard

This week: @PHI, @CLE, DEN

18. Memphis Grizzlies
2020-21 record: 15-15
Previous ranking: 18

The Grizzlies set a couple of team records in Sunday's 133-84 rout of the Rockets. The 49-point margin of victory was the largest in franchise history, and Memphis' 85 bench points were its most ever. Justise Winslow had 20 points in the win, one shy of his total in his previous three games in a Grizzlies uniform. -- MacMahon

This week: @WAS, MIL

19. Charlotte Hornets
2020-21 record: 16-17
Previous ranking: 17

Charlotte was on the verge of dropping three of its past four on Sunday, but a frantic comeback against the Kings helped salvage a 2-2 week. P.J. Washington poured in 42 points as the Hornets came back from an eight-point deficit with under a minute left. The Hornets' offense continues to run well, but they've got to find a way to make some improvements on the other end of the floor, where they've given up at least 120 points in each of the past four tilts. Malik Monk has been a bright spot on the West Coast swing, dropping in 29 points off the bench in Wednesday's win over the Suns and finishing the 3-point play that closed out the win over the Kings. -- Friedell

This week: @POR, @MIN

20. Chicago Bulls
2020-21 record: 15-17
Previous ranking: 22

The Bulls have quietly clawed themselves into playoff contention. Thanks to five wins in their past seven outings, Chicago would be in the play-in if the season ended today. Zach LaVine was named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career, and it's the first time a Bulls player has been an All-Star since 2017. -- Woodyard

This week: DEN, @NOP

21. Washington Wizards
2020-21 record: 13-19
Previous ranking: 26

The Wizards continued their turnaround by beating the Lakers and Nuggets on the road and going 3-1 on their western trip. But after winning seven of eight, Washington blew a five-point lead in the final 43 seconds to Jayson Tatum and the Celtics. Overall, the Wizards are playing much better, but coach Scott Brooks hopes that defeat doesn't come back to haunt Washington in its chase for the eighth spot. -- Youngmisuk

This week: MEM, LAC

22. Atlanta Hawks
2020-21 record: 14-20
Previous ranking: 20

The Hawks fell to six games below .500 for the first time with a loss to the Heat on Sunday, putting more of a damper on a campaign that started with such high hopes. If the season ended today, Atlanta would be outside of the play-in tournament. There aren't many favors in the second half of the schedule, which includes an eight-game road trip from March 20 to April 2, the longest for any NBA team this season. -- Lopez

This week: @MIA, @ORL

23. New Orleans Pelicans
2020-21 record: 14-19
Previous ranking: 21

The good news: New Orleans scored 122.7 points per 100 possessions, the best mark in the NBA for the month of February. The second-place Suns were two points behind the Pelicans in offensive rating. The bad news: New Orleans gave up 120.5 points per 100 possessions, the worst mark in the NBA for the month. For the season, only Sacramento has ranked lower in defensive rating. -- Lopez

This week: UTA, CHI, MIA

24. Oklahoma City Thunder
2020-21 record: 14-20
Previous ranking: 27

Even with a bit of a clunker on Saturday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's February should've caught your attention. He averaged 25.4 points on .518/.474/.846 shooting splits plus five rebounds and six assists a game. SGA wasn't really all that much in the All-Star conversation, but he has a case to at least be in the snubbed category. And even though he said he wasn't thinking about it, the day after the All-Star reserves were named, he dropped a career-high 42 on the Spurs. -- Young

This week: @DAL, @SAS

25. Cleveland Cavaliers
2020-21 record: 13-21
Previous ranking: 28

Darius Garland scored 11 of his career-high 25 points in overtime to beat the Sixers on Saturday. He added nine assists -- one off his career best. The Cavs suddenly find themselves on a three-game winning streak following a 10-game skid, with Garland, Collin Sexton and Jarrett Allen providing consistent production. -- McMenamin

This week: @HOU, IND

26. Orlando Magic
2020-21 record: 13-21
Previous ranking: 24

It was another ugly week for an Orlando squad that appeared to be righting itself after three straight wins. The Magic head into Monday's game against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks having lost three straight and in need of the All-Star break. The big bright spot for Steve Clifford's group is the play of All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic, who racked up 34 points in 35 minutes in a loss to the Jazz on Saturday. -- Friedell

This week: DAL, ATL

27. Sacramento Kings
2020-21 record: 13-21
Previous ranking: 23

Playing on their home court, the Kings held an eight-point lead over the Hornets with less than a minute remaining on Sunday before Charlotte outscored them 12-3 the rest of the way to steal the win. Not sure what was more brutal: that defeat or the damage Luke Walton did to a clipboard during Sacramento's loss to the Knicks earlier in the week. -- McMenamin

This week: LAL, @POR

28. Houston Rockets
2020-21 record: 11-21
Previous ranking: 25

Offense is really hard right now for the Rockets. Houston is scoring only 100.3 points per 100 possessions during its 11-game losing streak, which started immediately after leading scorer Christian Wood went down with a sprained right ankle. Forward P.J. Tucker, a respected veteran role player likely to be moved before the trade deadline, has scored a total of 29 points on 9-of-37 shooting in 244 minutes during the skid. -- MacMahon

This week: CLE, BKN

29. Detroit Pistons
2020-21 record: 9-25
Previous ranking: 29

One of the positives from this week was the Pistons snapping a three-game losing skid at Orlando on Tuesday. While the team continues to struggle overall, one of the individual bright spots is Jerami Grant, who continues to put in work. He put up his seventh 30-point game of the season during Friday's loss to Sacramento. -- Woodyard

This week: @TOR, @NYK

30. Minnesota Timberwolves
2020-21 record: 7-28
Previous ranking: 30

The messy transition aside, the first week of the Chris Finch era looked a lot like what was going on in Minnesota prior to his arrival. The Timberwolves went 0-4 -- extending their losing streak to eight games -- and clocked in with a defensive rating of 118.3, about six points per 100 possessions worse than what they were under Ryan Saunders. Their offense has been worse too, with 103.2 points per 100 possessions (down from 105.7 under Saunders). Their style did adjust, however, with more 3s (up about five per game), which is more to the identity the Wolves' front office envisions. -- Young

This week: CHA