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Kings' Keegan Murray to miss 3-4 weeks due to left ankle sprain

A season that has been tough for both the Sacramento Kings and Keegan Murray just got a little rougher.

Murray left in the third quarter of Sunday night's loss to Milwaukee and now an MRI has revealed a left ankle sprain and the wing will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks, the Kings announced.

It's been an injury-plagued season for Murray, who missed the first month of the season following surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. Murray also missed a few games in December with a calf strain.

In the 19 games he has played, he has been one of the bright spots in an otherwise gloomy season in Sacramento, averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, although he has struggled with his shot, hitting just 27.2% from beyond the arc.

Against the Mavericks on Tuesday night Zach LaVine — the target of a lot of trade rumors — moved back into the starting lineup taking Murray's spot. Expect Keon Ellis — also mentioned in many trade rumors – and rookie Nique Clifford to get more run as well.

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Luka and LeBron go 30-30 as Lakers defeat the Pelicans

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks next to New Orleans Pelicans guard Micah Peavy (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
LeBron James dunks next to Pelicans guard Micah Peavy in the first half. (Matthew Hinton / Associated Press)

LeBron James and Luka Doncic left the fans inside the Smoothie King Center in awe at their performances on Tuesday night.

James had a near triple-double of 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Doncic had 30 points and 10 assists, the two of them leading the Lakers to a 111-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III was a handful for the Lakers (23-11), scoring 42 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop New Orleans from losing its eighth straight game.

The Lakers opened the fourth quarter with an intensity on defense and a strong offensive output, outscoring New Orleans 18-4 to take a . a 97-90 lead.

Still, it took the Lakers playing hard until the end to close out the victory.

When Doncic lost control of the basketball late, it looked like it would be a 24-second clock violation.

Read more:Lakers' Jake LaRavia reminds everyone who No. 12 is

Instead, he got the ball back and shot a floating three-pointer with James standing nearby. Doncic then hoisted a three-pointer for a 105-96 Lakers lead with one minute and 59 seconds left.

The Pelicans called a timeout, leading to James putting his head in the chest of a smiling Doncic.

The Lakers got an active and engaged Deandre Ayton from the start, as he threw a lob pass to James for the first basket of the game.

Then Ayton ran the court and took a return lob pass from James for a dunk.

By the end of the first quarter, Ayton had four points, four rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot. He finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

The Lakers trailed 54-51 at the half.

They couldn’t make enough three-pointers, going three for 17 in the first 24 minutes.

They couldn’t keep up with the Pelicans' bench, their reserves outscored 19-9 in the first 24 minutes.

Read more:Why the Lakers locked back in on Deandre Ayton in their comeback win against Grizzlies

Doncic had 16 points and six assists in the first half and James had 15 points and six rebounds.

But starting forward Jake LaRavia didn’t score in his 18 minutes of play in the first half.

The Lakers then went down by nine points in the third quarter, meaning they had to play catch-up the rest of the way.

The Lakers play a back-to-back game Wednesday night in San Antonio, leading to Redick being asked if the 41-year-old James would play against the Spurs.

“We have no plan for any of our players,” Redick said. “We’re gonna see what happens tonight.”

Etc.

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is on the two-game trip, but he was downgraded to out for the game against the Pelicans with a lumbar back strain. Vincent has missed the last nine games, but there is hope he’ll be available Wednesday against San Antonio. “We just downgraded Gabe,” Redick said. “He has not had a setback, but we're hoping he gets to play tomorrow. But again, it's all about how he feels tomorrow.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Cason leads No. 2 Michigan to 74-72 win over Penn State

Playing in the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time in nearly three years, the Wolverines got an opening layup from Lendeborg, one of just three makes for Michigan in the first four minutes. Meanwhile, Penn State (9-6, 0-4) had to play without leading scorer Kayden Mingo who suffered an undisclosed injury in practice on Monday. Coach Mike Rhoades said Mingo would be out for a while.

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Cameron Boozer scores 27, hot-shooting No. 6 Duke rallies past No. 20 Louisville 84-73

Cameron Boozer scored 27 points, including seven during a 16-6 run early in the second half, Isaiah Evans added 23 and No. 6 Duke shot 71% after the break to rally past No. 20 Louisville 84-73 on Tuesday night for its third consecutive victory. The Blue Devils (14-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) erased a 47-38 halftime deficit by making 5 of 7 field goals and 6 of 9 free throws over 6:24, including two by Boozer for their first lead at 54-53 with 13:36 remaining. Caleb Foster added seven points and Evans six during another spurt for a 10-point lead with 6:58 left, and Duke didn't let up to beat the Cardinals (11-4, 1-2) for the eighth straight time.

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Elijah Strong scores career-high 30 points, leads South Carolina over LSU 78-68

Elijah Strong scored a career-high 30 points, and South Carolina built a big first-half lead that held off LSU for a 78-68 victory on Tuesday night. South Carolina (10-5, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) rebounded from an 83-71 loss to Vanderbilt, while LSU (12-3, 0-2) has lost consecutive games. The Gamecocks built a 25-point halftime advantage and led by double digits with about nine minutes left when LSU started a 12-3 run to pull to 66-60 with 6:22 remaining.

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Newly unranked Florida pulls away from No. 18 Georgia late and wins 92-77

Thomas Haugh had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, and Florida dominated No. 18 Georgia in the second half to win 92-77 on Tuesday night and stretch their home winning streak to 14 games. Alex Condon added 21 points, and Boogie Fland chipped in eight points, eight rebounds and six assists for the defending national champion Gators, who beat the Bulldogs for the 13th time in their past 14 meetings. The Gators dropped out of the AP Top 25 following a loss at Missouri to open Southeastern Conference play.

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Mets among teams that are 'most aggressive' suitors for Kyle Tucker: report

Kyle Tucker is the biggest bat available in free agency this offseason and the Mets are reportedly aggressively pursuing the All-Star outfielder.

Former Mets GM and MLB Network analyst Jim Duquette reports that the Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays are the most aggressive suitors for Tucker. However, Duquette adds that nothing appears imminent and there is some distance between the other team reportedly interested and the main three. 

The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reported Tuesday that Toronto has increased their efforts to recruit Tucker as he fits their roster construction better than former infielder Bo Bichette. After signing Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto, the Blue Jays' infield is likely set, while an outfield addition is easier. Adding Tucker would mean Anthony Santander would move to left field, allowing George Springer to play most of the time as the team's DH. 

Toronto launched the first salvo this offseason for Tucker's services when they flew him out to the team's player development complex in Florida in early December. Since then, the reigning AL Champs have added Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers and the aforementioned Okamoto in free agency -- in addition to other roster moves.

As for the Mets, the fit is clear. After the team traded Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers, it opened up left field for an outfield addition. Currently, Tyrone Taylor is the center fielder with Juan Soto manning right field. Prospect Carson Benge could play a role in the outfield in 2026, but adding Tucker would give the Mets two lethal corner outfielders.

Of course, Tucker's decision will likely come down to money. Recent reports stated that Tucker may take a higher AAV on a short-term contract this offseason before testing free agency in a couple of years, so it may be more palatable for the Jays, Mets or Dodgers to sign Tucker if that's the way he's willing to go.

Although the Mets have been connected to Tucker, they could also pivot to Cody Bellinger, who gives them the defensive flexibility of playing first base. Bellinger has been heavily pursued by the Yankees this offseason, and while the team in the Bronx has formally offered the outfielder contracts twice already, a gap between both sides still exists.

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Georgia big man Somto Cyril ejected for throwing a forearm at fellow Nigerian

Georgia center Somto Cyril was ejected for throwing a forearm into Florida's Rueben Chinyelu on Tuesday night. Officials ejected Cyril midway through the first half after watching replays and seeing Cyril swing his arm and fist at Chinyelu following a made basket. The 6-foot-11 Cyril entered the game averaging 10 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks a game.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic remain on top in second round of fan voting for NBA All-Star Game

The fans know who they want — the 10 All-Star starters from the first round of fan voting a week ago remain the 10 who would start after another week of voting has been added to the totals.

Luka Dončić remains the overall leading vote-getter, while Giannis Antetokounmpo leads in the East in the second round of fan voting released by the NBA. Two international players garnering the most votes feels fitting in the year the All-Star Game becomes a three-team USA vs. World three-team format — and returns to NBC while debuting on Peacock. Five of the 10 would-be starters are international players.

Here is who the fans have voted as the starters for each conference up to this point (voting runs through Jan. 14):

Western Conference

Luka Dončić, Lakers (2,229,811 votes)
Nikola Jokić, Nuggets (1,998, 560)
Stephen Curry, Warriors (1,844,903)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (1,554,468)
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (1,321,985)

Eastern Conference

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (2,092,284 votes)
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (1,916,497)
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers (1,908,978)
Cade Cunningham, Pistons (1,752,801)
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (1,530,237)

Some thoughts on the voting so far:

• Consider this a reminder that the fan vote counts for 50% of who gets to be an All-Star Game starter. The fan vote is combined with a vote of the players (25%) and select media (25%) to determine the ultimate 10 starters. After that, a vote of the coaches picks the seven reserves for each conference. Those players will be divided into three teams for this year's game (more on the format below).

• The only change in the top five in either conference is that Jalen Brunson leapt over Tyrese Maxey to be the second leading vote getter in the East, but none of the players changed.

• If I were going to make one bet on something that changes once the player and media vote are added in, it will be that Boston's Jaylen Brown will leap past Donovan Mitchell into the starting five in the East.

• Nikola Jokic remains out injured after hyperextending his knee. However, the latest reports suggest he should be back in late January, which means he could play in the All-Star Game. Even if that timeline is optimistic and he is out longer, Jokic will get voted in as an All-Star starter, and if he cannot play, then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will replace him.

• LeBron James leaped over Kevin Durant in the latest vote tally, and the legends of the game are Nos. 8 and 9 in the West voting. It's hard to imagine an All-Star Game without these two future Hall of Famers, but after LeBron missed considerable time at the start of the season, it is possible it will take a special invitation and designation from Commissioner Silver. That said, there is no way the All-Star Game is coming to Los Angeles — Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., the home of the LA Clippers — and LeBron is not playing.

• A year ago, LaMelo Ball was the runaway fan vote leader in the East (but didn't make the All-Star Game because he didn't have the player or media votes to start, then the coaches did not select him as a reserve. This season he is 11th in the East, behind Pascal Siakam and Michael Porter Jr.

All-Star Game format

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock — right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game pitting the best of the USA vs. the best of the World.

The 24 All-Star players (10 starters voted in, 14 reserves selected by the coaches) will be divided into three teams — two USA teams and one world team — that will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the USA or World teams are short on players, the league office will select one or more players to reach the required number).

At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title.

All-Star weekend tips off on Feb. 13 with the Rising Stars at the Intuit Dome at 6 p.m. PT, featuring the league's top first- and second-year players. Also on the 13th is the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which features stars from media, sports and entertainment playing at the Kia Forum. The Forum also hosts the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic at 8 p.m. that night.

On Saturday, Feb. 14, All-Star Saturday night — featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-point Contest and the Dunk Contest — will take place at the Intuit Dome.

The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.