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With Tucker in town, Roberts breaks down lineup challenges

Los Angeles Dodgers players Will Smith and Mookie Betts walk towards the field at DodgerFest.
Los Angeles Dodgers players Will Smith and Mookie Betts walk towards the field at DodgerFest to celebrate the start of the 2026 season at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California...

The 2026 Dodgers made their first public appearance Saturday, getting raucous ovations at Dodger Stadium during the team’s annual Fanfest event.

And with most players in attendance, the afternoon provided some clarity on where the team stands two weeks before the start of spring training.

Here are eight things we learned entering the new season:

Dave Roberts hasn’t decided exactly how the Dodgers’ batting order will look in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s signing. AP

–– Tommy Edman said it’s a “possibility” that he’ll be ready for opening day after having ankle surgery this offseason. But the utilityman also cautioned that he will be ramping up at a slower pace this spring following the procedure, in which he had a ligament repaired and bone spurs removed. Edman has been out of his walking boot for the last 2 ½ weeks, and began baseball activities again in recent days. He said he has “hit every checkpoint along the way of the recovery.”

–– Blake Snell expounded on the physical issues that have caused him to slow-play his winter throwing program and put his chances of being ready for opening day in some doubt, as The California Post previously reported on last week. The left-hander said the shoulder issue that sidelined him for most of the first half last season continued to be an issue during the postseason, and that he spent much of this offseason in physical therapy. “It’s stronger (now),” Snell said. “(From) the day that I went into PT to the day I left, it’s night and day in strength and how it feels. Throwing, it feels good. I’m just going to ramp up slower. That’s all I’m doing.”

The Dodgers have ample pitching depth entering spring training, leaving a couple players with yet-to-be-determined roles. California Post

–– Roki Sasaki is the Dodgers’ only Japanese player not participating in this spring’s World Baseball Classic, and revealed Saturday that it was ultimately the Dodgers’ decision. “You always feel that you want to play on a special stage, and I wanted to do that again this time,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “But I talked to the team, and it’s the team’s decision, so I’m going to focus on getting ready for the season.” Sasaki was the only Japanese player the Dodgers could directly prevent from playing in the WBC, since he spent so much time on the 60-day injured list last season with a shoulder injury.

–– Freddie Freeman is also not participating in the WBC for Team Canada, but said it was because of a personal situation, not any health-related issues: “I wasn’t going to be able to go out there and play and be in Puerto Rico (for Canada’s group stage games), and be that far from my family. I needed to be close to California. That’s all I’ll say. But it’s personal.”

–– Coming off a career-worst season offensively in 2025, Mookie Betts said he focused on “re-wiring my body” in his offseason work this winter. “It’s more just re-wiring my mechanics, my brain, the motor patterns,” he said. Last spring, Betts felt as good as he ever had in camp. A mid-March stomach virus, however, sapped him of his strength and got his swing “out of whack,” resulting in .258 batting average and .732 OPS.

Ohtani will still lead off, Betts will likely hit third, and Will Smith will hit fifth. California Post

“It was kinda like a snowball effect,” he added. “Now I’ve gotten to put the training wheels on, take my time, and really stack positive days over and over. Now we’re in a really good spot.”

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–– A couple players showed up at Fanfest with noticeably different physiques. Starting pitcher River Ryan, a former top prospect who missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, said he added roughly 30 pounds of muscle during his rehab process, bulking up from 195 to 225. “I can throw a lot harder, a lot easier,” he joked. Reliever Brusdar Graterol, on the other hand, slimmed down about 15 pounds this winter after missing all of last year recovering from shoulder surgery. Both are expected to be ready for opening day.

–– Dave Roberts hasn’t decided exactly how the Dodgers’ batting order will look in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s signing, but he did drop some hints, saying Ohtani will still lead off, Betts will likely hit third, and Will Smith will hit fifth. That presumably leaves Kyle Tucker and Freeman for the Nos. 2 and 4 spots, in some order.

–– The Dodgers have ample pitching depth entering spring training, leaving a couple players with yet-to-be-determined roles. Both Justin Wrobleski and Kyle Hurt said they were unsure if they’d be used as starters or relievers this year, and were planning to build up to multiple innings in camp. Ben Casparius said he is “loosely” viewing himself as a reliever, but will also be ready to build up to longer outings if needed.

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Cavaliers trade De'Andre Hunter for Kings' Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis: Details

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder in a deal that sends De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings and also involves the Chicago Bulls, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Kings received Hunter, a small forward, and are also sending Dario Saric and two future second-round picks to the Bulls.

Ellis and Schroder join a Cleveland roster that already includes Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, adding more depth to the Cavs' backcourt as they look to make a deep playoff push. Ellis and Schroder can help stretch the floor and also hurt defenses with penetration. Both players are active defenders that give ballhandlers headaches.

The Cavaliers currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference standings at 29-21.

Keon Ellis 2025-26 regular-season stats

Here are Ellis' average statistics so far though the 2025-26 regular season:

  • Games played: 43
  • Minutes: 17.6
  • Points: 5.6
  • Rebounds: 1.3
  • Assists: 0.6
  • Steals: 1.1
  • Blocks: 0.5
  • Field goal: 39.7%
  • 3-point field goal: 36.8%
  • Free throw: 62.5%

Keon Ellis career stats

Here are Ellis' average statistics so far though his four-year NBA career:

  • Games played: 196
  • Minutes: 19.2
  • Points: 6.3
  • Rebounds: 2.0
  • Assists: 1.2
  • Steals: 1.1
  • Blocks: 0.6
  • Field goal: 46%
  • 3-point field goal: 41.6%
  • Free throw: 76.9%

Dennis Schroder 2025-26 regular-season stats

Here are Schroder's average statistics so far though the 2025-26 regular-season.

  • Games played: 40
  • Minutes: 19.2
  • Points: 12.8
  • Rebounds: 3.1
  • Assists: 5.3
  • Steals: 0.8
  • Blocks: 0.2
  • Field goal: 40.8%
  • 3-point field goal: 34.3%
  • Free throw: 82%

Dennis Schroder career stats

Here are Schroder's career average statistics so far though his 12-year NBA career:

  • Games played: 882
  • Minutes: 27.3
  • Points: 13.9
  • Rebounds: 2.9
  • Assists: 4.9
  • Steals: 0.8
  • Blocks: 0.1
  • Field goal: 43.1%
  • 3-point field goal: 34.2%
  • Free throw: 83.5%

De'Andre Hunter 2025-26 regular-season stats

Here are Hunter's average statistics so far though the 2025-26 regular-season.

  • Games played: 43
  • Minutes: 26.2
  • Points: 14.0
  • Rebounds: 4.2
  • Assists: 2.1
  • Steals: 0.7
  • Blocks: 0.1
  • Field goal: 42.3%
  • 3-point field goal: 30.8%
  • Free throw: 86.9%

De'Andre Hunter career stats

Here are Hunter's career average statistics so far though his seven-year NBA tenure.

  • Games played: 370
  • Minutes: 29.6
  • Points: 14.7
  • Rebounds: 4.1
  • Assists: 1.6
  • Steals: 0.7
  • Blocks: 0.3
  • Field goal: 44.8%
  • 3-point field goal: 36.5%
  • Free throw: 82.5%

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cavaliers-Kings trade details, what we know about De'Andre Hunter deal

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Hornets extend win streak to 6 games, hold off Spurs 111-106

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 26 points, Collin Sexton made all five 3-point attempts off the bench and finished with 21 points and the Charlotte Hornets held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 111-106 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to six games.

LaMelo Ball 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help give the Hornets their longest win streak in nearly a decade. Charlotte won seven straight games in March 2016.

Dylan Harper scored 20 points to lead the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama was held in check for most of the game, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting and eight rebounds.

Charlotte’s 17-point lead in the third quarter disintegrated after Harrison Barnes hit back-to-back 3s and the Spurs turned a Sexton turnover into a De’Aaron Fox layup to cut the lead to two with less than five minutes to play.

But the Spurs could never regain the lead.

With 36 seconds left and Charlotte leading by three, officials initially whistled Fox for a foul on a Miller 3-point attempt. But after reviewing the call, it was overturned and resulted in a jump ball, which the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama easily won.

Wembanyama launched a hurried a 3-point shot moments later and the Hornets snagged the rebound. Down 3, the Spurs inexplicably allowed 15 seconds to elapse before fouling Miller, who made both free throws with 10.6 seconds left to seal the game.

PACERS 129, HAWKS 124

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Nembhard scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam added 25 and Indiana held off Atlanta.

Indiana nursed a single-digit lead for much of the third quarter and led 103-100 entering the fourth. It was tight the rest of the way before Siakam hit a crucial 12-foot jumper with 18.6 seconds remaining to push the Pacers ahead 127-123.

Aaron Nesmith added 23 points, Nembhard had 10 assists and Siakam shot 11 of 15 from the field. The Pacers won despite 23 turnovers.

Atlanta dropped its second straight game despite Jalen Johnson’s eighth triple-double of the season. The forward finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points.

The Pacers have won seven of their past 12 games, enjoying a solid stretch of basketball after starting the season with a 6-31 record. Indiana has played all year without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season.

Indiana jumped to an 80-73 lead by halftime, spurred by a 45-point second quarter. Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points before the break while Nembhard also had 21 for the Pacers.

76ERS 124, PELICANS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 40 points and 11 rebounds to help Philadelphia win hours after Paul George was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, beating New Orleans.

The NBA did not disclose the nature of the violation or the substance that was involved, and George released a statement to ESPN saying he took something that was “improper.”

Without George, the 76ers couldn’t shake the 13-win Pelicans until the final minutes.

Tyrese Maxey scored 18 points and hit one of his four 3-pointers that gave the Sixers a 117-111 lead and Embiid and VJ Edgecombe followed with consecutive 3s for the 123-113 lead.

Embiid heard “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants as he stepped to the free-throw line with 11.3 seconds left. He sank his first one to hit the 40-point mark.

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 points and the 76ers hit 17 3-pointers to end the night on a high note after they learned they would have to make a playoff push largely without George.

Saddiq Bey led the Pelicans with 34 points and Zion Williamson had 11.

TIMBERWOLVES 131, GRIZZLIES 114

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 33 points, Julius Randle added 27 points and seven assists, and Minnesota won its fourth straight, beating Memphis.

Minnesota’s winning streak was punctuated by a wire-to-wire victory over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. All four wins have been by double-digits.

Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels had 20 points apiece for the Timberwolves, Reid adding nine rebounds. Rudy Gobert grabbed 16 boards and added a pair of blocks.

Ty Jerome, playing in his first game of the season after recovering from a right calf strain, led Memphis with 20 points and six assists but could not prevent the Grizzlies from losing their sixth straight.

GG Jackson added 19 points and Jaylen Wells had 15.

BULLS 125, HEAT 118

MIAMI (AP) — Ayo Dosunmu scored a season-high 29 points and short-handed Chicago topped Miami.

Dosunmu added nine assists and eight rebounds. Matas Buzelis scored 21 points and Isaac Okoro added 20 for the Bulls, who hit 20 3-pointers.

Pelle Larsson scored 22 and Bam Adebayo had 15 of his 21 in the fourth quarter for Miami, which tied the game four times in the final 3:37 but didn’t reclaim the lead in any of those instances. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 for Miami.

The teams play again in Miami on Sunday. It’ll be the first time since Baltimore and Houston in 1972 that two NBA teams play three consecutive games in the same regular season against one another; the Heat won at Chicago in a rescheduled game on Thursday night.

ROCKETS 111, MAVERICKS 107

HOUSTON (AP) — Amen Thompson had 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to lead Houston to a victory over Dallas.

An alley-oop dunk by Thompson put Houston up four with under two minutes left before the Mavericks scored the next four points, with baskets from rookie Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall, to tie it about a minute later.

Alperen Sengun’s layup put Houston on top with 28.6 seconds left before Flagg missed a shot in the lane on the other end. The Rockets grabbed the rebound and a dunk by Tari Eason made it 111-107 with 14.4 seconds remaining.

A 3-point attempt by Flagg bounced off the rim after that to end it.

Flagg led the Mavericks with 34 points and 12 rebounds a game after the 19-year-old set the NBA record for points by a teenager with 49 in a loss to Charlotte on Thursday night. Saturday was the fifth game this season with at least 30 points for the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft.

Jabari Smith Jr. added 19 points for the Rockets and Sengun had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

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No. 14 Kansas beats No. 13 BYU 90-82 in 1,000th game at Allen Fieldhouse

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Darryn Peterson scored 18 points in 20 minutes and No. 14 Kansas beat No. 13 BYU 90-82 on Saturday in the 1,000th game played at historic Allen Fieldhouse.

Bryson Tiller had career-high 21 points and seven rebounds for Kansas (16-5, 6-2 Big 12).

Although the Jayhawks led by as many as 21 points, BYU stayed within striking distance in the second half, cutting the lead to six as the clock ticked under two minutes to go. Kansas outscored the Cougars 8-4 in the final minute to withstand the late rally.

Richie Saunders scored a career-high 33 for BYU (17-4, 5-3). His six three-pointers tied a career-high.

Kansas carried a 20-point lead into halftime, shooting 64.3% from the field. That included 18 points from Peterson and the Jayhawks made 9 of 12 from beyond the arc.

BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, who entered the game averaging a nation-leading 23.6 points, went without a shot until the 11:24 mark in the first half. Dybantsa scored his first basket with 7:22 left in the period, ending a 13-0 run by the Jayhawks with a 3-pointer. He finished with 17 points.

NO. 1 ARIZONA 87, ARIZONA ST. 74

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Koa Peat scored 21 points, fellow freshman Brayden Burries added 17 and Arizona beat rival Arizona State, setting a school record with 22 straight wins to start the season.

Arizona (22-0, 9-0 Big 12) is one of just two unbeaten teams in the nation, along with Miami (Ohio). The Wildcats’ winning streak also tied the Big 12 record to start a season, originally set by Kansas in 1996-97.

The Wildcats — who shot 60% in the second half — scored the first six points after the break to take a 44-38 lead and never trailed again. Burries found Peat on a pinpoint full-court pass that led to a dunk for a 56-47 lead with 13:10 left.

The gritty Sun Devils cut into the deficit several times, but could never quite generate enough offense to keep pace. Noah Meeusen scored 16 points while Maurice Odum added 15.

Arizona State (11-11, 2-7) has dropped nine of its last 11 games.

NO. 2 UCONN 85, CREIGHTON 58

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Braylon Mullins scored 16 points and Alex Karaban and Silas Demary Jr. had 15 apiece to lead UConn in a rout of Creighton.

The Huskies (21-1, 11-0 Big East) won their 17th straight game and posted their biggest winning margin in a conference road game in two years.

Creighton (12-10, 6-5) has dropped two straight games by a total of 51 points. The 27-point loss to the Huskies matched the most lopsided at home in coach Greg McDermott’s 16 seasons at Creighton, according to Sportradar.

The Huskies had won five of their previous six games by six points or less, but this turned into a blowout after Creighton went into an offensive lull late in the first half and never recovered. The Huskies shot 54.1% from the field, their best mark in a Big East game this season, and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 23 points. They were 16 of 31 from 3-point range (52%).

NO. 4 DUKE 72, VIRGINIA TECH 58

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Cameron Boozer scored 24 points to lead Duke to a victory over for its ninth straight win.

Boozer, coming off a 19-point effort in the Blue Devils’ 83-52 victory over No. 20 Louisville on Monday, connected on 9 of 12 from the floor, grabbed eight rebounds and had five assists for Duke (20-1, 9-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which moved to 7-0 in true road games this season.

Duke has won 31 of its past 32 games against ACC opponents.

Amani Hansberry paced Virginia Tech (16-7, 5-5) with 20 points.

Duke never trailed and led by as many as 13 in the second half before the Hokies rallied. Desperately seeking a Quad 1 victory in hopes of bolstering its NCAA Tournament hopes — the Hokies have just one all season — Virginia Tech cut the Duke lead to 62-56 on a jumper by Jailen Bedford with 6:10 remaining.

NO. 6 GONZAGA 73, SAINT MARY'S 65

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Graham Ike scored 30 points in his first game back from injury and Gonzaga beat rival Saint Mary’s in their final West Coast Conference meeting at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Jalen Warley had 10 points and seven rebounds as the Bulldogs (22-1, 10-0) won their 15th straight game and improved to 11-0 at home. Emmanuel Innocenti also scored 10, all during a three-minute stretch in the second half.

Joshua Dent led the Gaels (19-4, 8-2) with 16 points. Paulius Murauskas scored 15 and Dillan Shaw added 13 for Saint Mary’s, which led by four at halftime.

Ike picked up where he left off after missing three games with right ankle soreness. The fifth-year forward scored Gonzaga’s first basket on a left-handed push shot before knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Bulldogs a 9-2 lead.

NO. 10 HOUSTON 76, CINCINNATI 54

HOUSTON (AP) — Milos Uzan had 16 points and Houston won its 38th straight game over an unranked opponent with a victory against Cincinnati.

Emanuel Sharp, Chris Cenac Jr. and Isiah Harwell each scored 13 for the Cougars (19-2, 7-1 Big 12).

Cenac scored all of his points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting as the Cougars built a 32-20 lead at the half.

Houston won its 16th straight home game and its 14th straight over the Bearcats (11-11, 3-6).

Houston shot 46% and 9 of 26 on 3-pointers. It forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 26 points.

UCF 88, NO. 11 TEXAS TECH 80

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Themus Fulks scored 21 points, including a jumper with a minute to play to key a late run that led UCF to a win over Texas Tech.

The win marked UCF’s third straight conference win, the first time they have done that since joining the Big 12 three years ago.

The Knights led for all but 1:20 of the game, but were clinging to a two-point advantage with 1:30 to play after Fulks turned the ball over. But Jaylen Petty fumbled the outlet pass after the steal, and UCF (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) recovered to set up Fulks’ jumper to go up by two possessions.

The Red Raiders (16-5, 6-2) missed many opportunities to close the gap as the Knights outworked them in the paint throughout the game.

J.T. Toppin scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, his 13th double-double this season and his 10th in the last 12 games, to lead Texas Tech.

But the Knights dominated the interior, outrebounding the Red Raiders 35-23. UCF outscored Texas Tech 21-4 on second-chance points.

KENTUCKY 85, NO. 15 ARKANSAS 77

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Otega Oweh led four Kentucky players in double figures with 24 points to help the Wildcats to a win over Arkansas in a game that featured six technical fouls.

Oweh, who picked up the first technical foul in the first half, scored 11 points in the final 10 minutes to put Arkansas away as Kentucky closed the game on a 26-18 run. Collin Chandler added 13 for the Wildcats while Malachi Moreno scored 11 and and Denzel Aberdeen added 10.

It was 63-all with 8:07 left when Arkansas’ Malique Ewin was whistled for a technical foul following a personal foul. Kentucky made 5 of 6 from the free-throw line before Moreno threw down a dunk 43 seconds later and the Wildcats led the rest of the way.

Kentucky (15-7, 6-3 SEC) committed four technical fouls before that, including three in a span of 38 seconds early in the the second half. Arkansas, which trailed by seven at halftime, took its first lead of the game following the last technical when Billy Richmond’s dunk made the score 52-51.

Darius Acuff Jr. led Arkansas (16-6, 6-3) with 22 points, 17 in the second half, and was one of five Razorbacks players in double figures. But Arkansas shot just 3 of 14 from 3-point range and 16 of 26 from the free-throw line.

NO. 16 NORTH CAROLINA 91, GEORGIA TECH 75

ATLANTA (AP) — Caleb Wilson dominated in the return to his hometown, scoring 22 points as North Carolina cruised past Georgia Tech for a victory.

The 6-foot-10 Atlanta native set a school record by scoring 20 points for the 15th time as a freshman. He had been tied with Tyler Hansbrough, who had 14 games with 20 points for the Tar Heels in 2005-06.

Wilson set another school record by reaching double-figure points in the first 21 games of his college career. He broke a tie with Rashad McCants, who had at least 10 points in his first 20 games in 2002-03.

With a light snow falling outside McCamish Pavilion, Henri Veesaar gave North Carolina (17-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) a devastating 1-2 punch on the inside with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Tar Heels won their third in a row, with Wilson adding three more dunks to what was already his nation-leading total of 62.

NO. 17 VIRGINIA TECH 73, BOSTON COLLEGE 66

BOSTON (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored 17 points, Malik Thomas had 14 and 17 Virginia held off Boston College.

Chance Mallory added 11 points for the Cavaliers (18-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Donald Hand Jr., son of former Cavaliers’ star Donald Hand (1998-01), led the Eagles (9-12, 2-6) with 20 points. Fred Payne added 17 points for the Eagles.

Getting to the basket relatively easily most of the game, Virginia took its first lead of the game, 41-38, on Sam Lewis’ three-point play 4½ minutes into the second half.

The Cavaliers pushed their advantage to seven a few minutes later on Thomas’ twisting layup when he was in a stretch of scoring eight of their 11 points.

NO. 18 VANDERBILT 71, MISSISSIPPI 68

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Tanner scored 24 points and Vanderbilt survived a late scare to beat Mississippi at Memorial Gymnasium.

The game was originally scheduled to be played in Oxford, Mississippi, but due to severe winter weather this week, the university has closed its campus until Feb. 8. Ole Miss and Vanderbilt switched home games, with the Commodores now traveling to Oxford on March 4.

Vanderbilt (19-3, 6-3 Southeastern) was still without its second-leading scorer, Duke Miles, but once again got a massive lift by Tanner, who is averaging 17.5 points a game this season.

AK Okereke broke into double figures with 17 points, making 11 of 13 free throws.

Malik Dia and AJ Storr each had 16 points for Ole Miss (11-10, 3-5).

NO. 20 LOUISVILLE 88, SMU 74

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mikel Brown Jr. scored 20 points off the bench, Isaac McKneely added 14 and Louisville used a 10-0 second-half run to rally past SMU 88-74.

The Cardinals (15-6, 5-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) overcame a cold start and 47-44 halftime deficit to take their first lead at 55-53 on Kobe Rodgers’ transition layup with 14:37 remaining. SMU eventually went ahead 62-61, but Aly Khalifa (eight points) scored five during their pivotal spurt and Louisville steadily stretched the lead to bounce back from Monday night’s 83-52 rout at No. 4 Duke.

Mustangs guard Boopie Miller, the ACC’s No. 4 scorer, had 20 points for his 28th consecutive double-digit scoring game. SMU (15-6, 4-4) entered the game with the league’s top offense (87.3 points per game) and had won its past two.

Louisville entered averaging 86 points and reached that mark behind 52% shooting after halftime and 49% overall. The Cardinals’ bench provided the biggest boost, dominating the Mustangs 47-5 while holding them to 37% shooting in the second half.

NO. 22 CLEMSON 63, PITTSBURGH 52

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Carter Welling and Nick Davidson scored 12 points each and Clemson used a big first-half run to take control on the way to its 15th straight win over Pittsburgh.

Welling and Davidson combined for 17 second-half points for the Tigers (18-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who opened a 17-point lead at halftime and gave Clemson coach Brad Brownell his 200th home win over 16 seasons.

The Panthers (9-13, 2-7) used a 14-4 run at the start of the second half to get the lead into single digits. But RJ Godfrey had two inside baskets and Welling scored six straight points to restore Clemson’s large lead.

Pitt has struggled during ACC play. It had hoped to carry momentum from an overtime win against Wake Forest earlier this week into Clemson.

But the Tigers’ defense kicked in midway through the opening half as they went on a 26-9 run over a 13-minute span to take control. Efrem “Butta” Johnson had two of Clemson’s five threes during that surge while the Panthers shot just shot 21% and were 2-of-18 from behind the arc the first 20 minutes.

NO. 24 MIAMI (OHIO) 85, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 61

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Brant Byers scored 21 points and Miami (Ohio) set a Mid-American Conference record with its 22nd straight win, pulling away in the second half for a victory over Northern Illinois.

The RedHawks (22-0, 10-0) surpassed the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest winning streak in conference history.

Miami and Arizona remain the lone unbeaten teams in Division I.

Miami has also won 28 straight games at Millett Hall for Division I’s longest home winning streak.

Peter Suder added 19 points and Antwone Woolfolk had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.

Gianni Cobb and Taj Walters paced Northern Illinois (7-14, 3-7) with 17 points apiece. The Huskies have dropped three of their last four.

The RedHawks came into the game leading the nation in field-goal percentage (53.7%) and third in 3-point percentage (40.9%), but had an off night shooting. They were 31 of 64 from the field and only 7 of 28 from beyond the arc.

Where Miami was able to win the game was on defense. It forced 17 turnovers, which led to 22 points.

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World Series savior Miguel Rojas was the star of DodgerFest

Dodger Stadium has hosted playoff games, parades, and pressure that can crush a season before it even begins. On Saturday, it hosted something for the very first time: a fan festival for back-to-back World Series Champions. 

An estimated 30,000 fans poured into Chavez Ravine for the 2026 Dodgers FanFest, and an opportunity to see their beloved Boys in Blue since the confetti settled on the celebration in November. 

The early hours felt like a block party dressed in blue.

An estimated 30,000 fans poured into Chavez Ravine for the 2026 Dodgers FanFest. California Post
Dodger Stadium hosted the first ever fan-festival for back-to-back World Series Champions. California Post

Fans drifted through centerfield plaza lined with interactive games, sponsor activations, live music, and the familiar chaos of Dodger Dogs and cold beers disappearing faster than winter should allow. VIP experiences pulled fans into places usually reserved for October tension, while exclusive merchandise flew off the racks like souvenirs from a dynasty still in progress.

But what stood out wasn’t the scale, it was the ease in which the players interacted with the fans. 

Blake Snell ran along the barriers passing out first bumps. Anthony Banda blushed as women screamed out his name, telling him they “loved him.” In fact, for all the players in attendance, the screams never stopped. But neither did the smiles on the defending champions faces.

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“This is always a really fun event,” said Dodgers’ third baseman Max Muncy, after waving to the fans from the Dodgers’ bullpen. “When you come to this event, and you see how excited the fans are, it just really gets you in the right mindset.”

Autograph lines wrapped around pillars. Selfies with players were a currency shared amongst everyone. And when Shohei Ohtani finally appeared, the reaction felt less like baseball and more like a pop culture phenomenon.

“This is always a really fun event,” said Dodgers’ third baseman Max Muncy. California Post
Selfies with players were a currency shared amongst everyone. And when Shohei Ohtani finally appeared, the reaction felt less like baseball and more like a pop culture phenomenon. California Post

“It was like the Beatles in the 60s when Shohei pulled up,” said Brian, a Dodgers fan from Westlake who drove over an hour to be at FanFest.

Ohtani might have gotten the loudest ovation, but Miguel Rojas drew a different kind of roar— louder, deeper, more personal. Re-signed for one final season after his Game 7 heroics, Rojas is now walking into what fans already view as a farewell tour.

Ohtani might have gotten the loudest ovation, but Miguel Rojas drew a different kind of roar— louder, deeper, more personal. California Post
The loudest anticipation centered on something still to come: the first night Edwin Díaz jogs in from the bullpen to “Timmy Trumpets.” Chavez Ravine already knows how it will sound. California Post

“I’m so glad Miguel Rojas is coming back for another year,” said Joey Molloy, a lifelong Dodgers fan attending his sixth FanFest. “He got the biggest ovation by far, outside of Shohei.” 

And yet, even with rings flashing and banners looming, the loudest anticipation centered on something still to come: the first night Edwin Díaz jogs in from the bullpen to “Timmy Trumpets.” Chavez Ravine already knows how it will sound.

“That’s going to hit so hard in this stadium,” said Molloy. 

The chatter across the stadium was equal parts celebration and ambition. California Post
The real conversation was about a three-peat. About becoming the first team since the 1998–2000 Yankees to pull it off. California Post

The chatter across the stadium was equal parts celebration and ambition. Back-to-back World Series titles were celebrated, then immediately filed away. The real conversation was about a three-peat. About becoming the first team since the 1998–2000 Yankees to pull it off. About embracing the villain label that comes with spending, winning, and refusing to apologize for either. “The Dodgers aren’t ruining baseball,” said Stephanie, decked out in a Dodgers Mexican heritage night jersey. “The owners who don’t spend are.”

The day closed with a 90-minute stage show. Dave Roberts didn’t duck the word “three-peat.” Neither did the players. “We’re comfortable with winning,” said Victor Ramirez, an electrician from Eagle Rock. “We’re a little spoiled.”

He’s right. But this is what winning looks like. 

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NBA Final Score – Timberwolves 131, Grizzlies 114: Sleepwalking to a Victory

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 31: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on January 31, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Game Story

The Minnesota Timberwolves were coming off one of their most impressive wins of the season. A wire-to-wire dismantling of the reigning champions despite being at the end of a back-to-back. The Memphis Grizzlies? They were coming off a road loss to the second to last place New Orleans Pelicans, and now on the end of their own back-to-back.

Not only was Memphis already down several key players such as Ja Morant, they would be without the services of two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. and other key starters such as Santi Aldama. It was a classic “trap game” which Minnesota fell prey to in December. A game which Head Coach Chris Finch called “a horrendous night” and Jock Landale went off for season-high in three-pointers made.

Who they would have tonight was Ty Jerome. Jerome, the second runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year last season, made his long-awaited season debut for the Grizzlies. He would make his presence felt early, scoring the first four points and taking an early lead for his team.

The 7-2 lead would be the only lead for Memphis.

Julius Randle was red hot from perimeter early, draining three straight treys in the first quarter. Anthony Edwards was testing the perimeter defense of the zombie Grizzlies, scoring on a bevy of beautiful jumpers. Memphis tried to do their best the hang in there, even goading Rudy Gobert into an early technical foul. However, it was clear from the first quarter that the talent difference was going to be too much for them to overcome. Even to the Timberwolves.

The Wolves had a nine-point lead heading into the second quarter, then quickly ballooned that up to 16 in the third. Naz Reid was superb once again, dialing in from deep over and over again. Nine of his 20 points came in the second period.

Minnesota did show a typical lack of intensity on the defensive end though. Many times, it felt that they were opting to exchange baskets with Memphis, hoping that eventually the Grizzlies would just give up. To their credit, the Wolves upheld their end of the bargain, converting on 12 mid-range jumpers and 18 three-pointers. They shot an impressive 52.8% from the field.

The Grizzlies final push came early in the fourth quarter, drawing eight free throw attempts early to slice the lead down to 13, but that was as close as it ever got. It was nearly seven full minutes of Yakety Sax basketball with both teams throwing the ball all over the place, but Minnesota just had too many shot makers on their team.

At the end of the day, it was a fairly easy win against a team they should have have steamrolled.

Sometimes, games just aren’t that exciting. Tonight was one of them.

Comment of the Night

Malastare loved Joan Beringer’s 5 minute, +6 stint tonight

Box Score

Up Next

Both teams get a day off before they do it all over again. The play the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, February 2 at 8:30 pm CT. The rematch will be available for the national audience to watch on Peacock / NBC or FanDuel Sports North, for some reason.

Highlights

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Mavericks vs Rockets Final Score: Houston escapes Dallas, 111-107

HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 31: Max Christie #00 of the Dallas Mavericks plays defense during the game against the Houston Rockets on January 31, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Dallas Mavericks (19-30) fell to the Houston Rockets (30-17), 111-107, on Saturday night in a grindy, back-and-forth affair. Amen Thompson led Houston with 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Cooper Flagg was stellar in defeat, scoring 34 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing five assists.

Both the Mavericks and the Rockets started the game with many, many bricks. When Dallas called a timeout down 13-8 at the six-minute mark, the two teams had shot a combined 8-of-26 from the field. Flagg and Durant come out of the stoppage dueling, with the former driving the lane with authority and the latter connecting on beautiful jumpers. Dallas managed to hang with Houston early on as Alperen Sengun seemed to forget how to play basketball, missing all six of his attempts in the quarter. Brandon Williams’ efforts helped keep Dallas in the mix late into the frame with his paint probing, but Houston would end the quarter up 31-28.

The second quarter saw the Rockets continue to take Dallas lightly. The Mavericks went shot-for-shot with their betters in the first six minutes of the quarter. Following a Houston timeout, the Rockets finally managed to string together a few defensive possessions while converting on the other end. Sengun finally broke the seal on the basket with 5:05 left in the half to give the Rockets a five-point lead, forcing a Jason Kidd timeout. The lead grew to as large as eight, with Dallas managing to chop the lead to three with 30 seconds to go. But a Jabari Smith ally-oop and Durant 3-pointer gave the Rockets an eight-point lead heading into the half.

After outworking Houston on the boards on both ends in the first half, Dallas got hammered on the glass in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Rockets grew their lead to 13 twice before Kidd called a timeout to settle the troops. The Mavericks just kept coming and had a chance to cut it to four on a Caleb Martin lay in, but it was blocked by two Rockets, which led to a Houston 3-pointer on the fast break. Martin later atoned with a made 3-ball and a free throw to cut the lead to five. Dallas entered the fourth down 87-82.

The final frame was more of the same: good basketball from both teams, with Houston being just a bit better. The Rockets managed to hold a double-digit lead for a significant portion of the period, but the Mavericks kept firing away. Klay Thompson’s back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth gave the Mavericks some momentum, and a Flagg bucket with a foul gave Dallas a chance to make it a clutch game with under four minutes remaining. But he missed the free throw and Durant answered the possession to give Houston an eight-point lead.

Daniel Gafford made a pair of free throws to make it a clutch game with 2:30 to go, and he followed that up with a loose-ball dunk to pull Dallas within two. The Mavericks and Rockets traded baskets only for Naji Marshall to tie the game at 107 with 50 seconds left. Sengun answered the next possession with a post bucket over Max Christie, and Dallas called a timeout with 29 seconds to go. Flagg drove to the basket on the ensuing possession and pushed it too hard (there may have been uncalled contact). Dallas failed to foul and allowed an open-court dunk as Houston escaped Dallas, 111-107.

Have to make your free throws, guys

In a four point loss, the Mavericks missed 11 free throws. That can’t happen. The margins for the Mavericks are too tight most games, they’re *right there* in many contests so these self inflicted wounds really hurt. Flagg and Marshall combined to miss seven of them, and that will gnaw at them following this one.

Amen Thompson, everywhere all at once

Thompson’s the kind of player I struggle to explain to casuals. Everyone sees the top tier athleticism, but they also see the really bad 3-point shooting percentage. Here’s what I see: a guy who appears all over the basketball court. I don’t know how many deflections he had in this game, but his two steals don’t tell the tale. He pestered every passing lane he was near. Offensively, he grabbed five offensive rebounds. As a forward, that’s ridiculous. His nearly 80% free-throw shooting tells me there’s some hope yet to his shot, so this is a guy NBA watchers should keep a close eye on.

Extra Rockets possessions doomed Dallas

Dallas took 16 fewer shots than the Rockets. While they did reasonably well on the defensive glass in spurts against Houston, they didn’t do well enough, surrendering 18 (Dallas didn’t do bad themselves, grabbing 11). But if you get beat on the boards and turn the ball over more (11 to 6 in favor of Houston with fewer), then it’s really hard to win the game.

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Purple Row After Dark: Was trading Angel Chivilli the right move?

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 2: Colorado Rockies pitcher Angel Chivilli (57) pitches in the sixth inning during a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 2, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Last week, the Colorado Rockies traded RHP Angel Chivilli to the New York Yankees for first base prospect T.J. Rumsfeld.

Later that day, president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said of the move,

I wouldn’t say we necessarily wanted to [trade Chivilli], because he obviously has a terrific arm, he’s still very young, he did miss a lot of bats. I think there are a lot of things about Angel that are really attractive. We weren’t anxious to move him, but we did feel like our bullpen is a real area of depth, and there have been clubs asking about a number of our bullpen arms throughout the course of the last couple months. And ultimately, this was a deal that seemed to fit and seemed to come together for us. It wasn’t a situation where we were looking to move him by any stretch, there was just enough interest, and I found a deal that ultimately made sense. But we were dealing from an area of strength where we could then bolster our position player club going forward.

Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports media wrote positively about the potential of the move, referring to Chivilli’s arm as “a high-risk stick of dynamite,” concluding, “I’ll take the dynamite.”

So, Purple Row night owls, here’s the evening’s question: Was trading Chivilli the right move, or should the Rockies have kept him as a reclamation project and moved a different reliever?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

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Canucks Wrap Up Homestand With 3-2 Shootout Loss To The Maple Leafs

The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their eight-game homestand on Saturday with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both goals were scored by rookies as Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Tom Willander found the back of the net. As for Nikita Tolopilo, he had a strong game in net, stopping 39 of the 41 shots he faced. 

In the end, Vancouver was lucky that this game made it to overtime and eventually a shootout. The Canucks were outshot 18-5 in the third, with Tolopilo being the main reason the game finished regulation 2-2. Post-game, Head Coach Adam Foote was asked about what happened in the third period and why his club was unable to generate shots on goal. 

"Well, we played against a desperate team," said Foote. "They're going for it. They were pinching on us. It seemed like a few board battles, we didn't get pucks out that we should have gotten out. That's what happens when you play a team as desperate as they are."

As for Tolopilo, he was the story of the night. He came up clutch for the team in regulation and even stopped Auston Matthews in overtime on a penalty shot. Post-game, center Elias Pettersson said, "Yeah, he's really good for us. Keeping us in the game, all game long.

Another storyline from this game was the ice time of Lekkerimäki. Despite scoring, the 21-year-old did not play the final nine minutes of regulation or overtime. Post-game, Foote explained why the coaching staff decided to sit Lekkerimäki with the game tied late. 

"It's more of the defensive side," said Foote. "He's getting there for sure. The more time he's with us, the more he will know certain things, and the trust will be there. It's just slight movements defensively. It's just being young. It's not even a mistake. The longer he is here. He's a smart guy. He'll get that pretty quick. 

Lastly, one skater who had a strong game overall was Willander. He scored his sixth of the season and played 16 minutes. Post-game, Willander spoke about the performance and what has changed over the past few games. 

"I think actually over the last two games, starting last game, our defensive play has been a lot more solid," said Willander. "And I think we're finding our system a little bit better. We kind of talked through that a lot, and we're starting to find exactly what we're supposed to do in different situations. And I feel like we go better together defending as a five instead of more of man-to-man, so I think it's going the right way."

Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) battle with Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (88) and goalie Joseph Woll (60) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) battle with Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (88) and goalie Joseph Woll (60) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Ultimately, this was not a great performance, but thanks to Tolopilo, it resulted in Vancouver picking up a point. As for the atmosphere, it was great as Canucks and Maple Leafs fans launched duelling chants throughout the game. In the end, though, this homestand can be considered a success from a tank perspective as the team only picked up five of a possible 16 points. 

Stats and Facts:

- Elias Pettersson records his 80th blocked shot of the season

- Vancouver ends its eight-game homestand with a record of 2-5-1

- David Kämpf went 15 for 21 in the faceoff dot

- Nikita Tolopilo is the sixth rookie in franchise history to stop a penalty shot

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

No Scoring

2nd Period:

1:55- VAN: Jonathan Lekkerimäki (2) from Liam Öhgren and Pierre-Olivier Joseph
13:34- TOR: Nicolas Roy (5) from Nicholas Robertson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson
14:45- VAN: Tom Willander (4) from Evander Kane and Elias Pettersson

3rd Period:

2:26- TOR: Max Domi (9) from Auston Matthews

Overtime:

No Scoring

Shootout:

TOR: William Nylander

Up Next:

The Canucks hit the road for two straight, starting on Monday against the Utah Mammoth. Vancouver has already faced Utah once this season, which resulted in a 4-1 loss to the Mammoth. Game time is set for 6:30 pm PT. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Devils give up three third-period goals in 4-1 loss to Senators

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 26 saves in his first start for Ottawa since taking a leave of absence Dec. 28, Brady Tkachuk had a goal and two assists and the Senators beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Saturday night.

Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens scored his 100th NHL goal for Ottawa. The Senators have won three in a row.

Timo Meier scored, and Jake Allen made 30 saves for New Jersey. The Devils have lost three of four.

The Devils were without Jack Hughes. He’s out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Up next

Devils: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Senators: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

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Ullmark wins in return from leave of absence, Senators beat Devils 4-1

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 26 saves in his first start for Ottawa since taking a leave of absence Dec. 28, Brady Tkachuk had a goal and two assists and the Senators beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Saturday night.

Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens scored his 100th NHL goal for Ottawa. The Senators have won three in a row.

Timo Meier scored, and Jake Allen made 30 saves for New Jersey. The Devils have lost three of four.

The Devils were without Jack Hughes. He's out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Up next

Devils: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.

Senators: At Pittsburgh on Monday night

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Retired NFL quarterback Eli Manning was at the Senators game and presented a fan a gift certificate for best quarterback celebration as part of an in-game promotion.

KEY STAT

Cozens’ power-play goal was his 100th career goal.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Senators: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2026.

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PUBLISH SETTINGS:

URGENCY: Routine

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SOURCE: Canadian Press

LANGUAGE: en

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Cavaliers coach receives hefty fine for interaction with NBA official

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been fined for an aggressive interaction with an official during a game against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 30. 

James Jones, who serves as the NBA’s Executive Vice President/Head of Basketball Operations, announced that Atkinson was fined $50,000 for "aggressively pursuing, berating and making inadvertent contact" with a referee.

Atkinson was assessed his second technical foul of the game and was ejected with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter of Friday night's contest. The Suns went on to beat the Cavaliers 126-113, the loss snapping Cleveland's five-game winning streak.

Atkinson was upset about a no-call on Suns guard Collin Gillespie, who was aggressively defended by Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill.

When do Cavaliers play next?

The Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 9 p.m. ET.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson fined for interaction with NBA official

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Florida Can't Hold Late Lead In 2-1 Loss To Winnipeg On Home Ice

The Florida Panthers came up short on Saturday in the first of a three-game homestand.

Playing just their third game in Sunrise over the past several weeks, Florida took a lead into the third period only to lose 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena.

Despite skating without key forwards Brad Marchand (undisclosed) and Anton Lundell (upper-body), Florida played a strong game during the opening periods and took an earned lead into the late stages of the contest.

That lead was off a snipe by young forward Eetu Luostarien that came moments after Florida came off the power play.

As Jets’ defenseman Logan Stanley was sprinting out of the penalty box after serving a two-minute minor for cross-checking Florida forward Mackie Samoskevich, Evan Rodrigues corralled the puck at the blue line and fed an open Eetu in the right circle.

It didn’t take long for Luostarinen to wind up and fire a laser of a wrist shot past a screened Jets’ goalie Eric Comrie’s glove and into the net at the 14:40 mark of the first period.

Florida held onto that lead into the third period, and it wasn’t until nearly the halfway point of that final frame that Winnipeg finally was able to light the lamp.

After Gabe Vilardi made a couple nice moves to get to the Cats’ net, a streaking Cole Perfetti found a rebound and beat Sergei Borbovsky to knot the score at one at the 8:34 mark of the third period.

That’s how the score would remain until there was just 4:14 on the clock.

On what appeared to be a harmless zone entry, Winnipeg made a couple quick passes to completely bewilder the Panthers and take a 2-1 lead in the game’s final minutes.

It was a great passing sequence, with Gus Nyquist finding Kyle Connor entering the zone and then Connor going to the back of the crease where Mark Scheifele was waiting to slam home what proved to be the game-winning goal.

On to the Sabres.

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Photo caption: Jan 31, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Cole Perfetti (91) scores against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

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Maple Leafs beat Canucks 3-2 in shootout to end 6-game losing streak

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored in a shootout and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night to end a six-game losing streak.

Matthews had a chance to win it in overtime when he was awarded a penalty shot after Conor Garland was called for hooking, but goaltender Nikita Tolopilo made the save.

Nicolas Roy and Max Domi scored for Toronto, and Joseph Woll made 28 saves.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander scored for Vancouver. The Canucks have two wins in their last 17 games.

Domi tied it early in the third with a shot that hit Tolopilo’s shoulder then rolled over his back into the net.

Tolopilo stopped 39 shots.

Up next

Maple Leafs: At Calgary on Monday night.

Canucks: At Utah on Monday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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Predators 4, Islanders 3: Nothing gained

Give the man some help. | Getty Images

The Islanders lost a frustrating game in regulation to the Nashville Predators, one they didn’t really deserve anything from, though the circumstances were still frustrating.

They blew an early 2-0 lead after looking pretty good in the first 10 minutes of the game, then were completely discombobulated the rest of the way, relying on Ilya Sorokin to keep them in it. Even with that, they also lost a 3-2 lead, had a goal overturned (and their coach’s challenge denied) for goalie interference on Anthony Duclair outside the crease, and gave up the game winner with just 1:14 left to play while the teams were at 4-on-4 following another head-scratching official’s ruling.

All that said, they’d have been lucky to get one point from this game and the 4-3 loss was warranted. You could argue they should’ve lost by much more — the Predators had a UBS record 22 shots in the second period alone — if only to make crystal clear they can’t get away with playing like this against non-Rangers-level foes.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

To think, it all started out like it might be a fun night. Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair were buzzing on their first shift and got the Isles on the board at 1:29 as Barzal batted a bouncing puck in at the back door.

Matthew Schaefer double the lead four minutes later when Ryan Pulock handled a difficult pass from Barzal but stumbled with it just long enough to draw the opposite side winger toward him. That left Schaefer wide open for a feed, and the 18-year-0ld drove down the left wing faceoff circle and picked his spot on Juuse Saros for his 15th(!) goal.

But the lead didn’t last, and once again the Isles special teams could not reverse the tide. Nashville got on the board at the midway point just six seconds after Adam Pelech went into the box for tripping, and the Preds added a tying goal three minutes later. As the Predators continued to push, the Isles looked lucky to escape the period tied.

Even moreso in the second, when J-G Pageau got them a brief lead scoring against the flow of play. He drove the slot and made a pass attempt for Anders Lee, who had fed him first. The pass was blocked, but it still sent all of the Predators, including Saros, the wrong way while Pageau picked up the rebound and slid it in.

Filip Forsberg tied it at 3-3 seven minutes later, and miraculously that was how things would stay until Roman Josi’s late dagger.

The Goalie Interference(?)

Patrick Roy, the veteran of 19 NHL sesons and 1,029 games, clearly doesn’t understand what counts a goalie interference in this league…and neither does anyone else. The officials aggressively called this one off rather than waiting for a Nashville challenge (Saros’ dramatic glove toss may have helped), so it was left for the Isles to challenge and note some things that we have heard are important: 1) Duclair wasn’t in the crease, 2) Saros initiated contact, with his teammate helping keep Duclair there, 3) Not even sure if that contact was what prevented Saros — who seemed more intent in coming out to push Duclair — from making a play on a shot from the other side.

But whatever. I’m kind of glad it happened in a game the Isles seemed intent to lose anyway. You can argue from the scoreboard that it cost them the game, but they still killed the ensuing penalty off and they were sabotaging themselves throughout, they would’ve still found a way to lose.

This and That

  • With the Isles under a barrage and unable to connect passes, Roy had his line blender out and was trying all kinds of combos. Nothing seemed to right the ship.
  • Casey Cizikas did return to the lineup but Max Shabanov stayed in, replacing Jonathan Drouin who was officially listed as sick.
  • Is there any more pure joy on Bossy’s green earth than 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer celebrating a goal?

Up Next

Can’t help thinking this one was a costly loss. Nashville is beatable, while the Penguins, Capitals, Blue Jackets and Canadiens all won tonight.

The Isles’ remaining schedule includes the back-to-back of Monday night in Washington and Tuesday back home vs. the Penguins, before they finish the pre-Olympic stretch Thursday in New Jersey.