Sarah Strong’s 18 points and 13 rebounds lead No. 1 UConn in 95-54 rout of Creighton

Sarah Strong had 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals and Blanca Quiñonez came off the bench to score 15 points as top-ranked UConn routed Creighton 95-54 on Sunday. The Huskies (17-0, 8-0 Big East) handed Creighton (7-9, 3-4) its most lopsided loss since a 44-point defeat to UConn two years ago. Azzi Fudd had 14 points and five assists and Ashlynn Shade made four 3s for all 12 of her points.

Josh Hart officially returning to Knicks' starting lineup Sunday against Trail Blazers

The Knicks are set to receive a big boost on Sunday night, as Josh Hart is officially available for the road meeting with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Hart will slide right back into the starting lineup and won't face a minutes restriction. 

His return is certainly a welcomed sight for New York, as the forward has missed the last eight games with an ankle injury suffered in the win over the Cavaliers on Christmas Day.

SNY's Ian Begley said on this week's edition of the Putback that Hart had been "getting close," and he was upgraded to questionable for the first time on Saturday night. 

Now, the training staff has deemed he's made enough progress for a full return. 

The Knicks remain in second place in the Eastern Conference, but they struggled mightily with Hart sidelined, going 3-5 and dropping five of their last six games.

The 30-year-old had been playing some of his best basketball of the season before going down with the injury, putting together 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds over his last 15 games. 

Red Wings' Hot Streak Meets Relentless Atlantic Division Pressure

The Detroit Red Wings continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NHL, posting a 13-4-1 record over their last 18 games and holding the top spot in the Atlantic Division. A key divisional win Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens helped Detroit extend its edge over Montreal in the standings, but despite the Red Wings strong run, the playoff race remains extremely tight.

That pressure comes from a surging Atlantic Division that has seen multiple teams catch fire at the same time. Five teams in the division are currently pushing for playoff spots, creating one of the most competitive races in the league.

Right behind Detroit are the Tampa Bay Lightning, who trail the Red Wings by just one point. Tampa Bay has been red hot, winning nine straight games while defeating some of the NHL’s top competition along the way. During their streak, the Lightning rolled past teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks, establishing themselves as a matchup no team wants to see right now.

Close behind Tampa Bay are the Montreal Canadiens, who despite recent losses to both Detroit and Tampa, remain very much in the hunt. Montreal sits just one point behind the Lightning and two points back of the Red Wings. Over their last 24 games, the Canadiens have posted a 15-7-3 record, the fourth best mark in the NHL, and have won five of their last seven games.

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While the top three teams appear to be positioning themselves well for the postseason, the teams chasing them cannot be overlooked. The Florida Panthers are climbing back into the race after a difficult start to the season. After opening with a 12-12-2 record, Florida has gone 11-6-1 despite missing key players including captain Aleksander Barkov and star winger Matthew Tkachuk.

Also gaining momentum are the Toronto Maple Leafs, longtime rivals of the Red Wings. Toronto struggled early and dealt with injuries, but the team has turned things around with a league best 7-0-2 record over its last nine games. With captain Auston Matthews finding his scoring touch again, the Maple Leafs look poised to remain a playoff contender.

With the Atlantic Division as deep and competitive as it has been in years, Detroit’s recent surge cannot be viewed as a short term success. It must become the standard if the Red Wings hope to end their nearly decade long playoff drought and reestablish themselves as a true Stanley Cup contender.

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What we learned as Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler combine for 61 in Warriors' loss

What we learned as Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler combine for 61 in Warriors' loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Two teams came to Chase Center on Sunday with two-game win streaks. 

The Atlanta Hawks are the ones leaving town with a three-game win streak after the Warriors fell to them 124-111. 

The Warriors had a chance to earn their third three-game win streak of the 2025-26 NBA season and second at home. A win also would have put the Warriors four games above .500 for the first time this season, and beating the Portland Trail Blazers next game would have given the Warriors their first four-game win streak of the season. Those chances were wiped away in a 13-point loss.

Steph Curry scored a game-high 31 points but was 3 of 11 on 3-pointers. The Warriors now are 6-7 when he scores 30-plus points this season. Jimmy Butler scored 30 points for the fourth time this season, and also had seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. 

Missing shots and taking a step back in the turnover category turned the game into a track meet. That isn’t the kind of game the small, old and slow Warriors are built for playing the long, young and fast Hawks. The Warriors were outscored in fastbreak points 23-17, points off turnovers 28-11 and saw the Hawks have a 15-point advantage from deep.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors falling to 21-19 on the season. 

Playing Through Jimmy 

If it weren’t for Moses Moody shooting free throws, the same group that went on a 13-0 run at the end of the third quarter Friday night would have played the final three minutes and 47 seconds of the first quarter on Sunday. That group consists of Butler, Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford. Those five bring a combination of two-way impact, high IQ and shooting around Butler. 

All the ways that Butler stuffs the stat sheet showed up in the first quarter with five points, four assists and three rebounds. His four assists led to 10 points on passes to Horford twice, a cutting Quinten Post and a Curry 3-pointer. In the second quarter, Butler became the Warriors’ go-to scorer. 

Butler scored 10 straight points in the second quarter as he dominated around the rim and got to the free-throw line. The scoring barrage brought him to 17 points at halftime. 

Though Butler scored another 13 points in the second half, seven fewer than Curry but seven more than anybody else, his effort still came up short in a tough loss.

Disastrous Third Quarter 

A Dyson Daniels layup put the Warriors in a 12-point hole at the 8:47 mark of the third quarter, to which they responded admirably and went on an 11-0 run to get within one point of the Hawks. However, the Warriors were then outscored 24-9 the rest of the quarter. Just like that, the Warriors went from trailing by six points at halftime to facing a 16-point deficit. 

Curry had one of his third-quarter flurries of 12 points in eight and a half minutes, but the rest of the Warriors scored just 13 points. As a whole, the Warriors went 9 of 21 from the field (42.9 percent) and 3 of 13 on 3-pointers (23.1 percent) in the quarter. The Hawks were much more efficient, going 14 of 25 from the field (56 percent) and made 4 of their 10 threes. 

It’s not like the Hawks lit up from long distance in the third quarter – Luke Kennard did. The sharpshooter who is in the game for one reason was a perfect 4 of 4 while the rest of his teammates missed all six of their tries. 

But the Hawks also swiped three streaks and scored 13 points off four Warriors turnovers. 

New-Look Hawks 

Watching Trae Young drop dimes and let it fly from deep in a Hawks jersey is long gone. The Hawks chose a timeline and direction without him and are sticking to it. They’re now a Jalen Johnson-led team, which started well before trading Young to the Washington Wizards. 

The Hawks selected Johnson No. 20 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, the same year the Warriors took Jonathan Kuminga at No. 7 and Moses Moody at No. 14. Johnson gradually was given more opportunities and made the Year 3 leap, a season in which he actually played 60 fewer minutes than Kuminga, clearing the runway for him to take off last season before being injured. 

Now, the Hawks have a 24-year-old Johnson who is playing like an NBA All-Star and franchise player. Why they’ve handed him the keys was clear against the Warriors. Johnson in one game against the Warriors last season scored 15 points with 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals. This time around, he was even better and finished at 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. 

Acquiring Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 27, from the Minnesota Timberwolves over the summer also was one of the more underrated offseason moves around the league. Alexander-Walker has gone from averaging 9.4 points per game last season to 20.5 entering Sunday, which is the biggest improvement in the NBA. He scored 17 points in the first half against the Warriors, and ended leading the Hawks with 24. They are the top of the pyramid for a new wave in Atlanta.

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The Demise And Fall Of The Blueshirts In Beantown

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

It was no secret that the Rangers' visit to Beantown yesterday afternoon was THE most important game of the season for the New Yorkers up to this point.

The Bruins – no questions asked – have been a team to pursue. What's more, with the Blueshirts' inexplicable road successes, this was a time for a glorious victory. No? Yes?

The time for a glorious victory ended as rapidly as a zephyr blowing through your hair. By the end of the first period the Rangers were ready to surrender.

By the end of the second period, they did give up. The NewYorkers' blue sweaters looked like the white flag of defeat.. The score was 7-2  for Boston and the best bet for coach Mike Sullivan was to request a Brooklyn "Do Over."

But since Commissioner Gary Bettman's office does not deal in "Do Overs,' the Rangers had to finish the game employing the advanced "culture" that owner James Dolan was last heard bragging about on the radio the other day. So it ended, 10-2 for the Beaners.

Take your pick, the Rangers embarrassed or disgraced themselves beyond all reason.

"It's the 'culture' of defeat," says The Old Scout. "Now the Rangers not only cannot win at home they no longer can win on the road. Maybe they should try roller hockey."

J.T. Miller, who scored one of the two Blueshirt goals – Mika Zibanejad had the other – should be penalized for repeating himself. How many times have you heard this dismal comment out of the guy who never should have been captain in the first place.

"The team needs leadership and I gotta do better," Miller says. 

It wouldn't hurt if coach Mike Sullivan ripped up his far-too-lucrative contract. Imagine him saying postgame: "I don't have answers."

Well the answer sure wasn't Jonathan Quick who was a disaster and mercifully got the hook after giving up six goals in 31:26. 

Now get this, genius GM Chris Drury brought up 30-year-old royal retread Spencer Martin as

Quick's backup. This poor guy Martin has gone through five NHL teams – plus CSKA Moscow –  and redefines the word "sieve." 

Master Martin gave up four goals on 14 shots as the curtain dropped on yet another Blueshirt disaster. For further horrifics, I turn it over to superscout Jess Rubenstein of Rangersprospectreport.com.

Remembering Glenn Hall Against The RangersRemembering Glenn Hall Against The RangersI have to admit that The Maven has taken the passing of Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall hard. Tearful hard.

"The Rangers have no defense. They are old. Martin is not an NHL goalie. This club was not embarrassed; it was humiliated. And GM Chris Drury should be fired."

Now for the good news: the Rangers' most encouraging words emanate from the NHL schedule.

The woebegone Seattle Kraken will drop over to Seventh Avenue tomorrow night and – if the winds of change have anything to do with it – the host Blueshirts might even get back in the W column.

Oh, I know he's been retired for decades but even at his advanced age. Marvelous Mike would never have allowed that Saturday afternoon implosion to happen.

Richter always had pride to go with his talent. With precious few exceptions, this Rangers team now has a smidgen of talent and absolutely zero pride.

No. 16 Illinois builds big early lead, then holds off No. 19 Iowa, 75-69

Keaton Wagler scored 19 points, Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell each had 17 and No. 16 Illinois continued to win on the road in the Big Ten Conference, holding off No. 19 Iowa 75-69 on Sunday. The Illini (13-3, 4-1) won their fifth consecutive game and stayed tied for third place in the conference. Three of Illinois’ wins in conference play have come on the road — the Illini also won at Ohio State and Penn State.

Alex Bregman signs with Cubs for five years, $175 million: Contract details, fantasy fallout

One of the biggest remaining dominoes of MLB free agency fell on Saturday night when third baseman Alex Bregman agreed to a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. The soon-to-be-32-year-old gets a full no-trade clause and a contract with no opt-outs. Although, the deferred money, about $70 million, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, makes the contract a little more palatable for the Cubs.

What does this mean for the Cubs?

The Cubs love players with a strong sense of the strike zone and good contact ability. They could have an entire infield of players like that with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner.

Bregman has a career strikeout rate of 13.4% and had a 91.5% zone contact rate last season, another elite rate. In his only season with the Red Sox, Bregman hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs, 64 runs scored, and 62 RBI in 114 games as he battled a quad injury. That's strong production for the Cubs in the middle of their lineup, and Bregman's contact ability (along with Swanson and Hoerner) will help to offset some of the swing and miss from guys like Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki.

Bregman also played solid defense again at third base, posting an Outs Above Average of 3 and an OAA of 8 in 2024 with the Astros. Him on the left side of the infield next to Swanson is a huge boost for the Cubs' pitching staff and the team as a whole.

There are some injury concerns here with Bregman. He has not played over 145 games in either of the last two seasons and has been under that mark in three of his last five. He will be 32 years old when the contract begins, and since there are no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause, Bregman will be the Cubs' third baseman until he's 37 years old. That's a bit of a gamble.

The other domino that will fall from this is what the Cubs do with Matt Shaw. The 24-year-old was one of the top 20 prospects in all of baseball heading into last season, but struggled to a .226/.295/.394 slash line with 13 home runs and 17 steals in 126 games. Shaw is still young and can slide over to second base, so the Cubs could opt to move him there and trade away Nico Hoerner, who hit .297/.345/.394 with seven home runs and 29 steals in 156 games last season.

Hoerner is the better defender and makes far more contact, but he is also signed to a three-year, $35 million contract and doesn't quite have the upside that Shaw does if everything breaks right for the young Cubs infielder. The team will have to decide whether to roll the dice on the upside and settle for the safe floor in 2026.

Lastly, while this is a great signing for the Cubs, remember that Kyle Tucker remains a free agent. If the Cubs don't re-sign Tucker, they will essentially be swapping Tucker for Bregman, which is a clear offensive downgrade for this lineup. As a team last season, the Cubs were 5th in runs scored, 6th in strikeout rate, 6th in wRC+, and 7th in OPS. Even without Tucker, they would likely remain a top ten offense thanks to the Bregman signing, but we'd expect a small step backwards.

What does this mean for the Red Sox?

Many people assumed that Bregman would return to the Red Sox, where he was lauded for his leadership and relationship to young stars like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. In fact, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported that the Red Sox offered up to $160 million for Bregman but were simply outbid by the Cubs.

With Bregman off the market, the Red Sox will likely pivot to Bo Bichette, who they would slot in at second base and then keep Marcelo Mayer at third base. In many ways, that would be just as good a move for the Red Sox. Alex Bregman, Bichette is a plus contact hitter with pull-side power and would likely be an above-average defender at second base. Bichette hit .311 last season with 18 home runs and would likely put up 20+ home runs in Fenway Park.

The issue is that many people assume Bichette is destined to land in Philadelphia with his old bench coach, Don Mattingly.

If that were to happen, the Red Sox would need to turn their attention to Eugenio Suarez or trade for Isaac Paredes, who they have been linked to all offseason. They could also perhaps take a shot and trade for Matt Shaw to pair with other young players like Anthony, Mayer, and Kristian Campbell.

Fantasy fallout

On one hand, Alex Bregman is moving from one solid lineup to another. He should be in another good spot for RBI production and runs scored, assuming he hits near the top of this Cubs' order. On the other hand, this is a clear park downgrade for him. Last season, Bregman posted a 47.4% pull rate while playing his home games at Fenway Park with the Green Monster. He's now moving to Wrigley Field, which is 40 feet deeper down the left field line than Fenway Park. Over his last three seasons, Bregman has only eight home runs that were NOT on pulled fly balls.

Once you add in the winds that tend to rear their ugly heads at Wrigley, you could see a power decline from Bregman next season. You would be looking at a guy who hits 20-22 home runs while hitting .265-.270 in a good lineup. That's obviously a solid fantasy asset, but maybe not a game-breaking one.

The other fallout here will be from Matt Shaw or Nico Hoerner, whomever loses their starting position. Right now, it's too early to make a call on that position battle, but it's certainly something to watch as the season unfolds.

Ja Morant trade rumors: Destinations, trade ideas, Bucks among teams with some interest

With Trae Young in the nation’s capital and Anthony Davis missing time with a hand injury (which ends trade talk about him), Ja Morant becomes the biggest name potentially moved at the deadline.

Memphis should be able to get more of a return for Morant than Atlanta got for Young because teams are "more intrigued by his potential than Trae," as one former front office person put it to NBC Sports. That said, Morant's baggage, injury history, and salary mean the Grizzlies are not going to get near what they got last summer for Desmond Bane (Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four firsts, and a pick swap). Meanwhile, Morant remains sidelined with a calf injury.

There is a ton of news on potential Morant destinations, so let's break it down in bullet points:

• The Milwaukee Bucks, desperate for more talent to put around Giannis Antetokounmpo, are interested in Morant, reports the well-connected Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

This pairing seems an odd fit because Morant and Antetokounmpo play a similar style of offensive game — they need the ball in their hands to drive downhill, get in the lane and score or create for others. Neither is great off-ball. This feels like it would be just two stars taking turns, and how much better does that make the Bucks?

Still, this is a legitimate rumor. Owczarski also reports the Bucks are still interested in Zach LaVine, a fit that makes more sense on the court.

• The Sacramento Kings are "lukewarm at best" on adding Morant, reports John Hollinger at The Athletic. Which is the smart move for Sactown, while this team needs talent, Morant is not the roll of the dice this team should take. However, as noted by Hollinger, the unpredictable Vivek Ranadive factor means they can't be ruled out.

• One interesting name Hollinger brings up as a dark horse: the Brooklyn Nets. They will trade away Michael Porter Jr. at the deadline — he is the player most certain to be traded — and might be the perfect team to take a flyer on Morant, hoping a new situation is what he needs to return to his All-Star form.

• A lot of people bring up Minnesota because it could use a point guard, but league sources told NBC Sports not to expect them to get in the mix (the Timberwolves would have to give up too much depth to make the money work, like a three- or four-to-one deal, and they are looking for a less expensive option at the point).

• Toronto is another team mentioned, with the trade being Immanuel Quickley and other assets to the Grizzlies (which is what the Raptors offered to Atlanta for Young last summer). Does that make sense for Toronto now? The Raptors sit fourth in the East. Why would they mess with their chemistry and send out multiple players to bring in Morant, who would dominate the ball on a team best at sharing it? Expect Toronto to go after a center.

• Miami gets mentioned as having interest, although it's fair to question if Morant is a fit with the Heat culture. Jake Fischer at The Stein Line reported that the Heat are asking themselves exactly that, "whether the organization could foster a productive environment for Ja Morant to bounce back to his All-Star best."

• A Morant for LaMelo Ball swap of point guards — something speculated about early in the season — is very unlikely now, Fischer reported. With Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller in Charlotte as key parts of the future, it's hard to imagine why the Hornets would make this deal.

Pittsburgh Penguins At Boston Bruins Preview: Lineup Changes, Where To Watch

The Pittsburgh Penguins saw their six-game winning streak end on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.

The Penguins were lethargic for much of the game and couldn't get into an offensive rhythm. It also didn't help that Flames goaltender Devin Cooley was on top of his game and stopped the chances that the Penguins did get. 

The Penguins will try to bounce back from that loss against a Boston Bruins team that won 10-2 over the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Bruins got hat tricks from Pavel Zacha and Marat Khusnutdinov in the win. Khusnutdinov, in particular, scored four goals during the game. 

David Pastrnak finished the game with six assists, and goaltender Jeremy Swayman finished with a .931 save percentage. Pastrnak now has 19 goals and 55 points this season. 

Morgan Geekie suited up for the game, but had to leave early due to a family emergency. Geekie has been spectacular this year, compiling 25 goals and 41 points in 45 games.  

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy does it all for the Bruins and is elite in all three zones. He finished Saturday's game with a goal and an assist, and figures to draw the matchup against the Sidney Crosby line. 

Speaking of Crosby's line, it's expected to still look a bit different since Bryan Rust is day-to-day with an injury. Tommy Novak replaced Rust on that line against the Flames. 

Here's a look at the full lineup after the Penguins tweeted out the lines:

Forwards

Mantha-Crosby-Rakell

Malkin-Hayes-Chinakhov

Novak-Kindel-Brazeau

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Defense

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Kulak-Letang

Shea-Clifton


Arturs Silovs started in goal on Saturday, meaning it's Stuart Skinner's turn for Sunday. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'


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Wild Forward Records First Career NHL Goal, Point

ST.PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Wild (26-11-9) hosted the New York Islanders (25-15-5) on Saturday after a long road trip.

Minnesota lost that game in overtime 4-3 on a Simon Holmstrom overtime-winner.

The Wild got the first goal of the game though and it came off the stick of Ben Jones. It was his first NHL goal and his first NHL point in his 49th career NHL game.

Jones, 26, had played in 48 NHL games in three seasons in the league. He had no points. He played in 26 games last year for the Wild and had zero points and 51 hits. This season he now has one goal and 51 hits in 21 games this season.

In fact, Jones had the second-longest streak to open a career with out a point (408:11 time on ice), behind only Adam Durish of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006-07 (463:17).

“Yeah, it wore on me a little bit,” Jones said after the game. “You try not to focus on it. Obviously, that’s not what I do to help the team, but it’s great to contribute. It seemed like people were thinking I was going for some record that I kept getting tagged in, of not getting a point in however many games. But no, it was nice to get the first one, and yeah, a big sigh of relief for sure.”

Jones' goal was a tip-in off a Brock Faber point shot. Quinn Hughes passed it to Faber before he shot it. Jones and Hughes grew up playing hockey together and are the same age. They were good friends then and are still friends now.

A full circle moment for sure.

“He [Hughes] kept saying that he felt like he was going to be a part of the first one, and he made it happen,” Jones said. “So, I was happy to see that.”

Hughes added: “Life works like that. It was a weird one. I had a feeling that would happen.”

Jones had three points waived off earlier in his career with the Wild due to goalie interference calls that actually happened because Jones clipped the goaltender. There is no doubt this one felt good for Jones to finally get on the scoresheet and not see zeros anymore.

“Really happy for Jonesy,” Wild head coach John Hynes said. “He plays so hard for a team. He fits a lot of different roles, and it was a long time coming for him.

"Coming into the game, one of our game plans was, we had to get to the net front, into that area. That was something that we targeted. And he scored the goal, driving right into the high slot for that tip area. So, good for him and happy for him.”

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