Sinner battles cramp and heat in four-set victory
Osaka withdraws before Inglis match | Email Luke
Van de Zandschulp has only been broken once in the tournament himself, so Djokovic is unlikely to get anything for free there.
*Van de Zandschulp 0-1 Djokovic (*denotes next server)
Continue reading...Two years after playing in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament South Region, Charles Bediako will be back on the hardwood for Alabama men's basketball.
The 7-foot center's return to the Crimson Tide is one of the biggest storylines in college basketball, as he was recently granted a temporary restraining order to return to Nate Oats' program after playing in the G-League after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft.
He's the latest player to re-enter college basketball after being in the NBA draft and playing in the G-League, a growing laundry list of players that started with Thierry Darlan and London Johnson committing to Santa Clara and Louisville, respectively.
Here's what to know about Bediako and his situation at Alabama ahead of the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide's SEC clash against Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET inside Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama:
Yes, the expectation is that Bediako will play for the Crimson Tide on Saturday against Tennessee. Alabama added Bediako to its official roster on Friday, Jan. 23, and he will wear No. 14.
"First of all, the system is clearly broken and I'm all for figuring out a way to fix it, but since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play virtually every team we've played this year or will play as a former professional player on their roster, you tell me how I'm supposed to tell Charles and the team that we're not going to support them when he's been deemed legally eligible to play. So Charles is still within his five-year window. He's 23 years old. He's pursuing his degree here at Alabama," Alabama coach Nate Oats said on Jan. 23 during a media availability.
"We've got our roster spot open so this is not taking any opportunities away from a high school recruit or anybody else. Charles shouldn't be punished for choosing to go the academic route out of high school rather than the professional route like the international players did. So again, my personal opinion on all this is we need a uniform and transparent system that doesn't punish the Americans, that takes the hypocrisy out of it, that gives equal treatment to Americans and international players both, while also allowing high school players the opportunities they need coming out of school.
"So someone should be able to come up with a system that checks all those boxes, but for now we're going to continue to support Charles, our team, and we're working closely with our administration, our compliance department on all of this. So that's what I've got on that. Now for the Tennessee game, listen, and I know Charles will draw a lot of attention for this game, but yeah, we are planning to play him. He's eligible to play. We're going to follow the court orders."
The Crimson Tide forward declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season with the Crimson Tide in 2023 but was not selected by one of the NBA's 30 franchises. A veteran G-League player, Bediako most recently was playing for the Detroit Pistons' G-League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise. He had four points and three rebounds in the Cruise's 127-103 win against the Birmingham Squadron on Jan. 17.
As noted by the Tuscaloosa News — part of the USA TODAY Network — the NCAA denied Alabama's initial request to restore the 23-year-old's eligibility to return to the Crimson Tide. In a countermove, Bediako filed a lawsuit against the NCAA with the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Tuesday, Jan. 20 to use the remainder of his eligibility. He's enrolled in classes at Alabama as well.
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Judge James Roberts Jr. granted Bediako a temporary restraining order to return to the Crimson Tide as a collegiate student-athlete until his next injunction hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
The NCAA shared its displeasure with the judge's decision in a statement on Jan. 21.
"These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students," the NCAA said in a statement. "A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules."
An added layer to the headlines that this situation has created is that Judge Roberts is a frequent guest lecturer at Alabama and is listed by the Crimson Tide Foundation as an active "Circle" level donor in the Lifetime Giving Society.
In a statement shared on Jan. 23, NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt spoke on the pre- and -post NBA Draft eligibility rules that the NCAA has and the NCAA's withdrawal deadline.
"If these rules surrounding the NCAA pre- and post-draft rules cannot be enforced, it would create an unstable environment for the student-athletes, schools building a roster for the following season and the NBA," Gavitt wrote. "The NCAA membership has a set of rules in place regarding the pre- and post-NBA draft eligibility that have clearly been in place and supported by all parties until these recent court challenges."
Statement from NCAA senior vice president of Basketball Dan Gavitt about collegiate eligibility. pic.twitter.com/x559XtzI3p
— David Worlock (@DavidWorlock) January 23, 2026
Since leaving Alabama, Bediako appeared in 82 G League games across three seasons with the Austin Spurs, Grand Rapids Gold and Motor City Cruise.
Here’s a look at his stats from his professional career:
In two seasons at Alabama, Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 67.3% from the field and 48.8% from the free-throw line.
Here's a year-by-year breakdown of Bediako's stats at Alabama:
Born on March 10, 2002, Bediako is 23 years old.
Bediako entered the 2023 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at Alabama, but went undrafted. He instead signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and joined their G League affiliate in Austin, Texas.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Bediako, ex-G League player, set to play for Alabama today
Does father really know best?
The history of college basketball matchups of fathers and sons coaching against one another has been heavily tilted toward the fathers in recent history.
Richard Pitino will try to change that when Xavier takes on Rick Pitino and St. John's at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 24, from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati.
This will be the fifth time the Pitinos have faced off against one another. Rick has a 3-1 record against his son, including the Red Storm's 85-71 win over Richard's New Mexico on Nov. 17, 2024.
Here's what you need to know about fathers and sons coaching against each other in college basketball:
Overall, father-son coaching matchups have occurred 22 times before Saturday, with fathers posting a 19-3 record in that time.
Western Kentucky coach Ed Diddle faced off against his son, Middle Tennessee coach Ed Diddle Jr., 12 times between 1957 and 1962. Diddle Sr. got the better of Jr. in 11 of those 12 matches.
Outside of the Pitinos, the only other father-son coaching matchup since 2014 happened between Tubby Smith and G.G. Smith. The father and son faced off in 2014 and 2017, with Tubby earning wins with Texas Tech and Memphis over Loyola-Maryland.
Rick is 3-1 all-time against his offspring. Here's a look at their previous matchups:
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: History of father vs son coaching in college basketball
Anytime that Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino go head-to-head against each other as father and son, it's a national storyline.
That's once again the case on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET inside the Cintas Center, when No. 25 St. John's travels to Xavier. But there's an extra layer to it this time around, as the elder Pitino is chasing career win No. 900 against his son, a feat that would put him in sole possession of fourth place among Division I men's basketball coaches for all-time wins.
"I think he will do everything humanly possible to stop it," Rick Pitino said following the Red Storm's 65-60 win over Seton Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 20. "... This is going to be a lot of fun. Great game. If we lose, I'll leave my team in Cincinnati."
Rick Pitino is well aware how special it would be to earn career win No. 900 against his son on Saturday ❤️ @StJohnsBBallpic.twitter.com/vuwP9dS2rZ
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 21, 2026
Saturday's game marks the first time the father-son duo will go head-to-head against each other in the Big East, after Richard Pitino was hired to lead the Musketeers this past offseason following Sean Miller leaving for Texas and the SEC. It's the fifth overall time in their careers that they will go head-to-head.
In true father-son fashion, Richard Pitino had some fun on X (formerly Twitter) with his dad's milestone ahead of his media availability on Friday, Jan. 23.
"Can’t believe I’m going for my 258th win vs. my dad. What are the odds???" Richard Pitino wrote on X on Jan. 23.
Here's what to know about Rick Pitino's coaching career, and the head-to-head history of the father-son duo:
Rick Pitino is in his third season at St. John's, "New York's basketball team." He was hired by the Johnnies in March 2023 following a three-year stint at Iona, which served as his unofficial reinsertion into college basketball after a brief stint away from it following his exit at Louisville.
Last season, Pitino led St. John's to one of the program's best seasons since the Lou Carnesecca era in Queens, as the Red Storm finished with a 31-5 overall record, won their first Big East tournament title since 2000 and grabbed a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Here's a stop-by-stop breakdown of Rick Pitino's coaching career, which includes multiple college basketball programs and NBA organizations:
Head coach position unless noted otherwise
* Denotes NBA job
** Denotes EuroLeague job
* Denotes vacated by NCAA
Rick Pitino holds an 899-316 overall record across his 38 seasons as a Division I men's basketball head coach, including a 65-23 record in three seasons at St. John's.
The 73-year-old coach made history last season when St. John's earned the No. 2 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, as he became the first Division I men's basketball coach to take six different schools — the others being Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona — to March Madness.
He's won two NCAA Tournaments in his coaching career, though his second one at Louisville was vacated by the NCAA. His first national championship came in 1996 at Kentucky.
Pitino's 2013 NCAA Tournament ring being vacated is a major reason why he's coaching at St. John's today. The ex-Louisville head coach was fired for cause by the Cardinals after an FBI investigation was prompted by Adidas paying recruits to go to Louisville. Pitino, who in 2020 said he deserved to be fired at Louisville after years of saying the opposite, was charged by the NCAA with a Level II violation in 2020, citing him for "failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance" during his tenure at the University of Louisville.
This was one of two scandals that the NCAA looked into during Pitino's time with the Cardinals; the first was a sex scandal that emerged in 2015.
Saturday's matchup between Xavier and St. John's will be the fifth iteration of the Pitino rivalry, with Rick holding a 3-1 lead in the all-time series.
The first head-to-head matchup between the father-son duo came in 2012, when Rick was at Louisville and Richard was at Florida International University, in which the elder Pitino's fifth-ranked Cardinals won 79-55. The two then met two years later in 2014 during Richard's second season at Minnesota; that game also went to Louisville.
Richard Pitino's lone win against his father came in Rick's final season at Iona in 2022, when New Mexico defeated the Gaels 82-77 down in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at The Pit.
The most recent Pitino clash came last season at Madison Square Garden. St. John's RJ Luis Jr. led the Red Storm to an 85-71 win at "The World's Most Famous Arena" over Richard's Lobos, scoring 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds.
"It is what it is. It comes with the territory," Richard Pitino said during his Jan. 23 media availability. "There's a lot of amazing things that come with being his son, and there's every now-and-then 2% is a little bit annoying, but the other 98% is phenomenal."
Here's a game-by-game breakdown of the Pitino vs. Pitino rivarly:
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rick Pitino chases 900 wins. His son, Richard, stands in the way.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be taking on the Orlando Magic on the second end of a back-to-back on Saturday. They’ll face off against the Magic twice in three days.
The Magic haven’t had the season many envisioned after they traded for Desmond Bane this offseason. The offense is still a mess as they lack a primary initiator and don’t have enough three-point shooting to make up for it.
Orlando’s defense has also been worse than expected. They come into this game 15th in defensive rating after being second in that category the last few seasons. The dip on that side of the court is what has led to the middling results so far.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can buy the Mark Price shirt HERE. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (26-20) at Orlando Magic (23-20)
Where: Kia Center – Orland, FL
When: Sat., Jan. 24 at 7 PM
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass
Point spread: Cavs -1
Cavs injury report for Friday’s game vs. Sacremento Kings: Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Sam Merrill – OUT (hand), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Chris Livingston – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)
Magic injury report: Franz Wagner – OUT (ankle), Jalen Suggs – PROBABLE (knee), Colin Castleton – OUT (G League)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Magic expected starting lineup: Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Tristan de Silva, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Previous matchup: The Cavs lost to the Magic 108-103 last March. Cleveland won two out of three against Orlando last season.
Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.
| Offensive Rating | Defensive Rating | Net Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cavs | 116.9 (11th) | 114.6 (12th) | +2.3 (12th) |
| Magic | 114.5 (20th) | 115.2 (15th) | -0.6 (17th) |
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Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo expects to be out for about four to six weeks with a calf injury.
Antetokounmpo played 32 minutes of his side's 102-100 defeat by the Denver Nuggets on Friday before coming off in the final minute of the game.
"Probably the next steps will be, go to [an] MRI tomorrow," said the 31-year-old, who produced 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists against the Nuggets.
"After the MRI, they'll tell me, probably, I popped something in my calf, in my soleus, something. They'll probably give me a protocol of four to six weeks that I'll be out.
"This is from my experience being around the NBA."
He added: "After that, I'm going to work my butt off to come back. That will probably be the end of February, beginning of March."
Antetokounmpo was hurt in the first quarter, exited briefly and came back to play a total of 32 minutes.
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers defended the decision to allow Antetokounmpo to continue playing after the first-quarter issue.
He explained: "I asked our [medical] team five different times.
"I didn't like what my eyes were seeing, personally. Giannis was defiant about staying in."
The two-time MVP recently criticised his team-mates amid their poor form.
The loss to the Nuggets was a fifth defeat in six games for the Bucks and leaves them 11th in the Eastern Conference. Their final game of the regular season is on 12 April.
"We're not playing hard, we're not doing the right thing, we're not playing to win, we're not playing together," said Antetokounmpo following their previous outing, which ended with the Bucks being beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Our chemistry is not there, guys are being selfish, rather try to look for their own shots than look for the right shot for the team. Guys are trying to do it on their own."
Good morning, it’s Saturday, January 24th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 26-20 and play the Orlando Magic on the road tonight at 7 PM.
This is Cleveland’s first game of the season against Orlando. They went 2-1 against the Magic last season. They will play each other again on Monday, this time in Cleveland.
You can basically mark this matchup on your calendar every time it happens. As long as Luka Doncic is in the NBA, his games against the Dallas Mavericks will be worth watching.
I don’t have to re-litigate the blockbuster trade that shook the league nearly a year ago. We all remember, and we’ve all seen the utter chaos that Dallas has spiraled into since then. But the Lakers aren’t taking the NBA by storm, currently sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference.
The Knicks versus the 76ers is one to watch. Joel Embiid is looking more like himself lately, and the Knicks are desperate to get back on track after losing seven of their last 10.
Osaka cites abdominal injury linked to prior pregnancy
Two-time champion withdraws before Inglis match
Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open just hours before she was due to take the court against the qualifier Maddison Inglis, citing an abdominal injury linked to body changes from her pregnancy.
The news landed late on a Saturday in Melbourne that had been heavily affected by soaring temperatures that triggered the tournament’s heat protocols, forcing arena roofs closed and suspending play on outside courts.
Continue reading...Pittsburgh Penguins (25-14-11, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Vancouver Canucks (17-29-5, in the Pacific Division)
Vancouver, British Columbia; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Vancouver Canucks seeking to continue a three-game win streak.
Vancouver has a 5-15-3 record in home games and a 17-29-5 record overall. The Canucks have a 7-7-4 record in games decided by one goal.
Pittsburgh has a 14-7-4 record on the road and a 25-14-11 record overall. The Penguins have scored 165 total goals (3.3 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play.
Sunday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Penguins won the last meeting 5-1.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brock Boeser has scored 12 goals with 13 assists for the Canucks. Evander Kane has three goals over the past 10 games.
Bryan Rust has 18 goals and 21 assists for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby has four goals and eight assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canucks: 1-9-0, averaging two goals, 3.3 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.3 penalty minutes while giving up 4.3 goals per game.
Penguins: 6-2-2, averaging 3.6 goals, 5.7 assists, 3.1 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Canucks: None listed.
Penguins: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won his second successive toss and elected to bat against England in the second one-day international on Saturday.
England top-order batters struggled against Sri Lanka spinners and lost the first game of the three-match series by 19 runs despite Jamie Overton and Rehan Ahmed showing late aggression in the run chase.
Opening batter Zak Crawley was ruled out of Saturday’s match with a knee injury and was replaced by Will Jacks, who missed the first match due to illness.
Sri Lanka continued with its combination that won the first game with spinners Dunith Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay troubling England batters in the middle overs.
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Lineups:
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka (captain), Janith Liyanage, Pavan Ratnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
England: Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
The Brooklyn Nets sulked back to the visitors’ locker room after a historic, 54-point loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Jordi Fernández headed to a brief postgame presser, where he fell on the sword in his typically monotone style. Did the head coach really believe he was “responsible” for the ass-kicking, that halfway through the season “players are not responsible for it, so I got to make sure that they understand the values that we have,” or was it just something to say?
Players did not tear the visiting locker room apart. Rookie Drake Powell mentioned that a couple veterans spoke a sentence or two, but it was not exactly a scene out of Remember the Titans. Guys got dressed leisurely, sat on their phones, and chatted — maybe slightly softer, a little more somber, than normal.
“I mean, I don’t know if I said much directly after,” said Michael Porter Jr. Friday. “We all were kind of a little — obviously just had our feelings about the game. But later that night, I texted the guys and just told them like, ‘yo, that’s my fault. I’ve got to come in with that energy.’”
To Porter Jr. and the Nets, Wednesday was not a shameful chapter in a rivalry matchup or a devastating blow to team morale. It was a bad day at work.
“It’s the time leading up to the game,” explained MPJ at Friday’s shootaround. “It’s the day off, how you spent your day off in between games, how much sleep you got. All those things play a part to how your body, your nervous system, your mind feels when it’s tip-off time. And I felt like those two days were a little shaky for me in terms of preparation, and that’s what separates the good players and the average players from the great players, that time in between.”
Playing 82 games in 170 days does not provide much time for reflection, only for routine. Nic Claxton finally used the E-word on Friday morning, but he wasn’t stewing over the loss: “I’m in the present now. We focused on tonight, we know we got to be a better team tonight, because that’s not gonna happen again. t’s unacceptable. Obviously, it was embarrassing. We’ll be ready to go tonight.”
Nets fans seeking more public atonement from their leaders were out of luck. But Porter and Claxton veterans that they’ve had to be despite being 27 and 26, didn’t have to grovel; instead, they gave the Boston Celtics (missing Derrick White) one hell of a game on Friday night.
Now, there were embarrassing moments in this one too. Barclays Center was filled Celtics fans cheering their hearts out and serenading Jaylen Brown with unmistakable “M-V-P” chants far louder than any “Broooooook-lyyyyyn” chants begun by the PA announcer. I felt particularly bad for two die-hard Nets fans in front of press row, about to triumph over the sea of green they were engulfed in before their favorite team defended a last-second sideline-out-of-bounds play befitting of their 12-31 record…
Still, Claxton and Porter fulfilled their promise. Though MPJ’s impact wavered as the game went on, he indeed brought the right energy out of the gate, cutting hard and crashing the glass. Noah Eagle called him “spry” on the YES Network broadcast. Claxton capably guarding Jaylen Brown in isolation was crucial to Brooklyn’s defensive gameplan, and Brown ultimately shot 9-of-27.
Postgame, Jordi Fernández said he was “proud of the brand of basketball we played, the competitiveness. We got better today, and that’s most important.”
MPJ respectfully disagreed: “We lost. That’s all I really care about. I don’t care about no fight, personally. Obviously it was a better performance collectively than last game, but we still lost. So it was a game we should have won. We’ve lost too many games this year that come down to the wire like this.”
Brooklyn improved their performance tenfold from Wednesday to Friday. Alas, it was Friday’s loss that bothered Brooklyn’s veterans more…
Claxton was still muttering to himself about the loss in the locker room postgame. Wednesday’s loss might have elucidated the effect that organizational tanking has on its players — and why you try to keep their duration short. But Friday’s loss showed that players are wholly divorced from that strategy. While clearly an optimal development for Brooklyn’s long-term prospects, especially with the New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers picking up wins on the same night, this one stung.
“We played a really good game,” said Clax. “I feel like we deserved to win. We just didn’t execute enough down the stretch, so we got to learn from it. But this is a tough loss though. This one really hurt.”
With the trade deadline 12 days away, both Claxton and Porter Jr. are sure to have a go bag packed at all times. But neither of them seem too concerned about the possibility of being traded.
“It seems like it’s the same thing every year, whether it’s — I mean, it’s a part of the business,” said Clax. “You see certain teammates, certain names in trade rumors or whatever, but you just got to be where your feet are and be a professional. It’s cliché, but it is what it is. It’s our job to come out here and perform whenever we put on a Brooklyn Nets uniform.”
MPJ. agreed: “Honestly, I’m just going with the flow. Whatever happens, happens. It’s out of my control. So, I’ve voiced already that I’m enjoying my time here, and I’m enjoying getting to grow with these guys and the day-to-day process with these guys. But everything else, I just try to let it be what it’s going to be.”
Brooklyn’s two highest-paid players have been pushed into early vet-status as a result of being on the NBA’s youngest team. This week, they were right for the part, easily shrugging a historic loss and trade rumors off their shoulders before leading one of Brooklyn’s most competitive games in 2026.
The Nets are 12-31, the worst team either player has been on — for MPJ, by a long shot. Now, they get to escape a brutal snowstorm in the Northeast by starting a five-game road trip in sunny Los Angeles. Once again, the task will be to rebound from a brutal loss; is it the same as rebounding from an outright embarrassment?
“No,” says Porter “It’s different. You learn from them in different ways. Obviously what happened at MSG the other night is unacceptable and there’s unlimited things to learn from. But tonight there’s very specific things, late-game situations. So you can learn something from any game.”
Nic Claxton simply sighed: “It’s so many games when you play an 82-game season. So, you really just can’t get too high, you can’t get too low. You get beat by 50, you got to be ready to respond. If you lose a tough game like this, you just kind of just got to be even-keeled through everything.”
While that is certainly a clichéd sentiment, the Nets just covered the entire bandwidth of defeat in three days, from Wednesday’s embarrassment to Friday’s gut-punch. In a losing season that promises to continue down this path, that cliché is a damn useful one. Perhaps for fans as well as players.
Toronto Raptors (28-19, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-9, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Sunday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City takes on the Toronto Raptors after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 47 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 117-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The Thunder are 20-4 on their home court. Oklahoma City ranks ninth in the NBA with 52.5 points in the paint led by Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 13.0.
The Raptors are 15-9 in road games. Toronto is third in the Eastern Conference with 29.6 assists per game led by Immanuel Quickley averaging 6.3.
The Thunder's 13.3 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.6 more made shots on average than the 12.7 per game the Raptors give up. The Raptors score 6.3 more points per game (114.3) than the Thunder give up (108.0).
TOP PERFORMERS: Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.3 points and 6.2 assists for the Thunder. Chet Holmgren is averaging 15.7 points over the last 10 games.
Scottie Barnes is averaging 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Raptors. Quickley is averaging 16.3 points and 5.4 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 7-3, averaging 118.9 points, 42.0 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 9.5 steals and 7.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.1 points per game.
Raptors: 6-4, averaging 113.4 points, 41.7 rebounds, 30.5 assists, 7.4 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.7 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Ajay Mitchell: out (hip), Nikola Topic: out (groin), Jalen Williams: out (thigh), Alex Caruso: out (adductor), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Aaron Wiggins: out (groin), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).
Raptors: Jakob Poeltl: out (back), Collin Murray-Boyles: out (thumb), Ja'Kobe Walter: out (hip).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
New Orleans Pelicans (11-36, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (31-14, second in the Western Conference)
San Antonio; Sunday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: San Antonio will try to keep its four-game home win streak alive when the Spurs play New Orleans.
The Spurs are 18-12 against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio averages 117.9 points while outscoring opponents by 5.3 points per game.
The Pelicans are 4-7 against the rest of their division. New Orleans gives up 122.1 points to opponents while being outscored by 7.0 points per game.
The Spurs average 13.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.7 fewer makes per game than the Pelicans allow (14.9). The Pelicans are shooting 46.4% from the field, 0.4% higher than the 46.0% the Spurs' opponents have shot this season.
The teams meet for the fourth time this season. The Spurs won 135-132 in the last matchup on Dec. 9.
TOP PERFORMERS: Stephon Castle is scoring 16.9 points per game and averaging 5.0 rebounds for the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama is averaging 24.7 points and 9.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Trey Murphy III is averaging 22.3 points, six rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals for the Pelicans. Jordan Poole is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 6-4, averaging 111.3 points, 46.1 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 7.1 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Pelicans: 3-7, averaging 114.7 points, 44.1 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 9.3 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.3 points.
INJURIES: Spurs: Luke Kornet: day to day (adductor), Devin Vassell: out (thigh).
Pelicans: Jose Alvarado: out (oblique), Dejounte Murray: out (leg).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Cleveland Cavaliers (26-20, fifth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (23-20, seventh in the Eastern Conference)
Orlando, Florida; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Magic -1; over/under is 228
BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland hits the road against Orlando trying to extend its three-game road winning streak.
The Magic are 15-15 in conference games. Orlando ranks eighth in the league with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Franz Wagner averaging 3.9.
The Cavaliers are 17-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Cleveland is fifth in the league scoring 119.2 points per game while shooting 46.9%.
The Magic average 11.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.0 fewer makes per game than the Cavaliers give up (14.1). The Cavaliers average 14.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.7 more made shots on average than the 12.0 per game the Magic give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Desmond Bane is averaging 18.9 points and 4.5 assists for the Magic. Paolo Banchero is averaging 23.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists over the last 10 games.
Donovan Mitchell is scoring 29.0 points per game and averaging 4.8 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Jaylon Tyson is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 5-5, averaging 112.0 points, 43.2 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.2 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.3 points per game.
Cavaliers: 6-4, averaging 118.1 points, 44.7 rebounds, 30.0 assists, 8.0 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.1 points.
INJURIES: Magic: Jalen Suggs: day to day (knee), Franz Wagner: out (ankle), Colin Castleton: out (thumb).
Cavaliers: Max Strus: out (foot), Darius Garland: out (foot), Sam Merrill: out (hand).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Brooklyn Nets (12-31, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (20-24, 10th in the Western Conference)
Inglewood, California; Sunday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn will attempt to break its six-game road slide when the Nets face Los Angeles.
The Clippers are 12-9 on their home court. Los Angeles allows 113.5 points to opponents and has been outscored by 1.2 points per game.
The Nets are 6-14 in road games. Brooklyn is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference scoring 42.4 points per game in the paint.
The Clippers are shooting 47.4% from the field this season, 1.4 percentage points lower than the 48.8% the Nets allow to opponents. The Nets' 44.5% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.5 percentage points lower than the Clippers have allowed to their opponents (47.0%).
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Clippers won 121-105 in the last meeting on Jan. 10. James Harden led the Clippers with 31 points, and Egor Demin led the Nets with 19 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Harden is averaging 25.8 points and 8.1 assists for the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard is averaging 19.3 points and 1.6 steals over the last 10 games.
Michael Porter Jr. is scoring 25.4 points per game and averaging 7.4 rebounds for the Nets. Demin is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Clippers: 8-2, averaging 112.2 points, 40.8 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.1 points per game.
Nets: 1-9, averaging 104.7 points, 41.0 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 6.9 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 42.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.6 points.
INJURIES: Clippers: Bradley Beal: out for season (hip), Derrick Jones Jr.: out (knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic: day to day (hamstring).
Nets: Haywood Highsmith: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
