Red Auerbach put together a phenomenal dynasty in Boston, starting in 1956 when he schemed and maneuvered to land Bill Russell. But Russell, as great as he was, couldn’t win titles on his own, and so Auerbach put pieces around him to keep his team winning. Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy were already there, but over time, Auerbach got players to help Russell like KC Jones, Sam Jones, John Havlicek and Tom Sanders.
Widely known as Satch, Sanders, a New York native, attended NYU when it was still a basketball power.
Drafted in 1960 in a draft that included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Lenny Wilkens, Sanders settled in with the Celtics quickly. He was a very good offensive player with the Violets, but the Celtics asked him to focus on defense, which he did. He won eight rings during his career, which is two more than Michael Jordan got and three more than Magic Johnson.
After his career ended in 1973, Sanders did a number of useful things, including setting up an NBA program to help rookies transition to the league. As Russell says in this video, to lead is to serve and Sanders has never hesitated to serve.
Now 87, along with Cousy, Sanders is one of the last of the Russell-era Celtics. He is universally regarded as a gentleman and one of the best people the league has ever been associated with.
In just 12 minutes, the Boston Celtics outscored their entire second half with a 52-point surge in the second quarter, soaring past the Atlanta Hawks and into the NBA’s record books on Saturday night.
Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser were the conductors behind a freight-train Boston offense, shooting 19 of 25 from the field and draining 11 3-point attempts, tying an NBA record set by the Oklahoma City Thunder for the most points scored in a quarter. Options were nonexistent for Atlanta from there, as the Hawks faced a 31-point halftime deficit before the Celtics closed out their slaughtering 132-106 win on Saturday night.
“I thought we played with a high level of pace,” head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston.
Brown and Hauser combined to score 30 points in the second quarter, with Hauser going a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc. Off the bench, Anfernee Simons added 11 points, becoming the third Celtic to reach double figures by the end of the frame. Boston outshot Atlanta by 10 field goal makes, committed three fewer turnovers, and saw every player finish with a positive plus-minus — while all Hawks finished in the negative heading into the second half.
Boston’s 52-point barrage is the most ever by a road team in the second quarter, falling just five points short of the all-time record of 57 set by the Phoenix Suns in 1990.
“Obviously, we made every shot, but I think it was our ability to get out and run,” Mazzulla continued. “Get stops, get out and run.”
The Hawks scored 51 points in the first half and weren’t in the same ballpark as the Celtics in terms of efficiency. Atlanta shot 35.4% to Boston’s 62.5%, and the scoreboard didn’t see another lead change after the first quarter, ballooning to a 43-point Celtics advantage by the end of the third quarter.
Mazzulla noted that, as impressive as the second-quarter avalanche was, maintaining the mindset that brought it to life is even more important. Rather than dwell on the highs of reducing Atlanta’s defense down to its smallest form, Boston is looking ahead. There’s no time to pat themselves on the back or scroll through social media to check out all the records they set. Instead, it’s about understanding that the result doesn’t change the approach. That’s the standard.
“It’s just the balance of toughness and grace,” Mazzulla told reporters. “It’s a long season, so just because we played well tonight, that doesn’t mean anything the next day. Or if we had lost tonight, that doesn’t mean anything the next day. You just have to keep it at that. As long as we can come in the next day, not knowing if we won or lost, we can just get better. I think the guys do a great job of — whether we lose a close game or win — coming in the next day, and you can’t tell what the past result was. Just gotta keep that up.”
Brown’s one-man 41-point clinic, as dominant as it was, took a back seat to the team’s second-quarter scoring storm. Everyone who took the floor contributed, even if it didn’t mean putting the ball in the basket. Rookie Hugo González grabbed four rebounds, Derrick White dished out seven of his 12 assists, and the team forced three steals, controlling both ends of the floor for the entire frame.
It was a peak demonstration of the core principles Mazzulla has instilled in the locker room, reinforcing Brown’s trust as an MVP candidate in Boston’s group of unproven contributors.
“That second quarter, when we are playing in sync and in alignment, we’re tough to stop,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media.
Meanwhile, the Hawks were out of sync the rest of the way. Atlanta mustered only 55 points in the second half, shooting a slightly better 38.9% on 54 field goal attempts. The divot Brown, Hauser, and the Celtics dug proved to be far too deep for the Hawks to escape from.
Nearly two weeks removed from the franchise’s trade of star guard Trae Young, coupled with the absence of center Kristaps Porziņģis, the Hawks entered the night in an already difficult spot — one that only worsened once both teams met at center court for the opening tip-off.
It was a dilemma Brown chalked up to more than just defensive lapses.
“Sometimes you get tired, physically, and that’s what causes you to miss,” Brown told reporters. “It’s not really the defense sometimes. Sometimes you just have a hard time trying to catch your breath. So I try to just focus on my breathing and just come out and be aggressive.”
Anthony Edwards became the ninth player to pass the 50-point mark this season [Getty Images]
Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 55 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves' Timberwolves but was unable to prevent a 126-123 defeat by the San Antonio Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama scored 39 points for the Spurs, completing a vital rebound in the final seconds, as his side closed out their second successive win.
The Spurs led by 25 points at half-time after producing their highest-scoring quarter in 39 years, before Edwards dragged his side back into contention.
The 24-year-old scored with 3:28 to play to put the Timberwolves 110-108 ahead, before Wembanyama's shot tied the game.
In the late exchanges, Edwards missed one of two free throws, while Wembanyama scored one of his own, and the Timberwolves star couldn't complete a three-pointer attempt from beyond half-court in the last moments.
Edwards is the fifth player to score 55 points in the NBA this season, one of whom, Nikola Jokic, also has the highest individual total with the 56 points he scored against the Timberwolves on Christmas Day.
It is the second time this month Edwards has beaten his personal record, after he scored 53 against the Detroit Pistons on 4 January.
The Pistons hammered the Indiana Pacers 121-78 in their Saturday game, leaving last season's finalists at the foot of the Eastern Conference table, while defending champions the Oklahoma Thunder lost 122-121 to the Miami Heat.
The LA Lakers, who were missing star guard Luka Doncic, fell to a 132-116 defeat by the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Golden State Warriors completed their third win in a row with a 136-116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
INDORE, India (AP) — India captain Shubman Gill won the coin toss and opted to bowl against New Zealand in the third and final one-day cricket international on Sunday.
India won the first ODI in Vadodara by four wickets before New Zealand leveled the three-match series with a seven-wicket victory at Rajkot on Wednesday.
India has made one change with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh coming into the side for Prasidh Krishna.
New Zealand has fielded an unchanged side.
The Black Caps are hoping to win its first ODI bilateral series on Indian soil. The visitors have previously lost all seven encounters here against India.
The pitch at the Holkar Stadium is perfect for batting and a tall score should be in order. Evening dew and short boundaries should favor the chasing side.
Meanwhile, batter Shreyas Iyer and wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi have been added to India’s Twenty20 squad for the ensuing five-match series starting Jan. 21 in Nagpur. They come in for the injured Tilak Verma and Washington Sundar, respectively.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox
Saturday was too soon for Jalen Brunson. And Josh Hart joined him on the sideline.
Brunson missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle during the 106-99 loss to the Suns at Madison Square Garden. He had been upgraded to questionable leading up to the game.
Hart was out, too, with right ankle soreness.
Josh Hart looks on from the bench during the first half of the Knicks’ 106-99 loss to the Suns on Jan. 17, 2026 at Madison Square Garden. John Jones-Imagn Images
“He’s just a little sore,” coach Mike Brown said of Hart. “So we’re just going to be cautious, especially this time of year.”
Miles McBride and Mohamed Diawara started in their place.
Brunson suffered his ankle sprain in the loss to the Kings in Sacramento on Wednesday. It was considered a minor sprain, The Post’s Stefan Bondy reported.
But it’s the second time this year he sprained that ankle — he missed two games earlier in the year with a sprained right ankle.
Hart missed eight games with a sprain to that right ankle, but returned for three games prior to Saturday. And he returned with no minutes restriction for those three games. In Thursday’s loss on the road to the Warriors, he played 37 minutes.
The Knicks have not been at full strength since Nov. 22, when Landry Shamet went out with a shoulder sprain during a loss to the Magic in Orlando. Shamet returned Thursday, with Saturday representing his second game back.
Tyler Kolek’s rough stretch continued Saturday.
He was a game-worst minus-17 in 17 minutes off the bench, recording just two points on 1-for-3 shooting from the field. He had three turnovers and just one assist.
Saturday was the Knicks homecoming game, with dozens of alumni at MSG to celebrate. Fans had a chance for autographs and pictures prior to the game.
Alumni also rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange earlier Saturday.
“Good night to be at the Garden, it’s alumni night,” Brown said. “To honor the guys that were before us is a good night because they laid the foundation helping this building become iconic and the Knicks being what they are today. Good night for those guys to be in the house.”
The Lakers (24-15) will be on another second night of a back-to-back as they host the Toronto Raptors (25-18) at home on Sunday. This will be the final time they see the Raptors this season.
The Lakers just don’t have the juice right now. Their most recent loss to the Trail Blazers perfectly depicted that and it doesn’t help that they’re in the midst of one of the most grueling stretches in their schedule. As a result, they’ve lost six out of their last 10 games and have now dropped to the sixth seed of the Western Conference.
There are a lot of obstacles in the purple and gold’s way right now: key players in and out of the lineup, the absence of Austin Reaves and the fact that their flaws, especially on the defensive side of the ball, have been more exposed as of late. There’s obviously no solution to this besides getting healthy and a trade, which right now is not in their control.
What the Lakers can control, though, is their effort every game, which they badly need to do if they want stop losing games.
On Sunday, the Lakers are stumbling upon a really good Raptors team, one that’s not going to be easy to play on a back-to-back. This is the best the Raptors have looked in years because Brandon Ingram has been a huge asset, averaging 21.8 points per game. Knowing that he’s playing in Lakers territory on Sunday, it’s fair to expect him to go all out in this one. It helps Ingram that he has reliable role players around him such as Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, who is listed as questionable for this one.
The Raptors’ biggest strength all season has been their defense, which ranks fifth in the league. It’s especially good during clutch time, to the point that Los Angeles needed a game-winner from Rui Hachimura to save them in their last match against the Raptors. Toronto has a penchant for keeping games close and performing well in the clutch, which explains why they are the third-best team in the league in late-game scenarios — right after the Lakers and Thunder.
It’s going to be a tough ask for the Lakers to beat a scrappy and young team given how they’re playing right now, but it’s also something they’ve accomplished in the past. The last time they were blown out on the first night of a back-to-back, they put together one of their best performances the following night. Hopefully, it’s the same case for this one because they really could afford a win in this difficult stretch of theirs right now.
Notes and Updates
For the Raptors’ injury report, RJ Barrett (left ankle sprain), Jakob Poeltl (lower back strain) and Ja’Kobe Walter (right hip pointer) are out. Immanuel Quickley (back spasms) and Jamison Battle (left ankle sprain) are questionable.
Since they played on Saturday, the Lakers haven’t released an injury report yet for this one. But as expected, Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) will be out.
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Defending champion Great Britain won the first event of the sixth season of Sail GP Sunday, beating home favorite Australia and France in a three-boat final.
Britain hit the start line fastest in the final, edging France while Australia incurred a boundary line penalty in the start box and had to start behind its two rivals.
The British team then sailed a flawless race to hold the lead throughout while Australia crossed the finish line just ahead of France.
“It's an incredible start to the 2026 season,” British driver Dylan Fletcher said. "We had a few problems yesterday but I'm really proud of the way the team came together today and it's great to get the win.
"There's plenty to work on but we'll keep chipping away all season.
Racing took place at the mouth of the Swan River near Fremantle, a coastal town near Perth in Western Australia.
The famous Fremantle Doctor, a strong south-westerly sea breeze, came in just in time for racing each day, gusting around 35kmh and creating choppy conditions which were among the most extreme many crews have experienced.
Racing takes place between identical 50 foot catamarans which rise out of the water on foils, allowing boats to “fly." On Sunday boats reached speeds of more than 90 kph (56 mph). In the windy conditions, boats were using an 18 meter wing sail.
Spain, New Zealand miss Sunday fleet races
Only 11 of the 13 boats in this season's Sail GP series lined up in the first of Sunday's three fleet races. Spain missed the entire event after suffering a training mishap while New Zealand was ruled out of the event after a collision with Switzerland only minutes into the opening race of the season.
Switzerland was on starboard jibe approaching the end of the second left on Saturday's first race and had the right of way, while New Zealand, on port, tried to cross ahead of the Swiss boat. New Zealand seemed likely to just scrape past but the Swiss boat collided with the stern of New Zealand's boat.
New Zealand was later penalized by umpires for its part in the incident.
The New Zealand boat suffered extensive damage but is expected to be able to race in its home event in Auckland, New Zealand from Feb. 14.
Series newcomers Sweden won two of the four fleet races on the first day Saturday while Australia and France won one each. Sweden was in contention for the final until the seventh and last fleet race Sunday, when an error at the start saw it trail the field. It finished fourth overall, just outside the top three.
Britain won the first two fleet races Sunday to secure its place in the final. Italy was second and Australia third in the first race while France and Australia were second and third in the second race.
Canada won the start and led throughout the final fleet race to beat France, Australia and Britain.
In context, this was a pretty understandable loss for the Lakers. Amidst a tough portion of the schedule with some notable injuries, it wasn’t a shock to see the Lakers come up short on Saturday against the Blazers.
But context or not, the losses are really starting to pile up for the Lakers. They’ve lost five of their last six and nine of their last 14. After sitting at 19-7 and battling for the No. 2 seed just weeks ago, the Lakers are now 24-16 and only percentage points above the play-in as the No. 6 seed.
The loss lines up pretty directly with the loss of Austin Reaves, but those excuses mean little. The losses are piling up and the Lakers are falling down the standings with Saturday being no different.
So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Considering the Herculean ask of him to carry this team at 41 years old and the slow start he had, this turned out to be a decent game. He was getting beaten a bit defensively but a largely acceptable performance.
A night where you wanted a bit more out of LaRavia ends with him injuring his arm and ending the game on the bench. It didn’t sound serious, fortunately, but it also didn’t take away from another quiet night when the Lakers needed him.
What a pleasant surprise of a first quarter that was from Kleber. He didn’t really continue his performance after that, but that one quarter was pretty fun.
Vincent, meanwhile, did not fill the scoring void at all. And it was really brutal, particularly when he opened the second half with a blocked 3-pointer.
Rui finding his shooting stroke after his return from injury was a positive from this game. Given the minutes restriction he remains under, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t play on Sunday.
After hardly getting any run since signing his two-way deal, Timme finally got a chance and looked really good. It’s unclear how much room there is for him in the rotation, but with a game like this, it’s at least worth consideration.
A fairly mundane game from Vando. While he’s earned his way back into the rotation, it hasn’t felt like he’s reached the level of impact he had as a starter in LA’s playoff run.
A better showing from Bufkin in this game, though still not a great one. The Lakers had a lot of guards on the bench in this one and none of them really impressed.
Bronny James, Dalton Knecht
Bronny got some actual rotation minutes in this one in the first half. He didn’t look great in them, but that’s something at least. As for Dalton, two different two-way guards and Bronny all played over him, so it might be over.
JJ Redick
Redick tried all he could in this, playing some zone defense and giving some minutes to different players. But when you have 10 players and two of them are bigs, there isn’t a lot of strings he can realistically pull.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Prophet Johnson scored 21 of his 30 points after halftime, Mark Lavrenov had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Sacramento State beat Northern Colorado 93-89 in overtime Saturday night.
Jahni Summers also scored 17 points for Sacramento State (6-11, 2-3 Big Sky Conference) and Shaqir O'Neal added 11.
Quinn Denker made 11 of 18 from the field, hit 7 of 8 from the free-throw line, and finished with 29 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals for Northern Colorado (11-8, 1-5). Vincent Delano scored 13 points and Ring Nyeri 11.
The Bears have lost three in a row and seven of their last nine.
Johnson made a 3-pointer to open the scoring in OT and the Hornets led the rest of the way.
Nyeri's dunk with 15 seconds left in regulation made it 82-all and eventually forced overtime. Johnson missed a potential winning layup before the buzzer.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Tristan Jarry made 31 saves for his first shutout for Edmonton, Jack Roslovic and Kasperi Kapanen each scored twice and the Oilers routed the Vancouver Canucks 6-0 on Saturday night.
Vancouver has lost 10 in a row (0-8-2) to fall to 16-27-5. The Canucks last lost 10 straight in the 1997-98 season.
The Oilers scored all six goals in the second period, four goals on four shots in a 4:52 span. Zach Hyman and Vasily Podkolzin also scored and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists in his 999th regular-season game.
Jarry had his 23rd career shutout and his first since Edmonton acquired him Pittsburgh on Dec. 12 for fellow goalie Stuart Skinner.
Vancouver has lost 10 in a row (0-8-2) to fall to 16-27-5. The Canucks last lost 10 straight in the 1997-98 season.
Nikita Tolopilo made 29 saves.
Edmonton played without star forward Leon Draisaitl, with the Oilers saying he returned to Germany to attend to a family illness and is expected to rejoin the team next week.
Up next
Oilers: Host St. Louis on Sunday night to open an eight-game homestand.
Canucks: Host the New York Islanders on Monday night.
Lakers star LeBron James, right, drives past Portland center Donovan Clingan during the first half of the Lakers' 132-116 loss Saturday. James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. (Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
Before the Lakers took the court Saturday night, they added two more starters and a key reserve to the injured list. But the Lakers still had LeBron James and they hoped he could carry them past Portland.
Starters Luka Doncic (left groin soreness) and Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) did not play. In the fourth quarter, Marcus Smart went down amid a pile of players in the lane and eventually limped to the locker room never to return.
As for James and the rest of the Lakers, all of the injuries were too much to overcome in a 132-116 loss to the Trail Blazers at the Moda Center.
Smart had 25 points before he went to the locker room. James had 20 points but was just six for 16 from the field. He had nine rebounds and eight assists for a Lakers team that has lost five of its last six games.
Drew Timme was a positive for the Lakers, scoring a career-high 21 points. Rui Hachimura and Maxi Kleber each had 11 points.
“At the end of the day, nobody is feeling sorry for us, nor are we looking for it,” James said. “The guys that are available, we got to go out there and play our game, play the way we want to play offensively and defensively and just try to right the ship until we get whole.”
Shaedon Sharpe led Portland (21-22) with 25 points. Jerami Grant and Caleb Love each scored 22 points and Donovan Clingan finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart shoots over Portland center Donovan Clingan in the first half Saturday. (Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
Doncic, who underwent an MRI and is listed as day-to-day, was dealing with the injury all of last week despite playing against the Kings, Hawks and Hornets.
“I think it was an accumulation of a longer week, more lingering, if anything,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game.
The Lakers (24-16) aren't sure if Ayton will play against Toronto on Sunday. The center is day-to-day with left knee soreness.
“He took a hit in his knee and there was no swelling, just some soreness,” Redick said.
The Lakers were also without backup center Jaxson Hayes, who didn’t play against the Trail Blazers because of left hamstring tendinopathy. Redick said there's a chance Hayes could play Sunday.
With so many starters out, Redick said he liked his team’s competitive “spirit” against the Trail Blazers.
Still, it's been hard to win consistently with so many key players out.
“This has been our season,” Redick said. “You get one guy healthy, another guy gets injured. You get one guy back and another guy gets injured. Two guys go out tonight and you play without your two centers. So, it’s been our season.”
James missed his first five shots in the first quarter, finishing the frame going one for seven from the field for just two points.
The Lakers were called for 13 fouls in the first quarter alone, leading to 22 free-throw attempts for the Trail Blazers — a big reason why they opened a 40-27 lead after the first 12 minutes.
“I thought the whistle was very shot in the first quarter,” James said. “I think there were like maybe 17, 18, 20 free throws in the first quarter. It’s hard to set your defense with that type of situation. But we gave ourselves a chance a couple of times, but it was an uphill battle.”
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Anthony Roy scored 23 points, Vyctorius Miller was fouled on a corner 3-point shot with 2.8 seconds left and hit all three free throws and Oklahoma State beat Kansas State 84-83 on Saturday night.
Parsa Fallah had 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals for Oklahoma State and Kanye Clary had 12 points and six assists. Andrija Vukovic added 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting and Miller finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Cowboys (14-4, 2-3 Big 12) are 24-0 under coach second-year coach Steve Lutz when they score at least 81 points. The 53-year-old Lutz earned his 100th career win in four-plus seasons.
Kansas State (9-9) is 0-5 in conference play for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
PJ Haggerty scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half for the Wildcats and Abdi Bashir Jr. added 15, which included 5 3s. Khamari McGriff scored 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting before he fouled out with 6:02 remaining. Nate Johnson also scored 14.
Haggerty made a running floater that gave Kansas State a two-point lead with 49 seconds to play. Kanye Clary missed back-to-back 3-point shots but Miller secured OSU's second consecutive offensive rebound on a tie-up with 4.0 seconds remaining. Miller then caught the inbounds pass in the corner and was fouled.
Clary and Miller each hit a 3 as Oklahoma State scored eight of the first 11 second-half points to push its lead into double figures with 17:22 left in the game.
The Lakers were routed by the Portland Trail Blazers, 132-116, on Saturday night.
Without Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers were forced to go deep into their bench. While there were some standout offensive performances, the Lakers ultimately could muster little resistance defensively.
It was a Maxi Kleber takeover from the start as he scored nine of the first 14 points. With Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes out, Kleber was the lone center available, and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Marcus Smart was the other Laker scoring well with five points. LeBron James and Jake LaRavia combined for four assists. Portland had taken a lead by four, but Drew Timme subbed in and scored five quick points to put LA up by one.
The Blazers then took control of the game. Los Angeles sent Portland to the line 22 times in the period. LA’s offense became stagnant, unable to put together any consistent scoring.
Lakers were whistled for 13 1st Q fouls. Five players had 2 apiece.
LeBron’s first bucket of the game came at the 28-second mark. It was the only Lakers basket in a 12-2 Blazers run to end the first and take a 13-point lead into the second.
Gabe Vincent opened the second period with a much-needed 3-pointer. Donovan Clingan answered with a triple of his own. Timme continued his impressive offensive showing with five more points, making him the first Laker in double figures with 12.
Los Angeles had made it a six-point game after a surge in scoring thanks to LeBron and Smart, but Portland immediately responded with Jerami Grant scoring five straight. LA had no answer for Caleb Love, who had 11 points and was three for four from behind the arc.
Grant and Love combined for 26 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers. At halftime, the Lakers were down by 10.
Smart opened the second half with two 3-pointers. Despite those shots, Los Angeles was still down by double digits as the Blazers continued to score at ease, shooting 55% from the field. Smart was the only Laker who looked good in the quarter, pushing his total to 23 points.
The defensive breakdowns were hurting Los Angeles as they continued to have no answers for Portland’s sharpshooters. The Lakers were down by 19 with 5:33 left in the third period.
Rui Hachimura knocked down a badly needed 3-pointer. He also knocked down a pair of midrange jumpers. LA put together a small 8-2 scoring run as the quarter was winding down to help trim the deficit down to 12 before everything went bad all over again and Portland opened up a 17-point lead going into the fourth period.
Third quarter: Blazers 107, Lakers 90
Marcus Smart has 25 points — he scored 14 in the 3rd and has been great off the dribble. Rui Hachimura got going with a few jumpers. Difference tonight has been the gap in 3s and FTs. The Lakers’ lack of rim protection has been glaring.
Despite starting the final frame with some spirited attempts at a comeback, LA did not have enough juice in the tank to stop the blazing hot Trail Blazers.
Key Player Stats
LeBron ended with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Smart ended with 25 points and two rebounds. Timme had a strong showing with 21 points, two rebounds and three assists. Kleber had his best game as a Laker with 11 points and five rebounds. Hachimura notched 11 points with two steals.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at 6:30 PM PT.
The New York Knicks came up short again Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, falling 106-99 to the Phoenix Suns. Missed opportunities? Check. Turnovers? Double check. No late-game execution? Triple check.
Devin Booker returned after missing one game for the Suns, but Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart couldn’t say the same. Book dropped 27 points, Brunson and Hart combined for an egg, sitting out the game.
Grayson Allen added 16 points for Phoenix, Mark Williams finished with 14, and the Suns found the best possible dance partner to snap a two-game skid in the New York Knicks. Damn, son.
"He was a little sore, we held him out. We'll hear what Medical staff has to say tomorrow, make a decision…"
– Mike Brown to @IanBegley on Josh Hart status Monday v Mavs
Hart a gameday scratch with sore right ankle––same ankle he just missed 8 games due to Christmas sprain pic.twitter.com/Pp2WIEQ2XK
Brunson and Hart, both sidelined with ankle injuries, were all the Knicks needed to generate at least a tiny bit of offense. Wouldn’t be the case, as Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride each scored 23 points, while OG Anunoby added 21, but you know, good-not-great they say.
The Knickerbockers shot 40 percent from the field, turned the rock over 17 freaking times, and fell to 16-5 at MSG.
NYK started well, hitting three of their first four attempts from beyond the arc and taking a 27-19 lead after one quarter. Phoenix responded in the second with a 12-0 run, because why not, but New York answered behind McBride’s strong outing on both ends of the floor, going into halftime up 56-55.
Momentum went back and forth in the third quarter. The Suns opened the half on a 10-3 run, only for the Knicks to respond with a 16-0 burst that gave them a sweet double-digit cushion. Phoenix closed the quarter strong, however, tying the game at 77 before Booker converted an and-one at the buzzer to give the Suns a three-point edge entering the fourth. Tension.
The final period was sloppy and ultimately, a bummer. Both teams tried hard, Allen appeared to injure his nose in one collision (me enjoys). Phoenix separated itself with an 8-0 run. New York seemed to only know how to miss buckets and second-chance opportunities.
Alas, an 87-87 tie turned into a 95-87 lead for the visiting Hot Spheres and that was that.
The loss dropped the Knicks to three straight defeats and eight losses in their last 10 games. They next host the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. It’s a 5 p.m. tipoff, so let’s flip this thing and say it’s never too soon for a change.
DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 42 points on 15-for-24 shooting and the Denver Nuggets pulled away in the final minutes for a 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
With the game tied at 110, Murray hit a 3-pointer with 2:12 to play to put the Nuggets ahead to stay. He then added another jumper and a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 117-110.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a season-high 30 points and Peyton Watson scored 21 as Denver, still playing without the injured Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise), won its fourth in a row and for the sixth time in its last seven games.
Kyshawn George had 29 points to lead the Wizards, who lost their sixth in a row including all four on this road trip. Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr scored 16 each.
The Nuggets shot 53% from the floor in the game including 40% from 3-point range.
The Nuggets made 14 3-pointers compared to the Wizards 11.
Murray scored 23 points in the first half and the Nuggets went into the break trailing 63-62. The Wizards held onto the lead through the third and entered the fourth up 86-83. Murray’s 16-point fourth quarter helped the Nuggets finish off the victory.
Up next
Wizards: Return home to face the Clippers on Monday.
