Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (6-11, 3-1 SWAC) at Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (6-12, 3-2 SWAC)
Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Monday, 6:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Bethune-Cookman visits UAPB after Jakobi Heady scored 23 points in Bethune-Cookman's 79-63 victory against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils.
The Golden Lions are 4-1 on their home court. UAPB is third in the SWAC with 9.2 offensive rebounds per game led by Jaquan Scott averaging 2.4.
The Wildcats are 3-1 in SWAC play. Bethune-Cookman has a 2-9 record against teams over .500.
UAPB's average of 8.0 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.2 more made shots on average than the 7.8 per game Bethune-Cookman gives up. Bethune-Cookman has shot at a 45.0% clip from the field this season, 1.7 percentage points fewer than the 46.7% shooting opponents of UAPB have averaged.
The Golden Lions and Wildcats square off Monday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Quion Williams is averaging 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 steals for the Golden Lions. Alex Mirhosseini is averaging 14.1 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 40.5% over the last 10 games.
Heady is shooting 44.0% from beyond the arc with 1.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Wildcats, while averaging 16.6 points. Quentin Heady is averaging 10 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Lions: 6-4, averaging 85.8 points, 33.8 rebounds, 18.8 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.4 points per game.
Wildcats: 4-6, averaging 71.0 points, 27.7 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 85.1 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Washington Capitals (24-19-6, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (33-5-8, in the Central Division)
Denver; Monday, 4 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Capitals visit the Colorado Avalanche after Jakob Chychrun's two-goal game against the Florida Panthers in the Capitals' 5-2 loss.
Colorado has a 19-1-3 record in home games and a 33-5-8 record overall. The Avalanche have gone 19-3-5 in games they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponents.
Washington is 24-19-6 overall and 10-9-3 in road games. The Capitals are 8-3-0 when they commit fewer penalties than their opponent.
Monday's game is the first time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Martin Necas has 22 goals and 35 assists for the Avalanche. Brock Nelson has 10 goals and five assists over the last 10 games.
Alexander Ovechkin has 20 goals and 21 assists for the Capitals. Ethen Frank has four goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 6-3-1, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.6 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
Capitals: 4-5-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.9 assists, 4.2 penalties and 11 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
INJURIES: Avalanche: None listed.
Capitals: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
We’re away on Laver, Sabalenka in dayglo straight out of 1989 … and Rakotomanga Rajaonah immediately makes 0-30 on her serve. Oh! And when the champ swats a backhand long, she’s down three break points! All three are saved, but then the underdog raises a fourth on advantage, thrashes a deep return, and Sabalenka nets a forehand! Rakotomanga Rajaonah need only hold five times and she’s a set up! Er yeah, let’s see…
OK, we’ve got eyes on Court, where Brooksby is serving in game one. Bublik, long known as a maverick whose immaturity prevented him from realising the full extent of his athletic and technical talent, might’ve enjoyed a surprise breakthrough last term. In Paris, he beat De Minaur and Draper in making the last eight, beat Sinner in winning Halle, and made round four in New York, where Sinner took his revenge. He breaks immediately, and seems to have finally decided that he wants to be a tennis player.
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.
A guide to each club’s setups, from Chelsea’s multi-headed structure to Brentford’s smooth planning and Manchester United’s muddles
The appointment of Andrea Berta as sporting director in March was greeted with much enthusiasm by Arsenal’s supporters, given his impressive track record in more than a decade at Atlético Madrid,. The Italian, who began his career in finance, has made an instant impression. Known as a shrewd negotiator, the suave and softly spoken 54-year-old masterminded Arsenal’s outlay of more than £250m in the summer that included the arrivals of Viktor Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. Berta takes the lead on recruitment in consultation with Richard Garlick, who was promoted to chief executive in September, the manager, Mikel Arteta, and the co-chair Josh Kroenke. James Ellis, a former scout who then spent two years as head of recruitment, was appointed as technical director in the summer and is tasked with “delivering the club’s long-term player progression strategy”, with a focus on creating a pathway from academy to first team. Ed Aarons
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
At a critical juncture of the 2025-26 season for both teams, the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings participated in a Friday-Saturday home-and-home series this weekend.
The Ducks just saw their nine-game winless streak mercifully come to an end on Tuesday, with a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars. They once sat atop the Pacific Division, but had fallen four games out of the playoff picture heading into Friday’s game.
The Kings weren’t in quite as severe a tailspin, but their recent play had dropped them out of the playoffs picture as well, as they had only won five of their prior 17 games heading into this series.
Before Friday’s game, the Ducks had traded for forward Jeff Viel from the Boston Bruins, Troy Terry was placed on IR, and Leo Carlsson underwent a procedure to treat a rare thigh lesion that will cost him the next 3-5 weeks. Sam Colangelo was recalled from the San Diego Gulls and played on Friday night. Viel made his Ducks debut on Saturday. Chris Kreider missed both games with an illness.
Lukas Dostal got the start for the Ducks on Friday and stopped 26 of 28 shots in a 3-2 shootout win for the Ducks. Ville Husso got the nod on Saturday and saved 17 of 18.
The Kings turned to Darcey Kuemper on Friday to oppose Dostal, and he mirrored Dostal by saving 26 of 28 shots. Anton Forsberg was given the cage for the Kings on Saturday, stopping 31 of 33.
Notes
Desperate and without a trio of top-six forwards, the Ducks basically iced two second lines and two fourth lines for these two games. The Kings are notoriously one of the stingiest, defensively diligent, and low-event teams in the NHL, but Anaheim managed to tweak their game plan, focusing more on chipping pucks below the goal line if clean entries were denied.
Defensively, Anaheim went back to quick, aggressive second pressures, which burned them in the first half of Friday’s game, but played a much more contained brand of hockey, akin to Tuesday’s game against Dallas, through the latter 90 minutes of the weekend.
Beckett Sennecke: Sennecke was the star of the weekend for Anaheim, notching three assists, positively impacting every shift, creating, and rendering himself dangerous not only every time he touched the puck (which was a lot), but every time he stepped foot on the ice. He filled in a significant percentage of the offensive vacancy left behind by Carlsson, Terry, and Kreider (and Cutter Gauthier, who didn’t play much as he was recovering from an illness of his own).
His most impressive quality, especially for a 19-year-old winger, is his anticipation skill. Either he has the puck, or he’s going to very soon. He has a “nose for the puck” and can sniff out how pucks are going to exit a battle, where opponents are trying to go with it, and how to get into positions to receive outlets or chips that he can pick up at full speed. The dynamism, puck skills, and tenacity in small areas speak for themselves.
Defensive Zone Coverage: In Friday’s game, LA forwards were able to spin off low defenders, find soft ice, and pop out for dangerous one-timers that Dostal was thankfully able to read and eliminate angles. All six Ducks defenders and all four centers made concerted efforts on Saturday to box out and pounce on rebound opportunities, protecting the low slot and not allowing LA forwards to occupy dangerous ice.
In an effort to counter, the Kings released their F3 high to the blueline so they could attempt to pull the Anaheim center high and cause confusion. However, the Ducks were solely focused on protecting the lower slot and underneath seams, succeeding in the process.
Cycle: Ducks' defensemen were far more involved in the offensive zone on Saturday, actively attempting to disrupt the Kings’ man coverage and pull defenders out of position. It allowed them to play the puck possession game they prefer and keep it out of their end for extended sequences. They were able to conduct cohesive weaves and switches at the top of the zone to create downhill ice and cross-ice seams to exploit.
Tim Washe: Washe’s five games into his NHL call-up and is becoming more impactful with each passing shift. He’s done well to adjust to the speed and details of the NHL game. Though he’s a serviceable puck transporter, he does his best work on the forecheck, influencing opposing retrievers and disrupting outlet attempts as an F1. He’s tenacious and effective when protecting pucks below the goal line and extending cycles. His first career goal on Friday was much-earned and an exemplification of what he can bring to the lineup. He’s becoming a reliable and versatile forward, winning seven of ten draws on Saturday after winning five of 11 on Friday.
The Ducks have seemingly gotten their season back on track a bit, but remain outside of the playoff picture. They’ll look to extend their winning streak to four games when they host the New York Rangers on Monday.
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.
BOTTOM LINE: Boston visits the Detroit Pistons after Jaylen Brown scored 41 points in the Celtics' 132-106 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pistons have gone 21-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit leads the Eastern Conference with 57.1 points in the paint led by Jalen Duren averaging 13.3.
The Celtics are 19-9 in conference matchups. Boston leads the Eastern Conference giving up only 110.1 points per game while holding opponents to 44.8% shooting.
The Pistons make 48.0% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.2 percentage points higher than the Celtics have allowed to their opponents (44.8%). The Celtics score 6.7 more points per game (117.0) than the Pistons give up (110.3).
The teams meet for the fourth time this season. The Pistons won 112-105 in the last matchup on Dec. 16. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 32 points, and Brown led the Celtics with 34 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cunningham is averaging 25.9 points, six rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.5 steals for the Pistons. Duncan Robinson is averaging 12.2 points over the past 10 games.
Brown is averaging 29.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Celtics. Anfernee Simons is averaging 18 points and 3.4 assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pistons: 6-4, averaging 113.2 points, 44.3 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 11.9 steals and 8.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.1 points per game.
Celtics: 7-3, averaging 118.7 points, 48.1 rebounds, 24.1 assists, 6.4 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.0 points.
INJURIES: Pistons: Tobias Harris: day to day (undisclosed).
Celtics: Josh Minott: day to day (ankle), Payton Pritchard: day to day (ankle), Jayson Tatum: out (achilles), Chris Boucher: day to day (back).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland and Oklahoma City face off in non-conference action.
The Cavaliers have gone 14-10 in home games. Cleveland is sixth in the NBA with 28.8 assists per game. Donovan Mitchell leads the Cavaliers averaging 5.7.
The Thunder are 15-5 in road games. Oklahoma City is the best team in the Western Conference giving up just 108.0 points per game while holding opponents to 43.2% shooting.
The Cavaliers' 15.1 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.6 more made shots on average than the 14.5 per game the Thunder allow. The Thunder average 121.1 points per game, 3.7 more than the 117.4 the Cavaliers allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell is averaging 29.2 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Cavaliers. Darius Garland is averaging 17.8 points and 6.6 assists over the past 10 games.
Ajay Mitchell is shooting 48.3% and averaging 14.2 points for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe is averaging 1.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 7-3, averaging 121.5 points, 44.1 rebounds, 32.9 assists, 8.5 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.2 points per game.
Thunder: 7-3, averaging 117.7 points, 42.0 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 9.5 steals and 7.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.5 points.
INJURIES: Cavaliers: Max Strus: out (foot), Dean Wade: day to day (knee), Darius Garland: day to day (foot), Sam Merrill: day to day (hand).
Thunder: Nikola Topic: out (groin), Jalen Williams: out (thigh), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Isaiah Hartenstein: day to day (calf).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Indiana Pacers (10-33, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (22-18, seventh in the Eastern Conference)
Philadelphia; Monday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia 76ers host the Indiana Pacers in Eastern Conference play Monday.
The 76ers are 17-15 in conference play. Philadelphia averages 116.8 points while outscoring opponents by 1.1 points per game.
The Pacers have gone 7-21 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana averages 13.5 turnovers per game and is 8-16 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.
The 76ers average 116.8 points per game, 1.6 fewer points than the 118.4 the Pacers allow. The 76ers average 110.2 points per game, 5.5 fewer points than the 115.7 the 76ers allow to opponents.
The teams square off for the second time this season. In the last meeting on Dec. 13 the 76ers won 115-105 led by 39 points from Joel Embiid, while Pascal Siakam scored 20 points for the Pacers.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyrese Maxey is averaging 30.3 points, 6.7 assists and 1.9 steals for the 76ers. Embiid is averaging 24.4 points over the last 10 games.
Jay Huff is scoring 8.7 points per game with 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Pacers. Siakam is averaging 22.0 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 49.4% over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: 76ers: 6-4, averaging 120.2 points, 41.8 rebounds, 24.1 assists, 10.0 steals and 6.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.7 points per game.
Pacers: 4-6, averaging 110.7 points, 41.7 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.2 points.
INJURIES: 76ers: None listed.
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin: day to day (thumb), Obi Toppin: out (foot), T.J. McConnell: day to day (elbow), Andrew Nembhard: day to day (back), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: Sacramento will try to keep its four-game home win streak alive when the Kings face Portland.
The Kings are 8-24 in conference games. Sacramento has a 5-20 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Trail Blazers are 17-14 in Western Conference play. Portland allows 118.4 points to opponents and has been outscored by 2.2 points per game.
The Kings are shooting 46.6% from the field this season, 0.6 percentage points lower than the 47.2% the Trail Blazers allow to opponents. The Trail Blazers average 116.2 points per game, 4.4 fewer than the 120.6 the Kings give up to opponents.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Trail Blazers won 98-93 in the last matchup on Dec. 21.
TOP PERFORMERS: DeMar DeRozan is averaging 19.1 points and 3.9 assists for the Kings. Russell Westbrook is averaging 16.6 points over the last 10 games.
Shaedon Sharpe is averaging 21.6 points and 1.5 steals for the Trail Blazers. Deni Avdija is averaging 19.9 points and 4.9 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Kings: 4-6, averaging 107.2 points, 39.5 rebounds, 23.7 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.8 points per game.
Trail Blazers: 7-3, averaging 114.3 points, 45.3 rebounds, 24.1 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.6 points.
INJURIES: Kings: Keegan Murray: out (ankle), Keon Ellis: day to day (knee).
Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson: out (hamstring), Deni Avdija: day to day (back), Matisse Thybulle: out (thumb), Blake Wesley: out (foot), Kris Murray: out (back), Damian Lillard: out for season (achilles).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers host Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors in a non-conference matchup.
The Lakers have gone 11-8 in home games. Los Angeles is 11-15 in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Raptors are 12-8 on the road. Toronto is eighth in the Eastern Conference with 11.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Jakob Poeltl averaging 2.7.
The Lakers score 116.5 points per game, 4.2 more points than the 112.3 the Raptors give up. The Raptors are shooting 47.1% from the field, 1.8% lower than the 48.9% the Lakers' opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Lakers won 123-120 in the last matchup on Dec. 5. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 44 points, and Barnes led the Raptors with 23 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: James is averaging 22.6 points, six rebounds and 6.9 assists for the Lakers. Luka Doncic is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Immanuel Quickley is shooting 42.3% and averaging 16.5 points for the Raptors. Brandon Ingram is averaging 1.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 4-6, averaging 114.3 points, 40.2 rebounds, 25.8 assists, 7.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.5 points per game.
Raptors: 6-4, averaging 112.6 points, 44.6 rebounds, 28.6 assists, 7.4 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.2 points.
INJURIES: Lakers: Deandre Ayton: day to day (knee), Luka Doncic: day to day (groin), Jaxson Hayes: day to day (hamstring), Austin Reaves: out (calf), Adou Thiero: out (knee).
Raptors: Jakob Poeltl: out (back), RJ Barrett: out (ankle), Ja'Kobe Walter: out (hip), Jamison Battle: day to day (ankle), Immanuel Quickley: day to day (back).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
