Category: Basketball

Chicago Bulls (23-23, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (11-36, 14th in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers host Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls.

The Pacers are 7-24 in Eastern Conference games. Indiana is 5-28 against opponents with a winning record.

The Bulls are 3-7 against the rest of the division. Chicago allows 119.9 points to opponents while being outscored by 2.0 points per game.

The Pacers score 110.2 points per game, 9.7 fewer points than the 119.9 the Bulls allow. The Bulls are shooting 47.7% from the field, 0.6% lower than the 48.3% the Pacers' opponents have shot this season.

The teams play for the third time this season. In the last meeting on Dec. 6 the Pacers won 120-105 led by 36 points from Siakam, while Coby White scored 22 points for the Bulls.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jay Huff is scoring 8.3 points per game and averaging 3.7 rebounds for the Pacers. Siakam is averaging 21.8 points and 7.6 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Vucevic is averaging 16.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Bulls. White is averaging 16.3 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 5-5, averaging 108.2 points, 44.7 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points per game.

Bulls: 6-4, averaging 118.2 points, 43.4 rebounds, 31.8 assists, 7.2 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.9 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Obi Toppin: out (foot), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).

Bulls: Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Zach Collins: out (toe), Tre Jones: out (hamstring).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Milwaukee Bucks (18-26, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (24-21, sixth in the Eastern Conference)

Philadelphia; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: 76ers -10; over/under is 219.5

BOTTOM LINE: Ryan Rollins and the Milwaukee Bucks visit Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers in Eastern Conference action.

The 76ers are 18-17 in conference play. Philadelphia has a 12-6 record in games decided by at least 10 points.

The Bucks are 14-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. Milwaukee allows 115.5 points to opponents and has been outscored by 3.6 points per game.

The 76ers average 116.1 points per game, 0.6 more points than the 115.5 the Bucks allow. The Bucks average 111.9 points per game, 3.9 fewer than the 115.8 the 76ers allow.

The teams play for the third time this season. The 76ers won the last matchup 116-101 on Dec. 6. Quentin Grimes scored 22 points to help lead the 76ers to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Grimes is scoring 13.3 points per game and averaging 3.8 rebounds for the 76ers. Maxey is averaging 24.9 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Rollins is scoring 16.1 points per game and averaging 4.5 rebounds for the Bucks. AJ Green is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: 76ers: 4-6, averaging 110.8 points, 41.6 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 10.9 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.3 points per game.

Bucks: 4-6, averaging 108.0 points, 41.4 rebounds, 26.6 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points.

INJURIES: 76ers: Charles Bassey: day to day (personal), Paul George: day to day (knee), Joel Embiid: day to day (knee).

Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: out (calf), Kevin Porter Jr.: out (oblique), Taurean Prince: out (neck).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Atlanta Hawks (23-25, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (29-17, second in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta looks to keep its three-game win streak alive when the Hawks take on Boston.

The Celtics are 21-11 in conference play. Boston is 13-11 against opponents with a winning record.

The Hawks are 11-17 against Eastern Conference opponents. Atlanta is 5-6 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Celtics average 15.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.4 more made shots on average than the 13.3 per game the Hawks give up. The Hawks average 14.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 more makes per game than the Celtics give up.

The teams play for the second time this season. The Celtics won the last matchup 132-106 on Jan. 18. Jaylen Brown scored 41 points to help lead the Celtics to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Derrick White is shooting 39.1% and averaging 17.6 points for the Celtics. Brown is averaging 26.2 points over the last 10 games.

Jalen Johnson is averaging 23 points, 10.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 3.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 6-4, averaging 113.2 points, 46.3 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.7 points per game.

Hawks: 6-4, averaging 115.0 points, 44.1 rebounds, 30.6 assists, 10.1 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.1 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles), Luka Garza: out (illness).

Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis: out (achilles), Zaccharie Risacher: day to day (knee), N'Faly Dante: out for season (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

This is the sort of game the Rockets should win going away. The Memphis Grizzlies, shorthanded as almost always, and without Ja Morant, as per usual, should be the sort of team the Rockets beat. Not that they’re a bad team, or have bad players, they’re one of the deeper teams in the NBA, full of generally good players. They’re just always injured, and usually missing at least one of their two stars. The draft picks they got for Desmond Bane will no doubt help them draft still more good, but constantly injured players, but that doesn’t help them much in the present.

To which I say, aw, that’s too bad.

Meanwhile the Rockets were as full strength as they’re likely to be for a while, though I suspect a fair few of them are battling illness. Jabari Smith in particular had that “I’ve got to choose to when to expend energy.” look tonight, and was sometimes out of the game, and not on the bench.

Meanwhile, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson looked great, while Kevin Durant seems to be The Terminator of Mid Range Shots.

The Rockets have a problem of playing down to their competition, and they knew Memphis wasn’t really on their level, too. Memphis, for its part, seemed to have ignored that part, and played hard, and to win. They fielded a really small team overall, and that caused the Rockets a lot of problems defensively. Or seemed to, anyway.

What I mean by that is, Memphis scored a lot of easy seeming points, and grabbed a bunch of offensive boards by taking advantage of being smaller and quicker and getting to long rebounds more often. But what did all that add up to in the end? 99 points. So did the Rockets play bad defense? You can’t tell by the scoreboard, and that, after all, is what matters. For all the seemingly easy looks, Memphis shot 37% overall, and 19% from three point range on high volume. They scored 30 points in the second quarter, and never broke 24 in any other.

Maybe we’ve all been infected by Ime Udoka? He seems to regard any points scored on the Rockets as a deep insult, and likely a character flaw on the part of the defender. It’s an impossible standard, and when you look at a point total under 100 points, it’s hard to see what exactly the Rockets did so poorly overall.

The Rockets offense faltered a bit, too, until the fourth quarter when the Rockets stopped messing around, and put the Grizzlies away, 32-22.

There were three notable things tonight from Rockets players. One was a return to inside dominance for Alperen Sengun. As Memphis could only send Santi Aldama and Jaren Jackson Jr at Sengun. (I think JJJ is defensively an overrated player. He does stuff that looks great, but apart from highlights, he doesn’t seem do all that much overall, for a max player). Anyway, those two weren’t close to enough. Alperen Sengun went for 33pts/9rbs/6ast/1stl. He went 15-17 shooting. One of his misses was a late clock 3pt grenade thrown to him by Tari Eason. He shot 3-4 on FTs, and simply dominated inside on offense.

The second thing is that Amen has been generally excellent as a point guard lately. It helps that his teammates now occasionally indulge in the vice known as “Offense” from time to time, but this is mainly thanks to Amen playing the position better all the time, it seems. Tonight Amen had 14 assists to 4 turnovers, to go with 8pts, 8rbs and 1stl. He also played some really good defense.

A brief word about turnovers. For me, they come in different flavors. Some are careless, some are the result of panic, some are because a player is bad at dribbling, or passing, and some are bad judgment or as is often the case with the Rockets, from over passing, forcing a pass, rather than just taking a decent shot opportunity. Those are a problem. Some turnovers are a result of useful aggression, of attempting to break a defense, to find and involve teammates, that fail. Just as every missed shot isn’t the same, every turnover isn’t the same. The second group aren’t turnovers that bother me. Most of Amen’s 4 tonight were of that variety. He’s not panicking when he’s trapped or picks up his dribble anymore.

The third thing is Kevin Durant. It must be dispiriting to play against him. Well, it was certainly dispiriting to watch him play against the Rockets, most nights. A defense can do everything well against him, and it just won’t matter. Tonight he scored 33pts on 11-24 shooting, went 4-9 from three point range, and grabbed 8 boards, dished a couple of assists, and had a block. He does turn the ball over in odd, and frustrating ways, but since a high in Philly, he seems to have become much more careful. Some turnovers you’re just going to have to live with if you make Durant a play initiator, rather than just a scorer and finisher. As long as the number stays low, that’s fine.

Kevin Durant, however, truly shouldn’t be one of the highest minutes per game players in the NBA. There’s enough talent on the Rockets roster that if used properly can prevent this. But we’re seeing what every coach seems to see with KD. It’s just so easy to have him just fix all the offensive weaknesses, simply by being Kevin Durant. And so the minutes, and points pile up. Until they don’t.

Anyhow, a solid, if slightly concerning win. For all the gloom and doom, the Rockets are 16-3 at home. OKC is 20-4, Detroit is 18-4. The Rockets have played 19 at home, to 25 on the road. Next up, a sterner test against San Antonio on Wednesday, in Houston.

Ironically, on a night when the Bulls seemingly could not miss from three, the Lakers had one of their best defensive performances of the season. The box score does not bear it out too much, but that felt as locked in as the team has been defensively in some time.

It tailed off a bit in the fourth, but LA was creating turnovers and finishing stops with rebounds to end the possession. It was a strong showing on that end and even when Chicago opened the second half with a barrage of baskets, LA stayed focused and had a response that kept the game from resembling Saturday’s in Dallas.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Jake LaRavia

33 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 foul, 3-6 FG, 2-4 3PT, -9

One thing I really appreciate about LaRavia is how often he is just running around the court. He’s really the perfect glue guy type.

The perfect sequence of that saw him chase a long rebound into the corner only to be beaten to the ball by a Bull. He hustled back, got in front of Nikola Vučević after an early three and boxed him out to secure the board on the other end.

It’s probably an aspect I don’t give him enough credit for.

Grade: A-

LeBron James

33 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 9-19 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-6 FT, -14

A great three quarters for LeBron before a relatively quiet close. He had some ugly misses, but also some big fastbreak dunks. Another strong defensive night from him as well.

Grade: B+

Deandre Ayton

22 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 foul, 3-6 FG, -15

This is the fourth straight game that Ayton has not closed. One of those games was the Nuggets game when he got poked in the ye, but it’s still an interesting development.

Grade: D-

Marcus Smart

32 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 fouls, 3-6 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-7 FT, +5

This was about as steady a game as you could expect from Smart. Hig biggest contribution to Bulls fans, though, were the two missed freebies at the end.

Grade: B+

Luka Dončić

38 minutes, 46 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 15-25 FG, 8-14 3PT, 8-12 FT, +6

This was as easy as it’s looked for Luka in a long time. It was perhaps his best performance from three this season. It also featured Luka closing a game out with some big threes, which hasn’t happened too often this year. That could be a sign of him and Redick finding better ways to pace things throughout the first three periods.

Grade: A+

Jaxson Hayes

23 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 fouls, 3-4 FG, 2-2 FT, +26

So, yeah, there’s one obvious highlight for Hayes from this one.

JAXSON HAYES OMG!!! 😳#LakeShowpic.twitter.com/YXNyR6hCkD

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 27, 2026

That was both cool and terrifying at the same time as he seemed to barely pull it off. Outside of that, I thought Hayes was actually really good defensively as he was part of some switching units that led to him needing to fly out to close outs on the perimeter which he did well.

Grade: B+

Gabe Vincent

12 minutes, 1 rebound, 3 assist, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, +13

His best play was catching an insane Luka behind-the-back crosscourt pass and opting to pass to Rui, who hit the three.

Grade: C

Rui Hachimura

29 minutes, 23 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul, 9-11 FG, 4-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, +22

After a strong fourth quarter in Dallas, Rui put together four great quarters in Chicago. He was red hot from the jump and gave the Lakers a huge boost off the bench, something they’ve rarely had this season.

Grade: A+

Jarred Vanderbilt

17 minutes, 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-3 FG, 0-2 3PT, +21

A good showing overall from Vando, who was part of a couple of lineups that made big runs.

Grade: B+

Drew Timme

Pour one out for Timme’s face after taking that nasty blow to the head.

Monday’s DNPs: Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht

Monday’s inactives: Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon, Austin Reaves, Nick Smith Jr.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The Golden State Warriors got their butts kicked on Monday night, and who can blame them? In addition to the standard absence of Jimmy Butler III, they were also playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga, and Seth Curry. Even against a Minnesota Timberwolves team that’s on quite a skid, a win just wasn’t realistic.

Golden State gave it a good run for a while, but ran out of steam late in the first half and never recovered, ultimately losing 108-83 in their lowest-scoring game of the year. So let’s grade the players who played bigger roles than usual in a scheduled loss. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Monday’s games, league average TS was 58.0%.

Moses Moody

26 minutes, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4-for-12 shooting, 2-for-7 threes, 41.7% TS, -13

I’ll talk about this again when we get to another player, but one of the things I’ve been noticing lately when the Warriors rest their starters is that the team really doesn’t seem to view Moody as being an offensive threat. He’s a quality role player, but even with all of their go-to scorers sidelined, the Dubs just don’t turn to Moody to be a scoring option.

Sure, he was only one field goal attempt shy of the team lead, but they were almost all rhythm shots, set up by teammates or by the flow of the offense. There was no sense of Okay, Moses, Steph’s out and everyone else is out, have the rock and feast.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it just feels like a little bit of a peek behind the curtain for the team. While some players on the Warriors feel like role players because they share the court with future Hall of Famers, Moody feels more like a role player because he’s a role player. He’s often a very good role player, but in games where he doesn’t have that star cast around him, he doesn’t look very good. He also got taken off the dribble by Rudy Gobert a few times, which can’t happen.

Grade: C

Gui Santos

26 minutes, 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 5-for-13 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, 42.3% TS, -5

Congrats to Santos on his first career double-double! He was all over the court in this one, and a big part of why the Warriors almost held their own on the glass against a team with Gobert and Julius Randle. He also showed off some seriously crafty moves, particularly with a slick reverse post move early in the contest.

He wasn’t efficient, though that’s a theme for the night. And he had more turnovers than you’d like, though that comes with being forced into more of a playmaking role than he’s supposed to have. It was a flawed game, certainly, but it felt like he played well and showed a lot.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds, best plus/minus on the team.

Quinten Post

28 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 2 fouls, 5-for-12 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 54.2% TS, -13

A bit of a hot-and-cold game for Post. He showed some really nice stuff on offense, though ultimately wasn’t too inefficient. He got worked a bit on defense and the glass (Gobert had 17 boards), but had a few eye-opening plays.

Not his best work, but not his worst, either.

Grade: B-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Pat Spencer

34 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 4-for-11 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 45.5% TS, -10

Leave it to Spencer to always bring the toughness. No one played harder in this game than Pat and, despite being mostly out of the rotation these days, he was counted on to lead the team in minutes and didn’t look at all exhausted despite moving at full speed.

Despite the poor shooting night for the team (the Warriors shot 34.7% from the field and 23.1% from deep), the offense often flowed beautifully … until the shot went up. And more often than not, the offense flowed beautifully because Spencer was getting the team into their sets and motions and keeping the ball moving. Sure, that resulted in more turnovers than is ideal, but the Wolves have a top-five defense and Spencer was playing the unexpected role of leading the offense. It happens. He played well.

Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.

Brandin Podziemski

28 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-13 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 4-for-5 free throws, 39.5% TS, -14

So, let’s revisit what I wrote about Moody, because there was a distinct difference with Podziemski. It was clear from the plays the team ran, and the way Podziemski’s number was called, that they wanted him to be the go-to scorer in this game. He flashed some potential, as he had a few brilliant plays on offense.

Overall, though, he struggled to score, but again: the takeaway here is less about the results, and more about the process, and seeing what the Warriors wanted and how they value different players. Podz is less steady and less reliable than Moody, but it’s also pretty clear that Golden State views him as potentially being an impact scorer in a way that they don’t with Moses.

His hustle was great in this game. He was the team’s second-highest rebounder and, as he always does, drew some charges.

Grade: B

Will Richard

28 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-9 shooting, 0-for-6 threes, 22.2% TS, -11

No, you’re not reading that incorrectly: Richard really did have six steals in this game. It was a masterclass of defensive engagement and activity. He was everywhere on that end of the court, with stunningly disruptive hands.

The offense? Not so much. But as with everyone here, he gets something of a pass given the situation. Gotta love the defense.

Grade: B+

Buddy Hield

29 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 2-for-10 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, 23.0% TS, -20

Hield shot 20% from the field, 0% from the free throw line, and got put in the spin cycle by Gobert 25 feet from the hoop. That’s all I have to say about that.

Grade: D
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

Gary Payton II

12 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 6 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 50.0% TS, -20

GPII played less than 12 minutes and fouled out. And that’s all I have to say about that, too.

Grade: D
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

20 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-4 free throws, 45.7% TS, -12

TJD gets an “A” for unintentional humor. Twice he came to the free throw line in the fourth quarter of a game that had long since been decided. The Wolves have a “Bricken for Chicken” special, where everyone gets free Chick-fil-A if an opposing player misses a pair of free throws in the second half. Both times, Jackson-Davis missed the front half of his free throws, turning the arena into a frenzy. Both times he made the second, resulting in an audible “awwww” from the crowd. It was pretty funny.

Other than that … well, he played pretty decently, I thought.

Grade: B

Malevy Leons

9 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2-for-4 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 61.5% TS, -7

Leons entered the game having scored just two points in his short NBA career. He not only quadrupled that mark, but was the only Warriors player to shoot with above-average efficiency. And he ripped down five boards in nine minutes! Quite a nice showing for the two-way contract.

Grade: A+

Monday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Jonathan Kuminga, De’Anthony Melton

Is Jusuf Nurkic the most dangerous man in the NBA? I’m mostly joking, of course, because despite the fact that he’s on an unprecedented run of three consecutive triple-doubles (which was on nobody’s bingo card at the beginning of the season, don’t even pretend), it took a herculean performance from Keyonte George to claim the only Jazz win in that stretch, a five-point victory against Minnesota.

In the fourth game of this home stretch, Utah is still stumbling from back-to-back losses of 17 and 31 points.

So no, the NBA isn’t exactly cowering in fear at the Jokic-fication of Bosnia’s finest. Certainly not the red-hot Clippers, who have won so many games that they’re forcing non-believers to eat sheets of paper. Basketball is the weirdest sport ever, man.

So, what does this midseason matchup between two Western Conference foes have in store? Well, the host Jazz, now 15-31 and 3-7 in their last 10, have seemingly locked in their fate before the game has even tipped off. Just take a look at the injury report, which lists Keyonte George as out (rest) and Markkanen, Nurkic, and Love all as game-time decisions.

Especially against a team as hot as Los Angeles. The Clips desperately needed to climb out of the Tankathon race, given the fact that they do not own their own draft pick thanks to the increasingly awful SGA-Paul George deal. In case this point hasn’t been driven home to the Jazz’s deal with OKC, there is no reason to lose basketball games when you’re not fighting for ping pong balls.

It’s time to block Sam Presti’s number. Do not answer his calls, no matter how good the deal sounds.

Now at 21-24, they’ve crept up to the final Play-In spot in the Western Conference, and will not be in the habit of dropping shocking games to teams like Utah, which (truth be told) is not interested in stealing one from a winning team in the final half of the season.

The future is… kinda bleak for the Clippers at the moment, and that’s saying something for one of the most depressing teams in the history of basketball. Constantly in the shadow of their older, golder brothers down the road, the Clips took a chance on the duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and sent their submission to the NBA Finals. But that submission was… how do we put this? Lost in the mail, caught in the shuffle, passed up for more promising prospects, set ablaze in a fiery rage, take your pick.

Be it fate, karma, the glass skeletons of their cornerstone pieces, or some other act of the basketball gods, this era of the Los Angeles Clippers has been one of the most disappointing and cursed in the history of the game. Now with James Harden as their lead and Kawhi Leonard lounging on his recliner on the sidelines, what is this team capable of accomplishing as currently constructed?

There is no way out. Their stars are already past their primes, declining, and carrying nearly zero trade value. They have no option but to build through the draft. Their roster is expensive yet ineffective, and ownership is so all-in on making this team competitive at any cost. But they hit their ceiling a long time ago. They’re one of the awkward teams stuck in basketball purgatory.

As much as tanking can hurt a fanbase, it feels far preferable for a team to lose by choice rather than because they have no other choice. The Clippers are forced to cross their fingers and hope their team — as currently constructed — manages to break through behind a core of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Brutal.

So, when these two teams square off on Tuesday night, it’s important to understand the greater context of their competition. While Los Angeles is expected to win this game, their trajectory is one of decline, but Utah is just getting started.

How to watch Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers:

Date: Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM MT
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: LAC -10.5

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Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

Today, the NBA announced the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars Rookies, and a notable name was missing: Ace Bailey.

The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars NBA Rookies ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/RkN1Kmnzor

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 26, 2026

It’s a frustrating omission that I’m sure Bailey will not be happy about. He has done everything the Jazz have asked him to, and his reward for much of this season was watching minutes go to Svi Mykhailiuk. With Lauri Markkanen missing time, Bailey has shown more and more consistency with some great flashes of talent. In the last 7 games minus Lauri Markkanen, Bailey has averaged 15.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 48% from the field and playing impressive defense. What might have been for the young prospect had the Jazz prioritized playing time from the start of the season? At least we’ll all appreciate those developmental Mykhailiuk minutes in 5 years when … oh yeah …

It also deserves mention that Walter Clayton Jr. did not make a spot on the team but he has gotten even less time than Bailey so that’s not as much of a surprise.

That wasn’t the only snub for the Jazz. None of Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, or Kyle Filipowski made the sophomore team either.

The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇️

Tune in to @peacock tomorrow at 7 PM ET to watch honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter draft their teams from the pool of 21 NBA sophomores and rookies.

Austin Rivers will serve as the honorary coach of the @nbagleague… pic.twitter.com/WW4quEKMLX

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 26, 2026

This is less of a surprise considering the level of play for all three has been up and down. Surprisingly, Cody Williams is probably the biggest snub here. His play in the last 10 games or so has been a welcome sight. He has shown great defensive potential and is starting to look like a real piece for the Jazz moving forward. Williams has started the last 10 games and has averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, shooting 53% from the field and 35% from three. Those numbers are a revelation considering how rough his rookie season was.

It’s a nice stretch, but it wasn’t enough to get consideration. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but you can bet the players pay attention to this. It matters to them. Utah can’t do anything at this point to get them into the game, they should have had a clear plan at the start of the season. That plan should have been to find a way not to have veterans taking time from their young players. Yes, that is happening now, but some arbitrary “gotta earn those minutes” rule kept the players from success, and that’s frustrating.

I have no doubt Bailey will be on the team next year, he’s proven just how good he can be, but it’s a lost opportunity that you can’t get back.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — Owen Bronston Jr. had 15 points to guide South Carolina State to a 70-64 victory over Delaware State on Monday night.

Bronston did his scoring on 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range for the Bulldogs (5-16, 3-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).

Jayden Johnson and James Morrow both scored 14 for South Carolina State and Florian Tenebay added 10 points.

Dean Shepherd scored 14 off the bench to lead the Hornets (5-15, 0-5), who have lost six in a row. Zion Bethea added 13 points and Miles Webb scored 11.

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The NBA rescheduled Saturday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves to Sunday, because 24 hours is Adam Silver’s preferred hiatus after a federal agent commits murder. Once that happened, Coach Steve Kerr was going to rest his veterans on the unexpected back-to-back. While the shorthanded Warriors fought hard, the talent gap, quick turnaround, and mere presence of Naz Reid in an opposing jersey led to a 108-83 loss.

First, the positives. The Warriors backups still played really solid defense, holding the Timberwolves to 108 points, 12.5 less than what they’re averaging in January. Will Richard had six steals and the team racked up 14. Gui Santos had 11 points and 10 rebounds and the team was only -5 in his 26 minutes. Pat Spencer scored 10 points, dished six assists and grabbed five rebounds, and was only -10. Even Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski were good on the defensive end of the court, helping force Julius Randle into six turnovers.

But Rudy Gobert crushed them on the boards, collecting 17 rebounds. Reid crushed them from the perimeter, with 15 points, seven rebounds, and three triples. And old friend Donte DiVincenzo hit five threes, delivered eight assists, and even blocked three shots. Gobert blocked two shots, but the Warriors eventually began running away from him, like Greg Bovino fleeing Minneapolis for a cozy retirement.

The Warriors managed to hold it together without four veterans resting for approximately one-and-a-half quarters. Richard got a steal and a score to tie the game and it looked like this rag-tag crew of Warriors just might pull off the upset.

Will Richard just makes plays 😤pic.twitter.com/0ElsHVT6Sg

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 27, 2026

If you’re wondering how the rest of the game went, it’s important to note that the above clip was the final one posted by @NBCSWarriors and it happened with over 60% of the game yet to play. It was also the last highlight posted by the official Warriors account on X, the everything app, because the social media team may have also been load managing tonight.

With 6:30 to go in the second quarter, Gary Payton II made a layup to give the shorthanded Warriors a 34-32 lead. On their next possession, Forever Warrior Donte DiVincenzo blocked Richard, and on the next, GPII committed an offensive foul, and followed it up by committing a defensive foul.

Gui Santos came in and immediately scored with 4:22 to go, then the offense ground to a halt. The Warriors missed seven of their next eight shots, culminating in an emphatic rejection by Rudy Gobert in the final seconds of the half. For the first 18 minutes, the game was tied 34-34. For the next six, Minnesota outscored the Warriors, 19-4.

It was a similar story in the first quarter, when the Warriors scored only two points in the last four minutes. It’s not really the players’ fault — you can’t expect a ton of offense against a strong Timberwolves defense, particularly when it’s a lineup of Spencer-Payton-Richard-Hield-Jackson-Davis.

Quinten Post acquitted himself well in 16 first-half minutes, scoring eight points and sinking two of the team’s four threes. He wasn’t quite as good in the second half but still finished with a team-leading 13 points. Yes, 13 points.

You know who had to be furious about that stat line? Post’s new arch-enemy, Joe Ingles, who once nearly blinded Duke coach Jon Scheyer during a Summer League game, while playing for the Summer Dubs.

“I’ll slap the shit out of you” pic.twitter.com/fOFuirVsxR

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) January 26, 2026

For all you Dutch basketball enthusiasts, 6-foot-9 Nederlander Malevy Leons notched six points, his first of the season for the Dubs. He also had four rebounds, an assist, and a steal, making King Wilhelm-Alexander and Queen Maxima incredibly proud. Joe Ingles did not seem upset with him after the game.

Payton fouled out in 12 minutes, which is not good but weirdly impressive, like when a small dog eats an entire wheel of cheese. His night ended when he committed a loose ball foul going for a rebound, then fouled Gobert as he grabbed another offensive board, though GPII didn’t stop him from dunking anyway.

This game was the least-interesting thing happening in Minnesota this week and Steve Kerr may as well have been putting his team on a general strike. The Warriors reserves played with a lot of heart and might have even pulled off a win against a worse team than the Timberwolves. But even without the injured Anthony Edwards, the Wolves have seven starter-caliber players, and that’s a tough matchup for the back of the Warriors’ bench.

The road trip concludes Wednesday in Salt Lake City, where the pretending-not-to-tank Utah Jazz await. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they’re resting Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, so they might face a full-strength Jazz unit — but don’t underestimate team president Danny Ainge’s ability to put his team in contention for lottery balls.

Don’t be surprised if Jusuf Nurkic’s mysterious illness, possibly caused by him scaring Ainge with a triple-double this week, lingers through Wednesday. Also possible: Cody Williams gets a hangnail, Kyle Filipowski has an allergic reaction to postum, or Svi Mykhailiuk injures his hand trying to spell his own last name. January basketball: It’s DNP-tastic!

ATLANTA (AP) — Led by CJ McCollum’s 23 points, the Atlanta Hawks used a 17-0 run in the second half to take the lead and beat the Indiana Pacers 132-116 on Monday.

Dyson Daniels scored 22 points with nine assists, Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points and Atlanta earned its third straight win.

The Pacers led by 15 points midway through the third quarter and were up 92-85 late in the period before the Hawks scored 17 unanswered points in a run that carried into the fourth quarter. Luke Kennard’s 3-pointer from the corner capped the run and gave Atlanta a 102-92 lead.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 26 points. Aaron Nesmith scored 18 and Bennedict Mathurin returned from a thumb injury to add 16. T.J. McConnell also had 16 points.

Tipoff had been scheduled for Monday night but was moved to early afternoon because of the possibility of icing on the roads as the result of a winter storm gripping the South and Northeast.

Atlanta’s Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and Zaccharie Risacher (left knee bone contusion) each missed his ninth straight game. The Hawks said Porzingis will be evaluated in about a week and Risacher could return for the team’s next game.

HORNETS 130, 76ERS 93

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 30 points, and Charlotte took a 50-point lead for the second time this month on the way to rolling past Philadelphia.

All five Hornets starters finished in double figures. Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabate scored 12, LaMelo Ball added 11 and Miles Bridges finished with 10 for Charlotte, which has won three straight games for the first time this season.

It was 28-22 after one quarter — and then Charlotte outscored Philadelphia 81-37 over the next two quarters, taking a 109-59 lead into the fourth.

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 for Philadelphia. Jared McCain added 16 and Quentin Grimes had 14 for the 76ers, while Tyrese Maxey was held to a season-low six points on 3-for-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Maxey’s scoring average dropped a full half-point to 29.4 per game.

Charlotte became the first team since Phoenix in February 2009 to lead by 50 or more points in two separate games within the same calendar month. The Hornets led Utah by 57 on their way to a 150-95 win on Jan. 10.

CAVALIERS 114, MAGIC 98

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 45 points and Cleveland beat Orlando for their fourth straight win.

Mitchell was 15 of 25 from the field, including five 3-pointers, in 35 minutes. He had a season-high 26 first-half points, a great start for a player that came into the game leading the NBA in second-half scoring average at 17.6 points per game.

It was Mitchell’s 25th 30-point game this season, fourth-most in the league, and fifth with at least 40 points. He had 36 points in Saturday’s 119-105 win in Orlando.

Evan Mobley had 20 points and nine rebounds as the Cavaliers equaled their longest winning streak of the season. They also had four straight victories in early November.

The run puts Cleveland a season-best eight games over .500 at 28-20. The Cavs are also 11-4 since Dec. 29.

Paolo Banchero scored a season-high 37 points for Orlando, which has dropped three straight. The fourth-year forward also grabbed 10 rebounds. Desmond Bane added 19 points, including 15 in the first half.

CELTICS 102, TRAIL BLAZERS 94

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored 23 points, hitting buzzer-beaters to end each of the first two quarters, and Jaylen Brown added 20t to lead Boston to a victory over Portland.

Derrick White scored 18 points, making a 3-pointer after Portland cut what had been a 23-point deficit to five in the final minute. White also stole the ball on the Blazers’ next possession.

Jerami Grant scored 19 and former UConn star Donovan Clingan had 15 rebounds for the Blazers, who had won four of their previous five games to briefly climb above .500 for the first time since November.

LAKERS 129, BULLS 118

CHICAGO (AP) — Luka Doncic had 46 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, and Los Angeles cooled off Chicago with a victory.

LeBron James scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half as Los Angeles improved to 3-1 on an eight-game trip. Rui Hachimura added 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting.

The Lakers were swept by Chicago in their two-game series last season, including a wild 119-117 loss at the United Center on Josh Giddey’s half-court shot at the buzzer.

Coby White scored 23 points for Chicago on Monday night, and Ayo Dosunmu had 20. The Bulls had won four in a row and five of six overall.

ROCKETS 108, GRIZZLIES 99

HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant each scored 33 points as Houston Rockets broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and beat Memphis.

The Rockets trailed by a point at the start of the fourth before going on a 21-9 run in the first seven minutes of the period to seize control and win for the fifth time in six games.

Tari Eason scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half and Amen Thompson finished with 14 assists and eight points. Reed Sheppard, who earlier Monday was named to the Rising Stars game for the NBA’s All-Star weekend, finished with four points on 2-for-11 shooting, including 0 for 7 from 3-point distance.

Sengun had an impressing shooting night for the Rockets, going 7 for 7 from the field in the first half and 15 for 17 overall. He also contributed nine rebounds and six assists.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama scored 17 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who lost their third straight, for the fourth time in five games and for the 10 time in 13 games. GG Jackson added 14 points, Jaylen Wells had 12 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 11. Cam Spencer, who along with Wells and Cedric Coward, was named to the Rising Stars game, finished with 14 assists and five points.

TIMBERWOLVES 108, WARRIORS 83

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 17 rebounds as Minnesota defeated Golden State in a game missing much of its usual star power.

The Warriors were playing without starters Stephen Curry (knee) and Draymond Green (back), while Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards was a late scratch to rest an recurring right foot injury.

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 18 points and Bones Hyland chipped in 17. Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo each scored 15 for the Timberwolves, who snapped a five-game losing streak, their longest skid since they lost five straight in December 2022.

Quinten Post led Golden State with 13 points. Brandin Podziemski scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Gui Santos had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who shot a season-low 23.1% (9 for 39) on 3-pointers.

The injury lists were longer than your last grocery list.

If you are on the Golden State Warriors and are a notable rotation player, you likely didn’t play on this back-to-back.

Updated status report for the tonight's Warriors/Wolves rematch:

Warriors notables:
– Steph Curry QUESTIONABLE (right knee inflammation)
– Draymond Green QUESTIONABLE (back soreness)
– Horford/Melton OUT, which Kerr said was the plan pregame yesterday pic.twitter.com/HWkdCSvQCg

— Jack Borman (@jrborman13) January 26, 2026

We were in Notes app territory.

Conversely, no Anthony Edwards for the nagging foot infection he’s been dealing with, and came off of a mediocre game by his standards on Sunday night.

Putting it lightly, it’s been a horrific stretch in Minneapolis, and Sunday night’s game was an environment closer to a vigil than a basketball game.

Pair it all with the uninspiring lull that the Wolves are currently forging for themselves on the floor, Monday night was simply a must-win game for a much better team on paper and a fanbase that just needed something to cheer for.

But who would bring the energy? An unfocused, unenthused Timberwolves team had been rolling through the last week without a tone-setter, and the results followed. Early on, much of the same seemed to be happening.

Julius Randle hit his first three but would go on to miss his next four, and a similar tone was set for a team that tends to settle for shots. Out of the Wolves’ first 12 shot attempts, eight of them were threes. With no Draymond Green for Golden State, the Warriors deeply lacked interior defense and were begging to be out-rebounded and outscored in the paint with Quinten Post playing most of their center minutes.

Rudy Gobert would need to play well. He did. His 15 points and 17 rebounds showed a return to aggression that’s been missing for the Wolves center over the last few games.

Jaden McDaniels PnR defense + Rudy Gobert isolation 3PA block pic.twitter.com/dpNOnXkv7r

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) January 27, 2026

Largely because of the center’s return to form, the game would follow its anticipated projection as has been the theme all year. When Gobert plays well, the Wolves are able to lean into the only identity that wins them games: Defense.

The home team would go on to pull in front of the Warriors by 28 points by the beginning for the fourth quarter and close the deal in emphatic fashion.

The slow start? Short-lived.

A shot in the arm was needed badly, and while they may just have gotten it, it wasn’t going to happen without a little help from the bench. A team so desperately searching for players to come into the game and make an impact, Monday served as a perfect opportunity to show a pulse from Chris Finch and company’s unit.

Enter Bones Hyland.

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Bones Leads the Bench

The Timberwolves bench is in need of a defibrillator.

26th in bench field goal percentage and 22nd in bench points per game, it’s a unit whose inconsistency outside of former Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid shows on a night to night basis.

Lacking a super high ceiling with Mike Conley typically a part of the unity on a night to night basis, Bones Hyland is one that can that can play a major role in elevating it. The problem is he shares the adjective in the above paragraph; inconsistency.

When Hyland scores 10 or more points, the Wolves are 7-4. When he scores 15 or more, the Wolves are 3-0.

Monday was no exception, as Hyland finished the night with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes of action.

“We gotta have those performances on a nightly basis to be honest with you,” Head Coach Chris Finch said after the game.

During the aforementioned three-point slog at the beginning of the game that didn’t yield much offensive production, Hyland’s entrance into the game signaled more of a focus to attack the paint and get Golden State on their heels. His first six points came by way of transition layup, which parlayed into easier shotmaking.

Bones Hyland speedy transition driving layup pic.twitter.com/8JbbqZtBbn

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) January 27, 2026

“It definitely feels like the basket opens up more,” Hyland said after the game about starting things off by going to the basket and seeing a couple layups go down.

For him, so much of it is proactivity on the offensive end and being aggressive.

“Playing fast, being myself out there…I feel like I got back to that,” he said.

How does he continue to be himself as time goes on? Being less deferential in the offense, especially with a franchise player in Anthony Edwards making his way back into the lineup in short order. Hyland’s two best scoring games have come when Edwards has not been in the lineup (the other one coming in the road win against Milwaukee).

Finch mentioned after the game that he sometimes sees his primary-scoring bench guard defer too much when players higher in the pecking order are in the game, and that it needs to change.

“I told him he’s allowed play like this when Ant doesn’t play,” he half-joked after the game. “He’s an aggressive player by nature, and I think that helps him.”

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Emptying the Notebook

1). It wasn’t “back to normal”, but Target Center did feel like it let out a slight exhale. Perhaps it was the news that dropped, perhaps it was the team finally showing up and giving fans what they paid for. But being in attendance on Sunday was one of the more emotional events I’ve been to that I carried with me into the next day. To see something normal feel so abnormal was jarring to its core, and I will not forget it. Take time to heal, or press right on forward into bellowing for your team; everyone reacts differently. But hopefully between the result and demeanor on Monday night, it helps in whatever way you need it to.

2). The loudest cheer for a substitution during the evening was the obligatory rousing applause for Joe Ingles, following shortly behind by Joan Beringer’s entrance. The French rookie is working is way into fans’ good graces, both online and in real life. His continuous hustle for loose balls, lack of shying away from contact, and can’t-miss athleticism are easy reasons as to why it could be, but I also think fans see him as a solution to the bench problems above. I don’t think that’s the case. Happy to be proven wrong. Until then, it seems as though he’ll continue to be a matchup-specific chess piece.

3). Anthony Edwards was a late scratch and Finch said after the game that he was not aware of it heading into the evening. Frankly, this is a time where I start to get concerned about things in that it could be a nagging issue. Late scratches are never really a good sign, but Finch had no update with confidence that Edwards would be definitively back in the lineup after Monday, and that he was not able to speak to the performance staff as of his press conference. Something to certainly keep an eye on, and in hoping that it isn’t an injury that bleeds into the All-Star break.

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Up Next

The Wolves will head to Julius Randle’s home city of Dallas on Wednesday and take on a Mavericks team currently punching above its weight class. The Mavs have won four of their last five, two of which coming against the vaunted and merciless Utah Jazz (or so we saw when the Wolves went to Salt Lake City a week ago).

Because Anthony Edwards was out on Monday night with right foot injury maintenance, it would be expected that he makes his return to the lineup on Wednesday.

Tipoff is at 7:30 PM CST. and broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network.

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Highlights

HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant each scored 33 points as the Houston Rockets broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-99 on Monday night.

The Rockets trailed by a point at the start of the fourth before going on a 21-9 run in the first seven minutes of the period to seize control and win for the fifth time in six games.

Tari Eason scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half and Amen Thompson finished with 14 assists and eight points. Reed Sheppard, who earlier Monday was named to the Rising Stars game for the NBA's All-Star weekend, finished with four points on 2-for-11 shooting, including 0 for 7 from 3-point distance.

Sengun had an impressing shooting night for the Rockets, going 7 for 7 from the field in the first half and 15 for 17 overall. He also contributed nine rebounds and six assists.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama scored 17 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who lost their third straight, for the fourth time in five games and for the 10 time in 13 games. GG Jackson added 14 points, Jaylen Wells had 12 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 11. Cam Spencer, who along with Wells and Cedric Coward, was named to the Rising Stars game, finished with 14 assists and five points.

Both teams struggled with their shooting in the first half. The Grizzlies shot 37% (21 for 57) from the field, including 4 for 19 (21%) from 3-point distance, yet led 54-51 after two quarters. The Rockets shot just a bit better, going 20 for 51 (39%) from the field and 5 for 20 (20%) from distance.

Trailing 77-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, Houston went on a 12-2 run to take control and extended its lead in the period. The Grizzlies trimmed their deficit down the stretch, but were never able to catch up.

Memphis was without two-time All-Star Ja Morant, who is out for at least the next three weeks due to a sprained ligament in his left elbow. He was injured Wednesday during the Grizzlies’ 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Grizzlies last played Friday, losing to New Orleans. Their game against Denver scheduled for Sunday was postponed due to extreme weather in the Memphis area.

Up next

Grizzlies: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

Rockets: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA