Category: Basketball

SEATTLE (AP) — Hannah Brandt had the only goal in a shootout and Aerin Frankel finished with 36 saves to help the Boston Fleet pull out a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Torrent at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday night.

Brandt beat Seattle goaltender Corinne Schroeder to deal the Torrent the loss in their first overtime match at home in their first season in the league. Schroeder totaled 20 saves.

Megan Keller scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 12:28 in the first period to give Boston (8-1-2-2) a 1-0 lead. Four of Keller's five goals this season have come with an extra skater. Susanna Tapani collected her fifth assist and Abby Newhook notched her first.

Seattle (3-1-2-5) outshot the Fleet 11-4 in the first 20 minutes but couldn't take advantage of its two power-play opportunities.

The Torrent tied it 1-1 at 14:12 in the second period on a one-timer by Julia Gosling, who leads the club with 10 points on five goals and five assists. Brooke Bryant and Cayla Barnes picked up their first assists.

Boston killed a third power play late in the second to extend the Torrent's scoreless streak with an extra skater to 17. The Fleet haved surrendered just one goal in 30 power-play opportunities by their opponents, tops in the league.

Schroeder saved a point-blank shot by Jill Sauinier in the final minute of regulation to keep it tied and also had a save on a one-on-one shot by Haley Winn in the first minute of overtime.

Boston leads the league with 28 points, six clear of the second-place New York Sirens. Seattle earns a point and is tied for last place with the first-year Vancouver Goldeneyes, although the Torrent have two matches in hand.

Up next

Seattle: Hosts Toronto on Tuesday.

Boston: Hosts New York on Jan. 28.

___

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Center Steven Adams suffered a sprained ankle during the Houston Rockets' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Jan. 18.

Adams was unable to find a good landing upon a block attempt and fell to the ground holding his leg with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter. He went back to the locker room and did not return to the game.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka told reporters after the 119-110 victory that Adams has an ankle sprain. While he was said to have had quite a bit of swelling, the center did not suffer a broken bone.

Adams had five points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes of play on Sunday. The former first-round pick has averaged 5.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steven Adams injury update: Rockets center avoids major injury

The Lakers were as whole as they have been in a while Sunday, giving Coach JJ Redick more weapons at his disposal at a time when their schedule has picked up the pace.

They got Luka Doncic (left groin soreness), center Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) and backup center Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring tendinopathy) back in the fold for Sunday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Crypto.com Arena. Only Austin Reaves (left calf strain) remained sidelined.

More so, it was a back-to-back game that even LeBron James played in a night after the Lakers lost in Portland.

Simply put, the Lakers are a sound basketball team when healthy and they are really good when Doncic, James and Ayton all score at least 20 points in a game like they did in a 110-93 victory in which they held the Raptors to a season-low in points.

The Lakers entered the game having lost five of their last six games and had surrendered over 130 points in their last two losses.

“This is a very tough time of year for everybody in the NBA right now,” said Redick after his team improved to 25-16 at the halfway mark of their 82-game schedule. “...There are a number of teams that have rotation players, starter-level players, all-star level players like us that are out of the lineup or in and out of the lineup.

"It can make an already difficult stretch of the season even more difficult, and the guys have done a great job of just getting through the stretch fighting. And really, we're starting to get healthy and hopefully we get AR (Austin Reaves) back soon.”

Ayton was on top of his game, producing a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He also was 10 for 10 from the field and five for six from the free-throw line.

And the big 7-foot center made history in the process. He became just the third player in Lakers history to shoot 100% from the field on 10 attempts with at least 10 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain (March 11, 1969) and Mitch Kupchak (Nov. 10, 1981).

Ayton also became the first player in the NBA this season to record a 20-point game on perfect shooting with at least 10 field-goal attempts and he was the 34th player in league history to accomplish the feat.

“I definitely give it up to my teammates,” Ayton said. “They find me in the easiest spots ever and I got some easy ones tonight, for sure.”

Doncic registered 25 points and seven assists and James had 24 points and seven assists.

Read more:Plaschke: After Rich Paul drama, fans favor Austin Reaves over LeBron James and you can’t blame them

Rui Hachimura came off the bench to score 10 points for a Lakers team that entered the game having lost five of their last six games.

Doncic and Ayton made their presence felt in the first half.

Despite picking up three fouls in the half and getting hit with a technical foul in the first quarter, Doncic had 18 points and five assists in the first 24 minutes. His three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Lakers a 55-54 lead.

Ayton was active from the start, running the court, catching lob passes and scoring in the post, which allowed him to finish the first half with 12 points on six-for-six shooting and seven rebounds.

The Lakers will begin what’s known as the “Grammys Trip” on Tuesday, an eight-game affair that will have them on the road for about two and a half weeks.

They will start at Denver and go to the Clippers, Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, the Knicks and the Nets.

This trip will come off the Lakers playing five games in seven days, of which there were two sets of back-to-back games.

“We finished five games in eight nights and started five games in seven nights, and tonight's the culmination of that,” Redick said before Sunday's game. “So it's been a difficult stretch, particularly with injuries and certain games.”

The plan for the game against the Raptors was to play 10 players, Redick said, a change from the usual nine-man rotation.

Read more:Why LeBron James' Lakers jersey has a new 'super cool' patch

All 10 of the players Redick played when the game mattered the most and all of them played a role in keeping the team fresh and energized.

Something the Lakers will need going forward.

“Again, I'm not blaming anything, but this in-season tournament cup with that break has just created a very imbalanced cadence of games,” said Redick, referring to the NBA Cup tournament. “And outside of All-Star break, I think our next two-day break between games is like the end of March, or something like that. So, you kind of have no choice but to prioritize the rest and recovery.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant had 18 points and moved into sixth place on the NBA’s career points list, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored a season-high 32 points as the Houston Rockets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 119-110 Sunday night.

Alperen Sengun had 21 points and eight rebounds and Amen Thompson finished with 20 points as Houston won for the third time in four games.

Trey Murphy III scored 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting and Zion Williamson had 20 points and six rebounds. Derik Queen finished with 15 points for the Pelicans, who lost for the fourth time in five games and 13th time in 15 games.

With 15.2 seconds left in the game, Durant stepped to the free throw line needing one point to pass Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki (31,560 points) on the NBA’s scoring list. The 15-time All-Star made two free throws and received a standing ovation from the home crowd. Durant now has 31,562 career points. Michael Jordan is fifth on the list at 32,292.

GRIZZLIES 126, MAGIC 109

LONDON (AP) — Ja Morant had 24 points and 13 assists in his return to the lineup to lead Memphis Grizzlies to a victory over Orlando in the first NBA regular-season game in London since 2019.

Jock Landale added 21 points and 8 rebounds and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 17 points as Memphis avenged its 118-111 loss to Orlando in Berlin on Thursday in the first of their European doubleheader.

Orlando trailed by 33 points in the first half before reducing the deficit to 17 on Paolo Banchero’s 3-pointer to make it 108-91 with 8:15 left in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies closed it out from there.

Anthony Black led the Magic with 19 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and 7 rebounds. Banchero finished with 16 on 7 of 20 shooting. He also had 9 assists and 8 rebounds.

The game at London’s O2 Arena was the 10th regular-season game in the English capital. The first one was March 4, 2011.

Europe is set to host two more regular-season games in 2027. The host cities are Paris and Manchester, England. In 2028, Paris and Berlin will host games.

LAKERS 110, RAPTORS 93

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 25 points and seven assists, LeBron James added 24 points and seven assists, and Los Angeles returned to form with a victory over Toronto.

Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 13 rebounds in his impressive return from a knee injury for the Lakers, who won for just the second time in seven games while playing their final home game before an eight-game, 15-day road trip.

Ayton had his highest-scoring performance since Nov. 3 while making all 10 of his shots.

Doncic also returned with a strong performance after missing Saturday’s loss at Portland to rest his nagging injuries, hitting five 3-pointers.

James played in back-to-back games for the second time this season — and the second time this week, capably completing a set of five games in seven days for the 41-year-old superstar who had previously been resting for one game in back-to-back sets.

Scottie Barnes had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time in four weeks after the Clippers beat them in Toronto on Friday. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 20 points and former Lakers draft pick Brandon Ingram added 19 points and seven assists for Toronto, which faded in the fourth quarter in the opener of a five-game road trip.

BULLS 124, NETS 102

CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 24 points, Ayo Dosunmu had 19 and Chicago beat Brooklyn to split a home-and-home set.

The Nets won the opener 112-109 on Friday night in Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Chicago. Matas Buzelis also scored 17 points.

Nolan Traore scored 16 points for Brooklyn. Danny Wolf and Jalen Wilson each had 14. The Nets have lost nine of 11.

Dosunmu had 3-pointers at the beginning and end of a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to help the Bulls take a 39-22 lead into the second. Chicago led 70-51 at the half and the advantage stayed above 20 points for most of the second half.

HORNETS 110, NUGGETS 87

DENVER (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 23 points, Tidjane Salaun came off the bench for 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Charlotte blew past the injury-depleted Denver.

Rookie big man Ryan Kalkbrenner had 17 points and six rebounds, Collin Sexton had 14 points and five assists, and LaMelo Ball had 10 points, six assists and three steals for Charlotte.

Over the past three games, Miller has averaged 25.7 points per game.

The Hornets had lost four of their previous six games and entered the night 1-9 in its past 10 matchups against Denver, which suffered its second-most lopsided loss of the season.

The Nuggets were without five of their top eight scorers — center Nikola Jokic (bone bruise in left knee), forward Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), forward Cameron Johnson (bone bruise in right knee), guard Christian Braun (left ankle sprain) and center Jonas Valanciunas (right calf strain). The five players combine to average 77.3 points per game.

TRAIL BLAZERS 117, KINGS 110

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Deni Avdija had 26 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in his return from a back injury to help Portland beat Sacramento.

Avdija missed three games after straining his lower back late in a game against New York last Sunday. He looked fine while helping Portland to its ninth victory in 12 games, going 10 of 18 from the floor in 31 minutes.

Shaedon Sharpe also had 26 points, and Donovan Clingan added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Toumani Camara had 17 points as the Trail Blazers won their third consecutive game against the Kings this season.

The Trail Blazers have won 12 of 15 games to get back to .500 at 22-22 for the first time since they were 6-6 on Nov. 11.

Malik Monk scored 23 points for the Kings, while Russell Westbrook added 20 points and seven assists. Domantas Sabonis had eight points and six turnovers for the Kings in his second game since missing 27 games because of a knee injury.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, Connor Ingram made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the St. Louis Blues 5-0 on Sunday.

Vasily Podkolzin had a goal and an assist and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Andrew Mangiapane also scored for the Oilers, who have gone 5-1-2 in their last eight games.

Nugent-Hopkins played in his 1,000th regular-season contest, becoming just the 63rd player in history to record a goal in his milestone match. Connor McDavid and Mattias Ekholm each had a pair of assists.

Edmonton is now 21-1-4 when scoring first this season.

Jordan Binnington had 23 saves for St. Louis, who snapped a two-game win streak..

Blues forward Dylan Holloway returned after missing the last 15 games with an ankle injury.

Hyman has 17 goals in his last 20 games, the most by any player in the league since Dec. 11.

Nugent-Hopkins, who was honored in a pregame ceremony, is the first player in Oilers history to hit 1,000 games while playing them all with Edmonton. Only Kevin Lowe has played more games in Oilers franchise history, logging 1,037 games played between his two stints with the squad. Nugent-Hopkins has 283 goals and 503 assists .

Up next

Blues: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

Oilers: Host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

___

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/NHL

All Times EST

Monday, Jan. 19

NBA

Milwaukee at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Cleveland, 2:30 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Washington, 3 p.m.

Dallas at New York, 5 p.m.

Utah at San Antonio, 5 p.m.

Indiana at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Phoenix at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Detroit, 8 p.m.

Miami at Golden State, 10 p.m.

NHL

Buffalo at Carolina, 1:30 p.m.

Washington at Colorado, 4 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Seattle, 5 p.m.

San Jose at Florida, 6 p.m.

Minnesota at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Vegas, 8 p.m.

Winnipeg at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

New Jersey at Calgary, 9 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

N.Y. Rangers at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

CFP National Championship

No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 10 Miami at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

T25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 1 UConn vs. No. 23 Notre Dame, 5 p.m.

No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 8 Michigan at Newark, N.J., 2:30 p.m.

No. 10 TCU vs. No. 14 Ohio St. at Newark, N.J., noon

No. 22 Princeton vs. Harvard, 2 p.m.

_____

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hannah Stuelke had 22 points, Ava Heiden scored 20 and No. 11 Iowa beat No. 15 Michigan State 75-68 on Sunday night, snapping the Spartans' nine-game winning streak while extending the Hawkeyes' to six in a row.

Stuelke made 10 of 14 shots and 2 of 4 free throws for the Hawkeyes (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten Conference). She added nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. Heiden hit 8 of 13 shots and 4 of 5 free throws, adding six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Chazadi Wright had 11 points and five assists.

Grace VanSlooten had 17 points and seven rebounds to pace the Spartans (17-2, 6-2). Jalyn Brown scored 16 and Juliann Woodard added 14 points off the bench.

Stuelke made a layup and two free throws in the final 51 seconds and Chazadi Wright hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Iowa took a 22-16 lead in a first quarter that saw nine lead changes and two ties.

Addison Deal came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers, scoring all eight of her points in the second quarter to help the Hawkeyes take a 41-29 lead at halftime.

Another Wright 3-pointer gave Iowa its largest lead — 53-36 with 5:53 left in the third quarter. Michigan State chipped away and used Jalyn Brown's layup in the final minute to cut it to 65-56 heading to the fourth.

Brown hit a jumper to get the Spartans within 71-66 with 3:28 left but they would get no closer.

Iowa shot 53.6% overall while holding Michigan State to 44.6%.

Up next

Michigan State: Hosts Southern California on Thursday.

Iowa: At No. 12 Maryland on Thursday.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

It’s rare to have a regular season game where just about everyone’s attention in the arena is elsewhere. That’s where the fans at United Center found themselves on Sunday evening as the hometown Bears took on the Los Angeles Rams in the last game of the NFL Divisional Round. It was a thriller at Solider Field, but at the United Center, it was an easy, stress-free night of basketball.

The Brooklyn Nets were without Michael Porter Jr and Drake Powell tonight as they sat the first leg of a traveling back-to-back. To begin the game, Brooklyn got off to a good start as they found some early success from three point range.

the rooks letting it fly early 🎯👌 pic.twitter.com/T0xVfgwDNN

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 19, 2026

However, the highlights ended there as the Bulls regained the lead and never looked back.

The Nets defense made a dramatic turnaround in December, and it started with their defense. They held teams to just 32.8% from deep, third lowest in the NBA and just 105.4 points per 100 possessions, tops in the league. The team defense has started to slip in January, as teams shot 37.2% from three against them in January, 21st in the league. Tonight, we saw why.

Chicago’s offense started to figure things out in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game. Although their rally fell short, they went 6-12 from three point range and felt incredibly confident coming into tonight’s game. That confidence shined early and often in the Windy City. In the first half, the Bulls went 12-20 from three point range. The Nets’ switching defense wasn’t as in sync as they normally are and there were numerous breakdowns in their coverage. Coby White was the beneficiary of those lapses as his five first half threes

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Coby White hits his first FIVE threes in the first half!@CobyWhite | @CHSN__pic.twitter.com/bUSS7sIwL2

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 19, 2026

It was over early and the lead grew to as big as 27 points in the second half. The Nets tried switching things up by going with a starting five of Nolan Traore-Cam Thomas-Tyrese Martin-Jalen Wilson-Nic Claxton combination. As far as I could tell doing a quick scan of the NBA’s lineup data and in Basketball-Reference, it was the first time Jordi Fernandez went to that pairing. It didn’t help as the Bulls built their lead to 26 before the Nets went to the bench. With the game fully in hand, it was a slow crawl to the finish line and everyone could focus on the win the city is desperately hoping for over at Soldier Field.

“[We were] lacking on the defense, especially in the first half,” Fernández said post-game. “[To allow] 70 points in the first half, that’s not good enough. I don’t think it was good either in the second, but I don’t think we played hard consistently. We tried at times [but] our purpose was not there. That’s the battle we need to fight first, is to do everything as hard as you can to the best of your abilities, then put your mind on what you’re trying to do.

“Everything has to be done with purpose. You cannot just run around crazy and that’s it. So, that’s very important. No matter who we have out there … I believe we can go out, compete and win. And [Sunday] we didn’t compete to the best of our ability. So, I’m the first one to blame. Watch film [Monday], try to compete better.”

Final score: Chicago Bulls 124, Brooklyn Nets 102.

Milestone Watch

If you’re looking for a positive, Cam Thomas did tie his career high with ten assists on the night to only one turnover. CT’s playmaking has been a point of conversation throughout his time as a pro and a night like this should help him down the line. He had a season low (excluding the game he left early due to a hamstring injury) three points, but scoring has never been an issue for him.

Nolan Traoré set a career high in points (16) and three pointers made (four) off the bench, and with the team likely to be sitting players in their next game, has an opportunity to carve out even more minutes for himself.

With the loss, the Nets remain in fifth in the Tankathon lottery ratings, one game behind the Utah Jazz and fourth and a half behind the Indiana Pacers who are in first four-and-a-half games ahead (behind?) the Nets.

Next up

Speaking of the next game, it’s a quick turnaround for Brooklyn. The Nets are back in action tomorrow night against a surprising Phoenix Suns team. Tip off on MLK Day at 7:30 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Chicago Bulls 124, Brooklyn Nets 1o1 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Chicago Bulls 124, Brooklyn Nets 101 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame interview (Video) – YES Network
• Bulls beat Nets 124-102 to split home-and-home set – AP
• Nets show little fight in loss to Bulls and remain winless without Michael Porter Jr. – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Bulls bury Nets under barrage of 3s in 124-102 rematch win ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nolan Traore’s shot isn’t falling, but his role in the Nets’ offense is growing – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades: Nolan Traore drops 16 in 124-102 loss at Bulls – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 24 points, Ayo Dosunmu had 19 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-102 on Sunday night to split a home-and-home set.

The Nets won the opener 112-109 on Friday night in Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Chicago. Matas Buzelis also scored 17 points.

Nolan Traore scored 16 points for Brooklyn. Danny Wolf and Jalen Wilson each had 14. The Nets have lost nine of 11.

Dosunmu had 3-pointers at the beginning and end of a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to help the Bulls take a 39-22 lead into the second. Chicago led 70-51 at the half and the advantage stayed above 20 points for most of the second half.

The Bulls average more than 20,000 fans at the United Center, but there were plenty of empty seats at tip-off, which came 30 minutes after the Los Angeles Rams and Bears kicked off their NFC division round game a few miles away at Soldier Field. The Bears’ first touchdown occurred just before an early timeout and got a loud roar from the crowd when a replay was shown on the video board.

Up next

Nets: Host Phoenix on Monday night.

Bulls: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic were in London for a regular-season game in London on Sunday, Jan. 18.

Actor Vanessa Williams was tasked with singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game at London's O2 Arena.

During Williams' rendition of the song, a member of the crowd was heard interrupting and drawing a reaction from the crowd. "Leave Greenland alone," the audience member yelled before the comment was met with cheers from the crowd.

Loud booing for the US national anthem at the O2 this evening.

"Leave Greenland alone!" got a massive cheer. pic.twitter.com/X8HSRGg0Nl

— Chris Daw KC (@crimlawuk) January 18, 2026

President Donald Trump had threatened a 25% tariff on European countries, including the United Kingdom, if America wasn't allowed to buy Greenland.

The heckling that took place on Sunday is just the latest incident in which a sporting event has served as a platform for a member of the audience to share its displeasure for the U.S. president and his foreign policies. Canadians booed during the national anthem in 2025 after verbally threatening to raise tariffs on goods.

The NBA previously had held a game in London annually from 2011 until 2019 (other than during the 2012 season). The league returned for Sunday's game after holding a game between the Magic and Grizzlies in Berlin on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Audience member heckles during US anthem before NBA London game

CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 24 points, Ayo Dosunmu had 19 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-102 on Sunday night to split a home-and-home set.

The Nets won the opener 112-109 on Friday night in Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Chicago. Matas Buzelis also scored 17 points.

Nolan Traore scored 16 points for Brooklyn. Danny Wolf and Jalen Wilson each had 14. The Nets have lost nine of 11.

Dosunmu had 3-pointers at the beginning and end of a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to help the Bulls take a 39-22 lead into the second. Chicago led 70-51 at the half and the advantage stayed above 20 points for most of the second half.

The Bulls average more than 20,000 fans at the United Center, but there were plenty of empty seats at tip-off, which came 30 minutes after the Los Angeles Rams and Bears kicked off their NFC division round game a few miles away at Soldier Field. The Bears’ first touchdown occurred just before an early timeout and got a loud roar from the crowd when a replay was shown on the video board.

Up next

Nets: Host Phoenix on Monday night.

Bulls: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

___

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

We’ve finally passed it: the halfway marker. 42 games are officially filed away, and just 40 more contests remain. So set up camp, pitch your tent, fill your water reserves, light a fire, roast a s’more, burn a marshmallow beyond recognition, try again, same result, cut your losses, and ingest the charcoal-esque blackness of a failed marshmallow roast between two graham crackers. Take your rest, because if you thought the first half of the season would be challenging, it would be best to learn to disconnect from your emotions, and simply allow the remaining season to wash over you like the tide.

We’ve witnessed the rebirth of the 2023-24 era Lauri Markkanen. We’ve celebrated the emergence of rising star Keyonte George as he knocks on the door of All-Star consideration. We’ve been brought to tears by the majestic flight of rookie Ace Bailey, and we’ve likewise been brought to tears by the incorporeal return of Taylor Hendricks. Brice Sensabaugh scored 43 points in a game — that was real.

We’ve mourned victories and applauded defeat. We’ve watched with bated breath as Utah dangles its first-round pick inches from the fangs of the rabid dog that is OKC. We’ve made new friends, and we’ve forged new rivalries.

The Dallas Mavericks’ fanbase has signed a declaration of war against the Utah Jazz (for… losing to them? Tanking better than the team with Cooper Flagg? I’m not entirely clear), which is something that Spurs fans should be able to empathise with, being Dallas’ storied in-state rival.

This season, San Antonio is everything that Utah is not. They boast certifiable stars in Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. They have nailed their recent draft picks like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Utah hopes to compete in the distant future; San Antonio promises to confront them in the Playoffs if that day ever arrives.

The result of this basketball game shouldn’t really be in question (the Spurs are home favorites by 16.5 points at the time of writing this), but the dichotomy between these two teams compels me toward introspection.

The Utah Jazz (14-28) visit the San Antonio Spurs (29-13) with near-perfectly inverse records. The visitors lose nearly as often as the hosts win, and vice versa. This is true despite the fact that these two are virtually identical in average age of their players, Utah (25.3 years old average), the eighth-youngest roster in the NBA, and San Antonio (26.3 years), just one year older (per NBAage.com, which is a phenomenal URL for exactly this type of data). The fundamental difference between these two teams is the quality of their depth chart, where the Spurs are so age-efficient with their roster that they possess a player whose mere existence threatens the dynamic of basketball at large.

Their most apparent advantage over the likes of Utah? Draft position. The Spurs have selected second, fourth, and first in the past three drafts, while the Jazz were left with scraps, picking fifth, tenth, and ninth in the same years.

And with a larger margin for error, the Spurs have hit the bullseye every. Single. Time. Is Utah cursed with poor lottery luck? Will the Jazz ever be rewarded for their misery with a top pick, or are they doomed to circle their goals in perpetual motion? This question will gradually be answered as the season reaches its twilight, but for the moment, Utah faces yet another challenge.

So here we sit at the midpoint of the 2025-26 journey. Staring into the face of a team miles ahead of the Jazz despite beginning in the same place just a few years ago. Set in the southern end of the Lone Star State, the Utah Jazz square off against the San Antonio Spurs.

How to watch Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs:

Date: Monday, Jan 19, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM MT
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: SAS -16.5

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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.

HOUSTON (AP) — Kingston Flemings had 20 points and eight assists, Chris Cenac Jr. added a career high-tying 18 points and No. 7 Houston extended its winning streak to 11 games with a 103-73 victory over Arizona State on Sunday night.

Cenac, who also had eight rebounds and five assists, had 12 points and led six Houston players with at least eight points in the first half as the Cougars (17-1, 5-0 Big 12) built a 56-29 lead at the break. Houston shot 55% and was 8 of 16 from 3-point distance in the first half.

Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan each had 16 points and Joseph Tugler finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which shot 56% and was 12 for 25 from long distance. The Cougars, who posted their highest point total of the season, have won 15 straight games at home.

Houston forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 31 points, and held a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint.

Andrija Grbovic scored 14 points, Anthony Johnson added 12 and Bryce Ford and Noah Meeusen scored 10 apiece for Arizona State (10-8, 1-4). The Sun Devils shot 41% and were 9 of 25 on 3-pointers. Arizona State was 20 of 24 from the free throw line, but lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Houston jumped out to a 30-5 lead on a layup by Flemings with about 11½ minutes remaining in the first half. Cenac had 10 points, and Flemings had six points in the game-opening run. The Cougars shot 12 of 15 from the field to start the game.

Houston got off to a fast start for the second straight game. The Cougars opened up their 77-48 win over West Virginia on Wednesday with a 28-5 run.

Up next

Arizona State: Hosts West Virginia on Wednesday.

Houston: At No. 15 Texas Tech on Saturday.

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers guard Darius Garland will be sidelined for at least one week due to a sprained right great toe.

Garland suffered the injury on Jan. 14 at Philadelphia and missed Friday's game against the 76ers. The Cavaliers said further evaluation and imaging on Saturday revealed a Grade 1 sprain. The seventh-year guard will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days as he undergoes treatment.

The two-time All-Star has missed 16 games this season due to a nagging injury to his left great toe, which he struggled with during the closing month of last season and the playoffs. Garland had surgery on the toe during the offseason.

Garland is averaging 20.2 points and 7.4 assists over this last 16 games. He was shooting 50.4% from the floor and made 42 of 100 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers have been plagued by injuries all season. After having the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, they are 24-19 and fifth in the East going into Monday afternoon's game against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

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A decimated Los Angeles Lakers squad was blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, Jan. 17. It was an uphill battle from the beginning as L.A. was without Luka Dončić, Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, Austin Reaves and Adou Thiero. The Lakers also took some hits to Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia in-game, throwing their statuses for the second half of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Jan. 18 in doubt – at least initially.

Adding to the laundry list of question marks, LeBron James is expected to be a game-time decision, as is to be the case with every back-to-back going forward.

The Lakers are getting some much-needed relief on Sunday, with both Ayton and Hayes expected to back on the court. It also appears as though they've dodged a bullet as neither Smart or LaRavia were listed on the injury report.

That leaves the two biggest questions that likely won't be definitively answered until we get closer to tip-off: Will Dončić and James take the court vs. the Raptors?

Here's everything you need to know about the status of the two Lakers stars:

CLIPPERS: Kawhi Leonard out at least two more games with knee issue

Is Luka Doncic playing tonight vs. Raptors?

Dončić is questionable to play with left groin soreness, according to the latest NBA injury report released at 5:30 p.m. ET. He originally told reporters on Jan. 12 he "felt something" in his groin/inner thigh area during pregame warmups, but he ended up playing through both games of the Lakers' back-to-back early last week.

Dončić also played in Thursday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 39 points before sitting out on Saturday.

Is LeBron James playing tonight?

James is also listed as questionable for Sunday night's games, which is to be expected after the 41-year-old said as much to reporters a week ago.

“I’m 41 years old. Every back to back for the rest of the season is TBD.”

LeBron James makes one thing certain — he is TBD for all back-to-back games in his 23rd NBA season 😭

pic.twitter.com/cUMeGVK9Jj

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) January 7, 2026

James did play in the Lakers' most recent back-to-back on January 12 and 13, logging 33 minutes in each and coming up just one rebound shy of a 31-point triple-double in a 141-116 blowout win over the Hawks.

In Saturday night's loss to the Trail Blazers, James scored 20 points and led the team in assists and rebounds with nine and eight, respectively.

Lakers injuries

Ayton and Hayes both did not play on Saturday, leaving the door open for Drew Timme to see extended minutes at center. Smart limped off the court following a collision midway through the fourth quarter, but he was not listed on Sunday's injury report. Both Ayton and Hayes are also expected to return against Toronto.

The only other names on the Lakers injury report ahead of the game are Reaves (left calf strain) and Thiero (right MCL sprain), who have both missed extended time and are expected to be re-evaluated towards the end of the month.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James, Luka Doncic injury update for Lakers vs Raptors tonight