Category: Basketball

The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the win column. They knocked down the Portland Trail Blazers behind a monster game from Jarrett Allen.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

14 points, 9 assists, 0 rebounds, 2 steals

You rarely see a game flow away from the team’s best player. But Portland clearly didn’t want Mitchell to break free—and Mitchell had no interest in pressing the issue. He drew a crowd and let his teammates do the rest all night.

Grade: B+

Jarrett Allen

40 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks

This was the best game of Allen’s career. Even before he set a new career-high with 40 points, Allen was doing everything you could dream of. Rolling hard to the rim, catching and pirouetting for layups. Dream shaking his defenders out of their shoes. And all the while, cleaning the glass and blocking shots.

This is the type of performance that gets you a pass for the foreseeable future. Allen has to play a few stinkers before anyone can say anything bad about him again.

Oh, by the way, did I mention this stat line has never been recorded in under 30 minutes before?

Grade: A+++

Jaylon Tyson

18 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists

It would have been easy to miss Tyson tonight. A few of his teammates stole the show. But even though it was quiet, 18 points on 4-4 three-point shooting is the type of stuff I don’t want to take for granted.

Grade: A+

Sam Merrill

22 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds

Merrill did his thing. His barrage of three-pointers gave Cleveland its biggest lead of the night, and he was great at using the space created by Mitchell to punish Portland’s defense.

Grade: A+

Thomas Bryant

10 points, 1 rebound

Another solid showing from Cleveland’s third-string big. Nothing crazy, but a reliable presence.

Grade: B-

Dean Wade

6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals

Wade was a team-high plus-32 tonight. Being a good defender who can hit a pair of triples goes a long way.

Grade: A-

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

12 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal

I appreciate that Tomlin has never backed away from a scuffle. Sometimes we can overstate the value of mental toughness. At the same time, being fearless is part of the job. It’s something you can’t fake. Tomlin has this in spades.

Grade: B–

Lonzo Ball

3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Ball hit a three-pointer tonight. He was also a minus-10 in a game the Cavs won by 19 points.

So, yeah.

Grade: D+

Craig Porter Jr.

3 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 blocks

Porter might record a 5×5 one day. That’s crazy for an undrafted 6’1” guard.

That said, he probably won’t get many opportunities once Darius Garland, Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, and Keon Ellis are available. So let’s give Craig his flowers now.

I’ve really enjoyed watching Porter dish the ball this season. He has serious limitations as a non-shooter, but man, can he get downhill and sling the rock.

Grade: A+

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers behind the best game of Jarrett Allen’s career.

WINNER – Jarrett Allen

Last game, I gave Allen a WINNER for his dominant first half—a first half that never translated to anything in the second as the Cavs let the Suns pull away from them. I’m glad to say I can give him a proper WINNER for a complete performance this time.

Allen was dominant start to finish. Portland had no reprieve as he ran the floor and finished every opportunity in sight. He was too fast for Donovan Clingan—and too big for anyone else on the court. Allen had 25 points and 10 rebounds at halftime and felt little resistance for the rest of the game.

It wasn’t just transition dunks or dump-off layups. Allen put on a show with his spin moves and crafty finishes. He even unleashed a textbook dream shake in the third quarter

It was so nasty https://t.co/84h8fnKUJVpic.twitter.com/Tr0xae9ZMA

— Dylan🔮🎆 (@dillybar2145__) February 2, 2026

Allen finished with a career-high 40 points to go with 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. That’s a statline that’s never been done before in under 30 minutes.

Jarrett Allen with 40 points, 16 boards, 5 assists and 4 blocks. And he's the ONLY GUY IN NBA HISTORY to do it in less than 30 minutes.

Log off the trade machine. I'm placing you all on a 24-hour embargo.

— Fear the 'Fro: A Cleveland Cavs Podcast (@FeartheFroPod) February 2, 2026

WINNER – Jarrett Allen (again)

Yeah, that’s right. We’re making history with the first-ever double WINNER.

While Allen’s performance tonight was special, I wanted to take an extra second to appreciate what goes into a game like this. Because the Cavs roster construction isn’t built in a way that benefits someone like Allen. At least, not traditionally.

NBA teams typically build around one rim-running big, not two. Being paired with Mobley could have been a deal breaker for Allen. Or a major hindrance to his production. But it hasn’t been. Allen has consistently shown up to do his job (save for a playoff series in 2023) and has always stepped up when Mobley is out. Tonight is another example of this.

For as much as we talk about Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, it remains great that the Cavs have an option like Allen, who can deliver performances like this throughout the season.

Most teams aren’t able to lean on their fourth-best player in the way Cleveland can. And, most players of Allen’s caliber aren’t willing to be the fourth rung on the ladder. Yet he’s never once complained, made excuses, or succumbed to the rampant online criticism. Allen has always been unapologetically himself, and that’s worthy of my respect.

WINNER – Craig Porter Jr. and Sam Merrill

Let’s just lump these two together.

Porter dished out 12 assists in 27 minutes tonight. He’s provided a huge boost of playmaking off the bench with Darius Garland on the sidelines. He’ll never be a volume scorer, but Porter has found a way to stuff the stat sheet and flirt with a 5×5 multiple times this season. He had 3 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks to go with his 12 assists. Truly a unique player in today’s NBA.

As for Merrill, this is the type of game that has become familiar. Merrill hit on 6-of-8 three-point attempts, pouring in 22 points in 29 minutes. He was Cleveland’s second leading scorer and helped blow this game open in the third quarter.

The Cavs need players to step up during this road trip. Big-time performances from Craig and Sam go a long way to stacking wins.

The Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from a poor showing against the Phoenix Suns on Friday by taking it to the Portland Trail Blazers with a 130-111 victory. Jarrett Allen’s 40-point performance led the way.

Allen was simply the best player on the court in what was the most impressive game of his entire career. Portland had absolutely no hope of stopping him inside, as he continually found creative ways to get to the basket. Poor Donovan Clingan didn’t have a chance of slowing Allen. He put up as much resistance as possible, which honestly wasn’t much at the end of the day.

This all led to a career-high 40 points on 16-23 shooting to go along with five assists.

Allen wasn’t just the best offensive player, he was also the best on the other end as well. Allen controlled the paint defensively as he came down with 17 rebounds, registered four blocks, and even threw in two steals for good measure.

It was a completely dominant performance from Allen.

Aside from Allen’s impressive showing, it was an overall weird game. The Cavs were without Evan Mobley (calf) and Darius Garland (foot) while the Blazers had to play without Deni Avdija (back), Scoot Henderson (hamstring), and Jrue Holiday (personal). Combine that with the fact that both teams just made trades and are in a position to make more, and it’s easy to see how you could get an odd showing.

This led to a somewhat disjointed first half for both teams, with the Cavs taking a nine-point advantage into the break thanks to Allen’s 25 first-half points.

The Cavs then broke things open in the third quarter. They won that frame 41-30 largely due to going 6-11 from three. Sam Merrill contributed two of those triples on a night he had it going from the outside.

The Trail Blazers fought back from what was a 24-point fourth-quarter deficit at one point. They cut the lead down to 10, forcing Cleveland to keep their starters in for most of the evening, but weren’t able to really make things interesting down the stretch.

Merrill seemingly couldn’t miss from beyond the arc. He went 6-8 from three en route to a 22-point performance.

Jaylon Tyson had another solid showing, despite the four turnovers. He went 7-12 from the field with 18 points on 4-4 shooting from deep to go along with six assists.

Donovan Mitchell didn’t have it going as a scorer, but he did a good job of setting up his teammates. He provided nine assists. Mitchell finished with 14 points on 6-15 shooting.

Craig Porter Jr. supplied a game-high 12 assists in the victory.

The Blazers were led by 21 points from Caleb Love. Shaedon Sharpe provided 20 points in the loss.

The Cavs have now won six of their last seven, nine of their last 12, and 13 of their last 18 games.

Cleveland’s Western Conference road trip will continue as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 10:30 PM.

The NBA trading deadline is upon us.

It was a quiet leadup to the final days before the Thursday, Feb. 5 deadline at 3 p.m. ET, with only one trade in the months of October, November, December and January. Compare that to last season, when there were five over that span.

Much of the league is watching the developments in Milwaukee concerning Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks, though action has started to pick up in recent days.

Keep track of every single trade executed during 2025-26 season below:

2025-26 NBA trade tracker

Hawks move on from Vít Krejčí (Feb. 1)

Portland Trail Blazers receive

• Vít Krejčí

Atlanta Hawks receive

• Duop Reath
• 2027 second-round pick (via Hawks)
• 2030 second-round pick (via Knicks)

Cavaliers move on from De’Andre Hunter (Feb. 1)

Sacramento Kings receive

• De’Andre Hunter (from Cavaliers)

Cleveland Cavaliers receive

• Keon Ellis (from Kings)
• Dennis Schröder (from Kings)
• Emanuel Miller (from Bulls)

Chicago Bulls receive

• Dario Šarić (from Kings)
• 2027 second-round pick (via Nuggets)
• 2029 second-round pick (via Kings)

➤ Trade details

Hawks move on from Trae Young (Jan. 9)

Washington Wizards receive

• Trae Young

Atlanta Hawks receive

• CJ McCollum
• Corey Kispert

➤ Trade details | Winners and losers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA trade deadline: Tracking every deal during 2025-26 season

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren joins John Stockton and Domantas Sabonis as the third former Zag to be named an NBA All-Star as a reserve for Team USA. It won’t be the last time that he’ll join the world’s greatest talents on the biggest stage, that’s for sure.

🌟 YOUR 2026 NBA ALL-STARS 🌟

Starters:

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Jaylen Brown
Jalen Brunson
Cade Cunningham
Stephen Curry
Luka Dončić
Nikola Jokić
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Tyrese Maxey
Victor Wembanyama

Reserves:

Deni Avdija
Scottie Barnes
Devin Booker
Kevin Durant
Jalen…

— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2026

The No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is currently averaging 17.8 points on a shooting split of 57.1 field goal percentage/37.7 three-point percentage/77.4 free throw percentage, 8.6 rebounds (No. 17 in the league), and 2.0 blocks per game (No. 3 in the league). His 13 double-doubles are tied for the 23rd-most in the NBA.

Holmgren’s a major reason why the reigning NBA champion Thunder holds down the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference standings at a 38-11 overall record. The two-way threat has always been an elite rim protector, but has stepped up offensively with wing Jalen Williams out for the majority of the 2025-26 season.

After missing the entirety of his first professional season in 2022-23 with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, Holmgren has come into his own and become a household name. He played all 82 games during the following season and was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference during the 2024-25 NBA Playoffs.

Holmgren did have another setback in the 2025-26 season with a right iliac wing fracture, forcing him to play only 32 regular-season games. He would come back stronger than ever during their recent magical playoff run and break the NBA Finals Game 7 blocks record with five.

At 23 years old, Holmgren is still just scratching the surface of his full potential. When he’s healthy, Gonzaga’s 2021-22 Second Team All-American is one of the best defenders on the planet.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored a career-high 32 points on 12-of-15 shooting and had seven assists on Sunday night to help Iowa beat short-handed Oregon 84-66 for its fourth win in a row.

Oregon (8-14, 1-10) has lost eight straight — its last seven by an average of 16.9 points — and nine of its last 11.

Alvaro Folgueiras added 15 points and eight rebounds, Brendan Hausen scored 11 and Cooper Koch 10 for Iowa (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten). The Hawkeyes shot 59% (33 of 56) from the field, hit 10 of 22 (44%) from 3-point range and committed a season-low five turnovers.

Kwame Evans Jr. sandwiched a pair of three-point plays around a dunk by Dezdrick Lindsay as Oregon scored eight of the first 12 second-half points to trim its deficit to five points with 16:38 left in the game. Stirtz scored 13 points in the next five-plus minutes before Koch scored in the lane to make it 59-43 with 10:23 remaining and Iowa led by at least nine the rest of the way.

Evans had 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, 1 of 7 from behind the arc, for the Ducks. Takai Simpkins, who missed Wednesday’s 73-57 loss to UCLA due to an ankle injury, scored 16 points and Lindsay added 10.

The Ducks were without Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle, Ege Demir and Devon Pryor due to various injuries. Drew Carter, a senior walk-on, made his first career start. The 6-foot-3 guard, in his second season with Oregon, played football at Colorado in 2022 and then transferred to Northern Colorado, where scored 11 points in nine appearance in the 2023-24 season.

Up next

Iowa: Visits Washington on Wednesday.

Oregon: Plays Saturday at No. 12 Purdue.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

At Madison Square Garden, the Knicks (31*-18) shook off a middling first half, outscored the Lakers 60–44 after halftime, and survived 15 lead changes to claim their sixth straight win, 112–100.

From the jump, L.A. attacked home plate and New York tried their luck from the outfield. The strategy showed promise with the first two longballs swished. When the shots stopped falling—and the visitors continued to find easy scoring opportunities—the home team slipped on the scoreboard.

Congratulations go out to Karl-Anthony Towns, selected today for his sixth All-Star Game. The Big Begonia pounded the glass early, but two quick fouls curtailed his quarter. The good news: KAT committed just one more foul in the game and would finish with an 11-13 double-double, four assists, two steals, and a team-high +23 in his 32 minutes. Great effort from him overall tonight.

Meanwhile, the Lakers embraced simplicity, benefiting from basic actions like alley-oops to Deandre Ayton. For the Knicks, Mikal Bridges grabbed a steal (good) but missed four of his first five shots (less good). Their offense flowed mostly through Jalen Brunson (12 points, 13 dimes, seven boards) and OG Anunoby, who scored 11 of his 25 total points in the first period.

WINGSTOP: Mikal’s ball pressure creates an open three for OG 🔥 pic.twitter.com/x6Yk9QSpSL

— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) February 2, 2026

After an uneven start, Luka Dončić gained steam and finished the night with 30 points, 15 boards, and eight assists. Under his leadership, his team dished and swished, assisting on 21 of their 38 made field goals tonight. They closed Q1 ahead, 33-27, while New York’s uninspired offense barely shot 40%.

The bench provided some uplift in the second frame. Tyler Kolek (eight points, four dimes, 13 minutes) and Mohamed Diawara delivered treys, and Landry Shamet chipped in a bucket to stay competitive. Shamet was the human torch tonight, dropping 23 points and hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Although L.A. led for most of the second quarter, when Kolek scored five unanswered points, the Knicks briefly went ahead with 4:40 left.

KAT returned and worked the glass, but the Knicks turned the ball over at a 2:1 ratio, thus hindering their progress. Across the aisle, LeBron (22 points) steadied things with midrange scores and free throws, while Ayton (13 points, five boards) and Hachimura (11 points, three rebounds) tidied up the iron. When a well-rested Luka checked back in, he fully shifted the balance back from orange to yellow. Sticking to the game plan, L.A. carried a 56-52 lead into intermission.

hart of the city 🫡 pic.twitter.com/2AetGDzF1Y

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 2, 2026

Through the first half, the Goldtrotters outshot the Knicks overall, 49% to 43%, with both teams attempting 43 field goals. New York had the better numbers from deep (41% to 30%) and on the glass (24-19), but had been outscored in the paint by eight and committed six turnovers. At the break, Luka led all scorers with 18 points and seven boards, while OG had 11 points for the hometown heroes.

Out of halftime, the Knicks went on a 12-7 run to reclaim the lead. With more focused hustle and flow, the starters made their shots, Josh Hart (20 points, four boards, 8-of-11 FG) provided invigorating constant motion, and Towns ruled the boards, collecting six boards and six points in the period.

A mid-quarter Hart three-pointer put New York up by six. He, Anunoby, and Shamet were shooting 18-of-27 for 50 points, while their teammates had hit just 16-of-53. Around then, Luka hit the jets to spark a 9-2 run and go ahead again, but our heroes responded with back-to-back Anunoby dunks and a Shamet breakaway that restored their advantage and set the crowd roaring. After that 15-5 run, the Knicks closed the frame, 90-82.

OG ANUNO-3️⃣

14 PTS | 4 REB | 2 AST pic.twitter.com/TqpUqKqEG5

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 2, 2026

New York kept pace with L.A. through the fourth with inside finishes from Bridges and Anunoby and a timely Hart three. Luka delivered a bomb that had the makings of trouble, but Shamet and Bridges countered with triples of their own. Around the three-minute mark, with a 10-point differential, Hart played excellent defense on Luka and altered a last-second heave. By not fouling, Hart forced a shot-clock violation, and Anunoby dunked on the subsequent possession. That sequence put a lid on the game. Smart drilled from deep near the two-minute mark, but two more bombs from ShamWow in the final minute-and-a-half drove in the final nails.

LeBron's defense SEALED the win for the Knicks:

🧱 Gives up open 3
🧱 Gives up offensive rebound
🧱 Gives up open 3 again

Just standing around 😭 pic.twitter.com/dcCaKqJmNW

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) February 2, 2026

Up Next

Professor Miranda is on your recap. As for our heroes, they’ll travel to D.C. to face the Wizards on Tuesday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count. 

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the Lakers' acquisition of Luka Doncic.

Coach JJ Redick acknowledged he felt "stressed" knowing about the trade before the Lakers played the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden that night in 2025.

While his stress may have faded, Redick couldn't have liked what he saw from the Lakers on the same floor one year later.

Despite a strong effort from Doncic, the Lakers struggled with their shooting and lost 112-100 to the Knicks on Sunday night.

After Landry Shamet made his second straight three-pointer to give the Knicks a 112-99 lead with 59.3 seconds left, Redick pulled his starters. The Lakers led 56-52 at halftime but were outscored 38-26 in the third quarter after New York went on a 15-5 run to take a 90-82 lead into the fourth quarter.

Read more:Lakers star LeBron James named an NBA All-Star for a record 22nd time

Doncic finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Lakers' 45% shooting from the field and 29% shooting from three-point range.

With the Lakers in sixth place in the uber-competitive Western Conference at 29-19, Doncic was asked where he thought they stood in their pursuit of an NBA championship.

"We're in a good spot,” Doncic said. “Obviously, got some work to do. But I think today we obviously missed a lot of good looks, but I think we have a great group."

LeBron James had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, but he fell to 23-9 in regular-season games at Madison Square Garden, and the Lakers slipped to 4-3 on their season-high eight-game trip, which ends Tuesday in Brooklyn.

With the Lakers 5-5 in their last 10, James also reflected on where the team stands.

“I like this group, but we got to continue to get better,” James said. “And that's good. We should want to get better. … We want to continue to get better and better. It's a tough league.

"Like I said, it's been tough all season as far as dealing with injuries. ... Unfortunately our All-Star two-guard [Austin Reaves, calf injury] has been out for a minute and that's a big piece of our team. So, it's kind of hard to see what we can really, truly be.”

Deandre Ayton had 13 points and five rebounds, and Marcus Smart had seven points and three assists.

OG Anunoby had 25 points, eight rebounds and three assists to lead the Knicks (31-18), who have won six straight. Shamet scored 23 points off the bench, and Josh Hart had 20 points and four rebounds. Jalen Brunson finished with 12 points and a season-high 13 assists.

Before the game, James was named an All-Star for a record 22nd time.

“Obviously, super humbling,” James said. “Mad respect to the coaches and them seeing how I'm still playing at this latter stage of my career and to be able to be an All-Star. That means a lot to my family, my people that've been following my career, my LeBron faithful that’s been following my journey.

"It's always rewarding just from a humble standpoint to be able to be rewarded for what you put your work into. So, it's pretty cool.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 21 points and 10 rebounds after being added to the All-Star Game on Sunday night as an Eastern Conference reserve, and the Detroit Pistons routed the Brooklyn Nets 130-77 in the most-lopsided victory in franchise history.

The 53-point margin topped the mark of 52 set in a 118-66 victory at Boston on Jan 31, 2003. The Nets had a 54-point loss — 120-66 — on Jan. 21 against New York.

Cade Cunningham, the Detroit star who was earlier selected an East All-Star starter, added 18 points, 12 assists and four steals. The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons improved to 36-12 with their second straight victory. They beat Golden State on Friday night to finish 2-1 on a three-game trip.

Cunningham had 13 points, 10 assists and four steals in the first half as the Pistons raced to a 67-44 lead. Ausar Thompson hit a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer.

Detroit outscored Brooklyn 33-18 in the third quarter to push it to 100-62. The Pistons’ largest lead was 55 points.

CELTICS 107, BUCKS 79

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 30 points and 13 rebounds, Anfernee Simons scored 27 points off the bench and Boston coasted to a victory over Milwaukee.

Derrick White added 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Neemias Queta had 14 points and eight boards as the Celtics won their second straight game after alternating wins and losses in their previous four. It was Brown’s third double-double this season.

Ryan Rollins led Milwaukee with 25 points and Kyle Kuzma scored 16.

With trade rumors swirling around their sidelined star Giannis Antetokoumpo, the Bucks didn’t miss a shot in the opening 2½ minutes (5 for 5) and pulled ahead 12-0 before Boston sent them to their fifth straight loss.

The Celtics led 56-42 at halftime and Brown, who missed their easy win over Sacramento Friday with left hamstring tightness and a bruised right knee, scored 10 of their initial 12 points to start the second half, pushing them ahead 68-47.

Boston’s lead ballooned to 27 points on Brown’s 3-pointer midway into the final quarter before coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters.

HEAT 134, BULLS 91

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson each had 20 points, and Miami tied their third-biggest victory margin ever in a rout of Chicago.

The Heat led by as many as 54; before Sunday, their biggest lead this season was 45 at Memphis on Oct. 24. It was Miami’s second-largest lead of the play-by-play era that dates to 1996; the Heat beat Memphis by 60 on March 29, 2024.

The 54-point hole was Chicago’s biggest since a 58-point deficit against Boston on Dec. 8, 2018. The Bulls’ biggest deficits this season were a pair of 41-point games — one against Minnesota on Dec. 29, the other also against Miami on Nov. 21.

WIZARDS 116, KINGS 112

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rookie Will Riley scored a season-high 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:07 left, and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 116-112 on Sunday night in a matchup of last-place teams.

AJ Johnson added 17 points and Bilal Coulibaly and Marvin Bagley III each scored 15 for the Wizards, who relied heavily on their reserves as they handed the Kings their ninth straight loss.

Washington has won three of four since a nine-game skid of its own. The Wizards began the night last in the Eastern Conference but moved one-half game ahead of Indiana.

Zach LaVine scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan had 32 for the Kings, who are last in the West and concluded their season-long East Coast trip at 0-6.

Maxime Raynaud added 14 points for Sacramento, but no other Kings player had more than six. Washington led 61-20 in bench points, and the Wizards’ reserves also outscored their starters.

RAPTORS 107, JAZZ 100

TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 21 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 20 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Utah Jazz 107-100 on Sunday night to open a five-game homestand.

Brandon Ingram added 19 points to help Toronto end a two-game losing streak. Immanuel Quickley had 17 points.

Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Utah. Isaiah Collier added 19 points, and Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

KNICKS 112, LAKERS 100

NEW YORK (AP) — OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Landry Shamet added 23 and New York beat Los Angeles to spoil LeBron James’ 32nd game at Madison Square Garden.

Josh Hart finished with 20 points and Jalen Brunson had 12 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Knicks, who matched a season high with their sixth straight win, most of them coming easily.

James finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds after being chosen as a reserve earlier Sunday for his NBA-record 22nd consecutive All-Star selection. He fell to 23-9 in the regular season at MSG, where he came into the game having averaged 28.2 points, 7.6 assists and 7.0 rebounds.

Luka Doncic had 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. The game was exactly a year to the day of the Lakers’ last trip to New York, when shortly after their victory came word that they agreed to the blockbuster trade with Dallas that brought Doncic to Los Angeles.

Shooting struggles from the Lakers’ role players and a poor third quarter were too much to overcome in Madison Square Garden on Sunday as the Knicks downed LA 112-100.

The purple and gold led for stretches of the game, but a run in the third period for New York moved them ahead by double digits and forced the Lakers to play catch-up. The trio of Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt highlighted the shooting struggles as they combined to go 4-20 from the field and 2-13 from three.

Luka Dončić opened the game with a layup, but the Knicks followed with consecutive 3-pointers. Deandre Ayton then responded with four straight points of his own. OG Anunoby led New York with five points. LeBron James notched a quick five points, heating up for LA.

At the 7:38 mark, Los Angeles was up by three. 

Defense was becoming an issue for the Lakers as they continued to leave Anunoby alone from behind the arc, where he drained two of his three attempts. Luka knocked down two 3-pointers in response, though. Rui Hachimura also had seven points off the bench for LA. 

Los Angeles was up by six, going into the second period.  

Luka stepback 3? No doubt.

He's got 10 early PTS as the Lakers lead the Knicks on Sunday Night Basketball!

📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/E7ZwlKND67

— NBA (@NBA) February 2, 2026

The second quarter began with Hachimura converting on a layup for the Lakers. Mohamed Diawara then drained a triple for the Knicks. The three-ball was flying for New York as they converted on three of them in the early part of the period. Luka countered with a 3-pointer of his own. 

At the seven-minute mark, LA was up by six. 

Tyler Kolek scored eight points for New York, helping them take the lead. Los Angeles kept failing defensively, leaving shooters wide open. As a result, the Knicks were shooting 44% from behind the arc in this half.

The Lakers responded well, stopping New York’s momentum and retaking a four-point halftime lead. 

This Luka sprint to get back on defense 😂 pic.twitter.com/HFb4KMw6Tt

— NBA (@NBA) February 2, 2026

LA missed their first shot attempt of the second half, while Jalen Brunson scored on a midrange jumper for the Knicks. Josh Hart was then fouled while taking a jumper and converted on the three-point play to put New York up by one. Jake LaRavia finally got on the scoreboard with a triple. The teams traded the lead until the Knicks jumped ahead by five. 

New York added some cushion to its lead thanks to four points from Mikal Bridges.

It started to look like the usual third-quarter Lakers were showing up until an 8-0 scoring run led by Hachimura, Vincent and Luka put LA in the lead. 

Rui Hachimura is putting in a great shift here. He's knocking down his shots, giving LA an injection of offense.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) February 2, 2026

The Knicks then countered with a 6-0 scoring run to move back ahead. New York knocked down three 3-pointers to take an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter. 

LeBron began the final frame with a shot in the paint. Bridges then scored on a layup on the other end. Los Angeles started to chip away at the deficit, making it four and forcing a Knicks timeout. 

Out of the break, Hart knocked down a 3-pointer.

Los Angeles went cold from the field, hindering their ability to chip away at the deficit. Luckily for the Lakers, New York was missing their shots as well, but eventually found a rhythm, scoring seven points to open up its biggest lead.

At the 3:55 mark, the purple and gold were down by double digits.

Landry Shamet’s sixth 3-pointer of the night put the final blow in an ugly second half defensively for the Lakers. He was left wide open for nearly all 10 of his attempts from behind the arc. 

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. LeBron scored 22 points with five rebounds and six assists. Ayton pitched in with 13 points and five rebounds. 

Hachimura notched 11 points off the bench. Vincent ended with eight points, hitting three of his five shots. 

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday at 4:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

About a week ago, we talked about how the Toronto Raptors’ West Coast road trip — mainly the success of it — had the potential to change trade deadline plans for the front office. Since returning home from that West Coast swing, the Raptors have lacked punch. After the excellent play out West had the potential to change plans, does this recent poor stretch of basketball continue to change plans ahead of Thursday’s deadline?

Last Friday, the Raptors faltered in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic, completely losing the momentum they had built in the previous three quarters. Against the Utah Jazz, the Raptors again lacked offensive energy, not at all playing to the level they should have been.

Even with the hype of Scottie Barnes finding out he’s an All-Star mid-game, the Raptors looked discombobulated as they tried to overcome an injured and tanking Jazz team. While they recovered in the 4th quarter, it was more of a skirt by a much worse Jazz team instead of the emphatic win that may have been expected.

“This is amazing, no one around the league had doubt that he deserved this,” Darko Rajakovic said after the game about Barnes’s All-Star nomination. “This is not the best Scottie Barnes you will ever see. I know how hungry he is.”

“I know that coaches around the league have a lot of appreciation for the way Scottie plays.” Darko continued. “I think everyone else is lacking appreciation for the way he plays.”

“I haven’t had time to think about it, but I’m excited for it,” Barnes said himself. The announcement from the league happened right as the Raptors game started tonight, and he found out midgame.

Raptors not taking this game seriously and they're rightfully getting burned for all these mistakes. so many passes directly to the jazz for breakaway dunks.

— William Lou (@william_lou) February 1, 2026

Despite the weirdness of the game itself, the Raptors still came out with the win. In a 107-100 victory for the Raptors, RJ Barrett led all scorers with 21 points, Mamukelashvili had 20 off the bench, and Ingram had 19 points of his own. A win is a win.

Still, you can’t help but think about what the Raptors could be cooking up ahead of the trade deadline when things are still looking weird offensively. With only days to go until Thursday’s deadline, there is still a lot of time for multiple deals to happen, but also for things to change. Everything is fluid until 3 p.m. on Thursday hits.

Among the glaring needs for Toronto as we approach the deadline are depth in the frontcourt as well as shooting ability. With Jakob Poeltl’s ongoing injury problems, the Raptors are lacking power and height under the rim. Yet, Poeltl’s injury may be what hinders the Raptors this trade deadline most, as his lofty contract would be hard to move regardless, not to mention the fact that he’s injured.

RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are other names floating around as well, two of the Raptors other big ticket contracts. Including them in any deals the Raptors do gives the team more flexibility when it comes to money.

Still, as we know, this franchise doesn’t like to do much moving at the deadline. The more likely scenario ahead of Thursday is for Toronto to just do a few smaller transactions and call it a day until free agency later in the year.

The Raptors will now have a few days to practice and rest before they are back in action Wednesday and Thursday at home. We’ll see if anything big happens before their next game.

The Brooklyn Nets finally won a game without Michael Porter Jr. Friday, defeating the Utah Jazz on the second night of a hellacious back-to-back that saw them fly in from Denver the night before. Brooklyn had lost their first eight games when MPJ sat, as he typically does in one half of a back-to-back, and while the Jazz entered with just 15 wins to their name, a starting lineup with three rookies would have to get the job done.

They did, led by a 25-point homecoming performance from the former BYU Cougar Egor Dëmin. But on Sunday evening … whoosh. Dëmin, Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf, and the rest of the Nets faced a much taller task, again without MPJ. Not only was it the infamous final game of a long road trip, but they were facing the Detroit Pistons, sitting atop the Eastern Conference largely thanks to their relentlessly physical, athletic play.

Example: Egor Demin began being harassed by Ausar Thompson on one end while guarding Cade Cunningham on the other. The young Nets, however, held their own early. All ten Nets who played in the first half scored, led by Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas, even Ben Saraf dropped a highlight…

Ben Saraf getting fancy with the behind-the-back dish. pic.twitter.com/2DLe42XNEU

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 1, 2026

Then the referees called the game, awarding both teams a draw, sending everybody home happy.

Just kidding. One hour later, the Nets were — stop me if you’ve heard this before — fighting to avoid their worst loss in franchise history. The Pistons went on a 37-6 run that bridged halftime; here’s a quick recap of that run…

A wild sequence to end the first half, as Cam Thomas turns it over and Ausar Thompson drains a half-court shot.

The Pistons lead the Nets by 23 points at the break. pic.twitter.com/LWWtAOJGZ2

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 2, 2026

Detroit bullied the Nets, who looked utterly helpless after the switch flipped. Turnovers led to run-outs which led to dunks, the crowd getting louder and louder as the home team morphed into the Harlem Globetrotters with ease. The Pistons scored 37 points off turnovers, a ridiculous total that doesn’t include Detroit baiting Brooklyn into layup attempts just to boom them off the backboard.

It didn’t help that the Nets shot just 22.6% from three, not only deflated by the circumstances but undoubtedly worn out by the road trip. Even Dëmin’s record-breaking streak ended: After 34 consecutive games with a 3-pointer (the most ever for a rookie), he went 0-of-4 from the floor in this one, putting up 3/0/1.

As for the other rookies, Saraf also went 0-of-4 with four assists and no turnovers, Nolan Traore 2-of-7, Drake Powell 3-of-7, and Danny Wolf 2-of-9 and a team-worst -43 plus-minus. Unlike Dëmin’s return to the Beehive State, this was not a banner day for the 2025 draft class.

“You got to learn from games like this, because you play against a very good team that plays consistently hard,” said Jordi Fernández. “And we don’t do it in a consistent way.”

Detroit was led by 21 points from All-Star reserve Jalen Duren, but everybody contributed. They stole the ball 17 times. Daniss Jenkins put Wolf on a poster. Meanwhile, the Nets scored 38 points in the first 18 minutes, then 39 points in the final 30 minutes.

Said Fernández: “You know, we’ll run it back, we’ll hold them accountable, we’ll give him a hug, whatever the case may be, to go out there and play better than this.”

In the end, the visitors did not lose by 60 points. Hooray! Instead, Brooklyn lost by 53 points, the third-worst mark in franchise history. At least it wasn’t against the New York Knicks this time.

Final Score: Detroit Pistons 130, Brooklyn Nets 77

Milestone Watch

• The Brooklyn Nets have now lost a game by 50+ points four times in the last three seasons. Only the Portland Trail Blazers, from 2021-2024, have ever matched that feat.
• Nets have now lost four games by 35 points or more this season, the two 50-point losses, plus a 37-point bummer vs. the Clippers a week ago and a 36-point disaster to the Knicks early in the season.
• On the other side of the ledger, the Pistons winning margin was the biggest in franchise history surpassing the 52-point margin set in a January 2002 win over Boston.

The Nets are now 13-35 which moves them up in the Tankathon rankings to the No. 4 spot, tied with the Wizards. They’re a half-game out of third, where the Pacers sit, a game out of second (Pelicans owed the Hawks) and 2.5 games behind the golden ticket now held by the Kings.

MPJ misses out on All-Star Game

The NBA announced the All-Star reserves on Sunday afternoon, and absent from the list was Michael Porter Jr. We knew he wouldn’t be a starter, but given that he finished 10th, 9th, and 10th in fan, player, and media voting respectively, a reserve selection seemed possible for the Brooklyn Nets’ leading scorer. Alas, the coaches did not view Porter Jr. as one of the East’s dozen best players.

Porter Jr. still has an outside chance to become Brooklyn’s first All-Star representative since Kevin Durant; Adam Silver will need to choose at least one injury replacement (Giannis Antetokounmpo).

As it stands, is he a snub? NetsDaily will answer that question tomorrow.

Injury Update

As previously mentioned, MPJ did not miss this one due to injury, but rather personal reasons. He had previously posted on social media about a death in the family.

Noah Clowney missed his fifth straight game with a low back sprain (no longer “lower back soreness”) while Ziaire Williams missed his third straight with a left calf contusion. Jordi Fernández did not provide a timeline for either player in pregame.

Next Up

The Brooklyn Nets return home to face two of the NBA’s biggest stars. Tip-off against the Los Angeles Lakers is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. on Tuesday night.

• Boxscore: Detroit Pistons 130, Brooklyn Nets 77 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Detroit Pistons 130, Brooklyn Nets 77 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Nic Claxton PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Drake Powell PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Pistons rout Nets 130-77 in most-lopsided victory in franchise history – AP
• Nets embarrassed by Pistons in 53-point shellacking to end road trip – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Turnovers bury Nets in 130-77 loss to Pistons ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. did not make the All-Star team. The numbers say he should have ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades: Cam Thomas has 12 in 130-77 loss at Pistons – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rookie Will Riley scored a season-high 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:07 left, and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 116-112 on Sunday night in a matchup of last-place teams.

AJ Johnson added 17 points and Bilal Coulibaly and Marvin Bagley III each scored 15 for the Wizards, who relied heavily on their reserves as they handed the Kings their ninth straight loss.

Washington has won three of four since a nine-game skid of its own. The Wizards began the night last in the Eastern Conference but moved one-half game ahead of Indiana.

Zach LaVine scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan had 32 for the Kings, who are last in the West and concluded their season-long East Coast trip at 0-6.

Maxime Raynaud added 14 points for Sacramento, but no other Kings player had more than six. Washington led 61-20 in bench points, and the Wizards' reserves also outscored their starters.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe had four players who've spent time in the G League this season on the floor in the closing minutes. Riley and Johnson were joined by Skal Labissiere and Sharife Cooper, whose tip-in gave Washington a 115-110 lead with 37.2 seconds left.

Labissiere had 13 points. Little-used veteran Anthony Gill played a season-high 27 minutes for Washington and was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.

DeRozan scored eight points during a 12-3 fourth-quarter run that gave the Kings a 101-98 lead with 5:20 left. The 19-year-old Riley responded with eight points in the next 3:13 to put the Wizards back on top.

Up next

Kings: Host Memphis on Wednesday night.

Wizards: Host New York on Tuesday night.

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

TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 21 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 20 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Utah Jazz 107-100 on Sunday night to open a five-game homestand.

Brandon Ingram added 19 points to help Toronto end a two-game losing streak. Immanuel Quickley had 17 points.

Scottie Barnes celebrated being added to his second NBA All-Star Game with 14 points and nine rebounds. Barnes hurt his left foot with 4:48 remaining after a steal. He departed 22 seconds later, only to return for the final 3:05.

Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Utah. The Jazz have lost a season-worst six straight games.

Isaiah Collier added 19 points, and Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Raptors matched their 30 wins of a season ago with 31 games remaining.

Up next

Jazz: At Indiana on Tuesday night.

Raptors: Host Minnesota on Wednesday night.

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