Keaton Wagler scored 19 points, Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell each had 17 and No. 16 Illinois continued to win on the road in the Big Ten Conference, holding off No. 19 Iowa 75-69 on Sunday. The Illini (13-3, 4-1) won their fifth consecutive game and stayed tied for third place in the conference. Three of Illinois’ wins in conference play have come on the road — the Illini also won at Ohio State and Penn State.
3 Knicks' defensive concerns that must be addressed
The Knicks' defensive inconsistencies were on full display in a 112-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. New York’s defense came alive in the fourth quarter, holding Phoenix to 18 points, but in the previous two quarters, the club gave up 66 points.
The performance was a microcosm of the Knicks’ defense all season, which has been inconsistent. Currently tied for second place in the East with a 24-14 record, it’s been the year of experimentation for New York. We’ve seen more zone defense, switches, as well as the occasional trap.
Despite these new wrinkles, the defense has produced underwhelming results. The Knicks defense is ranked 19th in the NBA after 38 games, and is 27th in the month of January. As we near the halfway mark of the season, let’s look at three major concerns with the Knicks' defense.
Point-of-attack
New York’s most glaring weakness on the defensive end is guarding the point-of-attack. Mikal Bridges has often been New York’s prime defender, and has struggled for the most part in a season and a half of chasing ballhandlers.
Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart are all quality wing defenders, but they have all looked better in help roles where they can disrupt passing lanes and cut off drives rather than defend speedy guards capable of getting into the paint.
Miles McBride has been effective at times in the role. He has a near 6-foot-9 wingspan. But he’s also a 6-foot-2 guard, so there’s some matchups where that won’t be ideal. Landry Shamet is another capable point-of-attack defender. Shamet should return soon from a shoulder injury.
The Knicks could make a move externally. Names like Jose Alvarado,Ochai Agbaji, and Keon Ellis have been floated as potential trade targets to improve the defense. But realistically, those players wouldn’t be focal points of New York’s rotation.
Brown has employed a zone at times to combat New York’s defensive issues and it’s been hit or miss. Most likely, the Knicks will have to improve from within to elevate the defense.
Defending behind the arc
New York’s lack of an elite point-of-attack option has bled into another part of the defense, the three-point line. The Knicks are overhelping in the paint to contain drives and shots on the interior.
That strategy is working to a degree. New York is keeping teams subdued on the inside. The Knicks allow 46.2 points in the paint per 100 possessions per NBA Stats, the sixth best mark in the league. But the focus on the paint has exposed the perimeter. The Knicks are giving up the third most three-point attempts in the NBA. Opponents are also shooting 37.3 percent from three, a figure that is tied for 27th in the NBA.
New York struggled to contain the three on Friday, giving up 15 three-pointers in the first three quarters, before holding the Suns to just one trifecta in the final quarter. One reason for the improved defense was a switching strategy on the pick-and-roll. Switching could be something the Knicks defense goes to more as the season wears on.
Star liabilities
New York’s Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are the two weakest defenders among the team’s top seven rotation players. But as the two top scorers on the team, they’re also crucial to New York’s offense. It’s a delicate balance that the Knicks have to constantly manage.
The opposition will try to bring Brunson and Towns into offensive actions to attack the two stars and create chaos. In the Eastern Conference Finals last year, that combination was exposed repeatedly by the Indiana Pacers. This year’s playoffs will be a major test on defense for Brunson and Towns.
The Knicks have not defended well with Brunson on the floor, giving up 119.4 points per 100 possessions in his 1,235 minutes. When the star point guard sits, New York is allowing 106.3 points per 100 possessions, a number that would rank second in the NBA. It’s not to say that Brunson is the sole reason for New York’s defensive issues, but it’s a number to monitor for the rest of the season.
Celtics' Jaylen Brown calls out officials after loss to Spurs, including NSFW social media post
Jaylen Brown looked like an MVP candidate with 27 points and eight assists in the Celtics' 100-95 loss to San Antonio, an outing which included a couple of ridiculous 3-pointers over Victor Wembanyama.
Out of this world pic.twitter.com/12RocovMV3
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 11, 2026
However, a frustrated Brown didn't get to the free throw line once in the game. In fact, Boston as a team got to the line just four times all game long, compared to 20 for the Spurs. After the game, Brown went off on the officiating.
"I hope somebody can pull up the clips," Brown said, via the Associated Press. "It's the same s*** every time we play a good team. It's like they refuse to make the calls and they call touch calls on the other end. That's just extremely frustrating...
"Somebody please pull it up. Every time we play a good team, the inconsistency is crazy. ... I'm irate at how they officiated the game today."
Brown took his NSFW rant to social media.
Fine me I’m sick of this shit
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) January 11, 2026
Brown can count on a fine from the league, but he'd gladly pay it to get what he sees as a fair whistle.
The Spurs allow the lowest percentage of free throws to shot attempts in the league, and the second lowest number of allowed free throws a game at 21.3 — call it the Victor Wembanyama effect. With the best rim protector in the league in the paint (and a solid defender in Luke Kornett there when he's not), teams tend to pull up more and shoot further out. Brown was no exception, he had four shots inside four feet (make that six feet and he was 3-of-6 shooting) while he took nine shots between four and 14 feet.
That said, no free throws for Brown and just four for the Celtics as a whole was hard to get your head around. Brown made his point postgame and will get the fine he asked for because he did.
Week 13 Fantasy Basketball Schedule Primer: Low-rostered Lakers like Jake LaRavia should be popular
The Week 13 fantasy basketball schedule is an interesting one, in that every day has between six and nine games. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any quirks for fantasy managers to navigate. The Lakers have the first five-game week of the season, while four teams are only playing twice during Week 13.
Add in the back-to-backs, injuries and teams looking to improve their draft lottery odds, and it's clear that the "silly season" is not far away. In fact, is it starting up earlier than in previous years? Washington acquired Trae Young, and it's unknown when he'll make his first appearance in a game. And Ja Morant has been out while his name has come up in trade rumors. Here's a look at the Week 13 schedule breakdown and some of its key storylines.
Week 13 Games Played
5 Games: LAL
4 Games: BKN, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, HOU, IND, NOR, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA
3 Games: ATL, BOS, CLE, GSW, LAC, MIA, MIN, NYK, OKC, PHI, PHX, SAS, WAS
2 Games: DET, MEM, MIL, ORL
Week 13 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 12)-Monday: BKN, PHI, SAC, TOR
Monday-Tuesday: LAL
Tuesday-Wednesday: CHI, DEN, NOR
Wednesday-Thursday: DAL, NYK, UTA
Thursday-Friday: HOU
Friday-Saturday: IND, MIN, WAS
Saturday-Sunday: CHA, DEN, LAL, POR
Sunday-Monday (Week 14): BKN
Week 13 Storylines of Note
- Week 13 is a good week to roster Lakers players.
After a poor fantasy schedule in Week 12 because they didn't play on Saturday or Sunday, the Lakers have an excellent slate for Week 13. They'll play five games, including Monday/Tuesday and Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs, which boosts the values of some of the team's low-rostered players. Even if Rui Hachimura can return from his calf injury during Week 13, Jake LaRavia will be worth a look in fantasy leagues due to the back-to-backs. Marcus Smart, as enigmatic a fantasy option as he can be, also has added value because of the schedule. As for Luka Dončić and LeBron James, their workloads will be worth tracking. Do they play all five games, or will the Lakers look to give them at least one night off? The answer will have a significant impact on fantasy basketball leagues next week.
- Be ready to move on from Bucks players after Thursday.
The Bucks are one of four teams playing only twice during Week 13. However, unlike the other three teams discussed below, Milwaukee plays its games on Tuesday and Thursday. Does the schedule give fantasy managers added motivation to trade Myles Turner, whose "sell high" window slammed shut during Week 12? What happens with Bobby Portis after the end of the games on Thursday? While he's been more productive than Turner recently, the combination of the schedule and his reserve role may make Portis expendable in the eyes of some fantasy managers. At this point, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter Jr. are the two players who must be held onto, no matter what the schedule looks like, with Ryan Rollins also in that discussion. As for the others? It's probably time to either make a deal or drop them to the waiver wire for the final days of Week 13.
- Detroit, Memphis and Orlando don't play their first game of Week 13 until Thursday.
The Pistons, Grizzlies and Magic won't play their first games of Week 13 until Thursday, with the former playing its second on Saturday. Memphis and Orlando will play their final game of the week on Sunday as part of a six-game slate, making them teams worth mining for streaming value ahead of those contests. Detroit has been hobbled by injuries recently, with Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris all sidelined. While players like Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed, to name two, have stepped up at various points, holding on to them until Thursday could be challenging. Hopefully, that's enough time for some of Detroit's main options to get back onto the court.
Memphis' injury situation is complicated by recent trade rumors involving Morant. Will the team be able to find a new home for him before the trade deadline? Also, how will the rumors affect his availability before something happens? Cam Spencer has been a valuable option at point guard, whether he starts or comes off the bench, while Santi Aldama and Jock Landale have added importance due to Zach Edey's injury. Orlando remains without Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, but Moritz Wagner will make his season debut on Sunday as he returns from a torn ACL. Anthony Black is a player who fantasy managers should hold onto despite the poor early schedule, but Wendell Carter Jr. may not be in some formats.
- The Nuggets have two back-to-backs during Week 13.
The Lakers aren't the only team that has two back-to-backs to navigate. Denver is one of the others, and the Nuggets are still awaiting the return of Nikola Jokić. He still has a few more weeks on the shelf, but the back-to-backs will impact the availability of some of Denver's other fantasy mainstays. Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Spencer Jones all missed time during Week 12, and that could also be the case in Week 13. And with all four of the Nuggets' Week 13 games being part of back-to-backs, this could be a case where players are only available for two games. While Murray may be able to offer three (or four) games' worth of production in two appearances, that won't be as easy for Braun or Gordon to do, especially with their minutes being restricted.
- The Nets also have two back-to-backs; what does that mean for Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas?
Brooklyn also has two back-to-backs, one of which begins with the final day of Week 12. Porter was ruled out of Sunday's matchup with the Grizzlies; hopefully, that means he will be available for Monday's matchup with the Mavericks. If so, Week 13 could be a three or four-game week for MPJ, as the second back-to-back is another Sunday/Monday set. As for Thomas, not only are the back-to-backs a concern, but so is his playing time. He hasn't surpassed 24 minutes in any of the six games he's played since returning from a hamstring injury. And Thomas being available for Sunday's game likely means that he won't play in Dallas on Monday. There's a chance he's only active for two games in Week 13; add in the restriction, and this could be a challenging week for those who have him rostered. Nic Claxton is someone else to watch; Week 13 could be when fantasy managers receive a preview of what's to come in Brooklyn during the "silly season."
- Dallas' four-game week will get very interesting due to Anthony Davis and P.J. Washington missing time due to injury.
Davis, another star who has been the subject of trade rumors recently, suffered a left hand injury during Thursday's loss to the Jazz that's expected to cost him six weeks minimum. And that's if he doesn't need surgery. As for Washington, he's missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Add in Brandon Williams sitting out Saturday's loss to the Bulls with an illness, and the Mavericks head into a four-game Week 13 down three rotation players.
As much as it's been reported that decision-makers would like to see what a trio of Davis, Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving would look like on the court together, would that be good business for the Mavericks? The 2026 first-round pick is the last that they'll have complete control over until 2031. Week 13's schedule includes a midweek back-to-back; fantasy managers may get some clues about what the Mavericks plan to do the rest of the season, even though the team is only three games out of the final play-in spot in the loss column.
Saunders has 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 9 BYU past rival Utah 89-84
Richie Saunders scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and No. 9 BYU outlasted Utah 89-84 on Saturday night. Robert Wright III had 23 points and AJ Dybantsa added 20 for BYU. Saunders tied his career high with 14 rebounds as the Cougars (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) won their 12th straight game.
Hornets build a 47-point lead in the 1st half and rout the Jazz 150-95
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games.
Wisconsin hands No. 2 Michigan its first loss, 91-88
Saunders tied his career high with 14 rebounds as the Cougars (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) won their 12th straight game. Terence Brown scored 25 points for Utah but turned the ball over in the corner with 8.9 seconds left when his team had a chance to tie. Saunders was fouled and clinched the game with two free throws.
Pope, Swain and Mark come up big as Texas stuns No. 13 Alabama 92-88 in Tuscaloosa
Jordan Pope scored 28 points, Dailyn Swain added 18 and a huge block in the waning seconds, and Texas stunned No. 13 Alabama 92-88 on Saturday night for its first Southeastern Conference win of the season. Tramon Mark also scored 18 for the Longhorns (10-6, 1-2 SEC), who avoided a three-game skid to open league play. Mark's layup with 23 seconds remaining gave Texas some cushion in crunch time.
Oweh scores 22, Moreno adds 17 to help Kentucky beat Mississippi State 92-68
Otega Oweh scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting and had five of Kentucky's season-high 14 steals to help the Wildcats rally from a 12-point deficit and beat Mississippi State 92-68 on Saturday night. Malachi Moreno made 8 of 10 from the field and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals for Kentucky (10-6, 1-2 SEC). Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points and Kam Williams scored 14 points.
Trent Perry, Eric Dailey Jr. lead UCLA to 67-55 victory over Maryland
Trent Perry had 16 points, Eric Dailey Jr. scored 15 and UCLA cruised to a 67-55 victory over Maryland on Saturday night. Dailey added nine rebounds and Perry snagged six for the Bruins (11-5, 3-2 Big Ten Conference), who snapped a two-game skid. Tyler Bilodeau scored 10.
No. 14 Texas Tech hangs on for 73-71 victory at Colorado
Donovan Atwell scored 17 points, JT Toppin had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 14 Texas Tech held off a furious second-half rally by Colorado in a 73-71 victory Saturday night. Christian Anderson added 15 points for the Red Raiders, making their first trip to Boulder in nearly 16 years. Atwell went 5 of 12 from 3-point distance as Texas Tech (12-4, 2-1 Big 12 Conference) won a true road game for the first time this season.
This mid-major women’s basketball player just outscored Audi Crooks
Maggie Doogan set the single-game scoring mark in women's college basketball this season, netting 48 points for Richmond in a 3OT win over Davidson.
Kings' Dennis Schroder suspended three games for going after Luka Doncic in arena hallway postgame
Sacramento Kings' point guard Dennis Schroder has been suspended three games without pay for "confronting and attempting to strike another player" in the hallway of Crypto.com Arena back on Dec. 28, the NBA announced on Saturday.
Schroder sought out and tried to start something with Luka Doncic, reports insider Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime and NBATV.
Schroder will sit out three games, starting Sunday against the Houston Rockets, including the Kings hosting Doncic and the Lakers on Monday. Schroder has averaged 13 points and 5.7 assists a game this season coming off the bench for the Kings.
The incident will cost Schroder $291,807 in salary, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Hall’s second straight 30-point game leads Auburn to 95-73 blowout against No. 15 Arkansas
Keyshawn Hall scored 30 points and Auburn shot 57% from the field in routing No. 15 Arkansas 95-73 on Saturday night.
No. 17 North Carolina edges Wake Forest 87-84 for its 500th win at the Dean E. Smith Center
Henri Veesaar had 25 points and nine rebounds, and No. North Carolina edged Wake Forest 87-84 on Saturday night for its 500th win at the Dean E. Smith Center. Caleb Wilson added 22 points and 12 rebounds for his 11th double-double, while Jaydon Young contributed a season-high 12 points off the bench for the Tar Heels (14-2, 2-1 ACC), who bounced back from their first ACC loss last Saturday at SMU.