NBA News
| (All times Central) |
|---|
| Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts |
| Sunday, February 1 |
| COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN'S) |
| 12 p.m. |
Michigan at Michigan State — FS1, Fubo Sports
| NBA BASKETBALL |
|---|
| 6 p.m. |
Brooklyn at Detroit — FDSN Detroit, YES, Gotham Sports App, NBA League Pass
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV.
AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain (AP) — Calum Hill of Scotland salvaged a rough start with a pair of birdies on the back nine for an even-par 72 on Saturday, giving him a two-shot lead in the Bahrain Championship with Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia suddenly back in the mix.
Reed, coming off a whirlwind week in which he won the Dubai Desert Classic and then announced he was leaving LIV Golf with an eye on returning to the PGA Tour, had five birdies and an eagle for a 66. He went from 10 shots behind to just four off the lead.
Reed led from the front at Dubai. Now he is chasing alongside Garcia, who had a 68 and was four shots behind.
Hill, who played at Texas Tech, was at 16-under 200, two ahead of Freddy Schott of Germany (70). Reed, Garcia and Grant Forrest of Scotland were at 204.
“Are you going to be the hunted or the hunter,” said Reed, whose world ranking is up to No. 29 with his Dubai victory. “Looks like I'm going to be the hunter tomorrow.”
Reed said he would play a full European tour schedule — he is entered in the Qatar Masters next week — to try to earn PGA Tour status as one of the leading 10 players in the Race to Dubai. He would be eligible to return to the PGA Tour in September with limited status as a past champion.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
When it comes to the Brotherhood in the NBA, we’ve mostly focused on the remarkable rookie seasons of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, but of course there are a lot of other former Blue Devils in the NBA and any given night you can look at the box scores and see great performances.
There were several Friday night.
Brandon Ingram had 35 for Toronto and RJ Barett had 16 vs Orlando and for the Magic, Paolo Banchero had 20 points and 9 rebounds and Wendell Carter had 23 and 7.
Meanwhile, Zion Williamson had 21 points on 7-10 shooting and also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
For the Phoenix Suns, Grayson Allen had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while Mark Williams had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.
Finally, Kyle Filipowski had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists for Utah in a loss to Brooklyn.
It’s kind of crazy to see the influence Duke is having at all levels of basketball. Toss in GMs like Trajan Langdon, Mike Dunleavy and Elton Brand, toss in Grant Hill running USA Basketball and we’d have to say it’s unprecedented.
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a lineLAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Spinners led Pakistan to a 90-run win over Australia to seal a T20 series victory with a game to spare on Saturday.
Australia fielded a stronger side after losing the opener of the three-match series by 19 runs but still got bowled out for 108 in 15.4 overs with leg-spinners Abrar Ahmed (3-14) and Shadab Khan (3-26) sharing bulk of the wickets.
Captain Salman Ali Agha’s 76 off 40 balls and Usman Khan’s 53 off 36 balls had earlier propelled Pakistan to 198-5 after the home team won its second straight toss and elected to bat on yet another slow Gaddafi Stadium wicket.
"I can easily say it was a perfect game for us and we want to replicate it tomorrow,” said Agha after recording Pakistan’s biggest victory over Australia in a T20. “I promoted myself at No. 3 because I know I can play spin well and intend to do the same in Sri Lanka.”
Pakistan is scheduled to play its T20 World Cup games in Sri Lanka. India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the tournament, which starts on Feb. 7.
On Saturday, Australian batters failed to read the googlies and leg-breaks of Abrar and Shadab while Travis Head (4) fell against Saim Ayub’s offspin for the second straight game when he was clean bowled of a delivery that kept low.
Captain Mitchell Marsh, who skipped the first game, smashed two sixes in his knock of 18 before he was undone by Abrar’s sharp delivery that skidded through and trapped him plumb leg before wicket in the third over.
Josh Inglis, one of the four changes Australia made from the first game, couldn’t read Abrar’s wrong’un and was adjudged lbw for 5 as Australia lost the momentum early in the chase and slumped to 29-3 inside the power play.
Matt Renshaw, who was added to the World Cup squad Saturday in place of Matthew Short, holed out to long off to left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz’s fuller delivery as Shadab ran through the lower order with three quick wickets.
The deceptive bowling action of Usman Tariq came as a surprise to Australian batters as top-scorer Cameron Green (35) sliced an easy catch to Shadab at point before Agha grabbed an easy catch of Matthew Kuhnemann in the slip to finish the game with 26 balls to spare.
Earlier, Agha stayed aggressive in his recent transformation at No. 3, as Pakistan sped to 72-2 inside the first six overs. Agha completed his half-century of just 25 balls while dominating the spin through his strong sweeps and lofting the fast bowlers inside out over extra cover.
Babar Azam continued to struggle at his new No. 4 batting position when he was pinned lbw by Adam Zampa (1-27) for just 2 off five balls after Agha and Ayub (23) had provided a rollicking start in the power play.
Agha, who hit four sixes and eight boundaries, was within sight of his maiden T20 century before he got a faint edge to Sean Abbott (1-33) when he tried a reverse shot in the 13th over against the fast bowler.
Usman then ensured Pakistan got more than above-par total with his brisk half-century before he fell in the final over when he missed out on low full toss of Xavier Bartlett (1-52) and holed out at deep midwicket.
“They put us under great pressure in the power play,” Marsh said. “It was probably a 160-170 wicket. We have got experienced guys who know that partnerships are really important in run-chases. We were not able to do that today, so some really good lessons.”
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
The Knicks being the Knicks are Knicking, of course, going from losing 9-of-11 to winning five consecutive games.
Coming up next? The Lake Show at MSG on Sunday evening.
Here’s what your current (and maybe future) superheroes had to say after yesterday’s trouncing of the PDX.
On pushing through adversity in January:
“We went through a little bit of adversity in terms of our wins and losses. Our guys just kind of stayed with it. We kept trying to help them as best we could. Those guys stayed with it, they stayed together. This is a veteran group that has been through a lot. They figured out what they needed to do to play at a high level. They’re going out there and showing it.”
On the need for connectivity and cohesion:
“They’re trying to stay connected, play off one another. When that happens, good things happen for our team. This is a veteran group that’s been through a lot. They figured out what they needed to do play at a high level.”
On the improved defensive cohesion during the winning streak:
“It starts defensively. The way the guys are on a string, that is at a pretty high level. You’ve got to be connected on that end of the floor. Obviously, you’ve got to be connected all the time, but especially defensively. Shots aren’t going to go in all the time.
“It’s just a work in progress. We’re continuing to try to work at it, try to help them. The guys are a little bit more comfortable with what we’re trying to do, and it’s shown.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ impact on games beyond scoring:
“To me, that’s what great players do. They impact the game in a lot of different ways and for him to have 22 against Toronto, and 20 tonight, double-double, it was huge. Six of those were offensive rebounds and we beat them 20-9 on the offensive glass and they’re a very, very good offensive rebounding team.”
On Jalen Brunson’s defensive approach:
“He’s been impressive leading with his chest, showing his hands and trying to play defense the right way with a little chip on his shoulder. It’s not just him, it’s all of our guys that have done that. But it’s good to see him doing it, especially with that scoring load that we put on him on the other end of the floor.”
On blocking out trade deadline noise:
“We understand that we have no control over the noise out there, so we have to have a bunker mentality. Not just at the trade deadline but all the time because there is a lot of noise out there. We’re all human and you try not to listen to it. You just try to stay together. You keep moving forward, trying to get better as the days go along and I think that’s what this group is trying to do.”
On improving defensive trust and communication:
“I think we’re trusting each other more. During that skid, during film and all that, we had guys talk and that was one thing I think Deuce said, we gotta make sure we continue to trust each other. When you’re on the ball, trust that the guys are gonna be in the shifts for you. Somebody gets blown by, the big steps up, the big has a trust that the guard is gonna sink into his man, someone is gonna X out. I think we’re just continuing to gain that trust. I think we’re communicating more on the defensive end. You do that, that helps the trust area.”
On playing to the Knicks’ strengths:
“We’ve got good depth. We’ve got guys that can score. We’re able to play fast and to our advantages but it starts at the defensive end. And that’s where we’ve improved these last five games.”
On pace helping New York early in games:
“I think for us the faster we play, especially in the beginning of a game, it’s to our benefit. We’ve got shooters, we’ve got guys that can run the court. So playing fast helps us.”
On living with trade rumors:
“This is my ninth year in the league. I think I’ve dealt with trade rumors for eight of them. It’s a part of the game. It’s part of being in New York. At times, it can get frustrating and overbearing, but that’s why you don’t really put anything into it because 99% of stuff doesn’t even materialize.”
On what made the Knicks click of late:
“I think we’re a little bit more connected than we’ve been. Gotta continue to build off it and keep having each other’s backs. I think, most importantly, our attention to detail. I’m gonna keep stressing that is very important for us.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ rebounding impact:
“What he’s been doing these past couple games has been great. We need that from him. That’s what he brings to the table. Offensively, when the ball’s not going in as much as it should be, he finds a way to impact the game. I think that’s really important for us. Big-time performance for him.”
On ignoring trade speculation:
“I feel like I’ve been in trade rumors a lot for a lot of times, for a year damn near. That don’t matter to me. I don’t look at social media or none of that stuff. I focus on the job on hand, which is trying to get wins every single night. As long as I do that, I do my job, I go home happy and I feel accomplished. I’m not worried about what anybody got to say or people write or anything like that.”
On his mental approach during the Knicks’ turnaround:
“I was talking to Landry about it. It’s a mental thing. Not worrying about it, knowing that you’re aggressive and trying to make plays on both ends, the basketball gods will bless you at one point.”
On the Knicks’ style of play:
“They’ve always been a grit-and-grind team. A team that plays hard. Good at every position. Can defend. Just a hard-playing team.”
On playing at Madison Square Garden:
“It’s cool playing here. The history that comes with it, it’s just always been a fun place to play.”
One of the best teams in the Western Conference heads east to face one of the hottest teams in the Association when the San Antonio Spurs take on the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center tonight.
The Hornets are surging, and my Spurs vs. Hornets predictions expect Charlotte to cover the spread as a home underdog.
Here are my best free NBA picks for this marquee matinee on Saturday, January 31.
Spurs vs Hornets best bet: Hornets +4 (-110)
The Charlotte Hornets are hot right now, and despite the strong play of the San Antonio Spurs, the home team has been too good to be spotted four points.
Injuries have plagued Charlotte for much of the season, but a healthy roster has yielded favorable results.
The Hornets finished January tied for the best point differential on the road in a single month in NBA history at +151 across 11 games. Charlotte is +31 across its last five home games.
Charlotte is 10-6 straight up and ATS across its last 16 games and currently owns a five-game win streak. In that 16-game span, Charlotte is +182, good for 11.7 points per game better than its opponents.
The Hornets are 28-21 ATS this season, while the Spurs are 24-23-1. San Antonio is 4-6-1 as the road favorite, while Charlotte is 9-7 as the home underdog.
I wouldn't be surprised if the home team earns another victory, but I'm confident they can keep it close regardless of the outcome. Give me the Hornets and the points
The Spurs are 18-30 to the Under, and the Hornets are 20-29. Charlotte has hit the Under in two of its last three overall and two of its last three at home. San Antonio is 1-9 to the Under across its last 10 outings.
Brandon Miller is averaging 21.6 points per game at home this season, and he's scored 21+ in nine of 15 at Spectrum Center. He's scored 20+ in nine straight games, and he's reached 21 or more in four straight and eight of nine, averaging 24.6 points in that span.
Stephon Castle has averaged 7.8 assists across his last eight outings, handing out at least eight dimes six times in that span. The Hornets have allowed the ninth-most assists per game this season, giving Castle a favorable matchup on the road.
| Location | Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC |
| Date | Saturday, January 31, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Prime Video |
Not intended for use in MA.
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
The trade deadline is less than a week away, and the Mavericks are expected to be active. Following Anthony Davis’s injury that derailed any trade talks for the 10-time All-Star, the focus has shifted to other key rotational pieces for the Mavericks. Naji Marshall, in particular, has been a player teams have reportedly been making calls on. Should the Mavericks consider dealing him? Should they hang onto him as a building piece around Cooper Flagg? Let’s take a look at both sides.
Naji Marshall is a fan-favorite, and it’s easy to see why. The six-year veteran forward is averaging career highs this season in points per game (14.7), rebounds (4.9), and assists (3.0). Marshall also ranks 16th in the NBA in field goal percentage at 54.4%. In his last seven games, he’s averaging 20.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. Half of his production this season is coming off the bench, all the more impressive, which makes him an attractive piece to many teams.
The NBA doesn’t have many Naji Marshalls anymore—gritty, grindy, competitive guys who can do it all. Many fringe contenders are thirsty for wings, especially those that can create and defend. Marshall is a versatile wing who can guard one through four and can also be the catalyst for running an offense, especially coming off the bench. The playoffs rely heavily on bench depth, and Marshall is the perfect missing piece many teams could talk themselves into pursuing.
The Mavericks have been adamant in the asking price for Marshall – at least one future first round pick, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein. It’s widely believed some teams would be willing to meet Dallas’s demands.
Naji Marshall just turned 28. Cooper Flagg just turned 19. Every roster building decision the Mavericks make moving forward should be based on Flagg’s timeline. Although Marshall is a fun watch and a great locker room guy, Dallas has to prioritize accumulating future assets to build around Flagg. If a team calls offering a decent first round pick selection, the Mavs should consider taking it.
The Nico Harrison timeline and vision of competing now is done and out the window. The focus should be on building a championship team around Flagg’s timeline. Naji Marshall doesn’t fit that. The second part of this is the money. Marshall is on the second year of his team-friendly deal of $27 million over three years. After next season, He’ll be due a much larger pay day. As of now, Dallas doesn’t have the financial flexibility for a Marshall pay raise. And even if they did, giving a larger contract to a player that would be about to turn 30 doesn’t make much sense.
Dallas has an opportunity to surround Flagg with younger talent that fits with his timeline. Teams are calling, and the Mavs should be listening.
The other side of the coin is keeping him and hoping the Mavericks can flip other players like Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis. Doing so would give Dallas opportunities to accumulate future picks while finding financial flexibility. Dallas can’t be bad and be a second-apron team. That’s a nightmare scenario.
Keeping a guy like Naji Marshall could be beneficial for Dallas’s hopes in getting back into the playoff picture for next year. As of now, Dallas does not control its own pick from 2027 through 2030. Meaning the Mavs have no motivation to be bad and hope for more draft luck. Going into next season, the organization will likely want to refocus on competing in the West once again.
Naji Marshall would be a key player in a deep (and hopefully healthier) roster next season. Kyrie Irving coming back would fix many of the point guard woes the Mavs have endured this season. Plug in a healthy (again – hopefully) Dereck Lively II, plus Max Christie, P.J Washington, and year two of Cooper Flagg, you have some real pieces that could make Dallas at minimum a .500 team next season. Dallas would also have a top 10 pick from the 2026 draft to add to this mix. And what if the Mavericks don’t trade Anthony Davis? All of a sudden, you could talk yourself into this team being a top six team in the West next season. Naji Marshall would be an important piece of that roster.
Marshall is also a durable player. He’s only missed one game this season and is the definition of reliable when it comes to health in Dallas (and boy, have the Mavs needed it). He shows up, plays hard every night, competes, and hits floaters in his sleep. Naji Marshalls don’t just grow on trees and having his energy on both ends is crucial if the Mavs want to take a big leap forward in the win column next year.
If you look at the roster and think a healthy Mavericks team could contend next year, it’s easy to see Naji Marshall being a part of that. Dallas will still have to make moves to create more financial flexibility, but that doesn’t necessarily have to involve Naji Marshall. It would get more complicated at the end of next season once his contract is set to expire, but that’s a bridge that could be crossed at that time. For now, he’s been a silver lining in a largely disappointing season for Dallas.
The trade deadline is next Thursday, February 5th, at 3 PM EST. The Mavericks have some important decisions to make. Perhaps the most important is should Dallas keep Marshall and try to run it back next year with a healthier roster? Or reshape the timeline around Cooper Flagg and focus on the future?
Coming off a strong win against the Bucks and 77 combined points from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to beat the Kings, Saturday’s game should be a good opportunity for the Sixers to keep some momentum going.
The Sixers will welcome the 13-37 Pelicans — sitting at 14th place in the West — to Philadelphia, and have a healthy squad on their side too.
Quentin Grimes, who’s been dealing with a right ankle sprain, is probable to return, and everyone else is available.
We’ll need to wait until closer to game time for the Pelicans’ injury report. New Orleans will have the rest disadvantage in this one, as they’re on the second night of a back-to-back after picking up a 114-106 win against the Grizzlies on Friday.
The headline matchup for the Sixers’ defense, of course, is Zion Williamson. After missing so much time throughout his career due to injuries, Zion has actually been in a run of good health and fine form lately. He’s played every game since Dec. 14, averaging 22.0 points with a 64.6 true shooting percentage while looking more like his high-flying self.
Apart from Paul George and Dominick Barlow needing to bring all the physicality and effort they can on the ball to try and cut off Zion’s drives, the Sixers will need sharp help rotations to keep Zion’s downhill scoring in check. Embiid and Adem Bona will need to be alert around the rim.
Trey Murphy III is having yet another strong season as well, tallying career-highs of 21.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and a true shooting percentage of 61.7. He’s become more balanced as a scorer, becoming highly efficient as a finisher with simple yet strong drives and his transition play. The Sixers’ guards will need to follow him closely around screens to keep his high-volume threes contested and be ready to handle Murphy’s drive game when closing out.
It could be fun watching how Jeremiah Fears matches up against the Sixers’ guards as well. The Pelicans’ rookie point guard has been showing his potential from day one, although he’s had a role change over the last four games since moving to the bench. It can give him more time to lead the offense when not next to Zion and Queen, though, which is something Fears continues to improve at, and his defensive talent is still on show. It’s safe to say he’ll have a challenge on his hands against Maxey and VJ Edgecombe…
All that said, even with a few exciting young talents in their offense, the Pelicans still sit at just 25th in offensive rating.
It’ll be interesting to see how New Orleans’ super talented, crafty playmaking center Derik Queen fares on Saturday too. The rookie is averaging 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and an impressive 4.3 assists in 25.8 minutes per game. He’ll likely bring some entertainment value this weekend — the way he drives, spins, and reads the floor as a playmaker at center is rare. However, he lacks much size at 6-foot-9 and vertical pop. And what with his lack of experience as well, he’s going to have a rough time not being physically overwhelmed by Embiid.
Which, in fairness, is the same for everyone facing the big fella right now. Jo’s moving fluidly again and truly back in dominant form.
There’s plenty to discuss right now as we wait for the NBA trade deadline to arrive, with Giannis-to-Philly talk continuing and Embiid calling out the team for repeatedly ducking the tax possibly ringing in the front office’s ears. And in the meantime, this should be a fun contest with the Sixers’ stars playing well and an explosive matchup to keep Zion in check. Before upcoming contests against teams like the Lakers, Suns and Knicks over the next two weeks, the Sixers need to take advantage on Saturday and grab what should be an easier win while they can.
With the extra firepower their offense has behind this version of Embiid and Maxey, Paul George perhaps in a better rhythm following his 32-point outing against Milwaukee, this team shouldn’t have many issues against the Pelicans’ 27th-ranked defense that’s playing on tired legs. If the Sixers can effectively protect the paint against Zion, they should have more than they need to extend the win streak to three.
When: Saturday, January 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
The Hawks have all the assets necessary to put up a strong — and I’d argue a winning — fight in the great Giannis Antetokounmpo bidding war if they so choose to.
They have soon-to-be one-time All-Star Jalen Johnson locked up on a long, below maximum value contract, some young desirable talent, and of course a large piece of Milwaukee’s own draft picks in both the upcoming draft and the 2027 draft.
I outlined earlier that the Hawks also had control of every one of their first-round picks — excluding this year’s swap and next season’s pick outright — out to 2032. So, if Atlanta really desired to bring in the former two-time MVP, former two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and former Finals MVP, they could give the Bucks an offer they couldn’t refuse.
But they shouldn’t (and probably won’t) — and here’s why.
Let’s start with the latest from the rumor mill. Per NBA insider Marc Stein of the Stein Line substack blog from Thursday:
The early indications are that Atlanta has not joined the Giannis chase and does not intend to.
The Hawks do have control of Milwaukee’s picks in the next two drafts but have shown no interest to date in surrendering control of them. The Hawks are likewise said to be unwilling to surrender Jalen Johnson in a theoretical Antetokounmpo deal … even though Johnson’s agent Rich Paul said in one of his recent podcasts that the Milwaukee native is precisely whom the Bucks should target.
League sources say Atlanta continues to explore what moves can be made at this deadline with its $40-plus million in expiring contracts when combining Kristaps Porziņģis and Luke Kennard. And you can never forget that A) the Hawks hosted Antetokounmpo for the only pre-draft workout he conducted on American soil before the Bucks swooped in to select him with the 15th overall pick in 2013 and B) had conversations with Antetokounmpo’s agent Alex Saratsis last spring about joining Atlanta’s front office.
However …
Sources say that Atlanta has some level of reservation regarding the skillsets of Antetokounmpo and Johnson and how they would match after trading away Young in early January to make the 24-year-old their new centerpiece.
Onsi Saleh, the newly elevated general manager of the Hawks, on Tuesday spoke with Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden on the Steakhouse, a show on 92.9 The Game Atlanta SportsRadio. In it, he talked through his team building philosophy including his desire to follow a model similar to the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs — one in which sustaining winning over a long period of time is held in the highest importance.
“It’s development focused. It’s being flexible,” was one comment Saleh made in the interview as to what he wanted to see in this organization. But that development focus and flexibility would immediately go out of the window if the Hawks made the franchise-altering decision to acquire the former MVP.
“Patience is everything in this league. Once you start trading picks, that’s when you get in trouble,” was another quip from Saleh — something the Hawks now know all too well from the Dejounte Murray trade. Murray is obviously not Antetokounmpo, but there are legitimate reasons for hesitancy in this regard as well.
Three reasons stick out to me as to why it’s right for the Hawks to stay on the sideline for this move:
Giannis Antetokounmpo is very much still an all-world basketball player, even as he enters the heart of his 30s. Last season, he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game on 63% true shooting, and he deservingly finished third in MVP voting.
This season, the Bucks have a gargantuan 16.6 points differential per 100 possessions between Antetokounmpo being on versus off the floor. I can confirm with my own two eyes that he’s still a beast.
But any team that trades for him is trading for what the future holds for him, including very presumably the rights to hand him a four-year, $275 million maximum extension this offseason. That’s $68.8 million per season out until 2029-30.
Antetokounmpo has struggled this season with a rash lower body injuries — calf, adductor, groin, knee, ankle, you name it. As a result, he’s only played in 30 of a possible 46 games so far this season.
Add to that the fact that while his offensive impact is as clear as it’s ever been in his career, his defensive impact has fallen off a cliff since his Defensive Player of the Year days.
BBall Index’ LEBRON metric has estimated that Antetokounmpo has the third biggest falloff in defensive impact in the entire NBA between last season and this season:
DARKO D-DPM (Defense Daily Plus Minus) shows a career trajectory that is steadily aiming downwards:
And plain old defensive on-off rating has Antetokounmpo as not particularly moving the needle lately compared to his +7.8 on-off peak in 2019-20:
And the eye test largely matches these metrics. Antetokounmpo just doesn’t have the motor or defensive range he once had. Of course, he’s had to almost singlehandedly prop up the offense in the post-Holiday/post-Middleton era, so the heavy offensive load does matter, but it’s still a worrying trend.
You can’t live in the past when making a move of this importance. Projecting the future of a player you acquire is the most important aspect of which to be mindful. And if the Hawks gut their roster to acquire a great but no longer transcendent talent, the future state of the franchise could quickly turn grim.
With Antetokounmpo showing some signs of decline, any team that takes the plunge to acquire him has to try to compete as soon as possible. One must consider what is left over after a deal of that magnitude.
For example, if the Hawks send Jalen Johnson the opposite way alongside a bundle of picks, they’ll have very little ammo to upgrade the roster to maximize Antetokounmpo’s skillset. A devastating downhill scorer, Milwaukee has targeted a number of catch-and-shoot specialists and stretch big men over the past few years to open up the spacing for his drive and kick game.
The fact of the matter is that the Hawks are 24-26 and face an uphill climb just to make the postseason this season — adding to the fact that Antetokounmpo will be on the shelf for a number of weeks according to medical physician Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But look at the Bucks. You can point to some misguided moves there — stretching and waiving Damian Lillard over five years to sign Myles Turner was certainly a choice — but despite their best efforts to prove to Antetokounmpo that they will compete, they are now 18-28 and floundering.
The Hawks do have a surplus of shooters, but does Antetokounmpo fit with non-shooter Dyson Daniels long term? What happens when you take the ball out of the hands of others and centralize the gameplan around the Greek international? If he continues to have less and less range and impact on defense, where do you go for the defensive pieces to form a championship-contending team?
There are just so many difficult roster questions to answer that the Milwaukee Bucks themselves haven’t been able to answer (just one playoff series win since their title run in 2021). As great a player as he is, Antetokounmpo’s greatest gift may be his curse — he’s a dominant but inflexible centerpiece of a basketball team on the court.
Atlanta would lack the salary space and the draft assets to plug any holes if this trade were to go through unless they received a heavy price discount. And with teams like the Warriors ready to send virtually all future assets to give Stephen Curry a twilight sendoff, Atlanta matching that deal would be entirely too risky an endeavor I firmly believe.
The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery was recently announced to take place on May 10. Yesterday, January 30, marked 100 days until the date when the Hawks will find out their fate — assuming they hold onto the superpick that is the best post-lottery result of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ first-round picks.
Let’s not mince words — this freshman class in college basketball is absolutely special.
There are five players on schedule to have the best BPM (box plus-minus) metrics in recent one-and-done history: Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Kingston Flemings, and Caleb Wilson. This quintet is joined by recent luminaries like Zion Williamson, Cooper Flagg, and Chet Holmgren.
Of course, a big BPM figure is no guarantee of superstardom at the NBA level (hello Bol Bol and Nerlens Noel), but this quantity of blue chip prospects is nearly unprecedented. Even beyond the presumptive top five, talent absolutely abounds.
NBA superstars just don’t hit the open market. They get extended or traded to a team that will extend their contracts almost exclusively nowadays in the NBA.
I understand the irony of this piece being about weighing trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the only other primary avenue to acquire franchise-pillar talent is through the draft — and typically you have to be a bad team to strike it rich.
The Hawks are near .500 (yes, once again), but they still may have a better chance at the top pick and at a top-four pick than whichever team finishes with the worst record.
As of Friday afternoon, the combined odds from the Pelicans (tied for the worst record) and the Bucks (alone with the seventh worst record) would give the Hawks north of a 20% chance at the top pick and north of a 55% chance at a top-four pick.
Onsi Saleh, in the above interview, acknowledged the strength of the draft class and the ability to add that talent to a young Hawks core. Preserving ownership of that pick is not a bet that the player they pick will eventually be better than Giannis Antetokounmpo (altogether unlikely) — it’s a bet to have a cost-controlled, moldable talent for the next eight, nine, or 10 seasons to lead this franchise over a costly superstar in his fading seasons.
If the Bucks consider inclusion of the superpick a must to get a deal done, then, for me, there is no deal there. The Hawks have dabbled with impatience throughout their history and been burned repeatedly. It’s simply time to play the long game.
Today (this morning to be precise), the Spurs are playing an early game in Charlotte. The start time of the game was moved up three hours in anticipation of weather. The Spurs play and hopefully hightail it out of North Carolina for Texas, where they have another early game at the Frost Bank Center on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic has a Sesame Street theme. And there are still some tickets available if you want a limited addition t-shirt and the Courtside Experience.
In anticipation of the Sesame Street Day, two members of the Spurs were asked which Children’s Television Workshop characters they related to the most.
Keldon, the curator of chaos, naturally chose Cookie Monster, the most impulsive of Muppets.
Luke Kornet named Count von Count, distinctly for his survival skills.
It’s a shame they couldn’t get more guys on camera. It’s safe to say Victor Wembanyama could relate to Big Bird. But what about Jeremy Sochan, or Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes, or Devin Vassell? Who grew up relating to Oscar the Grouch, or Elmo, Ernie and Bert, or Mr. Snuffleupagus?…wait, maybe I just answered my own question.
What about you? Who did you relate to from Sesame Street? Personally, I am partial to the Two-Headed Monster.
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With five days left till Thursday’s 3:00 p.m. ET trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets have:
Alas, they also have only 12 wins.
Do you really believe that all those assets, all that flexibility, the Nets won’t play some role in the Giannis Antetokuonmpo trade speculation? The front office and ownership are going to dismiss the possibility of acquiring a top 5 player, even with injury and contract issues? They didn’t sacrifice the past two years without fantasizing about Giannis in black-and-white!
We don’t know but in the past few days, the Nets have nudged their way into the Greek Freakout (trademark pending) conversation, either as a facilitator — friend with draft picks, so to speak — to an actual suitor for the 31-year-old who’s won two MVPs and the Finals MVP.
Brian Lewis spoke with two (serious) league officials who suggested that they believe the Nets are in it to win it.
“The Nets make a lot of sense for him,” one Eastern Conference assistant GM told The Post. “They have some good future picks. [They] could, in theory, trade five future picks, keep this year’s pick, shut him down for the year? Tank?”
The GM said he believes that if there is a deal, the actual parameters would fall outside the speculation … that Michael Porter Jr. would be the key for the Nets.
“I’d speculate that Claxton and [Terance] Mann are the outgoing salary and Porter stays,” the assistant GM told The Post, adding, “But that’s not based on inside info.”
Michael Porter Jr. has been the subject of a lot of speculation over the last few days with speculation his $38.0 million deal this season would be a big help in both matching salary and addressing the loss of the 6’11” athlete from Greece.
That said, Shams Charania, Marc Stein, Jake Fischer and Lewis have reported, almost in chorus, that the Nets are NOT/NOT interested in moving MPJ who they and their fans have become fond of.
Brian Windhorst was the latest reporter to say while there’s all those assets sitting there the Nets want to keep Porter.
Putting it that way implies that not this may not be posturing. More than one reporter has said that assuming the Nets get who or what they want in the June Draft, they’ll start the move from rebuild to contention. Another source of Lewis said that this now just may be the right time.
“Then this is their moment,” the source said. “Really depends on if they decide that their aimless tank is over. They could sure make the best offer.”
At the end of the day, though, no one is currently reporting that the Nets have made an offer. But oh those draft picks, as Frank Isola alluded to on YES pregame Thursday pregame.
“I did some reporting on this,” said Isola once the top Daily News basketball writer, “The Bucks have yet to received a ‘wow’ offer,” implying that the front office at Fi-Serve Arena is going to play hard bull once the nut-cutting routing accelerates as we get closer to the deadline.
“You hear about the Warriors, you hear about the Heat , but I think the Brooklyn Nets would be involved,” Isola said unsolicited. “I should say be in play because Milwaukee,, from everything I heard, are looking for young players and draft picks and be ready to rebuild completely. So when you think about the assets the Nets have in play and don’t rule out the Goldens State Warriors as well.”
Isola said the Bucks could also wait until the summer when teams will have more flexibility.
As we reported Thursday, Windhorst believes the Nets will ultimately make an offer.
“Brooklyn has 10 tradeable firsts and Michael Porter Jr. and 11 tradeable firsts as of draft night. Do we think Brooklyn will make an offer,” the ESPN’s top NBA insider asked amidst a back-and-forth among three ESPN writers. “I think Brooklyn will seriously consider making an offer.”
We also don’t know how Antetokounmpo feels about the Nets as a final destination. He wants to win more titles and the Nets are far from that. Also, we don’t know how the Nets see him. (Two years ago, Brooklyn wanted everyone to believe they were a natural fit for Damian Lillard. It was all a smoke screen.)
As for Brooklyn once again using their assets to facilitate deals — they’ve made four salary dumps since July — the general impression that this is more likely than a trade that would bring Giannis to Barclays. Among the assets Isola noted, is the cap space. Keith Smith this week did a rundown for Spotrac of where teams stand with the aprons and luxury tax threshold. The bottom line for the Nets is that around 10 teams could gain a lot of relief with salary dumps as long as the draft assets are good.
The Nets have flexibility going forward both now and at the Draft. Have they had the famous “internal conversations” about Giannis? How can you think they have not.
Meanwhile, speculation re: Day’Ron Sharpe grows. The most recent is a possible deal with Oklahoma City who is looking for a big man after losing three of four. Increasingly, there’s belief that the 6’9” big could fetch a first rounder. Just this week, it was revealed that Sharpe has the highest offensive rebounding percentage in league history at 18.3% surpassing both Jayson Williams, the former Net, and Dennis Rodman, the Hall of Famer.
The Indiana Hoosiers (14-7, 5-5) are on a road trip that includes a visit to the UCLA Bruins (15-6, 7-3) in a Big Ten conference game Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) inside of Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.
UCLA is currently tied for fifth place in the Big Ten. The Bruins are coming off of a 73-57 win at Oregon on Jan. 29 led by senior forward Tyler Bilodeau with 18 points.
The Hoosiers come into the game feeling good after narrowly knocking off No. 12-ranked Purdue, 72-67, on Jan. 28. Indiana senior six-foot-six guard Lamar Wilkerson had 19 points to lead the way for the Hoosiers.
Their win helps their case for the NCAA Tournament as they're on the bubble. Their game against UCLA has even higher stakes as Indiana can make noise heading into February or UCLA can continue make their own case for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Indiana is currently 10th in the Big Ten with a 5-5 conference record and 14-7 overall.
UCLA, currently sixth in the Big Ten, has a 7-3 conference record and 15-6 overall.
The Bruins have won 10 of their last 14 games, posting a 5-3 record in the month of January. UCLA ranked second in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage shooting 37.6% in 21 games, through Thursday, Jan. 29.
Here's what you need to know for Saturday's matchup between the UCLA Bruins and Indiana Hoosiers:
The UCLA Bruins will host the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) on Peacock. The site of the game is Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.
Here are the UCLA statistical leaders through Jan. 30.
Here are the Indiana Hoosiers statistical leaders through Jan. 30.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA Bruins host Indiana Hoosiers preview, how to watch, tv, stream
The Wizards took on the Los Angeles in the hostile road environment of…well…Washington, DC, and got stomped, 142-111.
If you’re a Wizards fan — and you probably are if you’re reading this — fire this game into the sun. Shoot into a memory hole. Nothing to see.
There’s stuff from this one the Wizards youngsters could probably learn. Maybe something about being mentally and physically prepared on the second night of a back-to-back. Perhaps some lessons about maintaining top physical condition and all-around fitness to sustain a long career. There were lessons about building skills, developing counters for when the defense stymies you, and learning the game so you can think a step or two ahead of your opponent. Possibly, something about staying humble when things have gone well recently (like a two-game winning streak).
Maybe.
For me, the biggest takeaway: fugetaboutit. Young players, bad game against a veteran team coming in hot after a bad loss of their own — a team playing for something and with something to prove.
If you were a DC-based Lakers fan and could get a ticket, you were likely entertained by the nine alley-oop dunks Los Angeles successfully executed against Washington defenders who kept getting so mesmerized by The Ball that they forgot to defend the big guy standing near the basket. (The Lakers had a 10th lob attempt that Deandre Ayton couldn’t convert. He ended up getting the offensive rebound and drawing a foul. He made the free throws.
Or they forgot to rotate when Alex Sarr went to help, which was a lot because no one in a Wizards uniform could keep a Lakers player in front of him.
Or they kinda pointed vaguely where a teammate should go while the teammate’s back was turned instead of verbally communicating, as players are taught to do.
If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 20 Lakers points on 10 lob attempts. Yikes,
This one was over quickly. The Lakers kicked the Wizards in the teeth in the first quarter, and continued kicking in the second. Washington trailed by 29 at the half, and the Lakers coasted in from there.
The only real drama was whether Luka Doncic would get a triple-double by halftime (he did) and whether the Lakers would ever stop dunking on Washington (they did, but only because time expired).
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).
The four factors are measured by:
| FOUR FACTORS | LAKERS | WIZARDS | LGAVG |
|---|---|---|---|
| eFG% | 69.4% | 52.5% | 54.3% |
| OREB% | 33.3% | 32.7% | 26.1% |
| TOV% | 24.2% | 16.7% | 12.8% |
| FTM/FGA | 0.282 | 0.071 | 0.209 |
| PACE | 107 | 99.5 | |
| ORTG | 132 | 103 | 115.5 |
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).
PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.
POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.
ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is 115.5. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.
USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.
ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.
+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 114, the league — on average — would produced 22.8 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -2.8.
Players are sorted by total production in the game.
| WIZARDS | MIN | POSS | ORTG | USG | +PTS | PPA | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Sarr | 28 | 63 | 124 | 21.1% | 1.1 | 130 | -30 |
| Anthony Gill | 17 | 38 | 155 | 16.7% | 2.5 | 185 | 2 |
| Will Riley | 25 | 56 | 93 | 26.6% | -3.3 | 116 | -5 |
| Bub Carrington | 25 | 57 | 102 | 26.9% | -2.1 | 102 | -28 |
| Malaki Branham | 22 | 49 | 134 | 19.6% | 1.8 | 113 | -3 |
| Justin Champagnie | 24 | 53 | 138 | 10.7% | 1.3 | 67 | -27 |
| Kyshawn George | 27 | 61 | 96 | 26.7% | -3.1 | 46 | -17 |
| Jamir Watkins | 35 | 78 | 78 | 14.6% | -4.2 | 15 | -15 |
| Bilal Coulibaly | 24 | 54 | 74 | 18.1% | -4.1 | -18 | -22 |
| Sharife Cooper | 13 | 29 | 60 | 15.6% | -2.5 | -65 | -10 |
| LAKERS | MIN | POSS | ORTG | USG | +PTS | PPA | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Doncic | 31 | 68 | 135 | 40.0% | 5.3 | 450 | 21 |
| Deandre Ayton | 29 | 65 | 174 | 23.7% | 9.0 | 383 | 30 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt | 16 | 36 | 149 | 14.9% | 1.8 | 265 | 7 |
| LeBron James | 30 | 66 | 109 | 26.4% | -1.2 | 134 | 25 |
| Jaxson Hayes | 14 | 30 | 178 | 17.0% | 3.2 | 269 | -3 |
| Jake LaRavia | 25 | 56 | 102 | 6.5% | -0.5 | 98 | 24 |
| Gabe Vincent | 18 | 41 | 134 | 10.4% | 0.8 | 130 | 3 |
| Rui Hachimura | 18 | 40 | 129 | 20.1% | 1.0 | 108 | -2 |
| Drew Timme | 17 | 38 | 128 | 10.9% | 0.5 | 31 | 17 |
| Marcus Smart | 27 | 59 | 71 | 11.1% | -2.9 | 1 | 21 |
| Maxi Kleber | 5 | 12 | 211 | 18.5% | 2.2 | 416 | 4 |
| Dalton Knecht | 5 | 12 | 103 | 27.8% | -0.4 | 168 | 4 |
| Bronny James | 5 | 12 | 107 | 31.4% | -0.3 | 58 | 4 |
Luka Doncic scored a triple double in 20 first-half minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers thrashed the Washington Wizards 142-111 on Friday.
The 26-year-old, who on Tuesday became the quickest Laker to reach 2,000 points, showed no lasting injuries after he fell off Cleveland's elevated court in a 30-point defeat on Thursday.
Leading the way with 26 points by half-time, six-time NBA All-Star Doncic helped the Lakers to their second-highest scoring performance of the season.
Deandre Ayton bagged 28 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while LeBron James grabbed 20 points and six assists.
The victory denied three straight wins for the Wizards, who had beaten the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Lakers next play the New York Knicks on Monday, while the Wizards face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Not even a blizzard can stop NBA basketball. The San Antonio Spurs are traveling to Charlotte for a game against the Hornets, with record snowfall expected to hit the city. For that reason, the game was pushed up to 11 a.m. CT to avoid the snow. Luckily, the game is played indoors, and the weather won’t impact the play on the court (that’s a shot at the NFL).
The Spurs will face the Hornets after a big comeback win against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Don’t let their record fool you, the Hornets are just as tough as one of San Antonio’s Western Conference rivals. Charlotte has won five straight games and has the 6th-best offensive rating in the NBA. The Hornets have run teams off the court with their scoring, and blownout teams by 30+ this season. San Antonio has an elite defensive team, and they’ll need their defense to show up on Saturday.
The Spurs are tied with the Denver Nuggets for second place in the West. They’ll need to keep winning to hold their position at the top of the conference. Meanwhile, Charlotte is 2.5 games out of 10th in the East and gaining ground fast on the Chicago Bulls for a play-in spot. With both teams playing good basketball right now, fans who trudge through the snow should have a good game awaiting them at the Spectrum Center.
Spurs Injuries: Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Stanley Umude – Out (G League), David Jones-Garcia – Out (G League), Jeremy Sochan – Out (quad)
Hornets Injuries: Josh Green – Probable (achilles), PJ Hall – Out (G League), Liam McNeeley – Out (G League), Mason Plumlee – Out (groin), Antonio Reeves – Out (G League), KJ Simpson – Out (G League)
The Hornets are a great three-point shooting team. They are hitting 15.3 deep balls a game at a 37.3% clip, good enough for 5th in the NBA in both categories. With sharpshooters like Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and LaMelo Ball, the Hornets have multiple players who can hurt you from deep. Things get a bit more mixed when Charlotte is inside the restricted area. They are shooting 46.4% from the field this season, 19th in the league. The Spurs can mitigate the Hornets’ strength by running shooters off the line and funneling them to Victor Wembanyama, who can force them into tough shots in the paint.
Charlotte is also prone to coughing the ball up. The Hornets turn the ball over 15.7 times per game, third most in the NBA. They aren’t great at creating turnovers on the other end to mitigate this issue. The Spurs can cause havoc defensively when they play the passing lanes. Ball pressure from Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox will be crucial to helping San Antonio slow down the Hornets’ offensive attack.
The Spurs played a lineup featuring all three of their core guards against the Rockets on Wednesday. Dylan Harper, Castle and Fox shared the floor alongside Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, and then Keldon Johnson. This lineup was solid defensively and gave San Antonio plenty of playmaking on the offensive end. The glimpse at the lineup was brief, but enticing. Charlotte is a big team, but given their turnover issues and three-point shooting, having more aggressive, quick defenders on the floor at the same time could prove advantageous. It would be fun to get another look at the 3-guard lineup on Saturday.