Category: NBA

PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Williams scored 27 points, Dillon Brooks had 26 and the short-handed Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-102 on Tuesday night in a game that featured a scuffle late in the fourth quarter.

After Brooks put the Suns ahead 104-102 on two free throws with 1:23 remaining, a steal by the Suns’ Royce O’Neale led to a scramble for the ball in the paint. Brooks tried to wrestle the ball away from Ziaire Williams after the whistle, and the Nets’ Egor Demin pushed Brooks.

Several players started jawing at each other and assistant coaches from both sides gathered on the floor as officials tried to restore order. Demin, Mann and Michael Porter Jr. received technical fouls for the Nets, and the Suns’ Grayson Allen and O’Neale also got technicals. Brooks did not receive a technical after getting one earlier in the game.

Allen added 18 points for the short-handed Suns, who ended a two-game skid. Devin Booker missed his second straight game after rolling his right ankle in a loss at Atlanta on Friday night, and Jalen Green also sat with a nagging right hamstring injury.

Porter finished with a season-high 36 points for the Nets, who have lost six straight and 14 of 16. Demin added 15 points, but Brooklyn struggled to find secondary scoring.

When Porter made a 3-pointer with 9:47 left in the third quarter, he had 12 of the Nets’ 24 baskets for 27 points.

Phoenix led 91-81 midway through the fourth, but Brooklyn responded with a 19-5 run capped by Porter’s 3 for a 100-96 lead with 3:33 left. Williams scored four quick points for Phoenix and then Allen tied it at 102-all with 1:39 remaining.

Up next

Nets: At Denver on Thursday night.

Suns: Host Detroit on Thursday night.

Call it a players only meeting, or don’t. 

Whatever it was, the message appears to have gotten through. 

The Knicks have suddenly turned things around following their brutally rough stretch, taking home their third consecutive victory on Monday night over the Sacramento Kings. 

Jalen Brunson was terrific late, but leading the way was the Knicks’ improved defense. 

Things were evened at 72 apiece through three quarters, but then Mike Brown’s shook up lineup turned things up and held Sacramento to just 15 points in the final frame.

Mitchell Robinson stayed in alongside Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby to close things out and the move worked tremendously. 

New York’s tenacious defense helped limit the Kings to just 40 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent from three-point land on the night. 

“It was an ugly game, but our defense stayed solid throughout,” Mike Brown said.

“We were able to grind it out and find a way,” Brunson added. 

The Knicks are now averaging just 87.3 points allowed during their brief winning streak, and they’ve held opponents under the triple-digit mark in two of those three games. 

So, what exactly has sparked this drastic turnaround?

Robinson said one of the biggest things has been their communication. 

Brunson, on the other hand, pointed in another direction.

“Our attention to detail, our focus, those are big components,” the captain said. “We have the ability to be a really good team if we do those things, the little things have to be important.” 

For New York to get where they hope this season, they’ll need to keep this up. 

The improved defense will have another very big test right away, as they head to Toronto to face the Raptors in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights in the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.  

PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Williams scored 27 points, Dillon Brooks had 26 and the short-handed Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-102 on Tuesday night in a game that featured a scuffle late in the fourth quarter.

After Brooks put the Suns ahead 104-102 on two free throws with 1:23 remaining, a steal by the Suns' Royce O'Neale led to a scramble for the ball in the paint. Brooks tried to wrestle the ball away from Ziaire Williams after the whistle, and the Nets' Egor Demin pushed Brooks.

Several players started jawing at each other and assistant coaches from both sides gathered on the floor as officials tried to restore order. Demin, Mann and Michael Porter Jr. received technical fouls for the Nets, and the Suns' Grayson Allen and O'Neale also got technicals. Brooks did not receive a technical after getting one earlier in the game.

Allen added 18 points for the short-handed Suns, who ended a two-game skid. Devin Booker missed his second straight game after rolling his right ankle in a loss at Atlanta on Friday night, and Jalen Green also sat with a nagging right hamstring injury.

Porter finished with a season-high 36 points for the Nets, who have lost six straight and 14 of 16. Demin added 15 points, but Brooklyn struggled to find secondary scoring.

When Porter made a 3-pointer with 9:47 left in the third quarter, he had 12 of the Nets' 24 baskets for 27 points.

Phoenix led 91-81 midway through the fourth, but Brooklyn responded with a 19-5 run capped by Porter's 3 for a 100-96 lead with 3:33 left. Williams scored four quick points for Phoenix and then Allen tied it at 102-all with 1:39 remaining.

Up next

Nets: At Denver on Thursday night.

Suns: Host Detroit on Thursday night.

___

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

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George scored 32 points, Joel Embiid had 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter and the Philadelphia 76ers rolled to a 139-122 victory over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

Tyrese Maxey added 22 points for the 76ers, who were blown out a night earlier at Charlotte with Embiid and George sidelined.

Myles Turner scored 31 points for Milwaukee, which lost its third straight and sixth of seven. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out with a right calf strain that the team said will sideline him indefinitely.

George hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to help the 76ers extend their 11-point lead to start the period to 18 points. In their 130-93 loss to the Hornets, the Sixers trailed by 50 points entering the fourth.

The game at Charlotte was rescheduled to 3 p.m. EDT because of winter weather, but the Sixers still didn’t make it back to Philadelphia until after 1 a.m. Tuesday.

But the return of Embiid and George, who both sat Monday for injury management, provided a jolt of energy for the Sixers. Maxey found Embiid for an alley-oop dunk late in the first half and Maxey jumped up and down with excitement as both players smiled toward Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who led the Sixers for three seasons.

George made 11 of 21 shots, including 9 of 15 3-pointers. Embiid added nine rebounds and five assists.

Ryan Rollins scored 24 points for the Bucks, Bobby Portis had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma also scored 17.

WIZARDS 115, TRAIL BLAZERS 111

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Sarr had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots, and Washington snapped a nine-game losing streak with a victory over Portland.

It was Washington’s first home victory over Portland since Jan. 16, 2017.

The Wizards led 112-106 when Shaedon Sharpe cut the lead in half with a 3-pointer. After Bub Carrington tossed up an air ball for Washington, Sharpe’s dunk with 20.5 seconds left cut the lead to one.

Kyshawn George made one of two free throws with 15.5 seconds to play, putting the Wizards up 113-111. After a timeout, Sharpe’s contested jumper missed, and Khris Middleton’s free throws made it a four-point game.

Sharpe scored 31 points for Portland, which lost despite a 69-46 advantage in rebounds. The Trail Blazers shot just 13 of 23 on free throws.

The 7-foot-1 Sarr attempted a career-high 29 field goals, making 11. It was quite a battle of young big men between him and 7-foot-3 Donovan Clingan, who had 14 points and 20 rebounds for Portland. Ex-Wizard Deni Avdija had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers.

KNICKS 103, KINGS 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points and New York dominated the fourth quarter to beat Sacramento for its third straight victory.

Mikal Bridges added 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who outscored the Kings 31-15 in the final period after the game was tied at 72 after three.

DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points for the Kings, who lost their sixth straight. Russell Westbrook added 14 points, but he and DeRozan combined to go 3 for 16 from 3-point range on a night when Sacramento finished 5 for 30 (16.7%).

Mike Brown earned his first victory as Knicks coach against the team that fired him last season, two years after he was NBA Coach of the Year after leading Sacramento to the 2023 playoffs.

THUNDER 104, PELICANS 95

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and short-handed Oklahoma City beat New Orleans to avoid its first three-game skid of the season.

Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for NBA-best Oklahoma City (38-10), which had lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season. Isaiah Joe added 17 points.

The Thunder were missing starters Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace and key reserve Alex Caruso with injuries.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8 of 22 from the field but went 13 of 14 from the foul line. He scored at least 20 points for the 118th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NBA history.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had won two straight.

PISTONS 109, NUGGETS 107

DENVER (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 22 points, including two free throws with 2 seconds left, and Detroit held off a late Denver rally for the win.

Cade Cunningham had with 22 points and 11 assists for Detroit, which has won nine of 11 and leads the Eastern Conference by 5 1/2 games over Boston.

Jamal Murray had 24 points and 10 assists but missed two free throws in the final seconds. With the Nuggets down 107-104, Murray was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 4 seconds left and missed the first foul shot. Harris was fouled and made both free throws. Murray went to the line again with 0.7 seconds remaining but missed the second foul shot.

Jonas Valanciunas returned from a one-game absence to finish with 16 points and 16 rebounds for Denver, which had been scheduled to play at the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. The game was postponed because of the winter storm that hit most of the country, and the Nuggets were stranded in Memphis until Monday morning.

It took three full quarters of sloppy play for the Knicks to exert expected dominance over the Kings on Tuesday night, and a huge 31-point fourth quarter that lifted them to a 103-87 home win was sparked by a pair of timely threes from Karl-Anthony Towns in the opening minutes.

But the veteran center didn't contribute to a closing 21-9 run that clinched a third straight victory for the team. Towns watched the final seven minutes of action from the bench, while a lineup featuring Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson took the floor instead.

The lack of playing time for Towns down the stretch was curious. In spite of producing 17 points against the Kings across 27 minutes, he hasn't played more than 30 minutes in three straight games. It wasn't a matter of discipline on Tuesday -- Towns committed only two fouls.

When asked about the trend after the game, Knicks head coach Mike Brown didn't hint at any issue with Towns. He simply felt more comfortable with that rotation in a clear rhythm, causing the Kings fits.

"At the end of the game, we had a group out on the floor that was playing well," Brown said. "It's a tight ballgame, so I rode that group to the end of the game. We needed to get the win."

Towns, who played 20 minutes against the Nets last Wednesday and just 16 minutes against the 76ers last Saturday, wasn't miffed by Brown's decision or explanation. He trusted his coach.

"[Brown] saw what he saw. We've got to win," Towns said. "That's the most important thing. That's all I care about, New York cares about, this team cares about -- is wins."

While it's still unclear if the Knicks will attempt to make a blockbuster trade that involves Towns as a package headliner, he hasn't resembled a dominant force in January.

The five-time All-Star is averging just 16.6 points this month (12 games), and over his last six contests, he's actually logged more fouls (11) than assists and blocks combined (9).

Towns' minutes will be a topic of conversation again on Wednesday night, when the Knicks travel north of the border to face the Raptors.

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored a career-high 30 points and No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improved to 21-0, rallying in the second half and then holding on for an 86-84 victory over UMass on Tuesday night.

Miami is one of two unbeaten teams in Division I after fifth-ranked Nebraska lost 75-72 at No. 3 Michigan earlier Tuesday night. Top-ranked Arizona is 21-0 following an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night.

The victory also tied the RedHawks with the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest in-season winning streak in Mid-American Conference history.

Elmer was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers. The junior shooting guard, who also grabbed seven rebounds, had 18 points in the first half.

Peter Suder added 13 points and nine assists. Freshman guard Justin Kirby also scored 13 as Miami improved to 9-0 in conference play.

Leonardo Bettiol had 22 points and 16 rebounds for UMass (13-9, 4-6), which had won four of five. Marcus Banks Jr. scored 18 and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 16.

Miami extended its lead to 82-75 with 2:07 remaining before the Minutemen made one final charge. K'Jei Parker sank three free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining after getting fouled by Kirby at the top of the key.

Suder was fouled with 4.4 seconds left. He hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Bettiol grabbed the rebound and passed to Isaiah Placide, whose desperation shot from halfcourt went off the glass, allowing the RedHawks to earn another close win after prevailing in overtime in their previous two games.

UMass was up 65-60 midway through the second half before Miami went on an 8-4 spurt. Elmer's 3-pointer with 8:40 remaining gave the RedHawks a 69-68 lead, their first since the first minute of the game.

Up next

UMass hosts Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

Miami (Ohio) hosts Northern Illinois on Saturday.

___

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

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Honor Huff scored 17 points and Treysen Eaglestaff scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds and West Virginia beat Kansas State 59-54 on Tuesday night.

Brenen Lorient scored 10 points for West Virginia (14-7, 5-3 Big 12), which has won three of four and six of its last nine games. It was the third fewest points scored this season for Kansas State.

P.J. Haggerty scored 16 points, David Castillo scored 15 points and Nate Johnson 13 for Kansas State (10-11, 1-7). The Wildcats have lost seven of their last eight.

West Virginia led 57-54 with 22 seconds left before the Jayhawks intentionally fouled Huff. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and Kansas State took possession.

Lorient blocked Haggerty's layup attempt with 14 seconds left. Kansas State maintained possession but Haggerty's 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left was off the mark.

Taj Manning fouled Huff and he made both foul shots with eight seconds left to seal the win.

Up Next

Kansas State: Hosts No. 8 Iowa State on Sunday.

West Virginia: Hosts Baylor on Saturday.

___

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

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — LA Sneed scored 15 points, Reese Ross had a double-double, and Utah never trailed in a 71-64 victory over No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday night.

Sneed made three of the Utes’ 10 3-pointers. Ross scored 12 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. Lani White added 14 points and Chyra Evans scored 12 for Utah (15-6, 6-3 Big 12).

Jordan Harrison scored 18 points and had eight assists to lead West Virginia (17-5, 7-3), which ended a three-game win streak. Gia Cooke added 11 points and Carter McCray scored 10.

The Utes closed the second quarter on a 14-5 run for a 36-24 lead at the break. Sneed made two 3-pointers and scored eight points for the Utes, who hit six 3-pointers and shot 58% (15 of 26) in the the half.

Utah had its largest lead, 48-30, with 5:11 to play in the third quarter. West Virginia scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull to 55-49 with 6:30 left but didn't get closer.

Up next

West Virginia: Host No. 14 Baylor on Sunday.

Utah: At BYU on Saturday.

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

Well, these two won’t want to see each other any time soon.

Chippy, physical play between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort and New Orleans Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears bubbled throughout Oklahoma City’s 104-95 victory on Tuesday, Jan. 27 before a shoving match erupted after regulation.

As the Pelicans were trying to score a late basket in garbage time, Fears collected an offensive rebound and tried to put up a scoop layup before he drew contact from Dort. Fears immediately turned to face Dort, who shoved Fears twice, first lightly, and then with more force once Fears didn’t back down.

Eventually, both players clasped the other’s jersey in balled fists and were trying to shove the other backward before teammates, assistant coaches and officials stepped in to try to deescalate the situation.

Lu Dort and Jeremiah Fears got into it on the final play of the game 😳 pic.twitter.com/pd57nEKb5f

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 28, 2026

At its height, around 40 people were in the scrum, trying to separate each side. Dort and Fears continued to jaw toward each other, though players and assistants did a good job of separating the two, until Fears broke free and continued to chase Dort down the floor.

Dort eventually walked toward the locker room, while Fears was ushered toward the New Orleans tunnel by two staffers.

There had been another altercation, a minor one, prior to the one between Dort and Fears. During an inbounds play with 1:18 left in the game, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Thunder forward Jaylin Williams shoved each other as they were battling for positioning.

“Good guys, good (officiating) crew, but I thought they lost control of the game in the final minutes,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “I thought that altercation at the end started well before that.

“The second thing is: I think that’s a foul on Dort,” Daigneault continued, speaking about the last shot attempt Fears took in the final seconds. “And if it was, they should put a whistle on that play regardless of the score and the time, because, if they do that, everybody stops playing and you can legislate the situation as you normally would.”

As Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sinking a pair of late free throws to ice the game, he said he overheard Fears and Dort jawing at each other during the dead ball.

“I wasn’t too sure what happened,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “I had heard them going back and forth after they made the last two free throws, but I wasn’t sure what happened. And then, I turned around and they were face-to-face. I’m sure it was nothing crazy, though. Typical basketball scuffle.”

Fears scored 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting and added 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Dort, a defensive-minded player whose physicality often pushes the limits of what’s acceptable, scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and had 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lu Dort, Jeremiah Fears scuffle after Thunder vs. Pelicans game

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Ben Hammond scored 20 points and Jailen Bedford scored 14 points and Virginia Tech nearly squandered a double-digit lead late and held on to beat Georgia Tech 71-65 on Tuesday night.

Reserve Christian Gurdak scored 11 points and Tobi Lawal 10 before fouling out. Surprisingly, the Yellow Jackets outshot Virginia Tech 44% to 34%, but the Hokies (16-6, 5-4 ACC) made up for the shooting deficit and outscored Georgia Tech 24-9 from 3-point range.

Jaeden Mustaf posted a double-double and scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Baye Ndongo scored 14 points, Lamar Washington added 12 points and Kam Craft had 11 for Georgia Tech (11-10, 2-6).

Lawal made two foul shots to give Virginia Tech a 65-50 lead with 4:26 remaining before Georgia Tech went on an 11-0 run to get within four points after Washington drove the lane uncontested for a layup with 1:09 left.

Neoklis Avdalas made 1 of 2 foul shots for a 66-61 lead before Ndongo reduced the deficit to three with a layup with 29 seconds left.

Bedord made 1 of 2 for a 67-63 lead, Washington followed with a layup with 19 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets never got closer.

Hammond and Bedford each made two foul shots to seal it.

Hammond's 3-pointer with 13:59 remaining gave the Hokies their first double-digit lead at 50-40. He followed that 23-foot shot with a 24 footer less than a minute later to stretch the lead to 13.

Up Next

Georgia Tech: Hosts 16th-ranked North Carolina on Saturday.

Virginia Tech: Hosts fourth-ranked Duke on Saturday.

___

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

Nebraska was the first one to tell you it was eventually going to lose.

As the Cornhuskers marched to their best start in program history with a 20-0 record, players told USA TODAY Sports in December "we're not going to go undefeated." A loss would happen, it was just a matter of when.

It finally happened Tuesday, Jan. 27 with Nebraska, in the top five of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the first time, falling on the road to No. 2 Michigan in a monster Big Ten clash.

We were going to learn a lot in the contest. Is Nebraska legit? Is Michigan still the Big Ten and national championship favorite?

Turns out, both are true.

It was an entertaining contest that showed Michigan is still on the path to the Final Four, and the Cornhuskers cannot be ignored anymore. The Wolverines are real. So is Nebrasketball − even in a loss.

“That just proved to everybody, most importantly to those guys in the locker room, that we can compete with anybody in this country," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said.

Michigan had to really work for this one. The team that started the season blowing every team out of the water was the one trying to swim out of a rip current. After Michigan took a 3-2 lead in the first two minutes, Nebraska took control and were comfortably holding the lead.

The Cornhuskers were on fire. Jamarques Lawrence was money from deep and the rest of the team seemingly drilled every shot that went in the air. Nebraska averages 10 made 3-pointers a game, and it achieved that in just 18 minutes. The Wolverines looked shell shocked. They couldn't keep up, trailing by as much as 11 points in the first frame and down at halftime. Oh, and all of this came with Nebraska's second and third leading scorers in Rienk Mast and Braden Frager out.

It was an ugly second half. However, that suited Michigan, and Nebraska's inexperience showed.

The Cornhuskers couldn't maintain their hot shooting, allowing the Wolverines to hang around. The game turned from a fast-paced shooting frenzy to a physical one that didn't suit Nebraska. Michigan got to the foul line while ratcheting up the defensive intensity.

Despite Michigan shooting just 6-for-24 (25%) in the second half with 11 turnovers, it went 14-for-17 from the free throw line. Nebraska shot just four free throws all game, and the magic wore off with a 1-for-13 mark from deep in the second half. Michigan only made one shot in the final five minutes, but the Cornhuskers didn't score in the final three minutes.

It wasn't pretty, but that can happen. The great teams find ways to win even when everything is going wrong. You need wins like this to prepare you for March, when it will inevitably happen as the competition gets stiffer each round.

As January nears an end, Michigan still remains the class of the Big Ten. It's the best candidate to be the first from the conference to win a national championship since 2000. It has had some not-so-incredible performances in the first month of Big Ten play and it only has one loss. If the Wolverines are firing on all cylinders, there's little hope for opponents.

At the same time, Nebraska proved its legitimacy. People have been cautious to believe the Cornhuskers are for real, and wanted to see how they measured up against a top-tier foe. The Cornhuskers nearly beat Michigan without two of their top three scorers.

“That team is projected by a lot of people to win a national championship," Hoiberg said. "You fight them all the way to the finish, you lose by a basket. That shows the character of our team and it also shows we can compete with anybody in the country."

Michigan has to admit it was outplayed most of the game. The Cornhuskers just couldn't close the deal late, as they ran out of steam. There is such a thing as finding a win in a loss, and Nebraska still is poised to contend in the Big Ten and make some program history in the NCAA Tournament.

"We're going to compete for the Final Four, and I think we just put ourselves in that conversation," said Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg.

It was a great battle, and you could only imagine what this game would be like in Lincoln with the Cornhuskers at full strength. Or even better, in a postseason contest.

"Hopefully we’ll see them in March, April," Michigan coach Dusty May said postgame on the Peacock broadcast.

Let's hope so, because both of these teams are capable of some magical things.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why both Michigan and Nebraska are winners of their top five matchup

As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex emerges from its three-day winter standstill, the Dallas Mavericks (19-27) get back to regularly scheduled basketball programming on Wednesday, when they host the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves (28-19) at American Airlines Center.

The sudden onset of winter weather caused the Mavericks to miss their game on Sunday in Milwaukee, giving the team an extra day of rest after Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Mavs’ four-game winning streak on Saturday, 116-110, with a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 37-17 in the game’s final 9:35 on Saturday, and wintry precipitation in DFW kept the team’s plane from taking off the following day, giving Dallas an extra day to stew in the melting puddle of misery that has been the 2025-26 season.

With the recent fingy injury suffered by Mavs forward Anthony Davis, we don’t even have much excitement to look forward to with the NBA Trade Deadline little more than a week away. Around these parts, trade deadline hysteria season has given way to injury management season, as both Cooper Flagg (ankle) and Anthony Edwards (foot) are listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game on the NBA’s injury report as of 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

The basketball gods have spoken. We do not, in fact, deserve nice things. Even still, here are three storylines to watch when the Timberwolves come to town.

The best ability

Edwards has played through ongoing right foot issues in recent games, but missed Monday night’s 108-83 win over the Golden State Warriors with what was listed as “right foot injury maintenance.” The fact that he’s generally been able to play through any pain associated with the foot injury, but got the night off on Monday, may point to the superstar guard being available on Wednesday in Dallas. Edwards is averaging 29.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game coming into Wednesday’s matchup. His 29.7 points-per-game average is good for third in the NBA though 46 games, just a hair ahead of Boston’s Jaylen Brown.

Anthony Edwards midseason tape

29.7 PPG I 5.2 RPG I 3.6 APG I 62.5% TS https://t.co/9MhX2QE86Epic.twitter.com/pX8OGiQIa9

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) January 27, 2026

Flagg is also listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, getting the same “injury management” designation as Edwards on the latest NBA injury reports. He missed a pair of games, both against the Utah Jazz, less than two weeks ago, so who knows when the rookie star’s next off-day will come. Dallas seems to have two feet traveling in opposite directions, with some remarkable recent wins against seemingly quality opponents but a dismal outlook in the Western Conference standings with little, if any, hope of making noise down the stretch.

If both stars are available for their respective teams on Wednesday, the matchup clearly favors Minnesota, but the Wolves were mired in a muck of their own making before Monday’s win over the Warriors. They came into that game losers of five straight, including losses at Utah and at home to the Chicago Bulls. They’re part of the Western Conference contingent made up of teams that might be good enough to make a deep run even if they’re not laying out a particularly convincing case at the moment.

Shooting ability

The Timberwolves come into Wednesday’s game fourth in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (37.2%) as a team. Much has been made of the Mavericks’ inability to shoot the long ball this year and how much the lack of shooting has held the team back in the standings. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Mavericks sit 24th in the NBA in the same category, at 34.5%. Dallas’ recent four-game win streak was largely fueled by 3-point heaters from Klay Thompson and Max Christie. Christie has been the Mavs’ lone bright spot from long range this year, shooting it at a 45.5% clip, good for sixth in the league as a sharpshooter.

Both Edwards (41%) and Jaden McDaniels (42.3%) shoot the 3-ball at above 40% for the Wolves, while big man Naz Reid comes into the game shooting it at a 39% clip. The Timberwolves own most of the matchup advantages against the injury-depleted Mavericks and have the ability to run the home team out of its own gym. What’s plagued Minnesota during its recent run is a lack of focus and leadership that presents itself on the floor as a tendency to turn the ball over and let struggling teams stay in the game long enough for the tide to eventually turn.

Neither team shot it particularly well when the Wolves dominated the Mavericks in the teams’ first meeting, 120-96 on Nov. 17. The Mavericks looked lost with 20 turnovers that night, falling behind by 33 points before the reserves played for most of the fourth quarter in the blowout.

The ability to dictate terms

The Mavs enter Wednesday’s game with a distinct disadvantage in firepower, with or without Flagg, but the Wolves’ own tendency to coast may be Dallas’ path to another unlikely win. The Mavs have proven their own ability to absorb blows this year. They’re a try-hard bunch. They nip at the heels of superior rosters, and sometimes it works.

All it takes is one or two hot stretches from this or that unsung role player, and the Mavs just have a knack for making games of what on paper appears to be a lopsided matchup. If the Wolves don’t dictate the terms of the Mavericks’ surrender from the opening tip, the Mavs will once again make a game of what should be a blowout loss.

And we’ve seen it a number of times this year — anything can happen if Dallas finds a way to stay in the game when crunch time rolls around.

How to watch

The Mavericks host the Timberwolves on Wednesday, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29 and regional sister stations throughout the Mavericks’ viewership area, or you can catch the stream on MavsTV or NBA League Pass where available.

The Milwaukee Bucks put up a good fight against the Philadelphia 76ers with Giannis out, executing at a pretty high level for most of the game, but eventually falling 139-122. Myles Turner had his best game as a Buck, ending the night with 31 points on 62.5% shooting. Paul George led the Sixers with 32 points, five assists, five rebounds, and two steals.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

After getting down 9-2 in the opening minutes, the Bucks battled back to tie the game due to Ryan Rollins and Myles Turner. Turner, in particular, was excellent in the first, dropping 12 points on 4/7 shooting. The Bucks stayed within arm’s length of the 76ers for most of the period, but about two-thirds of the way through the quarter was when Philly made their move, with Joel Embiid being the catalyst. Embiid looked surprisingly spry considering his injury history, manoeuvring his way to 18 first-quarter points (including a bunch of free throws, as per usual). The Bucks were down 42-34 after one.

Milwaukee opened the second with a lineup consisting of Anthony, Trent, Harris, Portis, and Sims (with Rollins entering a few minutes in). To my surprise, this crew got the deficit back to just three about four minutes in, with GT nailing two huge transition bombs. The Sixers would immediately answer with a 5-0 run after that, though, up 53-45—Bucks timeout. Unfortunately, the Sixers’ run extended to 10-0 out of the timeout, with AJ Green halting the run with a three off Kyle Kuzma’s penetration to cut the deficit from 13 to 10. Both teams traded buckets for the rest of the quarter, with nothing truly notable to report other than a funny sequence in which Embiid and Portis—both known high flyers—traded monster jams on consecutive possessions, later laughing about it in a stoppage. Philly led 62-71 at half.

The third quarter featured an offensive explosion from both teams in the opening four minutes. Paul George came out on fire for Philly, dropping 10 quick points in that span. For the Bucks, it was the trio of Turner, Portis, and Rollins that combined to have the Bucks tie the game at 81 about halfway through the frame. A key piece of the comeback was Doc electing to go to the zone, which slowed the 76ers’ offense down in a major way—credit where it’s due. By the same token, the Sixers figured the zone out somewhat in the minutes that followed, opening a 90-84 edge following an Edgecombe corner three and a Maxey drive. Turner kept the Bucks close, though, making it rain off a kick-out three for a season-high 26^th point with minutes to play in the third, Milwaukee down 94-91. Much to the Bucks’ dismay, a late flurry from Paul George had Philly up 106-95 after three.

Sixers second-year man Jared McCain—who had struggled in the early season after returning from injury—opened the fourth with a triple to put the 76ers’ lead at 14, threatening to blow the game open, but Kuzma and Anthony scored consecutively to get it back down to 10. Unfortunately, the Bucks could only hold the Sixers off for so long, with George and McCain combining to hit four threes over the next two minutes, actually blowing the game open—Milwaukee down 123-104 with eight minutes to play. The Bucks got it back to 12 with four minutes to play, but the hill was just too steep to climb in the end.

Stat That Stood Out

The Bucks lost the possession battle tonight, with Philly besting Milwaukee 101-86 in attempts. This was largely because the 76ers had 15 offensive rebounds to the Bucks’ eight, and Milwaukee also turned it over 11 times to Philly’s six.  

When you adjust for snowstorms this has been a great start to the week for the Sixers.

Philadelphia bounced back with a decisive 139-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night.

Paul George, just shy of the franchise record for three-pointers in a game, dropped a game-high 32 points with five rebounds and five assists shooting 11-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-15 from three. Joel Embiid, off another brilliant first half, put up 29 points and nine rebounds going 11-of-24 from the field

Tyrese Maxey did a good job of putting the last one behind him, going for 22 points and nine assists on 9-of-19 shooting. Myles Turner led the Bucks with 31.

Quentin Grimes was out with an ankle sprain while the Bucks were without Taurean Prince, Kevin Porter Jr. and most importantly, Giannis Antetekounmpo.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Maxey walking into an open midrange jumper off an Embiid screen to get on the board was certainly a palette cleanser compared to his outing against the Hornets. The Sixers got plenty of open jumpers early and were able to convert for a decent start. VJ Edgecombe hit his first long range shot of the night and PG hit two early threes as well.
• It was nice to see Jared McCain get early minutes. With Quentin Grimes out that wasn’t a surprise, but Justin Edwards seeing the floor early was a bit more of a shock. He converted on an open corner three when the ball was swung to him just like George.
• He wasn’t hitting as many shots from outside, but the most efficient start for the Sixers was from Embiid, who put up 18 points on 12 shots. He also helped McCain have his best five-minute stretch in quite some time. McCain used Embiid as a screener to knock down his first open three of the night, then get to the basket on a drive. On the other end they did struggle again with dribble penetration, helping the Bucks shoot 54.5% in the quarter, but the Sixers were hot enough to get out to an eight-point lead.

Jared McCain with 5 quick points off the bench! pic.twitter.com/VCkghXxBkI

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) January 28, 2026

Second Quarter

• When they held on to the ball, the Sixers’ process on offense was good enough to overcome the Bucks making three of their first five threes to start the second. Maxey drives opened up easy baskets for both himself and Kelly Oubre Jr. They weren’t getting a ton from their front court defensively, but Adem Bona was able to get on the board with an and-1 putback. When he missed the free throw, a fresh-into-the-game Dominick Barlow was able to grab another offensive rebound and dish it out for an open Edgeceombe. Barlow got on the board himself with yet another putback layup on the following possession.
• The Sixers extended the lead and then some with Embiid on the bench, and Maxey looking more like Tyrese Maxey was the biggest reason for that. He played really well off of George, taking turns drawing the attention of the defense to get each other open.
• Of course when Embiid returned, that only helped Maxey even more. Maxey threw a transition lob to Embiid, and they just looked so excited that that’s a play they were able to make happen again. As much as they continued to hum offensively, they never locked in defensively, allowing the Bucks to only be trailing by nine at the half.

Oh my god, Joel Embiid! pic.twitter.com/Xikm7DQUfF

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) January 28, 2026

Third Quarter

• George made his first four jumpers of the second half, and the Sixers needed every one as their defense looked even worse than the first half. Turner started the half with baskets inside before Kyle Kuzma started going wherever he wanted off the dribble.
• Suddenly needing to be perfect, the Sixers offense finally started to slow down. For the first time ever, they found a groove again when the Bucks threw a zone at them. Edgecombe was able to handle a double and find Oubre wide open at the rim. They swung it around on the next possession to fine a wide open Edgecombe in the corner before an Oubre transition basket and Maxey layup forced a timeout.
• Maxey and Embiid went to their two-man game to keep the offense afloat, but PG keeping the hot hand from the start of the quarter gave the offense a big boost with two consecutive threes. Maxey capped things off with a pair of lightning fast drives to put the Sixers back at an 11-point lead.

Paul George is on FIRE in Q3! Two more triples and he's up to 26 points tonight! pic.twitter.com/llMWtV1xgQ

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) January 28, 2026

Fourth Quarter

• George’s production started to become well-rounded as he set Bona up for a bucket at the rim and McCain for a pair of threes. Edgecombe ran quick off a Bucks miss to hit McCain in transition for yet another three. Hitting his fourth out of five tries was just the type of night he needed — both himself and the building seemed to feed off of that energy.

Back-to-back triples from Jared McCain! He's up to 14 points on 4-5 3PT shooting! pic.twitter.com/UjvYVKLVwh

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) January 28, 2026

• Piling on in the best way, an offensive rebound found McCain coming out of a timeout and he buried the open corner three. The offense did stall for a bit ,with jumpers going cold and a dump-off to Bona being there only field goal for a couple of minutes.
• It seemed like Nick Nurse wanted to give Embiid the fourth quarter off, but the Bucks made it just close enough to put him back out there for a couple of minutes. He immediately buried a corner three to keep up with Turner. He missed a midrange pull-up to cross the 30-point threshold again, but Edgecombe slamming back the miss was plenty enough of an exclamation point for this game.

All Times EST

Wednesday, Jan. 28

NBA

Chicago at Indiana, 7 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

New York at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Orlando at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Minnesota at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Golden State at Utah, 9 p.m.

San Antonio at Houston, 9:30 p.m.

NHL

N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Colorado at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

T25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 10 Houston at TCU, 9 p.m.

No. 19 Florida at South Carolina, 9 p.m.

No. 25 St. John's vs. Butler, 7 p.m.

T25 WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 1 UConn vs. Xavier, 8 p.m.

No. 2 UCLA at Illinois, 7 p.m.

No. 16 Maryland vs. No. 25 Washington, 7 p.m.

No. 21 Texas Tech vs. Iowa St., 7 p.m.

PWHL

Toronto at Montreal, 6:30 p.m.

New York at Boston, 7 p.m.

Seattle at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Minnesota, 9 p.m.

_____