HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant each scored 33 points as the Houston Rockets broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-99 on Monday night.
The Rockets trailed by a point at the start of the fourth before going on a 21-9 run in the first seven minutes of the period to seize control and win for the fifth time in six games.
Tari Eason scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half and Amen Thompson finished with 14 assists and eight points. Reed Sheppard, who earlier Monday was named to the Rising Stars game for the NBA's All-Star weekend, finished with four points on 2-for-11 shooting, including 0 for 7 from 3-point distance.
Sengun had an impressing shooting night for the Rockets, going 7 for 7 from the field in the first half and 15 for 17 overall. He also contributed nine rebounds and six assists.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama scored 17 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who lost their third straight, for the fourth time in five games and for the 10 time in 13 games. GG Jackson added 14 points, Jaylen Wells had 12 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 11. Cam Spencer, who along with Wells and Cedric Coward, was named to the Rising Stars game, finished with 14 assists and five points.
Both teams struggled with their shooting in the first half. The Grizzlies shot 37% (21 for 57) from the field, including 4 for 19 (21%) from 3-point distance, yet led 54-51 after two quarters. The Rockets shot just a bit better, going 20 for 51 (39%) from the field and 5 for 20 (20%) from distance.
Trailing 77-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, Houston went on a 12-2 run to take control and extended its lead in the period. The Grizzlies trimmed their deficit down the stretch, but were never able to catch up.
Memphis was without two-time All-Star Ja Morant, who is out for at least the next three weeks due to a sprained ligament in his left elbow. He was injured Wednesday during the Grizzlies’ 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Grizzlies last played Friday, losing to New Orleans. Their game against Denver scheduled for Sunday was postponed due to extreme weather in the Memphis area.
Up next
Grizzlies: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic drives to the basket in front of Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the first half of the Lakers' 129-118 win Monday night. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
Luka Doncic skipped, shimmied and shot. The Lakers dunked, hollered and won.
Doncic dazzled yet again with 46 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the Lakers' 129-118 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday. The Lakers (28-17) notched their fourth win in five games. It was his third game in the last four with at least 10 assists — all wins.
The 26-year-old guard scored 32 points in the second half. He mimicked shooting pistols after he laced one three-pointer. After another, late in the fourth, he skipped backward on defense away from the Bulls' bench. Doncic’s second-half scoring barrage picked up after LeBron James scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half. Rui Hachimura added 23 points off the bench.
Hachimura, who has been coming off the bench since he returned from a calf injury two weeks ago, hit nine of 11 shots from the field, including four threes. He drained consecutive threes, both spurred by Doncic passes, in the third quarter to help the Lakers hold off a Bulls comeback.
A transition dunk from Hachimura put the Lakers up by 20 with 1:27 left in the first half. The Lakers, after struggling with airline delays leaving Dallas on Saturday night, looked as if they would cruise comfortably to a win.
Then Chicago closed the half on a 7-0 run. It grew to a 18-5 stretch that forced coach JJ Redick to call a timeout when the Lakers' lead was cut to seven. It shrank to one with 6:42 left in the third quarter.
Lakers star LeBron James dunks in front of Chicago Bulls guard Coby White in the first half Monday. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
The Lakers answered with an 8-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Hachimura. Doncic whipped a one-handed behind-the-back pass across the court to Gabe Vincent, who re-directed it to Hachimura. He drained the shot. On the next Lakers possession, he hit another three-pointer off a Doncic assist.
Hachimura has made eight of 12 three-point attempts in the last two games.
The starting lineup could soon shift again with Austin Reaves close to returning from a calf injury that has kept him out for more than a month. Redick said Reaves could be back as soon as Thursday’s game against Cleveland.
NEW YORK (AP) — Matthew Robertson scored at 3:53 of overtime as the New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller and Will Borgen also scored for the Rangers, and Jonathan Quick got his 408th career win — passing Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall for 12th place on the NHL list. Quick made 21 saves and assisted on the overtime winner.
The Rangers, last in the Eastern Conference, took two of three against Boston this season. They improved to 6-13-4 at home and won for only the third time in 14 games overall.
Elias Lindholm had two goals and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins. David Pastrnak added three assists to reach 900 career points. He has nine assists in his last five games. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 24 shots.
Cuylle opened the scoring midway through the first period with his 12th of the season. Borgen’s wrist shot tied the game at 3 with 6:17 remaining in the third.
The Rangers celebrated their 1994 championship team before the game as part of the franchise’s centennial celebration.
Up next
Bruins: Host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Rangers: Visit the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic behind yet another offensive explosion from Donovan Mitchell.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
45 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
Mitchell was in attack mode again tonight. He scored 26 points in the first half, burying 4-of-5 three-point attempts in his first 17 minutes. His hot shooting helped the Cavaliers claw back from an early deficit and reclaim momentum.
Mitchell continued to score into the second half, finishing with 45 points and improving the Cavs’ record to 11-1 when he scores 35+ points.
Grade: A+
Evan Mobley
20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Mobley is looking more spry and agile by the day. He’s moving around the court with the confidence he hasn’t always shown. It doesn’t feel like anyone can stop Mobley from getting to his spots right now. I’ve been wanting to type that sentence for years.
Grade: A+
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The Cavs have a rising star in Tyson. He once again made an impact on both ends of the floor, playing defense, bulldozing his way into the paint, and connecting on three-point jumpers with efficiency.
Grade: A+
Craig Porter Jr.
4 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds
Porter looked especially quick tonight as the Magic double-teamed Mitchell and left him with openings to attack. This led to Porter getting into the paint and finding his teammates for BLANK assists.
Grade: B+
Lonzo Ball
0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
This wasn’t anything crazy, but Ball has probably played two of his better games as a Cavalier in his two latest against the Magic. Aside from being part of a brutal lineup in the first quarter (featuring Ball, Tomlin, Proctor, Porter, and Nance), Ball held his own tonight.
I don’t think his teammates did a great job of getting him the ball, but Allen was effective every time he got a touch. He shot 4-6 from the floor and was aggressive with all of his opportunities.
Grade: B+
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Tomlin is facing a make-or-break moment. His minutes have seen diminishing returns as opponents ignore him from the three-point line. He started the game 1-5 from the floor as the Magic left him wide open from the corner and packed the paint on his drives.
He found a way to break free for a moment in the second half, but he’ll have to develop into a more consistent shooter for him to take the next step.
Grade: C-
Dean Wade
6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Wade turned in another quality performance. Strong defense, solid rebounding, and a positive impact on the Cavalier offense despite shooting 0-2 from three.
Grade: A–
Tyrese Proctor
6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Kenny Atkinson can’t stop talking about Proctor’s “moxy” on the basketball court. The kid has confidence, and he showed it tonight by hitting a big-time three-pointer in the second half and ripping the ball away from the Magic for a backbreaking steal.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season and 42nd of his career, Darren Raddysh scored on a power play late in the second period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Utah Mammoth 2-0 on Monday night.
Brandon Hagel added a power-play goal in the final minute for the Lightning, who have won 15 of 17 and swept the season series against Utah. Tampa Bay moved atop the Eastern Conference standings with 70 points, one ahead of Carolina and Detroit.
Vasilevskiy, who leads the league in goals-against average, improved to 2-0-0 against the Mammoth, both shutouts. He blanked them last season, the inaugural campaign for the Utah franchise.
Raddysh took a feed from Nikita Kucherov and one-timed it above the shoulder of Karel Vejmelka for a 1-0 lead with 2:22 left in the second.
Vejmelka made 25 saves for Utah, which lost in regulation for only the second time in its past 12 games.
Kucherov's assist was his team-best 53rd of the season. He ranks third in the NHL in points with 79 and is second in assists.
Hagel's goal was his 26th, matching Kucherov for the team lead.
Tampa Bay's Nick Paul dropped the gloves with Utah's Ian Cole after Cole put a big hit on rookie Dominic James along the boards early in the second period. Paul and Cole each received 5-minute penalties for the fight.
Up next
Mammoth: Stay in Florida and visit the Panthers on Tuesday night.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jada Richard scored 20 points and No. 6 LSU pulled away in the second half for an 89-60 victory over Florida on Monday night.
It was the fifth straight Southeastern Conference win for the Tigers (19-2, 5-2) after they lost their first two league games to Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
MiLaysia Fulwiley had 15 points and Amiya Joiner added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mikaylah Williams scored 12 as LSU opened a three-game SEC homestand.
Florida (13-9, 1-6) was led by Liv McGill, who had team highs of 14 points and eight rebounds.
LSU led 22-19 at the end of the first quarter, but it took a while to pull away. During an eight-minute stretch, the Tigers missed 10 of 13 shots — many of them open looks.
The Gators, who got their first SEC win eight days ago, went toe-to-toe with LSU. They turned to physical play, forcing five turnovers in a 2:42 span.
After Laila Reynolds gave Florida a 27-26 lead with 5:36 left in the first half, LSU closed on a 10-2 run for a 36-29 lead at the break. Williams assisted on two of the Tigers’ baskets and closed the half with a driving jumper.
Richard scored 12 of LSU’s 27 third-quarter points, and the Tigers took a 63-45 lead into the fourth. They scored 11 third-period points off six Florida turnovers.
Fulwiley took charge for LSU in the fourth with 11 points, two rebounds and two blocks. She chased down McGill for a rejection of her fast-break layup attempt.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — John Mobley Jr. scored 25 points to help Ohio State hold off Penn State 84-78 on Monday night.
Mobley made 7 of 14 shots with five 3-pointers and all six of his free throws for the Buckeyes (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten Conference). He added five assists and three steals to help Ohio State prevail after blowing almost all of a 50-32 halftime lead.
Amare Bynum added 15 points, five rebounds and three steals for the Buckeyes. Devin Royal had 14 points and sophomore reserve Taison Chatman scored a career-high 11. Bruce Thornton finished with nine points and needs two more to pass Michael Redd (1,879 from 1997-2000) for sixth place on OSU's all-time list.
Sophomore Ivan Njegovan made his first career start for the Buckeyes, replacing injured Christoph Tilly. The 7-foot-1 sophomore scored all eight of his points in the second half, adding three rebounds and two blocked shots before fouling out.
Eli Rice hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 to lead the Nittany Lions (9-11, 0-9), who have lost seven straight. Ivan Juric totaled 14 points and 14 rebounds. Josh Reed and reserve Melih Tunca both scored 13.
Chatman and Mobley sank 3-pointers to end a game-opening 22-11 run by Ohio State and turned it into an 18-point lead at halftime.
Rice sank three 3-pointers in a 22-8 run to cut it to 58-54 in the first eight minutes. Josh Reed had a three-point play to make it 60-59 three minutes later, but Mobley answered with two free free throws and a 3-pointer and Ohio State stayed in front from there.
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic 114-98 behind 45 points from Donovan Mitchell. This was Cleveland’s fourth straight win and its second in a row against the Magic.
The Cavs fell into a 10-point hole early on before Donovan Mitchell carried them out of it. His 26 points in the first half brought energy into the arena and momentum back in Cleveland’s favor. The Cavs entered halftime with a five-point lead, outscoring Orlando 39-24 in the second quarter.
Turnovers were nearly an issue again for the Cavaliers. They entered this game with one of the worst turnover percentages in the league for the month of January, and turned it over six times in the opening 10 minutes of this game. Darius Garland’s efficient control of the offense is something this team isn’t equipped to replace full-time.
Thankfully, the Cavs got themselves in order after a scrambly first quarter. They only turned it over eight more times the rest of the way, getting back to their season-average. They won the rebounding battle and finished the game shooting above 40% from three. Do all of those things, and you have a good chance of winning any game.
Jaylon Tyson, who was named to the 2026 NBA Rising Star game before tonight’s matchup, scored 14 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished 4 assists, and shot 5-9 from the floor. He’ll be the first Cavalier on a standard contract to compete in the Rising Stars game since Evan Mobley.
Mitchell put the Cavalier offense on his back for long stretches of this game. It was another prolific scoring performance from Mitchell, who has been in a groove recently and is showing no signs of slowing down. Evan Mobley has also been hitting his stride, scoring an efficient 20 points to go with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Cleveland has now won 11 of their last 15 games and is quickly climbing. back up the Eastern Conference. They host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Something tells me you won’t want to miss that.
Egor Demin, the Brooklyn Nets’ first lottery pick in 15 years, has been selected for the NBA’s Rising Stars Competition at All-Star Weekend, the league announced Monday afternoon. The selection for the competition that features rookies, sophomores and G League stars, takes place at 9:00 p.m. ET February 13 at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, the first night of three-night weekend.
The 6’9” guard is one of 10 rookies, 11 sophomores and seven G Leaguers to make the team.
Michael Porter Jr. will learn his All-Star fate on Sunday when All-Star reserves will be revealed but Demin’s selection ensures that Brooklyn will have at least representation at the 75th All-Star Game. MPJ has never made an All-Star Game. Skill competition participants will also be announced soon, but no Nets are likely to be selected for that.
Demin is the first Brooklyn Net to be selected for the Rising Stars competition since 2019 when the competition was rookies vs. sophomores. Rodions Kurucs was named to the rookie squad and Jarrett Allen to the sophomores.
Demin, a native of Moscow and a BYU product, was taken at No. 8 in the first round at the end of June and after playing in the Summer League in Las Vegas, he spent two months rehabbing from plantar fascia before finally joining the Nets in preseason. In the regular season, Demin is averaging 10.2 points, 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 40/40/85 for the season. He is the 11th youngest player in the NBA.
For Demin, it’s another recognition and for the Nets front office, justification for what was at the time an unpopular pick. In the days and weeks leading up to the Draft, Demin was seen as a precocious playmaker but a limited shooter. Since then, he’s shown that not only can he shoot, but he can shoot at a high volume and in clutch moments.
In fact, other than than Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, Demin is arguably the 2025-26 rookie class’s best volume shooter from deep. And other than last month, he’s been the class’s top volume shooter, hitting 47.1% of 6.4 attempts per game. Knueppel, who’s on an historic run, is hitting 39.0% of 6.3 attempts.
Demin is one of five first-round picks the Nets selected in June, a record haul. The others were Nolan Traore, taken at No. 19; Drake Powell at No. 22; Ben Saraf at No. 26 and Danny Wolf at No. 27.
NBA assistant coaches determined the pool of 21 NBA players, with each team submitting one ballot. Voters ranked 10 rookies and 10 sophomores, with more points assigned to higher placements. The top 10 rookies and top 10 sophomores by point total earned spots. The final spot was awarded to the higher-scoring player among the 11th-ranked finishers in each class. The pool includes one more sophomore than rookie based on total points received.
The players will be divided into four teams for the competition, with a draft run by four honorary coaches taking place Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET…
Presenting the honorary head coaches for the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars!
NBA Rookies and Sophomores will be drafted onto three teams on Tuesday (1/27) at 7:00pm/et on Peacock, with NBA G League players to comprise the fourth team.
In what is described as a mini-tournament, Team A will face Team B in the first semifinal (Game 1), and Team C will play Team D in the second semifinal (Game 2). The winner of Game 1 will meet the winner of Game 2 in the championship (Game 3).
For each semifinal game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points. For the championship game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 25 points.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Stephen Curry and Draymond Green won't play for Golden State on Monday night at Minnesota due to injuries. Anthony Edwards will rest for the Wolves.
Both Golden State players suited up Sunday afternoon as the Warriors won in Minneapolis. But coach Steve Kerr said Curry's balky right knee was causing him enough trouble on Monday morning to rule him out.
Green is sidelined with a back injury.
Kerr expressed hope that both players would be back in the lineup for Wednesday's game at Utah.
The Warriors were already short-handed after losing forward Jimmy Butler for the season with a torn ACL. Forward Jonathan Kuminga also will sit out with a bone bruise and a hyperextended left knee.
For Kentucky, Jayden Quaintance, Jaland Lowe, and Kam Williams remain out. Lowe is having season-ending shoulder surgery, while Williams recently underwent foot surgery and could return later this season if all goes well, though no definitive timetable has been given yet.
As for Quaintance, he remains sidelined with swelling in his surgically-repaired knee. This will be his sixth game missed since initially being ruled out ahead of the Mississippi State game on January 10.
For the Commodores, the big absence is point guard Frankie Collins, who is recovering from surgery on a torn meniscus in December and is listed as out. The fifth-year senior is averaging 7.8 points (38.2% from the field and 25% from deep), 4.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per contest. Vandy was 9-0 with him in the lineup and has gone 6-3 in his absence.
The Commodores have a surprise addition to the injury report in starting guard Duke Miles, who is listed as questionable to play. Miles logged 28 minutes in Saturday’s win at Mississippi State while going for 17 points, seven steals, four assists, and three rebounds.
For the season, Miles is averaging 16.6 points (45.1% from the field and 34.1% from deep), 3.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 steals per game.
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt Injury Report
Duke Miles will be a tough matchup for Kentucky tomorrow.
He leads the SEC in steals/game (2.8), and has had 5 games of 5+ steals. In his last game, he had 7 vs. MSU.
Kentucky will be without a true point guard. Going to have to take care of the ball. pic.twitter.com/7r8U9oNtfC
BOSTON — Boston Celtics two-way player Ron Harper Jr. has been selected to participate in the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars challenge as one of 7 G League players, the NBA announced on Monday. Harper Jr., who spent the last two training camps with the Celtics before signing a two-way contract with Boston, has been one of the G League’s most consistent players this season.
The Rising Stars game, which will take place at All-Star Weekend next month, is comprised of 21 standout NBA rookies and sophomores, plus seven players who have played in G League games.
Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady will serve as honorary coaches for the Castrol Rising Stars mini tourney, while former NBA player Austin Rivers will coach the G League Rising Stars team.
In addition to Harper Jr, the G League will be represented by Sean East II, Yang Hansen, Ron Harper Jr., David Jones Garcia, Yanic Konan Niederhouser, Alijah Martin, and Tristen Newton.
Harper Jr has had a standout season in the G League, averaging 26.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while shooting 49.7% from the field and 40.2% from three.
He’s appeared in 7 games for the Boston Celtics this season, most recently playing rotation minutes in a double-overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
Previously, Harper Jr spent two years with the Toronto Raptors and one year with the Detroit Pistons. He was on two-way contracts with both teams.
While Harper Jr. got good news regarding the Rising Stars challenge, fellow Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez did not. Gonzalez was not selected as one of 10 NBA rookies to participate in Rising Stars; those rookies are Cedric Coward, Egor Demin, VJ Edgecombe, Jeremiah Fears, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Derik Queen.
Victor Wembanyama is not the only Spur who has secured an invitation to All-Star Weekend. Guards Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and David Jones-Garcia have been selected to participate in the Rising Star game, the league announced.
Castle is not only the reigning Rookie of the Year but was also the 2025 Rising Stars game MVP, leading his team to a spot at the All-Star game in the last edition. The sophomore has made a leap in his second season, posting averages of 16.6 points, five rebounds and seven assists per game while starting and logging 31 minutes per game for a team with a 31-15 record. He was a lock to be selected for the event and received heavy consideration by fans, players, and media for the All-Star game.
Harper’s participation also seemed likely despite his role. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2025 draft has spent his rookie year coming off the bench behind De’Aaron Fox and only playing 21.1 minutes a game. As a result, he’s averaging a respectable but not eye-popping 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game. Despite not getting the starring role others in his class have enjoyed, he’s among eight first-year players with 300+ points, 100+ rebounds and 100+ assists, while being the only player to do it in fewer than 800 minutes, according to the Spurs news release.
Jones-Garcia, who earned a two-way contract thanks to a fantastic showing in Summer League, has been named to the G League squad that will participate in the event. Jones-Garcia is averaging 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 14 games for the Austin affiliate, per the team’s release. The Dominican scorer has also appeared in 11 games with the San Antonio Spurs this season.
Here are all the players who will be a part of the event:
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars Player Pool!
NBA Rookies and Sophomores will be drafted onto three teams on Tuesday (1/27) at 7:00pm/et on Peacock, with NBA G League players to comprise the fourth team.
The format of the event is an interesting one. The rookies and sophomores who will represent the NBA will be drafted into three teams on Tuesday, January 27, at 6 p.m. on Peacock. The fourth team that will participate in a mini tournament on Saturday, February 13, will be comprised of G League players. Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, and Austin Rivers will be the honorary coaches.
As the Head Coach, he takes his leadership seriously, stands up for his players, and is always open and forthcoming. As an Offensive Coordinator, his system which encourages multiple passes and cuts has resulted the Raptors finishing in the top 7 in assists in each of his first two seasons (and currently 2nd this year). As a Defensive Coordinator, Darko’s schemes and rotations have boosted the Raptors from the 17th-ranked defense last season to 4th, as of this writing.
after holding the thunder to 7 points over the final 5 minutes of last night's game, the raptors now own the best crunch-time defensive rating in the league at 96.4. they're doing this without a single player taller than 6'9. pretty incredible
One hat I did not think Darko would wear was that of a psychic. Back in October 2023, before his first game as Head Coach, Rajakovic proclaimed, “I think one day he’s going to be Defensive Player of the Year. That’s something he wants to be, that he wants to develop into, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help him on that path.” (You can disregard the heaps of praise he bestows on Dennis Schroder. That definitely does not fall into the ‘psychic’ category, but the ‘head coach’ category of Darko’s hats)
Rajaković backed Scottie Barnes as a future Defensive Player of the Year while also reminding reporters not to forget about Dennis Schröder’s defensive skillset: pic.twitter.com/rRNrmcBVAx
Barnes has been a revelation this year. Not the kind of revelation where a player comes out of nowhere to shock everyone, but a revelation to the rest of the NBA. Scottie has been a defensive menace throughout his five seasons in the league. However, playing for lottery teams in each of the last two seasons, preceded by two seasons under Nick Nurse where he wasn’t fully unleashed has kept Barnes’ defensive reputation at bay. Locally, Raptors fans are well aware of what Scottie brings to the table defensively, night in and night out.
This season has been an endless stream of defensive highlights. From blocking LeBron James in the final minute of a tie game, to blocking Collin Sexton to secure a victory over Charlotte, to blocking a potential game-tying mid-range attempt by Chet Holmgren, Barnes’ defense has become a regular fixture in Toronto’s game recaps. Not only is he saving the Raptors, but also looking out for people’s health! What a saint!
Scottie Barnes is a man of the people.
When the Blazers score 100, fans get free McDonald's. So not only did Scottie Barnes stop Yang and Love from getting the Blazers their 100th point, he also stopped 17,438 at the Moda Center from developing heart disease. GG Scottie. pic.twitter.com/qjKlftH9tb
The stats match what the eyes see. Scottie Barnes’ name is all over the defensive stats pages. Barnes is (big inhale):
#1 in total stocks
#1 in blocks in the 4th quarter
#1 in blocks in the clutch (under 5 minutes, margin within 5 points)
#3 in defensive win shares
the only player in the NBA with at least 60 steals AND 60 blocks
The individual numbers only paint part of the picture of Barnes’ impact. Check the last sentence of the first paragraph again. Your eyes do not deceive you. The Toronto Raptors have the 4th-best defense in the league! The team’s other above-average defenders have either been injured (Jakob Poeltl), inconsistent (Ja’Kobe Walter), or have only started to play more minutes (Collin Murray-Boyles). Jamal Shead has been solid, but nowhere near the impact of Barnes.
Scottie’s DPOY case only becomes stronger when considering Poeltl’s been out since mid-December. The Raptors have played 18 games without a true Center…..and its defensive rating has increased!
The current buzz around Barnes is nice to see, but Raptors fans know it will take a lot more than stats and highlights to win over the voters. Let’s take a look at the 3 players with better DPOY odds — Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, and Rudy Gobert.
I think this is the highest Scottie has been on the DPOY odds ladder.
Chet getting too much credit for OKC’s defense? Will Wemby qualify for the 65 game threshold? Rudy is Rudy.
The case for Chet is clear as day: he’s the anchor behind the league’s best defense. Holmgren ranks #1 in defensive win shares, #2 in defensive rating, and #3 in blocks per game. The individual numbers, combined with the potentially record-breaking defensive numbers — the gap between OKC’s 105.4 defensive rating and 2nd-place San Antonio’s 108.6 defensive rating would be the largest margin in NBA history — justifies Holmgren’s place at the top of the betting odds.
However, take a closer look at the rankings and their may be a kink in his armor. Just behind Chet in the defensive win shares standings is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2nd), Cason Wallace (4th), and Ajay Mitchell (8th). In the defensive rating list, Holmgren is followed by Wallace (3rd), Mitchell (7th), SGA (10th), and Lu Dort (13th). Is it a stretch to think that Wallace, who ranks 1st in total steals and 3rd in steals per game, might steal some votes from Chet? Is the Thunder’s defense more of a collective effort rather than an individual? If Chet misses a game, there are still 3-4 other premium defenders ready to pick up the slack! (That group doesn’t even include Alex Caruso, 2-time All-Defense, or Jalen Williams, who was on last season’s All-Defense team)
Also, if the voting came down to Scottie vs. Chet, Barnes might have a leg up.
Victor Wembanyama: Out of this world and out of the running?
The case for and against Wemby is set for the next decade (assuming the league keeps the ridiculous 65-game rule): if Victor is healthy enough to play the minimum number of required games, he should be the favourite to win DPOY. Every. Single. Year.
As it stands right now, Wemby has missed 14 games already this season. If he misses 4 games or more the rest of the way, he will be ineligible for the award.
Rudy Gobert: Sure but why?
Outside of citizens from Minnesota and France, who can tell me why Gobert is in the ‘favourites’ tier with Holmgren and Wembanyama?
Minnesota’s 10th-ranked defense is lower than Toronto. Gobert ranks lower than Barnes in defensive rating, defensive win shares, and defensive box plus/minus. Rudy doesn’t have the same defensive demands since he plays alongside 2 wings, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels (Did I double-check I had the right McDaniels? You’ll never know.), who are better defenders than any Raptor other than Barnes. So, Gobert is more deserving than Barnes because he averages 2.9 more rebounds and 0.2 more blocks? Is this a legacy thing? Make it make sense, oddsmakers!
Is Barnes ready to buck the trend?
The obvious theme between Holmgren, Wembanyama, and Gobert is that they’re all paint-devouring, rim-protecting Centers. From Bill Russell to Hakeem Olajuwon to David Robinson to Shaquille O’Neal, the Defensive Player of the Year award has defaulted to big men for as long as the honour has existed. But in the current NBA, when switching and rotating and scrambling are the name of the defensive game, there’s nothing more valuable than a player who can defend all 5 positions a perfectly as Scottie Barnes.
He already has a better case than Gobert. He outperformed Holmgren — both statistically and visually — in a matchup that will stick in voters’ minds. He is 4 more missed games from not having to worry about an alien. Scottie Barnes has the statistical profile, the eye-popping highlights, and is gaining traction as this year’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Darko the Psychic has a good ring to it, don’t you think?
