The first USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball poll for February is out, with the top four teams from the end of January holding steady.

Arizona remains at No. 1 with all 31 first-place votes. Michigan stays at No. 2 thanks to a pair of solid Big Ten wins this week. Connecticut and Duke remain at third and fourth respectively.

Gonzaga inherits the No. 5 spot, followed by a surging Illinois vaulting four positions to No. 6 after its Sunday defeat of Nebraska. Iowa State jumps ahead of fellow Big 12 contender Houston by just two poll points for the No. 7 position. Nebraska and Michigan State each fall back multiple spots but stay in the top 10.

TOP 25:Complete USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll

There’s a strong Big 12 presence in the next five as Kansas is back up to No. 11 leapfrogging No. 12 Purdue. Texas Tech and Brigham Young hold the next two positions, and Vanderbilt now leads the SEC contingent at No. 15.

Texas A&M joins the rankings at No. 25. Thanks to last week’s tie there are actually two dropouts as Alabama and Iowa fall.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball poll rankings keep Arizona at No. 1; Illinois rises

One day after being handcuffed and escorted off the court by police, Tuskegee University men’s basketball coach Benjy Taylor has retained legal counsel.

On Sunday, Feb. 1, Atlanta-based civil rights attorney Harry Daniels announced in a news release that Taylor has hired him to pursue a potential civil lawsuit.

In a video from HBCU Gameday that was widely shared on social media, Taylor is shown confronting a security officer as players from Tuskegee and rival Morehouse College shook hands after their game on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Forbes Arena on the Morehouse campus in Atlanta.

According to Taylor and Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin, Taylor asked the security officer to follow conference rules and help remove a group of Morehouse football players — who Taylor said were yelling obscenities — from the handshake line. Instead, after a brief interaction, the security officer handcuffed Taylor and walked him off the court.

We have new new footage and insight from Tuskegee 👀: https://t.co/eDyEz8cuSKpic.twitter.com/WdcYkcaCpE

— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) February 1, 2026

REQUIRED READING: Tuskegee basketball coach escorted off court in handcuffs: What we know

"Such behavior from the Morehouse football players, particularly their intermingling with the basketball players on the court and during the postgame handshake is prohibited by conference-mandated security protocols," Daniels said in a statement announcing he had been hired by Taylor. "When Coach Taylor asked two police officers to enforce those protocols attempting to diffuse an increasingly dangerous situation, however, one of the officers chose to place him in handcuffs and escort him from the court. Coach Taylor was never charged with a crime.”

According to Daniels, attorneys are investigating “all legal avenues.”

“It would be bad for a police officer to treat anyone like this,” Daniels said in the release. “But to do it to a man like Coach Taylor, a highly respected professional and role model, to put him in handcuffs, humiliate him and treat him like a criminal in front of his team, his family and a gym full of fans is absolutely disgusting and they need to be held accountable.”

In a letter Sunday addressed to “Tuskegee Family and Friends,” Ruffin and Tuskegee president Dr. Mark A. Brown said Taylor has “our full, unequivocal, and unwavering support” while adding that the coach is “a respected professional who has consistently demonstrated exemplary leadership, integrity, and concern for the well-being of his student-athletes.” Taylor has been the head coach at the school since 2019.

“During the events in question, Coach Taylor acted solely out of his fundamental responsibility to protect his student-athletes and staff — particularly in an environment where agreed-upon and customary game‑management and security protocols were not properly carried out,” the letter said. “His conduct remained measured, professional, and entirely consistent with the expectations of a head coach entrusted with the safety of his team.

“At no time did Coach Taylor engage in behavior that could be characterized as unbecoming, unprofessional, or inconsistent with the standards of Tuskegee University, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Morehouse College, or intercollegiate athletics broadly,” the letter continued. “Conversely, the circumstances that culminated in Coach Taylor being handcuffed — albeit briefly — fall well outside the bounds of what is normal, acceptable, or appropriate in collegiate athletic environments. No coach should ever be placed in such a position for carrying out their duty to safeguard student-athletes.”

The university said it remains “committed to working closely” with the SIAC and its fellow members to ensure that security and event-management standards are implemented and upheld at future sporting events.

The Alabama-based school hasn’t responded to a USA TODAY Sports request for comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tuskegee basketball coach Benjy Taylor hires civil rights attorney

Giannis Antetokounmpo is holding the 2026 NBA trade deadline hostage as it approaches on Thursday, Feb. 5. Antetokounmpo’s passive trade request has forced Milwaukee to consider dealing him this week, and according to ESPN insider Shams Charania, the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves are considered the most serious suitors. We have Giannis trade ideas for those four teams here.

The Bucks don’t want to trade Giannis, but if they do, they rightfully want a huge package of draft picks, swaps, and young players in return for their superstar forward. Milwaukee might hold onto Antetokounmpo until the summer to see if they can convince him to sign another max extension, but it seems like a long-shot that he’d actually sign it. The writing has been on the wall for years after three straight first-round exits in the playoffs, and this year’s Bucks are so bad that they are already best suited to pivot to tanking for a loaded 2026 NBA Draft while Giannis nurses a calf strain. Milwaukee could pick as high as No. 2 overall in 2026 due to a pick swap with the Pelicans and Hawks.

Antetokounmpo remains a top-3 player in the world when he’s healthy at 31 years old. He’s the type of superstar who is bound to get mystery teams involved in the bidding process, and one surprising team kept popping up in internet rumors over the weekend: the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls jumped to the front of the betting market over the weekend if Giannis is traded in-season.

The Chicago Bulls have become frontrunners to land Giannis if he leaves Milwaukee 🚨 pic.twitter.com/89WeFgBHGx

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 2, 2026

The betting surged seemed to happen after Giannis and his family were also spotted at a Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago on Sunday.

Giannis at St. George Greek Orthodox Church today in Chicago👀 pic.twitter.com/AQEfYol2mC

— FreePlay Sam (@FreePlaySam) February 1, 2026

News of Antetokounmpo purchasing a $21 million apartment building in Chicago also circulated over the weekend.

It’s all starting to add up: Giannis is buying property and going to church in Chicago, which is only a 90-minute drive from his stronghold in Milwaukee. The Bulls control all of their future draft picks, and could put them on the table for a deal, plus they have the expiring salary that Milwaukee could crave.

How’s this for a trade?

NBA teams can only trade their first-round pick every other year because of The Stepien Rule — which Secret Base has a great documentary on. This trade would deliver Milwaukee the Bulls’ unprotected first-round pick in 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032, plus pick swaps in 2027 and 2031. Chicago can’t trade Milwaukee a pick swap in 2029 because Milwaukee doesn’t own its pick.

The Bulls would essentially be giving up six years of draft control for Giannis, as well as their best player in 23-year-old Josh Giddey. It’s usually a pretty good bet to fade the Bulls, who haven’t won a playoff series since 2015 and have only won one playoff game since trading Jimmy Butler almost nine years ago. It would leave Chicago with the following rotation:

G Tre Jones

G Ayo Dosunsmu

F Matas Buzelis

F Giannis Antetokounmpo

C Nikola Vucevic

Bench: Jalen Smith, Kevin Huerter, Patrick Williams, Julian Phillips, Julian Phillips, Noa Essengue (out for season)

Trading for Giannis now gives a team two playoff runs with him before he hits unrestricted free agency. The Bulls or any other team probably wouldn’t mortgage their future like this without a backdoor agreement that Antetokounmpo would sign an extension. If Milwaukee actually accepted that package, the Bulls would have to ask themselves if they could win big with Giannis right now.

Chicago is 24-26 on the season at time of publish, and currently sits in their familiar place of the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls would have work to do just to get out of the play-in tournament range this season. Given that Giannis has battled lower-body injuries all season (and for the last three years, really), it’s an open question whether he would be at 100 percent physically to finish this year.

Does a Giannis to the Bulls trade actually make sense?

No it doesn’t.

Giannis is ready to leave Milwaukee because he wants to compete for championships again, and in Chicago he would have the same problems he has right now in Milwaukee. The rest of the Bulls’ roster just wouldn’t be good enough to push for a Finals berth even in a horrible Eastern Conference. The downside of Giannis continuing to get injured, or potentially leaving in free agency, asking for another trade would be too much to give up so many years of draft control.

Antetokounmpo buying an apartment building in Chicago is just the type of real estate move rich guys make. I don’t really tell you why he was in the city to go to church, but I don’t think there’s some grand conspiracy behind it.

The Bulls refuse to tank and desperately need a superstar, so who cares about draft control? It sounds good in theory, but it would be an extremely reckless trade for Chicago with huge downside risk. The Bulls just seem to go a few games under .500 every year anyway, so who cares? While that’s a decent counter-argument, it’s a tough trade to swing when Giannis has already been unable to finish the last few seasons healthy.

The real failing for the Bulls is that they’ve been rebuilding for nine years and still aren’t in a position to trade for someone like Giannis. Chicago keeps trying to take shortcuts to rebuilding without actually tearing the down the roster, and it keeps resulting in the same outcome every year: the Bulls lose slightly more games than they win and ultimately bow out in the play-in tournament. Ownership led by Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf continues to be the biggest issue. If the Reinsdorfs don’t want to treat the Bulls like the world-class franchise they should be, they should sell the team. Michael Reinsdorf’s refusal to hold front office leader Arturas Karnisovas responsible for the team’s entrenched mediocrity is why this franchise will never be great.

With better leadership over the last nine years, the Bulls would have been in position to trade for Giannis. Now it doesn’t make sense.

I wouldn’t be shocked if a mystery team emerges for Giannis at the trade deadline, but my best guess is he stays in Milwaukee. The Bucks will probably try to sell him on a big trade that keeps him around long-term this summer, but ultimately it seems like Giannis knows he needs to leave to compete for championships again. This Bulls offer is really good, but Milwaukee probably wants a blue chip young player better than Giddey in any team. I’ll guess the Heat or the Knicks for where the Greek Freak eventually ends up this summer. Until then, expect more bizarre rumors like this one with the Bulls.

Way, way back – all the way back on Friday – the Sixers’ reality was so much simpler than it is now. The team looked OK, with the potential to get better at Thursday’s trade deadline. With the potential to offload somebody and get bench help or rebounding help or luxury-tax relief. Or all of the above.

Veteran forward Kelly Oubre Jr. has heard the same speculation everyone else has. He has heard his name bandied about as possible trade bait, since he is a useful player with a manageable contract. (He is earning $8.4 million this season, the last on his deal.)

Asked after Saturday night’s 124-114 victory over New Orleans whether the chatter bothers him, he said at first that it did not.

Then he paused, and reconsidered.

“It does kind of stink a little bit to have a contract that is easily, like, washable, you would say,” he said. “So I’m putting in the work, showing up every day, showing what I mean to this league and to this team. And hopefully, I can not be in this position again.”

With Paul George’s suspension, things would appear to be different than they were. Now it would appear that Oubre – already part of the Sixers’ most effective lineup – would be a guy they need to keep, Daryl Morey willing.

Now, it seems, the guy with the washable contract is anything but disposable.

Before Saturday’s game, coach Nick Nurse said replacing George will be a group project, that it will take the combined efforts of several guys to replace all that he did, as a scorer, playmaker and defender. Nurse then listed seven players, Oubre foremost among them.

“There are shots there,” the coach said. “Somebody’s got to fill in and take those shots. I imagine Kelly’s kind of played that role for us a lot already. I would imagine some of those shots, or a good portion of those shots, will shift back over to him.”

Gotta be music to the ears of Oubre, who at age 30 is 11 years into his career, and on his fifth team. He comes off as a free spirit, as a guy who is a loud and amusing presence in the locker room. A guy whose many tattoos include one on his leg of Bruce Lee (because, Oubre once said, he is not only a martial arts fan but “a big fan of being like water”).

But his game reflects a certain seriousness, a certain diligence. That’s reflected by another one of his tats, this one on his upper abs. “Sacrifice,” it says, an homage to his dad, who raised him first in New Orleans and then Houston, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

He often guards the other team’s best perimeter threat, and offensively he makes adroit cuts and astute decisions – something that has been especially useful recently, as he has melded with the George-Joel Embiid–Tyrese Maxey–VJ Edgecombe lineup. Oubre’s shooting percentages this season (49.5 percent from the floor, 36.9 percent from the arc) are both career highs, and his 14.2 point-per-game average is slightly better than his career norm (13.3).

Nor should his off-court energy be dismissed. 

“It’s very vital,” backup center Adem Bona said earlier this season. “Someone like him that has a lot of experience in the game, honestly, brings that kind of energy day in, day out. … He pushes the younger guys to want to match his energy, to do as much as he does for the team.”

On Saturday Oubre scored 19 points, three after collecting Edgecombe’s behind-the-back pass at the top of the circle and burying a third-quarter triple. Afterward Oubre needled Edgecombe about the play, as the rookie met with reporters at his locker.

“He made the shot,” Edgecombe said, stifling a chuckle. “That’s all that matters. I just got it there on the money. It was a little shaky at first. I was a little worried. … But it looks good. The points (are) all that matters.”

Oubre, sitting in the interview room and cradling his infant son TsuSun shortly thereafter, acknowledged that there is “a little bit” of pressure to make a shot after a pass like that, that there is a desire to complete a highlight-worthy play.

“But,” he said, “you can’t think about it in the moment. You’ve gotta just let it fly.”

Either way, he added, “It takes a lot of cojones to make that type of pass, especially with a lot of defenders around. So VJ, he’s goated for that one, man.”

It was left to Embiid to finish things off. He notched 17 of his season-high 40 points in the fourth quarter, nine in a closing 20-7 rush.

“But at the end of the day, man, any given night we have a team that people who can show up and put points on the board, be key contributors to winning,” Oubre said.

They will get the chance to prove that now, with George out and a five-game road trip commencing Monday night against the Clippers. And Oubre can only hope to be “a key contributor to winning,” as he put it.

Everything will come out in the wash, as it always does. But on the face of it Oubre’s contract doesn’t look nearly as washable or expendable or whatever-able as it did, only a few days ago.

Groundhog Day feels like “Groundhog Day” for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who face a repeat opponent in the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.

Minnesota scored a 17-point road victory at Memphis on the weekend, with center Rudy Gobert falling just short of what would have been his 23rd double-double of the season. 

My Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies predictions and NBA picks like the 7-foot Frenchman to double-up in this double feature in Memphis tonight.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies prediction

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies best bet: Rudy Golbert to record a double-double (-110)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Golbert finished Saturday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies with nine points and 16 rebounds, taking advantage of a depleted Grizzlies roster.

Memphis is missing several starters and key players, including leading rebounders Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, and possibly Jaren Jackson Jr. (questionable). With holes in the frontcourt, the Grizzlies’ rebound rate has tumbled during the team’s current six-game losing skid.

That depleted interior has also led to a spike in points in the paint from those opponents, with Memphis going from an average of just 48.6 PITP allowed to 53.3 points against in the key over the last six contests.

Gobert’s offense is somewhat limited to putbacks off rebounds and easy looks at the hoop. He leads the Wolves in offensive rebounds as well as second-chance points and picks up 8.8 of his average 10.8 points per game in the paint. Gobert's contributions could see a spike given the questionable designations of stars Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle.

Gobert recorded nine of his 22 double-doubles over his 14 games in January and just missed No. 23 by one point on Saturday (9 points, 16 rebounds). 

Player projections for Monday’s return meeting in Memphis have Gobert’s offensive output north of 11 points with a ceiling of 12.3 while his rebound forecast calls for double figures and a high of 12 boards.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies same-game parlay

The Timberwolves are picking up steam with four straight wins and ATS victories, including Saturday’s 17-point win at Memphis.

The Grizzlies are missing so many key players and so could the Timberwolves (Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle). I don’t see Minnesota shooting better than 50% from the floor in this return matchup.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies SGP

• Timberwolves -7.5
• Under 229.5 
• Rudy Gobert to record a double-double

Our "from downtown" SGP: Go long, Gobert!

Our game projections call for a 118-109 Timberwolves win, which would cover the spread and stay below the total. Cam Spencer will put in a better effort for the thin Grizzlies after scoring just five points on the weekend.

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies SGP

• Timberwolves -7.5
• Under 229.5 
• Rudy Gobert to record a double-double
• Cam Spencer Over 10.5 points

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies odds

• Spread: Timberwolves -7.5 | Grizzlies +7.5
• Moneyline: Timberwolves -315 | Grizzlies +255
• Over/Under: Over 229.5 | Under 229.5

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies betting trend to know

The Grizzlies are 2-10 SU and 3-9 ATS as a home underdog this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies.

How to watch Timberwolves vs Grizzlies

Timberwolves vs Grizzlies latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Wizards swarmed defensively in the first half and built a 17-point lead, slacked off enough to give back the entire advantage, and then let the deep bench mob play the entire fourth quarter to escape with a 116-112 victory.

If you’re worried about The Tank, yeah — be worried. It was Washington’s 13th win of the season, which puts them in a tie with the Brooklyn Nets for fourth worst winning percentage. The Utah Jazz — with their propensity for thoroughly unethical tanking shenanigans — lurk at sixth worst, scant percentage points behind.

Ashamed owners of the league’s worst winning percentage? The Sacramento Kings.

The Kings thought they’d be good. Or hoped they would be. Or something. They’re the Kings, which means they could turn a fairly promising roster with an interesting future into this in just two off-seasons. Their roster-building strategy appears to have been finding guys who have less impact on winning than you’d think based on their reputation and glory stats (points, rebounds, assists). Their big three: DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis. Check, check, check.

Plus, Sabonis was out. Again.

All three are good-to-very-good players, by the way. None of them have quite the impact you’d want or expect.

The Kings broadcast kept mentioning the trade they’d made, which shipped out some guys and brought back a guy. The deal: Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis, Dario Saric, and a second round pick for De’Andre Hunter. I’m not sure they missed anyone they traded last night, except perhaps in spirit. It’s doubtful Hunter would have helped much. It’s a classic, “Hey, how ‘bout that.“ kind of move — give up not much to get not much. It doesn’t make them better, younger, or cheaper, and they actually gave up a draft pick to do it. #SoKings.

There was a game, and I was entertained. As mentioned in the lede, the Wizards were all over the Kings defensively in the early going. They kept deflecting passes and poking at the ball and forcing Sacramento to reset their offense. The Kings were working hard to generate difficult shots, and it showed — they shot 4-22 in the first quarter and committed six turnovers.

And then, the Wizards did the kind of thing 19-21 year olds are prone to do: they slacked off a bit. The attention to detail waned, the maniacal effort drooped, and the Kings started getting easier shots and wider paths to the basket. This is normal developmental stuff, and head coach Brian Keefe responded by rewarding the play-hard deep bench mob with all of the fourth quarter minutes.

Thoughts & Observations

• My habit of watching the opposing team’s broadcast may have backfired on me. Not because the Kings broadcast is bad — Kayte Christensen is a strong analyst, and Kyle Draper is decent on play-by-play — but because they never addressed why Justin Champagnie didn’t play. In their defense, I did a quick google this morning and didn’t find a definitive answer.
• My first quarter notes are filled with words like “deflection” and “pressure.” Those words stop appearing midway through the second quarter.
• At 6:32 of the first quarter, Bilal Coulibaly had what I jotted down as a “sleight of hand” steal. It was so quick and casual, I missed it live — DeRozan was dribbling and suddenly the ball was loose. I rewound and on replay, I could see Coulibaly’s superb ball targeting and defensive disruptiveness.
• When Sacramento’s Nique Clifford converted a layup with 9:15 remaining in the second quarter, it was the Kings’ first field goal in more than 10 minutes of game time.
• This is the version of Coulibaly the Wizards want. He defended well, attacked on offense, and set up teammates. He’s so quick and long that he should be able to generate paint touches nearly any time he wants. Big things for him to work on: tighten up the ball handling, trust his athleticism when trying to finish (in other words: go over people, accept the contact, and get to the free throw line), and work on that three-point shooting.
• Want an example of Keefe’s play design prowess? Check the video at 7:15 of the third quarter. The team ran a high staggered pick-and-roll for Middleton with screens from Kyhawn George and Marvin Bagley III. Coulibaly was positioned in the weakside corner; Carrington out top on the wing. The staggered screen forces the weakside defender (LaVine) assigned to Carrington to come over to help on Middleton. Just as Middleton comes off the screens and LaVine has to commit, Coulibaly cuts baseline. The Coulibaly cut has to be covered by the low man (Maxime Raynaud). Meanwhile Carrington drifts to the corner — each step lengthening LaVine’s eventual closeout. Middleton makes the pass, and Carrington suddenly has the ball with literally not a single Sacramento defender on his side of the floor. He nails the wide open three.
• Late in the third quarter, Jamir Watkins got yet another open court strip. This time, his victim was LaVine. It’s not as flashy as Grand Theft Alvarado, but it’s effective.
• Devin Carter was a YODA favorite despite being small — strong production and eye-popping athleticism. That athleticism was on display on a spectacular dunk at 9:09 of the fourth quarter.
• 9:09 — Devin Carter SPECTACULAR dunk in transition — 95-95
• DeRozan wanted to attack Anthony Gill and kept forcing switches to get him. It was mostly successful by DeRozan’s standards — he got the relatively difficult midrange jumpers he wanted, and mostly made them. That said, I thought Gill did his job properly. He kept DeRozan away from the paint and contested the low value shots the Wizards would have wanted him to take.
• One cool thing: Throughout the fourth quarter, the team’s starters cheered for the bench mob like a collective Anthony Gill.
• Amusing moment: Late in the game, Sacramento’s broadcasters were calling for the Kings to foul Washington. Meanwhile, Kings coach Doug Christie was hollering at his players NOT to foul. When they finally did, he was thoroughly disgusted. In that situation — down three with 23 seconds to go in the game and 16 seconds on the shot clock — the Kings didn’t need to foul.
• Sacramento is now on a nine-game losing streak.
• The Wizards have won three of their last four.
• It was fun to see Will Riley leading the team’s offense for an extended stretch. He finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. His offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) was a lofty 131 (average so far this season is 115.4).
• Sharife Cooper — generously listed at 6-0 — was the game’s leading rebounder. He had seven boards in 13 minutes of action, including a tip-in with 37 seconds remaining to put Washington up 115-110.
• Bagley punished the Kings (who drafted him, never figured out how to use him, and then traded him for next to nothing) with 15 points (on 7-8 shooting) and 6 rebounds in 19 minutes.

Four Factors

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:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	KINGS	WIZARDS	LGAVG
eFG%	51.2%	59.7%	54.3%
OREB%	31.0%	35.1%	26.1%
TOV%	14.5%	17.6%	12.8%
FTM/FGA	0.310	0.125	0.209
PACE	97		99.5
ORTG	116	120	115.4

Stats & Metrics

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	+/-
Marvin Bagley III	19	38	201	17.9%	5.8	311	-10
Will Riley	30	61	131	24.4%	2.4	176	8
Skal Labissiere	27	53	157	14.4%	3.2	190	6
Bilal Coulibaly	21	43	139	23.9%	2.4	162	-2
Khris Middleton	18	36	127	25.9%	1.0	153	-4
Jamir Watkins	16	32	117	19.8%	0.1	133	2
Sharife Cooper	13	26	119	22.7%	0.2	158	4
Bub Carrington	23	46	109	16.3%	-0.5	50	-1
AJ Johnson	27	55	87	33.2%	-5.1	7	8
Kyshawn George	19	38	84	17.7%	-2.1	1	-2
Anthony Gill	27	55	18	6.2%	-3.3	-23	11

KINGS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Zach LaVine	35	71	121	33.4%	1.3	179	-8
DeMar DeRozan	33	65	141	32.5%	5.5	183	-14
Maxime Raynaud	27	55	126	19.0%	1.1	114	-1
Nique Clifford	29	58	144	11.1%	1.9	105	-5
Isaiah Stevens	19	38	150	10.1%	1.3	142	-3
Devin Carter	16	32	97	17.4%	-1.0	96	2
Doug McDermott	6	11	307	6.5%	1.4	205	10
Drew Eubanks	4	8	214	12.3%	1.0	261	-5
Dylan Cardwell	20	41	129	8.9%	0.5	49	0
Precious Achiuwa	9	19	81	37.0%	-2.4	43	-11
Daeqwon Plowden	24	49	25	5.0%	-2.2	-16	5
Malik Monk	17	35	39	31.0%	-8.3	-133	10

The NBA announced their final selections for the All Star game last night. Here are all the selections.

⭐️ The 2026 NBA All-Stars ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/DaOg0TW1Fp

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 1, 2026

Which begs the obvious question: Who were the snubs?

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are some players that were NOT named to the All Star team (in no particular order):

Michael Porter Jr.

Joel Embiid

Kawhi Leonard

James Harden

Josh Giddey

Alperen Sengun

Brandon Ingram

Keyonte George

Lauri Markkanen

Tre Murphy

…and of course Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.

Now remember the rules of this sort of thing. If you are going to call a guy snubbed, you have to name the player(s) you would remove from the squad to make room! (cough-cough-LeBron-cough)

So what are your thoughts? Who belongs on this team and who shouldn’t be on there in the first place?

Thursday night in Dallas looked like one in which the Minnesota Timberwolves were going to play all the hits.

Near double-digit favorites on the road against a severely shorthanded Dallas Mavericks team, anyone who’s followed this team close enough over the last two seasons probably could have predicted how things were going to go.

With so many players out that Mavs PR needed two tweets in a thread to make sure everyone was accounted for, the Wolves came out of the gate with their typical lackadaisical energy, familiar to fans when they play teams they have no excuse to lose to.

Whether it was poor ball containment, bad closeouts on shots, or poor rebounding by the frontcourt, it was clear that once again, the Wolves were short on sources of energy.

But with 2:44 left in the first quarter, in came Joan Beringer.

A big man that plays basketball like the athletic guy who plays another sport in high school, the Wolves first round pick immediately came in and provided a shot in the arm that seemed to wake up others around him.

Down two points when Beringer entered the game, he went to work. Gliding up and down the floor, the seventeenth overall pick immediately pulled in an offensive rebound that resulted in a Mike Conley three, and ended the first quarter with a well-timed alley-oop from Anthony Edwards.

Joan Beringer offensive rebound + kickout pass to Mike Conley for 3 pic.twitter.com/0lv9rYKu1x

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) January 29, 2026

The Wolves would go on to win the game by 13 points.

As for Beringer? Second on the team with a +11.

Perhaps the Wolves would go on to win without him in the lineup purely due to the talent imbalance on the floor alone.

But perhaps not. With several frustrating performances against subpar teams year after year, Chris Finch finds himself in a spot of continuous searching for someone to pull them out of their lulls of disenchantment. With the usual suspects in the starting five not tending to be takers unless a wave of desperation comes upon them late in the game or in the form of a losing streak, a bench of mixed bag performances is sometimes where he’s forced to go.

I think it’s been found.

---

A Feel on the Floor

Like an attacking midfielder on the pitch, the French rookie’s background in playing soccer gives him a clear understanding of floor positioning.

Even though he hasn’t been playing basketball for very long, his experience proves effective navigation of the dunker area on the offensive end, and good drop coverage and shot blocking instincts on the defensive end.

Joan Beringer lob dunk, assisted by Naz Reid pic.twitter.com/OfGlgL6oBs

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) January 29, 2026

Many times, rookies come into the league behind the eight ball in the NBA from a positioning standpoint because of how structured the college game is schematically, juxtaposed to a more free-flowing pro game. For a team like the Timberwolves who have always tended to lean towards the latter, Beringer’s feel for the game was something that has caught coach Chris Finch’s eye.

“It’s something I noticed about him right away,” he said after a blowout win against the Golden State Warriors on Monday. “At Summer League, I always thought he kinda knew where to be…his spacing, his timing, and he’s actually been a pretty quick learner [in learning the Wolves’ systems].”

It shows in the advanced numbers.

Out of the 13 people Beringer has shared the floor with, he only has a negative net rating with four of them (Joe Ingles, Leonard Miller, Rob Dillingham, and Terrence Shannon Jr.), making him and an additive to most of the lineup combos he finds himself on the floor with in a small sample size.

“He’s a big energy guy, and he helps tremendously,” Naz Reid said after the win in Dallas. “[He gave us a lift] on the glass, blocking shots, catching lobs, that’s what he does.”

There’s something to be said about a percolating chemistry with Reid and Beringer. More importantly, the lift that the rookie’s presence can have with both Reid and a struggling Mike Conley on the floor together.

Hesitant to be taken off the floor by Chris Finch due to his ability to cover ground of defense and bring a mature offensive approach, Mike Conley has been a source of skepticism among fans for his lackluster play this season and inability to generate the offensive lift that he once did. His decline has been steep, but his presence on the floor next to Reid and Beringer has given a sense of optimism in a small sample size.

With all three on the floor together, the Wolves have an 11 net rating.

A similar tale unfolds with Beringer on the floor with Conley and Reid separately as well.

Simply, Beringer provides the characteristics that Wolves’ bench currently lacks, said perfectly by Reid.

Rebounding, blocking shots, catching lobs, and bringing energy.

To some degree, it’s the Jarred Vanderbilt effect.

On the floor, it’s a shot in the arm.

---

The Energy Solution

It doesn’t matter who it is, but essentially every player has said it at some point during the season.

This Wolves team, alongside the two that have come before it, tends to come out with an energy level that corresponds to the level of the opponent and the time of year it is.

Some tend to blame this on Chris Finch. I find that misguided.

Finch can only do so much. Confirmed by Anthony Edwards after the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, his unhappiness with the effort was unable to throw on a jersey and run up and down the floor with the five people out there.

“Nights like this, it’s super hard to find the, not the why, but the energy to put behind it on every play,” Edwards said. “[Finch] said somethin’ like, ‘I’m not gonna let up on y’all. If we bullshit on games like this, I’m gonna be on y’all ass until y’all stop bullshitting’.”

Anthony Edwards said Chris Finch got into the team at halftime and after the game. Ant said, "yeah, he wasn't happy about this win at all".

Asked Edwards about the Wolves' pattern of needing Finch to get into them for the energy and effort to be there against lesser opponents.… pic.twitter.com/usH7qLgqij

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) February 1, 2026

Whether it be Edwards, Naz Reid, Conley, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, or even Jaden McDaniels, everyone has called out the inconsistent energy on both ends of the floor.

The one person who doesn’t care who’s on the other end is Beringer. His ability to flip a switch and make plays that others don’t want to make, and at key points of what seem to be inconsequential games, make himself a lever that Finch needs to pull more consistently.

Whether it be his career-high 13 points on the road in Milwaukee with no Rudy Gobert, his immediate injection of life in Dallas, or his near double-double on the road in San Antonio, his youthful ignorance of who’s on the other end and at what point of the season it is inject urgency into the lineup – or make it an embarrassing discrepancy of effort for all to see.

Whether it be for film sessions or fan viewing, it needs to be an audit we see more often.

Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 25.6 points and 3.2 assists, both career-highs. Throw in his seven rebounds a night and the fact that he is true-shooting 61.8% (+3.8% over league-average) on a team devoid of other high-end talent, and it seems like an ironclad All-Star case.

Not so. The NBA announced the full list of All-Star reserves on Sunday afternoon; Porter Jr. did not make the cut. Nearly three weeks after NBA PR released full voting results for All-Star starters, it came as a bit of a surprise. In that round of voting, MPJ was firmly inside the cut line among players, fans, and media. Reminder: for all the silliness of the All-Star game format this season, the selection process remains unchanged, and a dozen players from each conference are selected…

The coaches, however, are responsible for selecting the reserves, and they did not deem MPJ worthy of his first All-Star appearance. They did not heed the words of peer Jordi Fernández: “We’ve competed for a lot of games, and he’s a big reason why we’re there. He’s just doing his job, and it’s not about him; it’s about the group. So if you think about his impact on competitiveness, that’s what All-Stars do, and that’s why Mike should be there.”

So, was MPJ a snub? Well, we can’t say that without examining the rest of the field…

The Locks

• Donovan Mitchell
• Jalen Johnson
• Jalen Duren
• Scottie Barnes

Though 25 points a night ain’t what it used to be, it’s still a steep hill to climb. No 25 PPG scorer (over a full season) has missed the All-Star game since 2017, when Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns both fell victim to statflation. Of course, MPJ’s averages may fall in March and April, but his scoring output is typically All-Star worthy, even in today’s day and age.

That being said, Porter Jr. was firmly behind these four players in the All-Star race. Only Mitchell is out-scoring Porter, but the other three are simply too impactful on teams much better than the Nets (yes, even the Atlanta Hawks). Moving on.

The Questionables

Pascal Siakam

After a deep-dive, I almost put Pascal Siakam in the category above. The two have similar arguments despite being on 13-win teams, but Siakam is just a little easier to buy.

Brooklyn’s net rating is 11 points per 100 possessions better when MPJ is on the floor; that’s the eighth-highest mark in the NBA (min. 700 minutes). Pascal Siakam is one of the seven guys ahead of MPJ on that list, and crucially, he’s played nine more games (and 338 more minutes) than Brooklyn’s leading scorer. The Indiana Pacers are absolutely horrific — even worse than the Nets — without Siakam, but respectable with him.

If they had played the same amount of minutes, Siakam and MPJ would be neck-and-neck. Siakam is averaging a comparable 24/7/4, on similar usage, but with a 56.4 TS%. However, he has an edge on defense, and though I doubt the coaches went this far down the rabbit hole, Siakam has been considerably better in the clutch.

• Siakam: 8-14 record in clutch games, 52.1% true shooting.
• Porter Jr.: 4-15 record in clutch games, 45.2% true shooting.

The case for Porter Jr. rests on his production for a terrible team, hoping not to be punished for the lack of talent around him. Well, Siakam has been as good if not better, played more minutes, and if we’re really going to dive into their impact on winning, Siakam has been better in the clutch for a team that has a better clutch record.

Norman Powell

If Norman Powell and Michael Porter Jr. magically swapped places, the latter would have made the All-Star game. Is that right? Must the Miami Heat — 27-24, sitting atop the Play-In sect of the Eastern Conference — be rewarded with an All-Star?

Powell is having a great season, no doubt. He’s averaging about 24/4/3 on 61.2% true shooting as the unquestioned leader of a Heat offense that was hyped early in the season for their blinding pace and refusal to set ball-screens. Powell has been firing catch-and-shoot threes per usual, but he’s been getting his own too.

Here’s the thing. The Miami Heat have the NBA’s 17th-best offensive rating and the 6th-best defensive rating. Defense drives them. Yes, Powell has been not just great but vital to Miami’s offense, particularly with Tyler Herro playing just 11 games. However…

• Miami: 111.9 offensive rating without Powell, 117.4 with Powell (+5.5 swing).
• Brooklyn: 105.4 offensive rating without MPJ, 117.5 with MPJ (+12.1 swing).

The Heat have a tough time scoring (and a slightly easier time defending) without Powell, who leads them to decent offense. The Nets have an horrific offense without Porter Jr., who leads them to decent offense. Credit Jordi Fernández for his creativity if you want, but you can’t vote head coaches to the All-Star team.

Porter Jr. has scored more at a more efficient clip. He’s also created more offense for his teammates, whether you only look at assist numbers or also factor in how his gravity as a shooter opens up cuts for others. No doubt Norman Powell has had similar offensive impact for a much better team, but has he been better than MPJ (in 60 more total minutes)? Not quite.

Karl-Anthony Towns

If the All-Star game were about rewarding year-over-year improvements, Karl-Anthony Towns wouldn’t be making the trip to Los Angeles. He’s been substantially worse than last season, converting twos at a career-low rate and making threes at the lowest clip since his rookie season. Per Cleaning the Glass (which filters out garbage time), the Knicks have actually been slightly better with him on the bench. After a stellar inaugural campaign in NYC, this is a clear step back for KAT.

But he’s still a great player. He’s averaging 20-and-12, leading the league in rebounds per game. Because New York rebounds when he’s on the court, their defense survives; they don’t stop opponents on first chances. While he’s struggling to make shots, opponents still respect his 3-point shooting, a necessary ingredient to New York’s offense.

Has he been better than Michael Porter Jr., though? I don’t think so.

Now that he’s no longer operating with world-class efficiency, KAT has less margin for error on defense. Again, he’s not an outright negative on that end thanks to his rebounding, but because he does little else well at such a premium position, it’s tough to argue his defense has made him a better player than MPJ this season. Especially when…

• KAT: 23.33 points per 75 possessions on 59.4% true shooting (+1.4% relative to league-average), 1.15 assist-to-turnover, 25.8 usage%, +0.22 net swing.
• MPJ: 28.95 points per 75 possessions on 61.8% true shooting (+3.8% rTS), 1.30 assist-to-turnover, 30.6 usage%, +11.0 net swing.

Jalen Brunson is the head of the snake in New York. I don’t want to be so reductive as to say any #1 option is better than any #2 option (that’s First Take stuff) but in the case of Michael Porter Jr. vs. Karl-Anthony Towns, it’s clear the latter has been better on offense. Yes, KAT has played about 160 more minutes, but I don’t think minutes + defense are enough to close the gap.

And hey, Pascal Siakam is in the All-Star game. Team success only means so much this year. Advantage: MPJ.

What happened, what’s next?

Erik Slater and I talked about MPJ’s All-Star snub on the latest episode of Locked On Nets…

I would love to avoid homer-ism and call it an “exclusion” and not a “snub” but it’s not my fault the head coaches made the wrong call. If Siakam is in, MPJ should be in. Not because he’s been better than Siakam (he hasn’t, in my opinion), but because it removes the barrier of team success from the equation.

Did something change in the last three weeks, or did the coaches just have far different opinions than players/fans/media? The Nets have suffered some embarrassing blowouts recently, but was that enough to swing opinion? Have Siakam, KAT, and Powell — all in their thirties — just built up that much more goodwill around the league? Or is the Nets’ reputation/brand simply at the bottom of the totem pole?

Whatever the case may be, Porter Jr. still has a chance to be named an All-Star by the commissioner. With Giannis Antetokounmpo set to miss the weekend’s festivities with injury, Adam Silver must select one Eastern Conference reserve to replace him (and, knock on wood, anybody else who gets hurt over the next week or two).

But MPJ may be a victim of timing. Joel Embiid has played just 28 games, but he’s going God Mode right now. LaMelo Ball also has a strong case for a surging Charlotte Hornets team, and like Embiid, has much more name recognition than MPJ.

Michael Porter Jr.’s next chance to get through to Adam Silver will come on Tuesday evening, when the Brooklyn Nets take on the Los Angeles Lakers at home. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

• Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. snubbed from his All-Star Game dream despite career year – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. did not make the All-Star team. The numbers say he should have ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News

The Los Angeles Lakers visited MSG and returned home without a win.

Too bad, it turns out they ran into the hottest team in the league—that is, your New York Knicks.

Here’s a lot of what was said before and after yesterday’s affair.

Mike Brown says that 50/50 balls were a point of emphasis for the Knicks at halftime: pic.twitter.com/x6DhJjaR7a

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 2, 2026

Mike Brown

On practice time and recent changes:

“We’ve had a chance to practice a little bit. But we made changes a little earlier, we’ve gotten a little better with the changes. Guys have been communicating more, but they’re able to do that because they feel a little bit more comfortable with what we’re doing. Defensively, we made some changes. Offensively too. I think because we’ve had a chance to work at it a little bit, the guys have had a chance to get involved with it a little bit, the confidence is great. That’s growing as well.”

On offensive principles and ball movement:

“We talk about certain things offensively, playing with pace, touching the paint, and spray the ball. Our guys are unselfish, but they know when they draw a second defender that’s the right to find your teammate. We all need to keep trying to make the game easy for one another.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ handling of double teams:

“KAT did a nice job tonight. He’s gonna get doubled, they put a small guy on him a ton, and the one thing he has to do, just like all of us, is not let double teams or second defenders speed us up. The person who has two defenders on him needs help with the right spacing.”

On OG Anunoby and Josh Hart scoring decisively:

“They’re making quick decisions. OG, the ball’s hitting his hands and if the defender closes out short, he’s letting it fly. OG’s a great shooter. Josh has worked extremely hard on his shot too. There’s not a lot of hesitation from both those guys.”

On finding offense without plays called:

“They’re both getting out in transition, getting easy baskets, getting offensive rebounds, and cutting to score. There are a lot of ways you can impact the game scoring without having your number called.”

On defensive execution against the Lakers:

“Second half, we locked in better with the gameplan. It resulted in the Lakers scoring 44 points in that second half, which was huge for us.”

On the Knicks’ maturity and attention to detail:

“This is a mature group, and they’re competitive as well. We just tell them what we see and they go out and correct. It was more about being locked in and doing the little things better.”

On Jalen Brunson’s defense:

“Jalen’s a good defender. A lot of people sleep on that. He’s competitive, he’s feisty, he’s strong. If there was a definition of how to defend the ball in a pick-and-roll situation when you’re on the ball, that play would’ve been it.”

On Brunson’s defensive technique:

“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 good to see him doing it with the scoring load we put on him.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ All-Star case:

“I’m a firm believer that winning should be a big factor in it. We’re sitting second or third in the East right now, so we should have multiple guys on the team. Jalen definitely is in the MVP conversation, but we’ve got other guys on this team that have stepped up and helped in a lot of different ways. KAT, he’s leading us in rebounds, he’s second in scoring. I don’t know how many double-doubles he has, but that’s impactful when you’re talking about doing it in a winning situation. We should have, in my opinion, two or three guys, at least, on this All-Star team based on what our record is. Not only that, we were NBA Cup champions, so there are a lot of positives.”

On the Knicks improving thanks to rest and time in the gym:

“To be able to spend some time in the gym where you’re not worrying about playing a game has benefited us a ton. We’ve made some changes on both ends of the floor. The more time we have to continue working on it, the better we’ll be.”

On LeBron James’ longevity:

“He’s earned the right to play as long as he wants and he’s definitely doing it. And he’s doing it at a high level.”

🗣️ "HE CAN'T F*** WITH YOU"

Saquon Barkley and Karl-Anthony Towns were HYPED watching Shakur Stevenson's masterclass 😤

The Ring VI | Exclusively on DAZN 🥊 pic.twitter.com/u8flVqAbiq

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) February 1, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns

On his sixth All-Star selection:

“It’s special. This one’s a real special one for sure. It’s better to be getting the win against the Lakers. I feel better about that right now than the All-Star thing, but as time goes, I’ll be able to digest it and understand the importance of it. Right now, I’m just happy we got the win.”

On his All-Star journey:

“It’s been six times and six different roads to get there. Every one is unique. This one is one I’ll cherish, but it’ll take time for me to digest it. It’s great to have a day like this that ends with a win.”

"We've got a locker room full of guys who want to win and are willing to sacrifice for one another."

– Landry Shamet pic.twitter.com/7oDUbfR0Gp

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 2, 2026

Landry Shamet

On staying steady through highs and lows:

“It’s part of the journey. There’s highs and lows in this thing. You can’t get caught up on either end. Just take care of your work every day, try to be a good teammate, and the rest will take care of itself.”

On his role offensively:

“I always say I have the easy job. I’m on the receiving end. It’s guys like JB getting blitzed and having to make the right decision. My job is to catch the ball and shoot the ball.”

On playing under Mike Brown:

“Working with Mike has been great. Early on, I was just worried about making the team and helping us win. As we’ve spent more time together, I’m grateful for him and want to keep doing what I can to help us win.”

On the Knicks-wide buy-in:

“We’ve got a locker room full of guys who want to win and are willing to sacrifice for one another.”

Q: "What do you think of the way the guys responded when you held them accountable couple games ago?"

Jalen Brunson: "It wasn't just me. It was everybody" pic.twitter.com/2XnrYHkBxW

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 2, 2026

Jalen Brunson

On focusing on distributing when shots aren’t falling:

“Shots not falling, you gotta impact the game somewhere else. I kept seeing two defenders, so I was trying to make the right play at the right time. The way we were moving the ball was great.”

On the defensive turnaround:

“The biggest part of our defense has been communication, physicality and accountability. Being on the string and on the same page has been the biggest part of our turnaround so far.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ rebounding impact:

“The rebounding, what he’s been doing has been great. We need that from him. When the ball’s not going in, he finds a way to impact the game. That’s really important for us.”

Josh Hart was asked about the one-year anniversary of the Luka Dončić trade:

"One thing I'm mad about that day was that it didn't happen earlier because Max Christie gave us 15 and we lost" 😂 pic.twitter.com/q2vbjesjAc

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 2, 2026

Josh Hart

On the Knicks’ balanced offense:

“That’s what we’re capable of. We have great depth, guys who can knock down shots and playmake. It shows we don’t have to force anything.”

On finding balance offensively:

“Sometimes I pass open shots to get guys involved, but I gotta make sure I’m aggressive too. Just trying to find a balance, and I’m in a good headspace right now.”

On playing with LeBron James:

“It was cool. I learned a lot about execution and taking care of your body. If it is his last game here, it’s obviously a historic career. Hopefully the fans give him a good ovation.”

OG Anunoby

On improved defensive communication and effort:

“It’s been executing, the effort, the intensity, the want-to. Everyone’s been on it.”

DPOG 🦺 JOSHUA pic.twitter.com/3nlEwzBft1

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

Mikal Bridges

On the better defensive structure and planning of late:

“Effort can only do so much without having a plan. Having a plan and knowing what we’re all doing with the effort has made a difference.”

On finding comfort with the defensive adjustments:

“I think it was a little tougher for us how we used to do it, but I think it’s better for us now.”

Q: "What has playing at Madison Square Garden meant to you throughout your career?"

LeBron James: "Everything. It's the Mecca of basketball…It's the Big Apple…I've always loved these fans, love New York, respect, great knowledge of the game, they know what sports is about" pic.twitter.com/zmu8MfbQLx

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 2, 2026

LeBron James

On his level of play at 41:

“S—, I’ve been pretty good. Didn’t I just pass like 60,000 minutes? I’d hope I look pretty good.”

On what Madison Square Garden means to him:

“Everything. It’s the mecca of basketball. Being here at MSG, so many people have graced this floor. I hope I have a little small snippet of someone who came through here and made a small dent.”

On the end of his career:

“At the end of the day, everything has to come to an end at some point. You’re always going to miss it. This place will always have a special place in the journey.”

Luka literally walked across the court to find Jalen so he could do this 🤣 pic.twitter.com/oXeAmYY4MC

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 2, 2026

Just as things were looking more normal for the Sixers, we got some unexpected news. Because these are still your Philadelphia 76ers… After a couple of solid wins last week, we heard that Paul George has been suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.

Nevertheless, the Sixers are at least entering a new week on a 3-0 win streak. And to kick off February, they’re facing the Clippers as they head to L.A. on Monday to begin their West Coast road trip.

The injury report is a short one for Philly. Joel Embiid is probable to play with right ankle injury management, and everyone else is available. For the Clippers, the big name to keep an eye on (apart from Bradley Beal who remains out for the season after undergoing hip surgery) is James Harden, who’s been day-to-day for personal reasons and was out on Sunday. We’ll have to wait until near tip-off to see the availability of Harden and the rest of the team.

The Clippers are going to be a bit of a shift from the Sixers’ latest outing against one of the worst teams in the league (New Orleans) on Saturday. After various injuries and a slow start hurt the Clippers to begin the season, they’ve been surging over the last six weeks. They now have the best record in the NBA since Dec. 20 at 17-4, boasting the league’s third-best offense and third-best net rating (+8.7) in this stretch.

One factor in the Sixers’ favor heading into Monday’s game is that they at least have the rest advantage, as the Clippers will be on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Suns on Sunday (albeit cruising to a 117-93 win).

Kawhi Leonard has somewhat surprisingly just missed out on the All-Star game, but has been having a phenomenal season. To go along with his 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game, the 34-year-old is averaging a career-high 27.6 points on his second-best true shooting percentage (62.5) ever. He’s taking significantly more threes than he has before too at 7.1 attempts a game, and still making them at a 39.1 percent clip. Adding that confident, high-volume threat from distance to go along with his efficiency at the rim and mid-range mastery (not to mention an improved free throw rate) just makes him that much harder to guard.

He’s taking more threes without an assist and creating more off the dribble than ever before this year, and doing so incredibly well.

well alright Kawhi pic.twitter.com/WXH2AqmEhG

— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) February 2, 2026

Leonard’s now scored at least 20 points in each of his last 27 games, making it the longest streak of 20+ point games in his career.

Especially without George’s size and defense on the wing, the Sixers are really going to have their work cut out for them against Kawhi. While Dominick Barlow will be tied up against the athletic and pretty versatile scoring of John Collins, Kelly Oubre Jr. will have to lead the Leonard assignment.

Oubre is having yet another strong two-way season, so hopefully he’ll be able to throw enough length, quickness and high-energy physicality at Leonard to at least bother his drives and signature mid-range game a little. With Harden potentially still sidelined, the Sixers may need to throw a few doubles at Leonard just to try and mess with his rhythm and force other shooters to beat them.

The Clippers also have a rock-solid team defense — ranking seventh since Dec. 20 — from their perimeter play to Ivica Zubac (now backed up by Brook Lopez) holding down the fort at center. Finding clear driving lanes and generating open threes probably won’t be easy, especially as the attention George commanded at the arc is gone now.

With the form Embiid has been in lately, though, Zubac should be struggling as usual to contain his mid-range game and face-up play.

Winning this one on the road is going to be tricky, even with the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back. The Clips remain hot and the Sixers are left even lighter on shooting and wing defense without George. But let’s see if Embiid and Tyrese Maxey can muster up some magic to make things interesting.

Game Details

When: Monday, February 2, 10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers