NBA News
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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Vladyslav Vanat scored penalties in stoppage time of each half as Girona beat Espanyol 2-0 in a fiercely contested Catalan derby in La Liga on Friday.
It was the first time Girona has won three on the trot since November 2024.
The result lifted it into ninth place in the table. Espanyol remained fifth.
Girona had the better of the first half and went ahead on the stroke of halftime when Omar El Hilali was adjudged to have pulled Hugo Rincón in the box.
Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović saved Vanat’s initial effort but the referee said he moved from his line before the kick and ordered a retake. Vanat made no mistake a second time, firing a perfect effort to the keeper’s right.
Both sides had chances in a busy second half but Girona took advantage of spaces in the Espanyol defense as the home side pushed for an equalizer.
With seconds remaining, Yáser Asprilla was felled by Rubén Sánchez and Ukrainian striker Vanat scored his second of the night to seal all three points.
“The decision to give the first penalty was very harsh,” veteran Espanyol defender Leandro Cabrera said. “There are a thousand similar situations that never get called back. We lost our patience. In the final minutes there was another penalty decision that killed the game. It’s a pity because the match was pretty tight. A draw would have been a fair result.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Sacramento Kings could see the return of their All-Star power forward Jan. 16 in their Friday night game against the Washington Wizards.
Kings forward Domantas Sabonis is officially listed as questionable on the NBA's Injury Report, but the team expects that he will suit up and play against the Wizards, according to ESPN.
Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, has missed the previous 27 games for the Kings with a partially torn meniscus.
He only appeared in 11 games so far this season, averaging 17.2 points and 12.3 rebounds.
In recent days, Sabonis was seen participating in shootaround during practices. Signs indicate he'll rejoin the court with the Kings soon. And at a good time, too.
Sacramento has been rolling on a three-game winning streak at home, knocking off the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.
They'll also get back Dennis Schroder, who missed that three-game stretch of wins after being suspended by the league for an altercation with Lakers' star Luka Doncic after a Dec. 28 game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Sabonis, in his 10th NBA season and year five in Sacramento, could be on the trade market.
According to ESPN, Kings general manager Scott Perry has been "open to discussing trades for all their veterans with high-priced deals" as the team shifts its focus towards a rebuild.
Sabonis' remaining contract includes three years and $136.3 million.
He signed a four-year, $186 million contract extension with Sacramento as part of a renegotiation-and-extend on July 6, 2023.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Domantas Sabonis playing tonight? Kings F could return vs Wizards
SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Niina Petrokina completed one of figure skating's great comeback performances to retain her European championship title on Friday, three months after Achilles tendon surgery.
Petrokina landed seven triple jumps in a clean, personal-best free skate to music from the movie “Dune” to score 216.14 points, a score which ranks the Estonian among some of the world's best ahead of next month's Winter Olympics.
“I don't know how I do it,” Petrokina said when asked about her recovery. “I needed everything that happened for this moment.”
Petrokina had competed only in second-tier events and her national championships since surgery in October. She'd struggled with pain for much of 2025 since her breakthrough European championship win on home ice a year ago.
Petrokina is the first skater to win back-to-back European women’s titles since Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia in 2017.
As other skaters made mistakes, 2024 champion Loena Hendrickx of Belgium managed her own comeback statement. Hendrickx had been fifth after Wednesday's short program but took the silver medal on 191.26 after struggling throughout last year with the return of a years-old ankle injury.
As Petrokina's score was announced, Hendrickx made a gesture of bowing to the champion.
Lara Naki Gutmann won bronze for Italy on 186.87 after two top contenders from the short program missed the podium with erratic free skates. Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium dropped from second to fourth overall and Anna Pezzetta of Italy from third to eighth.
Ice danceFrance's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron took the lead in the ice dance despite a dispute between Cizeron and his ex-partner overshadowing the event.
Cizeron won the Olympic gold medal in 2022 with Gabriella Papadakis, who has published a book describing him as controlling and their partnership as unequal.
Cizeron has contested her claims and called the comments part of a “smear campaign." Papadakis said on Friday she lost a commentary role with NBC for the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron scored 86.93 points to lead the dance event ahead of the free dance on Saturday, leading Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson on 85.47 and Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri on 84.48.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
PARIS (AP) — Ousmane Dembélé put transfer talk behind him and scored a crucial brace for Paris Saint-Germain in a 3-0 win over Lille that returned it to the top of Ligue 1 on Friday.
French media last week reported that the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner rejected a new contract offer.
His coach Luis Enrique called the speculation fake news and Dembélé’s focus was razor sharp in a game between two of the league’s top four.
His 12th-minute strike from more than 20 meters out gave the Lille goalkeeper no chance and his second 18 minutes into the second half was a reminder of why he picked up that Ballon d’Or.
With four defenders in front of him, Dembélé somehow found space to chip the most audacious of shots that bamboozled keeper Berke Ozer and dropped in just under the crossbar.
Substitute Bradley Barcola, another whose future has been subject to speculation, rounded off the scoring in injury time when he pounced on slack defending and slammed home the third.
The win settled nerves at the defending champion just days after city rival Paris FC knocked it out of the French Cup.
Friday’s win lifted PSG back atop the league table, two points clear of Lens which has a game in hand on Saturday against second-to-last Auxerre.
Lille remained fourth, 10 points back.
Monaco lose againMonaco fell to its seventh defeat in eight games after another poor performance, this time at home to Lorient 3-1.
Lorient’s Bamba Dieng had a goal disallowed in the first half but he got one that counted midway through the second period. The Senegalese forward seized on a mistake by the Monaco defense.
Ansu Fati equalized eight minutes later but goals from Jean-Victor Makengo in the 85th minute and Dermane Karim three minutes from time gave visiting Lorient all three points and extended its unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions.
Lorient was one point behind ninth-placed Monaco.
It was another unhappy start to the weekend for Monaco, whose record in Friday night games fell to won two, drawn five, lost nine.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
ATLANTA — The Celtics (25-15) could be without Payton Pritchard when they face the Atlanta Hawks (20—23) on Saturday night.
Pritchard is doubtful to play as he deals with left ankle soreness; if he’s sidelined, it will be his first missed game of the season. Josh Minott, meanwhile, will miss his 7th consecutive game with a left ankle sprain, and Jayson Tatum continues to be sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Pritchard scored just 2 points in Thursday’s comeback win over the Miami Heat and sat out for the entire fourth quarter, while his backup, Anfernee Simons, exploded for a season-best 39 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter. It’s possible Pritchard’s reduced minutes were related to some ankle soreness, though it’s also likely Joe Mazzulla opted to go with the hot hand.
For the Hawks, former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis is out with left Achilles tendonitis, Zaccharie Risacher is out with a left knee bone contusion, and N’Faly Dante is out with a right knee ACL tear. Dyson Daniels is questionable with a right ankle sprain.
The Atlanta Hawks haven’t quite had the year they were hoping for. By all accounts, Atlanta has been a below-average team; they’ve had the NBA’s 19th-best offensive rating, 16th-best defensive rating, and 18th-best overall net rating. They have a 20-23 record, which is good for the 10th-best record in the conference.
Last week, they parted ways with longtime franchise cornerstone Trae Young, acquiring CJ McCollum and Corey Krispert from the Washington Wizards in exchange. And, they’ve dealt with a myriad of injuries, with Porzingis only appearing in 17 of the Hawks’ 43 games this season, as he’s dealt with POTS and various other injuries.
One bright spot has been the superb play of Jalen Johnson; the likely first-time All-Star has put up monster numbers, averaging 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. Offseason addition Nickeil Alexander-Walker is tallying 20.5 points and 3.5 assists. And Porzingis has been effective when he has played, averaging 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
One weird quirk is that the Hawks have been better on the road than at home this season; they’re 7-11 at State Farm Arena, but 13-12 at away games. (The Celtics, meanwhile, are 15-4 at home and 13-6 on the road).
After their win over the Heat, the Celtics now have the second-best net rating in the NBA (+7.1), the second-best offensive rating (121.5), and the 15th-best defensive rating. They hold the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 25-15.
Celtics-Hawks will tip off on Saturday at 7:30pm ET.
The Hawks are looking to address their lack of big man depth in the wake of Kristaps Porzingis’ ongoing health issues and the season-ending ACL tear to N’Faly Dante.
Lauren L. Williams of the AJC reports that the Hawks are signing Cameroonian big man Christian Koloko to their open two-way slot:
The 6-foot-11, 225-pound Koloko has played for the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Memphis Grizzlies since being drafted in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. For his NBA career, he averages 8.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes.
Largely a defensive specialist, his raw numbers aren’t too eyepopping, but over his 1,345-minute NBA career, his teams are 5.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor compared to off the floor according to basketball-reference.
He joins guard RayJ Dennis and forward Caleb Houstan as the third and final two-way player at this moment.
PISA, Italy (AP) — Second-to-last Pisa scored only its second home goal of the season with three minutes left to tie high-flying Atalanta 1-1 and record a Serie A-high 11th draw on Friday.
Pisa had the better of a dour match but it had scored only once in eight home matches this season and rarely threatened to increase that meager tally.
It went behind with seven minutes left when Nikola Krstovic pounced on a lose ball close to goal and fired into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
But soon after Rafiu Durosinmi met a cross from Mehdi Léris and gave Pisa a vital point in its fight against relegation.
It was one point above Verona and equal with Fiorentina. Both clubs have a game in hand.
Atalanta was in seventh place.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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Jonathan Kuminga’s potential is still carrying his reputation. The fifth-year forward has consistently failed to earn the trust of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, and so far this year he’s been producing like one of the worst players in the league (12th percentile in EPM). The Warriors still didn’t want to cut bait on the talented 23-year-old, so they signed him to a two-year, $46 million contract over the summer with the intent of trading him eventually. Kuminga has been fully out of Golden State rotation for the last month as he became trade eligible on Jan. 15, and he has unsurprisingly “demanded” to be traded to a new team.
The Warriors payed Kuminga handsomely mostly to use him as trade bait, but at this point they need to realize he likely won’t be used to acquire something resembling the missing piece for the team’s flawed roster. Golden State reportedly doesn’t want to take back any long-term salary in the deal, and at this point that might be their only reasonable hope. It’s starting to feel like the best the Warriors can do here is some expiring contracts and maybe a second-round pick or two. Golden State could continue to hold Kuminga hostage in hopes of finding a trade partner this summer, but he’s not going to be able to grow him value on the bench.
Here’s three fake Jonathan Kuminga trades ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Add some future second-round picks to all of these. Warning: none of these are very good for the Warriors.
The Lakers reportedly have some interest in Kuminga, but it’s hard to come up with a deal that works straight up between the two teams due the arcane rules around the forward’s “base year compensation.” I wanted to get the Warriors Jake LaRavia in this deal, so I included the Nets as a third team, who could conceivably pick up multiple future second-round picks for taking on a pair of expiring contracts by make the numbers work. LaRavia hasn’t been great this year (41st percentile EPM), but he has a combination of size, shooting, and IQ on the wing that could entice Golden State. Highsmith is currently recovering from a torn meniscus, but he’s shown some level of competency as a two-way forward when he’s been healthy. The Lakers get a chance to give Kuminga a more defined role, and maybe they turn him in to a solid rotation piece the same way they’ve done with Rui Hachimura. I think this one makes sense for all sides.
The Kings have consistently been mentioned as Kuminga’s biggest suitor, but Golden State’s hesitance to take on Malik Monk’s long-term money has killed the deal to this point. In this three-team trade, the Chicago Bulls jump in to take Monk, clearing the way for Kuminga to Sacramento. The Warriors are getting a pair of failed first-round picks in this deal with Devin Carer and Dalen Terry. Terry is a pretty good wing defender who can’t do much on offense, and he expires after this season. Carter is in his second season, and the 3-and-D skill set that made him a lottery pick coming out of college has yet to translate. Maybe the Warriors think they can resurrect Carter’s career, while the Bulls land a microwave scoring guard that allows them to trade Coby White before they would have to re-sign him this summer.
The Mavs reportedly have interest in Kuminga, and I could help myself but use that as an excuse to send Klay Thompson back to the Bay. Golden State might not love Thompson having another season at $16 million on the books after this year, but maybe they could trade him again this summer for a piece that fits better. There’s always a chance Thompson can catch fire and swing a playoff game again for Golden State, and that’s just fun to think about. I don’t see much downside here for either team.
Could Golden State package a future first-round pick or two with Kuminga to try to get Michael Porter Jr.? That’s a possibility too, but I’m not sure Brooklyn will play ball for only one pick, and I don’t think the Warriors will offer two. Add your favorite fake Kuminga trades below and I’ll judge them.
The Philadelphia 76ers were embarrassed at home in a lopsided loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, but they’ll have a chance to respond in Friday’s rematch in Philly.
Tyrese Maxey remains one of the NBA’s premier scorers, and my Cavaliers vs. 76ers predictions call for a strong offensive bounce-back after his quiet showing earlier in the week.
Here are my best free NBA picks for Friday’s Eastern Conference matchup at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday, January 16.
Cavaliers vs 76ers best bet: Tyrese Maxey Over 25.5 points (-120)
Tyrese Maxey is scoring a career-high 30.5 points per game this season, and tonight's scoring line is set at a juicy 25.5 points. He finished with just 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting in Wednesday's win, but he posted 26+ in three straight and nine of 10 games before that.
Maxey has scored at least 26 in 29 of 37 games overall, including 13 of 19 at home. He’s reached the Over on this scoring line in 78.3% of his games, meaning the odds here should be -360. I’ll gladly take the discount here.
Maxey’s 14 points in his last game out represent his third-lowest scoring total of the season. He scored 27 in his other matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, and he scored 27 and 29 in two matchups with the Cavs last season.
Cleveland will be missing Darius Garland and Sam Merrill tonight, and the Philadelphia 76ers should be close to full strength. I expect a more competitive showing and a bounce-back performance for the Sixers’ electric leading scorer.
Jaylon Tyson finished with 20, 17, and 27 PRA across 25.3 minutes over his last three games. He started Wednesday in place of Sam Merrill, who was injured in that contest.
Merrill and Darius Garland are both out tonight, which should mean another start for Tyson. He's averaged 21 PRA across 22 started, hitting the Over on this line 13 times, including five of eight on the road.
The 76ers have hit the Over in nine of 13 games as the home favorite. Cleveland is 11-7 to the Over on the road.
The teams are 9-1 to the Over across their last 10 head-to-head matchups.
Donovan Mitchell has scored at least 31 points in nine of 16 road games this season, and has dropped point totals of 35 and 46 against the 76ers.
The Cavaliers have hit the 1Q Over in 29 of their last 45 away games (+11.35 Units / 22% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Cavaliers vs. 76ers.
| Location | Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA |
| Date | Friday, January 16, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Not intended for use in MA.
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Hornets announcer Eric Collins clearly won’t be getting a holiday card from Luka Doncic this year.
The broadcaster ripped into the Lakers guard during Charlotte’s matchup with Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, calling out the five-time All-Star for complaining about whistles.
Eric Collins on Luka Doncic: "This guy is a whiner."
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) January 16, 2026
Luka received a technical foul and the Hornets scored a corner 3 at the other end beforehand
Also on Youtube:https://t.co/5PE4uaVpOVpic.twitter.com/5xCa9bCSZJ
“Oh my goodness,” Collins said on air. “This guy is a whiner.”
Collins’ rant came early in the third quarter, after Doncic thought he had been fouled while trying to score on Kon Knueppel.
Doncic shook his head in disbelief, before he appeared to have some words for one of the on-court officials. Seconds later, the 26-year-old was issued a technical foul, and as he tried to plead his case to the ref, Collins unloaded into his mic.
“The Hornets have a chance to make it hurt,” Collins said after throwing the jab at Doncic. “A potential four-point play.”
Collins went on to add, “That is now 11 technical fouls on Luka Doncic. He’s got a reputation.”
Doncic and the Lakers weren’t able to make Collins eat his words — they ultimately lost, 135-117.
The Lakers are now just 1-4 in their last five games, although Doncic was still able to finish the night with 39 points, three rebounds and four assists.
It’s no secret that the Lakers are trying to add a two-way wing to this roster via a trade.
The question is, how can they get that done while keeping the parts of their roster that are working well?
After all, the Lakers are still in the running for a top-four seed in the Western Conference, so any move has to be a combination of helping the team win now while also building for the future.
In a recent episode of “The Kevin O’Connor Show,” Kevin stated that the Lakers are trying to send out Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent in an attempt to acquire a wing.
Kevin O’Connor: “With the Lakers, the word on the street is that they’re looking to package Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent together for a wing.”
Vando is a good defender, but it’s clear the Lakers want a bit more offense from that position. For a moment, Vando was out of the rotation due to his offensive struggles, but with LA being so poor defensively, he is back to playing double-digit minutes in each contest.
On the season, Vanderbilt is averaging 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Vando is under contract for next season and has a player option for the following year, so LA getting out of that deal would be beneficial.
Vincent has a higher offensive upside than Vando, but he is also struggling to consistently produce. He is averaging 5.1 points and shooting just 33.7% from the field. Vincent is on the final year of his deal, so anyone interested in acquiring him can rest assured they aren’t committing to any long-term money.
The problem is, how many teams would actually be interested in a package where Vincent and Vanderbilt are the main players in a deal?
Perhaps adding some draft capital can get teams in on a Lakers trade? Los Angeles is reportedly trying to trade their 2032 first round pick for multiple future firsts. If they can accomplish that and add Vincent and Vando in a package, suddenly that’s a much better deal for the right franchise.
For now, this seems like the options the Lakers are exploring to improve their roster. Now, it’s up to the front office to execute on a deal and give Luka Dončić and LeBron James a shot at contention.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
In head-to-head leagues, it all comes down to the weekend. You can have a comfortable lead in multiple categories or by a bunch of points, but if you don’t make the most of the weekend, you can walk out with a loss.
13 teams play twice this weekend, including the Lakers, Pelicans, Bulls, Nuggets, Rockets, Nets, Pacers, Trail Blazers, Kings, Raptors, Hornets, Timberwolves and Wizards. Prioritize those teams if you’re looking to maximize your games played. The Bucks are the only team in the league that doesn’t have a game this weekend.
That’s often what it comes down to in standard points and category leagues, but that’s not always the case. Leagues with some sort of games cap or best ball formats like Yahoo!’s High Score leagues aren’t just looking for volume, though having two chances at a big night is a good strategy in best ball leagues.
George’s production in his second season has been up and down, but he’s more than capable of stuffing the stat sheet for fantasy managers. His points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers and field goal percentage are all up from his rookie season. He has shown flashes of brilliance this season and should be considered one of the cornerstone pieces for the Wizards during this rebuild.
This weekend, Washington takes on the Kings and Nuggets, and both teams rank in the bottom five in the NBA over their last 10 games. Plus, Bilal Coulibaly and Khris Middleton are both sidelined on Friday, and even if they do return on Saturday, George will have at least one game with a huge bump in usage.
Jones continues to be a strong producer with Josh Giddey (hamstring) sidelined, and while Giddey is getting closer to a return, Jones should be a reliable option until that happens. They play the Nets twice this weekend, and Brooklyn has the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league over their last 10 games. Jones has been able to dish out the dimes with consistency, though that hasn’t held true for the scoring. However, he has been able to have some big nights recently.
Anthony Edwards (foot) has been ruled out against Houston on Friday and could remain out against the Thunder on Saturday. With Edwards out on Wednesday, Hyland came off the bench and contributed 23 points, five assists and five triples in 21 minutes. The matchups are tougher, but Hyland has thrived when he’s gotten the opportunity this season.
Cleveland only plays one game this weekend, but Porter has enough upside to make it worth it with Darius Garland (foot) sidelined. When he’s gotten the chance to play big minutes, he has been able to pour in the rebounds, assists and defensive stats. Scoring isn’t his strong suit, but he does enough in other categories to make up for it. The lack of healthy guard options in Cleveland should allow Porter to play enough to make a big impact on the box score.
CMB has been a fantasy stud recently, and with Jakob Poeltl (back) still sidelined, that should continue this weekend. Since moving into the starting lineup, he is averaging 10.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals and a block on efficient shooting splits. Matchups with the Clippers, without Kawhi Leonard, and the Lakers are good opportunities for him, especially with how shorthanded the Raptors are.
Marshall has been one of the elite streaming options in fantasy basketball over the last few seasons when he gets the chance to start. Both Cooper Flagg and PJ Washington were out on Thursday with ankle injuries, and if either remains out against the Jazz on Saturday, Marshall should shine once again. It’s only one game, but it is a favorable matchup against Utah.
Darius Garland (foot), Sam Merrill (hand) and Dean Wade (knee) are all out on Friday against the 76ers. It’s a one-game weekend for Cleveland, but Tyson should be in for a big night for the shorthanded Cavs. He has thrived when he’s gotten the chance to play big minutes this season, and Friday is certainly an opportunity for him to surpass 30 minutes.
It has been a largely disappointing season as of late, but Vucevic has been on fire recently. Over the past two weeks, he is averaging 20.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.7 triples per game. They take on a Nets team that is 22nd in defensive rating and rebound percentage over their last five games. This is a recipe for Vucevic to have a pair of dominant performances.
Diabate has taken over as the starting center in Charlotte, which has helped them be the best rebounding team in the league over their last five games. Over the past two weeks, he is averaging 9.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 65.6 percent from the floor. The Warriors aren’t an easy matchup on Saturday, but they take on the Nuggets, who have the third worst rebounding percentage over their last five games, on Sunday.
Queen gets to take on the Pacers and Rockets this weekend, and the Indiana matchup is the one to target. Queen has been inconsistent recently, which isn’t surprising for a rookie, but he had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists without missing a shot in his last matchup with the Pacers and had 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks against the Rockets in December.