It took three full quarters of sloppy play for the Knicks to exert expected dominance over the Kings on Tuesday night, and a huge 31-point fourth quarter that lifted them to a 103-87 home win was sparked by a pair of timely threes from Karl-Anthony Towns in the opening minutes.
But the veteran center didn't contribute to a closing 21-9 run that clinched a third straight victory for the team. Towns watched the final seven minutes of action from the bench, while a lineup featuring Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson took the floor instead.
The lack of playing time for Towns down the stretch was curious. In spite of producing 17 points against the Kings across 27 minutes, he hasn't played more than 30 minutes in three straight games. It wasn't a matter of discipline on Tuesday -- Towns committed only two fouls.
When asked about the trend after the game, Knicks head coach Mike Brown didn't hint at any issue with Towns. He simply felt more comfortable with that rotation in a clear rhythm, causing the Kings fits.
"At the end of the game, we had a group out on the floor that was playing well," Brown said. "It's a tight ballgame, so I rode that group to the end of the game. We needed to get the win."
Towns, who played 20 minutes against the Nets last Wednesday and just 16 minutes against the 76ers last Saturday, wasn't miffed by Brown's decision or explanation. He trusted his coach.
"[Brown] saw what he saw. We've got to win," Towns said. "That's the most important thing. That's all I care about, New York cares about, this team cares about -- is wins."
While it's still unclear if the Knicks will attempt to make a blockbuster trade that involves Towns as a package headliner, he hasn't resembled a dominant force in January.
The five-time All-Star is averging just 16.6 points this month (12 games), and over his last six contests, he's actually logged more fouls (11) than assists and blocks combined (9).
Towns' minutes will be a topic of conversation again on Wednesday night, when the Knicks travel north of the border to face the Raptors.
OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored a career-high 30 points and No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improved to 21-0, rallying in the second half and then holding on for an 86-84 victory over UMass on Tuesday night.
Miami is one of two unbeaten teams in Division I after fifth-ranked Nebraska lost 75-72 at No. 3 Michigan earlier Tuesday night. Top-ranked Arizona is 21-0 following an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night.
The victory also tied the RedHawks with the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest in-season winning streak in Mid-American Conference history.
Elmer was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers. The junior shooting guard, who also grabbed seven rebounds, had 18 points in the first half.
Peter Suder added 13 points and nine assists. Freshman guard Justin Kirby also scored 13 as Miami improved to 9-0 in conference play.
Leonardo Bettiol had 22 points and 16 rebounds for UMass (13-9, 4-6), which had won four of five. Marcus Banks Jr. scored 18 and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 16.
Miami extended its lead to 82-75 with 2:07 remaining before the Minutemen made one final charge. K'Jei Parker sank three free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining after getting fouled by Kirby at the top of the key.
Suder was fouled with 4.4 seconds left. He hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Bettiol grabbed the rebound and passed to Isaiah Placide, whose desperation shot from halfcourt went off the glass, allowing the RedHawks to earn another close win after prevailing in overtime in their previous two games.
UMass was up 65-60 midway through the second half before Miami went on an 8-4 spurt. Elmer's 3-pointer with 8:40 remaining gave the RedHawks a 69-68 lead, their first since the first minute of the game.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Honor Huff scored 17 points and Treysen Eaglestaff scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds and West Virginia beat Kansas State 59-54 on Tuesday night.
Brenen Lorient scored 10 points for West Virginia (14-7, 5-3 Big 12), which has won three of four and six of its last nine games. It was the third fewest points scored this season for Kansas State.
P.J. Haggerty scored 16 points, David Castillo scored 15 points and Nate Johnson 13 for Kansas State (10-11, 1-7). The Wildcats have lost seven of their last eight.
West Virginia led 57-54 with 22 seconds left before the Jayhawks intentionally fouled Huff. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and Kansas State took possession.
Lorient blocked Haggerty's layup attempt with 14 seconds left. Kansas State maintained possession but Haggerty's 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left was off the mark.
Taj Manning fouled Huff and he made both foul shots with eight seconds left to seal the win.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — LA Sneed scored 15 points, Reese Ross had a double-double, and Utah never trailed in a 71-64 victory over No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday night.
Sneed made three of the Utes’ 10 3-pointers. Ross scored 12 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. Lani White added 14 points and Chyra Evans scored 12 for Utah (15-6, 6-3 Big 12).
Jordan Harrison scored 18 points and had eight assists to lead West Virginia (17-5, 7-3), which ended a three-game win streak. Gia Cooke added 11 points and Carter McCray scored 10.
The Utes closed the second quarter on a 14-5 run for a 36-24 lead at the break. Sneed made two 3-pointers and scored eight points for the Utes, who hit six 3-pointers and shot 58% (15 of 26) in the the half.
Utah had its largest lead, 48-30, with 5:11 to play in the third quarter. West Virginia scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull to 55-49 with 6:30 left but didn't get closer.
Well, these two won’t want to see each other any time soon.
Chippy, physical play between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort and New Orleans Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears bubbled throughout Oklahoma City’s 104-95 victory on Tuesday, Jan. 27 before a shoving match erupted after regulation.
As the Pelicans were trying to score a late basket in garbage time, Fears collected an offensive rebound and tried to put up a scoop layup before he drew contact from Dort. Fears immediately turned to face Dort, who shoved Fears twice, first lightly, and then with more force once Fears didn’t back down.
Eventually, both players clasped the other’s jersey in balled fists and were trying to shove the other backward before teammates, assistant coaches and officials stepped in to try to deescalate the situation.
At its height, around 40 people were in the scrum, trying to separate each side. Dort and Fears continued to jaw toward each other, though players and assistants did a good job of separating the two, until Fears broke free and continued to chase Dort down the floor.
Dort eventually walked toward the locker room, while Fears was ushered toward the New Orleans tunnel by two staffers.
There had been another altercation, a minor one, prior to the one between Dort and Fears. During an inbounds play with 1:18 left in the game, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Thunder forward Jaylin Williams shoved each other as they were battling for positioning.
“Good guys, good (officiating) crew, but I thought they lost control of the game in the final minutes,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “I thought that altercation at the end started well before that.
“The second thing is: I think that’s a foul on Dort,” Daigneault continued, speaking about the last shot attempt Fears took in the final seconds. “And if it was, they should put a whistle on that play regardless of the score and the time, because, if they do that, everybody stops playing and you can legislate the situation as you normally would.”
As Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sinking a pair of late free throws to ice the game, he said he overheard Fears and Dort jawing at each other during the dead ball.
“I wasn’t too sure what happened,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “I had heard them going back and forth after they made the last two free throws, but I wasn’t sure what happened. And then, I turned around and they were face-to-face. I’m sure it was nothing crazy, though. Typical basketball scuffle.”
Fears scored 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting and added 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
Dort, a defensive-minded player whose physicality often pushes the limits of what’s acceptable, scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and had 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Ben Hammond scored 20 points and Jailen Bedford scored 14 points and Virginia Tech nearly squandered a double-digit lead late and held on to beat Georgia Tech 71-65 on Tuesday night.
Reserve Christian Gurdak scored 11 points and Tobi Lawal 10 before fouling out. Surprisingly, the Yellow Jackets outshot Virginia Tech 44% to 34%, but the Hokies (16-6, 5-4 ACC) made up for the shooting deficit and outscored Georgia Tech 24-9 from 3-point range.
Jaeden Mustaf posted a double-double and scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Baye Ndongo scored 14 points, Lamar Washington added 12 points and Kam Craft had 11 for Georgia Tech (11-10, 2-6).
Lawal made two foul shots to give Virginia Tech a 65-50 lead with 4:26 remaining before Georgia Tech went on an 11-0 run to get within four points after Washington drove the lane uncontested for a layup with 1:09 left.
Neoklis Avdalas made 1 of 2 foul shots for a 66-61 lead before Ndongo reduced the deficit to three with a layup with 29 seconds left.
Bedord made 1 of 2 for a 67-63 lead, Washington followed with a layup with 19 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets never got closer.
Hammond and Bedford each made two foul shots to seal it.
Hammond's 3-pointer with 13:59 remaining gave the Hokies their first double-digit lead at 50-40. He followed that 23-foot shot with a 24 footer less than a minute later to stretch the lead to 13.
Up Next
Georgia Tech: Hosts 16th-ranked North Carolina on Saturday.
Virginia Tech: Hosts fourth-ranked Duke on Saturday.
Nebraska was the first one to tell you it was eventually going to lose.
As the Cornhuskers marched to their best start in program history with a 20-0 record, players told USA TODAY Sports in December "we're not going to go undefeated." A loss would happen, it was just a matter of when.
We were going to learn a lot in the contest. Is Nebraska legit? Is Michigan still the Big Ten and national championship favorite?
Turns out, both are true.
It was an entertaining contest that showed Michigan is still on the path to the Final Four, and the Cornhuskers cannot be ignored anymore. The Wolverines are real. So is Nebrasketball − even in a loss.
“That just proved to everybody, most importantly to those guys in the locker room, that we can compete with anybody in this country," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said.
Michigan had to really work for this one. The team that started the season blowing every team out of the water was the one trying to swim out of a rip current. After Michigan took a 3-2 lead in the first two minutes, Nebraska took control and were comfortably holding the lead.
The Cornhuskers were on fire. Jamarques Lawrence was money from deep and the rest of the team seemingly drilled every shot that went in the air. Nebraska averages 10 made 3-pointers a game, and it achieved that in just 18 minutes. The Wolverines looked shell shocked. They couldn't keep up, trailing by as much as 11 points in the first frame and down at halftime. Oh, and all of this came with Nebraska's second and third leading scorers in Rienk Mast and Braden Frager out.
It was an ugly second half. However, that suited Michigan, and Nebraska's inexperience showed.
The Cornhuskers couldn't maintain their hot shooting, allowing the Wolverines to hang around. The game turned from a fast-paced shooting frenzy to a physical one that didn't suit Nebraska. Michigan got to the foul line while ratcheting up the defensive intensity.
Despite Michigan shooting just 6-for-24 (25%) in the second half with 11 turnovers, it went 14-for-17 from the free throw line. Nebraska shot just four free throws all game, and the magic wore off with a 1-for-13 mark from deep in the second half. Michigan only made one shot in the final five minutes, but the Cornhuskers didn't score in the final three minutes.
It wasn't pretty, but that can happen. The great teams find ways to win even when everything is going wrong. You need wins like this to prepare you for March, when it will inevitably happen as the competition gets stiffer each round.
As January nears an end, Michigan still remains the class of the Big Ten. It's the best candidate to be the first from the conference to win a national championship since 2000. It has had some not-so-incredible performances in the first month of Big Ten play and it only has one loss. If the Wolverines are firing on all cylinders, there's little hope for opponents.
At the same time, Nebraska proved its legitimacy. People have been cautious to believe the Cornhuskers are for real, and wanted to see how they measured up against a top-tier foe. The Cornhuskers nearly beat Michigan without two of their top three scorers.
“That team is projected by a lot of people to win a national championship," Hoiberg said. "You fight them all the way to the finish, you lose by a basket. That shows the character of our team and it also shows we can compete with anybody in the country."
Michigan has to admit it was outplayed most of the game. The Cornhuskers just couldn't close the deal late, as they ran out of steam. There is such a thing as finding a win in a loss, and Nebraska still is poised to contend in the Big Ten and make some program history in the NCAA Tournament.
"We're going to compete for the Final Four, and I think we just put ourselves in that conversation," said Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg.
It was a great battle, and you could only imagine what this game would be like in Lincoln with the Cornhuskers at full strength. Or even better, in a postseason contest.
"Hopefully we’ll see them in March, April," Michigan coach Dusty May said postgame on the Peacock broadcast.
Let's hope so, because both of these teams are capable of some magical things.
As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex emerges from its three-day winter standstill, the Dallas Mavericks (19-27) get back to regularly scheduled basketball programming on Wednesday, when they host the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves (28-19) at American Airlines Center.
The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 37-17 in the game’s final 9:35 on Saturday, and wintry precipitation in DFW kept the team’s plane from taking off the following day, giving Dallas an extra day to stew in the melting puddle of misery that has been the 2025-26 season.
With the recent fingy injury suffered by Mavs forward Anthony Davis, we don’t even have much excitement to look forward to with the NBA Trade Deadline little more than a week away. Around these parts, trade deadline hysteria season has given way to injury management season, as both Cooper Flagg (ankle) and Anthony Edwards (foot) are listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game on the NBA’s injury report as of 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
The basketball gods have spoken. We do not, in fact, deserve nice things. Even still, here are three storylines to watch when the Timberwolves come to town.
The best ability
Edwards has played through ongoing right foot issues in recent games, but missed Monday night’s 108-83 win over the Golden State Warriors with what was listed as “right foot injury maintenance.” The fact that he’s generally been able to play through any pain associated with the foot injury, but got the night off on Monday, may point to the superstar guard being available on Wednesday in Dallas. Edwards is averaging 29.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game coming into Wednesday’s matchup. His 29.7 points-per-game average is good for third in the NBA though 46 games, just a hair ahead of Boston’s Jaylen Brown.
Flagg is also listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, getting the same “injury management” designation as Edwards on the latest NBA injury reports. He missed a pair of games, both against the Utah Jazz, less than two weeks ago, so who knows when the rookie star’s next off-day will come. Dallas seems to have two feet traveling in opposite directions, with some remarkable recent wins against seemingly quality opponents but a dismal outlook in the Western Conference standings with little, if any, hope of making noise down the stretch.
If both stars are available for their respective teams on Wednesday, the matchup clearly favors Minnesota, but the Wolves were mired in a muck of their own making before Monday’s win over the Warriors. They came into that game losers of five straight, including losses at Utah and at home to the Chicago Bulls. They’re part of the Western Conference contingent made up of teams that might be good enough to make a deep run even if they’re not laying out a particularly convincing case at the moment.
Shooting ability
The Timberwolves come into Wednesday’s game fourth in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (37.2%) as a team. Much has been made of the Mavericks’ inability to shoot the long ball this year and how much the lack of shooting has held the team back in the standings. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Mavericks sit 24th in the NBA in the same category, at 34.5%. Dallas’ recent four-game win streak was largely fueled by 3-point heaters from Klay Thompson and Max Christie. Christie has been the Mavs’ lone bright spot from long range this year, shooting it at a 45.5% clip, good for sixth in the league as a sharpshooter.
Both Edwards (41%) and Jaden McDaniels (42.3%) shoot the 3-ball at above 40% for the Wolves, while big man Naz Reid comes into the game shooting it at a 39% clip. The Timberwolves own most of the matchup advantages against the injury-depleted Mavericks and have the ability to run the home team out of its own gym. What’s plagued Minnesota during its recent run is a lack of focus and leadership that presents itself on the floor as a tendency to turn the ball over and let struggling teams stay in the game long enough for the tide to eventually turn.
The Mavs enter Wednesday’s game with a distinct disadvantage in firepower, with or without Flagg, but the Wolves’ own tendency to coast may be Dallas’ path to another unlikely win. The Mavs have proven their own ability to absorb blows this year. They’re a try-hard bunch. They nip at the heels of superior rosters, and sometimes it works.
All it takes is one or two hot stretches from this or that unsung role player, and the Mavs just have a knack for making games of what on paper appears to be a lopsided matchup. If the Wolves don’t dictate the terms of the Mavericks’ surrender from the opening tip, the Mavs will once again make a game of what should be a blowout loss.
And we’ve seen it a number of times this year — anything can happen if Dallas finds a way to stay in the game when crunch time rolls around.
How to watch
The Mavericks host the Timberwolves on Wednesday, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29 and regional sister stations throughout the Mavericks’ viewership area, or you can catch the stream on MavsTV or NBA League Pass where available.
The Milwaukee Bucks put up a good fight against the Philadelphia 76ers with Giannis out, executing at a pretty high level for most of the game, but eventually falling 139-122. Myles Turner had his best game as a Buck, ending the night with 31 points on 62.5% shooting. Paul George led the Sixers with 32 points, five assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
After getting down 9-2 in the opening minutes, the Bucks battled back to tie the game due to Ryan Rollins and Myles Turner. Turner, in particular, was excellent in the first, dropping 12 points on 4/7 shooting. The Bucks stayed within arm’s length of the 76ers for most of the period, but about two-thirds of the way through the quarter was when Philly made their move, with Joel Embiid being the catalyst. Embiid looked surprisingly spry considering his injury history, manoeuvring his way to 18 first-quarter points (including a bunch of free throws, as per usual). The Bucks were down 42-34 after one.
Milwaukee opened the second with a lineup consisting of Anthony, Trent, Harris, Portis, and Sims (with Rollins entering a few minutes in). To my surprise, this crew got the deficit back to just three about four minutes in, with GT nailing two huge transition bombs. The Sixers would immediately answer with a 5-0 run after that, though, up 53-45—Bucks timeout. Unfortunately, the Sixers’ run extended to 10-0 out of the timeout, with AJ Green halting the run with a three off Kyle Kuzma’s penetration to cut the deficit from 13 to 10. Both teams traded buckets for the rest of the quarter, with nothing truly notable to report other than a funny sequence in which Embiid and Portis—both known high flyers—traded monster jams on consecutive possessions, later laughing about it in a stoppage. Philly led 62-71 at half.
The third quarter featured an offensive explosion from both teams in the opening four minutes. Paul George came out on fire for Philly, dropping 10 quick points in that span. For the Bucks, it was the trio of Turner, Portis, and Rollins that combined to have the Bucks tie the game at 81 about halfway through the frame. A key piece of the comeback was Doc electing to go to the zone, which slowed the 76ers’ offense down in a major way—credit where it’s due. By the same token, the Sixers figured the zone out somewhat in the minutes that followed, opening a 90-84 edge following an Edgecombe corner three and a Maxey drive. Turner kept the Bucks close, though, making it rain off a kick-out three for a season-high 26th point with minutes to play in the third, Milwaukee down 94-91. Much to the Bucks’ dismay, a late flurry from Paul George had Philly up 106-95 after three.
Sixers second-year man Jared McCain—who had struggled in the early season after returning from injury—opened the fourth with a triple to put the 76ers’ lead at 14, threatening to blow the game open, but Kuzma and Anthony scored consecutively to get it back down to 10. Unfortunately, the Bucks could only hold the Sixers off for so long, with George and McCain combining to hit four threes over the next two minutes, actually blowing the game open—Milwaukee down 123-104 with eight minutes to play. The Bucks got it back to 12 with four minutes to play, but the hill was just too steep to climb in the end.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks lost the possession battle tonight, with Philly besting Milwaukee 101-86 in attempts. This was largely because the 76ers had 15 offensive rebounds to the Bucks’ eight, and Milwaukee also turned it over 11 times to Philly’s six.
When you adjust for snowstorms this has been a great start to the week for the Sixers.
Philadelphia bounced back with a decisive 139-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night.
Paul George, just shy of the franchise record for three-pointers in a game, dropped a game-high 32 points with five rebounds and five assists shooting 11-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-15 from three. Joel Embiid, off another brilliant first half, put up 29 points and nine rebounds going 11-of-24 from the field
Tyrese Maxey did a good job of putting the last one behind him, going for 22 points and nine assists on 9-of-19 shooting. Myles Turner led the Bucks with 31.
Quentin Grimes was out with an ankle sprain while the Bucks were without Taurean Prince, Kevin Porter Jr. and most importantly, Giannis Antetekounmpo.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
Maxey walking into an open midrange jumper off an Embiid screen to get on the board was certainly a palette cleanser compared to his outing against the Hornets. The Sixers got plenty of open jumpers early and were able to convert for a decent start. VJ Edgecombe hit his first long range shot of the night and PG hit two early threes as well.
It was nice to see Jared McCain get early minutes. With Quentin Grimes out that wasn’t a surprise, but Justin Edwards seeing the floor early was a bit more of a shock. He converted on an open corner three when the ball was swung to him just like George.
He wasn’t hitting as many shots from outside, but the most efficient start for the Sixers was from Embiid, who put up 18 points on 12 shots. He also helped McCain have his best five-minute stretch in quite some time. McCain used Embiid as a screener to knock down his first open three of the night, then get to the basket on a drive. On the other end they did struggle again with dribble penetration, helping the Bucks shoot 54.5% in the quarter, but the Sixers were hot enough to get out to an eight-point lead.
When they held on to the ball, the Sixers’ process on offense was good enough to overcome the Bucks making three of their first five threes to start the second. Maxey drives opened up easy baskets for both himself and Kelly Oubre Jr. They weren’t getting a ton from their front court defensively, but Adem Bona was able to get on the board with an and-1 putback. When he missed the free throw, a fresh-into-the-game Dominick Barlow was able to grab another offensive rebound and dish it out for an open Edgeceombe. Barlow got on the board himself with yet another putback layup on the following possession.
The Sixers extended the lead and then some with Embiid on the bench, and Maxey looking more like Tyrese Maxey was the biggest reason for that. He played really well off of George, taking turns drawing the attention of the defense to get each other open.
Of course when Embiid returned, that only helped Maxey even more. Maxey threw a transition lob to Embiid, and they just looked so excited that that’s a play they were able to make happen again. As much as they continued to hum offensively, they never locked in defensively, allowing the Bucks to only be trailing by nine at the half.
George made his first four jumpers of the second half, and the Sixers needed every one as their defense looked even worse than the first half. Turner started the half with baskets inside before Kyle Kuzma started going wherever he wanted off the dribble.
Suddenly needing to be perfect, the Sixers offense finally started to slow down. For the first time ever, they found a groove again when the Bucks threw a zone at them. Edgecombe was able to handle a double and find Oubre wide open at the rim. They swung it around on the next possession to fine a wide open Edgecombe in the corner before an Oubre transition basket and Maxey layup forced a timeout.
Maxey and Embiid went to their two-man game to keep the offense afloat, but PG keeping the hot hand from the start of the quarter gave the offense a big boost with two consecutive threes. Maxey capped things off with a pair of lightning fast drives to put the Sixers back at an 11-point lead.
Paul George is on FIRE in Q3! Two more triples and he's up to 26 points tonight! pic.twitter.com/llMWtV1xgQ
George’s production started to become well-rounded as he set Bona up for a bucket at the rim and McCain for a pair of threes. Edgecombe ran quick off a Bucks miss to hit McCain in transition for yet another three. Hitting his fourth out of five tries was just the type of night he needed — both himself and the building seemed to feed off of that energy.
Back-to-back triples from Jared McCain! He's up to 14 points on 4-5 3PT shooting! pic.twitter.com/UjvYVKLVwh
Piling on in the best way, an offensive rebound found McCain coming out of a timeout and he buried the open corner three. The offense did stall for a bit ,with jumpers going cold and a dump-off to Bona being there only field goal for a couple of minutes.
It seemed like Nick Nurse wanted to give Embiid the fourth quarter off, but the Bucks made it just close enough to put him back out there for a couple of minutes. He immediately buried a corner three to keep up with Turner. He missed a midrange pull-up to cross the 30-point threshold again, but Edgecombe slamming back the miss was plenty enough of an exclamation point for this game.
Coming into the Pride Night game at Madison Square Garden, the Sacramento Kings (12-36) had lost five straight and nine consecutive road games. They lost by 23 in Detroit on Sunday. One of the highlights of their season was the January 14 win over the Knicks (28*-18), which surely must have been a fluke.
Not so fast, sassafras. After plodding through the opening minutes, New York managed to finish the first quarter with a 10-point lead, primarily due to Mitchell Robinson being a wrecking ball off the bench. After scoring 36 in the first frame, though, New York managed just 16 in the second, could not figure out how to guard DeMar DeRozan, and held a scant 52-51 lead at halftime. In the third, DeRozan kept cooking, Anunoby turned it over five times, and despite Sacramento shooting blanks from three, the game was tied at 72 going into the fourth, when Captain Clutch donned his cape and dropped 11 points to blow the lid off the game. Final score, 103-87.
This game had a season high and a season low. Their 21 turnovers were the most given away by the Knicks this season, and Sacramento’s 32 three-point attempts were the fewest taken against New York so far. Brunson carried the offense with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting, hit four threes, and posted a +17 plus-minus.
The league’s leading rebounder, Karl-Anthony Towns, delivered a 17-11 double-double, but was up-and-down tonight. Mikal Bridges was quietly excellent, scoring 18 on 8-of-13, and finishing with a +14. OG Anunoby filled the stat sheet with 15 points, three threes, and two steals, but his seven turnovers were rough on the eyes. Josh Hart did Josh Hart things (nine boards, four dimes, three steals), but seven points on just six shot attempts plus four turnovers made it a mixed bag.
Tonight’s lion was Robinson. He changed the game off the bench with 13 rebounds (six offensive), two steals, and a massive +25. Played 27 minutes, too. Give the man his hard hat and boots, coach.
For Sac Town, DeRozan did everything he could, pouring in 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting with seven free throws, but finished -17. Domantas Sabonis posted a low-calorie near triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. And Russell Westbrook tallied 14 points on 6-of-19, 2-of-9 from three, and six turnovers.
First Half
Load management dictates that Mitchell Robinson plays one game of back-to-backs. Why would the Knicks employ him against the Kings rather than reserve him for tomorrow’s tilt with the third-place Raptors? These are the mysteries of the universe. Regardless, Mitch came off the bench and owned the quarter, playing half the period and grabbing almost a rebound per minute. Fittingly, his tip-in dunk closed the period.
Friends and neighbors, this is actual speed.
The Kings’ offense was a mess. They shot 40% from the floor and 3-of-9 from deep. DeRozan ate his usual diet of midrangers, but Westbrook and Schröder were bricking, and Sabonis had trouble holding onto the rock. Sacramento held a small lead until the midway point, when Brunson and Bridges hit the gas. Playing all 12 minutes, Jalen drilled two threes and attacked the lane aggressively (the ankle looks good!), scoring 10. Bridges followed with a nifty 4-of-6 for nine.
As the offense improved, so did the defense. With timely steals from Anunoby, Shamet, and KAT, the Knicks stretched their lead to ten. By the buzzer, they were ahead 36-26.
For one stretch this season, Tyler Kolek would start the second quarter at the point to give Brunson a break. With Shamet back in the fold, that trend has come to an end. He’s had two DNPs over the last seven games, logged 2:41 against the Mavs, and, when he last saw action, played less than 10 minutes against Brooklyn. Tonight, he didn’t take the floor in the first half, and we’re reminded that a lot can happen before the February 5 trade deadline.
In Q2, that fine first-half shooting fell apart for New York. The offense stalled with Brunson on the bench, and didn’t necessarily improve when he returned. Turnovers were the biggest bugaboo. New York’s 11 giveaways were the most they’d coughed up in a first half this season. How bad did it get? In the second period, New York squeaked out just 16 points.
DeRozan led the rally, scoring at will inside the arc and from the free-throw line. As the only King in double-digit points, he kept the game competitive by himself. Deebo’s just giving potential trade destinations some fresh tape! With DeMar aflame and the Knicks crashing the plane, the Kings came back to overtake the Knicks just before the buzzer, but a KAT drive made the intermission score 52-51. (Can you imagine, some fool predicted the home team to win by 60?)
DeRozan’s only triple in the half:
Other than the three-point shooting, which New York won 38%-27%, the halftime statistics were essentially identical on both sides of the column. The Kings had a few more rebounds, the Knicks had a few more assists. Brunson was the only Knick in double-digits, with 13 points.
Second Half
Hey, refs! Jalen Brunson got hammered in the third quarter, and not in a Jose Cuervo kinda way. On the broadcast, Clyde said something about him flopping a lot as a reason for the umps swallowing their whistles while Jalen ate the court. Frazier also bemoaned the fact that once again, the Knicks were letting one guy beat them while DeRozan bucketed and bucketed . . . and bucketed. . . . Who can argue the logic of an elder twice enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Through the third, New York coughed up the ball five more times. The weird thing is that all five were committed by Anunoby. Note, the Kings were shooting 18% from deep (4-of-21), but the Knicks still couldn’t get any breathing room. Playing disorganized defense—and offense for that matter—they let the Kings regain the lead by the middle of the quarter and tie the game at 72 by the end. After scoring 36 points in the first frame, New York managed just 36 points in the second and third frames combined. And the Kings’ defense is ranked 27th in the league.
Every time we start to think the Knicks are back on track, they don’t take care of business against the dregs of the league. Anunoby doesn’t deserve all the blame. Brunson and Towns were uneven in the quarter, too. If not for Mitchell Robinson, they’d be trailing from a distance. The big fella posted four points, grabbed six rebounds (three offensive), and added a steal.
Behold this gorgeous giraffe.
Towns drilled two early treys to start the fourth quarter and passionately exhorted the crowd to its feet. For the moment, he seemed engaged and excited. Brunson woke up, too, and scored in the face of Precious Achiuwa (who worked all the revenge juice out of his system in their last matchup, evidently), and gradually the Knicks’ lead grew to 12. Brunson tallied 11 fourth-quarter points and hit three threes to finally put some daylight on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Westbrick shot 1-0f-6 from deep to deep-six any hopes of a rally.
Wins feel great. We just hope that the extra effort exerted by the starters tonight doesn’t bite them tomorrow when . . . .
Up Next
It’s a quick jaunt across the border for a tussle with the Toronto Raptors tomorrow eve! Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup doesn’t count.
WACO, Texas (AP) — Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 25 points, Bella Fontleroy added a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 14 Baylor held off Houston's late surge for an 82-66 victory on Tuesday night for the Bears' eighth straight win.
Houston had trailed by double digits since midway through the second quarter but used a 14-6 run to cut the deficit to 71-64 with 5:17 remaining. Baylor scored the next 11 points to seal it.
Littlepage-Buggs shot 10 of 11 from the floor, 5 of 6 for the line and grabbed eight rebounds. Fontleroy made three of the Bears' six 3-pointers. Taliah Scott added 14 points and Kyla Abraham scored 10 for Baylor (19-3, 8-1 Big 12).
Kyndall Hunter Amirah and Abdur-Rahim Houston scored 17 points apiece for Houston (6-14, 0-9). Briana Peguero chipped in with 14 points and had seven assists.
Scott's 3-pointer stretched Baylor's lead to 25-13 with 6:54 remaining in the second quarter. The Bears had their largest lead, 58-37, with 1:43 to play in the third quarter.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points and the New York Knicks dominated the fourth quarter to beat the Sacramento Kings 103-87 on Tuesday night for their third straight victory.
Mikal Bridges added 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who outscored the Kings 31-15 in the final period after the game was tied at 72 after three.
DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points for the Kings, who lost their sixth straight. Russell Westbrook added 14 points, but he and DeRozan combined to go 3 for 16 from 3-point range on a night when Sacramento finished 5 for 30 (16.7%).
Mike Brown earned his first victory as Knicks coach against the team that fired him last season, two years after he was NBA Coach of the Year after leading Sacramento to the 2023 playoffs.
Towns hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the fourth quarter and sank another to cap an 8-2 spurt that made it 80-74.
DeRozan's basket cut it to 90-85 before Brunson made a 3 then two straight baskets before OG Anunoby's dunk made it 99-85. Brunson hit a free throw after a technical foul on Sacramento, then drained another 3 to cap a 13-0 run and make it 103-85.
Anunoby scored 15 points as the Knicks won despite committing 21 turnovers.
The Knicks avoided another inexcusable performance against the Kings, splitting their season series with a 103-87 win on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Mikal Bridges was the Knicks' leading scorer in their sloppy road loss to the Kings back on Jan. 14, and Tuesday's rematch happened to begin with the veteran guard igniting their offense with nine first-quarter points on four-made shots. While the Kings steadily attacked in the early minutes, leading by as many as five points midway through the opening period, they were forced to burn a timeout after allowing a quick 9-0 run to the Knicks. The break in action didn't cool off the Knicks -- they shot 54 percent from the floor and led 36-26 through 12 minutes of action.
-- Points were scarce for New York in the second quarter. They mustered a pair of buckets through the first four minutes, and that cold spell opened a window for the Kings, who trimmed their deficit to five, 45-40, with 5:50 left in the half. The Knicks' lack of rhythm was also due to poor ball control -- they committed a season-worst 11 first-half turnovers -- and in the closing minutes of the quarter, the Kings produced their own sudden 9-0 run that placed them ahead, 51-50. A driving layup from Karl-Anthony Towns with 14 seconds left gave the Knicks a 52-51 edge at the break.
-- Bridges wasn't a factor in the second quarter, as he took just one shot and remained at nine points. The Knicks' first-half leader was Jalen Brunson, but even his 13 points came on an underwhelming 3-of-9 shooting. DeMar DeRozan handily carried the Kings, scoring 22 first-half points and resembling the threat he posed in their Jan. 14 meeting (he contributed a game-high 27 points then). There weren't any other players with double-digit points through 24 minutes of play.
-- The Knicks didn't take too kindly to the Kings' physicality in the third quarter. By the 7:20 mark, a jumper from veteran Russell Westbrook put the Kings ahead again, 61-60, and both teams continued to exchange blows to the tune of a 72-72 tie by the buzzer. Turnovers continued to plague the Knicks, as they committed seven in the period to put their game total to an ugly 18. They also struggled to defend DeRozan, who reached 28 points -- his sixth-highest mark of the season -- entering the final quarter.
-- Towns tried his best to take matters into his own hands, scoring six of the Knicks' first eight points in the fourth on a pair of threes while clinching a double-double. With some assistance from OG Anunoby and five unanswered points from Brunson, their lead over the Kings climbed back to double-digits, 95-85, with 3:07 remaining. Following a media timeout, the tandem combined for another four points, bumping the Knicks' lead to a game-high 14 that forced the Kings to burn a timeout with 2:02 left. Their message on the bench was all for naught -- the Kings scored just two points in the final four-plus minutes, finishing with a measly 13 in the quarter. DeRozan gave the Knicks fits, adding 34 points in total, but his efforts weren't enough.
-- The only Knicks starter who failed to score double-digit points was Josh Hart, who added seven in 31 minutes. But the veteran made his presence known elsewhere, logging nine rebounds and four assists while forcing three turnovers. Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson combined for 16 points off the bench -- Robinson registered a team-best 13 boards -- and in spite of a season-high 21 turnovers, the Knicks' talent and tenacity prevailed.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
Brunson came to life in the fourth quarter, racking up 11 crucial points that pushed his total to a team-best 28. The Knicks captain has averaged 25.2 points over his last four games.
The Knicks (28-18), now on a three-game win streak, will have travel north of the border for a Wednesday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors (7:30 tip-off).
