Category: NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing their best basketball of the season, but are reportedly still looking to upgrade their roster ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Acquiring De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks was the big move they made at the deadline last year. Hunter could be on the move again this winter.

According to Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, the Cavs and Los Angeles Lakers have had discussions about a deal centering around De’Andre Hunter for Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers. However, a third team would need to be involved to get a trade to work.

Finding a third team could be the holdup. The Cavs are in the second apron. That means that they can’t bring in more money in a trade. The Lakers are just below the first apron but are capped from exceeding it in a trade like this.

Since Hunter — with his unlikely contract bonuses — makes slightly more than Hachimura and Knecht combined, a trade involving just those players is illegal for the Lakers to make. Los Angeles would need to drop an additional player making just over $1.3 million to a third team. The second apron keeps the Cavs from taking that additional player or adding another player of their own to the trade to balance things out.

The Cavs could shave a little over $20 million off of next season’s cap sheet with a deal like this. Hachimura is on an expiring contract and Knecht is set to make just $4.2 million next season. Meanwhile, Hunter is owed a little over $24 million next season in the last year of his contract.

On the season, Hunter is averaging 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 42 games.

Hachimura is averaging 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists on .500/.433/.756 shooting splits. Knecht has averaged 4.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists on .442/.323/.688 shooting splits in his second season in the league.

Tonight's Pistons vs. Warriors predictions come down to how this game is likely to be played, not who looks better on paper. Detroit slows teams down, takes away easy second chances, and forces Golden State to win without leaning on its usual strengths.

That kind of game doesn’t just change the side, it creates value in one Warriors prop that’s tied directly to rebounding and role.

Read on for my NBA picks for Friday, January 30. 

Pistons vs Warriors prediction

Pistons vs Warriors best bet: Draymond Green Under 5.5 rebounds (-130)

Since Jimmy Butler’s ACL tear, Draymond Green has fallen short of this modest rebounding prop in three of four games, averaging just 4.25 rebounds per game.

The Golden State Warriors so needed Butler, in part, because Green’s game is aging faster than many realize. He is no longer equipped for this role.

Quite frankly, the time is probably coming when Green’s agitation with himself will start showing as he acts out against opponents. That could well come tonight, given the Detroit Pistons' physical playing style.

But even if Green plays the whole game, that may be as few as 24 minutes. He has played more than 24 minutes in any of his last four games, bothered by foul trouble in only one of them.

He does not have the fitness to play a long game. And he no longer has the athleticism to impact the game.

Pistons vs Warriors same-game parlay

Green has scored 12 points total in the four games without Butler, shooting just 5-of-25 from the field.

He is falling apart in every aspect. With Green posing such a liability, the Pistons should have an edge in a close game. 

Pistons vs Warriors SGP

• Draymond Green Under 5.5 rebounds
• Draymond Green Under 7.5 points
• Pistons moneyline

Our "from downtown" SGP: Cade!

With the Warriors shorthanded — also without Jonathan Kuminga tonight— Cade Cunningham's athleticism may feast.

Pistons vs Warriors SGP

• Draymond Green Under 5.5 rebounds
• Draymond Green Under 7.5 points
• Cade Cunningham Over 23.5 points
• Pistons moneyline

Pistons vs Warriors odds

• Spread: Pistons +2.5 | Warriors -2.5
• Moneyline: Pistons +120 | Warriors -140
• Over/Under: Over 224.5 | Under 224.5

Pistons vs Warriors betting trend to know

Detroit is 3-1-1 against the spread in its last five games on the second night of a back-to-back, as well as 5-0 outright. Find more NBA betting trends for Pistons vs. Warriors.

How to watch Pistons vs Warriors

Pistons vs Warriors latest injuries

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

The Sacramento Kings are in Beantown this evening to face the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden.

Domantas Sabonis is struggling lately, and my Kings vs. Celtics predictions are targeting Boston to contain him this evening.

Read more in my NBA picks for Friday, January 30.

Kings vs Celtics prediction

Kings vs Celtics best bet: Domantas Sabonis Under 14.5 points (-125)

Domantas Sabonis isn’t having the best campaign for the Sacramento Kings, averaging just 15.4 ppg. That’s down from 19.1 points last season. The big man is averaging only 12.6 points in January, and that even includes a couple of single-digit games in points.

The Lithuanian has cashed the Under in points in six of his last seven contests this month, scoring a mere 14 points on Thursday in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s actually played better on the road overall, but that’s not the case at the moment.

Sabonis hasn’t faced the Boston Celtics yet this season, but he’s not playing with a lot of confidence in January, given his inability to consistently score the rock. From a scoring standpoint, Boston will keep him under wraps here.

Kings vs Celtics same-game parlay

Neemias Queta is averaging 10 ppg this season, but he’s cashed the Under in three straight appearances, failing to even hit the 10-point mark in each contest.

Queta scored just four points on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Derrick White is averaging 2.9 three-point makes on 8.9 attempts from long range for a 32.3% clip this season. While he’s had some games where he goes off from deep, that hasn’t been the story lately.

White has hit the Under in converted triples in eight straight games. He was just 1-for-5 from three-point land on Wednesday.

Kings vs Celtics SGP

• Domantas Sabonis Under 13.5 points
• Neemias Queta Under 11.5 points
• Derrick White Under 3.5 threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: Hauser keeps clicking offensively

Sam Hauser has cashed the Over in points in six of his last eight appearances.

Kings vs Celtics SGP

• Domantas Sabonis Under 13.5 points
• Neemias Queta Under 11.5 points
• Derrick White Under 3.5 threes
• Sam Hauser Over 11.5 points

Kings vs Celtics odds

• Spread: Sacramento +11.5 (-110) | Boston -11.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Sacramento +400 | Boston -550
• Over/Under: Over 220 (-110) | Under 220 (-110)

Kings vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Boston Celtics have hit the Game Total Under in 16 of their last 23 games (+8.30 Units / 33% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Kings vs. Celtics.

How to watch Kings vs Celtics

Kings vs Celtics latest injuries

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

Sixers basketball is fun right now. Joel Embiid is doing things I thought were well in the rearview mirror for him. Tyrese Maxey is continuing his superstar ascension. VJ Edgecombe is wading through the waters of being a rookie as a key contributor on a playoff team. Paul George has even turned back the clock as of late.

Complacency is never a good thing in sports when taking an aerial view, but I am content with watching this iteration of Sixers basketball for the time being, seeing wins like the ones the team pulled off Tuesday evening against Milwaukee and Thursday night against Sacramento.

Perhaps it’s just getting older and championships do remain how everything gets defined in this sport, but I’ve resigned myself to this being a non-contending season for the Sixers and, with those adjusted expectations, Sixers basketball feels a bit freeing.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to be one of the biggest names ever moved mid-season ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA Trade Deadline. In an open Eastern Conference, naturally, people wondered if the Sixers should get in the mix for a top-25 player of all time. It’s only fair! Such a deal would necessitate parting ways with Edgecombe, a boatload of picks and probably Jared McCain as well.

When the talking heads and fans started discussing the Antetokounmpo-for-Edgecombe possibility, I was so against it, writing as much for Liberty Ballers. It felt like the Sixers were finally on the cusp of building for a post-Embiid future with the Maxey-Edgecombe backcourt pairing set to carry the franchise for the next half-dozen years and potentially beyond. Maybe they wouldn’t make the NBA Finals this year, but how about that possibility come 2028 or 2029? That’s enticing no doubt.

Sixers fans on social media, understandably, are skittish about trading away the 20-year-old Edgecombe who oozes star potential for the 31-year-old Antetokounmpo.

Truly, I get it.

What I now pose is a simpler question… Are we overthinking it? Am I overthinking it?

It would take approximately a tenth of a second in the aftermath of a “Antetokounmpo to Philly” push notification for me to be completely bought in to it. It would be a seismic shift in the East. An Antetokounmpo-Embiid-Maxey trio would give the team their greatest shot of finally breaking through and making the Finals in this era. The Antetokounmpo-Embiid fit isn’t perfect. The team would once again be all-in and dealing their best top-three pick in nearly a dozen years. The risk is immense, but so is the reward of watching this team play in June.

The clock is ticking on Antetokounmpo’s future and the closer we get to next Thursday, the more my mind will continue to shift back and forth when it comes to the two-time MVP.

I’m ready either way.

The NBA trade deadline is upon us, and one name is justifiably dominating the rumor mill above all others: Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

The Knicks are in aggressive pursuit of the former Finals MVP, but face challenges due to their cap situation, other bidders and the Milwaukee Bucks' patience.

Right now, the path for New York to take to get a deal done is not clear. The Bucks’ asking price is reportedly all of the young players and draft capital teams can muster, and the Knicks are severely lacking in both.

Below are the likeliest forms a potential Antetokounmpo trade package can take if you’re New York. Note: each of these will have to include swaps on all four future Knicks first-round picks, the protected Wizards first, Miles McBride, and likely additional young talent in Pacôme Dadiet and/or Tyler Kolek.

Wingstopped

One formulation would be the Knicks sending their two star wings -- OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. This would allow the Knicks to retain Karl-Anthony Towns as a third star, but completely deplete them in the middle positions. 

Milwaukee likely won’t be interested in both Bridges and Anunoby as they enter a rebuild, so this may take New York pre-flipping both for assets more intriguing to the Bucks. If you could get a couple picks per and maybe a young guy, your total offer is now something like 8+ picks and some young pieces.

Technically, just Anunoby’s salary paired with Mitchell Robinson’s clears enough room for the Knicks to bring in Antetokounmpo, but it’s doubtful they’ll be able to collect enough assets from them to entice Milwaukee. Anunoby hasn’t been mentioned as a trade candidate, but teams like the Pistons, Cavaliers, Spurs, Lakers or Warriors may be willing to facilitate a deal if it means nabbing Anunoby.

Through Towns and over Bridges

The next potential package centers around Towns in place of Anunoby. Between his shaky play, huge contract, and pending extension situation, Towns doesn’t appear to have the trade value the wings do, with many national observers citing Trae Young’s return as a meaningful comparison. 

If that’s the case, the Knicks are in a tough spot, as Towns has the largest salary on the team, making him a natural fit for this trade. If he can’t net them or Milwaukee a couple of picks, it limits New York’s options drastically.

Hopefully, the situation is not that dire, and the Knicks can pull off something like the Jrue Holiday gambit, in which the Bucks get Towns, New York gets assets, plus some of their own picks from Portland, who get Bridges. Similar to the first scenario, Milwaukee ends up with a trove of picks, the difference being acquiring or flipping Towns on top. 

Perhaps the Bucks wouldn’t mind being somewhat competitive while they don’t own their own picks, making such a package feasible. 

The bad contract bribe

This is New York’s all-in play, offering up Towns, Anunoby, and Robinson or their draft pick/prospect equivalents, in exchange for Antetokounmpo and ridding Milwaukee of Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner. The logic here is simple -- if New York’s best offer after separate talent-for-picks deals isn’t enough, they could theoretically keep pushing that button to offer the Bucks a chance to dump their unwanted contracts as well.

Leon Rose would have to deal some mix of his talent beyond the previous packages -- Towns and both wings, or both wings with Robinson or Josh Hart included. As if a midseason Antetokounmpo trade wasn’t team-breaking enough, this one would entirely flip the roster upside down. 

For that reason, it’s hard to see this playing out, even if it’s New York’s only path to Antetokounmpo. They’d be left with the Greek Freak and Jalen Brunson, a poorly patched-together supporting cast, and likely worsened chances at a championship this year and beyond.

Bucking Brunson

This one isn’t happening.

But if the Knicks are grappling with how to outbid the competition without sacrificing their contention status, simply packaging their picks with Brunson is an easy out that could work. They won’t do it, but if the Bucks countered with that offer, Rose would have to at least think about it. 

The Milwaukee Bucks got destroyed at the charity stripe against the Washington Wizards (28-9), a key reason for their 109-99 defeat (despite shooting it more frequently and at a better clip). It was really just more of the same from the Bucks; they are one of the league’s worst teams without Giannis. That said, I thought last night was a step down from how they played against the 76ers. Kyshawn George, who recently shared that he thought the Bucks were going to draft him, went off against Milwaukee. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Ryan Rollins

26 minutes, 17 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 turnover, 7/13 FG, 3/5 3P, -3

Ryan was great… when he was on the court. The problem was that he was too aggressive on defence early on and had to sit much of the first half with foul trouble; he has to be better than that and know his importance. That said, his game when he did play was excellent. I mean, Ryan made a number of clutch plays on both ends.

Grade: B+

Myles Turner

39 minutes, 21 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 turnovers, 8/16 FG, 2/6 3P, +2

Granted, some of Turner’s minutes were played with no opposing centre on the floor—the Wizards’ backup centres Marvin Bagley and Tristan Vukcevic were out—but for him to have six blocks was awesome to see; it shows he’s engaged and has the right mindset. I also loved his rebounding (again, easier in this one than usual, but you still have to grab ‘em).

Grade: A-

AJ Green

37 minutes, 2 points, 3 assists, 1/6 FG, 0/4 3P, -10

Yeah, I barely remember AJ doing anything positive in this game (other than a nice read off the pick-and-roll in the first quarter). The reality for him as a shooter is that he needs to make shots. He’d been doing that, but not last night. Green’s defence—and specifically his ability to slide his feet—was less effective because there weren’t many good matchups for him.

Grade: D+

Kyle Kuzma

34 minutes, 19 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 8/18 FG, 0/3 3P, –8

While Kuz did have some nice plays towards the end of the game—both from a passing and scoring standpoint, especially in transition—there were just too many instances throughout the game where he was out of control. Missing 10 shots and turning the ball over three times just isn’t good enough.

Grade: C-

Bobby Portis

36 minutes, 19 points, 3 assists, 7 rebounds, 8/17 FG, 2/5 3P, -21

Man, this was such a weird Bobby game. At points, he was the Bucks’ only source of offence and was actually quite effective with his backdowns. He even had an absolute dime to Pete Nance under the hoop at one point. But the fact that Portis had, by far, the worst plus/minus on the team likely indicates that he did a lot wrong on defence. I mean, the next closest was -10.

Grade: C

Pete Nance

20 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6/10 FG, 1/3 3P, -1

Just another great game from Nance, who actually got a shot last night over Jericho Sims. He put himself in the right spots to be a receiver and a converter once his teammates made the initial play—something he has a knack for.

Grade: A

Gary Trent Jr.

24 minutes, 3 points, 1/6 FG, 1/5 3P, -1

I mean, GT took the right shots, but he has truly fallen off the map this year. Wow.

Grade: D

Cole Anthony

17 minutes, 5 points, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2/11 FG, 1/6 3P, –9

Cole Anthony. Just the Ultimate tank commander. My guy was throwing up BRICKS.

Grade: F

Doc Rivers

Hmmmm. The everlasting quandary of weighing Doc’s coaching acumen against the crappy talent level of his team. On one hand, I can’t expect Doc to make chicken salad out of chickenb sh*t, respectfully. On the other hand, let’s not act like he’s some technician who makes all the right calls. He played Nance, not Sims. That’s something. He gave AJax some minutes… didn’t do much. I thought BP was appropriately used on offence against a bunch of smaller wings. Rivers can’t control Rollins getting in foul trouble. But at the end of the day, the team should have been more competitive in the first three quarters against a side that, not so subtly, was playing its deep reserves for a suspiciously long time, I thought. Take what you will from that.

Grade: C-

Limited minutes: Andre Jackson Jr.

DNP-CD: Amir Coffey, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Pete nance

Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince

Bonus Bucks Bits

• The Bucks had at least three flagrant fouls where they got into the shooter’s landing space. Might have been four. That’s just clumsy. One of those came on Wizards rookie Tre Johnson, who left the game and did not return. Postgame, Doc was not happy with the amount the Bucks fouled shooters.
• Myles had a late block that would have been his seventh of the night. It was clean up top, but there was some incidental lower-body contact, and they called it a foul. The Bucks challenged and lost. Here’s what Doc had to say about that play: “If you start calling the lower body after you block a shot, everybody’s going to be shooting a free throw. To make a call like that at the end of a game, to decide a game, is just absolutely awful.”
• I wanted to know why in the world this game was nationally televised (I’m sure casual fans were watching this cellar-dweller matchup with high interest). Then I started putting two and two together that it was a night to celebrate John Wall.
• Interesting that, even when they are ostensibly tanking, the Wizards still aren’t giving a load of minutes to AJ Johnson. He had a DNP last night.
• Khris was solid, but it feels like they’re limiting his minutes. Maybe that’s good for both parties at this point.

Up Next

The Bucks have a few days off now before they play in Boston on Sunday afternoon. Catch the game on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 2:30 p.m. CST.

The Memphis Grizzlies head to the Big Easy tonight for a matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

Saddiq Bey cooked Memphis a week ago, and my Grizzlies vs. Pelicans predictions are eyeing him to do so again.

Read more in my NBA picks for Friday, January 30.

Grizzlies vs Pelicans prediction

Grizzlies vs Pelicans best bet: Saddiq Bey Over 17.5 points (-110)

Saddiq Bey is having a nice campaign for the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 15.9 PPG in 42 games played. The Villanova product has averaged nearly 20 points per game in January, and he’s been rolling lately.

Bey has cashed the Over in points in four of his last six appearances. Last Thursday, he dropped 36 points on the Grizzlies, and he also poured in 24 on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs.

In Bey’s last game at home, he scored 20 points against the Detroit Pistons, and he’s averaging 16.7 PPG at the Smoothie King Center compared to 15.1 on the road.

Across three meetings with the Memphis Grizzlies, he’s also averaging 22.3 PPG. 

Grizzlies vs Pelicans same-game parlay

Jose Alvarado is a sparkplug for the Pels, averaging 7.9 PPG with serious energy on both ends of the floor. While he’s only hit the Over in points once in his last five appearances, Alvarado is averaging 8.6 PPG at home compared to 6.7 on the road.

He also scored 24 points in one game against the Grizzlies this season. Alvarado will make his presence felt at the Smoothie King Center.

Trey Murphy is a solid three-point shooter, averaging 3.0 makes on 8.2 attempts for a 36.9% clip. However, his total is too high tonight for my liking.

Murphy has cashed the Under in triples in five consecutive outings, and he’s only averaging 1.7 makes from deep against Memphis this season for a 26.3% clip.

Grizzlies vs Pelicans SGP

• Saddiq Bey Over 17.5 points
• Jose Alvarado Over 6.5 points
• Trey Murphy Under 3.5 made threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: JJ's Way!

Jaren Jackson Jr. has cashed the Over in rebounds in three of his last four, and he grabbed 12 boards last week against the Pelicans.

Grizzlies vs Pelicans SGP

• Saddiq Bey Over 17.5 points
• Jose Alvarado Over 6.5 points
• Trey Murphy Under 3.5 made threes
• Jaren Jackson Over 5.5 rebounds

Grizzlies vs Pelicans odds

• Spread: Grizzlies +1.5 (-110) | Pelicans -1.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Grizzlies +130 | Pelicans -150
• Over/Under: Over 241.5 (-110) | Under 241.5 (-110)

Grizzlies vs Pelicans betting trend to know

The Memphis Grizzlies have hit the Game Total Under in 27 of their last 40 away games (+12.70 Units / 29% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Grizzlies vs. Pelicans.

How to watch Grizzlies vs Pelicans

Grizzlies vs Pelicans latest injuries

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

The NBA will honor the 250th anniversary of the United States throughout 2026 with a slate of on-court activations, volunteer programs and community events, the league announced in a news release Friday.

In partnership with America250, Stand Together, and Military250, the NBA will celebrate in various league-wide, team-driven activations, including media storytelling, community service projects and special event integrations across the NBA the league said.

Some of the league‑wide initiatives include players, coaches and basketball legends reflecting on what it means to be American, the significance of the country and its 250th birthday and how basketball plays a role in bringing U.S. citizens together.

Fans and viewers can expect to see a "America 250" broadcast as well as in-arena creative nods to celebrate the moment.

More: Trump to reportedly meet with sports commissioners about America 250 plans

America's 250th anniversary celebrated across sports landscape

The NBA is the latest league to announce its plans to honor the United States' 250th birthday.

In December, President Trump announced part of his plans to host the very first Patriot Games in honor of the U.S. during its 250th anniversary. He said it'll be "an unprecedented four-day athletic event" that will feature high school athletes across the country.

Trump also announced in June that he plans to host a UFC Fight Night on the lawn in front of the White House. The fight card is expected to feature eight or nine championship fighters.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which has 11 featured U.S. game sites including New York, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle and Santa Clara of the San Francisco Bay Area, will coexist with American 250 celebrations.

The NFL said in November that the league will participate in honorary events and demonstrations for the U.S. 250th anniversary. The league plans to use special footballs with an "America 250" logo through the playoffs.

"The NFL is proud to participate in celebrating America's 250th anniversary," Goodell said in a news release. "The story of the NFL reflects the story of America, and the American spirit of resilience, innovation and teamwork has helped football grow into a cultural pastime that unites us all. We are excited to honor our country's history and celebrate our collective future."

There will be "America 250" signage stenciled on the sidelines and officials will use American 250-branded coins for the pregame and overtime coin toss. The coins will be later auctioned off for charity, according to a league news release.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA reveals league-wide plans to celebrate America's 250th anniversary

The Los Angeles Lakers will play their sixth straight road game when they visit the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Lakers vs Wizards prediction

Lakers vs Wizards best bet: Luka Doncic triple-double (+500)

This one comes with big plus-money odds, and I’m happy to take it as tonight’s best bet based on Luka Doncic’s recent surge in statistics.

Doncic is averaging 33.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists on the season. Across his last five games (all on the road), he’s averaged 35.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 9.4 assists.

Lakers vs Wizards same-game parlay

Washington has won and covered in two straight, and the Wizards are 5-1 ATS across their last six. 

Lakers vs Wizards SGP

• Luka Doncic triple-double
• Wizards +9
• Over 230

Our "from downtown" SGP: Not shy about Kyshawn

Over the last eight games, Kyshawn George leads his team in points, rebounds, and assists, and he's averaged 32.6 PRA. In that span, he's hit the Over on this combo line six times, including four straight at home.

Lakers vs Wizards SGP

• Luka Doncic triple-double
• Wizards +9
• Over 230
• Kyshawn George Over 29.5 points + rebounds + assists

Lakers vs Wizards odds

• Spread: Los Angeles -9 (-110) | Washington +9 (-110)
• Moneyline: Los Angeles -350 | Washington +275
• Over/Under: Over 230 (-110) | Under 230 (-110)

Lakers vs Wizards betting trend to know

The Lakers have only covered the 1H Spread in eight of their last 30 games (-16.40 Units / -47% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Wizards.

How to watch Lakers vs Wizards

Lakers vs Wizards latest injuries

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

With a 109-99 victory over the spiraling Milwaukee Bucks, the Washington Wizards have their third two-game winning streak of the season.

This one was an offensive struggle. Not in the sense that either team played well on offense — more like what the bricklaying did to my basketball sensibilities. The teams combined to miss 55 three-point shots, shooting a combined 18-73 — “good” for 24.7%. Bilal Coulibaly missed one so badly, I rewinded several times convinced it had to have been blocked or tipped. If it was, I couldn’t find the evidence.

With their all-world star Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined with a calf injury, the Bucks continued their drop in the standings. Giannis trade rumors are the number one topic around the NBA — so ubiquitous that the guys on Thinking Basketball briefly touched on it.

Just before tipoff, I had a classic, “There’s your problem!” moment when I realized the Bucks were starting three former Wizards — Ryan Rollins (who’s playing well this season), Bobby Portis (who’s been okay), and Kyle Kuzma (who’s been not much good).

The Wizards won with an atrocious 43.8% effective field goal percentage because they dominated rebounding battle (61-43 overall; 18-7 on the offensive glass) and got to the free throw line. The Wizards owned the boards despite playing a smaller lineup most of the night. In the 16 minutes Alex Sarr (17 rebounds; 7 offensive) rested, head coach Brian Keefe used a center-less lineup.

Give some credit to the opponent — Doc Rivers teams eschew pursuit of offensive rebounds in favor of getting back on defense. This approach may have had more merit in the past. Nowadays, teams In recent years, coaches (led by former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau) have figured out a way “tag up” to pursue offensive boards without getting killed by fast breaks. Rivers has stuck to what worked for him in the past.

“Tagging up” is a system whereby offensive players immediately make physical contact with a defensive player as soon as a shot goes up. The strategy — developed by Aaron Fearnes in the Australian National Basketball League (he’s currently coaching the NCAA Charlotte 49ers) — increases the offense’s chance of getting the rebound while simultaneously matching up and creating pressure points to stymie transition opportunities. The concept has entered the NBA in recent years with the influx of international assistant (and head) coaches.

There was a lot to like from the Wizards in this one. Even accounting for a talent-deficient Bucks roster, the Wizards made life difficult for Milwaukee on the offensive end. On many possessions, the Bucks had to run multiple actions to get a shot. At times, you could see Milwaukee players rush a meh look early in the shot clock because they had a sliver of an opening.

One of the cool things in this one was that it was the youngsters making plays late to secure the win.

Thoughts & Observations

• One of my favorite defensive plays came in the second half. Coulibaly was pressuring Rollins full court and got called for a foul. Before the inbounds, Coulibaly and Rollins had some friendly-looking former teammate kind of interaction. Then when the play started, Coulibaly stepped around and in front of him and top locked — denying Rollins the ball and wrecking Milwaukee’s play and then the possession. It was excellent defense made more impressive by how casual it looked.
• A game after struggling against the massive Donovan Clingan, Sarr bounced back to control the action inside against Myles Turner and Portis. Sarr finished with career highs in offensive rebounds (7) and total rebounds (17). His previous high was 15, which he did twice — both this season.
• Kyshawn George shot poorly but played a strong overall game — 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, a block, and just 1 turnover and 1 foul. George improving his decision-making is one of the big X factors for the team’s future.
• Jamir Watkins has a very long ways to go on the offensive end (he shot 1-7 last night), but he’s already a plus defender. He had another open court strip when pressuring the ball at midcourt.
• In the not good news category: Tre Johnson rolled his ankle when Rollins did a Bruce Bowen closeout. No word yet on how much time Johnson will miss. On the “quick return” side: he’s 19-years-old, which should dramatically accelerate his healing time. On the “it might take a while” side: the team is happy to lose games and has given guys plenty of time to recover from injuries so far. My guess is he’ll miss at least a game or two.

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	BUCKS	WIZARDS	LGAVG
eFG%	46.9%	43.8%	54.3%
OREB%	14.0%	33.3%	26.1%
TOV%	8.8%	12.7%	12.8%
FTM/FGA	0.071	0.260	0.209
PACE	102		99.5
ORTG	97	107	115.5

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	+/-
Alex Sarr	32	67	118	22.4%	0.4	196	3
Kyshawn George	36	76	105	26.7%	-2.2	151	2
Bilal Coulibaly	28	59	124	11.9%	0.6	166	14
Bub Carrington	29	61	118	20.2%	0.3	156	-2
Justin Champagnie	26	55	120	15.3%	0.4	125	9
Khris Middleton	26	55	93	25.1%	-3.1	49	6
Tre Johnson	11	24	113	29.4%	-0.2	80	10
Malaki Branham	14	30	109	18.7%	-0.4	64	-2
Will Riley	18	39	105	14.0%	-0.6	29	3
Jamir Watkins	21	44	57	16.0%	-4.1	-4	7

BUCKS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Ryan Rollins	26	56	133	24.5%	2.4	285	-3
Myles Turner	39	84	112	21.0%	-0.7	137	2
Bobby Portis	36	77	111	20.4%	-0.7	108	-21
Pete Nance	20	43	134	20.8%	1.7	192	-1
Kyle Kuzma	35	74	94	28.7%	-4.5	54	-8
Gary Trent Jr.	25	53	56	12.3%	-3.9	-5	-1
Andre Jackson Jr.	3	7	0	11.0%	-0.9	-228	1
AJ Green	37	79	48	9.2%	-4.9	-53	-10
Cole Anthony	18	37	44	27.4%	-7.3	-149	-9

Only eight NBA rookies have ever scored more points in a game than Cooper Flagg did in the Dallas Mavericks’ (19-29) heartbreaking 123-121 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at American Airlines Center on Thursday.

Wilt Chamberlain scored 52 or more points five times in his rookie season of 1959-60 and owns the single-game rookie scoring record of 58 points, which came against the New York Knicks on Feb. 21, 1960. Five years later, Rick Barry scored 57 points as a rookie, also against the Knicks. Earl “The Pearl” Monroe scored 56 as a rookie in 1968 against the Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks’ rookie Brandon Jennings went out of his mind for 55 against the Golden State Warriors in 2009. Jennings matched Elgin Baylor’s high-scoring game as a rookie 50 years after Baylor scored 55 for the Minneapolis Lakers against the Cincinnati Royals. Elvin Hayes scored 54 against the Detroit Pistons in 1968, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 51 against the Seattle Supersonics in 1970 and Allen Iverson scored 50 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1997.

That is the rarified air that Flagg entered on Thursday with his 49 points on 20-of-29 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds against his former Duke roommate Kon Knueppel and the Hornets. Flagg’s 49 points also matched the rookie-season-high scoring mark of some guy named Michael Jordan. His Airness poured in 49 in a 136-129 win over the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 12, 1985 in the most prolific scoring outburst of Jordan’s rookie campaign.

Rookies just don’t do the things that Flagg does — and that’s before you take into account the fact that Flagg started doing these things as an 18-year-old. Scoring 49 points in an NBA game at Age 19 is unheard of. Chamberlain was 23 years old when he rewrote the NBA record books as a rookie in 1959-60. Barry was 21 and nine months when he scored 57 points in a game during his rookie season. Jennings was a full year and change older than Flagg when he scored 55 points as a rookie for the Bucks. Iverson was two months shy of 22 when he scored 50 as a rook. Flagg became, with Thursday’s performance, the youngest player in NBA history (19 years, 35 days) to record a 45-point game.

Mavericks fans have seen some things, man. The 2011 NBA championship was a basketball fairy tale written by a team that zigged when the entire league was mid-zag, with the unlikeliest of protagonists at center stage. The rise of basketball savant Luka Dončić in our own backyard was the stuff of legend, made all the more quizzical by his untimely ouster. When it’s all said and done, though, the Legend of Flagg has the potential to move all that to one side if his career continues on the trajectory his rookie season has taken off on.

COOPER up to 44pts! New career high and new Mavs rookie all time scoring high! pic.twitter.com/ByEV3e8JOp

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) January 30, 2026

When people tell you who they are, it’s wise to believe them. When people show you who they are and what they’re about, you’re left with no choice in the matter. Flagg’s ability to take over a game is no mere flash in the pan. He shows us the fundamentals that gird his game-changing, high-flying explosiveness on a night-in, night-out basis. His game isn’t perfect, but he’s already shown a unique aptitude for learning on the fly and improving the weak spots in his game on the job as the youngest player in the league. Just wait until he’s had a full NBA offseason or two under his belt.

This kid is already a certified monster. He’s an omega-level mutant in a world of superheroes — there appears to be no upper limit to the development of the powers he possesses. Flagg defends better than any rookie we’ve seen take a swim through Dallas, both in passing lanes and on the ball. He can get to the rim against basically anyone. His mid-range game could fool a casual fan into believing they’re watching the savviest vet in the game. If Flagg ever becomes a true 3-point shooter and if he can cut his turnovers by a third, he’s going to be the best player in the NBA one day.

All that is to say nothing of Flagg’s most impressive skill — the ability to elevate his game in the final five minutes of a close game. He’s a killer. His game-tying 3-pointer on Thursday over the outstretched arm of 6’10” forward Moussa Diabate with 33 seconds showing on the clock is just the latest evidence of Flagg’s latent greatness, magnified when the lights are at their brightest.

The lumps he’s taking with a ragged roster around him in his rookie season will serve Flagg well, as long as the Mavericks’ front office can get its shit together behind whoever is inserted into the captain’s chair as the team’s next general manager. As exciting as Flagg’s rapid on-the-job development has been to watch in his rookie season, his demeanor is the glue that will eventually hold a winning team together.

“It’s tough,” Flagg said in his postgame press conference on Thursday. “We fight the whole game, play really heard, stick together, give ourselves a chance to win. It’s tough, but there [are] a lot of positives we can take from this. … With the turnover, I’ve just got to be better. I haven’t seen a ton of double-teams closing out games, so I just have to be a lot better.”

This is not a young man getting in over his skis or drunk on his own power. This is a kid who knows only winning and has a thirst to get back to his regularly scheduled dominance as soon as the roster around him allows for it.

“Ten-plus years down the road, we’ll both be looking back on this as a pretty special thing,” Flagg said on Thursday. He was referring specifically to his in-game battle with his friend Knueppel, who piled up 34 points on eight made 3-pointers for the Hornets in the win, but Mavs fans are no doubt envisioning another “pretty special thing” when they peer 10 years into Flagg’s potential career arc.

It’s hard not to, even as we recover from a deep burn less than a year old, because we’re bearing witness to things already in Flagg’s rookie season that few fans are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of. Let’s not take this for granted. The history books suggest not to.

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: The Suns were slowly but steadily rising in the standings before Booker and Green went down with injuries, but have stumbled since then. Do you believe that the Suns currently have enough talent on their roster to successfully adapt to playing without them?

GuarGuar: I don’t think we have enough talent to beat good-to-great teams as long as Book and Jalen are out. Our offense just becomes way too bad, and we are unable to consistently generate good looks at all. Their gravity means so much to what we do, especially Book.

Ashton: I do not.

Look, I am getting sick of “re-evaluation” timelines that literally mean nothing. It means both players need recovery. Yes, this is probably a rant, but what the hell is going on with communication between the medical staff and trainers to the coach and the front office?

Trainer: Player X had reflexes when hit with a medical hammer in his right knee. He is good to go.

Front Office: Okay.

Fire those guys! No commercials saying that you are proud Suns supporters from the medical community unless you can properly diagnose that they need to rest. I want a true medical opinion from someone who is not a Suns fan.

Look, I love this win streak as much as the board does, but enough is enough. If it costs some wins, then it is what it is. But let’s really get to the heart of the matter. It is NBA scheduling to squeeze as much blood out of a turnip with the B2B’s and cross-country road games. It is basically killing the livelihood of the game and the established players who play it.

This may be the future of the NBA? Because the injury endemic is not just contained to the Suns, it is across the entire league.

Oh yeah, the question. I love the younger legs that are playing on the roster, but in the end, I expect the Suns to lose a couple.

OldAz: It depends on if they are playing at home or not. On the road, they are only competing with bottom dwellers without Book and Green. At home, however, it is a completely different story. The reason? Dillon Brooks. Most role players play better at home. The crowd, familiar surroundings, pregame rituals all contribute. But without Green and Booker, Brooks is their leader and best player. At home he averages 24.2 on 50/40/89 splits which is significantly better than his road averages of 17.9 on 39/34/84. Those splits are way too pedestrian from your best player when you competing on the road. Additionally, no one able to penetrate into the lane minimizes the impact Gillespie and the 3 point shooters can have.

Rod: This made me think of a time long ago when a friend and I went motocross racing, and he broke his bike’s chain during practice. All we needed to fix it was a new master link, but we didn’t have one. We tried several oddball fixes, but none worked, and he couldn’t race that day.

With Book and Green out, the Suns are kind of like that chain. All the remaining links are fine, but without that master link to tie them together, it will not be able to function. With the Suns, I don’t think talent is so much the issue as the right type of talent to make the rest of the team function well together.

Book and Green are the team’s two master links and, much like my friend and I at the races, they don’t have another master link in their toolbox to replace either of them with. Whatever the Suns can Rube Goldberg together while they’re out might work for a short time but I don’t believe we can hope for more than the Suns treading water in the standings and playing .500 ball until at least one of them returns…and even that may just be wishful thinking.

Q2: What adjustments do you think Jordan Ott should make to attempt to get the most out of the team while Book and Green are sidelined?

GuarGuar: The only other player who can generate offense and create opportunities for others is Gillespie. Our offense needs to run through him the most with Book and Jalen out. Brooks is a ball stopper, and we cannot be running the majority of our offense through him; we won’t get anywhere. Grayson is a great guard at attacking close outs and playing in space…not creating his own shot. I’d try to feature Mark post-ups a little bit more, but overall, if we are gonna win with this current group, it’s going to be because of defense.

Ashton: None. There are still plenty of guards to fill the role, even with Goodie in a face mask and CG out with a hand sprain.

If there was one adjustment I would make, it would probably be to put Brooks in a “Jason Vorhees” hockey mask with some type of AI-driven voice moderation. Maybe then the refs will not notice him because the Suns will be without his services for a game or three.

OldAz: I would do 2 things. First, focus on defense. The players that remain are mostly tenacious defenders (and O’Neale tries really hard). Like in the first half against the Pistons, their defense can carry them to compete against a lot of teams in the league when their top scoring option (or 2) is on the shelf.

Second, the have to develop more 2 man actions. Williams, Oso, Dunn can all be good screen partners allowing Gillespie, Allen or Bouyea to get into the lane. This has the added benefit of potentially getting the other 3 on the floor for some of those catch and shoot 3 opportunities that have dried up since Book’s exit.

Rod: I think the Suns need to simplify their offense and concentrate more on getting more points inside the paint instead of continuing to fire away from three. They especially need to get Williams more touches and tell Oso to drive to the basket more when he’s switched onto a smaller player. They just don’t work hard enough to get the ball into Williams’ hands, and Oso isn’t usually very aggressive on offense, preferring to pass rather than attempt to score on most nights. We saw a lot of that (minus the Oso being more aggressive) against Brooklyn…and it worked!

Once they get teams worried about them getting into the paint, they should begin seeing more open shots available from outside. But even when fully/mostly healthy again, going back to an offense that heavily relies upon three-point shots shouldn’t be the goal. They say that variety is the spice of life but I think that variety is also the key to a successful offense in the NBA.

Q3:Suns two-way contract players Jamaree Bouyea and Isaiah Livers are both running low on game eligibility. The Suns currently have one open roster spot, which they could use to convert one of their contracts to a standard NBA deal, which would make that player eligible to play in all of the team’s remaining games (including the playoffs).

Which of them do you currently believe is the better choice to convert?

GuarGuar: This is a really tough question because both have played really well when given minutes, and I’d want both on our roster going forward. That being said, assuming Jalen is gonna be ok health-wise, it makes more sense to sign Livers because we lack players at his position. We don’t have a ton of wings, and while Livers isn’t very big, he’s able to slide into some of those forward spots and be effective. I love what Bouyea has brought this year, though I wish we could sign both.

Ashton: The better question is why not convert two roster spots for both? Waive Nick Richards. I might take some flak for that statement but, bam, under the luxury tax and two roster spots open that keeps the Suns under the tax line. It is tax season after all. Major edit here, Rod basically told me that even waiving Richards and keeping both of the young talented players actually increases the tax penalty. Oh man, I knew I was going to get slapped upside the head on this question.

Still, I think the conversation needs to be about opening roster spots. And I want them both. If you can make it work, please comment in the section below.

I think both Bouyea and Livers (common all, these rank among some of the best last names in NBA history) just need some future development, and that is what has gotten the Suns this far. Yes, Livers has an injury issue, but I am all in on youth development at this point.

However, if I had to pick just one, it would be Jamaree with the most potential. Tough call.

OldAz: You just had to time this question for right after their really good showing against the Pistons (admittedly, I am writing this at halftime, so hopefully neither one poops the bed in the 2nd half). If this team is fully healthy, Livers fills a role which is a greater need. In reality, they have yet to be healthy so having an extra player who can shoot and handle the ball is very valuable.

Both really do deserve a full contract. In reality both have far more value than Nigel-Hayes Davis and even Nick Richards. Ideally, if they can Move Richards and it does not bring back a PF that earns minutes then hopefully the deadline deal both frees up another roster spot AND saves them enough money that converting both of them does not put them back over the tax level. That’s a lot to hope for, so I will just answer the question and say Livers. When Book and Green return, there really won’t be many minutes for Bouyea and Book and Green don’t do the things Livers can do.

Rod: Hopefully they’ll be able to convert both of them before the end of the season but, assuming that both Book and Green return soon (and can stay healthy), I’d pick Livers. He gets my vote because he fits the need for more big bodies up front (yeah, he’s only 6’6″ but he’s also 232 lbs of muscle) and he’s proven productive on the court.

At this point in time, we have no idea what might happen at the trade deadline which could change everything. We might have space to convert both of them or some sort of deal might come flying in from out of left field that leaves the Suns without a roster spot to convert either one…or a need to do so.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

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Quotes of the Week

“We have to do more, keep him (Mark Williams) going.” – Jordan Ott

“I just want to continue to be out there, doing whatever I can in my power to be the best version of myself and try to get some wins.” – Mark Williams

“I feel good any game that we go into with our defenders. We love taking the challenge, make things tough for the opponent. That’s what we’re going to do, create havoc.” – Royce O’Neale

“We’re not backing down from that (physicality). That’s not the message that JO (Jordan Ott) has had to us this whole year. That’s not the message that BG (GM Brian Gregory) has had. That’s not the message (team owner) Mat Ishbia has had for this team. We’re not going to back down from physicality. Wherever that line is, we’re OK with it.” – Grayson Allen

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Suns Trivia/History

Mark Williams’ 27 points (13-of-15 FG) vs Brooklyn was his most in a Suns uniform and is tied for the third best in his career. His career high is 38 points with the Hornets during a game vs the Grizzlies back on Jan. 22, 2025.

Mark Williams now has 90 dunks in only 42 games this season. He’s 6th in the NBA in dunks despite missing five games.

He’s on pace to finish with 150+ dunks if he plays at least 70 games. The last Suns player to reach that mark was Amar’e Stoudemire … 16 years ago

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) January 28, 2026

On February 1, 2016, after getting off to a 14-35 start, the Suns fired head coach Jeff Hornacek and appointed Earl Watson as interim head coach. The Suns would continue to struggle throughout the rest of the season to finish with a 23-59 record.

On February 4, 1969, the expansion Suns defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 125-116 to post their 13th win of the season. It was the third win in their first-ever 3-game win streak, and the last time they would have successive wins that season.

On February 6, 2008, the 34-14 Suns traded Marcus Banks and four-time All-Star Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal, who had been sidelined with a hip injury before the trade, was inactive for his first 5 games as a Sun but would start for the Suns, averaging 12.9 points and 10.6 rebounds, in 28 of their final 29 games of the season, in which they were 17-11. The Suns would finish the season as the 6th seed in the West with a 55-27 record and bow out of the playoffs quickly, losing their 1st round series with the San Antonio Spurs 4-1.

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This Week’s Game Schedule

Friday, Jan 30 – Suns @ Cleveland Cavaliers (7:00 pm)
Sunday, Feb 1 – Suns vs LA Clippers (6:00 pm)
Tuesday, Feb 3 – Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers (9:00 pm) NBC/Peacock
Thursday, Feb 5 – Suns vs Golden State Warriors (8:00 pm) Prime Video

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This Week’s Valley Suns Game Schedule

Friday, Jan 30 – Valley Suns vs Delaware Blue Coats (7:00 pm)
Sunday, Feb 1 – Valley Suns vs Delaware Blue Coats (2:00 pm)
Wednesday, Feb 4 – Valley Suns @ Rio Grande Valley Vipers (10:00 am)

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Important Future Dates

Feb. 5 – Trade deadline (3:00 pm ET)
Feb. 13-15 – 2026 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, CA
March 1 – Playoff eligibility waiver deadline
March 28 – NBA G League Regular Season ends
March 31 – 2026 NBA G League Playoffs begin
April 12 – Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
April 13 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
April 14-17 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
April 18 – NBA Playoffs begin