HOUSTON (AP) — Kingston Flemings had 20 points and eight assists, Chris Cenac Jr. added a career high-tying 18 points and No. 7 Houston extended its winning streak to 11 games with a 103-73 victory over Arizona State on Sunday night.
Cenac, who also had eight rebounds and five assists, had 12 points and led six Houston players with at least eight points in the first half as the Cougars (17-1, 5-0 Big 12) built a 56-29 lead at the break. Houston shot 55% and was 8 of 16 from 3-point distance in the first half.
Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan each had 16 points and Joseph Tugler finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which shot 56% and was 12 for 25 from long distance. The Cougars, who posted their highest point total of the season, have won 15 straight games at home.
Houston forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 31 points, and held a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Andrija Grbovic scored 14 points, Anthony Johnson added 12 and Bryce Ford and Noah Meeusen scored 10 apiece for Arizona State (10-8, 1-4). The Sun Devils shot 41% and were 9 of 25 on 3-pointers. Arizona State was 20 of 24 from the free throw line, but lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Houston jumped out to a 30-5 lead on a layup by Flemings with about 11½ minutes remaining in the first half. Cenac had 10 points, and Flemings had six points in the game-opening run. The Cougars shot 12 of 15 from the field to start the game.
Houston got off to a fast start for the second straight game. The Cougars opened up their 77-48 win over West Virginia on Wednesday with a 28-5 run.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers guard Darius Garland will be sidelined for at least one week due to a sprained right great toe.
Garland suffered the injury on Jan. 14 at Philadelphia and missed Friday's game against the 76ers. The Cavaliers said further evaluation and imaging on Saturday revealed a Grade 1 sprain. The seventh-year guard will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days as he undergoes treatment.
The two-time All-Star has missed 16 games this season due to a nagging injury to his left great toe, which he struggled with during the closing month of last season and the playoffs. Garland had surgery on the toe during the offseason.
Garland is averaging 20.2 points and 7.4 assists over this last 16 games. He was shooting 50.4% from the floor and made 42 of 100 3-pointers.
The Cavaliers have been plagued by injuries all season. After having the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, they are 24-19 and fifth in the East going into Monday afternoon's game against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Adding to the laundry list of question marks, LeBron James is expected to be a game-time decision, as is to be the case with every back-to-back going forward.
The Lakers are getting some much-needed relief on Sunday, with both Ayton and Hayes expected to back on the court. It also appears as though they've dodged a bullet as neither Smart or LaRavia were listed on the injury report.
That leaves the two biggest questions that likely won't be definitively answered until we get closer to tip-off: Will Dončić and James take the court vs. the Raptors?
Here's everything you need to know about the status of the two Lakers stars:
Dončić is questionable to play with left groin soreness, according to the latest NBA injury report released at 5:30 p.m. ET. He originally told reporters on Jan. 12 he "felt something" in his groin/inner thigh area during pregame warmups, but he ended up playing through both games of the Lakers' back-to-back early last week.
Dončić also played in Thursday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 39 points before sitting out on Saturday.
Is LeBron James playing tonight?
James is also listed as questionable for Sunday night's games, which is to be expected after the 41-year-old said as much to reporters a week ago.
“I’m 41 years old. Every back to back for the rest of the season is TBD.”
LeBron James makes one thing certain — he is TBD for all back-to-back games in his 23rd NBA season 😭
James did play in the Lakers' most recent back-to-back on January 12 and 13, logging 33 minutes in each and coming up just one rebound shy of a 31-point triple-double in a 141-116 blowout win over the Hawks.
In Saturday night's loss to the Trail Blazers, James scored 20 points and led the team in assists and rebounds with nine and eight, respectively.
Lakers injuries
Ayton and Hayes both did not play on Saturday, leaving the door open for Drew Timme to see extended minutes at center. Smart limped off the court following a collision midway through the fourth quarter, but he was not listed on Sunday's injury report. Both Ayton and Hayes are also expected to return against Toronto.
The only other names on the Lakers injury report ahead of the game are Reaves (left calf strain) and Thiero (right MCL sprain), who have both missed extended time and are expected to be re-evaluated towards the end of the month.
It’s the second half of a home-and-home. The Nets (12-27) are looking for a rare road win to sweep the mini-series, but the tanking crowd is eyeing those lottery balls. Chicago (19-22) is desperate to get back to .500 and stop a four-game slide.
🏀 Game Info
Tip: 7:00 PM ET
TV: YES Network | Gotham Sports App
Radio: 101.9 FM / 660 AM WFAN
⚠️ Injury Report
Nets:
Michael Porter Jr. (OUT – Rest)
Drake Powell (OUT – Left Knee Injury Management)
Ziaire Williams (OUT – Return to Competition Reconditioning)
Haywood Highsmith (OUT – Right Knee Surgery Recovery)
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Unlike their last back-to-back, this one could actually have matchups factored into decisions here.
The Sixers released their injury report ahead of their home contest against the Indiana Pacers Monday. Nothing on it is too shocking with Joel Embiid and Paul George both listed as questionable with left knee injury management.
Despite it being a downgrade, both have been listed as probable for the past several games, this just boils down to this Pacers matchup being the front end of a back-to-back as they’re set to take on the Phoenix Suns Tuesday at home as well.
The two of them have both played in nine of Philly’s last 10 games, the only one missed also being a back-to-back last week in Toronto. Both of those legs were against the Raptors, so it didn’t really matter which one of the two they sat out. With the Suns being a notably tougher matchup than the 10-win Pacers, there’s actually a decision to make there if George and Embiid can only be available for one of those games.
Neither of the two have played both games of a back-to-back this season, but it’s worth noting that George was a very late scratch in that first game against the Raptors. Perhaps playing in both legs may be something he’s looking to do soon.
After being assigned to the G-League over the weekend, Jared McCain is listed as doubtful. Funnily enough, it was the Pacers G-League affiliate, the Noblesville Bloom, McCain played against in his first game with the Blue Coats since being sent down again. He didn’t exactly light the world on fire either, going for 15 points on 18 shots in six turnovers playing 30 minutes in a Coats loss.
Jared McCain played 30 minutes in the Delaware Blue Coats' 126-102 road loss against the Noblesville Boom. His line:
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder have been by far the most impressive team this season. Their +14 net rating is over five points better than their closest competitor. It’s why they started the season on a 70-win pace.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, have been one of the most disappointing teams this season. They’ve taken a noticeable step back from where they were last year, as they’ve already surpassed their loss total for all of last season.
Despite how differently things have gone for both the Cavs and Thunder, they enter this game playing at a pretty similar level.
Oklahoma City has cooled off dramatically in recent weeks. They’ve lost three of their last eight and dropped their previous outing to the Miami Heat. Their offense has struggled recently, as they have the 14th-ranked offense over the past two weeks.
This game should provide a good measuring stick for where the Cavs are right now, even though both will be without key starters. The Thunder will be without Jalen Williams, and the Cavs will be without Darius Garland.
Cavs injury report: Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Sam Merrill – OUT (hand), Dean Wade – PROBABLE (knee), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Chris Livingston – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)
Thunder injury report: Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring), Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (right soleus), Thomas Sorber – OUT (ACL), Nikola Topic – OUT (surgical recovery), Brooks Barnhizer – DOUBTFUL (G League)
CHAMPAGNE, Ill. (AP) — Berry Wallace scored a career-high 29 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, and No. 25 Illinois held off a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Northwestern 74-71 on Sunday.
Illinois took the lead for good with 2 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter and led 58-51 heading to the fourth. Although Illinois remained in front, Northwestern cut it to one on a 3-pointer by Xamiya Walton with seven minutes to go and again on a layup by Casey Harter with 2:15 remaining.
At that point, Wallace scored in the paint for a 73-70 lead, then Tayla Thomas hit one free throw to get Northwestern within 73-71. Both teams came up empty on their next two possessions before Cearah Parchment made a free throw for a 74-71 lead with nine seconds left. Northwestern's Caroline Lau missed a potential tying 3-pointer with one second left.
Parchment had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth double-double of her freshman season. Aaliyah Guyton had 13 points for the Illini (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten).
Grace Sullivan scored 21 points, Walton 19, Harter 13 and Lau 12 for Northwestern (8-11, 2-6). The rest of the Wildcats managed six points — all by Thomas.
There were four ties and seven lead changes in the first half. Illinois scored the last 12 points of the second quarter to erase a five-point deficit and the Illini led 40-33 at halftime.
Illinois outscored the Wildcats 11-2 in a 3 1/2-minute stretch of the third quarter, building a 58-43 lead. Three-pointers by Harter and Walton helped Northwestern get within 58-51 heading to the fourth.
There were only 13 turnovers in the game, five by Northwestern and eight by Illinois.
Illinois was won seven straight in the series after losing the previous 14.
Up next
Illinois: The Illini play Saturday at No. 24 Nebraska.
Northwestern: The Wildcats host No. 3 UCLA next Sunday.
For the last two months, there has been a song looping in my head whenever Jalen Green comes up. Richard Marx, softly crooning in the background, whispering a promise into the void.
Wherever you go Whatever you do I will be right here waiting for you Whatever it takes Or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you
I have been right here waiting. And I hope my heart don’t break. It feels painfully appropriate at this point, equal parts hope, patience, and checking the injury report daily.
We know we are getting close. Suns head coach Jordan Ott said yesterday that Jalen Green got in another five-on-five run after morning shootaround. “Everything seemed to be good,” Coach Ott stated. “So we’ll see. Still going in the right direction.”
That is the kind of update that makes you sit up a little straighter. Not fireworks. Not a declaration. But enough to tell you the wheels are turning, and the return is no longer theoretical.
So…will Green suit up in Brooklyn on Monday night? Questionable.
Jalen Greeb is QUESTIONABLE to play tomorrow against the Nets.
The last time we saw him was on November 8 against the Clippers. He made it 6:48 into that game, but was then gone in the first quarter after re-aggravating the hamstring that already cost him the first 8 games of the season. It felt cruel. It also felt very Suns.
Before that night, Green had played in 192 consecutive games, playoffs included, without missing time. Then he arrives in Phoenix and the basketball gods get weird. To the team’s credit, they have been careful with it. This is a player built on speed. If you are running on a flat tire, you are not helping anyone.
We still do not know the exact severity. A grade two hamstring usually means 3 to 6 weeks. A grade three can stretch into months and even flirt with surgery. This one lingered long enough to make you wonder. Whatever it was, the Suns chose patience, and with a player like Green, that is the only move that makes sense.
But alas, the designation finally changed. That alone feels like progress. It does not guarantee anything, and it does not mean he is ready to roll, but it is a step forward. He is not listed as probable yet, but for the first time in a while, the door is actually open. He could see the floor again.
And the timing matters. Brooklyn is young, energetic, but they are not going to apply the same defensive pressure Phoenix saw from Detroit, Miami, or New York on this trip. That makes this a softer landing spot, if there is such a thing in the NBA.
So here we are. The questionable stage. Actual movement. Real momentum. Now we wait another day to see if Jalen Green finally suits up and plays basketball for Phoenix again.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kristýna Kaltounková and Anne Cherkowski each scored a goal, Kayle Osborne had 31 saves and the New York Sirens beat the Montreal Victoire 2-1 on Sunday at Capital One Arena as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour.
The game, played in front of 17,228 fans, set an attendance record for a professional women’s hockey game in the United States, according to Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The previous record of 16,014 fans was set Nov. 28 at the inaugural home game for the Seattle Torrent.
Montreal (5-2-0-5) had its three-game win streak snapped.
Sarah Fillier had two assists for New York (7-0-1-5), which has won five of six. The Sirens have 22 points, four behind league-leading Boston and one ahead of third-place Minnesota.
Kaltounková, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 PWHL draft, has nine goals this season, tied with Minnesota's Kendall Coyne Schofield for most in the league.
Maggie Flaherty scored a power-play goal for the Victoire late in the first period.
Kaltounková slammed home the rebound of a shot by Fillier to open the scoring 84 seconds into the game. The Sirens had failed to convert on their previous nine power-play opportunities and are just 5 of 40 with an extra skater this season.
Cherkowski gave the Sirens a 2-1 lead with 5:13 left in the second period. Fillier poked a faceoff to Levis, who flicked a wrister that was redirected by Cherkowski over the glove-side shoulder of goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens for the rookie's first career goal.
Desbiens had 25 saves for the Victoire.
The Victoire beat New York 4-0 in Montreal on Nov. 25 and Osborne had a career-high 43 saves as the Sirens evened the season series with a 4-3 home win on Jan. 2.
DETROIT — The Boston Celtics could be once again be without Payton Pritchard when they close out a four-game roadtrip against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Pritchard missed Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with left ankle soreness — his first absence of the year — and is questionable with the same injury ahead of Monday’s game.
But the Celtics didn’t miss a beat with their starting point guard; Baylor Scheierman started in Pritchard’s place, and Boston defeated Atlanta 132-106.
Three other Celtics are on the injury report alongside Pritchard; Josh Minott will miss his 8th-straight game with an ankle sprain, while Jayson Tatum continues to rehabilitate a ruptured Achilles tendon. It’s been about 8 months since Tatum first suffered the injury, and his timeline to potentially return this season is uncertain. And, Chris Boucher, who has been out of the rotation since late November, is questionable with low back spasms.
Celtics Injury Report vs. Detroit (1/18):
Chris Boucher – Low Back Spasms – QUESTIONABLE Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT Payton Pritchard – Left Ankle Soreness – QUESTIONABLE Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT
The Pistons, meanwhile, have a clean injury slate.
The Pistons have been the best team in the Eastern Conference
Monday’s game between the Celtics and the Pistons is a battle between the two best teams in the East. The Celtics (26-15) have the second-best record in the East, while the Pistons lead the way with a 30-10 record.
The Celtics and Pistons have faced off three times this season, and each time, the games have gone down to the wire, with the Pistons winning two of three contests. When the two teams first matched up in October, the Pistons came away with a 6-point win. In November, on the eve of Thanksgiving, the Celtics emerged victorious by 3 points. And, in December, the Pistons won by 7. Saturday will mark the fourth and final regular-season match-up between the two teams.
Both teams come into the Monday night matchup with plenty of momentum, having won two in a row; the Celtics have won 7 of their last 10 games, while the Pistons have won 6 of their last 10.
Celtics-Pistons will tip off at 8pm on Saturday at the Little Caesars Arena.
DALLAS (AP) — Brandon Hagel’s tiebreaking goal midway through the second period proved to be the winner, and Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 19 saves on 20 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Sunday.
Rookie Dominic James and Jake Guentzel each had a goal and an assist, and Pontus Holmberg added a late empty-net score for the Lightning, who bounced back from a shootout loss at St. Louis on Friday that ended a franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak. Tampa Bay has a 13-game points streak and they are tied with Carolina atop of the Eastern Conference with 64 points, second overall to Colorado (74).
Hagel took a pass at the goal line to the left side of Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger, playing off the line, and muscled the puck through the stick of Stars defenseman Esa Lindell for a 2-1 lead. It was Hagel’s sixth winning goal this season, tied for second in the NHL behind Nashville’s Steven Stamkos, who has seven.
Tampa Bay is a league-best 18-4-4 on the road and 20-1-0 when leading after two periods.
Vasilevskiy (20-7-3) has 10 straight 20-win seasons and is 17-4-3 in his career against Dallas.
Oskar Back scored for the struggling Stars, who came off a 2-3-1 road trip and have lost three straight in regulation, scoring one goal in each game. Oettinger, tied for eighth in the NHL with 17 wins, stopped 22 shots and is 1-4-2 in his last seven starts.
Dallas, tied with Minnesota for second overall in the West with 63 points, lost for the fifth time in regulation in 25 games when scoring first.
Back opened the scoring four minutes in and four minutes later James evened the score. Two of James’ four goals this season have been scored in the last seven games.
The Dallas Mavericks (17-26) have won five games in their last eight as they prep for a rare Monday afternoon tilt against the New York Knicks (25-17) at Madison Square Garden. The little spurt the Mavericks are on is a rare kind of mirage — it’s the kind you know is too good to be true even as it appears before your eyes.
The Mavs’ last two wins have come against the tanking Utah Jazz in two games where big man Jusuf Nurkic registered back-to-back DNP-Coach’s Decision designations. Utah is not even trying to camouflage its tank, as the mounting losses leave deep tracks up and down the team’s muddy record. Now Dallas’ schedule takes a bleak turn, with the team’s next 13 opponents sporting a combined win-loss record of 316-224. Only two opponents in that upcoming stretch have a losing record: the Milwaukee Bucks (17-24) next Sunday and the Charlotte Hornets (15-27) two games later on Jan. 29. A 1-12 stretch is certainly possible if you’re looking ahead, even if something like 3-10 is slightly more likely.
The last time the Mavericks and the Knicks met, New York outlasted Dallas 113-111 on Nov. 19 at American Airlines Center behind 28 points and five assists from former Maverick Jalen Brunson. Naji Marshall and D’Angelo Russell led the Mavs in that loss with 23 apiece off the bench.
Here are three things to look out for as the Mavs get ready to battle the Knicks for the last time this season.
Thompson’s hot trigger
Klay Thompson has been on a tear in a more focal role in the Mavericks’ last two games. He scored a season-high 26 points on 6-of-13 shooting from behind the arc in Thursday’s 144-122 win over the Jazz before pouring in 23 more (matching his previous season-high mark) on 6-of-11 shooting from deep in Saturday’s rematch. It’s been Thompson’s most prolific two-game stretch as a Maverick so far, but he’s been playing well for longer than that. He’s scored 18 or more in four of his last six games as injuries have erased the production usually carried by Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis.
With P.J. Washington (personal), Daniel Gafford (ankle) and Davis (finger) all still out for the Dallas Mavericks, Thompson will need to continue his hot streak to help give the Mavericks a chance against the objectively superior Knicks playing behind their home crowd in Manhattan. Flagg (ankle) has been upgraded to questionable on the latest NBA injury report as of Sunday afternoon.
This six-game stretch has already done wonders for Thompson’s trade value. It remains to be seen whether its continuation can help lift the injury-riddled Mavs to anything close to competitive against the first quality opponent of the tough 13-game stretch ahead.
Brunson bitten by the same bug
The Mavs may be catching New York at a convenient time, though. Brunson went to the bench just minutes into the Knicks’ 112-101 loss at the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday with an ankle injury and hasn’t played in the team’s last two losses to the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. New York has hit hard times in the New Year, losing eight of the team’s last 10 games dating back to Dec. 31.
New York is a shell of itself without Brunson’s ability to create both his own shot and quality looks for his teammates, but some deeper issues may be starting to show themselves in the new year. Murmurs about the job first-year head coach Mike Brown is doing are starting to surface, and Brunson’s ankle injury only serves to increase the angst surrounding one of the most highly scrutinized teams in the NBA.
The Knicks had not submitted an updated injury report to the NBA as of 2:15 p.m. CDT on Sunday. If Brunson is not available on Monday, that changes the tenor of the matchup significantly. Depending on Flagg’s own availability, Mavs fans could talk themselves into some unfounded optimism here, though backup Miles McBride has stepped up admirably in the Knicks’ last two games. He scored 25 points and dished six assists in the loss to the Warriors and had 23 and five against the Suns.
The 3-point line with no curve
In each of the Mavs’ last three wins, the team has shot 41% or better from 3-point range. There is no secret sauce here. When the Mavs shoot it better, they give themselves a chance to win. When they don’t, they look clueless.
Flagg or no Flagg, Davis or no Davis, Brunson or no Brunson, Dallas has to keep up with their opponent from beyond the arc. Monday’s game will be no different. If the Mavericks can limit turnovers and shoot it well, they’ll be in this game. If they don’t, they won’t.
Little extraneous analysis is necessary to diagnose this very frustrating team.
How to watch
The Mavericks and the Knicks will tip off their matinee show at 4 p.m. CDT on Monday from Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. The game will be locally televised on NBC and will stream on Peacock.
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Injury Report
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard – Questionable (Ankle), Bogdan Bogdanovic – Out (Hamstring), Derrick Jones Jr. – Out (Knee), Bradley Beal – Out (Hip)
Wizards: Tristan Vukcevic – Out (Knee), Bilal Coulibaly – Out (Back), Cam Whitmore – Out (Shoulder), Trae Young – Out (Knee)
Pregame notes
The Washington Wizards come back home after a 3-game road trip against Western Conference foes, that did not yield a win. Now they will try their luck at home against another Western Conference foe, the Los Angeles Clippers.
If you have been watching the NBA season this year, you are probably familiar with how much the Clippers struggled to start the season. Their struggles have been well-documented, but do not let that fool you, this team has played much better basketball as of late. They have won 14 out of their last 16 games, including a win over the Wizards in Los Angeles this past Wednesday. They have been sparked by the play of their two stars, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
On the other side, the Wizards have lost six straight games coming into this one. Maybe this is according to plan as the team just a few weeks ago had won six of 10 games and looked poised to possibility play out of their position to guarantee top-8 pick in the draft. Make no mistake about it, this team’s young players will continue to play hard and we will continue to see progress, but Monday’s matchup looks tough going against one of the hottest teams in the league.
