STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Stailee Heard had 18 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists and Oklahoma State routed No. 19 Iowa State 86-58 on Sunday, sending the reeling Cyclones to their fifth consecutive loss.
It was Heard's first career triple-double and the third in Oklahoma State history. She is averaging 20.8 points over the past four games.
Before Sunday, Iowa State's losing streak included only one loss by double digits. Oklahoma State's 13-0 run in the middle of the second quarter put the Cyclones down by 16 points and they never recovered.
Oklahoma State went on to score 30 points in the second period and led 43-21 at halftime. Micah Gray hit three 3-pointers and scored 12 points in the quarter and the Cowgirls shot 61%.
In the third quarter, the Cyclones cut into their 22-point halftime deficit and had it down to 51-35 before Haleigh Timmer scored 10 points in a 15-0 run that made it 66-35 after the third quarter.
Entering the fourth, Audi Crooks and Jada Williams were the only players with more than three points for Iowa State (14-5, 2-5 Big 12). Crooks, the nation's leading scorer at 27.6 points per game, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Williams had 15 points and seven assists. Iowa State, second in the nation with 21.9 assists per game, had 11 on Sunday.
Timmer finished with 16 points, Gray had 15 and Lena Girardi added 11 off the bench for the Cowgirls (16-4, 5-2).
Oklahoma State is 28-2 at home over the past two seasons.
Iowa State opened the season with 14 consecutive wins and was ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP Top 25.
The sky seemed to be falling for the Denver Nuggets when Nikola Jokic was facing an extended spell on the sidelines, but instead, they’re on a hot streak heading into tonight’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.
Denver is 6-1 in its last seven games, and my Hornets vs Nuggets predictions expect big-time production from the hosts’ role players against a Charlotte team that brings an ugly 8-15 road record to Ball Arena.
Read on for my NBA picks ahead of this battle on Sunday, January 18.
Hornets vs Nuggets prediction
Hornets vs Nuggets best bet: Peyton Watson Over 18.5 points (-115)
The Denver Nuggets have needed contributions from up and down the roster to survive Nikola Jokic’s absence, and Peyton Watson’s emergence has to be among the biggest pluses to come out of this stretch.
It’s easy to forget that Watson averaged just 8.1 PPG last season, but he’s looked like a different player this year, with a major take-off this month in an expanded role. Spreading his wings as an offensive force, he’s averaging 23.6 PPG in January.
Watson has gone past this O/U number in nine of his last 10 outings, including a 21-point effort yesterday against the Washington Wizards, and I see Denver leaning on his athleticism in the second game of a back-to-back set.
While Watson’s 48% mark from 3-point range isn’t sustainable, he can get buckets in other ways, too. In addition to Jokic, the Nuggets will still be without Cam Johnson and possibly Christian Braun, so shot volume shouldn’t be a factor.
The Charlotte Hornets gave up 136 points against the Golden State Warriors last night, and there’s no reason to think the visitors’ defense will fare any better with Watson & Co. on the charge.
Hornets vs Nuggets same-game parlay
Give me the team that’s finding a way to grind out victories and maximizing its talent. The Nuggets are 12-6 at Ball Arena this season, and 26-16 ATS overall, and Jamal Murray is coming off a lights-out effort against Washington. I can’t trust the Hornets offense to show up here after some wildly erratic totals in January.
Brandon Miller has put together consecutive strong shooting nights, but his assist tallies have been even steadier. He’s dished 4+ dimes in four straight games, and I expect him to flash his playmaking skills in what should be an end-to-end contest.
Hornets vs Nuggets SGP
Peyton Watson Over 18.5 points
Nuggets moneyline
Brandon Miller Over 3.5
Our "from downtown" SGP: Doing Things the Hardaway
Tim Hardaway Jr. has knocked down 17 threes across his past four outings, and he dropped 30 points on the Wizards last night. With the Nuggets short on sharpshooters, Hardaway has a neon green light to let it fly from beyond the arc.
Hornets vs Nuggets SGP
Peyton Watson Over 18.5 points
Nuggets moneyline
Brandon Miller Over 3.5 assists
Tim Hardaway Jr. Over 3.5 threes
Hornets vs Nuggets odds
Spread: Hornets -1.5 (-110) | Nuggets +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Hornets -120 | Nuggets +100
Over/Under: Over 228.5 (-110) | Under 228.5 (-110)
Hornets vs Nuggets betting trend to know
The Nuggets are 9-1 SU in their last 10 matchups against the Hornets. Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Nuggets.
How to watch Hornets vs Nuggets
Location
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Date
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Tip-off
8:00 p.m. ET
TV
FDSN SE Charlotte, Altitude
Hornets vs Nuggets latest injuries
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ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Dani Carnegie had a career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds, Trinity Turner added 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Georgia beat No. 16 Mississippi 82-59 on Sunday.
Georgia (16-3, 2-3 SEC) earned its first Quad 1 win of the season. The Lady Bulldogs snapped a 11-game home skid against teams in the AP Top 25 and beat a ranked opponent by 20-plus points for the first time since 2006.
Carnegie, a Georgia Tech transfer, made 11 of 17 from the field, 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Christeen Iwuala led Ole Miss (16-4, 3-2) with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Sira Thienou scored 12. Cotie McMahon — who went into the game averaging a team-high 19.2 points on 49.6% shooting — finished with nine points on 1-of-13 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and five assists.
Rylie Theuerkauf made two free throws that gave Georgia the lead for good less than 2 1/2 minutes into the game and sparked a 16-2 run that made it 19-6 with 1:04 left in the first quarter. Debreasha Powe capped a 7-0 spurt with a 3-pointer that trimmed the deficit to nine points with 7:12 remaining in the first half, but Carnegie answered with a layup and the Lady Bulldogs led by double figures for the final 26-plus minutes.
Georgia shot 55% (29 of 53) from the field and made 8 of 16 from behind the arc.
Ole Miss made 21 of 71 (30%) from the field, 5 of 19 (26%) from 3-point range.
A nice overall game flow is not what fans saw when the Lakers played the Blazers on Saturday night.
The whistle was active and erratic during the opening quarter. Portland was awarded a whopping 22 free throws, which was the most in any quarter for any team this year. To contextualize that even further, the Blazers average 27 free throws per game. The Lakers only took three free throws in the opening quarter and ended the night with 21. The Blazers shot more free throws in one quarter than the Lakers did all game
However, just because the way a game was called didn’t affect the result doesn’t mean the decisions were right, or consistently ruled the same way.
This officiating conversation was part of the dialogue postgame, with Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealing that the referees acknowledged their inconsistency.
“There’s always going to be fouls,” Redick said. “You can sit there and go through and watch every single [foul]. I do it sometimes. I’ll watch film and I’ll watch a play and ‘Wait a minute. Let me rewind that, zoom in, slow it down.’ The officials dont have that luxury. It’s more about the way the game is called. They got off to a bad start tonight and they admitted that to me.
“And then they were all over the map. Making calls and not actually making a call. That happened multiple times where we have to go over, ‘What’s going on? What’s the actual call here?’ I couldn’t get great communication from Pat [Frasher] all night, which we’ll put in the feedback. I’ve talked about it. It’s not to single them out or it’s not the reason we lost. For whatever reason, you’d have to ask probably the other 29 coaches, it feels like the inconsistency night to night within a game has been there for most of these crews.”
This isn’t the first time Redick has shown frustration with the officials.
At least in the Blazers game, the officials acknowledged the bad start, even if Redick was displeased with the communication he got from crew chief Pat Fraser.
Another odd call later in this game was the flagrant foul on LeBron James.
He went up to attempt a block a shot by Donovan Clingan and the play was deemed a flagrant 1 foul. That seems like an odd call given the replay. If what LeBron did is the standard criteria for a flagrant call, then no player can ever contest a shot in the air without it being deemed a flagrant.
I don't like that call on LeBron. I know flagrants aren't judged by whether you made a play on the ball, but rather whether the contact was excessive. However, I don't think that was excessive contact or a windup, unless you're just not supposed to go for a block there. AK
It’s hard for Redick and the Lakers to adjust to the officiating if what’s a foul and what isn’t is changing game to game and even play-by-play.
Given that this has been a theme for Redick and the Lakers, they’ll have to keep bringing it up and try to better understand what’s allowed throughout the year.
Coming off a win against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Spurs battled the Minnesota Timberwolves for their final meeting of the season. After a slow first quarter, the Spurs’ offense exploded in the second, outscoring the Wolves 48-22. Holding a 25-point lead, the Wolves responded in the third quarter by outscoring the Spurs 40-27, and trailed the silver and black by 12 entering the fourth. Minnesota’s momentum continued as Anthony Edwards dropped 26 of his 55 points in the fourth quarter alone. Meanwhile, the Spurs combated Edwards with Victor Wembanyama. Around 3:28 remaining, Edwards and Wemby traded clutch buckets multiple times. Anytime Edwards gave the Wolves the lead, Wemby would tie it up. With a two-point lead with a little over a minute remaining, Donte DiVincenzo drained a go-ahead three-pointer to give the Wolves a one-point lead. Wemby responded by splashing a go-ahead mid-range jumper to give the Spurs back the lead. After Wemby blocked Joan Beringer’s shot at the rim, Keldon Johnson nailed a dagger three to give the Spurs a four-point lead with 17 seconds left. Then, things got interesting. After Wemby missed a technical foul free-throw, Edwards drained a stepback three to cut the lead to one. De’Aaron Fox was fouled, made both of his free throws, and fouled Edwards while up by three. Edwards made the first, missed the second, and Julian Champagnie secured the rebound while being fouled.. Just to make things more dramatic, Julian missed both free throws, but Wemby saved the day with a key offensive rebound. After getting fouled, Wemby made the first free-throw, but was called for a lane violation after attempting to miss the second one. Edwards missed a half-court shot, and the Spurs won 126-123.
Victor Wembanyama led the way with 39 points (12-23 FG, 11-14 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. It has been a while since Wemby last played at least 30 minutes in a game, but he played 31 against the Wolves. Milwaukee was just the beginning, but this game has Spurs fans reminiscing on his monster games, especially the season opener versus Dallas. Not only was he dropping buckets from everywhere on the court, but he was dropping CLUTCH buckets. He also had a clutch block and a clutch rebound. Simply put, this man can do everything.
Wemby dime! On the fastbreak, Wemby lasers the ball to Champagnie, who finishes with a two-handed slam! Julian finished with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
De’Aaron Fox dropped a double-double: 25 points (10-17 FG, 3-4 FT) and 12 assists to go along with three rebounds and a block. D-Fox splashed shots from everywhere on the court: middies, threes, floaters, layups, and dunks. Since Stephon Castle was dealing with foul trouble, D-Fox assumed the primary guard role and dropped dimes. After being Batman in Sacramento, games like this show he can be extra comfortable being Robin.
Lay it up high! D-Fox drives in on Edwards and lays it up high for the deuce!
FLIGHT 4 CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF! After DiVincenzo throws the ball to Champagnie, he throws it ahead to Keldon, who throws it ahead to a wide-open D-Fox who finishes with two hands!
Keldon Johnson dropped 20 points (8-14 FG, 3-5 3PT), two assists, a rebound, and a steal. Another KJ game that feeds his 6MOTY campaign. When the Spurs went on a cold streak, KJ went to work. Not only did he go to work, but he also came up clutch for the silver and black. He continues to spark the Frost Bank Center every time he makes a hustle play, and he will continue to be the heart and soul of this team.
K3LDON! KJ knocks down the contested corner three late in the first. Subtle foreshadowing!
Dylan Harper dropped nine points, three rebounds, and three assists. Dyl continues to slash his way to the basket like a veteran guard. In just 21 minutes, he was a combo guard that found guys in the right spots and finished with zero turnovers. He also provided solid defense and was not afraid to go after boards. He still needs to polish his finishing, but he has plenty of time to figure it out.
HARP3R! Dyl uses the Wemby screen to free himself up for the wide-open trey!
P&R to perfection! Dyl finds Luke Kornet cutting to the basket off the pick-and-roll for the easy finish! Luke finished with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Stephon Castle dropped eight points, nine assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Even though Steph struggled from the field, he filled the stat sheet all-around. He dished dimes, grabbed boards, but most of all played solid defense. Besides the three steals, he was tasked with guarding Edwards. While he stayed in front of him, he also ended up fouling out in the fourth with 28 minutes played. Besides turnovers, Steph is still working on playing without fouling, and he knows it’s something he can fix.
Threading the needle! Steph finds a wide-open Luke who is split between the defense for the deuce!
All in all, this game turned from a blowout into a classic. Albeit the Spurs blew another huge lead to the Wolves, they still found a way to finish the game. Ant’s 55 versus Wemby’s 39 is the type of duel NBA fans dream of. Elite shot-making no matter the defense: It’s like a game of NBA2K broke out with the sliders maxed out. Nonetheless, D-Fox and KJ were instrumental in their roles to help clinch the squad’s first win against Minnesota this season. Hopefully, Devin Vassell is finally back on Monday versus Utah.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs take on the Utah Jazz on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 4:00 P.M. (CST) on FDSN-SW.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — David Coit tied the program's single-game record for made 3-pointers and scored a career-high 43 points — 30 in the first half — to help Maryland beat Penn State 96-73 on Sunday for the Terrapins' first Big Ten Conference win this season.
Coit made 14 of 22 from the field, 9 of 14 from behind the arc and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line. The 5-foot-11 graduate transfer from Kansas had his second 40-point game and his third game making at least eight 3s this season.
Maryland (8-10, 1-6) snapped a four-game skid. The Terrapins set season highs for points (96), field goals made (33), field-goal percentage (54.1%), 3-pointers made (18) and 3-point field-goal percentage (52.9). Maryland outrebounded Penn State 39-21.
The Nittany Lions (9-9, 0-7) have lost five straight and eight of the last nine.
Elijah Saunders scored 16 points and Darius Adams 14 for the Terrapins. Solomon Washington had 11 rebounds to go with six points, two steals and a block.
Kayden Mingo made 7 of 12 from the field and finished with 19 points and five assists for Penn State. Dominick Stewart added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, Eli Rice scored 13 and Josh Reed added 11 points.
Coit hit a 3-pointer and made a layup before Saunders added a 3 that capped a 9-0 run, made it 13-9 and gave the Terrapins the lead for good. A few minutes later, Coit sandwiched a three-point play and a 3-pointer around a layup by Darius Adams to extend the lead to 36-21 and Maryland led by double figures for the final 29-plus minutes.
LONDON (AP) — A heckler yelled “leave Greenland alone!” while Vanessa Williams sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before tipoff of an NBA game in London between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”
The heckler's outburst drew some scattered laughter and applause. Williams was unfazed and completed the song.
Week 13 did not exactly bring good fortune for the Suns as they opened a road trip through the East against three teams sitting above .500. You can say the Eastern Conference is the lighter side of the league, and you would not be wrong. If the Suns were parked over there with a 25-17 record, they would be staring at the three seed. That does not make this stretch soft. Phoenix felt every bit of it this week.
The endings were cruel. The Suns were outscored 54-44 in the fourth quarter across the first two games, and the whistle was not doing them any favors. Through the first three quarters of the past three games, Phoenix was called for 43 personal fouls while opponents were whistled for 44. It felt balanced until it did not.
Across those three games in Week 13, the gap widened. The Suns were hit with 24 personal fouls in Q4. Their opponents drew 12. That is the kind of math that turns close games into long nights, especially when the legs are heavy and the margin is thin.
Road trip foul split is telling: first three quarters are nearly even (44–43).
In fourth quarters, Phoenix gets penalized for physicality while opponents largely don’t. That late-game discrepancy deserves scrutiny. https://t.co/nQFvsjc4ve
So the math is not mathing here. For whatever reason, through the first three quarters, the foul count stays even. Then the fourth quarter hits, the temperature rises, and suddenly the Suns are getting dinged for their physicality while the opposition skates.
The Pistons committing one foul in the fourth quarter is absurd, especially for a game that looked more like a wrestling match than a track meet. Detroit shot 14 free throws in the fourth. The Suns shot zero. That is not variance. That is unlucky. Or shit officiating. Your call.
It was also unlucky that Devin Booker twisted his ankle. He gutted it out against the Knicks, limp and all, but the Suns as a whole were limping through Week 13. They still walked away 1-2.
So what did we learn? The defense travels. This team is tough as nails. They went 16 rounds with three of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and did not back down. They were five points up late against Miami. Five points up late against Detroit. They did not close either one, but the ability to pester, disrupt, and annoy showed up every night.
The next step is turning that aggression into road wins against quality teams. If the Suns want to make noise in the postseason, that is non-negotiable. Week 13 gave them the tape. Now it is on them to use it as fuel.
Week 13 Record: 1-2
@ Miami Heat, L, 127-121
Possession Differential: +0.1
Turnover Differential: 0
Offensive Rebounding Differential: +9
The road trip opened with a punch straight to the jaw in Miami. The Heat tried to end the night early, going up by 20, but these Suns do not fold anymore. They swung back after halftime, won the second half, forced steals, collected techs, and turned the paint into a war zone.
Devin Booker went down, came back, and led. Bam Adebayo going nuclear from deep ruined the ending, but the tone was set. This trip is a stress test, and Phoenix showed it is built for contact.
@ Detroit Pistons, L, 108-105
Possession Differential: +1.7
Turnover Differential: -4
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -5
Detroit was another sixteen-round fight that ended in a TKO, the second straight fourth-quarter collapse with Phoenix running on fumes. Yes, Devin Booker was out. Yes, the identity showed up. The effort never dipped. But losses still count the same, and back-to-back ones have a way of leaving bruises that linger as this trip drags on.
@ New York Knicks, W, 106-99
Possession Differential: -2.1
Turnover Differential: -5
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -2
The Suns did not need a must-win in mid-January, but they absolutely needed this one. Down 0-2 on the trip, Phoenix walked into Madison Square Garden and let the bench hijack the night. A 39-14 second-unit avalanche flipped the game after a Knicks haymaker run, while the defense squeezed the life out of a top-three offense.
No frills, no flexing. Just a reminder of who these Suns are and why nobody enjoys playing them.
Inside the Possession Game
Weekly Possession Differential: -0.3
Weekly Turnover Differential: -11
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -11
Year-to-Date Over/Under .500: +8
And now your weekly graph that looks more confusing as the weeks progress.
From an analytical lens, this was not a clean week for the Suns. Inefficiency showed up across the board.
They posted a 48.1% rebounding rate, which ranked 20th in the league over that stretch. The effective field goal percentage landed at 50.6%, fourth worst during the week. The turnover ratio checked in at 1.7, sixth worst. The offensive rating finished at 112.2, ninth worst. That is what happens when you walk into hostile buildings and play teams that want to turn every possession into a collision.
The Suns lost the possession battle. They lost the fight on the glass. Yet they still walked away 1- 2. This six-game road trip was never going to be a stroll, and the front end was always the rougher side of the climb. The back half lightens up, at least on paper. To me, a successful trip looks like 3-3. That path is still there. The margins are thin, the tape is loud, and the opportunity is still very much alive.
Week 14 Preview
We have four games on deck in Week 14, which means it is time for my weekly micro-rant about the NBA schedule. The Suns have played 42 games. Meanwhile, teams like the one they are about to face on Tuesday have only played 39. Brooklyn and Houston are both three games behind Phoenix at this point. Sure, that means more games are coming for them later, but it still feels strange. The NBA schedule has always been weird. It remains weird. Micro-rant complete.
The week opens in Brooklyn on Monday, and credit where it is due, the scheduling gods finally nailed one. The Suns were already in New York after playing the Knicks, so they did not have to ping pong to Atlanta and back. They got to park it in the Big Apple for a couple of days and breathe.
The opponent is a Nets team sitting at 12-27, but do not let that record fool you. They are feisty. Michael Porter Jr. is doing real work over there, playing well enough to actively sabotage whatever tanking dreams Brooklyn might have. Then again, why tank at all when you already walked out of the last draft with five first-round rookies? This one has trap game written all over it.
The Suns then head to Philadelphia on the second night of a back-to-back, which is never polite. The Sixers sit at 22-8, seventh in the East, and they have been rolling lately with six wins in their last nine. Tyrese Maxey is a full-blown problem right now, pouring in 30.3 points a night. Joel Embiid is still there. Paul George too, who will inevitably create space with a few well-timed push-offs that somehow never get called.
The trip wraps up Friday in Atlanta. The Suns were up 22 in the fourth there earlier this season and somehow walked out with a loss. Atlanta has since moved on from Trae Young, deciding he was not the long-term answer. That torch now belongs to Jalen Johnson, who has looked every bit like the future while averaging 22.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Hawks have dropped three straight, but closing a road trip is never simple. There are no freebies waiting at the finish line.
The week closes back home on Sunday against the Miami Heat, the same Heat the Suns saw recently on their floor and handled themselves well against. Miami plays at the fastest pace in the league, and their offense is built less on screen and roll and more on isolation. They want to turn you, beat you off the dribble, and live at the rim. It is relentless, and it tests your legs and your discipline.
The real storyline of Week 14, though, might be this. We could finally see Jalen Green back. As I am writing this, I am waiting on the injury report for Brooklyn, because there is a chance a questionable or probable tag shows up. If that happens, this stretch could be the moment the Suns start to feel whole again. The pieces lining up. The picture sharpening. Stay tuned.
BERLIN (AP) — Substitute Jeong Woo-yeong scored a late equalizer as Union Berlin snatched a point with a 1-1 draw at Stuttgart in the German league on Sunday.
Chris Führich had put the hosts ahead near the hour-mark before Jeong’s equalizer in the 83rd minute extended Union's unbeaten run to five matches.
Stuttgart missed the chance to move into the top three. Sebastian Hoeness’ team is fourth in the standings, level on points with third-placed Hoffenheim, which has one match in hand.
The hosts dominated early on — with Union threatening on the break — and took the lead when Ramon Hendriks set up Führich, who slotted home with right-footed strike.
Jeong came on in the 75th minute and the South Korea midfielder scored against his former club with a precise finish into the top corner.
Bayern Munich, which routed Leipzig 5-1 on Saturday, tops the standings with an 11-point lead. Second-placed Borussia Dortmund scraped past St. Pauli 3-2 on Saturday after letting a two-goal lead slip.
The NBA’s first-ever MLK Day quadruple header on NBC and Peacock concludes with arguably the day's top matchup, featuring a clash between the Boston Celtics and Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons at 8 PM ET. The high-octane bout between stars Jaylen Brown and Cade Cunningham will be the fourth and final game on NBC and Peacock's star-studded Martin Luther King Jr. Day slate, following Bucks-Hawks, Thunder-Cavaliers, and Mavericks-Knicks.
See below for the full 2026 MLK Day NBA schedule on NBC and Peacock, as well as how to follow all of the NBA action on NBCSN and Peacock this season.
The Celtics enter Monday night's clash with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, fresh off a 132-106 demolition of the Hawks on Saturday. Second only to Detroit (30-10) in the Eastern Conference standings, Boston (26-15) will aim to even the season series at 2-2, having last beaten the Pistons on November 26. Each of the three meetings between Boston and Detroit this season has been decided by seven points or fewer. With Jayson Tatum lost for the year, the Celtics will once again lean on Jaylen Brown amid an excellent season as the team's de facto leader, just days after he dropped 41 on the Hawks in an easy 132-106 win.
Beyond the hardwood, the Celtics have ties to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Hall of Famer and Celtics legend Bill Russell marched with King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963, when Russell was already a four-time MVP. On MLK Day 2023, Jayson Tatum became just one of four players in NBA history to score 50+ points on MLK Day, dropping 51 in a 130-118 win over the Hornets.
Led by dynamic duo Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, the Pistons welcome the Celtics to Little Caesars Arena as winners of two straight, becoming the NBA's second team after Oklahoma City to reach 30 wins this season after blowing out the Pacers, 121-78. Cunningham has scored 25+ points in all three of his meetings with the Celtics this year, including 42 in a narrow 117-114 loss on November 26. Second only to Nikola Jokic (11.0) in assists per game, Cunningham (9.6) has cemented his status as one of the association's brightest emerging stars.
Detroit has long boasted connections to MLK Day, having hosted the Detroit Walk to Freedom on June 23, 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech to over 125,000 people in a precursor to what would become the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C.
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.
Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
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NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule
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Leonard missed Friday's four-point win in Toronto with a right ankle sprain, but NBA reporter Chris Haynes reported that the knee issue in his left leg is what's now causing the most concern. Haynes reported that Leonard is being sent home for treatment and he'll be evaluated once the team returns on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Leonard, 34, has been the driving force behind the Clippers' recent surge. The six-time All-Star has averaged 32.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists over his last 13 games, 11 of which resulted in Clipper wins.
With Leonard out, the Clippers defeated the Raptors in overtime 121-117 on Jan. 16, to improve their overall record to 18-23.
For the season, Leonard is averaging a career-high 28.2 points per game, while shooting 49.7% from the field and 94.1% from the free throw line.
Following their Dec. 29 win against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Knicks improved to 23-9 and looked like one of the few, true contenders in the wide open Eastern Conference.
But since then, New York has lost eight out of their last 10 games and are now 25-17. They are just a half game up on the Toronto Raptors (25-18) for the No. 3 seed in the East and only two games up on the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (22-18), who would land in the NBA Play-In Tournament if the regular season ended today.
"A lot, a lot of frustration," Towns said. "That's all I got."
The big man went on to discuss his level of concern for the team after their third straight loss as they look to right the ship.
"I don't like losing any games, so of course for me, the concern is winning the next one," Towns said. "Just staying focused on the task at hand, winning games, and giving our fans something to cheer for."
Head coach Mike Brown also talked about the level of concern amid New York's recent skid, but downplayed the urgency, saying the team needs to "keep trying to fight."
"You don't want to lose games at all, but especially going 2-8 in the last 10. There's concern there, but not to the point to where we're going to overhaul everything," Brown said.
"We got to work. We got to look in the mirror and see how we can individually help the group, starting with me. And then we got to get in the gym, we got to work as much as we can. We got to keep trying to fight like we did tonight, and if we do, we're going to give ourselves a chance."
It's clear there is plenty of room for the Knicks to improve, whether that be on defense (bottom five in defensive rating since Dec. 1 and 19th overall in the NBA this season at 116.1) or finding consistency in their three-point shooting (35.1 percent over last 10 games, 15th in the NBA, per StatMuse).
"I think everything," OG Anunoby said when asked what the team can improve on. "You can always get better at everything. Even if we were winning games, we would still be trying to improve everything."
Luckily, with the Knicks needing to get back on track fast, their schedule gets a bit easier over the next week. They'll face the Dallas Mavericks on Monday and the Nets on Wednesday before a matchup with the feisty Sixers next Saturday.
The Lakers find themselves in a precarious situation.
This year’s roster needs upgrades. However, Indiana doesn’t have much in the way of sweeteners to make those improvements. Misses on Jalen Hood-Schifino and Dalton Knecht mean the young prospects aren’t there to put into trade packages and undoing the Russell Westbrook trade and making the deal for Luka Dončić depleted the team of their first round picks.
Simply put, the Lakers don’t have the means, as things stand, to make notable upgrades to this team.
The Suns traded an unprotected 2031 pick to Utah in exchange for first rounders in 2025, 2027 and 2029. Those picks were the least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah’s in each year, to give a sense of the types of picks the Lakers could see come back in a similar trade.
In theory, it makes a lot of sense for the position the Lakers are in. What the team needs now is some flexibility and the ability to make moves now that Luka is on the team. Optionality is one of President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka’s favorite words and the Lakers don’t have a ton of it when it comes to trades.
The problem is finding a team willing to do this type of deal. The list of teams with a plethora of picks and a willingness to play ball is short. Incredible short. In fact, after doing a bit of research, it feels like there are only about a handful of teams on paper who could be willing to make that type of deal.
Oklahoma City Thunder
This is the most obvious choice and if Pelinka is serious about this, he should be calling the Thunder daily. There’s an absolute trove of picks OKC could be willing to trade as, over the next two years, they have eight first round draft picks.
The problem is that most of the picks they own from other teams are actually valuable. In 2026, they have the Clippers’ and Sixers’ picks. In 2027, they have a pick swap with the Clippers and potentially the Spurs’ pick.
They do, however, have Denver’s first rounders in 2027 and 2029 and with Nikola Jokic going nowhere, those are prime picks to target.
Would a deal sending out the Lakers’ 2032 first round pick for 2027 and 2029 Nuggets first rounders and an OKC first round in that span work?
Brooklyn Nets
After OKC, the options are much less obvious and much slimmer. Brooklyn has a host of firsts, but they’re also a team that is not competitive right now.
That being said, it’s hard to figure out what the Nets’ plan is right now either. Sure, it’s to tank and acquire picks, but their selections with those picks in the last draft were some head scratchers.
Would they be open to consolidating some firsts after making so many picks in the 2025 draft? They own three future Knicks picks in 2027, 2029 and 2031, all picks likely to be at the end of the draft. They also own a 2032 Denver pick as well as the worst pick from Dallas, Houston and Phoenix in 2029.
On top of that, if they do trade Michael Porter Jr. this season or in the summer, that will certainly net them at least another first.
While they don’t have their 2027 pick, the bevy of picks they have at the end of upcoming first rounds could make them willing to do this sort of deal.
San Antonio Spurs
The final two teams really likely only make sense if the Lakers are looking to get back two firsts and perhaps some seconds, of which they only have one as things stand.
The Spurs have a bunch of picks, but a lot of them are going to be valuable, like Atlanta’s in 2026 and 2027, the Clippers’ in 2029 and Sacramento’s in 2031.
But there are two picks that are interesting in Boston’s 2028 first and the better of Dallas and Minnesota’s first in 2030. The fact that it’s the more favorable of those two teams makes it a little more unclear if they would include that pick, but they also could be a team confident enough in what they’re building, so long as Victory Wembanyama is around, that they’d include their own pick.
Utah Jazz
Negotiating with Danny Ainge sounds like a punishment that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies, but despite being the team that did this type of deal recently, Utah still has enough picks to potentially do another version of it.
It would, again, be a lesser version, but Utah does own Cleveland’s first in 2028 and the better of Cleveland and Minnesota’s picks in 2029. Those picks are probably a bit too good to be included in this deal, but it also shows how few teams may be willing or able to do this kind of deal and the challenges Pelinka will face in completing it.
PARIS (AP) — Strasbourg new coach Gary O’Neil enjoyed a succesful Ligue 1 debut, guiding his team to a 2-1 win over local rival Metz in the French league on Sunday.
O'Neil, who started his tenure with a comfortable win at a fourth-tier club to reach the last 16 of the French Cup last weekend, was appointed earlier this month as a successor to Liam Rosenior, who left for Chelsea.
Strasbourg had failed to win its past five league matches and the win lifted O'Neil's side to seventh in the standings. Metz remained last, with just 12 points from 18 matches.
Diego Moreira put the hosts in front in the 12th minute but Strasbourg did not hold onto its lead for long as Gauthier Hein leveled from the spot. Forward Martial Godo headed home the winner just before the interval.
Rosenior’s departure has left fans opposed to the multi-club ownership model fuming, amid calls for the resignation of president Marc Keller. Strasbourg has been owned by Chelsea owner BlueCo since 2023. Some Strasbourg fans again protested the ownership setup on Sunday by deploying hostile banners in the stadium.
PSG warmed up for next week’s Champions League match at Sporting with a convincing 3-0 win over Lille on Friday. Third-place Marseille won at mid-table Angers 5-2 ahead of a Champions League showdown with Liverpool next week.
Last night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets felt more like “rebuilding” than “tanking.” The Wizards played a flawed game loaded with mistakes and miscues, and were competitive throughout, carrying a small lead into the fourth quarter and forcing fourth quarter heroics from Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. to ultimately lose.
Facing a team devoid of centers (Nikola Jokic and former Wizards great Jonas Valanciunas were both out with injuries), Washington dominated inside — +10 on the boards, 27-4 advantage on second chance points, and outscoring Denver 66-50 in the paint.
Another strong game from Wizards forward Justin Champagnie — 13 points, 9 rebounds in the team’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
They lost because of an array of defensive breakdowns, and some elite shotmaking from Murray.
A few notes I took during the game:
Denver won the opening tip and seconds later, Jalen Pickett walked into a wide open three. What happened? The Wizards didn’t match up properly. Two defenders were on Peyton Watson, and Tre Johnson (who was the closest defender) watched instead of sprinting into a closeout.
In the first half, Wizards defenders repeatedly sagged into the lane off Murray. While the team’s defensive priority is protecting the paint, there is no way — none — that leaving Murray undefended in the corner was part of the defensive game plan. They stopped helping off him in the second half.
Washington’s transition defense was poor for a few reasons. First, not sprinting back. Second, not matching up in ways that make sense. Third, ball watching and failing to notice opposing players positioning themselves for shots.
One Nuggets fast break got a transition corner three from Hardaway. Jamir Watkins got back but ball watched — failing to notice Hardaway running behind him to the corner. Watkins first noticed Hardaway when the ball swung to the man above the break, who Watkins picked up. When the pass went to the corner, Watkins sprinted to close out but was too late. Meanwhile, Marvin Bagley III and Justin Champagnie jogged back to the defensive end and never got involved in the play.
In the second quarter, Champagnie missed a three. While he watched the ball in flight, Bruce Brown (who’d closed out) ran to the offensive end. Bagley, Bub Carrington, and Tre Johnson all jogged back, but all three stopped out top and none of them noticed Brown behind them.
In the third quarter, Khris Middleton stopped playing to complain about a foul non-call. Meanwhile, his man got a wide open corner three in transition, which he (fortunately for Washington) missed.
The Wizards defensive scheme uses some of the “pre-helping” concepts pioneered by the Oklahoma City Thunder and being used by more teams around the league. Basically, the weakside “low man” comes halfway into the lane to be in position to help if there’s a drive. It’s generally a good method of complicating penetration and reducing the number and quality of opponent at-rim attempts. The drawback can be giving up open threes.
One play made me laugh: Middleton was low man. He pre-helped on a Murray drive against Alex Sarr, who’d picked him up on a switch. Middleton came all the way across the lane and was (theoretically) in position to cut Murray off. Unfortunately, Middleton’s lack of mobility meant that Murray still got all the way to the rim — he made a nice pass to Spencer Jones, who’d made a cut behind the help…which Carrington (who had weakside zone responsibility) missed because he was ball watching.
I know the preceding is a recitation of woes, but this game wasn’t bad. They were competitive in ways they should have been based on who was missing from the opponent’s lineup. They made mistakes early on and corrected them during the game. The scheme they’re trying to execute is good. What I noticed as problems are pretty normal for young players and are correctable with experience and acceptance of coaching.
Thoughts & Observations
Champagnie does a nice job of cutting to the rim when his man moves into a help position or turns his head.
Strong offensive game from George — an efficient 29 points to go with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. He was credited with three blocks, though I do not think he played well defensively — he’s guilty of ball watching, leaving his man to help when it’s not necessary, and not matching up properly.
Murray was the first guard in several weeks (at least) to figure out a counter to Sarr’s chase down blocks when driving the switch. Instead of a more normal extension into a layup, Murray jumped straight up as he laid the ball in. Sarr crashed into him and it became a three-point play.
Sarr did as well as any big man could be expected when switched onto Murray. He prevented penetration a couple timed, forced Murray into difficult shots at others, and even poked the ball loose once.
Bagley had another strong game off the bench. I’m curious to see Sarr and Bagley play together.
With Bilal Coulibaly out, the Wizards had no strong point of attack defender.
Abysmal game from Tre Johnson, who hit just 1-10 from the floor and missed all four of his three-point attempts. I didn’t love his shot selection, which was heavy on runners and floaters, which tend to be low value shots. The one he made was runner.
Aaron Gordon was two points from a triple-double. Filling in a center, he tallied 11 assists, including one pass that was Jokic-light — he caught the ball in the post and instantly spun and hit a shooter in the opposite corner — literally behind his head. There was no way he could see the man before he went into the pass. I call it “Jokic-light” because Jokic would have made the same pass but no-look.
Peyton Watson has been on a scoring binge with Jokic out. He has an impressive package of skills and the ability to make shots. His offensive efficiency would have gotten a solid boost if he’d shot better than 4-8 from the free throw line.
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
WIZARDS
NUGGETS
LGAVG
eFG%
51.6%
61.2%
54.4%
OREB%
33.3%
11.4%
26.2%
TOV%
10.9%
11.8%
12.8%
FTM/FGA
0.167
0.200
0.211
PACE
101
99.7
ORTG
114
119
115.7
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 115.1. 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.
