Category: NBA

Game Story

The Minnesota Timberwolves were coming off one of their most impressive wins of the season. A wire-to-wire dismantling of the reigning champions despite being at the end of a back-to-back. The Memphis Grizzlies? They were coming off a road loss to the second to last place New Orleans Pelicans, and now on the end of their own back-to-back.

Not only was Memphis already down several key players such as Ja Morant, they would be without the services of two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. and other key starters such as Santi Aldama. It was a classic “trap game” which Minnesota fell prey to in December. A game which Head Coach Chris Finch called “a horrendous night” and Jock Landale went off for season-high in three-pointers made.

Who they would have tonight was Ty Jerome. Jerome, the second runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year last season, made his long-awaited season debut for the Grizzlies. He would make his presence felt early, scoring the first four points and taking an early lead for his team.

The 7-2 lead would be the only lead for Memphis.

Julius Randle was red hot from perimeter early, draining three straight treys in the first quarter. Anthony Edwards was testing the perimeter defense of the zombie Grizzlies, scoring on a bevy of beautiful jumpers. Memphis tried to do their best the hang in there, even goading Rudy Gobert into an early technical foul. However, it was clear from the first quarter that the talent difference was going to be too much for them to overcome. Even to the Timberwolves.

The Wolves had a nine-point lead heading into the second quarter, then quickly ballooned that up to 16 in the third. Naz Reid was superb once again, dialing in from deep over and over again. Nine of his 20 points came in the second period.

Minnesota did show a typical lack of intensity on the defensive end though. Many times, it felt that they were opting to exchange baskets with Memphis, hoping that eventually the Grizzlies would just give up. To their credit, the Wolves upheld their end of the bargain, converting on 12 mid-range jumpers and 18 three-pointers. They shot an impressive 52.8% from the field.

The Grizzlies final push came early in the fourth quarter, drawing eight free throw attempts early to slice the lead down to 13, but that was as close as it ever got. It was nearly seven full minutes of Yakety Sax basketball with both teams throwing the ball all over the place, but Minnesota just had too many shot makers on their team.

At the end of the day, it was a fairly easy win against a team they should have have steamrolled.

Sometimes, games just aren’t that exciting. Tonight was one of them.

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Comment of the Night

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Box Score

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Up Next

Both teams get a day off before they do it all over again. The play the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, February 2 at 8:30 pm CT. The rematch will be available for the national audience to watch on Peacock / NBC or FanDuel Sports North, for some reason.

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Highlights

The Dallas Mavericks (19-30) fell to the Houston Rockets (30-17), 111-107, on Saturday night in a grindy, back-and-forth affair. Amen Thompson led Houston with 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Cooper Flagg was stellar in defeat, scoring 34 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing five assists.

Both the Mavericks and the Rockets started the game with many, many bricks. When Dallas called a timeout down 13-8 at the six-minute mark, the two teams had shot a combined 8-of-26 from the field. Flagg and Durant come out of the stoppage dueling, with the former driving the lane with authority and the latter connecting on beautiful jumpers. Dallas managed to hang with Houston early on as Alperen Sengun seemed to forget how to play basketball, missing all six of his attempts in the quarter. Brandon Williams’ efforts helped keep Dallas in the mix late into the frame with his paint probing, but Houston would end the quarter up 31-28.

The second quarter saw the Rockets continue to take Dallas lightly. The Mavericks went shot-for-shot with their betters in the first six minutes of the quarter. Following a Houston timeout, the Rockets finally managed to string together a few defensive possessions while converting on the other end. Sengun finally broke the seal on the basket with 5:05 left in the half to give the Rockets a five-point lead, forcing a Jason Kidd timeout. The lead grew to as large as eight, with Dallas managing to chop the lead to three with 30 seconds to go. But a Jabari Smith ally-oop and Durant 3-pointer gave the Rockets an eight-point lead heading into the half.

After outworking Houston on the boards on both ends in the first half, Dallas got hammered on the glass in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Rockets grew their lead to 13 twice before Kidd called a timeout to settle the troops. The Mavericks just kept coming and had a chance to cut it to four on a Caleb Martin lay in, but it was blocked by two Rockets, which led to a Houston 3-pointer on the fast break. Martin later atoned with a made 3-ball and a free throw to cut the lead to five. Dallas entered the fourth down 87-82.

The final frame was more of the same: good basketball from both teams, with Houston being just a bit better. The Rockets managed to hold a double-digit lead for a significant portion of the period, but the Mavericks kept firing away. Klay Thompson’s back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth gave the Mavericks some momentum, and a Flagg bucket with a foul gave Dallas a chance to make it a clutch game with under four minutes remaining. But he missed the free throw and Durant answered the possession to give Houston an eight-point lead.

Daniel Gafford made a pair of free throws to make it a clutch game with 2:30 to go, and he followed that up with a loose-ball dunk to pull Dallas within two. The Mavericks and Rockets traded baskets only for Naji Marshall to tie the game at 107 with 50 seconds left. Sengun answered the next possession with a post bucket over Max Christie, and Dallas called a timeout with 29 seconds to go. Flagg drove to the basket on the ensuing possession and pushed it too hard (there may have been uncalled contact). Dallas failed to foul and allowed an open-court dunk as Houston escaped Dallas, 111-107.

Have to make your free throws, guys

In a four point loss, the Mavericks missed 11 free throws. That can’t happen. The margins for the Mavericks are too tight most games, they’re *right there* in many contests so these self inflicted wounds really hurt. Flagg and Marshall combined to miss seven of them, and that will gnaw at them following this one.

Amen Thompson, everywhere all at once

Thompson’s the kind of player I struggle to explain to casuals. Everyone sees the top tier athleticism, but they also see the really bad 3-point shooting percentage. Here’s what I see: a guy who appears all over the basketball court. I don’t know how many deflections he had in this game, but his two steals don’t tell the tale. He pestered every passing lane he was near. Offensively, he grabbed five offensive rebounds. As a forward, that’s ridiculous. His nearly 80% free-throw shooting tells me there’s some hope yet to his shot, so this is a guy NBA watchers should keep a close eye on.

Extra Rockets possessions doomed Dallas

Dallas took 16 fewer shots than the Rockets. While they did reasonably well on the defensive glass in spurts against Houston, they didn’t do well enough, surrendering 18 (Dallas didn’t do bad themselves, grabbing 11). But if you get beat on the boards and turn the ball over more (11 to 6 in favor of Houston with fewer), then it’s really hard to win the game.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 26 saves in his first start for Ottawa since taking a leave of absence Dec. 28, Brady Tkachuk had a goal and two assists and the Senators beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Saturday night.

Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens scored his 100th NHL goal for Ottawa. The Senators have won three in a row.

Timo Meier scored, and Jake Allen made 30 saves for New Jersey. The Devils have lost three of four.

The Devils were without Jack Hughes. He's out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Up next

Devils: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.

Senators: At Pittsburgh on Monday night

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Retired NFL quarterback Eli Manning was at the Senators game and presented a fan a gift certificate for best quarterback celebration as part of an in-game promotion.

KEY STAT

Cozens’ power-play goal was his 100th career goal.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Senators: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2026.

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SOURCE: Canadian Press

LANGUAGE: en

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been fined for an aggressive interaction with an official during a game against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 30. 

James Jones, who serves as the NBA’s Executive Vice President/Head of Basketball Operations, announced that Atkinson was fined $50,000 for "aggressively pursuing, berating and making inadvertent contact" with a referee.

Atkinson was assessed his second technical foul of the game and was ejected with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter of Friday night's contest. The Suns went on to beat the Cavaliers 126-113, the loss snapping Cleveland's five-game winning streak.

Atkinson was upset about a no-call on Suns guard Collin Gillespie, who was aggressively defended by Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill.

When do Cavaliers play next?

The Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 9 p.m. ET.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson fined for interaction with NBA official

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored in a shootout and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night to end a six-game losing streak.

Matthews had a chance to win it in overtime when he was awarded a penalty shot after Conor Garland was called for hooking, but goaltender Nikita Tolopilo made the save.

Nicolas Roy and Max Domi scored for Toronto, and Joseph Woll made 28 saves.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander scored for Vancouver. The Canucks have two wins in their last 17 games.

Domi tied it early in the third with a shot that hit Tolopilo’s shoulder then rolled over his back into the net.

Tolopilo stopped 39 shots.

Up next

Maple Leafs: At Calgary on Monday night.

Canucks: At Utah on Monday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Kentucky Wildcats bounce back on the road at No. 15 Arkansas and capture a much-needed win. The final score came out to 85-77 as the Cats picked up their fifteenth win of the season, and Mark Pope got his revenge on John Calipari.

The Wildcats led most of the way, but BBN’s favorite referee, Doug Shows, played a huge role throughout the game. A total of seven technical fouls were assessed during Saturday night’s game at Bud Walton Arena. The Wildcats had 4, and the Razorbacks had 3.

There were five technical fouls given by Shows’ crew during the second half, and three of them were within a 38-second stretch as the Wildcats were trying to hold onto a tight lead. Brandon Garrison, Mo Doiubate, and Pope were the ones who received techs during that gruesome stretch of play.

The most egregious was this phantom technical foul from Shows on Mo Dioubate after he blocked a shot out of bounds.

Kentucky picks up their 3rd technical of the game. pic.twitter.com/LUpYehJpPp

— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) February 1, 2026

The Field of 68 reporter Rob Dauster said it best, calling it the worst technical foul he’s ever seen while saying, “Doug Shows should never be allowed to officiate another game after that. Horrendous.”

The Wildcats found a way to win on the road despite just shooting 19-30 (63%) from the charity stripe. Trent Noah came up big from the FT line as he finished the night 6-8.

And to cap off the night, Razorbacks big man Trevon Brazile intentionally fouled Noah and grabbed him by the jersey, and tossed him down court, making that his fifth foul of the night with just 14 seconds remaining.

Stay classy, Razorbacks.

The Wildcats are back in action on Wednesday night as Otega Oweh’s former team, the Oklahoma Sooners, come to Rupp Arena. Everyone knows how well that series went for the Cats last season, so expect another barnburner this time around.

Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

That technical foul on Mo Dioubate is the worst technical foul that I've EVER seen.

EVER.

Doug Shows should never be allowed to officiate another game after that. Horrendous.

— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 1, 2026

Kentucky 3 technical fouls in 38 seconds pic.twitter.com/Mt6kMOFNeE

— The cfb lliason (@realfbllliason) February 1, 2026

You want more A Sea Of Blue coverage? Then add us to your “Preferred Sources” on Google to get all the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views. And Go CATS!

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Hannes Steinbach, Zoom Diallo and Wesley Yates III combined for 65 points as Washington beat Northwestern 76-62 on Saturday. Steinbach notched 22 points and 14 rebounds for his fourth-straight double-double, and 14th of the season, tying Isaiah Stewart's freshman record for the Huskies (12-10, 4-7 Big Ten).

Diallo added 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. Yates had 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go with three steals.

The Huskies built a 39-27 lead at the half after a pair of 10-2 and 12-2 runs. That lead grew to as much as 21 early in the second half before an 11-2 Wildcats run. Another 7-0 Wildcats run trimmed the deficit to eight, but that was as close as it got.

Nick Martinelli, the nation's leading scorer at 24 points per game, had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (10-12, 2-9). The tally snapped a 12-game streak of scoring 20 points or more, the longest in the nation.

Arrinten Page added 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Wildcats. Jayden Reed tallied 11 points and five rebounds. Tre Singleton scored 10.

Up next

Washington hosts Iowa on Wednesday.

Northwestern will head on the road to face No. 9 Illinois on Wednesday.

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The San Antonio Spurs changed the start time for their home game Sunday against the Orlando Magic because of a snowstorm that prevented them from flying out of Charlotte on Saturday night.

San Antonio will now host Orlando at 6 p.m. CST on Sunday, three hours after the original tipoff.

The Spurs were scheduled to depart Charlotte following their 111-106 loss to the Hornets on Saturday, but flights were canceled as more than 9 inches of snow fell in the city. The winter storm had already forced the Hornets to move up Saturday's game against the Spurs by three hours.

San Antonio was planning to fly out Sunday morning for the second game of a back-to-back set.

Orlando has been in San Antonio since Saturday morning after last playing Thursday in a home 124-97 home loss to Charlotte.

San Antonio (32-16) is third in the Western Conference behind Oklahoma City (38-11) and Denver (33-16).

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

What a nice win to celebrate the reunion of the 2001 team. How nice to have another nice and easy day watching the 76ers.

Philadelphia survived to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-114 Saturday night.

Joel Embiid, who was scorching in the first half again, led all scorers with 39 points along with 11 rebounds going 13-of-27 from the floor. Tyrese Maxey was quiet after the first, but put up 18 with eight assists on 7-of-18 shooting. 

VJ Edgecombe had the assist of the night, having five of those while finishing with 15 points shooting 6-of-10 from the floor. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a good first night trying to replace Paul George, scoring 19 points shooting 7-of-13 from the floor with nine rebounds and four assists. Saddiq Bey led the Pelicans with 34.

Philadelphia didn’t have any players unavailable due to injury but they were without PG, serving the first game of his 25-game suspension.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• It’s not a shock the Sixers heavily leaned into their reliable two-man game to start this one, with Maxey and Embiid taking the team’s first eight shots of the game. Both Derik Queen and Embiid seemed stoked for their matchup, looking to take each other down to the post frequently. For as much as the top two guys dominated the ball, Dominick Barlow deserves some love for this bounce pass he threw to Maxey to start a fast break.

Max ➡️ VJ pic.twitter.com/3Td6GrKWoT

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) February 1, 2026

• They continued to generate good looks, but were giving up ones just as good on the other end of the floor. The Sixers’ defense looked disorganized to start, missing rotations, losing cutters, and of course getting easily beat down the floor to create transition opportunities.
• The Pelicans’ other rookie Jeremiah Fears got to show off even more when he checked into the game, hitting his first three shots of the night, two of them coming from behind the arc. The Sixers were able to keep pace all quarter, but smoked a couple costly bunnies. Both Jabari Walker and Adem Bona each couldn’t finish some nice dump off passes, and the Sixers trailed by two after the first.

Second Quarter

• Without PG to lead the second unit, Nick Nurse had to switch up how he staggers the other starters. That meant Embiid was out there to start the quarter. Quentin Grimes returning to the lineup knocked Jared McCain down the totem pole — he didn’t check in until a couple minutes in.
• Trendon Watford got a lot of time to handle the ball in this stretch and he did a decent job with it. He got himself a layup driving to the basket and knocked down a three. McCain missed his first three of the night but hit his second, using Embiid as a screener to stepback into an open three.

J-Mac splash, timeout Pels pic.twitter.com/nc6dTFjYKx

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) February 1, 2026

• After allowing a wide open alley-oop to start the quarter the Sixers did sure up their defense a bit. The only field goal they allowed for nearly five minutes was a Yves Missi putback dunk after no one boxed him out. Embiid drew a charge on Zion Williamson and got quite the celebration from his bench in doing so.
• Nurse said he thought about lineups with both Embiid and Bona after their rebounding troubles in Sacramento, and he did so to close the half in this one. It was an interesting look defensively, with Bona somewhat playing safety roaming off Williamson. Embiid tried to fit him the ball in the dunker spot, but Oubre had to slam home the miss. Embiid had cooled off from the field but was living at the line in the second. His midrange jumper missed at the buzzer, but his 23 points powered the Sixers to a 13-point lead at the half.

Third Quarter

• A quick three from Bey followed by a Trey Murphy drive to set New Orleans up to have one of those classic third quarters against the Sixers. Oubre answered with a pair of threes to settle that down, the second one coming off a really slick behind the back pass from Edgecombe.

Now this is some serious offense pic.twitter.com/ooWCFJ0vkl

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) February 1, 2026

• The offense would eventually stagnate as they just got sloppy with the ball. On top of two Embiid turnovers they almost gave it away a couple more times just by dropping the ball. They went four minutes without scoring in the half court.
• It was just Bey doing damage for much of the quarter, but the Sixers started struggling to contain Murphy off the dribble as well. Maxey had gone quiet, scoring his first points since the first quarter. He got into a bit of a groove playing off of Watford, hitting a three and a layup to keep the Sixers lead at six.

Fourth Quarter

• The margin for error only got slimmer as Jose Alvarado opened up the quarter with a three. For as much as Watford had done offensively, it felt like Walker or especially Barlow were more up to the task of guarding Williamson. Watford picked up three quick fouls to start the quarter trying to do so.
• The offense did seem to find a groove again with McCain playing really well off of Embiid. He knocked down a couple more threes to round out a much needed good shooting night. Embiid himself got some jumpers to fall again, but they were suddenly in a spot where they needed to score every time down the floor. Walking into open three after open three, the Pelicans took their first lead of the game since early in the second.

fourth triple of the night for @J_mccain_24 👌 pic.twitter.com/S7klpUMkvn

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 1, 2026

• The Sixers finally got a stop, but they had to use a challenge to earn possession back after the ball rolled out of bounds. Embiid knocked down a jumper coming out of that timeout. Maxey and Barlow ran out to create a fast break off a missed three. A few trips later down the floor, Maxey pushed the lead to six with a three. Embiid and Edgecombe each did the same on the next two possessions, putting this game away.

The Lakers (29-18) are on the last stop of their current eight-game road trip in New York City where they will take on the Knicks (30-18) and Brooklyn Nets (13-24) in their next two games. This is the first time they’ll see both teams this season.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks

When: 4 p.m. PT, Feb. 1

Where: Madison Square Garden

Watch: NBC, Peacock

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One of the most notable games in the Lakers’ calendar every season is when they make their annual visit to Madison Square Garden. There’s just something about the Lakers facing the Knicks even if both teams don’t really consider each other as rivals. Perhaps it’s because Los Angeles and New York are two of the biggest and most popular cities in America or maybe it’s West versus East. Either way, there’s always something in the air when these two heavyweights go at it.

On Sunday, the Lakers will look to secure their fourth straight victory in MSG and seventh in the last 10 games. They’ve had a decent road trip so far, where they’ve won four out of six games. Putting their atrocious second half performance in the loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers aside, their defense has shown signs of improvement and they’ve been playing with more energy, focus and purpose on the offensive end. Their most recent victory against the Washington Wizards — even though they are the worst team in the association — is a testament to that.

The win against the Wizards was the perfect get-right game and set up for what should be the toughest challenge in this road trip. The Knicks, who are second in the Eastern Conference, are on a five-game winning streak after a slump that began right after they won the NBA Cup this year.

They’ll be ready for the Lakers and here’s what the purple and gold should expect:

A really good rebounding team

Perhaps the biggest advantage New York has over Los Angeles this season is that the former ranks second overall in rebounds per game (46.4) and third in offensive rebounds (13.6). Much of this is because the Knicks are big and athletic. They have Karl Anthony-Towns averaging 11.8 rebounds per game followed by Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby. The Lakers will have to match their production on the boards or, better yet, dominate the possession battle if they want a chance to win this one.

An energized offensive team

A big reason for the Knicks’ recent winning streak is their improved offense, which hasn’t been stagnant. They’re playing with more speed and motion, not to mention that they have the league’s third-best offense. The Knicks are the type of opponent that the Lakers have struggled to defend this season. It’ll be interesting to see how head coach JJ Redick game plans against them and whether or not the Lakers’ offense — which now ranks seventh in the league — can outmatch them. This game will be a battle between two elite offenses.

A team that will throw the kitchen sink at Luka Dončić

With Miles McBride possibly absent in this one, the Knicks won’t have arguably their best point-of-attack defender. That means they’ll most likely throw the kitchen sink at Dončić, who will see different coverages all night. That will then cause a domino effect and impact LeBron James and the rest of the team. How the Lakers counter and play through this will obviously dictate the outcome of the game.

They’re going to need their superstars to play at a high level. Deandre Ayton and the rest of the supporting cast need to make their presence felt in this one as well.

It’s tough to beat a Knicks team at home but the Lakers have proven over the last three years that they can do it. They know they’re going to have to play well and they’ve also shown this season that they’re capable of rising to the moment. Let’s see if this happens once again on Sunday as West meets East.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Bronny James (lower left leg soreness) and Austin Reaves (left calf strain) are questionable.
• Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) is listed as out.
• Miles McBride (left ankle) is out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Nembhard scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam added 25 and the Indiana Pacers held off the Atlanta Hawks 129-124 on Saturday night.

Indiana nursed a single-digit lead for much of the third quarter and led 103-100 entering the fourth. It was tight the rest of the way before Siakam hit a crucial 12-foot jumper with 18.6 seconds remaining to push the Pacers ahead 127-123.

Aaron Nesmith added 23 points, Nembhard had 10 assists and Siakam shot 11 of 15 from the field. The Pacers won despite 23 turnovers.

Atlanta dropped its second straight game despite Jalen Johnson's eighth triple-double of the season. The forward finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points.

The Pacers have won seven of their past 12 games, enjoying a solid stretch of basketball after starting the season with a 6-31 record. Indiana has played all year without star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season.

Indiana jumped to an 80-73 lead by halftime, spurred by a 45-point second quarter. Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points before the break while Nembhard also had 21 for the Pacers.

It was Indiana's highest scoring half of the season. The Pacers shot 58% from the field, including 11 of 20 (55%) 3-pointers.

Up next

Hawks: At Miami on Tuesday night.

Pacers: Host Houston on Monday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ezra Ausar scored 21 points, Jacob Cofie had a double-double and Southern California held off Rutgers for a 78-75 victory on Saturday night.

Rutgers never led after scoring the opening bucket and trailed by as many as 19 points early in the second half. With 2:23 to play, Tariq Francis sparked an 11-2 surge for the Scarlet Knights that capped the scoring with 36 seconds left. Francis scored nine points during the stretch.

Chad Baker-Mazara missed a jumper for USC with five seconds to go but then forced a turnover to end it. Baker-Mazara finished with 17 points for USC (16-6, 5-6 Big Ten). Cofie scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Francis scored 26 points to lead Rutgers (9-13, 2-9), which has lost five straight. Dylan Grant added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Trojans started with an 18-6 run and built a 40-30 halftime lead. Cofie scored 12 points and Ausar added nine in the first half for the Trojans. Grant and Francis each scored nine first-half points for the Scarlet Knights. USC had its largest lead, 56-37, with 14:37 to play.

Up next

Rutgers: at UCLA on Tuesday.

USC: hosts Indiana on Tuesday.

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The Washington Wizards play the Sacramento Kings tomorrow. Let’s preview this.

Game info

When: Sunday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. ET

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass

Injuries: For the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly (back), Tristan Vukcevic (hamstring), Marvin Bagley (back), Trae Young (knee, quad) and Cam Whitmore (shoulder) are out. Tre Johnson is day-to-day.

For the Kings, Keegan Murray is out. Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk are day-to-day.

What to watch for

The Wizards remain at home and look to start February on the right note. The Kings have lost eight in a row and haven’t won since beating … the Wizards at home (meaning, in Sacramento) back on Jan. 17. After getting a shellacking from the Lakers last Friday, hopefully the Wizards can turn the tables on the Kings tomorrow evening!

Police handcuffed and escorted Tuskegee basketball coach Benjy Taylor off the court after a loss to Morehouse on Saturday, Jan. 31, following a Division II HBCU game.

According to HBCU GameDay, Taylor was attempting to ensure conference-mandated security protocols were followed after Morehouse's 77-69 win over the Golden Tigers in Atlanta. Football players from Morehouse intermingled with players during the postgame handshake, which is not allowed.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracketology: Big Ten leads NCAA basketball projection, but one team is slipping

According to Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin, Taylor asked security to enforce the conference rules and remove the football players from the handshake line.

“We have security measures for our protection of our officials, our student-athlete coaches and spectators,” Ruffin told HBCU Gameday. He said those measures follow a protocol "mandated by the conference office" and used "at all levels across member institutions."

However, officers handcuffed Taylor instead, claiming Taylor was "very aggressive" − which Ruffin refuted.

“I am at a loss for words and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today," Taylor said in a statement to Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68. "For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking for me. I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were following right behind me and the team yelling obscenities! It was a very dangerous situation.”

When contacted by USA TODAY Sports about the matter, Taylor issued the following statement: "I am devastated and I will have no more comments at this time."

Tuskegee head coach Benjy Taylor was handcuffed by police after the loss at Morehouse.

Here’s his statement to @TheFieldOf68:

“I am at a loss for words and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today. For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that… pic.twitter.com/2AQRNCu1Dd

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 1, 2026

Shortly after being handcuffed, Taylor was released and was able to travel with the team. He has been the head coach for the Golden Tigers since 2019, according to the school's website.

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tuskegee basketball coach Benjy Taylor escorted off court in handcuffs

Time moves different in the NBA. Late January 2026 will go down as one of those weeks that makes you sit back and really feel the passage of life in this sport. On January 24th, Derrick Rose’s #1 jersey was lifted to the United Center rafters. And I’d bet that if you’re Rose, maybe it felt like one week you’re the youngest MVP in league history with the whole world at your feet. And in the blink of an eye you’re standing at center court, waving goodbye as the fans cry and salute you as your jersey is retired in Chicago.

Less than a week from that, John Wall stood at Capital One Arena soaking in applause from Washington fans who remembered when he was the fastest, flashiest thing this city had ever seen.

Two generational point guards. Two #1 overall picks. Two players who were supposed to define the next decade of basketball. While Rose and Wall were having their past celebrated, somewhere across the country, the guy who was supposed to be the cautionary tale? He’s still out there. Still starting All-Star games. Still dropping 30 on whoever’s foolish enough to guard him. His name’s Stephen Curry.

.

Raised in Chicago.
Overcame adversity.
Starred for his city.
Eternally remembered.

Derrick Rose’s jersey heads to the Bulls rafters 🌹 pic.twitter.com/YskUi72PIK

— NBA (@NBA) January 25, 2026

Remember that 2011-12 Bleacher Report preview discussing the league’s point guards that had Rose at #2, Wall at #6, and Curry at #8? The logic was sound: Rose was the reigning MVP. Wall was the electric #1 pick with unlimited potential. And Curry was figuring it out between ankle surgeries and Monta Ellis’ shadow.

When Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs at 23 years old, all hoop fans felt sick. He never averaged 20 points again. Never made another All-Star team. Although he still carved out a solid career as a veteran, he never rose again to those MVP heights. Meanwhile Wall ruptured his Achilles in 2019 at 28 years old. He played just 43 games over the next four seasons. His game, like Rose’s, was predicated on speed and explosiveness. When those disappeared, so did his superstar status.

“This is my city, this is still my house. I love y’all, and thank y’all for the night.”

— John Wall to the Wizards fans. 👏🙌

(via @NBA)

pic.twitter.com/SRA0aCMl47

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 30, 2026

Curry? He rolled his ankles so many times that the Warriors gave him a “team-friendly” contract in 2012 because they legitimately feared he’d never stay healthy. But Curry’s injuries never stole the thing that made him special. His shot doesn’t require a 40 inch vertical. His off-ball movement doesn’t require youth. His basketball IQ only improves with time. His handles are a part of his identity. He built a game designed to age gracefully while Rose and Wall used games that could only be dominant in their physical primes.

That’s what made Rose’s jersey retirement, Wall’s homecoming, and Curry’s All-Star starter nod in the same week feel so surreal. Rose at 22 looked like the future of basketball. And now his #1 hangs in the rafters as a monument to the player he was for three brilliant years before his body betrayed him. Wall’s celebration carried the same melancholic weight. He should have led Washington to championship contention. Instead, his tenure is remembered for playoff disappointment and injury setbacks. Meanwhile Curry is still trying to rip hearts out on a nightly basis. He’s averaging almost 25 points per game at nearly the age of 38, still terrorizing defenses. and let’s not forget he’s the all-time three-point leader by a margin so comically wide it looks like a typo.

Take a look at the comparison:

• Derrick Rose: 723 games, 17.4 PPG, 1 MVP, 3 All-Star games, 0 championships
• John Wall: 647 games, 18.7 PPG, 0 MVPs, 5 All-Star games, 0 championships
• Stephen Curry: 1059 games (and counting), 24.8 PPG, 2 MVPs, 10 All-Star games, 4 championships

Curry is so close to passing Duncan 👀 pic.twitter.com/2aUYTjXc8A

— De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 💔 (@GoIdenState) January 31, 2026

Good for Dub Nation that he’s not done yet. Curry isn’t just surviving, he’s thriving. While his peers give retirement speeches, he’s still hitting step-back threes from 30 feet. Time really does move different in this league. For most players, it moves too fast. For Stephen Curry, he’s trying to hit another stepback over Father Time’s outstretched fingertips.