Jan 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during player announcements before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren joins John Stockton and Domantas Sabonis as the third former Zag to be named an NBA All-Star as a reserve for Team USA. It won’t be the last time that he’ll join the world’s greatest talents on the biggest stage, that’s for sure.
🌟 YOUR 2026 NBA ALL-STARS 🌟
Starters:
Giannis Antetokounmpo Jaylen Brown Jalen Brunson Cade Cunningham Stephen Curry Luka Dončić Nikola Jokić Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Tyrese Maxey Victor Wembanyama
Reserves:
Deni Avdija Scottie Barnes Devin Booker Kevin Durant Jalen…
The No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is currently averaging 17.8 points on a shooting split of 57.1 field goal percentage/37.7 three-point percentage/77.4 free throw percentage, 8.6 rebounds (No. 17 in the league), and 2.0 blocks per game (No. 3 in the league). His 13 double-doubles are tied for the 23rd-most in the NBA.
Holmgren’s a major reason why the reigning NBA champion Thunder holds down the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference standings at a 38-11 overall record. The two-way threat has always been an elite rim protector, but has stepped up offensively with wing Jalen Williams out for the majority of the 2025-26 season.
After missing the entirety of his first professional season in 2022-23 with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, Holmgren has come into his own and become a household name. He played all 82 games during the following season and was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference during the 2024-25 NBA Playoffs.
Holmgren did have another setback in the 2025-26 season with a right iliac wing fracture, forcing him to play only 32 regular-season games. He would come back stronger than ever during their recent magical playoff run and break the NBA Finals Game 7 blocks record with five.
At 23 years old, Holmgren is still just scratching the surface of his full potential. When he’s healthy, Gonzaga’s 2021-22 Second Team All-American is one of the best defenders on the planet.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored a career-high 32 points on 12-of-15 shooting and had seven assists on Sunday night to help Iowa beat short-handed Oregon 84-66 for its fourth win in a row.
Oregon (8-14, 1-10) has lost eight straight — its last seven by an average of 16.9 points — and nine of its last 11.
Alvaro Folgueiras added 15 points and eight rebounds, Brendan Hausen scored 11 and Cooper Koch 10 for Iowa (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten). The Hawkeyes shot 59% (33 of 56) from the field, hit 10 of 22 (44%) from 3-point range and committed a season-low five turnovers.
Kwame Evans Jr. sandwiched a pair of three-point plays around a dunk by Dezdrick Lindsay as Oregon scored eight of the first 12 second-half points to trim its deficit to five points with 16:38 left in the game. Stirtz scored 13 points in the next five-plus minutes before Koch scored in the lane to make it 59-43 with 10:23 remaining and Iowa led by at least nine the rest of the way.
Evans had 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, 1 of 7 from behind the arc, for the Ducks. Takai Simpkins, who missed Wednesday’s 73-57 loss to UCLA due to an ankle injury, scored 16 points and Lindsay added 10.
The Ducks were without Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle, Ege Demir and Devon Pryor due to various injuries. Drew Carter, a senior walk-on, made his first career start. The 6-foot-3 guard, in his second season with Oregon, played football at Colorado in 2022 and then transferred to Northern Colorado, where scored 11 points in nine appearance in the 2023-24 season.
NEW YORK — The Lakers are used to putting on a show when they’re at Madison Square Garden.
But for most of Sunday night, they watched a show they probably wouldn’t want reruns of: The Knicks beating them up on the offensive glass and creating a barrage of open three-pointers.
The result was the Knicks’ burying 18 three-pointers, and the Lakers losing in New York 112–100 despite Luka Dončić’s near triple-double of 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
Lakers’ Luka Dončić breaks away from Knicks forward Og Anunoby during the first quarter of the game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 1. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
LeBron James, who entered Sunday with the all-time third-best-winning percentage by a visiting player at Madison Square Garden, recorded 22 points, six assists and five rebounds.
But the Lakers couldn’t match the Knicks’ three-point proficiency, shooting 28.6% from beyond the arc compared to New York’s 42.9%.
The Knicks grabbed 15 offensive rebounds compared to the Lakers’ seven.
Sunday was the Lakers’ first loss at Madison Square Garden since 2021.
OG Anunoby scored a team-high 25 points for the Knicks to go with eight rebounds, while Josh Hart added 20 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had an 11 point, 13 rebound double-double.
Knicks’ Anunoby slams the ball during the third quarter Sunday at Madison Square Garden. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
What it means
The Lakers, who dropped to 29–19, still have a chance to secure a winning record on the trip despite the loss to the Knicks, who are on a six-game winning streak after Sunday’s victory.
Despite the loss, the Lakers still have the third-best-winning percentage among Western Conference teams with a 17–11 record in games away from Crypto.com Arena.
Turning point
After the Lakers had great ball security for most of Sunday, Dončić made an errant pass that was picked off by Towns and led to an Anunoby dunk in transition to tie the game at 77 at the 2:37 mark of the third quarter.
Gabe Vincent turned the ball over on the next possession, with Anunoby getting another dunk to put the Knicks up 79–77.
The Lakers had another empty possession when Rui Hachimura missed a corner 3, with Brunson assisting Landry Shamet on an alley-oop in transition for a Knicks’ 6–0 run that turned a Lakers two-point lead to a four-point New York advantage.
The Lakers trailed by eight entering the fourth, and trailed for the remainder of the game.
Lakers’ LeBron James drives past Knicks’ Anunoby during the first quarter of Sunday’s game at MSG in New York. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
MVP: Jalen Brunson
Despite shooting four of 15 from the field, the Knicks star guard controlled the game with 13 assists, spraying out passes after getting into the Lakers’ defense.
He had nine assists in the second half, which the Knicks won 60–44.
Stat of the game: 2
That’s how many field goal attempts Deandre Ayton took after the first quarter after having nine points on 4-of-4 shooting and four rebounds in the opening frame.
Ayton finished with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and five rebounds in 32 minutes, with the Lakers playing a center-less lineup in the final 3:34.
The Lakers are now 11–15 when Ayton takes nine or fewer shots, and 15–2 when he has at least 10 field goal attempts in a game.
Up next
The Lakers will wrap up their eight-game, 16-day “Grammy” trip against the Nets on Tuesday before having an extended stretch back in Southern California.
By the time the trip ends, the Lakers would’ve been on the road for 12 consecutive days.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 01: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks scrambles for the ball against Marcus Smart #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden on February 01, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At Madison Square Garden, the Knicks (31*-18) shook off a middling first half, outscored the Lakers 60–44 after halftime, and survived 15 lead changes to claim their sixth straight win, 112–100.
From the jump, L.A. attacked home plate and New York tried their luck from the outfield. The strategy showed promise with the first two longballs swished. When the shots stopped falling—and the visitors continued to find easy scoring opportunities—the home team slipped on the scoreboard.
Congratulations go out to Karl-Anthony Towns, selected today for his sixth All-Star Game. The Big Begonia pounded the glass early, but two quick fouls curtailed his quarter. The good news: KAT committed just one more foul in the game and would finish with an 11-13 double-double, four assists, two steals, and a team-high +23 in his 32 minutes. Great effort from him overall tonight.
Meanwhile, the Lakers embraced simplicity, benefiting from basic actions like alley-oops to Deandre Ayton. For the Knicks, Mikal Bridges grabbed a steal (good) but missed four of his first five shots (less good). Their offense flowed mostly through Jalen Brunson (12 points, 13 dimes, seven boards) and OG Anunoby, who scored 11 of his 25 total points in the first period.
After an uneven start, Luka Dončić gained steam and finished the night with 30 points, 15 boards, and eight assists. Under his leadership, his team dished and swished, assisting on 21 of their 38 made field goals tonight. They closed Q1 ahead, 33-27, while New York’s uninspired offense barely shot 40%.
The bench provided some uplift in the second frame. Tyler Kolek (eight points, four dimes, 13 minutes) and Mohamed Diawara delivered treys, and Landry Shamet chipped in a bucket to stay competitive. Shamet was the human torch tonight, dropping 23 points and hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Although L.A. led for most of the second quarter, when Kolek scored five unanswered points, the Knicks briefly went ahead with 4:40 left.
KAT returned and worked the glass, but the Knicks turned the ball over at a 2:1 ratio, thus hindering their progress. Across the aisle, LeBron (22 points) steadied things with midrange scores and free throws, while Ayton (13 points, five boards) and Hachimura (11 points, three rebounds) tidied up the iron. When a well-rested Luka checked back in, he fully shifted the balance back from orange to yellow. Sticking to the game plan, L.A. carried a 56-52 lead into intermission.
Through the first half, the Goldtrotters outshot the Knicks overall, 49% to 43%, with both teams attempting 43 field goals. New York had the better numbers from deep (41% to 30%) and on the glass (24-19), but had been outscored in the paint by eight and committed six turnovers. At the break, Luka led all scorers with 18 points and seven boards, while OG had 11 points for the hometown heroes.
Out of halftime, the Knicks went on a 12-7 run to reclaim the lead. With more focused hustle and flow, the starters made their shots, Josh Hart (20 points, four boards, 8-of-11 FG) provided invigorating constant motion, and Towns ruled the boards, collecting six boards and six points in the period.
A mid-quarter Hart three-pointer put New York up by six. He, Anunoby, and Shamet were shooting 18-of-27 for 50 points, while their teammates had hit just 16-of-53. Around then, Luka hit the jets to spark a 9-2 run and go ahead again, but our heroes responded with back-to-back Anunoby dunks and a Shamet breakaway that restored their advantage and set the crowd roaring. After that 15-5 run, the Knicks closed the frame, 90-82.
New York kept pace with L.A. through the fourth with inside finishes from Bridges and Anunoby and a timely Hart three. Luka delivered a bomb that had the makings of trouble, but Shamet and Bridges countered with triples of their own. Around the three-minute mark, with a 10-point differential, Hart played excellent defense on Luka and altered a last-second heave. By not fouling, Hart forced a shot-clock violation, and Anunoby dunked on the subsequent possession. That sequence put a lid on the game. Smart drilled from deep near the two-minute mark, but two more bombs from ShamWow in the final minute-and-a-half drove in the final nails.
LeBron's defense SEALED the win for the Knicks:
🧱 Gives up open 3 🧱 Gives up offensive rebound 🧱 Gives up open 3 again
LeBron James, named an All-Star on Sunday, couldn't hold off Jalen Brunson and the Knicks. (John Munson / Associated Press)
Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the Lakers' acquisition of Luka Doncic.
Coach JJ Redick acknowledged he felt "stressed" knowing about the trade before the Lakers played the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden that night in 2025.
While his stress may have faded, Redick couldn't have liked what he saw from the Lakers on the same floor one year later.
Despite a strong effort from Doncic, the Lakers struggled with their shooting and lost 112-100 to the Knicks on Sunday night.
After Landry Shamet made his second straight three-pointer to give the Knicks a 112-99 lead with 59.3 seconds left, Redick pulled his starters. The Lakers led 56-52 at halftime but were outscored 38-26 in the third quarter after New York went on a 15-5 run to take a 90-82 lead into the fourth quarter.
Doncic finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Lakers' 45% shooting from the field and 29% shooting from three-point range.
With the Lakers in sixth place in the uber-competitive Western Conference at 29-19, Doncic was asked where he thought they stood in their pursuit of an NBA championship.
"We're in a good spot,” Doncic said. “Obviously, got some work to do. But I think today we obviously missed a lot of good looks, but I think we have a great group."
LeBron James had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, but he fell to 23-9 in regular-season games at Madison Square Garden, and the Lakers slipped to 4-3 on their season-high eight-game trip, which ends Tuesday in Brooklyn.
With the Lakers 5-5 in their last 10, James also reflected on where the team stands.
“I like this group, but we got to continue to get better,” James said. “And that's good. We should want to get better. … We want to continue to get better and better. It's a tough league.
"Like I said, it's been tough all season as far as dealing with injuries. ... Unfortunately our All-Star two-guard [Austin Reaves, calf injury] has been out for a minute and that's a big piece of our team. So, it's kind of hard to see what we can really, truly be.”
Deandre Ayton had 13 points and five rebounds, and Marcus Smart had seven points and three assists.
OG Anunoby had 25 points, eight rebounds and three assists to lead the Knicks (31-18), who have won six straight. Shamet scored 23 points off the bench, and Josh Hart had 20 points and four rebounds. Jalen Brunson finished with 12 points and a season-high 13 assists.
Before the game, James was named an All-Star for a record 22nd time.
LeBron James had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds against Josh Hart and the Knicks. (John Munson / Associated Press)
“Obviously, super humbling,” James said. “Mad respect to the coaches and them seeing how I'm still playing at this latter stage of my career and to be able to be an All-Star. That means a lot to my family, my people that've been following my career, my LeBron faithful that’s been following my journey.
"It's always rewarding just from a humble standpoint to be able to be rewarded for what you put your work into. So, it's pretty cool.”
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 21 points and 10 rebounds after being added to the All-Star Game on Sunday night as an Eastern Conference reserve, and the Detroit Pistons routed the Brooklyn Nets 130-77 in the most-lopsided victory in franchise history.
The 53-point margin topped the mark of 52 set in a 118-66 victory at Boston on Jan 31, 2003. The Nets had a 54-point loss — 120-66 — on Jan. 21 against New York.
Cade Cunningham, the Detroit star who was earlier selected an East All-Star starter, added 18 points, 12 assists and four steals. The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons improved to 36-12 with their second straight victory. They beat Golden State on Friday night to finish 2-1 on a three-game trip.
Cunningham had 13 points, 10 assists and four steals in the first half as the Pistons raced to a 67-44 lead. Ausar Thompson hit a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer.
Detroit outscored Brooklyn 33-18 in the third quarter to push it to 100-62. The Pistons’ largest lead was 55 points.
CELTICS 107, BUCKS 79
BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 30 points and 13 rebounds, Anfernee Simons scored 27 points off the bench and Boston coasted to a victory over Milwaukee.
Derrick White added 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Neemias Queta had 14 points and eight boards as the Celtics won their second straight game after alternating wins and losses in their previous four. It was Brown’s third double-double this season.
Ryan Rollins led Milwaukee with 25 points and Kyle Kuzma scored 16.
The Celtics led 56-42 at halftime and Brown, who missed their easy win over Sacramento Friday with left hamstring tightness and a bruised right knee, scored 10 of their initial 12 points to start the second half, pushing them ahead 68-47.
Boston’s lead ballooned to 27 points on Brown’s 3-pointer midway into the final quarter before coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters.
HEAT 134, BULLS 91
MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson each had 20 points, and Miami tied their third-biggest victory margin ever in a rout of Chicago.
The Heat led by as many as 54; before Sunday, their biggest lead this season was 45 at Memphis on Oct. 24. It was Miami’s second-largest lead of the play-by-play era that dates to 1996; the Heat beat Memphis by 60 on March 29, 2024.
The 54-point hole was Chicago’s biggest since a 58-point deficit against Boston on Dec. 8, 2018. The Bulls’ biggest deficits this season were a pair of 41-point games — one against Minnesota on Dec. 29, the other also against Miami on Nov. 21.
WIZARDS 116, KINGS 112
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rookie Will Riley scored a season-high 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:07 left, and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 116-112 on Sunday night in a matchup of last-place teams.
AJ Johnson added 17 points and Bilal Coulibaly and Marvin Bagley III each scored 15 for the Wizards, who relied heavily on their reserves as they handed the Kings their ninth straight loss.
Washington has won three of four since a nine-game skid of its own. The Wizards began the night last in the Eastern Conference but moved one-half game ahead of Indiana.
Zach LaVine scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan had 32 for the Kings, who are last in the West and concluded their season-long East Coast trip at 0-6.
Maxime Raynaud added 14 points for Sacramento, but no other Kings player had more than six. Washington led 61-20 in bench points, and the Wizards’ reserves also outscored their starters.
RAPTORS 107, JAZZ 100
TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 21 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 20 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Utah Jazz 107-100 on Sunday night to open a five-game homestand.
Brandon Ingram added 19 points to help Toronto end a two-game losing streak. Immanuel Quickley had 17 points.
Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Utah. Isaiah Collier added 19 points, and Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
KNICKS 112, LAKERS 100
NEW YORK (AP) — OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Landry Shamet added 23 and New York beat Los Angeles to spoil LeBron James’ 32nd game at Madison Square Garden.
Josh Hart finished with 20 points and Jalen Brunson had 12 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Knicks, who matched a season high with their sixth straight win, most of them coming easily.
James finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds after being chosen as a reserve earlier Sunday for his NBA-record 22nd consecutive All-Star selection. He fell to 23-9 in the regular season at MSG, where he came into the game having averaged 28.2 points, 7.6 assists and 7.0 rebounds.
Luka Doncic had 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. The game was exactly a year to the day of the Lakers’ last trip to New York, when shortly after their victory came word that they agreed to the blockbuster trade with Dallas that brought Doncic to Los Angeles.
The Lakers had one of the front-runners for MVP along with arguably the best ever on the court.
But the Knicks had far more depth, beyond their own two All-Stars.
Advantage: depth.
Games like this are what the Knicks envisioned when they built the supporting cast around Jalen Brunson.
They had six players score in double digits as they beat the Lakers 112-100 Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, extending their win streak to six.
There were four total All-Stars on the floor in Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
But it was a trio of non-All-Stars in OG Anunoby, Landry Shamet and Josh Hart who made the biggest difference.
“That’s what we’re capable of,” Hart said. “We have great depth, we have guys who can knock down shots, guys that can playmake. It’s not always gonna be JB or KAT’s night, but we have enough guys to score points. It shows that we don’t have to force anything.”
OG Anunoby dunks the ball during the Knicks’ Feb. 1 win against the Lakers. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
It was Anunoby who carried that load for large stretches of the game, finishing with 25 points.
His offensive rebound and subsequent dunk put the Knicks up 12 with just under three minutes left, pretty much putting the game away.
Next up was Landry Shamet off the bench, going off for 23 points, his second-highest scoring game of the season.
He drilled six 3-pointers.
After that it was Josh Hart, with one of his finest showings of the season.
He added 20 points and went 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
Towns — who didn’t fill up the stat sheet, but was a game-best plus-23 — had 11 and Mikal Bridges had 10.
Sunday was the third straight game Anunoby and Hart, who entered averaging 16.2 and 12.3 points, respectively, have scored 20 or more points
Jalen Brunson makes a pass during the Knicks’ Feb. 1 win over the Lakers. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
It allowed Brunson, who was struggling with his shot, to become more of a distributor.
He had just 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting but recorded a season-high 13 assists.
He added seven rebounds as well, nearly recording the first triple-double of his career.
“Shots not falling, you gotta impact the game somewhere else,” Brunson said. “I kept seeing two [defenders], so I was just trying to make the right play at the right time and we were getting good looks. Just gonna play the defense how they were playing. They were knocking shots down. The way we were moving the ball was great.”
LeBron James reacts during the Lakers’ Feb. 1 loss to the Knicks. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
This Knicks resurgence of late had largely come on the back of a dramatic defensive turnaround.
They had little answer for Doncic, though hardly any team has this season.
He recorded 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
But the Knicks were stout defensively elsewhere, holding the Lakers to 28.6 percent shooting from 3-point range.
James, in what could possibly have been his last game at MSG, had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds.
He had a vintage alley-oop dunk in the third quarter, but he did not overly hurt the Knicks.
Notably, Doncic and James combined for just eight points in the fourth quarter.
It is the fifth time in this winning streak the Knicks held their opponent to 100 points or fewer.
“Second half, we locked in better with the gameplan,” coach Mike Brown said. “It resulted in the Lakers scoring 44 points in that second half, which was huge for us.”
The Knicks went into halftime down four, but began the second half with an 18-9 run to take a five-point lead before the Lakers called timeout.
On back-to-back possessions in that run, Towns corralled an offensive rebound and followed it with a putback.
An aggressive Tyler Kolek provided a spark off the bench with eight points, though forced some ill-advised shots during a stint in the fourth quarter.
Both teams are near the bottom in the league in bench scoring, but it was a clear Knicks advantage on Wednesday.
They had an 11-point advantage in that department.
“It’s gonna be someone different every night,” Shamet said. “We know that and we have a group who’s bought into that. It’s about all of us buying in and doing what we can on a night-to-night basis, knowing it might look a little bit different.
Landry Shamet hits a 3-pointer during the Knicks’ Feb. 1 win over the Lakers. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
“We got a locker room full of guys who want to win and are willing to sacrifice for one another.”
This was by far the biggest test yet of whether the Knicks have truly turned a corner.
They passed with flying colors.
Tickets were historically expensive, with fans wanting to see James and Doncic and one of the premier franchises in the sport.
But it was the Knicks role players who stole the show.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 01: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 01, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Shooting struggles from the Lakers’ role players and a poor third quarter were too much to overcome in Madison Square Garden on Sunday as the Knicks downed LA 112-100.
The purple and gold led for stretches of the game, but a run in the third period for New York moved them ahead by double digits and forced the Lakers to play catch-up. The trio of Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt highlighted the shooting struggles as they combined to go 4-20 from the field and 2-13 from three.
Luka Dončić opened the game with a layup, but the Knicks followed with consecutive 3-pointers. Deandre Ayton then responded with four straight points of his own. OG Anunoby led New York with five points. LeBron James notched a quick five points, heating up for LA.
At the 7:38 mark, Los Angeles was up by three.
Defense was becoming an issue for the Lakers as they continued to leave Anunoby alone from behind the arc, where he drained two of his three attempts. Luka knocked down two 3-pointers in response, though. Rui Hachimura also had seven points off the bench for LA.
Los Angeles was up by six, going into the second period.
Luka stepback 3? No doubt.
He's got 10 early PTS as the Lakers lead the Knicks on Sunday Night Basketball!
The second quarter began with Hachimura converting on a layup for the Lakers. Mohamed Diawara then drained a triple for the Knicks. The three-ball was flying for New York as they converted on three of them in the early part of the period. Luka countered with a 3-pointer of his own.
At the seven-minute mark, LA was up by six.
Tyler Kolek scored eight points for New York, helping them take the lead. Los Angeles kept failing defensively, leaving shooters wide open. As a result, the Knicks were shooting 44% from behind the arc in this half.
The Lakers responded well, stopping New York’s momentum and retaking a four-point halftime lead.
LA missed their first shot attempt of the second half, while Jalen Brunson scored on a midrange jumper for the Knicks. Josh Hart was then fouled while taking a jumper and converted on the three-point play to put New York up by one. Jake LaRavia finally got on the scoreboard with a triple. The teams traded the lead until the Knicks jumped ahead by five.
New York added some cushion to its lead thanks to four points from Mikal Bridges.
It started to look like the usual third-quarter Lakers were showing up until an 8-0 scoring run led by Hachimura, Vincent and Luka put LA in the lead.
Rui Hachimura is putting in a great shift here. He's knocking down his shots, giving LA an injection of offense.
The Knicks then countered with a 6-0 scoring run to move back ahead. New York knocked down three 3-pointers to take an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
LeBron began the final frame with a shot in the paint. Bridges then scored on a layup on the other end. Los Angeles started to chip away at the deficit, making it four and forcing a Knicks timeout.
Out of the break, Hart knocked down a 3-pointer.
Los Angeles went cold from the field, hindering their ability to chip away at the deficit. Luckily for the Lakers, New York was missing their shots as well, but eventually found a rhythm, scoring seven points to open up its biggest lead.
At the 3:55 mark, the purple and gold were down by double digits.
Landry Shamet’s sixth 3-pointer of the night put the final blow in an ugly second half defensively for the Lakers. He was left wide open for nearly all 10 of his attempts from behind the arc.
Key Player Stats
Luka finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. LeBron scored 22 points with five rebounds and six assists. Ayton pitched in with 13 points and five rebounds.
Hachimura notched 11 points off the bench. Vincent ended with eight points, hitting three of his five shots.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday at 4:30 PM PT.
“Man, we just got to learn from it,” said Nic Claxton, who had 10 points in the first quarter, and was scoreless after that. “We just can’t keep getting beat by 50, though. It’s really demoralizing as a group for us. We got to come together and figure out ways to at least keep the games closer.”
With Michael Porter Jr. out for personal reasons, the Nets embarrassed themselves.
They shot just 32.9 percent and 7-for-31 from deep, bullied by a physical Detroit defense.
And they were just as bad on the other end.
The Nets let the Pistons waltz up and down the court, turning 25 turnovers into 39 points.
Much of that Nets sloppiness came in a crippling 47-12 run that spanned halftime and turned a 33-32 deficit into a huge 80-44 hole.
Nic Claxton looks to move the ball during the Nets’ Feb. 1 loss to the Pistons. NBAE via Getty Images
Brooklyn shot 4-for-20 in that blitz with 10 turnovers.
No Net managed more than a dozen points, with Cam Thomas and Drake Powell sharing team-high honors off the bench.
Jalen Duren had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit. Cade Cunningham added 18 points and a dozen assists.
“We found ways to get good shots early on; and we couldn’t match that. And then it was from frustration to whatever you want to call it is forgetting what you’re supposed to do,” said Fernández. “So we’ll run it back. We’ll hold them accountable, we’ll give them a hug, whatever the case may, just (we have to) go out there and play better than this.”
The only silver lining was the Nets (13-35) moving into a tie with Washington for fourth in the lottery race. They’re a half-game behind third-place Indiana and a game ahead of Utah.
Porter missed a second straight game after the death of his grandmother.
Noah Clowney missed a fifth straight game, with an MRI revealing a lower back sprain.
The NBA honored Chuck Cooper, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton and Earl Lloyd breaking the color barrier in 1950.
“Instead of using ignorance and lack of understanding for others to separate people and divide people, I think this is a great opportunity for us to understand that the more we learn about one another, the more we recognize that we’re not as different as people would want us to be,” said JB Bickerstaff. “I think that would eliminate a lot of the problems that you’re seeing unfold in front of us.”
TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 1: RJ Barrett #9 of the Toronto Raptors drives against Walter Clayton Jr. #13 of the Utah Jazz during first half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on February 1, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
About a week ago, we talked about how the Toronto Raptors’ West Coast road trip — mainly the success of it — had the potential to change trade deadline plans for the front office. Since returning home from that West Coast swing, the Raptors have lacked punch. After the excellent play out West had the potential to change plans, does this recent poor stretch of basketball continue to change plans ahead of Thursday’s deadline?
Last Friday, the Raptors faltered in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic, completely losing the momentum they had built in the previous three quarters. Against the Utah Jazz, the Raptors again lacked offensive energy, not at all playing to the level they should have been.
Even with the hype of Scottie Barnes finding out he’s an All-Star mid-game, the Raptors looked discombobulated as they tried to overcome an injured and tanking Jazz team. While they recovered in the 4th quarter, it was more of a skirt by a much worse Jazz team instead of the emphatic win that may have been expected.
“This is amazing, no one around the league had doubt that he deserved this,” Darko Rajakovic said after the game about Barnes’s All-Star nomination. “This is not the best Scottie Barnes you will ever see. I know how hungry he is.”
“I know that coaches around the league have a lot of appreciation for the way Scottie plays.” Darko continued. “I think everyone else is lacking appreciation for the way he plays.”
“I haven’t had time to think about it, but I’m excited for it,” Barnes said himself. The announcement from the league happened right as the Raptors game started tonight, and he found out midgame.
Raptors not taking this game seriously and they're rightfully getting burned for all these mistakes. so many passes directly to the jazz for breakaway dunks.
Despite the weirdness of the game itself, the Raptors still came out with the win. In a 107-100 victory for the Raptors, RJ Barrett led all scorers with 21 points, Mamukelashvili had 20 off the bench, and Ingram had 19 points of his own. A win is a win.
Still, you can’t help but think about what the Raptors could be cooking up ahead of the trade deadline when things are still looking weird offensively. With only days to go until Thursday’s deadline, there is still a lot of time for multiple deals to happen, but also for things to change. Everything is fluid until 3 p.m. on Thursday hits.
Among the glaring needs for Toronto as we approach the deadline are depth in the frontcourt as well as shooting ability. With Jakob Poeltl’s ongoing injury problems, the Raptors are lacking power and height under the rim. Yet, Poeltl’s injury may be what hinders the Raptors this trade deadline most, as his lofty contract would be hard to move regardless, not to mention the fact that he’s injured.
RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are other names floating around as well, two of the Raptors other big ticket contracts. Including them in any deals the Raptors do gives the team more flexibility when it comes to money.
Still, as we know, this franchise doesn’t like to do much moving at the deadline. The more likely scenario ahead of Thursday is for Toronto to just do a few smaller transactions and call it a day until free agency later in the year.
The Raptors will now have a few days to practice and rest before they are back in action Wednesday and Thursday at home. We’ll see if anything big happens before their next game.
DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 1: Tobias Harris #12 and Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons high five during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on February 1, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets finally won a game without Michael Porter Jr. Friday, defeating the Utah Jazz on the second night of a hellacious back-to-back that saw them fly in from Denver the night before. Brooklyn had lost their first eight games when MPJ sat, as he typically does in one half of a back-to-back, and while the Jazz entered with just 15 wins to their name, a starting lineup with three rookies would have to get the job done.
They did, led by a 25-point homecoming performance from the former BYU Cougar Egor Dëmin. But on Sunday evening … whoosh. Dëmin, Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf, and the rest of the Nets faced a much taller task, again without MPJ. Not only was it the infamous final game of a long road trip, but they were facing the Detroit Pistons, sitting atop the Eastern Conference largely thanks to their relentlessly physical, athletic play.
Example: Egor Demin began being harassed by Ausar Thompson on one end while guarding Cade Cunningham on the other. The young Nets, however, held their own early. All ten Nets who played in the first half scored, led by Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas, even Ben Saraf dropped a highlight…
Then the referees called the game, awarding both teams a draw, sending everybody home happy.
Just kidding. One hour later, the Nets were — stop me if you’ve heard this before — fighting to avoid their worst loss in franchise history. The Pistons went on a 37-6 run that bridged halftime; here’s a quick recap of that run…
A wild sequence to end the first half, as Cam Thomas turns it over and Ausar Thompson drains a half-court shot.
Detroit bullied the Nets, who looked utterly helpless after the switch flipped. Turnovers led to run-outs which led to dunks, the crowd getting louder and louder as the home team morphed into the Harlem Globetrotters with ease. The Pistons scored 37 points off turnovers, a ridiculous total that doesn’t include Detroit baiting Brooklyn into layup attempts just to boom them off the backboard.
It didn’t help that the Nets shot just 22.6% from three, not only deflated by the circumstances but undoubtedly worn out by the road trip. Even Dëmin’s record-breaking streak ended: After 34 consecutive games with a 3-pointer (the most ever for a rookie), he went 0-of-4 from the floor in this one, putting up 3/0/1.
As for the other rookies, Saraf also went 0-of-4 with four assists and no turnovers, Nolan Traore 2-of-7, Drake Powell 3-of-7, and Danny Wolf 2-of-9 and a team-worst -43 plus-minus. Unlike Dëmin’s return to the Beehive State, this was not a banner day for the 2025 draft class.
“You got to learn from games like this, because you play against a very good team that plays consistently hard,” said Jordi Fernández. “And we don’t do it in a consistent way.”
Detroit was led by 21 points from All-Star reserve Jalen Duren, but everybody contributed. They stole the ball 17 times. Daniss Jenkins put Wolf on a poster. Meanwhile, the Nets scored 38 points in the first 18 minutes, then 39 points in the final 30 minutes.
Said Fernández: “You know, we’ll run it back, we’ll hold them accountable, we’ll give him a hug, whatever the case may be, to go out there and play better than this.”
In the end, the visitors did not lose by 60 points. Hooray! Instead, Brooklyn lost by 53 points, the third-worst mark in franchise history. At least it wasn’t against the New York Knicks this time.
Final Score: Detroit Pistons 130, Brooklyn Nets 77
Milestone Watch
The Brooklyn Nets have now lost a game by 50+ points four times in the last three seasons. Only the Portland Trail Blazers, from 2021-2024, have ever matched that feat.
Nets have now lost four games by 35 points or more this season, the two 50-point losses, plus a 37-point bummer vs. the Clippers a week ago and a 36-point disaster to the Knicks early in the season.
On the other side of the ledger, the Pistons winning margin was the biggest in franchise history surpassing the 52-point margin set in a January 2002 win over Boston.
The Nets are now 13-35 which moves them up in the Tankathon rankings to the No. 4 spot, tied with the Wizards. They’re a half-game out of third, where the Pacers sit, a game out of second (Pelicans owed the Hawks) and 2.5 games behind the golden ticket now held by the Kings.
MPJ misses out on All-Star Game
The NBA announced the All-Star reserves on Sunday afternoon, and absent from the list was Michael Porter Jr. We knew he wouldn’t be a starter, but given that he finished 10th, 9th, and 10th in fan, player, and media voting respectively, a reserve selection seemed possible for the Brooklyn Nets’ leading scorer. Alas, the coaches did not view Porter Jr. as one of the East’s dozen best players.
Porter Jr. still has an outside chance to become Brooklyn’s first All-Star representative since Kevin Durant; Adam Silver will need to choose at least one injury replacement (Giannis Antetokounmpo).
As it stands, is he a snub? NetsDaily will answer that question tomorrow.
Injury Update
As previously mentioned, MPJ did not miss this one due to injury, but rather personal reasons. He had previously posted on social media about a death in the family.
Noah Clowney missed his fifth straight game with a low back sprain (no longer “lower back soreness”) while Ziaire Williams missed his third straight with a left calf contusion. Jordi Fernández did not provide a timeline for either player in pregame.
Next Up
Luke Hales/Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets return home to face two of the NBA’s biggest stars. Tip-off against the Los Angeles Lakers is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. on Tuesday night.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rookie Will Riley scored a season-high 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:07 left, and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 116-112 on Sunday night in a matchup of last-place teams.
AJ Johnson added 17 points and Bilal Coulibaly and Marvin Bagley III each scored 15 for the Wizards, who relied heavily on their reserves as they handed the Kings their ninth straight loss.
Washington has won three of four since a nine-game skid of its own. The Wizards began the night last in the Eastern Conference but moved one-half game ahead of Indiana.
Zach LaVine scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan had 32 for the Kings, who are last in the West and concluded their season-long East Coast trip at 0-6.
Maxime Raynaud added 14 points for Sacramento, but no other Kings player had more than six. Washington led 61-20 in bench points, and the Wizards' reserves also outscored their starters.
Wizards coach Brian Keefe had four players who've spent time in the G League this season on the floor in the closing minutes. Riley and Johnson were joined by Skal Labissiere and Sharife Cooper, whose tip-in gave Washington a 115-110 lead with 37.2 seconds left.
Labissiere had 13 points. Little-used veteran Anthony Gill played a season-high 27 minutes for Washington and was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.
DeRozan scored eight points during a 12-3 fourth-quarter run that gave the Kings a 101-98 lead with 5:20 left. The 19-year-old Riley responded with eight points in the next 3:13 to put the Wizards back on top.
TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 21 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 20 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Utah Jazz 107-100 on Sunday night to open a five-game homestand.
Brandon Ingram added 19 points to help Toronto end a two-game losing streak. Immanuel Quickley had 17 points.
Scottie Barnes celebrated being added to his second NBA All-Star Game with 14 points and nine rebounds. Barnes hurt his left foot with 4:48 remaining after a steal. He departed 22 seconds later, only to return for the final 3:05.
Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Utah. The Jazz have lost a season-worst six straight games.
Isaiah Collier added 19 points, and Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Raptors matched their 30 wins of a season ago with 31 games remaining.
SEATTLE (AP) — Cearah Parchment finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, Berry Wallace scored 22, and Illinois upset No. 25 Washington 75-66 on Sunday, ending the Huskies' five-game winning streak.
Parchment made 8 of 16 shots with three 3-pointers and all four of her free throws for the Fighting Illini (16-6, 6-5 Big Ten Conference), who were coming off losses to then-No. 24 Nebraska and No. 2 UCLA. The 6-foot-3 freshman forward has three double-doubles in her last four games and six this season. Wallace sank 8 of 16 shots and made 6 of 8 at the foul line, adding seven rebounds.
Maddie Webber had 13 points off the bench for Illinois and Destiny Jackson totaled 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Sayvia Sellers and Avery Howell both scored 17 to lead the Huskies (17-5, 7-4), who beat No. 16 Maryland on the road last time out before falling to 12-2 at home. Freshman reserve Brynn McGaughy had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
Washington shot 57% in a first quarter that saw six lead changes. Elle Ladine's basket with 1:18 remaining gave the Huskies a 16-15 lead and capped the scoring in the period.
Parchment sank a 3-pointer in the middle of a 7-0 run and Illinois moved in front 24-19 in the first three minutes of the second quarter and never trailed again. Parchment had 13 first-half points, Wallace scored 11 and Illinois shot 48.5% to take a 37-29 lead into halftime.
Webber scored in the paint to give Illinois its largest lead at 49-35 late in the third quarter before the Huskies pulled within 51-40 heading to the fourth. Washington got no closer than six in the final 10 minutes.
TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 1: Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz dribbles the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors on February 1, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As much to the disappointment of Los Utah Jazz and all the fans in South America, the Jazz finished their longest homestand of the season with a 1-5 record; that one win came on a career-high night for Keyonte George. But maybe they weren’t as disappointed, since the Jazz are now closer to the league’s worst record than to the seventh-best record, despite being #6.
Though the Jazz needed to grab at least one win during one of their longest road trips of the year — it’s okay to have a cheat day once in a while; you can’t live your life off eggplant stew. Their road trip began visiting our Yankee friends up North; free from their chains of the NBA’s Play-In Tournament (…so far), sitting high and mighty on their seats as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. It goes to show you can just stick a million versatile wings on your roster and it just sorta works. Not only were the Raptors nearing full health minus Jakob Poeltl and two-way Chucky Hepburn, the Jazz won’t stop unleashing the bubonic plague on their team, or at least according to their injury report.
\\Yes, the Jazz were going to lose their 10th game and 11 matches, but the pain Jazz fans feel is more masochistic than anything else. They were unable to get it done as they fell to the rising Raptors 107-100 on a freezing cold Sunday.
Though the Jazz opened up the first quarter leading 5-3, that was quickly overtaken by Toronto’s 11-0 run from 9:11 to 6:38. Utah them went on their own little 8-0 run to cut the Raptors’ lead 17-16, with Svi and Lauri both contributing 3 points each during that stretch. Toronto collected 3 steals and 3 blocks through the quarter, with the Jazz only forcing 1 turnover. On the Jazz end, they had 20 rebounds, led by Nurkic’s 4. Lauri led the team in scoring with 6 points and 3 rebounds, shooting 1-4 from beyond the arc. On the other hand, however, Sandro Mamukelashvili was hot early, scoring 8 points on 2-for-3 threes in 6 minutes.
The game was a switch between who had the better run. It was a 12-4 run for the Raptors across quarters. hitting three straight threes from three different players to turn a 12-point deficit into a 31-25 lead. Then Utah’s turn was a 17-2 run in 3:20 minutes for their largest lead so far of the night — 5 of the Raptors’ turnovers came during this run. Utah took advantage of Toronto’s lack of Jakob Poeltl crashing the glass. They held a 14-rebound advantage (37-23) at the half, grabbing 25 defensive rebounds, with Nurkic and Ace grabbing 7 each. They had 5 offensive boards, leading to 9 second-chance points. Isaiah Collier was superb in the second quarter, 6 of his points came during this period. Not to mention nearly filling every category on the stat sheet: 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. To top off this quarter, there was this madness from Lauri Markkanen.
I know one of you did a switcheroo and tried to fool us by putting 22-23 Lauri Markkanen on the floor. We are not leaving this room until someone fusses up. Someone must’ve shown him the West All-Star reserves while he was on the bench, because that’s not normal.
The Jazz trailed by three points headed into the fourth quarter. Raptors found their rhythm, shooting 62% on 21 attempts from the field during the third period, including shooting 3-6 from beyond the arc. They erased a 4-point Jazz lead by holding them scoreless on four straight shots and two turnovers. Ingram scored or assisted on six of those points. Mamukelashvili contributed 16 points for the Raptors, accounting for a significant part of Toronto’s bench scoring.
The Jazz were starting to feel the fatigue of being in a new country. They had 16 turnovers, and the shooting took the dip we all were anticipating. Utah had a 3:58-minute drought from the field before Filipowski finally sank a two-pointer. Not to mention they missed 12-straight team threes.
Scottie Barnes then sustained a foot injury, which checked him out of the game with 4:26 remaining, and the Jazz were merely trailing 98-93. Though the game still came crumbling down regardless. They couldn’t buy their shots and came sinking down to a 9-point deficit. They finished with a ghastly 21 turnovers, resulting in 24 Raptors points off turnovers. Jazz shot a ghoulish 23% from three-point range, only sinking 8 of their 35 attempts. Just like previous games, they shot themselves in the foot.
Though I’ll give them the credit that they never fell behind in a double-digit deficit — the largest lead Toronto had all night was 9. They managed to turn a putrid night from the field into something that shimmers like a rainbow after a hurricane. It didn’t go well for them in the fourth quarter, but they had the opportunity to win this one despite what the shat sheet tells you, which they can take with them through this Eastern road trip.
At the end of the day, it was probably another loss they needed. The threshold between them and last place is dangerously close, but I think every fan has a subconscious desire that obviously wants them to win. Sometimes, games won’t have you buckled up. Tonight’s loss was one of those types of matchups.
Up Next
Jazz take a day off before they embark on their flight to Indianapolis. They play the Indiana Pacers on February 3rd at 5:00 PM MST.
