Category: NBA

If Ja Morant does get traded by the Grizzlies, it’s now becoming clearer what Memphis might get in return — or at least want.

The controversial two-time NBA All-Star has seen his game, availability and value plummet over the last couple of seasons. Now, in trade rumors, Morant — who is in the third year of a five-year, $197 million deal — could be in for a Trae Young-like fate and be on the move.

On Sirius XM’s “Deals and Dunks,” longtime NBA insider Marc Stein said Memphis is looking to receive a first-round pick and a younger player in return for Morant.

“It’s hard to pinpoint clear-cut suitors. Miami, we know, is interested,” he said. “There has been some dialogue between the teams. How far it’s actually gone, I imagine the Heat would just try to steal him for expiring.

“I don’t know how far the Heat would be willing to go as far as draft capital and young players to put into an offer — We do know with Miami, whenever there’s a star player available, they will at the very least investigate it.”

Young, despite his individual accolades, was dealt by the Hawks to the Wizards last week for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Although Travis Schlenk — the Hawks general manager when Young was there — is the current Wizards vice president of player personnel, making Washington an obvious landing spot once Young’s time in Atlanta soured.

Young, unlike Morant, can opt into free agency this summer.

Morant is making $39.4 million this season and is set to take $42.1 million and $44.9 million in each of the next two seasons, respectively.

The Heat have contracts that are tradable in the $26-to-$31 million range, like guard Tyler Herro, swingman Andrew Wiggins, and the expiring deal of guard Terry Rozier, who has been on leave all season due to an ongoing betting scandal.

Rozier pleaded not guilty in early December, and the next hearing is scheduled for March 3.

The Heat could use Rozier as a trade chip ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, as ESPN reported this week.

Other teams rumored to be interested in Morant now include the Pelicans, according to a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, adding them to a list that reportedly includes the Kings, Raptors and Bucks.

Morant, who has never played 70 games in a season, has been limited to just 212 games — regular season and playoffs — since the 2021-22 season, missing 178 games and counting in the process due to injuries and suspensions.

This year, he’s averaging 19 points and 7.6 assists, shooting a career-worst 40.1 percent from the floor, and just 20.8 percent on 3-pointers, also a career-low.

A fitting loss to cap off a terrible Philly sports week

The Sixers blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, falling 117-115 at the last second to the Cleveland Cavaliers, completing the sweep of the season series.

Joel Embiid had a classic Joel Embiid performance, leading all Sixers with 33 points shooting 10-of-22 from the floor. Tyrese Maxey at least looked better than he did Wednesday, putting up 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting, hitting a game-tying floater but not a potential half-court heave to win it.

VJ Edgecombe was again derailed by foul trouble, finishing with 10 points going 4-of-5. Paul George quietly steadied the second unit, having 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting along with five assists.

Jaylon Tyson led all scorers with 39.

Somehow Dominick Barlow was not only available, but back in the starting lineup after suffering a nasty looking back contusion Wednesday, leaving every Sixer available. The Cavs were down Darius Garland, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill and Max Strus.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Yet another game with a fast offensive start as the teams combined to make 11 of their first 14 field goal attempts. Embiid got dunked on by Evan Mobley to open up the game’s scoring, but had comfortably settled in to his midrange by the nail on the other end. The Sixers were the first team to make an impact on the defensive end of the floor. Dominick Barlow didn’t seem too hampered, blocking a shot and ripping the ball away from Donovan Mitchell on two early plays while Maxey snagged an early steal as well.

pic.twitter.com/CWMDLFUugk

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) January 17, 2026

• That aggression, and some miscommunication, got the Sixers in a bit of trouble. Multiple times early two Sixers would follow the same Cavalier, leaving another wide open, but they were meeting even less resistance on the other end. Embiid and Maxey went to their actions frequently and got a good look just about every time, including a beautiful one-handed layup by Maxey after Embiid’s bounce pass led him perfectly to the spot.
• Embiid wouldn’t stay as efficient from the field but he continued to control things, getting a couple trips to the line to round out a 13-point quarter. The offense did miss him when he checked out, going scoreless after he buried a three at the 3:13 mark. Cleveland buried a couple threes in the final minute to knot the game at 31 after one.

Second Quarter

• Maxey came off the floor but with George and Edgecombe returning it once again gave the offense some structure — the latter got himself a really nice layup cutting around the former. The Sixers also had their best stretch of protecting the basket to this point, thanks in large part to two blocks from Adem Bona.

What a sequence from Adem Bona!

A big-time slam followed by TWO incredible blocks 💥🚫🚫

Tap to watch on ESPN: https://t.co/cMTBYNvzNmpic.twitter.com/WDR3yMsEc5

— NBA (@NBA) January 17, 2026

• Thanks to seven steals in the first while only giving it away once themselves, the Sixers were thoroughly dominating the turnover battle. Just after extending their lead to double digits, two turnovers of their own gave that momentum right back to Cleveland. Edgecombe had the ball taken away from him way too easily while Kelly Oubre Jr. threw a pass that was way too easy to pick off. Those were big reasons for the 8-0 run the Cavs ripped off, but Craig Porter Jr. missing a pair of free throws settled things down for the moment.
• Maxey was able to spring free for an open three off the catch as well as a steal-and-slam, but this was another half in which he was struggling to create. The length Cleveland was throwing at him might have bothered him, but he just seemed to be having a harder time holding on to the ball. The Cavs were only able to load up on him more when Edgecombe had to sit the end of the half with foul trouble. Quentin Grimes replaced him and looked rough missing his first three shots of the night, but buried two threes to give the Sixers a seven-point lead at the half.

Third Quarter

• Both Embiid and Tyson started the second half with the same rhythm they started the game with. While Embiid continued to enjoy open midranges off pick-and-pops, something just seemed slightly off with his two-man game with Maxey. For example, he threw the between-the-legs way drop pass way too early and dumped it into Jarrett Allen’s lap.
• A strong take with his left hand was just the type of basket Maxey needed, though that didn’t seem to get him going in any way. Another silly mistake, this time Oubre needlessly fouling Nae’Qwan Tomlin on a dunk again, gave the Cavs momentum to cut into the lead the Sixers threatened to push to double digits.

Rese to the hoop! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/QSNXBj67wh

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 17, 2026

• Oubre did his best to make up for it though — he put back a missed Embiid layup, created a fast break layup for himself by running out after a miss, and knocked down a three. The Cavs took advantage of yet another sloppy turnover, but Maxey answered with a contested three to beat the shot clock and keep the lead at seven as the third expired.

Fourth Quarter

• Sitting a good chunk of the game in foul trouble, Edgecombe hadn’t scored since his perfect 3-of-3 start to the night. Naturally, he opened the scoring for the Sixers in the fourth, matching a Mitchell three with one of his own. His second-unit running mate helped him lead the way as George knocked down a couple of baseline jumpers.

3J! 👌 pic.twitter.com/uJNsoM9Odw

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 17, 2026

• The Sixers’ offense went cold enough after that for the Cavs to rip off a 10-0 run to tie the game. It wasn’t due to getting bogged down either. They pushed up a possession to get Maxey a wide open three in the corner that he missed, Grimes beat his man off the dribble for a wide open layup but just smoked it. The Sixers answered with a 7-0 run, for once it was them taking advantage of silly mistakes. Tyson messed up taking the inbound and turned it over after another Maxey fast break layup, and Mobley stepped out of bounds trying to drive from the corner on the following possession.
• Once again, the Sixers ran bland offense down the stretch, and it again cost them. The first was a play that took way too long to develop after Maxey got doubled, Embiid couldn’t feel the defenders coming as the slow lob pass came to him and it was stolen. Maxey then went nowhere on a drive and had his runner blocked by Mobley. Embiid tried to post up Allen, got stonewalled and threw up an airball. Cleveland stormed back with another Tyson three giving them a one-point lead with less than two minutes to go.
• Maxey had a lot more space on his next drive and got fouled, retaking the lead at the line. They forced a miss on the following possession, but swinging to an open Oubre resulted in a missed three and De’Andre Hunter put Cleveland back in front. George was able to shake his defender but his turnaround jumper in the paint was no good.
• George and Oubre both played tough defense on Mobley who missed as well, but Oubre got enough forearm to be whistled for a foul — a challenge couldn’t overturn it. Mobley split his pair, giving the Sixers a chance to tie or go in front with 22.2 to go. Maxey and Embiid spent most of that time exchanging the ball, giving Maxey runway to tie the game with a floater with 8.1 seconds remaining. Cleveland went to their hot hand, Tyson got the ball on the baseline, spun, beat his defender, and drew to the help to get Mobley an open dunk with four seconds to go. Now of timeouts the Sixers could only get up a half court heave that didn’t fall.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Center Jay Huff had a career-best 29 points and nine rebounds and led five players in double figures as the Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 127-119 on Friday night.

The 7-foot-1 Huff, who entered Friday averaging 8.4 points, shot 13 for 17 from the field and 3 for 6 from 3-point distance. The center's previous high was 22 points, achieved last year while with the Memphis Grizzlies in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Huff was acquired by Indiana in a trade with Memphis during the offseason.

Pascal Siakam scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half, and Andrew Nembhard added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who won for the fourth time in five games. Aaron Nesmith and Quenton Jackson scored 12 points apiece as Indiana closed out a 3-1 homestand and improved to 8-16 at home.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 27 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field and 7-for-10 shooting from the line. Williamson was 8 for 8 from the field in the first half, when he scored 21 points.

Trey Murphy III scored 22 points, Saddiq Bey added 20, Jeremiah Fears finished with 16, Derik Queen had 14 and Jordan Poole 11 for the Pelicans, who are 3-16 in road games. Queen also had 12 rebounds.

The Pacers trailed by two points after one quarter and raced to a 10-point lead in the second quarter for a 73-66 edge at the break. The 73 points is the Pacers' highest-scoring first half of the season. Indiana led 102-93 after three periods.

Up next

Pelicans: At the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

Pacers: At the Detroit Pistons on Saturday in the opener of a five-game trip.

___

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

On the latest Kevin O’Connor show, O’Connor mentioned that the Utah Jazz “are going to be a team with big interest” in Austin Reaves.

Reaves will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will draw significant interest leaguewide. So, regardless of whether this is actual intel on the Jazz or just an assumption from O’Connor, it makes sense. For O’Connor to call out the Utah Jazz specifically is interesting. Perhaps this was why the Utah Jazz unfollowed O’Connor on Twitter recently?

👀 Utah Jazz (utahjazz) is no longer following @KevinOConnor

— NBA Alerts (@theNBAalert) January 15, 2026

Regardless, this is definitely interesting. It also makes sense with Utah’s trajectory. Utah has filled its books with expiring contracts this season, so it has room to make deals this upcoming offseason. Austin Reaves would be a great target with that money. Then, if they are able to bring him over, they can also sign Walker Kessler afterwards and go over the cap. It’s a plan that makes a ton of sense and could lead the Jazz to be major players next season.

On top of this is whether Utah wins this upcoming lottery. If Utah can add a top-tier prospect and a high-level prospect like Austin Reaves, it could be a massive run for the team.

Also, would there be anything better than getting a player from the Lakers to join the Utah Jazz? This would become maybe the best offseason in team history if this all played out.

Lakers star Luka Doncic will miss Saturday's game in Portland because of left groin soreness, the team announced Friday.

Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer averaging 33.6 points per game, appeared to struggle with a groin injury during a loss against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. But he didn’t miss games on Tuesday and Thursday as the Lakers (24-15) traversed a particularly difficult week of five games in seven days.

Doncic led the Lakers to a win against Atlanta, and he played a team-high 35 minutes and 43 seconds in Thursday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. He scored 39 points with four assists in the loss, which was the Lakers’ fourth in the last five games.

The Lakers, who finish a back-to-back set on Sunday at home against the Toronto Raptors, could also be without both centers against Portland. Starter Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) and backup Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring tendinopathy) are both questionable. Ayton is averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. Hayes has missed the last two games because of the injury but coach JJ Redick said Thursday the 7-foot center could be back this weekend.

Forward Adou Thiero remains out with a right medial collateral ligament sprain and guard Austin Reaves is closing in on the final week of the initial four-week timetable provided for his left calf strain. After aggravating the injury on Christmas Day, Reaves was ruled out for at least a month before he would be reevaluated.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

UPDATE: Well, as if the week wasn’t going poorly enough already, the Lakers are severely depleted in the front court against the Blazers on Saturday evening.

Over the course of the day, both Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton were ruled out for the Lakers.

Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes are both out tonight for the Lakers, who will also be Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) January 18, 2026

Each was listed as questionable coming into the game. Ayton was dealing with left knee soreness and Hayes has been out the last two games with left hamstring tendinopathy.

With this being the first game of a back-to-back, the Lakers could be playing it cautiously. But given the state of the team currently, having to punt a game due to injuries is a brutal blow.

Original story follows.

---

If the Lakers are going to beat the Blazers, it’s going to be without their superstar Luka Dončić.

The Lakers have ruled Luka out for their game against Portland due to left groin soreness. Unfortunately, not only will LA’s backcourt depth be weakened, but their frontcourt options might be in even worse condition.

Starting center Deandre Ayton and backup big Jaxson Hayes are both listed as questionable.

The Lakers will play without Luka Dončić against the Blazers. Also, both Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes are listed as questionable. Winning won’t be easy for LA in Portland. pic.twitter.com/f8PiqOxI2c

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) January 17, 2026

Luka was listed as questionable for LA’s game against Atlanta. He was able to play, but the injury clearly remains an issue as he will miss the first leg of this weekend’s back-to-back because of it.

Dončić is leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 33.6 points per game, so making up for his absence will be a massive challenge for Los Angeles.

With Luka ruled out, LeBron James better pack his Superman cape for this trip to the Pacific Northwest. The NBA’s leading scorer will have to put up big numbers if the Lakers are going to pull out this road victory shorthanded.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick said that he hoped Hayes would play this weekend. He’s missed the last two games due to his left hamstring tendinopathy. Hayes getting upgraded to questionable is a positive sign for the backup center, but we’ll have to wait and see if he’ll actually play in Portland.

Hayes has played well for the Lakers and has even closed out games over Ayton in LA’s most recent tightly contested matchups.

While Hayes has been good, Ayton remains the Lakers’ starting center. Ayton has been relatively healthy this season, missing just four games. He missed a November game against the Heat with back spasms and another against the Clippers due to a right knee contusion.

Then, in December, Ayton missed a pair of games with left elbow soreness.

Hopefully, one or both of LA’s bigs are available for this game in Portland. If not, LA will have to rely on either Maxi Kleber, two-way center Drew Timme, or they’ll utilize Jarred Vanderbilt as a small-ball five.

While those options are possible, ideally, they can play their two best bigs instead.

But that might not be an option, so if necessary, the Lakers will be ready to play a bit shorthanded as they try to get back in the win column.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

Against the New York Knicks, Steph Curry finished the game with 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists on 58.8 percent shooting from the field (4-of-9 on threes) and 73.7 percent true shooting. However, based on how he was reportedly moving after the game, one wouldn’t think he had an efficient offensive night.

Per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Curry was limping and in visible pain while walking in the tunnels of Chase Center.

Steph Curry was in some pain and limping in the tunnels postgame. Played through it but told me it was a quad contusion.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 16, 2026

As of this writing, Curry isn’t listed on the injury report, which gives hope that he will be ready to go tomorrow against his hometown team Charlotte Hornets.

It is yet to be confirmed if the quad contusion he sustained last night was on the same quad (right) that he suffered against the Houston Rockets back in November that caused him to miss five games.

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Andy Schonbaum of Argentina steadied himself for a 2-under 68 on Friday to build a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Latin America Amateur Championship.

Schonbaum, 34, has played in all but one of the 11 editions of the championship. He has yet to finish in the top 10 — his best was a tie for 11th in 2020 at Mayakoba in Mexico.

He was at 6-under 134, two shots clear of Andres Martinez Benedetti of Venezuela, who had to settle for a 70 at Lima Golf Club.

Eric Fortlage of Paraguay (66) and Mateo Pulcini of Argentina (68) were three shots behind. Nine of the last 10 winners of the Latin America Amateur were no worse than a tie for fourth through 36 holes.

The cut came at 148.

The winner earns a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open this year.

___

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

Brooklyn is back home after losing their last three on the road to Memphis, Dallas and New Orleans — extending their skid to five straight. Tankers unite. The Bulls come in winners of two straight and beat the Nets 113‑103 in the first meeting.

---

🏀 KEY INFO

Chicago Bulls (19-21) @ Brooklyn Nets (11-27)

⏱️ Tip-off: 7:30 PM ET
📍 Arena: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY
📺 TV: YES Network
📻 Radio: WFAN Sports

---

INJURY REPORT

Brooklyn Nets

Ziaire Williams — OUT (illness)
Haywood Highsmith — OUT (knee)

Chicago Bulls

Josh Giddey — OUT (hamstring)
Noa Essengue — OUT (shoulder, season)
Zach Collins — OUT (toe)

---

💬 Discussion

Share thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

January 16, 2026

Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas

TV: ESPN

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Time: 830pm CST

Probable Starting Lineups

Rockets: Amen Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Timberwolves: Donte DiVincenzo, Bones Hyland, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert

BREMEN, Germany (AP) — Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt shared the Bundesliga points after a dramatic 3-3 draw that started with a goal in the first minute and ended with a goal in the last on Friday.

Visiting Frankfurt took the lead after 51 seconds thanks to a lovely flicked effort from Arnaud Kalimuendo, the on-loan striker from Nottingham Forest.

Bremen battled back and Justin Njinmah equalized by halftime.

However, it fell behind again 11 minutes into the second half when Nnamdi Collins met a looped pass into the box and managed to guide his first-time shot into the far corner of the goal.

Bremen, though, showed the same resilience as earlier and Jens Stage leveled with 12 minutes left.

On-loan striker Jovan Milošević pounced two minutes later to put Bremen ahead for the first time and it looked like a first win since November was looming for Die Grün-Weißen.

However, Ansgar Knauff’s volley from a cut back in stoppage time gave Frankfurt the draw, although only after a tense video review confirmed the goal.

The result was fair given the see-saw nature of the game that delighted a sell-out crowd at the Weserstadion.

Nevertheless, the game was Bremen’s seventh without a win and its home form was particularly worrying for coach Horst Steffen. It remained in 12th place.

Frankfurt was seventh.

___

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

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Vladyslav Vanat scored penalties in stoppage time of each half as Girona beat Espanyol 2-0 in a fiercely contested Catalan derby in La Liga on Friday.

It was the first time Girona has won three on the trot since November 2024.

The result lifted it into ninth place in the table. Espanyol remained fifth.

Girona had the better of the first half and went ahead on the stroke of halftime when Omar El Hilali was adjudged to have pulled Hugo Rincón in the box.

Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović saved Vanat’s initial effort but the referee said he moved from his line before the kick and ordered a retake. Vanat made no mistake a second time, firing a perfect effort to the keeper’s right.

Both sides had chances in a busy second half but Girona took advantage of spaces in the Espanyol defense as the home side pushed for an equalizer.

With seconds remaining, Yáser Asprilla was felled by Rubén Sánchez and Ukrainian striker Vanat scored his second of the night to seal all three points.

“The decision to give the first penalty was very harsh,” veteran Espanyol defender Leandro Cabrera said. “There are a thousand similar situations that never get called back. We lost our patience. In the final minutes there was another penalty decision that killed the game. It’s a pity because the match was pretty tight. A draw would have been a fair result.”

___

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

The Sacramento Kings could see the return of their All-Star power forward Jan. 16 in their Friday night game against the Washington Wizards.

Kings forward Domantas Sabonis is officially listed as questionable on the NBA's Injury Report, but the team expects that he will suit up and play against the Wizards, according to ESPN.

Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, has missed the previous 27 games for the Kings with a partially torn meniscus.

He only appeared in 11 games so far this season, averaging 17.2 points and 12.3 rebounds.

In recent days, Sabonis was seen participating in shootaround during practices. Signs indicate he'll rejoin the court with the Kings soon. And at a good time, too.

WARRIORS MIDSEASON REPORT: Is Golden State a true NBA contender?

Sacramento has been rolling on a three-game winning streak at home, knocking off the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.

They'll also get back Dennis Schroder, who missed that three-game stretch of wins after being suspended by the league for an altercation with Lakers' star Luka Doncic after a Dec. 28 game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Sabonis trade market, contract status

Sabonis, in his 10th NBA season and year five in Sacramento, could be on the trade market.

According to ESPN, Kings general manager Scott Perry has been "open to discussing trades for all their veterans with high-priced deals" as the team shifts its focus towards a rebuild.

Sabonis' remaining contract includes three years and $136.3 million.

He signed a four-year, $186 million contract extension with Sacramento as part of a renegotiation-and-extend on July 6, 2023.

Domantas Sabonis highlights

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Domantas Sabonis playing tonight? Kings F could return vs Wizards

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Niina Petrokina completed one of figure skating's great comeback performances to retain her European championship title on Friday, three months after Achilles tendon surgery.

Petrokina landed seven triple jumps in a clean, personal-best free skate to music from the movie “Dune” to score 216.14 points, a score which ranks the Estonian among some of the world's best ahead of next month's Winter Olympics.

“I don't know how I do it,” Petrokina said when asked about her recovery. “I needed everything that happened for this moment.”

Petrokina had competed only in second-tier events and her national championships since surgery in October. She'd struggled with pain for much of 2025 since her breakthrough European championship win on home ice a year ago.

Petrokina is the first skater to win back-to-back European women’s titles since Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia in 2017.

As other skaters made mistakes, 2024 champion Loena Hendrickx of Belgium managed her own comeback statement. Hendrickx had been fifth after Wednesday's short program but took the silver medal on 191.26 after struggling throughout last year with the return of a years-old ankle injury.

As Petrokina's score was announced, Hendrickx made a gesture of bowing to the champion.

Lara Naki Gutmann won bronze for Italy on 186.87 after two top contenders from the short program missed the podium with erratic free skates. Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium dropped from second to fourth overall and Anna Pezzetta of Italy from third to eighth.

Ice dance

France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron took the lead in the ice dance despite a dispute between Cizeron and his ex-partner overshadowing the event.

Cizeron won the Olympic gold medal in 2022 with Gabriella Papadakis, who has published a book describing him as controlling and their partnership as unequal.

Cizeron has contested her claims and called the comments part of a “smear campaign." Papadakis said on Friday she lost a commentary role with NBC for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron scored 86.93 points to lead the dance event ahead of the free dance on Saturday, leading Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson on 85.47 and Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri on 84.48.

___

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics