New York Knicks (26-18, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (24-19, fifth in the Eastern Conference)
Philadelphia; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Philadelphia hosts the New York Knicks following the Philadelphia 76ers' 128-122 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
The 76ers are 18-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. Philadelphia has a 12-5 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Knicks are 6-3 against the rest of the division. New York has a 10-14 record against teams over .500.
The 76ers average 116.8 points per game, 3.0 more points than the 113.8 the Knicks give up. The Knicks average 14.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.3 more made shots on average than the 12.6 per game the 76ers give up.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The 76ers won 130-119 in the last matchup on Jan. 4.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyrese Maxey is averaging 30.1 points, 6.8 assists and 2.1 steals for the 76ers. Joel Embiid is averaging 22.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists over the last 10 games.
Karl-Anthony Towns is scoring 20.8 points per game and averaging 11.5 rebounds for the Knicks. Miles McBride is averaging 3.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: 76ers: 5-5, averaging 116.1 points, 42.2 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 11.2 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.6 points per game.
Knicks: 3-7, averaging 109.2 points, 45.9 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points.
INJURIES: 76ers: None listed.
Knicks: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers' comeback bid fell short in a 112-104 loss to the L.A. Clippers on Thursday, but the game felt secondary the moment it ended.
During his postgame availability, James was asked about a story by ESPN that questioned the relationship he had with the Lakers’ front office and, more specifically, team governor Jeanie Buss.
“I don't care about an article,” James said. “I don’t care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally, you know what I'm about. These guys know what I’m about.”
James indicated he doesn’t spend much time talking with Buss, but added he didn't do so with the ultimate leaders of the other teams he played for during his NBA career.
“I thought it was good, but someone might see it a different way,” James said when asked about his relationship with Buss. “There are always two sides to the coin.
“At the end of the day, how I represented this franchise and what I wanted to do to represent this franchise from when I got here until now was with the utmost respect, honor, dignity and loyalty."
Buss released a statement hours after the ESPN story was published on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
“It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama,” Buss said in a statement to The Athletic. "To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
The story was centered around the issues within the Buss family, but also pointed to several incidents where Jeanie Buss had reportedly not been pleased with the team’s superstar.
The story said Buss felt James had failed to take accountability for how things worked out with Russell Westbrook and thought James appeared to be ungrateful after the team drafted James' son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Asked specifically if he wanted to finish the season with the Lakers, James said "I'm good. I'm good."
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) reacts after he is hit on the head by Clippers center Ivica Zubac while battling for a rebound during the Lakers' 112-104 loss Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Lakers coach JJ Redick understands there's a “human element” to players looking for more minutes so they can score more points. He knows future contracts are important and his team isn't immune to focusing on that.
The Lakers have five players in the final year of their contracts and three more with player options, making for eight potential free agents this offseason.
Redick talked about player contracts after the Lakers lost 112-104 to the Clippers on Thursday night at Intuit Dome for their sixth loss in nine games.
"Guys are worried about their futures," Redick said. "And that's what happens when you got a team full of free agents and player-options. I think it's just natural that you're gonna worry about the offense ... and I've been there. (It gets) in your head a little bit: 'Played five minutes (and) haven't got a shot yet.' And that's a human thing. It's not anybody's fault.”
When a team is in a tailspin — much like the Lakers, who've lost 10 of their last 17 — playing time and points can become major issues for players looking for new contracts.
Clippers forward John Collins dunks during the first half Thursday against the Lakers. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I think I’ve been here for four seasons now and every year it’s almost the same but it’s different," Hachimura said. "You have to survive, too, so I get it, I understand it. I think we talked about before the season winning is going to help. So, we got to focus on that and everything is going to come out.”
Still, the Lakers have to play the games in front of them. They're two games into an eight-game road trip, with their next game Saturday night in Dallas.
It means they have to compartmentalize the business of the NBA and the games they are being paid to play.
“It is tough. I mean, you got guys fighting for contracts, fighting to stay on the team and you got other guys who are secure and got theirs and kind of understand where they are,” Smart said. “But at the same time, we’re all professionals and we got to come out and do our jobs no matter what. So, the human element does come into play sometimes and you just got to be able to snap out of it quicker than what we are doing.”
Clippers center Ivica Zubac scores on a reverse dunk in the fourth quarter of the Clippers' 112-104 win Thursday at Intuit Dome.
Lakers forward LeBron James tries to steal the ball from Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard in the second half.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt battles Zubac for a rebound in the second half.
Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times
With the NBA trade deadline looming on Feb. 5, James was asked if he thinks the Lakers need to make any moves.
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “I do.”
With the Lakers (26-17) holding sixth in the Western Conference, James was asked what the Lakers need to do to level up.
“It's disrespectful to these guys if I start talking over the deadline and what we need to do, we got to get better, whatever the case may be,” he said. “I'm trying not to play fantasy basketball too much.”
So does James want to finish this season with the Lakers?
The San Antonio Spurs didn’t panic when the Utah Jazz erased a double-digit lead and turned Thursday night into a tight fourth quarter game. Instead, they responded with their best basketball of the night.
Behind a decisive late surge powered by De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs broke open a close contest and rolled past the Jazz, 126–109, at the Delta Center.
After watching Utah claw all the way back to tie the game early in the fourth quarter, San Antonio flipped the switch. The Spurs closed the night on a dominant run, overwhelming the Jazz with pace, shooting, and renewed defensive intensity.
“I think a big thing was we were getting stops,” Fox said. “I think that’s why they got back into the game, we stopped getting stops. Once our defense got going again, that’s where we broke the game open.”
Fox led all scorers with 31 points, torching the Jazz from beyond the arc and setting the tone during the Spurs’ closing push. Wembanyama added 26 points, including several clutch three-pointers, as San Antonio finally found separation after a back-and-forth second half.
“My hat goes out to him (Fox). Every day, he comes in, doesn’t have no ego, comes in to work, comes out there, gives us his best every night,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said.
The Spurs controlled much of the first half, building a lead behind sharp ball movement and hot perimeter shooting. They connected from deep early and often, opening up space inside and forcing Utah to scramble defensively. Johnson provided a spark off the bench with 21 points, giving San Antonio valuable scoring when the offense stalled.
But Utah refused to go away. The Jazz chipped away at the Spurs’ lead in the third quarter and carried that momentum into the fourth, briefly pulling even and threatening to steal control. Rookie Ace Bailey paced Utah with 25 points, while center Jusuf Nurkić posted his second straight triple-double, anchoring the Jazz’s comeback attempt.
That momentum didn’t last.
Midway through the fourth, Wembanyama drilled a three to break a brief shooting drought, igniting a run that turned a tense game into a comfortable win. Fox followed with another deep ball, and the Spurs rattled off a decisive stretch that left Utah scrambling for answers.
Head coach Mitch Johnson praised his team’s composure after the Jazz made their run.
“It’s a never-ending battle and a lot of defensive miscues and game plan execution breakdowns in terms of coverage, scheme, discipline, personnel, but again, 17 points in the fourth quarter got the job done.” he said.
San Antonio finished with five players in double figures and controlled the final minutes on both ends, holding Utah to limited looks while continuing to punish defensive breakdowns.
For a Spurs team still learning how to close games consistently, the final stretch offered an encouraging sign.
“Just trying to continue to get better and continue to hold ourselves to the standard that we believe is our standard, and then also continue to get better in regards to that as well,” Coach Johnson said.
The Spurs will look to build on that fourth quarter performance as they return to the court on Sunday after a few days off, hoping Thursday’s finish is less of an exception and more of a blueprint going forward.
Game Notes
Luke Kornet joined the Spurs’ injury list but Mitch Johnson said he doesn’t expect him to be on the list long. That’s a good sign because man, did the Spurs miss him tonight.
Stephon Castle had a nice night at the office with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals. The best stat of all? Just one turnover. Let’s hope his trend of turning the ball over is done.
The Spurs may have struggled as a team from beyond the arc this past month but not Julian Champagnie. He was hot again from three, scoring 17 points while hitting five triples.
San Antonio will now have two days off before playing Sunday against New Orleans and another two days off after that. That rest is going to be much needed for Vassell and Kornet. It would not surprise me if they were back for that next game.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Shaedon Sharpe scored 27 points and had seven rebounds and four steals, and the Portland Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to four games with a 127-110 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
Deni Avdija added 20 points before leaving with a back injury. Caleb Love also had 20 points, Toumani Camara had 16 and Jrue Holiday 15 for the Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 21 and won for the 11th time in 14 games. Their 9-2 mark in January is the best in the NBA.
At 23-22, it's the first time the Trail Blazers are over .500 through 45 games since the 2020-2021 season.
Bam Adebayo scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat. Norman Powell added 18 points and Simone Fontecchio had 17.
The Trail Blazers led 64-63 at halftime and pulled away with a 17-2 run in the third quarter that put them up by 17. Sharpe led the way with a team-high 24 second-half points.
The Trail Blazers made 20 3-pointers, with Sharpe shooting 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, compared to the Heat making just nine.
The Lakers nearly pulled off an improbable comeback against the Clippers on Thursday before coming up just short, falling 112-104.
After trailing by as many as 26 in the second half, the Lakers cut the deficit to two points, setting up a frantic finish. Despite an improved defensive effort in the second half, LA ran out of steam down the stretch.
LA lost the rebounding battle 55-43, giving up 15 second-chance points. Ivica Zubac pulled down 19 boards himself.
It was an offensive showdown early. Jake LaRavia was red hot, draining two 3-pointers for the Lakers. Kawhi Leonard then began to heat up for the Clippers, scoring eight points. LaRavia and Luka Dončić combined for 12 of LA’s first 16 points.
Kobe Sanders provided instant offense for the Clippers off the bench with two triples. The purple and gold’s struggles mounted as Luka was the only one scoring. The Clippers jumped to a lead of seven, forcing a Laker timeout.
Out of the break, Luka scored on a shot off the glass.
Sanders continued shooting well from behind the arc, draining another triple. After missing his first two shots, Rui Hachimura knocked down a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer, making it a seven-point deficit.
The second period began with Brook Lopez scoring four points. LeBron James was being assertive and playing aggressively as he was at nine points in the half. The Lakers couldn’t defend Leonard, who was still scoring at ease. He was the second player in the game in double figures with 12.
At the 7:13 mark, the Lakers were down by nine.
Each time the Lakers tried to get closer, the Clips had an answer. Despite defending James Harden well, he did still manage to notch seven points. The lead kept growing for the Clippers as the Lakers completely fell apart on both ends.
At halftime, the purple and gold were down by 17.
The Lakers failed to score from the 2:58 mark of the 2nd Q until Ayton's first hoop with 26 seconds to play, snapping a 9-0 run.
The third period began with both teams missing shots until Harden converted on a three-point play. Deandre Ayton countered with a hook shot on the other end. Leonard then went on a personal 5-0 scoring run, forcing a timeout for the Lakers. The Lakers only made one of their first seven shot attempts.
Leonard was now at 24 points for the game.
The Lakers were struggling with poor energy and effort until they suddenly found some life. They scored five straight points, but they were still down by double figures. After a Clippers timeout, Luka converted on a midrange jumper.
The Lakers continued to build on the momentum they had conjured up by defending and scoring. They ended the third on a 19-7 scoring run for a deficit of 14 going into the fourth period.
LA finally got something going late in the 3rd Q, rallying behind Luka Doncić – 26 points, 8 boards, 7 assists – to get within 14 after trailing by as much as a 26 earlier in the period.
Hachimura opened the final frame with a 3-pointer for the Lakers. Jordan Miller was cooking for the Clips with seven quick points. The Lakers were throwing all their bodies at Leonard, making him battle more for his shots.
It was down to a 10-point game at the 8:45 mark.
Jarred Vanderbilt was providing energy off the bench by doing the dirty work with two assists and three steals. The Lakers had completely taken all the momentum from the Clippers and had now made it a five-point game.
It's a 35-14 extended run now, and the deficit is down to 5 after Smart's and-1.
Luka and Harden exchanged a pair of 3-pointers, making it a fun shootout. It had become a two-point deficit until the Clippers answered back with a 10-0 scoring run.
All the great energy and effort the Lakers had built was an afterthought as they looked drained. As quickly as it looked to all be done, the Lakers came alive once more, scoring eight straight points to cut the deficit to single digits once more.
A three-point play from LeBron made it a three-point game with 1:28 left.
The Clippers then responded again with a 5-0 run, capped off with a John Collins three with 43 seconds left to put the hosts up 110-102 to effectively seal the result.
Key Player Stats
Dončić ended with 32 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. LeBron had 23 points with five rebounds and six assists. LaRavia pitched in with seven points, five rebounds, three steals and four blocks.
Hachimura scored 12 points off the bench. Jaxson Hayes notched six points and two rebounds. Vanderbilt put up seven points with two assists and four steals while finishing with a team-best plus-minus of +16. Marcus Smart had 10 points with four assists and two steals.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday at 5:30 PM PT.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Anthony Mantha scored twice, Sidney Crosby made it three in an early 37-second span and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Thursday night.
The 37-second spree was the fastest three goals in Penguins history and the fastest three allowed by the Oilers.
The Penguins scored on three of their first four shots. Just 2:20 in, Justin Brazeau made a nifty pass through a defender’s legs to Mantha, who deflected it in. Twenty-two seconds later, Mantha scored on a breakaway. Crosby struck 15 seconds after that, deflecting a pass from the slot into the net.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, Rickard Rakell, and Egor Chinakhov also scored and Arturs Silovs made 30 saves. The Penguins have won three straight and are 10-2-2 in their last 14 to get to 25-14-11.
Jake Walman and Matthew Savoie scored for Edmonton, and Tristan Jarry made 16 saves against his former team. The Oilers have lost two in a row and four of six to fall to 25-19-8.
Connor McDavid was held pointless in consecutive games are the first time this season. The last time he went two games without a point was Feb. 7 and Feb. 22, 2025, a pair of matches broken up by the 4 Nations Face-Off.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored six of his 36 points in overtime, Joel Embiid had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Houston Rockets 128-122 on Thursday night.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 points for the 76ers, who evened their home record at 12-12. Paul George returned to the lineup for Philadelphia after missing two straight games due to left knee injury management and had 10 points.
Kevin Durant scored 36 points for the Rockets, who had won three in a row. Amen Thompson added 17 for Houston.
The 76ers scored the first five points of the extra session, on George’s 3-pointer and VJ Edgecombe’s follow from close range after he grabbed an offensive rebound, to take control.
Philadelphia had a chance to win it in regulation, but Durant blocked Maxey’s driving layup attempt with 13.2 seconds left. Maxey added 10 assists.
The 76ers opened up a 94-88 lead early in the fourth quarter, but it took 3:23 for Philadelphia to score another point. Reed Sheppard’s third 3-pointer of the quarter put Houston up 105-96 with 6:25 remaining. The 76ers tied it twice late in regulation, the last on Maxey’s layup with 40.1 seconds left.
HORNETS 124, MAGIC 97
ORLANDO (AP) — LaMelo Ball returned to Charlotte’s starting lineup and had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a win over Orlando.
Ball, who a night earlier had one of the worst shooting performances of his career when he came off the bench as part of a plan to manage his minutes, went 6 for 12 from the field and 4 for 8 from 3-point distance against Orlando. In a loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft finished with two points on 1-of-15 shooting, including 0 of 10 from 3-point range.
Brandon Miller scored 20 points to lead Charlotte’s balanced effort. Collin Sexton came off the bench and scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half, Kon Knueppel and Tidjane Salaunadded added 13 apiece, and Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner each scored 10.
Paolo Banchero scored 23 points, and Desmond Bane added 21 for the Magic. Moritz Wagner scored 14, Noah Penda added 13 and Jeff Howard 10.
NUGGETS 107, WIZARDS 97
WASHINGTON (AP) — Peyton Watson scored a career-high 35 points to lead short-handed Denver to a victory over Washington.
Jamal Murray added 24 points for the Nuggets, who avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season. Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points in his return after missing 11 games with a strained calf. Aaron Gordon also scored 16 points.
Nikola Jokic missed his 13th consecutive game for Denver with a hyperextended left knee.
Kyshawn George scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Washington, which lost its eighth in a row. Tre Johnson added 19 points for the Wizards, who dropped 14 consecutive games from late October to early December.
Washington shot a season-worst 38.1% (32 of 84) to sink to 10-33, one game ahead of last-place Indiana in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards never never led after halftime, but pulled into an 83-all tie after Alex Sarr’s free throw early in the fourth quarter.
MAVERICKS 123, WARRIORS 115
DALLAS (AP) — Naji Marshall tied his season highs with 30 points and nine assists, and Dallas beat Golden State, winning a season-best fourth consecutive game while dropping the Warriors to 0-2 since Jimmy Butler’s season-ending knee injury.
Stephen Curry scored 38 points and was 8 of 15 from 3-point range on the night the Warriors’ superstar became the first in NBA history to attempt 10,000 shots from beyond the arc. He’s now 4,222 of 10,007 from deep.
Cooper Flagg had 21 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in 30 minutes when Dallas’ rookie No. 1 pick was supposed to be limited to 20-25 minutes in his second game back since missing a pair with a sprained left ankle.
Max Christie also had 21 points, Brandon Williams scored 19 off the bench and Dwight Powell had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Klay Thompson hit two first-half 3s for six points against his former team.
The Warriors were up one midway through the fourth quarter when Draymond Green was called for a flagrant foul that had him arguing with the officials. Less than a minute later, another foul by Green was reviewed but not called flagrant.
Green argued anyway as he went to the bench after the second foul, and the Mavs continued on an 11-0 run that started after the flagrant foul. Green fouled out with 3:50 remaining.
BULLS 120, TIMBERWOLVES 115
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Coby White scored 22 points, Josh Giddey added 21 off the bench, and Jalen Smith converted two clutch free throws late to lift Chicago to a win over Minnesota.
Chicago overcame a 14-point, first-half deficit and also withstood a 13-0 run from Minnesota in the fourth quarter. White hit a clutch 3-pointer from the corner to keep it a one-point game with 1:06 to play.
After White’s corner 3-pointer, Minnesota committed a pair of costly turnovers in the final minute. Jaden McDaniels lost the ball out of bounds for Minnesota, and Chicago’s Tre Jones made a layup at the other end with 31.1 seconds to play. Smith then converted at the line with 11 seconds remaining, and Minnesota failed to hit a shot in its next possession.
Julius Randle, who was on the injury report with left foot soreness, had a team-high 30 points for Minnesota, but also committed a late turnover. Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid each added 20 points, and McDaniels scored 16 in the loss.
After White was whistled for a travel with 2:08 to play, both teams traded baskets in the ensuing possessions. Edwards hit a shot in the lane and Smith responded with a dunk. McDaniels then converted a corner 3-pointer to put Minnesota up 115-111. But that ended up being the last points scored by the Timberwolves. Chicago went on a 9-0 run in the final 1:06.
The loss was a season-high fourth in a row for Minnesota. Chicago has won three straight.
SPURS 126, JAZZ 109
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 31 points, Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 13 rebounds and San Antonio defeated Utah.
Fox shot 10 of 13 from the field with six 3-pointers. Wembanyama — along with five blocks — shot 9 of 14 with four 3s one game after a 5-of-21 performance in a loss to Houston.
Keldon Johnson added 21 points and Stephon Castle had 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Spurs won their fourth game in their last five.
Utah’s Jusuf Nurkic had 17 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his second triple-double in as many games, and third of his career. The Jazz went more than 15 seasons (2008-24) without a single triple-double until the consecutive performances by Nurkic.
The center became the first Jazz player to have back-to-back triple doubles since Pete Maravich in January 1975.
Most of Nurkic’s 14 career-high assists came on back-door passes from the high post and resulted in dunks and layups for his teammates — but they didn’t do enough on the defensive end.
Ace Bailey scored a career-high 25 points and Keyonte George had 23, but none in the fourth quarter as the Spurs finished on a 27-10 spurt and handed the Jazz their fifth loss in the last six games.
The Mavericks took care of business tonight in what was probably their most impressive win and offensive performance without Anthony Davis this season, beating the Golden State Warriors 123-115 in Dallas.
The Mavericks won behind an absurd performance from Naji Marshall, who scored 3o points on 10-for-12 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds and nine assists. Cooper Flagg also had another impressive night with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. It was a full-team effort, with six players finishing in double digits. The Warriors tried to keep up behind another all-world performance from Steph Curry, who finished with 38 points on eight made threes and 14-for-27 overall from the field. Without Jimmy Butler, Curry’s supporting cast did very little to help. DeAnthony Melton had 21, but no other player had more than 12 on Golden State.
Let’s get to the numbers.
+22: Mavericks’ rebounding differential.
The rebounding gap told the entire story of this game. Dallas finished with 65 total rebounds to Golden State’s 44, including 11 offensive boards that turned into 24 second-chance points, while the Warriors managed just four offensive rebounds and five second-chance points. That difference showed up all night in the play-by-play: every Curry jumper that missed became a Mavericks reset, and every Dallas miss was followed by a put-back, a kick-out three, or another possession entirely. It’s why Golden State could never turn its shooting runs into real momentum, and why Dallas kept scoring even when shots didn’t fall.
This wasn’t just winning the glass; it was owning the game’s economy, creating nearly five times as many second-chance points, and suffocating Golden State’s ability to play on even ground.
56: Mavericks paint points
Dallas didn’t just beat Golden State with shooting, they bludgeoned them at the rim, piling up 56 points in the paint as the Warriors’ point-of-attack defense completely collapsed, especially in the fourth quarter. Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams walked into the lane possession after possession, finishing through contact or drawing fouls while Golden State’s help defense arrived late or not at all. Even with 21 Dallas turnovers, it barely mattered because the Warriors couldn’t stop anything once the Mavericks got downhill, allowing drives, cuts, and dump-offs to turn into automatic points.
When a team gives up that kind of interior access late in a close game, no amount of ball pressure or perimeter shooting can save them, and that’s how Dallas turned a tight contest into a controlled finish.
-24: Caleb Martin’s plus/,inus
Caleb Martin finished -24 in just 19 minutes in his fourth start of the season, a hilarious number in a game the Mavericks otherwise controlled from start to finish. Even as Dallas dominated the paint, the glass, and the possession battle, the lineups featuring Martin were the rare stretches where Golden State was able to breathe, generating quick scores before the Mavericks could reset. It wasn’t about one blown coverage or missed shot, but how his minutes coincided with the Warriors’ only real offensive pockets, when Dallas’ spacing tightened and stops didn’t turn into transition. In a night defined by control and physicality from the Mavericks, Martin’s plus-minus stood out as the lone statistical red flag.
21: Cooper Flagg points
Cooper Flagg quietly put together one of his more complete offensive nights, finishing with 21 points while looking far more under control than he has in recent games. Instead of forcing his way into traffic, Flagg picked his spots, attacking the rim when lanes were there and sliding into open space off the ball for easy finishes when the defense collapsed. Flagg also showed off his versatility, scoring on cuts, straight-line drives, and quick finishes, rather than the rushed pull-ups that have stalled his efficiency at times this season.
In a game where Dallas was winning through pace and interior pressure, Flagg fit seamlessly into that rhythm, playing within the flow and turning good spacing into efficient production.
On a freezing cold Thursday night in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Timberwolves desperately needed a win. They had lost their previous three games and had fallen to seventh place in the Western Conference. They were unable to get it as they were taken down by the middling Chicago Bulls 120-115.
Just like the previous game against the Utah Jazz, the Wolves got out to a great start. They took a 14-point lead a little more than eight minutes into the game on the back of hounding defense. Minnesota forced misses on 10 of the first 12 Chicago shots, allowing them to get easy baskets on the other end of the court.
As the game went on, though, that defensive intensity went away. The largest indicator for this was the Wolves’ inability to avoid fouling. So often, the Wolves were not in the correct position to defend their man. Instead of moving their feet to defend properly, they either committed blocking fouls or reached in and made contact with a Bulls player’s arms.
In the second quarter, the Bulls were in the bonus with 8:48 left. In the third quarter, they were in the bonus with 6:56 remaining. Overall, Minnesota committed 27 fouls (plus a Naz Reid technical foul), which led to 33 Chicago free throws.
“Our inability to contain drives right now is really hurting us,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said about his team’s defesive performance. “Kind of over helping in places that we didn’t want to over help in, and a readiness to contain the next drive.”
The Wolves trailed by three points heading into the fourth quarter, and as they have so often this season, they came storming back. Midway through the fourth quarter, the defense finally started to get some stops, and the offense found a rhythm as a Naz Reid dunk gave them a six-point lead with five minutes left.
The Wolves were unable to put the game away from that point, as they missed their next four shots, allowing the Bulls to cut the lead to one. The Wolves stopped the bleeding there, though, after an Anthony Edwards floater and a 3-pointer from Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves found themselves up four with a minute and a half left.
That is when the game came crumbling down for the Wolves, as Edwards fell asleep guarding his man in the corner. Coby White drilled the 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Minnesota lead to just one.
“Josh Giddey made a good pass,” Edwards said about the play. “I wasn’t expecting that pass. So my reaction was like Bones [Hyland] said I was stuck in quicksand when he caught the ball. It felt like it. So, I couldn’t really get a contest. I know I’mma get cussed out about that one.”
The Wolves followed that up with turnovers on their next two possessions, allowing Tre Jones to streak to the rim off an inbounds pass to give Chicago a one-point lead. With the game on the line, on the next possession, Ant used up most of the shot clock and threw up a heavily contested three that came nowhere close to going in.
That would be as close as the Wolves would come to winning the game, as a pair of Jalen Smith free throws and an Edwards on a game-tying 3-pointer, the game was out of reach.
Edwards finished with just 20 points, struggling to find his shot as he finished the game 9-25 from the field. Julius Randle led the Wolves in scoring with 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Naz scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, but aside from him, the Wolves’ bench scored eight points on 3-14 shooting.
The loss was the Wolves’ fourth straight. The first two against the Houston Rockets without Edwards, and against the San Antonio Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back, were understandable. These last two versus the Jazz and Bulls, on the other hand, do not come with nearly the same benefit of the doubt.
“We know what we have to do to be better in that department,” Julius Randle said about the team’s energy. “It’s a long season. There’s going to be ups and downs. A week ago we could’ve looked like the best team in basketball and this week we can look like the worst. We just gotta find a way to find a consistency.”
There is still plenty of season left, but this recent stretch may have cost the Wolves a top seed in the Western Conference, and they are now fighting to just stay out of the Play-In Tournament.
The Wolves did this all a season ago. They struggled for most of the regular season, but turned in on late and made the Western Conference Finals after finishing as the sixth seed. They still have the ability to go on a similar run, but maybe that is what is holding this team back. It doesn’t seem like the Wolves feel the urgency in fighting for a top seed because last year proved they don’t need it. At least that’s what it feels like they think.
Up Next
With the local temperatures set to dip below negative ten over the weekend, the Timberwolves stay home for a pair of games against the Golden State Warriors. The first is a Saturday matinee at 4:30 PM CT at Target Center. Wolves fans can watch the game on ABC.
After blowing a 16-point lead and completely falling apart in Houston likely left the Spurs with a bad taste in their mouths for the last 48 hours ago, they made sure it didn’t happen again against the Utah Jazz tonight, although they still made everyone sweat a little first. After the Spurs got ahead by as much as 15 in the first half, the Jazz came all the way back in the third quarter. Things were still tied several minutes into the fourth, but Utah could never gain the lead, and the Spurs finally turned things back on in the final seven minutes to but the young but pesky Jazz away, 126-109.
De’Aaron Fox led five Spurs in double figures with 31 points on 6-9 from three, Victor Wembanyama had 26 points with four threes, and Keldon Johnson scored 21 off the bench. For the Jazz, Ace Bailey had on of his best games of his young career with 25 points while continuously slicing through the Spurs defense, and Jusuf Nurkic had a 17-11-14 triple-double.
Observations
Recent events have conditioned me to not get excited when the Spurs are hot from three, but they did it again tonight, hitting 5 of their first 6, with two from Julian Champagnie and Fox and one from Wemby. Of course, they then went 2-8 for the rest of the first quarter, although a third from Champagnie helped them tie things back up a 31 apiece after they had gone cold when the bench came in and gave up a 7-point lead.
Jordan McLaughlin got some minutes to start the second quarter for unclear reasons other than Mitch Johnson either wanted to make a point or find a spark after the slow end to the first quarter, but whatever the reason, they got the memo and came out with much more energy and aggressiveness, building the lead up to 15 with him on the floor. He recorded three rebounds, two assists and a steal and is just one of those players who doesn’t make mistakes and does the little things that can help steady the ship.
Luke Kornet joins Devin Vassell with adductor tightness, and the Spurs missed him badly. Kelly Olynyk got the back-up center minutes in the first half, and while he didn’t do much, good or bad, he was a net negative for a reason. It seemed like everything bogged down every time Wemby left the floor. Jeremy Sochan, who was questionable with an illness, got the back-up center minutes in the second half, and unsurprisingly the energy level and feistiness was higher.
It’s not a Spurs game without a blown double-digit lead. In a reverse from the first half, this time it was the starters that gave up the entirety of what was once a 15-point lead, and the bench unit that did the stabilizing. They never allowed the Jazz to take the lead and even got it back up to 8 before a Kyle Filipowski three before the third quarter buzzer got it down to five. Overall, the Spurs were outscored 39-32, so it was definitely a turd quarter on defense, but credit to the bench for getting the offense going again and preventing it from being a full-blown turn quarter.
Similar to their loss in Houston, the Spurs opened the fourth quarter by carelessly jacking up threes, missing their first five before Wemby finally got one to fall. Fortunately for them, while the Jazz again tied things back, unlike Houston, they couldn’t hit any shots that would have given them the lead before the Spurs got their act back together and pulled back up by 10 with 7 minutes left. Fox and Wemby then traded haymakers to put the Jazz away. Overall, they finished on a 22-9 run after that Wemby three.
Stephon Castle’s shots continue to be short. I wonder how much that thumb is bugging him, especially after he re-aggravated it in Houston. Still, other than shooting 4-12, he had a solid night by getting to the line for 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and just 1 turnover.
Random thought that jumps in my head every time three seconds is called, offensive or defensive: I get why the rule exists, but it’s dumb because it’s almost never called more than once a game, sometimes not at all, but it probably happens on at least 25% of possessions. It just feels like something that is called when the refs feel like they need to remind everyone that it exists. It’s like they need to meet an allotment by calling it every so often.
Wild stat that was revealed during the game: Wemby is the Spurs’ franchise leader in three-pointers made per game at 2.2. That shocks me. I know it’s a small sample size, and there have certainly been players that averaged more makes than that in a single season, but it’s so hard to imagine that shooting specialists like Bruce Bowen, Danny Green, Patty Mills, etc. didn’t average more across their Spurs careers. I guess it’s just a combination of the rise in attempts since their playing days, not being in the main rotation the entire career meant small appearances hurt their career averages, etc.
One look at the injury report, and it was clear that the Utah Jazz were welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio into the Delta Center for a 48-minute formality. We can do the whole song and dance, or you can kindly take your victory and go.
Jazz Injury Report:
OUT – Elijah Harkless (G League – Two-Way)
OUT – Walker Kessler (left shoulder; injury recovery)
OUT – Lauri Markkanen (return to competition reconditioning)
OUT – Georges Niang (left foot; fourth metatarsal stress reaction)
No Lauri Markkanen, as he is still absent with the bubonic plague, or polio, or smallpox, or whatever illness has kept him sidelined for the past chunk of games. Cody Williams and Svi Mykhailiuk were officially in the starting lineup for this one, but with Keyonte George fresh off a 43-point season-high, and Jusuf Nurkic having just posted a triple-double in the same century win for head coach Will Hardy.
But that was the only win Utah had picked up without the Finnisher to that point in the season, and it took all-world performances from George, Nurkic, and a 15-point fourth quarter comeback. Still, with all the confidence of a wild west gunslinger standing 20 paces from Fingerless Floyd at high noon, Keyonte George is enjoying the type of season where he can seemingly beat anybody when he’s on his game.
Keyonte George is often on his game these days.
So, it’s sort of challenging to define expectations for the Utah Jazz as the 2nd-best team in the West, San Antonio, entered the Salt Lake Valley with their full lineup of Fox, Castle, Harper, and some French fellow named Victor all available. The Spurs are both young and legitimate threats for the title this year — well ahead of schedule and joining Oklahoma City as the youthful leaders of the Western Conference, with a disturbingly wide window for contention.
Utah’s situation is… different. It’s been a slow burn, but the youth of Utah are beginning to find solid ground. George and Sensabaugh, especially, are giving observers reason to believe in their upside. Those players are in their third seasons — the fifth pick in the 2025 draft, however, is really beginning to put it together.
Squaring off against his old Rutgers teammate, Ace Bailey started hot, knocking down his first four shots in the first quarter and tallying 10 points in the opening frame.
Then, in the second half, in the midst of a San Antonio separation act, Cody Williams uncorked the Delta Center with a coast-to-coast yam in rush-hour traffic.
It feels like Cody is good for a pair of dunks per game these days, but that? No, your honor, I cannot identify Cody Williams in that video, but I believe I spotted Giannis Antetokounmpo wearing number 5 in white.
But Cody’s flight was but a gentle distraction as the Spurs pushed their lead to double-digits and entered halftime with a 12-point advantage.
I say this with only the slightest hint of irony: Jusuf Nurkic may actually be the love child of Nikola Jokic and 2016-17 Russell Westbrook. For the second straight game, the Bosnian Beast posted a triple-double. His dominance was so potent that even as the Spurs carried a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter, they sent double-teams on his late-game touches.
If this were the first basketball game someone had ever watched, they might think that Nurkic was the best player on planet Earth. Victor Wembanyama was not enough to neutralize his offensive powers. 17 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Yeesh.
Meanwhile, Ace Bailey messed around and posted yet another career high, notching 25 points just after his previous high. He’s high-flying as always, feasting off a healthy helping of off-ball movement and cuts to the rim, while being more selective with his jump shots.
The Golden State Warriors lost their second game in a row on Thursday night, and unfortunately, it was distinctly different than their Tuesday loss to the Toronto Raptors. In that game, the Warriors played decently — you could even argue they played well — but an outlier shooting performance from the Canadians doomed the Dubs. But on Thursday, the Warriors lost 123-115 to the Dallas Mavericks because they simply didn’t play all that well. Which is, in fairness, the most common way to lose a basketball game.
So let’s grade the group that moved the Dubs to 0-2 in the post-Jimmy Butler III era. As always, grades are based on my expectations of each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Thursday’s games, league average TS was 58.1%.
A pretty solid game for Moody, who continues to shoot very efficiently. In his last six games, Moody is shooting 29-for-48 from the field, including 21-for-37 on threes. I would stop short of calling his defense great, but it’s been reliably good, bordering on very good. This was just a very solid all-around game for Moody.
Santos got to partake in the starting lineup, and that was fun to see. His energy on the glass was necessary to keep the Warriors in the game, though he had some struggles on offense.
I don’t know if it’s a generic slump or if he’s feeling deflated following the Butler news, but Green did not look like Green in this one. He just didn’t appear to be moving at his usual speed, especially with his decision-making. He had some very rough turnovers, and fouled out despite playing less than half the game. His defense wasn’t up to his standard, and the game shifted a bit when he collected a flagrant foul. Just a bad game. No two ways about it.
Podziemski is more of a do-the-little-things player than a go-to scoring option, but sometimes he plays like he should be the secondary scorer. Occasionally that works out well, but often it does not. On Thursday, it did not, as he could not buy a bucket, though he kept trying.
In Podz’s defense, he also played the role of elite playmaker, with a 10-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio that the Warriors will take eight days a week. He really showed off his quarterbacking chops in this game, and also played some really strong defense. Honestly, it was a really good game minus the atrocious shooting. We’ll call it even.
Grade: B Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
This game was the ultimate display of things changing and things staying the same. There was Steph, donning his hero’s cape, just like old times. There was Steph, draining an absurd number of threes, while carrying the team and putting up a gaudy points total, just like old times. And there were the Warriors, losing to a bad team despite his efforts, unlike old times. And there was his running mate Klay Thompson, scoring just six points while coming off the bench for the opposing team, very unlike old times.
Enjoy Steph while he’s still doing it, folks. He’s a treasure, even in an increasingly lost season.
Payton’s minutes weren’t as bad as his plus/minus would suggest, but they weren’t particularly good, either. He’s been doing some good things on offense lately, but not so much in this game, and his defense wasn’t very impactful.
Grade: C– Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Something I’ve been wondering lately: if the Warriors season fully falls apart post-Butler, and they completely turn their attention to the 2026-27 season, will Richard get a bigger role? It might be worth playing him 30 minutes a night and seeing what happens.
Anyway, his offense has really disappeared since his hot rookie start, but his defense was utterly blissful in this game. He was so active, and seemed to deflect everything. That will get you minutes on a Steve Kerr team.
I know Kerr loves having Melton lead the second unit, but I think it’s time to start him, assuming he’s enough recovered from his ACL injury that he can play 30 minutes a night (which, admittedly, may not be the case). Kerr can still stagger Melton and Curry’s minutes enough so that one is always on the court, but you might as well start with your best players. And this game was yet another data point supporting the increasingly obvious: with Butler out, Melton is the team’s second-best player.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
If the Warriors could just build the entire team out of Curry, Melton, and Horford, they’d be in pretty darn good shape. Those guys are good. Everyone else? TBD.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Kuminga’s game was a mixed bag. He entered in the first quarter and immediately set to work, quickly recording two dynamic and-ones that were a strong reminder as to how gifted he is offensively. He gave great effort on the glass and played tremendous defense. The Warriors were so much better when he was on the court.
And then he got hurt in the second quarter, appeared to injure his ankle, and was ruled out for the rest of the game with knee soreness. He’s scheduled for an MRI, and we all nervously await the results.
Post was not only removed from the starting lineup for this game, but nearly removed from the rotation entirely. He’s been struggling lately, and this game was no exception.
Grade: C-
Thursday’s DNP-CDs: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Pat Spencer
Thursday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Malevy Leons
The relationship may be “fractured beyond repair,” but the professionalism has clearly been maintained.
At the 3:48 mark of the first quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Amazon Prime broadcast cut toward Steve Kerr calling a play for Jonathan Kuminga, called “Thumb up.” Simply put, the play is a high pick-and-roll for the ball handler, with the name Kerr calls out playing the role of the screener. In this instance, Kerr calling out “Thumb up JK” means that he wants Kuminga to set the screen for Brandin Podziemski, with everyone else spreading the floor to create as much room as possible for the two-man action.
Warriors┃ "Thumb up"
Kerr calls for "Thumb up" for JK. It's his playcall for a high PnR, with the name he calls out being the ball screener.
The lack of weak-side help in the form of “tagging” is apparent, with Will Richard making himself a threat to catch a potential kick-out. Kuminga gets all the way to the rim after Podziemski dishes him the pocket pass, and is fouled in the process of making the layup.
While Kuminga played nine minutes and 28 seconds on the floor due to suffering what was deemed as a left ankle sprain and left knee soreness, the limited minutes he played turned out to be highly impactful. The Warriors outscored the Mavericks by a total of 18 points, with an offensive rating of 130.4 and a defensive rating of 54.5 that combined for a net rating figure of plus-75.9.
With Butler out of the rotation for obvious reasons, Kerr inserted Kuminga into the role that Butler played: that of an advantage creator in isolation and pick-and-roll whose ability to pick at mismatches allowed the Warriors to create efficient offense off of a defense being placed on a blender due to the initial advantage.
Inverted PnR for JK gets him the mismatch on Nembhard. Horford's relocation creates the rotation situation, Dubs move the ball around and Melton attacks the closeout for the layup. pic.twitter.com/EHKxaPGycw
Kuminga may very well never replicate the kind of consistent all-around play that Butler was able to provide for the Warriors. But left with no choice in terms of which secondary scorer and advantage creator to pair with Steph Curry, Kerr deemed it necessary to reintroduce the embattled Kuminga into the rotation. Not only has Kuminga played two consecutive games of positive hoops — he has somewhat increased his value to the team, and by extension, his value to potential suitors who may be looking for a player profile that Kuminga fits.
That was probably the driving reason behind Kuminga being sidelined after tweaking his ankle and knee, an effort to maintain his health and fitness to prevent the sudden drop in value that a more serious injury would’ve brought. Kuminga reportedly receiving an MRI could be cause for concern, but in all likelihood it may be a precaution to rule out a more serious injury. But all indications have pointed toward Kuminga’s injury not being especially debilitating.
However, while Kuminga may continue this stretch of inspired play, it remains paramount that the Warriors move his contract, if only to resolve a situation that has outlived its welcome. Kuminga and the Warriors aren’t a fit long-term — that much is clear. For all parties to move on, the separation must be finalized.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart beat Connor Hellebuyck in a shootout to help give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Winnipeg shooters Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele came up empty against Daniil Tarasov in the tiebreaker.
Sam Bennett scored in regulation, and Tarasov stopped 17 shots for two-time defending champion Florida. Matthew Tkachuk had an assist for his first point of the season in his second game back from adductor muscle surgery.
The Panthers are 4-2-0 in their last six to improve to 26-20-3.
Cole Perfetti scored for Winnipeg, and Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots. The Jets are 5-1-2 in their last eight to get to 20-23-7.
Bennett scored his 18th of the season with a one-timer with 1:11 left in the second. Perfetti tied it at 5:24 of the third.
