Category: NBA

SAN FRANCISCO — When the Celtics face the Warriors on Wednesday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis could both face the Celtics for the very first time since their respective tenures in Boston ended last summer.

Porzingis is questionable to play against the Celtics as he continues to deal with a left Achilles tendon injury, while Horford is good to go.

How Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis have fared this season

Al Horford signed a two-year contract with the Warriors in free agency, while Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a cost-cutting move.

Now, both Celtics champions will lace up against their former squad.

Both players have had somewhat underwhelming years by their own standards.

Horford is averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game, while shooting 42.9% from the field and 33.8% from three. He dealt with sciatica early in the season, ultimately appearing in just 34 of the Warriors’ 55 games.

Porzingis has yet to make his Warriors debut, but he averaged 17.1 points in 17 games for the Atlanta Hawks. Porzingis was traded to the Warriors ahead of the trade deadline after an injury-riddled first-half of the season. While the Celtics and Hawks faced off twice before the trade deadline, Porzingis did not lace up for either game.

While Porzingis is questionable to play, it seems likely he’ll be suiting up. At the Warriors’ practice on Wednesday, Porzingis indicated he’s likely to make his Warriors debut on Thursday against his former squad, per the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.

“It’s gonna be weird, especially the first game back against Boston,” Porzingis said, per Washburn. “It’s gonna be cool, seeing all the guys again.”

Horford, meanwhile, is not on the injury report for the Warriors and thus should be good to go.

Both the Celtics, Warriors are missing key stars

For the Warriors, Jimmy Butler is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, while Seth Curry (left sciatic nerve irritation) and Steph Curry (right patellofemoral pain) are also both out.

For the Celtics, the only player on the injury report is Jayson Tatum, who has yet to play this season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Tatum’s potential return continues to loom, but he said last week he has yet to make a decision about lacing up this season.

The Warriors (29-26) currently hold the Western Conference’s 8th-best record, while the Celtics (35-19) have the East’s second-best record.

This one is about pride.

After his team was shellacked by the conference-leading Pistons in their two previous matchups — including a beatdown less than two weeks ago — Knicks coach Mike Brown hopes his players are fired up for Thursday’s rematch at MSG.

“Yeah, it should [mean something more],” Brown said. “They didn’t just win the game, they beat us pretty bad. So for us, and I don’t like to say that this game is more important than the next game — every game is extremely important — but there comes a certain point when you’re in competition.

“If the wins and losses are as lopsided as those two losses, that should shake you up a little bit.”

The Knicks (35-20) lost their two games against the Pistons (40-13) this season by a combined 69 points. In their Feb. 6 defeat, they shot just 35.8 percent and scored just 80 points, a season low.

It was domination, and Brown believes competitiveness should kick in for Thursday. Still, the coach reiterated that the regular-season result won’t give any indication about playoff success against the Pistons.

“At the end of the day, if we win tomorrow or win the next two games — or how many games we play them — that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that we’re going to beat them come playoff time — or vice versa,” Brown said. “I’m a firm believer in that. I’ve been around this thing too long to see — some teams go 0-4 in the regular season and still win the series. … That part doesn’t matter. It’s just about how the first two games turned out for us [and having pride in reversing that].”

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The Pistons will be without bruising centers Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, who are suspended for their roles in a brawl last week against the Hornets.

Duren was suspended just two games, with Thursday being the second. Stewart, a repeat offender who left the team bench to confront Charlotte’s Moussa Diabaté, was suspended seven games.

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OG Anunoby, a man of few words, described in short but queasy detail the toenail removal that kept him out of four games before the All-Star break.

“It’s a lot of pain,” he said. “Once it’s removed it’s an open wound. Like it’s just flesh and raw, bloody.”

Officially, Anunoby is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game against the Pistons, but he’s expected to play after going through a full practice Wednesday.

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The 28-year-old said he didn’t know what led to the toenail problem or when it will grow back.

“I have no toenail,” he said. “I don’t know when, but it’s getting better every day. It feels better.”

The Knicks went 2-2 without Anunoby, including the ugly defeat in Detroit on Feb. 6. Against the Pistons, Anunoby is typically charged with defending Cade Cunningham.

“At that size and his skill set, you always miss that when he’s out,” Brown said. “It’s good to see him on the floor, for sure.”

Jeremy Sochan arrived with his hair dyed Knicks colors and excited to move on from his ugly ending in San Antonio. 

“Just no real opportunity, in my opinion,” Sochan said of this campaign with the Spurs before he was waived last week and signed with the Knicks. “And it is what it is. It’s a very deep team. And maybe I didn’t see eye to eye with Coach, and Coach didn’t see anything I could do for the team. 

“And it is what it is. And I’m just blessed to be in an opportunity where I can grow and blossom.”

Sochan’s availability in the buyout market would’ve been a shocker before this season, when he was coming off three campaigns of averaging more than 25 minutes and a spot on the 2023 first-team All-Rookie squad. 

But Sochan never jibed with head coach Mitch Johnson, who replaced Gregg Popovich. He was racking up regular DNPs before the All-Star break. A big hindrance to Sochan’s playing time, according to people familiar with the situation, was the 22-year-old’s poor jump shooting.

His career efficiency from deep is under 30 percent. Sochan’s defense, which had previously facilitated a large role, was uninspiring this season in limited action. 

“It’s tough. In my whole career even looking past the NBA I’ve never really been sitting on the bench and getting DNPs. So you go through a process of questioning why or what’s happening,” Sochan said. “It can get stressful. But at the end of the day, I’m from England, where basketball is not big. So I know my worth. I know what I can bring to the team, and I’m blessed that the organization here [in New York] has seen that. And I’m super excited to get a fresh slate and show what I can do.”

The Knicks were interested in Sochan at the trade deadline, according to sources, but the Spurs had no interest in their offer of Guerschon Yabusele.

So the Knicks pounced when Sochan hit the market. 

The plan is to give Sochan a chance as the backup power forward, with coach Mike Brown saying Wednesday that he wants to test the new player before the playoffs. Sochan — who often dyes his hair and settled on orange and blue before his Knicks debut — is getting a fresh start on a bigger stage.

“Very excited. The culture here, at the Knicks and New York in general, is crazy and very global. And I feel like I’m global, too,” said Sochan, who was born in Oklahoma to a Polish mother and grew up in England. “So I’m just super excited to be here and just grow with this city and the club.”

The Warriors are ready to ramp up for the stretch run, but in their first game after the NBA All-Star break, the team will be without one of its stars — but reportedly will have its new acquisition — when it plays Thursday against the visiting Celtics.

Steph Curry, who became the oldest point guard to be voted as a starter in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday at age 37, won’t see the court after he returned to the team’s facility Wednesday night and told the training staff his “runner’s knee” prevented him from participating in a live scrimmage.

“Just wasn’t where he needed to be,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters in San Francisco. “It’s unfortunate. We’ll have an update tomorrow after he goes through his time with the training staff.”

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Curry might undergo another MRI after consulting with Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ lead medical decision-maker. If he doesn’t play, it would be Curry’s sixth consecutive game on the sidelines.

Kristaps Porzingis, the Warriors’ high-profile addition who was acquired in a trade with the Hawks ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline, is expected to play Thursday against the Celtics. He was officially listed as questionable but told reporters he is “ready to go.”

Porzingis, 30, who was traded for guard Buddy Hield and forward Jonathan Kuminga, averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.29 blocks in 24.3 minutes over 17 games (12 starts) this season with the Hawks.

Porzingis likely will come off the bench in his debut and play in short bursts and have relatively limited minutes, Kerr said.

Darius Acuff Jr. turned in one of the best performances of the 2025-26 college basketball season — and in Arkansas men's basketball history.

However, that was not enough for Razorbacks, who lost 117-115 to Alabama in double overtime at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out on NCAA Tournament bubble

Acuff scored 49 points on 16-of-27 shooting from the field for the Razorbacks, marking the second-most points scored in a game this season. Only Radford's Dennis Parker Jr., who scored 53 points on a 19-of-24 shooting performance on Dec. 14, 2025, against Coppin State, has topped Acuff's single-game scoring output this season.

The points are the most by an Arkansas player in SEC play.

Acuff, who played all 50 minutes in the game, scored 22 points in the first half for Arkansas. He then followed it up with 19 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime with 11 seconds left in regulation. He scored eight more points in the second overtime period, including three free throws to give the Razorbacks a 113-112 lead with 1:31 left in the game.

Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard also scored 46 points in a 91-85 win for the Bulldogs over Auburn on Feb. 18.

Here's a look at Acuff's full stats against Alabama on Wednesday:

Darius Acuff Jr. points today

Here's Acuff's full stat line from Wednesday's double overtime loss to the Crimson Tide:

• Points: 49
• Shooting: 16-for-27 (59.3%)
• 3-point shooting: 6-for-10 (60%)
• Free throw shooting: 11-for-12 (91.6%)
• Rebounds: 5
• Assists: 5
• Steals: 1
• Blocks: 1
• Turnovers: 1

Highest scorers NCAA in 2025-26 basketball season

Here's a look at the top 10 scoring performances in the NCAA during the 2025-26 college basketball season.

• 1. Dennis Parker Jr., Radford: 53 points (Dec. 14, 2025)
• 2. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas: 49 points (Feb. 18)
• T-3. Dominique Daniels, Jr., California Baptist: 47 points (Jan. 24)
• T-3. Javontae Campbell, Bowling Green: 47 points (Jan. 3)
• T-3. Paul McNeil, NC State: 47 points (Dec. 17, 2025)
• T-6. Josh Hubbard, Arkansas: 46 points (Feb. 18)
• T-6. Dontae Horne, Prairie View A&M: 46 points (Feb. 14)
• T-6. Keaton Wagler, Illinois: 46 points (Jan. 24)
• 9. Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville: 45 points (Feb. 9)
• 10. Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana: 44 points (Dec. 9, 2025)
• T-11. A.J. Dybantsa, BYU: 43 points (Jan. 24)
• T-11. David Coit, Maryland: 43 points (Jan. 18)
• T-11. Michael Eley, Hampton: 43 points (Jan. 8)

Most points scored in an Arkansas game

Acuff made history on Feb. 18 with not only the highest scoring output of any Arkansas freshman ever, but also the second-most points in a single game in Razorbacks history.

According to Arkansas' record book, Acuff's 49-point outburst trails only Rotnei Clark's 51-point performance vs. Alcorn State on Nov. 13, 2009. His 49 points are also the most by an SEC player since Clark's 51-point game, according to the SEC basketball media guide.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Darius Acuff Jr. points today: How Arkansas star fared in loss to Alabama

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Nick Martinelli scored 29 points to lead Northwestern to a 78-74 victory over Maryland on Wednesday night to end a five-game losing streak.

Northwestern (11-16, 3-13 Big Ten) led 35-34 at halftime and took control midway through the second half with a 16-3 run fueled by four 3-pointers from Jordan Clayton and Jake West. The surge turned a 50-44 deficit into a double-digit lead and gave the Wildcats control for the final 12 minutes.

Maryland (10-16, 3-12) stayed within striking distance behind Andre Mills, who scored 22 points in the first half and finished with a career-high 39. The Terrapins cut the deficit to three when Mills hit a 3-pointer with one second remaining, but Northwestern sealed the win with a free throw on the ensuing possession.

Clayton added a career-high 20 points for Northwestern on a career-best 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Angelo Ciaravino scored 16 points and the Wildcats made 12 of 21 from beyond the arc while assisting on 20 field goals.

Martinelli moved into eighth place on Northwestern’s career scoring list in the first half, surpassing 1,588 career points.

Solomon Washington added 14 rebounds and 11 points for Maryland, which held a 36-24 rebounding advantage but committed 15 turnovers.

The game marked another close finish for Northwestern, which has played 26 games decided by two possessions or fewer since the start of last season, tied for the most among major conference programs.

Up Next

Maryland: hosts Washington on Saturday.

Northwestern: at Indiana on Tuesday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

All Times EST

Thursday, Feb. 19

NBA

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Brooklyn at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Houston at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Indiana at Washington, 7 p.m.

Detroit at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Toronto at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Boston at Golden State, 10 p.m.

Orlando at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

Denver at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

T25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 2 UCLA vs. Washington, 10 p.m.

No. 3 South Carolina at No. 25 Alabama, 8:30 p.m.

No. 4 Texas at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.

No. 7 LSU at Mississippi, 9 p.m.

No. 9 Duke vs. NC State, 7 p.m.

No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 24 Georgia, 6:30 p.m.

No. 13 Iowa at Purdue, 7 p.m.

No. 21 Tennessee vs. Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m.

No. 22 North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss at least two more weeks as he continues his recovery after spraining the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow on Jan. 21.

The Grizzlies announced Wednesday that the two-time All-Star is progressing in his rehabilitation but continues to feel discomfort. The Grizzlies said Morant will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Grizzlies officials also said guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will undergo surgery Thursday to address misalignment of his right pinky finger. A timeline on his recovery will be announced after the procedure.

Morant, 26, has appeared in just 20 games for the Grizzlies this season. He is averaging 19.5 points, 7.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds.

Although Morant’s name came up in plenty of trade rumors over the last month, the Grizzlies kept him at the trade deadline and instead sent two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz.

Caldwell-Pope, 33, has averaged 8.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 51 games.

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

HOUSTON (AP) — Marta Suarez scored 21 points with the help of 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range and No. 12-ranked TCU throttled Houston 72-50 on Wednesday night.

Olivia Miles scored 18 points and reserve Veronica Sheffey 11 for TCU (24-4, 12-3 Big 12), which shot just 39% (26 of 66).

Kyndall Hunter scored 20 points for Houston (7-19, 1-14) which struggled shooting even more than TCU, finishing at 23% (14 of 60) including 13% (2 of 15) from beyond the 3-point line.

TK Pitts grabbed 11 rebounds for Houston.

TCU built an 11-6 lead through the midway the first quarter and never trailed. The Horned Frogs led 19-8 at the end of one and 41-19 at the half. Houston produced its best offensive quarter in the third shooting 6 of 16 but were still outscored 22-18.

The Horned Frogs are trying to become the first program in conference history to win two straight regular season championships within three seasons of finishing in last place.

Houston has lost five straight and 14 of its last 15.

Up Next

TCU: Hosts Iowa State on Sunday.

Houston: Travels to face Arizona State on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Juke Harris scored 20 points to lead five Demon Deacons in double-figure scoring, and Wake Forest jumped out early and cruised past Clemson 85-77 on Wednesday night.

Clemson trailed by as many as 20 points midway through the first half and were down 13 at halftime. The Tigers opened the second half on a 9-1 surge to pull to 46-41 but didn’t get closer.

Sebastian Akins added 16 points for Wake Forest, which shot 55% (28 of 51) overall. Myles Colvin made four 3-pointers and scored all 14 of his points in the first half for the Demon Deacons. Mekhi Mason finished with 13 points and Tre’Von Spillers scored 10.

Wake Forest (14-12, 5-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won three consecutive games since ending a five-game skid. Clemson (20-7, 10-4) has lost three straight.

Jake Wahlin made three 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead Clemson. Carter Welling and Ace Buckner added 13 points apiece.

Wake Forest took the lead for good about two minutes in and used a 22-8 opening run to help build a 45-32 halftime lead. The Demon Deacons had their largest lead, 45-25, with 2:27 left before halftime. Wahlin scored nine first-half points for Clemson.

Wake Forest shot 67% (18 of 27) overall in the first half and made 6 of 12 from long range.

Up next

Clemson hosts Florida State on Saturday.

Wake Forest is on the road Saturday to face Virginia Tech.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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It was a strong first half of the season for the Phoenix Suns. With many prediction outlets and pundits projecting them to be at the bottom of the standings, they won 32 games and sit in 7th in the Western Conference standings, and just three games out of third place. With the team having a surprising year, Suns Owner Mat Ishbia is making sure to call out people and organizations that had low expectations for the team heading into the season.

32 wins for the Suns and all before the All-Star break… think that puts us above your season prediction/bet of under 31.5 wins @BillSimmons! 👀 You guys usually have great content and good stuff… thanks for all you do. But also keep your eye on the Suns, like I told you… we…

— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) February 11, 2026

Always fun to see what the so-called “experts” thought about the Suns before the season. Proud of what we’re building here in Phoenix and we are just getting started! https://t.co/K5vjjuEl56

— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) January 22, 2026

With the eighth hardest strength of schedule remaining, the Suns could have their hands full the rest of the regular season. They play every team ahead of them in the West at least once, and their last game of the season is against the team with the most wins in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have beaten the Suns three out of four times this year already.

The Suns play the Los Angeles Lakers twice down the stretch, two important matchups with a team so close in both conference and divisional standings. The Suns are currently 2-1 in the series this year and need one more win to secure the season victory.

With seeds 3-7 separated by just three games, having the season series win over a divisional opponent could prove to be the difference between being in or out of the Play-In Tournament. For a team like the Lakers that are heavily relying on a 41-year-old LeBron James, those five to six days of rest that come with not being in the play-in could be the difference between going home early or late in the playoffs, on top of the risk of being eliminated in the play-in tournament.

If the Suns are going to avoid the play-in tournament, they’re going to have to play better on the road to finish out the season. While they’re over .500 in their 27 games away from the Mortgage Matchup Center, they have the least amount of wins of any Western Conference team in the top-seven on the road. A major bulk of their road games will come next month, when the Suns have their second six-game road trip of the season. Phoenix has 14 games away and 13 games at home the rest of the way.

One benefit for the Suns is that they are almost the healthiest they’ve been all-year. Dillon Brooks will be out against the San Antonio Spurs coming out of the break due to a suspension for getting his 16th technical foul, but the rest of the team is healthy outside of Grayson Allen, who injured his knee before the All-Star Break. There should be a health update on his injury status soon.

With a tough schedule, a mostly healthy roster and a nearly even split in home and road games the rest of the way, where do you think the Suns will finish in the standings?

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Rashaun Agee had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Zach Clemence and Marcus Hill scored 14 points apiece, and Texas A&M erased a 13-point second-half deficit Wednesday night to beat Mississippi 80-77 and snap a four-game skid.

Ole Miss (11-15, 3-10 SEC), which had lost four in a row by double figures, has now lost eight straight.

Ruben Dominguez had 13 points and five assists for Texas A&M (18-8, 8-5).

AJ Storr scored 16 of his 21 in the second half and Malik Dia — who left the game due to an apparent ankle injury with almost three minutes remaining — had 20 points on 10 of 14 shooting for the Rebels. Ilias Kamardine added 12 points and Patton Pinkins had 11.

Ole Miss took its biggest lead of the game at 63-50 when Dia threw down a dunk with 11:46 left in the game. He followed with another dunk son after to make it a 10-point lead with 7:06 left. Texas A&M closed the game on a 19-6 run and held the Rebels scoreless for the final 3 1/2 minutes. Dominguez sparked the spurt with a 3-pointer, added three free throws and hit another 3. Clemence had six points before Agee scored the last four of the game.

Texas A&M shot 61% (19 of 31) in the second half.

Agee made a driving layup that capped a 10-2 run and gave the Aggies a 78-77 lead — their first since 18-17 — with 1:58 left.

The Rebels had a season-high 23 fast break points and scored 20 points off 13 Texas A&M turnovers.

Up next

Ole Miss: Hosts No. 12 Florida on Saturday.

Texas A&M: Plays Saturday at Oklahoma.

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OG Anunoby’s toenail is still missing, but he’ll be back in the starting lineup.

Jeremy Sochan arrived and, according to coach Mike Brown, “will get an opportunity.”

So who is the odd man out?

It sounds like rookie Mohamed Diawara.

“I’ll play young guys, and I have played young guys in front of vets before,” the Knicks coach said. “But I’m going to give Jeremy an opportunity.”

Diawara, 20, has been a pleasant surprise this season while filling in for injured teammates, flashing two-way potential with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and averaging 20 minutes in the past five games.

He’s shooting 41.3 percent on 3s and coming off a strong performance in a victory over the 76ers, the last game before the Knicks signed Sochan, a 6-foot-8 defensive specialist who plays the same power forward position as Diawara.

Brown explained that Sochan, who is just 22 but in his fourth NBA season, gets the edge because of his experience and since there are just two months to determine his value for the postseason.

Both Diawara and Sochan are free agents in the summer.

“[Sochan] knows the league. The league knows him. He knows the officials and vice versa. So he’s going to get an opportunity,” Brown said. “But at the end of the day, I’m going to play who I think is best for us. Right now Jeremy is new. He hasn’t played for us. So I have to see rather quickly what we have in him before going to the playoffs.”

Still, there are no guarantees of even a short-term sizable role for even Sochan.

With Anunoby returning from a four-game absence for Thursday’s big showdown against the Pistons, the Knicks are fully healthy in the frontcourt.

That means Sochan’s minutes will be squeezed in among those of Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.

Brown will put the puzzle together with an eye on getting the newcomer on the court.

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“I’m not sure how many minutes I’m going to play him, but I plan on trying to use him,” Brown said. “And hopefully we get to a point where he’s versatile enough to play one through five for us.”

Brown’s conversations with Sochan helped push the power forward to sign with the Knicks despite other suitors.

“When you look at Jeremy, you like his size right off the bat,” the coach said. “Especially for a power forward. OG is of that size. But nobody else really is of that size. And you look at the versatility, over the years he’s been able to guard [every position]. So to have that versatility on that end of the floor — it’s huge. Especially if OG is out. We’re a lot smaller if a guy like OG or Josh are both out. And then [Sochan’s] energy, his physicality — all those things that don’t necessarily show up in a stat sheet, in my opinion — would be welcomed by any team, and we were lucky to get him.”

Brown had already removed point guard Tyler Kolek, a 2024 second-round pick, from the rotation to accommodate the arrival of Jose Alvarado.

Sochan’s role seemed less certain after he was cast aside in San Antonio amid shooting struggles and the emergence of a replacement, rookie Carter Bryant.

In New York, Sochan will get a chance to win a role back and a rookie will take a step back.

“We’ve talked a lot and it’s just seizing whatever opportunity I can get,” Sochan said. “And I think one of the reasons I picked New York is it’s a really deep roster, a lot of really talented players. I think it’s a pretty cool opportunity to watch and grow from that too. I think I’m still young, too. So just being around players who have established themselves and have done a lot of stuff in this league is a crazy opportunity for me. … I do believe in myself and I do believe I can do well on the court, too. But I do look at it in the bigger picture. And what’s happening here, I think I can be a part of it.”

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nate Ament matched a career high with 29 points to lead Tennessee to an 89-66 victory over Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

Tennessee (19-7, 9-4 Southeastern Conference) never trailed and held a double-digit lead for most of the second half. The Volunteers have won three straight and seven of their last eight.

Ament shot 9 of 17 from the floor, 8 of 8 from the free-throw line and made three of the Volunteers' five 3-pointers. Felix Okpara made five dunks and finished with 18 points for Tennessee. Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 points and DeWayne Brown II chipped in with 13 points off the bench.

The Volunteers shot 52% (33 of 63) overall and scored 31 points from 15 Oklahoma turnovers.

Nijel Pack made four 3s and scored 20 points to lead Oklahoma (13-13, 3-10), which ended its two-game win streak. Tae Davis added 12 points and Derrion Reid scored 10.

Ament scored 12 points and Gillespie added nine to help Tennessee build a 45-36 halftime lead. Pack and Davis scored eight points apiece in the first half for the Sooners, who shot 52% from the floor and hit 5 of 12 from long range.

Up next

Oklahoma hosts Texas A&M on Saturday.

Tennessee plays at No. 19 Vanderbilt on Saturday.

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LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Reserve Snudda Collins scored 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 20th-ranked Texas Tech waylaid No. 15 Baylor 87-56 on Wednesday night.

Bailey Maupin scored 22 points with the help of 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and Gemma Nunez and Sarengbe Sanogo scored 10 apiece for the Lady Raiders (24-4, 11-4 Big 12).

The Lady Raiders shot 56% (34 of 61) overall.

Taliah Scott and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs each scored 13 for Baylor (22-6, 11-4), which shot 36% (20 of 55).

Texas Tech built a 12-6 lead by the midway point of the first quarter and never trailed. Collins made a 3-pointer and followed with a layup to give Texas Tech a 22-12 lead. Scott ended the quarter with a 3 for Baylor.

A 10-2 run highlighted by a pair of Maupin 3s to start the second quarter pushed the advantage to 32-17 with 7:54 left before halftime. Texas Tech went to the half up 48-28.

Despite missing their first five shots to start the third, Texas Tech ended it converting 5 of 6 and led 67-44 at the end of three.

The win marks Texas Tech's first season sweep over Baylor since the 2003-04 season.

Texas Tech beat Baylor 61-60 in the conference opener for both team on Dec. 21. It ended the Bears' 31-game win streak over the Lady Raiders going back to 2011. That was Tech’s first win in Waco since Feb. 8, 2004.

Wednesday's win was Texas Tech's first in Lubbock over Baylor since Jan. 15, 2006.

Baylor leads the series 56-49.

Up Next

Baylor: Hosts Arizona on Saturday.

Texas Tech: Travels to face Colorado on Saturday.

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