Category: NBA

On Wednesday night, the Brooklyn Nets had a game to win. It was the game to unite both sides of the aisle, whether you believe rooting for your favorite team to lose is a morally corrosive practice that leaves stains on the heart of your fandom or if you believe more in the marriage of fandom and pragmatism.

Not only did they have the Knicks in MSG, but they had a Knicks team with water creeping into their lungs: 7-11 since winning the NBA Cup and entering Wednesday on a 2-9 stretch. If there’s not full-blown panic over in Manhattanites, it’s just around the corner, with beat writers reporting that the team hasn’t fully bought into their roles and advocating for a major shake-up at the trade deadline.

The Nets don’t own the Knicks first-round pick this year — they do in odd-numbered years — but that hardly mattered on Wednesday. Brooklyn has shorted New York’s long-term future, but in the short-term, they had a chance to plunge the Knicks further into disarray on Wednesday. Whether you hate the blue-and-orange or don’t pay them any mind, you can’t deny the hilarity of a 12-29 team handing them their 10th loss in 12 games, right in the middle of a championship-or-bust season.

Anyway, that’s not what happened. The Knicks secured their largest margin of victory in franchise history. Seriously. Here’s a brief list of stuff that happened:

• Landry Shamet shot 6-of-6 from deep
• The Nets shot 10-of-27 in the paint
• Mike Brown challenged a call up by 48
• Mike Brown lost that challenge
• The Nets (with 11 points to spare) scored the fewest points by an NBA team in a game this season
• Thanks to a 5-0 run to close the game, the Nets avoided the worst margin of defeat in franchise history
• Why are you still reading this?

Let’s allot some brief space for Ziaire Williams, the only Net who, by any measure, played well. He (with some help from Day’Ron Sharpe) desperately tried to raise Brooklyn’s energy level in the first half, deflecting pass after pass and applying ball pressure to Jalen Brunson, who was otherwise seeing cones. Williams scored 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting with just a rebound and a steal, but he was the only one who matched New York’s verve.

Every other aspect of these 48 minutes was depressing. Michael Porter Jr. continued his cool-streak with a 4-of-14 performance, Egor Dëmin hit two quick threes before air-balling a floater by a foot, scoring zero points the rest of the way. Nolan Traore had a 0/1/3 line with three turnovers and Danny Wolf got owned by Deuce McBride at the rim. Terance Mann, Jalen Wilson, and Tyrese Martin — all of whom were initially out of the rotation — entered early in the fourth quarter, only for the Nets to go scoreless until the 5:38 mark.

“I felt like the little stuff that we said we wanted to do, we didn’t do,” said Noah Clowney postgame. “Like, we know they’re gonna switch, Josh Hart and OG are gonna switch, things like that. We need to get Brunson in the action because he’s not gonna switch, so there’s our advantage and play off of that. Stuff like that, offensively, we didn’t do it and defensively it was disastrous. We didn’t get back for the first part, they lit our ass up from three, had everything they wanted.

Jordi Fernández fell on the sword postgame: “This was a tough one, but show up the next day and have positive energy and work and get better and go out there and compete. I have to help them better … players are not responsible for it, so I got to make sure that they understand the values that we have and how we want to play, and we’ll work together.”

Drake Powell disagreed, predictably: “Yeah, 100% don’t agree. I think, you know, we’re the ones that are out there playing, making decisions, and I think it’s ultimately on us as a team.”

Maybe rooting for losses and encouraging a tank isn’t about pragmatism. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism. The Brooklyn Nets — scratch that — Nets fans had a rare opportunity on Wednesday to get a win without worrying about a ping-pong ball, to be a true thorn in the Knicks’ side. With that in mind, the second-worst loss in franchise history tastes even more bitter.

Oh well. At least they’re tanking. One year and five days ago, the Brooklyn Nets lost by a franchise-record 59 points to the Los Angeles Clippers, and it hardly mattered. They would soon return home, win six out of seven games, and later make five first-round draft picks who will either become good NBA players or not, regardless of Wednesday’s humiliation ritual.

“This doesn’t stop the plan that we have. It’s just, obviously, a tough experience to go through.” — Jordi Fernández.

Final Score: Brooklyn Nets 120, New York Knicks 66

Milestone Watch

• The 54-point margin of defeat is the second-largest in Nets history, slightly more respectable than the aforementioned 59-point drubbing at the hands of the Clippers last season.
• In each of the last three seasons, Brooklyn has lost a game by 50+ points, starting with the rout that got Jacque Vaughn canned. The Portland Trail Blazers, from 2021-2024, are the only other franchise to accomplish this feat.

MPJ injury update

Gotta love how candid Michael Porter Jr. is with the media. Brooklyn’s leading scorer offered up — unprompted — that he’s been dealing with an MCL sprain since getting tangled up with Wendell Carter Jr. in Brooklyn’s loss to the Orlando Magic. Now, he’s only missed two games since then, and they were both on the front-end of a back-to-back, so he and Jordi Fernández don’t believe it’s anything to worry about.

“He had some discomfort, but he kept playing. He’s played all the way through,” Fernandez said. “We value our players’ health, and if it were something that didn’t allow him to play, we would do whatever it takes to figure that out. But he’s played, so I don’t think I have anything else to say from that.”

Brooklyn has a strong incentive to tank this season, not to mention the trade rumors swirling around Porter Jr. If it was a serious injury, you’d have to believe he wouldn’t be playing through it, but perhaps it’s contributing in some small way to his relative struggles of late. Since the Orlando loss, he’s shooting 42% from the floor and 33% from deep.

Next Up

The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as the 27-16 Boston Celtics, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, come to town. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday evening.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 120, New York Knicks 66 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 120, New York Knicks 66 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Drake Powell PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Noah Clowney PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Knicks get back on track with biggest win in their history, beating Brooklyn by 54 points – AP
• Knicks snap losing streak with historic beatdown of Nets – Reuters
• Knicks destroy Nets in historic laugher to snap four-game losing skid – Jared Schwartz – New York Post
• Michael Porter Jr.’s knee issue isn’t only reason for his Nets production dip as trade deadline looms ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Knicks blitz Nets early, snap four-game skid in historic fashion at Madison Square Garden ($) -C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. playing through minor MCL sprain ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Ziaire Williams’ ‘superpower’ is showing up again for the Nets ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Knicks buy themselves more time in historic win over Nets ($) – Kristian Winfield – New York Daily News
• Josh Hart denies Knicks players-only meeting: ‘Y’all dragging it.’ ($) – Kristian Winfield – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades following Wednesday’s 120-66 loss at the Knicks – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

On Monday, the Knicks (26*-18) were embarrassed by the Dallas Mavericks in their fourth-straight loss. That capped an awful 2-9 stretch that had us reeling. Dropping another one, to the Brooklyn Nets (12-30) no less, would have unleashed madness and mayhem upon the city. Thus, obliged to do their civic duty, New York opened up their biggest can of whup-ass of the season (apparently ever) and pulverized Brooklyn at Madison Square Garden, 120-66.

That, my friends, is a record for New York—the largest margin of victory in team history.

The Knicks finally started a game with fire and desire. It’s been weeks since they played with such intensity of pace and defense. Led by Karl-Anthony Towns, they attacked Brooklyn’s front court relentlessly; of their first 18 points, eight came in the paint and five from the free throw line. By the middle of the frame, they had held the Nets to six points and ripped off 14 unanswered points.

Through the quarter, Jalen Brunson scored 11 points and set the pace for the starting five. New York got nice bench support, too. Mitchell Robinson was a monster, recording four rebounds, three points, a steal, and a block in five minutes, while Landry Shamet made both three-point attempts, then added a steal and an assist. New York shot 67% from the floor, crushed the glass (14–5), and moved the ball well (nine assists). Their rivals tried a diet of long, contested threes and missed 67% of them. When 12 minutes were up, New York sat on a 38-20 lead.

In Q2, the thrashing continued as the home team went up by 27 and never let Brooklyn get within 15. Focused defense forced the Nets into seven first-half turnovers and squandered possessions. Michael Porter, Jr. supplied a three, a layup, and a trip to the line, but that was the extent of an offense that managed just 18 points in the quarter. Robinson returned to the fray for six more minutes of hellraising, while Bridges played an active role on both ends of the court. Completing their best defensive first half of the year, New York entered intermission ahead, 59–38.

Through the half, Brooklyn converted barely a third of their shots, while the Knicks shot 55% overall and 50% from deep. The home team ruled the backboard (outrebounding the Nets 28–16), won the paint 22–14, and had a 14–4 edge in fast-break points. Time and again, they attacked before the Nets could set their defense and looked vastly more engaged than they did on Monday. Brunson led all scorers with 12 points, and Porter had nine for the villains.

Proving their first half energy was no fluke, the ‘Bockers came banging out of the locker room with a 10-6 run to reach 70 points. By the middle of the frame, they’d gone up by 30. A little later, it was 37. Ziaire Williams scored five straight for Brooklyn while the Knicks caught their breath, but our heroes still carried an 88-56 advantage into the final frame.

A 16-0 stretch to start the fourth gave New York a 48-point lead, their largest of not just the night, not just the season, but in franchise history. Some of those points came from Shamet, who made all six of his three-point attempts tonight. Meanwhile, Brooklyn missed their first eight shots of the quarter and, with seven minutes to go, they looked impatient for the buzzer. Tyrese Martin hit a 31-foot three, Day’Ron Sharpe chipped in with two free throws, Terrence Mann scored a layup, and Danny Wolf drained a longball as the clock wound down. That’s it. Those were the only Nets buckets in a fourth quarter that New York won 32-10.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 20 points and five assists. Towns was a force in limited minutes, pouring in 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. Josh Hart delivered one of his most complete all-around games—11 points on a perfect 5-for-5 and nine rebounds—while Mikal Bridges pitched in 11 points and four assists. OG Anunoby didn’t need to score much but finished a +28.

Everybody got the memo! New York’s bench showed up, too. Miles McBride exploded for 14 points, four assists, and a game-best +34. Shamet delivered 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting and scorching from deep. Mitch controlled the paint with seven points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while Mohamed Diawara provided some good minutes, too.

KAT had committed five fouls in each of his last four games. Consider that streak over. And so ends the skid! With tonight’s win, the Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak and avoided a nuclear meltdown. Up next, Professor Miranda will summon his brilliance to the page for you lucky bums. As for New York, they’ll travel to Philadelphia for a matinee on Saturday. Storm’s comin’. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.

The Cleveland Cavaliers gave us all a scare with a 94-87 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Let’s see who won and lost the game.

WINNER – Evan Mobley’s First Half

This was a tale of two halves for Mobley.

Mobley had the highest scoring game of his career last season when he hung 41 points on the Hornets. He didn’t replicate that scoring outburst tonight, mainly because he totally disappeared in the second half, but he had the confidence and demeanor of a player who could get whatever he wanted in the first half.

The first half was the Mobley show. He opened the game with a pair of aggressive drives and had a double-double before the end of the second quarter. This block leading into a spinning dunk tells you everything you need to know. Mobley was everywhere.

Maybe Mobley just needs to play every game in Charlotte? pic.twitter.com/znMFLNSZm8

— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) January 22, 2026

How Mobley scored those points in the first half is important.

Elite NBA players understand where their comfort zones are and how to reach them. The best scorers will relentlessly work to hit their sweet spots. Think of Nikola Jokic with his back to the basket, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting to the mid-range fallaway.

Mobley might not be in the same class offensively as SGA or Jokic. But he’s talented enough to have certain spots on the floor where he can dominate. Space out and get Mobley the ball moving downhill. That’s a blueprint that’s easy enough to follow. When you steer the offense in that direction, all that’s left is for Mobley to seize the opportunity. He did so in the first and second quarters.

And then the second half happened…

LOSER – That Second Half

Do you like turnovers? How about unfocused offense and blown defensive rotations?

The Cavs took everything that worked in the first half and tossed it out the window during the second half. We knew the Hornets would make a run at some point. Every NBA team does. But this game had no business being a nail-biter during the fourth quarter. Not when Cleveland already had the answers to the test.

Mobley had 13 points in the first half. He had just 1 point on two attempts in the second. It’s a trend that’s become all too familiar (and incredibly frustrating).

But it was more than Mobley. The Cavs became a turnover machine in the second half. Careless passes, forced entries. Just a general lack of focus that’s hard to explain when the team had looked totally dialed in for the first 24 minutes. The Cavs finished with 20+ turnovers for the second game in a row.

Again, I want to reiterate the adage, ‘it’s a game of runs’. You will rarely see a team dominate another for 48 full minutes. Especially not in the modern NBA when three-point shooting can swing a game’s momentum in seconds. So, it’s worth keeping this in mind when looking at the big picture, considering Cleveland held onto the win. But I still don’t think the Cavs should be happy about how much ground they conceded in the second half.

And they definitely shouldn’t be happy that Mobley became a non-factor in the third and fourth quarters.

WINNER – Defensive Effort

Alright, now let’s get back to the good stuff.

You might not have guessed this, but Charlotte entered this game with the second-best offense in the NBA over the last two weeks. They’ve been scoring in bunches and pulling off some impressive wins, including efforts against the OKC Thunder and LA Lakers.

That’s what made the first half of this game so impressive for the Cavs, who have been 24th in defensive rating during this same stretch.

Charlotte had 32 points at halftime after scoring only 12 points in the second quarter. They’d eventually find their groove and respond with a stronger second half — cutting the deficit all the way down to four points. But the Cavs had built a big enough cushion to hang on in the end. Charlotte still ended the game with only 87 points, which is a huge win for the Cavaliers’ defense.

Effort and communication are the keys to any good defense. You can’t be very good without either one. The Cavs checked both boxes forthe first half of tonight, playing hard and defending on a string. That wound up being just enough.

WINNER – Larry Nance Jr.

This one will be quick.

Nance played his first meaningful minutes since November after missing multiple weeks with a calf injury, then earning a few DNP-CD’s since being cleared to return. The Cavs have taken a cautious approach with putting him back into the lineup, but it paid off tonight.

This wasn’t a world-beating performance or anything. It was fairly average. But seeing Nance back on the floor, and more importantly, being a somewhat helpful player, was nice to see.

Shout out to Larry.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gift Uchenna had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Kyrah Daniels added 19 points, and Wisconsin defeated No. 24 Nebraska 63-60 on Wednesday night.

Daniels hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 60 with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter and the go-ahead free throw 50 seconds later. After a Nebraska turnover, Uchenna's layup made it 63-60 with 53 seconds left and neither team scored again.

The Cornhuskers led by five points with 3:45 remaining in the game but made only 1 of 7 shots the rest of the way and 2 of their last 12.

Ronnie Porter added 10 points for the Badgers (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten), who improved to 11-1 at home. Destiny Howell, who scored 39 points in a 94-92 double-overtime win over Oregon on Sunday, was in foul trouble for much of the game and did not score.

Eliza Maupin scored 13 points and Britt Prince had 11 for Nebraska (14-5, 3-5).

Uchenna had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the first half and Wisconsin led 38-25 at the break.

After shooting 37% in the first half, Nebraska forced eight turnovers and limited Wisconsin to five shots in the first seven minutes of the third quarter. Nebraska outscored Wisconsin 22-7 in the period and took a 47-45 lead into the fourth quarter.

Up next

Nebraska: at home against Illinois on Saturday

Wisconsin: at Minnesota on Sunday

___

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The Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. 

Here are some takeaways...

- Sure, playing the Nets helps, but the Knicks finally looked like the Knicks again tonight. New York came out much more energized following their players-only meeting and were able to cruise their way to their 13th-consecutive victory over their rebuilding crosstown rivals.

- New York got off to a very efficient start, knocking down six of their first nine shots, and they used a pair of runs (14-0, 14-3) to open a double-digit advantage, which they never looked back from. Jalen Brunson led the way with 11 first-quarter points, but most encouraging, the Knicks held the Nets to just 20 points over the first 12 minutes. 

- The strong play continued into the second quarter, as New York's suffocating defense and hot shooting helped them stretch the lead out past 20 points just a few minutes in. OG Anunoby had a fastbreak slam after Brooklyn's fifth turnover of the game and Karl-Anthony Towns continued his strong start, stretching his total to 10 points. 

Both Towns and Mitchell Robinson did, however, put themselves in early foul trouble after picking up three apiece.

- The Knicks carried a 22-point advantage into the break, and they held the Nets to just 38 points, marking their best defensive half of the season. Brooklyn knocked down just five of their 20 three-point attempts through two quarters, and they didn't have a single player in double figures. 

New York outrebounded the Nets 28-16 and had 14 fastbreak points off of seven turnovers. 

- The Knicks remained in control coming out of the break, as all five of their starters found the bottom of the bucket, and they knocked down six of their first seven shots from the field to begin the half. Mikal Bridges pushed his way into double figures minutes into the third quarter after scoring just 10 points in total the last time out against Phoenix. 

- Landry Shamet continued his hot shooting since returning from his shoulder injury. The veteran sharpshooter knocked down all six of the three-pointers he attempted on the night, leaving him just two points shy of Brunson's game-high (20). The lead was pushed up to as much as 32 at the end of three. 

Both teams emptied their benches early in the fourth quarter and the rout stretched out to 54 points, the largest margin of victory in franchise history. 

- Brunson led all scorers with 20 points despite making just one of eight threes. Towns had 14 points and eight boards, Bridges had 11 points against his former team, and McBride chipped in 14 points off the bench. Tyler Kolek (6 points), Mohamed Diawara (5 points), and Ariel Hukporti (four boards) took advantage of their garbage time minutes. 

- Michael Porter Jr. and Ziare Williams were the only two to crack double digits for Brooklyn. 

Game MVP: Landry Shamet

Shamet continues to dominate from downtown since returning from injury. 

Highlights

Strong start for KAT 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZzJLPFqkQE

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2026

Mitchell Robinson with the putback slam 😤 pic.twitter.com/7VGpbCnSP8

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2026

B2B Landry Shamet threes 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/TbZaS9JcuE

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2026

Landry steal ➡️ OG slam pic.twitter.com/XFECLTwFXG

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2026

KAT triple 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yFaI7yJCXd

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2026

What's next

The Knicks will look to build off this strong performance as they head to Philadelphia for a meeting with the 76ers on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers made this one more stressful than it should have been. They led the Charlotte Hornets 56-32 at halftime, before Charlotte cut the lead to 4 points in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland eventually closed the door and secured their 25th win of the season. But, as I said, it felt less satisfying than you’d have liked.

The Hornets have been better than their record recently. They entered the night with the league’s second-best offense over the last two weeks, while Cleveland had the 24th-best defense during this same stretch. That felt like a combination that could have burned the Cavs tonight. But they began the game with the appropriate energy on defense, holding the Hornets to just 12 points in the second quarter.

That focus wouldnt’ last all 48 minutes. The Cavs slipped in the second half and allowed the Hornets to go on a big run. But they found their footing and got enough stops in the end to stave off a disastrous collapse.

Evan Mobley started the game hot. He had 13 points and 11 rebounds at halftime after a handful of jaw-dropping dunks. As is the theme, this aggression didn’t carry over to the final two quarters. Mobley finished with just 14 points in an otherwise solid performance.

Charlotte was led by Brandon Miller with 24 points. Lamelo Ball had a rough night, shooting 0-10 from deep and 1-15 from the floor overall.

Donovan Mitchell had 24 points on 8-20 shooting. It wasn’t a great night for Mitchell, as his 8 turnovers added fuel to Charlotte’s fire. It’s clear the Cavs are still missing Darius Garland’s efficient command of the offense.

The Cavs are back at home this weekend with a game versus the Sacramento Kings before going on the road for a matchup against the Orlando Magic.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Denzel Aberdeen scored 19 points, Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh each had 18 points, and Kentucky took down Texas 85-80 on Wednesday night.

Oweh reached double-figures for the 22nd straight game, a streak dating to last season, and Chandler reached a career-high, surpassing his 15 scored in November's season-opener against Nicholls.

The Wildcats (13-6, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) battled back-and-forth with Texas, as the game featured 11 lead changes. After heading to the locker rooms tied at 40, Kentucky took the lead for good midway through the second half during a 6-0 run and closed on a 7-2 run to secure the victory.

Andrija Jelavic and Chandler each hauled in a team-high seven rebounds, and Kentucky narrowly won the glass battle 36-34. Malachi Moreno led with six assists.

Dailyn Swain scored 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting for the Longhorns (11-8, 2-4), his third game with 20 or more points this season. Matas Vokietaitis had a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Free throws made the difference for the Wildcats, converting on 30 of their 35 attempts. Texas made 18 of 20.

Up next

Kentucky hosts Ole Miss on Saturday.

Texas hosts No. 21 Georgia on Saturday.

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Kierra Wheeler scored 16 points and No. 22 West Virginia rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Arizona State 53-43 on Wednesday night.

Arizona State led 37-34 through three quarters and the score was tied at 41 with 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter. A 3-pointer by Sydney Shaw gave the Mountaineers a 44-41 lead with 2:45 remaining. Jordan Harrison added a free throw and Wheeler scored in the paint for a 47-41 lead.

McKinna Brackens hit a jumper for the Sun Devils but it was their only made basket in nine attempts in the final 4 minutes. West Virginia closed it out at the line, making 7 of 9 free throws in the last minute.

Shaw scored 11 points and Gia Cooke had 10 for West Virginia (16-4, 6-2 Big 12).

Brackens and Gabby Elliott led Arizona State (17-3, 4-3) with 15 points each.

Arizona State battled back from a six-point first-quarter deficit to trail 13-12 after one. West Virginia hit three 3-pointers early in the second quarter and a layup by Sydney Woodley gave the Mountaineers a 25-15 lead with 3 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. Arizona State did not allow a point for the remainder of the half and trailed only 25-24 at halftime.

Arizona State extended the run to 13 points for a 28-25 lead a couple of minutes into the third. The Sun Devils' lead was 37-29 with about a minute remaining in the third, then West Virginia closed to within three points at the end of the quarter.

Up next

West Virginia: At BYU on Saturday.

Arizona State: At Cincinnati on Saturday.

___

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GREAT ABACO, Bahamas (AP) — Ian Holt steadied himself at just the right time Wednesday and had a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th hole for a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory in the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

Holt, who played his college golf at Kent State, won for the first time on the Korn Ferry Tour. Just two years ago he was having to go through Monday qualifying for the PGA Tour Americas circuit.

In gusts approaching 30 mph at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Holt had consecutive bogeys on the back nine and was tied for the lead when he holed a nervy par putt on the 17th. He closed by reaching the 575-yard 18th in two shots to set up his two-putt birdie.

Justin Hastings of the Cayman Islands, who won the Latin America Amateur Championship a year ago to get into three majors, had a 69 and tied for second with Alistair Docherty (66).

After two weeks in the Bahamas, the Korn Ferry Tour heads to Panama and gets back on a Thursday-to-Sunday schedule.

___

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

The Atlanta Hawks’ (20-25) desperate search for a win heads to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies (18-23).

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: FedExForum, Memphis, TN

Start Time: 8:00 PM EDT

TV:  FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Chicago Bulls
Date: January 22nd, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio

The calendar has flipped into late January, the “new year, new me” energy is gone, the gym membership card is somewhere in the couch cushions, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have somehow wandered back into the exact same neighborhood they swore they were moving out of on January 1.

For a minute there, Minnesota looked like it had actually found something. After getting embarrassed by the Nets and Hawks, the Wolves came out of the gates in 2026 like a team that finally understood the NBA doesn’t give out “we meant well” banners. They were defending, flying around, stacking wins, playing like the kind of group that could stare down anybody in the West and not blink. And then Tuesday night in Salt Lake City happened, and the whole thing collapsed in real time like a cheap folding chair.

There are no excuses to be found here. Utah was on the second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota had two days of rest. Minnesota had a double-digit lead. And the Wolves still managed to get outscored by 17 in the fourth quarter. That fourth quarter wasn’t just bad basketball. It was disinterested basketball. The kind that makes fans start doing the math on how much time they’ve donated emotionally to this franchise and whether it’s all been a tax write-off.

And the part that makes it sting is the context. The Texas losses? You can at least explain those. Houston was without Anthony Edwards, and Minnesota still had a chance to win before the free-throw line turned into a slapstick comedy routine. San Antonio came without Rudy Gobert and somehow featured a 48-point second quarter, and even then, the Wolves still crawled back and made it a game. Those were painful. But they were at least defensible on the injury report.

Utah isn’t defensible. Utah is a team lined up for the sixth pick in the draft. Utah is the team you beat by 40 when you’re serious. And yet Minnesota let a second 40-piece quarter get dropped on them in two games, melted down late, and walked to the locker room in search of some Benadryl for their defense allergy.

Now the standings do the thing they always do: they strip the narrative down to the numbers and laugh at your feelings. The Wolves are sitting in the seventh seed. All that early-January glow? The “we’re back” headlines? The OKC win? The Spurs comeback? Great memories. Would make a hell of a montage. But if the season ended today, you’re in the play-in. And the cruelest part is the West is still so tight that you’re also only three games behind the Spurs and the two seed. So yes, there’s still hope. But you know what else there is? A really clear paper trail of games the Wolves didn’t take seriously enough, and those games always come back to haunt you in April.

This is how it happens. Not in one dramatic collapse, but in a bunch of smaller ones you try to rationalize at the time. It’s the late-December no-show against Brooklyn at Target Center when you could’ve sent the fans home for the holidays happy and just… didn’t. It’s the Atlanta dud to close out 2025. It’s the Phoenix and Sacramento meltdowns that turn wins into stomach punches. And then it’s a Tuesday night in Utah where you have rest, you have a lead, and you decide that defense is optional. Those are the nights that don’t feel catastrophic in the moment… until you’re in the 4/5 bracket staring at OKC in the second round, or you’re a half-game short of home court, or — worst-case — you’re sweating a play-in game because you couldn’t be bothered to lock in against the Jazz.

So now it’s reset time. Mirror time. “What kind of team are we?” time. Because you don’t get to talk about title aspirations if you can’t handle the boring stuff. If you can’t handle January grind games. If you can’t handle the teams you’re supposed to beat.

Which brings us to Thursday night: Chicago at Target Center, where the Wolves are still undefeated at home in 2026. Maybe that means something. Maybe it’s just a fun stat that we’ll cling to like a life raft. But either way, Minnesota can’t lose a fourth straight game. Not with the standings this tight. Not with the season teetering between “two seed chase” and “play-in anxiety spiral.”

And it’s not like Chicago is showing up as a ceremonial sacrifice. The last time these teams played, the Bulls had a lead before Kobe White and Josh Giddey went down with injuries and the whole thing flipped. If Minnesota thinks it can sleepwalk through this one and get a home win by default, they’re about to learn that the NBA doesn’t do defaults. You either play like you care, or you get punched.

Keys to the Game

1. Play defense like adults.
This one is not complicated. The Wolves have put together stretches recently where the defense has been downright gross. The Utah fourth quarter was the kind of defensive effort that gets you sent to the bench in middle school, except these guys are professionals playing in front of paying customers. It has to start on the perimeter. No more matador possessions where a guard gets turned around and Rudy has to clean up three mistakes at once. No more jogging through rotations. No more “we’ll flip the switch later” nonsense. You want to win? You defend the ball. You stay connected. You close out like it matters. If they can’t do that, honestly, don’t even bother with the offensive plan, because you’re not outscoring your way out of low-effort defense in the modern NBA.

2. Run an offense that actually resembles an offense.
You could feel the Utah collapse coming because the offense started telegraphing it. The ball stuck. The pace died. It turned into lazy, grimy isolation possessions where everyone stands around and watches someone try to manufacture something out of nothing. That’s how you blow leads. That’s how you let teams hang around. That’s how you start missing jumpers and then stop defending because you’re mad you missed jumpers. The Wolves have too much talent for that. Move the ball. Cut. Drive with purpose. Kick out. Make the defense rotate. Make Chicago guard multiple actions instead of one guy trying to freestyle in traffic. The Wolves are at their best when the ball has energy. When it zips. When the defense is the one scrambling, not them.

3. Win the glass and control the pace.
Chicago wants to run. They want to turn the game into a series of quick decisions and quick shots, and if you’re sloppy, if you don’t rebound, if you don’t get back, then suddenly you’re in a track meet you didn’t sign up for. This is where Gobert, Randle, and Reid have to impose their size. Defensive rebounds end possessions and offensive boards kill transition. If Minnesota does rebound, they can pick their moments to run their way — not chaotic, not reckless, but opportunistic. Easy baskets are the antidote to everything that went wrong in Utah. You want to avoid another late-game nightmare? Don’t spend the night giving the Bulls extra possessions and transition chances.

4. Ant and Julius have to play the right kind of “star basketball.”
This is the key that connects everything. In Houston, Julius became a black hole by dribbling, pounding, forcing, and trying to win the game on brute strength while the rest of the offense suffocated around him. That can’t happen. He’s at his best when he’s a bully and a facilitator, when his gravity creates shots for others, not just bruises for himself. And with Ant, yes, you ride the heater when it’s there. His San Antonio masterpiece happened largely within the flow, and when a guy is in that zone you don’t overthink it. But the default can’t be “my turn, your turn” isolation basketball while everyone else watches. Ant has to set the tone the right way: pressure at the rim, decisive reads, and making sure the other guys feel involved enough to defend like their life depends on it.

The Finish

Look, there isn’t a ton of poetry left here. Minnesota is better than Chicago. They’re at home. They’re on a three-game skid that’s already starting to smell like one of those season-tilting slides you can never quite undo. They can’t afford to mess around.

This is the exact type of game that determines whether you’re chasing the two seed or sweating the play-in. Not because Chicago is some giant measuring stick, but because games like this are where “serious teams” separate themselves from “talented teams who like to dabble in chaos.” The Wolves have already spent enough time this season dabbling.

So Thursday has to be a line in the sand. Defend your home floor. Keep the undefeated home streak alive. Play like a team that actually wants the top half of the bracket instead of flirting with the bottom. Because if they don’t… if they come out flat again, if they sleepwalk again, if they let another winnable night leak away… then we can stop talking about the two seed and start talking about the play-in with a straight face.

And nobody wants to live in that universe.

The Washington Wizards will try to snap a lengthy losing skid Thursday against the Denver Nuggets at Capital One Arena.

Game info

When: Thursday, Jan, 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass

Injuries: For the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly (back) and Tristan Vukcevic (rest) are questionable, while Trae Young (knee, quad) and Cam Whitmore (shoulder) are out.

For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic (knee), Christian Braun (ankle), Cam Johnson (knee), and Jonas Valanciunas (calf) are out.

What to watch for

The Wizards look to end their woes against the West with a quick rematch against the Nuggets. Washington has gone 0-6 in its ongoing stretch of games against foes from the opposing conference. The matchup against Denver at home is the team’s last shot to salvage a win before finally facing an East rival again.

Kyshawn George went off against the Nuggets, when they faced off last Saturday. He tallied 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting in the contest, including 14 points in the final period to make things interesting down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough as the Wiz lost 121-115.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Nuggets adjust defensively against George, and how the second-year swingman responds.

The Knicks (25*–18) return to MSG, desperate to snap a four-game losing streak against a Nets team that has dropped seven of its last eight. New York’s recent skid has highlighted turnovers and defensive lapses, but the talent and full rotation remain intact. The Nets present an ideal opponent to turn things in a positive direction. The Knicks have dominated the rivalry, winning 12 straight against Brooklyn, including two lopsided victories earlier this season.

Tip-off is 7:30 pm EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Nets Daily. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Be good humans. And go Knicks!

* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.

On Wednesday morning, an article by Baxter Holmes on ESPN portrayed Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss in a negative light.

The story had details into the sale of the team that made her look like a cutthroat businessperson who got rid of her family, and also gave her inner circle huge bonuses once the deal was finalized.

It also stated that her relationship with the franchise’s biggest star, while she’s been in charge, LeBron James, isn’t a good one.

According to Holmes’ reporting, Buss “began to turn” against LeBron James and considered trading him to the Clippers in 2022.

Jeanie didn’t delay responding to this article, telling “The Athletic” that she didn’t like LeBron’s involvement in her family drama and that she appreciates the star.

Lakers governor Jeanie Buss issued this statement to @TheAthletic in response to today’s ESPN story, which includes reporting about her relationship with LeBron James.

“It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled…

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 21, 2026

So much to unpack here.

For starters, it’s good that Jeanie said something. She could’ve just let this hang and put LeBron in the awkward position of having to speak on it, which would’ve been unfair since it was really a story about Jeanie and the Buss family.

However, how much Lakers fans agree with her words compared to the reporting will be up to public opinion.

She doesn’t have to answer for everything stated in the story, but the idea that the Lakers considered parting with LeBron isn’t too far-fetched.

In 2022, the year in which Holmes’ article indicates the Lakers considered dealing LeBron, there were reports that Phil Jackson might’ve been brought back to the Lakers and that he would want to trade James.

Now, ultimately, that didn’t happen, but there was smoke to this story before, and while LeBron was never dealt, it seems likely that the idea was at least considered.

In the NBA, countless trade conversations amount to nothing. If there was a thought from Jeanie to trade LeBron, she clearly never went through with it.

It’s hard to decipher if she appreciates LeBron enough privately, but publicly, she’s sung his praises. Jeanie called it a “priority” for LeBron to retire as a Laker.

This summer, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka echoed similar sentiments.

Still, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been jealousy or envy from the Lakers about how much credit LeBron gets for the 2020 title, or how much blame he does or doesn’t get for a lack of one since.

Jeanie is working on her PR spin on this story, and her on-the-record statement is that she appreciates LeBron.

Her future actions will likely also support her claim. My guess is that Lakers fans can expect a jersey retirement for LeBron and a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena once his playing days are over.

And, even if every word in Holmes’ story is accurate, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for the Jeanie-LeBron dynamic. The Lakers’ Governor wouldn’t be the first boss, nor the last, to not appreciate what her best worker does for her organization.

The difference is that this is the Lakers, and every ounce of drama gets massive attention, making it very messy.

While Jeanie has denounced this reporting, don’t expect this story to go away anytime soon.

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