The Washington Wizards play the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Let’s get to it
Game info
When: Saturday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network
Injuries: For the Wizards, Cam Whitmore (shoulder), Bilal Coulibaly (back) and Trae Young (quadriceps) are out. Khris Middleton and Tristan Vukcevic are day-to-day.
For the Nuggets, Christian Braun (ankle), Nikola Jokic (knee), Jonas Valanciunas (calf), Cameron Johnson (knee) and Tamar Bates (foot) are out. Aaron Gordon, Bruce Bowen and Jamal Murray are day-to-day.
What to watch for
This week has been tough for Wizards fans since the team is in the middle of a five game losing streak with no end in sight. Losing last night/early this morning to the Sacramento Kings doesn’t help things because that was the most winnable game on paper.
Tonight, Washington will play a Denver team that is 28-13 and winners of five out of their last six games — and all of those games being decided by single digits. Franchise player Nikola Jokic and numerous others are out. But it will still be an uphill battle to get an upset on the second end of a back-to-back while the Nuggets have rested since last Wednesday when they beat the Dallas Mavericks, 118-109 on the road.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Open's first formal opening ceremony became the Roger Federer show on the eve of the season-opening major.
There was Crowded House, the band, playing a set of four hits. There was a full house — a capacity crowd in the 15,000-seat stadium.
Rod Laver, the great Australian player of Grand Slam fame, was in the house. The 87-year-old Aussie was sitting courtside in Rod Laver Arena, the center court at Melbourne Park named in his honor.
Federer, the six-time Australian Open winner and 20-time Grand Slam champion, partnered past champions Andre Agassi and then Ash Barty in an exhibition doubles match against Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt as the main feature of the program.
It went to script, with Federer winning the first point despite framing a forehand and then emphatically finishing off the victory with a leaping overhead winner.
Novak Djokovic, who has won 10 Australian titles among his record 24 major championships, was there to watch.
Australian Open organizers turned the 2026 edition into a three-week festival of tennis, with 217,999 fans attending across six days to watch exhibitions, qualifying and the 1 Point Slam before the main draw started.
Federer was back in Australia for the first time since 2021, making the trip now because he retired from competitive tennis before he could do a farewell season tour.
“It really truly means so much to me when people like Rocket (Laver) show up,” Federer said. “It’s super important to be grateful” to earlier generations of stars.
The Washington Wizards lost to the Sacramento Kings 128-115 on Friday in a battle between bottom feeders at Golden 1 Center.
The Wizards had to fight their way out of a huge hole they dug themselves in during the opening period. A three-pointer from Bub Carrington gave the Wizards a 7-6 advantage at the 9:33 mark of the first quarter. Washington held that lead for all of 17 seconds before Sacramento took it back for good. The Kings went on a 19-0 run to close out the first quarter, as the Wizards went scoreless for nearly five minutes.
Washington battled back in the second quarter. Alex Sarr led the way with his 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first half. One of his buckets came off a sweet dime from Tre Johnson.
Jamir Watkins also flashed more of his defensive potential on a strip and slam off DeMar DeRozan. He helped the Wizards trim the halftime deficit to 67-61.
The Wizards got the game to within three in the opening minutes of the second half. But the Kings once again closed the quarter strong, thanks to our old friend Russell Westbrook. The lead ballooned to 17 heading into the final period.
A Carrington triple and a pair of Tre Johnson treys to open the fourth quarter helped get the Wizards within single digits. The Kings managed to stifle any moment for a run, holding on for a 13-point win.
Johnson finished with 18 points and 4 assists, while Sarr’s quiet second half left him at 19 points. Justin Champagnie and Kyshawn George each tacked on 15.
While Washington lost the battle, it won the tank war as the Kings went a full game ahead of the Wizards in the standings. The Wizards close out their road trip against the Nuggets in Denver.
Sometimes it just takes one statement victory to get things back on track. The San Antonio Spurs burst out of a rough 10-game stretch after Christmas with a blowout victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. All of a sudden, it feels like the team can once again conquer the Western Conference. But one game overreactions are a fool’s errand. Saturday night’s contest is a chance to prove the team is back on track against a team that is biting at their heels in the standings.
The Spurs will host the Minnesota Timberwolves after losing a heartbreaker to them in Minneapolis last Sunday. San Antonio will have the rest advantage, as the Wolves are coming off a late-night 110-105 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Minnesota has been without its superstar, Anthony Edwards, for two straight games due to a foot injury, but his status for Saturday’s game is unknown.
The Wolves present a tough matchup for the Spurs, with their size, strength, athleticism, and shooting ability. San Antonio has collapsed late in both losses to Minnesota this season. A strong performance on both the offensive and defensive ends, as they had against Milwaukee, would help them earn their first win against the Wolves this season and create some separation in the standings.
Spurs Injuries: Stephon Castle – Questionable (illness), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Stanley Umude – Out (G League), David Jones-Garcia – Out (G League), Devin Vassell – Out (adductor)
Timberwolves Injuries: Not posted until 1 pm CT
What to watch for:
Julius Randle on Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama experienced offensive success against a fellow Frenchman, Rudy Gobert, in San Antonio’s last game against the Wolves. That success stopped when Randle became his primary defender. Randle was able to play physical and get underneath Wembanyama, forcing him off of his spot and making it nearly impossible for him to make a move toward the rim. If the Wolves decide to give Randle the Wemby assignment again, and they probably should, San Antonio will have to find a way to get Wembanyama open for good looks. Watch for the Spurs to use flex screens or even fade screens on the perimeter to open up some space for Wembanyama against a physical defense.
Three-point defense
The Spurs found out the Wolves can get hot in a hurry in both of their losses to Minnesota this year. The Wolves do a great job of spreading the ball out with their bigs, as Randle and Naz Reid are both threats from deep. Donte DiVincenzo is a flamethrower, and if role players like Bones Hyland and Jaden McDaniels get hot, the game can get out of hand quickly. San Antonio will need to close out to shooters and force tough shots to keep the Wolves down and out of the game.
Guard play
San Antonio’s guards looked great against the Bucks on Thursday. Stephon Castle was efficient, De’Aaron Fox looked comfortable with the ball in his hands, and Dylan Harper provided a spark off the bench. The Spurs have a ball-handling advantage if the trio plays up to its usual standards. Minnesota has long, tough perimeter defenders capable of making their lives difficult. San Antonio will need the most from their guard trio to secure a victory on Saturday.
BOTTOM LINE: San Antonio hosts Minnesota in a matchup of Western Conference teams.
The Spurs are 15-11 in conference games. San Antonio ranks eighth in the Western Conference with 49.9 points per game in the paint led by Victor Wembanyama averaging 10.4.
The Timberwolves are 14-11 against conference opponents. Minnesota ranks second in the Western Conference shooting 37.3% from 3-point range.
The Spurs score 117.6 points per game, 3.1 more points than the 114.5 the Timberwolves give up. The Timberwolves average 14.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.7 more makes per game than the Spurs give up.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Timberwolves won 104-103 in the last meeting on Jan. 12. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 23 points, and Wembanyama led the Spurs with 29 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Wembanyama is shooting 51.6% and averaging 23.9 points for the Spurs. Julian Champagnie is averaging 3.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Julius Randle is averaging 22.6 points, seven rebounds and 5.6 assists for the Timberwolves. Naz Reid is averaging 18.6 points and 6.5 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 5-5, averaging 110.0 points, 49.1 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.9 points per game.
Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 123.9 points, 47.0 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 8.5 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.8 points.
INJURIES: Spurs: Stephon Castle: day to day (illness), Devin Vassell: out (thigh).
Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr.: out (foot), Anthony Edwards: out (foot).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Brooklyn Nets (12-27, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (19-22, 10th in the Eastern Conference)
Chicago; Sunday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn hits the road against Chicago looking to break its four-game road slide.
The Bulls have gone 13-15 against Eastern Conference teams. Chicago ranks second in the league with 35.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Josh Giddey averaging 7.8.
The Nets are 9-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. Brooklyn is 8-19 in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Bulls score 117.3 points per game, 3.5 more points than the 113.8 the Nets allow. The Nets' 44.6% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.8 percentage points lower than the Bulls have given up to their opponents (47.4%).
The two teams play for the third time this season. The Nets defeated the Bulls 112-109 in their last matchup on Jan. 17. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 26 points, and Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 19 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matas Buzelis is averaging 14.8 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Bulls. Vucevic is averaging 20.3 points over the last 10 games.
Noah Clowney is shooting 38.9% and averaging 13.3 points for the Nets. Egor Demin is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 4-6, averaging 112.4 points, 44.7 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 6.5 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points per game.
Nets: 2-8, averaging 106.5 points, 39.7 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 9.2 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points.
INJURIES: Bulls: Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Josh Giddey: day to day (hamstring), Zach Collins: out (toe), Patrick Williams: day to day (ankle).
Nets: Haywood Highsmith: out (knee), Ziaire Williams: day to day (illness).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies host Desmond Bane and the Orlando Magic in out-of-conference play.
The Grizzlies are 9-11 in home games. Memphis gives up 116.2 points and has been outscored by 1.4 points per game.
The Magic have gone 9-11 away from home. Orlando is 11-11 against opponents with a winning record.
The Grizzlies are shooting 45.3% from the field this season, 2.2 percentage points lower than the 47.5% the Magic allow to opponents. The Magic are shooting 46.7% from the field, 0.4% higher than the 46.3% the Grizzlies' opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Magic won 118-111 in the last matchup on Jan. 15. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 26 points, and Jackson led the Grizzlies with 30 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cedric Coward is scoring 14.0 points per game and averaging 6.6 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Jackson is averaging 21.6 points and 6.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Bane is averaging 19 points and 4.5 assists for the Magic. Anthony Black is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Grizzlies: 3-7, averaging 114.2 points, 46.8 rebounds, 28.4 assists, 7.5 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.2 points per game.
Magic: 6-4, averaging 114.7 points, 44.6 rebounds, 27.9 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.6 points.
INJURIES: Grizzlies: Ja Morant: day to day (calf), Scotty Pippen Jr.: out (toe), Zach Edey: out (ankle), Ty Jerome: out (calf), Brandon Clarke: out (calf).
Magic: Jalen Suggs: day to day (knee), Jett Howard: day to day (illness), Colin Castleton: out (thumb).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
New Orleans Pelicans (10-34, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (24-15, fifth in the Western Conference)
Houston; Sunday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Trey Murphy III and the New Orleans Pelicans visit Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in Western Conference play.
The Rockets have gone 2-4 against division opponents. Houston leads the league with 49.2 rebounds per game led by Alperen Sengun averaging 9.2.
The Pelicans have gone 4-24 against Western Conference opponents. New Orleans is seventh in the NBA with 12.4 offensive rebounds per game led by Yves Missi averaging 2.9.
The Rockets are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.8 percentage points lower than the 48.6% the Pelicans allow to opponents. The Pelicans are shooting 46.5% from the field, 0.3% higher than the 46.2% the Rockets' opponents have shot this season.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Pelicans won 133-128 in overtime in the last matchup on Dec. 19.
TOP PERFORMERS: Durant is scoring 26.3 points per game with 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Rockets. Amen Thompson is averaging 20.9 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 51.4% over the last 10 games.
Murphy is averaging 22.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals for the Pelicans. Zion Williamson is averaging 23.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 5-5, averaging 107.5 points, 50.6 rebounds, 21.7 assists, 7.5 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.6 points per game.
Pelicans: 2-8, averaging 113.3 points, 43.7 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 7.7 steals and 6.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.6 points.
INJURIES: Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Tari Eason: out (ankle).
Pelicans: Jose Alvarado: out (oblique), Dejounte Murray: out (leg), Herbert Jones: day to day (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
That was a fun one, just wish it had started a little bit earlier.
Late Friday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Houston Rockets. It was the second straight game for the Wolves without Anthony Edwards as he recovers from an infection in his toe. Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch said he is still day-to-day with the injury.
Without their best player, it was always going to be an uphill climb for the Wolves, but they came out of the gates strong, taking a double-digit lead early in the second quarter. The defense was limiting Houston’s quality shots, the ball movement on offense was great, and they did a good job getting out in transition, scoring 16 fast break points in the first half.
The Rockets eventually whittled the Wolves’ lead down to two going into the halftime break. The slim margin would hold until the early parts of the fourth quarter when Houston scored seven straight points to give them an eight-point lead, their largest lead of the game to that point.
Without their best player on the floor, the Wolves could not find enough effective offense down the stretch of the game, turning the ball over eight times in the fourth quarter while making only a single 3-pointer on just three fourth-quarter attempts. Minnesota fell by a final score of 110-105.
Julius Randle and Kevin Durant were each the offensive engines for their team, each scoring 39 points. Randle’s scoring is now up to 27.7 points per game in the ten games Edwards has missed this season. Durant, like he always does, shot the ball incredibly well, going 11-18 from the field, 6-8 from beyond the arc, and 11-14 from the free-throw line.
Naz Reid was the other standout for the Timberwolves in the game, scoring 25 points as he made 8 of his 11 shots, including 5 makes from deep. After getting his first taste of rotation minutes on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, Joan Beringer kept his spot in the rotation, playing a total of six minutes as the Wolves experimented with a three-big lineup with Beringer, Randle, and Reid sharing the court together.
The centers for each team struggled mightily from the free-throw line as Rudy Gobert went 2-10 and Alperen Şengün shot 3-9. The two teams combined to go 40-69 from the free-throw line, both leaving a good number of points available that could have swung the balance of the game.
While any close loss is a missed opportunity for a team like the Wolves with lofty goals, this game will not come with a ton of baggage for the Wolves. Not having Edwards available made getting a win tough against a solid and potentially desperate Houston team, which had just gotten shellacked by the Oklahoma City Thunder a night ago.
It’s also easy to wonder how the game may have gone differently if Edwards had been able to suit up. Not having him available made it tough offensively for the Wolves against Houston’s ninth-rated defense.
Some losses make it feel like the sky is falling. Other losses, like tonight, you can shrug your shoulders and just try to get the next one.
Up Next
The Timberwolves don’t get much time to rest, as they have less than 20 hours to prepare for their next game, a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs at 7:00 PM CT. It is a quick turnaround between games, as you will see in the NBA, making it a real test as Minnesota takes on the team with the second-best record in the West. Fans can watch tomorrow’s game on FanDuel Sports Network.
Durant, who is in his first season with Houston, powered the Rockets with a season-high scoring effort.
He finished the first half of play with 18 points after making 7-of-11 shots from the field and helped the Rockets close the gap only trailing Minnesota by two points after a 3-pointer with just a second remaining in the second quarter.
For the game, Durant made six of his eight shots from long range.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Domantas Sabonis scored 13 points in his return from a knee injury, Russell Westbrook had 26 and the Sacramento Kings beat the Washington Wizards 128-115 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
Sabonis returned after missing 27 games because of a partially torn meniscus in his left knee. The three-time All-Star forward/center came off the bench, entering with 5:11 left in the first quarter.
Sabonis also had seven rebounds and five assists in a little over 21 minutes. He was 5 of 6 from field, with the miss coming from 3 -point range.
Dennis Schroder also was back for the Kings after serving a three-game suspension for confronting Lakers star Luka Doncic after a game in Los Angeles. Schroder had 15 points and five assists.
Westbrook was 9 of 14 from the field, hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers, and had six assists. DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points, and Precious Achiuwa and Zach LaVine each had 16.
The Kings have won the first three games of a seven-game homestand to improve to 12-30. They opened the run against Houston, then beat the Lakers and New York.
Alex Sarr led Washington with 19 points, and Tre Johnson had 18. The Wizards dropped to 10-30 with their fifth straight loss.
Washington newcomer Trae Young — acquired from Atlanta in a deal that sent CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Hawks — is sidelined by knee and quadriceps injuries. He will be re-evaluated in mid-February.
Sacramento led 67-61 at the half after scoring 41 points in the first quarter and giving up 39 in the second. The Kings had a 34-23 edge in the third.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jaylon Tyson scored a career-high 39 points, Evan Mobley’s dunk with 4.8 seconds left was the winner and the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers completed a two-game sweep of the 76ers in Philadelphia with a 117-115 victory on Friday night.
Donovan Mitchell added 13 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers defeated the 76ers 133-107 on Wednesday.
Joel Embiid scored 33 points and Tyrese Maxey had 22 points, nine assists and five steals for the 76ers.
Cleveland was without Darius Garland (right big toe soreness) and Sam Merrill (right hand sprain), who were both injured on Wednesday. Coach Kenny Atkinson said both will be reevaluated when the team returns to Cleveland this weekend.
The 76ers looked in control when Paul George hit a jumper with 8:47 remaining for an 11-point lead. But the Cavaliers used a 13-2 run, capped by De’Andre Hunter’s 3-pointer with 5:53 left, to tie it at 102. Philadelphia moved ahead by seven points after turnovers by the Cavs on three straight possessions, but Cleveland hung around.
Hunter’s layup with just over a minute left put the Cavs up a point. After Mobley made one of two free throws with 22.7 seconds remaining, Maxey tied it on a runner with 8.1 seconds left. After a timeout, Tyson set up Mobley near the basket for an easy dunk to put Cleveland in front by two. Maxey’s shot from just beyond half court that could have won the game went long.
PACERS 127, PELICANS 119
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Center Jay Huff had a career-best 29 points and nine rebounds and led five players in double figures as Indiana beat New Orleans.
The 7-foot-1 Huff, who entered Friday averaging 8.4 points, shot 13 for 17 from the field and 3 for 6 from 3-point distance. The center’s previous high was 22 points, achieved last year while with the Memphis Grizzlies in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Huff was acquired by Indiana in a trade with Memphis during the offseason.
Pascal Siakam scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half, and Andrew Nembhard added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who won for the fourth time in five games. Aaron Nesmith and Quenton Jackson scored 12 points apiece as Indiana closed out a 3-1 homestand and improved to 8-16 at home.
Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 27 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field and 7-for-10 shooting from the line. Williamson was 8 for 8 from the field in the first half, when he scored 21 points.
Trey Murphy III scored 22 points, Saddiq Bey added 20, Jeremiah Fears finished with 16, Derik Queen had 14 and Jordan Poole 11 for the Pelicans, who are 3-16 in road games. Queen also had 12 rebounds.
NETS 112, BULLS 109
NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. made a go-ahead layup with 5.4 seconds remaining after Brooklyn had blown a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, and the Nets beat Chicago.
Porter scored 26 points and Noah Clowney had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Day’Ron Sharpe scored 14 points and rookie Danny Wolf had 13.
Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 18 for the Bulls in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Coach Jordi Fernandez thought the Nets could’ve won all three games on their just-completed road trip, but it appeared they wouldn’t need to worry about another close finish after a 15-0 run in the second quarter helped them take a 17-point halftime lead, their second-largest of the season.
Cam Thomas’ 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter made it 92-72 before the Bulls scored the next 11 points. Thomas hit another 3 to stop that surge, and the Nets still led by six with under a minute remaining.
The Bulls then scored seven straight points to go ahead 109-108 on Tre Jones’ layup with 11.4 seconds remaining. The Nets ran a play to get Porter the ball near the basket, and he put the Nets back on top. Rookie Drake Powell then stole Chicago’s pass in from the sideline and Clowney’s two free throws made it 112-109 before Vucevic missed a rushed 3-pointer.
CLIPPERS 121, RAPTORS 117, OT
TORONTO (AP) — James Harden had 31 points and 10 assists, Jordan Miller scored 19 points and Los Angeles extended its winning streak to five games by beating Toronto.
Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Cam Christie scored 16 points and Kris Dunn had 15 as the Clippers won for the 12th time in 14 games since starting the season 6-21.
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes scored 24 points and Brandon Ingram had 19.
The Clippers are 7-14 on the road. They’ve won four of their past five away from home.
Kawhi Leonard missed his team’s lone regular-season visit to Toronto because of a sprained right ankle. Leonard won the 2019 NBA championship with the Raptors.
The Raptors lost for the second time in 21 games when leading after three quarters.
Toronto led 109-101 with 3:35 remaining in regulation, but missed six straight shots as Harden forced overtime with a personal 8-0 run. Harden made four straight free throws to begin OT.
Harden shot 10 for 27 and finished 2 for 15 from 3-point range. He went 9 for 10 at the free throw line.
KINGS 128, WIZARDS 115
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Domantas Sabonis scored 13 points in his return from a knee injury, Russell Westbrook had 26 and Sacramento beat Washington for its fourth straight victory.
Sabonis returned after missing 27 games because of a partially torn meniscus in his left knee. The three-time All-Star forward/center came off the bench, entering with 5:11 left in the first quarter.
Sabonis also had seven rebounds and five assists in a little over 21 minutes. He was 5 of 6 from field, with the miss coming from 3 -point range.
Dennis Schroder also was back for the Kings after serving a three-game suspension for confronting Lakers star Luka Doncic after a game in Los Angeles. Schroder had 15 points and five assists.
Westbrook was 9 of 14 from the field, hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers, and had six assists. DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points, and Precious Achiuwa and Zach LaVine each had 16.
The Kings have won the first three games of a seven-game homestand to improve to 12-30. They opened the run against Houston, then beat the Lakers and New York.
Alex Sarr led Washington with 19 points, and Tre Johnson had 18. The Wizards dropped to 10-30 with their fifth straight loss.
ROCKETS 110, TIMBERWOLVES 105
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 39 points and made a season-best six 3-pointers to lead Houston to a win over Minnesota.
Alperen Sengun added 25 points with 14 rebounds to help the Rockets bounce back after a blowout loss to Oklahoma City Thursday night.
A 6-2 run by the Timberwolves, with four points from Julius Randle, got them within 105-102 with about 90 seconds to go. Sengun fouled out soon after that and Jaden McDaniels made one of two free throws to get Minnesota within two points.
Durant made two free throws with under a minute left before Randle turned the ball over and Durant was fouled again. He made two more free throws with 22.1 seconds left to seal the victory.
Durant’s big shooting night came after he was 0 for 5 on 3-pointers against the Thunder.
Randle had season-high 39 points for the Timberwolves on a night when Anthony Edwards missed a second straight game with a foot issue.
The Timberwolves trailed by six points after a basket by Bones Hyland before Rudy Gobert missed a chance to close the gap by missing three of his next four free throws. Houston remained up by 5 later in the fourth, but a dunk by Sengun extended the lead to 103-96 with 3½ minutes left.
Jaylon Tyson’s career-high 39 points led Cleveland to the win. Tyson couldn’t miss as he went 13-17 from the field. He was the only Cavalier to score over 20 points.
Tyson connected on 7-9 from threes. He is now hitting 45.8% of his threes on 4.1 attempts per game. This is up from shooting 34.5% from distance last season.
Tyson finished the game with a 97.1 effective field goal percentage and a 99.3 true shooting percentage. That seems pretty good, yeah?
All 13 of Tyson’s field-goal makes were assisted. Tyson’s ability to play within the offense has stood out this season. He’s done an excellent job of moving off the ball and attacking whenever he gets an opening to do so. Tyson did that brilliantly on Friday. Everything was within the flow of the offense, he wasn’t forcing anything, and he continually made the right offensive play, as evidenced by his game-winning assist to Mobley.
Donovan Mitchell’s 13 points are his second-fewest in a game this season. He struggled to get into a scoring rhythm with the Sixers’ doubling him every chance they could. Mitchell finished the game shooting 4-13 from the field. This included going 0-4 on looks in the paint and not attempting a shot in the restricted area.
The Cavs are now 2-7 when Mitchell scores 21 or fewer points. The Cavaliers have typically gone as Mitchell has from a scoring perspective. That’s why they’re 9-1 when he scores 35 or more. This game was a rare exception.
Mitchell chipped in a season-high 12 assists. However, this was accompanied by six turnovers, which is the second most he’s had this season.
Five of Donovan Mitchell’s 12 assists went to Tyson. The Sixers were blitzing Mitchell whenever they could, especially when they brought a screen his way. Mitchell used this to his advantage by getting Tyson involved. Tyson was able to make them pay as a scorer in the short roll and as a shooter out of these actions.
Cleveland turned it over 18 times. This was eight more giveaways than the Sixers. This led to the Sixers winning the points off turnovers battle 32-15.
The Cavs had three players with four or more turnovers: Mitchell (6), Evan Mobley (4), and Jaylon Tyson (4).
The Cavs are now 6-1 when they turn it over 18 or more times. This stat is a good reminder that correlation does not always equal causation.
Joel Embiid scored 16 of his 33 points off long midrange jumpers. Jarrett Allen did a great job of keeping Embiid out of the paint on Wednesday. Instead of trying to get back there, Embiid took the midrange shots that Allen was giving him, going 8-15 on long twos. Allen could’ve been stronger with contesting those jumpers, but you’d rather limit him to taking a shot he makes 47% of the time instead of one he makes 64% of the time.
The Cavs went 17-34 (50%) from three. This was the second time they’ve shot 50% or better from three in a game. They’re now 7-2 when they connect on more than 42% of their triples.
Cleveland’s 34 three-point attempts were their fifth-fewest in a game this season. They’re also 7-2 when they take 35 or fewer threes.
The Cavs held the Sixers to just 61.5% shooting at the rim (30th percentile). This wasn’t a great defensive game from Cleveland, but being able to defend the rim this well is a good sign that their defense was probably a little better than it seemed. The number of easy baskets off turnovers made it difficult to judge the Cavs on that end.
Mobley had four blocks for the second straight game. The Cavs are 5-2 when he records four or more rejections in a game.
Craig Porter Jr. tied a career high with 11 assists. He performed well filling in for Darius Garland in the starting lineup, who missed the game with a toe injury on his other foot. Porter turned it over only once and wasn’t part of the team’s problems with holding onto the ball.
De’Andre Hunter and Porter led the team in plus/minus (+12). The Cavs played some of their best basketball with Hunter on the court. He provided 16 points and four assists on 7-13 shooting. This was Hunter’s second strong outing in a row.
Six Cavaliers had double-digit points: Tyson (39), Hunter (16), Mobley (15), Mitchell (13), Tyrese Proctor (13), and Allen (10).
The Cavs closed the game on a 13-4 run. They played their best basketball in the clutch, which allowed them to rally back from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit. With the win, the Cavs are 9-14 in clutch situations (games that are within five points in the final five minutes).
With all due respect to the paying customers of Scotiabank Arena, the NBA’s best players continue missing games in Toronto.
Kawhi Leonard joined the growing list of stars to not suit up against the Raptors, including Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown.
Lucky for Los Angeles, they still have another All-Star who can both entertain and frustrate the opposition’s fans, James Harden.
The Bearded One overcame a slow first half to lead the visiting Clippers to a thrilling overtime win over the short-handed Raptors. Harden finished with 31 points and 10 assists. He received help up and down the roster as three other starters and two bench players each scored in double figures. Ivica Zubac had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. In addition to being a pest all night on defense, Kris Dunn finished with 15 points and 4 steals. Jordan Miller led all reserves with 19 points and 6 assists, to go along with a game-high +20.
For most of the game, Toronto was led by Jamal Shead, who ended up with 15 points and a career-high 13 assists. Scottie Barnes took over in the overtime period, ultimately leading the Raptors with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Heading into this matchup, the Clippers had rebounded from a 6-21 start, winning 11 of its previous 13 games (now 12 of 14). In addition to Kawhi’s absence (knee), Los Angeles was also Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Derrick Jones Jr. (knee), Patrick Baldwin Jr. (hip), and Chris Paul (uuhhhh).
The injury report remained long for the Raptors as they were without Jakob Poeltl (back), RJ Barrett (ankle), Immanuel Quickley (back spasms), Ja’Kobe Walter (hip pointer), Jamison Battle (ankle), and Chucky Hepburn (knee).
With Kawhi out, LA’s offense was clearly going to be very Harden-heavy. Darko Rajakovic held no punches and started the game with Scottie Barnes guarding the . On one of the first possessions, Harden called for a screen from Ivica Zubac, who was being guarded by Collin Murray-Boyles. Suffice to say, the possession ended with the Clippers not scoring.
Scottie Barnes + Collin Murray-Boyles have the BEST 2-man duo Defensive Rating in the league the last 7 games.
Brandon Ingram has played well against the Clippers, mainly with his time on the Pelicans. On one sequence, he patiently waited for Harden to finish his dribble-shimmy-dance routine and blocked a stepback three attempt. Before Harden could complain for a foul call, Brandon was already sprinting out for an eventual fastbreak layup.
Halfway through the first quarter, Toronto had 10 fastbreak points, forced 3 turnovers, and had jumped out to an 18-4 lead.
With Quickley out for a second consecutive game, Jamal Shead took the proverbial bull by the horns. The Houston Cougar alum took advantage of the attention given to Ingram and Barnes to torch the Clippers with 10 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds in the first quarter alone!
Just like in Indiana, Toronto grabbed an early lead and didn’t let up. The Raptors ended the first quarter with a 32-24 lead, holding Los Angeles to 43% shooting and 20% from three, including 0-5 from Harden.
While the first 12 minutes were highlighted by Toronto’s ability to get out in transition, the offense slowed down in the second quarter when Ingram and Barnes took turns resting. Instead the relied on its defense to stem the Clipper tide. At the center of that defense — as has been the growing case since Poeltl’s injury — was Murray-Boyles.
CMB and Barnes surprised Zubac with a well-timed double-team, causing Big Z into a traveling violation. Shortly after, CMB doubled the ballhandler, then somehow recovered in time to block the three-point attempt. On a nightly basis, Collin has at least one defensive highlight that makes your jaw drop. If nothing else happens, Murray-Boyles has injected a similar kind of excitement that Barnes once garnered.
Toronto’s offense went through a bit of a lull in the second quarter as Los Angeles slowly crept back into the game. By the time Rajakovic called a timeout with 3:52 remaining in the second quarter, the Clippers had whittled the deficit down to 46-43.
CMB doing it on both ends: – Accurate kickout to the corner for 3 – Emphatic block at the rim – Smart move to create room to score pic.twitter.com/tvZ2WmOYEK
Toronto’s on-ball defense on Harden was excellent throughout the first half. Whether it was Barnes, Murray-Boyles, or even Gradey Dick guarding him, Harden simply could not generate enough separation for a clean shot. Not long after airballing a three-pointer — his sixth straight miss from beyond the arc to start the game — Harden was finally able knock down a three.
Three was actually the magic number for the Clippers in the first half. Kobe Sanders, Cam Christie, Kris Dunn, Jordan Miller, Zubac, and Harden each scored three field goals apiece! While it took the rest of them between 3 to 5 attempts to get there, Harden needed 13 attempts.
Toronto carried a 61-52 lead into halftime.
Clippers came out of halftime scorching hot and focused, scoring 16 of the first 18 points of the third quarter and grabbing (and extending) its first lead of the game, 68-63.
After leading wire-to-wire against the Pacers, Toronto took it to heart after seeing themselves trailing. An Ingram triple was followed by a Mamu run! Sandro Mamukelashvili almost single-handedly snapped the Raptors out of its funk, scoring the next 7 Toronto points and pushing the Raps back into the lead, 73-72.
Cue Gradey Dick’s music! The reigning Raptors Chain recipient hit back-to-back threes to bring the crowd to their feet. Then, to top it off, dove for a loose ball and threw an outlet to fellow Jayhawk, Ochai Agbaji, for a breakaway opportunity. Agbaji was fouled, but drained the ensuring free throws to raise the lead to nine.
The Raptors ended up closing the quarter on an 8-1 run to enter the final quarter with an 89-78 lead.
Similar to the second and third quarters, Ty Lue and his group of ragtag Clippers clawed their way back into the game. A contested triple by Brook Lopez (remember him?) cut the lead to 89-87. After a Darko timeout, a layup by Christie completed an 11-0 run by Los Angeles to tie the game.
Both teams got contributions up and down the roster. After CMB scored an and-1 layup to put the Raptors up 109-101 lead with 3:35 remaining, 13 different players were in double-figures — yet not a single player had reached 20 points.
From there, it was the James Harden show. After being kept in check for most of the game, Harden scored the game’s next 8 points while the Clippers defense kept Toronto from scoring. Both teams were unable to score in each of their last two possessions, including a potential game-winning, buzzer-beater, which Harden missed.
In the extra session, Harden grifted his way to charity stripe on consecutive possessions, giving the Clippers a 4-point edge. Both foul calls were touchy at best, but when you’re a veteran like Harden, you know how to work the referees.
Do the math on the previous 3 paragraphs and the tally reads: Harden — 12; Raptors — 0, spanning five minutes of game play between the fourth quarter and overtime. Barnes took the early deficit in overtime as a sign to take over. All in all, Scottie and James went back and forth throughout the extra period, scoring 8 points each. Ultimately, the Raptors couldn’t get a single point to end regulation and put the game away, or find ways to stop Harden in overtime to regain momentum.
The Clippers may have won because of Harden’s heroics, but he wouldn’t have had that opportunity if it wasn’t for the help of his teammates. Cam Christie chipped in with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench. Kobe Sanders amassed 13 points and 3 steals, stepping into the starting lineup for the ailing Leonard.
For the Raptors, Gradey Dick had a second consecutive positive game, finishing with 15 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Ingram (19 points), Mamukelashvili (13 points), Murray-Boyles (11 points), and Ochai Agbaji (15 points) also scored in double-figures. Shead’s 8 first-half assists tied a season-high for any half this season.
Toronto heads out for a five-game road trip, starting in Los Angeles (the Lakers, this time) on Sunday. With the trade deadline less than 3 weeks away and the Raptors seemingly in every single rumour, the team’s resolve will be tested as they cling to the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Tyson, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, set a new career high for a single game, topping the 31 points he scored in a double-overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers on April 13, 2025. But the 23-year-old only needed four quarters Friday night to establish a new personal best.
Tyson tallied 12 points in the first quarter and seven more in the second to give him 19 points at halftime. He came out of the break with 12 points in the third and closed the game with eight in the fourth quarter. In all he made 13 of 17 shots, including 7-for-9 on 3-pointers, and made all six of his free throws.
And, while he didn’t hit the game winner, he did have the game-winning assist – his fourth of the night – on Evan Mobley’s dunk with 4.8 seconds remaining. Tyson also added five rebounds as the Cavaliers (24-19) rallied from seven points down after three quarters, outscoring the Sixers (22-18) by 11 points in the final frame.
JAYLON TYSON FINDS EVAN MOBLEY FOR THE GAME-WINNER 🚨
It marked the second consecutive win for Cleveland in Philadelphia this week. The Cavaliers routed the 76ers 133-107 on Wednesday, Jan. 14; Tyson scored 12 in that contest.
Tyson has started 23 of 38 games this season as the Cavaliers have dealt with multiple injuries, including to point guard Darius Garland, who was injured in Wednesday's game. But Tyson’s big night against a conference rival could indicate that he is ready to assume an even bigger role as Cleveland makes a push to take a run at the top teams in the East.
