NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jalen Duran scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Daniss Jenkins added 17 points and the Detroit Pistons never trailed while cruising to their fourth straight victory, 112-104 over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Duncan Robinson had 15 points while shooting 4 of 9 from 3-point range for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, who have won seven of their last eight.
Saddiq Bey scored 20 points to lead the Western Conference-worst Pelicans, who have lost 14 of their last 16.
Zion Williamson, who started after being listed as questionable with an illness, went to the locker room early in the third quarter and didn't return. He had 4 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.
Trey Murphy III shot just 6 of 19 from the floor and finished with 17 points, ending his streak of eight straight games with at least 20 points. Micah Peavy also had 17 points and added seven rebounds and four steals for New Orleans.
Duran's dunk 16 seconds into the game gave the Pistons a 2-0 lead and they built a lead as large as 13 points.
Peavy's 3-pointer with 5:41 left in the game cut the Pelicans' deficit to 5 points at 101-96, but that was as close as they would get before the Pistons closed it out.
Up next
Pistons: Host the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Pelicans: At the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
The Atlanta Hawks were in Memphis on Wednesday evening to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. The Hawks came in looking for anything to work as they were riding a four-game losing streak after suffering a tough defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks on MLK Day.
As for the Grizzlies, they’re coming off a win against the Orlando Magic in London, and they got Ja Morant back after he missed time with an injury.
For the Hawks, they were still without Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis, as they are set to be re-evaluated sometime next week.
It was not a good start for the Hawks, as they went down 12-1 early, and couldn’t get a bucket to fall. The shots eventually started to go down, and Onyeka Okongwu’s two three-pointers helped them get back into it.
It was a homecoming for Luke Kennard as he got to face his former team, and he made it worth his while in this one, knocking down shot after shot. Going into the second, the Hawks trailed 32-31.
Johnson turned into a quarterback in the second and threw a perfect pass down court to Vit Krejci for a layup. While he was making opportunities for others, he also got his own in transition.
The Hawks were able to grab the lead midway through the quarter and extended it late. After a rough start in the first half, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was able to finally get a shot to go from deep.
The Hawks did not start off the second half as they wanted to, and the Grizzlies tied the game early. The Hawks didn’t let it bother them, and Corey Kispert gave them the lead back.
The Grizzlies started to pull away just a little bit, but the Hawks kept it close by continuing to execute on offense. The Hawks were active on the boards on this play, and it got Okongwu the bucket plus the foul to cut down their deficit.
If the Hawks could find Kennard on every play, it would’ve done wonders, because he couldn’t miss through the third quarter. He even turned defense into offense with a steal, finding McCollum for a three-pointer.
Nobody could stop Johnson in his tracks on this transition play, and the only thing the Grizzlies could do was try to foul him. Unfortunately for them, he still made the dunk.
The Grizzlies took the lead after this, but not for long. Johnson turned defense into offense and found Alexander-Walker in the corner for a three-pointer, giving the Hawks a four-point lead.
With seconds remaining and the Hawks up two, Johnson missed the jumper to give them a four-point lead. The Grizzlies grabbed the rebound and didn’t call a timeout, so this was going to be the game. Morant took the ball and fumbled it for a minute, and had to chuck up a three-pointer at the buzzer that didn’t drop. With that, the Hawks were able to break their four-game winning streak and get back in the win column.
Johnson finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists; Kennard finished with 18 points, and Okongwu finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Hawks will be back in action on Friday against the Phoenix Suns.
The New York Knicks entered Wednesday night's game having lost four consecutive contests, but you would have never known it given the way they obliterated the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks won 120-66, their 54-point margin of victory a team record. It could have been even worse − at one point the Knicks led by 59.
The 54-point margin of victory easily shattered the Knicks' previous record of 48, achieved three times (in 1994, 1972 and 1968).
Jalen Brunson led the way for New York with 20 points, and five other Knicks scored in double figures. They shot 57% as a team, including 50% from 3 (16-for-32).
The Nets, by comparison, shot a grisly 29% from the field (23-for-79). They were also soundly beaten on the boards (56-27) and in the assist department (28-15).
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss pushed back on an ESPN report about the family drama that led to the sale of the Lakers, specifically the part that said she had grown frustrated with LeBron James and even floated the idea of trading him in the wake of the disastrous Russell Westbrook trade. Here is what Jeanie wrote to The Athletic's Sam Amick.
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…
"Who gives a s***. I don't, right? You don't know what's true, what's not true. But where there's smoke, there's fire. I seen some of the stuff that came out about it and obviously they talked about different scenarios in terms of power that we may have. Here's all I know. There's an appreciation for guys like Michael Irvin, there should be, our legends. And there damn sure should be appreciation for a guy like LeBron."
There has been some tension around LeBron and the Lakers in the last year, more tied to the franchise turning the page to Luka Doncic and the future — this is the first time in his career that LeBron was not the primary focal point of the organization he was a part of. Buss and Warriors owner Joe Lacob had some talk about a LeBron trade, although that didn't go anywhere it speaks to where the relationship is.
LeBron's relationship with the Buss family — and, to a degree, with Lakers fans — is very different than the ones that Kobe Bryant or Magic Johnson had. That may be a function of the modern NBA and LeBron coming in with an established brand more than anything else, but things have not always been smooth. There has been frustration on both sides. How much that frustration impacted things is up for debate, maybe Buss floated a LeBron trade internally but ultimately he got his max contract extension and no trade clause. The Lakers and LeBron stayed in business together.
With new ownership and LeBron at the end of his career, all that may now be changing. And with that comes a new, and maybe increased, tension.
LeBron has yet to speak about this but likely will on Thursday when the Lakers travel across town to face the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
The Boston Celtics return home to TD Garden after a tough 4-game road trip. Boston led all game in a homecoming win by 15 points, 119-104. Newly minted All Star starter, Jaylen Brown led the team with 30 points in just 33 minutes, Hauser had 5 triples with 17 points on a hot shooting night in Boston.
Sam Hauser hit two early three-pointers to start the game for Boston. The sharp shooting Hauser has been hitting threes at a 39.5 percent clip on the season and has made 16 threes in his last 3 outings for Boston. The C’s had an early lead of 10-7 at the first TV timeout.
The trio of Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, and Anfernee Simons were first off the bench for the home team. Garza scored on his now patented deceleration cutting layup past a leaping Pacer big man. Payton Pritchard scored on a layup and was fouled by Jackson in the act of shooting, with the C’s starting PG hitting the bonus free throw.
Pascal Siakam was cooking early for the Pacers with a mix of jumpers and rim play, and he had 9 quick points in the first quarter to pace Indy. The power forward is staking his claim for All-Star reserve selection. Indiana beat Boston just over a week ago in a low-scoring game, and tonight was more of the same in the first quarter for the sluggish Pacers.
Scheierman’s corner triple gave the C’s an early seven-point lead, and Pritchard’s buzzer-beating three at the horn gave Boston a 30-20 lead at the end of the quarter.
Tony Bradley scored on the interior to start the 2nd quarter; the 6-foot-10 big was on his second 10-day contract with Indy following a string of injuries. Jordan Walsh was impacting things on both ends for Boston in his early minutes; he chased down 2 rebounds and nailed a triple on his first shot of the game in just 7 quick minutes of action. Sam Hauser swished home a three for Boston off a sweet JB assist; the Celtics were pushing the pace in the second quarter, up by 14 points, 38-24.
Hugo Gonzalez got his first run of the game at the midway point of the second quarter, and the rookie stuck a big three-pointer on his first shot of the game. Joe Mazzulla had Hugo matched up with 7-foot-1-inch center Jay Huff. Brown hit a sweet turnaround jumper, following that up with a wide-open transition layup.
Jan 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) gets off a shot past Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Boston went on a 15-0 run before Pascal Siakam finally snapped the scoring streak for the visiting Pacers, Boston stretching the lead out to 23 points, 57-34. Jaylen Brown scored 17 points for Boston in the second quarter a few days after he was named a starter in the All Star game.
Queta had back-to-back dunks for Boston, Derrick White chipped in his first three of the game in front of the commentary bench, Boston headed to the change rooms with a 20 point lead, 66-46.
Sam Hauser opened the second half with a sweet drive and one-handed flick pass to Queta on the rim-rattling jam. Hauser had his fourth triple of the game off a Derrick White assist. Siakam had 5 straight points for the Pacers, as they started to chip away at Boston’s lead, getting it back to 16 points at the 9 minute mark.
Brown scored on a tough driving layup, his 21st of the game with Johnny Furphy draped all over him. Brown took Jay Huff all the way to the cup on the next play but missed both free throw attempts from the stripe. Brown would take a seat with 5 minutes to go in the third quarter, logging 23 points.
Jordan Walsh had a huge block on a Ben Sheppard’s corner three attempt, the ball sailing into the stands. Walsh chased down Potter on the break for another block attempt, but the replay confirmed Walsh got a piece of arm on the play.
Indiana cut into Boston’s big lead with a 16-4 run, the Celtics retained a 15-point lead with Jaylen Brown on the bench. A Ben Sheppard triple gave Indiana a ray of hope, cutting it back to 9-points. Things were setting up for another close battle down the stretch at TD Garden with a quarter to go.
Brown lead the C’s in scoring after 3 quarters with 23 points, Siakam had 27 points for the visitors, the Celtics up by 13 points, 91-78 after three.
Jan 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots over Indiana Pacers guard Quenton Jackson (29) during the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Sam Hauser peeled off a neat Garza screen to hit his fifth three of the night, Simons playing the facilitator with a second assist on the night. Boston started of the fourth quarter hitting 7 points to Indy’s 4 points to start the fourth. Pritchard’s pull up two-pointer saw Boston hit the 100-point mark with seven minutes to go in the game.
With Indy down 15, it felt like they would run out of time to make a comeback as Boston had answers to every Pacer challenge. Brown had a steal and layup to stretch the lead back to 19 points. Brown was in complete control hitting 30 points for the 24th time of the year on a swooping two-footed layup across the key. Brown went to the bench with a 30-piece in the bag, both teams rolling with the bench squads to close things out, Boston sailing to victory.
Boston hit the road again to face the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.
The Jimmy Butler injury has drastically altered the landscape for the Golden State Warriors in more ways than one.
For starters, it may have effectively dashed any hope for the Warriors to become frisky contenders this season, let alone for the rest of the Stephen Curry era. This has forced the organization to consolidate their assets and make choices before the February 6 trade deadline: trade or keep Butler’s contract that has two years left; trade or keep Jonathan Kuminga; attempt to acquire auxiliary role players that will further help the Warriors have an outside shot at contention.
But another choice looms over their heads, involving head coach Steve Kerr.
“But Kerr’s future is still up in the air. This is the final year of his contract, and as of Wednesday, he has yet to sign a new deal. Though Kerr has publicly been mum about his future, multiple assistant coaches have been operating under the premise that he will not return next season, according to team sources, with some surveying the league to secure jobs next season. Last month, longtime assistant Chris DeMarco left the staff to be the head coach of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.”
There could be indications that Kerr is treating this year as his last dance. The push and pull over the Kuminga situation has signaled a clear disconnect between the higher-ups of the organization and the coaching staff. The former seems to want to hold on to Kuminga for a while longer, while the latter has lost faith in Kuminga and his ability to fit into the Warriors’ intricate system.
Kerr seems ready to head into the proverbial sunset and close this chapter of his coaching career, in which he steered the Warriors to four championships in tandem with Curry. Time will tell if Kerr moves on to another team or outright retires from clipboard duties. Whichever the case, Kerr’s time will be remembered fondly for his role in transforming a beleaguered bottom-dwelling team into a dynastic powerhouse.
The first home game back after a long road trip can be difficult, as the Charlotte Hornets showed. They came out flat and couldn’t make outside shots as they scored just 32 points in the first half. The Cleveland Cavaliers took advantage of this as they took a 24-point advantage into the break.
The roles were reversed in the second half. The Cavs couldn’t make anything offensively over the final two quarters, which allowed Charlotte back into the game. The Hornets won the second half by 17, but the Cavs were still able to hang on to a less-than-inspiring 94-87 victory.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. A “B” grade would be an average performance for a particular player.
Donovan Mitchell
24 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 8 turnovers
Mitchell struggled to take care of the ball, which is the last thing you want your starting point guard to do. He committed eight of the team’s 21 turnovers and was a large reason why the Cavs struggled in that area so much.
The scoring didn’t counterbalance the lack of ball security. Mitchell had an uncharacteristically inefficient night. He connected on just two of his eight three-point attempts and went 6-12 on shots inside the arc. Needing 20 shots to get to 24 points against a poor Charlotte defense isn’t what we’ve come to expect from Mitchell this season.
This was far from his best game.
Grade: D+
Jaylon Tyson
14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
This wasn’t Tyson’s most efficient scoring night, but he showed up when the Cavs needed him to. Seven of his 14 points came in the fourth quarter when the game was getting away from them. That’s incredibly helpful, even if this wasn’t his best night shooting as he went 1-9 from three and 6-17 from the floor.
Grade: C+
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Mobley absolutely dominated the first two quarters. He exposed nearly every offensive mismatch that came his way by aggressively driving to the basket. And even when he didn’t have a mismatch, he drove to the basket with ease against a smaller Hornets front court. This led to Mobley going 5-6 on shots in the restricted area in the first half.
That aggressiveness carried over to the defensive end as well. Mobley was disruptive in passing lanes and dominant on the glass as he grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half.
Then, that offensive effectiveness and aggression just went away. He scored only one point in the second half on just two attempts. And while Mobley was still great defensively, he wasn’t the All-NBA level player he was in the first half.
Games like this underline how frustrating the Mobley experience has been this season. Yes, the Hornets were packing the paint much more in the second half, but that isn’t an excuse for just disappearing on that end. Someone with his talent should be a helpful offensive player against a front line that is this inept defensively.
Grade: C
Tyrese Proctor
5 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists
Proctor just looks like an NBA player when he’s on the court. He competed well on the defensive end and isn’t afraid to take threes when he has an opportunity to do so. Both are things you want him to do, but the shot needs to be more consistent. Proctor went just 1-4 from beyond the arc on Wednesday. It’s easy to envision him becoming an incredibly useful player once his three-point shot becomes more consistent.
Grade: C
Craig Porter Jr.
7 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has compared Porter to a power forward before. A game like this shows why it’s a good comparison, and why that might be a problem.
Porter had two blocks on seven-footers on Wednesday. It’s incredibly valuable to have ancillary rim protection from the point-guard position, and that shouldn’t be overlooked.
At the same time, you need your second-string point guard — and really the only point guard who saw minutes on Wednesday with the injury to Darius Garland and Lonzo Ball not playing this game — to do point guard things.
Porter hasn’t consistently done that. He hit two threes, but was mostly a non-factor on that end. He wasn’t able to create separation off-the-dribble, and had as many assists as turnovers (two).
Grade: C
De’Andre Hunter
4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
This was a weird game for Hunter. He came out aggressively by being an impactful rebounder and did a good job of getting into the chest of his opponent. However, this aggressiveness led to Hunter picking up three personal fouls in the first quarter.
Hunter then took his foot off the gas and was a complete non-factor for the rest of the game. He went 1-6 from the floor and had four turnovers. This led to him playing just a little over 13 minutes.
Allen had a solid game. He did a good job as an interior defender and provided some much-needed scoring inside.
Grade: B
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
Tomlin’s three-point shot is by far the worst part of his game. You want him to work on that skill and be comfortable taking that shot when he’s open. At the same time, you’d also prefer if he didn’t put himself in a position where he had to take three-pointers as often as he does. Maybe spotting up at the corner isn’t the best place to be.
That complaint aside, Tomlin was disruptive on the glass with seven offensive rebounds. He made an impact with his hustle and energy in that department, which is what he’s on the floor to do.
Grade: B
Larry Nance Jr.
5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Nance is good at a lot of little things that could help this team. His screening, effectiveness running dribble handoffs, disruption in passing lanes, offensive rebounding, and his passing ability are all examples of things Nance can do well that the Cavs could use more of at his position. There’s a reason he finished the game as a +14, which was the highest mark for a Cavalier reserve.
This game also showcased why he hasn’t been in the lineup often. Nance was hesitant to take open threes and couldn’t get inside and finish at the rim as effectively as he did in the past. If he’s going to be in the lineup more, he needs to showcase the outside shooting he did last season with the Atlanta Hawks.
Still, this was a good and encouraging showing.
Grade: A-
Dean Wade
4 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
This was a typical Wade game. He provided good defense, grabbed rebounds, and moved the ball on offense. That’s all you want him to do.
Additionally, I didn’t know Wade could finish a layup off a Euro step. That bumps his grade up half a letter.
WACO, Texas (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 17 of her 22 points in the first half and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs recorded her 10th double-double of the season and 14th-ranked Baylor beat UCF 73-48 on Wednesday night.
Littlepage-Buggs scored 13 points and grabbed 18 rebounds; the second most of her career. She's grabbed 20 boards twice - on Jan. 4 in a 72-70 win against Iowa State and Dec. 8, 2024, in a 71-64 victory over UNLV.
Scott finished 4-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Baylor sank 12 3-pointers to just two for UCF.
Khyala Ngodu had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and reserve Krystol Ayson scored 10 points for the Knights.
The Bears led 16-13 at the end of the first quarter. Just under two minutes into the second quarter, Littlepage-Buggs made a 3-pointer, Scott made a jumper and a 3 to make it 24-14 with 6:29 before halftime.
Baylor (18-3, 7-1 Big 12) went to halftime up 34-23, used an 8-3 start to the second half to advance the lead to 42-26 and stayed up by double-digits from there.
The Bears, winners of seven straight overall, are 6-0 against UCF (10-9, 2-6).
Up Next
UCF: The Knights host ninth-ranked TCU on Saturday.
The Lakers (26-16) are back in Los Angeles but will play a road game against the LA Clippers (19-24) on Thursday. The purple and gold look to build on the momentum they gained after a strong win against the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers’ most recent win against the Nuggets was much-needed. Yes, the Nuggets were down three starters, including Nikola Jokić, but it’s wins like this that could set the tone for them moving forward — especially in the midst of a pivotal eight-game road trip.
Now, the purple and gold’s next mission is to defeat the Clippers, who are currently playing their best basketball this season. After starting the season with an atrocious record of 6-21, the Clippers have completely turned things around. Since mid-December, they’ve won 14 of their last 16, including their most recent game against the Lakers.
A huge reason for the Clippers’ surge is their improved offense, which now ranks 13th best in the league. Kawhi Leonard — despite missing the last three games — has also turned up his production, as has James Harden. The team as a whole is shooting better from behind the arc and is competing harder on defense.
That said, the Lakers should also give the Clippers a better fight than they did last time. With Luka Dončić and Deandre Ayton set to play in this matchup, that alone will be a huge difference.
Ultimately, what’s important is that the Lakers keep the main thing the main thing. That means continuing to stack wins, especially since they’ve fallen to fifth place in the Western Conference standings. Their game against the Clippers is vital because a win would bring the Lakers one step closer to owning the tiebreaker against their rival. And, with the West looking as competitive as ever, that might become important as the season goes on.
Notes and Updates
For the Lakers’ injury report, Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) are listed as out.
As for the Clippers, Bradley Beal (left hip fracture), Bogdan Bogdanovic (left hamstring), Derrick Jones Jr., (right knee sprain) and Chris Paul (not with team) are out.
Kawhi Leonard (left knee contusion) is questionable.
The season series between the Lakers and the Clippers is currently at 1-1.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin scored a goal in overtime and the Montreal Victoire beat the Minnesota Frost 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Maureen Murphy also had a goal and Ann-Renée Desbiens had 20 saves for Montreal (5-3-0-5).
After the Frost pulled goaltender Nicole Hensley, Kelly Pannek scored a goal that made it 1-1 with 1:02 left in regulation for Minnesota (5-2-3-3), which has lost four of its last five.
Poulin, working from right to left, turned her back to the net and flicked a back-hand shot inside the post with 1:57 left in overtime. Poulin also scored in overtime to help Montreal beat the Frost 3-2 at home Jan. 4.
Murphy scored her first goal of the season to give Montreal a 1-0 lead with 1:31 left in the second period. Nicole Gosling, low along the left board, flicked a shot on goal that Murphy redirected into the net.
The Frost, who went into the game with a league-leading 37 goals this season and tied with New York for the best goal differential (plus-11), were shut out through two periods for the first time this season. Minnesota is 0-4 this season when it trailed going into the third period.
The Victoire lost 2-1 to New York on Sunday to snap the Victoire's three-game win streak. which began with Poulin's first OT winner against Minnesota.
Montreal's Natalie Mlynkova hit the near post with a break-away shot from the left side about five minutes into the second period.
TORONTO (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored at 3:07 of overtime as the Detroit Red Wings downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Simon Edvinsson also scored for Detroit. John Gibson made 30 saves. Larkin added an assist for a two-point performance.
Scott Laughton scored for Toronto, and Joseph Woll stopped 39 shots.
The Red Wings improved to 7-1-0 over their last eight games. The Maple Leafs fell to 1-2-2 across their last five contests following an 8-0-2 run.
Laughton opened the scoring at 4:46 of the first period before Edvinsson replied with 17.7 seconds remaining on the clock, moments after Woll made a huge pad save during a scramble.
Larkin won it in the extra period after Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider stole the puck from Maple Leafs winger Easton Cowan.
Toronto captain Auston Matthews was held off the scoresheet, but had an NHL-best 10 goals since the calendar flipped to 2026 entering play.
Maple Leafs veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson played just under two minutes and didn’t come out for the start of the second period with a lower-body injury. Star winger William Nylander missed a third straight game with a groin issue.
Laughton was awarded a penalty shot late in the second period after being hooked on a short-handed breakaway, but lost the handle on his attempt and didn’t even force a save out of Gibson.
In the article published on Wednesday, Jan. 21, James had fallen out of favor with Buss for his role and actions in recent years involving the organization.
“It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama,” Buss said in a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday regarding the ESPN story. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
The story stated that Buss had not been pleased with the team’s superstar after he failed to take accountability for how things worked out with Russell Westbrook and for how ungrateful James appeared to be after the team drafted James' son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
LeBron James has not publicly commented on the ESPN story.
The bulk of the story details the role of the Buss family's infighting and how it led to the $10 billion sale of one of the NBA's most storied franchises. Jeanie has had a falling out with her siblings in recent years regarding the franchise that has been in the family since the late 1970s.
In February 2013, Jeanie became the controlling owner and governor of the Lakers, following the death of her father, Jerry Buss. In the role, she took full control of both the franchise's business and basketball operations.
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
<p>Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>
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.
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.
