The Golden State Warriors look to keep their momentum rolling Saturday night when they host the Charlotte Hornets. The game will tip off at 5:30 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Golden State enters the matchup riding a two-game winning streak after Thursday nightâs 126â113 comeback win over the New York Knicks. The Warriors erased an early 14-point first-quarter deficit behind a dominant performance from Jimmy Butler, who scored 32 points on 14-of-22 shooting â his second 30-point outing in the last three games.
Stephen Curry followed with 27 points, while Moses Moody knocked down seven three-pointers on his way to 21 points. The victory pushed Golden State to four games above .500 for the first time this season.
âHis ability to just stay composed and see the floor while, you know, he's making his presence felt, it's tough to guard for anybody.â
Steph Curry on why he and Jimmy Butler were so effective in the pick and roll against the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/kBZw8blIxU
The Warriors are 4â1 during this eight-game homestand and now turn their attention to a Charlotte team theyâve beaten six straight times dating back to the 2022â23 season. Golden State will once again look to take advantage of the Hornetsâ defense, which ranks 23rd in the league with a 116.6 defensive rating.
Although Charlotte has struggled on that end, it remains dangerous offensively. They own the NBAâs ninth-best offensive rating while featuring four players averaging 19 points or more, led by All-Star point guard LaMelo Ballâs 20.4 points per game. That combination sets the stage for another high-scoring night, especially with the Warriors posting a league-best 125.4 offensive rating over the past five games of this homestand.
Steph Curry: âI like where we are at. I like the vibes. I like how we are playing. pic.twitter.com/1IYTwTsADa
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) â Four players scored in double figures as the Kansas State women used a dominant team rebounding performance to beat previously undefeated No. 17 Texas Tech 65-59 on Saturday.
Tess Heal led the Wildcats (10-9, 3-3 Big 12) with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals. Gina Garcia, Jordan Speiser and Taryn Sides all scored 11 points. Speiser led with seven rebounds and added two steals.
The Wildcats dominated the Lady Raiders (19-1, 6-1) by a margin of 46-20 on the glass, leading to a 28-14 advantage on points in the paint, and a 14-3 advantage on second-chance points. That rebounding negated the Lady Raiders' 18-10 advantage on turnovers, leading to a 18-5 advantage on points off turnovers.
Bailey Maupin had 18 points and two steals for the Lady Raiders. Jada Malone added 15, going 5 of 8 and 5 of 5 at the free-throw line. Snudda Collins had 12 to go with two blocks.
The Wildcats used a 14-3 run to build a 30-25 lead at the half. The Lady Raiders responded to take the lead with an 11-0 run, using seven points from Malone and a four-point play by Collins to lead by six with 8:17 remaining.
That lead evaporated in the waning minutes. After a 3-pointer from Collins with 2:24 remaining, the Lady Raiders' only point came from a Sidney Love free throw with six seconds left, while the Wildcats closed with an 8-1 run.
The loss removes the Lady Raiders from the list of remaining undefeated teams in the country (No. 1 UConn, No. 5 Vanderbilt), after the best start to a season in program history.
The Dallas Mavericks (16-26) play the second night of a back-to-back against the Utah Jazz (14-27) on Saturday afternoon in the final game of a four game homestand. These two teams each faced one another on Thursday in the Seats for Heroes night, and Dallas won by many, many points. Perhaps Utah will have an ounce of shame and actually play some of their players instead of benching guys luke Jusif Nurkic.
Heres the main things you need to know before tipoff.
WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Utah Jazz
WHAT: A midseason tankfest
WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
WHEN: 4:00 pm CST
HOW: KFAA Channel 29, MavsTV streaming, NBA League Pass
The injury report for the Dallas Mavericks grows even longer than the one from Thursday. The core four are out (Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively, and Dante Exum), but DâAngelo Russell was added to the report as out just recently due to illness and PJ Washington is missing the game due to personal reasons.. Cooper Flagg and Daniel Gafford are each listed as doubtful due to ankle sprains they suffered during the Denver Nuggets game. Thats EIGHT Mavericks. Max Christie is going to suit up, though.
The Jazz wonât have Walker Kessler, who is missing the whole season due to shoulder surgery. Lauri Markkonen is out due to an illness and Georges Niang will miss the game due to a foot injury.
The Jazz openly tanked the Thursday game, sitting playable guys who got âDid not play â Coachâs decisionâ. I expect a fine from them at some point, particularly if they do it again today. Dallas isnât tanking, they are simply hurt and also stink.
Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Letâs go Mavs!
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) â John Mobley Jr. scored a career-high 28 points and knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers as Ohio State pulled away in the second half for an 86-74 win over UCLA on Saturday.
Bruce Thornton added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Devin Royal finished with 22 points and nine rebounds for the Buckeyes (12-5, 4-3 Big Ten).
Ohio State erased a six-point first-half deficit by closing the half on a 12-6 run to take a 42-36 lead at the break. Mobley and Royal opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers, stretching the margin to 48-36 less than two minutes in.
The Bruins cut the deficit to 54-40 midway through the half, but the Buckeyes responded with an 8-3 spurt capped by Mobleyâs 28-foot 3-pointer that made it 66-49 with 10:31 remaining. Ohio State led by double figures the rest of the way.
Mobley shot 8 of 15 from the field and 6 of 12 from behind the arc and added three assists without committing a turnover in 38 minutes. Thornton went 7 of 7 from the free-throw line, and Ohio State finished 21 of 25 at the line while outrebounding UCLA 37-27.
Tyler Bilodeau scored 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting for UCLA (12-6, 4-3), his seventh 20-point game of the season and second career 30-point performance. Donovan Dent added 13 points and seven assists, and Eric Dailey Jr. scored 12 for the Bruins, who shot 40% from the field.
Who: Phoenix Suns (24-17) @ New York Knicks (25-16)
When: 5:30pm Arizona Time
Where: Madison Square Garden â New York, New York
Watch: NBA TV, Arizonaâs Family 3TV, Arizonaâs Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Phoenix Suns have their first losing streak of 2026 and their first in over a month. Losses to the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons, the Suns had a chance to win the first two games of their six-game road trip, but too many free throws and couldnât execute in clutch time to get the wins.
The good thing for the Suns? Help might be on the way.
Devin Booker, who missed the teamâs last game with an ankle injury that he suffered against the Heat, could return to action tonight. Booker has had major success against the Knicks the past couple of seasons, especially at Madison Square Garden. Last season, he had a 40-point outing, and in the 2023-24 campaign, he hit a game-winning three late.
Just like the Suns, the New York Knicks head into this matchup on a losing streak. Theyâre also on a two-game losing streak and are 2-7 in their last nine outings. Previously, they had won 11 out of 1,3 including their win in the Cup Championship. Tonight is the Knicksâ first home game in more than a week. They started their road trip against the Suns, losing 112-107.
Can the Suns get back on track against a struggling New York team?
In his last five games against the Knicks, Booker is averaging 32 points and seven assists. Throughout his career, heâs averaged 28.6 points per game against New York. Assuming he plays, does Booker continue his streak of historically strong play against them?
When the two teams faced off in Phoenix last week, Booker scored 31 points, hit four threes and dished in eight assists. Down the stretch of the game, he made numerous big plays to help the Suns secure the win.
After a rough few games getting his legs under him returning from injury, Grayson Allen is playing similarly to how he was at the start of the season when he was the teamâs second-leading scorer. Allen scored 30 points for the second time this season in Thursdayâs loss to Detroit, going for 33 points, seven threes, and three blocks. After recording three triples and three swats in the first quarter, Allen became the first Sun to ever record such a stat line in a single quarter.
Allen has more points in his last two games, 58, than he did in his previous four games, 41. Does Allen keep his strong scoring going?
Key to a Suns Win
No matter the opponent, the Suns need to shoot better from the free-throw line than they did against the Pistons. Going 16/25 from the line, one of the main reasons the Suns were in the game down the stretch was because Detroit actually shot a worse percentage from the charity stripe. In the Knicks and Sunsâ first matchup of the season, Phoenix executed down the stretch at the line, hitting all six of their attempts in the final 15 seconds to ice the game. The Suns need to get back to knocking down their free throws at a high rate to keep them in games and secure victories.
If Devin Booker doesnât play, the Suns need to decide who is going to step up as the primary scorer. Last game it was Allen and Collin Gillespie with Dillon Brooks in foul trouble. Despite his injury and availability status progressing in the right direction, Jalen Green remains out. Who will step up if Booker is not able to go.
Prediction
New York has been struggling and just made a cross-country flight to get back to the East Coast. The Suns look like the healthier and better team right now. Give me Phoenix in a close one as long as Booker plays.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) â Kowacie Reeves Jr. scored 21 points, Lamar Washington added 18 and the two combined for 28 in the second half as Georgia Tech held off North Carolina State 78-74 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.
Akai Fleming added 16 points and Jaeden Mustaf collected his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 2-4 ACC).
Quadir Copeland scored 16 points and Paul McNeil Jr. and Ven-Allen Lubin added 12 each for the Wolfpack (12-6, 3-2), who had won their last two games and five of their past six.
Reeves hit a 3-pointer with under 10 minutes left to give the Yellow Jackets their first lead since late in the first half. The basket was part of a 12-2 run that put Georgia Tech up 65-58 and the Yellow Jackets held on from there despite some poor free-throw shooting.
Copeland got the Wolfpack within four with 49.9 seconds remaining after consecutive 3-pointers. Georgia Tech made just 2 of 8 free throws from there but a steal and free throw by Washington was enough to preserve the win after N.C. State missed two 3s on its final possession.
N.C. State opened the game with 3-pointers from Alyn Breed and Copeland before Georgia Tech scored the next 12 points, including a pair of Fleming 3s. The Yellow Jackets kept the lead until the Wolfpack outscored them 11-2 over the final 2/1 2 minutes for a 35-34 halftime lead on Copeland's last-second layup.
The Wolfpack had been 12-0 when leading at halftime.
Up next
Georgia Tech is home against Clemson next Saturday.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) â Tobi Lawal scored a season-high 22 points off the bench, Amani Hansberry added 21, and Virginia Tech defeated Notre Dame 89-76 on Saturday for the Hokies' ninth win in the past 10 matchups with the Fighting Irish.
Lawal and Hansberry scored 15 of Virginia Tech's 18 points during one stretch early in the second half as the Hokies extended an 11-point halftime lead to 66-48 with 12 1/2 minutes remaining.
Notre Dame got as close as 79-66 with four minutes remaining then Ben Hammond buried a 3-pointer and Hansberry finished off a layup for an 84-67 lead with three minutes left.
Hammond scored 16 points and Jailen Bedford added 14 for Virginia Tech (14-5, 3-3 ACC). Lawal grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He is working his way back after missing all of December with an ankle injury.
The Hokies sank their first 24 free throws before Lawal missed the first of two attempts with six minutes left in the game. They finished 28 of 32 from the line. Lawal made 14 of 18.
Brady Koehler made 5 of 7 3-pointers and the freshman led Notre Dame (10-8, 1-4) with a career-high 17 points off the bench. Cole Certa, another reserve, scored 14 points and Sir Mohammed was the only starter in double figures with 12 points. Notre Dame backups scored 41 points.
Virginia Tech trailed only once, at 7-5. The Hokies went out front to stay with a 13-2 run and led 45-34 at the break.
Virginia Tech's previous six games had either gone to overtime or been decided by three or fewer points.
DALLAS (AP) â Malik Thomas had a game-high 23 points and a career-best 11 rebounds and Thijs De Ridder added 17 points, including seven of No. 16 Virginiaâs eight points in the final 2½ minutes, as the Cavaliers hung on to beat SMU 72-68 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game on Saturday.
Virginia (16-2, 5-1 ACC) has won five consecutive games. SMU (13-5, 2-3 ACC) lost for the first time in 12 games at Moody Coliseum this season.
De Ridderâs two free throws with 1:07 left gave Virginia a 70-68 lead. After the Cavsâ Dallin Hall missed a 3-pointer late in the shot clock with 14 seconds left, De Ridder grabbed the rebound and was fouled. De Ridder hit two more foul shots, putting Virginia ahead 72-68.
SMUâs Boopie Miller missed a right-corner 3-pointer in the closing seconds, and De Ridder grabbed the rebound.
Jarin Pierre Jr. scored 16 points to lead the Mustangs. B.J. Edwards added 13 and Miller, the teamâs leading scorer averaging 20.8 per game, scored a season-low 12.
Thomas matched a season high hitting six 3-pointers. Virginia, averaging a program-high 28.3 treys attempted per game, hit 12 of 31.
Virginia conversely shot a season-low 12 free throws, sinking 10.
SMU led by as many as seven points during the opening 13 minutes before the Cavaliers went on a 13-2 run over almost four minutes to go ahead 35-28, SMU shooting 1 for 10 with two turnovers during the span. Virginia led 35-28 at halftime.
Up next
Virginia will host No. 14 North Carolina next Saturday.
The Utah Jazz have their second game in a row against the Dallas Mavericks. Last time they played, Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic rested, and the Jazz lost by a lot. What was lost in all the talk about the Jazz was that it was the back end of a back-to-back for the Jazz as well as the Mavericks, but Utah was on the road. Utah didnât have their legs the whole night and shot just 27%. Weâll see if they do better in this one, but this will be the third game in four nights, so it may be a little bit of the same.
Injury Report
The Jazz will be without Lauri Markkanen again in this one. Weâll also see if Jusuf Nurkic plays or doesnât like last time.
Jazz Injury Report:
OUT â Elijah Harkless (G League â Two-Way)
OUT â Walker Kessler (left shoulder; injury recovery)
OUT â Lauri Markkanen (illness)
OUT â Georges Niang (left foot; fourth metatarsal stress reaction)
The Mavs will also be missing some players. Itâs not clear if Adam Silver will pay attention to this or if itâs just the Jazz that get the magnifying glass.
The Mavs will be out Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford again todayâŚ
LeBron James will be a free agent after this season. If he doesn't retire, many Lakers fans would prefer he not return to the team. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
In a city where he has played for the longest stretch of his life, LeBron James should be considered one of the greatest Lakers ever.
Yet, by most accounts, heâs barely in the top 10.
James set the career scoring record here, set the career longevity record here, and won a long-awaited NBA championship here.
Yet he is generally ranked behind Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, James Worthy ⌠and maybe even Pau Gasol?
When he likely leaves the team after this season, James should get a statue. He wonât. He should get a farewell game similar to Kobe Bryantâs final good-bye. He wonât.
For eight breathtaking seasons, LeBron James has poured his soul into pleasing a passionate fan base such that he still fills Crypto.com Arena with joy and light and tomahawk dunks at age 41.
Theyâre tired of his drama, unconvinced of his loyalty, dissatisfied with the results, and ready to embrace fresh new franchise faces. One of those belongs to Austin Reaves, who was unwittingly pitted against James this week during unfortunate speculation from Jamesâ agent and close friend Rich Paul.
Bottom line? If forced to choose between James and Reaves, hereâs guessing the majority would choose Reaves. If forced to keep either James or Reaves, almost certainly the Lakers would keep Reaves.
These sorts of questions will matter at the upcoming Feb. 5 trade deadline, when, with the team going nowhere, perhaps James should realize that his days here are numbered and consider lifting that no-trade clause.
If unanswered, the questions will surface again this summer, when Reaves becomes a free agent and can command a maximum contract of $241 million over five years. The Lakers are going to pay him, which leaves James, who would also be a free agent, and his contract demands deep on the bench.
If James leaves the Lakers for whatever reason â retirement, seeking a title elsewhere â the Lakers can sign Reaves and still have $50 million in cap space.
Think about that.
Lakers forward LeBron James hugs teammate Austin Reaves after he was fouled on a three-point shot during a game against Utah. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Fifty million in cap space on a team thatâs already locked up its two best scorers? Are you kidding me?
If James gets out of the way, the Lakers can finally fully commit to a retooling around Luka Doncic and Reaves.
Itâs all pretty simple, isnât it? It only became complicated this week when the suddenly struggling Lakers were hit with the most damaging opinion during the most detrimental of times.
Paul popped off on his podcast about trading, of all people, Reaves.
In âGame Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul,â Paul cited the advantages of trading Reaves to Memphis for Jaren Jackson Jr.
âThis comes with a very unemotional attachment because Austin is beloved, which he should be, he's an underdog," Paul said on the podcast. "There's a world where you can do what's best for your team, and do what's best for Austin. Because Austin deserves to get paid. Now, I love him as a Laker, but if that was a situation where we're getting balance â because if you put all the money into just the backcourt and then your flexibility is restricted going forward to fill out the rest of the teamâŚâ
Paul went so far as to say Memphis would be the perfect place for Reaves.
"Memphis would definitely pay Austin," Paul said. "He would become ⌠probably their point guard and leading scorer, for sure. ⌠But definitely their highest-paid player."
A similar opinion urging the Lakers to trade Reaves appeared in this column last summer, but that was written before Reaves had a breakout start this season, averaging 27 points a game on 51% shooting before being sidelined with a calf injury.
Heâs hot. Heâs arrived. Heâs him.
The idea of trading Reaves now feels foolish. Even worse, it feels like an idea that was co-signed by James himself.
Trading Reaves would give more touches to James. Acquiring Jackson would offer more room for James. The entire speculation could be summed up in one sentence that has nothing to do with Reaves or Jackson.
The Lakers should do whatâs best for LeBron James.
No, they shouldnât. No, they absolutely shouldnât. Yet thatâs what Paul was saying, and one would be naive to think thatâs not what James is thinking, even though he denied any association in an interview with ESPNâs Dave McMenamin.
âI think you all know by now, Rich is his own man and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel," James told McMenamin. "And I hope people know that. I hope people know that and if they're not sensible to know that, then I don't know what to tell them."
In the same interview, James also expressed his love for Reaves. Smart man.
âAR knows how I feel about him," James told McMenamin. "All you got to do is look at us on the bench. Me and AR talk every single day. So, AR knows how I feel about him and I hope AR â or his camp â don't look at me and think this is words from me are coming through Rich.â
Turns out, Reavesâ camp thought these words were exactly coming from James, witness the brief courtside meeting between Reggie Berry, one of Reavesâ agents, and Paul during a Lakers game earlier this week. According to ESPN, Berry approached Paul in search of an explanation for his comments.
Later on his podcast, Paul said he told Berry, âI want Austin to know this is not about Austin Reaves because I love the player, love the person.â
Everybody, it seems, loves Austin Reaves, and heâs not going anywhere. Meanwhile, after another tumultuous week in the passive-aggressive life of a king, it feels like LeBron James is as good as gone.
"Air Force Men's Basketball Head Coach Joe Scott has been suspended indefinitely pending an investigation into the treatment of cadet-athletes. Assistant Coach Jon Jordon (USAFA '85) will serve as interim head coach," the statement read.
In his sixth season of his second tenure leading the Air Force program, Scott has the Falcons sitting 3-14 overall on the season and at the bottom of the Mountain West with a 0-6 record in league play.
He was hired back at Air Force ahead of the 2020-21 men's college basketball season following a two-year stint serving as an assistant coach on Tom Crean's staff at Georgia. He has led the Falcons to a combined 97-183 record in his two stints.
Taking over in Scott's place will be assistant coach Jon Jordon, who graduated from the Air Force in 1985. Jordon has been on Scott's staff since 2022 and was also a member of his first staff at Air Force from 2000-2004 as well.
Air Force and Nevada are slated for a 4 p.m. ET tipoff at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday.
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) â Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved two penalties including the first from Mohamed Salah for Nigeria to beat Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout for third place at the Africa Cup Nations on Saturday.
Ademola Lookman scored the winning penalty.
Salah and Omar Marmoush had their penalty kicks saved by Nwabali at the start of the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 in normal time. No extra time was played for the consolation of a bronze medal.
It was the Super Eaglesâ second consecutive penalty shootout following a scoreless draw after losing the semifinal to Morocco on penalties on Wednesday.
Nwabali produced a strong hand to stop a well-taken penalty from Salah, then thwarted Marmoushâs effort straight down the middle with his foot.
Salah had been kept quiet by Nigeriaâs defenders and was unable to add to his 11 Africa Cup goals altogether.
Victor Osimhen remained on Nigeriaâs substitutesâ bench, suggesting he was carrying an injury from the semifinal defeat to Morocco. Osimhen was taken off in extra time of that game just before the penalty shootout.
The Super Eagles ended the Africa Cup on a positive note in contrast to the last edition, where they lost in the final to host Ivory Coast.
Morocco and Senegal will contest the final in Rabat on Sunday. Sadio ManĂŠ's goal was enough to send Senegal through with a 1-0 win over Egypt in their semifinal.
LENS, France (AP) â Winger Wesley SaĂŻd scored a brilliant goal to secure Lens' 10th consecutive win across all competitions and place atop the Ligue 1 standings on Saturday.
Lens defeated Auxerre 1-0 after SaĂŻd controlled with his chest Malang Sarrâs cross into the box and finished with a left-footed volley from the bounce. The 65th-minute score was his eighth this season.
Lens, which claimed its only French title in 1998, stayed one point ahead of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, which beat Lille on Friday.
Next-to-last in the standings, Auxerre was not intimidated by the buoyant crowd and posed a strong challenge to the host with intense pressing.
After a first half of few clear chances, Lens showed more intent and Matthieu Udol, set up by Adrien Thomasson, came close to breaking the deadlock. The ball fell back to Udol who struck again only for defender Fredrik OppegĂĽrd to block.
Udol then delivered a low cross toward the near post for Thomasson, whose effort went just wide. Lens kept pushing and was finally rewarded when SaĂŻd slotted home.
Other matches
Toulouse hosted Nice later Saturday and third-place Marseille was at mid-table Angers.
PSG warmed up for next week's Champions League match at Sporting with a convincing 3-0 win over Lille on Friday. Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane DembĂŠlĂŠ scored a brace. Monaco fell to its seventh defeat in eight games, at home to Lorient 3-1.
The Detroit Pistons have built a 4.5-game lead at the top of the East, and Cade Cunningham continues to play like an All-Star. Despite a wrist issue, I expect him to put up big numbers again tonight against the Indiana Pacers.
His assists prop is the one that really stands out to me here, with Cade serving up 11+ dimes in four of his last five games. Heâs got options inside and outside, from Jalen Duren as a lob threat to a red-hot Duncan Robinson beyond the arc, and itâll just come down to making the right reads.
Cunningham has passed those kinds of tests all season, and thereâs a steadiness with his playmaking. He averaged 10.1 APG in December, and heâs inched that number up so far this month.
The Pacers arrive in Motor City on the second night of a back-to-back set, and Cade should be able to cut through an Indiana defense that allowed the lowly New Orleans Pelicans to shoot 50% from the field yesterday.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, FanDuel Sports Network Indiana
Itâs the banged-up Washington Wizards against the banged-up Denver Nuggets here, but that opens the door for big performances from the healthy players on the two rosters.
Thatâs part of the case for Kyshawn George, whoâs taken big strides in his second NBA season, and heâs getting every chance to spread his wings as the Wizards look towards the lottery.
George has scored 15+ points in four of his last five contests, including a 23-point effort against the Los Angeles Clippers last week, and this is a nice spot for him against a Denver team that will be without Christian Braunâs gritty defense.
Heâs served up some erratic nights from 3-point range, but heâs making his triples at a 39% clip overall this year, and Washington needs him to stay aggressive as a shooter after trading away CJ McCollum.
The Wizards donât appear to be in a big hurry to get new addition Trae Young on the court, and that means more touches for George, Alex Sarr, and the rest of the teamâs young core.
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Altitude Sports, Monumental Sports Network
As frustrating as the LaMelo Ball experience can be at times, the 15-26 Charlotte Hornets have beaten the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder this month.
Theyâve also got the upside to trouble the Golden State Warriors tonight, and that starts with Ball delivering another impressive stat line. LaMelo dropped 30 points on the Lakers on Thursday, including nine 3-pointers, and heâs gone past this number in three of his past four games.
Ball finished with 25 points in his one outing against the Warriors last season, and Iâm wagering on him embracing the challenge of going head-to-head with Steph Curry here.
Volume shouldnât be an issue. LaMelo has jacked up 20+ shots in four of his last five games, so while the efficiency may not be great, heâll have every opportunity to nail this Over.
Ultimately, this pick may come down to Ballâs 3-point stroke. Heâs 24-for-54 from downtown in his last four games, and thatâs a shot he should be able to get with ease here.
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, NBC Sports Bay Area
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Cade Cunningham
Kyshawn George
LaMelo Ball