Category: Basketball

San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson called a timeout with his team down double digits in the third quarter. The team had just given up a couple of easy baskets due to poor transition defense. Whatever he said in the huddle worked. The Spurs came out of that timeout looking like a different team. They ratcheted up the defense and attacked the glass to shut down the Houston Rockets, coming back from a 16-point deficit for a 111-99 road victory.

Victor Wembanyama willed the Spurs back into the game with his aggression on both ends. The big man had 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the win. Houston was physical with San Antonio all night, but Wemby and the rest of the Spurs matched their physicality in the second half to secure the victory. The Spurs did all of their work inside, outscoring the Rockets 72-48 in the paint.

Houston got good performances from its big three of Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson, but couldn’t overcome the Spurs’ defense late in the game, only scoring 13 points as a team in the fourth quarter. Thompson led the Rockets with 25 points on 11-23 shooting.

The Spurs improved to 32-15 on the season with the win. Next, they’ll head to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Saturday.

Observations

• The Rockets shot 60% from the floor in the first quarter on their way to 36 points. The Spurs went on to outscore them in every following quarter.
• After a few poor defensive efforts in transition, Victor Wembanyama turned up the intensity on both ends, helping the Spurs go on a 9-2 run to end the half. It was the start of the run that ultimately won them the game.
• When the Spurs gave their starters a breather with 5 minutes to go in the fourth, Dylan Harper stepped up to keep San Antonio ahead by getting to the lane and scoring around the Rockets’ defenders. It was another solid clutch performance from the rookie, who finished with 16 points on 8-11 shooting.
• Stephon Castle was tremendous defensively. He single-handedly took Sengun and Durant out of the game in the second half. He focused his full effort on the defensive end and made a winning impact. Castle stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.
• The Spurs’ bench was excellent on Wednesday night. They outscored the Rockets’ bench 38-14.
• Luke Kornet didn’t attempt a single shot, but his impact was felt throughout his 19 minutes. He protected the rim and kept the Rockets off the glass in the second half. Kornet was a +8 in his minutes.

If I were an actual teacher, I’d be quite tempted to dock the entire class points for what was, by all accounts, a thorough and unquestionable defeat to the shorthanded Golden State Warriors. Defensively, the Jazz resisted with all the integrity of a five-cent water balloon as the visitors sliced, diced, and tore through Utah’s barricade.

Truthfully, it seemed that one swing of the basketball from sideline to sideline was consistently enough to have the Jazz scrambling to keep up. Assignments missed, men left unchecked, and wide open shot after wide open shot widened the point differential consistently through the night. The Jazz haven’t been heralded for defensive fortitude at any point in the season, and tonight was no exception.

But despite the disappointment on the court, it remains my responsibility to rate and dish out grades to each of the players in tonight’s crushing defeat.

Lauri Markkanen – C+

It is with great pleasure that we welcome the Finnisher back to the court. Unfortunately, he’s clearly a step slower in his time away from the lineup. Getting back into game shape and into the flow of the season takes time. We saw him slowly step back into his pace midway through the fourth quarter with a Joe Ingles-esque high catch-and-shoot from the top of the key and a slashing dunk in trafflic. He dunked on Draymond Green, and that alone is praiseworthy. Still, 16 points on 6-for-24 shooting is far from his standard, and for that, he must lose points.

Svi Mykhailiuk – D

It is with less pleasure that we welcome Mykhailiuk back to the starting lineup. With the recent development of Cody Williams as a slashing force of interior pyrotechnics, seeing Williams scratched from the lineup with illness is frustrating. In his place, Mykhailiuk entered the spotlight. Fair enough, but two points in 16 minutes? I would have rather seen Taylor Hendricks get some playing time in Svi’s place.

Keyonte George – B

It was an off shooting night for Key, as he hit just six of his 15 attempts from the field. Keyonte couldn’t get things going in the weeds of the Golden State interior, as all but one of his misses arrived in that range (3-for-11 from two-point territory), but he was 75% from distance. I love the aggression, but sometimes three-point land is a safer bet. I call this the Egor Demin principle.

Credit where credit is due — Keyonte’s begun to embrace his role as point guard, with seven assists and being limited to two giveaways. This is what we like to see.

Ace Bailey – A

Bailey’s playmaking potential actualized in many instances tonight. Four assists including some pinpoint cross-court passes that had the assist freak within me leaping from his chair. Ace is a scorer at heart, though, and he matched Keyonte’s 19 points on impressive 8-for-15 shooting splits from the field (3-for-7 from deep!) along with seven rebounds, two steals, and a block. I love me some Ace Bailey branded basketball.

Jusuf Nurkic – F

Nurkic has set a precedent for himself, and I am grading him against that measure. 11, 5, and 5 is nowhere near a triple-double, mister. Do better next time.

Isaiah Collier – B+

It was both hilariously self-aware and introspectively agitating when Collier’s feet didn’t leave the floor during a first-quarter jump ball. Both athletically and developmentally, Collier has yet to really elevate in his sophomore year. He got his average of six assists, made his money from inside the arc, and managed an impressive four steals in this one. For that, he gets kudos in this game.

Brice Sensabaugh – B+

When it comes to shooting, few are stroking the leather nicer than Brice. He enjoyed 22 points — a team high — on 4-of-9 shooting from deep. That’s good basketball, and it wipes clean the sins of his defense. Ish.

Kyle Filipowski – B

Flip will never be a defensive ace, but fortunately for him, neither were seemingly any of his teammates. Tonight, he posted a strong statline and didn’t miss a shot all night! …He also only played 17 minutes in this one. I guess he did well, considering his opportunity.

Kyle Anderson – B-

Watching him play basketball is hilarious. Every movement is a tremendous labor, almost as if his joints were liquifying with every step. Six assists to one turnover makes up a connective, well-lubricated basketball machine, and that’s what Slow-Mo brought to the table.

Walter Clayton Jr – C-

Walt made a brief non-garbage time appearance that yielded 0 points, but two assists. He hit his first shot well after the game had already been decided. Clayton Jr, despite his age, is taking a while to get up to speed in the NBA.

Derrick Favors – A

You read that right. Derrick Favors was back on the court in Salt Lake City tonight, shooting free throws for charity. From the charity stripe, he was positively clutch, doubling the initial donation of $1,000. Do I feel the urge to dock him points for being the reason why Utah is still indebted to Oklahoma City? Yes, but there’s very little that D-Faves could do about that now.

---

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

The Golden State Warriors finished their four-game road trip on Wednesday night, and they did it in decisive fashion, cruising past the Utah Jazz 140-124. Since Jimmy Butler III’s season-ending ACL injury, the Warriors have known that they’ll need to win with depth and teamwork in the absence of star power (barring the quickly-gaining-attention-on-the-rumor-mill acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo).

And that’s exactly what they did, with a staggering eight different players scoring in double figures (plus a ninth who totaled nine points). And that isn’t just because the Warriors got to garbage time and emptied the bench; no, it was a balanced attack through and through.

It didn’t look good in the opening minutes, though. The Warriors were once again quite sloppy to open the game, and Utah’s advantage in both size and athleticism was on full display, with the Jazz getting easy buckets while the Warriors failed to put the ball through the net. But then Golden State tightened up their defense, and greatly upped their activity. With that, they got on a roll, and took a 16-10 lead, and then 21-13. The sloppiness remained — particularly from Steph Curry — but they were outhustling a much-younger Utah team, and pushed the lead to double digits. They entered the second quarter looking good, holding the momentum, and nursing a 34-24 lead.

That momentum took off to start the next quarter, with Buddy Hield draining threes on back-to-back possessions, while the Warriors fully locked in defensively. That defensive effort didn’t wane, and neither did Hield’s contributions, as he had 11 points in the first few minutes of the quarter, as the Dubs threatened to turn the lead into a blowout.

Utah wasn’t hearing it, though. Between some red-hot shooting from the perimeter and a gift from the Warriors — more sloppiness — the Jazz rattled off 10 consecutive points to get right back into the game, and make it a six-point deficit. The Warriors didn’t hit the panic button, though, and even with Curry on the sidelines, they answered Utah’s run, using a flurry of three-pointers to combat the larger, more athletic team. Brandin Podziemski put the cherry on the sundae with an ultra-crafty bucket with just 0.9 seconds remaining, sending the Warriors to the visitor’s locker room with a 68-55 advantage.

There’s always the threat of losing energy and momentum in the second half, especially on the road, but the Warriors had no such plans. They came out of the third-quarter gates full of energy and vigor, and spent the first few minutes keeping Utah at bay. Then they turned on the turbos, with some simply gorgeous basketball. The ball was flying around the court on offense, and the bodies were flying around the court on defense, and with just over five minutes remaining the Warriors had pushed the lead to 20.

But Utah once again had a response in them, and came roaring back into it. The Jazz pushed the ball up the court and pulled within 10 points with a minute remaining, threatening to turn the game into a close one. Disaster struck in the final seconds when the Warriors, still holding that 10-point lead, had the ball with the shot clock off, and a chance to add to the advantage. Instead, De’Anthony Melton turned the ball over with just three seconds remaining, which was enough time for Isaiah Collier to go coast-to-coast for a buzzer-beating layup. It was just a 101-93 game entering the final frame.

Golden State once again answered with poise, showing they had no fear of blowing the lead. The Warriors forced a turnover on the Jazz’s first possession of the quarter and, on their own possession, found Will Richard for a three. After getting a stop on Utah’s ensuing possession, Moses Moody drained a three, flipping the momentum and giving the Dubs full control of the game once again.

It wouldn’t turn into a blowout just then. Utah kept fighting back, but every time they pulled within 9-10 points, Curry would respond with a superstar answering, and Golden State would remain in control. Finally, about halfway through the last quarter, the Warriors took over for the final time. The Jazz had cut the deficit to nine points, and then Golden State decided it was time to dominate. They pushed the ball in transition, controlled the glass, locked up on D, and drained three after three. The result? A 20-2 run that began with a semi-close game, and ended with both teams’ subs in. From there, it was just a matter of letting the benches argue over the final score.

While the Warriors employed a balanced scoring attack, two players starred in it: Curry and Moody. Steph may have contributed to the sloppiness with five turnovers, but more than made up for it with 27 points on tremendous efficiency: 7-for-14 from the field, 4-for-10 on threes, and 9-for-10 on free throws. Moody was even more efficient, dropping in 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 5-for-9 on threes and 3-for-4 on free throws. Add in five rebounds and some outstanding defense, and it’s no surprise that he was a game-high +28.

Gui Santos also starred, with strong defense, hustle plays galore, and 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting, with four assists, two steals, and two blocks. The other players in double figures: Hield (13), Richard (13), Melton (12), Podziemski (11), and Quinten Post (10).

The Warriors improved to 27-22 on the season, and now head back home to host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. After that, they’ll get a well deserved three straight off days.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Britta Curl-Salemme had two goals, rookie Kendall Cooper scored her first career goal, and the Minnesota Frost beat the Vancouver Goldeneyes 4-1 on Wednesday night in the final game before the PWHL's Olympic break.

Kelly Pannek had a goal in her fourth consecutive game for Minnesota (7-2-3-3). Maddie Rooney finished with 31 saves and had her third straight win.

Michelle Karvinen scored a goal for Vancouver (5-1-2-8). Kristen Campbell, who had allowed three goals in her last three starts combined, had 18 saves.

Cooper secured a loose puck and flicked a wrister over the glove-side shoulder of Campbell to open the scoring less than five minutes into the game. Curl-Salemme scored on a one-timer from the point with 2:53 left in the first period and Pannek scored on a power play — her fourth consecutive game with a goal — just before the buzzer to make it 3-0 going into the second.

The Goldeneyes outshot Minnesota 32-22 despite the Frost building a 13-7 advantage at the end of the first period.

Up next

Minnesota: The Frost visit Montreal on March 1.

Vancouver: The Goldeneyes host Toronto on March 1.

___

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

After all the public workouts and hinting that he might return in February, NBA on Prime’s Chris Haynes reports that “Jayson Tatum is now re-evaluating his situation and is up in the air if he’s going to return at all this season.

Haynes said that “it was always a forgone conclusion that Jayson Tatum was going to try to give it a go and return at some point during the season after suffering that Achilles tear,” but hints now to “a couple of factors” to why he’s reached this impasse despite getting close to a comeback.

Sources: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum (Achilles recovery) is re-evaluating his situation and is now considering sitting out the entire 2025-26 season. Final decision has yet to be determined. pic.twitter.com/Z8CcVjFSIr

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 29, 2026

Earlier this week, he appeared on The Pivot podcast with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor and was already casting some doubt in suiting up for 2025-2026.

“That’s something I contemplate every day. More so about the team, if or when I do come back this season, they would have played 50 some odd games without me so they have an identity this year or things they’ve felt that has clicked for them and it’s been successful,” Tatum said. “So, there’s a thought in my head that is like, how does that work? How does that look with me integrating myself off an injury…and it is a thought like ‘damn, do I come back or should I wait?’ In the last two weeks or so, I contemplate every single day.”

Over a week ago in Detroit, CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell watched Tatum’s public 45-minute workout and noted:

Throughout the workout, Celtics assistant coach Tony Dobbins guarded Tatum pretty aggressively, while Craig Luschenat, the team’s head of player development, directed traffic. Dobbins guarded Tatum with an undeniable level of physicality — hand-checking him, and poking the ball out of his hands at times. (For reference, Dobbins was named the French League’s best defender three times in his EuroLeague basketball career — and while he wasn’t going all out, he was certainly upping the pressure).

Steve Tchiengang, one of the Celtics’ player enhancement coaches, partook in drills as a screener and passer, as did Tatum’s former Duke University teammate, Celtics assistant coach Amile Jefferson. Tatum’s trainer, Nick Sang, took the floor to watch.

And for what it’s worth, here’s how Joe Mazzulla broached the topic with Celtics play-by-play announcer, Sean Grande:

As promised, this is the transcription of the end of our pre-game conversation with Joe.

The topic was Jayson Tatum appearance on the Pivot Podcast, and it shifted to the Bill Belichick Hall of Fame vote… https://t.co/7F5K2jRjVkpic.twitter.com/PTfi3Z47l6

— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) January 29, 2026

Seems telling after the fact.

The NBA is currently heading towards the trade deadline on February 5th and the Celtics have over a week off for All-Star Weekend from February 9th to 18th. That time could serve as a good reflection point for Tatum with twenty-eight games to go in the regular season and the team knowing a little more about themselves whether Brad Stevens makes some moves or not. The team has been clear that the decision to return starts with Tatum, so as the late great Johnny Most once said, “we wait for it with bated breath.”

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, Jaylon Tyson had 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers used a big third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-99 and spoil LeBron James’ return to Northeast Ohio.

De’Andre Hunter added 19 points, and Jarrett Allen had 17 points and nine rebounds to help Cleveland to its season-best fifth straight victory.

James had only 11 points, the first time in 13 trips to Cleveland as an opposing player he has not had at least 20. The 41-year old Akron native was 3 of 10 from the field, including 0 of 3 on 3-pointers, and was 5 of 6 from the line in 27 minutes.

It also was James’ worst loss in Cleveland as a visiting player. He is 10-3, but has been on the losing end in his last two.

James teared up during a timeout with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter when the Cavaliers showed video highlights of him scoring 25 straight points during Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals against the Detroit Pistons.

Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points. Los Angeles fell to 3-2 on its seven-game road trip.

Doncic missed six minutes in the first quarter after having his left ankle looked at in the locker room. Doncic tweaked his ankle when he landed awkwardly near the Lakers’ bench after attempting a 3-pointer.

Cleveland led 57-55 at halftime, but took control in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles by 20 (42-22). It was the 12th time this season that the Cavaliers scored at least 40 points in a period.

PACERS 113, BULLS 110

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Aaron Nesmith made a go-ahead reverse layup with 13.9 seconds left and blocked Coby White’s attempt from close range with 2.9 seconds remaining, and Indiana rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Chicago.

Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard had 18, Jarace Walker added 16, Bennedict Mathurin had 15 and Nesmith finished with 14 for the NBA-worst Pacers, who improved to 3-0 against Chicago this season.

Indiana has won two of three, having beaten defending champion Oklahoma City in an NBA Finals rematch on Friday night. The Thunder have the league’s best record while the Pacers have plummeted to the bottom of the standings following Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the Finals.

Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points and Matas Buzelis had 20 for the Bulls, who lost their second straight to fall one game under .500 (23-24).

Chicago led 101-87 on a layup by Jalen Smith with 7:14 to go. But the Pacers responded with an 18-4 run and Jay Huff’s 3-pointer with 2 minutes left tied it at 105-all.

Vucevic’s 3-pointer with 33.5 seconds left gave the Bulls their last lead at 110-109. Johnny Furphy hit two free throws for the final margin, which was the Pacers’ biggest lead of the game.

HAWKS 117, CELTICS 106

BOSTON (AP) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 21 points, Jalen Johnson had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Atlanta beat Boston to avenge a lopsided home loss.

Onyeka Okongwu added 17 points, Dyson Daniels had 15 and Corey Kispert 13 to help the Hawks win their fourth straight.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 21 points. He shot 9 for 20, missing all five of his 3-point attempts.

The Hawks hit 42.9% of their 3-pointers (18 of 42) and had 29 assists on 45 baskets. Boston was 9 of 34 from beyond the arc.

Hawks coach Quin Snyder was asked before the game if his team would remember a 132-106 loss at home Jan. 17 in the clubs’ last meeting. He replied: “You want to feel it.”

It looked like his team did from the start. They were locked in defensively, opening a 21-point lead late in the opening quarter on Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer.

They held a 60-38 edge on Kispert’s 3 from the top in the second quarter before Boston closed the first half with an 8-0 spree.

The Celtics made a few brief spurts in the second half but didn’t reduce their deficit below 12 points. Coach Joe Mazzulla removed most of his starters and many fans headed for the exits with the Celtics trailing 115-96 with 4 ½ minutes left.

KNICKS 119, RAPTORS 92

TORONTO (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored 19 of his 30 points in the third quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns had a season-high 22 rebounds and New York extended its winning streak to four, rallying past Toronto.

OG Anunoby had 26 points and a season-high six steals against his former team. Josh Hart scored 22 points and Jalen Brunson added 13 as the Knicks won their 11th straight meeting with Toronto.

Towns had 14 rebounds in the second quarter alone. He finished with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Bridges went 12 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

Brandon Ingram scored 27 points, Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and RJ Barrett scored 14 as Toronto’s four-game winning streak ended.

New York shot 4 of 19 from 3-point range in the first half, but Bridges helped turn that around by making 3 of 4 in the third. The Knicks finished 14 for 38 from distance.

HORNETS 112, GRIZZLIES 97

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 26 points, Moussa Diabate had 18 points and 20 rebounds and Charlotte topped its victory total from all of last season, beating Memphis.

Charlotte had won four straight to improve to 20-28 after finishing 19-62 last season. Miles Bridges added 20 points, and LaMelo Ball had 16. Diabate was 9 of 10 from the field in the first night of a back-to-back.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 26 points. Cedric Coward had 17. The Grizzlies have lost four in a row to fall to 18-27. Star guard Ja Morant is out at least three weeks because of a left elbow injury.

Miller scored 14 points in the first quarter to help Charlotte take a 36-28 lead. The Hornets led 29-13 with 3:56 left. The Hornets led 62-55 at the half, and had a 9-75 edge after three quarters.

MAGIC 133, HEAT 124

MIAMI (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 12 rebounds, Anthony Black scored 26 points and Orlando beat Miami to snap a four-game skid.

Desmond Bane finished with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting and Jalen Suggs scored 16 for the Magic, who are 3-0 against the Heat this season.

Simone Fontecchio scored 23 points in 19 minutes for the Heat. Norman Powell added 22 points and Bam Adebayo had 21.

Franz Wagner (left ankle sprain) missed his fourth straight game for the Magic while Miami was without Tyler Herro (ribs) and Davion Mitchell (shoulder).

The start of the game was delayed by seven minutes because one of the rims was uneven.

The Magic went on a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter and led 121-104 with 5:47 remaining before the Heat rallied and got within 128-122 on Powell’s three-point play with 1:25 left. Banchero and Suggs made two free throws each in the final minute to secure the win.

Orlando finished with 36 assists and shot 16 of 38 from 3-point range.

TIMBERWOLVES 118, MAVERICKS 105

DALLAS (AP) — Julius Randle scored 31 points, Naz Reid added 23 and Minnesota beat short-handed Dallas.

The Mavericks were without rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who sat for left ankle injury management on the first night of a back-to-back. Flagg played the previous three games after an ankle sprain sidelined him for two games.

Klay Thompson sat with left knee soreness for Dallas, which is without 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis due to a hand injury. Star guard Kyrie Irving hasn’t played all season after tearing an ACL last March.

Anthony Edwards scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who have won consecutive games since a five-game losing streak that is their longest of the season.

P.J. Washington Jr. scored all 21 of his points in the second half for the Mavericks. Naji Marshall had 18 points and Brandon Williams 17.

Randle was 12 of 21 from the field and made all seven of his free throws. He has scored at least 21 points in 11 of his past 12 games against his hometown team.

WARRIORS 140, JAZZ 124

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 27 points, Moses Moody had 26 and Golden State beat Utah.

Gui Santos had 16 points off the bench for the Warriors. Golden State made 23 3-pointers and never trailed over the final three quarters. Moody led the way with five 3s.

Brice Sensabaugh scored 22 points off the bench for Utah. Keyonte George had 19 points and seven assists. Ace Bailey also scored 19 points for the Jazz and Lauri Markkanen had 18.

Utah trimmed a 22-point deficit to single digits entering the fourth quarter. The Jazz drew to 108-100 on a pair of free throws from Isaiah Collier with 9:52 left. Curry made back-to-back baskets to restore a double-digit lead.

Golden State used a 20-2 run to go up 136-109 with 3:29 left.

Golden State made it rain from the perimeter early, going 15 of 31 from long distance before halftime. Eight different players made an outside basket for the Warriors in the first half. Buddy Hield and Moody accounted for three apiece before halftime.

The Utah Jazz have dropped their fourth-straight game after tonight’s loss against the Golden State Warriors. The final score was 140-124.

As is the case most nights, Utah struggled tremendously on defense. Utah allowed Golden State to attempt 54 attempts from behind the arc, with the Warriors connecting on 43% of them. Sure, the Warriors lead the league in three-point attempts per game at 44.6, but the sheer number of open looks Utah allowed was astounding. The final score reflected those easy looks – it’s nearly impossible to win an NBA game when you give up 140 points. The Jazz can waive goodbye any aspirations of competing next season if this core defends this poorly, Walker Kessler healthy or not.

On a positive note, Ace Bailey has continued his impressive offensive play. He finished the night with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. After failing to make much of an impact on the game outside scoring against the Los Angeles Clippers, Bailey made a great effort to crash the glass, find his teammates, and use his length to his advantage on defense. It is a disappointment that Bailey won’t get an opportunity to play during All-Star Weekend, but his development is promising.

Importantly, it seems the Jazz have heard the complaints about the in-arena audio. For the first time this season, it appears that there were moments without loud music and pumped-in crowed noise:

By the way: at least in this first quarter, the Jazz have way turned down the music and aren't doing it on every single possession. You can hear the crowd now and that's a very good thing!

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 29, 2026

Hopefully this is a trend moving forward. Utah’s in-arena experience continues to be fairly lackluster. Eliminating the random high-hat soundtracks blaring in the background of every other possession is a step towards improving it.

The Jazz will face off against the Brooklyn Nets at home on Friday, January 30th before staring a five-game roadtrip.

In the latest Stein Line, Marc Stein reveals the Utah Jazz will be active this trade season, but it’s not likely to be for a big name.

From Marc Stein:

With various teams hard-capped at the first apron or just trying to remain below that threshold — or out of the luxury tax altogether — there’s a growing belief leaguewide that we’ll see Brooklyn, Charlotte and Utah play facilitator in a few of these more complicated frameworks. Sources say that the Nets, Hornets and Jazz have all been reiterating to teams in ongoing conversations that they are willing to help grease trades in exchange for draft capital.

This makes a lot of sense for the Jazz. Utah is not interested in improving this season, but it has a lot of expiring veteran contracts that could be used to make a trade happen. It’s also interesting to hear the Jazz are interested in more draft capital. The fact is, you can never have too many picks, and you never know when the later pick in the draft becomes the player you need. For example, Taylor Hendricks, drafted at #9, has not been as good as Keyonte George, who was drafted at #16. But it’s also not just drafting that picks can help with. Draft picks are the trade currency of the NBA and are becoming more and more valuable. Because the CBA is so strict, having young players on the roster makes it easier to make your contracts work, and it’s making those picks that much more valuable.

If Utah can somehow trade off more of its veteran players and bring on more picks, it could be an extremely successful trade deadline.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 20 points, Tre Donaldson added 18, and Miami pulled away inside the final seven minutes to beat Stanford 79-70 on Wednesday night.

Miami used an 11-2 run to tie it at 51-all with 9:35 to play. About two minutes later, Dante Allen's 3-pointer sparked another 11-2 surge that gave the Hurricanes a 67-58 advantage with 2:46 remaining before they sealed it from the free-throw line.

Shelton Henderson and Tru Washington added 12 points apiece for Miami (17-4, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), which has won consecutive games since a two-game skid ended a 10-game win streak.

Ebuka Okorie scored 19 points and Benny Gealer added 17 to lead Stanford (14-7, 3-5). Ryan Agarwal chipped in with 11 points and AJ Rohosy scored 10.

Okorie scored 11 points and Agarwal added nine to help give Stanford a 40-35 halftime advantage. The Cardinal hit 7 of 14 from distance and shot 52% (16 of 31). Donaldson and Reneau scored 13 points apiece in the first half for the Hurricanes.

Miami made half of its 28 field goals after the break while Stanford shot 35.5% (11 of 31) from the floor.

Up next

Stanford: at Florida State on Saturday.

Miami: hosts California on Saturday.

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

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — John Blackwell scored 23 points, including Wisconsin's last seven points in the final minute, and the Badgers rallied to defeat short-handed Minnesota 67-63 on Wednesday night.

Wisconsin trailed by 18 points at halftime against a Golden Gophers team missing leading scorer Cade Tyson, who was out with an ankle injury. Six players were unavailable due to injury and only seven players saw action for Minnesota.

Nick Boyd's jumper gave Wisconsin a 51-50 lead with 6 1/2 minutes remaining, the Badgers' first lead since it was 3-0. There were six lead changes in the next 5 1/2 minutes, the last coming when Blackwell made two free throws for a 62-61 lead with one minute remaining.

Jack Janicki blocked Isaac Asuma's 3-point try with 45 seconds left and Blackwell drained a 3-pointer for a 65-61 lead with 19 seconds remaining. Minnesota's Grayson Grove dunked a rebound with nine seconds left to make it 65-63 then Blackwell finished off the win with two free throws.

Boyd scored 21 points for Wisconsin (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten).

Bobby Durkin scored 20 points, Asuma 16 and Langston Reynolds 12 for Minnesota (10-11, 3-7), which has lost six straight.

After trailing 35-17 and making only one two-point shot in the first half, Wisconsin scored the first 10 points of the second half and extended the run to 15-2 through the first eight minutes.

A four-point play by Braeden Carrington got Wisconsin within 50-49 with seven minutes remaining. The Badgers had outscored Minnesota 32-15 at that point of the second half.

Up next

Wisconsin: Ohio State visits on Saturday.

Minnesota: at Penn State on Sunday.

___

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

CLEVELAND — The Lakers avoided a potential disaster when star guard Luka Dončić returned to Wednesday night’s matchup against the Cavaliers late in the first quarter after taking a scary fall into the stands just a few minutes into the game. 

But what they didn’t avoid was another double-digit loss in LeBron James’ return to northeast Ohio, with uncertainty about his NBA future beyond this season. 

The Lakers were blown out by the Cavaliers 129-99 at Rocket Arena during a game in which James uncharacteristically struggled in front of a crowd showering him with adoration throughout the evening. 

Dončić finished with 29 points, six assists and five rebounds after returning, but the Cavaliers outscored the Lakers 72-44 in the second half, including 42-22 in the third, for their fifth consecutive win.

James finished with 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting to go with six turnovers, five assists and three rebounds.

The only time the Cleveland crowd cheered louder than it did for James?

When his son and teammate, Bronny James, scored eight points in the fourth quarter – a dunk and a pair of 3-pointers – during garbage time when the Cavaliers had full control.

What does it mean? 

The Lakers will have to wait even longer to go on a three-game winning streak – something they’ve done once since the end of November.

They also dropped to 28-18 on the season, maintaining their No. 5 spot in the Western Conference standings and 3-2 on the “Grammy” trip.

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Turning point

There were two distinct moments Wednesday: when the Cavaliers took control of the game, and when they grabbed it by the throat, ensuring the Lakers were going to suffer another double-digit loss.

The first happened immediately after halftime, when the Cavaliers outscored the Lakers 19-10 in the opening few minutes of the third quarter to take a 76-65 lead after making seven of their first eight shots, including four 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers still had the game under control after calling timeout at the 4:29 mark of the quarter after a James layup in transition cut the Lakers’ deficit to 82-70. 

Rui Hachimura, who went scoreless in 18 minutes after missing all seven of his shot attempts, passed up a corner 3 attempt and turned over the ball on the Lakers’ first possession after the timeout. That led to a De’Andre Hunter layup in transition that started a 17-7 Cleveland run to close the quarter, with the Cavaliers leading 99-77 starting the fourth.

MVP: Jaylon Tyson

The second-year wing continued his strong season, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes.

He was also the recipient of a couple of offensive fouls against James, who struggled to get into a rhythm for most of Wednesday. 

Stat of the game: 28.1%

After having one of their best shooting games of the season in Monday’s win over the Bulls in Chicago, the Lakers followed it with one of their worst.

They knocked down just nine of their 32 3s against the Cavaliers, including 5 of 18 in the second half. 

Dončić (3 of 8 on 3s) and Gabe Vincent (11 points; 3 of 4 on 3s) were the only Lakers to knock down a shot from beyond the arc until Bronny James made a pull-up 3 with 2:53 left.

Dalton Knecht made a late 3 in garbage time before the younger James made another 3, leading to loud cheers from the Cleveland crowd.  

Up next

The Lakers’ trip will continue with a matchup against the Wizards on Friday. 

It’ll be their second-to-last city of the trip before playing two games in New York, with matchups against the Knicks on Sunday and Nets on Tuesday, respectively.

Game Story

Wednesday evening was just another game for the Minnesota Timberwolves where their opponents, the Dallas Mavericks, were missing the majority of their rotation players. The number one overall pick, Cooper Flagg, was out for just the fourth game of the season. Joining him on the sidelines was Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Derek Lively, and a handful of others.

This was going to be a high risk, low reward game.

Would it surprise you if I told you that Minnesota came out of the gates fumbling the ball all over the place? How about them giving up a ton of offensive rebounds and second chance opportunities to Dallas? Yeah, I didn’t think so. It was the Mavericks total lack of talent on the floor that allowed the Wolves stay even. Anthony Edwards was particularly quiet on the floor early, matching his recent performance off the court.

Julius Randle was playing in his hometown of Dallas with his mother in attendance. Perhaps her presence gave Randle the motivation to carry Minnesota on the offensive end. He chipped in 10 of his game-high 31 points in the opening quarter.

The game started to lean in the Wolves favor as we got a glimpse into the potential future of the Wolves frontcourt. To deal with their early rebounding woes, Chris Finch subbed in rookie Joan Beringer to pair with Naz Reid. Both immediately injected energy into game. Reid had a quick seven-point burst. Beringer contributed to five more points by rim running and crashing the flash. We even got a Reid to Beringer lob!

A double-digit Minnesota lead was briefly sliced down due to an incessant fouling problem. Luckily, the zombie Mavericks couldn’t even muster up 50 points in the first half, giftwrapping the Wolves a 10-point lead at the half. Sadly, Minnesota came out of the tunnel with about the same energy they had in the first half. Jaden McDaniels quickly picked up his fourth foul while Edwards continued to display poor body language on the defensive end.

What was missing from those two seemed to available in spades from Donte DiVincenzo. Big Ragu was all over the court, even after picking up a season-high tying four steals in the first half alone. He nearly detonated a Slam Ball-esque one-handed jam over Daniel Gafford, and then seconds later almost converted on an all heart full court sprint in transition.

The Wolves mostly sat at a comfortable 13 to 16 point lead in the third quarter, at times allowing the Mavericks to slice it down to nine. However, easy buckets for Edwards (Who later showed he did have a voice, picking up a technical foul for complaining) and more vintage Randle bully ball kept the home team at bay. Beringer continued to provide a glance at the crystal ball, violently swatting away a Caleb Martin layup attempt, then finishing the third quarter off with a buzzer-beating putback.

Minnesota held a 17-point lead heading into the final stanza which never diminished to single-digits again.

As mentioned at the start of this recap, it was going to be a low reward game. Randle raised the floor on the offensive end. The French towers buoyed the defensive end. Reid popped off against second and third stringers. DiVincenzo brought the invaluable intangibles. Bones Hyland continued to show some extra pop off the bench that Finch has been so desperately searching for. Even Mike Conley did some things!

All of that more than balanced out a slow night by McDaniels and (another) relatively muted night from Edwards.

If you don’t have social media, the Wolves have moved up to the sixth seed in the Western Conference and are just about one to two games back from homecourt advantage in the postseason.

---

Box Score

Up Next

The Wolves hop on a quick flight to visit the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, January 29 at 8:30 pm CT. The last time these two teams clashed, we got an epic finish. Catch this one on Prime Video.

---

Highlights

Another game against a quality team equals another blowout loss for the Lakers. In defeats, the Lakers have continued to have the same problems and they were exposed once again in Cleveland.

LA struggled to slow down the Cavaliers’ offense, and in the third quarter, they got outscored by 20, which essentially ended the game. Points in the paint were also a problem as they lost that battle 60-48.

Barring a trade, the 2025-26 Lakers are what they are at this point. And, it appears that’s a team that’s a player or two away from being a player or two away from being an elite squad.

So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

27 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-10 FG, 0-3 3PT, 5-6 FT, -23

The Cavs gave LeBron a tribute before the game that moved him to tears. That was touching to see, and with so much uncertainty about his future, it’s clear he’s soaking it all in.

LeBron James was stirred to tears during the Cleveland Cavaliers tribute video to him in the 1st half tonight (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/AJ2ZQqr20V

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 29, 2026

Once play began, LeBron was subpar. He had far too many turnovers and struggled from the field, going 3-10. James tried to tough it out and played in the fourth despite appearing to have hurt his ankle, but the game was far out of reach.

Hopefully, this loss won’t also include a significant injury to James that forces him to miss time. LeBron can only miss one more game if he wants to remain eligible for NBA awards.

Grade: B+

Jake LaRavia

27 minutes, 6 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 2-8 FG, 0-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, -9

This game was all about what LaRavia didn’t do. He had zero rebounds and failed to hit a 3-point shot. Perhaps when Austin Reaves returns, he can go back to the bench where the variance of his performances will hurt the Lakers less.

Grade: D

Deandre Ayton

19 minutes, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 4-4 FG, 2-2 FT, -20

On paper, Ayton had a good game. He was perfect from the field, scoring 10 points in 19 minutes. But when you watch the game, you see mediocre defense and a player who couldn’t impose his will on either end of the floor.

Grade: C

Marcus Smart

24 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 1-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, -18

At least Smart got some cardio in while he was in Cleveland.

Grade: C-

Luka Dončić

30 minutes, 29 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 12-20 FG, 3-8 3PT, 2-6 FT, -23

Luka avoided disaster in the opening quarter when he slipped due to the Cavs’ floor being raised. He exited the game for a moment but was able to return.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the elevated floor was a “safety hazard” and that sounds about right.

Dončić continued to play, but it did appear like his ankle was bothering him the rest of the way.

Grade: B-

Gabe Vincent

25 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 4-6 FG, 3-5 3PT, -12

Vincent played well in this game and was a bright spot in this loss. That’s not saying much, nor does it change his role on the Lakers, but it was nice to see him make some baskets.

Grade: B

Jaxson Hayes

18 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 3-4 FG, 1-2 FT, -6

Hayes did what he was supposed to do, which is score near the rim and grab the occasional board.

Grade: B

Rui Hachimura

18 minutes, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, 0-7 FG, 0-2 3PT, -17

This was an awful performance from Hachimura. Hopefully, this is just a bump in the road because he looked like he was finding his groove over the last couple of games.

Grade: F

Jarred Vanderbilt

16 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 2-7 FG, 0-2 3PT, -11

At least Vanderbilt grabbed a few rebounds in this loss.

Grade: C-

Drew Timme

12 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 3-5 FG, 0-2 3PT, -8

Considering that Timme barely reached double-digit minutes and most of that came during garbage time, there isn’t much to learn from his play in this game.

Grade: C-

Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht

This trio only got garbage time action. The Cavs fans liked watching Bronny score.

JJ Redick

Redick himself admitted he could’ve done a better job in this loss. The game started slipping away in the third, and Redick was unable to stop it.

Grade: C-

Wednesday’s inactives: Austin Reaves, Nick Smith Jr., Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon

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