Although the injury report for tomorrow’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans isn’t due for a few more hours, Spurs wing Devin Vassell confirmed to the media at practice today that will return from his 13-game absence, albeit on a minutes restriction. Regardless, in his own words, he’s just happy to be back.
Devin Vassell told us after practice this morning he will return to action Sunday against New Orleans. He’s responding here to a question about whether he will be on a minutes restriction. pic.twitter.com/28JWNRMs9G
Vassell has missed the last 13 games with an adductor strain, which is a series muscles located in the inner thigh that connect to the groin and help stabilize the pelvis. It can be a very stubborn injury that can result in a rupture if not allowed to properly heal. He had been traveling with the team for the last couple of weeks and seen practicing, and this stretch of one game in five days (the have two days off both before and after Sunday’s game) felt like an ideal target date.
In his absence, the Spurs have gone 8-5 while struggling with offense and overall consistency. (Isn’t it nice to be able to “complain” about a winning record again?) While Vassell may not be THE answer to bringing them back to their Christmas form, he is one of few Spurs who can dribble and create is own shot almost anywhere on the floor, making him an ideal release valve when a play breaks down. He has also been shooting a steady 38% from three this season, so even if he initially comes off the bench while on a minutes restriction, hopefully he can help the Spurs find more consistency there as well.
The injury report for tomorrow’s game is due at 5 PM, and the only other name to watch will be Luke Kornet, who missed Thursday’s game against the Jazz with the same “injury”, although Mitch Johnson said it was very short term and he didn’t expect him to miss much time. If he’s back and there’s no new injuries reported, this will be the healthiest the Spurs have been since December.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing their first game of the season against the Orlando Magic. They’ll see them again just a few days later in Cleveland. Let’s take a look at this initial matchup.
Where Each Team Stands
These two teams might be close in the standings, but they have been heading in opposite directions since late December.
Orlando has fallen to the bottom 10 in offense and defense during this stretch, with the seventh-worst net rating in the league. The Cavs, on the other hand, are 9th in offense, 10th in defense, and 11th in net rating since December 22nd. All stats are according to Cleaning the Glass, which removes garbage time.
That’s not to say this game will be easy. The Magic are still a quality team, and the Cavs aren’t exactly a powerhouse right now. But it’s worth knowing where each team stands entering this matchup. The Cavs have every opportunity to continue trending upwards if they take care of business against the struggling Magic.
Back to Back
The Cavs are playing in the second night of a back-to-back tonight. They are 4-3 this season when playing with no rest.
Of course, every NBA team has to deal with the same scheduling issues. But this is worth mentioning because Cleveland has struggled to show consistent effort throughout the season. This game is ripe with potential to be a stinker, considering the circumstances.
That’s no excuse if it happens. I’m only pointing out the situation. Let’s see if the Cavs can play with the appropriate energy and intensity tonight.
Evan Mobley’s Groove
Six of the last eight quarters have been lights out for Evan Mobley. He dominated Charlotte in the first half, then crushed the Kings for the entire game last night. His 27 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks were a reminder of how talented Mobley is.
Can he keep it up?
The Cavs aren’t a title contender without this version of Mobley. He’s finding his groove for the first time this season, and another dominant performance would have us feeling pretty good.
The Knicks (26*–18) take the court in Philly today, trying to avoid an 0-3 hole in their season series with the 76ers (24-19). New York comes in buoyed by Wednesday’s record-setting rout of Brooklyn, but the Sixers have already solved them twice, in fairly convincing fashion. Will New York’s wings finally neutralize Tyrese Maxey? Will their frontcourt stand up to Joel Embiid? Are our heroes truly back on track or was Wednesday’s annihilation of the Nets merely fool’s gold?
Find out at 3 p.m. EST on ABC. This is your game thread. This is Liberty Ballers. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Be good ambassadors of humanity. And go Knicks!
* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.
The Celtics could be without Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta when they face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. Brown (left hamstring tightness) and Queta (non-COVID illness) are both probable.
Brown strained his hamstring in the preseason and has been dealing with some tightness in that hamstring over the past week, which he said affected him on Friday night. Still, he tallied a 27-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double, the fifth triple-double of his career.
“I’ve been dealing with some hamstring tightness, so I didn’t have my bursts today, where they were switching the five onto me with Claxton, and he’s, in my opinion, way too far,” Brown said. “I should be able to just blow by him and do what I do, but I just didn’t have that acceleration tonight. Sometimes that can mess with your head a little bit, but I found other ways to be effective, trusted my teammates, rebounded the ball, and things like that.”
The Celtics will almost undoubtedly be exhausted when gameplay tips off on Saturday; they are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and several key players logged heavy minutes in Friday’s double overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets: Brown played 46 minutes, Payton Pritchard played 40 minutes, Sam Hauser played 39 minutes, and Anfernee Simons played 37.
Neemias Queta, meanwhile, is once again dealing with an illness that triggered two-way rookie Amari Williams to take a last-second commercial flight from Portland, Maine, to New York City. Queta ended up playing and fouling out after 28 minutes of action, tallying 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Williams ended up playing 5 minutes in the win, making several key plays in overtime to help secure the Celtics’ 130-126 victory.
“Neemy wasn’t feeling great, so I flew in today,” Williams said. “Just kind of being ready for whatever — you don’t really know.”
In addition to Queta and Brown, Jayson Tatum (Achilles rupture repair) and Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) remain sidelined.
Celtics Injury Report vs. Chicago (1/24):
Jaylen Brown – Left Hamstring Tightness – PROBABLE Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT Neemias Queta – Illness (Non-Covid) – PROBABLE Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT
The Celtics face the Bulls for the second time this season
Last time the two teams faced off in early January, Anfernee Simons exploded for 27 points and the Celtics came away with a 115-101 victory.
The Celtics have won two straight games and 6 of their last 10 games, currently holding a 28-16 record, good for second-best in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls, meanwhile, have won three straight games and 5 of their last 10 games. They’re currently in the play-in mix with a 22-22 record.
The Bulls will be without Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery), Zach Collins (right toe sprain), and Tre Jones (left hamstring strain).
In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Boston Celtics eked out a win over the Brooklyn Nets in a double OT thriller on Friday night. It was a back-and-forth game of runs, 22 lead changes, 13 ties, and no lead bigger than 11 points. With the Nets having lost their last game 120-66, I don’t think anyone expected this game to be as close as it was, but ultimately, the Celtics did what they needed to do to stave off a bitter defeat to one of the league’s worst teams.
With just under two and a half minutes left in regulation, Boston had a 9-point lead, but a 10-1 flurry by Brooklyn sent the game into overtime. Momentum clearly was on their side, but the Celtics managed to take a 4-point lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the period. Again, the Nets fought back, and this time it felt like they put the nail in the coffin, sinking two free throws to take a 5-point lead with just 8 seconds left. That’s when an unlikely hero emerged.
Between the free throws, Joe Mazzulla subbed Amari Williams in for Baylor Scheierman. Amari Williams, one of Boston’s second-round picks from this year’s draft who currently is on a two-way contract, was shooting around with the Maine Celtics that very same morning.
At this point in the game, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza had both fouled out. Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman, both vets with size, were sitting at the end of the bench. Joe could have gone to either of them, but instead, went with the 23-year-old rookie who flew in on a commercial flight from Portland, Maine just two hours before the game, seemingly a last-minute decision after Queta was tabbed “questionable” with an illness.
With that one substitution, Mazzulla saved the game. The Celtics opted not to use their last timeout just yet, having Sam Hauser inbound the ball from the baseline. Sam threw a perfect spiral down to Williams, who jumped up to catch the ball around the opposite free-throw line and touch-passed it over to Payton Pritchard before even landing on the ground. Payton threw a quick pump-fake to get the defender to jump, and then knocked down a massive side-step three to make it a 2-point game with just 3.9 seconds left.
Celtics using Amari Williams skillset in the clutch. Needed a tall guy to go up and catch the long pass and be able to pass that to PP good job pic.twitter.com/0yvLEzXkxu
After the game, Pritchard noted that the Celtics had practiced that exact play before, but never with Amari. Williams is known to be a great passer, though, and had practiced the play separately with the rest of the Maine squad. It serves as a testament to the system which the Celtics have set up, an amazing display of continuity and connectivity between both the NBA and G-League teams, something which fellow CelticsBlogger, Nik Land, has previously highlighted on the site. It’s also a testament to the trust Joe has in that system, as well as the players.
Speaking of trust, as we return to the game, the Celtics are still down by two at this point. Thanks to a quick foul and a missed free throw by the Nets, Boston was given a chance to tie the game, a 3-point game with three seconds left. Another smart substitution by Mazzulla, reading how the defense had set up, Joe brought in another rookie, Hugo Gonzalez. That late sub seemed to bring on a defensive miscommunication, which led to maybe the shot of the game, a wide-open corner three for Gonzalez, who nailed the shot to bring on a second overtime.
It was in this second overtime where Amari really made his mark. Williams made just his second field-goal of the season for Boston with 3.5 minutes left in the period, a tough and-one bucket to give the Celtics a three-point lead. He ran in perfect flow with Pritchard, roaming the paint to find an opening as Payton worked the defense to set Amari up.
AMARI!!! Does a good job moving with the Pritchard switching dunker spots and giving him a window to pass. AND ONE pic.twitter.com/5u6VmCESPj
Immediately after that play, Nic Claxton came barreling towards Williams on the other end of the court, trying to body his way in for a layup. Amari held his ground without fouling, though, and got extremely close to blocking the shot. While it didn’t get recorded in the stat sheet, he still made a huge defensive play, forcing Claxton to miss, and preserving the Celtics 3-point lead.
With just over 40 seconds left in the period, the Celtics held a 4-point lead. Nolan Traore, one of Brooklyn’s many rookies, was having his best game of the season, 21 points on the night. With a sneaky fake-handoff, he was able to split Baylor Scheierman and Pritchard for what seemed like an open layup, but Williams, who was guarding the corner, recognized and reacted quickly enough to slide over and swat that shot away at its peak, another massive defensive play.
That block is ultimately what sealed the game at 130-126.
Through all of that, Amari played just 5:05 minutes while making an immeasurable impact on the game. This was only his ninth game with Boston, but this performance is already having fans asking themselves, why haven’t we seen more of him?
He was thrown into the game at the end of overtime after having spent the morning with a different team, and the entire rest of the night on the bench, yet he managed to look like a vet out there. He displayed incredible maturity, and everyone took notice. After the game, Mazzulla said, “for Amari to be able to sit there the entire game and be ready to execute some of the plays that we’ve run over in practice, it’s a credit to him and the coaching staff that work with him, getting him ready to go.” Pritchard shared the same sentiment, while also adding that the Celtics are “lucky to have” Williams.
Following the double-OT thriller, the Celtics find themselves on the second night of a back-to-back, facing off against the Chicago Bulls. After 58 minutes of gritty basketball, there will be plenty of tired legs, which could very well create another opportunity for Amari to take the floor, especially considering Queta was already questionable for the game with Brooklyn.
Regardless, it seems like Brad Stevens found another stud in the draft. Williams made a very compelling case to see more minutes up in Boston, and if he’s able to string together more performances like this one, maybe he can even see that two-way converted into a standard contract before the end of the year. His future certainly looks very bright.
There’s a special kind of torture reserved for Golden State fans watching today’s game against Minnesota. Not the usual anxiety of a regular season matchup against a Western Conference contender, but something deeper. Something that cuts straight to the bone.
The Warriors face the Timberwolves today missing Jimmy Butler, who tore his ACL on Monday. Last spring, when these teams met in the playoffs, Golden State was missing Steph Curry, who suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in Game 1 of their second-round series. The Wolves won four straight games while Curry sat, ending what could have been a magical run after the Warriors upset the 2-seed Houston Rockets in seven games.
Do you see the cruel symmetry here? The universe has decided that Curry and Butler can’t both be healthy against Minnesota. Pick one. Never both.
Jimmy Butler played 388 mins this season without either Curry or Draymond on the court. Net rating in those mins: +15.9
The ability to not just survive but win those mins was the biggest thing Butler contributed, and there is zero way to make that up elsewhere. Just sucks.
This is the nightmare Dub Nation has been living since February 2025, when Mike Dunleavy traded for Butler and signed him to a two-year extension. The move was supposed to give Curry one last legitimate co-star, one final push at extending the dynasty’s championship window. And for a glorious stretch, it worked. The Warriors went 23-7 with Butler in the lineup down the stretch last season. They looked dangerous. They looked like a team that could make noise in the playoffs.
Then Curry went down in Game 1 against the Wolves, and Butler had to carry the load alone. He tried. God knows he tried. But asking a 36-year-old to single-handedly will a team past a hungry Minnesota squad featuring Anthony Edwards at the peak of his powers was asking too much. Now the roles are reversed. Butler’s out for the season. Curry, who turns 38 in March, is alone again. And the opponent? The same damn Timberwolves who eliminated them last spring.
The pain in the Bay Area isn’t just about losing games. It’s about watching a window slam shut in slow motion. These two superstars finally found each other at this stage of their careers, bringing complementary skills and championship DNA to Chase Center. But they’ve barely played meaningful basketball together when both are healthy and locked in. Injuries keep stealing what little time they have left.
Today’s game against Minnesota should serve as a mirror for the Timberwolves themselves. Yes, they’ve got Anthony Edwards ascending into superstardom. Julius Randle definitely provides legitimate secondary scoring. They’re clearly positioned to compete in the West for years to come. But talent means nothing if you can’t stay healthy long enough to capitalize on it.
The Wolves should watch what’s happening to Golden State with the clarity of a cautionary tale. This Warriors team has two future Hall of Famers, championship experience, and organizational stability. None of it matters when your stars can’t share the court during the games that count. One freak injury, one awkward landing, one hamstring that won’t cooperate, and your entire window evaporates.
The Jimmy Butler injury is just the latest heartbreak for Warriors fans. It gets to a point… pic.twitter.com/dfFQrSmof3
Minnesota has their own fragile window. Edwards is 24 and indestructible until he’s not. Randle has battled injuries throughout his career. Rudy Gobert is 33. These moments are fleeting in the NBA, even when you think you’ve built something sustainable. The Warriors learned this lesson the hard way. Today, Curry will take the court at Target Center carrying the weight of back-to-back seasons defined by injuries at the worst possible moments. He’ll face the franchise that eliminated his team when Butler couldn’t save them alone. Now Butler can’t help him.
This is what the end of a dynasty can look like. Not a dramatic collapse or a roster teardown, but a series of cruel coincidences that prevent greatness from manifesting one final time. The talent is there. The will is there. But the health? The universe has decided that’s asking too much.
Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler won 70% of their games together …
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Fadima Tall scored 12 points and No. 20 Princeton won its 15th consecutive game, defeating Brown 58-49 on Saturday.
Princeton led 47-43 halfway through the fourth quarter before Tall and Olivia Hutcherson led a quick six-point run that gave the Tigers a 54-43 lead with 3 1/2 minutes left in the game. Skye Belker hit four free throws in the final minute to close out the victory.
Belker finished with 11 points, and Toby Nweke added 10 for Princeton (17-1, 5-0 Ivy League). Tall grabbed eight rebounds and Ashley Chea had seven assists.
Grace Arnolie, the Ivy League scoring leader at 18.6 points per game, scored 14 points and Alyssa Moreland had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Bears (11-6, 3-2).
After trailing 15-9 through one quarter, the Tigers went on a 12-0 tear in the second quarter, holding Brown scoreless until Moreland's layup with two minutes remaining in the half. Princeton led 24-20 at halftime.
Princeton fell behind 27-26 early in the third quarter, but a 14-0 run put them ahead 40-27 with about five minutes left. Brown was held scoreless for nearly 4 minutes before rallying to pull within six points heading into the fourth quarter.
Princeton's No. 20 ranking is the program’s highest since the end of the 2014-15 season.
While the Golden State Warriors latest pipe dream of acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James grabbed the bulk of trade rumor headlines on Friday, the Dubs were tied to another wing. Per Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks are among several teams interested in Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges. A source told Amick the Hornets are eyeing at least one, “maybe two” first-round picks in a deal.
“As for Hornets that might be on the move, veteran forward Miles Bridges is drawing significant interest, league sources told The Athletic,” Amick wrote. “The Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are all known to be among the interested parties, though it remains to be seen if any team can compel the Hornets to give Bridges up. Charlotte’s lack of interest in the Bucks’ Kyle Kuzma is known to be an obstacle to a potential deal between those two teams. Draft capital is also a pivotal part of the conversation.“
The Warriors interest in Bridges is disheartening given his history of intimate partner violence. Bridges has been arrested multiple times after incidents with the mother of his children and has been convicted of felony domestic violence. Bridges’ first arrest led him to miss the 2022-23 NBA season before the league handed him a 30-game suspension.
However, as is unfortunately commonplace, the league has ignored red flags and allowed him to continue playing as if nothing happened.
On June 29, 2022, Bridges was arrested and charged with assaulting his then wife in front of their two children. Following the arrest, his wife publicly shared pictures on her Instagram, showing bruising and cuts all over her body. She also included an image of a medical report that listed her injuries as, “assault by strangulation, brain concussion, closed fracture of nasal bone, contusion of rib, multiple bruises, strain of neck muscle.”
Prosecutors originally charged Bridges with three felonies stemming from the incident, but Bridges reached a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid jail time. He was ultimately convicted of a single felony domestic violence charge and agreed to a long list of conditions alongside three months of probation.
It was unclear whether Bridges would play in the NBA again. After sitting out for a season and receiving a punishment from the league, he ultimately returned to the Hornets. As Bridges faced pushback for his return, she publicly defended him. However, the victim is the mother of Bridges’ two children, creating a complicated economic reality and one that later events create questions around.
“I want to apologize to everybody for the pain and embarrassment that I have caused everyone, especially my family,” Bridges said in his first public statements upon his return. “This year away I’ve used to prioritize going to therapy and becoming the best person I can be — someone that my family and everyone here can be proud of.”
Yet, in the same year that Bridges and his ex-partner made those statements, behind the scenes activity seriously undermines any idea that he underwent significant growth. One of the conditions of Bridges’ was honoring a 10-year protective order to have no contact and stay at least 100 yards away from the victim. Less than a year later, Bridges was arrested for violating that order on two separate incidents.
The first arrest warrant said Bridges had tried to contact her on social media and her phone in January of 2023, a clear violation of the order. He was then charged with multiple crimes after an incident where his former partner’s windshield was shattered in October. She originally said he threw pool balls at her window with her and their children inside. She would eventually retract and contradict her original statements, leading the charges to be dropped. Still, the fact that he was violating the protective order less than a year after his plea agreement, while claiming to have learned and reformed, raises serious questions.
Meanwhile Warriors forward Draymond Green, who attended the same college as Bridges, publicly defended him throughout the process. Green was working out with Bridges the week following his felony charges. Then, after Bridges was involved in an on-court altercation in a game with the Warriors, Green went out of his way postgame to say “Miles can do no wrong to me.” For someone as media savvy as Draymond, it’s hard to believe he did not strategically choose those words to spark reaction because of Bridges’ domestic violence history.
Bridges would be the most high-profile player the Warriors have acquired with a history of intimate partner violence under owner Joe Lacob. However, he would not be the first.
The Warriors signed Kendrick Nunn as an undrafted free agent out of Oakland University to a partially guaranteed contract and kept him in the G-League until he was signed away by the Miami Heat. Nunn had been dismissed from the University of Illinois after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery. The charges were related to an incident where a woman said Nunn struck her in the head, pushed her to the floor, and held her by the neck.
In the 2022-23 season, the Warriors signed Anthony Lamb to a two-way contract and eventually converted him to an NBA contract even though a classmate of Lamb’s had said he rape her while they were in college. Warriors general manager Bob Myers claimed the team had done due diligence related to the case, but the Warriors only contacted the NBA and other teams, never reaching out to the woman who had reported the incident to her University’s Title IX office. Steve Kerr never addressed the case directly either, and was highly complimentary of Lamb to media.
Ja Morant will be sidelined at least three weeks with a UCL sprain in his left elbow suffered during the Grizzlies' loss to the Hawks on Wednesday, the team announced Saturday.
This likely keeps Morant out through the All-Star break. Look for Cam Spencer to get a bump in minutes with Morant out.
Morant is averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists a game this season, and while there is reason for concern about his shooting efficiency — 23.5% from 3-point range this season and a 52.1 true shooting percentage that is well below the league average — that is still a lot of points and shot creation to replace.
This impacts a couple of things in Memphis.
One is making the postseason. At 18-25, the Grizzlies sit 12th in the West, 1.5 games out of the final playoff spot. The Grizzlies are 11-12 in games Morant has missed this season, with a +0.1 net rating when he is off the court this season — Memphis is essentially a .500 team without him. While that's better than it's been with him, there is no clear path to a winning streak and the postseason without Morant.
Second, this will not help his already sluggish trade market. League sources have told NBC Sports there is no trade market for Morant at the price the Grizzlies are asking in part because of concerns about his injury history and availability — he has not played more than six consecutive games in almost three years — and this just adds to those fears. The reality is there are teams willing to buy low and take a flyer on Morant, but the Grizzlies are asking for a young player and a first-round pick in any deal, and no team appears willing to give that up right now. This injury is not going to help that cause.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mackenly Randolph tied her career-high with 13 points to lead No. 8 Louisville to an 85-56 victory over Boston College on Saturday.
The Cardinals (19-3, 9-0 Atlantic Coast) extended their winning streak to 12 games and have won 15 of their last 16 games.
Louisville jumped out to a 10-0 lead with 5:51 left in the opening quarter and made seven of their first 10 shots. Meanwhile, Boston College (4-18, 0-9) hit just one of their first eight shots and finished the first quarter with more turnovers — four — than baskets — three.
Randolph, a 6-foot sophomore forward, scored 10 points in the first half. The daughter of former NBA All-Star Zach Randolph finished 5 of 7 from the field and has scored in double figures in a career-high three straight games.
Tajianna Roberts added 11 points and six assists, and Skylar Jones also scored 11 for the Cardinals. Louisville shot 54.7% from the field, its second-best performance this season despite going just 4 of 15 in the fourth quarter.
All 12 Louisville players who got into the game scored, and that helped the Cardinals to an 81-39 lead with less than six minutes left.
Freshman Amira Anderson’s 16 points led the Eagles, who lost their 14th straight. Jocelyne Grier added 13 points. Boston College shot 29.2% from the floor, the third time the team has shot less than 30% in a game this season.
Louisville’s current winning streak is its longest since the Cardinals won 15 straight during the 2021-22 season.
The game was originally scheduled to be played on Sunday afternoon, but was moved to Saturday due to the forecast of a winter storm that was expected to hit the Louisville area Saturday.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Otega Oweh, without a field goal in the first half, scored 20 of his 23 points after the break and Kentucky beat Mississippi 72-63 on Saturday for the Wildcats' fifth straight win.
Oweh was 6-of-12 shooting and 10 of 14 at the line and has scored in double figures in 23 straight games dating to last season. Collin Chandler added 12 points and Jasper Johnson 11 for the Wildcats (14-6, 5-2 SEC).
AJ Storr scored 20 points and Malik Dia added 16 for the Rebels (11-9, 3-4). Corey Chest grabbed 10 rebounds.
Chandler was only 2-of-10 shooting but hit a 3-pointer in the final minute for a six-point lead that Malachi Moreno extended to eight with two free throws. Zach Day hit a baseline 3 for the Rebels but the Wildcats finished the scoring with four free throws.
Except for a lone tie, the Wildcats led throughout the second half but never by double figures. Their largest lead of 10 came in the first half after Johnson hit a pair of 3s early in a 18-4 run that Noah capped with another 3. Ole Miss finished the half with four free throws to cut the margin to 29-23.
The 23 points added up to the Rebels' lowest first-half total this season with Storr accounting for 10. The Rebels shot only 25% in the first half when they were 1 of 10 from the arc.
Neither team finished above 36% shooting in a game that had 59 free throws with Kentucky making 28 of 38.
Kentucky has won 15 straight home games over Ole Miss.
Up next
Mississippi is home against Vanderbilt next Saturday.
Luka Doncic is no stranger to being the headline act, and his second return visit to Dallas is the standout contest on today’s seven-game hoops schedule.
While Doncic will get nothing but love from the Mavs fans, expect chippier atmospheres elsewhere on the slate, including the latest installment of the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers rivalry.
My favorite NBA picks for the January 24 action include another dose of Luka magic and a big night for Evan Mobley.
The post-trade emotions were still raw for Luka Doncic’s first game in Dallas as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Look for less tension in the air tonight – after all, Nico Harrison won’t be lurking in the tunnel – but I still expect Luka to put on a show.
Doncic continues to lead the NBA in scoring at 33.4 PPG, and he’s gone past this O/U points prop in six of his 11 outings this month. Once you layer on a few extra shots in a game that’ll mean a lot to him, the Over feels like a strong play – and we saw that when he returned to American Airlines Center back in April and made 16 of his 28 shots to finish with 45 points.
Luka dropped 38 points on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, and he’s posting huge totals despite only shooting 33% from downtown this year. Even so, he’s knocked down 3+ triples in five straight outings.
The Lakers are just 4-6 in their last 10 games, and they’ll need Doncic to ball out against a Mavericks team that’s won four in a row. In an arena he knows so well, Luka will be up to the task.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finally seem to be turning a corner in an underwhelming season. They’ve won four of their last five games, and Evan Mobley has stuffed the stat sheet in back-to-back outings, including a 29-point, 13-rebound effort against the Sacramento Kings last night.
That’s the level of production that Cleveland needs to climb further in the East standings, and I like this Mobley combo prop here as the Cavs host the Orlando Magic, especially with Darius Garland sidelined again with a toe injury. When Donovan Mitchell gets bottled up on the perimeter, Mobley has to embrace being the No. 2 option.
Just don’t let his dreadful three-point numbers put you off. Mobley has regressed from beyond the arc this season, but he’s shooting 56% overall in January and his two-point game continues to be solid.
While he’s averaging a respectable 8.8 RPG this year, he’s capable of even more, as we’ve seen this week. Don’t be surprised if he chips in with a third straight double-digit haul on the boards against the Orlando frontcourt.
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network-Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network-Florida
Prop #3: Keyonte George Over 30.5 points + assists
The Utah Jazz appear comfortable sinking in the Western Conference standings while still getting an extended look at their young core, and Keyonte George’s development is the most promising sign for Will Hardy’s squad.
George is putting together a terrific third NBA season, averaging 24.4 PPG and 6.7 APG, and he’ll have every opportunity to pad those numbers tonight against the banged-up Miami Heat, who’ll be without Kel’el Ware, Tyler Herro and perhaps more of their usual rotation.
He’s gone past this combo prop number in three of his last four games, headlined by a 43-point explosion in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot here, particularly if the illnesses for Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic keep them off the court.
George is having a steady season from downtown, making his three-pointers at a 38% clip, and the up-tempo Heat should provide extra possessions for offensive numbers. He’s carrying a heavy burden for the Jazz on that end of the floor, but I’m banking on another eye-catching stat line tonight.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
***UPDATE: Today’s game between the Warriors and the Timberwolves has been postponed for Sunday (Jan. 25) at 2:30 PM PT. More information here.
The Golden State Warriors continue their road trip with Saturday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tip-off is set for 2:30 PM PT in Minneapolis and can be watched on ABC.
Previously with the Warriors:
The Warriors dropped the opener of their four-game road trip on Thursday night, losing 123–115 to the Dallas Mavericks. Despite a 38-point performance from Stephen Curry, Golden State struggled to generate consistent offense — an issue that has become more pronounced following the season-ending ACL injury to Jimmy Butler. Dallas, meanwhile, relied on a balanced attack, with six players scoring in double figures, led by guard Naji Marshall, who finished with a team-high 30 points.
Golden State has now lost two straight games since Butler’s injury and continues to search for answers offensively. Jonathan Kuminga was expected to help fill that void, but he suffered ankle and knee injuries early in Thursday’s loss and will be sidelined again Saturday against Minnesota.
Jonathan Kuminga will miss tomorrow's game in Minnesota with left knee soreness after the ankle twist/hyperextension last night.
With Kuminga unavailable, the Warriors will need to find another source of scoring off the bench. De’Anthony Melton, who has been trending upward as of late, is coming off a 22-point performance against Dallas and will likely be leaned on heavily to stabilize the second unit as Golden State looks to regroup.
The Mavericks will host the Lakers Saturday night, much to the chagrin of the Dallas residents who have to brave the cold and ice to see Luka Doncic play. Dallas is hot! They have won four in a row and five of their last six games. The Lakers, however, are struggling. They are 3-6 in their last nine games and, if you pay attention to the online discourse, are one of the worst “vibes” teams in the league. Doncic famously killed Dallas in his return in April, but this time around, I am not sure the Lakers have enough firepower to supplement the emotion this game will have. The Mavericks have a great chance to win their fifth in a row.
Before getting into our picks, here is how we stand so far:
Last week’s results
Tyler: 3-1 (+$263)
David: 3-0 (+$286)
Season to date
Tyler: 17-26-0 (-$772)
David: 25-17-0 (+$933)
Even though Tyler is still negative on the season, we are heating up as the weather cools down.
Game Details
Fixture: Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers | NBA 2025-2026
Date and Time: Saturday, January 24th, 2026; 7:40 PM CST
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX.
Odds up to date as of 12:00 PM CST from FanDuel
Game Lines
Spread Mavericks +3.5 (-108)
Total O/U 233.5 (-110/-110)
Moneyline Mavericks +146
Tyler’s Plays
Cooper Flagg over 29.5 points + rebounds + assists (-110)
Luka Doncic to score 12+ points in the first quarter (+118)
Over 233.5 points (-110)
Luka’s going to come out gunning, so let’s capitalize with a 12+ point quarter at plus money. In their first matchup against each other in Dallas, I expect Cooper Flagg to meet the moment and deliver a great all-around game. Finally, neither team has been guarding lately, so let’s go over the total.
David’s Plays
Luka Doncic to score 35+ points (+120)
Naji Marshall to score 20+ points (+122)
Max Christie to make 3+ threes (+100)
Luka will torch this Mavericks defense. Conversely, Marshall is a matchup nightmare for a Lakers team with no paint defense and no perimeter physicality. Christie will benefit from the penetration Dallas will get and have plenty of open looks.
Squad Ride
Mavericks to win (+146)
The Mavericks are probably not a good team. But they are playing very well, and the Lakers are not. Plus, there is motivation for the Dallas guys to show the fans that they don’t need Luka (we still do). We love the Mavericks to pull off another primetime upset.
