Category: Basketball

Basketball News

Posted on

Karl-Anthony Towns' big fourth quarter keys Knicks' win over Clippers: 'The way he played tonight, it’s what we needed'

Just 48 hours ago, the Knicks were demolished by the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, extending their season-long losing streak to four games.

While most of the Knicks players simply didn't show up to play in Detroit, a spotlight was focused on Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Knicks' big man scored just six points on 1 of 4 shooting with one rebound and one assist. He turned the ball over six times and was a minus-27 on the floor in Monday's loss. It was a dreadful showing and he looked lost. So much so that he told the NY Post afterward that the reason for his poor performance was adjusting to head coach Mike Brown's new system.

Well, what a difference two days make.

The Knicks snapped their losing streak with an impressive 123-111 win over the red-hot Clippers on Wednesday night, and Towns was a huge part of the victory.

With the game still close in the fourth quarter, Towns took over offensively, scoring 10 of his 20 points in the final frame. He also came down with four rebounds to help the Knicks separate themselves from Los Angeles. 

"We needed it," Jalen Brunson said of Towns' performance after the game. "Helped us increase our lead and it was big-time play from him. We all have to have each other’s backs. The way he played tonight, it’s what we needed."

Towns' comments after Detroit about his performance garnered questions about what was different for him and why he found success against the Clippers.

The big man said that he's just trying to impact the game in a winning way, and that's what his goal is.

"I said it last year, I say it this year, any time I touch the ball, I’m trying to be aggressive, whether that’s making a play for myself or my teammates," Towns said. "I want to impact winning every single day."

For Towns in the fourth quarter, he pointed to his increased aggressiveness as the catalyst for his performance.

"I made some shots, didn’t make a lot of them, but I think tonight shows aggression wins," Towns explained. "Not letting go because some shots aren’t going in, stay very aggressive in any opportunity that I got. At the end of the day, it worked out for our team. Those plays, miss or make, I'm glad they impacted winning and put us in a better spot."

"He’s an explosive scorer. Starting with me, I got to continue to find ways to help him, like I have to help the rest of the team," Brown said of Towns. "What I like about tonight is, he’s an All-Star, great level player and those types of players impact the game. 

"He can score with the best, so we know eventually he’s going to get going in that area, but what I like about it, he was impactful defensively -- 11 rebounds, seven assists, the nine points definitely helped and he helped us create that separation by doing that. But I don’t want to belittle the fact that he did what All-Stars do, what great players do. He found other ways throughout the course of the ballgame to continue to help our team win. That’s fantastic to see because he’s more than capable with as good as he is."

Entering Wednesday, Towns is averaging 21.5 points, on 47 percent shooting and 11.5 rebounds. All three categories are down from last season when he was voted All-NBA Third Team and to his fifth All-Star Game. However, the second-year Knick is more worried about winning and getting New York to the NBA Finals for the first time in almost three decades. 

And while there's still a lot of season left, Towns and the Knicks hope Wednesday's win leads to more as they head West for a four-game road trip.

"We weren’t at our best today, but we did enough to win," he said. "At points in the game, we did a good job of getting a run and we didn’t let them stop the bleeding. We got to better than we were tonight. I have to be better. This is a good start before heading on the road trip to stop the bleeding of four losses in a row...now we have to build off of it. 

"Teams understand now that we are coming in with a little momentum, and they are going to try and stop that. We have to do a better job of out-executing them and out-hustling them. It's up to us."

The Knicks head to Phoenix to start their West Coast trip against the Suns on Friday.

 

Posted on

Malik Thomas scores 20 and No. 23 Virginia moves to 9-0 at home with 84-60 win over Cal

Malik Thomas scored 20 points and No. 23 Virginia beat California 84-60 in its Atlantic Coast Conference home opener Wednesday night, scoring at least 80 points for the 14th time in 15 games this season. Johann Grunloh, Thijs De Ridder, Sam Lewis and Ugonna Onyenso each added 12 for the Cavaliers (13-2, 2-1), who assisted on 23 of 30 baskets and dominated the glass with 45-26 edge in rebounding. Virginia has won two straight since a triple-overtime loss at rival Virginia Tech on New Year's Eve.

Posted on

Braden Smith overcomes foul trouble by scoring 23 and leading No. 5 Purdue past Washington 81-73

Braden Smith finished with 23 points and seven assists and made two late free throws to help No. 5 Purdue fend off Washington's late rally for an 81-73 victory Wednesday night. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 14 points and 14 rebounds as the Boilermakers won their fifth in a row and matched a school-best start at 14-1 (4-0 Big Ten) for the ninth time in program history. It came on a night Purdue honored Smith, an Associated Press preseason All-American guard, before the national anthem by presenting the Big Ten's new career assists leader with a framed poster.

Posted on

Nets fall to Magic in OT, 104-103, on Paolo Banchero's buzzer-beater

NEW YORK (AP) — Paolo Banchero banked in a three-pointer from the top of the key at the overtime buzzer to give the Orlando Magic a 104-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

Two nights after falling at lowly Washington, the Magic beat the Nets for the eighth straight time to improve to 21-17.

Banchero scored 30 points to lead Orlando. Wendell Carter Jr. added 20, Tristan da Silva had 14 and Noah Penda 13.

In overtime, Egor Demin made a three-pointer with 1:07 left to give Brooklyn a 100-99 lead. Carter put Orlando back in front on a dunk with 16 seconds remaining. Demin countered with another three with 3.6 seconds left to make it 103-101, and Banchero ended it with the 26-footer that banked in.

After Brooklyn pulled to 91-90 in regulation on Noah Clowney’s jumper, da Silva scored on a dunk for Orlando with 17 seconds left. Demin hit a three-pointer with six seconds to go to tie it, and Banchero missed a 30-footer at the buzzer.

Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 34 points and Demin had 18. The Nets were coming off a home victory over Denver on Sunday. They are 11-13.

Up next

Magic: Host Philadelphia on Friday night.

Nets: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

Posted on

No. 3 Iowa State sets school record with 15-0 start after 70-60 win over Baylor

Joshua Jefferson had 19 points and 17 rebounds as No. 3 Iowa State won its 15th consecutive game to start the season, 70-60 over Baylor on Wednesday night. Tamin Lipsey scored 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting after early foul trouble, and Killyan Toure had 12 for the Cyclones (15-0, 2-0 Big 12). Iowa State’s 15-0 start and 15-game winning streak are both school records, surpassing the 14-0 start by the 2013-14 team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Posted on

Hawks reportedly trade Trae Young to Wizards: trade details and fantasy fallout

In recent days and weeks, the rumblings surrounding Trae Young's future in Atlanta grew too loud to ignore. Having appeared in just ten games this season due to injury, the point guard's production slipped, and the Hawks failed to string together wins when Young was on the floor.

Add in the continued emergence of Jalen Johnson, and offseason addition Nickeil Alexander-Walker exceeding the expectations of many, and the writing was on the wall. On Wednesday night, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Young was traded to the Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Atlanta receives some salary-cap relief, as McCollum will be an unrestricted free agent in June, and he and Kispert can provide shooting around Johnson, who appears to be the Hawks' new cornerstone. Let's look at this trade and how it affects the fantasy values of the players involved and their new teams.

Washington receives: Trae Young

When healthy and playing at his best, Young can be a highly valuable fantasy player, especially in eight-cat formats. However, in the short term, it's fair to question what the Wizards' plans are for the franchise's new point guard. Young has missed Atlanta's last five games with a quad injury. Was the injury the only reason why he sat? Or did the trade speculation and desire to avoid aggravating anything have a role? It would clearly be in Washington's best interest to exercise caution with Young, not only for his health but also for the potential impact on the 2026 NBA Draft.

Washington's first-round pick is top-8 protected; if it falls outside of that range, it will go to the Knicks. And at this stage in the franchise's rebuild, adding another elite talent in what is a loaded 2026 draft class would be good business. With that in mind, would the Wizards consider shutting Young down, as Toronto did with Brandon Ingram last season? We'll see.

Young's fantasy value, once he gets on the court, should be fine. How he and Alex Sarr mesh in the two-man game is something to watch, and Young's presence may also benefit wings Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson. That said, Bub Carrington may be in a challenging spot, even if he were (for some reason) to start alongside Young. Bub's value may receive a short-term boost if Young isn't immediately ready to play, but dynasty league managers who have him rostered can't be thrilled with Wednesday's development.

With McCollum and Kispert now out of the picture, the clock begins to tick on Khris Middleton. Like CJ, the experience and wisdom he brings to the locker room can't be overstated. But, if the Wizards can acquire future draft capital in exchange for Middleton at (or before) the February trade deadline, one has to assume that they'll make the move. He still isn't playing back-to-backs, and the time off may increase if he's in Washington after the deadline. One would hope that some of the availability concerns would subside if Middleton is moved to a team with playoff ambitions.

Atlanta receives: CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert

The Hawks' decision to move Young boosts the fantasy values of two players in the immediate aftermath of the move: Johnson and Alexander-Walker. Johnson has become a triple-double threat this season, offering first-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats. Even with McCollum joining the fold, the ball is going to be in his hands plenty. As for Alexander-Walker, he should continue to serve as the starting point guard. Despite playing well enough to merit being rostered in most leagues, NAW is still available in more than half of Yahoo! leagues. Look for that to change, beginning Thursday morning.

Dyson Daniels may receive a slight boost to his fantasy value because of the additional playmaking opportunities, but he's unlikely to benefit at the level that Johnson and Alexander-Walker should. Post players Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porziņģis will be intriguing to watch, as both have been quality fantasy options (when healthy, in the case of the latter). No Young in the lineup did not result in a sharp decrease in their scoring opportunities, thanks mainly to Johnson's improved playmaking.

The players who may be at most significant risk of a drop in fantasy value may be those who are rostered in less than 20 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Zaccharie Risacher should remain a starter, but Atlanta's bench improved with the addition of McCollum. With Risacher already offering limited fantasy value, the second unit's increased strength may result in fewer minutes for him. Luke Kennard and Vit Krejčí are also in challenging spots, and they already brought limited fantasy value to the table.

It had become clear that Atlanta needed to make a change, having underwhelmed after entering the season with expectations of competing in the East. McCollum and Kispert may not move the needle immediately, but moving on from Young's contract should make for an interesting summer.

Posted on

No. 13 TCU women score last 9 points to beat Oklahoma State 69-61

Olivia Miles scored 20 points, and No. TCU scored the last nine points to beat Oklahoma State 69-61 on Wednesday night. Marta Suarez scored six of her 11 points and Maddie Scherr added all six of her points with a pair of 3s in the final period as TCU shot 64%, and held Oklahoma State scoreless for the final seven minutes.

Posted on

Report: Atlanta trades Trae Young to Washington for CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert

Washington has a young core with potential. Alex Sarr is starting to break out in his second season, plus Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and the two-way potential of Bilal Coulibaly. What the Wizards lacked was an elite offensive player to tie it all together.

Enter Trae Young.

As has been rumored for days, the Atlanta Hawks have agreed to trade Young to Washington for CJ McCollum and wing Corey Kispert, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and since confirmed by others. It felt meaningful that McCollum and Kispert were held out of the Wizards game on Wednesday, but the trade happened mid-game with Young saying his goodbyes to teammates in the arena.

Now Young gets to go to his preferred destination in Washington, while Atlanta gets to move on.

Young exits Atlanta, where he has been the face of the franchise since they traded for him on draft night more than seven years ago. He has been an entertaining fan favorite who averaged 25.2 points and 9.8 assists a game for the team and was a three-time All-Star. Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, only the second time the franchise had made it that far.

The writing was on the wall for Young's exit last summer when Atlanta chose not to extend his contract, instead opting to see how he looked with a revamped, healthy roster built to maximize his skill set. The reality is the Hawks have been better without him — they are 2-8 in the 10 games he has played and 15-13 in the games he has missed. It became clear that the Hawks were ready to pivot to a roster built around length and athleticism, featuring Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and others.

The decision for Young to move on was mutual, and his agents at CAA were working with the Hawks to find a trade that worked for everyone. Washington was his preferred destination.

For the Hawks, they get a player who can still get a bucket in McCollum, who is averaging 18.8 points a game this season, but also has a $30.7 million expiring contract. McCollum can help in the short term, while Kispert — a sharpshooting 6'6" wing hitting 39.5% from 3 point range this season, averaging 9.2 points a game — who will blend right into the Hawks rotation.

For Washington, they get a box office draw and someone for fans to rally around, an All-Star level offensive player who can lead their team on the court — and they gave up almost nothing. How much we see of Young the rest of this season is up for debate, however, as Washington owes its pick to New York but it is top-eight protected. Washington doesn't want to start winning too much all of a sudden and lose their pick in a deep draft with some potential franchise cornerstones at the top. The Wizards would currently enter the lottery with the No. 4 pick and are not going to want that to change too much.

Posted on

Knicks snap four-game losing streak with 123-111 win over Clippers

The Knicks looked like themselves again on Wednesday night, beating the Los Angeles Clippers, 123-111, to snap their four-game losing streak.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Looking to shake things up after a season-low 90 points on Monday night, Mike Brown inserted Miles McBride into the starting lineup in place of Mitchell Robinson. However, McBride and the Knicks started out slow, as he missed his first two three-point attempts and the team found themselves down 7-0. The Clippers grew their early lead to 14-5, forcing a Knicks timeout about four minutes into the first quarter.

The group woke up out of the timeout -- Mikal Bridges drilled a three, OG Anunoby got a dunk, and McBride hit his first three-pointer to cut the lead to one point. Jordan Clarkson and Jalen Brunson then hit their first threes of the game to put NY ahead briefly before veteran big man Brook Lopez made a three of his own to make it a 22-21 game.

-- James Harden nailed back-to-back three-pointers and was fouled on another attempt with the clock winding down, making all three free throws to put LA up 31-27 after the first quarter. He led all scorers with nine points after one, while Brunson and Anunoby had seven apiece for the Knicks. Both teams shot 46 percent and had 11 rebounds in the first.

-- McBride caught fire early in the second quarter, hitting three straight threes to keep the Knicks in it. The former second-round pick kept it going with another jumper to tie the game at 42-42. The back-and-forth contest continued through the second as Brunson tied it up with a three-pointer before Kawhi Leonard scored five quick points to push the Clippers lead to 56-51 at halftime.

Los Angeles outscored New York, 25-24, in the second quarter thanks to Leonard's 12 points, which gave him 21 at the break on 8-for-13 shooting. Brunson only had three points in the second, with McBride scoring 11 of his 14 points to pace the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns struggled with just six points on 2-for-8 shooting.

-- Offensive rebounds began to become an issue for the Knicks as Ivica Zubac dominated the glass with two offensive boards on LA's first possession of the third quarter, scoring inside after a miss. He then converted two more offensive rebounds into two more baskets to put the Clippers up four. 

New York fought back with Anunoby making his first three of the night at the 7:34 mark and Towns showed fight, attacking the rim by Zubac for a layup and making the foul shot to tie the game at 70-70. Guerschon Yabusele then gave the Knicks a 73-72 lead, their first since going up 23-22 in the first quarter.  The high-scoring third quarter finished with Tyler Kolek connecting with Bridges to put New York up 90-87, outscoring LA 39-31 in the frame. 

-- Towns completed a three-point play and then grabbed his third offensive rebound, finishing inside for five quick points to open the fourth quarter and force an early Clippers timeout. The former No. 1 pick stayed in a groove with another driving layup and Kolek hit Anunoby running out for a dunk to extend the lead to 105-92. Brunson continued to apply the pressure with two straight threes and then Yabusele scored five straight to make it a 15-point game and ignite the Garden crowd.

-- All five starters scored in double figures. Despite early struggles, Towns finished with 20 points (6-for-18 from the field), 11 rebounds (four offensive), and a season-high seven assists. Anunoby also had 20 points, while McBride had 16 with four threes, and Bridges added 15 points, nine boards, and five assists. The team had 32 assists and outrebounded LA 48-40. Leonard finished with 25 points after a cold second half, Harden ended with 23 and Zubac had 22 points.

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

Brunson scored 11 points in the third quarter to swing the game New York's way, and finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He also had seven assists and three rebounds over 33 minutes.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks head out West for a four-game road trip starting on Friday against Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Posted on

Missouri beats Kentucky 73-68 for first win in Lexington

Mark Mitchell and Jayden Stone combined for 41 points, and Missouri ended the game with a 15-2 run to beat Kentucky 73-68 on Wednesday night for the Tigers' first win in Lexington. Missouri (12-3), which entered 0-9 at Rupp Arena, is also 2-0 for the first time in Southeastern Conference play. It was Kentucky's (9-6, 0-2) first SEC home-opening loss since 2013.