Category: Basketball

The Cleveland Cavaliers toppled the LA Clippers in a 33-point victory on the road. This game could have been an emotional letdown. But on the heels of a massive blockbuster trade, the Cavs stuck to business as usual.

These last few days have been a whirlwind. Trading Darius Garland for James Harden is one of the biggest swings this franchise has ever made. And while neither Garland nor Harden was on the floor tonight, it still felt like their presence could have loomed over the outcome.

It didn’t.

The Cavs looked unbothered by the seismic changes that happened to them overnight. This team was locked and loaded, playing the same brand of basketball they had in January. Cleveland has been in a groove recently, and this was another giant step in the right direction.

Newcomers Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis made an immediate impact. Schroder began the game by dicing into the lane for a scoop layup and then stealing the ball from Kawhi Leonard moments later. And that was only the first time he stole it from Leonard in the first half.

Dennis Schroder steal & Keon Ellis three —

Cavs new additions already making an impact. 🔥🔥

pic.twitter.com/1smsK8JOe9

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 5, 2026

Ellis, while not as flashy, also showed his skills as a disruptive defender and fit seamlessly into Cleveland’s efforts on both ends of the floor.

Make no mistake, this was a team effort. Jaylon Tyson, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and Schroder all scored in double digits.

The crisp ball movement that has come to define the Cavs when they are at their best was present tonight. Everyone was involved, and the Clippers’ defense was in constant pursuit. The amount of on-ball creators this team has now that Tyson has emerged and Schroder has given them a boost is something to be excited about. Especially when considering James Harden is days away from his debut.

Cleveland is now 31-21 this season continues to trend upwards. They stand in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and could legitimately make a run at being a top-two seed after the All-Star break.

Welcome to Trade Deadline Day. The deals are about to start flying, some impacting the Phoenix Suns directly, others in more subtle ways. Our team will break down every trade in detail, but this thread will serve as your running tracker, with the latest updates at the top. Keep checking back with Bright Side for a quick look at what the Suns have done and how each move affects the roster before the deadline at 1 pm Arizona time.

Any big trades will get the full deep dive soon enough, but until then, consider this your one-stop shop for all things Suns at the deadline!

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We will continue to provide updates throughout the week as trades that affect the Suns occur or rumored players that they’ve been connected to come off the board.

Refresh. Often.

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Wednesday, 10:22PM: Yabu Traded

Update by John Voita

I know it’s no big deal, but Guershon Yabusele is off the board.

The New York Knicks are trading Guerschon Yabusele to the Chicago Bulls for Dalen Terry, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026

Why does it matter? Our own Pano wrote a great piece making the case for him, and if the Suns were to do a one-for-one trade, I wouldn’t have minded having him in Phoenix. Oh well. C’est ainsi.

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Wednesday, 9:35PM: Yabu Traded

Update by John Voita

It is not Suns news, but it is Suns adjacent. Jonathan Kuminga is headed to Atlanta. All I can really say is good riddance.

BREAKING: The Golden State Warriors are trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/eqNWwCupEZ

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026

We have had an interesting relationship with Kuminga since the summer. Mostly me, typing far too many words explaining why the Suns should not go down that road. So in that sense, there is some closure here. He is gone. The debate is over.

Then there is Golden State. Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors is the kind of move that makes you squint. I do not really see how it helps them. Availability has always been the issue. He has played 17 games this season and has not been on the floor in nearly a month. Talent without reliability is a tricky bet.

This actually helps the Suns. They see the Warriors tomorrow night, and Golden State is going to be shorthanded. Buddy Hield is out the door in that deal. As I am typing this, Trayce Jackson-Davis is gone too.

So while none of this directly involves Phoenix, the ripple effects matter. Familiar faces are moving. Opponents scrambling. The board keeps shifting, and sometimes the best move is the one you did not make, while others are busy rearranging the furniture.

The Thunder held two-thirds of their team out of the game tonight, and their skeleton crew of Jaylin Williams and four bench players, along with three two-way players made the Spurs work for a win. Maybe it’s excusable to let your focus slip a little when you’re not facing the other team’s best players, but it was frustrating to watch as the Spurs just tried to coast to a win and gave the Thunder skeleton crew hope kept them in the game late. The lackadaisical play of the Silver and Black let the end of the Thunder bench play like contenders.

Instead of playing team ball, there was way too much one on one offense, and slow rotations on defense. The Spurs got a great effort from Keldon Johnson tonight, but most of the rest of the team was embarrassed by the Thunder reserves. De’Aaron Fox made some key plays down the stretch as the Spurs outlasted the Thunder 116-106. The strategy of sitting almost the entire Thunder team felt like a psyop on the Spurs, and given how hard the Spurs had to play to eke out a win, it seems like it worked.

Despite this win being a little on the disappointing side, it was a good thing for them as they solidified their second spot in the west as they head to Dallas for a game tom0rrow against the Mavericks. They also secured their 34th win of the year, which is the same number of wins the team scored in the entire 2024-2025 season, with 32 games left in the season.

Observations

• The Thunder sat 10 players for tonight’s game. Three of those players have had long term injuries and Caruso has been dealing with an adductor strain for some time. Unfortunately, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffered an abdominal strain in last night’s game against the Magic, and could be out for a couple of weeks at least. The other six players—I’m not sure if they would be sitting out a playoff game—but I am not a doctor. It feels like a scheduled loss for the Thunder, who have already lost the season series where the Spurs lead 3-1. Mind games? Maybe, but the Spurs are going to need to play with intensity to win tonight, because every player on the Thunder roster is a solid NBA player.
• Just before the game it came out that Dylan Harper would be out, and Castle would be playing. Harper has been very good the last couple of weeks as he burst through the rookie wall that he seemed to hit around the season’s midpoint and once again began to score at will in the paint. Hopefully he’ll be back for tomorrow night’s game against the Mavs.
• The lead-in game of Knicks/Nuggets went into double overtime, and ended in a 134-127 New York win. That’s good news for the Spurs as they solidified their hold on second place in the Western Conference, with the Nuggets two games behind the Spurs in the loss column.
• The Thunder kind of hung around for much of the first quarter, but when Keldon Johnson came in, they didn’t have the beef, and the Spurs led 39-26 after one quarter.
• Wiggins caught fire from beyond the arc in the second quarter as the Thunder cut a 20 point Spurs lead to 10 with 5 minutes left in the half. Carter Bryant found his shot as the Spurs finished the quarter strong and led 73-58 at the half. It should have been more, but a sloppy effort at rebounding gave the Thunder the last basket of the half cutting their deficit to 15 and giving them a little bit of confidence.
• The Spurs came out of the locker room in the third quarter not ready to play hard, and the Thunder quickly cut the deficit to single digits. Once again, Keldon took over the game and scored 13 straight for the Spur to right the ship.
• You just can’t fault the effort from the Thunder. Most of the players that were out on the court tonight don’t get a lot of playing time, and they just played HARD tonight. These Spurs were trying to cruise through the game and the Thunder skeleton crew made them pay for the lackadaisical effort by getting open shots and sinking them. The Spurs led 95-85 after three quarters with the Thunder skeleton crew outscoring the Spurs 27-22 in the quarter.
• The Thunder won two coach’s challenges, although the second overturn was a bit fishy in my opinion. The Spurs finally exercised a challenge late in the third as the Fox stole the ball that should have led to a fast break dunk, but it was negated because of the incorrect foul call. Even though the call was reversed, the Spurs were still robbed of a fast break bucket. It seems that the replay review should at least award the team a transition take foul in that situation.
• The Thunder defense got energized in the fourth quarter and made things difficult for the home team, cutting the lead to 4 points with under 4 minutes left. They broke up a few alley oops for Wemby late, and even turned them into baskets on the other end, which really made thing hard for the home team.
• Steph Castle picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter, but played most of the quarter and made key plays down the stretch as he was one of key factors in the Spurs clutch run.

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Tonight is the first game of a back-to-back for the Silver and Black as they travel to Dallas for a matchup against the Mavericks, and their super rookie Cooper Flagg in the first game of a home and home series, which will wrap up on Friday in San Antonio.

According to Brandon Rahbar, the Utah Jazz have traded the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica for cash considerations.

Thunder has acquired the draft rights to center Balša Koprivica from the Jazz in exchange for cash considerations. pic.twitter.com/bXE60986jx

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) February 4, 2026

File this one under players that I didn’t realize the Jazz had. Koprivica was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Pistons in 2021. The Jazz acquired those rights in 2024 from the Los Angeles Clippers. Now, those rights are sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The biggest question for Jazz fans is: how much are these cash considerations?

Personally, I think the reason for this is pretty clear: to offset upcoming fines for the Jazz tanking. Utah can now do what they need to end the season, and they now have a slush fund for any sort of fine that might come their way. It’s a perfect opportunity to have the tank cost them nothing.

Or maybe they’ll use it to upgrade the arena, or buy some uniforms, or maybe they’ll get some swig with it, I don’t know.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Otega Oweh matched his season-high with 24 points, Brandon Garrison had 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Kentucky defeated Oklahoma 94-78 on Wednesday night.

Oweh has scored 20-plus points in eight of 10 conference games. Garrison, who averages 3.9 points and 3.5 rebounds, has one other game with double figures in scoring and one other with double figures in rebounding this season.

Oweh scored seven points early in the second half and the Wildcats pushed their 11-point halftime lead to 55-36 after about 3 1/2 minutes. Although the Sooners hit six 3-pointers in one seven-minute stretch they didn't get within 10 points until Xzayvier Brown hit back-to-back 3s to make it 82-72 with four minutes left.

A dunk by Oklahoma's Mohamed Wague made it 82-74 with three minutes to go but the Sooners did not make another basket. The Wildcats scored the next eight points to regain command.

Collin Chandler added 18 points for Kentucky (16-7, 7-3 SEC). The Wildcats shot 50%, made 22 of 27 free throws and had only six turnovers.

Brown scored 21 points, Tae Davis 16 and Derrion Reid 11 for Oklahoma (11-12, 1-9). The Sooners shot 44%, made 17 of 19 free throws and also had only six turnovers.

The Sooners had their last lead at 18-17 but they made only four baskets in the final 12 minutes of the first half and were 0 for 7 in the last five minutes. Kentucky led 43-32 at halftime after making nine 3-pointers and shooting 47% overall.

Kentucky improved to 32-1 under coach Mark Pope when leading at halftime.

Up next

Oklahoma: at No. 15 Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Kentucky: Tennessee visits Rupp Arena 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

Jonathan Kuminga has finally been freed from the Golden State Warriors. In the end, Golden State got a valuable if unreliable player on an expiring contract in return for their dissatisfied forward by waiting until the trade deadline to deal him.

The Warriors acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kuminga and Buddy Hield, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. Kuminga had been stuck in trade rumors dating back to his prolonged restricted free agency over the summer, and now he gets the fresh start in Atlanta he’s been seeking. The Warriors also traded Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second-round pick originally owned by the Los Angeles Lakers shortly after the deal, according to Charania.

Most of the Warriors chatter leading up to the deadline focused on their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Is that over for now? Let’s grade this surprising trade for both sides.

Warriors grade for Kristaps Porzingis-Jonathan Kuminga trade

Porzingis hasn’t been playing much dating back to last season with the Boston Celtics. He’s battled illness after being diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), a nervous system disorder that causes rapid heart rate and dizziness.

This season Porzingis has only played in 18 of Atlanta’s 58 games. When he’s been on the floor, he’s graded out incredibly well in the advanced metrics: he’s 11th in the entire league in EPM because he’s the rare player who ranks above the 90th percentile in effectiveness on both ends of the floor. Porzingis hasn’t actually been available enough to help Atlanta, but it hints at what he can do if he could ever stay healthy.

The advanced numbers overstate Porzingis’ impact, obviously. No one who has watched the Hawks this year believes he’s close to a top-10 player in the league. At the same time, Porzingis has a unique skill set as a 7’3 big man who can block shots and stroke three-pointers at an elite rate for his position. His 4.8 percent block rate this season is a huge number that ranks in the 91st percentile of all bigs. He’s also making 36 percent of his threes on nearly 10 attempts per 100 possessions.

Porzingis mostly grades out so well because he doesn’t turn the ball over at all. Possessions are important, people! He’s been a low turnover player his entire career, but he’s about to enter an offensive system that requires its bigs to make quick passing reads. He’s never played in anything like Steve Kerr’s offense before, and it will probably take time to adjust … if he can even stay healthy enough for this trade to matter.

Porzingis’ $30.7 million deal comes off the books this summer, meaning Golden State immediately improved its rotation without taking on any long-term risk. Could they have really gotten something better for Kuminga? I don’t think so. Porzingis may never make an impact for Golden State because he can’t get on the floor, but he’s still pretty good if his health situation changes, and that would add an impact player to a Warriors front court that needs it.

The fact that the Warriors also got off Buddy Hield’s final two years in this deal is even more impressive. That alone is a big win for Golden State, and getting a player like Porzingis is just icing on the cake.

Grade: A

Hawks grade Jonathan Kuminga trade

Porzingis wasn’t in Atlanta’s long-term plans, and it was known for a while the team wanted to trade him in-season. Kuminga is an interesting return as a physically talented forward who has never been able to fully put everything together. Kuminga wasn’t a good enough decision-maker, shooter, or defender to earn Steve Kerr’s trust, and that had him pouting on the sidelines for most of his Warriors tenure. He needed a change of scenery, and Atlanta provides that.

Kuminga and Jalen Johnson could give the Hawks a huge wing tandem if he is in their long-term plans. Atlanta’s future is mostly tied to if they get lottery luck with the New Orleans Pelicans’ pick they wisely acquired at last year’s draft. The Hawks feel like they’re under construction after the Trae Young trade, so it’s hard to make any assumptions about what this team looks like next year. For now, Kuminga will probably get a chance to run the floor and get buckets as Atlanta probably sneaks into the play-in tournament.

The most surprising thing about this trade is Atlanta was willing to take on the last two years of Buddy Hield’s deal. He makes $9.6 million next year and then $10 million 2027-28. Hield has a true bad contract, and I don’t think Kuminga is good enough to take on that money.

Grade: C-

The Golden State Warriors' trade saga with Jonathan Kuminga is officially ending as the team is dealing the 23-year-old forward and guard Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, ESPN reports.

In another deal, the Warriors are sending Trayce Jackson-Davis to Toronto for a second-round pick, per ESPN.

Kuminga had been in a tumultuous relationship with the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr over playing time and production dating back to last season. He's played in just two games since Dec. 18, currently out with an injury.

While Kuminga gets a fresh start in Atlanta, Porzingis gets another in the Bay Area. Availability continues to be a persistent problem for Porzingis, who has appeared in just 17 games for the Hawks following his offseason trade by the Celtics. But if he can get back on the court he can provide needed size and additional scoring as a stretch 5 to Golden State.

This deal also seemingly ends the idea that Giannis Antetokounmpo could land in San Francisco ahead of the trade deadline, with ESPN saying the Warriors have "moved on."

Kristaps Porzingis stats

Here are Porzingis' average statistics for the 2025-26 regular season.

• Games played: 17
• Minutes: 24.3
• Points: 17.1
• Rebounds: 5.1
• Assists: 2.7
• Steals: 0.5
• Blocks: 1.3
• Field goal %: .457
• 3-point field goal %: .360
• Free throw %: .840

Kristaps Porzingis contract details

Porzingis is set to be a free agent after the season. He's currently sporting a cap hit of $30.7 million.

How old is Kristaps Porzingis?

Porzingis is 30 years old. The Warriors will be the sixth different team the fourth pick of the 2015 NBA Draft has played on.

Jonathan Kuminga stats

Here are Kuminga's average statistics for the 2025-26 regular season.

• Games played: 20
• Minutes: 23.8
• Points: 12.1
• Rebounds: 5.9
• Assists: 2.5
• Steals: 0.4
• Blocks: 0.3
• Field goal %: .454
• 3-point field goal %: .321
• Free throw %: .742

Jonathan Kuminga contract details

Kuminga has one year remaining after this season via a club option after signing a two-year, $46.8 million deal with the Warriors on Sept. 30, 2025.

How old is Jonathan Kuminga?

Kuminga is 23 years old. He was drafted by the Warriors with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. He'll be 24 in October.

Jonathan Kuminga highlights

Buddy Hield contract details

Hield is under contract for next season and holds a player option for 2027-28. He carries a modest cap hit that maxes out at $10.1 million in the final year if he opts in.

How old is Buddy Hield?

Hield is 33 years old. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Hawks will be his sixth NBA team.

Buddy Hield stats

Here are Hield's average statistics for the 2025-26 regular season.

• Games played: 44
• Minutes: 17.5
• Points: 8.0
• Rebounds: 2.5
• Assists: 1.5
• Steals: 0.8
• Blocks: 0.2
• Field goal %: .433
• 3-point field goal %: .344
• Free throw %: .794

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kristaps Porzingis traded to Warriors via deal with Hawks

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson had 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and the New York Knicks outlasted the Denver Nuggets 134-127 in two overtimes Wednesday night for their eighth straight victory.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 12 rebounds while playing with a bandage over his right eye after he was bloodied in a head-to-head collision in the first quarter. He fouled out in the first overtime, but Brunson took over with 10 points in the second extra period.

Jamal Murray scored 39 points for the Nuggets, while Nikoka Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double since returning from a knee injury last week. Denver lost its third straight, having fallen to conference leaders Oklahoma City and Detroit in his previous two games.

The Knicks had won by an average of 24.7 points during their winning streak before Wednesday’s thriller in which neither team led by double digits. OG Anunoby scored 20 points.

The Nuggets lost starting forwards Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones to injuries during the game, with Watson limping off in the fourth quarter with an apparent right leg injury,

The Knicks appeared to have it won in the first overtime when Murray was short on a 3-point attempt in the last second. But officials whistled Mikal Bridges for a loose-ball foul against Christian Braun that review showed came before the clock expired. Braun hit the two free throws with 0.3 seconds left to tie it at 119.

Brunson then scored the first six points of the second OT.

TIMBERWOLVES 128, RAPTORS 126

TORONTO (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Bones Hyland had 20 points and Minnesota overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Toronto.

Minnesota won in Toronto for the first time since Jan. 21, 2004. The Timberwolves’ previous road win in the series came Feb. 14, 2021, when the Raptors were playing in Tampa because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jaden McDaniels scored 19 points, Naz Reid and Julius Randle each had 17 and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 as the Timberwolves won for the fifth time in six games.

Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Timberwolves improved to 14-5 against Eastern Conference opponents.

Brandon Ingram scored 25 points, Immanuel Quickley had 23 and Scottie Barnes had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors.

Ingram hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but Toronto lost for the fourth time in its past five home games.

Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 14 points for Toronto. RJ Barrett and Collin Murray-Boyles each had 13.

CELTICS 114, ROCKETS 93

HOUSTON (AP) — Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points and Boston used a big third quarter to build the lead and cruise to a win over Houston.

White’s performance helped the Celtics win a fourth straight game despite missing star Jaylen Brown, who sat out with left hamstring tightness in the second game of a back-to-back.

Houston coach Ime Udoka was ejected at the end of the third quarter after receiving a double technical for arguing with officials, and Alperen Sengun was tossed midway through the fourth after receiving two technical fouls for yelling at an official following a no-call.

The Rockets trailed by four after a 3-pointer by Amen Thompson early in the third before Boston went on an 18-3 run to make it 67-48 with about seven minutes left in the quarter. The Celtics made five 3-pointers in that stretch, with two apiece from White and Baylor Scheierman.

Thompson made a basket for Houston before Boston used a 10-1 spurt to push the lead to 77-51 with four minutes remaining in the quarter. White led the way during that run, scoring the first eight points, with two 3-pointers.

Reed Sheppard received a loose ball foul near the end of the quarter and Udoka received two technical fouls after the call and was tossed. Boston converted four free throws off those fouls to make it 87-63 entering the fourth.

Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 15 points in his return after sitting out Monday with a sprained left ankle. Sengun, who had 39 points and 16 rebounds in Monday’s win over Indiana, had 13 points and nine rebounds.

BUCKS 141, PELICANS 137, OT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins scored 27 points and Milwaukee withstood a brilliant performance from Trey Murphy III to beat New Orleans in overtime.

Murphy scored a career-high 44 points and shot 12 of 19 from 3-point range. His 12 3-pointers matched the fifth-highest, single-game total in NBA history. The single-game record belongs to Klay Thompson, who had 14 for Golden State against Chicago on Oct. 29, 2018.

The teams shot a combined 45 of 93 from 3-point range, with New Orleans 24 of 46 and Milwaukee 21 of 47. The Bucks shot a season-best 60.9% overall.

The Bucks pulled ahead for good by scoring the first five points of overtime, on a Rollins driving layup and a Myles Turner 3-pointer. New Orleans trailed 139-137 when Zion Williamson was called for an offensive foul just before Saddiq Bey hit a 3-pointer that would have put the Pelicans ahead with 6.5 seconds left in overtime.

Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. then hit two free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining. Porter had 18 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his return after missing six game with an oblique strain.

AJ Green scored 20 points for Milwaukee. Bey had 22 points and Williamson 20 for New Orleans.

SPURS 116, THUNDER 106

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored 25 points, Victor Wembanyama had 22 points and 14 rebounds and San Antonio never trailed in a victory over injury-depleted Oklahoma City, beating the reigning NBA champion for a fourth time this season.

De’Aaron Fox had 15 points and 10 assists, rookie forward Carter Bryant matched a season high with 11 points as San Antonio won its second straight.

The Spurs (34-16) closed to within five games of the Western Conference-leading Thunder (40-12).

Kenrich Williams scored 25 points and Jaylin Williams added 24 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which had only eight active players.

Reigning MVP and All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the game with an abdominal strain. The Thunder were without their entire regular starting lineup on the second night of a back-to-back.

Late in the third quarter, there was no one other than staff on the bench when Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault had his three reserves preparing to sub in with San Antonio holding a 90-80 lead.

Oklahoma City’s frontcourt of Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams and Aaron Wiggins combined for 69 points, including 36 in the first half. Wiggins finished with 20 points 7-for-14 shooting.

GRIZZLIES 129, KINGS 125

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Cam Spencer hit three key baskets late in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 points, and Ty Jerome added 28 as Memphis beat Sacramento for its season-worst 10th straight loss.

Spencer hit a 3-pointer with 2:08 remaining in the fourth to give Memphis a 122-118 lead. After GG Jackson hit a jumper, Spencer added a 16-foot jumper with 43 seconds left to keep the margin at four points. After the Kings pulled within a point on DeMar DeRozan’s 3, Spencer hit a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to restore the four-point lead and help seal the win.

Jaylen Wells scored 18 points, Jackson added 16 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 15 as Memphis won its second straight. Santi Aldama, back in the lineup after missing four game with a right knee injury, had 12 points and six rebounds.

The Grizzlies were playing their first game since trading Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday in an eight-player, three-draft-pick deal. Memphis has also been engaged in talks about moving star guard Ja Morant. The trade deadline is Thursday afternoon.

Domantas Sabonis scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half and added 15 rebounds for the Kings, whose last victory came on Jan. 16 against Washington, the final game of a four-game win streak.

CAVALIERS 124, CLIPPERS 91

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and had nine assists, Jaylon Tyson added 17 points and Cleveland routed Los Angeles, hours after the teams completed a trade of All-Stars.

The Cavaliers sent guard Darius Garland to the Clippers in exchange for James Harden. Neither took the court for their new teams.

Jarrett Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder added 11 points in his Cavaliers debut and Keon Ellis had 6 points in his first game with the Cavaliers, who won for the seventh time in eight games. Schroder and Ellis were acquired from Sacramento in a three-team trade Sunday.

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and John Collins added 19 for the Clippers, who lost consecutive games for the first time since a five-game losing streak in December.

Rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 10 points and had eight rebounds for Los Angeles, which is 17-5 since Dec. 20, although most of that success was with Harden. The Clippers also were without starting center Ivica Zubac, who was out for the birth of his child.

The Golden State Warriors finally pulled the trigger on a trade Wednesday night, and it wasn’t one that anyone expected. Late in the evening, on the eve of the trade deadline, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Warriors had traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for stretch center Kristaps Porziņģis. In a separate deal made to clear the cap space for the move, the Warriors sent third-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick.

It’s an interesting move for the Warriors, as Porziņģis is on an expiring contract that pays him $30.7 million. It could be that the Warriors are hoping to pair his contract with Draymond Green’s in a potential trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, or it could that they just want to see Porziņģis’ fit with the team before potentially re-signing him over the offseason. Porziņģis has full Bird Rights, meaning the Warriors will be able to go over the tax this offseason to re-sign him.

There’s no doubt that Porziņģis — who was an All-Star in 2017-18 — brings an intriguing look to the Warriors, assuming he stays on the roster. He’s 7’2, athletic, and defensively strong, but also is a career 36.6% shooter from downtown. He’s having a poor year by his standards, but is still averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, though injuries have limited him to just 17 games.

Injuries are one of the biggest issues for Porziņģis, as he’s only played 60 games once in the last nine seasons. And, unfortunately, no story of Porziņģis can be told without mentioned the rape allegations against him from 2019.

As for the outgoing pieces, it’s the end of a long roller-coaster journey for Kuminga, who should get a chance to play a steady role on a semi-rebuilding Hawks team. It will be great to see if he can run with the opportunity. Hield, who was a favorite in the locker room and with the fans — and the closest player on the team to Jimmy Butler III — will be missed. The Warriors do open up a pair of roster spots with the moves, which will presumably be used to convert Pat Spencer’s two-way contract into a guaranteed deal.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Jordan Harrison scored 18 points and No. 20 West Virginia beat Colorado 61-55 on Wednesday night.

Gia Cooke's driving layup gave West Virginia its largest lead, 51-42, with 8:25 to play. An 8-1 surge pulled Colorado to 52-50 with 4:50 left, but the Buffaloes didn't get closer. Cooke added two more layups in the closing minutes that pushed the Mountaineers' lead back to five points each time.

Cooke finished with 12 points and Sydney Shaw added 11 for West Virginia (19-5, 9-3 Big 12). Carter McCray grabbed 10 rebounds. The Mountaineers have won five of their last six games.

Jade Masogayo scored 13 points and Desiree Wooten had 12 for Colorado (15-8, 6-5), which ended a three-game win streak. Logyn Greer added 11 points and Tabitha Betson had 10 rebounds to go with seven points.

West Virginia took the lead for good on Cooke's jumper with 1:36 to play in the second quarter, and the Mountaineers led 37-34 at the beak. Harrison scored 13 first-half points. Masogayo scored nine points and Greer added seven to pace Colorado.

Up next

West Virginia: The Mountaineers host Arizona on Saturday.

Colorado: The Buffaloes play Sunday at home against No. 14 TCU.

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The Lakers (30-19) are back in Los Angeles, where they play their next eight games, starting with the Philadelphia 76ers (29-21). This is the final meeting between both teams this season.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

When: 4:30 p.m. PT, Feb. 5

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

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The Lakers had perhaps their most dominant win of the season against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. They concluded their eight-game Grammy road trip with a 5-3 record, which is respectable considering the teams they played and the injuries they’ve been dealing with.

What matters now is that they begin stacking wins and finish strong before the All-Star break arrives.

The Sixers enter this contest currently on a five-game winning streak. One of the reasons they’ve been playing so well is because Joel Embiid has been terrific, averaging 33.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.

It also helps that he’s surrounded by two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, who has had an incredible season.

Philadelphia’s strengths are speed, athleticism, and size, all things that LA struggles to handle. Containing Maxey will be key for the Lakers in this one, as they have to make sure he doesn’t pop off. Deandre Ayton — who is expected to play more minutes due to Jaxson Hayes’ suspension — will most likely take the responsibility of defending Embiid and that will also play a role in the game’s outcome.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the Sixers — who have the league’s 14th-best defense — game plan against Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. It’ll be nice to see these three take over the offense again, which will be crucial to their success on Thursday night.

Reaves being back in the lineup should also slot the role players back into their positions, like Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart, and Gabe Vincent. This is an opportunity to see how a relatively complete Lakers team performs against a quality opponent, a day before the trade deadline.

Let’s see if they can snap the Sixers’ losing streak on Thursday.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) and Jaxson Hayes (league suspension) are out.
• As for the Sixers, Paul George (league suspension) is out. Joel Embiid (right knee injury management) is questionable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Massamba Diop had 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, Anthony Johnson added 14 points, and Arizona State beat Utah 71-63 on Wednesday night.

Moe Odum added 13 points for Arizona State (12-11, 3-7 Big 12). Diop, a 7-foot-1 freshman who has blocked at least two shots in each of the last five games, has more blocks (48) than fouls (41) this season.

Don McHenry scored 23 points and Seydou Traore added 16 for Utah (9-13, 1-8), which has lost four in a row. McHenry and Traore each hit four of the Utes' nine 3-pointers. Terrence Brown, who went into the game averaging 22.1 points (No. 4 nationally), missed his first eight field-goal attempts and finished with a season-low six points on 2-of-16 shooting.

The Sun Devils led by as many as 18 points in the first half before they took a 41-25 lead into halftime. The Utes scored 11 of the first 13 second-half points to trim their deficit to seven with 15 minutes to play. Utah got no closer until Traore hit a 3-pointer and, after a steal by Keanu Dawes, McHenry made a fast-break layup that made it a four-point game with 1:41 left.

Odum answered with a bucket in the lane and the Sun Devils made 4 of 4 from the free-throw line from there.

ASU is 7-0 this season when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer.

Up next

Arizona State: The Sun Devils play Saturday at Colorado.

Utah: The Utes visit No. 11 Kansas on Saturday.

___

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Thursday is not just for deals for your Dallas Mavericks. No, these Mavericks (19-31) are set for a home and home series with the southern foes on Interstate 35, the San Antonio Spurs (34-16). The Mavericks are losers of five straight games, while the Spurs are coming in off of a win over the short handed Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. 

Before this trade deadline day game tips off, here’s what you should be thinking about.

Can I get a show of hands… Who is still here?

The Mavericks could be without a large number of players in this contest, depending on the actions that happen between now and 2:00 p.m. CT on Thursday. Depending on who you trust for your trade sourcing, any of Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and Naji Marshall could be on the move. Due to the Anthony Davis trade of Wednesday, the Mavericks will be down at least two in the active department, as Jaden Hardy and D’Angelo Russell were part of the move. If any of the trio above are set to find more competitive pastures, Dallas could be running a skeleton crew similar to that of when the Cavaliers beat them by about 100 in Cleveland after Luka Doncic was stolen from us traded. Now, I don’t expect a similar result on Thursday as we saw in that game last year for a variety of reasons. Mainly, Anthony Davis is not Luka Doncic to anyone on the team. 

However, it’s important to remember that these are real life humans who are going through a lot of real life human emotion during this deadline. Regardless of whether or not any of them actually get moved, there’s a toll to it. We’ll see what happens, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see at least one or two more trades before it’s all said and done.

Who exactly plays for the Spurs, either?

As previously mentioned, the Spurs are on the butt end of a travel back to back, albeit this one being very short travel. But, given the Mavs roster situation, what incentive do the Spurs have to run out their full group for? They might feel safe that they can get by with resting a few starters and just having the basketball version of a bullpen game. So, take the Dallas roster situation, combine it with the Spurs potentially resting a lot of pieces, and you’ve got yourself one steaming pile of basketball. There is one saving grace, however, because…

The Mavericks did the right thing

Cooper Flagg is already phenomenal, and with the moves of this deadline, they are starting to do the thing I’ve called on them to do since May: Build the damn plane around Cooper Flagg. The 368 days between the Luka deal and now have been nothing short of a catastrophe. Hell, we shouldn’t be here at all right now. The 1.8% chance of landing the kid from Maine is what saved this franchise from becoming a basketball wasteland. And while it took firing Nico, the Finley-Riccardi duo at general manager have set this franchise up to be successful around Cooper Flagg after just three months at the helm. A tip of the cap to those guys.

How to watch

Probably with a bottle of tequila if it were up to me. Oh, the TV part! It’ll be on KFAA Channel 29, as well as Mavs TV. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the American Airlines Center.