Category: Basketball

Boston Celtics (26-15) at Detroit Pistons (30-10)
Monday, January 19, 2026
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #42, Road Game #23
TV: Peacock, NBC
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.1 The Ticket, SiriusXM
Little Caesars Arena

The Celtics have reached the end of their 4 game road trip as they visit the Detroit Pistons. This is the 4th and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics are 1-2 in the 3 games so far. They lost 119-113 in Detroit on October 26. They won 117-114 in Boston on November 26 when they ended the Pistons 13 game win streak. The Celtics lost 112-105 in Boston on December 15. They are 257-143 overall all time against the Pistons and 100-87 in games played in Detroit.

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 2nd place New York. They are 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 3 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland and 3.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 19-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 14-8 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.

The Pistons are 1st in the east, 4.5 games ahead of 2nd place Boston, 5 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 6.5 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 7.5 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland, 8 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7th place Orlando. They are 21-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 16-4 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.

The Celtics are playing in the final game of a 4 game road trip. They lost the first game in Indiana and won in Miami and Atlanta. The Celtics will then play one game at home against Indiana before playing Brooklyn and Chicago on the road. They will then have another 4 game home stand where they will host Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.

For Detroit, this is the final game of a 6 game home stand. They beat New York, Chicago, Phoenix and Indiana and lost to the Clippers. Next, they will play at New Orleans and then home vs Houston and Sacramento. Then it’s a 3 game road trip through Denver, Phoenix and Golden State before hosting Brooklyn, Denver, Washington, and New York. Then games at Charlotte and Toronto will take them to the All Star break.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum remains out as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year’s playoffs. Josh Minott will miss his 7th game with a sprained ankle. Chris Boucher is probable due to back soreness. Payton Pritchard missed his first game of the season on Saturday with ankle soreness but is available for this game. For the Pistons, Ron Holland II is questionable due to illness.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Cade Cunningham

SG: Payton Pritchard v Duncan Robinson

SF: Jaylen Brown vs Ausar Thompson

PF: Sam Hauser vs Tobias Harris

C: Neemias Queta vs Jalen Duren

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Josh Minott
Xavier Tillman
Jordan Walsh
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Chris Boucher

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) out
Chris Boucher (back) probable
Payton Pritchard (ankle) available

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla 

Pistons Reserves
Javonte Green
Jaden Ivey
Bobi Klintman
Chaz Lanier
Paul Reed
Isaiah Stewart
Caris LeVert
Marcus Sasser

Two Way Players
Daniss Jenkins
Colby Jones
Tolu Smith

Injuries/Out
Ron Holland II (illness) questionable

Head Coach
JB Bickerstaff

Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Cade Cunningham
Cunningham is averaging 25.9 points, 6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In the 3 game against the Celtics, he averaged 33 points 5 rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must defend him well both in the paint and on the perimeter and they need to expect him to pass to the open man since he is averaging 9.6 assists per game.

Neemias Queta vs Jalen Duren
Duren is averaging 17.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 62.8% from the field with no 3 pointers.  In the first 3 games against Boston, he averaged  14 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 46.4% from the field with no threes.  The Celtics need to try to keep him out of the paint and off the boards. 

Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Tobias Harris
Harris is averaging 13.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field and 17.6% from beyond the arc. 

Keys to the Game
Defense – As always, defense is the key to winning this, and every, game.  The Celtics have been up and down with their defensive effort, even quarter to quarter within a game.  The Celtics are 14th with a defensive rating of 114.0.  The Pistons, on the other hand, are 2nd with a defensive rating of 108.5.  The Celtics have to especially defend the paint as the Pistons are 2nd with 57.1 points in the paint per game. 
The Celtics have to be ready for the tough defense that the Pistons play and they must make defense a priority and match the Pistons’ effort on defense if they hope to win this game.

Rebound –  As with defense,  rebounding will always be a key to winning.  The Celtics have to crash the boards as a team and go after every rebound.  The Celtics are 10th in the league with 44.9 rebounds per game.  The Pistons are 3rd, averaging 46.4 rebounds per game.  The Pistons average 17 second chance points per game, which is 6th in the league.  Every Celtic has to crash the boards and they must work harder to grab rebounds than the Pistons to limit those 2nd chance points.   

Move the Ball Carefully –  The Celtics need to move the ball to get the best shots.  The Celtics are much better when they move the ball and don’t lapse into iso ball.   But, they have to be careful with the ball and avoid turnovers.  They need to make careful passes and also focus on their ball handling so as not to turn the ball over.  They are best in the league with just 12.0 turnovers per game.  However, they tend to lose focus and at times turn the ball over way too much.  The Pistons are 2nd in the league with 21.8 points off turnovers per game and they will make the Celtics pay if they get sloppy. 

Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes– The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in some of their wins,  they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow their opponents to surge ahead. The Celtics need to make playing with more effort and energy their identity this season and play that way for the entire game, not just a quarter or two.  Hopefully they can play well for 48 minutes in this one just as they did against the Hawks. 

X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are on the road for the 4th straight game.  They need to overcome the distractions of playing on the road and in front of a hostile crowd and stay focused on playing the right way.  They have to come out playing hard right from the beginning and try to keep the Pistons’ crowd from getting into the game.  The final game of a road trip is always a tough game and the Celtics need to stay extra focused and play extra hard to get a win. 

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. We have recently seen how much of an x-factor officiating can be. The Celtics have to play so well all game that the officiating, no matter how bad, can’t influence the outcome.

So, who got snubbed?

That’s always the question to pose once NBA All-Stars – and each conference’s starters – are announced.

On Monday, Jan. 19, the NBA unveiled the East and West starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The league used a weighted system to select starters, with the fan vote accounting for 50%, and NBA players and media accounting for 25%, respectively. Each player then generated a weighted score, and the Top 5 players from each conference, regardless of position, were named starters.

Here are the winners and losers from the selection of starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game:

WHO MADE THE CUT: NBA announces 2026 All-Star Game starters

WINNERS

Jaylen Brown

Though he is a five-time All-Star, Brown had always been overshadowed by fellow Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. Not this year. With Tatum sidelined with a torn Achilles, Brown has not only emerged as a legitimate No. 1 option and a first-time All-Star starter, but he has also put himself squarely in the conversation for Most Valuable Player. That Brown is also doing this after Boston moved on from established stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis further illustrates his rise. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season.

Jalen Brunson

There’s no question Brunson is one of the elite players in the NBA and one of the steadiest closers. And though Brunson cleared the threshold with ease — his weighted score of 3.25 ranked fourth among East players and was 2.75 points greater than Donovan Mitchell, the No. 6 player on the list — he probably got a boost that New York players often get. The Knicks are a blue-chip franchise with a gargantuan following, so their stars tend to get elevated. Make no mistake: Brunson is a deserving All-Star. But with a roster of talented guards in the East, his case to start was thinner than the end result indicated.

Victor Wembanyama

There’s no denying the impact Wembanyama has on the floor, but the San Antonio Spurs are actually 10-4 in games he didn’t play. That record, though, shouldn’t be skewed; he’s certainly worthy of the starter nod, but he got by on the slimmest of margins, on a fan vote tiebreaker (more on that later). Wembanyama just turned 22 on Jan. 4 and is making his second All-Star appearance. He’s only getting better and is in the MVP conversation. His days of starting in All-Stars are only beginning.

Tyrese Maxey

Another first-time starter, Maxey’s rise this season shows how he’s assuming control of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise. Although Joel Embiid, the 2022-23 Most Valuable Player, is slowly returning to form, this is Maxey’s team, and he’s quickly becoming one of the elite scoring guards in the NBA – one with seemingly limitless shooting range.

LOSERS

LeBron James

Chances are, James will still be an All-Star and will extend his record streak to 22 consecutive nominations. But for the first time in 21 years, James was not named a starter in the All-Star Game. James missed the first 14 games of the season with a right sciatica issue, and the Los Angeles Lakers have managed his playing time in back-to-backs since then. James, who turned 41 in late December, is reimagining the standard for players his age. His points (22.6 per game) and rebounds (5.9) are the lowest they have been since his rookie season (20.9 and 5.5), but James remains a threat for the Lakers. Still, all good things come to an end.

LEBRON JAMES: Incredible streak snapped as NBA All-Star starters revealed

Anthony Edwards

This is the biggest snub of the day. Edwards’ 29.6 points per game rank fifth in the NBA. He’s a dynamic, three-level scorer and is one of the premier walking highlights this league has. His biggest problem here is that the person who took his spot, Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama, is exactly the same. Edwards and Wembanyama received the same weighted score of 5.75, which triggered a tiebreaker. Edwards lost that because his fan vote (1,960,957) was just 4,505 votes fewer than Wembanyama’s total. Stats don’t paint the entire picture because Wembanyama’s impact as a defender is immense, but, just for comparison’s sake, he’s averaging 24.5 points per game.

Donovan Mitchell

He was the first out in the field for starters in the East and very easily could’ve made a case to start. Entering Monday, Mitchell ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring, dropping 29.2 points per game. Even then, the margin between him and Jaylen Brown, the fourth player on the list, was just 0.5 points per game. His scoring clip is a career high, and his assists numbers (5.7) are just behind his all-time high of 6.1. The Cavaliers, though, started slowly, which almost certainly impacted his voting numbers.

Jalen Johnson

Will Johnson be an All-Star? Almost certainly yes. Did he deserve to start? Perhaps. Johnson is the victim of playing in a smaller market, for a team that has struggled to reach relevance in recent seasons. The Hawks are 20-24 (10th in the East), but Johnson is averaging nearly a triple-double, putting up 22.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. Johnson is more of an all-around player than Jalen Brunson, though Johnson’s defensive intensity has fallen off in recent seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA All-Star 2026: Winners and losers as starters announced for game

Princeton, N.J. (AP) — Madison St. Rose and Ashley Chea each scored 19 points and No. 20 Princeton beat Harvard 82-79 in overtime on Monday for its 14th consecutive victory.

Princeton (16-1, 4-0 Ivy League) moved up to No. 20 this week in the AP poll, the team’s best ranking since the Tigers were 13th in the final poll of 2015. The lone defeat on the season came against then-No.9 Maryland on Nov. 16.

Princeton scored eight of the opening 10 points of the fourth quarter, with six points from Toby Nweke, to take a 57-50 lead.

But Harvard made back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute of regulation, the last with 4.9 seconds left to take a 64-61 lead. Chea answered with a 3-pointer from the corner with 0.4 seconds left to tie it. The Crimson turned it over to send it to overtime.

Princeston scored the first five points of overtime to make it 69-64.

Olivia Hutcherson added 14 points, Skye Belker scored 13 and Fadima Tall had 11 points, nine rebounds and five steals for Princeton.

Karlee White scored 27 points to go with 10 rebounds for Harvard (9-8, 2-2). Saniyah Glenn-Bello added 16 points.

Last season, Chea received an inbounds pass with 3.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter and sank a long jumper just before the buzzer to give Princeton a 52-50 victory over Harvard on Jan. 11.

Up next

Harvard: Plays at Cornell on Saturday.

Princeton: Goes on the road to face Brown on Saturday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA will resume having referees wear headsets with earpieces and microphones Tuesday, with the test scheduled to continue through games of Feb. 12 before the league breaks for All-Star weekend.

From Nov. 1 through Dec. 12, referees had the headsets clipped onto their uniforms — then used it during instant replay reviews and other stoppages, but not actually during live play.

In this phase, referees will wear the earpieces throughout the game, including during live play, and be able to communicate directly with the replay center and each other at all times.

The league told teams on Monday that the first phase enhanced officiating accuracy and improved game flow. The league also is hoping the new headsets — also used by referees in the NFL, with FIFA, the top soccer leagues in England and Germany, and Major League Soccer as well — have improved technology, after audio quality and the ability to communicate with other referees without disruption was an issue in some cases during the first phase of the project.

The NBA has been testing the technology since 2022 at various events, including the G League Winter Showcase, NBA Summer League and NBA preseason games.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Knicks (25*-17) return to Madison Square Garden looking to snap a three-game skid against a struggling Dallas Mavericks team (17-26). The Knicks edged the Mavs 113-111 in Dallas last November. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have been cleared to play, while hotshot rookie Cooper Flagg is listed as a game-time decision as of this writing.

Tip off is 5:00 p.m. EST on NBA/Peacock (and MSG). This is your game thread. This is Mavs Moneyball. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Embody kindness, gentle humans. And go Knicks!

* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count. 

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

The Spurs are participating in a Martin Luther King Day game today against the Utah Jazz for an unusual Monday afternoon game. The Jazz are missing Lauri Markkanen and several other rotation players. The Spurs roster will be missing Devin Vassell, who has been out for a while with an adductor strain, but the hope is that he will return soon. Tonight’s game is the last of a three game home stand, and they could win all three with a victor tonight. The Spurs face the Rockets tomorrow night in Houston, and if the Spurs can put the Jazz away early today, it would be advantageous for the Spurs as they look to stay solidly in second place in the Western Conference stay among the top teams in the league.

The Spurs have struggled with putting teams away lately, blowing big leads on several occasions and barely holding on for a win against the Timberwolves on Saturday after taking a 25 point lead at the half. The next step in the Spurs evolution would be developing a killer instinct, and the Jazz game would be a good place to start, especially since Utah beat the Silver and Black 127-114 on December 27. Let’s GO SPURS!!

Game Prediction:

After the game, the Jazz offer to return their team name to New Orleans, and will adopt a name more appropriate to Salt Lake City. Suggestions in comments.

San Antonio Spurs vs Utah Jazz
January 19, 2026 | 4:00 PM CT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
TV: FanDuel Sports Southwest
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Observations after Maxey nabs career-high 8 steals in Sixers' win over Pacers  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers worked through some shaky patches and handled business Monday night against the Pacers.

They notched a 113-104 win at Xfinity Mobile Arena to improve to 23-18 on the season. Indiana fell to 10-34. 

Newly minted All-Star starter Tyrese Maxey had 29 points, eight assists and a whopping eight steals, setting a new career high.

Joel Embiid posted 30 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points.

Pacers star Pascal Siakam tallied 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Andrew Nembhard scored 25 points.

Paul George (left knee injury management) sat for the Sixers on the first night of a back-to-back. The team will host the Suns on Tuesday.

Here are observations on the Sixers’ victory over the Pacers:

Turnovers fuel Sixers again 

Oubre slotted into the Sixers’ starting lineup for George. He began brightly, scoring the night’s first four points on a couple of driving layups.

Embiid soon settled into an excellent mid-range rhythm and started 5 for 5 from the floor. He drained a Dirk Nowitzki-style one-legged fadeaway over Nembhard and then hit a face-up jumper on Jay Huff. 

Dominick Barlow brought his usual hustle in his first stint, including two offensive rebounds and two steals. A coast-to-coast Barlow layup put the Sixers up 22-19. 

Maxey also picked two steals in the first quarter. As was the case in their loss Wednesday to the Cavs, much of the Sixers’ early success stemmed from forced turnovers. They scored the game’s first 13 points off turnovers and the first 13 fast-break points. 

Woes without the stars

The Sixers’ half-court offense was rough early in the second quarter without Maxey and Embiid.

Head coach Nick Nurse turned to a bench-heavy lineup with no conventional point guard. The Sixers did not outperform that on-paper description.

Trendon Watford missed two free throws and three close-range shots in his opening stint. Quentin Grimes got little reward for his aggression, going 1 for 5 from the floor in the first half. VJ Edgecombe was largely a spectator. The rookie only took four field goals in 20 first-half minutes and was scoreless until he made a free throw with 1:55 left in the second quarter. 

The offensive struggles continued once the Sixers’ stars re-entered. The team remained cold beyond the arc (2 for 10 from three-point range in the first half) and the Pacers’ bench played very well. Former Sixers center Tony Bradley gave Indiana good minutes and helped the Pacers build a lead as high as 10 points in the second quarter. 

Maxey at ball-hunting best

The Sixers’ starters regained the lead in the third quarter. Edgecombe laid in his own miss to lift his team to a 63-62 edge.

Edgecombe was far more involved in the Sixers’ offense in the third quarter, often bringing the ball up, running two-man actions with Embiid, and finding opportunities to drive downhill. The highlight of the third period came when he jammed in a giant one-handed, and-one dunk on Bradley. 

The Sixers still did not dramatically improve their shooting night. The team was subpar from both three-point range (29.4 percent) and at the foul line (66.7 percent).

Siakam’s corner three gave the Pacers an 88-86 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Sixers replied with a 7-0 run capped by Maxey swiping a steal, surging ahead and ultimately knocking down two free throws.

The Pacers’ sloppiness was a problem throughout the game — the final points off turnovers margin was 28-7 — and Maxey was at his ball-hunting best. On top of the possession, his steals tend to carry extra weight because of the strong odds that he profits in transition. There’s sometimes a fine line between sniffing out steals and playing sound defense, but Maxey is generally the kind of player who should have the green light and he’s made great progress defensively overall the last several years.

Led by Maxey and Embiid, the Sixers pulled away and avoided any tension in the final minutes. They’ll look for a 2-0 start to their week Tuesday night vs. the Suns.

I’m going to be so real here — I hate the NBA trade deadline! It’s weeks of baseless rumours, being on edge, waiting for the shoe to drop… even though it might never drop. It has me on edge every year, and I sit here every February just counting down the seconds until it’s over. It doesn’t help that we are sitting here talking about a team that is super wishy-washy about the trade deadline historically.

In the Masai-Era of Raptors basketball, the trade deadline was used as a levelling-up tool, something to make “right now” moves. Even if the moves at the deadline were more “for the future” moves, the “future” we were discussing was likely the immediate season after. Even the Raptors’ busiest deadline in recent history, in 23-24, when OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam were dealt, it was more to usher in a new era.

Masai was pretty outspoken about the fact that he didn’t like to deal at the deadline unless necessary. He preferred to wait until free agency, when no one was rushing him, and he could see who was available before making any decisions. Yet, with Masai gone and the Raptors in a new era, things might be different.

Don’t expect them to be too different, though. Bobby Webster went to the Masai Ujiri School of How to Operate an NBA team, and his tactics are likely similar to those of his predecessor and mentor. I wouldn’t expect Bobby to do much at the trade deadline, but here is what could happen if he does decide to pull the trigger on some deals.

Trading for a Big Man

The Raptors clearly have a Jakob Poeltl problem. Even since I wrote that linked piece in December, it’s gotten worse. Poeltl has been out for weeks trying to figure out why his back won’t get better, seeing if time makes it heal. So far, it doesn’t seem like much is working.

It seems like the Raptors’ biggest priority at the deadline may be trading for another 7-footer. We’ve known this. Yet, it’s hard to know if they are going to be willing to pay the price for what is available. Jake Fischer wrote on Jan. 15 that the Raptors want to “make an addition,” but with Davis’s new injury, what’s the point of adding ANOTHER injured big man to the mix?

Sabonis may be an option as well, but he’s only played 13 games so far this season due to (you guessed it) an injury.

It may be a matter of having no deal to make, not that the Raptors decide themselves not to do anything here.

A Change at the PG Position

There’s also chatter of replacing Immanuel Quickley with another starting point guard at the trade deadline. Quickley has been hot and cold all season long, especially struggling since his primary pick-and-roll buddy, Poeltl, has been out. He’s played more games this season after an injury-riddled year last season, but he’s looked disjointed and isn’t shooting well. His biggest problem may be consistency — when he’s good, he’s GOOD — but those instances are becoming few and far between.

This is why Toronto seemed to be in the mix for Trae Young. Yet, Young seemed to want a guarantee that he was going to receive a contract extension from whichever team he signed with, and Bobby likely wasn’t down. Thankful for that, though. Young doesn’t play good defense and it was a no from me.

Ja Morant is floating around conversations now, as apparently, his time in Memphis is dwindling. Maybe I know too much about these guys, but I’m not into the idea of Morant here. Sure, he has some history with Darko Rajakovic, but he hasn’t really impressed over the past few seasons, between injuries and off-court behaviour violations leading to lengthy suspensions. I heard someone say “the best trait a player can bring is availability” recently, and that’s kinda my vibe here.

SO, do the Raptors do anything at the deadline? My gut says no, but my brain says maybe.

The Dallas Mavericks (16-26) head back out on the road after a four-game homestand. They face the New York Knicks (25-17) on a Martin Luther King Jr. day game showcase on Peacock and NBC. Dallas has won two in a row after playing the shamelessly tanking Utah Jazz. The Knicks are looking to stop a three-game slide, most recently falling to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night

Heres the main things you need to know before tipoff.

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks
• WHAT: Primetime MLK Day basketball
• WHERE: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
• WHEN: 4:00 pm CST
• HOW: Peacock, NBC, KFAA, MavsTV

The injury report for Dallas is absurd. Cooper Flagg is questionable still as of this writing. I hope he plays or this one is gonna be ugly. The Mavericks are without the following players for various legitmate reasons: Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively, Dante Exum, Daniel Gafford, D’Angelo Russell, and PJ Washington. That’s a big list. The Knicks are playing everyone, including the recently injured Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

The Mavericks have their work cut out for them in this one. The Knicks play hard and have a variety of talented players. If Flagg does miss this one, I don’t see them having much of a chance. If Flagg does play, him exerting his will along with getting Klay Thompson going is the surest path to victory. Dallas simply isn’t big enough now and I worry the rebounding problems Dallas has every few games will rear it’s ugly head against a Knicks team that can crash well from every position. Stein seems to think Flagg is playing, but who knows.

Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!

A record streak of longevity achieved by LeBron James will officially come to an end this year at the NBA's reimagined 2026 All-Star Game.

The Los Angeles Lakers star was not voted as starter for February's NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, next month, after 10 players – five from each conference – were revealed during the league's MLK Day coverage on Monday, Jan. 19.

It breaks a record run of 21 consecutive All-Star Games in which James has been selected as a starter, dating back to his second season in the league.

The five starters from each conference were chosen through voting conducted through the fans (50%), media (25%) and current players (25%).

The 41-year-old still has an opportunity to make this year's All-Star Game as a reserve in his record 23rd season. Those will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 1 after being picked by the league's coaches.

PODCAST BACKLASH: LeBron James says agent's take on Austin Reaves doesn't reflect on him

This year's All-Star Game, scheduled to be played on Feb. 15, features a round-robin style USA vs. World format with the goal of having 16 American selections and eight international picks.

The NBA is trying again to jolt life into its All-Star weekend after years of waning interest from players and fans alike. The solution this year has been to attempt to replicate some of dynamics from the successful 4 Nations Faceoff event held in lieu of an NHL All-Star Game in 2025.

James was a late scratch from playing in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game after citing foot and ankle discomfort, though he did appear on the bench after being chosen as a starter.

His candidacy as an All-Star during got more complicated after he missed the opening 14 games of the Lakers' regular season while dealing with sciatica. James was nonetheless averaging nearly 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists through, Sunday, Jan. 18.

James has been selected as an All-Star in every year of his NBA career except his rookie season (2003-04) and won All-Star Game MVP three times.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA All-Star Game 2026 starters: LeBron James record streak snapped

The NBA tips off early on MLK Day, which means NBA player props to bet on all day long. 

I’ve found my three best bets for today, including Devin Booker dishing out the dimes against the Nets, and one of my favorite trends going, which is fading the Miami Heat on the glass.

Check out those and more of my NBA picks for Monday, January 19.

Best NBA player props for MLK Day

Prop #1: Kyle Filipowski Over 2.5 assists 

+130 at bet365

How do you keep out of Victor Wembayama's long reach? By passing the ball, of course.

That’s exactly what Kyle Filipowski will have to do when he and the Utah Jazz take on the San Antonio Spurs.

Filipowski averages 2.0 assists per game, but has nine since being inserted into the starting lineup three games ago. He also had six assists in a matchup against the Spurs at the end of December.

Opportunity combined with pressure from Wemby means Filipowski is a great bet to hit the Over on his assists prop here.

• Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: KJZZ, FDSN Southwest

Prop #2: Devin Booker Over 6.5 assists

+100 at bet365

Devin Booker has been dishing out the dimes, and there’s no reason to think he’ll slow down when the Phoenix Suns visit the Brooklyn Nets.

Booker averages 6.4 assists per game overall, and 7.0 over his last seven games, topping 6.5 assists five times over that stretch.

Tonight, he faces a Nets team that has struggled defensively, particularly when opponents are willing to make the extra pass. The Nets rank 24th in defensive rating and allow the second-most assists per possession.

Book will cook the Nets with his playmaking ability.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: KTVK, YES

Prop #3: Brandin Podziemski Over 4.5 rebounds

+100 at bet365

The Miami Heat are playing basketball. This means I am fading them on the glass.

It’s not that the Heat are a bad rebounding team (they’re not great, ranking 21st in rebounding rate), it’s that they play at the highest pace in the NBA, and take the most shots per game.

More shots inherently mean more rebounds, and the only question is which Golden State Warriors player to target tonight.

My favorite option is Brandin Podziemski. The shooting guard averages 4.4 rebounds per game and has topped 4.5 four times in his last eight games.

• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FDSN Sun, NBC Sports Bay Area

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The NBA has announced its All-Star starters.

And for the first time in 21 seasons, LeBron James was not selected as one of the first five, though he still has the chance to extend his record streak of consecutive All-Star selections.

The NBA made the announcement Monday, Jan. 19, during the pre-game show leading into the Oklahoma City-Cleveland Cavaliers game that’s part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day showcase.

Starters were selected through a fan vote (50% weight), and a survey of NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%). Players were selected without regard for position. Accounting and services giant Ernst & Young managed and certified the surveys.

The format for this year’s game, however, will be different this season. The league is going to a USA versus the world format in which three, eight-player teams will compete in a round-robin tournament. The East and West starters, therefore, will be slotted into those eight-player teams. NBA coaches will select All-Star reserves, but if there are not enough domestic or international player, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will intervene to fill out the teams.

Here are the 10 starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will be held Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles:

NBA All-Star Game starters

Eastern Conference

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (second All-Star selection)

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (third)

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (second)

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (fifth)

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (10th)

Western Conference

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (12th All-Star selection)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (fourth)

Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers (sixth)

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (second)

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (eighth)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters: Wembanyama, Dončić, Giannis lead list

Jalen Brunson is taking his show from the Broadway stage out West for a Hollywood premiere.

The Knicks' leading man has been named a starter for the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA, the league announced Monday afternoon.

It's Brunson's third consecutive All-Star nomination, and second straight as a starter, as he's having arguably his best season in the league with 28.2 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game over 37 contests this year.

He joins the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey, Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham, and Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown as the East starters. 

The Western Conference starters will consist of the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama.

Brunson recorded 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds over 17 minutes in the 2024 All-Star Game (East vs. West format) and then scored three points with three assists in the 2025 All-Star Game for Kenny Smith's Young Stars team (three-team single elimination tournament format).

This year, the All-Star Game will adopt a new USA vs. World format with a round-robin tournament consisting of three teams. There will be two teams made of American players and one of international players with each team having eight players. If the teams fall short of the required numbers, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will add to the player pool. Overall, there will be four, 12-minute long games and the two teams with the best record will advance to the championship round.

The 2026 All-Star Game reserves will be selected by the league's coaches on Feb. 1.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A record-breaking third-wicket stand between Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli led Afghanistan to a commanding 38-run win over West Indies on Monday in the first Twenty20 of their three-match series.

Zadran made a career-best unbeaten 87 off 56 balls and Rasooli scored 84 off 59 balls as they combined in a 162-run stand in a strong total of 181-3.

The West Indies top-order struggled against the experienced spin duo of Rashid Khan (2-19) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-29) before cameos from debutant Quentin Sampson (30) and Gudakesh Motie (28) carried them to 143-9.

The series is part of the teams' build-up for next month’s T20 World Cup with West Indies yet to finalize its squad for the mega event to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

“As long as we are bringing our best skills to the game, it doesn’t matter whether we bat first or second,” Afghanistan captain Rashid said. “As a team, we are fit and hopefully we will have a good World Cup.”

West Indies made a promising start when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was run out on the first ball and captain Brandon King took a spectacular one-handed catch of Sediqullah Atal in the slips as Afghanistan slipped to 2-19 in the third over.

But Zadran and Rasooli then raised Afghanistan’s highest-ever third-wicket partnership in T20s off 113 balls against some wayward West Indies bowling. Motie stemmed the flow of runs briefly in the middle overs with his economical four-over spell of 0-18, but both Afghan batters showed plenty of aggression against pace in the second half of the innings.

West Indies was also scrappy in the outfield and dropped at least three catches in the death overs as Zadran and Rasooli upped the ante and scored 70 runs in the last six overs. Fast bowlers Matthew Forde and Shamar Joseph gave away 91 runs in their eight overs while left-arm spinner Khary Pierre (0-42) was also expensive.

Forde had a consolation wicket on the final ball when Rasooli holed out in the outfield after striking eight boundaries and two sixes.

West Indies stumbled to 3-42 inside the power play when Mujeeb clean bowled King in the first over; Rasooli held on to Evin Lewis’ top-edge in the outfield and Johnson Charles was out lbw while attempting a switch hit against Mujeeb’s quicker delivery.

Rashid then made an immediate impact by grabbing two wickets in his successive overs that included the key wicket of Shimron Hetmyer, who scored only three off seven balls, as West Indies further slipped to 5-50 in the ninth over.

Sampson and Forde (25) combined in the best West Indies partnership of 45 before fast bowler Ziaur Rahman, who conceded 16 runs off his first four balls, claimed two wickets in his return spell and finished with 3-36.

“We are disappointed to lose the game,” King said. “We showed glimpses of good cricket but it wasn’t good enough. Afghanistan are a team that have quite a few good spinners, we will talk about it on the day off and review the game.”

The next two games will be played on Wednesday on Thursday.

___

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The New York Knicks will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak when they welcome the Dallas Mavericks to Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

New York hasn’t been able to cover with any regularity lately, and I’m taking Dallas with a boatload of points in my Mavericks vs. Knicks predictions.

Let’s take a closer look at tonight’s matchup in New York in my free NBA picks for January 19.

Mavericks vs Knicks prediction

Mavericks vs Knicks best bet: Mavericks +10.5 (-110)

The New York Knicks may be getting Jalen Brunson back tonight, but how much that will matter remains to be seen.

New York is 0-3 since Wednesday, when Brunson went down early in a 112-101 loss to the Kings. It’s not as though the Knicks were lighting the world on fire before Brunson got hurt, as they had won just two of their previous seven games.

The Dallas Mavericks are also getting a key player back tonight. Rookie Cooper Flagg (18.8 ppg) was also hurt early in a Wednesday loss to the Nuggets, but is expected to come back from his sprained ankle in New York tonight.

Unlike the Knicks, the Mavericks were able to work around the loss of Flagg, winning two straight games against the Jazz on Thursday and Saturday.

Dallas is still trying to find itself — this is still a rebuilding season — but they’ve gone 4-3 in their last seven games overall, and have proven they have weapons that can win games.

That includes 35-year-old Klay Thompson, who is averaging 12.0 ppg and put up 23 and 26 points in the two games Flagg missed.

The Knicks have been awful for bettors lately, covering in just two of their last 12 games. Given those struggles, it’s hard to see them covering a double-digit spread against a healthy Mavericks team.

Mavericks vs Knicks same-game parlay

Dallas has his the Over on its last three games, and with both Flagg and Brunson likely back tonight, we should see enough points on the board to hit the Over again.

I’m also going to take Flagg to hit at least two 3-pointers tonight, as he hit that target in three of his last four complete games before getting injured in Wednesday’s contest.

Mavericks vs Knicks SGP

• Mavericks +10.5
• Over 230
• Cooper Flagg Over 1.5 made threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: Fabulous Flagg

Flagg has dished out five or more assists in 10 of his last 11 full games, and should once again be able to move the ball tonight against the Knicks.

Mavericks vs Knicks SGP

• Mavericks +10.5
• Over 230
• Cooper Flagg Over 1.5 made threes
• Cooper Flagg Over 4.5 assists

Mavericks vs Knicks odds

• Spread: Mavericks +10.5 | Knicks -10.5
• Moneyline: Mavericks +350 | Knicks -450
• Over/Under: Over 230 | Under 230

Mavericks vs Knicks betting trend to know

The Knicks are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Knicks.

How to watch Mavericks vs Knicks

Mavericks vs Knicks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here