Category: Basketball

UPDATE: Well, as if the week wasn’t going poorly enough already, the Lakers are severely depleted in the front court against the Blazers on Saturday evening.

Over the course of the day, both Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton were ruled out for the Lakers.

Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes are both out tonight for the Lakers, who will also be Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) January 18, 2026

Each was listed as questionable coming into the game. Ayton was dealing with left knee soreness and Hayes has been out the last two games with left hamstring tendinopathy.

With this being the first game of a back-to-back, the Lakers could be playing it cautiously. But given the state of the team currently, having to punt a game due to injuries is a brutal blow.

Original story follows.

---

If the Lakers are going to beat the Blazers, it’s going to be without their superstar Luka Dončić.

The Lakers have ruled Luka out for their game against Portland due to left groin soreness. Unfortunately, not only will LA’s backcourt depth be weakened, but their frontcourt options might be in even worse condition.

Starting center Deandre Ayton and backup big Jaxson Hayes are both listed as questionable.

The Lakers will play without Luka Dončić against the Blazers. Also, both Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes are listed as questionable. Winning won’t be easy for LA in Portland. pic.twitter.com/f8PiqOxI2c

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) January 17, 2026

Luka was listed as questionable for LA’s game against Atlanta. He was able to play, but the injury clearly remains an issue as he will miss the first leg of this weekend’s back-to-back because of it.

Dončić is leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 33.6 points per game, so making up for his absence will be a massive challenge for Los Angeles.

With Luka ruled out, LeBron James better pack his Superman cape for this trip to the Pacific Northwest. The NBA’s leading scorer will have to put up big numbers if the Lakers are going to pull out this road victory shorthanded.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick said that he hoped Hayes would play this weekend. He’s missed the last two games due to his left hamstring tendinopathy. Hayes getting upgraded to questionable is a positive sign for the backup center, but we’ll have to wait and see if he’ll actually play in Portland.

Hayes has played well for the Lakers and has even closed out games over Ayton in LA’s most recent tightly contested matchups.

While Hayes has been good, Ayton remains the Lakers’ starting center. Ayton has been relatively healthy this season, missing just four games. He missed a November game against the Heat with back spasms and another against the Clippers due to a right knee contusion.

Then, in December, Ayton missed a pair of games with left elbow soreness.

Hopefully, one or both of LA’s bigs are available for this game in Portland. If not, LA will have to rely on either Maxi Kleber, two-way center Drew Timme, or they’ll utilize Jarred Vanderbilt as a small-ball five.

While those options are possible, ideally, they can play their two best bigs instead.

But that might not be an option, so if necessary, the Lakers will be ready to play a bit shorthanded as they try to get back in the win column.

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

Against the New York Knicks, Steph Curry finished the game with 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists on 58.8 percent shooting from the field (4-of-9 on threes) and 73.7 percent true shooting. However, based on how he was reportedly moving after the game, one wouldn’t think he had an efficient offensive night.

Per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Curry was limping and in visible pain while walking in the tunnels of Chase Center.

Steph Curry was in some pain and limping in the tunnels postgame. Played through it but told me it was a quad contusion.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 16, 2026

As of this writing, Curry isn’t listed on the injury report, which gives hope that he will be ready to go tomorrow against his hometown team Charlotte Hornets.

It is yet to be confirmed if the quad contusion he sustained last night was on the same quad (right) that he suffered against the Houston Rockets back in November that caused him to miss five games.

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Andy Schonbaum of Argentina steadied himself for a 2-under 68 on Friday to build a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Latin America Amateur Championship.

Schonbaum, 34, has played in all but one of the 11 editions of the championship. He has yet to finish in the top 10 — his best was a tie for 11th in 2020 at Mayakoba in Mexico.

He was at 6-under 134, two shots clear of Andres Martinez Benedetti of Venezuela, who had to settle for a 70 at Lima Golf Club.

Eric Fortlage of Paraguay (66) and Mateo Pulcini of Argentina (68) were three shots behind. Nine of the last 10 winners of the Latin America Amateur were no worse than a tie for fourth through 36 holes.

The cut came at 148.

The winner earns a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open this year.

___

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

Brooklyn is back home after losing their last three on the road to Memphis, Dallas and New Orleans — extending their skid to five straight. Tankers unite. The Bulls come in winners of two straight and beat the Nets 113‑103 in the first meeting.

---

🏀 KEY INFO

Chicago Bulls (19-21) @ Brooklyn Nets (11-27)

⏱️ Tip-off: 7:30 PM ET
📍 Arena: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY
📺 TV: YES Network
📻 Radio: WFAN Sports

---

INJURY REPORT

Brooklyn Nets

Ziaire Williams — OUT (illness)
Haywood Highsmith — OUT (knee)

Chicago Bulls

Josh Giddey — OUT (hamstring)
Noa Essengue — OUT (shoulder, season)
Zach Collins — OUT (toe)

---

💬 Discussion

Share thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

January 16, 2026

Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas

TV: ESPN

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Time: 830pm CST

Probable Starting Lineups

Rockets: Amen Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Timberwolves: Donte DiVincenzo, Bones Hyland, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert

BREMEN, Germany (AP) — Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt shared the Bundesliga points after a dramatic 3-3 draw that started with a goal in the first minute and ended with a goal in the last on Friday.

Visiting Frankfurt took the lead after 51 seconds thanks to a lovely flicked effort from Arnaud Kalimuendo, the on-loan striker from Nottingham Forest.

Bremen battled back and Justin Njinmah equalized by halftime.

However, it fell behind again 11 minutes into the second half when Nnamdi Collins met a looped pass into the box and managed to guide his first-time shot into the far corner of the goal.

Bremen, though, showed the same resilience as earlier and Jens Stage leveled with 12 minutes left.

On-loan striker Jovan Milošević pounced two minutes later to put Bremen ahead for the first time and it looked like a first win since November was looming for Die Grün-Weißen.

However, Ansgar Knauff’s volley from a cut back in stoppage time gave Frankfurt the draw, although only after a tense video review confirmed the goal.

The result was fair given the see-saw nature of the game that delighted a sell-out crowd at the Weserstadion.

Nevertheless, the game was Bremen’s seventh without a win and its home form was particularly worrying for coach Horst Steffen. It remained in 12th place.

Frankfurt was seventh.

___

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

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Vladyslav Vanat scored penalties in stoppage time of each half as Girona beat Espanyol 2-0 in a fiercely contested Catalan derby in La Liga on Friday.

It was the first time Girona has won three on the trot since November 2024.

The result lifted it into ninth place in the table. Espanyol remained fifth.

Girona had the better of the first half and went ahead on the stroke of halftime when Omar El Hilali was adjudged to have pulled Hugo Rincón in the box.

Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović saved Vanat’s initial effort but the referee said he moved from his line before the kick and ordered a retake. Vanat made no mistake a second time, firing a perfect effort to the keeper’s right.

Both sides had chances in a busy second half but Girona took advantage of spaces in the Espanyol defense as the home side pushed for an equalizer.

With seconds remaining, Yáser Asprilla was felled by Rubén Sánchez and Ukrainian striker Vanat scored his second of the night to seal all three points.

“The decision to give the first penalty was very harsh,” veteran Espanyol defender Leandro Cabrera said. “There are a thousand similar situations that never get called back. We lost our patience. In the final minutes there was another penalty decision that killed the game. It’s a pity because the match was pretty tight. A draw would have been a fair result.”

___

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

The Sacramento Kings could see the return of their All-Star power forward Jan. 16 in their Friday night game against the Washington Wizards.

Kings forward Domantas Sabonis is officially listed as questionable on the NBA's Injury Report, but the team expects that he will suit up and play against the Wizards, according to ESPN.

Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, has missed the previous 27 games for the Kings with a partially torn meniscus.

He only appeared in 11 games so far this season, averaging 17.2 points and 12.3 rebounds.

In recent days, Sabonis was seen participating in shootaround during practices. Signs indicate he'll rejoin the court with the Kings soon. And at a good time, too.

WARRIORS MIDSEASON REPORT: Is Golden State a true NBA contender?

Sacramento has been rolling on a three-game winning streak at home, knocking off the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.

They'll also get back Dennis Schroder, who missed that three-game stretch of wins after being suspended by the league for an altercation with Lakers' star Luka Doncic after a Dec. 28 game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Sabonis trade market, contract status

Sabonis, in his 10th NBA season and year five in Sacramento, could be on the trade market.

According to ESPN, Kings general manager Scott Perry has been "open to discussing trades for all their veterans with high-priced deals" as the team shifts its focus towards a rebuild.

Sabonis' remaining contract includes three years and $136.3 million.

He signed a four-year, $186 million contract extension with Sacramento as part of a renegotiation-and-extend on July 6, 2023.

Domantas Sabonis highlights

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Domantas Sabonis playing tonight? Kings F could return vs Wizards

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Niina Petrokina completed one of figure skating's great comeback performances to retain her European championship title on Friday, three months after Achilles tendon surgery.

Petrokina landed seven triple jumps in a clean, personal-best free skate to music from the movie “Dune” to score 216.14 points, a score which ranks the Estonian among some of the world's best ahead of next month's Winter Olympics.

“I don't know how I do it,” Petrokina said when asked about her recovery. “I needed everything that happened for this moment.”

Petrokina had competed only in second-tier events and her national championships since surgery in October. She'd struggled with pain for much of 2025 since her breakthrough European championship win on home ice a year ago.

Petrokina is the first skater to win back-to-back European women’s titles since Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia in 2017.

As other skaters made mistakes, 2024 champion Loena Hendrickx of Belgium managed her own comeback statement. Hendrickx had been fifth after Wednesday's short program but took the silver medal on 191.26 after struggling throughout last year with the return of a years-old ankle injury.

As Petrokina's score was announced, Hendrickx made a gesture of bowing to the champion.

Lara Naki Gutmann won bronze for Italy on 186.87 after two top contenders from the short program missed the podium with erratic free skates. Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium dropped from second to fourth overall and Anna Pezzetta of Italy from third to eighth.

Ice dance

France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron took the lead in the ice dance despite a dispute between Cizeron and his ex-partner overshadowing the event.

Cizeron won the Olympic gold medal in 2022 with Gabriella Papadakis, who has published a book describing him as controlling and their partnership as unequal.

Cizeron has contested her claims and called the comments part of a “smear campaign." Papadakis said on Friday she lost a commentary role with NBC for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron scored 86.93 points to lead the dance event ahead of the free dance on Saturday, leading Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson on 85.47 and Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri on 84.48.

___

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics

PARIS (AP) — Ousmane Dembélé put transfer talk behind him and scored a crucial brace for Paris Saint-Germain in a 3-0 win over Lille that returned it to the top of Ligue 1 on Friday.

French media last week reported that the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner rejected a new contract offer.

His coach Luis Enrique called the speculation fake news and Dembélé’s focus was razor sharp in a game between two of the league’s top four.

His 12th-minute strike from more than 20 meters out gave the Lille goalkeeper no chance and his second 18 minutes into the second half was a reminder of why he picked up that Ballon d’Or.

With four defenders in front of him, Dembélé somehow found space to chip the most audacious of shots that bamboozled keeper Berke Ozer and dropped in just under the crossbar.

Substitute Bradley Barcola, another whose future has been subject to speculation, rounded off the scoring in injury time when he pounced on slack defending and slammed home the third.

The win settled nerves at the defending champion just days after city rival Paris FC knocked it out of the French Cup.

Friday’s win lifted PSG back atop the league table, two points clear of Lens which has a game in hand on Saturday against second-to-last Auxerre.

Lille remained fourth, 10 points back.

Monaco lose again

Monaco fell to its seventh defeat in eight games after another poor performance, this time at home to Lorient 3-1.

Lorient’s Bamba Dieng had a goal disallowed in the first half but he got one that counted midway through the second period. The Senegalese forward seized on a mistake by the Monaco defense.

Ansu Fati equalized eight minutes later but goals from Jean-Victor Makengo in the 85th minute and Dermane Karim three minutes from time gave visiting Lorient all three points and extended its unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions.

Lorient was one point behind ninth-placed Monaco.

It was another unhappy start to the weekend for Monaco, whose record in Friday night games fell to won two, drawn five, lost nine.

___

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

ATLANTA — The Celtics (25-15) could be without Payton Pritchard when they face the Atlanta Hawks (20—23) on Saturday night.

Pritchard is doubtful to play as he deals with left ankle soreness; if he’s sidelined, it will be his first missed game of the season. Josh Minott, meanwhile, will miss his 7th consecutive game with a left ankle sprain, and Jayson Tatum continues to be sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Celtics Injury Report vs. Atlanta (1/17):

Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT
Payton Pritchard – Left Ankle Soreness – DOUBTFUL
Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 16, 2026

Pritchard scored just 2 points in Thursday’s comeback win over the Miami Heat and sat out for the entire fourth quarter, while his backup, Anfernee Simons, exploded for a season-best 39 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter. It’s possible Pritchard’s reduced minutes were related to some ankle soreness, though it’s also likely Joe Mazzulla opted to go with the hot hand.

For the Hawks, former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis is out with left Achilles tendonitis, Zaccharie Risacher is out with a left knee bone contusion, and N’Faly Dante is out with a right knee ACL tear. Dyson Daniels is questionable with a right ankle sprain.

The Hawks are having another mediocre season

The Atlanta Hawks haven’t quite had the year they were hoping for. By all accounts, Atlanta has been a below-average team; they’ve had the NBA’s 19th-best offensive rating, 16th-best defensive rating, and 18th-best overall net rating. They have a 20-23 record, which is good for the 10th-best record in the conference.

Last week, they parted ways with longtime franchise cornerstone Trae Young, acquiring CJ McCollum and Corey Krispert from the Washington Wizards in exchange. And, they’ve dealt with a myriad of injuries, with Porzingis only appearing in 17 of the Hawks’ 43 games this season, as he’s dealt with POTS and various other injuries.

One bright spot has been the superb play of Jalen Johnson; the likely first-time All-Star has put up monster numbers, averaging 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. Offseason addition Nickeil Alexander-Walker is tallying 20.5 points and 3.5 assists. And Porzingis has been effective when he has played, averaging 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

One weird quirk is that the Hawks have been better on the road than at home this season; they’re 7-11 at State Farm Arena, but 13-12 at away games. (The Celtics, meanwhile, are 15-4 at home and 13-6 on the road).

After their win over the Heat, the Celtics now have the second-best net rating in the NBA (+7.1), the second-best offensive rating (121.5), and the 15th-best defensive rating. They hold the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 25-15.

Celtics-Hawks will tip off on Saturday at 7:30pm ET.

The Hawks are looking to address their lack of big man depth in the wake of Kristaps Porzingis’ ongoing health issues and the season-ending ACL tear to N’Faly Dante.

Lauren L. Williams of the AJC reports that the Hawks are signing Cameroonian big man Christian Koloko to their open two-way slot:

Per league source, the Hawks are signing Christian Koloko to a two-way. Koloko last played for the Grizzlies, this season.

— Lauren L. Williams (@WilliamsLaurenL) January 16, 2026

The 6-foot-11, 225-pound Koloko has played for the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Memphis Grizzlies since being drafted in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. For his NBA career, he averages 8.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes.

Largely a defensive specialist, his raw numbers aren’t too eyepopping, but over his 1,345-minute NBA career, his teams are 5.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor compared to off the floor according to basketball-reference.

He joins guard RayJ Dennis and forward Caleb Houstan as the third and final two-way player at this moment.

PISA, Italy (AP) — Second-to-last Pisa scored only its second home goal of the season with three minutes left to tie high-flying Atalanta 1-1 and record a Serie A-high 11th draw on Friday.

Pisa had the better of a dour match but it had scored only once in eight home matches this season and rarely threatened to increase that meager tally.

It went behind with seven minutes left when Nikola Krstovic pounced on a lose ball close to goal and fired into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

But soon after Rafiu Durosinmi met a cross from Mehdi Léris and gave Pisa a vital point in its fight against relegation.

It was one point above Verona and equal with Fiorentina. Both clubs have a game in hand.

Atalanta was in seventh place.

___

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