Category: Basketball

Center Steven Adams suffered a sprained ankle during the Houston Rockets' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Jan. 18.

Adams was unable to find a good landing upon a block attempt and fell to the ground holding his leg with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter. He went back to the locker room and did not return to the game.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka told reporters after the 119-110 victory that Adams has an ankle sprain. While he was said to have had quite a bit of swelling, the center did not suffer a broken bone.

Adams had five points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes of play on Sunday. The former first-round pick has averaged 5.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steven Adams injury update: Rockets center avoids major injury

The Lakers were as whole as they have been in a while Sunday, giving Coach JJ Redick more weapons at his disposal at a time when their schedule has picked up the pace.

They got Luka Doncic (left groin soreness), center Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) and backup center Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring tendinopathy) back in the fold for Sunday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Crypto.com Arena. Only Austin Reaves (left calf strain) remained sidelined.

More so, it was a back-to-back game that even LeBron James played in a night after the Lakers lost in Portland.

Simply put, the Lakers are a sound basketball team when healthy and they are really good when Doncic, James and Ayton all score at least 20 points in a game like they did in a 110-93 victory in which they held the Raptors to a season-low in points.

The Lakers entered the game having lost five of their last six games and had surrendered over 130 points in their last two losses.

“This is a very tough time of year for everybody in the NBA right now,” said Redick after his team improved to 25-16 at the halfway mark of their 82-game schedule. “...There are a number of teams that have rotation players, starter-level players, all-star level players like us that are out of the lineup or in and out of the lineup.

"It can make an already difficult stretch of the season even more difficult, and the guys have done a great job of just getting through the stretch fighting. And really, we're starting to get healthy and hopefully we get AR (Austin Reaves) back soon.”

Ayton was on top of his game, producing a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He also was 10 for 10 from the field and five for six from the free-throw line.

And the big 7-foot center made history in the process. He became just the third player in Lakers history to shoot 100% from the field on 10 attempts with at least 10 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain (March 11, 1969) and Mitch Kupchak (Nov. 10, 1981).

Ayton also became the first player in the NBA this season to record a 20-point game on perfect shooting with at least 10 field-goal attempts and he was the 34th player in league history to accomplish the feat.

“I definitely give it up to my teammates,” Ayton said. “They find me in the easiest spots ever and I got some easy ones tonight, for sure.”

Doncic registered 25 points and seven assists and James had 24 points and seven assists.

Read more:Plaschke: After Rich Paul drama, fans favor Austin Reaves over LeBron James and you can’t blame them

Rui Hachimura came off the bench to score 10 points for a Lakers team that entered the game having lost five of their last six games.

Doncic and Ayton made their presence felt in the first half.

Despite picking up three fouls in the half and getting hit with a technical foul in the first quarter, Doncic had 18 points and five assists in the first 24 minutes. His three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Lakers a 55-54 lead.

Ayton was active from the start, running the court, catching lob passes and scoring in the post, which allowed him to finish the first half with 12 points on six-for-six shooting and seven rebounds.

The Lakers will begin what’s known as the “Grammys Trip” on Tuesday, an eight-game affair that will have them on the road for about two and a half weeks.

They will start at Denver and go to the Clippers, Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, the Knicks and the Nets.

This trip will come off the Lakers playing five games in seven days, of which there were two sets of back-to-back games.

“We finished five games in eight nights and started five games in seven nights, and tonight's the culmination of that,” Redick said before Sunday's game. “So it's been a difficult stretch, particularly with injuries and certain games.”

The plan for the game against the Raptors was to play 10 players, Redick said, a change from the usual nine-man rotation.

Read more:Why LeBron James' Lakers jersey has a new 'super cool' patch

All 10 of the players Redick played when the game mattered the most and all of them played a role in keeping the team fresh and energized.

Something the Lakers will need going forward.

“Again, I'm not blaming anything, but this in-season tournament cup with that break has just created a very imbalanced cadence of games,” said Redick, referring to the NBA Cup tournament. “And outside of All-Star break, I think our next two-day break between games is like the end of March, or something like that. So, you kind of have no choice but to prioritize the rest and recovery.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant had 18 points and moved into sixth place on the NBA’s career points list, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored a season-high 32 points as the Houston Rockets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 119-110 Sunday night.

Alperen Sengun had 21 points and eight rebounds and Amen Thompson finished with 20 points as Houston won for the third time in four games.

Trey Murphy III scored 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting and Zion Williamson had 20 points and six rebounds. Derik Queen finished with 15 points for the Pelicans, who lost for the fourth time in five games and 13th time in 15 games.

With 15.2 seconds left in the game, Durant stepped to the free throw line needing one point to pass Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki (31,560 points) on the NBA’s scoring list. The 15-time All-Star made two free throws and received a standing ovation from the home crowd. Durant now has 31,562 career points. Michael Jordan is fifth on the list at 32,292.

GRIZZLIES 126, MAGIC 109

LONDON (AP) — Ja Morant had 24 points and 13 assists in his return to the lineup to lead Memphis Grizzlies to a victory over Orlando in the first NBA regular-season game in London since 2019.

Jock Landale added 21 points and 8 rebounds and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 17 points as Memphis avenged its 118-111 loss to Orlando in Berlin on Thursday in the first of their European doubleheader.

Orlando trailed by 33 points in the first half before reducing the deficit to 17 on Paolo Banchero’s 3-pointer to make it 108-91 with 8:15 left in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies closed it out from there.

Anthony Black led the Magic with 19 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and 7 rebounds. Banchero finished with 16 on 7 of 20 shooting. He also had 9 assists and 8 rebounds.

The game at London’s O2 Arena was the 10th regular-season game in the English capital. The first one was March 4, 2011.

Europe is set to host two more regular-season games in 2027. The host cities are Paris and Manchester, England. In 2028, Paris and Berlin will host games.

LAKERS 110, RAPTORS 93

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 25 points and seven assists, LeBron James added 24 points and seven assists, and Los Angeles returned to form with a victory over Toronto.

Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 13 rebounds in his impressive return from a knee injury for the Lakers, who won for just the second time in seven games while playing their final home game before an eight-game, 15-day road trip.

Ayton had his highest-scoring performance since Nov. 3 while making all 10 of his shots.

Doncic also returned with a strong performance after missing Saturday’s loss at Portland to rest his nagging injuries, hitting five 3-pointers.

James played in back-to-back games for the second time this season — and the second time this week, capably completing a set of five games in seven days for the 41-year-old superstar who had previously been resting for one game in back-to-back sets.

Scottie Barnes had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time in four weeks after the Clippers beat them in Toronto on Friday. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 20 points and former Lakers draft pick Brandon Ingram added 19 points and seven assists for Toronto, which faded in the fourth quarter in the opener of a five-game road trip.

BULLS 124, NETS 102

CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 24 points, Ayo Dosunmu had 19 and Chicago beat Brooklyn to split a home-and-home set.

The Nets won the opener 112-109 on Friday night in Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Chicago. Matas Buzelis also scored 17 points.

Nolan Traore scored 16 points for Brooklyn. Danny Wolf and Jalen Wilson each had 14. The Nets have lost nine of 11.

Dosunmu had 3-pointers at the beginning and end of a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to help the Bulls take a 39-22 lead into the second. Chicago led 70-51 at the half and the advantage stayed above 20 points for most of the second half.

HORNETS 110, NUGGETS 87

DENVER (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 23 points, Tidjane Salaun came off the bench for 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Charlotte blew past the injury-depleted Denver.

Rookie big man Ryan Kalkbrenner had 17 points and six rebounds, Collin Sexton had 14 points and five assists, and LaMelo Ball had 10 points, six assists and three steals for Charlotte.

Over the past three games, Miller has averaged 25.7 points per game.

The Hornets had lost four of their previous six games and entered the night 1-9 in its past 10 matchups against Denver, which suffered its second-most lopsided loss of the season.

The Nuggets were without five of their top eight scorers — center Nikola Jokic (bone bruise in left knee), forward Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), forward Cameron Johnson (bone bruise in right knee), guard Christian Braun (left ankle sprain) and center Jonas Valanciunas (right calf strain). The five players combine to average 77.3 points per game.

TRAIL BLAZERS 117, KINGS 110

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Deni Avdija had 26 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in his return from a back injury to help Portland beat Sacramento.

Avdija missed three games after straining his lower back late in a game against New York last Sunday. He looked fine while helping Portland to its ninth victory in 12 games, going 10 of 18 from the floor in 31 minutes.

Shaedon Sharpe also had 26 points, and Donovan Clingan added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Toumani Camara had 17 points as the Trail Blazers won their third consecutive game against the Kings this season.

The Trail Blazers have won 12 of 15 games to get back to .500 at 22-22 for the first time since they were 6-6 on Nov. 11.

Malik Monk scored 23 points for the Kings, while Russell Westbrook added 20 points and seven assists. Domantas Sabonis had eight points and six turnovers for the Kings in his second game since missing 27 games because of a knee injury.

For the second time in a week, the Lakers had a bounceback performance on the second night of a back-to-back, beating the Raptors 110-93 on Sunday.

After a back-and-forth first half saw both teams hold nine-point leads, the Lakers used a big second-half run to blow the game open. Jarred Vandebrilt and Drew Timme had big nights off the bench while LeBron James, Deandre Ayton and Luka Dončić all had at least 20 points.

The Lakers opened up an early two-point lead, which quickly disappeared as the Raptors played much better offensively. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles was cooking for Toronto with seven points. Gabe Vincent drained a 3-pointer, which was a welcome sight. 

Toronto was shooting 57% from the field as Los Angeles struggled to defend them. 

Sandro Mamukelashvilli came in and scored 12 points in five minutes, helping keep the Raptors ahead. Luka Dončić started cooking with eight points to keep the Lakers within striking distance. LA allowed Toronto to score 18 points in the paint. 

At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by seven. 

The Lakers trail the Raptors 30-23 after one. Luka Dončić has 12 points, but has struggled from the field. No other Laker is in double figures. Toronto is dominating inside, scoring 18 points in the paint compared to LA's 8.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) January 19, 2026

Los Angeles immediately tied the game to start the second period. They went on an 11-0 scoring run that began with a jumper by Vincent at the end of the first. LeBron James and Deandre Ayton were now in double figures with 11 and 12, respectively. 

Smart ➡️ DA to cap off a 9-0 run! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zjnl7AXg2w

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 19, 2026

Drew Timme continued his fantastic play off the bench with a 3-pointer. Mamukelashvilli converted on a layup to stop some of the bleeding for the Raptors. 

Toronto scored a quick nine points to tie the game. Former baby Laker Brandon Ingram started heating up, scoring four in a row. LA was still losing the points in the paint battle as they had 22 to Toronto’s 32. 

Neither team could build a double-digit lead, though. Jake LaRavia was the only starter not to score, missing all four of his shot attempts. The Lakers went into halftime with a one-point lead after Luka drained a 3-pointer to end the half.

The Lakers lead the Raptors by one at the half, thanks to a last-second three by Luka Dončić. He leads LA with 18 points, and LeBron James isn't far behind with 13. The Lakers took control of this quarter thanks to their double-big lineup, that featured two-way center Drew Timme.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) January 19, 2026

Ayton opened the third period with a hook shot. Smart then drained a 3-pointer, which was countered by Immanuel Quickley knocking down a triple of his own. Toronto started heating up, scoring 11 points. Ingram’s midrange jumpers were automatic and Los Angeles was having trouble defending them. Once again, neither team could build a double-digit lead as the two sides kept trading leads. 

LaRavia finally got on the scoreboard with a jumpshot. 

A pair of triples from Rui Hachimura and LeBron gave the Lakers a five-point lead with 1:24 left in the quarter.

Toronto’s Murray-Boyles left in the first half and was confirmed out for the remainder of the game with a left thumb sprain.

Hachimura drained his second triple of the night, giving him eight points. LA ended the third quarter with a seven-point lead. 

A timely 11-3 Lakers run to close the 3rd Q gave them an 87-80 lead heading into the final quarter.

Rui Hachimura hit his 2nd triple from the same spot above the break, and LA are 12 for 30 from distance (40%).

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 19, 2026

The final frame began with a quick four points from LeBron. Toronto’s A.J. Lawson responded with a 3-pointer, which was then countered with a triple from Smart. Los Angeles was in complete control of the game with the Raptors only scoring five points in the quarter, until Scottie Barnes knocked down a couple of shots.

LA was outscoring Toronto 18 to nine in the quarter. Los Angeles emptied their bench at the 2:17 mark as they had the commanding lead. 

Key Player Stats

Dončić ended with 25 points and seven assists. LeBron had 24 points with seven assists and two blocks. Ayton pitched in with 25 points and 13 rebounds, finishing a perfect 10-10 from the field. 

Marcus Smart scored eight points with five rebounds and three assists. Vincent notched five points and two assists off the bench. Hachimura had 10 points.

Vando had just two points, but grabbed nine rebounds and finished a team-best plus-minus of +25. Timme played 16 minutes, scoring three points with three rebounds and recording a plus-minus of +17.

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Knicks are still nursing some injuries with a couple important iffy statuses for MLK Day. But their opponent is in much worse shape.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are both questionable with minor ankle injuries for Monday against the Mavericks. Neither played in Saturday’s loss to the Suns.

Brunson, who sprained his ankle Wednesday, missed two consecutive games. The Knicks (25-17), losers of three straight, are 1-4 without him this season.

The Mavericks (17-26), meanwhile, are severely depleted and eager for a good draft lottery odds.

Anthony Davis (finger sprain), Kyrie Irving (knee surgery), D’Angelo Russell (illness), P.J. Washington (personal reasons), Dereck Lively II (foot surgery) and Daniel Gafford (ankle sprain) are all out.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

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Cooper Flagg, the ballyhooed rookie, is listed as questionable for what would be his MSG debut as a professional. Flagg sat the last two games with an ankle sprain.

Flagg didn’t play in the last head-to-head with the Knicks on Nov. 19 in Dallas. The Knicks won 113-111.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, Connor Ingram made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the St. Louis Blues 5-0 on Sunday.

Vasily Podkolzin had a goal and an assist and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Andrew Mangiapane also scored for the Oilers, who have gone 5-1-2 in their last eight games.

Nugent-Hopkins played in his 1,000th regular-season contest, becoming just the 63rd player in history to record a goal in his milestone match. Connor McDavid and Mattias Ekholm each had a pair of assists.

Edmonton is now 21-1-4 when scoring first this season.

Jordan Binnington had 23 saves for St. Louis, who snapped a two-game win streak..

Blues forward Dylan Holloway returned after missing the last 15 games with an ankle injury.

Hyman has 17 goals in his last 20 games, the most by any player in the league since Dec. 11.

Nugent-Hopkins, who was honored in a pregame ceremony, is the first player in Oilers history to hit 1,000 games while playing them all with Edmonton. Only Kevin Lowe has played more games in Oilers franchise history, logging 1,037 games played between his two stints with the squad. Nugent-Hopkins has 283 goals and 503 assists .

Up next

Blues: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

Oilers: Host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/NHL

All Times EST

Monday, Jan. 19

NBA

Milwaukee at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Cleveland, 2:30 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Washington, 3 p.m.

Dallas at New York, 5 p.m.

Utah at San Antonio, 5 p.m.

Indiana at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Phoenix at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Detroit, 8 p.m.

Miami at Golden State, 10 p.m.

NHL

Buffalo at Carolina, 1:30 p.m.

Washington at Colorado, 4 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Seattle, 5 p.m.

San Jose at Florida, 6 p.m.

Minnesota at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Vegas, 8 p.m.

Winnipeg at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

New Jersey at Calgary, 9 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

N.Y. Rangers at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

CFP National Championship

No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 10 Miami at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

T25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 1 UConn vs. No. 23 Notre Dame, 5 p.m.

No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 8 Michigan at Newark, N.J., 2:30 p.m.

No. 10 TCU vs. No. 14 Ohio St. at Newark, N.J., noon

No. 22 Princeton vs. Harvard, 2 p.m.

_____

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hannah Stuelke had 22 points, Ava Heiden scored 20 and No. 11 Iowa beat No. 15 Michigan State 75-68 on Sunday night, snapping the Spartans' nine-game winning streak while extending the Hawkeyes' to six in a row.

Stuelke made 10 of 14 shots and 2 of 4 free throws for the Hawkeyes (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten Conference). She added nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. Heiden hit 8 of 13 shots and 4 of 5 free throws, adding six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Chazadi Wright had 11 points and five assists.

Grace VanSlooten had 17 points and seven rebounds to pace the Spartans (17-2, 6-2). Jalyn Brown scored 16 and Juliann Woodard added 14 points off the bench.

Stuelke made a layup and two free throws in the final 51 seconds and Chazadi Wright hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Iowa took a 22-16 lead in a first quarter that saw nine lead changes and two ties.

Addison Deal came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers, scoring all eight of her points in the second quarter to help the Hawkeyes take a 41-29 lead at halftime.

Another Wright 3-pointer gave Iowa its largest lead — 53-36 with 5:53 left in the third quarter. Michigan State chipped away and used Jalyn Brown's layup in the final minute to cut it to 65-56 heading to the fourth.

Brown hit a jumper to get the Spartans within 71-66 with 3:28 left but they would get no closer.

Iowa shot 53.6% overall while holding Michigan State to 44.6%.

Up next

Michigan State: Hosts Southern California on Thursday.

Iowa: At No. 12 Maryland on Thursday.

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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.

It’s rare to have a regular season game where just about everyone’s attention in the arena is elsewhere. That’s where the fans at United Center found themselves on Sunday evening as the hometown Bears took on the Los Angeles Rams in the last game of the NFL Divisional Round. It was a thriller at Solider Field, but at the United Center, it was an easy, stress-free night of basketball.

The Brooklyn Nets were without Michael Porter Jr and Drake Powell tonight as they sat the first leg of a traveling back-to-back. To begin the game, Brooklyn got off to a good start as they found some early success from three point range.

the rooks letting it fly early 🎯👌 pic.twitter.com/T0xVfgwDNN

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 19, 2026

However, the highlights ended there as the Bulls regained the lead and never looked back.

The Nets defense made a dramatic turnaround in December, and it started with their defense. They held teams to just 32.8% from deep, third lowest in the NBA and just 105.4 points per 100 possessions, tops in the league. The team defense has started to slip in January, as teams shot 37.2% from three against them in January, 21st in the league. Tonight, we saw why.

Chicago’s offense started to figure things out in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game. Although their rally fell short, they went 6-12 from three point range and felt incredibly confident coming into tonight’s game. That confidence shined early and often in the Windy City. In the first half, the Bulls went 12-20 from three point range. The Nets’ switching defense wasn’t as in sync as they normally are and there were numerous breakdowns in their coverage. Coby White was the beneficiary of those lapses as his five first half threes

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Coby White hits his first FIVE threes in the first half!@CobyWhite | @CHSN__pic.twitter.com/bUSS7sIwL2

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 19, 2026

It was over early and the lead grew to as big as 27 points in the second half. The Nets tried switching things up by going with a starting five of Nolan Traore-Cam Thomas-Tyrese Martin-Jalen Wilson-Nic Claxton combination. As far as I could tell doing a quick scan of the NBA’s lineup data and in Basketball-Reference, it was the first time Jordi Fernandez went to that pairing. It didn’t help as the Bulls built their lead to 26 before the Nets went to the bench. With the game fully in hand, it was a slow crawl to the finish line and everyone could focus on the win the city is desperately hoping for over at Soldier Field.

“[We were] lacking on the defense, especially in the first half,” Fernández said post-game. “[To allow] 70 points in the first half, that’s not good enough. I don’t think it was good either in the second, but I don’t think we played hard consistently. We tried at times [but] our purpose was not there. That’s the battle we need to fight first, is to do everything as hard as you can to the best of your abilities, then put your mind on what you’re trying to do.

“Everything has to be done with purpose. You cannot just run around crazy and that’s it. So, that’s very important. No matter who we have out there … I believe we can go out, compete and win. And [Sunday] we didn’t compete to the best of our ability. So, I’m the first one to blame. Watch film [Monday], try to compete better.”

Final score: Chicago Bulls 124, Brooklyn Nets 102.

Milestone Watch

If you’re looking for a positive, Cam Thomas did tie his career high with ten assists on the night to only one turnover. CT’s playmaking has been a point of conversation throughout his time as a pro and a night like this should help him down the line. He had a season low (excluding the game he left early due to a hamstring injury) three points, but scoring has never been an issue for him.

Nolan Traoré set a career high in points (16) and three pointers made (four) off the bench, and with the team likely to be sitting players in their next game, has an opportunity to carve out even more minutes for himself.

With the loss, the Nets remain in fifth in the Tankathon lottery ratings, one game behind the Utah Jazz and fourth and a half behind the Indiana Pacers who are in first four-and-a-half games ahead (behind?) the Nets.

Next up

Speaking of the next game, it’s a quick turnaround for Brooklyn. The Nets are back in action tomorrow night against a surprising Phoenix Suns team. Tip off on MLK Day at 7:30 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Chicago Bulls 124, Brooklyn Nets 1o1 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Chicago Bulls 124, Brooklyn Nets 101 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame interview (Video) – YES Network
• Bulls beat Nets 124-102 to split home-and-home set – AP
• Nets show little fight in loss to Bulls and remain winless without Michael Porter Jr. – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Bulls bury Nets under barrage of 3s in 124-102 rematch win ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nolan Traore’s shot isn’t falling, but his role in the Nets’ offense is growing – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades: Nolan Traore drops 16 in 124-102 loss at Bulls – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

As Ja Morant was leaving London, he told the media he didn’t want to leave Memphis.

The high-flying floor general dropped 20 points and 10 assists with no turnovers in the first half of the Memphis Grizzlies’ 126-109 win over the Orlando Magic during Sunday’s NBA London Games.

Morant — who finished with 24 points, 13 assists and 3-of-4 made 3-pointers — insisted that he does not want to be traded amid rumors that his departure from the Grizzlies could be pending.

“Everybody in here who knows me, knows I’m a very loyal guy,” said Morant, per Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian.

“I got a logo on my back, and that should tell you where I want to be,” Morant added, referring to his back tattoo of the Grizzlies’ logo.

Morant, who made his return to the lineup after a six-game absence, discussed being back on the court following the performance.

“Just being able to play basketball is very therapeutic for me,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of and I was able to show that tonight and see the love from people I’m meeting for the first time. It was big time. Just walking off and representing Memphis is what it’s all about.”

Morant has been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks, with potential ties to the Bucks, Heat, Pelicans and Toronto Raptors, among others.

In the event Morant is traded, a deal is not expected to yield a ton for the controversial star, who has missed 178 games out of a possible 391 since the start of the 2021-22 season — including playoffs.

Before Sunday’s outburst, Morant had been averaging 19 points and 7.6 assists per game, with career lows in field goal percentage (40.1 percent) and three-point percentage (20.8 percent).

But if his latest effort is any indication, Morant seemingly hopes to string together more of these outings in the same place he’s called home throughout his pro career.

The Nets stayed winless without Michael Porter Jr., and this time they didn’t even show any fight in his absence.

With their star being rested, the Nets got embarrassed 124-102 by the Bulls before 19,753 at United Center.

It was a non-effort so galling that Jordi Fernández yanked four of his five starters to open the second half, sparing only Nic Claxton.

“Our energy was off from the jump and they exploited us defensively,” Claxton admitted. “When our energy isn’t right, no coverage will work.”

And none of them worked Sunday.

The Nets (12-28) fell behind by 27 and got routed.

“[We were] lacking on the defense, especially in the first half,” Fernández said. “[To allow] 70 points in the first half, that’s not good enough. I don’t think it was good either in the second, but I don’t think we played hard consistently. We tried at times [but] our purpose was not there. That’s the battle we need to fight first, is to do everything as hard as you can to the best of your abilities, then put your mind on what you’re trying to do.

“Everything has to be done with purpose. You cannot just run around crazy and that’s it. So, that’s very important. No matter who we have out there … I believe we can go out, compete and win. And [Sunday] we didn’t compete to the best of our ability. So, I’m the first one to blame. Watch film [Monday], try to compete better.”

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND NETS STATS

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The lack of competitiveness is what was most vexing.

The loss itself was hardly shocking. The Nets are 0-8 without Porter, and have been outscored by 16.1 in those defeats. But Sunday’s result was vexing because of their fight, or lack thereof.

None scored more than rookie Nolan Traore’s career-high 16 points, 10 of those in a garbage-time fourth quarter where Brooklyn trailed by 24 going in. The offense without Porter sputtered. But the other end was far worse.

The Nets defense got carved up, allowing a season-worst 41 assists on 49 Bulls baskets. They conceded 52.1 percent shooting, including 69.6 percent in a first quarter that saw them dig themselves into a 19-point hole.

The Nets capitulated after giving up an 18-3 run. They trailed just 21-17 after Cam Thomas (career-high tying 10 assists) found Day’Ron Sharpe for a layup. But they let the Bulls hit eight of their next nine shots, a Tre Jones layup leaving the Nets down 39-20 with 25.6 seconds left in the first.

Fernández had seen enough, pulling starters Danny Wolf, Terance Mann, Egor Dëmin and Noah Clowney at halftime. He opened the third quarter with Traore, Thomas, Jalen Wilson and Tyrese Martin playing alongside Claxton.

“Yeah, it can be rough, but it’s a part of the game. You’ve got to be able to adjust. That’s what we’re dealing with this year. You’ve got to be ready for whatever lineups and our energy needs to be consistent,” Claxton said.

“I thought that group with Nic had good energy. They played the right way,” Fernández said. “And I didn’t feel that energy from the other group. Still, everybody played, just shuffling around and trying to find a way for our guys to react, but didn’t really happen.”

The deficit still reached 103-76 with 8:29 left on a 3 by Ayo Dosunmu (19 points).

Coby White led the Bulls with a game-high 24.

While Traore had 16 points on 4-for-5 shooting from deep, both career-highs, the Nets offense sputtered without Porter.

Thomas’ 10 assists tied a career-high, set last season against these same Bulls in March, but he had just three points on 1-for-6 shooting. Clowney shot 3-for-11 and finished minus-18.

“They just kept playing harder than us,” Martin said.

“We’ve got to just turn the page quick, have short-term memory. We know we’ve got to come out prepared to play,” Claxton said of Monday’s games against visiting Phoenix. “Our process just wasn’t right. We’ve just got to be better all around.”

The Nets are fifth in the lottery odds, a game ahead of Utah and one behind Sacramento pending the Kings’ tilt versus visiting Portland.

CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 24 points, Ayo Dosunmu had 19 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-102 on Sunday night to split a home-and-home set.

The Nets won the opener 112-109 on Friday night in Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Chicago. Matas Buzelis also scored 17 points.

Nolan Traore scored 16 points for Brooklyn. Danny Wolf and Jalen Wilson each had 14. The Nets have lost nine of 11.

Dosunmu had 3-pointers at the beginning and end of a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to help the Bulls take a 39-22 lead into the second. Chicago led 70-51 at the half and the advantage stayed above 20 points for most of the second half.

The Bulls average more than 20,000 fans at the United Center, but there were plenty of empty seats at tip-off, which came 30 minutes after the Los Angeles Rams and Bears kicked off their NFC division round game a few miles away at Soldier Field. The Bears’ first touchdown occurred just before an early timeout and got a loud roar from the crowd when a replay was shown on the video board.

Up next

Nets: Host Phoenix on Monday night.

Bulls: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic were in London for a regular-season game in London on Sunday, Jan. 18.

Actor Vanessa Williams was tasked with singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game at London's O2 Arena.

During Williams' rendition of the song, a member of the crowd was heard interrupting and drawing a reaction from the crowd. "Leave Greenland alone," the audience member yelled before the comment was met with cheers from the crowd.

Loud booing for the US national anthem at the O2 this evening.

"Leave Greenland alone!" got a massive cheer. pic.twitter.com/X8HSRGg0Nl

— Chris Daw KC (@crimlawuk) January 18, 2026

President Donald Trump had threatened a 25% tariff on European countries, including the United Kingdom, if America wasn't allowed to buy Greenland.

The heckling that took place on Sunday is just the latest incident in which a sporting event has served as a platform for a member of the audience to share its displeasure for the U.S. president and his foreign policies. Canadians booed during the national anthem in 2025 after verbally threatening to raise tariffs on goods.

The NBA previously had held a game in London annually from 2011 until 2019 (other than during the 2012 season). The league returned for Sunday's game after holding a game between the Magic and Grizzlies in Berlin on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Audience member heckles during US anthem before NBA London game

CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 24 points, Ayo Dosunmu had 19 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-102 on Sunday night to split a home-and-home set.

The Nets won the opener 112-109 on Friday night in Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Chicago. Matas Buzelis also scored 17 points.

Nolan Traore scored 16 points for Brooklyn. Danny Wolf and Jalen Wilson each had 14. The Nets have lost nine of 11.

Dosunmu had 3-pointers at the beginning and end of a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to help the Bulls take a 39-22 lead into the second. Chicago led 70-51 at the half and the advantage stayed above 20 points for most of the second half.

The Bulls average more than 20,000 fans at the United Center, but there were plenty of empty seats at tip-off, which came 30 minutes after the Los Angeles Rams and Bears kicked off their NFC division round game a few miles away at Soldier Field. The Bears’ first touchdown occurred just before an early timeout and got a loud roar from the crowd when a replay was shown on the video board.

Up next

Nets: Host Phoenix on Monday night.

Bulls: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

___

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

We’ve finally passed it: the halfway marker. 42 games are officially filed away, and just 40 more contests remain. So set up camp, pitch your tent, fill your water reserves, light a fire, roast a s’more, burn a marshmallow beyond recognition, try again, same result, cut your losses, and ingest the charcoal-esque blackness of a failed marshmallow roast between two graham crackers. Take your rest, because if you thought the first half of the season would be challenging, it would be best to learn to disconnect from your emotions, and simply allow the remaining season to wash over you like the tide.

We’ve witnessed the rebirth of the 2023-24 era Lauri Markkanen. We’ve celebrated the emergence of rising star Keyonte George as he knocks on the door of All-Star consideration. We’ve been brought to tears by the majestic flight of rookie Ace Bailey, and we’ve likewise been brought to tears by the incorporeal return of Taylor Hendricks. Brice Sensabaugh scored 43 points in a game — that was real.

We’ve mourned victories and applauded defeat. We’ve watched with bated breath as Utah dangles its first-round pick inches from the fangs of the rabid dog that is OKC. We’ve made new friends, and we’ve forged new rivalries.

The Dallas Mavericks’ fanbase has signed a declaration of war against the Utah Jazz (for… losing to them? Tanking better than the team with Cooper Flagg? I’m not entirely clear), which is something that Spurs fans should be able to empathise with, being Dallas’ storied in-state rival.

This season, San Antonio is everything that Utah is not. They boast certifiable stars in Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. They have nailed their recent draft picks like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Utah hopes to compete in the distant future; San Antonio promises to confront them in the Playoffs if that day ever arrives.

The result of this basketball game shouldn’t really be in question (the Spurs are home favorites by 16.5 points at the time of writing this), but the dichotomy between these two teams compels me toward introspection.

The Utah Jazz (14-28) visit the San Antonio Spurs (29-13) with near-perfectly inverse records. The visitors lose nearly as often as the hosts win, and vice versa. This is true despite the fact that these two are virtually identical in average age of their players, Utah (25.3 years old average), the eighth-youngest roster in the NBA, and San Antonio (26.3 years), just one year older (per NBAage.com, which is a phenomenal URL for exactly this type of data). The fundamental difference between these two teams is the quality of their depth chart, where the Spurs are so age-efficient with their roster that they possess a player whose mere existence threatens the dynamic of basketball at large.

Their most apparent advantage over the likes of Utah? Draft position. The Spurs have selected second, fourth, and first in the past three drafts, while the Jazz were left with scraps, picking fifth, tenth, and ninth in the same years.

And with a larger margin for error, the Spurs have hit the bullseye every. Single. Time. Is Utah cursed with poor lottery luck? Will the Jazz ever be rewarded for their misery with a top pick, or are they doomed to circle their goals in perpetual motion? This question will gradually be answered as the season reaches its twilight, but for the moment, Utah faces yet another challenge.

So here we sit at the midpoint of the 2025-26 journey. Staring into the face of a team miles ahead of the Jazz despite beginning in the same place just a few years ago. Set in the southern end of the Lone Star State, the Utah Jazz square off against the San Antonio Spurs.

How to watch Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs:

Date: Monday, Jan 19, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM MT
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: SAS -16.5

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Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.