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Luka and LeBron go 30-30 as Lakers defeat the Pelicans

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks next to New Orleans Pelicans guard Micah Peavy (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
LeBron James dunks next to Pelicans guard Micah Peavy in the first half. (Matthew Hinton / Associated Press)

LeBron James and Luka Doncic left the fans inside the Smoothie King Center in awe at their performances on Tuesday night.

James had a near triple-double of 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Doncic had 30 points and 10 assists, the two of them leading the Lakers to a 111-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III was a handful for the Lakers (23-11), scoring 42 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop New Orleans from losing its eighth straight game.

The Lakers opened the fourth quarter with an intensity on defense and a strong offensive output, outscoring New Orleans 18-4 to take a . a 97-90 lead.

Still, it took the Lakers playing hard until the end to close out the victory.

When Doncic lost control of the basketball late, it looked like it would be a 24-second clock violation.

Read more:Lakers' Jake LaRavia reminds everyone who No. 12 is

Instead, he got the ball back and shot a floating three-pointer with James standing nearby. Doncic then hoisted a three-pointer for a 105-96 Lakers lead with one minute and 59 seconds left.

The Pelicans called a timeout, leading to James putting his head in the chest of a smiling Doncic.

The Lakers got an active and engaged Deandre Ayton from the start, as he threw a lob pass to James for the first basket of the game.

Then Ayton ran the court and took a return lob pass from James for a dunk.

By the end of the first quarter, Ayton had four points, four rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot. He finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

The Lakers trailed 54-51 at the half.

They couldn’t make enough three-pointers, going three for 17 in the first 24 minutes.

They couldn’t keep up with the Pelicans' bench, their reserves outscored 19-9 in the first 24 minutes.

Read more:Why the Lakers locked back in on Deandre Ayton in their comeback win against Grizzlies

Doncic had 16 points and six assists in the first half and James had 15 points and six rebounds.

But starting forward Jake LaRavia didn’t score in his 18 minutes of play in the first half.

The Lakers then went down by nine points in the third quarter, meaning they had to play catch-up the rest of the way.

The Lakers play a back-to-back game Wednesday night in San Antonio, leading to Redick being asked if the 41-year-old James would play against the Spurs.

“We have no plan for any of our players,” Redick said. “We’re gonna see what happens tonight.”

Etc.

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is on the two-game trip, but he was downgraded to out for the game against the Pelicans with a lumbar back strain. Vincent has missed the last nine games, but there is hope he’ll be available Wednesday against San Antonio. “We just downgraded Gabe,” Redick said. “He has not had a setback, but we're hoping he gets to play tomorrow. But again, it's all about how he feels tomorrow.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Langston Reynolds scores 22 as Gophers hold off No. 19 Iowa 70-67

Langston Reynolds scored 22 points and Cade Tyson added 16 on Tuesday as Minnesota held off a rally to defeat No. 19 Iowa 70-67. Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points, all in the second half, as Iowa (12-3, 2-2 in the Big Ten) rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to take the lead in the final two minutes. Minnesota (10-5, 3-1) led 58-44 with 6:36 to play when Iowa began its comeback.

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Cason leads No. 2 Michigan to 74-72 win over Penn State

Playing in the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time in nearly three years, the Wolverines got an opening layup from Lendeborg, one of just three makes for Michigan in the first four minutes. Meanwhile, Penn State (9-6, 0-4) had to play without leading scorer Kayden Mingo who suffered an undisclosed injury in practice on Monday. Coach Mike Rhoades said Mingo would be out for a while.

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Cameron Boozer scores 27, hot-shooting No. 6 Duke rallies past No. 20 Louisville 84-73

Cameron Boozer scored 27 points, including seven during a 16-6 run early in the second half, Isaiah Evans added 23 and No. 6 Duke shot 71% after the break to rally past No. 20 Louisville 84-73 on Tuesday night for its third consecutive victory. The Blue Devils (14-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) erased a 47-38 halftime deficit by making 5 of 7 field goals and 6 of 9 free throws over 6:24, including two by Boozer for their first lead at 54-53 with 13:36 remaining. Caleb Foster added seven points and Evans six during another spurt for a 10-point lead with 6:58 left, and Duke didn't let up to beat the Cardinals (11-4, 1-2) for the eighth straight time.

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Elijah Strong scores career-high 30 points, leads South Carolina over LSU 78-68

Elijah Strong scored a career-high 30 points, and South Carolina built a big first-half lead that held off LSU for a 78-68 victory on Tuesday night. South Carolina (10-5, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) rebounded from an 83-71 loss to Vanderbilt, while LSU (12-3, 0-2) has lost consecutive games. The Gamecocks built a 25-point halftime advantage and led by double digits with about nine minutes left when LSU started a 12-3 run to pull to 66-60 with 6:22 remaining.

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Newly unranked Florida pulls away from No. 18 Georgia late and wins 92-77

Thomas Haugh had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, and Florida dominated No. 18 Georgia in the second half to win 92-77 on Tuesday night and stretch their home winning streak to 14 games. Alex Condon added 21 points, and Boogie Fland chipped in eight points, eight rebounds and six assists for the defending national champion Gators, who beat the Bulldogs for the 13th time in their past 14 meetings. The Gators dropped out of the AP Top 25 following a loss at Missouri to open Southeastern Conference play.

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Georgia big man Somto Cyril ejected for throwing a forearm at fellow Nigerian

Georgia center Somto Cyril was ejected for throwing a forearm into Florida's Rueben Chinyelu on Tuesday night. Officials ejected Cyril midway through the first half after watching replays and seeing Cyril swing his arm and fist at Chinyelu following a made basket. The 6-foot-11 Cyril entered the game averaging 10 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks a game.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic remain on top in second round of fan voting for NBA All-Star Game

The fans know who they want — the 10 All-Star starters from the first round of fan voting a week ago remain the 10 who would start after another week of voting has been added to the totals.

Luka Dončić remains the overall leading vote-getter, while Giannis Antetokounmpo leads in the East in the second round of fan voting released by the NBA. Two international players garnering the most votes feels fitting in the year the All-Star Game becomes a three-team USA vs. World three-team format — and returns to NBC while debuting on Peacock. Five of the 10 would-be starters are international players.

Here is who the fans have voted as the starters for each conference up to this point (voting runs through Jan. 14):

Western Conference

Luka Dončić, Lakers (2,229,811 votes)
Nikola Jokić, Nuggets (1,998, 560)
Stephen Curry, Warriors (1,844,903)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (1,554,468)
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (1,321,985)

Eastern Conference

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (2,092,284 votes)
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (1,916,497)
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers (1,908,978)
Cade Cunningham, Pistons (1,752,801)
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (1,530,237)

Some thoughts on the voting so far:

• Consider this a reminder that the fan vote counts for 50% of who gets to be an All-Star Game starter. The fan vote is combined with a vote of the players (25%) and select media (25%) to determine the ultimate 10 starters. After that, a vote of the coaches picks the seven reserves for each conference. Those players will be divided into three teams for this year's game (more on the format below).

• The only change in the top five in either conference is that Jalen Brunson leapt over Tyrese Maxey to be the second leading vote getter in the East, but none of the players changed.

• If I were going to make one bet on something that changes once the player and media vote are added in, it will be that Boston's Jaylen Brown will leap past Donovan Mitchell into the starting five in the East.

• Nikola Jokic remains out injured after hyperextending his knee. However, the latest reports suggest he should be back in late January, which means he could play in the All-Star Game. Even if that timeline is optimistic and he is out longer, Jokic will get voted in as an All-Star starter, and if he cannot play, then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will replace him.

• LeBron James leaped over Kevin Durant in the latest vote tally, and the legends of the game are Nos. 8 and 9 in the West voting. It's hard to imagine an All-Star Game without these two future Hall of Famers, but after LeBron missed considerable time at the start of the season, it is possible it will take a special invitation and designation from Commissioner Silver. That said, there is no way the All-Star Game is coming to Los Angeles — Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., the home of the LA Clippers — and LeBron is not playing.

• A year ago, LaMelo Ball was the runaway fan vote leader in the East (but didn't make the All-Star Game because he didn't have the player or media votes to start, then the coaches did not select him as a reserve. This season he is 11th in the East, behind Pascal Siakam and Michael Porter Jr.

All-Star Game format

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock — right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game pitting the best of the USA vs. the best of the World.

The 24 All-Star players (10 starters voted in, 14 reserves selected by the coaches) will be divided into three teams — two USA teams and one world team — that will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the USA or World teams are short on players, the league office will select one or more players to reach the required number).

At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title.

All-Star weekend tips off on Feb. 13 with the Rising Stars at the Intuit Dome at 6 p.m. PT, featuring the league's top first- and second-year players. Also on the 13th is the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which features stars from media, sports and entertainment playing at the Kia Forum. The Forum also hosts the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic at 8 p.m. that night.

On Saturday, Feb. 14, All-Star Saturday night — featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-point Contest and the Dunk Contest — will take place at the Intuit Dome.

The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.

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Knicks not flustered by results amid latest losing skid: 'The sky isn't falling'

While a midseason losing streak from a championship contender is by no means indicative of how their season will end, the latest vibes surrounding the Knicks are nevertheless unnerving.

Just hours after Knicks owner James Dolan publicly reaffirmed sky-high expectations, his team stumbled in the national spotlight on Monday, dropping its fourth straight game in an ugly blowout road loss to the first-place Pistons.

The Knicks' woes stretch beyond their current four-game lull. Since their NBA Cup title win over the Spurs on Dec. 16, they've produced an uninspiring 5-6 record and lost four times by double-digits. They've also lacked physicality on both ends of the floor, causing their advanced metrics to slide.

But concerns outside the Knicks' locker room aren't bothering the players. Their leading scorer and catalyst, Jalen Brunson, isn't lifting the lid on some panic button.

"The sky isn't falling. We've lost four in a row," the Knicks' captain said following Tuesday's practice. "Obviously, we don't want to be in a position like that. We've got to be better, be positive. We've got to understand, we didn't start the season great and then we played well after that. It's just a stint we need to get out of."

Brunson, the NBA Cup MVP who earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors by averaging 30.6 points and 7.1 assists over 14 games in December, hasn't really missed a beat in the new year. He remains the Knicks' reliable go-to option, only now his challenge is receiving ample support from teammates.

In the midst of shooting slumps from three-point range and lingering injuries to key contributors, the Knicks are searching for a rhythm and swagger they once flaunted. When asked if the NBA's in-season tournament win triggered some sort of hangover, Brunson didn't agree with the label.

"I'm not calling it a hangover, I'm not calling it anything," Brunson said. "It's us not being where we need to be, so where do we go from here?... We just have to be better as a team. I could say it the same way a thousand different times. It's that plain and simple."

The Knicks sorely need Karl-Anthony Towns to deliver more consistent scoring, akin to the numbers posted last season as an All-Star alongside Brunson. The veteran center was ineffective against the Pistons, limited to just six points and responsible for a season-worst six turnovers.

What can't be disputed is Towns' far-from-seamless transition to head coach Mike Brown's system. He's already logged four games this season with single-digit points -- last season, he finished below 10 points only once.

"I lean on my experience, I've unfortunately had to adjust to a lot of head coaches and a lot of new teammates and situations," Towns said on Tuesday. "We've got to do what I've got to do to move forward."

Of course, the Knicks must demand more from Towns. But their most glaring issue over the past few weeks has been defensive vulnerability. In their 11-game stretch since the NBA Cup, they've been outscored by a whopping 5.6 points per 100 possessions.

The eventual return of Josh Hart from injury will be an energy boost, and Mitchell Robinson's brief three-game absence made the Knicks' lineup smaller and weaker in the paint. But toughness is a matter of will, and Towns blames the four-game skid on the defensive efforts.

"You've got to play defense to win games," Towns said. "We can't give up the amount of points we do and not score as much as them."

There was never any doubt of the Knicks' bar being set above another Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Perhaps the combination of welcomed reinforcements and on-court adjustments can rejuvenate a team still positioned to reach greater heights.

The Knicks will try to snap their losing streak at home on Wednesday, against the Clippers, before embarking on a four-game road trip out west.

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Where Warriors star Steph Curry stands in second NBA All-Star fan vote returns

Where Warriors star Steph Curry stands in second NBA All-Star fan vote returns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The second round of returns for NBA All-Star fan voting has arrived. 

Warriors star Steph Curry remains in third place in the Western Conference behind Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić. 

Curry stands with 1,844,903 votes in the second return. He has earned 813,448 votes since the first fan voting returns on Dec. 23. 

In the first fan voting returns, Curry trailed Jokić by 97,507 votes. The Nuggets star center has slightly extended his lead ahead of Curry to 153,657. 

Curry has extended his lead over Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP,  to 290,435 votes. 

The 37-year-old Curry, who is averaging 28.7 points in 27 games played this season, seeks his 12th All-Star selection. 

Another Warrior, forward Jimmy Butler, slipped to 19th in the Western Conference in the second returns after receiving the 17th-most votes in the West for the first fan voting returns. 

Fan voting for the 2026 All-Star Game began on Dec. 17 and will conclude on Jan. 14. It will account for 50 percent of the final vote, while current NBA players and a media panel will each account for 25 percent to make up the other half.

This season, All-Stars will be selected without regard to position. The new United States vs. The World format will include 24 players split into three teams, with five players earning honors as starters from the two conferences. 

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