Category: Basketball

The Wizards lost again, this time to the Charlotte Hornets. It was their ninth straight defeat, and they’re back in last place.

The Wizards starting lineup was the youngest in NBA history — Will Riley and Tre Johnson are both 19. Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington are 20. Kyshawn George was the old guy at 22. Yes, they should have started Justin Champagnie (age 24), but I like using the opportunity to get Riley his first NBA start and taking advantage to set the record.

The game was replete with some of the same-old-same-old. They had plenty of defensive breakdowns. They got dominated on the glass. And yet, I saw some things in this one that I think are positive signs for the future.

• Throughout the night, Sarr’s combination of length, agility, and skills were way too much for the Hornets to handle — at least on the offensive end. He was too strong and long for Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges. He was much too quick for Ryan Kalkbrenner. He shot over defenders whether big or small.
• Jamir Watkins was a defensive menace. He tallied five steals and two blocks, including an open-court strip of Collin Sexton (which resulted in a breakaway dunk) and alert plays in passing lanes.
• Repeatedly in my notes are entries about the team’s well-designed offensive system. Some examples:
• At 9:11 of the second quarter, the Wizards ran a high screen action to get an open look out top. If you’ve watched any game this season, you’ve seen this action. In this example, Sarr screen for Johnson, who immediately went into a three-point shot upon receiving the pass from George. He got fouled and ended up at the free throw line. This is an example of Washington’s offensive design — it’s a difficult action to defend and comes with a set of options if the primary action is covered. Brian Keefe’s challenge: getting his exuberant youngsters to consistently execute the system.
• Probably my favorite observation in this one was noticing something new: Tre Johnson producing gravity. In transition during the third quarter, the threat of Johnson at the three-point line drew a hyper-aggressive closeout. He attacked the closeout and drove middle. Charlotte’s defense collapsed on him, he kicked to George, who got a wide open three, which he missed. He drew defensive attention beyond the three-point line throughout the second half, which helped give his teammates more space to operate.
• In the fourth quarter, the Wizards defense was actually good. The results (108 defensive rating) weren’t all-time great, but their communication was excellent, their switches were seamless, and they worked together as a unit to keep Hornets players from driving. They forced Charlotte deeper into the shot clock and forced them to take difficult shots. Charlotte made enough of those shots to secure the win, but the defensive process was mostly what it needed to be.
• Sturdier perimeter defense — meaning preventing or cutting off drives — is important to Washington’s defense. Even in that fourth quarter, Charlotte paint touches led to open threes. They shot just 1-8 from deep in the period.
• Champagnie and Sarr both had terrific fourth quarters.
• I don’t know the numbers, but my eye tells me Sarr is superb when switching onto smaller players on the perimeter. His ability to get low and move was key to Washington’s fourth quarter defense.
• Another great example of Johnson’s gravity came with about 4:10 left in the game. The Wizards set stagger screens to bring Johnson up from the corner. Charlotte covered the initial action well, so Johnson cleared to the weak side, and Carrington dribbled to the right. Sarr immediately re-screened for Johnson to come back to the middle, who caught the pass on the move and drove into the lane. Four (4!) defenders reacted to him. He kicked to Champagnie in the corner, who swung it to Carrington out top for a wide open three.
• One more example of Keefe’s good play design — with 2:30 left in the game, the Wizards ran a devilish baseline out of bounds play. Washington gets a surprisingly high number of layups and dunks on BLOB plays, and this was one of them. In this version, Champagnie ran a fake screen action — it looked to the defense like he was going to set a back screen for a teammate to cut to the basket. At the last second, he slipped the screen and made the cut himself. He came open for a dunk. Superb design.

The Wizards have a long ways to go with players executing the scheme, getting stronger, and getting smarter. They really need George to become a consistently better decision-maker…if he’s going to retain a significant on-ball roll. Still, I think there’s reason to be encouraged. They’re showing improvement and there’s room for plenty more.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	WIZARDS	HORNETS	LGAVG
eFG%	55.7%	60.8%	54.4%
OREB%	22.7%	33.3%	26.1%
TOV%	12.9%	20.9%	12.8%
FTM/FGA	0.083	0.291	0.210
PACE	100		99.6
ORTG	114	118	115.6

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is 115.1. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 114, the league — on average — would produced 22.8 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -2.8.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Justin Champagnie	32	67	147	14.8%	3.1	216	4
Jamir Watkins	29	60	135	14.2%	1.7	199	12
Bub Carrington	32	68	136	17.9%	2.5	160	-12
Alex Sarr	37	78	118	21.9%	0.4	99	-16
Tre Johnson	37	76	111	28.1%	-1.0	82	-2
Will Riley	23	49	131	9.8%	0.8	79	-22
Kyshawn George	25	53	87	28.7%	-4.4	66	-10
Sharife Cooper	9	20	145	9.8%	0.6	123	6
Malaki Branham	8	16	94	23.1%	-0.8	42	8
Anthony Gill	7	15	55	14.4%	-1.3	-116	12

HORNETS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Brandon Miller	33	70	124	26.9%	1.6	204	15
Moussa Diabate	32	67	146	13.5%	2.8	146	13
Kon Knueppel	32	67	127	18.0%	1.4	130	-9
LaMelo Ball	32	66	108	30.9%	-1.6	122	6
Miles Bridges	29	60	124	25.2%	1.3	132	3
Collin Sexton	16	33	108	24.1%	-0.6	195	-8
Ryan Kalkbrenner	16	33	159	12.4%	1.8	134	-9
Josh Green	15	32	180	7.9%	1.6	78	10
Grant Williams	19	40	60	11.3%	-2.5	1	1
Sion James	16	34	65	28.0%	-4.8	-70	-2

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has had a walkover into the Australian Open quarterfinals after Jakub Mensik withdrew 24 hours ahead of their scheduled fourth-round match with an abdominal injury.

The tournament confirmed Mensik's withdrawal late Sunday. The match had been scheduled for Rod Laver Arena on Monday night.

“After last couple of matches, I started to feel worse, and actually the problem is my abdominal muscle on the left side,” Mensik said in comments published by the tournament. “Like I said, last few matches it got significantly worse, and I think if I would step on the court tomorrow, it would be such a big risk for me for my next weeks, for my next tournaments, and actually for my health.”

No. 16-seeded Mensik beat Ethan Quinn in straight sets on Saturday.

Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open a record 10 times.

The 24-time major winner became the first player to reach 400 wins in Grand Slam singles when he beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Saturday night in the third round of the Australian Open.

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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 116-110 Saturday night in Dallas. It was a very weird, up-and-down game, with the Lakers jumping on the Mavericks early, Dallas storming back in the third quarter, then the Lakers returning the favor in the fourth.

This was former Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s first game back in Dallas this season, and only his second total since the shocking trade to the Lakers last year. Doncic was very good in this game, while the Mavericks struggled offensively outside of that third quarter burst.

It was a disappointing finish for sure, as the Mavericks had a 15 point lead at one point in the fourth quarter. Dallas didn’t get enough from their best players, as Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford all struggled, with Washington and Gafford putting up some pretty egregious stinkers.

This game snaps the Mavericks three-game winning streak. Onto the stats.

14-to-10: Lakers advantage in 3-point makes

In a game this tightly contested, the Lakers superior shooting was the biggest difference. Los Angeles won by six in a game they outscored Dallas at the three point line by 12.

The Lakers offense wasn’t doing too much outside of getting hot from three. Luka Doncic had 11 assists, most of them to shooters in the corner. The Lakers were 5-of-12 on corner threes. Dallas on the other hand, couldn’t make much — going 10-of-29 from three overall. This was the first game in what felt like weeks where the Mavericks couldn’t get their drive game going, so a lot of the Mavericks threes were end-of-shot clock, contested looks.

4: Combined points scored by PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford

It was a disastorious night for two of Luka’s former NBA Finals teammates. Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington were starters with Luka on that 2024 Finals team, but both came off the bench tonight as they are working their way to full health after nagging injuries.

Washington had the bigger stinker of the two, but it wasn’t a great night for either: Washington had two points in 26 minutes on 1-of-5 shooting, with only three rebounds and zero assists. Gafford had two points on 0-of-1 shooting, with two rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes. At least Gafford had one impact play, a terrific blocked shot in the first half that felt like the first time all season we saw the old Gafford athleticism in action.

The Lakers are top-heavy, after Luka, LeBron, and Austin Reaves (who was out with injury), their depth drops off a cliff. Dallas theoretically has the advantage in depth but when two of their best players play like this? Woof. Dallas needed more from these two, even if they’re still working their way back from injuries.

3: Caleb Martin 3-pointers

This was a lousy game for Dallas, so I’ll end on a somewhat positive, although funny note: Caleb Martin nearly doubled his season three point total in one game. Martin entered tonight with five made three pointers: he made three, going 3-of-4 from deep.

Martin has been one of the worst rotation NBA players since arriving in Dallas last year, and injuries surely haven’t helped. This is the longest stretch of games Martin has played in the rotation and healthy, and it appears he might be inching back toward his Miami Heat form that earned him that multi-year deal with Philadelphia initially.

Who knows how long this lasts or where it goes. Martin did have six combined points in the previous three games. But Martin showing a pulse matters for a Mavericks team that needs all the help it can get.

Luka Doncic starred for the Los Angeles Lakers with 33 points as he helped them beat his former side, the Dallas Mavericks 116-110.

The Slovenian, playing in Dallas for the second time since being traded to the Lakers last February, also registered 11 assists and eight rebounds.

"We counted after the game, he [Doncic] had six straight stops where they targeted him," said Lakers coach JJ Redick.

"Just a fantastic job from him. Then [he] makes the game-sealing defensive play with the charge on [Naji] Marshall."

"It's a special place," Doncic told ESPN of his return to Dallas. "I mean, I'm always going to want to win no matter what. Every game I want to win, but obviously this one's a little bit different."

Doncic scored twice from beyond the arc in the first quarter as the 26-year-old became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,500 three-pointers.

He had been with Dallas from 2018 until last year, and said he almost went to the home dressing room at half-time as he "was kind of confused".

The Lakers trailed by 15 points with seven minutes and 41 seconds remaining, but overturned the deficit to secure a third win in four games.

LeBron James scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, while Max Christie top scored for Dallas with 24 points.

"I think the biggest thing this year, he's just more comfortable," said James about Doncic.

"Understanding the system, understanding the city, the city embracing him. Understanding it's his team, and we're all rallying around him.

"Obviously we know it's emotional, a big game, to come back and play your former team. He showed who he is tonight."

The result leaves the Lakers fifth in the Western Conference, while the Mavericks are 12th.

Elsewhere, Kevin Huerter made a three-pointer just before the buzzer to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Boston Celtics 114-111, while Bam Adebayo scored 26 points as the Miami Heat thrashed the Utah Jazz 147-116.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves' home game against the Golden State Warriors was postponed until Sunday following federal immigration officers shooting and killing a man in Minneapolis.

"The decision was made to prioritise the safety and security of the Minneapolis community," said an NBA statement.

After recovering from a disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets by beating the Utah Jazz on the road, the Spurs are headed back home to face a New Orleans Pelicans squad that has the worst record in the West but has still managed to make things difficult for the Spurs in their previous three match-ups. A win will give the Spurs a sweep of the season series, and it’s one they will want to have before heading right back on the road again and facing a sneakily tough schedule ahead of the Rodeo Road Trip in a few weeks.

San Antonio Spurs (31-14) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (11-36)

January 25, 2026 | 6:00 PM CT

Watch: FanDuel Sports | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs injuries: Luke Kornet — Questionable (adductor); Harrison Ingram — Out (G-League); David Jones-Garcia — Out (G-League); Stanley Umude — Out (G-League)

Pelicans Injuries: Jose Alvarado — Questionable (oblique); Dejounte Murray — Out (Achilles); Trey Alexander — Out (G-League); Hunter Dickinson — Out (G-League)

What to watch for

The return of Devin Vassell and the hunt for consistency

It has once again been a week of mixed results for the Spurs. Their offense has pretty much recovered from its post-Christmas slump, and they were steady and consistent as they gradually put the Jazz away at home to open the week. However, in their two road games since, they struggled to keep their foot on the gas after building sizeable leads. In Houston, they completely fell apart in the fourth quarter, giving up what had been a 16-point lead and unable to stop the Rockets on defense or find any good shots on offense, leading to another loss. Then the same thing happened in Utah, but fortunately for them, the Jazz were unable to maintain the momentum that had allowed them to come back and tie things up, and De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama put the team on their backs to recover and make a dominant game-winning run.

While that’s what you want to see from your superstars, it would be better to not even need their heroics. The Spurs need to recognize there such thing as a “comfortable” lead in today’s NBA and not let up. Perhaps Devin Vassell’s return will help them find some more of that consistency on offense since he is someone who can create his own shot when they get in a rut. Regardless, they’ll need to be careful because while the Spurs have won all three match-ups against the Pelicans so far, each has been close thanks to explosive performances from players like Trey Murphy III and Derik Queen, plus Zion Williamson played well in his one appearance against the Spurs (in the 2nd game of the season, which went to overtime). Speaking of Zion…

The uncertainty of Zion Williamson

He was supposed to be their savior: the one who mitigated the sting of Anthony Davis demanding a trade. With promises of a smaller version of Shaq, Williamson was going to be the one who made the New Orleans basketball a true contender for the first time since Chris Paul was there. Instead, he’s another cautionary tale of how sometimes hype and talent doesn’t align with reality. Don’t get it wrong: both are real for Zion, but he has never been able to stay healthy enough to live up to it and constantly faces scrutiny over how much of that is his own fault, to the point that there are massive incentives regarding body management tied to his contract.

Now, in a scenario that seemed almost unheard of a couple of years ago, he’s a part of trade rumors. The Pelicans may be accepting that he is not the one who will carry them to the promised land, and with no first round pick in this season’s loaded draft, trading him might be the best way to get one, even if the Trae Young deal showed teams are starting to value their own picks more than a star with massive question marks. Williamson has been his typical self when he’s played this season — a terror at the rim but not even a threat to shoot from outside — but it just isn’t translating to wins anymore. With the trade deadline looming, it will be interesting to see how focused he actually is.

The weather

For all the stereotypes about Texans out there, one that is absolutely true is we don’t handle winter weather well, especially as far south as San Antonio. (I was 25 before I ever saw snow in SA and only recall one “ice day” from school, although some form of winter precipitation has become a near-annual event this decade.) With a massive storm moving across the country and dipping well into the South, there is a chance for icy roads beginning Sunday morning, depending on if it’s still raining and/or wet enough once freezing temperatures set in. If so, it’s possible this game is either postponed or sparsely attended. If it’s the latter, please don’t judge us! We don’t have the road treatments and special tires folks up north do.

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You can follow along with game here on the Game Thread, as well as on our X profile (@poundingtherock).

It was a fun night inside a very frozen American Airlines Center in Dallas. Although the visiting Los Angeles Lakers were able to pull out a 116-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas fans were once again able to welcome one of their own back home. Luka Doncic returned to Dallas as a visitor for the second time. And while the scene was not nearly as emotionally charged as the first time around (Nico Harrison was not in attendance as far as we know. We definitely know he is no longer employed by the Dallas Mavericks), it’s special when 77 comes to town these days.

It’s clear that it’s special to Doncic, too. For that, let’s open up the quote board.

LUKA DONCIC

On the emotions of returning to Dallas again

I mean, obviously there’s always going to be emotions. I was happy to be back here, back to my house, my cars, so obviously it’s always going to be emotional. I appreciate how [the fans] cheered for me when I was introduced. It’s always going to be a special place for me. 

On Dallas feeling like home

I was here seven years, you know. A lot of things happened, bad and good. I kind of describe it how when I went to Madrid when I was 13, every time I came back to Slovenia I feel good. That’s why it’s always going to be a special place for me.

On what makes coming to Dallas special

Like I always say, it’s a special place. I’m always going to want to win, every game I want to win, but obviously this one’s different. But again, I want to win every game.

On the difference of emotions from April 9th to January 24th games

Oh there’s still emotions, trust me, but a little bit better, a little bit easier for me. Like I said before, how the fans accept me here, it’s unbelievable. I still got a lot of friends here, players, some other people, so I’m happy to be back for a little bit.

On walking towards the Mavericks locker room at halftime

I didn’t see that (laughing)

On the fans turning out to see him amidst a winter storm

It was really special. I didn’t know what to expect before, I know how the city gets when the weather gets this bad, but I really appreciate a lot of people showing up.

On buying a suite for fans and having a meet and greet pregame

Dallas will always be special to Luka 🥹

Almost a year after the trade to LA, Luka surprised 22 fans who supported him on social media with a suite for Lakers–Mavs, a pregame meet & greet, and gift bags with Luka Lakers jerseys and his signature shoe. pic.twitter.com/hdznSXx5bv

— ESPN (@espn) January 25, 2026

Yeah, that was something that was special for me to do. I see what a lot of them did on social media, and after when I got traded how much support they gave me. Obviously, there’s a lot more fans than [what could fill up a suite], but I could only fit 22 of them.

It’s clear that Doncic will always love coming back home to Dallas. Hey, you never know, maybe one day he might just…

Move aside Nikola Jokic, there’s a new triple-double king in the NBA — for this week.

In one of the most random statistical stretches in Utah Jazz history, Jusuf Nurkic has done what no other Utah Jazz player past or present has done: record three straight triple-doubles.

Jusuf Nurkic vs Miami:

17 PTS
10 REB
12 AST

The first Jazz player ever with three consecutive triple-doubles. pic.twitter.com/Vd492Mj6TU

— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 25, 2026

On Tuesday, Nurkic logged only the second triple-double in 16 years for Utah when he put up a 16-18-10 stat line in a win against the Timberwolves. It was the first time a Jazz player has recorded the feat since Jordan Clarkson in 2024.

In the very next game, Nurkic recorded a 14-assist triple-double against the Spurs. This was the Jazz’s first back-to-back triple-double performance since the franchise’s all-time leader in triple doubles, Pete Maravich, did so in New Orleans.

Which brings us to Saturday. He can’t do it three times in a row. Right? Surely there’s now way.

Wrong. Nurkic has done it again.

Against the Heat on Saturday night, Nurkic put up 17 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to become the first player in franchise history to record three straight triple-doubles. He did the impossible.

He becomes only the fourth center in NBA history to get back-to-back-to-back triple-doubles.

He is now one of one five players to have three triple-doubles to their name when wearing a Jazz uniform, joining Maravich (7), Mark Eaton (6), Karl Malone (3) and Andrei Kirilenko (3). He’s only played 36 games in a Jazz jersey, but is already etched in the history books.

With this accomplishment, Nurkic is now also the (unfortunate) owner of the worst plus-minus for a player with a triple-double in NBA history. His minus-30 in the 31-point loss to Miami surpassed Elfrid Payton and Lonzo Ball, who both recorded a minus-27 with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

This could very well be Nurkic’s only season in Utah, and I don’t foresee any great playoff battles for him wearing purple mountains on his jersey, but in 20 years every single Jazz fan will remember the triple-double drought, think of Nurkic’s three-game streak and say to themselves, “Oh yeah! Huh.”

The Jazz are back in action on Tuesday night against the Clippers. Can Nurkic make it four in a row?

Los Angeles Lakers (27-17, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (23-22, ninth in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Monday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Chicago heads into a matchup with Los Angeles as winners of four consecutive games.

The Bulls are 15-9 in home games. Chicago ranks fifth in the NBA with 18.0 fast break points per game led by Coby White averaging 3.8.

The Lakers are 15-9 on the road. Los Angeles is 5-0 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Bulls are shooting 47.6% from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points lower than the 48.5% the Lakers allow to opponents. The Lakers average 116.0 points per game, 3.7 fewer than the 119.7 the Bulls give up to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Vucevic is scoring 16.8 points per game with 9.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Bulls. Matas Buzelis is averaging 16.6 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 46.5% over the past 10 games.

Luka Doncic is averaging 33.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.6 steals for the Lakers. LeBron James is averaging 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 6-4, averaging 116.5 points, 43.9 rebounds, 31.2 assists, 6.9 steals and 6.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.5 points per game.

Lakers: 4-6, averaging 112.3 points, 42.8 rebounds, 24.3 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.1 points.

INJURIES: Bulls: Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Zach Collins: out (toe), Tre Jones: out (hamstring).

Lakers: Austin Reaves: out (calf), Adou Thiero: out (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Dallas Mavericks (19-27, 12th in the Western Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (18-26, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Milwaukee; Sunday, 7 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bucks -1.5; over/under is 219.5

BOTTOM LINE: Milwaukee looks to end its three-game home skid with a win over Dallas.

The Bucks have gone 9-12 in home games. Milwaukee averages 14.0 turnovers per game and is 8-7 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents.

The Mavericks are 5-15 in road games. Dallas is the leader in the Western Conference scoring 19.0 fast break points per game led by Cooper Flagg averaging 3.3.

The Bucks are shooting 48.1% from the field this season, 1.9 percentage points higher than the 46.2% the Mavericks allow to opponents. The Mavericks average 114.3 points per game, 1.2 fewer than the 115.5 the Bucks allow.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Bucks won the last matchup 116-114 on Nov. 11. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points to help lead the Bucks to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Myles Turner is averaging 12.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for the Bucks. Bobby Portis is averaging 13.2 points over the last 10 games.

Naji Marshall is scoring 14.7 points per game and averaging 4.9 rebounds for the Mavericks. Klay Thompson is averaging 3.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bucks: 4-6, averaging 108.0 points, 41.4 rebounds, 26.6 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points per game.

Mavericks: 6-4, averaging 117.2 points, 46.4 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.2 points.

INJURIES: Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: out (calf), AJ Green: day to day (illness), Kevin Porter Jr.: out (oblique), Gary Trent Jr.: day to day (illness), Taurean Prince: out (neck).

Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Moussa Cisse: day to day (illness), Kyrie Irving: out (knee), Dante Exum: out for season (knee), Anthony Davis: out (hand).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109 yesterday, a win familiar for anyone who has ever sat on the edge of their bed at the end of a long day of getting a small child through shopping and vaccinations and missed naps and vegetables and vomiting and felt that peculiar buzz that’s a mix of adrenaline and apathy. The Sixers are the closest thing the Knicks have to a heated rivalry, especially when the teams play at Madison Square Garden West, especially especially when Joel Embiid is healthy and Embidding. At least he was half of the time — the very definition of Embiiding.

Believe it or not, we’re now nearing a decade of Embiid vs. Mitchell Robinson, who still gets as juiced for this matchup as he did his rookie year. Good thing he does, and that he played as well as he did, because the Knicks needed it with Karl-Anthony Towns still rabbit-holing down his one-man magical mystery tour. After five fouls each in four of the last five games, KAT went all “Have thy will, I am the love that dare not speak its name” with foul number six and finally gave in to temptation, fouling out after 16 minutes of play so bizarre they’d leave Kafka pissing his pants. Once Robinson checked in, the Knicks went on a 12-0 run.

“From a certain point onward,” Kafka wrote, “there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached.” Mitch was that point.

As Ryan Ruocco reminded the viewers every three minutes, when Embiid is at the top of his game the 76ers are a team every team must fear. Outside of San Antonio, how many teams have a truly unguardable two-way big man? If Embiid is still playing in June, he’s one of maybe four people alive the Thunder don’t have an answer for, along with Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić and Kevin Durant, mysteries for whom neither God nor math offer answers. Peak Embiid is 28 points in 17 first-half minutes without breaking stride, like the Knicks endured Saturday.

As I repeated to Ruocco every three minutes via my TV screen — loudly and profanely late in the first half, when I was hungry and the Sixers took the lead; softer and smarmy most of the second, after mac and cheese and the Knicks resuming control — “‘Embiid’s good!’ isn’t news.” Despite his history with the Knicks, he’s easily one of my favorite players to watch play against them — a real marvel. The playoffs are way better when he’s a meaningful part of them. And yet to ignore the other shoe, the one everyone’s waiting for to drop, is to be a fool. And now is no time for fools. Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

After playing only six of Philadelphia’s first 18 games, never more than 26 minutes, yesterday was the 16th time in his last 19 games Embiid’s played 30+. In just over three weeks, he’s played 36+ five times. Last time he played that many in that short a span? Twenty-one months ago. Remember?

In the first half Embiid was the good boyfriend, stroking your hair, using the soft voice he did when you first met, when he first swept you off your feet. He finally met with your uncle for that job interview; it went really well. Why’s he so sweaty? He’s working out again. He’s even seeing a therapist. Things are gonna be different. Then one day he isn’t answering your texts, not since the night before, after he came home sweaty, long past when the gym closed. You’re missing some cash.

Ariel Hukporti fell on his knee. It could have been any number of things, could have happened to anybody. That’s what makes it human. But it’s always something, always happening to the same person. That’s what makes it Embiid.

Embiid played a part in Philly’s last stand, but looked to be laboring through it. For much of the endgame the Knicks played without a center and looked none the worse for it, though Embiid’s partial brilliance might have been enough to knock the Knicks off on a night Towns, Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride went 8-of-31. But there’s one advantage the Knicks enjoy over their fellow Boston-hating East Coast metropolis: OG Anunoby. Whether his flurry of first-half dunks or late game heroics on both ends, Anunoby, if not/alongside Mitch, was the player of the game. His fake swing pass as V.J. Edgecombe came flying at him led to a bounce pass to Landry Shamet in the corner showed the sublime ease of a perfect panenka.

When you sit at the high-rollers table, where the Knicks now do, how you win means less than how much. 85% of New York’s victories this season have been by 5+ points, including six by 20+. Detroit? 75% and five. Who cares? The Pistons have won 32 games, period, while the Knicks have 26. That’s the only number that matters, at least until they all re-set in April.

41 wins matters when you’re up and coming. 50 matters when some dreams have come true and others remain. When you’re the Knicks in January 2026, it’s all about winding your way through 82 games, then winning 16 more. Nobody cares how, or by how much.

Quoth iwamofo: “Fugly win.” It was. This one was never in jeopardy and never in the bag, for either team. When it ended I felt empty, tired, and joyless — but not hopeless. Every day like that is a win. Like the Knicks, all I can do today is win the games I’m in, then do it again tomorrow, every day, long as I can, long as it takes. You too, loves.

Another former professional basketball player has gone back to school.

Charles Bediako, who has already spent multiple seasons in the G League, played in his first game back with Alabama during their 79-73 loss against Tennessee on Saturday night.

Bediako finished the game with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, along with two steals and two blocks in 25 minutes off the bench.

Bediako said his relationship with coach Nate Oats played a key part in his decision to return.

“That staff really trusts and believes in me and plays to my strengths,” Bediako said after the game. “Obviously when that opportunity came, it just felt right to come back.”

Bediako checked into the game amid a rousing ovation with 16:11 to play in the first half and helped the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide score 26 points in the paint while building a 39-36 lead at the break.

He scored on an inbounds pick-and-roll play, two alley-oop passes and a layup. His emphatic block ignited a fast break that led to a dunk.

The 23-year-old center was quieter in the second half, but he added an inside presence that Alabama had been missing all season.

With starting center Aiden Sherrell in foul trouble throughout the game, Bediako logged the fourth-most minutes on the team and finished with the highest plus-minus rating at plus-10.

“I thought he was good,” Oats said after the loss. “Thought he meshed well with our guys early. For a guy that’s been here a few days, to fit in with the team, I thought he was good. He’s got to get a few more rebounds for us. He knows that. He’s a great teammate. He’s gonna help us moving forward.”

The 23-year-old was granted a temporary restraining order on Wednesday which ultimately made him eligible to return to college basketball immediately, making him the first player to return to the NCAA after previously signing an NBA contract.

“We are planning to play him,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said of Bediako on Friday, per ESPN. “He’s eligible to play. We’re going to follow the court orders.”

Bediako, a 7-foot-3 center, had previously spent two seasons playing for the Crimson Tide in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before leaving the school for the NBA Draft.

He ultimately went undrafted and never played in an NBA game, but he did spend the past three seasons on three different G League teams, and signing two-way contracts with them.

Bediako has most recently suited up for the Piston’s G-League affiliate, Motor City Cruise, earlier this month.

Oats noted that Bediako is still in the five-year window of his high school graduation, comparing his situation to European players who have played professionally before being cleared to play college basketball.

“Since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play — virtually every team we’ve played this year or will play has a former professional player on their roster — you tell me how I’m supposed to tell Charles and the team that we’re not going to support them when he’s been deemed legally eligible to play,” Oats said.

During his first stint in Alabama, Bediako was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, and later averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds during his sophomore campaign for the Crimson Tide.

Bediako’s return to college basketball comes after James Nnaji of Baylor made his NCAA return earlier this month after being drafted by the Hornets with the No. 31 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Despite being an NBA draft selection, Nnaji never signed with a team, which is what ultimately made him eligible for college basketball.

— with AP

Jusuf Nurkic made Utah Jazz history in a blowout loss to the Miami Heat.

🚨 NURK THIRD-STRAIGHT TRIPLE-DOUBLE 🚨

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 25, 2026

No Jazz player has ever recorded three consecutive triple-doubles until tonight. Jusuf Nurkic, who was visibly gassed at the end of the game, stayed in despite the Utah Jazz being down by about 30 points. In the final minutes, he grabbed his tenth rebound, securing his third straight game with at least ten points, ten rebounds, and ten assists.

Will Hardy on Nurkic’s triple double streak: “It's a great statistical achievement. We lost by 30. … While Nurk, I think, is playing really good basketball, we just lost by 30.”

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 25, 2026

While Nurkic made some fun history, the Utah Jazz played one of their worst games as a team against the Heat. The Miami Heat absolutely dominated the glass all game long. Miami had 64 total rebounds to Utah’s 34, and 26 of the 64 for Miami were offensive rebounds. It was hard to watch, to say the least. The Jazz also shot a mediocre 7/25 from three-point land and just looked flat out there. Brice Sensabaugh shot 4/7 from three, leading the team with 23 points. Standout star Keyonte George couldn’t find any rhythm tonight, going 0/8 behind the three-point line.

cleared for takeoff 🫡✈️ pic.twitter.com/5R6t6ChZBS

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 25, 2026

Ace Bailey continues to add to his rookie season highlight reel, and Cody Williams keeps proving why he belongs in the NBA with his standout defense, tallying three blocks and a steal. Lauri Markkanen remains out (return-to-competition reconditioning). People can argue about what’s actually going on here, but having Lauri sit and letting the young guys develop—even if the results are tough like they were tonight—will only benefit the Utah Jazz moving toward the future.

gonna be a no from us, dawg 🚫🚫🚫 pic.twitter.com/IDgycSfe21

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 25, 2026

This Utah Jazz team is young, fun, and inconsistent. Forty-six games into the season with 36 remaining, the Jazz will have to learn how to avoid nights like tonight—especially with next season approaching, when they should finally be ready to start competing. Nights like this show why the Jazz need to focus on keeping their 2026 pick and ignore anyone hoping for a play-in run. Despite Keyonte George ascending right before our eyes and Markkanen playing at an All-NBA level, the Jazz are not ready… yet.

Will Hardy needs to continue prioritizing the youth and letting them find the consistency required to win in the NBA. The Jazz started off decent tonight against Miami, but as the game went on it got worse and worse. Miami might be one of the most “mid” teams in the NBA, and they still rolled over the Jazz in Salt Lake City.

Will Hardy's opening: I mean that was as big of a physical loss as you can have. We just got obliterated on the glass. pic.twitter.com/jgs82KXdt3

— JP Chunga (@JP_Chunga) January 25, 2026

The Utah Jazz still remain firmly at No. 6 in the lottery standings at 15–31. It’ll be tough for them to move up, but not impossible. Tonight wasn’t just historic for Nurkić—it also marked a huge night from a college basketball freshman, who posted insane numbers. If the Jazz keep their top-8 protected pick, they’ll guarantee themselves a high-level prospect regardless of whether the team moves up.

The Miami Heat won tonight 147–116, but the Jazz still appear to be building toward a successful 2025–2026 season despite the blowout.

Derrick Rose was honored by the Chicago Bulls with a jersey retirement ceremony Saturday, following the team's dramatic 114-111 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Rose, a Chicago native, spent eight years with the team and became the NBA’s youngest Most Valuable Player when he won the award in the 2010-11 season.

Several familiar faces from Rose’s career were at the United Center in Chicago to celebrate the point guard becoming the fifth player in the franchise’s history to have his jersey retired, joining the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

No. 1 will always be From Chicago.

Narration by @ScottiePippen. pic.twitter.com/zrQdBpdVAy

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

Among the crowd were ex-teammates Taj Gibson, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. Rose's former coach, Tom Thibodeau, was also in attendance.

Here are some of the best moments from the night:

The moment Derrick Rose's banner was officially retired. pic.twitter.com/ufrMsEaEyY

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

Derrick Rose's Bulls jersey retirement ceremony: Top moments

Rose addressed the crowd with a speech that brought many to tears, including his young son and mother.

Derrick Rose's full jersey retirement speech: pic.twitter.com/ohyibVH7DT

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

Derrick Rose with a message for each of his kids: PJ, London, and Layla ❤️ pic.twitter.com/1rQJ1TT3ax

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

Kevin Huerter arrived at the arena wearing a Rose jersey and made a big play like the Bulls legend in the final moments of the game.

Huerter made a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that gave the Bulls a 114-111 lead with 0.2 seconds left in regulation.

BIG TIME PLAYERS MAKE BIG TIME PLAYS.@KevinHuerter | @CHSN__pic.twitter.com/O85Ed9oPHy

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

Derrick Rose honored by teammates, coaches

The great @TajGibson with an incredible speech for Derrick Rose. pic.twitter.com/bZuBfuzxxJ

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

Ladies and gentlemen: @LuolDeng9pic.twitter.com/u9UX5dOX6z

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

Tom Thibodeau with a great story about D-Rose. pic.twitter.com/5sRiy0PRha

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Derrick Rose Bulls jersey retirement ceremony: Top moments