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Takeaways: Penguins Make Statement With 6-2 Stomping Of Oilers

Well, folks, it may be time to talk about the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Because after yet another win on Thursday, I think it's safe to say that this is a pretty good hockey team. 

On the second leg of a back-to-back, the Penguins earned their third straight win when they beat the Edmonton Oilers, 6-2, to continue what has been a perfect Western road trip so far. They got two goals from Anthony Mantha as well as tallies from captain Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, Evgeni Malkin, and Egor Chinakhov.

Goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 30 of 32 Edmonton shots on the night, while Oilers' netminder - and ex-Penguin - Tristan Jarry stopped just 16 of 22 shots. 

This was an impressive win for the Penguins, who have largely struggled against the Oilers. In fact, they were 2-8 in their last 10 games against Edmonton coming into Thursday's matchup. 

But they came to play. And they set the tone from the start.

Just 2:20 into the game, Justin Brazeau found Mantha crashing the net off the rush, feeding him a pass that he put home to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Then, just 22 seconds later, Mantha - again - was sprung by Brazeau, this time on a breakaway. Mantha beat Jarry backhand and put the Penguins up by two early.

And they weren't done. Only 15 seconds after that goal, Ryan Shea threw a shot-pass toward the slot area, where Crosby was waiting to redirect it. Crosby successfully found the back of the net on the deflection, and within 35 seconds, the Penguins had scored three on the Oilers and had a commanding early lead.

The Oilers did respond early in the second period, as Jake Walman capitalized on a shorthanded odd-man break from the slot to cut the lead to 3-1. But the Penguins never really let up, even if the Oilers were getting a few chances. Later in the period, the Penguins put on the extra attacker on a delayed penalty call, and Rakell sniped a shot from the left circle past Jarry after a gorgeous feed from Malkin to restore the three-goal lead. 

Then, just under two minutes later, Malkin had a breakaway opportunity, and he beat Jarry five-hole on the backhand to put Pittsburgh up, 5-1.

The Penguins still had more in the tank, too. Early in the final frame, Tommy Novak carried the puck from the neutral zone into offensive zone traffic, and he managed to forward the puck to a breaking Chinakhov down the left side. The 24-year-old Russian winger placed a bullet of a shot top-shelf for his fifth goal in 12 games as a Penguin to make it 6-1.

Matt Savoie did add a late tally for the Oilers, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Penguins were able to shut down Edmonton late and not give them anything to work with. They also managed to blank both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who was playing in his first game since Jan. 15 after attending to family matter in Germany.

Do The Penguins Have What It Takes To Target Jason Robertson?Do The Penguins Have What It Takes To Target Jason Robertson?The Pittsburgh Penguins are rumored to be one of the teams in pursuit of Dallas Stars' superstar Jason Robertson should he hit the trade block.

Here are some takeaways from this impressive win by the Penguins:

- The fact that the Penguins came into Edmonton, where they've historically struggled, on the second leg of a back-to-back and absolutely controlled the entire 60 minutes against this Oilers team is massively impressive. 

Sure, the Oilers had a few chances, and some puck luck didn't go their way. But there was never really a point in the game, aside from a late power play in the first period, where it felt like they were in control. The Penguins were frustrating the heck out of them. They were disrupting plays and getting their sticks on everything. Their goaltender was making big saves, and their defensemen were blocking shots. 

The Penguins' stick detail around their own net and in the defensive zone as a whole has been wildly impressive since the holiday break, and that continued into Thursday. They didn't give the Oilers much in terms of high-danger chances - save for a five-on-one opportunity that Edmonton managed to botch entirely - and they largely controlled possession.

McDavid Takes the Blame: "It Starts With Me"McDavid Takes the Blame: "It Starts With Me"Connor McDavid doesn't usually accept blame publicly. He's too good, too professional, too focused on the next shift to dwell on mistakes. But after the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers#google_vignette">Edmonton Oilers</a>' 6-2 embarrassment against the Pittsburgh Penguins—and following a lackluster 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday—McDavid did something rare: he pointed the finger at himself.

The all-around game from the Penguins right now is something to marvel at. In October, they were scoring at a ridiculous rate while still displaying some warts on defense. Now, those warts are all but gone, and the Penguins are all of a sudden a pretty dangerous hockey team. 

- Anytime the Penguins have a bit of an onslaught, it seems like Crosby doesn't show up on the scoresheet much. The same thing happened on Thursday, as the captain only recorded one point.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. 

The Penguins are getting contributions from up and down their lineup, and it seems to be a different line every single night. The fourth line has had their flowers. On Thursday, it was the third line. Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, it was the second line. 

Penguins Ground Flames 4–1 at the SaddledomePenguins Ground Flames 4–1 at the SaddledomePenguins dominate Flames 4-1. Malkin ignites offense as Pospisil's return injects energy for Calgary, but the Flames can't find the finish.

The Penguins not needing to rely on their first line for production - which has been a consistent theme for the previous three seasons - is a very big deal. And it's simply a bonus when Crosby, Rakell, and Bryan Rust are clicking, too.

This team can roll four lines, and they're all a threat to deliver on offense. That's a massive development.

- I think I've mentioned Chinakhov in just about every takeaways piece. 

But, wow, was that shot something else. 

Chinakhov sniped that one top-shelf, and it was in and out so fast that no one - including Jarry himself - even realized it went in other than Chinakhov and Ryan Shea.

I have no idea what was going on in Columbus or why things didn't work out for Chinakhov there. But between his unrivaled shot, his speed, his defensive conscience, and awareness in all three zones, this guy is legitimate.

What a get by Dubas. A guy with a shot like that isn't good by accident.

- Malkin was, once again, flying on Thursday. He now has 39 points in 35 games this season, and he, Chinakhov, and Novak are operating from the stratosphere right now.

He's hit another level. And he deserves another contract next season if that's what he wants.

- Jack St. Ivany deserves a lot of credit for how he's played in these last couple of games. Not only is that two multi-point games in a row, he also blocked a shot with his left foot on that late first-period power play by the Oilers, and he was in substantial pain afterward. He wasn't putting weight on his leg and was forced to continue his shift.

Well, he finished his shift by contributing to a zone clear then finally making his way to the bench, when he went down the runway. He returned for the second period and played the rest of the game. 

That was a pivotal block in this game, and he's been much, much better in the last couple. Hopefully, that can continue. 

- Much has been made about Stuart Skinner's run with the Penguins as of late, and deservedly so. 

But Silovs deserves his flowers, too.

Walman's goal is probably one he'd want to have back. But, otherwise, this was one of the best games he has played as a Penguin. There was a sequence just before the end of the first period when Zach Hyman crashed the net on a breakaway and nearly tucked the puck in. Silovs stopped it with his right pad against the post, but the puck was laying on the goal line.

Instead of panicking, Silovs maneuvered carefully and allowed defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to aid him with his stick, and he managed to not let the puck cross the goal line.

Silovs has been much better as of late, as three of his last four appearances have seen save percentages of .920 or above. But he has a knack for coming up big in the game's biggest moments, and he did that again Thursday.

If the Penguins can continue to get this goaltending from their tandem, they'll be fine the rest of the way - and they may just have a run in them.

Jan 22, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) makes a save on on Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (18) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Jan 22, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) makes a save on on Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (18) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

- So, let's talk about these Penguins.

They're playing well defensively. They're getting scoring from up and down their lineup. They're getting good goaltending. They're top-five in both special teams categories. 

At this point, it might be okay to say that this is, simply, a good hockey team.

Nothing they're doing is by accident anymore. They're not on a PDO bender. They're not getting lucky. They're not just opportunistic. 

No. They're legitimately outplaying some of the best hockey teams in the league at five-on-five, and they're not only outplaying them, they're outworking them and controlling the vast majority of the 60 minutes per game. 

The process is there for this hockey team. The underlying metrics support that, too, and I'll have a piece on that Friday. They are playing a sustainable brand of hockey, and it happens to be a winning brand of hockey.

Now, we shouldn't just be talking playoffs. This team could very much compete for the division. They're two points ahead of the New York Islanders for second place in the Metro, six points in front of the next divisional team in the Philadelphia Flyers, and just six points back of the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes with a game in hand. 

This isn't a mirage. This is real. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a competitive hockey team, and if they can keep this up, it may be okay to set sights even higher by the end of the regular season.

The 2026 Olympics Will Be A Torch-Passing Moment For Hockey CanadaThe 2026 Olympics Will Be A Torch-Passing Moment For Hockey CanadaAs Canadian men's hockey veterans Sidney Crosby, Drew Doughty and Brad Marchand suit up for what could be their last Olympics, the national team is in excellent hands with the next waves of talent.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!     

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Bulls 120, Timberwolves 115: A Foul Effort at Target Center

On a freezing cold Thursday night in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Timberwolves desperately needed a win. They had lost their previous three games and had fallen to seventh place in the Western Conference. They were unable to get it as they were taken down by the middling Chicago Bulls 120-115.

Just like the previous game against the Utah Jazz, the Wolves got out to a great start. They took a 14-point lead a little more than eight minutes into the game on the back of hounding defense. Minnesota forced misses on 10 of the first 12 Chicago shots, allowing them to get easy baskets on the other end of the court.

As the game went on, though, that defensive intensity went away. The largest indicator for this was the Wolves’ inability to avoid fouling. So often, the Wolves were not in the correct position to defend their man. Instead of moving their feet to defend properly, they either committed blocking fouls or reached in and made contact with a Bulls player’s arms.

In the second quarter, the Bulls were in the bonus with 8:48 left. In the third quarter, they were in the bonus with 6:56 remaining. Overall, Minnesota committed 27 fouls (plus a Naz Reid technical foul), which led to 33 Chicago free throws.

“Our inability to contain drives right now is really hurting us,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said about his team’s defesive performance. “Kind of over helping in places that we didn’t want to over help in, and a readiness to contain the next drive.”

The Wolves trailed by three points heading into the fourth quarter, and as they have so often this season, they came storming back. Midway through the fourth quarter, the defense finally started to get some stops, and the offense found a rhythm as a Naz Reid dunk gave them a six-point lead with five minutes left.

The Wolves were unable to put the game away from that point, as they missed their next four shots, allowing the Bulls to cut the lead to one. The Wolves stopped the bleeding there, though, after an Anthony Edwards floater and a 3-pointer from Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves found themselves up four with a minute and a half left.

That is when the game came crumbling down for the Wolves, as Edwards fell asleep guarding his man in the corner. Coby White drilled the 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Minnesota lead to just one.

“Josh Giddey made a good pass,” Edwards said about the play. “I wasn’t expecting that pass. So my reaction was like Bones [Hyland] said I was stuck in quicksand when he caught the ball. It felt like it. So, I couldn’t really get a contest. I know I’mma get cussed out about that one.”

The Wolves followed that up with turnovers on their next two possessions, allowing Tre Jones to streak to the rim off an inbounds pass to give Chicago a one-point lead. With the game on the line, on the next possession, Ant used up most of the shot clock and threw up a heavily contested three that came nowhere close to going in.

That would be as close as the Wolves would come to winning the game, as a pair of Jalen Smith free throws and an Edwards on a game-tying 3-pointer, the game was out of reach.

Edwards finished with just 20 points, struggling to find his shot as he finished the game 9-25 from the field. Julius Randle led the Wolves in scoring with 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Naz scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, but aside from him, the Wolves’ bench scored eight points on 3-14 shooting.

The loss was the Wolves’ fourth straight. The first two against the Houston Rockets without Edwards, and against the San Antonio Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back, were understandable. These last two versus the Jazz and Bulls, on the other hand, do not come with nearly the same benefit of the doubt.

“We know what we have to do to be better in that department,” Julius Randle said about the team’s energy. “It’s a long season. There’s going to be ups and downs. A week ago we could’ve looked like the best team in basketball and this week we can look like the worst. We just gotta find a way to find a consistency.”

There is still plenty of season left, but this recent stretch may have cost the Wolves a top seed in the Western Conference, and they are now fighting to just stay out of the Play-In Tournament.

The Wolves did this all a season ago. They struggled for most of the regular season, but turned in on late and made the Western Conference Finals after finishing as the sixth seed. They still have the ability to go on a similar run, but maybe that is what is holding this team back. It doesn’t seem like the Wolves feel the urgency in fighting for a top seed because last year proved they don’t need it. At least that’s what it feels like they think.

Up Next

With the local temperatures set to dip below negative ten over the weekend, the Timberwolves stay home for a pair of games against the Golden State Warriors. The first is a Saturday matinee at 4:30 PM CT at Target Center. Wolves fans can watch the game on ABC.

Highlights

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Penguins/Oilers Recap: Pens explode, light up Jarry, win 6-2

Pregame

There’s nothing better than an unexpected return to the lineup, each team has a good one tonight. Nine days ago, Erik Karlsson wasn’t to be re-evaluated for two weeks. He’s back tonight. Arturs Silovs starts in goal.

Edmonton gets a welcome return of their own, Leon Draisaitl is back from Germany on a family business in time for the game. Former Penguin goalie Tristan Jarry faces his old team for the second time.

First period

The Penguins strike early, Anthony Mantha gets behind the defense and Justin Brazeau gets the puck to Mantha with a really nice pass that Mantha steers over Tristan Jarry. But wait – Mantha might have been off-side on the rush. Edmonton takes their timeout to give it an extra long look, they ultimately decide to not challenge it, goal stands.

It only takes 22 seconds for another Mantha goal. He again gets behind the defense, this time in the neutral zone. Again Brazeau feeds Mantha the puck, this time for a breakaway. Jarry’s defense was to fall belly first to the ice, didn’t work as he still gets beat low. 2-0 goal.

The Oilers look stunned, they’ll take another big shot only 15 seconds after that goal. Ryan Shea throws a puck on net, Sidney Crosby curls out of no where into the middle of the ice to deflect the puck. It’s another goal, three of them coming 37 seconds across. Jarry doesn’t know whether to cry or wind his watch.

Luck may have turned, Connor Dewar hits the post and the puck stays out. Silovs makes a nice save at the other end. The Pens get the first power play, Bryan Rust takes a nice shot but Jarry stops it. Connor McDavid rockets up the ice, Crosby tries to stay with him, he also gets his stick into McDavid’s hands a few times and the refs even up the penalties by sending Crosby off. The Pens kill the penalty.

The fireworks continue, Evgeni Malkin sets up Egor Chinakhov in front, a sprawled out Jarry keeps the puck out the net with 20 seconds left. The play goes right back down the other end, Zach Hyman beats Silovs but not the post. The puck falls right to the goal-line however it miraculously stays out in a scramble.

Connor Clifton heats tempers up by slamming Mattias Janmark into the boards from behind.

An exciting, shocking and thrilling period. Three goals in a 37 second span ripped it open early, not much settled from there. Pittsburgh’s up 3-0 on the scoreboard, Edmonton out-shot them 13-9, yet somehow did not score.

Second period

McDavid takes a penalty for slashing Erik Karlsson’s stick. It’s the Oilers who score, Jake Walman takes off on the rush. 3-1 game.

On a delayed penalty call against the Oilers the Penguins worked their 6v5 group. Malkin makes a beautiful pass from behind the net through about three sticks to get to Rickard Rakell. Rakell measures his shot and wires an equally nice wrister past Jarry. 4-1 game, no penalty on the Oilers after all since the Penguins scored. That’s one way to shield the struggling Pittsburgh power play.

Bouchard kisses a shot off the crossbar, it stays out. A little later in the sequence Malkin pokes the puck away from McDavid and even though he’s at the end of a 1:21 long shift the big guy races down the ice on a breakaway. Malkin moves to his backhand, it looks like he runs out of room but he pulled so much lateral movement out of Jarry that there was enough room for the puck to slide in. 5-1 game.

Ben Kindel hurries and accidentally shoots the puck over the glass with 3:03 to go, giving Edmonton a power play. The Oilers take a ton of offensive zone time, the Pens PK holds strong with Silovs standing tall on a few big stops.

Say it in your best Doc Emerick voice: “what action!”. Another incredible period of hockey, highlighted by two insanely skilled plays by Malkin. The Pens head into the third period up by four goals.

Third period

The Pens keep pourin’ it on. Novak gains a zone entry and dishes a routine looking pass over for Egor Chinakhov. There’s nothing routine about Chinakhov’s release that scorches in and out of the net so fast Malkin shoots the rebound. 6-1 lead.

Edmonton gets one in garbage time, Matt Savoie unleashes a top shelf snipe from the right faceoff circle with about six minutes left making the score 6-2.

The rest of the game plays out quietly, Pittsburgh gets out with a convincing win and another strong effort.

Some thoughts

  • If we’re in the trust tree, I’m pretty sure Mantha was offside on that first goal. The Edmonton video team no doubt had a better look and more technology to stop and pause it and look at all the angles, so maybe he wasn’t or was just too close to call with the on-ice decision saying it was good. Kinda looked like he was off from what I could see with his back leg getting into the offensive zone just a little bit before the puck did. A little too close for comfort though all is well that ends well.
  • Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak got a nice ‘welcome back’ video and a big standing ovation during the first TV timeout. At 3-0 at that point, you know a lot of people were thinking in that moment and over the course of the night about just why that trade had to be made for the Oilers, if only for one night.
  • 3 goals in 37 seconds? You don’t see that type of goal explosion every day.
  • The competitiveness in Crosby was on display turning on the jets to not let McDavid skate away from him. Crosby even started in a trail position, not too many are going to go the full length of the ice with McNasty in that situation. The competitiveness went over the line for the refs with the series of little slashes along the way but in that moment there was just no way Crosby was going to allow McDavid gain separation.
  • Jack St. Ivany took the full brunt of a ‘Bouch bomb’ slapshot from Evan Bouchard, he can really bring it. St. Ivany was hobbled to the the extreme. Naturally, he was back for the start of second period and able to shake it off like it was nothing.
  • A lot was made, here included, about the goalie usage decisions. At the end of the day, no choice is a bad one when both goalies are playing extremely well. Silovs’ performance might not draw a lot of attention, which is a shame because it deserves it. 29 stops on 31 shots and anytime a goalie holds McDavid (and Draisaitl) off the scoresheet they probably had a great night. Silovs certainly qualified for that praise.
  • The final score said blowout, the way it ended up there was anything but one-sided. As mentioned above, the first goal was a whisper away from being overturned which could have butterfly effected the whole night. It truly is a wonder that Wotherspoon helped keep the puck out of the net when the puck was laying literally on the goal-line and no less than Draisaitl right there to jam it in with Silovs out of commission seconds after it hit the post and stayed out by the narrowest of margins in the first place. Then, at 4-1, Bouchard narrowly misses scoring only to almost immediately have Malkin create and convert a breakaway in a turn of fortune that salted the game away. It’s not to say the Penguins were necessarily lucky because a team still has to make their luck through their own efforts, more like it was very close to swinging in a different direction. A blowout game can still have its precarious moments.
  • To that end the final score wasn’t completely indicative of how the Pens played, which wasn’t perfect. They were a bit reckless up 3-0 when it came to some decisions with the puck and when it came to pinching up, willing to trade chances with Edmonton when they didn’t have to. They gave up a goal while on the power play. They didn’t have an even strength shot for well over 10 minutes in the second period. Obviously when you get a huge goal outburst it doesn’t have to be a flawless 60 minutes, the Pens were very good and certainly flexed enough offensive muscles to deserve a big win; there just was more to the story than simply the score at the end of the night.
  • How about the 39-year old Malkin A) having the burst to stay ahead of Ekholm chasing him at the end of a 1:21 shift, B) keeping a rolling puck on old ice in his possession and C) converting a very wide deke. Outstanding effort, everyone in this matchup obviously hones in on Crosby and McDavid, Malkin gave what should be a needless reminder that those two aren’t the only special, special players involved.
  • This was the Pens first win in Edmonton since December of 2019. Back then Dan Muse was an assistant coach in Nashville working with Nick Bonino as a player, Justin Brazeau was in the ECHL, Yegor Chinakhov was playing in a lower-tier Russian league having gone undrafted in the NHL a few months earlier. Ben Kindel was 12 years old! It had been a while.

Certainly one of the more thrilling, satisfying and biggest wins of the season for the Pens to shake off what had been a house of horrors for them, win a third game on this road trip on a back-to-back effort. The Penguins have definitely had much lower high water marks of their whole seasons the past few years then this, even though at this point they still have high hopes to keep the momentum going to finish the trip strong on the last leg coming up in Vancouver.

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Steven Stamkos' Hat Trick Powers Predators To A Comeback Win Over Senators

When the Nashville Predators were staring at a 3-0 hole, the game needed a spark. Steven Stamkos didn’t just provide one, he flipped the entire night on its head.

Stamkos, 35, scored twice on the power play and added another at even strength to fuel a 5-3 Predators comeback win, erasing a three-goal deficit with authority.

His first power-play goal put the Predators on the board towards the end of the second period and marked the 234th of his career.

That goal pulled him even with Marcel Dionne for ninth all-time in NHL history. Halfway through the third period, Stamkos struck again with the man advantage to move into sole possession of that spot.

He wasn't done though.

Stamkos recorded his third of the night and gave the Predators a 4-3 lead with 1:13 left in the third period. On a game that looked like it was heading to overtime.

The veteran sniper blew the roof off Bridgestone Arena.

His hat trick was the 16th of his career which puts him in rare company among active players, trailing only Alex Ovechkin and David Pastrnak.

It also came against the 14th different franchise he’s torched for three goals, second-most among active skaters.

By night’s end, Stamkos had logged his 104th career multi-goal game and reminded everyone exactly why he’s still one of the league’s most dangerous finishers, especially when the moment demands it.

Up Next: The Nashville Predators (24-22-4) will wrap up the homestand with a meeting against the Utah Mammoth (26-20-4) on Saturday at 2:30.

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Mets' Carson Benge already in Port St. Lucie as he prepares to compete for a roster spot

Carson Benge has a chance to make the Mets' Opening Day roster this spring, and the young outfielder is taking steps to prepare himself for that opportunity.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported Thursday that Benge is already in Port St. Lucie --  almost a month before the Mets' Feb. 16 full squad report date -- after spending time during the offseason working on his hitting with the Holliday family at Oklahoma State -- that's, of course, Orioles star Jackson and his father Matt. 

Benge has shown promise in the minors and is regarded as one of the organization's top prospects. He has enough upside to have caught David Stearns' attention and the president of baseball operations declared that Benge will have a chance to break camp with the squad.

“Carson Benge is going to come into spring training with a chance to make our team, and we’ll see where the offseason takes us beyond that,” Stearns said back in November.

“When you have good players at the upper levels of the minor leagues, we have to find space for those players to play. Carson is among them. He’s not the only one, but he’s among them. So, as we build out our team, we have to ensure that as we move forward, there is room for our young players to get to the major leagues when they deserve to get there, and have a chance to really contribute to our major league team.”

Of course, a lot has changed with the Mets' roster since Stearns made those comments, especially with the outfield. 

Stearns swung a trade with the White Sox to bring Luis Robert Jr. over to, presumably, play center field. That leaves left field open for Benge, or any other outfield option on the roster, to take this opportunity. 

But after the addition of Robert Jr., Stearns is sticking with what he said months ago.

"With Carson, I've been clear all offseason he has a chance to make the club and Robert's addition doesn't change that," Stearns said Thursday. "We're going to give him a chance to make the club out of camp. Doesn't mean he is, but we'll give him a chance."

Other options for left field include Tyrone Taylor and even Brett Baty, who will play the super-utility role after the addition of Bo Bichette to play third base. 

Stearns' comments reveal his confidence in Benge to potentially compete for that spot, no matter what the current roster looks like. But it's not just Stearns' words that illustrate his belief in the young outfielder. 

In the same report from Rosenthal and Sammon, Benge was "never seriously on the table" during trade conversations for Freddy Peralta. 

Benge started last season with High-A Brooklyn but ended up playing 24 games for Triple-A Syracuse before the season came to a close. The 2024 first-round pick -- and the first draft selection made by Stearns in New York -- struggled once he arrived in Syracuse, putting up just a .583 OPS. But Benge had an overall solid full season as a pro, posting an .857 OPS with 15 home runs and 73 RBI across all three levels.

 

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San Antonio vs. Utah, Final Score: Spurs explode in fourth quarter to put Jazz away, 126-109

After blowing a 16-point lead and completely falling apart in Houston likely left the Spurs with a bad taste in their mouths for the last 48 hours ago, they made sure it didn’t happen again against the Utah Jazz tonight, although they still made everyone sweat a little first. After the Spurs got ahead by as much as 15 in the first half, the Jazz came all the way back in the third quarter. Things were still tied several minutes into the fourth, but Utah could never gain the lead, and the Spurs finally turned things back on in the final seven minutes to but the young but pesky Jazz away, 126-109.

De’Aaron Fox led five Spurs in double figures with 31 points on 6-9 from three, Victor Wembanyama had 26 points with four threes, and Keldon Johnson scored 21 off the bench. For the Jazz, Ace Bailey had on of his best games of his young career with 25 points while continuously slicing through the Spurs defense, and Jusuf Nurkic had a 17-11-14 triple-double.

Observations

  • Recent events have conditioned me to not get excited when the Spurs are hot from three, but they did it again tonight, hitting 5 of their first 6, with two from Julian Champagnie and Fox and one from Wemby. Of course, they then went 2-8 for the rest of the first quarter, although a third from Champagnie helped them tie things back up a 31 apiece after they had gone cold when the bench came in and gave up a 7-point lead.
  • Jordan McLaughlin got some minutes to start the second quarter for unclear reasons other than Mitch Johnson either wanted to make a point or find a spark after the slow end to the first quarter, but whatever the reason, they got the memo and came out with much more energy and aggressiveness, building the lead up to 15 with him on the floor. He recorded three rebounds, two assists and a steal and is just one of those players who doesn’t make mistakes and does the little things that can help steady the ship.
  • Luke Kornet joins Devin Vassell with adductor tightness, and the Spurs missed him badly. Kelly Olynyk got the back-up center minutes in the first half, and while he didn’t do much, good or bad, he was a net negative for a reason. It seemed like everything bogged down every time Wemby left the floor. Jeremy Sochan, who was questionable with an illness, got the back-up center minutes in the second half, and unsurprisingly the energy level and feistiness was higher.
  • It’s not a Spurs game without a blown double-digit lead. In a reverse from the first half, this time it was the starters that gave up the entirety of what was once a 15-point lead, and the bench unit that did the stabilizing. They never allowed the Jazz to take the lead and even got it back up to 8 before a Kyle Filipowski three before the third quarter buzzer got it down to five. Overall, the Spurs were outscored 39-32, so it was definitely a turd quarter on defense, but credit to the bench for getting the offense going again and preventing it from being a full-blown turn quarter.
  • Similar to their loss in Houston, the Spurs opened the fourth quarter by carelessly jacking up threes, missing their first five before Wemby finally got one to fall. Fortunately for them, while the Jazz again tied things back, unlike Houston, they couldn’t hit any shots that would have given them the lead before the Spurs got their act back together and pulled back up by 10 with 7 minutes left. Fox and Wemby then traded haymakers to put the Jazz away. Overall, they finished on a 22-9 run after that Wemby three.
  • Stephon Castle’s shots continue to be short. I wonder how much that thumb is bugging him, especially after he re-aggravated it in Houston. Still, other than shooting 4-12, he had a solid night by getting to the line for 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and just 1 turnover.
  • Random thought that jumps in my head every time three seconds is called, offensive or defensive: I get why the rule exists, but it’s dumb because it’s almost never called more than once a game, sometimes not at all, but it probably happens on at least 25% of possessions. It just feels like something that is called when the refs feel like they need to remind everyone that it exists. It’s like they need to meet an allotment by calling it every so often.
  • Wild stat that was revealed during the game: Wemby is the Spurs’ franchise leader in three-pointers made per game at 2.2. That shocks me. I know it’s a small sample size, and there have certainly been players that averaged more makes than that in a single season, but it’s so hard to imagine that shooting specialists like Bruce Bowen, Danny Green, Patty Mills, etc. didn’t average more across their Spurs careers. I guess it’s just a combination of the rise in attempts since their playing days, not being in the main rotation the entire career meant small appearances hurt their career averages, etc.
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Recap: Hollow Utah Jazz spurred by, you guessed it, the Spurs

One look at the injury report, and it was clear that the Utah Jazz were welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio into the Delta Center for a 48-minute formality. We can do the whole song and dance, or you can kindly take your victory and go.

No Lauri Markkanen, as he is still absent with the bubonic plague, or polio, or smallpox, or whatever illness has kept him sidelined for the past chunk of games. Cody Williams and Svi Mykhailiuk were officially in the starting lineup for this one, but with Keyonte George fresh off a 43-point season-high, and Jusuf Nurkic having just posted a triple-double in the same century win for head coach Will Hardy.

But that was the only win Utah had picked up without the Finnisher to that point in the season, and it took all-world performances from George, Nurkic, and a 15-point fourth quarter comeback. Still, with all the confidence of a wild west gunslinger standing 20 paces from Fingerless Floyd at high noon, Keyonte George is enjoying the type of season where he can seemingly beat anybody when he’s on his game.

Keyonte George is often on his game these days.

So, it’s sort of challenging to define expectations for the Utah Jazz as the 2nd-best team in the West, San Antonio, entered the Salt Lake Valley with their full lineup of Fox, Castle, Harper, and some French fellow named Victor all available. The Spurs are both young and legitimate threats for the title this year — well ahead of schedule and joining Oklahoma City as the youthful leaders of the Western Conference, with a disturbingly wide window for contention.

Utah’s situation is… different. It’s been a slow burn, but the youth of Utah are beginning to find solid ground. George and Sensabaugh, especially, are giving observers reason to believe in their upside. Those players are in their third seasons — the fifth pick in the 2025 draft, however, is really beginning to put it together.

Squaring off against his old Rutgers teammate, Ace Bailey started hot, knocking down his first four shots in the first quarter and tallying 10 points in the opening frame.

Then, in the second half, in the midst of a San Antonio separation act, Cody Williams uncorked the Delta Center with a coast-to-coast yam in rush-hour traffic.

It feels like Cody is good for a pair of dunks per game these days, but that? No, your honor, I cannot identify Cody Williams in that video, but I believe I spotted Giannis Antetokounmpo wearing number 5 in white.

But Cody’s flight was but a gentle distraction as the Spurs pushed their lead to double-digits and entered halftime with a 12-point advantage.

I say this with only the slightest hint of irony: Jusuf Nurkic may actually be the love child of Nikola Jokic and 2016-17 Russell Westbrook. For the second straight game, the Bosnian Beast posted a triple-double. His dominance was so potent that even as the Spurs carried a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter, they sent double-teams on his late-game touches.

If this were the first basketball game someone had ever watched, they might think that Nurkic was the best player on planet Earth. Victor Wembanyama was not enough to neutralize his offensive powers. 17 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Yeesh.

Meanwhile, Ace Bailey messed around and posted yet another career high, notching 25 points just after his previous high. He’s high-flying as always, feasting off a healthy helping of off-ball movement and cuts to the rim, while being more selective with his jump shots.

Alas, the Spurs controlled late, pushing their lead and leading 126-109 as time expired.

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.

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Warriors vs. Mavericks player grades: Steph Curry stars in loss

Steph Curry crouched over, dribbling, defended by Klay Thompson.

The Golden State Warriors lost their second game in a row on Thursday night, and unfortunately, it was distinctly different than their Tuesday loss to the Toronto Raptors. In that game, the Warriors played decently — you could even argue they played well — but an outlier shooting performance from the Canadians doomed the Dubs. But on Thursday, the Warriors lost 123-115 to the Dallas Mavericks because they simply didn’t play all that well. Which is, in fairness, the most common way to lose a basketball game.

So let’s grade the group that moved the Dubs to 0-2 in the post-Jimmy Butler III era. As always, grades are based on my expectations of each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Thursday’s games, league average TS was 58.1%.

Moses Moody

23 minutes, 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 fouls, 4-for-7 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 80.6% TS, -5

A pretty solid game for Moody, who continues to shoot very efficiently. In his last six games, Moody is shooting 29-for-48 from the field, including 21-for-37 on threes. I would stop short of calling his defense great, but it’s been reliably good, bordering on very good. This was just a very solid all-around game for Moody.

Grade: A-

Gui Santos

17 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 foul, 2-for-5 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 50.0% TS, -5

Santos got to partake in the starting lineup, and that was fun to see. His energy on the glass was necessary to keep the Warriors in the game, though he had some struggles on offense.

Grade: B

Draymond Green

23 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 6 fouls, 1-for-5 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 34.0% TS, -15

I don’t know if it’s a generic slump or if he’s feeling deflated following the Butler news, but Green did not look like Green in this one. He just didn’t appear to be moving at his usual speed, especially with his decision-making. He had some very rough turnovers, and fouled out despite playing less than half the game. His defense wasn’t up to his standard, and the game shifted a bit when he collected a flagrant foul. Just a bad game. No two ways about it.

Grade: D

Brandin Podziemski

33 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 4-for-13 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 32.4% TS, +10

Podziemski is more of a do-the-little-things player than a go-to scoring option, but sometimes he plays like he should be the secondary scorer. Occasionally that works out well, but often it does not. On Thursday, it did not, as he could not buy a bucket, though he kept trying.

In Podz’s defense, he also played the role of elite playmaker, with a 10-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio that the Warriors will take eight days a week. He really showed off his quarterbacking chops in this game, and also played some really strong defense. Honestly, it was a really good game minus the atrocious shooting. We’ll call it even.

Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.

Steph Curry

34 minutes, 38 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 14-for-27 shooting, 8-for-15 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 68.1% TS, -24

This game was the ultimate display of things changing and things staying the same. There was Steph, donning his hero’s cape, just like old times. There was Steph, draining an absurd number of threes, while carrying the team and putting up a gaudy points total, just like old times. And there were the Warriors, losing to a bad team despite his efforts, unlike old times. And there was his running mate Klay Thompson, scoring just six points while coming off the bench for the opposing team, very unlike old times.

Enjoy Steph while he’s still doing it, folks. He’s a treasure, even in an increasingly lost season.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Gary Payton II

17 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-6 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 33.3% TS, -32

Payton’s minutes weren’t as bad as his plus/minus would suggest, but they weren’t particularly good, either. He’s been doing some good things on offense lately, but not so much in this game, and his defense wasn’t very impactful.

Grade: C–
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Will Richard

13 minutes, 0 points, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 fouls, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 0.0% TS, -5

Something I’ve been wondering lately: if the Warriors season fully falls apart post-Butler, and they completely turn their attention to the 2026-27 season, will Richard get a bigger role? It might be worth playing him 30 minutes a night and seeing what happens.

Anyway, his offense has really disappeared since his hot rookie start, but his defense was utterly blissful in this game. He was so active, and seemed to deflect everything. That will get you minutes on a Steve Kerr team.

Grade: B+

De’Anthony Melton

24 minutes, 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 9-for-15 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 3-for-6 free throws, 62.4% TS, +22

I know Kerr loves having Melton lead the second unit, but I think it’s time to start him, assuming he’s enough recovered from his ACL injury that he can play 30 minutes a night (which, admittedly, may not be the case). Kerr can still stagger Melton and Curry’s minutes enough so that one is always on the court, but you might as well start with your best players. And this game was yet another data point supporting the increasingly obvious: with Butler out, Melton is the team’s second-best player.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Al Horford

26 minutes, 3 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 37.5% TS, +2

If the Warriors could just build the entire team out of Curry, Melton, and Horford, they’d be in pretty darn good shape. Those guys are good. Everyone else? TBD.

Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Jonathan Kuminga

9 minutes, 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 foul, 3-for-3 shooting, 4-for-4 free throws, 105.0% TS, +18

Kuminga’s game was a mixed bag. He entered in the first quarter and immediately set to work, quickly recording two dynamic and-ones that were a strong reminder as to how gifted he is offensively. He gave great effort on the glass and played tremendous defense. The Warriors were so much better when he was on the court.

And then he got hurt in the second quarter, appeared to injure his ankle, and was ruled out for the rest of the game with knee soreness. He’s scheduled for an MRI, and we all nervously await the results.

Grade: A+/fingers crossed

Buddy Hield

15 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul, 2-for-7 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 40.3% TS, -2

Hield is the definition of hot-and-cold. He couldn’t miss on Tuesday. He couldn’t make on Thursday. So it goes.

Grade: C

Quinten Post

6 minutes, 2 points, 1 foul, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 33.3% TS, -4

Post was not only removed from the starting lineup for this game, but nearly removed from the rotation entirely. He’s been struggling lately, and this game was no exception.

Grade: C-

Thursday’s DNP-CDs: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Pat Spencer

Thursday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Malevy Leons

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On Steve Kerr giving the ‘thumbs up’ to Jonathan Kuminga’s rotation spot

The relationship may be “fractured beyond repair,” but the professionalism has clearly been maintained.

At the 3:48 mark of the first quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Amazon Prime broadcast cut toward Steve Kerr calling a play for Jonathan Kuminga, called “Thumb up.” Simply put, the play is a high pick-and-roll for the ball handler, with the name Kerr calls out playing the role of the screener. In this instance, Kerr calling out “Thumb up JK” means that he wants Kuminga to set the screen for Brandin Podziemski, with everyone else spreading the floor to create as much room as possible for the two-man action.

The lack of weak-side help in the form of “tagging” is apparent, with Will Richard making himself a threat to catch a potential kick-out. Kuminga gets all the way to the rim after Podziemski dishes him the pocket pass, and is fouled in the process of making the layup.

While Kuminga played nine minutes and 28 seconds on the floor due to suffering what was deemed as a left ankle sprain and left knee soreness, the limited minutes he played turned out to be highly impactful. The Warriors outscored the Mavericks by a total of 18 points, with an offensive rating of 130.4 and a defensive rating of 54.5 that combined for a net rating figure of plus-75.9.

With Butler out of the rotation for obvious reasons, Kerr inserted Kuminga into the role that Butler played: that of an advantage creator in isolation and pick-and-roll whose ability to pick at mismatches allowed the Warriors to create efficient offense off of a defense being placed on a blender due to the initial advantage.

Kuminga may very well never replicate the kind of consistent all-around play that Butler was able to provide for the Warriors. But left with no choice in terms of which secondary scorer and advantage creator to pair with Steph Curry, Kerr deemed it necessary to reintroduce the embattled Kuminga into the rotation. Not only has Kuminga played two consecutive games of positive hoops — he has somewhat increased his value to the team, and by extension, his value to potential suitors who may be looking for a player profile that Kuminga fits.

That was probably the driving reason behind Kuminga being sidelined after tweaking his ankle and knee, an effort to maintain his health and fitness to prevent the sudden drop in value that a more serious injury would’ve brought. Kuminga reportedly receiving an MRI could be cause for concern, but in all likelihood it may be a precaution to rule out a more serious injury. But all indications have pointed toward Kuminga’s injury not being especially debilitating.

However, while Kuminga may continue this stretch of inspired play, it remains paramount that the Warriors move his contract, if only to resolve a situation that has outlived its welcome. Kuminga and the Warriors aren’t a fit long-term — that much is clear. For all parties to move on, the separation must be finalized.

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Panthers outlast Jets 2-1 in shootout for 4th win in 6 games

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart beat Connor Hellebuyck in a shootout to help give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.

Winnipeg shooters Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele came up empty against Daniil Tarasov in the tiebreaker.

Sam Bennett scored in regulation, and Tarasov stopped 17 shots for two-time defending champion Florida. Matthew Tkachuk had an assist for his first point of the season in his second game back from adductor muscle surgery.

The Panthers are 4-2-0 in their last six to improve to 26-20-3.

Cole Perfetti scored for Winnipeg, and Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots. The Jets are 5-1-2 in their last eight to get to 20-23-7.

Bennett scored his 18th of the season with a one-timer with 1:11 left in the second. Perfetti tied it at 5:24 of the third.

Up next

Panthers: At Minnesota on Saturday night.

Jets: Host Detroit on Saturday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd and top-ranked UConn roll past Georgetown 83-42

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sarah Strong scored 25 points, Azzi Fudd had 19 in her final collegiate appearance before a hometown crowd, and top-ranked UConn overwhelmed Georgetown 83-42 on Thursday night.

The defending national champion Huskies are 20-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 squad won its first 36 games before losing in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament. UConn (10-0 Big East) has won 36 straight dating to last season and has only one ranked foe left on its regular-season schedule — the Huskies host No. 17 Tennessee on Feb 1.

Fudd grew up across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, and was a prep star at St. John’s College High School in Washington. Her parents — mom Katie played at Georgetown — and Georgia Amoore of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics were among a pro-UConn crowd at CareFirst Arena, the Mystics’ home.

Fudd missed her first seven 3s as UConn began 1 of 13 from deep, but the Huskies made their next four — two by Fudd and two by Strong. Fudd finished 8 of 19 from the field and 3 of 12 from 3.

UConn forced seven turnovers in the first seven minutes and jumped to a 20-2 lead. The Huskies then went nearly five minutes without a basket before Fudd found Strong for a layup to start a 21-2 run for a 41-12 advantage.

The Huskies had 15 steals in the first half, five by Ashlynn Shade, as they led 51-20 at halftime. Strong had 21 points at the break.

Brianna Scott scored eight points for Georgetown (11-8, 4-6), which has lost 41 straight against UConn, with its last victory coming on Feb. 27, 1993.

NO. 16 OKLAHOMA 94, NO. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 82, OT

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 of her 26 points in overtime, and Oklahoma stunned South Carolina.

The freshman guard made 4 of 14 field goals in regulation before hitting 5 of 5 shots in overtime.

Payton Verhulst scored 19 points and Raegan Beers had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Sooners (15-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference), who had lost three straight to ranked opponents Ole Miss, Kentucky and LSU since rising to No. 5 in the AP Top 25.

It matched the highest-ranked opponent Oklahoma has ever beaten. Most recently, the Sooners beat No. 2 Kansas State in 2024.

Tessa Johnson scored 19 points and Raven Johnson added 16 for South Carolina (19-2, 5-1), which had its 12-game win streak snapped. Joyce Edwards, who had averaged 20.6 points, finished with 12 on 3-for-12 shooting. The Gamecocks shot just 37% from the field.

NO. 5 VANDERBILT 81, AUBURN 53

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 20 points for her 15th 20-plus point performance of the season as Vanderbilt remained undefeated with a win over Auburn.

Sacha Washington had 18 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.

Vanderbilt went on an 8-0 run in the first quarter and shot 52.6% (10 of 19) from the floor to build a 23-12 lead after the first quarter.

Vanderbilt’s Aiyana Mitchell and Auburn’s A’riel Jackson led all scorers with eight points each in the first half.

Auburn (13-7, 2-4) was led by Harissoum Coulibaly, who finished with 13 points, and Kaitlyn Duhon with 11.

NO. 6 LSU 98, TEXAS A&M 54

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Milaysia Fulwiley had 23 points and five steals and LSU took advantage of a mistake-filled performance by Texas A&M and cruised to a victory.

LSU (18-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) was up by 21 points with about six minutes left in the third quarter before using an 18-0 run to push the lead to 74-35 with two minutes left in the quarter.

Grace Knox got the run going by scoring the first five points and Fulwiley scored seven points to keep it going. Knox had 19 points on 9-for-9 shooting.

The Aggies had four turnovers and missed five shots during that time to help the Tigers, who lead the nation in scoring, put the game out of reach.

The Tigers’ defense harassed Texas A&M (8-7, 1-5) into 25 turnovers, which they turned into 41 points.

It’s the fourth straight victory for LSU after the Tigers lost their only two games of the season in back-to-back contests against No. 11 Kentucky and No. 12 Vanderbilt.

Fatmata Janneh scored 14 points and Ny’Ceara Pryor added 13, but had six turnovers, for the Aggies. Texas A&M lost its third straight and for the fifth time in six games.

NO. 7 MICHIGAN 94, RUTGERS 60

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Syla Swords and Olivia Olson each scored 16 points to help Michigan rout Rutgers.

Mila Holloyway and Te’Yala Delfosse both had 15 for the Wolverines (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten), who jumped all over the Scarlet Knights (9-10, 1-7). Michigan hit 13 of 18 shots (72%) in the opening quarter to go up 31-13.

Swords hit all three of her 3-point attempts to score nine points in the first 10 minutes. Michigan was able to work the ball around efficiently for virtually any shot the team wanted, getting 11 assists on the 13 baskets.

Kaylah Ivey did her best to try and keep Rutgers in the game, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers, including one from the Jersey Mike’s Arena logo about 28 feet from the basket. The Scarlet Knights trailed 43-24 at the half.

NO. 10 IOWA 85, NO. 15 MARYLAND 78, OT

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Ava Heiden scored 20 points, and Iowa recovered in overtime to beat Maryland after the Hawkeyes blew a 17-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation Thursday night.

Iowa (17-2 8-0) remained unbeaten in Big Ten play, but not without a scare. The Terrapins trailed 66-49 in the fourth quarter before coming all the way back and tying the game at 73 on Oluchi Okananwa’s 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds remaining.

Maryland (17-4, 5-4) briefly led in overtime, but its offense dried up late and the Hawkeyes pulled away again. Maryland lost its second straight after the Terps were beaten 97-67 at UCLA last weekend.

Chazadi Wright scored 18 points for the Hawkeyes, who have won seven in a row. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Maryland.

NO. 12 OHIO STATE 81, INDIANA 67

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 22 points and Chance Gray and Kennedy Cambridge each added 13 for Ohio State in a comeback win over Indiana.

The Buckeyes (18-2, 7-1 Big Ten) were down 42-32 at halftime. But a 14-1 run in the third quarter, lasting almost three minutes, gave the Buckeyes the lead they would not relinquish. It is the fifth time this season Ohio State has gone into halftime trailing before going on to win the game.

Jaloni Cambridge scored 13 points in the second half and Gray added 10.

Lenée Beaumont scored 20 for Indiana (11-9, 0-8) and Shay Ciezki, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, added 19 before fouling out. Zania Socka-Nguemen had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ciezki was 7 of 11 from the field, including five made 3-pointers.

Indiana committed 26 turnovers, 15 in the second half, which turned into 34 Buckeye points. The Hoosiers shot 56.4% from the field, including 11 of 17 from 3-point range.

NO. 13 MICHIGAN STATE 74, SOUTHERN CAL 68

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Kennedy Blair scored 21 points, and Michigan State women held off Southern California’s late surge for a victory.

Michigan State opened the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run to stretch its lead to 66-54 with 5:15 remaining. Jazzy Davidson scored the last five points in a 10-0 run to help pull USC to 66-64 with 4:10 left before the Spartans sealed it from the free-throw line. Blair led the Spartans with eight points.

Blair shot 8 of 15 from the floor overall, made 5 of 6 free throws and had five steals. Grace VanSlooten scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds for Michigan State (18-2, 7-2 Big Ten), which rebounded from a 75-68 loss to then-No. 10 Iowa. Rashunda Jones scored 16 points and Ines Sotelo added 12 to go with seven rebounds for the Spartans.

Michigan State scored 25 points from 24 USC turnovers.

Kara Dunn scored 23 points and Jazzy Davidson added 21 to lead USC (11-8, 3-5). Kennedy Smith scored 15 points.

NO. 17 TENNESSEE 60, NO. 11 KENTUCKY 58

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mia Pauldo scored 21 points and Tennessee beat Kentucky 60-58 on Thursday night for its seventh victory in a row.

Pauldo, who hit the 20-point mark for the second time this season, shot 9 of 22 from the field and 2 of 11 from beyond the arc for the Lady Vols (14-3, 6-0 Southeastern Conference).

Ameila Hassett scored 16 points for Kentucky (17-4, 4-3). Jordan Obi had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Tonie Morgan scored 13. Clara Strack added 14 rebounds and nine points.

NO. 18 MISSISSIPPI 82, MISSOURI 61

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Cotie McMahon scored 33 points to tie a career-high, and she added 12 points and five assists to help Mississippi beat Missouri.

McMahon, who was held to nine points in an 82-59 loss to Georgia on Sunday, was 13 of 23 from the field and 6 of 11 at the free-throw line to match her previous scoring high set on Jan. 21, 2024, against Iowa.

Sira Thienou also had a double-double for Ole Miss (17-4, 4-2 SEC) with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Latasha Lattimore added 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Grace Slaughter led Missouri (13-9, 1-6) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Shannon Dowell added 15 points. The Tigers have lost the last five matchup in the series.

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Mets get Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette, and Luis Robert Jr. in one crazy week | The Mets Pod

On the latest episode of The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo recap a week that turned the tide on the Mets' offseason and outlook for 2026. 

First up, the guys react to the huge trade that landed top starter Freddy Peralta, along with Tobias Myers, in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. 

Then Connor and Joe move on to the acquisition of center fielder Luis Robert Jr, the official introduction of Bo Bichette, the addition of Luis Garcia to the bullpen, and maybe more moves to come.

The show also goes Down on the Farm to look at how the trades affect the organization, and answer Mailbag questions about adding another outfielder, and the September return of Pete Alonso to Citi Field with the Orioles. 

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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American-born players help Mexico break winless streak with 1-0 victory over Panama

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) — American-born players Richy Ledezma and Brian Gutiérrez made their debuts and helped the Mexican national team break a six-match winless streak with a 1-0 win over Panama in a warmup match Thursday for this year's World Cup.

Defender Richard Peralta scored an own goal in the 92nd minute to give Mexico its first win since last July, when it beat the United States in the Gold Cup final.

Ledezma, who was born in Phoenix to Mexican parents, made the one-time switch with FIFA after playing official matches with the United States. He started the match and played all 90 minutes.

Gutierrez, who was born in Berwyn, Illinois, did not have to apply for a country switch because he only played friendlies for the U.S. against Venezuela and Costa Rica in January 2025.

“Those were good minutes, I’m taking it one step at a time and now I’ll continue to grow,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez, who also was a starter and left the match in the 57th minute, was also on the CONCACAF Nations League roster last March but never got into a game.

Obed Vargas, who was born in Anchorage, Alaska, also was a starter for Mexico.

“Those three guys that were born in the United States and decided to play for Mexico, and for that reason alone they deserve my respect,” said Mexico’s coach Javier Aguirre. “The three started off well, they’re kids with a future, I’m happy.”

Vargas, a midfielder, earned his first cap with the Mexico senior team in October 2024 with a substitute appearance against the United States in a 2-0 victory.

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

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Stamkos breaks late tie with 3rd goal of game, Predators rally to beat Senators 5-3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos broke a tie with 2:13 left with his third goal of the game and the Nashville Predators overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on Thursday night.

After Stamkos tied it at 3 with 9:53 left with his second power-play goal of the game, Ryan O’Reilly beat the Senators to the puck behind the goal line and popped it out front to Stamkos, who batted it out of the air past goalie James Reimer.

O’Reilly set up the tying goal, too, firing a cross-crease feed to Stamkos with the man advantage. Nashville got the power play when Tim Stutzle cross-checked Stamkos.

Predators captain Roman Josi, playing his 1,000th NHL game, also assisted on the tying goal. The defenseman is the 84th player in NHL history to play his first 1,000 regular-season games with one franchise.

Stamkos had his second hat trick of the season and 16th overall to push his season goals total to 24. Jonathan Marchessault also scored, and Cole Smith had an empty-netter. Juuse Saros made 23 saves to help Nashville end a three-game losing streak.

Stephen Halliday scored his first NHL goal, and Ridly Greig and Dylan Cozens added goals for Ottawa. Reimer, making his third straight start after signing with the Senators on Jan. 12, stopped 21 shots.

Ottawa closed a three-game trip. It had earned points in five straight games.

Halliday opened the scoring at 6:03 of the first period, knocking in a rebound. With David Perron out after surgery to repair a sports hernia, Halliday was recalled from Belleville of the AHL in the morning. He scored in his 19th NHL game, all this season.

Up next

Senators: Host Carolina on Saturday night to open a four-game homestand.

Predators: Host Utah on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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MLB clears ex-Giants reliever Sean Hjelle after investigation into allegations of ‘abuse’

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Wood throws a pitch

MLB cleared ex-Giants reliever Sean Hjelle after he faced allegations of “abuse” from his wife this past summer, according to a new report.

NBC Sports Bay Area reported the league concluded its investigation and that Hjelle will not face any disciplinary action from MLB.

The league’s decision comes after Hjelle’s wife, Caroline, accused the righty of infidelity, along with “abuse” in a series of TikTok videos she posted back in June 2025.

“When my MLB husband abandons us on Mothers Day a week after this once I finally found out about his affairs and stopped putting up with his abuse so I’ve been raising two boys alone,” she wrote on a TikTok — which has since been deleted — which showed her and her two sons.

Sean Hjelle of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 22, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images

In the caption under the video, Caroline wrote, “Yeah I’ve had to be silent for too long about this.”

When asked about the allegations in June, Hjelle said that he did not have a comment.

“I don’t have an official comment right now,” Hjelle told reporters following a game against the Red Sox on June 21, 2025. “I would like to actually talk with my agent, my lawyer. This has been something that’s been going on for over a year now in terms of our relationship and our divorce and our separation and everything.  … I just want to talk to the appropriate people and figure out what the steps are, just kind of taking it stride right now.

“So no comment right now. I feel confident saying that I will have one eventually. I don’t have an exact timeline on that, but I would like to actually get with the people that are handling the situation with me and for me before I actually make an official statement.”

Hjelle, who spent four seasons in the MLB with the Giants, signed a deal with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan’s Nippon Baseball League after a shaky 2025 in San Francisco.

In 12 appearances with the Giants, Hjelle — who at 6 feet 11 is listed as the tallest player in MLB history alongside ex-Mets reliever Jon Rauch — posted a 7.80 ERA and was sent down to the minors in the middle of the season.