LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ezra Ausar scored 21 points, Jacob Cofie had a double-double and Southern California held off Rutgers for a 78-75 victory on Saturday night.
Rutgers never led after scoring the opening bucket and trailed by as many as 19 points early in the second half. With 2:23 to play, Tariq Francis sparked an 11-2 surge for the Scarlet Knights that capped the scoring with 36 seconds left. Francis scored nine points during the stretch.
Chad Baker-Mazara missed a jumper for USC with five seconds to go but then forced a turnover to end it. Baker-Mazara finished with 17 points for USC (16-6, 5-6 Big Ten). Cofie scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Francis scored 26 points to lead Rutgers (9-13, 2-9), which has lost five straight. Dylan Grant added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Trojans started with an 18-6 run and built a 40-30 halftime lead. Cofie scored 12 points and Ausar added nine in the first half for the Trojans. Grant and Francis each scored nine first-half points for the Scarlet Knights. USC had its largest lead, 56-37, with 14:37 to play.
SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 16: Russell Westbrook #18 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket during the game against the Washington Wizards on January 16, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Washington Wizards play the Sacramento Kings tomorrow. Let’s preview this.
Game info
When: Sunday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
Injuries: For the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly (back), Tristan Vukcevic (hamstring), Marvin Bagley (back), Trae Young (knee, quad) and Cam Whitmore (shoulder) are out. Tre Johnson is day-to-day.
For the Kings, Keegan Murray is out. Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk are day-to-day.
What to watch for
The Wizards remain at home and look to start February on the right note. The Kings have lost eight in a row and haven’t won since beating … the Wizards at home (meaning, in Sacramento) back on Jan. 17. After getting a shellacking from the Lakers last Friday, hopefully the Wizards can turn the tables on the Kings tomorrow evening!
Police handcuffed and escorted Tuskegee basketball coach Benjy Taylor off the court after a loss to Morehouse on Saturday, Jan. 31, following a Division II HBCU game.
According to HBCU GameDay, Taylor was attempting to ensure conference-mandated security protocols were followed after Morehouse's 77-69 win over the Golden Tigers in Atlanta. Football players from Morehouse intermingled with players during the postgame handshake, which is not allowed.
According to Tuskegee athletic director Reginald Ruffin, Taylor asked security to enforce the conference rules and remove the football players from the handshake line.
“We have security measures for our protection of our officials, our student-athlete coaches and spectators,” Ruffin told HBCU Gameday. He said those measures follow a protocol "mandated by the conference office" and used "at all levels across member institutions."
However, officers handcuffed Taylor instead, claiming Taylor was "very aggressive" − which Ruffin refuted.
“I am at a loss for words and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today," Taylor said in a statement to Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68. "For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that is heartbreaking for me. I was simply trying to get the football team out of the handshake line as they were following right behind me and the team yelling obscenities! It was a very dangerous situation.”
When contacted by USA TODAY Sports about the matter, Taylor issued the following statement: "I am devastated and I will have no more comments at this time."
Tuskegee head coach Benjy Taylor was handcuffed by police after the loss at Morehouse.
“I am at a loss for words and I am upset about how I was violated and treated today. For my players, my family and people of Tuskegee to witness that… pic.twitter.com/2AQRNCu1Dd
Shortly after being handcuffed, Taylor was released and was able to travel with the team. He has been the head coach for the Golden Tigers since 2019, according to the school's website.
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 27: Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles past Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on January 27, 2015 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Time moves different in the NBA. Late January 2026 will go down as one of those weeks that makes you sit back and really feel the passage of life in this sport. On January 24th, Derrick Rose’s #1 jersey was lifted to the United Center rafters. And I’d bet that if you’re Rose, maybe it felt like one week you’re the youngest MVP in league history with the whole world at your feet. And in the blink of an eye you’re standing at center court, waving goodbye as the fans cry and salute you as your jersey is retired in Chicago.
Less than a week from that, John Wall stood at Capital One Arena soaking in applause from Washington fans who remembered when he was the fastest, flashiest thing this city had ever seen.
Two generational point guards. Two #1 overall picks. Two players who were supposed to define the next decade of basketball. While Rose and Wall were having their past celebrated, somewhere across the country, the guy who was supposed to be the cautionary tale? He’s still out there. Still starting All-Star games. Still dropping 30 on whoever’s foolish enough to guard him. His name’s Stephen Curry.
.
Raised in Chicago. Overcame adversity. Starred for his city. Eternally remembered.
Remember that 2011-12 Bleacher Report preview discussing the league’s point guards that had Rose at #2, Wall at #6, and Curry at #8? The logic was sound: Rose was the reigning MVP. Wall was the electric #1 pick with unlimited potential. And Curry was figuring it out between ankle surgeries and Monta Ellis’ shadow.
When Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs at 23 years old, all hoop fans felt sick. He never averaged 20 points again. Never made another All-Star team. Although he still carved out a solid career as a veteran, he never rose again to those MVP heights. Meanwhile Wall ruptured his Achilles in 2019 at 28 years old. He played just 43 games over the next four seasons. His game, like Rose’s, was predicated on speed and explosiveness. When those disappeared, so did his superstar status.
“This is my city, this is still my house. I love y’all, and thank y’all for the night.”
Curry? He rolled his ankles so many times that the Warriors gave him a “team-friendly” contract in 2012 because they legitimately feared he’d never stay healthy. But Curry’s injuries never stole the thing that made him special. His shot doesn’t require a 40 inch vertical. His off-ball movement doesn’t require youth. His basketball IQ only improves with time. His handles are a part of his identity. He built a game designed to age gracefully while Rose and Wall used games that could only be dominant in their physical primes.
That’s what made Rose’s jersey retirement, Wall’s homecoming, and Curry’s All-Star starter nod in the same week feel so surreal. Rose at 22 looked like the future of basketball. And now his #1 hangs in the rafters as a monument to the player he was for three brilliant years before his body betrayed him. Wall’s celebration carried the same melancholic weight. He should have led Washington to championship contention. Instead, his tenure is remembered for playoff disappointment and injury setbacks. Meanwhile Curry is still trying to rip hearts out on a nightly basis. He’s averaging almost 25 points per game at nearly the age of 38, still terrorizing defenses. and let’s not forget he’s the all-time three-point leader by a margin so comically wide it looks like a typo.
Good for Dub Nation that he’s not done yet. Curry isn’t just surviving, he’s thriving. While his peers give retirement speeches, he’s still hitting step-back threes from 30 feet. Time really does move different in this league. For most players, it moves too fast. For Stephen Curry, he’s trying to hit another stepback over Father Time’s outstretched fingertips.
Dan Muse and Mike Sullivan have the Penguins and Rangers trending in different directions.
PITTSBURGH — There is something perversely ironic about the current state of the Rangers and Penguins, after the two clubs swapped coaches this past summer.
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Serving as an assistant under Peter Laviolette in New York the previous two seasons, Dan Muse was charged with getting an older Penguins team back on track while general manager Kyle Dubas retools a roster that is bracing for life after the Big Three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Muse and the Penguins were sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division entering Saturday’s matchup with the Rangers.
The end of Pittsburgh’s three-season playoff drought is well within reach.
What a way to begin an NHL head coaching career.
Mike Sullivan reacts during the Rangers’ 6-5 road loss to the Penguins on Jan. 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh. AP
Mike Sullivan, who won two Stanley Cups and spent the past decade with the Penguins, was brought to New York to salvage the championship window.
A disagreement on the timeline back to success reportedly led to Sullivan’s departure from Pittsburgh, so joining a Rangers team that expected to be competitive was a preferable landing spot.
On the day the Penguins were celebrating the 10th anniversary of their 2016 Stanley Cup win, however, Sullivan came into PPG Paints Arena with the Rangers sitting in dead last in the Eastern Conference.
The start of his Rangers tenure certainly hasn’t gone the way he imagined, but the progress his former team has made hasn’t come as a shock.
“It doesn’t surprise me, because I think the core guys that have been here as long as they have, they’re a unique group,” Sullivan said Saturday, before the Rangers lost, 6-5, to the Penguins. “And although they are aging, there’s still elite-level play in their game. It’s driven by Sid, their captain. Does it surprise me? No, it doesn’t. I think they’ve done a great job as far as becoming a team, and some of the young guys they added, and some of the pieces they added along the way.
Dan Muse is pictured during the Penguins’ Jan. 29 game. AP
“When you look at the top line, they drive, they’re the heartbeat of the team and have been for a number of years. All the elements are in play. Their special teams have been really good. They’re getting saves. It’s a good recipe.”
The Rangers job now looks a lot different than it did just under four months ago.
It could be some time before the team starts experiencing consistent success again, and that’s not exactly what Sullivan signed up for.
He has already made it clear he is still coaching to win.
Sullivan is not a development coach, but he is a player’s coach.
Perhaps it could be beneficial for Sullivan to have this time to not only shape the organization’s youngsters into his system, but also foster the types of relationships that he has built his reputation on.
Considering the switch-up, there is understandably some doubt surrounding Sullivan’s fit for what’s ahead.
But he is the coach that president and general manager Chris Drury has wanted at the helm of his team.
One of the loudest criticisms of Sullivan’s tenure in Pittsburgh was his management of youth.
Though there really wasn’t much for him to work with back then.
An abundance of rookies have already infiltrated the Rangers lineup, some of whom Sullivan has entrusted more and more.
There is belief that Sullivan’s preexisting relationships with the Wilkes-Barre players who were promoted to the Penguins in 2016 played a major factor in the team’s ascension to Stanley Cup champions.
“We’ll explore our lineup for sure, and we’ll move people around,” Sullivan said when asked if he can experiment in ways he maybe wouldn’t have if the Rangers weren’t in their current situation. “We already have, and we’ll continue to do so based on what we see, and where we think we can put players in positions to be successful and give an opportunity to play to their strengths. That’s what we’re trying to do. Gabe Perreault is a perfect example right now, and the opportunity he’s getting in the position that he’s in. But he’s not the only one. There’s a number of them.
“We’re going to continue to try to get to know this group even more so than we know them now. We’ll continue to assess and we’ll continue to learn and grow together as a group, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Sullivan later added: “I’m going to do my best to meet those challenges to try to help this organization move forward.”
Jan 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts after being ejected from the game against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was ejected from the team’s blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday. He picked up his second technical foul in the fourth quarter after arguing with a referee and incidentally bumping them in the process.
Atkinson was also critical of the officiating after the game as well, calling what transpired “circus-like.”
“We had one free throw after three quarters against a team that fouls 26th [worst],” Atkinson said. “And then the second free throw we got was after a flop. … I thought the game got out of hand quite honestly. … Parts of the game, it seemed circus-like, quite honestly. I don’t know if that’s what we want as a league. Certain characters in this league take liberties, and we don’t stand up to them.”
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Atkinson later pointed out that it wasn’t the official’s fault for why his team lost. The Cavs didn’t play their best as they were unable to take care of the ball, had poor perimeter defense, and couldn’t make enough shots to offset it.
On Saturday, the league announced that it was fining Atkinson $50,000 for his actions in Friday’s loss. The press release stated he was fined for “aggressively pursuing, berating, and making inadvertent contact with a game official.”
The loss in Phoenix snapped what was a five-game winning streak.
The Cavaliers will be on the road for the next week and a half as they have four games remaining on their five-game Western Conference road trip. They will take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday evening.
Australia’s struggles against spin were exposed again on a horror night in Pakistan, with a potential drama set to erupt after Cameron Green appeared to accuse one of the home side’s bowlers of chucking after he was dismissed.
CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay spent the past two years in Japan pitching for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and got a good look at Munetaka Murakami in the opposing batter’s box.
The Japanese slugger brings some much-needed pop to Chicago’s lineup, and Kay looks forward to seeing the impact Murakami has on their new team.
“He was not fun to face,” Kay said.
Though he wasn’t on hand, Murakami was a big topic of conversation at the White Sox fan festival this weekend. He got a big ovation when his name was announced on Friday, and he was featured in a video that he wrapped up by saying “Go White Sox!”
Chicago expects Murakami, who turns 26 on Monday, to deliver in a big way after signing a $34 million, two-year contract in late December. He hit .270 with 246 homers and 647 RBIs in 892 games over eight seasons with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League.
The left-handed-batting corner infielder launched 56 home runs in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball while becoming the youngest player to win the triple crown there. He hit more than 30 homers four straight years before an oblique injury limited him last season.
Murakami finished 2025 with 24 homers and 47 RBIs in 56 games. He said at his introductory news conference in Chicago that he has recovered and is ready to show what he can do in the majors.
The White Sox are looking forward to it, too.
“I was excited,” shortstop Colson Montgomery said. “I knew who he was because I watched him in the World Baseball Classic and I saw him tear it up. The fact that we have him on our team, I’m happy about that. I’d rather him be on our team than anyone else’s. I think I could just tell the excitement that he had. You can kind of see that he’s very excited to be with this core group that we have and be able to just go out there and win games.”
Murakami came through with some big hits to help Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His game-ending double off Giovanny Gallegos drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. The following day in the championship game, Murakami hit a tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning and Japan went on to beat the United States 3-2.
Murakami is joining a team with three straight 100-loss seasons and back-to-back last-place finishes in the AL Central. The White Sox went 60-102 last year, though they also made a 19-game improvement from 2024, when they finished 41-121 and set a modern-era major league record for losses.
Chicago was second to last in the American League with 165 home runs last season. But with Murakami joining a promising core of young hitters that includes Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth, the White Sox expect to have more pop.
“Obviously, the power is real,” manager Will Venable said. “We’ve seen that from afar. But he’s just somebody that’s really committed to getting better. I think that’s been really apparent in the communication that we’ve had with him. He talks a lot about his defense. He wants to be a great baserunner, and so just to be on the ground floor with him and go to work and see him go about his business is going to be really exciting.”
One knock against Murakami is his contact and strikeout rates. He struck out 977 times in 3,780 plate appearances over eight seasons with Yakult, but he also had a .557 slugging percentage and 614 walks.
“He does hit a lot of homers,” Kay said. “He didn’t have any problem with the velocity I had. I don’t understand why he can’t have a lot of success over here. There will probably be an adjustment period for him. Pitchers might be able to figure him out for a little bit, but he’s a good enough hitter where he can also make adjustments.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was fined $50,000 by the NBA for “aggressively pursuing, berating, and making inadvertent contact with a game official” during a game on Friday night.
The NBA's head of basketball operations James Jones made the announcement on Saturday.
Arráez's new deal with the Giants is worth $12 million, according to USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale.
Arráez, who's nickname is "La Regadera" or "The Sprinkler," tallied 181 hits (best in the NL), 61 RBIs, and eight home runs with a .292 batting average in 2025.
He's played seven MLB seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins and Padres, racking up 1,028 hits, 169 doubles, 36 home runs, a .317 batting average and .777 OPS. He's added 31 stolen bases.
Three-time batting champion Luis Arraez signs one year $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants to be their second baseman. @jorgecastillo on it.
Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a RBI single in the seventh inning the game against Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park on September 22, 2025 in San Diego, California. (
One of top remaining free agents has found a new home.
Luis Arraez celebrates after hitting a RBI single in the seventh inning of the Padres’ win over the Brewers at Petco Park on Sept. 22, 2025 in San Diego. Getty Images
Arraez, with the Padres last season, led the National League with 180 hits, finishing the year with a .292/.327/.392 slash line across 154 games.
The 28-year-old is an anomaly in modern baseball, a game that now rewards power and slugging over contact hitters.
But Arraez has consistently been the latter in his career, and he won three straight batting titles from 2022-24, leading all of MLB in ’23 with a .354 average.
He’s an incredibly difficult hitter to strike out, as he’s whiffed just 215 times total over seven seasons.
His strikeout (3.5 percent) and swing-and-miss rate (5.3 percent) both ranked in the 100th percentile in MLB in 2025, according to Baseball Savant.
On the flip side, though, his hard hit rate ranks in the 1st percentile.
He’s spent the most of the last two seasons with the Padres, and he’ll now travel north to the Bay Area as the Giants look to make a run in the NL West.
Luis Arraez throws to first base during the ninth inning of the Padres’ win over the White Sox at Rate Field on Sept. 21, 2025 in Chicago. Getty Images
Arraez has the ability to play both corner infield positions and second base, though he spent most of the time — 117 games — at first base in 2025.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freshman Trent Sisley made the first of two free throws with less than a second remaining in a second overtime and Indiana outlasted UCLA 98-97 on Saturday.
Nick Dorn hit six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points for the Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten Conference) in a third straight victory following a four-game losing streak. Lamar Wilkerson added 24 points and eight rebounds.
Indiana reserve Reed Bailey totaled 24 points before fouling out in OT. He made 6 of 7 shots and 12 of 13 free throws. His only miss at the foul line came with eight seconds left in regulation, leading to a 3-pointer by Trent Perry that forced the first extra period tied at 76.
Perry made all 10 of his free throws and scored 25 to lead the Bruins (15-7, 7-4), who fall to 12-1 at home after winning 14 straight dating to last season. Donovan Dent totaled 24 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 0.3 seconds left, leading to the winning free throw. Tyler Bilodeau added 18 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.
It was UCLA's first OT game at home in four years and their first double OT game there in 11 years.
Perry had 11 points in the first half to help UCLA build a 38-30 advantage.
Indiana played from behind until Dorn hit a 3-pointer to give the Hoosiers a 45-43 lead with 14:14 remaining. UCLA trailed by 10 before outscoring Indiana 15-5 over the final 1:50 to force OT.
Indiana's Sam Alexis had a layup to tie it 84-all with six seconds left, leading to a second extra period after Perry missed a jumper.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Luis Arraez #4 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a RBI single in the seventh inning the game against Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park on September 22, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants made no secret about their desire to acquire a second baseman this offseason. They were never really in on free agent Bo Bichette, it seemed. There was a little smoke with Nico Hoerner, but it never seemed likely that the Chicago Cubs would deal him. They surprisingly made a run at CJ Abrams but (thankfully, in my eyes), the Washington Nationals rebuffed them. And they’ve spent months dancing around Brendan Donovan and the St. Louis Cardinals.
On Saturday, they finally found their man and … well … it’s certainly not where I envisioned them going. As first reported by ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, the Giants agreed to a one-year contract with contact maven Luis Arráez. The deal with the three-time All-Star is for $12 million.
Before I get into why I kind of hate the move, we should be clear about one thing: it’s not hard to see why the Giants are enamored with Arráez. President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey has made it clear that the organization values contact hitters, and we’ve seen that on display with the prospects they’ve targeted in the draft and in trades. Arráez, who won the batting title three years running from 2022 through 2024, is arguably the greatest pure contact hitter of this generation. His strikeout rate of just 3.1% last year lapped the field: only five qualifying hitters had a strikeout rate below 10%, and the next-closest player (Jacob Wilson) struck out more than twice as frequently as Arráez, at 7.5%.
That’s not just something the Giants covet, but something they need help with. Last year, San Francisco’s strikeout rate of 22.7% was 18th in the Majors, while their batting average of .235 was 25th. Arráez and his .292 batting average last year (and .317 for his career) is an excellent tonic for that issue. So it’s not hard to see why the Giants targeted Arráez as someone they wanted to take 600 at-bats.
Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. While Arráez is all-world from a contact perspective, he has no power whatsoever, and doesn’t draw walks, either. For his career, he has just 36 home runs in 3,533 plate appearances, and a 6.5% walk rate. The underlying metrics are almost comical: while he ranked 100th percentile in whiff percentage, strikeout percentage, and squared up rate in 2025, he was 1st percentile in hard hit rate, barrel rate, and bat speed, and 6th percentile in average exit velocity. Perhaps even more concerning is that all of those numbers have been trending in the wrong direction for a few years, even though Arráez doesn’t turn 29 for a few months. As a result, the total offensive line has been in a downward spiral: after posting a 128 OPS+ in both 2022 and 2023, Arráez fell to 107 in 2024, and just 99 a season ago.
But if his power is poor, it’s nothing compared to his defense, which is the truly confounding part of the signing. It was odd enough that the Giants, preaching a desire to win with pitching and defense, “upgraded” the rotation with Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, and then flirted with Abrams. It’s another thing entirely to pursue Arráez (and, for those wondering, the beat reporters have already clarified that Arráez will be the team’s second baseman, with Casey Schmitt moving into a utility role).
After playing all over the infield earlier in his career, Arráez was moved almost exclusively to first base last season, where his Fielding Run Value was 248th out of 299 qualifying players. In 2024, when he split time fairly evenly between first and second, he ranked 302nd out of 311 players. And in 2023, when he was a full-time second baseman, he was 299th out of 311 defenders. In total, since the start of 2023, Arráez’s Fielding Run Value of -25 is 296th out of 303 players. His Outs Above Average paints an equally grim tale.
Suffice to say, it’s a strange addition, and one that could work wonderfully or horribly. I fear it’ll be the latter; but I’ll hope for the former. Personally, I’d rather just give Schmitt the keys to the vehicle and see what happens.
Arráez will certainly be motivated: according to Bob Nightengale, he rejected a few multi-year deals for a chance to play second base, so he’ll be looking to reset his value before re-entering free agency next winter, while still in his 20s.
The New York Rangers’ 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon was emotional for Mike Sullivan.
As part of the ten-year anniversary celebration of the Penguins' 2016 Stanley Cup team, Sullivan attended an event with all of his former players on Friday night.
Ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup, the entire team was honored, including Sullivan, who received a standing ovation from the Pittsburgh fans.
“It's a proud moment for me, I was really happy to get a chance to see some of those guys that I was fortunate enough to win a Stanley Cup with,” Sullivan said. “That group of players deserves to be celebrated. They were a great team. We were certainly proud of them. It was a privilege to coach them, and so it was a bit of an emotional moment.”
Sullivan coached the Penguins for 10 seasons, winning two Stanley Cups in the process.
However, over Sullivan’s final three seasons in Pittsburgh, the team failed to reach the playoffs. After the 2024-25 campaign, Sullivan and the Penguins parted ways with a fresh start clearly needed from both sides.
Sullivan left a Penguins team that was seemingly retooling and looking to get younger around its core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, while he joined a Rangers team still hoping to remain competitive following a disappointing season.
Ironically, it’s the Penguins, coached by former Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse, that find themselves in a playoff spot with an impressive 28-14-11 record, as they’ve managed to flip the script upon the departure of Sullivan.
“It doesn't surprise me because I think those core guys that have been here as long as they have, they're a unique group,” Sullivan said of the Penguins' success. “Although they are aging, they're still elite-level play in their game. It's driven by Sid, their captain.
“And so does it surprise me? No, it doesn't. I think they've done a great job as far as becoming a team, and some of the young guys they added, and some of the pieces they added along the way. When you look at the top line, they are the heartbeat of the team, and have been for a number of years. All the elements are in play. Their special teams have been really good. They're getting saves. It's a good recipe.”
On the other side of the coin, the Rangers currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 22-28-6 record. Instead of competing, Sullivan is now forced to navigate through yet another retooling situation with little to no hope of making the playoffs.
“I’m fine, it's a different challenge,” Sullivan said about how he is navigating through the Rangers’ struggles. “We're going to keep digging in here. We're going to try to rally around one another and control what we can, and we're going to try to win the game right in front of us. It's a different situation. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you otherwise, but I think our guys have done a good job in just trying to compartmentalize their emotions. When the puck drops, they try to do their best to compete and play the game the right way.”
The contrast between the two teams was on full display on Saturday afternoon.
The Rangers dug themselves into a 2-0 deficit less than 10 minutes into the game and were down 5-1 heading into the final period.
Through the first 40 minutes of the contest, the game was controlled by the Penguins, specifically indicative of their 10-2 edge in shots in the second period.
Despite a strong and valiant push by the Rangers in the final frame that saw them cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-5, it was simply too little too late, and the Blueshirts were unable to overcome their early woes.
This loss was yet another reality check for Sullivan, watching the Penguins thrive in his absence, as it certainly couldn’t have been easy for him.
DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 03: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against Naji Marshall #13 of the Dallas Mavericks during a game at American Airlines Center on January 03, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (19-29) head out on the road to face off against the Houston Rockets (29-17) in a Saturday night ABC showdown of division rivals. It’s not as much of a showdown as the network would like, with Dallas stumbling as of late, most recently dropping one to the Charlotte Hornets. Houston mostly recently walloped the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night.
Heres the main things you need to know before tipoff.
WHO: Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets
WHAT: Road division rival game
WHERE: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
WHEN: 7:30 pm CST
HOW: ABC
I have to say… this is the best Dallas Mavericks injury report in a while. Yes, the same four guys who have been out forever are still out (Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, Dereck Lively), but past that… everyone else is a go, even the two way guys you’d expect (Moussa Cisse, Ryan Nembhard). Steven Adams is now out for the season after it was determined his ankle needed surgery. Fred Van Vleet has been out for the Rockets all year.
This will be the fourth and final game of the season series between these two teams. Dallas lost the first in early November but hung around, then took the next two games from Houston. In the second game, they sat key players and hoped to get by and did not. In the third game, All-Star forward Alperin Sengun hurt himself minutes into the contest.
It’s not like Houston needs this game, but Dallas is sliding into a true losing streak after finally looking like they were turning a corner. The three point shooting between these two teams is what I’d keep an eye on. Offensive rebounding can be a key, but Dallas has managed to hang around in that department these last two games.
Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!
