Category: Sports News

The New York Knicks will look to snap a two-game losing streak as they host the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

Phoenix is also on a two-game skid, but has been playing well for bettors as of late, and I’m taking it to cover again in my Suns vs. Knicks predictions below.

Read on to see my full analysis of tonight’s game and get my free NBA picks for Saturday, January 17.

Suns vs Knicks prediction

Suns vs Knicks best bet: Suns +3.5 (-110)

The New York Knicks are currently suffering through their worst stretch of the season, having lost seven of their last nine games. New York hasn’t been playing well at all on defense lately, giving up 119.0 ppg over that nine-game stretch.

That would be concerning enough in general, but the Knicks have also been without Jalen Brunson for nearly the entirety of the last two games, and their star is questionable again tonight with a sprained ankle.

The Phoenix Suns have had its own injury issues to deal with, as Devin Booker also missed Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat with his own sprained ankle. Like Brunson, Booker remains questionable for Saturday’s game.

But unlike the Knicks, the Suns are playing well on the defensive end right now. The Suns are allowing just 112.0 ppg to opponents on the year, and have limited seven of their last eight opponents to under 110 points. That has coincided with a span in which they have covered the spread in seven of eight games as well.

New York hasn’t been able to figure out its defensive problems, and they will struggle to keep up against Phoenix’s defense with or without Brunson in the lineup. I’m not quite bold enough to pick the Suns to win outright, but I do love the visitors to cover tonight.

Suns vs Knicks same-game parlay

The Suns have been playing well defensively and finishing with notably low totals as of late, hitting the Under in six of their last seven games, so I’ll add the Under to my SGP tonight.

I’m also backing Dillon Brooks to hit his scoring total, as he’s gone for 21+ points in three of his last five games and may get a bit more usage than normal with Devin Booker still listed as questionable with an ankle sprain.

Suns vs Knicks SGP

• Suns +3.5
• Under 225.5
• Dillon Brooks Over 20.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: The Brooks takeover

Brooks may only be averaging 3.3 rebounds per game this season, but he’s collected four or more in five of his last seven games, making him a solid pick to hit the Over in a longshot SGP tonight.

Suns vs Knicks SGP

• Suns +3.5
• Under 225.5
• Dillon Brooks Over 20.5 points
• Dillon Brooks Over 3.5 rebounds

Suns vs Knicks odds

• Spread: Phoenix +3.5 (-115) | New York -3.5 (-105)
• Moneyline: Phoenix +135 | New York -160
• Over/Under: Over 225 (-110) | Under 225 (-110)

Suns vs Knicks betting trend to know

The Suns have gone 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Knicks.

How to watch Suns vs Knicks

Suns vs Knicks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Oklahoma City Thunder may have lapsed into cruise control briefly, but the defending champs have their swagger back as they visit the Miami Heat tonight – and that’s bad news for the rest of the league.

OKC brings a five-game win streak to South Beach, and my Thunder vs. Heat predictions point to the visitors’ bench grinding down a Miami team that will be shorthanded in the backcourt.

Take a closer look at this January 17 matchup with my free NBA picks and betting tips.

Thunder vs Heat prediction

Thunder vs Heat best bet: Ajay Mitchell Over 12.5 points (+100)

Ajay Mitchell has become such a valuable weapon off the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder, delivering consistent offense and allowing Mark Daigneault to keep Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s workload at a manageable 33.3 MPG.

After a quieter December, Mitchell has found this rhythm again this month, and I love the Over on his points prop tonight against the Miami Heat. He’s averaging 14.8 PPG so far in 2026 and finished with 17 points on Thursday against the Houston Rockets.

The visitors’ second unit feels like the X-factor here, and Mitchell is the one dynamic bucket-getter in that group. He’s also shown a willingness to be more aggressive on the road, where his scoring jumps to 15.2 PPG, with a 37% mark from 3-point range.

The Miami defense represents a favorable matchup, too. The hosts rank in the bottom third of the NBA in points allowed per game (117.8), and they’ve coughed up 119+ points in five straight contests. 

Mitchell has gone past this number in four of his last five outings, and he poured in 16 points on 8-for-15 shooting in last weekend’s win over the Heat. He’s poised to have a similar impact in this rematch, and the absence of Miami’s Davion Mitchell leaves the hosts without much bite on the perimeter to bother the OKC guards.

Thunder vs Heat same-game parlay

The Heat’s 14-7 mark at Kaseya Center looks persuasive here until you remember that the Thunder are 15-4 on the road. OKC covered the spread in statement wins over the Spurs and Rockets this week, while Miami has lost four of its past five contests and has injury doubts around Tyler Herro. I’m laying the points in this SGP.

I’ll double down on the Thunder bench with the Over on Cason Wallace's points tally. Wallace hasn’t chipped in with much scoring this month, but he drilled a pair of 3-pointers in consecutive games. He’s also a candidate for easy transition baskets against the fast-paced Heat.

Thunder vs Heat SGP

• Ajay Mitchell Over 12.5 points
• Thunder -10.5
• Cason Wallace Over 6.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Bam turns provider

Bam Adebayo has dished 4+ dimes in three straight games, including the Heat’s loss in OKC last Sunday. Look for a further uptick in his playmaking if Herro is ruled out, with Bam operating as a steady passing hub at the top of the key.

Thunder vs Heat SGP

• Ajay Mitchell Over 12.5 points
• Thunder -10.5
• Cason Wallace Over 6.5 points
• Bam Adebayo Over 3.5 assists

Thunder vs Heat odds

• Spread: Thunder -10.5 | Heat +10.5
• Moneyline: Thunder -450 | Heat +350
• Over/Under: Over 233.5 | Under 233.5

Thunder vs Heat betting trend to know

The Thunder have won each of the last five meetings with the Heat. Find more NBA betting trends for Thunder vs. Heat.

How to watch Thunder vs Heat

Thunder vs Heat latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The best thing about the Sacramento Kings is that the Wizards can say, “At least we’re not the Sacramento Kings.”

Yes, the Kings beat the Wizards, 128-115 last night. It was their 12th victory of the year — just two more than the Wizards. But Sacramento has been bad while also being the league’s third oldest team (weighted for minutes). The Wizards at bad and young, which means they can still peddle hope. The Kings don’t even have that.

The Kings have no hope of being good with their current roster. They need to sell off their veterans for young players and draft picks. Their challenge is similar to where Washington was when Michael Winger and Will Dawkins took the helm — the older guys are pretty good with limitations and flaws, but their contracts are out of line with their production.

Their biggest challenge is the poor leadership of their owner Vivek Ranadive, which is something that likely won’t be rectified until he sells the team.

The game itself was at least somewhat entertaining. The Kings went on a 19-0 run to close the first quarter with a 19-point advantage. The teams played more or less even the rest of the way — the Wizards closing the gap to under five points a couple times in the second half. Each time, Sacramento responded with a run of their own to expand the margin.

It’s hard to overstate how bad Washington’s defense was in this one. The Kings entered the game with the league’s second worst offense, and with a generous helping of open and wide-open shots, posted a 128 offensive rating (points per possession x 100). That’s 18 points above their season average, and more than 12 points above league average.

The Kings achieved this absurd efficiency despite committing 18 turnovers and shooting just 19-30 on free throws. They connected on 15-31 (48.4%) from three-point range and posted an effective field goal percentage of 67.3%.

Russell Westbrook, a career 30.8% three-point shooter, shot 6-9 from deep, which boosted his three-point percentage this season to 35.7%.

Overall, the Wizards got decent production from their starting group (missing Khris Middleton and Bilal Coulibaly). Their bench — with the exception of Malaki Branham, who played probably the best game of his career — was a disaster.

Thoughts & Observations

• Credit to head coach Brian Keefe for some tank-tastic lineup choices. For several (disastrous) minutes, he had a group out there that include AJ Johnson, Will Riley, Jamir Watkins, and Marvin Bagley III. I think the fifth was Bub Carrington. That grouping meant they had no one who could threaten the defense or lead an effective offense.
• The Wizards were -22 in Johnson’s 11 minutes of action.
• They were -19 in 22 minutes with Riley on the floor.
• Carrington played 38 minutes and took just four shots, but was still productive overall with 9 assists and 2 steals.
• Carrington has an odd mix of attributes. He’s 6-4 and rebounds at a level that suggests good size, strength, athleticism and competitiveness. He defends like a small, slow, weak guy — bigger players score at will when he defends in the post, quicker players drive with little resistance, his closeout are ineffective. He rarely drives, generates paint touches or gets shots at the rim, but is still an above-average playmaker. He’s shot well from deep, but has been astonishingly bad converting the few inside shots he gets.
• While I liked seeing Justin Champagnie in the starting lineup, and his overall production was decent, I thought his defensive work was subpar — especially early in the game.

Four Factors

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

The four factors are measured by:

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

FOUR FACTORS	WIZARDS	KINGS	LGAVG
eFG%	55.0%	67.3%	54.4%
OREB%	17.5%	30.8%	26.2%
TOV%	11.0%	18.0%	12.8%
FTM/FGA	0.178	0.235	0.212
PACE	100		99.7
ORTG	115	128	115.7

Stats & Metrics

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

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

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

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

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.

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

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

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Bub Carrington	39	81	158	11.9%	4.0	123	2
Tre Johnson	30	62	109	24.9%	-1.0	121	-1
Kyshawn George	24	50	131	24.4%	1.9	146	-12
Alex Sarr	28	58	128	25.0%	1.7	123	-5
Justin Champagnie	27	56	149	17.4%	3.2	119	-12
Malaki Branham	13	28	145	25.6%	2.1	240	11
Marvin Bagley III	19	40	110	19.8%	-0.4	13	-8
AJ Johnson	11	24	63	25.2%	-3.2	-9	-22
Jamir Watkins	26	55	67	14.5%	-3.8	-25	0
Will Riley	22	46	68	19.5%	-4.3	-64	-18
Anthony Gill	1	2	0	34.7%	-0.9	-318	0

KINGS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Russell Westbrook	31	65	145	25.4%	4.8	240	0
Precious Achiuwa	28	57	171	15.3%	4.8	212	-2
Zach LaVine	32	67	136	15.1%	2.0	128	10
Dennis Schroder	20	42	156	23.5%	3.9	203	12
Nique Clifford	19	39	135	18.6%	1.4	173	19
Domantas Sabonis	21	44	116	26.0%	0.0	126	14
Dylan Cardwell	19	39	149	14.2%	1.9	109	23
Maxime Raynaud	22	45	101	15.7%	-1.1	89	-7
DeMar DeRozan	33	68	111	21.0%	-0.7	51	-7
Malik Monk	16	33	60	27.0%	-4.9	-103	3

This is the fourth and final meeting between these two flawed-but-feisty Western Conference also-rans. Dallas won Game 3 of the season series just two days ago in a 144–122 blowout behind Klay Thompson’s 26 points and an unexpected 3-point deluge. Utah leads the season series 2–1, but both wins came at home — one in overtime, one in a 116–114 squeaker.

Both teams are missing key frontcourt pieces, but Dallas is especially decimated. Dereck Lively and AD are out. Gafford and Flagg are both doubtful. And Kyrie still hasn’t returned from knee surgery. That leaves the Mavs trying to scrape together a frontcourt from Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and a prayer that Max Christie has gotten over the recent illness.

The Jazz, for their part, are now missing Markkanen, Kessler, and Niang — leaving Brice Sensabaugh and Keyonte George to carry much of the load.

🏀 Fixture, Odds and Injuries

Utah Jazz (14–27, 5–15 Away) @ Dallas Mavericks (16–26, 12–11 Home)
📍 American Airlines Center — Dallas, TX
🕓 4:10 PM CST, Jan 17
📺 KFAA-TV / NBA App

📊 DraftKings Odds (as of 8:00 AM CST)
UTA +3.5 (−110) | o241.5 (−112) | ML +136
DAL −3.5 (−110) | u241.5 (−108) | ML −162

🩻 Injury Report Highlights
Mavericks:
Cooper Flagg (ankle) — Doubtful
Daniel Gafford (ankle) — Doubtful
Dereck Lively II — Out (foot surgery)
Kyrie Irving — Out (knee)
Anthony Davis — Out (hand)
P.J. Washington — Probable
Max Christie — Probable
Jazz:
Lauri Markkanen — Out
Walker Kessler — Out
Georges Niang — Out

Side and Total Leans

Despite a thinned-out roster, Dallas is laying -3.5 at home. That reflects recent form (including Monday’s 22-point win) and ESPN’s matchup predictor, which gives the Mavericks a 70.7% win probability. But that number is inflated by names who are either out or doubtful tonight.

Over/Under at 241.5 still feels steep given how many primary options are out — particularly with Cooper Flagg (18.8 PPG, 47.8 FG%) listed as doubtful. Without his scoring and tempo, the Mavs may struggle to keep pace with their own previous explosion. The only caveat would be another outburst of a showcase vibe from Klay Thompson.

🧠 Lean: Jazz +3.5
🧠 Lean: Under 241.5

If Flagg and Gafford both sit, and Dallas can’t get out in transition, expect a grindier version of Wednesday’s track meet. If you were of the mind that the Jazz would refuse to win this game under any circumstances, taking Dallas is defensible. At this point, both teams are slowly morphing into the final tank-y form. It is just tough to see the Mavericks winning again, given the tumbleweeds rolling through the lineup.

Player Props

Naji Marshall o18.5 Points (−106)
Marshall has been one of Dallas’ steadiest contributors during the injury purge — scoring 22 or better in his last three efforts. With Cooper Flagg likely out again and PJ Washington managing an ankle, Marshall’s mid-post game and slashing lanes remain live against a Jazz team that is not in try-hard mode on defense. There’s room here for a clean 7-of-13 with free throws on top.

Brice Sensabaugh o18.5 Points (−106)
With Lauri Markkanen out again, Sensabaugh has taken the scoring reins for Utah — notching 27 points Thursday on a hyper-efficient 10-of-15 from the floor. He’s hit 26+ in three of his last four, and even with Max Christie returning for Dallas, the matchup remains juicy. Christie is expected to take on primary wing defense responsibilities but is just returning from illness, and may not have full lateral burst or game legs yet. Sensabaugh’s blend of strength and footwork could still carve up this thinned Mavs perimeter.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL will honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by displaying “Choose Love” in the end zones and on helmet decals for all divisional round playoff games this weekend.

“Choose Love” and “It Takes All of Us” will appear on opposite end zones at the Super Bowl next month. Host teams will select the end zone stencils for the conference championship games.

“Dr. King’s message continues to guide how we show up in meaningful moments across the league,” said Anna Isaacson, SVP of social responsibility for the NFL. "'Choose Love’ has become an important and widely embraced message for our teams because it reflects the values Dr. King championed — dignity, empathy, and a commitment to our shared humanity. Bringing it forward in the Divisional Round and again at Super Bowl LX reflects that continued relevance.”

“Choose Love” was first introduced in 2022 when the Bills adopted it as a unifying message for their community after a shooting in Buffalo. NFL teams have widely embraced the stencil, and it was featured at the Super Bowl last year following an attack in New Orleans.

The NFL has used on-field social justice messaging for the past six seasons. Teams featured an end zone message of their choice at each home game throughout the season, selecting from four options: “End Racism,” “Stop Hate,” “Choose Love” or “Inspire Change.” “It Takes All of Us” was stenciled in the opposite end zone for all games.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The Boston Celtics hit the road tonight for a matchup with the new-look Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Jaylen Brown continues to torch his opponents, but his total is too high for my liking. I’ll explain in my Celtics vs. Hawks predictions why I see value in the Under.

Read more in my NBA picks for Saturday, January 17.

Celtics vs Hawks prediction

Celtics vs Hawks best bet: Jaylen Brown Under 30.5 points (-112)

Jaylen Brown is having an All-Star campaign for the Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics. The guard is averaging 29.4 PPG, which ranks fifth in the Association.

This is undoubtedly the best season of his career, and it’s clear that a bigger role without Tatum is bringing out the best in him.

However, Brown’s total is set at 30.5 this evening, and given his recent numbers, the Under makes the most sense here for a best bet. The former California Golden Bear has cashed the Under in points in three straight, and in four of his last five.

Brown has 27 points in each of the last two games, which is still remarkable. But, he’s only hit Over 30 points twice in January across seven contests.

Celtics vs Hawks same-game parlay

Onyeka Okongwu has developed into a very nice piece for the Atlanta Hawks over the years, and he’s averaging 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per night. The USC product is coming off a 26-point performance on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

He’s hit the Over in points in three of his last five appearances, and Okongwu also finished with 15 points in one of those games as well. He’s averaging 15.4 PPG at home this season.

Derrick White is never afraid to chuck up triples. After all, he’s averaging 3.1 makes on 9.5 attempts for a 32.8% clip. Not the most efficient, and White has hit the Under in triples in six of eight games in January.

In fact, he’s averaging 2.5 makes this month for a 26% clip. White isn’t shooting the rock with much confidence lately – he’ll stay under four treys tonight.

Celtics vs Hawks SGP

• Jaylen Brown Under 30.5 points
• Onyeka Okongwu Over 15.5 points
• Derrick White Under 3.5 threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: Queta crashes the glass

The Hawks are allowing 15 rebounds per game to centers, and Neemias Queta has cashed the Over in three of his last six outings.

Celtics vs Hawks SGP

• Jaylen Brown Under 30.5 points
• Onyeka Okongwu Over 15.5 points
• Derrick White Under 3.5 threes
• Neemias Queta Over 9.5 rebounds

Celtics vs Hawks odds

• Spread: Boston -3.5 (-110) | Atlanta +3.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Boston +135 | Atlanta -160
• Over/Under: Over 230 (-110) | Under 230 (-110)

Celtics vs Hawks betting trend to know

The Boston Celtics have hit the Moneyline in 32 of their last 45 away games (+11.45 Units / 9% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. Hawks.

How to watch Celtics vs Hawks

Celtics vs Hawks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Dallas Mavericks will look to sweep a 2-game home set Saturday when they meet the Utah Jazz again.
 
Dallas dropped a season high in a 144-122 victory Thursday and enters this as 4.5-point favorites in the NBA odds.
 
My Jazz vs. Mavericks predictions and NBA picks have the scoring binge settling down, with these teams settling in Under a monster line on Saturday, January 17. 

Jazz vs Mavericks prediction

Jazz vs Mavericks best bet: Under 241.5 (-110)

The Dallas Mavericks are not a high-powered offensive machine, averaging just 113.6 points per game (23rd), but the Utah Jazz certainly made them look good. 
 
The Jazz are the NBA’s worst defensive team, allowing an incredible 127.4 points per game, which enables teams to shoot a league-high 49.3% against them, including 37.6% from 3-point range, the second-worst mark in the league.
 
A lot of things just went right to have Dallas ring up 144 points, including hitting 19-for-46 from 3-point range, a 41.3% clip, from a team that ranks dead last in 3-point shooting at 33.8%, while also converting 17 Utah turnovers into 30 points.
 
This is a team that still won’t likely have Cooper Flagg (ankle) back in the lineup, as he’s listed as doubtful, along with big man Daniel Gafford (ankle). They’ll be joining Anthony Davis (hand) on the sideline.
 
The good news is that both Max Christie (illness) and P.J. Washington (ankle) are probable after missing the last meeting.
 
Utah will still be without its best player, as Lauri Markkanen (illness) has already been ruled out. That didn’t slow down the Jazz scoring machine, currently sixth in the NBA, from putting up points.
 
Over has cashed in two of the last three, but Dallas and Utah have gone Under the total in seven of the previous nine.
 
The Mavericks have also gone Under in six of their last eight. While there will still be a bunch of points, I think the track meet of buckets slows down here.

Jazz vs Mavericks same-game parlay

I think it goes from heat check to reality check for Brice Sensabaugh. A guy who’s averaging 11.8 points just had 27 against Dallas, and he’s scored 26 or more in three of four games, including 43 against Chicago. Consider that in his previous 30 games, he has cracked 19 points just three times.
 
Klay Thompson is on a mini-heater, hitting at least six triples in every other game over his last six. But he’s been lights out vs Utah, drilling at least three money balls in five straight games against the Jazz. 

Jazz vs Mavericks SGP

• Under 241.5 points
• Sensabaugh Under 18.5 points
• Thompson Over 2.5 threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: Thompson stays hot

Isaiah Collier dropped 12 dimes against the Mavs last game, and has had at least eight assists in three of his last four, and in both games against Dallas this season.
 
Dwight Powell has grabbed eight or more boards just once in his last five games. Even on a team without many of its big men, Dallas’ team collective rebounding effort should keep Powell’s numbers down.

Jazz vs Mavericks SGP

• Under 241.5 points
• Sensabaugh Under 18.5 points
• Thompson Over 2.5 threes
• Collier Over 7.5 assists
• Powell Under 7.5 rebounds

Jazz vs Mavericks odds

• Spread: Jazz +3.5 | Mavericks -3.5
• Moneyline: Jazz +140 | Mavericks -165
• Over/Under: Over 241.5 | Under 241.5

Jazz vs Mavericks betting trend to know

The Mavericks have won each of their last eight home games against the Jazz. Find more NBA betting trends for Jazz vs. Mavericks.

How to watch Jazz vs Mavericks

Jazz vs Mavericks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Nacho Elvira will head into the final day of the Dubai Invitational with a two-shot lead after a 3-under 68 in Saturday's third round, while Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry also remained in contention.

Elvira started the day tied for the lead with Lowry and started slowly with six pars and a bogey on the seventh, but birdies on the ninth, 10th, 13th and 17th meant he pulled away with an 8-under total of 205.

Lowry is in a three-way tie for second with Marcus Armitage and Dylan Fritelli, who recorded the best round of the day with 65.

McIlroy is one shot further back in fifth after making three birdies on the back nine for a 68.

Elvira's only previous wins on the European tour came at the Cazoo Open in 2021 and the Soudal Open in 2024.

The Dubai Invitational is held every other year. Two years ago, Tommy Fleetwood benefited from two huge errors on the back nine from McIlroy to win the tournament following a back-and-forth final-round duel. Fleetwood was tied for 20th on even par Saturday.

Next week sees the Dubai Desert Classic, which McIlroy has won four times. He has also won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai three times.

___

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

The NBA trade deadline is three weeks away, leaving plenty of time for movement and speculation among the 30 teams in the league.

The trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks served as the biggest trade in the days leading up to the 2025 deadline. While 2026 has already seen the Atlanta Hawks trade away Trae Young, both were drafted early in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft before being traded for each other.

Guard Trae Young may not be the only point guard moved before the deadline. Here’s who else could be on the move.

Point guard market

Ja Morant could be on the move from Memphis, with his career stalling in recent years. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Sacramento Kings could be a team to watch, as long as it doesn’t "involve giving the Grizzlies any significant draft capital."

The Minnesota Timberwolves could be in the market to add a point guard, according to an ESPN report, but it remains to be seen if that happens and who those potential candidates could be.

The Timberwolves would be expected to move on from one of their key players to make a notable trade happen due to the lack of “tradable first-round picks” available for the franchise.

What could the Warriors do?

Jonathan Kuminga made his intentions clear earlier this week with his demand for a trade. The Golden State Warriors make the most of the situation and bring in a player who may be better suited for them in the process.

ESPN's Kevin Pelton believes Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. could be a player Golden State could consider. Porter has a $38 million salary, but would add another long-range shooter with size to the lineup. The Warriors would likely have to send a player over, such as  Moses Moody, to make that deal come together.

Who else is in the market for Porter? ESPN's Zach Kram believes Porter could also be a major upgrade for the Detroit Pistons, who remain a contender at the top of the Eastern Conference.

More: Where will Jonathan Kuminga be traded? NBA experts share predictions

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo be traded?

There will always be the consideration of Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded away by the Milwaukee Bucks. Whether it will actually happen remains to be seen.

"I'm just not sure who the team is that would be willing to go all-in right now for him," a scout told ESPN's Jamal Collier regarding Antetokounmpo. "Teams are looking to hold onto their cards until the summer."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA trade rumors, players who could be moved before 2026 deadline