“It’s the same knee, but it’s unrelated. Tendonitis is something athletes deal with in different parts of the body,” said Fernández. “It’s good for him to take this game, see how he feels and get him back feeling great. That’s the most important thing. Nothing to be concerned about. A lot of guys deal with it, but it’s good that Mike can focus on his body right now.”
Brooklyn came into the Bulls tilt 13-28 with Porter in the lineup, but just 1-9 when he didn’t suit up.
“You guys know what he brings, shot-making and points and all that,” Fernández said. “But it is what it is. We won in Utah without him. There have been other games where we competed at a high level — Utah at home we were up nine in the fourth on the second night of a back-to-back and the game was well played, we just couldn’t close. Memphis, we were up eight with three minutes to go without Mike too.
Michael Porter Jr. is pictured during the Nets’ Feb. 9 win over the Bulls. Getty Images
“Do we miss him? Yes. But the team can still do its job, play the right way, get the right shots, defend and all those things. The standards stay the same with or without Michael. Obviously we love having him, but it doesn’t change the intentions.”
Egor Dëmin was also out against Chicago, but the rookie was simply being rested.
All three two-ways were with G-League Long Island.
“Happy that everybody is embracing me. Everybody’s happy that I’m here, everybody wanted me,” Thomas said in his first availability in Milwaukee on Monday. “Front office told me that they always wanted me, always called about me, been trying to get me here for years.”
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder prospect Nikola Topic has made his NBA G League debut after recovering from a major knee injury and undergoing cancer treatment.
Topic had seven points and seven assists in 16 minutes for the Oklahoma City Blue in their 137-135 overtime victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Monday night.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised Topic in Los Angeles before defending NBA champion Oklahoma City faced the Lakers.
“We’re all just collectively thrilled that he’s back playing basketball,” Daigneault said. “I know he’s missed it a great deal, and this is just so good for him mentally to get his feet back underneath him.”
The G League game was another remarkable step forward for Topic, who has barely played basketball since the Thunder made him the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Oklahoma City chose the Serbian guard even though he had torn a ligament in his knee two months earlier, and the injury sidelined him for his entire first season in North America.
Topic played for Oklahoma City in summer league games last year and appeared again in the Thunder's preseason, but was subsequently diagnosed with testicular cancer. He underwent chemotherapy before working his way back into playing shape again.
“Great accomplishment,” Daigneault said. “Just can’t say enough about him as a guy, his mental toughness, maturity, resilience. ... He hasn’t played a lot of basketball over the last two years, and he comes off a one-year rehab and immediately has a surprising diagnosis and goes through chemotherapy, three rounds of it. So for him to work himself back onto the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment, and we’re incredibly happy for him.”
DENVER , CO - FEBRUARY 9: James Harden (1) of the Cleveland Cavaliers stretches his shoulder after hitting a clutch three pointer as Donovan Mitchell (45) smiles during the fourth quarter of the Cavs' 119-117 win over the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Monday, February 9, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off one of their most encouraging wins of the season, downing the Denver Nuggets 119-117.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Mitchell came out guns blazing in this game. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and entered halftime with 18 overall. Mitchell converted some absurd and-one’s along the way.
Denver adjusted in the second half, blitzing Mitchell and forcing the ball out of his hands. That helped him rack up 10 assists. And, Mitchell was still able to finish the game with 32 points, including the game-winning free throws with less than a second on the clock.
Grade: A+
James Harden
22 points, 7 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks
This was a slightly more aggressive version of Harden than the one we saw in his debut. He made more of an effort to get into the paint, going to his floater to account for his three-point struggles (2-7 shooting).
Those struggles went away when it mattered most.
Harden buried the 9-1-1 triple to tie the game with under a minute to play. His patented step-back jumper is something we’ve seen countless times in other jerseys. But, if you ask me, it looks so much sweeter in a Cavalier uniform.
Additional credit for his 10 rebounds. The Cavs had a difficult time cleaning the glass tonight, so Harden’s efforts made a difference. And no — that’s not a typo. Harden actually had 3 blocks tonight.
Grade: A+
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Allen was the hero of this road trip. He put in the work each night, scoring a career-high 40 points earlier in the trip and then capping it off by battling Nikola Jokic for a win. Allen defended Jokic as well as you can reasonably expect, and punished him for being too slow on the other end. This was a monster stretch of games from Allen.
Grade: A+++
Jaylon Tyson
16 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds
Tyson looked better than he did in Sacramento. His off-ball movement earned Tyson some quality shot attempts, and he shot efficiently from downtown, going 4-9 from the three-point line.
It’s been said before, but Tyson’s confidence is something to rave about. He has zero fear of the moment, and canned a catch-and-shoot three-pointer off a Harden kickout late in the fourth quarter. That type of stuff will earn a Hall of Famer’s trust very quickly.
Ellis converted a wild layup in transition that probably should have been an and-one. He was also fine enough on defense despite some of Cleveland’s blown coverages. Other than that, it was a hectic game that Ellis never really found his place in.
Grade: C-
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists
Tomlin’s inexperience can hold him back at times. The Cavs could have used tighter rotations and better positional awareness from him tonight. A few rebounds would have gone a long way.
I’ll give Qwan credit for nailing two three-pointers, though.
Grade: D+
Dennis Schroder
5 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
I like what Schroder provides for this team. Pesky defense and on-ball creation. But those skills will look better when he isn’t playing in three-guard lineups. This game wasn’t built for Schroder’s strengths.
Grade: C-
Sam Merrill
9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
The Cavs’ lack of size is putting a heavy strain on Merrill right now. He’s too small to defend opposing forwards, and he doesn’t have enough backline help to support him when he’s defending the perimeter.
Thankfully, Merrill was able to get going from downtown. His three triples made a difference and gave Cleveland enough fuel to get to the finish line.
Grade: C
Craig Porter Jr.
0 points, 1 rebound, 9 minutes
Porter just isn’t in a position for success right now. He’s in lineups featuring one, two, or sometimes three other ball-handling guards. The results haven’t been surprising. Porter isn’t a good enough floor spacer or defender to thrive in that type of lineup.
Grade: D-
Thomas Bryant
5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Bryant offered crucial support for Allen in this one. Defending Jokic is no easy task. Bryant’s physicality was important for limiting Jokic as much as humanly possible tonight.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 9: Corey Kispert #24 of the Atlanta Hawks drives to the basket during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 9, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Less than two minutes into the first quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves second leg of their home back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks, Donte DiVincenzo sank his first field goal – a wing three off of an assist from Jaden McDaniels.
On most nights, a pretty routine start for the Wolves guard and an ordinary thing that happens within the flow of the offense.
But coming off of Sunday’s embarrassing blowout loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers, a game in which DiVincenzo didn’t record a field goal, it was an omen for a team that badly needed a positive one.
One assist shy of their season-high 37 on Monday night, it was a concerted effort to come out of the gate and move the ball. Especially in the first quarter, there was an extremely low amount of one-and-no-pass possessions.
“Quick decision making and a lot of mixed-action basketball,” coach Chris Finch attributed to an intentional start to the game. “Julius and Ant were really great in that…they led the way.”
Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards recognition feels notable. A Hawks team missing two key pieces descended upon Target Center on Monday night, and on the tail end of a back-to-back, has embodied what the Wolves have struggled to come up with the energy for as of late.
An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tonight's game at Minnesota:
It’s been a lackluster effort from the Wolves’ top two over the last few games, specifically, and Monday felt like a return to normalcy and a simultaneous pull out of a hole.
“It felt great…the ball was moving,” said Rudy Gobert after the game. “I thought our focus was there.”
The reflection of the ball movement was in the box score. A 45 percent 3-point mark at the half, towering over the 33 percent halftime mark on Sunday; a much more iso-heavy game in which one-and-no-pass possessions were the norm.
The fruits of the labor were apparent. 70 points in the paint for Minnesota ballooned to Atlanta’s 42, and seven of the nine players who checked in scored in double digits.
“It was a return to our concepts and our free-flowing stuff,” Finch said. “We just have to commit to it.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 9: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks swap jerseys after the game on February 9, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
A Familiar Face Returns
Monday night marked the first time Nickeil Alexander-Walker was back at Target Center in another uniform.
A fan favorite and cheered for by everyone, he returned as the leader of a team he’s been on for less than a season. The hallmark of player development, Alexander-Walker’s tenure in Minnesota went from DNP to major contributor to back-to-back Western Conference Finals teams. His welcome from fans reflected his contributions.
While the game wasn’t close, I think it also served as a reflection of just how much this team has missed Nickeil this season. His willing on-ball defense, spot up shooting, and ability to seamlessly fill gaps is something has sorely missed, and fair to wager that it has cost them some of the games that have so many fans pulling their hair out.
“He deserves all of the love that he is getting…I’m really proud of him,” Rudy Gobert said, who was both in Utah with Alexander-Walker and Minnesota. “He got his opportunity, and I was there to witness it. I think he is still getting better every day, and I am happy that he got this opportunity.”
So who fills that role moving forward? While he’s not the same player, Tim Connelly’s latest acquisition in Ayo Dosunmu has to be the answer.
A willing defender and the main source of offensive pace in his second game in the trees, Dosunmu finished his night with 21 points off the bench. He spent a lot of his time attacking the paint and showing off his switchability on the perimeter.
While Nickeil may have brought other things to the game that Dosunmu does not, it’s clear that his downhill nature is an important element to this team that is only brought consistently by Anthony Edwards. Pair that with his fellow bench mob member Bones Hyland’s ability to push pace alongside him, and an identity seems to be forming with the second unit.
“I think [running in transition] is one of my strengths, and I’m excited about that,” Dosunmu said afterwards. “The city has embraced me, and my teammates have done a great job of putting me in positions to succeed.”
While he admitted that he still has a ways to go to get fully up to speed, the transition has been seamless. Another game and a full All-Star break should be a nice remedy to that moving forward.
Up Next
The Timberwolves will keep the homestand rolling and welcome the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night in their last game before the All-Star break.
The Blazers have played well over their last three games, and their All-Star Deni Avdija presents a foul-drawing challenge for a Wolves defense that can get their physicality impacted by a heavy whistle.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Justice Carlton scored 17 points and No. 4 Texas overcame poor second-half offense to defeat No. 18 Kentucky 64-53 on Monday night.
The Longhorns (23-2, 8-2 SEC) improved to 9-2 against AP Top 25 teams while winning their 40th straight home game, the longest streak in the nation. But this one was in doubt until the final few minutes.
Kentucky (18-7, 5-6) trailed by 14 before the midway point in the third quarter, but found itself down by just one point after a basket by Clara Strack with 6:23 remaining in the game. Texas responded with four free throws by Kyla Oldacre and a 3-pointer by Carlton with 3:54 left for a 56-50 lead after Madison Booker grabbed the rebound of a missed 3 by Jordan Lee.
Texas made six straight free throws in the final 1:25 to secure the win. Lee scored 13, the only Longhorns player other than Carlton in double figures.
Asia Boone led Kentucky with 16 points and Strack added 14. The Wildcats shot just 39% from the field and committed a season-high 23 turnovers.
After getting outscored in the first half of their last four games, the Commodores (23-2, 9-2 Southeastern) scored 59 points on their way to a 19-point halftime lead.
Oklahoma (17-6, 5-5) took its only lead when Payton Verhulst hit a 3-pointer just eight seconds into the game. Justine Pissott answered with a 3 that sparked a 12-2 run and Vanderbilt never again trailed. The Commodore took their biggest lead at 51-25 when Blakes converted a three-point play with 6:17 left in the second quarter.
Aubrey Galvan had a career high 30 points, 17 in the first half. Her previous high was 20 in Vanderbilt’s 72-69 win over No. 7 Michigan on Jan. 19.
Pissott had 16 points and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda had 13 points and nine rebounds for Vanderbilt.
The Athletic | Keith Law ($): Several publications have George Lombard Jr. as the Yankees’ top-ranked prospect and Keith Law agrees in his 2026 installation of the Yankees’ top prospect rankings. The 21-year-old shortstop was ranked at second last year and 98th overall, and moves to the front of the queue with Jasson Domínguez’s graduation from prospect status, as well as to 24th overall in baseball. Law believes that Lombard was promoted to Double-A too quickly last season, which likely explains his contact issues against velocity. Law calls him a ‘definite shortstop’ and was impressed by his excellent bat speed and knowledge of the strike zone.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: On Monday, the Yankees acquired utility infielder Max Schuemann from the Athletics for right-handed pitching prospect Luis Burgos. Schuemann struggled mightily at the plate in 2025 — .568 OPS, 62 wRC+ in 213 PAs — but is a wizard with the glove, racking up +8 Outs Above Average between mostly second, third, and shortstop. The 28-year-old is expected to provide competition for Amed Rosario and Oswaldo Cabrera for one of the spots on the bench. You can read a more complete breakdown on Schuemann and Burgos here.
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: In order to make room on the 40-man roster for Schuemann, the Yankees designated Yanquiel Fernandez for assignment. The move comes just five days after they claimed the outfielder off waivers from the Rockies. The 23-year-old logged a .613 OPS and 55 wRC+ with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 52 games and 147 PAs in his debut season after appearing at the back end of several Top-100 prospect rankings. The Yankees can place him on waivers or trade him over the next five days, and can outright him to the minors if he passes through waivers.
FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: Operation Run it Back entered its latest phase with the Yankees recenlt announcing the re-signing of Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year, $4 million contract. The former NL MVP is entering his age-38 season and has been a roughly league average player at the plate the last two seasons, making up for the loss of power with a significant reduction in strikeouts. He’s being brought back likely with the understanding that he will be used in a platoon role at first base after posting a 169 wRC+ against lefties in 2025. His signing is a double-edged sword for the surging Ben Rice — on one hand it frees up Rice to backup at catcher on days when a lefty is on the mound but on the other hand, given the Yankees view Rice as their future first baseman — and already one of their best hitters — it might benefit them to get Rice as much playing time as possible at first. Clemens speculates that part of the motivation for Goldy to stick around is to build his Hall of Fame case — he’s 28 home runs from 400 and 210 hits from 2,500 — as well as to hunt the World Series ring that has eluded him.
This is the third “home and stay home” series for the Houston Rockets this season. They’re 1-3 so far, with each of those games coming on the road (at Utah and at Portland). Tonight and tomorrow, they take on the new-look Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers traded James Harden for Darius Garland and decided to start tear things down when they traded Ivica Zubac to the Pacers (Indy is going to be really fun next season).
LA still has Kawhi Leonard and John Collins, both of whom lit up Houston when the teams played back in December. Since then, the Clips have the best record in the NBA. Ty Lue is a good coach and LA is just a few games back of being in 8th place in the West and having the inside track on making the playoffs.
Going into the 2025-26 season, there were many conversations folks thought the Pittsburgh Penguins would be having by the time the 2026 Olympic break came around.
There was the anticipated discussion over which of their big players - namely Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust - would be on the roster by the end of the season. There was discourse about how big GM/POHO Kyle Dubas was going to sell at the trade deadline, as selling more probably meant a higher likelihood of a lottery pick. And there was the also going to be talk around the career of Evgeni Malkin, which - although that is still set to happen between Malkin and Penguins' management over the break - has basically evolved into a more sure thing.
But something that not many thought would be discussed much in relation to the Penguins was Stanley Cup contention. And there is a lot of season left, even if things are looking much better than expected so far.
However, it may be time to start discussing the Penguins as not just playoff contenders, but as a team that is capable of greater heights this season.
For starters, the East is pretty wide open, and that's not just in reference to the wild card race. The Penguins currently sit second in the Metropolitan Division, and they are eight points back of the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes with a game in hand. They also have three games against Carolina in March, which will be critical for them.
And so far, the Penguins have excelled against all four East teams above them in the overall standings. Pittsburgh is a combined 5-2-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Detroit Red Wings, and both of their regulation losses have come against the Canadiens. They are also 10-1-5 against the Metropolitan Division this season, which is a drastic improvement over last season.
Not only that, but they are clicking on all cylinders. Their defensive metrics are now floating around league-average, which is a drastic improvement on their start to the season. Their penalty kill is up to third in the NHL (84 percent) and has allowed only six power play goals in 57 opportunities since the holiday break - including just three in their last 42. Despite recent struggles, their power play is still fourth in the league at 25.9 percent, and they're controlling a lot of five-on-five play against legitimately good hockey teams.
In other words, this Penguins' team isn't the same team that has missed the playoffs the last three seasons. Moneypuck.com now has Pittsburgh at an 85.5 percent chance of making the playoffs, which is higher than all but six teams in the NHL - three of which are in the West's Central Division. The only East teams with higher odds are the Hurricanes and Lightning.
And their Cup odds? 4.8 percent, and aside from the aforementioned teams, the Edmonton Oilers are the only other team with higher Cup odds than the Penguins at 5 percent.
Those are just some of the raw league-wide numbers, too. They don't take into account the four-line offensive depth that the Penguins boast - depth that has contributed to the third-highest goal differential in the East and seventh-highest in the league at plus-23. They are also 10th in team goaltending - which shows they're not entirely reliant on it - and they have the 16th-ranked PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) in the league at 100.54, indicating that they're not good because of luck.
The big guys are getting the job done as usual, but so are the young guys like forwards Ben Kindel and Rutger McGroarty and goaltender Arturs Silovs. And so are all of the guys that Dubas took a chance on, including defensemen Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea as well as forwards Justin Brazeau, Egor Chinakhov, and Connor Dewar.
The Penguins are on track to end the regular season with 103 points. They're also on track to have seven players score 20 or more goals and 10 players register 40 or more points.
They have all the makings of a legitimate playoff contender, and they also have the makings of a contender for the Eastern Conference. It's probably about time that folks shift the conversation from whether or not the Penguins are playoff contenders to whether or not this team could legitimately win the East.
Getting the to the playoffs is the first step, of course. Their March schedule will not be easy, and they are playing a lot of top teams. But if these Penguins manage to pick up right where they left off before the Olympic break - and if they add another piece at the trade deadline to help them down the stretch run, however small a move - they could be a team to pay attention to in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kansas — without potential top NBA draft pick Darryn Peterson for the 11th time this season — trailed by three at halftime and found themselves down by as many as 11 at the 17-minute mark. They responded with a 9-2 run over the next two minutes to come within three points of Arizona before taking the lead on a Flory Bidunga layup with nine minutes to go.
"KANSAS HAS KNOCKED OFF UNBEATEN ARIZONA! NO. 1 GOES DOWN INSIDE ALLEN FIELDHOUSE! NO DARRYN PETERSON, NO PROBLEM FOR THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS!"
Bidunga led the Jayhawks in both scoring (23 points) and rebounds (11). The sophomore big man also had a critical block with 17 seconds left in the game on Koa Peat's layup attempt to protect a three-point lead. Tre White sealed the win by draining a pair of free throws in the final five seconds.
Feb 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their five-game Western Conference roadtrip with a bang. They overcame a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to beat a strong Denver Nuggets team 119-117 thanks to their dynamic backcourt.
The Donovan Mitchell and James Harden pairing couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
The Cavs were kept at arm’s length for most of the game. They never let the Nuggets get out in front by more than 11, but it also never felt like they really had a chance of getting into the game.
That changed down the stretch.
Cleveland’s half-court offense feels inevitable. There’s only so much you can do when you have two guards who require that much attention. There’s just too many holes to plug, and eventually, the defense is going to break.
That’s what happened late. Jarrett Allen found himself wide open for back-to-back crucial baskets to make it a one-point game with just over a minute left.
Harden then hit an impossible step-back three with 32 seconds left to tie the game for the first time in the fourth.
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Mitchell has been the primary scoring engine in their first two games. He poured in 32 points on 11-23 shooting to go along with 10 assists.
Harden, on the other hand, has been the orchestrator of the offense. He’s continually found ways to generate open looks for his teammates, which includes feeding Allen early and often.
This group hasn’t had someone with the playmaking capabilities of Harden. His ability to draw as many defenders into him and then deliver on-time and on-target passes is truly unbelievable.
Harden’s facilitating doesn’t come at the expense of generating good looks for himself. He provided 22 points on 7-16 shooting to go along with 10 huge rebounds and seven assists.
Even though the offense was impressive, Harden’s defense was just as important. He did an excellent job of double-teaming Nikola Jokic and providing help defense when needed. This led to a crucial Jokic turnover on Denver’s third-to-last possession.
Allen continues to be the biggest beneficiary of Harden’s playmaking. He provided 22 points on 10-16 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds.
Allen did a good job of staying in front of Nikola Jokic and containing him the best he could. Unfortunately for Cleveland, containing Jokic still meant he finished with a triple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists. He also committed seven costly turnovers.
Julian Strawther and Christian Bruan provided 20 points each.
The Cavs return home to take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. It will be their last game before the All-Star break. Tip-off is at 7 PM.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Flory Bidunga had a double-double and No. 9 Kansas defeated top-ranked and previously unbeaten Arizona 82-78 on Monday night.
Arizona (23-1, 10-1 Big 12) entered Allen Fieldhouse with the second-longest winning streak in Division I men’s basketball.
Kansas (19-5, 9-2) played without freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who was a late scratch with flu-like symptoms. Peterson has missed 11 games with a combination of hamstring, calf and ankle issues.
Arizona held a three-point lead at halftime and led by as many as 11 before Kansas took its first lead of the game at the 9:32 mark in the second half.
Bidunga put the Jayhawks ahead with a layup, which capped a personal seven-point run. He finished with 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added 10 rebounds.
Arizona closed within one point with 34 seconds left in the game, but senior guard Melvin Council Jr. shot 3 of 4 from the line in the final minute and 10 of 11 in the game to help seal the victory for Kansas. He finished with 23 points. Tre White also added a pair of late free throws.
Four Kansas players scored double digits. Bryson Tiller finished with 18 points and Jamari McDowell added 10.
Freshman guard Brayden Burries led Arizona with 25 points. Motiejus Krivas scored 14 and Ivan Kharchenkov 13.
NO. 7 ST. JOHN'S 87, XAVIER 82, OT
NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor scored six of his 25 points in overtime and St. John’s outlasted pesky Xavier at Madison Square Garden for its 10th consecutive victory.
With his 904th career win on the court, Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino passed Roy Williams for third place in Division I history behind Mike Krzyzewski (1,202) and Jim Boeheim (1,116).
It was Pitino’s second victory in 17 days over his son, Richard, the first-year coach of the Musketeers. In the previous meeting, the elder Pitino earned his 900th win when the Johnnies rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half for an 88-83 victory at Xavier.
Bryce Hopkins added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Red Storm (19-5, 12-1 Big East), who won for the 15th time in 17 games and tied No. 6 UConn atop the conference standings.
St. John’s was coming off a rousing win Friday night at The Garden over the rival Huskies.
Dylan Darling had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench for the Johnnies. Ejiofor provided seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
St. John’s went 28 for 41 (68%) at the free-throw line, its most foul shots since taking 44 against Lehigh in November 2011.
Tre Carroll, the Big East’s leading scorer, had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Musketeers (12-12, 4-9), who have lost five of six and eight of 11.
NO. 24 LOUISVILE 118, NC STATE 77
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mikel Brown Jr. had 10 3-pointers and scored an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman single-game record 45 points as Louisville routed N.C. State.
Ryan Conwell added 31 and the Cardinals (18-6, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) shot 60% for the game.
After up-and-down scoring outputs in five games since returning from a lower back injury, the heralded freshman guard had 21 points with five 3s by halftime before erasing LaBradford Smith’s school freshman mark of 32 midway through the second.
Brown’s record-tying 3 came with 2:09 remaining, bringing a huge cheer from a white-clad crowd of 14,389 eager to see if he’d approach Unseld’s school mark.
He finished 14 of 23 from the field with a career-best 10 of 16 from beyond the arc, topping his previous best of 29 points against rival Kentucky in December. That had ranked fourth-best all time among Louisville freshmen coming in.
Louisville started off hot and didn’t cool off much, shooting 58% in the first half and finishing 39 of 65 overall. The Cardinals’ total included 18 3-pointers on 30 attempts, tying their second-highest output this season.
Ven-Allen Lubin had 20 points and Tre Holloman 19 for N.C. State (18-7, 9-3), which had won six in a row and entered 6-0 in ACC road games. The Wolfpack shot 41% and made just 18% from deep.
Rob Pelinka, President of basketball operations and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, attends the FIBA EuroBasket match between Slovenia and Poland in Katowice, Poland, on August 28, 2025. The European Basketball Championship game is part of the group phase, Group D competition, in Spodek Arena. (Photo by Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Lakers are finally going to start acting like the financial powerhouse they are.
New owner Mark Walter is already one of the wealthiest owners in the NBA, a far cry from the Buss family. That wealth can be spent in only a few ways in the NBA, unlike the Dodgers, which Walter also owns.
One of those ways is the front office where there is no limit on what the Lakers can spend on the staff off the court. Last week, Dan Woike of The Athleticreported that the Lakers planned to make wholesale hires to the front office.
Prior to the Lakers’ win over the Warriors on Saturday, President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka confirmed the report, noting that he and Governor Jeanie Buss would oversee the hires.
Referencing Mark Walter and the Lakers' new majority ownership group, Rob Pelinka said, "there is no expense they'll spare in being the best sort of front office in the world…I think now we'll have an opportunity just with extra resources that Mark brings to build it out and… pic.twitter.com/d91onBvEe4
Rob Pelinka on collaborating with the Dodgers: “Being able to tap into a person like Andrew Friedman for best practices. He's so incredibly smart and has done such an amazing job bringing championships to the Dodgers” pic.twitter.com/4KCi9N0c6b
It would be fair to have some concerns about Pelinka overseeing the hires of the front office considering how hot his seat could be if things go awry this offseason, but given his title, it would be his job to oversee the hirings of the front office.
The question now will be how quickly and how aggressively the team moves to make these hires. It’s unlikely personnel will leave teams midseason, though front office hires and movement aren’t often reported, so it’s possible.
Considering how important this summer will be for the Lakers, assembling a front office and, specifically, a scouting department, should be a high priority.
This is an area where the Lakers should have an advantage over most teams. They are the face of the NBA. They now have the spending power to go along with that.
It’s time they start acting like the premier franchise they are.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid did not play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night to rest his right knee after an off day.
Embiid is averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebound and 3.9 assists this season. He has played in 31 games after being limited to 19 games last year and 39 games the previous season. The 7-foot center scored 33 points in a win at Phoenix on Saturday night.
In Portland, the Sixers also ruled out Quentin Grimes and Quentin Dominick because both had an illness.
Philadelphia was also missing Paul George, who was recently suspended 25 games for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program.
Sep 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander (32) pitches in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
I was perusing through our sister sites this morning and saw this question posed by Battery Power, home of the Atlanta Braves. In the wake of yesterday’s Super Bowl, it seemed like a relevant question.
For the majority of the Super Bowl, it seemed like Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers was going to win MVP since he set an NFL record with five field goals in the Super Bowl. However, things started to pick up in the fourth quarter — the first touchdown of the game was scored with 13:24 left in the game — and the Seahawks ultimately stomped the New England Patriots 29-13.
Comparatively, the Philadelphia Eagles steamrolled the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in last year’s Super Bowl with the scoring more evenly distributed through all four quarters.
Putting a baseball spin on this, I ask this question of you: Do you prefer pitchers’ duels or slugfests?
We root for the Colorado Rockies, who should (theoretically) be involved in more slugfests at Coors Field. However, they do sometimes get involved in pitchers’ duels as well, especially in some of the California stadiums.
Slugfests, of course, feature more action. Baseballs are flying through the air and players are running all over the field, but they also take longer (sorry, Rob Manfred, but you cannot have lots of offense and short games). Meanwhile, pitchers’ duels are shorter games that take more strategy, but they can sometimes be “boring” because of the lack of action.
Last year, the first slugfest the Rockies were involved in was April 6th against the Athletics, where they beat them 12-5 in Chase Dollander’s MLB Debut. Dollander was also involved in a daring no-hitter duel against Tyler Glasnow and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 8th (the Rockies ultimately lost 3-1).
There were a few of each last year, of course, but those were the ones that stood out to me.
So, Purple Row night owls, what say you? Which do you prefer?
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Lamar Wilkerson had 41 points and Indiana beat Oregon 92-74 on Monday night, handing the Ducks a 10th straight loss.
Wilkerson missed his first five shots and then made 13 of 15 for the Hoosiers (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten Conference), who have won two straight and five of six. He made 6 of 12 from 3-point range and 9 of 11 free throws. The senior guard hit 10 3-pointers and scored an Assembly Hall record 44 in a 113-72 victory over Penn State in December. He is the fifth Hoosier to have multiple 40-point games in one season.
Sam Alexis had 16 points for Indiana and Tucker DeVries totaled 15 points and seven assists. Nick Dorn scored 11.
Nate Bittle and reserve Wei Lin scored 15 apiece to pace the Ducks (8-16, 1-11), who are in the midst of the longest losing streak in head coach Dana Altman's 16 seasons. Bittle added eight rebounds and five assists. Sean Stewart scored 12, Takai Simpkins 11 and Drew Carter 10.
Wilkerson scored 16 in a first half that saw nine lead changes and two ties to help Indiana take a 36-30 lead into the break. Lin had nine points as the Ducks bench outscored Indiana's 13-0.
Wilkerson and DeVries hit 3-pointers, and Alexis scored six and had the final two baskets in a 16-6 run for a 52-36 advantage in the first four minutes of the second half. The lead never slipped below 10.
Indiana shot 81.8% in the second half — 18 for 22.
