The offseason weeks continue to blow by as we’re nearly done with January already, and spring training is officially around the corner. The Yankees’ retooling appears all but over barring a last-minute deal falling into place, and while Brian Cashman has done his best to defend against the impression that they’re just running back last year’s team, there’s not a lot of evidence to the contrary. That’s not unreasonable — they were the best offense in baseball and their rotation simply didn’t perform outside of Cam Schlittler in October after being a solid unit all year! But the hope of pulling in a significant improvement to the roster wasn’t an unreasonable one, and it looks like it’ll go unanswered at least to start the year.
Relievers past and present are on the lineup today, beginning with Andrés looking at Jake Bird’s potential to bounceback in 2026 after one of the rockiest Yankees debuts we’ve seen in a while. Then, Nick wishes a happy birthday to onetime Yankee closer John Habyan, and Jeremy takes us back to the Yankees signing one of their iconic 2009 retooling stars in Mark Teixeira.
Questions/Prompts:
1. Do you think Angel Chivilli will thrive under Matt Blake’s tutelage, or is this one a stretch?
2. What are your thoughts on Cody Bellinger opting to not join Team USA for the WBC to instead focus on getting ready for the season?
Three days off gave the Pittsburgh Penguins plenty of time to shake off the jet lag from traveling out West and will now look to extend their four game winning streak by welcoming the Chicago Blackhawks to PPG Paints Arena later this evening. This is the second meeting between the sides in just about a months time, with the Penguins defeating the Blackhawks in their first game back from the Christmas break on December 28th. That victory helped spark the Penguins current run of form which has them at 11-2-2 since the holiday.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.
Pens Points…
Injuries have hit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in force over the last two weeks as the team has seen its center depth depleted with Tristan Broz and Joona Koppanen out of the lineup. Still though, the Baby Penguins put together a 4-2-1 stretch over the last seven games. [Pensburgh]
Celebrating 20 years as teammates, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are joining forces with the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and local born artist Burton Morris to craft a special tribute artwork that will be sold to help raise money for local charities. [Penguins]
Blake Lizotte is not big by any means, but his impact on the Penguins this season has been unmistakably large. It’s not coincidence that when he was out of the lineup, the Penguins struggled mightily, winning just one of the nine games he was out with injury. [PPG]
Just two days until the 2016 Stanley Cup reunion and it’s time to look back on the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Trailing 3-2 in the series, the Penguins forced a Game 7 back in Pittsburgh where Bryan Rust played hero with a pair of goals. [Penguins]
NHL News and Notes…
In another inter-division Metro trade, the New York Islanders acquired Ondrej Palat from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Maxim Tsyplakov. To sweeten the deal, the Devils also sent over two draft picks to compensate the Islanders for taking on the Palat contract. [NHL]
It’s been 12 years since NHL players took part in the Winter Olympics, but that will change here very soon. For the first time, many NHL superstars will be lacing them up for their countries at the biggest tournament that international hockey has to offer and they will be looking to make a statement. [Yardbarker]
Travis Head will lead Australia for Thursday’s T20 series opener against Pakistan in Lahore, with captain Mitchell Marsh to be rested for the match, which got underway at 10.00pm (AEDT).
After the Celtics went into Atlanta and beat the Hawks by 26, Atlanta decided to return the favor by beating Boston 117-106 in TD Garden. It was an annoying game to watch because every time the Celtics got close to coming back and cut into the lead, the Hawks would go on a run. The frustration was definitely boiling over for Boston, no better personified than when Joe Mazzulla lost it on the refs in the third quarter. Mazzulla essentially waved the white flag at the 4:39 mark of the fourth quarter and Atlanta exacted their revenge.
In the postgame interview, Joe Mazzulla was adiment about this being a game that you just flush away. From the hot Hawks shooting to the Celtics turnovers, Mazzulla just chalked it up to “just a bad day at the office.”
Joe Mazzulla on the tough loss and the Hawks three point shooting
This loss started with the Celtics very slow start to the first quarter and it felt like they never recovered from it. The Hawks went on a 26-9 run to open the game up by 3:35 mark. Anfernee Simons tried to will the Celtics back into the game with 8 straight points out of the timeout, but the score was 38-18 after the first quarter. The Hawks shot 13-26 (50%) from the field and 7-12 (58%) from three. Although Boston got close multiple times in this game, the monster start by Atlanta really was the beginning of the end for this game.
Hawks Shooting Zone in 1Q (Via NBA.com)
3. Three Point Difference
In the past the Celtics have won and lost games this season just because of the three point shot. That was the great equalizer again in this game, but it was on the losing end for Boston. The Celtics shot 9-34 (27%) from three as a team in this one while the Hawks shot 18-42 (43%) from three. In a game where Boston lost by 11 and Atlanta made 9 more three pointers, that is a recipe for a guaranteed loss.
4. Brown/Pritchard/White Off Nights
It was a tough game for the Celtics three main offensive guys tonight as Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White all combined to shoot 19-44 (43%) from the field but 1-13 (7%) from three. There were times where all three of them had short bursts in this game that cut in to Atlanta’s lead but it never felt all that cohesive.
Derrick White had a burst in the third quarter that started with a three on wing. He then was able to make a nice driving layup off of a good screen by Luka Garza. Next he was being defended by Jalen Johnson, was able to stop on a dime and hit a mid range jumper over him. Finally, he drove into the midrange and hit a floater over CJ McCollum.
Pritchard went on his short run at the beginning of the fourth quarter. He started with a pump fake over McCollum, got him up in the air, then finished a wide open layup. The next bucket came when he ran around a Garza screen and hit a nice midrange jumper over Onyeka Okongwu. Finally, he was matched up on Corey Kispert and hit another mid range jumper over him after make a quick stop.
Brown also had his burst in the fourth quarter but it was in the middle when the Celtics were trying to make their last attempt at winning the game. He started with a nice play where Luke Kennard was guarding him and Brown just took him to his spot in the midrange and splashed the jumper. The next play came on a drive blowing by Jalen Johnson where he was fouled and finished the layup for an And-1. The third play was a goal tending call against Dyson Daniels. Finally, he was matched up on Daniels again and hit a sweet midrange jumper with him draped all over him.
In a game where a lot of guys struggled to get going, Anfernee Simons was able to play a pretty good game overall. He finished with 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and 2-4 from three. He was a big part of the Celtics turning the game around in the first quarter with some really huge baskets.
Simons came out of a Celtics timeout and finished a nice finger roll over the outstretched arm of Okongwu. Next he got the ball from Amari Williams and hit a side step three over Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Finally, on the next Celtics possession he hit another three over Alexander-Walker in essentially the same exact place.
Another guy that had a good night for the Celtics in this game was Luka Garza coming off of the bench after missing Monday’s game against the Trail Blazers with an illness. Garza finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and a career high 6 assists.
All of Garza’s baskets came in the second quarter but they were pretty much all tough buckets. The first one was a put back layup where he sealed off Luke Kennard and was able to finish the play after Jordan Walsh missed a layup. The next play came when Brown found him wide open underneath the basket and finished an And-1 layup through contact. The third basket was another layup, this time off of a nice bounce pass by Derrick White. The fourth was an all out hustle play where he missed a layup, grabbed his own rebound, and put it back up to score. Finally, after Brown missed a layup, Garza was able to tap it back up twice to finish the basket.
When it comes to his new career high in assists, Garza had two of them that made him look like the new-aged Magic Johnson. The first one came off of a nice offense rebound off of a Sam Hauser missed three. Hauser then was able to relocate to the corner where Garza made a nice pass to find him to hit the three. The second started with a nice pick and roll between Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza. Garza received a bounce pass and made a nice pass over a double team to find a cutting Jordan Walsh who finished with a reverse layup.
Coming off a couple good games against the Bulls and the Trail Blazers, Amari Williams had a bit of rough game. Williams finished with 2 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists on 1-3 shooting. He started the game for the Celtics and played 10 minutes in the first quarter but after that was benched for the rest of the game until garbage time. The reason I can think of for his benching was a culmination of the two smoked layups and two turnovers in the first quarter.
His firs tough play came on a bad pass to Jaylen Brown. Williams was trying to make a bounce pass to Brown but just threw it into Dyson Daniels feet for a turnover that resulted in a Corey Kispert three. The next play came on the Celtics next offensive possession where he ran a pick and roll with Brown. Two defenders went to Brown and it looked like Williams had an easy layup but he just smoked it on the way up. The next one came on alley-oop pass from Derrick White that Williams didn’t slam down, but tried to lay it up and smoked again. Finally, at the end of the first quarter, he committed an illegal screen at half court on Alexander-Walker and Mazzulla pulled him for the rest of the night. This is normal for a rookie in the NBA to have growing pains but it was hard not to see Williams performance as a reason for the Celtics slow start in this game.
Baylor Scheierman had a quite two first quarters of this game but once he entered the game in the third quarter, he was chaos personified. Scheierman had all 6 of his points in the third quarter along with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and a lot of hustle plays.
Scheierman started his run of great play by drawing a charge on Jalen Johnson where Johnson threw his shoulder into Baylor’s chest. Then on the next possession, Baylor drew the attention of three Hawks defenders and found Hugo Gonzalez wide open for a corner three. The next play came where the ball was being juggled in the air, Scheierman picked it off and drove to the lane for a layup. That was until Okongwu hit him with a horse collar tackle and Baylor went to the line and hit 1-2 free throws. Finally, at the 1:13 mark, Scheierman backed down CJ McCollum from the three point line to the basket and finished an And-1 layup over him.
Neemias Queta was ruled OUT before this game with an illness and I didn’t know the Celtics would look so poor in the paint without him. Clearly he is what makes their defense role because Boston ended up getting destroyed in the points in the paint battle, giving up 44. Hawks were able to take advantage of Williams to start the game in the first quarter, shooting 5-9. The second quarter was a little better for Boston as Garza took over and held Atlanta to 4-9 shooting. However, once the Celtics ran a small ball lineup in the third quarter, the Hawks were able to feast down low, shooting 8-9.
10. Bad Turnover Game
This was a game that was dominated by turnovers for the Celtics. The Hawks only finished with 9 turnovers but Boston ended with 16 turnovers on the night where Atlanta was able to generate 23 points off of them. These turnovers were most seen in the first half as the Celtics had 9 of them. This culminated with the tough shooting game from three was a big reason for the loss.
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Six direct places in the Europa League round of 16 are up for grabs and 11 teams remain in contention for the five last spots in the knockout stage in the final round of the opening phase on Thursday.
Only leader Lyon and second-placed Aston Villa have already qualified for the last 16. They are tied on points atop the standings with six wins and a loss.
Like in the Champions League, all 36 teams play in the last 18 games that kick off simultaneously, and the top eight finishers advance automatically after eight rounds.
The teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-leg playoff.
Lyon hosts PAOK while Villa meets Salzburg at home.
Third-placed Freiburg, which trails the leaders by a point, travels to 21st-placed Lille and a point would be enough for the Bundesliga team to advance.
Roma in sixth is away at Panathinaikos in 19th. Sixteenth-placed Nottingham Forest plays seventh-placed Ferencváros at City Ground.
Celtic sits in the 24th and last qualifying place and needs a win against Utrecht, which is 34th and already eliminated. Scottish rival Rangers in 31st is also out of knockout contention.
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown felt apologetic after Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu was left missing a tooth following Wednesday night’s 117-106 Celtics loss at TD Garden.
In the fourth quarter, Brown swung his right elbow and connected with Okongwu’s jaw on an offensive possession. Okongwu immediately clutched his face and was left bloodied and missing a tooth, though the 25-year-old later returned to the scene of the crime to shoot his two flagrant free throws. He then retreated to the player’s tunnel, cutting his night short with 6:43 remaining.
Brown addressed the collision with Okongwu and offered his sympathy, drawing from his own experience with facial injuries.
“Just being aggressive like I always am,” Brown said. “Just a basketball play, it’s unfortunate. Okongwu is a good player, and I know from my own experiences with a fractured face and chipped teeth — that s••t is a hassle. It wasn’t intentional, and I know it’s gonna be a long day at the dentist for him, so hopefully he has a good recovery.”
Two seasons ago, Brown took an elbow to the face from teammate Jayson Tatum that resulted in a maxillary facial fracture and required him to wear a protective mask upon his return. Brown missed just four games after a miscommunication while going for an offensive rebound left him dealing with discomfort and pain for nearly two weeks.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 28: Onyeka Okongwu #17 of the Atlanta Hawks jogs off the court after shooting two free throws from a flagrant foul by Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics (not pictured) during the second half at TD Garden on January 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
While Brown was the culprit this time, he’s uniquely qualified to speak from the perspective of someone who’s been through it.
Okongwu finished with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 28 minutes. After the Hawks closed out the Celtics, he took to social media while receiving medical treatment to send a message to his teammates, offering them a virtual pat on the back for a job well done.
“Good winssss birdsss,” Okongwu posted on his Instagram story.
But even with Okongwu left bloodied, the Celtics suffered the heaviest blow.
Atlanta faced little resistance as Boston struggled to find any rhythm. The Celtics shot just 9-for-34 (26.5%) from three, while the Hawks connected on 18-of-42 (42.9%) from beyond the arc. In the third quarter, Atlanta quickly went on a 10-4 run over the first 4:25 to take a 20-point lead (70-50), prompting Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout. The C’s then proceeded to shoot 2-of-11 from three to end the frame.
The defeat, while harsh, isn’t one Boston plans to harp on.
“I give credit to Atlanta,” Brown said. “They just beat us up and down the floor — offense and defense. They shot the ball really well, so give credit to them. They put a lot of pressure on us. This is the part of the season where you have to dig deep physically and mentally, and tonight wasn’t the best example of that.”
Okongwu’s missing tooth didn’t go in vain, and Hawks coach Quin Snyder doesn’t expect the sixth-year veteran to miss much time despite the injury. As one of the more durable members of the team, Okongwu has missed only two games all season.
“He’s tough,” Snyder told reporters. “He took quite a shot, and it’s a good thing that dentistry is a profession. I don’t know what he’s gonna need, but he’s pretty banged up. He took quite a shot. I told him he’s still handsome. But it’s a good thing that people can repair his teeth because he’s going to need some work.”
For the past several months, the question hasn’t been if Jayson Tatum will return to the Boston Celtics this season, but when he’ll return.
But a report Wednesday night has shifted that conversation.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Tatum is “re-evaluating his situation and is now considering sitting out the entire 2025-26 season” while recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered last May.
Tatum recently expressed doubt over how he’d reintegrate with the Celtics when he returns to action, telling The Pivot podcast that he’s been thinking “every single day” for the last two weeks about the potential challenges of joining a team that’s playing like a legitimate contender without him (29-18 and third in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday).
NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg and Abby Chin shared their immediate reactions on the Celtics Talk Podcast after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden.
“My immediate reaction is to just dismiss it,” Forsberg said. “I do think Tatum showed a bunch of self-awareness in those comments on The Pivot where he kind of said, ‘Hey, the Celtics have a good thing going. I don’t want to come in and be a disruptor.’ On the other hand, the Celtics still need some pieces to be a true contender, and I ultimately think for them to be in that mix, Jayson Tatum needs to be on the court.
“So, very interesting that this is being thrown out into the universe. I don’t know if this is just it being reaffirmed that he’s having some real heavy thoughts about how he fits and not wanting to disrupt, or if he’s truly pondering if the best path is to just wait.”
“I’m surprised by this,” Chin added. “I feel like this entire season — and everything that we’ve heard coming from Jayson himself — was just how motivated he is to get back this season and to get back as soon as possible.
“And yes, while the Celtics have exceeded expectations, there was always the expectation that Jayson would return this season. And to me, that’s part of the plan and has been part of the plan. So, this is surprising. I’m curious to see where this goes from here.”
To be clear, Tatum hasn’t decided on his future one way or the other. The Celtics star told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on Wednesday night that he has yet to make a decision on whether he’ll return this season because he “wants to get it right the first time, so it’s just a lot to think about.”
As Forsberg mentioned, it’s possible that Tatum is just wrestling with some internal doubts. This is the first major injury of his career — prior to his injury, no NBA player had appeared in more games than Tatum since he entered the league in 2017 — and he understandably doesn’t want to risk coming back too soon, especially if the Celtics are playing well.
“I do think we’re seeing a little bit of human nature,” Chin said. “I think this injury forced Jayson to confront his basketball mortality.”
That part is understandable. But if Tatum is truly concerned that he’ll somehow mess with the Celtics’ mojo by coming back, Forsberg has a message for the six-time All-Star.
“The Celtics have been good and they’re playing different, and I think Tatum has every right to think that there will be pain points or bumps in the road trying to re-acclimatize,” Forsberg said.
“I think the bigger thing is, he just needs to get over that, because the best version of the Celtics includes Jayson Tatum.”
Aryna Sabalennka, twice Australian Open champion, walloped Elina Svitolina, then Elena Rybakina saw off Jess Pegula to set up a repeat of the 2023 final
Sabalenka to serve, ready … play.
You can’t argue with Svitolina’s run to the last four. She’s beaten Shnaider, Andreeva and Gauff – who, admittedly, had her absolute worst day – without losing a set, won in Auckland before that, and won’t ever have felt better about her game. I’m excited to see what her plan is, because we can be sure she’ll have one.
Adam Fox was back on the ice Wednesday morning with a handful of Rangers while wearing a red noncontact jersey during an optional morning skate ahead of their game at UBS Arena.
Head coach Mike Sullivan said before a 5-2 loss to the Islanders that it was “very” encouraging that Fox has taken this “next step” in his latest rehab and “it just suggests that he’s getting closer.”
Still, the 27-year-old Long Island native might run out of time to make it back to game action before the NHL shuts down next week for the Winter Olympics in Milan.
The Blueshirts only have three games remaining before the break — Thursday against the Isles at the Garden, Saturday in Pittsburgh and next Thursday at home against the Hurricanes.
“I don’t have an answer for you, but the fact that he’s joining the team obviously suggests that he’s in the last stages before his return to play,” Sullivan added.
Adam Fox, shooting a shot earlier this season, participated in practice with a non-contact injury for the first time since he’s been out of the lineup with a lower-body issue. NHLI via Getty Images
Fox only has appeared in three games since Nov. 29 due to two separate stints on long-term injured reserve with an early shoulder injury and the lower-body issue the former Norris Trophy winner sustained on Jan. 5 against the Mammoth.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin, who suffered a lower-body injury in the same Jan. 5 game as Fox, worked out on the ice with goalie coach Jeff Malcolm Wednesday morning at the team’s Tarrytown training facility.
Sullivan said it’s “a fair statement” to say Fox is ahead of Shesterkin in their respective rehabs.
Forward Conor Sheary (lower-body) also took part in the optional skate wearing a noncontact jersey.
Spencer Martin got the start in net and allowed all five goals on 36 shots.
It marked his fourth start since Shesterkin was injured.
Sullivan has gone to more of a rotation lately between Martin and veteran Jonathan Quick.
“I think the biggest thing is just trying to set them both up for success,” Sullivan said. “We weren’t sure how the workload would be for a guy like Quickie and where he’s at in his career. So I think we get better versions of both guys when we share the work a little bit. That’s been my observation.”
BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens host the Colorado Avalanche after the Canadiens defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime.
Montreal has a 15-11-1 record in home games and a 29-17-7 record overall. The Canadiens are third in NHL play with 178 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).
Colorado has a 15-5-5 record in road games and a 35-7-9 record overall. The Avalanche are 20-4-6 in games they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponents.
Thursday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Avalanche won 7-2 in the last matchup. Brock Nelson led the Avalanche with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Suzuki has scored 16 goals with 43 assists for the Canadiens. Cole Caufield has nine goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
Martin Necas has 22 goals and 39 assists for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon has three goals and 11 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 5-4-1, averaging 3.5 goals, six assists, 4.7 penalties and 11.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
Avalanche: 4-4-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.3 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Canadiens: None listed.
Avalanche: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Stephen Curry is now 19th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. With a stepback three against Utah, he passed Paul Pierce, finishing the night at 26,398 career points and still climbing. Another name checked off. Another Hall of Famer in the rearview. On paper, it’s just another milestone in a career already stuffed with them. In practice, this one hits a little different.
Keep 'em coming, 30👏
Stephen Curry has passed Paul Pierce for 19th most points scored in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/kKkp7xR2Ng
Speaking of Pierce, remember NBA Live 2002? There was something about that classic hoops title that hit different for me back when I was a young high schooler. Not the gameplay, but the bios. Those little blocks of text that turned polygons into people. And there it was in Paul Pierce’s profile: born in Oakland, playing for Boston, nicknamed The Truth. Now I know Pierce’s family moved to Los Angeles when he was still in elementary school, but for an East Oakland kid like myself scrolling through rosters, that bit of Town trivia felt like finding a secret passage.
He immediately joined several other Bay Area born players like Gary Payton and Jason Kidd as guys I would root for no matter their jersey. Pierce was never the most athletic wing of his era like Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady. He was something better for a certain kind of fan: relentlessly effective. A killer from deep before that was the default setting. Ice cold when the game slowed down. Crafty in ways that didn’t show up on mixtapes but absolutely showed up on scoreboards. And nobody lived at the line like Pierce. He drew fouls with angles, leverage, timing. Nearly nine free throws a night at his peak. That wasn’t explosion. That was intelligence. Knowing exactly when a defender was cooked and making the whistle unavoidable.
So watching him finally break through in 2008, watching him win Finals MVP, felt personal even in Celtics green. An Oakland-born player who proved you didn’t need freakish tools to dominate. Just toughness, feel, and nerve.
Around that same time, the Warriors drafted a skinny kid from Davidson with fragile ankles and a jumper people thought was cute. His name was Stephen Curry, a baby-faced sidekick to Monta Ellis, a guy who very few could have imagined would bend the sport to his will.
Sixteen years later, Curry passed Paul Pierce on the all-time scoring list and he did it with a stepback three in a fashion that would make the Truth proud. Curry also went to the line ten times against Utah, channeling Pierce’s old blueprint in his own language.
That’s the poetry. Pierce thrived by being smarter than everyone else. Curry does the same thing at 37, except his craft warps the geometry of basketball itself. Pierce pushed the three forward for his era while Curry turned audacity into infrastructure. It makes me smile that Pierce was born in Oakland and decades later Curry became Oakland’s basketball avatar. Different paths, and yet the same principles: outsmart the defense, punish mistakes, and do it in style. For me, watching Curry pass Pierce doesn’t just feel like a stat update, but rather more of a handoff. One era of Bay-born basketball intelligence giving way to the next, louder, stranger, more revolutionary version.
If you loved Pierce for being effective over flashy, for the threes, for the free throws, for the nerve, this moment keeps that spirit alive. Curry didn’t just pass him folks, he did it the Pierce way, then added a chapter only he could write.
That’s full-circle basketball swag. The Truth would respect it.
TORONTO — Karl-Anthony Towns, the subject of persistent trade rumors ahead of next week’s deadline, said he’s unconcerned with the chatter.
“I feel like I’ve been in trade rumors a lot for a lot of times, for a year damn near. That don’t matter to me,” said Towns, who was traded from the Timberwolves to the Knicks before last season. “I don’t look at social media or none of that stuff. I focus on the job on hand which is trying to get wins every single night. As long as I do that, I do my job, I go home happy and I feel accomplished. I’m not worried about what anybody got to say or people write or anything like that.”
At least as of earlier this week, the Knicks were not talking to other teams about trading Towns, according to sources. But his struggles have compelled speculation about his availability and that will intensify with recent news that Giannis Antetokounmpo is available.
Karl-Anthony Towns grabs one of his season-high 22 rebounds during the Knicks’ 119-92 blowout win over the Raptors on Jan. 28, 2026 in Toronto. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Towns has a longstanding relationship with Knicks president Leon Rose, who once represented the center as a longtime agent at CAA. Still, Towns said he hasn’t discussed the trade rumors with Rose.
“We only worry about one thing. That’s winning. So I got no reason to go into depth on anything else,” said Towns before the Knicks’ 119-92 blowout win over the Raptors. “It’s just at the end of the day the conversations revolve around one thing and one thing only every single day, 24 hours a day — is winning. How can we win? How can I help this team win? The sacrifices I’ve got to continue to make every single night for us to be the best version of ourselves. I’ve been willing to do that every single night, regardless of what anyone talks about.”
Towns, an All-NBA selection last season, became eligible for a contract extension before the season but there was no traction toward an agreement.
He is shooting career lows this campaign and continued those struggles Wednesday (3 for 11 from beyond the arc), but he also grabbed a season-high 22 boards.
The Knicks had a case of the back-to-back blues.
Two players — Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson — were ruled out of Wednesday’s win for “ankle injury management,” one day after both played in a victory at MSG versus the Kings.
Josh Hart (ankle injury management) and Jalen Brunson (illness) were also questionable Wednesday before playing.
Hart scored 22 points and Brunson had a rare off night offensively, scoring just 13.
With the depth compromised, Tyler Kolek went from consecutive DNPs to 20 minutes on Wednesday, collecting 10 assists.
In a tumultuous campaign and three-way Scottish title fight, the 73-year-old manager still has ambitions on the European stage
Martin O’Neill’s involvement in celebrated European moments in Celtic’s history means he is entitled to bridle at the belief that domain is no longer a priority. O’Neill used pre-match media duties for the Europa League visit of Utrecht on Thursday to point towards what has the potential to be an uplifting few days for the Scottish champions.
“We got a result in Feyenoord and fought our guts out in Bologna,” he said. “We don’t now want to just throw it away. We want to try and go for it if we can. We could still lose the game. We might not win the match and we might go out of the competition, but we want to give it a go.
Ahead of his blockbuster Madison Square Garden clash with Shakur Stevenson on Saturday night, boxing’s most mercurial star reflects on pressure, purpose and parenthood
Teófimo López’s boxing career has unfolded in untidy extremes, and few places have captured those contradictions like Madison Square Garden. It’s the building where he boat-raced Richard Commey inside two rounds to win his first world title aged 22, saw his fast track to superstardom abruptly derailed as a heavy favorite, then returned two years later to dismantle Josh Taylor as the underdog and stamp himself as a two-division champion. Now on Saturday night, when he defends his junior welterweight title against Shakur Stevenson in a clash of arguably the two best American fighters active today, the Garden may finally make it clear which version of López is here to stay.
“It’s the magnitude of it all,” says López, one of boxing’s most charismatic and mercurial personalities, filling my screen with warmth and effortless third-person bravado during the final days of his training camp in Hollywood, Florida. “Who’s going to really set the tone for the sport? You’ve got Shakur Stevenson, who wants that baton, and you’ve got Teófimo López who believes he’s the better representation for boxing.”
