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Brooklyn Nets lose double-OT thriller to Boston Celtics

The Brooklyn Nets had nowhere to go but up on Friday night. Not that it wasn’t obviously, but everyone knew it, and seemed focused on it.

“Just bounce back,” said Michael Porter Jr. at practice this afternoon. “Be ready to play tonight and move on.”

“It’s about how you respond,” Fernández added pregame. “Obviously you don’t like to feel embarrassed. It was a tough feeling, but we were out there together and the best thing you can do is yesterday, watch some film, talk to each other, get some work done this morning, do it again and go out there and respond as a group…Once again, how you respond is how you should be judged.”

Indeed, Brooklyn responded, and went up, but not past the visiting Boston Celtics.

The Nets began the game in a familiar position — down several possessions. Brooklyn started 1-6 from the field, seating us for what seemed like a sequel to the MSG Massacre. But thankfully, the Egor Dëmin x Drake Powell backcourt stepped in to cut the film’s funding. The rookie duo, starting together for the third time this season, put in 12 points in the first to give us our first quarter of competitive Nets basketball since Monday.

By the end of the night, everyone would be talking about Brooklyn’s third rookie guard, but more on that later…

Boston battled Brooklyn’s youth with their ball movement, assisting on seven of 10 made field goals in the first, but also spent much of the period hunting Nolan Traoré switches with Jaylen Brown. Brooklyn did a solid job timing their help to assist the rook, holding Brown to a 2-7 shooting start. However, they couldn’t win every battle against the recently donned All-Star starter, especially with the officials seemingly on his side…

That said, the Nets went into the second quarter tied with Boston and eventually leapt out to a 46-39 lead. Traoré had his “get back” with seven points in just under seven minutes during the period. The speedster’s aggression wore off on his teammates as well, as the Nets outscored their rival 8-0 on the break in the first half.

But in the second, all other Brooklyn highlights naturally belonged to the Junior. MPJ looked to respond tonight from a team and individual standpoint following a 4-14 shooting night from the field vs New York. In the subsequent period, he added six points while shooting 2-3 from the field. By halftime, he had already surpassed his scoring output from the Knick game, leading the Nets with 13 points while shooting 4-6 from the field and 2-3 from deep. He also dished three assists, including this magnet to Nic Claxton…

I’m hesitant to call third-year Claxton “prime” with him being just 26 years old, but he looked like that version of himself at the defensive end tonight. Clax showed little-to-no issue keeping up with guards after switching and could often be seen swatting at the ball like a that middle-aged guy at your local pickleball court who takes the game way too seriously. He went into the half with only six points, yet two assists and two blocks. He finished with an 18/9/4 line.

“They kept going at me,” Claxton said postgame. “They kept trying to isolate me, so that’s good. When a team was trying to isolate me, that’s good, and we just forced tough shots for him down the stretch.”

But in true Mazzulla Ball form, Boston shot 38.3% on field goals in the first, but 47.8% from three, and gave Brooklyn a 55-49 lead to start the third. The Nets maintained that advantage almost the entire period, running an offense on fumes such as Claxton iso attacks vs Neemias Queta (which rendered mixed results) and backdoor cuts from Ziaire Williams. The wheels momentarily fell off after Hugo Gonzalez picked Cam Thomas’ pocket and went coast to coast, putting Boston back in front 74-73 with 2:32 to go in the third, but the Nets rebounded to carry an 81-78 lead into the fourth.

There, neither team’s start looked like anything you’d build a highlight reel around, but would fire up a bipartisan crowd. Using that word to describe tonight’s fan attendance tonight is being generous, but that’s neither here nor there. Eight of the fourth period’s first 15 points were second chance, including all five of Brooklyn’s buckets.

Finding a Boston bunker with that grenade, Traoré finished the night with 21 points while shooting 7-13 from the field and 2-4 from deep, continuing his solid play since coming over from Long Island.

“His ability to touch the paint and how slippery he is, that was the reason why I put him there,” Fernández. “There’s some mistakes and we need him to be the floor general and talk and use his voice, but he’s going to grow that voice and I’m going to trust him.”

Traoré took a seat at the 4:41 mark of the fourth and Boston back ahead, but then reentered the game as the Nets closed with a rather curious lineup featuring him, Williams, Porter Jr., Clowney, and Claxton.

That gamble didn’t get Fernández back up on the Boston house by the end of the fourth, but it did get him even, and able to play another round…

Soon after coming in, Traoré hit another jumper, this one inside the arc, that made it a five point game with about a minute left in the fourth. Two stops and two made free throws from Clowney later, and the Nets had the ball down three with 27 seconds to play. Traoré again finished the next possession, though this time with an assist to Claxton, who made it a 103-102 game with 11 seconds to play.

That kicked off the foul game, and with Anfernee Simons splitting his attempts at the line, the Nets possessed the ball again down two. Porter Jr. clanked the potential game-winner, but once again, Claxton was there, cleaning up the possession and sending the Nets to their second overtime game this month.

The extra period was exactly as you’d expect one to look between two teams who just put in a gritty 48 minutes. Both squads combined to begin it 3-12 from the field. All seemed lost after the Nets missed four shots on one possession while down the same amount, but an ill-timed quick trigger three from Brown reopened the door, and the Nets crawled back through it.

The next two times down the floor, Claxton finished an alley-oop and Clowney splashed his third three of the ball game, miraculously giving the Nets a one point lead with under a minute to go.

Then, it was Brooklyn’s turn to play the foul game. They couldn’t do it cleanly either, and it bit them in the end.

Traoré took care of business first, nailing each of his attempts at the line. Ziaire Williams then appeared to close the client call, hitting both his shots to put the Nets up five with seven seconds to go.

However, next time down, Payton Pritchard hit a quick strike three to keep his team alive. Traoré again found himself at the line with a chance to extend the lead late, but went one of two, giving Boston the ball back, down three, and with 2.5 seconds to play with. Of course, Gonzalez used that final grain of sand in our second hourglass to tie things up again…

“He was just wide open,” a dumbfounded Claxton said postgame. “He was wide open. He hit the shot…I guess I’m confused. I gotta watch it. I’m confused. I don’t know how it got so open. That’s in the corner. I don’t know. I don’t know. I can’t give you an answer for that.”

Porter Jr. seemed to find an extra wind in our next five minutes of free hoops, dropping six in the frame, but Boston controlled it one nonetheless. Timely finishes from Pritchard and Brown, leveraging around an over-helping and understandably tired Net defense, kept Brooklyn apart until the closing seconds (we’re almost done, I promise).

Brooklyn had a shot to apply pressure one last time, with the ball and down four, but ran out of late game fairy dust. A final miss from Porter Jr. at long last introduced us to the end of the game, and perhaps Brooklyn’s best loss of the season. At least in this building, this year, those are of high value.

“I’m proud of the  basketball we played, the competitiveness,” Fernández said. “We got better today, and that’s what’s most important.”

Heck, it sure was a fun ride too.

Final: Boston Celtics 130, Brooklyn Nets 126

Injury Report

Despite the extra run time, the Nets got away tonight relatively clean. However, Nic Claxton did sustain a pinky injury.

“It’s sore,” he said. “I really don’t know. I have to get X-rays and MRIs, so I don’t know. It is sore though. It was just locking up, so I just put some tape on it.”

We’ll make sure to update as we find out more.

Milestone Watch

  • With his second 3-pointer in the first quarter against Boston, Egor Dëmin tied Bojan Bogdanović for the second most games with multiple 3PM by a rookie in franchise history (24). The franchise record is held by Kerry Kittles (50 such games in 1996-97).
  • Traoré 21 points tonight are a career-high.
  • This was Brooklyn’s first double-overtime game since January 20. 2021 at Cleveland and their first at Barclays Center since December 26, 2018 vs. Charlotte

Tank Watch

It was a good night for the tank … excuse me, playing the probabilities. Two teams above the Nets in the Tankathon rankings — the Pelicans (who owes their first to the Hawks) and the Pacers — both won as did the two teams below the Nets — the Jazz and the Hornets. The bottom line: Brooklyn is still in fifth and still a game and a half (and three games in the loss column) behind the Kings. They are closer to the third pick but still two and a half games back.

Next Up

No NBA team has a better record than the Los Angeles Clippers since December 23rd. No NBA team needed it more, with Los Angeles among the basement dwellers earlier in the year and in danger of giving the champs a lottery pick. They’ve still got a long way to go, but they’re back in the race at 20-24. Nets vs Clippers tips on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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Knicks get true test against 76ers to see if they’re really out of funk

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson #11 along with New York Knicks guard Josh Hart #3, New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges #25, and New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby #8 on the bench during the fourth quarter, Image 2 shows Tyrese Maxey #0 and VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers smiles during the game against the Phoenix Suns on January 20, 2026

Beating up on the Nets was a good way to lift the vibes around the Knicks, if at least for a few days.

But now comes a big step up in quality of opponent. 

This matchup with the 76ers — against whom they are 0-2 this year — in Philadelphia on Saturday will be a much truer test of whether the Knicks have climbed out of their downturn. 

“It’s gonna be a challenge,” Josh Hart said after practice Friday, “but we need challenges right now. … We had a stretch where we were struggling. Obviously, we had a really good win the other day [against the Nets]. And now it’s like, feeling good but you can’t be feeling too good. Tough opponent where you gotta go in there and do the little things. And then if you beat a good team like that, then you can feel a little better about yourself.”

The Knicks have been torched by the 76ers’ explosive backcourt of Tyrese Maxey, a budding superstar in the league and All-Star starter, and VJ Edgecombe, who’s enjoying a strong rookie season. Those two represent exactly what the Knicks struggle with most — defending quick, athletic guards — who can both beat opponents off the dribble and hurt defenses from 3-point range at the point of- attack. 

New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Og Anunoby on the bench. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Maxey and Edgecombe scored 30 and 23 points, respectively, in the first matchup of the year — a 116-107 Knicks loss Dec. 19. They scored 36 and 26 points, respectively, in the second matchup — a 130-119 loss Jan. 3. And between the two games, they combined to shoot 56.3 percent from the field and 52.8 percent from 3-point range.

Both those games were at Madison Square Garden. 

“You’ve just gotta prepare for what they like to get to, their moves, and know where they like to get a quick burst and you can’t relax,” Mikal Bridges, who will spend plenty of time guarding Maxey and Edgecombe, said Friday. “The moment you relax, they get that first step, it’s gonna be tough for you. So always being engaged and preparing for whatever the movements are because they’re so fast. 

“The thing is to focus on ourselves and know to help each other on the defensive end. It’s never one-v.-one. It should be one-v.-five. Whatever guy’s got the ball should see the guy on ball and four help defenders helping each other out.” 

Lost in Maxey’s and Edgecombe’s breakout seasons has been Joel Embiid’s resurgence. He is healthier and more impactful than he has been in three years, since he won MVP in the 2022-23 season. 

He did not play in the first matchup between the teams, but certainly made a difference in the second, recording 26 points and 10 rebounds. 

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers during the game against the Phoenix Suns on January 20, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NBAE via Getty Images

Embiid is also coming off his biggest workload of the season, playing 26 minutes in the 76ers’ overtime win over the Rockets on Thursday. 

“Embiid’s a Hall of Famer,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “He’s an All-Star and he knows all the tricks of the trade. He can beat you shooting the 3 because he has great touch, he can beat you from the free-throw line, he’s getting there eight times a game. So we have to make sure we continue to lead with our chest and show our hands. But, obviously, he can beat you in the post. So we have to be on point, try not to give him anything easy, especially sending him to the free-throw line knowing he’s great at drawing fouls.”

Saturday’s game is part of the NBA’s Rivalry Week. The teams will enter the game just 1 ½-games apart in the standings, and could certainly run into each other down the road in the playoffs. 

There was some animosity when they squared off in the first round of the playoffs two years ago, particularly toward Embiid. This year, there hasn’t been much vitriol or bad blood. It doesn’t take much to change that, though. 

“I think the NBA wants me to say yeah [it’s a rivalry],” Hart joked. “But it’s obviously a really good team, a really good-coached team. … I feel like whenever you play someone in the playoffs, you always, whether that’s the players or the fan base, always finds some type of way to hate them or hate a player there or here.” 

Rivals or not, it’s an important next step that the Knicks can take.

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Suns injury updates: Devin Booker, Jalen Green leave game vs. Hawks early

The injury bug is swirling throughout the NBA and its latest victims are Phoenix Suns guards Devin Booker and Jalen Green.

Both players left during the Suns' 110-103 loss against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 23.

The Hawks were led by Onyeka Okongwu, who tallied 25 points, while Jalen Johnson had a monster game with 23 points, 18 rebounds and was an assist shy of a triple-double.

Booker scored 31 for Phoenix. Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen had 16 apiece.

More NBA: How will winter storm affect NBA schedule this weekend? What we know

Devin Booker injury

Booker went down with 5.4 seconds left in the third quarter as Phoenix led 91-84. He seemingly rolled his right ankle on Okongwu's foot, which left Booker in serious pain.

He grabbed at his ankle and screamed in agony before the Suns medical staff left the bench to tend to Booker.

Booker needed assistance from Gillespie and the medical staff to get off of the floor and he limped back to the locker room and did not return to the game.

Booker finished with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-9 (55%) on 3-point field goals, in 28 minutes.

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Player Grades: Cavs vs Kings – An ugly win is still a win

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t put their best foot forward, but they still found a way to win 123-118 over the Sacramento Kings. Pretty or not, the Cavs have now won nine of their last 13 games.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

33 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds

Mitchell still isn’t playing his most efficient basketball. Some of that is to be expected with Darius Garland out. And while I could nitpick the way he got his 33 points on 25 shots tonight — he only had 1 turnover — and the Cavs won the game in large part because of his threat as a scorer.

Though I can’t give him higher than a B+ because of his defense. It wasn’t great.

Grade: B+

Evan Mobley

29 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks

This was the type of performance that allows you to let out a deep breath. You aren’t crazy for thinking Mobley is a star, after all. He’s capable of dominating every facet of the game, and the Kings had no answers for him tonight.

Grade: A+

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Jaylon Tyson

17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Opponents are daring Tyson to prove he can handle more offensive responsibility. Blitzing the ball out of Mitchell and challenging Tyson to make them pay. He’s continued to win this bet, making great decisions in the short-roll or attacking closeouts.

Grade: A-

Craig Porter Jr.

5 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds

The Cavalier offense is begging for a three-point shooter. The lack of Sam Merrill, Darius Garland, and Max Strus has exacerbated Porter’s limitations. He shot 1-3 from deep tonight and had a difficult time generating openings as the Kings simply didn’t care to defend him outside of 20 feet.

Grade: D+

De’Andre Hunter

9 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists

I don’t think anyone knows what to do with Hunter right now. He has to find his footing and stop this downward spiral at some point.

Grade: F

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Jarrett Allen

15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

Props to Allen for taking the physicality of this game head-on and earning 10 trips to the free-throw line. He had a near double-double and helped Cleveland win the rebounding battle.

Grade: A-

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

4 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block

A commenter recently asked me to stop grading Tomlin on a curve. I won’t be doing that — but I will give him his lowest grade in quite some time. Tomlin was ignored on offense and totally lost on defense tonight. This wasn’t a good performance, even for a player on a two-way contract.

He avoids the F for his inbounds steal and block on Russell Westbrook’s three-point attempt in the second half.

Grade: D-

Larry Nance Jr.

2 points, 3 rebounds

Junior is back and playing better basketball than before the calf injury. Nothing special, but a servicable 14 minutes off the bench is something this team hasn’t always had in their frontcourt rotation.

Grade: C+

Dean Wade

6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Wade did his job tonight. He’s getting back to himself defensively and shot 2-4 from three. He was a team-high +21.

Grade: A-

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Arvid Soderblom Plays Well But Blackhawks Fall To Lightning In Shootout

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks came home after a quick one-game trip to play the Carolina Hurricanes. Down in Raleigh, they took down one of the best teams in the NHL in a shootout. It is better known as "The Oliver Moore birthday game". 

On Friday night, they returned to the United Center for a match against another top NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa came in on a 14-game point streak, even with all of the injuries that they have been dealing with. 

Despite mostly being outplayed by the Lightning in the first period, Ryan Greene found a lane to the net and made it 1-0 with a beautiful move and shot. It isn't easy to beat Andre Vasilevskiy clean like that, but Greene made it happen. The dynamic duo of Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis collected the assists on the play. 

The Blackhawks weren't much better in the second period. Arvid Soderblom was able to keep them in the game, but Nikita Kucherov did tie it up late with a nifty backhand after receiving a neat pass from Brandon Hagel.

In the middle frame as a whole, the Blackhawks were outshot 13-2. In the game overall up to that point, Tampa led 21-6 in shots. Chicago came into the third knowing they needed a much better effort if they were going to escape with one point, let alone two. 

The play was much more even in the third period. Tampa and Chicago exchanged chances, but both Vasilevskiy and Soderblom warmed to the task. Bonus hockey was required for the second night in a row. 

In overtime, the Blackhawks had their one stretch of dominance. They had multiple grade-A chances, but Vasilevskiy stood tall as he always does.  

A shootout was required in consecutive games as well. Like the one on Thursday, it went to extra frames. Frank Nazar and Louis Crevier scored for Chicago, but Tampa scored just one extra goal and took the second point. 

Arvid Soderblom, despite taking the tough loss, was excellent. He was the only reason that the Blackhawks had a chance to win in the first place. 

“We owe a lot of credit to [Soderblom]," Ryan Greene said of his goalie. "I thought he was unbelievable. I don't think that game goes overtime without him playing the way he did.”

Soderblom made 31 saves on 30 shots during regulation and overtime. Playing in place of Spencer Knight once every few games isn't the easiest role in the world of hockey, but he has done it with class and respect for the game. 

Although they don't want to keep taking penalties, their kill continues to be excellent. Add another 3/3 performance in this one, moving their NHL lead up to 85.4 percent. Again, Soderblom played a key role in that success, along with some of the young defenders. 

That's three points out of four against two top teams for the Blackhawks. It wasn't perfect at times, but they continue to battle hard and find ways to collect points. 

Chicago, however, must clean up their play if it is going to keep getting these aforementioned points. Being outchanced 72-40 is not the way, but their goalie and some luck allowed them to nearly win. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Sunday night when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will be at the United Center. 

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Is the Joon Lee report for real?

Rob Manfred

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ signing of Kyle Tucker for four years, $240 million caused an uproar in baseball last week. The outrageous overpay triggered many around the game to say enough is enough. With the coming end to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, negotiations for a new agreement will probably begin this spring. It has already been a volatile and public debate between all the parties with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA head Tony Clark both dropping test balloons in the media.

The outrage regarding the Dodgers’ ability to spend unlimited amounts of money on payroll has been on the rise since the Shohei Ohtani deal. But the Tucker contract appears to have been the final straw for many. Although almost all quarters of the game agree that a lockout is inevitable on Dec. 1 of this year, how long that lasts and what the new contract looks like almost no one agrees on.

With the offseason winding down and Spring Training around the corner, baseball execs and players will start meeting soon to lay the groundwork for what their demands and strategies will entail. With baseball enjoying a huge uptick in popularity over the past few years, it remains to be seen if the two sides can look past their differences and find common ground in order to keep their game on the field.

Sports journalist Joon Lee took this opportunity to once again address a common theme being discussed in the lead up to the negotiations. Are the Dodgers responsible for breaking baseball?

Here is the video of his report regarding the unique advantage he believes the Dodgers have in just their media revenue and how that has taken them from being bankrupt and sold in 2012 to being the organization that can have whatever payroll they want in present day.

When this story first broke in 2012, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times posted an article (taken from a Bloomberg piece) outlining the deal as he understood it (requires subscription). There were multiple other outlets that reported on the story with the synopsis being that the bankruptcy settlement negotiated with team for sale allowed the organization to pay less in revenue-sharing for their media deal than the 29 other teams. The goal was to allow them more money to be able to recover from the bankruptcy. It was negotiated before the media deal and went for the length of whatever deal they signed.

According to an article just published in EssentiallySports by Disita Sikdar, the deal meant that the team would never have to report more than $84 million in media revenue, with a four percent yearly escalator. With the deal the team eventually signed with Spectrum, the Dodgers deal is worth $8.35 billion over the 25 years of the contract. It works out to $334 million per year.

The Vice President of MLB at the time was Manfred. He stated that the information was incorrect and the Dodgers would be paying the same amount in revenue-sharing as all the other teams. The direct contradiction was partially addressed by Maury Brown in his article for Baseball Prospectus in October of 2012.

Focus on this out of the Bloomberg piece: the Dodgers are going to pay revenue-sharing on every penny that comes into their coffers through media rights. They wouldn’t, however, have to pay revenue-sharing on any equity should they start an RSN with a partner such as FOX or TWC. Consider this “proliferation” — another big-market, storied franchise being able to move money from one hand to the other. After all, the Yankees and Red Sox have been doing it for years.

The Dodgers formed a partnership with Spectrum and are co-owners of their regional sports network. This makes the situation more complicated than I can figure out with my limited understanding of partnerships and finance. Brown acknowledges that the Dodgers likely have an unfair advantage. This article was written before the media deal was set.

If any of Lee’s report is true, it just adds more flame to the fire that many in baseball already have raging. The system is definitely broken, with the Dodgers having more resources than any other team, and flaunting it. Can the league and the players find common ground to begin fixing what needs to be addressed?

Will there be a salary cap and a salary floor? Does revenue-sharing need to be revamped to reflect the disparity in media rights and revenue from the media contracts or lack thereof?

The future of the Padres rests not just with these issues but also with the sale of the team. It seems reasonable that we might not have a new owner until some of these questions are answered.

The big brother to the north doesn’t seem to care about the penalties they have to pay for breaking the rules regarding their spending and payroll. They forfeit money, draft picks and international signing bonus pool cash because of their payroll. The current estimate for 2026 sits at $413-$429 million. No one else even comes close.

The bigger picture is about the health of the sport. Something has to be done.

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Golden Knights beat Maple Leafs 6-3 in Marner’s emotional Toronto return

TORONTO (AP) — Mark Stone had two goals and an assist and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Maple Leafs 6-3 on Friday night in Mitch Marner’s emotional return to Toronto.

Jack Eichel Pavel Dorofeyev, Braeden Bowman and Keegan Kolesar also scored for Vegas. Adin Hill made 18 saves, and Ivan Barbashev had three assists.

Marner, who played nine seasons with the Maple Leafs before his long march out the door ended last summer, was booed every time he touched the puck.

John Tavares, Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann scored for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz stopped 25 shots in his return from an upper-body injury.

Playing in the second of a back-to-back, Vegas won for the first time in three contests following a seven-game winning streak, including a 6-5 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs last week.

Toronto has dropped three in a row and five of six.

Rasmus Andersson made his debut for Vegas after the blueliner was acquired from Calgary on Sunday.

Up next

Golden Knights: At Ottawa on Sunday.

Maple Leafs: Host Colorado on Sunday.

___

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

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Evan Mobley’s 29 points power Cavs to 123-118 victory over Kings

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Sacremento Kings 123-118 to grab their fifth win in their last seven games and ninth in their last 13. That’s a step in the right direction.

This game was back-and-forth throughout.

Cleveland created separation at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. They pushed their lead to 14, but the Kings quickly responded with a 12-4 run to get right back into the game.

Sacremento briefly retook the lead with four-minutes left in the fourth. Donovan Mitchell then responded with back-to-back baskets to give the Cavs a four-point advantage they wouldn’t relinquish.

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This game was the exact opposite of Wednesday’s win against the Charlotte Hornets. Cleveland won this game on the offensive end. Their ability to grab offensive rebounds (12 second-chance opportunities) and score off 15 Sacremento turnovers helped buoy their offensive attack.

It also helped that Evan Mobley aggressively attacked the basket all game.

Before the game, Kings head coach Doug Christie said that the goal of his defense was to “push him off of his spots.” They weren’t able to do that as Mobley was able to continually get two feet in the paint and went up strong once he did. This allowed Mobley to convert six of his eight shots in the restricted area and go 12-18 on shots in the paint overall.

Mobley also did a great job finding his teammates when the defense shifted over to cut off lanes to the basket, leading to seven assists. On top of that, Mobley was the best defensive player on the floor and had four rejections. This was his fourth game in a row with two or more blocks.

This all led to Mobley finishing the evening with 29 points on 13-24 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and seven helpers.

Sacremento also struggled to contain Mitchell. He provided a game-high 33 points on 11-25 shooting to go along with eight assists to just one turnover.

Jaylon Tyson added 17 points on 6-14 shooting with seven rebounds. Jarrett Allen had 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Cavs as a team did a great job of protecting the ball. They turned it over just six times, which is much improved over the 21 times they gave it up in their previous two games.

The defensive side of the court wasn’t as pretty.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson lamented his team’s three-point defense before the game. His team showed him why. The Kings connected on 39.4% (13-33) of their outside shots. Cleveland struggled to keep Sacramento’s guards in front of them, got caught in rotation, and the Kings made them pay in a way the Hornets weren’t able to.

Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 24 points on 9-14 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds and six assists. Dennis Schröder supplied 21 points on 3-5 shooting from deep.

The Cavs will be back in action on Saturday as they hit the road to take on the Orlando Magic. Game time is at 7 PM.

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Lightning beat Blackhawks 2-1 in shootout in their 15th straight game without a regulation loss

CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic James scored in the fifth round of a shootout and the Tampa Bay Lightning made it 15 straight games without a regulation loss, outlasting the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday night.

Tampa Bay is on a 14-0-1 tear, winning three straight after a shootout loss a week ago in St. Louis. The Lighting are 32-13-4 overall.

Nikita Kucherov tied it at 1 late in the second period with his 25th goal of the season and also scored in the shootout. Gage Goncalves scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker to keep Tampa Bay alive and, after Oliver Moore failed for Chicago, James slipped the winner past Arvid Soderblom.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 shots for Tampa Bay.

Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Soderblom made 30 saves. Chicago had won two straight, beating Carolina 4-3 in shootout Friday night in Raleigh.

Andre Burakovsky nearly ended it for Chicago in overtime, but couldn’t get the puck in at the side of that net as it slid across the crease.

Tampa Bay outshot Chicago 13-2 in the second period and had a 21-6 overall advantage through 40 minutes. Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play.

Kucherov tied it with 1:18 left in the second. He cut through the slot, taking Brandon Hagel's pass on his forehand and lifting in a backhander.

Greene opened the scoring on a power play with 2:18 left in the first period with a goal that withstood a lengthy review after the Lightning challenged for offsides. Greene cut across the front and beat Vasilevskiy with a forehand shot.

Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno fought Jack Finley early in the first, with Finley getting an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Up next

Lightning: At Columbus on Saturday night.

Blackhawks: Host Florida on Sunday.

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

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Winners and Losers: Cavs vs Kings – Evan Mobley shows why he’s a star

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Sacramento Kings tonight 123-118. Let’s see who won and lost the game.

WINNER – Evan Mobley is a Star

Evan Mobley had 19 points on 8-14 shooting in the first half tonight. A stellar performance that deserves all the praise we’ll soon give. But, after a similar first half the other night, we couldn’t help but worry that Mobley would disappear in the second and third quarters again, as he did in Charlotte.

Mobley didn’t take his foot off the gas this time.

The third quarter was a huge relief. Mobley continued to get to the rim and put pressure on SAC’s questionable interior defense. He worked his way up to 27 points by the end of the third frame, sustaining the aggression he showed in the first half.

Mobley finished with 29 on 13-24 shooting. He had a near triple-double with 13 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 blocks. That’s a beastly performance.

We don’t need Mobley to press the issue if he doesn’t have a favorable matchup or simply isn’t making shots on any given night. But when it is his night — when he does have an advantage and is getting to his spots comfortably — that’s when we need to see his usage skyrocket. Just like tonight.

LOSER – 3PT Defense

Quick trivia: Do you know which NBA team allows the highest opponent three-point percentage in the league? If you’ve watched the Cavs this season, you already know the answer.

Yep, Cleveland ranks dead last in opponent three-point percentage. A spot they won’t be in danger of losing if they play defense like they did tonight. The Kings enjoyed a full half of 60% shooting from behind the arc as the Cavaliers were a step too slow to closeout on shooters.

Obviously, three-point defense can be complicated. We wrote about that earlier today. But while the Kings were making some difficult shots, they were also generating too many easy ones. We all understand how momentum works, right? A few easy shots can give you the confidence to take and make the challenging ones. It’s not easy to put the jeenie back in the bottle.

Or in this case, slow down a team that’s already feeling themselves.

The Kings eventually did return to earth, ending the night above league-average from deep but crashing down from their scorching first half. I’d say the Cavs played a better defensive game in the second half, but they can’t continue to spot opponents free threes in the first.

WINNER – Rebounding

This King’s team doesn’t have much going for it. That’s not meant to be a diss, it’s just the truth. However, one thing they absolutely do have is strength and physcality. Those two things don’t always result in rebounding, but for a Cavalier team that has struggled with physicality, you’d assume the glass could have been a problem tonight.

Cleveland took care of business in that department, winning the rebounding battle 48-43. The Cavs had six more offensive rebounds and limited the Kings to 13 second-chance points. Win on the margins, win the game.

LOSER – Bench Scoring

There’s more to basketball than scoring points. I understand that. The Cavalier bench has mainly given value through their defensive effort and intensity (though those have been questionable at times, too).

But getting buckets is still the name of the game. And this Cavalier bench, even on their best nights, isn’t providing much offense.

Cleveland’s bench was outscored 73-23. You read that correctly. Now, the Kings had Domantas Sabonis come off the bench, which partially skews this number — but even if you remove his 24 points — the Cavs bench still got beat handily.

Again, there’s more to this game than scoring. But it’s a problem when your second units are routinely being outscored. I mean, that’s kind of the entire point of the game. The Cavalier bench is 24th in points per game this season.

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Game Recap: Atlanta delivered another painful chapter for the Suns

The road trip is over, and the Suns are coming home limping, literally and figuratively. They went back to Atlanta, a place they have not won in since 2014, and I am fully convinced that city is cursed. In a 110–103 loss to the Hawks, Phoenix did not only lose a game, they lost $88.7 million in payroll.

It started with Jalen Green, playing only his second game back from a hamstring injury, exiting in the first quarter with hamstring tightness. Same leg. Same sinking feeling.

And yet, the Suns rallied. Down as many as 11, they clawed their way back and carried a seven-point lead into the end of the third quarter. Then the other shoe dropped. Devin Booker went down.

Now the Suns return home for a five-game homestand carrying more questions than answers. This is the kind of loss that lingers because we do not know the severity. We do not know timelines. Booker finished with 31 points. The Suns were in position to win, but once the stars were gone, the offense stalled, and execution vanished.

The road trip ends at 3–3. Respectable. But the bigger story is this. They are headed home, and they are hurt.

Game Flow

First Half

The Suns came out of the gate with good rhythm, knocking down six of their first 11 shots and hitting 2-of-3 from deep. Atlanta was sharper though, opening 8-of-12 and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Three different Hawks hit the five-point mark early, and that collective punch gave them a 19-14 lead heading into the first timeout.

There was one defensive possession that stood out immediately. Oso Ighodaro found himself defending a two-on-one break and held his ground long enough for help to arrive. The result was three straight missed shots by Atlanta. That is the kind of sequence he gives you quietly, consistently, and it still feels underrated, even as the appreciation for his work is starting to catch up.

Jalen Green checked in off the bench and showed a little rust early, which was expected. Then the speed showed up. He blew by Luke Kennard with ease, leaving him reaching for air and taking his ankles along for the ride. That burst changes the geometry of the floor every time it shows itself.

Unfortunately, right after that sequence, Green headed back to the locker room.

From there, the bench picked up right where it has all road trip. When Grayson Allen checked in, the Suns were down 19-14. By the time the first quarter ended, Phoenix was on top 31-27. Allen capped it with a driving finger roll as the buzzer sounded, finishing the quarter at +9 with seven points. The second unit drove it. 15 bench points, 7 of the final 10 shots made, and suddenly the Suns had momentum and a lead heading into the second.

Grayson kept it rolling to open the second quarter, staying active off the ball and cashing in on an easy look at the rim. But turnovers started to creep in, and they hurt. Phoenix coughed it up three times early, fueling a 16–9 Atlanta run that flipped the feel of the game.

Midway through the quarter, the Hawks pushed it further with an 11–2 burst that stretched the lead to eight. CJ McCollum, acquired in the Trae Young deal, was a problem. He poured in 16 first-half points off the bench, 14 of them in the second, and Phoenix never quite found the brake pedal.

Out of a timeout with three minutes left, the Suns answered. A quick 7–0 run tied it at 54–54, punctuated by a Devin Booker three. He followed it with another on the next trip, finishing the half 3-of-6 from deep with 15 points.

But McCollum had the last word, closing the quarter with a personal 5–0 run. Atlanta won the second 37–28, dominated bench scoring 20–8, and carried a 64–59 lead into the locker room. They had 17 fast break points to the Suns’ 4.

Second Half

As the second half opened, the Suns got the gut-punch confirmation that Jalen Green would not return, ruled out with hamstring tightness. And almost on cue, Atlanta twisted the knife. A 17–3 run.

If you are looking for insult layered neatly on top of injury, this was the moment. One piece of bad news, immediately followed by the game tilting hard in the wrong direction. You could feel it in the building. The air went out. The climb got steeper. And suddenly Phoenix was chasing both the score and the circumstance.

But the Suns did not fold. Not even close. Devin Booker grabbed the wheel and dragged Phoenix back into it, igniting a 20–9 run with shot-making and sheer force of will. He stayed scorching from beyond the arc, and after staring down an 11-point hole, he erased it himself. When Booker drilled his fifth three on his eighth attempt midway through the third, the Suns were suddenly back in front by one. Same building. Same game. Completely different energy.

And then the clamps came out. Phoenix turned the game into a street fight on defense, bodies on the floor, hands everywhere, every loose ball treated like it owed them money. They imposed their will possession by possession and pushed the lead out to seven.

Then, cruel timing struck again. In transition, Devin Booker glanced back, never saw Onyeka Okongwu step into his path, and came down on his foot. His right ankle twisted. Booker stayed down, pain written all over him, before being helped up and limping toward the locker room to join Jalen Green.

Booker had 16 points in the third and 31 in the game at the time of his injury.

The Suns won the third quarter 32-20, scored 12 points off 9 Atlanta turnovers, and showcased how disruptive they can be when locked in. They entered the fourth up 91-84, but down their two stars.

A 16–8 run by Atlanta opened the fourth quarter and immediately erased the cushion Devin Booker had built before everything went sideways. Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu each dropped 7 points to start the frame, and suddenly the Suns were scrambling.

Then we hit clutch time, and the obvious question was who was going to score. Collin Gillespie answered first, ripping off a quick 4–0 burst to put Phoenix back in front, 104–103. For a brief moment, there was order.

CJ McCollum ruined that calm. He had been a problem all night, and he stayed one, answering with his own 3–0 run to swing the lead back to Atlanta.

After that, the Suns offense flatlined. Completely. The final three minutes were chaos, perimeter passes with no purpose, rushed looks, heavily contested shots, nothing finding the bottom of the net. Atlanta closed on an 8–0 run, and that was the ballgame. Suns score 12 in the 4th and lose 110-103.

Up Next

The Suns head home after this long roadie and have the next five games at the friendly confines of the Morg. First up? The Miami Heat on Sunday at 6:00pm.

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George Lombard Jr. headlines group of Yankees on MLB Pipeline's new Top 100 prospects list

While it's still unclear when Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. will make his anticipated debut in pinstripes, league scouts and analysts are still holding high hopes for him.

MLB Pipeline released its first Top 100 prospects list for 2026 on Friday, and the 20-year-old infielder ranked No. 32 overall, a seven-spot drop from his final placing (No. 25) last season.

Lombard is joined by three other Yankees farmhands -- right-handers Carlos Lagrange (No. 79) and Elmer Rodríguez-Cruz (No. 82), and infielder Dax Kilby (No. 94).

The four youngsters were also ranked on Baseball America's latest prospects list, and notably, outfielder Spencer Jones -- MiLB's home runs leader in 2025 -- was excluded by both outlets. 

Lombard, the Yankees' consensus top prospect, is projected to reach the majors in 2027 but still has plenty to prove as a reliable bat and defender. 

The former first-round pick reached Double-A Somerset last season, but hit a measly .215 with 124 strikeouts in 108 games. He did produce 36 extra-base hits for a .695 OPS, however, in 391 at-bats.

Rodríguez-Cruz, named the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year in 2025 by Baseball America, registered a 2.58 ERA with 176 strikeouts across three levels, finishing the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Lagrange, standing 6-foot-7 with a fastball touching triple-digits, logged a 3.22 ERA with 104 punchouts over 78.1 innings in Double-A last season. MLB Pipeline estimates his big league debut sometime this season.

Dilby, the Yankees' first-round pick in the 2025 draft, has several boxes to check in his development. The lefty-hitting, righty-hitting teen saw some time with Single-A Tampa last season, hitting .353 with nine RBI in just 18 games (68 at-bats).

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Hawks survive another clutch game, defeat Suns 110-103

The Atlanta Hawks were at home on Friday evening to take on the Phoenix Suns. The Hawks were coming off a clutch win two days ago against the Memphis Grizzlies, and hoping to continue that momentum against one of the better teams in the Western Conference.

The last time these two teams faced off, it was a comeback thriller for the Hawks, as they won after overcoming a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Onyeka Okongwu got things started for the Hawks with a three-pointer.

The Hawks got into transition early, and Jalen Johnson found Corey Kispert for a three-pointer.

The Hawks were being rewarded for their defense on the other end, and pulled away slightly in the first for a minute. The transition points continued to pile up for the Hawks, and Johnson took this one for himself.

The Hawks continued to create easy opportunities for themselves, and it was even scoring throughout. The Suns started to make some shots late and ended up taking the lead late. The Hawks trailed 31-27 going into the second.

Luke Kennard got it going early in the second for the Hawks with two three-pointers and helped them take back the lead.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker absorbed contact on this play in transition to get the layup.

The Hawks were able to string together a few stops throughout the quarter, and capitalized on the other end to help extend their lead. It was the CJ McCollum show down the stretch of the first half, and he was able to get almost any shot he wanted.

Alexander-Walker joined in on the fun with McCollum, and both were able knock down three-pointers late in the game.

The Hawks went into halftime with a 64-59 lead.

The threes kept raining for the Hawks to start the second half, and back-to-back shots from Okongwu and Alexander-Walker helped them take a double-digit lead at one point.

The Hawks maintained the lead for a little while, but the Suns came storming back and went on a run themselves. It was the turnovers that doomed the Hawks in the third, and the Suns found every way to capitalize on the other end.

The Hawks kept battling late in the third, and they had to lead with their defense. Christian Koloko played some good minutes against the Grizzlies, and he did the same in this game.

Kennard kept shooting the lights out and helped the Hawks stay in the game.

The turnovers continued to hurt the Hawks, and they ended the quarter with more turnovers than field goals made. Going into the fourth, the Hawks trailed 91-84. One thing to take note of for the Hawks was Devin Booker going down late in the third.

The Hawks fought to start the quarter, and were able to keep things close. Johnson got this big putback dunk after a miss.

Okongwu tied the game with a three.

The game went back-and-forth late in the fourth, and the Hawks had just been in this situation with the Grizzlies. It started on the defensive end, as the Hawks were able to get some key stops.

A couple of shots from Johnson and McCollum helped the Hawks keep the lead, and more stops on defense sealed the deal for their second straight win.

Johnson finished with 23 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists, Okongwu finished with 25 points, and McCollum finished with the 21 points.

The Hawks will be back in action on Monday against the Indiana Pacers.

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Nolan McLean leads 4 Mets prospects on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 preseason list for 2026

As players get ready to report to spring training camp, it's the perfect time for prospects from all MLB teams to show their respective organizations what they have, and the Mets have plenty this year.

MLB Pipeline updated its Top 100 prospects list for the preseason on Friday, and it includes four Mets. Here are the Mets prospects who made MLB Pipeline's Top 100:

  • No. 6 - Nolan McLean
  • No. 16 - Carson Benge
  • No. 48 - Jonah Tong
  • No. 98 - A.J. Ewing

The Mets are one of four teams to have two prospects in the Top 25 on MLB Pipeline's preseason list, with McLean being the only pitcher in the Top 10. The right-hander is also the highest Mets prospect on the MLB's rankings since Francisco Alvarez was ranked No. 3 back in the preseason 2023 list. 

McLean's place on the list is not surprising after bursting onto the scene and becoming one of the Mets' best pitchers. Across 48.0 innings over eight starts during his big league debut last season, McLean posted a 2.06 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while striking out 57 batters. 

Benge, who ended the 2025 season with Triple-A Syracuse, will compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster and, according to president of baseball operations David Stearns, the young outfielder has a legit chance to capture a place on the 2026 Mets. 

Tong was called up to the big leagues not long after McLean and showed moments with the club, striking out 22 batters across 18.2 innings (five starts). 

And then there's Ewing, who enjoyed a breakout 2025 season. He slashed .315/.401/.429 (.830 OPS) across three levels, ending with Double-A Binghamton. 

McLean and the others were also on Baseball America's updated list of prospects, along with Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. However, Sproat and Williams were recently traded to the Brewers for Freddy Peralta; otherwise, the Mets would have six prospects on MLB Pipeline's Top 100. 

Williams (No. 51) and Sproat (No. 100) now give Milwaukee four prospects this preseason. 

 

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Injury Update: Devin Booker departs with an ankle injury

What’s the phrase, insult to injury. There is something about Atlanta. State Farm Arena feels cursed, at least for the Phoenix Suns. They have not won in this city since 2014, and on Friday night, the bad juju showed up again. Only his second game back, and Jalen Green was lost once more.

That kind of moment hits a team in the chest. This is a group that has lived the rehab with him, sweat by sweat, day by day. You can see how much joy he gets from playing with, how badly he wants to be out there, and when that gets taken away again, it lands emotionally. Hard.

Devin Booker tried to steady everything. He poured in 16 points in the third quarter and finished with 31, dragging the Suns forward with force of will alone. And then, because Atlanta apparently demands a sacrifice, it happened again.

With 5.2 seconds left in the quarter, Booker was running back in transition. He glanced over his shoulder, never saw Onyeka Okongwu in front of him, and stepped on his foot. His right ankle twisted. He hit the floor in pain, then limped off toward the locker room.

On a night already weighed down by losing Jalen Green, the Suns were forced to process losing Devin Booker too. I do not know much in this world. But I know this. I hate Atlanta.

The Suns lost the game 110-103 as their offense became inept in the fourth quarter, scoring just 12 points. And Booker? Per Jordan Ott, he left on crutches.