Reality, however, doesn’t usually cater to idealism.
The Blueshirts could not match the Ducks — and several of their ex-teammates — in an empty-net-abetted 5-3 loss Monday night, marking their ninth defeat in the past 12 games. While the Rangers came out swinging in their first game after Chris Drury’s retooling announcement, the energy and execution wasn’t as formidable this time around.
On the heels of the organization’s statement, coach Mike Sullivan accurately pointed out how the Rangers have been engulfed in outside noise since last season.
The hope is that some organizational transparency ahead of the Olympic break would alleviate some of the pressure.
Between poor puck management and a slow start to the third period Monday, any buoyancy the Rangers may have had was weighed down.
Anaheim Ducks left wing Jeffrey Viel (28) scores a goal against New York Rangers goaltender Spencer Martin (41) during the second period at Honda Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“One of the simplest, easiest ways to beat yourself is to not manage the puck appropriately,” Sullivan said after the loss. “If you do, you give teams opportunities to create easy offense And I think in a few of the events of tonight, we beat ourselves because we didn’t take care of the puck.”
Exactly four minutes into the game, the Rangers were able to capitalize on some extended zone time.
Mika Zibanejad tipped the puck back to Matthew Robertson, whose slap shot from the top of the zone went five-hole on Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal. It counted as the rookie defenseman’s third goal of the season and his first since the last time the Rangers faced Anaheim on Dec. 15.
The Ducks swarmed below the hash marks later in the period, creating some traffic in front of Rangers goalie Spencer Martin. A puck deflected off Robertson’s skate and right to Mason McTavish for the 1-1 score.
Alex Killorn #17 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the New York Rangers at Honda Center on January 19, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
Scoring on the power play in a third straight game, the Rangers retook the lead on Artemi Panarin’s 19th goal of the season. Despite some prime chances to even the score later in the game, the power play converted on two of its four opportunities.
Anaheim applied significant pressure on a goalie who was making just his second start of the season.
Jeffrey Viel scored his first goal as a Duck to even the score at two-all, cleaning up a rebound after the Rangers were hemmed in their zone.
Anaheim later made it a 3-2 game on their second power-play opportunity of the period. Alex Killorn buried a puck that had already trickled past Martin off Jacob Trouba’s shot.
Matthew Robertson, center, celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. AP
Just over a minute into the third period, Drew Helleson’s keep-in at the blue line allowed Cutter Gauthier to give the Ducks a two-goal lead. While Vladislav Gavrikov’s power-play goal cut the Rangers deficit to one, the visitors weren’t able to find the equalizer.
“I think the guys are doing their very best to take a professional approach through this process,” Sullivan said Monday morning. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks here, most recently. I do think that these guys take a lot of pride in what they do, and they and they care a lot. I’ve had this conversation with you guys on so many different occasions, and it’s not just coach speak, it’s my honest assessment of this group of players. … Does it change the mindset? It may, in some strange way. There’s clarity of direction and people understand where we’re all at right now. I think there’s no speculation.
“There’s clarity in the direction. And maybe clarity might bring a little bit of a freer spirit with that clarity. I’m not sure, to answer your question. I think time will tell.”
Islanders' Anthony Duclair, back right, Mathew Barzal (13) and Calum Ritchie (64) celebrate during the second period after Duclair's second goal against the Vancouver Canucks in an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Call it an inkblot test of a win.
On one hand, the Islanders overcame a horrid start to take two points from the Canucks on Monday with a 4-3 final, and six games into a seven-game road trip without their leading scorer, it is something to still be getting points.
And on the other, well, this looked like a mess at various points, and the Islanders have been playing with fire the entire trip. Are we really going to laud the Islanders for gritting out two points against the 32nd-ranked team in a 32-team league, which lost its 11th in a row Monday after trading their own leading scorer, Kiefer Sherwood, the same morning?
The Islanders would point out, and rightly so, that they all count the same in the standings, that there’s no such thing as an easy night in this league and that after nearly two weeks on the road, they are in desperate need of some rest and recovery.
“That was a found-a-way-to-win game,” Anders Lee told The Post. “… We’re walking outta here with two points. You gotta win games when you’re not at your best.”
All fair. And still, it’s hard not to feel uneasy about how this one went.
The Islanders struggled badly to handle Vancouver’s physicality, lost too many battles and — it feels like a broken record by now — were poor in front of both nets. They were discombobulated throughout the game’s early stages, and the newly put together second line of Max Tsyplakov, Cal Ritchie and Emil Heineman lasted all of one period, with two goals against, before Tsyplakov was unceremoniously benched.
Islanders’ Anthony Duclair, back right, Mathew Barzal (13) and Calum Ritchie (64) celebrate during the second period after Duclair’s second goal against the Vancouver Canucks in an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. AP
Nevertheless, Vancouver couldn’t put them away early, and the Islanders worked their way back into this one. They took a 3-2 lead on a Ryan Pulock snipe at 15:58 of the second, less than two minutes after Anthony Duclair’s second goal of the night had tied the game on the power play.
The Islanders gave Vancouver a window of opportunity by wasting a 1:39-long 5-on-3 at the start of the third, but instead of seizing momentum, the Canucks fumbled it themselves.
They failed to convert their own power play shortly afterward, then the Islanders dutifully made it 4-2, with Tony DeAngelo slamming in Lee’s rebound.
Skating at 6-on-5, the Canucks got back within one on Drew O’Connor’s tip-in from Filip Hronek to throw a scare into the Islanders. That was all they could do though.
Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders blocks a shot during the third period of their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on January 19, 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia. NHLI via Getty Images
“We started to be better in our one-on-one battles,” coach Patrick Roy said. “That was the big difference. I think we gave nine chances after the first, it was way too many. So we had to refocus on our defense and play better defensively.”
Duclair, who loosed a right-circle wrister for the Islanders’ first goal of the night, has been one of few unambiguous positives for the club’s struggling offense on this trip. Since his hat trick two weeks ago against New Jersey, he’s looked like a wholly different player, confident and decisive.
“I’m using [Casey] Cizikas’ stick, made the switch,” Duclair said, revealing that his first game with the different stick was the five-point night against the Devils. “Think that’s why it’s going in.”
Islanders’ Ryan Pulock (6), Matthew Schaefer (48) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) celebrate Pulock’s goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period of an NHL hockey game, in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. AP
His chemistry with Mat Barzal, who is always engaged when returning home to Vancouver, was on display Monday as the top line put together a strong night. So too was the offensive prowess of the Matthew Schaefer-Pulock pair, with the rookie dynamic as ever, and saving a goal by clearing Evander Kane’s shot off the line after it trickled through Sorokin in the third.
On the other side of the ledger, start with Tsyplakov, whose confidence looks plainly shot. He looked lost on Monday, was unceremoniously benched after the first period and it’s getting hard to see how this situation gets fixed.
“It’s on me,” Roy said of that situation, adding that Tsyplakov will likely stay in the lineup against the Kraken. “He didn’t play a bad game. Just, he hasn’t played a lot and sometimes when that happens, you just want to go with the guys that you think you got the best chance to win [with].”
Cal Ritchie saved his night by notching an assist in his third straight game but otherwise looked stuck in the same funk he’s been in lately.
The Islanders lack of physicality, as a team, was on stark display here too. The Canucks bum-rushed them in the first, the visitors looked bewildered and a better opponent would have surged to an easy win.
Getting two points isn’t enough reason to ignore the wake-up call.
TheRockets won their matchup against the Pelicans on Sunday pretty easily, with the return of Dr. Jaswishy, and Kevin Durant eclipsing Dirk Nowitzki’s career scoring mark. Dirk had recorded a nice congratulatory video for Kevin Durant, which was played in Toyota center upon points 31,362 being scored. That is, truly, a lot of basketball points.
Tonight’s matchup is with the Spurs, and will mark the 5th and final game of Houston’s much needed home stand. But don’t worry, they’ll be off to Philadelphia and Detroit later this week, lest their home/road games played split become too normal. The Rockets can finish this stretch 4-1 with a win, but in the Spirit of AK I can only suggest that a dismal, dispiriting loss will occur. It’s better not to hope, as the Texans demonstrate in Divisional Round year after year.
Anyhow this should be a good one, as it will be on NBA/Peacock, after their big day of mostly not great MLK day games (Detroit v Boston was very good).
Looking ahead because we don’t have to take it day by day – the Pretty Decent 76ers on Thursday.
Tip Off
7:00PM CT
How To Watch Peacock/NBA
Injury Report Rockets Steven Adams: Out (Ankle)
Fred VanVleet: Out (Acl), Tari Eason: Day-To-Day, One Day At A Time, Play It By Ear, (Ankle)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Alex Killorn broke a second-period tie, rugged newcomer Jeffrey Viel scored his first goal of the season and the Anaheim Ducks beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Monday night.
Cutter Gauthier scored twice on his 22nd birthday — the second into an empty net in the final minute — to push his season total to 22. Mason McTavish also scored to help Anaheim to its fourth victory in a row following a nine-game losing streak.
Lukas Dostal made 19 saves, surviving a wild scramble on a late 21-second two-man advantage.
Matthew Robertson, Artemi Panarin and Vladislav Gavrikov scored for New York, and Spencer Martin stopped 21 shots in his fourth NHL game of the season.
Seeing time with Igor Shesterkin sidelined by a lower-body injury, Martin was back in goal after stopping 25 shots Saturday in a 6-3 victory in Philadelphia that ended a five-game losing streak.
Killorn gave Anaheim a 3-2 lead with 1:58 left in the second period. He scored off a rebound of Jacob Trouba’s long shot after a prolonged scramble behind the goal.
Gauthier padded the lead at 1:01 of the third, and Gavrikov countered for New York at 7:11 with a long shot on a power play.
Viel tied it at 2 at 8:29 of the second with his first goal for the Ducks and the first in 12 NHL games this season. Acquired from Boston on Friday for a 2026 fourth-round pick, Viel controlled Ryan Poehling’s feed from the blue line and beat Martin from close range.
Viel had no points and 30 penalty minutes in 10 games this season for Boston, and added another fighting major in his Ducks debut Saturday night in a 2-1 overtime victory over Los Angeles. In 66 career NHL games, he has four goals, two assists and 188 penalty minutes.
While it wasn't pretty early against Vancouver, the Islanders got the win, a 4-3 victory to improve to 3-2-1 on their seven-game road trip with one game to go.
Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves for the Islanders. Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves for Vancouver.
Here's how the game unfolded:
The Islanders couldn't have been more off defensively to start the game.
Their defensive-zone coverage was lackluster, leading to Vancouver striking first at 2:49 of the first courtesy of fourth-line center Max Sasson.
Fortunately for the Islanders, Ilya Sorokin was able to keep the Canucks from adding to their slim 1-0 lead before Anthony Duclair wired home the 1-1 equalizer at 10:11 of the first after a tremendous feed from Tony DeAngelo:
That was Duclair's 10th goal of the season, with Matthew Schaefer notching his 20th assist of the season.
The Canucks did get back on top, with Evander Kane deflecting an Elias Pettersson wrist shot at 14:48 after Maxim Tsyplakov turned the puck over on the breakout.
Matthew Schaefer appeared to tie the game at 2-2 on a glorious effort, but Vancouver won a challenge for offside.
The Islanders scored two unanswered goals in the second period to enter the third period up 3-2.
First, it was Duclair scoring his second goal of the game, this time on the power play from the bumper spot off a nice feed from Ritchie at 14:34 of the second:
Schaefer notched his second straight multi-point game and seventh multi-point game of the season.
Tsyplakov sat for 11:15 in that second period.
The Islanders had a chance to double their lead with a 5-on-3 power play early in the third, but the Canucks killed it off.
DeAngelo got the Islanders that critical two-goal lead. After Anders Lee peeled to the front of the net, his shot banked off Lankinen and went right toward DeAngelo, who buried the rebound at 10:15 of the third:
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: Jimmy Butler III #10 of the Golden State Warriors is helped off the court
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Miami Heat 135-112 on Monday night, improving to 25-19 on the season and 11-4 over the team’s past 15 games. They continued climbing in the standings, hoping to escape the play-in. Yet, all that success became a moot point when Jimmy Butler III’s right knee bent in the wrong direction after he landed awkwardly catching a pass in the third quarter.
Butler screamed in pain, collapsed, and laid on the floor for several minutes as he was surrounded by his teammates. He had to be helped off the floor by Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga while he put no weight on his right knee. Regardless of the game’s outcome, no event on Monday has more of an impact on the Warriors championship prospects than Butler’s prognosis. But a best case scenario will likely sideline him for weeks, and a worst-case could end his season.
The Warriors were able to withstand a collapse for the moment after Butler’s exit. Steph Curry seemed to calm the team’s nerves with a step back three and a continued stretch of hot shooting helped the Warriors head into the fourth quarter with a 104-93 lead.
With Golden State already missing Butler and Draymond Green (who didn’t play due to an ankle sprain) for the final quarter, Curry was quickly pushed to the bench after unnecessarily picking up his fifth foul. Yet, for the second time in his Dubs tenure, Buddy Hield stepped up in a game when a star went down with an injury.
The Warriors season hangs in the balance, outside the confines of the court for the moment, but a scoring spurt from Hield and an explosion from Brandin Podziemski propelled Golden State to a 24-point lead that allowed Curry to rest for the remainder of the game. Hield scored 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field (4-for-7 from three) while Podziemski scored a game-high 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting (3-for-7 from three).
Nearly everyone on the Warriors who played on Monday played well. Butler had 17 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals before he got hurt in 20 minutes of action. Quinten Post and Moses Moody combined for 28 points while shooting 7-for-11 from three. Even in a relatively quite night from Curry, he recorded 19 points and 11 assists.
The Warriors will get little time to reset without Butler. They will be back on the floor for the second half of a back-to-back tomorrow night when they face the Toronto Raptors.
Coach Jordan Ott of the Phoenix Suns was a longtime assistant with the Nets.
After six years as a Nets assistant, Jordan Ott returned to Brooklyn on Monday as head coach of the Suns, leading them to a 126-117 victory at Barclays Center.
He packed a career’s worth of ups and downs into those six seasons.
“Yeah, just good memories. Six years. A lot of good people, a lot of good players. Saw the whole gamut of seasons (in) six seasons,” said Ott. “But yeah, it’s good to be back. Just different in the other locker room, but another game, ready to go.”
Ott arrived in Brooklyn in 2016 as an assistant on Kenny Atkinson’s staff. He helped oversee their first rebuild, and watched them form the Big Three. He outlasted his mentor to work under successors Jacque Vaughn and even Steve Nash — on the staff for their Eastern Conference semifinal classic vs. Milwaukee — before taking his hard-earned lessons to the Lakers in 2022.
Coach Jordan Ott of the Phoenix Suns was a longtime assistant with the Nets. Getty Images
Now he’s taken over the Suns, and has former Nets forward DeMarre Carroll on his staff.
“I think it was just so many different seasons, from where we started, those first couple years of just the development piece,” said Ott. “I mean, it’s cool with DeMarre now, like, bringing him in that group in that third season with Kenny. Go to the playoffs with a different group that was developing but with great veteran leadership. And then it shifted; it shifted to the superstars. And we were close, through all those ups and downs of those couple seasons.
“We were close, stepping on the line in Game 7. So, just got to be prepared. Gotta be prepared for a lot of different stuff. I don’t know what’s next, but attack each day, every day is a new challenge. Early in those Brooklyn years we didn’t have draft picks, so it was all about, ‘How can we maximize the group that we have?’ And that was influential. Never had to go through a time where, ‘Hey, play this, do this.’ We were all trying to win every single night. So, overall good experience.”
The Nets started rookie Drake Powell and Terance Mann in the backcourt vs. the Suns. Powell finished with 11 points while Mann added 10.
Michael Porter Jr. returned after sitting out Sunday’s loss in Chicago. But rookie Egor Dëmin (left plantar fascia injury management), backup center Day’Ron Sharpe (illness/throat contusion), and Cam Thomas (left hamstring injury management) were out against Phoenix.
Rookie Ben Saraf was in the G League.
Jalen Green was out for the Suns.
When the Nets were mulling offers for Mikal Bridges, they rejected an offer of Green and a couple of their first-round draft picks back from Houston. They eventually pried five first-rounders and a swap from the Knicks for Bridges.
NY Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: The Hall of Fame class of 2026 will be revealed tonight, and efforts to track the revealed ballots thus far paint a very good picture for some former Yankees. With a little more than half of the ballot publicly revealed, Carlos Beltrán has appeared on a strong 88.9 percent of the ballot, putting him in the pole position to make the 75 percent threshold to become a Hall of Famer. Joining him currently with revealed ballots is Andruw Jones at 83.9 percent, and a number of other candidates like Chase Utley and Félix Hernandez are trending well in the mid-50s and 60s.
Andy Pettitte has seen a spike up from his recent numbers, polling at 56.7 percent as opposed to his 27.9 percent result last year, though his case comes with a major caveat considering he was involved in the steroid scandal of the 2000s having admitted to using HGH, and a lot of the voting base that chooses not to reveal their ballots have a staunch anti-steroid bloc. HGH was not a banned substance at the time though, so perhaps they’ll swing towards Pettitte as he is on his eighth year on the ballot.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Reminiscing is en vogue lately, as the trend of looking back on 2016 has taken over social media. The Yankees have a lot to look back on as they reflect on the journey they’ve been on over the last decade, as they saw their current captain make his debut in the wreckage of a season that finally signaled the end of the last World Series core. Now that Aaron Judge has spent a decade in the league the Yankees have gotten back to but lost in the World Series, and are still hunting for that magical moment for the new core, but the 2016 season stands firm as a turning point in the franchise.
MLB.com | Mark Feinsand: Tarik Skubal stands head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd of trade candidates remaining, but there’s still a fine field of players who could move either over the winter or when teams reconsider around the deadline. Jazz Chisholm remains on this list but with a lot of water thrown on those plans, now that Bo Bichette has signed elsewhere, and arms like Sandy Alcantara and Freddy Peralta have the spotlight alongside Nico Hoerner as the most anticipated names to watch.
NY Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees made a depth signing on Monday, inking Seth Brown to a minor-league deal. The outfielder/first baseman had a standout 2022 with the Athletics, hitting 25 home runs with a .749 OPS, but cratered over the next three years producing only 29 more bombs and dropping to a .667 OPS. He’ll stand as insurance in case nothing else comes of the Cody Bellinger talks, but it’s fair to say that they aren’t planning around him beyond handing out a spring training invitation.
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler left Monday night's 135-112 victory against the Miami Heat at Chase Center with an apparent right knee injury.
The Warriors were leading 77-75 with 7:41 remaining in the third quarter at the time of the injury stoppage.
Butler jumped to receive a lob pass from guard Brandin Podziemski, which was met with contact from Heat guard Davion Mitchell as Butler was landing and going up for a layup.
It seemed as if Butler's knee buckled as he immediately fell to the ground before being tended to by the Warriors' medical staff.
Jimmy Butler had to be helped to the locker room after appearing to injury his knee pic.twitter.com/sOSpAxbbAP
Golden State's Jimmy Butler went down, grabbing his right knee, during the third quarter of the Warriors' game against the Heat. Butler and Davion Mitchell both went up as Butler tried to receive a pass in the post, and he landed awkwardly.
Jimmy Butler had to be helped to the locker room after appearing to injury his knee pic.twitter.com/sOSpAxbbAP
Butler had to be helped off the court and could not put any weight on his leg. The Warriors ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
Butler had a sprain of this same knee last season, and a meniscus tear in it back in 2018.
Butler is averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists a game for the Warriors this season. Golden State has been 9.2 points per 100 possessions better with Butler on the court this season.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets squared off on Monday night at the United Center for a Central Division battle. This game had some extra juice, however, as Jonathan Toews returned to Chicago for the first time as a road player.
At the first TV timeout, the Blackhawks and their fans honored Toews with a tribute video and a long standing ovation. He took multiple laps to loud cheers from the crowd that adores him so much.
one of the best to wear a Blackhawks sweater... welcome back Jonathan Toews‼️ pic.twitter.com/L2VvLyEOuY
It wasn't for a lack of chances on both sides, but there was no scoring until after the midway point of the second period. At 13:21, Jason Dickinson scored his 6th of the season to make it 1-0 Blackhawks. That lead would hold through the second intermission and into the third period.
That was the end of scoring on a goalie in the contest. Connor Bedard added an empty net goal late in the third, and the Blackhawks skated away with a 2-0 victory over the Jets.
Spencer Knight helped spoil Toews' return, as he earned his third shutout of the season. Knight made 32 saves on 32 shots, outdueling the reigning Hart Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck.
Although the fanbase was so engaged with the idea of celebrating Toews, the modern-day Blackhawks came out with a winning mentality, and they earned two big standings points. When they play to their capabilities, they have proven that they can beat anyone.
Bedard's empty net goal was big for him and the team. He hadn't scored since coming back from injury, but now he has that stress off his shoulder again.
"It matters," Jeff Blashill said after the game on Bedard finding the empty net to get back on track. "He certainly had a number of chances since he's been back. I thought he set up a number of people. He could have more points. Hopefully, that starts a waterfall of production."
Bedard has 20 goals through 36 games played. He is on a 38-goal pace if he plays every game for the rest of the season, which is much more than his career high of 23.
Earning a good home win in front of an incredible crowd was what this team was looking for to end a three-game skid. Knight captured a shutout, Bedard broke out, and they were able to hold onto a lead.
The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday night. They will pay a quick visit to the Carolina Hurricanes before playing the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on Friday night.
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CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Simon Nemec scored at 1:18 of overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
Nemec took a backhand pass from Jack Hughes and beat goalie Devin Cooley from close range.
Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves to help New Jersey rebound from a 4-1 home loss to Carolina on Saturday night for its third victory in four games.
Dawson Mercer opened the scoring for New Jersey at 7:51 of the second period, and Nazem Kadri tied it at 9:44 of the period. Rookie Matvei Gridin got his first NHL assist on Kadri's goal.
Cooley stopped 29 shots. The Flames had won two in a row.
Devils defenseman Luke Hughes left in the second period after appearing to be shaken up during a puck battle along the boards.
Defenseman Zach Whitecloud made his Calgary debut after being acquired from Vegas on Sunday along with two draft picks and a prospect in a trade that sent longtime Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Golden Knights. Whitecloud had two shots and three blocked shots in 22:33.
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the New York Knicks on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, winning 114-97 . Both teams had players nursing injuries, but it was the Mavericks who ended up with the big win.
Let’s get to the grades!
Cooper Flagg: B
18 PTS / 7 REB / 3 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN
Flagg had a solid game, but it was somewhat muted by a minutes restriction and Max Christie providing a lot of scoring punch. His four turnovers were somewhat glaring, but he hit 50% of his 14 shot attempts and chipped in a bit of everything.
Max Christie: A+
26 PTS / 6 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 35 MIN
Christie went absolutely out of his mind and it was a sight to behold. I’ve recently written about how nice it is to see him do more than shoot threes, but Monday night it was plenty nice to see him hoisting the long ball. Christie was 9-for-13 including a mind-boggling 8-for-10 from deep. His second half play came down to earth a bit, but it hardly mattered with the Mavs taking a 20+ point lead into the final frame. He led all scorers and hit a career high in three-point field goals for top marks.
Caleb Martin: C+
3 PTS / 1 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 1 BLK – 24 MIN
Most of Martin’s contribution came in the form of stuff you won’t see in a box score. He hounded the Knicks on defense, an effort highlighted by another three steals, but otherwise left the offense to others.
Naji Marshall: B
19 PTS / 8 REB / 4 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 33 MIN
Marshall couldn’t be stopped in the first half, driving relentlessly to eviscerate the Knicks’ defense. As the game went on, he took more three-pointers, but only hit 1-for-6, driving his shooting percentage down. His game was very similar to Flagg’s, with his blemish being a lower shooting percentage rather than a high turnover total.
Dwight Powell: B
2 PTS / 5 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN
As ridiculous as it sounds, Powell is getting a bump for the absolute beating he took at the hands of Karl Anthony-Towns. Throughout his NBA career, Powell has been hit in the face more than a professional boxer, but Monday night was next level. Towns is known for his flailing knees, but Powell took a variety of groin shots and stayed professional, using it as motivation to play harder. In respect of his actual game, there isn’t much to talk about. The Knicks’ bigs decimated the Mavericks bigs, but Powell was a pro doing the dirty unsung work.
Klay Thompson: A-
14 PTS / 5 REB / 2 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN
I’m inclined to go a bit high on Thompson’s grade, which seems counterintuitive relative to his recent play. That said, he did a nice job intangibly on defense, while grabbing boards, getting steals and even tossing a couple of assists to his teammates. In the limited time he played, it was a good game that looked better than even the box score may suggest.
Ryan Nembhard: C+
4 PTS / 3 REB / 5 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 22 MIN
Nembhard didn’t have a huge impact on the stat line, struggling to find his shot (2-for-7) with a 5:2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Extra credit for checking in late in the third quarter to settle things down when the Mavericks were a bit out of sorts – it won’t show up in any statistical category, but it was undoubtedly significant and allowed Dallas to enter the fourth quarter with a 23-point lead.
Moussa Cisse: A-
15 PTS / 9 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 4 BLK – 20 MIN
Cisse did his best to match the Knicks’ size, and while his numbers may not have been as pretty at Karl-Anthony Towns’ or Mitchell Robinson’s numbers, he did work in just under 20 minutes of play. His four blocks were a menace to the Knicks, but his three turnovers and four fouls didn’t help his cause. Stepping up and hitting two free throws when the Knicks decided to Hack-A-Cisse was bigger than the final score may indicate.
Final Thoughts
Both teams were a bit beat up coming in, but Dallas was coming off two lopsided wins while New York has been struggling of late. The Mavericks came in like a wrecking crew, dropping the most first-half points the Knicks have given up all season. As expected, things got a bit closer here and there in the second half, frankly getting too close for comfort late in the fourth quarter before Dallas closed it out. The Mavericks have plenty of struggles right now with a lot of players out or having just returned, but you wouldn’t have known it in what was basically a full on drubbing of the Knicks Monday night.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins got off on the right foot to begin their four-game Western road swing on Monday.
And they did it in statement fashion.
Despite several pushes from the other side, the Penguins defeated the Seattle Kraken, 6-3, giving them 57 points on the season and putting them in a tie with the New York Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division standings. The Penguins also created some separation between themselves and the Washington Capitals, who have played two more games than the Penguins and are three points behind them.
Connor Dewar scored two goals for the Penguins, Sidney Crosby registered two points in his 1,400th NHL game, and Stuart Skinner stopped 20 of 23 Seattle shots to earn his fifth win in the last six games.
The Penguins needed this win. And they earned it, too, even if it got a bit hairy at times.
Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon opened the scoring a little less than six minutes into the game with a snipe from the left point for his second of the season. A few minutes later, Brett Kulak took a hooking penalty, and the Penguins headed to the penalty kill. Dewar ended up with a breakaway opportunity on the kill, and he buried the shorthanded goal to give the Penguins the 2-0 lead.
But, then, Seattle began to respond a bit. Ben Meyers cut the Kraken deficit to 2-1 with a goal from the net-front late in the first, and Ryan Lindgren capitalized on a loose rebound given up by Skinner to tie the game at 2-2.
Yet, the Penguins didn't fold. Instead, they responded immediately. Kulak got the puck on his stick after an offensive zone faceoff win by Crosby, walked the blue line, and fired a bullet past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord to restore the lead for the Penguins.
Justin Brazeau scored off the rush for the Penguins early in the third period to give the Penguins an insurance goal, and - once again - Seattle pushed. Eeli Tolvanen scored a power play goal for Seattle five minutes later to make it 4-3.
But with a little more than three minutes remaining in regulation, Crosby took control of the puck behind Daccord's net, and he found Rickard Rakell - who was waiting on the doorstep - with a connecting pass. Rakell shot from the goal line and banked the puck off of Daccord's pad to give the Penguins another insurance goal.
Dewar added an empty-netter with 30 seconds left to give the Penguins the 6-3 win.
Even if the Penguins weren't at their best throughout the 60 minutes and saw some momentum go the other way, they still found ways to respond, and they shut things down at the end of the game, too.
Here are some takeaways from this huge win in Seattle:
- Even when Seattle was pushing in the second and third periods - and they did have a few periods of sustained momentum - the Penguins always seemed to have a response.
After Lindgren scored to tie the game at 2-2 - and erase the 2-0 lead the Penguins had built - they did not crumble like they had during their December losing streak. Instead, they went right back to work, and Kulak scored his goal just 51 seconds after to give the Penguins back the lead.
Again, after Seattle came out strong to start the third, the third line and Brazeau answered that momentum swing with an insurance goal. And, again, after Tolvanen scored on the power play to make it 4-3, the Penguins and Skinner responded, and Rakell earned his insurance goal later in the period.
This version - the healthier version - of this Penguins' team is relentless. They don't crater when momentum swings the other way, even if they do get burned. Instead, they respond, and it's making a great deal of difference for them.
There's something to all of that.
- Speaking of the third line, I thought this was a much stronger game for them. They were generating chances in the offensive zone all night long, and Brazeau's goal was simply a fruit of those labors finally paying off.
Ben Kindel and Anthony Mantha were doing their part as well. If they can play at the level they did Monday, the third line will, once again, become a formidable threat for Pittsburgh and give them a triple punch as far as scoring depth.
- What an addition Dewar has been for the Penguins.
When they acquired the 26-year-old forward and defenseman Conor Timmins last season from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the last minute on deadline day, they only gave up a 2025 fifth-round pick to get both. They ended up flipping Timmins for Connor Clifton and a second-rounder, and Dewar - in the month of January - tied his career-highs of 11 goals and 19 points with his empty-net goal.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the Penguins may very well have the best fourth line in hockey. I've sung Blake Lizotte's praises, and Noel Acciari has been very, very good this season in his role on that line and on the penalty kill.
But Dewar - not unlike Brazeau, except in a bottom-six role - has been a revelation. And the Penguins, if they make the playoffs, should consider extending the pending-RFA just like they extended Lizotte.
- One of the only negatives to come out of Monday was the power play. It was 0-for-3, and it had trouble generating much of anything, even if the second unit had a few looks.
I think this unit really misses Erik Karlsson. They're struggling with zone entries right now, and he really helps in that regard. Karlsson made the trip, so hopefully, he'll be back sooner rather than later to aid the first unit.
And as for the second unit, Egor Chinakhov is playing the left flank, but I'm not so sure this is the best use of his deployment. He gets a lot of touches on the power play, and his shot is his greatest weapon. Yet, when he receives the puck, he has to reset in order to set himself up for a shot, and oftentimes, it gives the opposition an opportunity to obstruct.
If he's going to get a lot of touches, the Penguins should put him in the best position to use that weapon of a shot. He should either be on the left wall or in the slot. I feel like this is, kind of, a no-brainer at this point.
- This is the second straight game in which the first line was very effective for the Penguins. And it's nice to see Rakell getting on the board again, as this was his second straight game with a goal directly set up by Crosby.
The Crosby-Rakell connection has always been special, and Rakell has looked much more himself in the last several games. Once Rakell gets his goal-scoring traction back, it will only make the top line - and the Penguins - that much more dangerous.
So, hopefully, he can continue what he's doing and continue to make any trade talk moot.
- Kulak really deserves a lot of credit for the way he's been playing lately. It took him a couple of weeks to settle in, but now that he has, the Penguins - and Kris Letang - all of a sudden look a whole lot better on the blue line.
Once Karlsson comes back - and if Kulak and Letang can sustain their level of play - the Penguins should have a pretty good top-four. There are still a lot of questions that remain on their bottom pairing, but if they're still in the playoff picture come the trade deadline, that's an area they can look to add to without spending too much.
But, in any case, good for Kulak. He was in the midst of one of the worst stretches of hockey in his career when he left the Edmonton Oilers, and it's nice to see him looking like his reliable-with-some-offensive-upside self lately.
- The Penguins will travel to Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames on Wednesday before facing the Oilers on Thursday in the second half of the back-to-back. Then, they will conclude their Western trip against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
Two wins on this road trip feels like a must, but it sure would be nice to take three of these four games. No other team in the Metro - other than the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes - are playing particularly great hockey right now, so it's a great opportunity for the Penguins to beat two non-playoff teams in Calgary and Vancouver and create some separation.
But, beyond that, this is when you also start looking at the regulation wins column. Regulation wins is the first tiebreaker when it comes to the standings, and right now, the Penguins have 19. While that's more than the 17 the Islanders have, it's not more than Washington's 21, Florida's 22, Boston's 21, or Buffalo's 20. And those are all teams in the wild card picture.
Look: The best path to the playoffs is always being one of the three best teams in your division. That much is clear. But the East is so tight, and teams have been so inconsistent this season that it's critical for the Penguins to check as many of the "tiebreaker" boxes as possible.
We're approaching the end of January as well as the Olympic break, when many teams will determine their trade deadline strategy. These things really matter.
So, it can't be stressed enough how important this road trip is for the Penguins. They need to collect as many points as possible - and they need to do it in regulation.
In a matchup that felt far more like May than January, the Pistons outlasted the Celtics 104–103 on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena, surviving a final Jaylen Brown jumper that fell just short at the buzzer.
The Celtics jumped out to an early 16–8 lead behind Brown’s scoring and strong defensive activity, but the momentum didn’t last long. Jalen Duren scored seven straight points to halt the run, setting the tone for what became a bruising night in the paint.
With four minutes remaining in the quarter, the game’s intensity boiled over. Thirty seconds after Isaiah Stewart checked in, he and Jaylen Brown were assessed double technical fouls following a brief altercation, punctuating an already physical opening quarter.
Boston closed the first with a narrow 29–26 advantage, but the warning signs were there.
Detroit seized control in the second, outscoring Boston 33–22 and flipping the game with defensive playmaking and physicality. Rim protection and activity disrupted Boston’s offensive rhythm, forcing turnovers that the Pistons consistently capitalized on. Detroit scored 19 points off Boston’s 14 turnovers.
Brown carried the scoring, while contributions came in waves from others. Five Celtics reached double figures, but Boston struggled to generate consistent offense against the NBA’s No. 2 defense. The Pistons’ defensive pressure, highlighted by emphatic blocks at the rim from Stewart and Cade Cunningham, helped build their confidence heading into the break.
Boston made its push coming out of halftime. A pair of Sam Hauser three-pointers and a short jumper trimmed the Pistons’ lead to one early in the third, injecting life back into the game.
Payton Pritchard provided a needed spark, scoring 10 points in the quarter to keep the Celtics within striking distance as Detroit leaned on hot shooting from Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris to maintain its edge.
The game settled into a possession-by-possession battle from there.
The fourth quarter mirrored the rest of the night — physical, tense, and tightly contested. Boston had chances to take control and answered just enough to keep their hopes alive. Ultimately, a communication breakdown on a Tobias Harris three-pointer and a pair of missed free throws from Brown proved to be the difference.
Down one in the final moments, the Celtics put the ball in Brown’s hands for a potential game-winner. His jumper was off the mark, and Detroit escaped with the one-point victory.
WHAT A GAME. Jaylen Brown's shot bounces off the rim and the Pistons hold on to win! 😱 pic.twitter.com/ZCYnI05qDH
The Celtics showed fight and resilience, but the Pistons’ second-quarter surge and defensive connectivity proved decisive. Brown led Boston’s scoring effort with 32 points, and played a large part in Cade Cunningham’s quiet 16-point outing. Tobias Harris’ 25 points, Jalen Duren’s 18 points and nine rebounds, and Duncan Robinson’s five three-pointers elevated the Pistons just out of the Celtics’ reach.
Payton Pritchard chipped in 17 points, while Sam Hauser put together another solid night with 16 points on four made threes. Derrick White’s 1-for-11 outing was difficult to dismiss in a game where both sides were searching for production.
This one came down to margins — a missed shot, poor ball security, and missed free throws. Detroit flexed their muscles defensively, and handled those moments just a bit better.
The Celtics head back home for a rematch against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, a team they dropped a close one to as well just a week ago.
