COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 22 points and Chance Gray and Kennedy Cambridge each added 13 for No. 12 Ohio State in an 81-67 comeback win over Indiana on Thursday night.
The Buckeyes (18-2, 7-1 Big Ten) were down 42-32 at halftime. But a 14-1 run in the third quarter, lasting almost three minutes, gave the Buckeyes the lead they would not relinquish. It is the fifth time this season Ohio State has gone into halftime trailing before going on to win the game.
Jaloni Cambridge scored 13 points in the second half and Gray added 10.
Lenée Beaumont scored 20 for Indiana (11-9, 0-8) and Shay Ciezki, the Big Ten's leading scorer, added 19 before fouling out. Zania Socka-Nguemen had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ciezki was 7 of 11 from the field, including five made 3-pointers.
Indiana committed 26 turnovers, 15 in the second half, which turned into 34 Buckeye points. The Hoosiers shot 56.4% from the field, including 11 of 17 from 3-point range.
MONTREAL (AP) — Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves, Jason Zucker, Beck Malenstyn and Zach Benson gave Buffalo an early lead and the Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Thursday night for their 17th victory in 21 games.
Peyton Krebs added an empty-netter in the third. The Sabres improved to 28-17-5, beating Montreal for the second time in eight days.
Cole Caufield scored for the fourth straight game for Montreal, and Nick Suzuki also connected, The Canadiens dropped to 28-16-7. They had won two in a row.
Samuel Montembeault stopped 13 shots in his first regulation loss since being called up from a conditioning assignment with Laval of the AHL on Dec. 27.
Buffalo is two points behind Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division.
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Golden State Warriors Thursday night, winning 123-115. The win brings the Mavericks’ record to 19-26. The Warriors drop to 25-21. Steph Curry led all scorers with 38 points, while Naji Marshall led Dallas with 30.
The game started about an hour earlier than most Mavericks home games, and the disruption in the schedule seemed to throw both teams. The Warriors didn’t score until 8:32 left in the first quarter, when a Steph Curry 3-pointer finally got them on the board. The Mavericks didn’t fare much better, though, only able to open a 6-0 lead in that time. The teams finally found some offensive rhythm midway through the first quarter, but couldn’t sustain it. The Warriors continued to miss shots in the second quarter, but found their way to the line. The Mavericks started hitting some shots, but kept turning the ball over. With some tough rebounding and getting out on fast breaks often, Dallas was able to grind out a 55-50 lead at halftime.
The Warriors came out firing in the third quarter and took the lead, but couldn’t keep the momentum going. The Mavericks looked like the better team for a large stretch of the third. The only problem was Steph Curry. He simply decided Golden State wasn’t going to roll over and unleashed a flurry of shots, scoring 13 points in the quarter. His offensive burst opened things up for his teammates, and by the end of the third, the Warriors had flipped the Mavericks’ five-point lead and went up 89-84.
Dallas refused to quit, though. They muddied up the game and then got their own momentum, taking a big lead halfway through the fourth quarter. The constant pressure from the Mavericks seemed to wear down the Warriors, who suddenly couldn’t score or get a stop. The Mavericks took a double-digit lead with a 24-5 run. Once they had the lead, Dallas just grinded out the last four minutes, taking home the win.
Here are three thoughts from the game:
Cooper’s complete game
Halfway through Flagg’s rookie season, it’s becoming obvious that he’s got a well-rounded game. He does a little of everything on the stat sheet, and some things that don’t show up in the box score. That was on full display tonight. To go along with his 21 points, he also put up 11 rebounds, two assists, and a steal. He was active on defense all night and put pressure on the Warriors when he had the ball. The only thing really missing from his game right now is consistent 3-point shooting. There’s no reason to think he won’t figure that out. The great ones have an almost supernatural ability to sharpen the weak edges in their game, and Flagg is showing some glaring potential of greatness.
Sloppy play almost gave the game away
The Mavericks played better than the Warriors for most of the game tonight. They dominated the boards, scored more points on fast breaks and in the paint, and shot better. But they almost gave the game away because they couldn’t stop giving the ball away. They turned the ball over 22 times on Thursday, conceding 21 points off those give aways. They tightened it up in the fourth quarter when they went on the run to take over the game, but still turned it over five times in the last period. (Some of those were in absolute garbage time.) Once they held onto the ball, they took a commanding lead and coasted to the win.
The Mavericks need a veteran point guard
Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams are fun players. I’ve enjoyed watching them this year, and I hope at least one of them is on the team for a couple years. But the Mavericks need a veteran point guard who can run the offense and make the offense easier for the rest of the team. Especially for Flagg. Nembhard and Williams just don’t have the experience, and it shows at times. The offense becomes disjointed and inconsistent for stretches, and with the close games the Mavericks play, those stretches of stalled offense are the difference between wins and losses. It’s much too early to start thinking of specific players, but it’s something Dallas front office should have on their mind this summer.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jet Greaves had 28 saves for his third career shutout, Zach Werenski scored his 19th goal of the season, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Dallas Stars 1-0 on Thursday night.
Werenski scored at 8:48 of the first period with a wrist shot from the right circle that went through traffic and inside the far post with assists from Damon Severson and Isac Lundestrom, who had missed 12 games with a lower-body injury suffered in practice on Dec. 27.
The Blue Jackets have now won five of their last six.
Casey DeSmith stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced but could not prevent the Stars from losing for the fourth time in their last five games. The Stars outshot the Blue Jackets 28-22.
Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle played in his 1,000th career game, the fifth player to reach the mark in a Columbus uniform. He scored into an empty net late in the game but the goal was disallowed for offside.
The former first-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks has 199 goals and 316 assists in his career with Minnesota, Boston, Colorado and Columbus.
Mason Marchment returned to the Blue Jackets lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body injury suffered Jan. 4 against Pittsburgh.
Up next
Stars: Play at home against St. Louis on Friday night.
Blue Jackets: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday night in the third game of a five-game homestand.
The Washington Wizards were unable to keep up with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday in a 107-97 loss at Capital One Arena, extending the team’s losing streak to eight games.
The Wiz Kids started this one ice cold, missing on 14 of their first 18 shot attempts as the Nuggets built up a double-digit lead in the first quarter. Will Riley helped stop the bleeding with back-to-back triples to close out the opening period, getting the good guys to within 27-23 after 1.
The first quarter also saw Alex Sarr and Aaron Gordon combine for an unusual bucket that would give anyone an automatic letter in a game of H.O.R.S.E.
Washington battled back in Q2 to take a momentary 34-33 lead off a Khris Middleton jumper. Kyshawn George led the way with 12 points at the half as his team trailed 48-46 heading into the break.
Tre Johnson got hot in the third quarter. He scored eight straight points in the span of a minute, capped off by this corner step-back three that would have made Ray Allen proud.
The Wizards kept pace with the Nuggets through the early stretches of the fourth quarter. A pair of Sarr free throws tied the game at 83. That’s when Denver, led by Peyton Watson’s career-high 35 points, put the game away with a 9-0 run.
George had a team-high 20 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists — the 10th time this season he’s led the team in scoring. Tre Johnson was a close second with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Will Riley made an impact as a reserve, accounting for 13 points of the Wizards’ 21 bench points.
Washington’s next chance to snap its losing streak comes Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets.
The forward came up limping after he was pushed by a member of the Mavericks during a dunk attempt with 4:28 remaining in the second quarter. Kuminga was seen limping after the attempt and appeared to ask a young girl to move from her seat so he could sit down.
He was later seen on the broadcast walking back to the locker room with a member of the Warriors' staff.
The Congolese player's injury is not expected to be serious, according to ESPN's Anthony Slater, who reported that Kuminga did twist his ankle and suffered a minor knee hyperextension. Kuminga had 10 points, two assists and two steals in nine minutes of play.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr confirmed to reporters that Kuminga's ankle and knee were both impacted and said Kuminga would be getting an MRI on Friday, Jan. 23.
"We’ll see how bad it is. Such a shame, he was playing great. That definitely hurt us, not having him available for the second half," Kerr said, per The San Francisco Standard's Danny Emerman.
The Mavericks dominated the Warriors down the stretch, outscoring them 39-26 in the fourth quarter, to win 123-115.
Kuminga was expected to see an increase in minutes within the Warriors' rotation after Jimmy Butler was ruled out for the season after he suffered a torn ACL earlier this week.
The fifth-year pro made headlines after demanding a trade away from Golden State on Jan. 15. The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5. He’d recently missed 13 games for the team.
He signed a two-year deal worth $48.5 million to remain with the Warriors in late September.
The injury bug is continuing to bite the Buffalo Sabres.
Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson was forced to leave the team's Jan. 22 matchup against the Montreal Canadiens early after suffering an upper-body injury.
Bryson was limited to only 6:17 of ice time during the Sabres' contest against the Canadiens due to his injury. During the matchup, he recorded two blocks and a plus-1 rating.
Bryson has appeared in 33 games so far this season with the Sabres, where he has recorded two goals, three assists, and five points. This is after he had seven assists and a minus-9 rating in 48 games with the Sabres during this past season.
In 287 career NHL games over six seasons with the Sabres, Bryson has recorded six goals, 42 assists, 48 points, and 58 penalty minutes.
It’s hard to tackle a topic like this without unintentionally disrespecting the current manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, but I have to wonder if Yadier Molina might be the leader the team needs once the ongoing rebuild is complete. But, I also have a few reservations about why I fear that it might not be the great idea many of us think it is.
Let me be clear that I am not an anti-Oli Marmol person. While he’s not my favorite St. Louis Cardinals manager ever, I realize he’s been working with a roster that has been lacking to say the least. Oli did a good job handling a tricky lineup in 2022 when Albert Pujols rejoined the Cardinals for his final season, but let’s not talk about his bullpen use during the playoffs that year against the Phillies. No matter what you think of Oli as a manager, I think many in the Cardinals fanbase will forever view him as a remnant of the John Mozeliak era no matter if that’s fair or not. My point is I want to look at Yadi’s capabilities and not Oli Marmol’s faults.
We learned this week that the St. Louis Cardinals had hired Yadi again as a special assistant to the President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. The Cardinals said “Yadi will provide input on our catching program, will advise our staff on catching and game planning strategy and will give…our front office valuable perspective from his unique vantage point.”. The St. Louis Cardinals emphasized the need for Yadi to communicate his “championship mindset” to the players. My mind immediately began wondering if the team will someday turn to Yadi to execute that as the manager.
Let’s pretend there will be no work stoppage after the season because the owners and players can’t get together on a new collective bargaining agreement. For the sake of argument, let’s also say the foundational aspects of the St. Louis Cardinals rebuild is in good shape after just a couple of seasons. If the team decides that Oli Marmol is not the manager that’s needed when the Cardinals are ready to seriously contend again, should Yadi Molina be the next St. Louis skipper? I have created a pros and cons list because there are some real concerns.
Let’s start with the obvious pros. Yadier Molina has elite levels of tactical knowledge. Tony La Russa once said that he considered Yadi as an extra coach on the field. He said that Yadi “thinks and manages a game and a pitching staff as well as anybody ever has”. I can’t think of anyone I would want handling the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen for a full season than Yadi. He’s also a proven leader, not just during his Cardinals playing career but also as a manager in the Puerto Rican winter league. Yadi was the on-field leader that helped bring world championships to St. Louis in 2006 and 2011. There is no aspect of team and field management that he does not possess.
The cons list isn’t substantial, but there are a few potential hurdles that would give me pause before I offered Yadier this opportunity. The first and most significant is his ability to commit to a full season and all that requires when his involvement with the team over the past couple of years has been limited by family needs. I also wonder if Yadi has the patience needed to deal with the media on a day-to-day basis. While I was often entertained by some of the tense Tony La Russa post-game interviews (especially after a loss), it’s vital that a manager be able to handle media responsibilities. Would Yadi’s sometimes intense demeanor have the patience for that? That would be interesting. A modern day manager needs to understand how to incorporate all of the new data and technology that’s available into decision making and I’m not aware of how Yadi feels about that.
One thing I do not question is Yadier Molina’s drive to accomplish something that he sets out to do and it’s clear that he envisions himself as a major league manager someday. I think his new “special” assistant role with the Cardinals could be the key step to preparing him for that opportunity. If his family demands allow him to be a full-time manager, I believe he might be the perfect next leader of the St. Louis Cardinals. When you factor in how much the St. Louis Cardinals fanbase loves Yadi, it’s a marketing team’s dream for him to someday become the manager. Let’s watch this coming season and see if Yadi is a more visible presence with a bigger time investment. If that happens, we could be seeing the transition of a legendary Cardinals player into the future manager he so longs to be.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Cotie McMahon scored 33 points to tie a career-high, and she added 12 points and five assists to help No. 18 Mississippi beat Missouri 82-61 on Thursday night.
McMahon, who was held to nine points in an 82-59 loss to Georgia on Sunday, was 13 of 23 from the field and 6 of 11 at the free-throw line to match her previous scoring high set on Jan. 21, 2024, against Iowa.
Sira Thienou also had a double-double for Ole Miss (17-4, 4-2 SEC) with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Latasha Lattimore added 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Grace Slaughter led Missouri (13-9, 1-6) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Shannon Dowell added 15 points. The Tigers have lost the last five matchup in the series.
Ole Miss led 29-23 at halftime before erupting for 33 points in the fourth quarter.
The Rebels missed their first shot of the fourth before making 11 in a row to close the game. Missouri went over five minutes without making a field goal as the Rebels pulled away on a 13-2 run for a 77-57 lead with 1:37 left.
McMahon scored 14 points in the fourth on 5-of-6 shooting and Thienou added 13 after making all four of her shots, including three 3-pointers.
The Rebels shot 51% overall despite going 5 of 17 (29) behind the arc.
Up next
Ole Miss: Returns home to play No. 17 Tennessee on Monday.
Missouri: Continues a homestand against Texas A&M on Sunday.
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ORLANDO (AP) — LaMelo Ball returned to Charlotte's starting lineup and had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Hornets beat the Orlando Magic 124-97 on Thursday night.
Ball, who a night earlier had one of the worst shooting performances of his career when he came off the bench as part of a plan to manage his minutes, went 6 for 12 from the field and 4 for 8 from 3-point distance against Orlando. In a loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft finished with two points on 1-of-15 shooting, including 0 of 10 from 3-point range.
Brandon Miller scored 20 points to lead Charlotte's balanced effort. Collin Sexton came off the bench and scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half, Kon Knueppel and Tidjane Salaunadded added 13 apiece, and Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner each scored 10.
Paolo Banchero scored 23 points, and Desmond Bane added 21 for the Magic. Moritz Wagner scored 14, Noah Penda added 13 and Jeff Howard 10.
Back in the starting lineup, Ball played a role in the fast start for the Hornets that was missing against Cleveland a night earlier when they trailed by 21 points in the first quarter. Ball scored eight points in seven minutes on 3-for-3 shooting, including 2 for 2 from distance, as Charlotte led 35-20 after a period.
Ball had 11 points in 15 minutes in the first half as Charlotte built a 62-41 lead by the break with 55% (22 for 41) shooting from the floor, and 48% (11 for 23) from beyond the arc. The Hornets outscored Orlando 35-26 in the third and extended their lead to 30 points with a period remaining on the way to their fourth victory in nine games.
The Magic struggled throughout, shooting 33% (13 for 40), including 5 for 19 (26%) from distance in the first half.
Orlando was without guard Jalen Suggs, who missed his eighth straight game due to a right knee injury. Center Moe Wagner was also sidelined due to left knee management and could return to the lineup this weekend.
Pretty much same ol’, same ol’. In a series of tweets and podcasts Thursday, pundits suggested that with two weeks to go before the February 5 (3:00 p.m. ET) trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets are unlikely to make a big deal involving either Michael Porter Jr. or Nic Claxton. As for Cam Thomas, there doesn’t appear to be any interest.
Indeed, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, Michael Scotto of Hoophype and Ian Begley of SNY agreed that the Nets aren’t making calls, but instead in listening mode. Moreover, they believe that the Nets may see a role for both in building a contender next season.
Siegel who as recently as ten days ago laid out a potential trade package the Golden State Warriors could offer the Nets, stepped back from the Porter-to-Golden State rumors … the Warriors need to replace Jimmy Butler out for a year after tearing his ACL. He wrote:
[T]he Dubs were exploring the trade market for a potential final piece to solidify their title chances. In doing so, Michael Porter Jr. from the Brooklyn Nets was a prominent name connected to Golden State, given his offensive surge and 3-point shooting on the wing.
League sources told ClutchPoints that these two teams did speak to one another during the first week of 2026, but no real trade talks regarding Porter ever materialized. The Warriors, who had internally discussed the idea of pursuing Porter, received indications that his asking price would be too much compared to the trade market as a whole.
It no longer appears as if pursuing Porter is a path the Warriors would like to go down in the wake of Butler’s injury, especially with Moses Moody and Buddy Hield, two players who would likely be salary fillers to acquire a player like Porter, seeing their respective roles elevated.
Siegel also dismissed talk that the Lakers might be interested in MPJ.
While quickly on the topic of Porter, it is worth mentioning that the talk of the Los Angeles Lakers possibly throwing their hat in the mix for Porter isn’t a realistic possibility and something they do not have a desire to do, sources said. The Lakers have signaled that they do not want to take on big money at this time, regardless of how many years a player has left on their contract.
Porter, 27, is in the midst of a deal that will pay him $38.3 million this season, then $40.8 million next season. Bottom line, he said, echoing Shams Charania among others, is that the Nets intend to keep Porter, perhaps revisiting interest in the off-season or alternately using him as a key player in building an improved roster next season.
All indications coming out of Brooklyn are that the Nets are very comfortable keeping Porter and don’t feel a need to rush a decision. Trade talks could be revisited in the summer, as rival teams continue to get the sense that the Nets will keep Porter as their focal scorer heading into the offseason.
Similarly, Mike Scotto who’s been reporting the Nets are likely to keep MPJ reiterated his thinking on Begley’s podcast. His overall theme: the Nets are taking but not making calls on either Porter or Nic Claxton. Both have been subjects of “exploratory” interest but so far the Nets are in listening mode.
With MPJ, I would say for Brooklyn they’re not shopping him. They’re listening, certainly. He’s been all-star caliber player. You’re asset-driven. If you get draft picks more than MPJ, you do it. But they also want to be better next year. I’ve been told he could be a part of it. There’s no urgency to move him now.
Expiring plus all star production, it’s valuable. I don’t see them moving MPJ without the asking price.
Nic Claxton, I heard there was exploratory interest with Golden State, Pacers. I did not get the sense that anything close. For Nic, his contract descends. For Nets, there’s no urgency to move him and he could be a part of it next year.
The Warriors interest is new. In previous reporting, the Pacers and Lakers had been listed as teams interested in the 26-year-old.
Cam Thomas, he thinks, is unlikely to be moved other than in a bigger deal, assuming one emerges. Thomas, who recently switched agents, is on a $6.0 million qualifying offer and as such can veto any trade on any grounds. Most pundits believe his value, low to begin with, has dropped even further following his latest bout with hamstring issues. Said Scotto:
Cam Thomas, I think has to be included in a bigger deal if they’re going to do something. Stand alone value, he’s struggled and I think a lot of people around the league think his time (with Brooklyn) is going to come to an end given the extension negotiations they had.
Begley agreed and said he thinks Thomas is more likely to wait till the summer when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent and “sign elsewhere.”
Scotto also revisited Boston’s interest in Day’Ron Sharpe from last summer. The Celtics had discussed signing Sharpe but didn’t have the cap space and the Nets inked him to a very reasonable, two-year, $12.5 millon deal with the second year a team option. At the same time, the Nets and Celtics had discussed a salary dump in which Anferee Simons would come to the Nets along with draft pick(s) but Celtics resisted sending out a first rounder.
Day’ron Sharpe – Boston likes him, and {there’d been) some conversation for Anfree Simmons previously, if Nets could get a first round pick for him but Boston has resisted. Now, they’ve been in the thick of the East and pendulum could shift and they could be a buyer – add Day’Ron or someone else (Zubac), lots of moving parts.
Scotto added that even if the Nets don’t make a big move they are likely to play a role in facilitating trades among teams with apron concerns. He anticipates they’ll come away with “draft compensation” if that happens.
Nets will be an active team and they have to use the cap space to get draft compensation — 2nd round — teams have to get below the luxury tax or three team/four team trades that need Nets cap space.
The Nets currently have 20 seconds through 2032 along with 13 firsts, ten of which are tradeable, as well as league-leading $15.3 million in cap space. It’s that wealth of assets that will likely get them calls over the next two weeks.
The Sixers overcame a horrendous call at the end of regulation to take down the Houston Rockets 128-122 Thursday night.
Joel Embiid was dominant for much of the night with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists going 10-of-19 from the floor. Tyrese Maxey had a much better night attacking the basket, including a potential game-winner in regulation incorrectly not called a goaltend. He led the Sixers with 36 and 10 assists on 15-of-28 shooting.
Paul George was quiet and in foul trouble all night but hit some big threes late, putting up just 10 points on nine shots. VJ Edgecombe wasn’t up to much either, finishing with just nine points shooting 4-of-9 from the floor. Both made massive plays in OT.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had perhaps his best game as a Sixer, finishing with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting with four rebounds and two stocks. Kevin Durant led Houston with 36 as well.
With Embiid and PG back in the lineup the Sixers were back at full strength while the Rockets were missing Steven Adams, Aaron Holiday and Fred VanVleet, who’s out for the season.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
The defensive aggression the Sixers play with paid off on the first play of the game but not the following two. Edgecombe cheated to help George pop free a steal and take it all the way for a dunk. They nearly did the same thing on the following possession but the ball caromed to Amen Thompson right under the basket, then George fouled Durant shooting a three on the following possession. Oubre remained in the starting lineup over Dominick Barlow and started well again, cutting his way to a basket in the paint and knocking down a corner three.
Edgecombe made another big early impact with another ferocious dunk, but Maxey started slow again and the Sixers fell behind. Maxey missed a couple of open threes and a layup at point-blank range. Embiid got a dump off and putback but missed the first three shots he tried to get for himself. Meanwhile Houston made eight of their first 12 shots of the night.
Getting back and getting in front of shooters allowed the Sixers to pick up a couple stops, but Houston still finished the quarter over 50% from the field and from three. Maxey at least got one three to fall, and an offensive rebound opened up the floor for him to get to the basket as the Sixers trailed by two after a high-scoring first.
Second Quarter
Embiid had begun to control things on the offensive end, but shots just kept rimming out after falling halfway down. It happened to him in the first and then to Edgecombe in the second after Embiid whipped a nice pass to him in the corner. He worked his way down the right side to get Barlow open in the dunker and that was successfully converted. Embiid also got to the line a couple of times in this stretch.
Despite dribbling into a double team and getting blocked on his first shot, Trendon Watford had his best stretch of minutes since returning. Again it was his playmaking chops that stood out, helping Quentin Grimes get free for a backdoor cut and pushing a fast break to hit Barlow with a lob.
They struggled to contain Thompson and Durant, but perhaps the Sixers’ biggest problem defensively of the half was how many needless fouls they committed. Alperen Sengun had one of the easiest and-1s of his life, and Durant had two. Embiid was getting to the line just as frequently though. While Maxey couldn’t buy a three, he got a floater and a couple transition dunks, one of which was impressively over Jabari Smith Jr. That helped the Sixers take a seven-point lead into the break.
Two jumpers falling was exactly the start to the half that Maxey needed. Sengun had tried to impose his will offensively, but smoked his first two layup attempts of the half. He was losing the physicality battle on both ends, though Embiid might have gotten away with an offensive foul here. To be fair to Sengun, he wasn’t the one trying to win back Korkmaz’s affection in this matchup.
This felt like the sharpest the Sixers have been on offense in a couple weeks, which is impressive given the opponent. Embiid had found a nice blend of cooking 1-on-1 versus accepting the doubles and let his teammates try to take advantage of the power play. It’s why they were able to overcome Maxey’s struggles, and it’s why Oubre and Barlow continued to thrive hanging around the dunker spot.
Not only was Oubre doing that while being everywhere defensively, but he was white hot from three again, making four of his first five. The last one he hit gave the Sixers their largest lead of the night at nine, but they immediately surrendered a 9-0 run to give it back. Maxey turned it over trying to force a pass to the double teamed Oubre. After a couple second-chance points, a Dorian Finney-Smith three tied the game. The ball swung to PG with the quarter winding down, and he buried the midrange for his just his second make of the night, putting the Sixers back up by two after three.
Fourth Quarter
It feels absurd how quickly this team can undo the good work they put in. A couple baskets from Watford and Embiid had them in good shape, but Grimes undid most of that fouling Reed Sheppard as he drained a three-pointer. A couple wide open baskets at the rim later and suddenly it was the Rockets back with a two-possession lead.
As momentum three after momentum three clanked off the rim for the Sixers, their defense started to slip as well. Sheppard was shaking free and hot, scoring at the same pace as the Sixers as a team in the quarter while they were also getting gashed on cuts to the rim.
A timeout with a little over four minutes left seemed to settle the Sixers and get them back into things. Embiid came out of it with a layup. Maxey then followed up with a three of his own, one of those coming from a steal and another turned into an and-1. After Tari Eason and PG traded threes in the corner, a Maxey midrange tied the game with about a minute and a half to go.
Durant got the switch he wanted to Maxey and put Houston back in front with a hook shot. Embiid fumbled the ball as he was catching Maxey’s pocket pass and turned over the ensuing possession, though George was able to steal the ball back and get it up to Maxey for another fast break layup.
On their next possession, Durant wasn’t able to switch off Oubre, but he still shook free for a jumper but it didn’t fall, giving the Sixers the ball tied up with 13 seconds to go. Maxey brought the ball up the court, went all the way to the basket and it initially looked like it was blocked. Replay showed that it was goaltended by Thompson, but the play wasn’t reviewable, making it a jump ball with a second left. The Sixers did win that jump ball but after review, they only had 0.1 seconds to work with. Embiid’s volleyball tap attempt was funny, but the crowd certainly didn’t think so as they continued to rain down “ref you suck” chants heading into overtime.
George hit a three to open up scoring in the extra period, then Edgecombe picked up two bigger rebounds — one to end a Rockets possession and another to save a bad PG shot and put it back himself. Durant and Thompson quickly answered back with five of their own. After Maxey put them back in front, the Sixers came up with a steal and block for two big consecutive stops.
Oubre was able to run out after that block, pushing the Sixers lead back up to two scores with under a minute to go. Edgecombe was able to force a turnover by drawing a foul on Durant, though he came up empty trying to dunk on Sengun. It took Durant three tries but thanks to long offensive rebounds he cut the lead to two. After Maxey hit a pair of free throws, Edgecombe and Oubre came up with yet another steal, icing this one for good.
Let’s be clear – the Buffalo Sabres’ signing of young winger Josh Doan is very much a gamble.
Indeed, when you commit a seven-year, $$48.65-million contract to a 23-year-old who came into the current season with exactly 62 games of NHL experience, you’re gambling. But as we’ll explain below, the Sabres can afford to take this type of gamble.
With Doan’s contract done, there will be nobody wondering whether Doan could follow the guy he was traded for – sniper J.J. Peterka – and orchestrate an exit out of town a few years from now. Now, you have him for a full seven years, and he’s a cost-certain asset. But there’s no question Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen has gambled on Doan.
The reality, though, is that these are the type of deals teams make all the time. They project on players, and sometimes, they project wrongly. But the bottom line is this – Buffalo has to make these projections if they want to keep players on the rise in town.
Now, the Sabres know they’ve got Doan to stay in the top-six of the team. Now, they can now worry about players pushing their way out of town the way Peterka did. It’s about committing more now for the Sabres in hope of the contract looking like it was worthwhile.
Doan could be a terrific winger for a long time in this league. And the Sabres believe he’s worth the investment. Time will tell whether they were right to do so.
Most of David Stearns’ work this offseason revolved around improving the lineup and defense, even though he made it clear he wanted to upgrade the rotation, as well.
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He went to a familiar face in order to finally upgrade that starting staff when the former Brewers general manager traded for his former player Freddy Peralta late Wednesday night.
“Freddy has clearly established himself as one of the top starters in baseball, one of the most consistent starters in baseball, over the past few years,” Stearns said on a Zoom call Thursday from Citi Field. “He’s a player I know well. A player I trust. A player I think will mesh very well with the organization and the team and our city.”
Stearns called Peralta, coming off a career-best season, “a starter who can pitch in the top half of our rotation.”
Perhaps the two main concerns regarding the transaction — which also brought right-hander Tobias Myers to Queens for prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams — are whether Peralta can duplicate his success from a year ago and whether the Mets will be able to keep him beyond this season.
The 29-year-old Peralta is due to become a free agent for the first time after this season and some opposing scouts believed the Mets paid a high price for what could be a one-year rental.
Freddy Peralta celebrates in the fifth inning during Game Two of the National League Championship Series presented by loanDepot against the Dodgers on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. MLB Photos via Getty Images
Stearns declined comment on whether an extension has been discussed, but acknowledged there’s never a guarantee of that happening when you trade for a player.
“I think as you evaluate a transaction where a player is under contract for a relatively short amount of time, you have to assume a player is under contract for a relatively short amount of time and make the transaction with those assumptions.”
For now, though, Peralta certainly gives the Mets an upper-echelon starter to join a group that includes Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and Nolan McLean, with other promising young arms like Jonah Tong and Christian Scott waiting in the wings.
David Stearns introduces infielder Bo Bichette at his introductory press conference at Citi Field, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“We like our rotation,” Stearns said. “We think being able to add Freddy is something of a stabilizing force to help lead our rotation.”
Asked if the team had the ace it lacked last year, Stearns said, “I think we have multiple starters in our rotation who, at various points in their career, have pitched as No. 1 starters. Certainly, Freddy qualifies as that.”
He also noted that McLean was able to “flash potential as a No. 1 starter last year,” as well as the fact that Manaea and Senga have also looked like top-of-the-rotation arms in the past.
And Stearns is also confident Peralta hasn’t reached his height yet.
“He emerged as a really quality leader in the clubhouse with the Brewers,’’ Stearns said. “He’s constantly getting better. I had a front-row seat to that in his development during his first few years at the major league level [in Milwaukee]. He was never satisfied. He wants to get better.”
Peralta threw a career-high 176 ²/₃ innings in 33 starts for the Brewers last season, but has been roughed up in the playoffs, with a 5.56 ERA over his last five postseason starts since 2023.
After trading Luisangel Acuña as part of a package for Luis Robert Jr., the Mets acquired utility infielder Vidal Bruján from the Twins on Thursday for cash.
The 27-year-old played for three teams in 2025, combining for a .616 OPS in 60 games split among the Cubs, Orioles and Braves. He was selected off waivers from Atlanta a week ago. The Mets will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster to add Bruján, who must be sent through waivers in order to be sent back to the minors. … The Mets announced that Dick Scott would return as manager at Triple-A Syracuse. Michael Collins, who was on the Astros coaching staff for the past eight years, will manage Double-A Binghamton.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Braeden Carrington and John Blackwell each scored 17 points, and Wisconsin pulled away midway through the first half to rout Penn State 98-71 on Thursday night for the Badgers' fifth consecutive win.
Nolan Winter added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Nick Boyd scored 11 points for Wisconsin (14-5, 6-2 Big Ten). Andrew Rohde's 3-pointer stretched Wisconsin's lead to 78-44 with 8:50 to play.
The Badgers shot 51% overall and made 15 of 35 of their 3-point attempts. Carrington was 4 of 6 from long range.
Josh Reed scored 18 points and Freddie Dilione V added 17 to lead Penn State (9-10, 0-8). Mason Blackwood added 14 points for the Nittany Lions, who have lost six straight and nine of their last 10.
The Badgers outscored the Nittany Lions 38-9 in the last 11-plus minutes of the first half for a 50-22 advantage. Carrington scored 17 points and Blackwell added 13. Reed scored nine first-half points for the Nittany Lions.
Wisconsin has won six of the last eight games in the series and 19 of 22 dating to 2012.
