On December 3, 2022, the Knicks were embarrassed at home against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on a weekend matinee at the World’s Most Famous Arena. The Knicks led by 15 in the second quarter behind strong defense, but ultimately took their foot off the gas and got absolutely blitzed in the second half.
MSG wasn’t happy. A 38-12 run to start the second half turned a 68-68 game into a blowout. The Knicks were struggling badly and would drop to 10-13, including 4-7 at home. Tom Thibodeau was on the hot seat and there were rumors that a loss to Cleveland the next day might’ve cost him his job.
Of course, we know what happened from there. Thibs removed Cam Reddish and Derrick Rose from the rotation permanently to further feature Quentin Grimes. The Knicks won that game against the Cavs and went on a furious charge to win 47 games and a playoff series.
We don’t know if things are going to reach that perilous position in 2025-26, but with a mountain of expectations and a deep struggle to start the new year, the Knicks needed to enforce their will on a severely shorthanded Mavericks team.
They did not. They got absolutely blitzed.
Dallas improved to 18-26. The Knicks lost their ninth game in their last 11 despite welcoming Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart to the lineup. They continued to struggle shooting, continuing a recent slump, but the biggest issue today was the defense, which could look more like this meme than professional athletes paid millions to get stops.
I’m not sure how a team that started 23-9, won the NBA Cup, and looked cohesive on both ends turned into this mess overnight. The offense began short-circuiting on January 2 and hasn’t woken up yet (aside from a few stretches), and the defense has been bad for a while now. It’s the dog days of an NBA season, but it doesn’t make anything about this stretch excusable.
Brunson had 22, KAT had 22 and 18, and Mitch played well. Deuce somehow had a positive plus-minus. That’s about it. Mavericks go wire-to-wire and win 114-97. Bleh.
Dallas got off to a hot start in the first four minutes, taking advantage of poor transition defense and cashing a trio of triples, two by Max Christie and one by residential Knick killer Naji Marshall. The Knicks continued a concerning trend of late on offense, starting ice cold from the field despite good looks from Brunson, Bridges, and Towns. Mike Brown called his first timeout with 8:14 left, trailing 13-4.
It didn’t look better out of the timeout, as Towns turned it over and Bridges missed a corner 3 shortly after. After another Christie 3, the Knicks busted the drought on a nice pick-and-roll that led to a dunk by Mitchell Robinson. A few possessions later, the captain hit Big Mitch again on a pretty lob at the end of the shot clock.
Unfortunately, the defense continued to be porous, and the team still shot threes like they had the Ben Simmons disease. After closing the Suns game 1-for-11 from three, they started this one 0-for-9. This is somehow not the first 1-for-20 stretch we’ve had this week. Compare that to a hopelessly shorthanded Mavericks team that started 6-for-10.
Still, Brunson tried to will his team back in it after an early 15-point deficit. After some pretty passing early, he called bank on an and-1 before a TV timeout and came right back for a sweet floater after some much-needed off-ball movement.
The Knicks closed the first quarter with an innovative lineup, sitting Brunson and Towns for a bench lineup alongside OG Anunoby. Mitch feasted on the boards as usual with two putbacks to give him eight points in the period. Klay Thompson turned back the clock with a pair of threes late, and the Mavericks took a 31-22 lead into the second.
Cooper Flagg was making his MSG debut today, and he looked to take over to start the second with three consecutive buckets, but the Knicks’ offense started to heat up. Towns finished strong, Mikal broke the 3-ball skid, and Towns ran down the lane for a thunderous jam.
Finally, this started to look like a modern-day basketball game with scoring on both ends. The non-Brunson lineup was making shots, but they couldn’t get stops. The tandem of Flagg and Thompson started the quarter hot and the Mavs battled a small Knicks run to go up 43-31 and force another timeout.
That timeout didn’t help. Remember when I said they figured out how to score without Brunson? The next two minutes produced some of the clunkiest offense you’ll ever see, with contested Deuce McBride mid-range shots and KAT missing layups while they get burned in transition. In the blink of an eye, the Mavs were on an 11-0 run, and the deficit was 18 points as MSG began to boo.
After it got to 20, you got a brief run from KAT where he hit a corner three, and he got a dunk in transition after a Josh Hart steal, but that run came to a screeching halt on an interesting stepback three that somehow turned into a Flagrant 1 on Towns because he kicked Dwight Powell in the groin. One step forward, two steps back.
There’s always a point in a blowout where things just get away from you and in that second quarter, things got away from the Knicks.
It’s not even worth talking about the rest of that quarter. Christie nailed six threes in the first half, a Mavericks team that is the 26th best shooting team in basketball was shooting 60% from behind the arc, and the Knickerbockers were booed off the court with an unfathomable 75-47 deficit on national television.
The largest halftime deficit in a decade.
The Mavs got the lead up to 30 early in the third, but the Knicks showed some increased effort on both ends to slowly shave the lead down. Now, they still couldn’t make threes (aside from KAT, I guess), and they still got absolutely grilled by Christie, but the effort was better.
Max Christie… AGAIN 🤯
He's 7-8 from downtown to go along with 21 points!
Every time they seemed to be going on a run, though, they missed an open shot, missed free throws, or allowed an open three. It was always something, even if the team was able to get the lead down to 19.
This was an interesting game from Karl-Anthony Towns. He missed so many close shots, to the point where I started thinking his struggles had produced a yips-like effect. Yet, he was more aggressive than he has been of late, which is encouraging. His jumper looked cleaner. Yet, he was still doing dumb things. One big shrug emoji from this game.
Was also a weird game for Brunson, who just looked a tick off. He was missing some open shots that he had and seemed to be caught inbetween getting his own shot and playmaking for his teammates. It’s fine, I guess, but not when everyone else is struggling and the defense is this bad.
There was a funny sequence with two minutes left in the half that encapsulated this game. Brunson got a floater partially blocked off the glass, Mitch missed a putback dunk, and Deuce missed a contested mid-range. Nothing’s going right.
Dallas fell asleep at the wheel briefly, but refocused to get the lead back to 25 in the dying seconds of the quarter. The Knicks won the third, but trailed 94-71.
A sub-plot of this game that was at least interesting as the Knicks ran out the clock was Towns and Powell. Towns kept extending his knee into the groin of Powell, and it finally got called with 10 minutes left. The funny part of this one was one where Powell kicked Towns in the crotch, albeit after the play.
Some brutal missed open threes over the next few minutes prevented the Knicks from making this interesting, but they cut the deficit to 18 with 7:12 left after Naji Marshall finally started missing and KAT hit Bridges for a lob layup to force a rare timeout from Jason Kidd.
Lead was down to 17 on a Hart 3 with 6:15 left. Down to 15 on a Brunson floater with 5:15 left. Just when it looked like maybe they’d make this interesting, they gave up a putback layup to Moussa Cisse, and then Hart turned it over on the inbound.
Mike Brown emptied the bench at 2:45 and that was that. Some notes I came up with during the game:
Fastbreak points were 32-4 Dallas. The Knicks aren’t a big transition team, but goodness.
One of Mitchell Robinson’s better games. In a first half where everyone was awful, he had 12 and 12. He finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds in 19 minutes. NYK also won the possession battle with 17 offensive rebounds.
The Knicks have been one of the worst shooting teams in January. They’ve had brutal offensive stretches, and today was another rough one. 40% from the field and 29% from 3. It’s the fourth time in January they’ve shot 40% or worse from the field.
Max Christie’s eight three-pointers are tied for the third most ever by an opponent at MSG. Only 2013 Steph Curry and… 2019 Devonte Graham(?) have more.
Visually, I thought Klay was having a “turn back the clock” game. I checked the statsheet, and he had 14 points on meh shooting and was minus-8. Alright, then.
While the offense never got better, I appreciate the Knicks’ increased effort defensively in the second half. The Mavs shot 11-for-20 from 3 in the first half, but just 3-for-9 in the second half. Knicks held them to 11-for-30 from the field overall and forced nine turnovers after allowing them to shoot 54% in the first half.
You can’t call any game a gimme with the team’s recent struggles, but you hope a game against the crosstown rival Nets will wake them up. Knicks-Nets at MSG on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:30 pm.
The last Mavericks blowout in MSG was an inflection point for a struggling team. The team looked inward and the coaching staff made a change. Can we get a similar experience in a similar circumstance?
Who would’ve thought that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be 27-14 at the halfway point of the season? Probably the five of you who predicted that Minnesota would finish with a 54-28 record in our predictions edition of Canis Pulsus! Three and a half months later, 72 voters shared their grades. Welcome to…
Canis Pulsus Vol. 46 – Semester 1 Report Card
(Note: Canis Pulsus Vol. 46 data was collected through 1/16 before the Houston Rockets game)
Anthony Edwards
A (40.3%)
Quarter 1: A- (47.1%)
There should be no surprise here, as the recently snubbed All-Star starter has been having a career season on the offensive end of the court. The Wolves are only going to go as far as Ant can carry them, and all indications is that he’s going to carry them very far.
Full voting results:
Julius Randle
A / B+ (31.9% each)
Quarter 1: B+ (38.2%)
Big Ju had an up-and-down first quarter of the season, but has rounded into form in the second quarter. He’s been fantastic in the games that Ant has been out and has been punishing any defender in front of him. What once felt like a salary cap placeholder now looks like a foundational part of the Wolves.
Full voting results:
Jaden McDaniels
A / A- (31% each)
Quarter 1: A- / B+ (35.3%)
Slim has his faults. He still gets into these funks when he’s in foul trouble or emotionally rickety, but he has certain continued to show his evolution, particularly on offense. The secondary playmaking is there, while he’s thriving when called upon as the primary scoring option.
Full voting results:
Rudy Gobert
A (33.3%)
Quarter 1: B+ (35.3%)
Rudy has really time-traveled back to his prime form. Or maybe that form never left. Whatever the case is, he’s certainly making his case for a NBA record fifth Defensive Player of the Year. Even more impressive has been his improvement on the other end of the court (Free throw woes not withstanding). He’s finishing with ferocity and making accurate reads in the short roll.
Full voting results:
Donte DiVincenzo
B (34.7%)
Quarter 1: B (35.3%)
The Donte rollercoaster from perimeter continues. He’s just below his career average from three (37.9%) and though that isn’t a terrible mark, it’s his worst since four seasons ago. Big Ragu will need to find more consistency in his stroke if he wants to improve from his B grades.
Full voting results:
Naz Reid
B(40.8%)
Quarter 1: B- (35.3%)
Naz Reid has really found himself as the season has progressed. Sure, he’s no dynamo on defense, but he’s been scorching hot on offense. In the second quarter of the season, he’s shooting about 50% from the field and over 40% from beyond the arc.
Full voting results:
Mike Conley
C- (23.9%)
Quarter 1: C (29.4%)
Minnesota Mike has continued to lose his touch. Sure, he’s not getting as much opportunity on the court, but he’s averaging almost all career lows across the board. Most telling is his field goal percentage which is down to career-worst 34.9%. These may be the final months of Conley’s career, sadly.
Full voting results:
Jaylen Clark
B- (31.9%)
Quarter 1: B+ (21.2%)
I believe the “Record When Jaylen Clark Plays At Least 15 Minutes” is sitting at 16-2, but we have seen a bit more slippage in his game. Not only is his three-point percentage down to sub 30%, but he hasn’t quite been the point-of-attack defensive ace that we were used to seeing. He’ll still make momentum changing energy plays, but we’ll need more from young Clark County moving forward.
Full voting results:
Bones Hyland
B+ (30%)
Quarter 1: Incomplete
Bones has entered the chat this second quarter of the season. The 25-year-old has shown many flashes in this second quarter of the season. He’s a classic fan favorite and not just for his chin waving celebration. Bones plays with a carefree attitude, for better or worse, that is reminiscent of a young Jamal Crawford. Will he be able to bring more consistency in his minutes while competing on defense? He sure seems to have the chance to do so, unlike…
Full voting results:
Rob Dillingham
F (26.1%)
Quarter 1: C- (32.4%)
It pains me to write this, but it seems like the Rob Dillingham Timberwolves era is over. Just the other night, we saw Johnny Juzang, then Leonard Miller, get meaningful minutes ahead of Dillingham. He might score some impressive buckets in garbage time, but even those highlights are sandwiched between unconfident play filled with mistakes.
Full voting results:
Terrence Shannon Jr. / Leonard Miller / Joan Beringer / Joe Ingles / Johnny Juzang
Incomplete
Coaching staff
B+ (33.8%)
Quarter 1: B (29.4%)
Chris Finch and his team has continued to try pulling different levers throughout the season. It wasn’t a smooth first quarter, but he seems to have found rotations and a mix of players who have played much more consistent basketball in the second quarter.
Full voting results:
Front office
A- (31.9%)
Quarter 1: B (29.4%)
Sometimes no move is the best move. The Wolves haven’t jumped the gun to trade for a Ja Morant (Pun not intended, kinda) or blow things up. There’s still smoke around whether or not they plan to add a guard or wing to the rotation, but by next quarter, the trade deadline will have passed and we will have seen what their plan is for the rest of this season.
Full voting results:
Ownership
A (31.9%)
Quarter 1: B (26.5%)
What happens when you make amends with the most important player in franchise history? That’s an easy A for Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. Bringing Kevin Garnett back into the fold is going to absolutely blow the roof off Target Center, whenever that’s going to happen.
Full voting results:
Will the Wolves make the play-in tournament?
No (Earn top 6 seed) (88.7%)
Quarter 1: No (Earn top 6 seed) (88.2%)
Full voting results:
Will the Wolves make the playoffs?
Yes (100%)
Quarter 1: Yes (100%)
Full voting results:
What do you hope the Wolves accomplish during the next quarter of the season the most?
Earn homecourt advantage with a top four seed finish
Quarter 1: Increase effectiveness and consistency of defensive effort
Over 20% of responses were focused on the Western Conference standings. It’s going to be a photo finish when it all shakes out, but ideally the Wolves can finagle their way into a top three seed, effectively “dodging” the Oklahoma City Thunder until a potential Conference Finals rematch.
Other common answers included fixing/trading Rob Dillingham, and finding more opportunities for Joan Beringer.
With a quarter of the regular season over, my feelings on the direction of the Wolves are…
Very optimistic (70.8%)
Preseason: Very optimistic (63.3%) Quarter 1: Slightly optimistic (61.8%)
There’s that optimism we’ve been missing! It looks like voters are ready to believe in the Wolves again.
Full voting results:
It looks like the Wolves were sandbagging after that 2.92 first quarter progress report, as they ended up on Honors Roll with an impressive 3.13 GPA. Go ahead and order that bumper sticker, Wolves fans!
Inside the NBA’s push to launch a European league, the legal tension with EuroLeague, and why the fight for basketball’s future is heating up.
FIBA, basketball's global governing body, first introduced the EuroLeague in 1958 as the continent's premier competition. But over the last 25 years, FIBA has lost its grip on the operation. There was a split in 2000 with the Union of European Leagues of Basketball, where top clubs chose sides in competing operations, with ULEB ultimately gaining control.
EuroLeague is now a privately run company controlled by EuroLeague Commercial Assets, which has long held a stranglehold over Europe's second-most-popular sport. But over the last year, the NBA has signaled interest in forming a competing league of its own alongside FIBA to grow the sport in a region where 15% of the league's players now come, including some of the world's biggest modern superstars and nearly every league MVP this decade.
"We have been talking about this for decades at the NBA," Leah MacNab, the league's senior vice president, head of international strategy & operations, told Boardroom last week from Berlin, where the NBA was hosting a regular-season game between the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies. Brother Franz and Mo Wagner first played at hometown EuroLeague club Alba Berlin before starring for the Magic, and the NBA was playing its first-ever regular-season game in Germany before the two teams headed to London on Sunday. MacNab said a register-your-interest campaign on social media for the games received 450,000 responses.
Franz Wagner gets a ROARING ovation as he's introduced in Berlin 🔊
NBA Europe, the league's internal working title for the operation, was first seriously floated last year in partnership with FIBA and now has a projected start date of fall 2027. The league would have 10-12 permanent members and four to six rotating members who could qualify under some competitive format to be determined by FIBA, emulating the model of the EuroLeague, with 12 permanent members and six rotating spots. But the biggest reason why the NBA is trying its hand at a European league is a simple market inefficiency.
"We think that the current structure really doesn't take advantage of the commercial opportunities," MacNab said. "So, we wanted to put our hats in the ring, and we're really excited to take this to the next step."
The next steps are finding the right markets, teams, and ownership groups for permanent members. Meetings took place last week during the NBA's Eurotrip, with JP Morgan Chase and the Raine Group advising on the discussions. The membership will likely come from a combination of existing EuroLeague teams and top European soccer clubs looking to expand into hoops in markets where the league sees room for growth. And unlike the NBA, where sovereign wealth funds from Gulf states are limited in the stakes they can take in teams, MacNab said she expects NBA Europe to operate a little differently in that regard.
One particular meeting in London, per The Athletic, was attended by EuroLeague members Real Madrid, Barcelona, Olimpia Milano, Greek power Panathinaikos, Alba Berlin, and Lyon-area ASVEL, which is owned by NBA legend Tony Parker. The NBA also met up with representatives from soccer giants Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and AC Milan, as well as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Blackstone, and Arctos. Qatar Sports Investments, which owns Paris Saint-Germain, has also been linked to the NBA Europe project, while the league reportedly additionally met up with EuroLeague member and Istanbul power Fenerbahce in Berlin.
The NBA has recently played regular-season games in Berlin, London, and Paris, and will hold its first-ever regular-season game in Manchester next year. In a press conference in Berlin on Thursday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he's very familiar with Alba Berlin's success. He confirmed discussions with Real Madrid and other Spanish clubs, and said Istanbul is a market he's looking at. Madrid, Fenerbahce, and ASVEL are reportedly three permanent EuroLeague members who have held off on signing long-term extensions to stay in the league. While MacNab said that there's no financial number the league is looking for right now for membership fees, a recent report claimed the league is targeting valuations of up to $1 billion.
Not surprisingly, the EuroLeague won't let potential key members leave without a fight. Amid a report last week that claimed the EuroLeague sent a letter to the NBA stating that it would take legal action if the league had discussions with teams signed to EuroLeague contracts, Silver told reporters, "I send the legal letters to my lawyers, so I'll let them handle that."
A source close to the NBA told Boardroom that the league hasn't engaged with anyone about an NBA Europe opportunity that they are not free to discuss. But there could be a pretty easy escape hatch for any interested party that has that particular conflict, as FC Barcelona is rumored to have. EuroLeague shareholders such as Barcelona, which recently signed a 10-year extension, reportedly have exit clauses of around €10 million, a relatively modest sum in what Silver has repeatedly described as a long-term play on the continent.
"I don't think by any means it's inevitable that there is a clash," Silver said when asked about the EuroLeague. "If I thought that the ceiling was the existing EuroLeague and their fan interest, we wouldn't be spending the kind of time and attention we are on this project."
MacNab told Boardroom she thinks NBA Europe and the EuroLeague can co-exist long term on the continent and believes that there's room for the two leagues to even compete against each other in the same markets. The NBA, in partnership with FIBA, has approached the EuroLeague several times but said it hasn't been able to reach a partnership that makes sense for either side.
“The NBA has been announcing and announcing things for a year, but still it’s nothing that you can grasp on,” EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas told the Associated Press over the weekend. "We've only heard the plan or the fireworks of how amazing it will be, how much potential there is. The ’27 start is already around the corner.”
While MacNab acknowledged that the NBA has a lot to sort out over the next 18-20 months, the league is confident in its plan and path forward.
"We think that there's enough interest both from fans and from investors," she said. "There's enough talent out there at a very top-tier level to make this a compelling product."
What's clear is that the war over the future of European basketball is only beginning, and likely won't be ending even if and when NBA Europe gets off the ground later next year.
The football and tennis writer, who has died aged 84, was a major force in changing the Guardian’s sports coverage, alongside long stints at the Daily Express and Independent
In my mind’s eye I remember it all. John Roberts, the Guardian’s northern-based football writer, had come down on a rare visit to the sports desk in London. I was a new boy on the subeditors’ desk. Everyone was pleased to see John: he was that kind of bloke.
While he was there, the chief sub wondered, could he perhaps look at a news agency story from his beat that had just come in. It could have been anything: the latest signing by Bob Paisley or Malcolm Allison or the latest misadventure of George Best. Instead of giving it the once-over or adding a sentence or two, he walked over to a quiet corner, picked up an office phone and started a long call. By the end he had the full story. There was an air of amazement in the room.
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders.
The Canucks were the better team in this game from an analytics perspective. Vancouver held a 31-23 even-strength scoring chances advantage while winning the even-strength high-danger scoring chances battle 19-11. In the end, though, the Islanders were able to take advantage of their opportunities, which led to their victory.
As for the heatmap, the Canucks did a good job of crashing the crease. The issue was that New York also had no problems getting into Kevin Lankinen's crease. While there were positives offensively, Vancouver's defensive play was a problem on Monday.
Vancouver Canucks vs. New York Islanders, January 19, 2026, Natural Stat Trick
To wrap things up, the line of Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser had a strong night. In 10:55 together, they won the shots battle 8-4 while holding a high-danger scoring chances advantage of 8-1. If the team is going to snap their losing streak, they need these three to get going and not just have strong analytical nights, but also contribute on the scoresheet.
Jan 19, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin (30) defends against Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
The Canucks continue their road trip on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals. This could be the last time Alex Ovechkin plays at Rogers Arena, as he is a free agent at the end of the season. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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Ottawa Senators -22-19-7 - 51 Points - 4-4-2 in the last 10 - Lost last 2 in OT- 8th in the Atlantic
Columbus Blue Jackets - 22-19-7 - 51 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - Won 4 Straight - 6th in the Metro
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 20.0% - 20th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 74.8% - 29th in the NHL
Goals For - 143 - 20th in the NHL
Goals Against - 159 - 25th in the NHL
SenatorsStats
Power Play - 24.4% - 7th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 71.5% - 31st in the NHL
Goals For - 156 - 11th in the NHL
Goals Against - 163 - 28th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheSenators
Columbus is 20-21-2-3 all-time, and 12-8-1-2 at home vs. Ottawa.
The Blue Jackets are 8-2-2 in the last 12 games against the Sens at home.
The CBJ are 1-1-0 against the Senators this season.
Who To Watch For TheSenators
Tim Stützle leads the Sens with 21 goals and 49 points.
Jake Sanderson leads Ottawa with 29 assists.
Goalie Leevi Meriläinen is 8-10-1 with a SV% of .860.
James Reimer 0-0-1 with an .882 SV%.
CBJ Player Notes vs.Senators
Zach Werenski has 21 points in 20 games against the Sens.
Charlie Coyle has 19 points in 33 games. All of his points are assists.
Sean Monahan has 19 points in 32 games vs. Ottawa.
Injuries
Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 12 Games - IR - Week to week. Has been skating, but the timeline is unknown.
Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 10 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.
Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 9 Games - Week to week.
Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 7 Games - Week to week.
Denton Mateychuk - Lower Body - Missed 3 Games - Day to day.
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 127
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About 90 minutes before Monday’s game, Josh Hart was answering questions from a couple of reporters. Someone asked him about the Knicks’ then 2-8 stretch.
“I think it’s a combination of stuff. Just gotta be better defensively, more physical, into the ball, more effort, more energy. That kind of stuff. I can’t say that I’m surprised because obviously January – middle of January especially – those are the kind of dog days of the season. So not too surprised,” Hart said. “You kind of see a few teams around kind of showing that fatigue. You know, it happens every year.”
Hart wasn’t excusing the Knicks’ poor play. But he didn’t sound too worried about it.
“We have to go out there with a sense of urgency,” Hart said. “At this point, (more than) 40 games in, normally you don’t put too much into struggles, because there’s highs and lows, but at this point we have to play desperate, because that’s (where) we are right now.”
Now, the Knicks have lost nine of their last 11 games. They have a bottom 5 defense in that span; New York may have hit rock bottom on that side of the ball Monday when Dallas put up 75 points in the first half.
It was one of the worst losses of the Jalen Brunson era. And one that led to a damning comparison between this year’s team and last year’s team, which reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I think last year no matter what we did, the effort was there. I haven’t seen this kind of effort that we had today, it was embarrassing,” Hart said.
He referenced a game last season when the Knicks leaned on effort and physicality to win.
“We didn’t shoot the ball, we couldn’t score, but we said, ‘We’re gonna lock in, and we’re gonna play defense, we’re gonna play physical, and we’re gonna make it tough.’ It’s the same group of guys, so how we’re playing right now is really inexcusable,” Hart said. “We all gotta look in the mirror and do some soul searching.”
How did the Knicks reach this point? How did a team that started the season 23-9 end up here?
In digging around on this, one theme has come up consistently over the past couple of weeks:
This group is not tied together in the way that their early season success would suggest. Players haven't fully bought into their roles under head coach Mike Brown. Those reasons are cited often when you talk to people about the Knicks’ flaws.
Now, these issues aren’t unique to this year’s team. They existed to a degree in the locker room last season. But the Knicks coaching change hasn't rooted them out.
The firing of Tom Thibodeau and hiring of Brown was never going to cure all that ailed the Knicks. But the move definitely raised the stakes for New York.
That was made clear earlier this month when owner James Dolan said in a WFAN interview that he expects the Knicks to reach – and win – the NBA Finals.
A few weeks ago, Dolan’s expectations seemed reasonable. The Knicks started the season 23-9; they won the NBA Cup in Las Vegas last month.
But things have fallen apart since then.
New York is 27th in opponent three-point percentage; the club has one of the NBA’s worst defenses over the past four weeks. Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled on both ends of the floor for much of the season.
It’s easy to point the finger at the new head coach. Certainly, Brown and his staff deserve criticism for the club’s freefall.
But what about the front office? Management’s three biggest acquisitions (Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby) haven’t played at a high level with any consistency this season. The 2025 free agent signings (Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson) haven’t provided the depth the Knicks were looking for.
So how does it all get turned around? The Knicks don't have much flexibility from here. They can use draft capital and/or Miles McBride to acquire a significant rotation player. It may be tough for the Knicks to recoup value in a Yabusele trade because of his 2026-27 player option.
Sure, Leon Rose & Co can execute a larger trade. But that would mean giving up on a core that they put together two summers ago.
Would Rose and his group make that kind of move? They probably don’t want to. But more losses like Monday’s may force their hand.
Sixers skipper Moises Henriques admits his side let a golden opportunity to host the BBL decider slip on Tuesday night after delivering one of the club’s worst-ever finals performances.
New Englanders know January can be a brutal month. The days are short and bitterly cold. Winter storm warnings seem to exist in perpetuity. All that holiday glee resides in the rearview mirror, and yet spring seems so far away.
January is a brutal month for NBA players, too. The body is feeling the effects of the first 41 games, but there’s still 41 more to go. There are trade rumors and a relentless game schedule. The All-Star break can’t arrive soon enough. Surviving the January doldrums feels like a legitimate chore.
And, if you’re Derrick White, January can’t seem to pass without a maddening shooting slump.
In his four full seasons since joining the Celtics, White has routinely slumped his way through January. It might have cost him an All-Star nod during the 2024 title season. On Monday night, in a showdown of Eastern Conference titans, White missed 10 of the 11 shots he hoisted against the Pistons and turned hesitant during the fourth-quarter moments where he typically thrives.
White was field-goal-less when he stepped to the free throw line early in the fourth quarter to shoot a technical freebie. He missed that one, too — in a game the Celtics would lose by a point, 104-103.
The numbers confirm what’s been hiding in plain sight: January is White’s toughest month. In his four full seasons since joining Boston, White’s scoring plummets to his lowest output of the seven regular-season months. It’s the only month in that span that he’s shooting under 40 percent from the field overall, and his January 3-point percentage is the worst of the seven months as well.
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It’s fair to wonder if White is feeling the effects of Jayson Tatum’s absence. While he’s pushed back on the suggestion that scoring has become more difficult while elevating to the No. 2 option, his shooting woes suggest otherwise.
Of the 154 players averaging at least eight shots per game with at least 25 games played this season, White ranks 149th in field goal percentage at 39.1 percent. Of the 113 players in that same group who average at least four 3-pointers per game, White ranks 105th in 3-point percentage at 32.4 percent.
But January has still been his cruelest month. White, who has now failed to reach double digits in scoring in his last three games, is shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 24.7 percent on 3s in 10 games this month.
Wake White up when January ends.
The good news: History suggests White typically rebounds well in February. That has been both his highest scoring month and his best shooting month (by far) over the past four seasons. White is averaging 17.3 points per game over his last four Februarys, while shooting 49.6 percent overall and 43 percent beyond the arc.
It says something about White’s ability to impact the game in so many other ways that he has lingered in the All-Star conversation despite his obvious shooting woes.
On Monday night, White registered a team-high five assists to go along with nine rebounds (including five on the offensive glass) and two blocks. White was the closest defender on 24 of Detroit’s shot attempts, an insanely high number even by his All-Defense standards. He’ll get votes for Defensive Player of the Year.
The potential in-season return of Tatum could go a long way toward improving the shot quality White enjoys in the second half of the season. Some of the Celtics’ inconsistent ways in recent weeks could be alleviated by White simply getting himself back on track with his offensive output. That Boston is still second in the NBA in offensive rating despite White’s shooting woes is very impressive.
There are six more games to navigate in January. White has played in 40 of Boston’s 41 games this season and could be due for a night off along the way. The Celtics ought to change all the calendars in the Auerbach Center to February to see if they can accelerate White out of his January slump.
LeBron James missed out on starting selection as an NBA All-Star starter for first time in 22 years, but the Los Angeles Lakers star is still set to feature in February's event.
Last month, the NBA announced the 10 players voted as starters, including Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, the Lakers' Luka Doncic and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama.
Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the 2026 starters, while current NBA players and a media panel each accounted for 25%.
The five players with the best score in each conference were named as starters across the three teams, with international players playing for the world team.
James, 41, was ranked ninth overall in the Western Conference by voters.
But after that initial snub, James was named among the reserves list, having been selected by a panel of NBA coaches to play as one of 14 additional players.
James was selected in 2025 but did not play in the event after picking up an injury.
Friends, we are exactly one month away from the 2026 Orioles playing baseball. Spring training baseball, yes, but baseball nonetheless. There will be lineups and uniforms and everything! The O’s will kick off their Grapefruit League schedule on Feb. 20 with a home game in Sarasota against the Yankees, and most of us will even be able to watch, as it’s one of the 20 games that MASN will air this spring.
That exhibition opener, of course, won’t necessarily tell us much about what we should expect from the 2026 season. Not every projected Orioles starter will be in the lineup, and probably by the fifth or sixth inning the O’s will have nothing but backups and minor leaguers on the field. That’s spring training for you. Still, it’s a warming thought — on this 20-degree day in the greater Baltimore area — that there will be actual baseball happening not too long from now.
Before we get there, though, the O’s still have some roster business to attend to. They’re continuing their stated pursuit of a top-shelf starting pitcher, which at this point is Framber Valdez or bust on the free agent market, unless the Birds have another surprise trade in them. They also need to address the whole three-right-handed-hitting-first-basemen logjam, and maybe add another reliever or two while they’re at it.
There’s more work to do. There’s more roster maneuvering in store. But baseball is on the horizon.
Nick Markakis won’t hear his named called during today’s Hall of Fame election, but Jay Jaffe offers a fine recap of the former Orioles fan favorite’s outstanding career.
If you’re planning a visit to spring training this year, Rich Dubroff’s got you covered on everything you need to know, including oodles of restaurant recommendations. I’m feeling hungry all of a sudden.
The former Oriole has found a new team, and he might even be their primary shortstop until Ha-Seong Kim returns from injury. Best of luck to Jorge in Atlanta.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! A whopping seven former Orioles have birthdays today: catcher Luis Exposito (39), outfielder David Lough (40), right-hander Matt Albers (43), infielder Ozzie Guillén (62), lefty Bill Scherrer (68), and the late outfielder Gene Stephens (b. 1933, d. 2019) and Baltimore-born righty Dave Boswell (b. 1945, d. 2012).
On this date in 1977, the Orioles traded eight-time Gold Glove center fielder Paul Blair to the Yankees. The best defensive outfielder in franchise history, Blair had spent the first 13 years of his career in Baltimore and starred on two World Series-winning O’s clubs, but was coming off the two worst offensive seasons of his career when the Orioles made the trade. As a bench player with the Yanks, Blair added two more championships to his total in 1977 and 1978.
In 1994, the Orioles signed Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith to a one-year deal. The veteran right-hander already had 401 saves on his résumé, and added a league-leading 33 for the Orioles in the strike-shortened ‘94 season. Smith finished his career with 478, currently the third-most in MLB history.
And on this day last year, Anthony Santander officially parted ways with the Orioles after eight seasons, signing a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the division rival Blue Jays. The O’s, with their best 2024 power bat no longer around, struggled to hit homers in 2025, but Santander’s first year in Toronto didn’t go well for him, either. He posted a meager .565 OPS with six homers in 54 games, missing nearly four months with a shoulder injury, and was relegated to a spectator during the Jays’ near-championship run.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Monday that the Cardinals, among other teams, were showing “significant interest” in free agent INF/OF Miguel Andujar. Chaim Bloom has stated publicly in his spots on 1120 KMOX during the “Sports On A Sunday Morning” show with Tom Ackerman that he would like to add a right-handed hitter who can handle both infield and outfield responsibilities. Andujar has seen time in his big league career at 1B, 3B, LF, and RF.
Though not particularly known for his defensive work, what Andujar does very well is crush left-handed pitching, and that would give Manager Oli Marmol an additional weapon to use in his lineup in 2026. Last season in 93 plate appearances against LHP Andjuar slashed .389/.409/.578 -> .986 OPS. He also produced a wOBA of .421 and a wRC+ of 171. Among RHH who had a minimum 90 plate appearances against LHP, Miguel Andujar ranked 5th in all of baseball with his 171 wRC+ behind Aaron Judge (225), Ivan Herrera (205), Shea Langeliers (184), and Byron Buxton (178).
For a lineup that will feature a heavy left-handed presence such as Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, JJ Wetherholt, Victor Scott II, and possibly Brendan Donovan, adding some reliable balance and punch to the lineup on days that the Cardinals face off against a tough lefty makes all the sense in the world. Among the remaining hitters on the roster, only TWO had a wRC+ above 100 last season against LHP, with a minimum of 90 plate appearances: Ivan Herrera and Nolan Gorman.
Defensively, Andujar is very limited. He has the positional versatility to stand in various positions, but his -7 oAA last season leaves a lot to be desired. However, the one defensive tool Andujar does possess is a well-above-average throwing arm, averaging over 92 MPH on his throws from the outfield. Between him and Walker, the range in the outfield would be suspect at best, but if either can play deep and keep the ball in front of them, they can accumulate assists and gun down runners trying to take extra bases.
Fangraphs projects a 1 year 5.5 million contract for Andujar. Given the amount of interest in the player, the Cardinals would probably have to raise that offer just a smidge and perhaps be willing to include performance-based incentives, and perhaps an option for 2027 to get the deal across the finish line. The opportunity for a player of Andujar’s profile exists on the current roster and should be attractive to Andujar’s camp. The only question that remains is the financial compononet and we will see in the coming days/weeks whether or not Chaim Bloom can get it across the finish line.
After last night’s victory against the Utah Jazz, Victor Wembanyama was asked about being selected to the All-Star staring five. Immediately after discussing the honor, the focus shifted to baldness.
When asked about Carter Bryant’s standout performance, Wemby responded,
“It was great, it was great. Feels like now he makes dunks, he don’t want to let the hair go.”
Wembanyama is referring to the recent posts that Carter Bryant was offered $20,000 to shave his head. Thus far, Victor and Keldon Johnson have ceremoniously shaved their heads while Jordan McLaughlin was ahead of the curve.
Bryant was offered the stipend to join in the festivities. When he turned it down, De’Aaron Fox said that if Bryant blew three more dunks he’d not have an option to shave his head.
Wemby believes despite making the dunk and turning down the money, Bryant will come around.
“I think everybody needs more bald players. I think it’s a show of dedication, at least from my point of view. I think Carter’s coming next if I had to bet on it.”
When asked if Wemby, as a team leader could exert his power and influence to lobby for more shave players, he replied wryly,
“I definitely am. And we need to start having contracts and conditions.”
His influence thus far has garnered the respect of his fans and peers in the Jackals as well as members of the Spurs crew.
We all know when Wemby wraps his head around an idea, he gets people on board. After all, the Jackals was his brainchild.
Now the head is bald and he’s putting his energy behind getting his teammates on board.
In his postgame interview, Harrison Barnes stated he wasnt against shaving his head as long ias it was his decision. He also hypothesized that Stephon Castle will be the last to shave his head.
Even NBA on Prime got in on the trend.
Who will be next to go under the shaver? Only time will tell.
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It probably was not as smooth as you would have drawn it up, but the Suns took care of business in Brooklyn on Monday night. They never fully shook the Nets, yet they controlled the game anyway. Brooklyn was doing it on the second night of a back-to-back, which made it even more impressive, especially after falling into an early 20-point hole. You could feel the Nets gaining confidence as the night went on. They shot 50.6% from the field and 39.5% from deep and kept pushing.
The difference came on the defensive end, specifically in how Phoenix handled Michael Porter Jr. The plan was clear: let the kids around him fire. Make everything he wanted uncomfortable. It worked. He finished with 23 points, but it took 23 shots to get there, including 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The Suns led nearly wire-to-wire after a brief 6-3 deficit, though a 15-2 run to close the second quarter let Brooklyn linger longer than ideal. Same story in the fourth. Not perfect. Still effective. Phoenix held on for win number 26.
It was a full team effort to reach 126 points. Three players cleared 20. Six finished in double figures. Scoring came from everywhere. The road trip now sits at 2-2 with two games left, and the Suns are back to even at 12-12 away from home.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
It was close after the Suns’ win over the Knicks, with the entire bench mob pulling in 28% of the total vote. But one guy separated himself from the pack, and that was Jordan Goodwin.
His 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, paired with the defensive pressure he brought as part of that second unit, helped steady the game when it started to wobble. That impact did not go unnoticed, and it earned him his third Bright Side Baller of the season.
