Category: Sports News

Following Minnesota men's basketball's 76-56 loss to No. 7 Nebraska, Gophers first-year coach Niko Medved spoke to a much larger story than his team's Big Ten regular-season contest.

In his postgame news conference at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Medved addressed the latest unrest in Minnesota, as a man was fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24.

"I think we all just care so deeply about people and each other, and I think that's always the message to these guys. All of it's heartbreaking. Sometimes for us, you play a game, and you want to kind of get away for a second and focus on what you’re doing. All of it really just sucks."

Niko Medved on the unrest in Minnesota and if he’s addressed his team: I think we all just care so deeply about people and each other, and I think that’s always the message to these guys. All of it’s heartbreaking. Sometimes for us, you play a game, and you want to kind of get… pic.twitter.com/w9imFhcoWP

— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) January 24, 2026

REQUIRED READING: Man fatally shot by Border Patrol in Minneapolis identified. Live updates.

As reported by USA TODAY, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred Saturday morning while Border Patrol officers were conducting an immigration enforcement operation. Federal officials said a man was armed with a handgun approached the officers, who fired "defensive shots" after the man resisted an attempt to disarm him.

The Gophers return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28 with a trip to Wisconsin for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota basketball coach speaks after Minneapolis shooting

Luka Doncic is facing the Dallas Mavericks again. It is a poor reflection of the Los Angeles Lakers that this return to his old stomping ground is not getting as much attention.

My Lakers vs. Mavericks predictions will still trust Luka. Some anger still lingers.

Read more in my NBA picks for Saturday, January 24. 

Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, with the game airing on ABC.

Lakers vs Mavericks prediction

Lakers vs Mavericks best bet: Luka Doncic Over 33.5 points (-112)

There may not be many headlines surrounding Luka Doncic’s return to Big D today, but that’s exactly when the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is likely to remind the Dallas Mavericks what they traded away.

No one actually thinks Doncic got over that trade in just one offseason, do they? The Mavs’ insults should be fresh in his mind.

Even if this was just a random opponent, Luka has cleared this prop in seven of his last 13 games. He is always ready to score in the mid-30s.

Lakers vs Mavericks same-game parlay

Doncic has returned to Dallas once.

He hit 7-of-10 threes as the Lakers covered a 4.5-point spread with a 15-point win. 

Lakers vs Mavericks SGP

• Luka Doncic Over 33.5 points
• Luka Doncic Over 3.5 threes
• Lakers -4

Our "from downtown" SGP: Paint Issues Remain

Betting on Dallas post players is a direct reflection of Los Angeles’s greatest weakness.

Until the Lakers find proper big men for Luka, they are wasting his brilliance. 

Lakers vs Mavericks SGP

• Luka Doncic Over 33.5 points
• Luka Doncic Over 3.5 threes
• Lakers -4
• Cooper Flagg Over 18.5 points
• Daniel Gafford Over 7.5 points

Lakers vs Mavericks odds

• Spread: Lakers -4 (-110) | Mavericks +4 (-110)
• Moneyline: Lakers -170 | Mavericks +145
• Over/Under: Over 233.5 (-110) | Under 233.5 (-110)

Lakers vs Mavericks betting trend to know

The Lakers have won their last three games against the Mavericks. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Mavericks.

How to watch Lakers vs Mavericks

Lakers vs Mavericks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Dani Carnegie and Rylie Theuerkauf scored 19 points each and Georgia led nearly wire-to-wire in a 72-67 victory over No. 11 Kentucky on Saturday.

A 3-pointer from Kaelyn Carroll gave the Wildcats their only lead of the game, 42-39 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Georgia scored the next seven points and went on to lead 52-50 heading to the fourth. The teams combined to make 10 3s in the quarter, six of them by Kentucky.

The Lady Bulldogs led 60-55 with 5:45 remaining before defense took over and neither team scored in the next three minutes. Mia Woolfolk's jumper gave Georgia a seven-point lead with 2:34 remaining then Amelia Hassett's 3 got the Wildcats within 62-58. It was the last made basket before another 3 by Hassett got Kentucky within 70-67 with eight seconds to go.

Carnegie finished off the win with a pair of free throws for Georgia. The Lady Bulldogs made 18 of 20 free throws.

Woolfolk had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Trinity Turner scored 14 points for Georgia (18-3, 4-3 SEC).

Hassett and Asia Boone, who combined to make nine of Kentucky’s 11 3-pointers, scored 15 points each. Tonie Morgan had 10 points and 12 assists, and Jordan Obi scored 12 to go with nine rebounds.

Georgia scored the first nine points of the game and led 21-12 through the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Turner pushed Georgia's lead to 24-12 to open the second quarter but Kentucky (17-5, 4-4) rallied and trailed only 34-26 at halftime.

The game was moved from Sunday to Saturday because of the severe winter storm affecting much of the country from the southern plains and Rocky Mountains to New England through the weekend.

Up next

Georgia: Alabama visits on Thursday.

Kentucky: at Arkansas on Sunday. ___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Zach Clemence scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers to lead Texas A&M to a 92-69 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.

Rylan Griffen added 16 points for Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), which entered tied with Florida atop the SEC standings and has won nine of its last 10 games.

Pop Isaacs and Rashaun Agee each chipped in with 11 points for the Aggies.

The Aggies finished the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 46-25 lead at the break. Clemence scored 12 points and Ruben Dominguez scored all nine of his on 3s for the Aggies. Meechie Johnson scored 13 first-half points to pace the Gamecocks.

Ali Dibba's jumper with 12:30 left in the second half gave the Aggies their largest lead, 70-38.

Johnson scored 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts to lead South Carolina (11-9, 2-5), which has lost four of its last five. Kobe Knox added 18 points and Myles Stute had 11.

Up next

South Carolina: At No. 16 Florida on Wednesday.

Texas A&M: At No. 21 Georgia on Saturday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors was postponed on Saturday afternoon following another fatal shooting by a federal officer in Minneapolis.

The game was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. The Timberwolves and Warriors are also scheduled to play on Monday night.

The league announced the decision was made to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community" after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed in a confrontation with officers on a street in a commercial district less than two miles from Target Center, the downtown arena where the Timberwolves play. With the crowd of protesters growing around the shooting site on Saturday, the Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police to try to keep the peace.

The Minnesota Twins were holding their annual winter fan festival at Target Field, across the street from Target Center, and ended the event an hour early for the "expedited departure" of all guests.

Thousands of people marched through downtown on Friday with the air temperature well below zero in protest of the presence and tactics of the federal force that swelled to about 3,000 officers in the Twin Cities area this month as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Two weeks ago, 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot in her car as she drove away from a group of officers following a confrontation. The Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Good before their game the following night.

___

This story has been corrected to omit “ICE” from the headline. Pretti was shot by an officer from Border Patrol, not U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — NBA postpones Warriors-Timberwolves game at the Target Center 'to prioritize the safety and security' of the community.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' game against the Golden State Warriors in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24 was postponed hours after federal officers shot and killed a man in the city .

"The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community," the Timberwolves said in a statement.

The game will be pushed back 24 hours and is now scheduled for 4:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 25.

The game was supposed to aired nationally by ABC as part of a tripleheader.

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

Shootings involving federal agents

The person killed Saturday was believed to be a 37-year-old white man, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. He was identified as Alex Pretti by local news outlets and The Associated Press.

It's the third shooting in Minnesota committed by a federal officer in the month of January alone.

Another federal officer shot a Venezuelan man during a targeted traffic stop on Jan. 14, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

At 6:50 PM CT, federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.

In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed…

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 15, 2026

Protests emerged after an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Federal authorities have said she was shot in self-defense, however city and state leaders and other supporters of Good have maintained that her killing was unjustified.

Other postponed NBA games

The NBA has recently seen other regular-season games around the league postponed.

A matchup between the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets was rescheduled to an earlier time to accommodate for catastrophic winter storms sweeping across the country.

A Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat regular-season game at United Center in Chicago was postponed on Jan. 8 because the court was unsafe for basketball activities due to moisture on the floor from a rainy day in Chicago.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timberwolves vs Warriors game postponed after Minneapolis shooting

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Quadir Copeland scored 20 points and had nine assists, Ven-Allen Lubin had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and N.C. State beat Pittsburgh 81-72 on Saturday.

Paul McNeil Jr. added 15 points on five 3-pointers and along with Copeland and Lubin led a surge over the final eight minutes to send the Wolfpack (14-6, 5-2 ACC) to their fourth win in five games and seventh in their last nine. Tre Holloman added 10 points.

Roman Siulepa had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Cameron Corhen 10 points and 10 rebounds, Damarco Minor 13 points and Barry Dunning Jr. 12 for the Panthers (8-12, 1-6), who have lost five of their last six.

Trailing by four, Lubin scored to lead off a 12-0 run that Copeland and McNeil combined to finish for their first lead since the start of the half. ACC preseason player of the year Darrion Williams finished with only seven points but came off the bench with four fouls after the final media timeout to help maintain the cushion with four straight points.

Nojus Indrusaitis hit a 3 to cut the lead to seven with 35 seconds remaining but Lubin finished the scoring with an alley-opp dunk.

Copeland's drive at the end of the first half had N.C. State up 34-33.

N.C. State made 22 of 27 free throws to just 11 of 25 for Pitt and outscored the Panthers 22-3 off turnovers to offset a 52-31 disadvantage on the boards.

Up next

NC State is home against Syracuse on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh is home against Wake Forest on Tuesday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Although the injury report for tomorrow’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans isn’t due for a few more hours, Spurs wing Devin Vassell confirmed to the media at practice today that will return from his 13-game absence, albeit on a minutes restriction. Regardless, in his own words, he’s just happy to be back.

Devin Vassell told us after practice this morning he will return to action Sunday against New Orleans. He’s responding here to a question about whether he will be on a minutes restriction. pic.twitter.com/28JWNRMs9G

— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) January 24, 2026

Vassell has missed the last 13 games with an adductor strain, which is a series muscles located in the inner thigh that connect to the groin and help stabilize the pelvis. It can be a very stubborn injury that can result in a rupture if not allowed to properly heal. He had been traveling with the team for the last couple of weeks and seen practicing, and this stretch of one game in five days (the have two days off both before and after Sunday’s game) felt like an ideal target date.

In his absence, the Spurs have gone 8-5 while struggling with offense and overall consistency. (Isn’t it nice to be able to “complain” about a winning record again?) While Vassell may not be THE answer to bringing them back to their Christmas form, he is one of few Spurs who can dribble and create is own shot almost anywhere on the floor, making him an ideal release valve when a play breaks down. He has also been shooting a steady 38% from three this season, so even if he initially comes off the bench while on a minutes restriction, hopefully he can help the Spurs find more consistency there as well.

The injury report for tomorrow’s game is due at 5 PM, and the only other name to watch will be Luke Kornet, who missed Thursday’s game against the Jazz with the same “injury”, although Mitch Johnson said it was very short term and he didn’t expect him to miss much time. If he’s back and there’s no new injuries reported, this will be the healthiest the Spurs have been since December.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing their first game of the season against the Orlando Magic. They’ll see them again just a few days later in Cleveland. Let’s take a look at this initial matchup.

Where Each Team Stands

These two teams might be close in the standings, but they have been heading in opposite directions since late December.

Orlando has fallen to the bottom 10 in offense and defense during this stretch, with the seventh-worst net rating in the league. The Cavs, on the other hand, are 9th in offense, 10th in defense, and 11th in net rating since December 22nd. All stats are according to Cleaning the Glass, which removes garbage time.

That’s not to say this game will be easy. The Magic are still a quality team, and the Cavs aren’t exactly a powerhouse right now. But it’s worth knowing where each team stands entering this matchup. The Cavs have every opportunity to continue trending upwards if they take care of business against the struggling Magic.

Back to Back

The Cavs are playing in the second night of a back-to-back tonight. They are 4-3 this season when playing with no rest.

Of course, every NBA team has to deal with the same scheduling issues. But this is worth mentioning because Cleveland has struggled to show consistent effort throughout the season. This game is ripe with potential to be a stinker, considering the circumstances.

That’s no excuse if it happens. I’m only pointing out the situation. Let’s see if the Cavs can play with the appropriate energy and intensity tonight.

Evan Mobley’s Groove

Six of the last eight quarters have been lights out for Evan Mobley. He dominated Charlotte in the first half, then crushed the Kings for the entire game last night. His 27 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks were a reminder of how talented Mobley is.

Can he keep it up?

The Cavs aren’t a title contender without this version of Mobley. He’s finding his groove for the first time this season, and another dominant performance would have us feeling pretty good.