Jabari Smith Jr. had been slumping, no doubt. Badly enough that his poor peformances had been directly related to at least a few losses, and some fans had been growing impatient with the 22-year-old’s development. He answered some of those critics in the win over New Orleans.
Smith went off for 32 points, a career-high 7 three-pointers, 8 rebounds and a block to lead the Houston Rockets to a 119-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jabari Smith Jr. caught fire from deep to lead the Rockets to victory!
In addition, the Rockets also got 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and a block from Alperen Sengun, and 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and a block from Amen Thompson to help out Smith. Thompson, in particular, was 10-for-14 shooting from the field.
KD actually had some real help in this one, and it was needed, as the Houston’s leading scorer only put in 18 points on 5-for-18 from the field. He did also add 6 rebounds and 8 assists, as well as passed his idol Dirk Nowitzki for sixth in the all-time scoring leaderboards. KD was just a +3 in this one, the lowest mark of any of the Rockets starters.
The Rockets didn’t come out of this one unscathed, however, as center Steven Adams, who started in this game and finished with 5 points and 10 boards, took a nasty fall that could have resulted in major injury. Thankfully, Ime Udoka said after the game that it was a sprained ankle. However, Adams is dealing with some bad swelling and is going to miss some time.
Steven Adams is hurt — lower left leg. He was helped off the floor. This one looks very concerning. pic.twitter.com/Bs16Rl4qBa
As for the Pels, they were led by Trey Murphy with 21 points, and Zion Williamson put in 20 to help lead their team in scoring. The Pels shot 50 percent from the field, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Smith’s hot shooting from deep.
The Rockets have now won two in a row and move to 25-15 on the season. They currently stand in the fifth seed, just three games back of the second seed, but also just a game ahead of the Play-In group. They return to action on Tuesday, versus the San Antonio Spurs.
This was a weird week for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and when all was said and done they walked out of it having collected four out of a possible six points in the standings. That was a very reasonable goal at the beginning, and probably the bare minimum of what they needed to do given the competition they were facing.
They very easily could have walked away with all six points if they could ever win a game in a shootout.
They also could have very easily walked away with only two points had it not been for two late 6-on-5 goals to send their games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets to overtime.
Could have been better. Could have been worse. Ultimately ended up being what it needed to be. It just may have had a weird path in getting there. Which is pretty much a great description for what this entire season has been anyway.
They enter this week still holding on to a playoff position, and are in fact in the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division as of Monday morning.
Now they head out west for their Western Canadian (and Pacific Northwest) road trip. The Penguins have seen all four of these teams already this season and produced some mixed results. This needs to be a redemption trip of sorts, because there are some very winnable games on the schedule this week.
The road trip begins on Monday night in Seattle against a Kraken team that already beat the Penguins on home ice earlier this season. It was part of that ugly back-to-back homestand with Minnesota that had head coach Dan Muse fuming when it was over. The Kraken are in a playoff spot, but there is not much overly impressive about how they are doing it.
They do not score goals.
They are 32nd in the NHL in 5-on-5 expected goal share, 29th in shot attempt share and rely almost exclusively on their goaltending to carry them. Given the way the Penguins have controlled possession and defended in recent weeks, they should have a good chance to slow the Kraken down. They just need to find some offense for themselves and figure out a way to solve Seattle’s goaltending.
After playing in Seattle on Monday, the Penguins have a back-to-back situation in Calgary and Edmonton on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Flames are in a very similar situation as Seattle in the sense that they do not score a lot of goals and have some increasingly poor possession numbers. They also beat the Penguins at home, winning a low-scoring game just a couple of weeks ago where the Penguins were unable to beat Devin Cooley
Calgary is also beginning its sell-off having just traded top defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, so that is one less top-player the Penguins are going to have to face.
Thursday is going to be, by far, the toughest game of the trip. Not only because Edmonton is the best team they will face on it, but also because the Penguins will be playing the second half of a back-to-back, on the road, with travel, against a rested Oilers team.
The Oilers still have some serious depth issues beyond their top players, but their top players are still outstanding and have given the Penguins fits in recent years. They also have Zach Hyman back in the lineup and he is on an absolute tear right now offensively.
The road trip concludes on Sunday against a Vancouver Canucks team that is just simply awful. The Penguins already dominated the Canucks earlier this season on home ice, and the current roster is worse than the one the Penguins saw earlier in the year, mostly due to the fact superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes has been traded away. Vancouver enters the week having lost 10 games in a row and has very little going for it at the moment.
Given the schedule, and the way the Penguins have been playing lately, this has the potential to be a big week for the Penguins. There are three very winnable games on the schedule here, and it would be in the Penguins’ best interest to take care of business in them. This is a week where they should be able to get at least five points, and hopefully six points out of eight that are on the table.
If they can do that it would have them at a 98-point pace going into next week, which would still be an extremely strong position in the playoff race.
The Islanders have two games left on the big seven-game trip, with tonight in Vancouver feeling like a “gotta have it” two points. With the Olympic break nearing, these next two games could be big for not only how the trip ledger balances out but also where the season heads. Dan and Mike talk about that on the latest Islanders Anxiety podcast (along with some epic Master-foe Theatre).
Tonight, it’s an opponent (16-27-5, 37 points) that is so far in the league basement, they’re even 11 points behind the “Strongly Worded Letter” Rangers.
Day to Day: Ilya Sorokin is due back in net, and it looks like Max Tsyplakov will get a chance next to Cal Ritchie and Emil Heineman, with Max Shabanov coming out. [Isles | THN]
Line shuffling for Patrick Roy is a matter of necessity. [Newsday]
The Skinny: Anders Lee’s 300th goal was the first for the Islanders since Miro Satan. [Isles]
Takeaways from the loss to the Flames: Just didn’t bear down on chances, and what-not. [Isles]
Health has been huge for Adam Pelech’s bounce-back season. [Post]
Roy isn’t worried about Cal Ritchie hitting a rookie wall. [Post]
On Isaiah George working back into form following multiple injury stints. [THN]
Catching up with Wade Dubielewicz, who’s loving life. On poke-checks, which were a massive part of his game: “I was an undersized goalie, not in the greatest physical condition either.” [Isles]
R.I.P. Phil Goyette, 92, the first coach of the Islanders who made his mark as a Cup-winning Canadien, Lady Byng-winning Blue and briefly a player with some other team. [NHL]
Elsewhere
Yesterday’s scores were few — evidently there were other sports in action? — but they included Detroit getting an OT win with Ottawa picking up the consolation point.
We have a trade: Rasmus Andersson finally gets his trade, and the Flames finally get their price, from Vegas: Zach Whitecloud, a first-rounder and a second that could become a first if Vegas wins the Cup. [NHL]
An original Knight, Whitecloud is excited to be a Flame. [Sportsnet]
Craig Conroy felt the time was right to make the deal, with Andersson saying he would not entertain sign-and-trade scenarios. [Sportsnet]
Will that trade, and the Rangers throwing in the towel, open up the trade market a bit? [Sportsnet]
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ newest acquisition, forward Egor Chinakhov, has found early success while on a line with fellow countryman Evgeni Malkin. [Trib Live]
Injured Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson rejoined the team for practice on Sunday. He has missed the past three games with an undisclosed injury that landed him on injured reserve. [Trib Live]
The Penguins recalled forward Joona Koppanen from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, while rookie forward Rutger McGroarty was activated and assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
A reset in the Big Apple? New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a letter to fans on Friday that the team will begin the process of a “retool” this season, which likely results in the trade of players such as star forward Artemi Panarin. [ESPN]
The San Jose Sharks placed veteran defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers Sunday. [TSN]
Phil Goyette, the former NHL forward who won four Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens and became the New York Islanders’ first coach, has died at age 92. [Associated Press via ESPN]
The Calgary Flames will trade defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Zach Whitecloud, prospect Abram Wiebe, a 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 second-round pick, which will become a first if Vegas wins the Stanley Cup this year. The Flames will also retain 50% of Andersson’s salary. [Sportsnet]
The NBA All-Star Game is rapidly approaching, and we’ll get some resolution today – at least on the first five from each conference.
The league will announce the starters for the Eastern and Western conferences Monday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, during the pre-game show ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Cleveland Cavaliers game.
Here’s everything you need to know about the selection of the 2026 NBA All-Stars and our picks for who will start and who should start:
How are NBA All-Stars selected?
There are 24 All-Stars, with 12 per conference. Players are selected without regard for position.
The 10 starters (five per conference) are selected through three tranches: fan votes (50%), current NBA player votes (25%) and a media panel (25%).
Then, on Feb. 1, the 14 reserves (seven per conference) will be announced, and those players will be selected by NBA head coaches. There is one wrinkle this year, however.
Because the league is using a USA versus the world format in which three, 8-player teams will compete in a round-robin tournament, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will intervene and appoint additional All-Stars so that there are enough players to reach the quota of at least 16 U.S.-born players and eight international players. If necessary, the international players can include American players with ties to other countries.
NBA All-Star starters: Who should start?
As one of the media members selected to participate, here’s the ballot I submitted to the online system managed by Ernst & Young:
Have you ever wondered how to measure Victor Wembanyama’s height in Oreo cookies, how birth order affects NBA performance, or which zodiac sign is the best at basketball?
Chances are you haven’t. But for those questions and others you didn’t even know you had, the NBA Research & Development Department has an answer.
The popular Instagram account with the handle @nbaresdev launched surreptitiously on June 11, 2025 – the same day as Game 3 of the NBA Finals – by posting the aforementioned Wembanyama video. Since then, NBA R&D has posted 58 videos that approach fun, quirky basketball questions with serious data analysis.
The account’s bio proclaims it's, “The official unofficial testing lab of the NBA,” and it’s not entirely unsanctioned.
NBA R&D is the brainchild of NBA Take-Two Media, a collaboration between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, publisher of the NBA 2K video game series. The new entertainment company, shorthanded as NBAT2, formed last summer and produces competitive gaming, social-first content, original programming and live events.
Basketball, yes. But fashion, baddies, and astrocartography, too
NBAT2 CEO Andrew Perlmutter said the partnership taps into basketball’s broader appeal.
“Basketball, as a force, isn’t just a sport and it doesn’t just reflect culture. It shapes culture,” Perlmutter said. “And it is wired into so many other facets of culture that we all love, whether it’s gaming or fashion or music or color theory or astrocartography.”
On Saturday night, the Celtics had a historic first half in what might have been the best offensive showing of Mazzulla Ball. Per NBC Sports Boston’s Dick Lipe, their 82 points at halftime against the Hawks — 52 in the second quarter alone — was their highest total since thrashing Golden State two years ago.
The weekend win hits a little different though because what this roster of previously back-of-the-bench players and products of patient in-house player development has defied expectations.
It’s a testament to how every player has taken absolute advantage of their opportunity and more so, how head coach Joe Mazzulla has built a system for everybody to thrive in and motivated them to do so. He’s tinkered with the starting lineups, shuttling between experience and youthful energy and offensive punch and defensive flexibility, and now halfway through this “gap year,” Mazzulla seems to have settled on his rotations…until the next time he throws another curve ball.
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 12: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics, Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics react during a game against the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden on December 12, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Halfway through the season last year, Brown and White were also part of Boston’s Big Three with obviously Jayson Tatum in the place of Pritchard. That trio combined for 1591 points on 45.9% shooting (36.2% from 3) in 648 minutes. PP has joined the starting lineup and Brown, White, and Pritchard have been arguably better with 1726 points at 48.9% from the field and 36.8% from behind the arc in 695 minutes.
As a perimeter trio, their offensive efficiency (119.9) is on par with some of the league’s other offensive engines that have the benefit of an efficient big man like Houston’s Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith, and Amen Thompson (120.9 offensive rating) and Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert (120.6).
With Brown and Pritchard becoming two of the most elite mid-range jump shooters in the NBA and White not skipping a beat with a higher usage rate and level of responsibility on the ball, they’ve become the engine of one of the most efficient offenses in not just random half in mid-January, but NBA all-time history.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 04: Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics celebrates with Jordan Walsh #27 after a play against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on December 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
If he was a higher profile player, there would be a case to be made that Queta is one of the NBA’s Most Improved Players. Instead, he’s been the underrated backbone of this surprising season and one of Boston’s most impactful players after being their biggest question mark heading into training camp. He’s second (behind Hugo Gonzalez, more on that later) in on/off defensive efficiency (107.5 on vs. 116.1 off) and in total steals plus blocks (behind White because of course).
And while Walsh had his day in the sun as a starter, he remains one of Mazzulla’s trump cards as an individual defender/disruptor. His hit list is long and littered with future Hall-of-Famers:
James Harden: two games, 4-of-9, one turnover
Donovan Mitchell: one game, 2-of-8, two turnovers
Cade Cunningham: two games, 3-of-10, four turnovers
Scottie Barnes: two games, 1-of-3, one turnover
CJ McCollum: three games, 2-of-8, two turnovers
Tyrese Maxey: one game, 1-of-9, zero turnovers
Austin Reaves: one game, 0-of-3, zero turnovers
Walsh has also become better-than-reliable three-point shooter at 43.5%, too. Queta isn’t exactly the shooter that Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford were, but he’s got magnets for hands, can finish with both of them, and has sneaky athleticism off both feet.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 19: Sam Hauser #30 of the Boston Celtics reacts with Anfernee Simons #4 after scoring a basket against the Miami Heat during the second half at the TD Garden on December 19, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Traditionally, a drive-and-kick point guard was a shooter’s best friend; draw enough attention off the bounce and they could get free for an open shot. That still applies to a certain extent, but in today’s defensive switching schemes of the NBA, it’s less effective. Instead, Mazzulla has replaced look-over-here-while-I-do-something-over-there with just brute force, offensive line blocking to get his shooters shots.
In the Celtics resounding offensive explosion in Atlanta on Saturday, Garza recorded six screen assists, one apiece to threes from Hauser and Simons. Both sharpshooters are hovering around 40% three-point shooting on the season after they suffered spells in November and December respectively. All three have also become respectable defenders.
Oct 8, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28), forward Baylor Scheierman (55) and center Luka Garza (52) react during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
The Hugo Gonzalez Coefficient
552 minutes, +192
Somehow, Mazzulla has figured just how much of the rookie to titrate into the mix. Back in December, Gonzalez played the entire second half of a comeback win against the visiting Heat and finished a +22. Last week in Miami, he played just over thirteen minutes, but his stretch between the third and fourth quarters ultimately made the difference in another resurgent run. His four points and three rebounds average is what you’d expect from a 19-year-old rookie; the hustle and momentum-shifting plays are something else.
It would be criminal not to mention Baylor Scheierman, too. The sometimes starter and sometimes DNP-CD is best friends with Gonzalez and you have to wonder if the one thing they have in common is finding ways to play winning basketball. Like Gonzalez, Scheierman is a utility man — a connector that makes shots when he has to (42.6% from 3) and defends his butt off. In 440 minutes, he’s a +65 and someone you can comfortably rely on in his sophomore season.
Good morning, it’s Monday, January 19th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 24-19 and host the Oklahoma City Thunder today at 2:30 PM. Let’s hope it’s a good one.
The last time these two teams played in Cleveland, they were each in the middle of huge win streaks and historic regular seasons. Things have changed a bit since then, as the Cavaliers are lagging behind and the Thunder have hit a recent skid in their post-championship season — but there’s still plenty of potential fireworks ready to go off between these two teams.
Today’s Game of the Day
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder – 2:30 PM, NBC, Peacock, FanDuel
Let’s not waste our time talking about any other game today.
The Cavs and Thunder both have injuries heading into this matchup. Cleveland will be without Darius Garland, Max Strus, and Dean Wade, while the Thunder are down Jalen Williams.
That could put a damper on this battle, but the Cavaliers have been playing inspiring basketball recently and still stand a chance of defending their home floor.
The Rest of the NBA Slate
Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks – 1 PM
LA Clippers at Washington Wizards – 3 PM
Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks – 5 PM
Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs – 5 PM
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers – 7 PM
Phoenix Suns at Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 PM
Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons – 8 PM
Miami Heat at Golden State Warriors – 10 PM
There’s a full slate of basketball on today. So, even if the Cavs disappoint you, maybe you can find some quality games on the rest of the day.
Boston Bruins (28-19-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Dallas Stars (27-13-9, in the Central Division)
Dallas; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins visit the Dallas Stars trying to build upon a six-game win streak.
Dallas has a 27-13-9 record overall and a 12-7-3 record in home games. The Stars rank eighth in NHL play with 160 total goals (averaging 3.3 per game).
Boston has an 11-11-1 record on the road and a 28-19-2 record overall. The Bruins have a +13 scoring differential, with 162 total goals scored and 149 given up.
The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting this season between the two clubs.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jason Robertson has 27 goals and 29 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has five goals and three assists over the past 10 games.
Morgan Geekie has 25 goals and 17 assists for the Bruins. Marat Khusnutdinov has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 2-6-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 3.8 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
Bruins: 8-1-1, averaging 4.1 goals, 7.6 assists, 4.4 penalties and 13.2 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game.
INJURIES: Stars: None listed.
Bruins: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
LOS ANGELES – The Lakers were in a tough situation against the Raptors in the second quarter on Sunday. Toronto was up by seven points on the roadas the Lakers were staring down the barrel of a third straight loss.
That’s when head coach JJ Redick turned to an unusual player to help flip the script: Drew Timme.
If that name sounds unfamiliar to you, that’s to be expected.
However, he had a breakout 21-point performance Saturday in a loss to the Blazers. So, even though LA had their bigs Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes back on Sunday, Redick went to the 6’9” player from Gonzaga to start the second quarter.
The results were phenomenal.
Timme had an assist to LeBron, who hit a wing 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game, helping kickstart a game-changing run that turned the tide for the Lakers.
He was cleaning up the glass and even hit a three from near the top of the key to extend LA’s lead. The Raptors called for a timeout, but the damage had been done. A seven-point Raptors lead had turned into a seven-point Lakers advantage.
“He was great,” Redick said postgame. “He certainly earned a spot coming off last night, where he played phenomenal… but it’s still like a little jarring to see Vando, Drew, [Ayton], LeBron, that’s a big lineup. And they did a good job of playing out of the post during that stretch, and we also were able to get some stops and run.”
Timme is another example of the team using the South Bay Lakers to win on the margins. He was impactful in this win and fellow two-way player Nick Smith Jr. had a similar effect when he scored 25 points in a victory over the Blazers earlier this year.
It’s a realization of the “model for integration” Redick discussed when he took the job. And two years into his time as the head coach, the vision is being realized.
“I’ve been down there [with the South Bay Lakers] for a decent amount and then they hold me accountable and they push me and then they keep me sharp for moments when I am called upon,” Timme said. “You just got to be ready whenever your number is called. And it’s awesome that both teams are so connected.
“It helps me be prepared for moments like this because you can go a lot of times without touching the ball and getting some good burn in. It’s pretty awesome to have a setup like we do here.”
While Timme helped shift momentum, the job wasn’t finished. He entered the game again in the fourth for his second shift and shined once again.
Timme continued grabbing rebounds, played above replacement level on defense and had a nice dime to Rui Hachimura. When he entered the fourth, LA was up seven, and when he was subbed out for LeBron, the lead was up to 16.
During his postgame presser, he was as cool as can be.He walked in wearing a shirt that said “Sexual Tyrannosaurus” on it, a shirt more likely to be found in a thrift store than on a professional athlete.
During his moment in the sun, Timme was just giddy about the chance to play and show what he could do.
He might not always get minutes, but against the Raptors, he made those minutes matter. And for a player trying to show the world that his basketball story is written in pencil, not ink, that’s all he, the Lakers and their fans can ask for.
“In college and since I’ve left, it’s, ‘You can’t do this. You can’t do that’” Timme said. “Like, all these things that I can’t do. And, I see it, and it’s fuel. And at the end of the day, I’m a good player.
“I believe in myself and my abilities, and I believe that I can impact the game at any level, anywhere. And just carrying that belief with me, it helps push me on days when maybe I’m not as motivated. But it’s great to be able to have this opportunity and to be able to help the team.”
The San Antonio Spurs are starting to exercise some of the demons that haunted them during their post-Christmas hangover. They have won two straight games at home, and despite nearly collapsing late against the Minnesota Timberwolves, have shown real signs of improvement. How fitting that they’ll have a chance to end the home stand that got them back on track against the team that started to take San Antonio off the rails.
The Spurs will host the injury-riddled Utah Jazz on Monday. San Antonio was outplayed by Utah on December 27th, losing 127-114. The Jazz got great performances from Keyontae George and Lauri Markkanen, who both scored over 28 points. Utah will be without Markkenen on Monday due to illness. The Jazz’s superstar poses real matchup issues for the Spurs, so the game should play out much differently without him in the lineup.
San Antonio will still have to compete with George and the Jazz’s young core. If they can play close to the way they did against the Wolves and Milwaukee Bucks, they should be able to end their three-game homestand undefeated.
Spurs Injuries: Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Stanley Umude – Out (G League), David Jones-Garcia – Out (G League), Devin Vassell – Out (adductor)
Jazz Injuries: Isaiah Collier – Questionable (quad), Elijah Harkless – Out (G League), Walker Kessler – Out (shoulder), Lauri Markkanen – Out (illness), Georges Niang – Out (foot), John Tonje – Out (G League), Oscar Tshiebwe – Out (G League)
What to watch for:
Dylan Harper vs. Ace Bailey
The Rutgers rookie duo of Harper and Bailey will get to matchup for the first time in the NBA. Bailey sat out their first matchup with an injury. Neither player is the primary offensive focus, but they are important role players for their respective teams. Bailey has been in and out of the starting lineup, with his inefficient scoring, but is a good athlete who can get hot on the wing. Harper has been putting together some solid performances in the last three games. It’ll be fun to see these college teammates duel on Monday.
Wembanyama’s dominance
The biggest difference between the Spurs’ recent success and their past struggles has been the performance of their superstar. Wembanyama has been dominant, scoring 39 and 22 points in the last two games. His impact on the game has gone far beyond the box score. He’s made it hard for teams to score inside and has buried them with hot shooting stretches. Without Walker Kessler or Markkanen, the Jazz are thin on the interior. The circumstances are there for Wembanyama to continue his MVP-level play.
Locking down the Jazz
Utah can’t defend. They are last in defensive rating and points allowed per game. They win games by outscoring opponents. The Jazz play fast (3rd in pace), move the ball around (30.1 assists per game), and score a lot (6th in the NBA in points per game). Not having Markkanen will hurt them, but the Jazz have plenty of ball-handlers and shooters that make them a hard team to guard. Utah’s head coach, Will Hardy, has a great offensive system. The Spurs have been great defensively this season, with or without Wembanyama. They are 3rd in defensive rating. Monday’s game will be a good test to see if a good defense can slow down a good offense.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was present to see the best victory and performance of his two years of minority ownership. When Ratcliffe bought in, the public impression given was of a billionaire signing up to taste the magic for himself. Saturday, and beating Manchester City, was an undoubted revival act where Michael Carrick’s team played the football of yore. That will almost certainly be unsustainable in the medium term, since most opposition will not play City’s high-line, high-wire act. But in engaging their supporters with determination and aggression, United jogged memories. There was a time when just about every big game had Old Trafford rocking like this, when the opposition could not hear themselves think. Surely that was the myth and legend Ratcliffe wanted to be part of? Would that be possible in the new stadium the Ineos chief has plans for instead of Old Trafford? Tottenham’s recent experiences suggest otherwise. Would Liverpool’s owners cash out the Anfield experience? Surely not. John Brewin
Los Angeles Lakers (25-16, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (29-14, third in the Western Conference)
Denver; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles hits the road against Denver looking to stop its three-game road skid.
The Nuggets have gone 18-7 against Western Conference opponents. Denver ranks ninth in the league with 28.3 assists per game led by Nikola Jokic averaging 11.0.
The Lakers are 18-11 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles ranks ninth in the Western Conference giving up only 116.7 points while holding opponents to 48.7% shooting.
The Nuggets' 14.0 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.4 more made shots on average than the 13.6 per game the Lakers allow. The Lakers are shooting 49.6% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 47.1% the Nuggets' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jamal Murray is averaging 25.9 points and 7.3 assists for the Nuggets. Peyton Watson is averaging 22.3 points over the last 10 games.
LeBron James is scoring 22.6 points per game and averaging 5.9 rebounds for the Lakers. Luka Doncic is averaging 29.5 points and 5.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 110.5 points, 36.9 rebounds, 25.0 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.8 points per game.
Lakers: 5-5, averaging 114.7 points, 41.7 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.0 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Cameron Johnson: out (knee), Tamar Bates: out (foot), Nikola Jokic: out (knee), Jonas Valanciunas: out (calf), Aaron Gordon: out (hamstring), Christian Braun: out (ankle).
Lakers: Austin Reaves: out (calf), Adou Thiero: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Perhaps head coach JJ Redick’s pregame speech should be spent convincing the team that every game is actually the second night of a back-to-back.
Bizarrely, the team’s last two wins came the night after blowout defeats. And each time, they looked great in those contests, responding with their own blowout wins. And the opponent both time was good.
What an oddity.
The good or bad news, depending on how you look at it, is the Lakers don’t have a back-to-back again until March. Maybe that’ll be the next win.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Shoutout to LeBron, who played all five games across this seven-day stretch. Now, let’s have him stop trying to dunk on people like it’s 2016 and not 2026.
Have yourself a historic night, DA. Take just about any combination of his points, rebounds, lack of turnovers and perfect shooting and you’ll find some version of an incredible stat.
Tonight, Deandre Ayton became the 4th player in @Lakers franchise history to record 20+ PTS and 10+ REB on 100% shooting in a game, joining:
Per the Lakers, Deandre Ayton (25pts, 10-10 FG, 13 REB) became the first player this season to record a 20-point game on perfect shooting with at least 10 field-goal attempts and the 34th player in NBA history to do so with 10 or more rebounds. AK
It’s really kind of impressive Luka didn’t get tossed. Once he gets a technical, he really doesn’t tone things down. It feels like he’s due and if it happens, he’ll deserve the backlash he gets.
This is a game where the box score doesn’t tell the whole story of his impact, though his plus-minus goes some way in doing that. Plus, the one field goal he scored included a nasty in-and-out dribble in the open court.
Timme earned minutes with his play on Saturday and made good on them on Sunday. I have reservations about the viability of the Smart-LeBron-Vando-Timme-Ayton lineup he was part of, but it certainly worked well on Sunday.
Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr., Kobe Bufkin
Nothing much from this group tonight, who got in for the final two minutes of the game.
JJ Redick
An interesting wrinkle with not only playing Timme, but doing so in a jumbo lineup. He not only played alongside a center, but as part of a lineup that had LeBron or Vando as the nominal shooting guard. Just an enormous lineup that worked incredibly well.
Grade: A-
Monday’s DNPs: Maxi Kleber
Monday’s inactives: Austin Reaves, Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon
Jordi Fernandez was happy with Cam Thomas’ playmaking, and isn’t worried about his shotmaking.
But the guard’s playing time isn’t going up anytime soon.
Thomas – who was the Nets’ leading scorer last season, and had been a fixture in the starting lineup – has been a reserve ever since returning from another hamstring injury on Dec. 27. He came off the bench for a tenth straight appearance on Sunday, logging 23:58; and Fernandez said his playing time isn’t about to increase.
“Yeah, right now we’re happy where he is, with the minutes he’s playing with the production, being that willing playmaker; because we know how good he is scoring the basketball, and taking those steps defensively,” Fernandez said before the Nets’ 124-102 loss in Chicago.
“Right now we’re happy where he is. We need him to stay in those minutes a little longer because I, we, just believe what’s most important right now is his body, and (how) his body reacts. And we’re gonna be cautious with that.”
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Isaac Okoro (35) during the second half at United Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Thomas played just 25 games last season due to three hamstring injuries, then he hurt the same hamstring earlier this season in Indiana.
Since his return, Thomas has averaged a dozen points on .408 shooting and .340 from deep in 22.5 minutes. He handed out a career-high tying ten assists Sunday in Chicago; but he had just three points on 1-of-6 shooting in a loss where the Nets desperately needed him to replace absent Michael Porter Jr.’s missing offense.
Cam Thomas #24 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls on January 18, 2026 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NBAE via Getty Images
“Yeah, I mean I’m not going to believe that he’s going to go 1-for-6 ever again. So I’m ok with him taking those shots,” said Fernandez. “But the ability, he proved that, ten assists to one turnover, that’s elite. And he’s more than capable of doing it. He can see the game. He’s a smart player.
“They’re being aggressive in coverages, and he’s found his teammates. And his teammates made the shot. So very proud of him and the way he played. He shared the basketball, made this simple play over and over and over. And that’s the CT with playmaking that we want to see.”
The Nets are 8-12 without Thomas, but just 4-16 with him — and one of those was a win in his 5:35 cameo at Indiana.
“He’s been sticking with it. He’s had a little bit of a stretch. But like you said just him staying engaged, staying sticking through it with us,” said Nic Claxton. “And if it’s his process as well, you know he’ll start knocking down those shots.”
