Worldwide Sports News

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 26 points to lead the Golden State Warriors past Minnesota 111-85 on Sunday, the fifth straight loss for the Timberwolves and their longest skid in more than three years.

Curry added seven assists and four of his team’s season-high 20 steals after being listed as questionable to play because of knee soreness. Moses Moody added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors (26-21), who moved within 1 1/2 games of the Timberwolves (27-19) for seventh place in the Western Conference.

Brandin Podziemski had 12 points, six assists and four steals for the Warriors, who have won seven of their last 10 games.

PISTONS 139, KINGS 116

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 29 points and 11 assists and Detroit routed Sacramento for its fifth victory in six games.

The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons rebounded from a home loss to Houston on Friday night to improve to 33-11. Tied at 35 after a quarter, Detroit broke it open in the second by outscoring the Kings 43-30.

Cunningham was 13 of 22 from the field, hitting 3 of 5 3-pointers. Pistons center Jalen Duren added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and Tobias Harris had 16.

Malik Monk led Sacramento with 19 points, and DeMar DeRozan had 16. The Kings have lost five straight to drop to 12-35.

Domantas Sabonis played his fifth game for Sacramento after after missing two months because of a knee injury. He had 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and eight assists and seven rebounds in 24:44.

RAPTORS 103, THUNDER 101

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Immanuel Quickley had 23 points and 11 rebounds to help Toronto defeat the NBA-leading Oklahoma City.

R.J. Barrett scored 14 points and Scottie Barnes added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who won their fourth straight.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He scored at least 20 points for the 117th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NBA history.

Lu Dort scored a season-high 19 points, Kenrich Williams scored 15 and Chet Holmgren added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder.

PELICANS 104, SPURS 95

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Saddiq Bey and Zion Williamson each had 24 points and 10 rebounds and New Orleans squandered a 20-point lead before rebounding to beat San Antonio.

San Antonio held a 24-5 advantage to open the fourth quarter, but New Orleans closed the game on a 17-3 run to avoid a season sweep by the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama had 16 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks to lead San Antonio. Keldon Johnson added 15 points as the Spurs failed to capitalize on a double-digit rally.

New Orleans’ lead swelled to 19 points midway through the third quarter, leading San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson to sub out his entire starting lineup following a timeout.

The lineup change worked as San Antonio went on a 21-4 run bridging the third and fourth quarters. The Spurs scored 16 straight points to close the run.

HEAT 111, SUNS 102

PHOENIX (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 22 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 20 and Miami beat short-handed Phoenix.

The Heat had a short turnaround after blowing out Utah 147-116 on Saturday night, but took advantage of Phoenix playing without two key players who suffered injuries in Friday night in a 110-103 loss at Atlanta.

Devin Booker, a four-time All-Star, rolled his right ankle in third quarter against the Hawks and will be re-evaluated in a week. Jalen Green came out after feeling pain in his second game back after missing 33 with a hamstring strain.

The Suns labored without Booker’s team-leading 25.4 points per game, shooting 37% and 7 of 35 from 3. Dillon Brooks led Phoenix with 26 points and Grayson Allen added 18 despite shooting 4 of 18 from the floor, including 1 of 11 from 3.

The NBA’s fourth-highest scoring team, Miami led by five after three quarters and pushed it to 101-83 midway through the fourth on their way to finishing a five-game trip 3-2. Norman Powell added 16 points and 10 rebounds.

CLIPPERS 126, NETS 89

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half as Los Angeles built a 38-point lead in the second quarter and beat Brooklyn.

James Harden scored 19 points, John Collins added 18, and Jordan Miller had 16. Ivica Zubac finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers, who were coming off a victory over the Lakers on Thursday, won for the eighth time in nine games.

Danny Wolf scored 14 points and Egor Demin had 12 for the Nets, who shot 28% in the first half and 34% (29 for 86) overall, including 21% (9 for 43) from 3-point range. Brooklyn lost its fourth straight and has dropped 10 of its last 11 games and 13 of 15.

The Memphis Grizzlies were supposed to play a game yesterday against the Denver Nuggets. However, due to bad weather that is sweeping across the United States, the game was postponed. Now, the Grizzlies will travel to Houston and be relatively rested if a bit disheveled.

The Rockets and Grizzlies are both around tenth in adjusted defensive efficiency, which means both give up about 114 points per 100 possessions. The difference between the teams is on offense, where Houston is fifth and Memphis is twenty-fifth.

Memphis’s best player, by efficiency, is Cam Spencer. I doubt anyone had that on their Bingo cards, but here we are. He’s got a true shooting percentage of 66.9% and assists on 33% of Memphis’s made shots while he’s on the floor. Jock Landale, freed from Houston’s “Go grab rebounds” play style, has flourished as well. Jaren Jackson Jr., Jaylen Wells, rookie Cedric Coward, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will get the majority of the rest of the minutes.

Memphis is dealing with plenty of injuries (see below) and seem headed for a future as sellers at the trade deadline.

Tip-off

7pm CT on January 26, 2026

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Grizzlies

Ja Morant: OUT

Ty Jerome: OUT

Santi Aldama: OUT

Scotty Pippin Jr.: OUT

Zach Edey: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

HOU -10.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Wednesday night at home against the San Antonio Spurs

Let’s not beat around the bush: The Lakers aren’t NBA title contenders.

At least, not yet.

And don’t kid yourself either, because you already knew they weren’t, despite having flashes of being the type of team that could play deeper into the NBA calendar.

Yes, the Lakers — with a 27–17 record after Saturday’s road win over the Dallas Mavericks for their third victory in four games — are jumbled up with a few other Western Conference teams in the standings, and aren’t too far behind the No. 2 spot.

Yes, they’ve had significant injury misfortune: LeBron James sidelined for training camp, the preseason, and the first 14 regular-season games due to sciatica; and Austin Reaves playing just two games since mid-December because of calf injuries.

Because of their misfortunes in player availability, the Lakers have had their three best players in Reaves, James and Luka Dončić for the same game just eight times out of the 44 they’ve played so far.  

Speaking of Dončić, the Lakers also have an MVP-quality player, which is historically necessary for championship contenders.

And yet, as of right now, they aren’t contenders.

Not like the Thunder. Or the Nuggets. Or the Spurs. Or the Eastern Conference team of your choice, since that conference does have to be represented in the NBA Finals.

The Lakers’ defense? Not good enough, ranking No. 25 across the league — which is an improvement on that end of the floor after they picked up their play over the last week.

Their offense? Very good, ranking No. 9, but not great like it needs to be to compensate for their poor perimeter defense, and far from the heights expected of them with Dončić, James and Reaves on the roster.

The roster? Not balanced enough with players consistently effective on both ends of the floor, or that complement one another.

Their effort and execution? Not consistent enough, which is why 15 of their 17 losses have been by double digits, and they have a negative point differential on the season, which can often be a better indicator of the quality of a team instead of their record.

Do you know what true contenders are? Consistent.  

The Lakers are still figuring out who they are on a nightly basis.

“For the group as a whole, the effort and execution piece is probably the biggest two things,” Lakers Coach JJ Redick said Saturday. “I’ve used the word ‘consistency’ a lot. We’re just looking for that. Because again, we’ve shown that we can execute on both ends. And we’ve shown that we can have effort on both ends. It’s just a matter of consistency.”

The good news for the Lakers is that despite their obvious flaws, many of which were evident before they even played their first game, they’re closer to being contenders than it often feels.

Here’s what needs to happen to help them go from pretenders to contenders:

First, when Reaves makes his return to the floor, which appears to be imminent and could be during the Grammy road trip, do NOT go back to the starting lineup of Dončić, Reaves, James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton.

Although it only played a small sample of minutes (85), that unit was responsible for the team’s slow starts to games from mid-November through mid-December. It performed poorly on both ends of the floor, leading to a minus-19.9 net rating.

The Lakers’ current starting lineup, with Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia in place of Reaves and Hachimura, hasn’t been great (minus-1.6 net rating), but it’s been good enough because it has balance. And the players are slotted into roles they’re better suited for defensively. When fully healthy, Smart, who’s been the team’s best defender this season, should start in place of Hachimura, who can still be valuable in a reserve role.

It’s a shame the Dončić-Reaves-Smart-James-Ayton lineup has only played three minutes.

The Lakers also need to be elite offensively. Very good or borderline great isn’t good enough for a team that’ll have its defensive struggles, even if Smart is in the first unit and more balanced lineups are used throughout the game.

The team can get closer to reaching its offensive ceiling if the players are more consistent with being organized offensively, which includes running plays/sets. It’s proven to be when the Lakers are at their best.

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As for the roster?

It’s obvious that a trade for a two-way wing/guard is needed. A player better than Smart who could guard bigger wings while also being a reliable 3-point threat.

The Lakers aren’t as far from being contenders as some might think. But if they don’t fix their obvious issues, we’ll be back here in early May talking about their season in the past tense for the third consecutive year.  

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half as the Los Angeles Clippers built a 38-point lead in the second quarter and beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-89 on Sunday.

James Harden scored 19 points, John Collins added 18, and Jordan Miller had 16. Ivica Zubac finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers, who were coming off a victory over the Lakers on Thursday, won for the eighth time in nine games.

Danny Wolf scored 14 points and Egor Demin had 12 for the Nets, who shot 28 percent in the first half and 34 percent (29 for 86) overall, including 21 percent (9 for 43) from 3-point range. Brooklyn lost its fourth straight and has dropped 10 of its last 11 games and 13 of 15.

The Nets were coming off a double-overtime loss on Friday to the Boston Celtics, who are in second place in the Eastern Conference. Two days earlier, Brooklyn was beaten 120-66 by the New York Knicks.

The Clippers charged to a 24-point lead in the first quarter and extended their advantage to 38 points in the second, carrying a 68-37 lead into the break. Los Angeles maintained its lopsided advantage in the third quarter and was ahead 96-66 headed into the fourth.

It was another lopsided win for the Clippers over the Nets in Los Angeles. When the teams met in LA on Jan. 15, 2025, the Clippers won 126-67, and the 59-point margin of victory is the only 50-point win for the Clippers.

Up next

Nets: At the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the second game of a five-game trip.

Clippers: At the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half as the Los Angeles Clippers built a 38-point lead in the second quarter and beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-89 on Sunday.

James Harden scored 19 points, John Collins added 18, and Jordan Miller had 16. Ivica Zubac finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers, who were coming off a victory over the Lakers on Thursday, won for the eighth time in nine games.

Danny Wolf scored 14 points and Egor Demin had 12 for the Nets, who shot 28% in the first half and 34% (29 for 86) overall, including 21% (9 for 43) from 3-point range. Brooklyn lost its fourth straight and has dropped 10 of its last 11 games and 13 of 15.

The Nets were coming off a double-overtime loss on Friday to the Boston Celtics, who are in second place in the Eastern Conference. Two days earlier, Brooklyn was beaten 120-66 by the New York Knicks.

The Clippers charged to a 24-point lead in the first quarter and extended their advantage to 38 points in the second, carrying a 68-37 lead into the break. Los Angeles maintained its lopsided advantage in the third quarter and was ahead 96-66 headed into the fourth.

It was another lopsided win for the Clippers over the Nets in Los Angeles. When the teams met in LA on Jan. 15, 2025, the Clippers won 126-67, and the 59-point margin of victory is the only 50-point win for the Clippers.

Up next

Nets: At the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the second game of a five-game trip.

Clippers: At the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

___

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

At first, it was just a bad start. It quickly grew worse. And by the time Kawhi Leonard jogged into a pull-up three, extending the lead to 47-14 and forcing Jordi Fernández to call another timeout, it was officially ugly. The Los Angeles Clippers had dogged the Brooklyn Nets in less than 15 minutes of game-time, and the next three-ish quarters would be simply cosmetic for the Clippers, a botched botox for the Nets.

The Nets never let it get quite as bad as their 54-point loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday, nor their franchise-worst 59-point loss to these Clippers about a year ago. But when you’re trailing by nearly 40 points in the first half, it feels about the same…

Nets get gifted a 5-on-4 possession and miss four shots

Kris Dunn limps to the sideline in the middle of the play and limps back in for the rebound pic.twitter.com/2dUsmmVyN8

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) January 26, 2026

If the Nets hadn’t been blown out by the Knicks earlier this week, they could have used the injury excuse, as feeble as it would be. Noah Clowney (back soreness), Cam Thomas (ankle sprain), and Nolan Traore (illness) all missed this one; Terance Mann was re-inserted into the starting lineup and Ben Saraf saw his first NBA action since December 6.

But Brooklyn shot 20% from the field in the first quarter, trailing 38-14 after 12 minutes of play, quickly destroying any hope that Friday’s resilient performance against the Boston Celtics was a sign of things to come. The Nets had their issues in that game too — notably their crunch-time defense — but they took a formidable opponent right down to the wire. With a career-best night from rookie Nolan Traore (21 points), it was just about the perfect loss in a tanking season.

Sunday’s night’s loss to the Clippers just stunk. Ben Saraf scored six points with four turnovers, Drake Powell put up five points and four turnovers, and Danny Wolf shot 3-of-13, inventing new ways to miss layups. Egor Dëmin shot just 3-of-11, but he did hit three straight 3-pointers while getting fouled on another in the third quarter, giving the Nets fans bored enough to keep the game on for that long something to hold onto.

Not that the veterans did much better. In fact, Wolf and Dëmin were the only Nets to reach double-digits; the team shot 33.7% from the floor and a grotesque 20.9% from deep. However, all 12 Nets played and all 12 scored, including a triple from E.J. Liddell, so that’s something? The highlight of the game may have been Terance Mann getting a technical foul on Dëmin’s behalf…

John Collins pushes Egor Demin after he wraps up James Harden on a fastbreak. Terance Mann comes in and shoves Collins with some words for him after.

Vet sticking up for the rookie. pic.twitter.com/CMCIyXz2XW

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 26, 2026

Conversely, the Clippers shot 56.4% from the floor, including a tidy 12-of-25 from three. Like the Nets, all 12 of their guys scored, led by 28 points from Kawhi and 19 from James Harden.

“It’s part of life and part of learning and part of finding the next Nets,” said Jordi Fernández. “Because we know and believe that we have the right vision here of doing what we want to do and being successful as an organization with great ownership and management. And we’re obviously going to need the right pieces on the floor, the play-and-compete is a certain standard. And right now, out of three games, one out of three as far as being competitive is not good enough.”

Chris Carrino and Sarah Kustok did a much better job at filling space than I’m doing with the rest of this article, discussing the impending Super Bowl matchup and Kerry Kittles’ career. Carrino even closed with positivity, noting that Brooklyn shot 22-of-25 from the line in the formidable Intuit Dome, dropping a gem: “The Whammy beats The Wall.”

Fernández was not so cheerful in postgame: “I brought this up before: You can lose, and you can be a loser. For 18 minutes we lost, and we’re competitive. And for 30, we’re losers. So we have to decide what we want to be and who we want to be.”

The NBA has not yet announced the date of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery.

Final Score: Los Angeles Clippers126, Brooklyn Nets 89

Milestone Watch

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Next Up

The Nets continue their five-game road trip by paying a visit to old friend and Coach of the Year candidate Jordan Ott. Tip-off against the Phoenix Suns is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Los Angeles Clippers 126, Brooklyn Nets 89 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Los Angeles Clippers 126, Brooklyn Nets 89 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Kawhi Leonard, James Harden fuel fast start as Clippers rout Nets 126-89 – AP
• Nets take embarrassing beating from Clippers for fifth straight loss – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets’ losing ways carrying into road trip that could help tanking cause – Dan Martin – New York Post
• From Knicks disaster to Clippers blowout, Nets can’t stop the bleeding – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades: Danny Wolf drops 14 in 126-89 loss at the Clippers – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

It was a frustrating loss for Phoenix, beaten 111-102 by Miami in a game where the Suns never really found their rhythm. Jaime Jaquez (20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) punished a too-permissive defense, while Brooks (26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) was one of the few offensive engines for Phoenix on an otherwise rough night.

The Suns lost the rebounding battle (59-56), had their shooting touch stay in the locker room (37% from the field, 20% from three, 80% from the line), and killed their own chances by committing 24 fouls. A perfect cocktail for spending the night chasing the score without ever truly threatening Miami.

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Game Flow

First Half

A fairly tight start to the game that we could have largely avoided with a bit more focus and execution as the team had 4 turnovers in the first 3 minutes (7-7). Spoelstra calls the first timeout after nearly 6 minutes of play (13-15 in our favor). The tendencies of both teams are confirmed: the Suns shoot boldly from three, while the Heat attack aggressively in the short mid-range and in the paint.

After this timeout, Miami adjusts well: more defensive intensity and more presence on the offensive glass, snagging 5 offensive rebounds and 8 second-chance points. The Suns’ offense starts to stall, and the lack of rebounding forces Jordan Ott to call a timeout with 4 minutes left in the quarter. But the Heat keep pushing where it hurts and go on a 17-2 run since Spoelstra’s first timeout, with 2 minutes still left in the quarter.

Result: 32-21 for the Heat after 12 minutes. The Suns clearly were not in their game: 5 turnovers, 15 rebounds conceded, and already 10 fouls committed…way too much. They needed to shift gears and wake up, because the face they’ve displayed was far from pretty.

Phoenix was much better in the second quarter: more aggressive on the boards (5 to 1 in 3 minutes), which allowed them to cut the deficit to 4 points (38-34). The momentum gradually flips: Phoenix ramps up the intensity, goes on a 19-8 run and ties the game (40-40, 7 minutes before halftime).

The Suns even take the lead at the free-throw line (42-44), fueled by collective aggressiveness, much stronger defense — Miami goes 4 minutes without a field goal — and a very impactful stint from Livers (4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 stocks).

But at halftime, the Heat have almost regained a 10-point lead, and it makes sense. The Phoenix offensive flow was simply terrible as they were shooting from anywhere, at any time. Hard to expect better with a 2-of-19 from three, and nearly half of their shots taken more than a meter behind the arc. Where were they even trying to go with this?

Second Half

The start of the second half looked eerily similar to the beginning of the game: too many missed shots, too many poor offensive decisions. The Suns were a bit more present on the boards, but were still committing way too many fouls. Result: 67-56 after four minutes, and Jordan Ott is already forced to call a timeout.

It’s frustrating because the team is clearly capable of much better, but the upside of this team is that it never quits. A small 9-0 run forces Spoelstra to call a timeout in response: when the aggressiveness is there, and Phoenix attacked the easy spots, everything becomes much simpler.

The gap stabilizes around five points (78-73, 2 minutes left in the third quarter), and Livers’ energy is doing a lot of good. But if the Suns wanted to finally take the lead, they had to stop fouling: we’re already giving up 22 points at the line.

The quarter ends with the Heat up 82-77. We can thank Isaiah Livers’ prayer three-pointer for keeping Phoenix within striking distance heading into the final act of the night.

LIVERS AT THE BUZZER pic.twitter.com/8UxwSLmMgI

— Cage (@ridiculouscage) January 26, 2026

The fourth quarter starts poorly, and the punishment is immediate: down 12 (89-77). It’s almost logical in the end. The Suns’ offensive flow is simply horrible. It’s hard to say, but there’s no other word. With 10 minutes left, they were shooting 36% from the field, 21% from three, 79% from the line. Add to that an assist-to-turnover ratio close to even, and you get maybe one of their worst offensive performances of the season.

I’m not usually pessimistic, but down 15 with 7 minutes to go, given the flow of the game, it’s hard to see a scenario where Phoenix could actually take the lead. Coming back, sure. Taking the lead? I doubt it. They never managed to capitalize when we had the chance.

Jaime Jaquez has been hurting them since the end of the third quarter. He’s already at 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists: the Heat’s sixth man is finding easy shots, playing the right way, and getting rewarded. That’s exactly what Phoenix should be taking inspiration from if we don’t want to suffer through this closing stretch.

107-94 with 3 minutes left. The Suns try to make a push, but it feels too late. Classic basketball irony: it’s when there’s no pressure left that we start playing simply, attacking the right spots, sharing the ball. This loss is going to be frustrating.

Fleming and Maluach check into the game: time to prove something. Do what you have to do to earn credit. Hayes-Davis, Bouyea, and Dunn are also on the floor. They know, I know, you know: see you against Brooklyn in two days. Final score: 111-102.

Up Next

After this very frustrating loss, the Suns will try to bounce back against the Nets in two days, a home game where we should normally be favored. But in the NBA, you never really know what to expect (tonight’s game was proof of that).

The Lakers (27-17) look to build off their recent victory in Dallas where they will take on the Bulls (23-22), who are also coming off an impressive win. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls

When: 5 p.m. PT, Jan. 26

Where: United Center

Watch: Spectrum SportsNet

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For the first time in this current road trip, the Lakers didn’t allow themselves to go down by double figures before halftime against the Mavericks. Instead, they put on a terrific two-way performance to begin the game and while they may have lost the lead in the third quarter, they staged a comeback to come away victorious. It was a different script this time, but one that perfectly encapsulates this team.

It’s uncertain how much longer this Lakers team can keep relying on comeback victories to save them but hey, if it’s working and leading to wins right now, then maybe they’re never going to change. After all, the purple and gold are now 14-2 in clutch games, which still ranks first in the league. This should once again be tested against the Bulls, who are also one of the best clutch teams in the association.

In fact, the Bulls are coming off an impressive clutch victory against the Boston Celtics and have now won four straight games. They also recently beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and L.A. Clippers. They average 117.9 points per game, which ranks seventh in the league. Their offense is what propels them to victory because, similar to the Lakers, their defense is below average.

Chicago may not have All-Stars on its team, but it has players who can play like one on any given night. Coby White is someone that Los Angeles may have a tough time with, as well as Matas Buzelis and Kevin Huerter, given their lack of perimeter defense. Chicago also has the likes of Josh Giddey and Nikola Vučević, who can impact the game when they want to. The Lakers’ defense — which has shown promise in spurts over the last three games — needs to be present in this one.

Note that the Bulls are the seventh-best 3-point shooting team in the league and are a very good rebounding team, qualities that the Lakers don’t possess. However, the Bulls don’t score and defend well inside the paint, so that’s where the Lakers can take advantage.

Will L.A. go with their small-ball lineup that spearheaded the comeback against the Mavericks last Saturday? Or will they go big and give Deandre Ayton — who had one of his worst games as a Laker on Saturday — the opportunity to bounce back? Whatever the case may be, the Lakers will need another good game from Luka Dončić because the Bulls don’t have an answer for him or for LeBron James.

The Lakers have been extremely up-and-down as of late. They haven’t won three straight games since Jan.7 but at least they’re performing better recently. This roadtrip has so far been good for them and if they keep it up, they’ll be able to avoid falling into the play-in category of the competitive Western Conference standings.

Now that they head east, let’s see if Los Angeles can keep their winning ways going.

Notes and Updates

• The Lakers’ injury report has a new name on it in Jake LaRavia (left quad contusion) who is questionable.
• As expected, Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) are listed as out.
• For the Bulls, Tre Jones (left hamstring strain) is doubtful while Zach Collins (right toe sprain) and Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery) are out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

The Spurs suffered one of their worst losses of the season. Their thrilling comeback attempt shouldn’t eclipse the fact that they once again seemed to underestimate a less talented team that was a lot hungrier than they were. The Pelicans played with physicality, and their reward was a 104-95 gutsy road win that should have been impossible to pull off without San Antonio’s complicity.

It was an encouraging start for the Silver and Black. They seemed to have a sound defensive gameplan to defend Derik Queen by putting Stephon Castle on the playmaking big man, and they were executing well on offense on two-man actions with Victor Wembanyama and Castle, mostly because De’Aaron Fox was hitting his corner threes. The Spurs pushed the ball whenever they could and got Devin Vassell back off the bench to bolster their offense. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t get separation when they were at their best, and the second unit struggled mightily on defense. The Pelicans felt much more comfortable attacking Luke Kornet, who played a deep drop and didn’t have much help from the main defenders in pick-and-rolls. Through mostly hustle on defense and the offensive boards, New Orleans managed to only trail by three after one.

San Antonio’s offense looked stagnant at times in the opening frame, but things fell completely apart in the second. They didn’t score a single fastbreak point and had to go up against a surprisingly disciplined Pelicans half-court defense that didn’t give up many good looks. Had the Spurs managed to make it a defensive battle, they could have stayed in front or within a couple of possessions, but they had no answers for Zion Williamson, who scored 10 points and dished out three assists in the quarter, taking defenders off the dribble and challenging Wembanyama inside as a roll man. The offensive boards kept going New Orleans’ way and the Silver and Black couldn’t match the energy of their opponent. There was a sense of frustration that resulted in Fox getting a technical at the end of the half, which finished with the visitors up nine.

The Pelicans missed the technical free throw after the break, but it didn’t take long for them to reach a double-digit lead in spite of it. It was a completely disastrous start to the half for the Spurs, which played with little physicality and urgency and made inexplicable mistakes on both ends. Mitch Johnson sat his entire starting lineup arguably a timeout too late, and San Antonio found some life, especially through the play of their two rookies. With Williamson resting and the momentum on their side, the Silver and Black chipped away at a lead that had reached 20 at one point and seemed insurmountable given the way the team was playing. Several names stepped up to get the team back in it by using their opponent’s recipe: just play harder. Heading into the final frame, New Orleans was still up 14, but there was hope of a comeback.

The problem with digging yourself a hole and trying to climb out of it is that it drains the energy needed to fight once you get back up. The Spurs played with inspiring physicality and intensity for long enough to not only catch the Pelicans but take the lead. Then they just ran out of juice. Some questionable coaching decisions didn’t help, but it’s likely San Antonio reverted to relying on threes instead of pushing the pace and attacking the rim at every opportunity because the ones that made the comeback attempt possible were exhausted, and the ones who sat during it were out of rhythm. New Orleans deserves all the credit for always continuing to play, relying on hustle and aggressiveness when the execution wasn’t there, and for pulling off a completely deserved win against an opponent that likely didn’t take them seriously, but hopefully learned its lesson.

Game notes

• Is this loss the end of the world for the Spurs? A reason to panic? It depends on how you see them. If they are a young team overachieving during a developmental year, it’s not a big deal. If you think they are a dark-horse contender, the trend of being outhustled by physical teams and the questionable coaching decisions are definitely concerning. Choose your own adventure.
• Victor Wembanyama had 16 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. The three wasn’t there, plus he missed several free throws, so the offense is nothing to worry about. While he had amazing plays on defense, he was late on rotations, especially in the fourth, and looked a step too slow. It’s probably a lack of familiarity with the scheme, combined with having to cover too much ground, but Wemby has looked mortal on defense at times lately.
• Devin Vassell’s return was a bright spot. He looked understandably rusty at times, but he hit some shots and was up to the challenge to play against a physical team. He also learned the lesson. “You don’t want to be a team that’s looked at as being soft,” he said postgame.
• It’s incredibly tempting to put the loss on Stephon Castle. The team went on a run with him on the bench and crumbled with him on the floor, especially on offense, in the second half. But why was he out there to close when Harper and Fox had both been better on that end? It likely wouldn’t have made a difference, but Mitch Johnson should probably gone with the guys that got the game close in the first place to try to get the win.
• We recently discussed whether Carter Bryant should continue to get playing time with Vassell back. He earned his eight minutes on Sunday by knocking down shots and playing fearlessly. He should be someone the coaching staff always looks to throw on the floor when the team lacks energy.
• The Spurs missed 32 of their 44 three-point attempts and 13 of their 32 free throws. Had they hit shots, especially the timely ones, they might have stolen the win despite being outscored by 24 in the paint and allowing 26 second-chance points off 19 Pelicans offensive rebounds.

Play of the game

A fan won $10,000 by making a half-court three off the shot clock, so it wasn’t all bad on Sunday.

This Spurs fan just won $10k off a half court shot bouncing off the shot clock😭 pic.twitter.com/YVuO6Hhqb8

— SpursNationSA (@SpursNation_SA) January 26, 2026

Next game: at Houston Rockets on Wednesday

The Spurs will have time to marinate in this loss before heading to Houston to face a direct rival for seeding.

With the Golden State Warriors maintaining a nine-point over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors were sauntering into their after-timeout (ATO) play with Stephen Curry bringing the ball up the floor and Quinten Post trailing close behind him. De’Anthony Melton lifts toward the wing in order to receive the pass from Curry; Melton then immediately dishes the ball to Post at the top of the arc. Meanwhile, Curry relocates to the opposite wing via a “shallow” cut.

While the top action is developing, there is another layer of action happening underneath the rim, in the form of Gui Santos receiving a cross-screen from Will Richard:

The purpose of this auxiliary action soon comes to light. With Richard setting the screen, Santos lifts up to set a ball screen for Curry. The screen has the distinct purpose of creating confusion below in order to create confusion up top. Naz Reid insists on fighting over the screen to stay on Santos. Reid also expects the cross-screen to be a maneuver intended to get Santos the ball on the right block; therefore, he stops just short of the right block. However, Santos does no such thing:

With Reid instead forced to guard the ball-screen action for Curry up top, the Wolves default into sending two on the ball against Curry, with the right corner unoccupied and whole side for Curry and Santos to work with. As expected, Curry dishes the ball to the rolling Santos, who sees only Anthony Edwards — the low man — in his path. Edwards steps up to help on the roll, but falls victim to a nifty up-fake by Santos, who gets an open layup for his effort:

By his standards, Curry had a subpar shooting game: 26 points on 7-of-18 shooting (3-of-10 on threes). He managed to add seven assists, tallied four steals, and still managed to put up a decent true shooting mark of 59.2 percent. The Warriors outscored the Wolves by 16 points in Curry’s 27 minutes and 38 seconds of time on the floor.

Curry did his job despite the less-than-gaudy shooting splits. But he was greatly helped by the supporting cast surrounding him. Santos made an impression on his roll during the possession above, but he had his greatest impact with Curry off the floor, along with a second-unit squad that rotated between the likes of De’Anthony Melton, Al Horford, Quinten Post, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Will Richard.

Amazingly, the different configurations of the non-Steph crew managed to generate sufficient offense to get them by without their sole remaining offensive fulcrum (and without their other offensive fulcrum, out for the season due to an unfortunate ACL tear).

Podziemski’s downhill momentum and paint touch, preceded by a Melton slot cut and a dribble handoff by Post, collapses the Wolves’ defense toward the drive. Reid helps off of the corner, with Bones Hyland being the remaining defender guarding the “two-side” (i.e., the side of the floor with two offensive players occupying the corner and the wing). Hield’s lift draws Hyland toward him, with Santos left open. Podziemski promptly kicks out to create the open corner look.

The flow that the non-Curry contingent was able to muster was a sight for sore eyes, even while the Warriors managed to blend complexity with simplicity. The Melton-Horford duo, in particular, stood out with regard to their tandem and chemistry in pick-and-roll action.

The initial Melton-Horford screening action doesn’t generate an overt advantage — but it does help in what happens down the line. Julius Randle is forced to switch onto Melton, who stays put in the right corner after giving up possession (and making Randle the “tag” man in a pick-and-roll situation). A Hield-Horford pick-and-roll lures Randle away from Melton in an attempt to tag the rolling Horford, who promptly kicks the ball out toward the open Melton for the three.

Other instances of the Melton-Horford pick-and-roll were more simpler outcomes born out of simple process:

Horford coaxes Donte DiVincenzo to switch onto him after the screen and promptly slips toward the rim to take advantage of DiVincenzo’s top-side position. Edwards attempts to bump DiVincenzo off of Horford via a “scram” switch, but Edwards is still considerably smaller than Horford. In the end, the switch does little to alleviate the predicament, with Melton finding Horford on the entry pass and Horford immediately going up for the layup without much trouble.

With a defense that was humming in almost every regard — they forced the Wolves into 25 turnovers (a turnover percentage of) with 25 points scored off of those turnovers — the Warriors headed into the game visibly prepared to execute the defensive gameplan, with the effort and tenacity to boot. Despite a Wolves squad that may have been affected by the tragic events that occurred the previous day, the Warriors were purely business-minded in their approach.

With Moses Moody unable to get through DiVincenzo’s screen, Draymond Green steps up to meet Edwards around the handoff. His sudden switch and jump toward Edwards forces the Wolves superstar to pass the ball immediately toward Rudy Gobert. But with Podziemski having switched onto Gobert, the pass is deflected and ultimately intercepted, with Gobert committing a foul to add insult to injury.

This, along with other crisp defensive possessions, contributed to a night in which the Warriors kept the Wolves to 83.3 points per 100 possessions — their worst offensive game of the season — while simultaneously notching their second-best defensive game of the season in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions. With Melton and Horford reportedly (and expectedly) being held out for the rematch tomorrow night — and Curry’s status also up in the air — it was paramount that the Warriors would at least come out of this unexpected back-to-back slate with at least one win. Mission accomplished, although a win tomorrow night would be a nifty bonus.