SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Prophet Johnson scored 21 of his 30 points after halftime, Mark Lavrenov had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Sacramento State beat Northern Colorado 93-89 in overtime Saturday night.
Jahni Summers also scored 17 points for Sacramento State (6-11, 2-3 Big Sky Conference) and Shaqir O'Neal added 11.
Quinn Denker made 11 of 18 from the field, hit 7 of 8 from the free-throw line, and finished with 29 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals for Northern Colorado (11-8, 1-5). Vincent Delano scored 13 points and Ring Nyeri 11.
The Bears have lost three in a row and seven of their last nine.
Johnson made a 3-pointer to open the scoring in OT and the Hornets led the rest of the way.
Nyeri's dunk with 15 seconds left in regulation made it 82-all and eventually forced overtime. Johnson missed a potential winning layup before the buzzer.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Tristan Jarry made 31 saves for his first shutout for Edmonton, Jack Roslovic and Kasperi Kapanen each scored twice and the Oilers routed the Vancouver Canucks 6-0 on Saturday night.
Vancouver has lost 10 in a row (0-8-2) to fall to 16-27-5. The Canucks last lost 10 straight in the 1997-98 season.
The Oilers scored all six goals in the second period, four goals on four shots in a 4:52 span. Zach Hyman and Vasily Podkolzin also scored and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists in his 999th regular-season game.
Jarry had his 23rd career shutout and his first since Edmonton acquired him Pittsburgh on Dec. 12 for fellow goalie Stuart Skinner.
Vancouver has lost 10 in a row (0-8-2) to fall to 16-27-5. The Canucks last lost 10 straight in the 1997-98 season.
Nikita Tolopilo made 29 saves.
Edmonton played without star forward Leon Draisaitl, with the Oilers saying he returned to Germany to attend to a family illness and is expected to rejoin the team next week.
Up next
Oilers: Host St. Louis on Sunday night to open an eight-game homestand.
Canucks: Host the New York Islanders on Monday night.
A third-period onslaught by the Vegas Golden Knights proved to be too much for the Nashville Predators, snapping their three-game win streak in a 7-2 loss on Sunday in Las Vegas.
It was the Golden Knights' seventh straight win.
Vegas scored five goals in the third period and seven unanswered after the Predators took a 1-0 lead in the first period.
Luke Evangelista tipped in a Roman Josi shot 14 minutes into the period to put Nashville up early. It was the third straight game that the Predators have scored the first goal of the game and Josi's ninth point in four games.
Nashville held the lead throughout the majority of the second period until Alexander Holtz and Shea Theodore scored 1:05 apart to swing the lead in favor of Vegas.
In the third, five different Golden Knights players scored, eventually turning a 2-1 lead into 7-1. Five different players had at least two points.
In the final minute of the game, Filip Forsberg scored on the power play to cut Vegas' lead down to five. It was Forsberg's fourth point in two games and Josi's, who had the secondary assist, 10th point in four games.
Ryan O'Reilly had the primary assist, which was his seventh point in four games.
Justus Annuen played the entire game, allowing seven goals on 36 shots and making 29 saves. The loss snaps a three-game win streak for the Predators' netminder.
Nashville was outshot 36-29. Despite the wide loss, the Predators logged just 4 minutes in penalties and killed both penalties.
The Predators fall to 23-21-4 on the season and are still a point outside of a Wild Card spot. Their next game is against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena at 7 p.m. CST.
Lakers star LeBron James, right, drives past Portland center Donovan Clingan during the first half of the Lakers' 132-116 loss Saturday. James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. (Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
Before the Lakers took the court Saturday night, they added two more starters and a key reserve to the injured list. But the Lakers still had LeBron James and they hoped he could carry them past Portland.
Starters Luka Doncic (left groin soreness) and Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) did not play. In the fourth quarter, Marcus Smart went down amid a pile of players in the lane and eventually limped to the locker room never to return.
As for James and the rest of the Lakers, all of the injuries were too much to overcome in a 132-116 loss to the Trail Blazers at the Moda Center.
Smart had 25 points before he went to the locker room. James had 20 points but was just six for 16 from the field. He had nine rebounds and eight assists for a Lakers team that has lost five of its last six games.
Drew Timme was a positive for the Lakers, scoring a career-high 21 points. Rui Hachimura and Maxi Kleber each had 11 points.
“At the end of the day, nobody is feeling sorry for us, nor are we looking for it,” James said. “The guys that are available, we got to go out there and play our game, play the way we want to play offensively and defensively and just try to right the ship until we get whole.”
Shaedon Sharpe led Portland (21-22) with 25 points. Jerami Grant and Caleb Love each scored 22 points and Donovan Clingan finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart shoots over Portland center Donovan Clingan in the first half Saturday. (Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
Doncic, who underwent an MRI and is listed as day-to-day, was dealing with the injury all of last week despite playing against the Kings, Hawks and Hornets.
“I think it was an accumulation of a longer week, more lingering, if anything,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game.
The Lakers (24-16) aren't sure if Ayton will play against Toronto on Sunday. The center is day-to-day with left knee soreness.
“He took a hit in his knee and there was no swelling, just some soreness,” Redick said.
The Lakers were also without backup center Jaxson Hayes, who didn’t play against the Trail Blazers because of left hamstring tendinopathy. Redick said there's a chance Hayes could play Sunday.
With so many starters out, Redick said he liked his team’s competitive “spirit” against the Trail Blazers.
Still, it's been hard to win consistently with so many key players out.
“This has been our season,” Redick said. “You get one guy healthy, another guy gets injured. You get one guy back and another guy gets injured. Two guys go out tonight and you play without your two centers. So, it’s been our season.”
James missed his first five shots in the first quarter, finishing the frame going one for seven from the field for just two points.
The Lakers were called for 13 fouls in the first quarter alone, leading to 22 free-throw attempts for the Trail Blazers — a big reason why they opened a 40-27 lead after the first 12 minutes.
“I thought the whistle was very shot in the first quarter,” James said. “I think there were like maybe 17, 18, 20 free throws in the first quarter. It’s hard to set your defense with that type of situation. But we gave ourselves a chance a couple of times, but it was an uphill battle.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Alexander Holtz and Shea Theodore scored in a 1:05 span late in the second period and the Vegas Golden Knights had two more two-goal sprees to rout the Nashville Predators 7-1 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory.
Pavel Dorofeyev and captain Mark Stone added goals in a three-minute span in the third, with Dorofeyev scoring his 20th of the season and Stone getting his 10th goal in 11 games and 18th of the season. Stone has a career-best 11-game points streak.
Cole Reinhardt and Mitch Marner scored two more goals in quick succession, striking in a 50-second span, and Keegan Kolesar capped the five-goal third. Akira Schmid made 26 saves.
Luke Evangelista and Filip Forsberg scored for Nashville, and Justus Annunen stopped 29 shots. The Predators had won three straight, the last a 7-3 victory at Colorado on Friday night
Forsberg scored on a power play for Nashville in the final minute. Evangelista opened the scoring with 5:50 left in the first period.
Jonathan Marchessault, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the playoff MVP in Vegas’ 2023 championship, was activated by Nashville on Saturday after missing 14 games because of a lower-body injury. He’s in his second season with the Predators after seven with Vegas.
Up next
Predators: Host Buffalo on Tuesday night.
Golden Knights: Host Philadelphia on Monday night.
And, unfortunately, the Penguins’ shootout demons got the best of them once again.
Columbus defeated Pittsburgh in a four-round shootout, 4-3, after the Penguins tied the game late in regulation to force overtime. Penguins’ goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 22 of 25 shots by the Jackets - and stopped two of four in the shootout - while Jackets’ goaltender Elvis Merzlikens was outstanding, stopping 29 of 32 and making some huge saves in overtime to force the shootout for Columbus.
The Blue Jackets did get on the board first, as ex-Penguin Zach Aston-Reese scored his first goal of the season by beating Penguins’ defenseman Kris Letang to the puck with his stick and firing it in at the net-front to make it 1-0.
But, after that goal, the Penguins took over the rest of the period, outshooting Columbus, 11-4, and outscoring them, too. It started when Connor Clifton got the puck in the right circle and snapped one toward the net, which beat Jackets’ goaltender Elvis Merzlikens glove-side to give the blueliner his first goal and point of the season - both firsts as a Penguin.
Then, nearing the end of the period, there was a fast-developing play down low where the puck was roped around the boards, and Sidney Crosby was waiting for it in the left corner. He immediately slapped a pass to the low-slot area, where Rickard Rakell put it home to give the Penguins the 2-1 lead.
But the Blue Jackets made a push in the second period. Kirill Marchenko registered his 18th of the season on a shot from the right circle to tie the game at 2-2, and then, the Penguins began to get into some penalty trouble, which seemed to disrupt their flow. Within the last two and half minutes of the middle frame, another former Penguin, Danton Heinen, tipped an Erik Gudbranson shot from the right point and past Silovs to make it 3-2 in favor of the Jackets.
And the score remained that way until late in regulation. With the goaltender pulled and exactly one minute remaining in regulation, Kris Letang directed a shot-pass right to the tape of Crosby, who was perched to the right of Merzlikens. As he's done a thousand times, Crosby redirected it into the net, and the Penguins tied things at 3-3 to force overtime.
As has been the case in most overtime periods this season, the Penguins controlled play, dominating possession and getting several high-danger scoring chances. However, they could not finish, and the shootout was forced - which has been a large area of weakness for Pittsburgh this season.
The shootout went four rounds, as ex-Jacket Egor Chinakhov rifled his second shootout goal for the Penguins to force another shot after Kent Johnson had already beaten Silovs earlier. Silovs stopped Marchenko, but then Bryan Rust failed to score, and Charlie Coyle came through for the Jackets after that to give Columbus the 4-3 win.
"We're just going to keep working on it," Silovs said. "I think we're getting better, but I think, still, there's another level."
And as for shootouts being more of a mental thing for the team, given the Penguins' 1-7 record in them??
"For sure," Silovs said. "You want to win in the shootout. I think we played a really good overtime. And whether that means scoring a late goal in the third to tie the game, get a big point... I mean, yeah, for sure, after that, you want to win the game. But things happen the way they happen, and [you] just get ready for the next one."
- It feels like there is just one thing off in this lineup right now, despite everything largely going right for the Penguins. And I think it's the configuration of their second and third lines.
I do think Evgeni Malkin and Chinakhov should continue to be iced together. They have developed chemistry, and Chinakhov is the type of player you want paired with an elite playmaker because of his world-class shot.
But I think Ben Kindel should get another shot centering that line. I liked the dynamic of Tommy Novak better with Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau, and - for whatever reason, injury-related or not - the Penguins seem reluctant to put Malkin back at center, even between the big boys.
It's just a small tweak. But I think both players would benefit from that switch.
- This was a huge, huge point for the Penguins, regardless of whether or not they got the two.
They are about to embark on a four-game Western road swing, which is always kind of a toss-up for them. With losses by the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals Saturday, they are also only two points out of second place in the Metropolitan Division with a game in hand on the Isles.
They need to keep banking points however they can, even if I'm going to circle back to this point in a minute.
- The Penguins might not have been able to pull this one out, but good for Chinakhov getting that goal in the shootout against his old team. And, to cap it off, he plowed into Merzlikens - one of his good friends - after ripping it past him.
I keep saying it, but his shot is so impressive.
Didn't win, but this move by Chinny in the shootout with the game on the line...
- Kindel and Malkin came so, so close to closing out the game in overtime. Kindel made a strong puck play behind the net, and - from his stomach - shoveled the puck to a wide-open Malkin at the net-front. Malkin didn't bury it. Then, he and Kindel each got two more opportunities to put it in, and they didn't.
Credit to Merzlikens. He was very good late in this game, and he was good again in the overtime. It's just unfortunate for Kindel, who is generating offense regularly but has gone 16 games without a goal.
- Malkin was on another planet Saturday. He had his gallop, and he looked to be in vintage form. The first line was dangerous on every shift, too.
If the big guys can drive play and continue to keep it going on offense, I think this team will be fine.
- Despite strong defensive efforts in most games since the holiday break, I did not think the Penguins were quite as sharp Saturday.
They were credited with 14 giveaways - I counted more - and they gave up far more odd-man breaks than we've grown used to seeing lately, especially in the second period. Even if they didn't have their best throughout the 60 minutes, however, they still did enough in the goaltending department and when it counted to earn a point.
"I thought in the second, they got some momentum," Crosby said. "Arty made some big saves. There were some chances on both sides, but I thought, for the most part, we've been defending pretty hard. There's always things that we can clean up, but I think our mindset's in the right place."
- Alright. Yes, they got a huge point. This isn’t news, but overtime and shootouts are a legitimate problem for the Penguins, and - at the end of the day - it is costing them points in the standings.
The Penguins are 4-11 in overtime and shootouts, including a 1-7 record in the shootout, While shootouts are a very obvious problem, so is the Penguins’ inability to close out games in overtime.
For the vast majority of overtime this season, the Penguins have dominated possession and generated a lot of scoring chances. They simply haven't finished enough.
Far too many games are being decided by the shootout to begin with, especially given the way the Penguins play in overtime. There was only one NHL team that had more than seven shootouts for the entire 2024-25 season, and that was the Philadelphia Flyers with nine.
The Penguins have already played in eight, and it's January.
Jan 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Charlie Coyle (3) scores on Pittsburgh Penguins center goalie Arturs Silovs (37) in a shoot out at PPG Paints Arena. Columbus won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
As for the overtime period, the Penguins need to be using Chinakhov. He has speed, puck skills, and that shot, which check some boxes for a player who should be out during that time. They need to finish more, and he should, theoretically, help them do that. The Penguins have also missed Erik Karlsson in overtime in two of the last three games, and there is no replacement for him.
As for the shootouts, Rakell and Chinakhov should, in fact, be regulars. But Crosby has just one shootout goal in eight attempts this season, and I'm not so sure the Penguins shouldn't give someone else a go right now.
And, sorry folks: You cannot bring a cold goaltender into a shootout. So, unfortunately, they're at the mercy of whoever happens to be in net. And, well, it's mostly been Silovs. It goes both ways for the Penguins in terms of goaltending and lack of finishing ability, and the Penguins do practice shootouts.
So, they simply need to find a way to close out games before the shootout because these losses cannot continue to happen.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Anthony Roy scored 23 points, Vyctorius Miller was fouled on a corner 3-point shot with 2.8 seconds left and hit all three free throws and Oklahoma State beat Kansas State 84-83 on Saturday night.
Parsa Fallah had 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals for Oklahoma State and Kanye Clary had 12 points and six assists. Andrija Vukovic added 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting and Miller finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Cowboys (14-4, 2-3 Big 12) are 24-0 under coach second-year coach Steve Lutz when they score at least 81 points. The 53-year-old Lutz earned his 100th career win in four-plus seasons.
Kansas State (9-9) is 0-5 in conference play for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
PJ Haggerty scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half for the Wildcats and Abdi Bashir Jr. added 15, which included 5 3s. Khamari McGriff scored 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting before he fouled out with 6:02 remaining. Nate Johnson also scored 14.
Haggerty made a running floater that gave Kansas State a two-point lead with 49 seconds to play. Kanye Clary missed back-to-back 3-point shots but Miller secured OSU's second consecutive offensive rebound on a tie-up with 4.0 seconds remaining. Miller then caught the inbounds pass in the corner and was fouled.
Clary and Miller each hit a 3 as Oklahoma State scored eight of the first 11 second-half points to push its lead into double figures with 17:22 left in the game.
The Lakers were routed by the Portland Trail Blazers, 132-116, on Saturday night.
Without Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers were forced to go deep into their bench. While there were some standout offensive performances, the Lakers ultimately could muster little resistance defensively.
It was a Maxi Kleber takeover from the start as he scored nine of the first 14 points. With Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes out, Kleber was the lone center available, and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Marcus Smart was the other Laker scoring well with five points. LeBron James and Jake LaRavia combined for four assists. Portland had taken a lead by four, but Drew Timme subbed in and scored five quick points to put LA up by one.
The Blazers then took control of the game. Los Angeles sent Portland to the line 22 times in the period. LA’s offense became stagnant, unable to put together any consistent scoring.
Lakers were whistled for 13 1st Q fouls. Five players had 2 apiece.
LeBron’s first bucket of the game came at the 28-second mark. It was the only Lakers basket in a 12-2 Blazers run to end the first and take a 13-point lead into the second.
Gabe Vincent opened the second period with a much-needed 3-pointer. Donovan Clingan answered with a triple of his own. Timme continued his impressive offensive showing with five more points, making him the first Laker in double figures with 12.
Los Angeles had made it a six-point game after a surge in scoring thanks to LeBron and Smart, but Portland immediately responded with Jerami Grant scoring five straight. LA had no answer for Caleb Love, who had 11 points and was three for four from behind the arc.
Grant and Love combined for 26 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers. At halftime, the Lakers were down by 10.
Smart opened the second half with two 3-pointers. Despite those shots, Los Angeles was still down by double digits as the Blazers continued to score at ease, shooting 55% from the field. Smart was the only Laker who looked good in the quarter, pushing his total to 23 points.
The defensive breakdowns were hurting Los Angeles as they continued to have no answers for Portland’s sharpshooters. The Lakers were down by 19 with 5:33 left in the third period.
Rui Hachimura knocked down a badly needed 3-pointer. He also knocked down a pair of midrange jumpers. LA put together a small 8-2 scoring run as the quarter was winding down to help trim the deficit down to 12 before everything went bad all over again and Portland opened up a 17-point lead going into the fourth period.
Third quarter: Blazers 107, Lakers 90
Marcus Smart has 25 points — he scored 14 in the 3rd and has been great off the dribble. Rui Hachimura got going with a few jumpers. Difference tonight has been the gap in 3s and FTs. The Lakers’ lack of rim protection has been glaring.
Despite starting the final frame with some spirited attempts at a comeback, LA did not have enough juice in the tank to stop the blazing hot Trail Blazers.
Key Player Stats
LeBron ended with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Smart ended with 25 points and two rebounds. Timme had a strong showing with 21 points, two rebounds and three assists. Kleber had his best game as a Laker with 11 points and five rebounds. Hachimura notched 11 points with two steals.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at 6:30 PM PT.
The New York Knicks came up short again Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, falling 106-99 to the Phoenix Suns. Missed opportunities? Check. Turnovers? Double check. No late-game execution? Triple check.
Devin Booker returned after missing one game for the Suns, but Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart couldn’t say the same. Book dropped 27 points, Brunson and Hart combined for an egg, sitting out the game.
Grayson Allen added 16 points for Phoenix, Mark Williams finished with 14, and the Suns found the best possible dance partner to snap a two-game skid in the New York Knicks. Damn, son.
"He was a little sore, we held him out. We'll hear what Medical staff has to say tomorrow, make a decision…"
– Mike Brown to @IanBegley on Josh Hart status Monday v Mavs
Hart a gameday scratch with sore right ankle––same ankle he just missed 8 games due to Christmas sprain pic.twitter.com/Pp2WIEQ2XK
Brunson and Hart, both sidelined with ankle injuries, were all the Knicks needed to generate at least a tiny bit of offense. Wouldn’t be the case, as Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride each scored 23 points, while OG Anunoby added 21, but you know, good-not-great they say.
The Knickerbockers shot 40 percent from the field, turned the rock over 17 freaking times, and fell to 16-5 at MSG.
NYK started well, hitting three of their first four attempts from beyond the arc and taking a 27-19 lead after one quarter. Phoenix responded in the second with a 12-0 run, because why not, but New York answered behind McBride’s strong outing on both ends of the floor, going into halftime up 56-55.
Momentum went back and forth in the third quarter. The Suns opened the half on a 10-3 run, only for the Knicks to respond with a 16-0 burst that gave them a sweet double-digit cushion. Phoenix closed the quarter strong, however, tying the game at 77 before Booker converted an and-one at the buzzer to give the Suns a three-point edge entering the fourth. Tension.
The final period was sloppy and ultimately, a bummer. Both teams tried hard, Allen appeared to injure his nose in one collision (me enjoys). Phoenix separated itself with an 8-0 run. New York seemed to only know how to miss buckets and second-chance opportunities.
Alas, an 87-87 tie turned into a 95-87 lead for the visiting Hot Spheres and that was that.
The loss dropped the Knicks to three straight defeats and eight losses in their last 10 games. They next host the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. It’s a 5 p.m. tipoff, so let’s flip this thing and say it’s never too soon for a change.
DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 42 points on 15-for-24 shooting and the Denver Nuggets pulled away in the final minutes for a 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
With the game tied at 110, Murray hit a 3-pointer with 2:12 to play to put the Nuggets ahead to stay. He then added another jumper and a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 117-110.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a season-high 30 points and Peyton Watson scored 21 as Denver, still playing without the injured Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise), won its fourth in a row and for the sixth time in its last seven games.
Kyshawn George had 29 points to lead the Wizards, who lost their sixth in a row including all four on this road trip. Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr scored 16 each.
The Nuggets shot 53% from the floor in the game including 40% from 3-point range.
The Nuggets made 14 3-pointers compared to the Wizards 11.
Murray scored 23 points in the first half and the Nuggets went into the break trailing 63-62. The Wizards held onto the lead through the third and entered the fourth up 86-83. Murray’s 16-point fourth quarter helped the Nuggets finish off the victory.
Up next
Wizards: Return home to face the Clippers on Monday.
The Golden State Warriors Saturday night game against the Charlotte Hornets got off to an odd start. Or rather, it became odd before it even started.
Shortly before the game tipped off, the Hornets announced their starting five … and All-Star LaMelo Ball was not in it. And then, despite normal introductions for the Warriors in the minutes before the game began, the starting five that took the floor was not the starting five that had been announced … instead, Will Richard was on the court, and Jimmy Butler III was nowhere to be found.
It was an odd beginning that was later explained. Ball was, indeed, active, and is just having his minutes monitored, so he came off the bench for the second time this year, due to Charlotte having another game on Sunday. As for Butler, who wasn’t on the bench, it was announced that he would not be playing due to personal reasons. According to coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors didn’t find that out until after the opening introductions; more importantly, Kerr revealed that everything is fine with Butler, and the All-Star is expected to play on Monday.
With those oddities behind us all, the game began, and from there it was surprisingly normal. While fans surely kept one eye on the 49ers score (no spoilers here, don’t worry), and with new Giants coach Tony Vitello in attendance, the Warriors took an early lead and never relinquished it, coasting to a 136-116 win, and never once trailing.
The absences may have been ominous, but the actual start was encouraging: Moses Moody picked up where he left off on Thursday by draining a three on the very first possession of the game. After just two minutes, the Dubs led 8-2, and then pushed the lead to 14-5, with an unlikely source starring on offense: Draymond Green.
Simply put, the offense looked absolutely gorgeous. The ball was flying around, players were cutting and screening, and the team was springing free for open jumpers. It was beautiful, and an absolute joy to watch. They couldn’t really pull away though, because the Hornets started to find some offensive rhythm as well, following their cold start. With Butler absent, the Warriors struggled late in the quarter after Steph Curry went to the bench. But, thanks to some big minutes from Buddy Hield — who returned to the rotation with Butler and Gui Santos out — the Warriors figured things out late, and held a comfy 39-28 lead after the first quarter.
They were rolling to start the second, but Kon Knueppel — who is have an utterly superb rookie campaign — kept Charlotte in the game. Golden State would build the lead up, but the Hornets would reliably attack it, though they could never fully erase it. The non-Steph minutes were a bit smoother in the second quarter in the first, and the Dubs kept the energy and effort level very high, even when things weren’t working well.
Above all else, the depth — which Kerr praised effusively after the game — kept the Warriors ahead, as there were contributions from up and down the roster (per Danny Emerman, the Warriors became the first team in NBA history to have 10 different players make a three pointer in three consecutive games).
Both teams ended the half with highlights. With just 1.6 seconds remaining, Green made a brilliant pass to Brandin Podziemski, who sank a three from straightaway, giving the Warriors their largest lead of the night at 15. But the Hornets would respond, with Miles Bridges sinking a three-quarter court shot at the buzzer. Golden State led 69-57 at the break, and things were looking good.
There would be a brief scare to start the second half, though. Behind Brandon Miller, the Hornets started to close the gap in the third quarter. The Warriors responded, but Charlotte again started to close the gap. And then, finally, Golden State was able to turn a lead into total control, as they exploded for a high-energy 17-3 run, which gave them their largest lead of the night. They were surging on both ends of the court, and red-hot from deep.
Another superb performance from De’Anthony Melton was punctuated at the end of the third quarter, when he scored, then picked Ball’s pocket with just a few seconds remaining, dribbled the length of the court to try to beat the buzzer, and drew a foul with 0.2 seconds remaining. He would make both free throws, allowing the Warriors to carry a 112-94 lead into the fourth quarter.
It was a drama free final frame. Curry only played a handful of minutes, and both teams emptied their benches about halfway through. And the Warriors waltzed their way to a 136-116 victory.
It was one of the most balanced games of the year for the Warriors. Melton came off the bench to lead the team with 24 points on 8-for-16 shooting, while adding six rebounds and three assists. He’s fully finding his groove, as this was the fourth time in the last six games that he’s netted at least 19 points. The Hornets dared Green to score on them all night, and he responded — almost always to stop a Charlotte run — finishing with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting, with three rebounds and six assists. In total, eight different Warriors scored in double figures: Melton and Green, plus Podziemski (16), Curry (14), Hield (14), Moody (12), Richard (11), and Al Horford (11).
As a team, the Warriors shot 44.2% from deep (23-for-52), as they got clean look after clean look. Remarkably, despite Curry shooting just 2-for-8 and Klay Thompson playing for Dallas, the Dubs set a franchise record by making 20 or more threes for the third straight game. Go figure!
Golden State made Charlotte look disjointed, but the Hornets young talent certainly reminded viewers that the future can still be bright. Miller finished with 28 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Knueppel had 24 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 4-for-5 from three-point range. There’s a lot of exciting young talent on that team.
The surging Warriors are now 25-19, and are 5-1 on their eight-game homestand. They’ve won 11 times in their last 15 games, and firmly have their eyes on escaping the Play-In Tournament now that their schedule has eased up. They’ll be back in action on Monday night, when they host the Miami Heat at 7:00 p.m. PT.
New York Post | Greg Joyce: Considering the Yankees never really got past even the “checked in on” stage with Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, as far as free agents, it seems their priority has always been Cody Bellinger. However with the first two now off the board, the Yankees’ margin for error in regards to his pursuit is now small, with other teams, the Blue Jays and Mets possibly among them, now potentially more likely to focus on him as well. The Yankees have held firm on their five-year offer to Bellinger throughout the negotiation process, and it’ll be interesting to see if they stick to their guns should one of the other suitors cross that line.
USA Today | Gabe Lacques: Besides Bellinger, there still is a number of notable name free agents still out there on the market. Those range from the theoretical “aces” in the likes of Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen, some older guys looking to squeeze out one more season like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, and some relievers and role players. Here’s a look at what the market currently looks like.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: Ever since being the Yankees’ first round draft selection in 2024, George Lombard Jr. has been among the team’s highest ranked prospects. While he still has plenty of improving to do in order to get on the major league radar, he has all the raw tools, as he talked about in this interview. Lombard ended his season on a hot streak after struggling with the jump to Double-A last year, putting up promising numbers for a player just getting into his age-20 season, and now he’ll have the opportunity to show how well his adjustments have stuck in the upper half of the minors.
MIAMI (AP) — Andrew Wiggins’ 3-pointer with 31 seconds left put Miami up for good, Bam Adebayo scored 30 points with a career-best six 3s and the Heat defeated the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder 122-120 on Saturday night.
Norman Powell scored 19 for Miami, while Pelle Larsson finished with 16. Simone Fontecchio and Myron Gardner combined for 24 points off the Miami bench.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 for Oklahoma City, which fell to 35-8 on the season. Aaron Wiggins scored 18 for the Thunder, which got 15 from Ajay Mitchell and 14 from Chet Holmgren.
The Thunder lost Jalen Williams midway through the second quarter with what the team said was right thigh soreness, even though the starting guard was grabbing at his right hamstring as he limped off the floor. He will be evaluated Sunday, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
Oklahoma City had a chance to tie on the possession following Andrew Wiggins’ go-ahead 3, but Holmgren missed off a lobbed inbounds pass from Alex Caruso and Miami controlled the rebound. The Thunder got a stop on the ensuing Heat possession, calling time with 3.0 seconds remaining.
Caruso inbounded to Gilgeous-Alexander, who quickly sent the ball back to Caruso — whose 3-point try bounced off the backboard and rim as time expired. It was Oklahoma City’s first loss this season when scoring at least 120 points; they were 24-0 in such games entering Saturday.
Miami — which took 111 shots to Oklahoma City’s 77 — was without Tyler Herro (sore big toe, bruised rib) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (sprained left knee).
Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 20 points in his 113th consecutive regular-season game, moving within 13 games of tying Wilt Chamberlain’s record.
MAVERICKS 138, JAZZ 120
DALLAS (AP) — Klay Thompson scored all 23 of his points in the first half, including the 17,000th of his career, and six Mavericks scored in double figures in a win over Utah as Dallas completed a two-game sweep of the Jazz.
The Mavericks were without Cooper Flagg (left ankle sprain) for a second straight game and the first injury absences of his rookie season. Dallas was also missing Anthony Davis (finger) and Kyrie Irving (knee) and forward P.J. Washington for personal reasons.
The rest of the Mavericks proved to be more than enough against the Jazz for a second straight game.
Thompson, coming off the bench, had a pair of 3-pointers and then hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with just under five minutes left in the first quarter to reach the 17,000-point plateau. He shot 7 for 12 overall and 6 for 11 from 3-point distance and led the Mavs in scoring for the second straight game in Flagg’s absence after scoring a season-best 26 in Thursday’s win.
Brandon Williams and Max Christie each scored 22 points, Naji Marshall added 16, Jaden Hardy pitched in with 12 and Dwight Powell had 10 for the Mavs, who entered Saturday with wins in just two of their last five games.
CELTICS 132, HAWKS 106
ATLANTA (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 41 points, Sam Hauser led a 3-point barrage in the second quarter and Boston blew away Atlanta.
The Celtics put this one away with a 52-point outburst in the second quarter, stretching what had been a fairly competitive opening period to an 82-51 laugher at halftime.
Boston barely missed at all in the second, knocking down 19 of 25 shots — including 11 of 15 beyond the 3-point arc. Hauser was perfect on his six attempts from long range in the period, and Brown dazzled inside and out. On a strong drive to the hoop in the final seconds of the half, he flexed his muscles for the State Farm Arena crowd, as if to say the Hawks had no chance of stopping him.
Brown had 29 points by halftime, combining with Hauser (21 points) to nearly outscore the entire Hawks team. The Celtics reached triple figures well before the midway point of the third period and stretched their lead to 43 points before both teams cleared their benches.
Hauser tied his career high with 10 3-pointers, accounting his season-best 30 points. Anfernee Simons chipped in with 14 points, connecting on 4 of 8 outside the stripe.
PISTONS 121, PACERS 78
DETROIT (AP) — Duncan Robinson and Cade Cunningham each scored 16 points in limited minutes as Detroit routed shorthanded Indiana.
The 43-point margin matched the ninth-biggest win in Pistons franchise history.
The Pacers played without their four leading scorers, with Pascal Siakam resting and Benedict Mathurin (thumb), Andrew Nembhard (back) and Obi Toppin (foot) dealing with injuries. T.J. McConnell, who is sixth on the team in scoring and second in assists, also sat out with a knee problem.
Jalen Duren had 15 points and eight rebounds for Detroit, which got points from 13 players. as the Pistons won for the fifth time in six games.
Jarace Walker led Indiana with 13 points and Tony Bradley added 12. The Pacers had won four of five.
Detroit led by as many as 44 points in the third quarter, around the time that Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff pulled his starters for the night. Duren led the starters with 23 minutes and Cunningham and Robinson were the only others to reach 20.
SUNS 106, KNICKS 99
NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Booker scored 27 points after missing a game with a sprained left ankle, and Phoenix beat slumping New York.
Grayson Allen added 16 points and Mark Williams had 14 for the Suns, who had dropped the first two games on their six-game Eastern Conference road trip, including Thursday in Detroit when they played without Booker. He shot only 7 for 18 from the field, but was 12 for 14 on free throws.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Deuce McBride each scored 23 points for the Knicks, who were playing without starters Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart because of ankle injuries. They have lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games.
OG Anunoby added 21 points, but the Knicks committed 17 turnovers and fell to 16-5 at home.
In an ugly game with plenty of diving after loose balls — Allen appeared to badly hurt his nose in a collision on one of them — the Suns broke away from an 87-all tie when Collin Gillespie made a 3-pointer, Booker followed with a three-point play and Williams made two free throws to make it 95-87. The Knicks shot way too poorly to come back, going 1 for 10 on 3s in the fourth quarter with Towns hearing boos after shooting a airball on a wide-open attempt on one of them.
WARRIORS 136, HORNETS 116
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — De’Anthony Melton scored 24 points as Golden State had eight players reach double figures in its victory over Charlotte.
The Warriors hit 23 of their 52 3-point attempts and 10 Golden State players made at least one 3. Golden State now has had at least 10 players make at least one 3-pointer in three straight games, the longest streak in NBA history, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The 3-point arc was introduced for the 1979-80 season.
Golden State extended its winning streak to three games and improved to 5-1 on its eight-game homestand.
Draymond Green scored 20 points for the Warriors, who got 16 from Brandin Podziemski and 14 apiece from Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield.
The Hornets’ Brandon Miller scored a game-high 28 points and Kon Knueppel had 24.
Charlotte was down by a dozen at halftime, then cut its deficit to 82-79 on a layup by Knueppel midway through the third quarter.
Golden State responded with a 20-5 run capped by a Hield 3-pointer from the right corner to go up 102-84 with 2:27 left in the period.
SPURS 126, TIMBERWOLVES 123
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 39 points and nine rebounds, corralling a critical offensive rebound in the final seconds, enabling San Antonio to fend off Anthony Edwards’ season-high 55 points and beat Minnesota.
Donte DiVincenzo’s 24-foot, 3-pointer put the Timberwolves up 119-118 with 1:03 remaining. Wembanyama responded with a 20-footer and then blocked Joan Beringer’s reverse layup 13 seconds later to preserve the one-point lead.
De’Aaron Fox added 25 points and 12 assists as San Antonio avoided a season sweep of its three-game set against Minnesota. Keldon Johnson added 20 points for the Spurs.
Edwards had 26 points in the fourth quarter, going 5 for 7 on 3-pointers and nearly completed a repeat of Minnesota’s last game against San Antonio.
The Washington Wizards lost to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, 121-115.
Washington began the first half with a slim 63-62 lead with Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr scoring in double figures and after getting out a first quarter rut. Washington also out-rebounded Denver 23-17 which proved key to the lead. The Wizards continued to outrebound the Nuggets in the third quarter though there wasn’t much movement to the lead though Washington still led.
But like many other Wizards games this season, the talent disparity ultimately went against Washington’s favor when it was the fourth quarter. Tim Hardaway and Jamal Murray scored 31 of the Nuggets’ 38 points in the period while the Wizards only scored 29, though Kyshawn George scored 14 of his team leading 29 points then.
While Washington kept things interesting for much of the game thanks to their 48-38 rebounding advantage, they still allowed Denver to shoot 52.9 percent from the field while only shooting 45.8 percent themselves.
The Wizards’ road trip is now complete but they still have more western conference opponents to play. Their next game is at home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Tip off is at 3 p.m. ET. See you then.
It may officially be the second half of the season, but one thing that hasn’t change since the first is the Spurs’ inability to hold onto a large lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After a slow first quarter, the Spurs got hot in the second, leading by as much as 25, but just like their first two match-ups, they took their foot off the gas and let the Wolves back in it in the second half. Anthony Edwards went nuclear, scoring 26 of his 55 points in the fourth quarter as they eventually retook the lead, but fortunately for the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama was able to match his star power and pull his team back to victory from the jaws of what would have been another embarrassing defeat.
The Spurs took advantage of no Rudy Gobert, who was out with a bruised hip, by attacking the paint for 8 of their first 9 points, but ultimately neither team could find much offense early, with the score sitting at just 10-9 Spurs after six minutes. The Timberwovles were the first team to find some momentum, getting up by five at 17-12, but that seemed to wake the Spurs up as they responded with a 7-0 run, with all seven points coming from Keldon Johnson. Still, the Spurs found themselves down 22-21 at the end of the first after a 5-0 Wolves burst, including a three from Edwards off an offensive rebound, before a De’Aaron Fox floater at the buzzer.
The Spurs woke up to start the second quarter, with Wemby getting more involved in the offense, which opened things up for everyone else, and threes from Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle got them up by double digits, 41-31, forcing a Chris Finch timeout. The Spurs kept piling on, with Castle finding Luke Kornet on consecutive lobs to stretch the lead to 51-35, leading to another Wolves timeout with four minutes remaining. The onslaught continued, with Wemby scoring 13 of their final 16 points, including hitting four straight threes, and overall the Spurs had their highest scoring quarter of the season (and 4th highest in franchise history) with 48 points, including hitting 8 threes, to lead 69-44 at the half.
Of course, after second-half energy was a problem in their two losses in Minneapolis, the question would be if the Spurs could keep their foot on the gas this time The answer was an emphatic no, as the Wolves came out of halftime more determined while the Spurs looked complacent. Minnesota started the third quarter on a 14-3 run, sparked by French rookie Joan Beringer. They would keep chipping away throughout the second half while the Spurs struggled with turnovers and allowing too many transition buckets. The Wolves finally took their first lead since early in the second quarter on an Edwards jumper with 3:28 left in the game, but then, chaos ensued.
Wemby went into superstar mode, first responding to Edwards with a jumper of his own, and the same again on the next possession with them trading threes. Wemby then stole the ball and drew free throws to retake the lead after a frustrated Edwards pushed him down. The teams continued to go back-and-fourth until a big three from Johnson got the Spurs up by 4 with 18 seconds remaining, but this game just refused to end without drama.
Finch got a technical foul for unknown reasons during a timeout, Wemby missed the free throw, and Edwards hit another three with 11 seconds left. Fox then hit his free throws, and the Spurs decided to foul Edwards so he couldn’t get another three. He missed the second, which was grabbed by Wemby, but the usually-reliable Julian Champagnie missed both free throws. Wemby came to the rescue again and grabbed the offensive rebound and made his first free throw, but then he made the odd decision to miss the second, even though a make would have given them a four-point lead with under two seconds left and no Wolves timeouts. Instead, he committed a lane violation going for the rebound, giving the Wolves the ball, but fortunately Edwards missed on a half court heave, and the Spurs escaped 126-123.
Game Notes
A very confusing moment came in the third quarter, when the Timberwolves challenged a foul call on what looked like a clean block by Donte DiVincenzo on Castle. After video review, referee Mark Davis explained that the challenge was unsuccessful because the defender made “illegal contact with the ball while in the player’s hands,” which made no sense since that would be a block. Then, even more confusion was added when the refs had the Spurs inbounding the ball when the result of the call should have been free throws. Finally, Davis returned to the mic and explained that he misspoke, it was a successful challenge so no foul, but imminent possession belonged to the Spurs, hence why they were inbounding the ball.
This was quite the crazy game, and one of the biggest examples of a “tale of two halves” I can recall, but ultimately the Spurs stars did what they had to do. Wemby finished with 39 points and 9 rebounds and was the center of the Spurs’ two biggest offensive runs: to build their big lead and later get it back at the end. Fox showed it is possible for he and Wemby to both have big games on the same night and take turns dominating, with 25 points and 12 assists, and Johnson added 20 points off the bench, including that big three that was ultimately the game winner.
New feature: Did Carter Bryant miss a dunk? (We ask because he supposedly has a running bet with his teammates that after a spate of notoriously bad misses, if he misses three more dunks, he will have to shave his head.) He did not miss a dunk tonight because he didn’t attempt one, but to his credit he did grab two offensive rebounds on one possession in the second quarter, reminding everyone that hustle is his calling card.
Play of the Game
It’s that Keldon three, of course. You also have to love the reaction of the Bald Bros.
The Spurs have a chance to get back at another team that was a thorn in their side during that 10-game slump (that they hopefully are out of) and sweep their three-game home stand before returning to the road.
