The Thunder and Pelicans came together after the final buzzer of Tuesday’s game, but they weren’t exchanging dinner plans.
A bench-clearing scuffle broke out in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter as Thunder guard Lu Dort and Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears got into a shoving match as the game came to a close, leading to teammates, coaches and officials to try and calm the situation down.
The game ended in a 104-95 win for the Thunder, but Fears and Dort’s scuffle was the biggest moment of the night between the two teams.
New Orleans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) is taken off the court after a fight with guard Luguentz Dort at the end of the Thunder’s 104-95 home win over the Pelicans game at Paycom Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Video showed Fears had to be restrained by members of the Pelicans organization, and even team president Joe Dumars got on the court to try to calm things down.
Fears was seen being held back as he was moved down the tunnel toward the team locker room.
No fouls were issued since the game was over, though it’s unclear if the league will hand down any supplementary discipline.
New Orleans’ Saddiq Bey and Jaylin Williams of Oklahoma City exchange words during the second half of the Thunder’s home win over the Pelicans on Jan. 27, 2026 at Paycom Center. Getty Images
“I had heard them going back and forth after I made the last two free throws, but I wasn’t sure what happened,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “And then I turn around and they were face-to-face. I’m sure it was nothing crazy, though. Typical basketball scuffle.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters that he thought the officiating crew lost control of the game in the final few minutes, saying that the “whole altercation at the end started way before.”
If you ask the Vancouver Canucks how they felt about tonight’s 5–2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the reception won't be positive. Not only did both of their goals come from blueliners Tom Willander and Filip Hronek, but Kevin Lankinen was also pulled within the first half of the first period after allowing three goals on six shots faced. Nikita Tolopilo joined the game in relief, stopping 25 of 27 shots faced.
“I don't think we played good anywhere today. I think pretty much every detail was bad. Can't name anything good today,” Willander, who scored the game’s opening goal, said post-game. “Ultimately, I think at least the last few times we had results like this, I think we did a decent job in many parts of our game. But today, I thought it was awful.”
Willander isn’t wrong. Despite scoring first, Vancouver quickly surrendered three goals within the span of five minutes, erasing their lead within a matter of seconds. The very thing Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote had called the team out on a week ago had returned — their penchant for getting down on themselves after things don’t go their way.
“We tried to do too much in the neutral zone [...] kind of got off what we’re all about — getting in deep, fore-checking — and looked like we were just out of sorts for a while there, just chasing.”
As opposed to previous games, Vancouver’s effort just didn’t seem to be there tonight. They spent a good chunk of the third period hemmed in their own zone, unable to generate even a shot on net until finally being able to fully break the puck out.
With trade rumours circulating throughout the past few days, all eyes seemed to be on Evander Kane. While not necessarily just there for Kane, there were 17 scouts in Vancouver’s press box tonight, including two from the Anaheim Ducks and two from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kane did end up on the scoresheet tonight, dropping the gloves with Timothy Liljegren and taking an extra roughing penalty in this sequence.
Tonight marks the third time in four games that Vancouver’s penalty kill has surrendered two power play goals against, as they also allowed two against the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals. In a 10-game span, they have surrendered two or more goals while on the penalty kill five times. One of these goals-against came while Vancouver was down two players.
Vancouver’s power play also capitalized tonight, scoring their second goal of the game a little more than halfway through the third period. However, the man-advantage also got a near-full two-minute 5-on-3 opportunity and was unable to score while on that. This was their first power play goal in six games.
A shout-out needs to be given to Vancouver-based superstar Macklin Celebrini, who recorded his third multi-point game against the Canucks this season. His quick shot tied the game at one goal apiece for the Sharks, with Vancouver’s lapse in defensive-zone coverage leaving Celebrini all alone at the top of the faceoff dot. On San Jose’s second goal, it was Celebrini who took the puck away, keeping it in at the line and allowing former Canuck Adam Gaudette to score. The forward finished the game with four points against his hometown team.
Jan 27, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Drew O'Connor (18) stick checks San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini (71) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Stats and Facts:
Evander Kane becomes the first Canuck to hit 60 penalty minutes on the season
Elias Pettersson claims sole possession of ninth all-time in assists by a Canucks with 291
Macklin Celebrini registers 2+ points against the Canucks in each of three games against Vancouver this season
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
1:15 - VAN: Tom Willander (3) from Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk
1:51 - SJS: Macklin Celebrini (27) from Will Smith and Sam Dickinson
4:43 - SJS: Adam Gaudette (11) from William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini
5:55 - SJS: Tyler Toffoli (15) from Alexander Wennberg and Sam Dickinson
2nd Period:
9:07 - SJS: Will Smith (15) from John Klingberg and Macklin Celebrini (PPG)
3rd Period:
0:28 - SJS: John Klingberg (10) from Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini (PPG)
9:15 - VAN: Filip Hronek (5) from Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk (PPG)
Up Next:
The Canucks continue their home stand with a matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. Vancouver won their last game against the Ducks by a score of 5–4 in what was a very entertaining offensive battle. Thursday’s puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
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A rookie tried to give Dillon Brooks a taste of his own medicine, and it ended up costing his team.
Nets guard Egor Dёmin shoved Brooks late in Brooklyn’s 106-102 loss on Tuesday, Jan. 27, leading to a small dust-up that cleared assistant coaches off the bench.
With the Suns up by two with 1:14 left to play, a loose ball spilled into the Nets' side of the court. As several players dove for the ball, it eventually ended up in the hands of Nets forward Zaire Williams. Three Suns players mobilized quickly to try to get their hands on it for a jump ball, which was granted by the officials.
One of those Phoenix players was Dillon Brooks, who’s known for his physical and controversial play. As Brooks lingered over Williams, Dёmin came over and placed his hands on Brooks’ back, lightly shoving him, though Dёmin did extend his arms with the shove.
Brooks exaggerated the contact and flailed onto the court, which prompted Suns players to confront Dёmin. Nets guard Terrance Mann and forward Michael Porter Jr. came to the rookie’s defense, as more than a dozen assistant coaches from both teams rushed to separate the scuffle.
Egor Dëmin shoves Dillon Brooks after he was trying to wrestle away a loose ball from Ziaire Williams pic.twitter.com/R7fmQctUKm
That mostly defused the encounter, as Dёmin walked away and Brooks lay on the floor. Brooks would eventually get up and jaw with Mann, though the matter was resolved shortly after.
Officials assessed two separate double-technicals to Dёmin and Suns guard Grayson Allen and to Mann and Suns forward Royce O’Neale. Porter was also assessed a technical, which led to a Suns free throw.
“I got pushed in the back,” Brooks told reporters after the game. “They made the right call when they looked at the review for a very long time. … It didn’t deserve my energy”
Brooks won the ensuing jump ball, but Brooklyn couldn’t convert any of its finals shots, eventually dropping the game.
Dёmin, however, may have been dishing out a little payback.
Dillon Brooks was given a technical foul for this play...
With around 30 seconds left in the first half, Brooks and Dёmin were engaged in a boxout situation, when Brooks, who had his hands raised throughout most of the action, continued to use his body to leverage Dёmin further back, toward the first row. Eventually, as the two became entangled, Brooks shoved Dёmin to the ground.
Brooks was given a technical for the play, his 15th of the season. This is significant because he will draw a one-game suspension if he’s called for his 16th; Brooks has played in 41 games this season.
“I just feel like that play wouldn’t have happened if they blew their whistle with the foul called, because it ended up being a foul call and then they had to give me a T after ’cause I’m trying to get the guy off me,” Brooks said.
Unfortunately
for the St. Louis Blues, it came to fruition and not in a good way.
For
the second straight meeting with the Dallas Stars, they fall in a
one-goal game, this time 4-3, due to icing the puck, losing a
defensive zone face-off and seeing a goal scored late in the third
period.
Thomas
Harley scored with 1:07 left and spoiled the Blues’ valiant third
period comeback while playing shorthanded due to injury in another
one-goal loss on Tuesday at Enterprise Center, dropping the home side to 19-25-9.
Down
three goals in the third period and playing without Jake Neighbours
(lower-body injury) and Jordan Kyrou (upper-body injury), Brayden
Schenn scored twice and Robby Fabbri scored his first Blues goal over
six years to erase a three-goal third-period deficit but to no
avail. Jordan Binnington made 20 saves to
fall to 2-10-1 in his past 13 starts.
Let’s
dissect Tuesday’s game observations:
*
Another icing leads to another goal-against for a loss – With the
naked eye, it looked worse than originally thought, but on the play
that led to the Harley goal, Tyler Tucker had full control of the
puck moving up the lefthand side. He goes for a pass off the boards
trying to hit Alexey Toropchenko near the Dallas bench, but on
replay, the puck caromed off the boards, bounded up where Toropchenko
couldn’t corral the puck for an icing.
This
just happened four days ago in Dallas when both Philip Broberg and
Colton Parayko each iced the puck, and ultimately, the Stars won the
draw and Jason Robertson scored with 1:00 remaining in a 3-2 win
denying the Blues of at least a point.
Same
thing here.
Personally,
if Tucker is making that play, I’d like to see a direct pass, and
if Toropchenko doesn’t handle it, then it’s on him. It’s just
dangerous in that situation.
So
it turns into an icing, Dallas can get its top players on the ice,
while the Blues have their fourth line out there with Tucker and
Logan Mailloux.
Nick
Bjugstad loses the draw, and I understand when in each instance along
with Friday, someone can say, ‘Win the face-off.’ Yes, this is
true, but the draw was lost back to the point, and Harley’s shot
caromed off Mathieu Joseph and change direction past Binnington.
Blues
coach Jim Montgomery was not critical of this one as he was of the
plays on Friday.
“We
have complete momentum in the game and that icing actually, I believe
it was Tucker, uses an indirect for us to gain lines like we had been
doing all period,” Montgomery said, “and it hits the boards and
it jumps up five feet. I think [Toropchenko] couldn’t get a stick
on it. That’s a physical thing with the boards. It’s not a mental
mistake. It’s not like we panicked. We actually made a real sound
play. The puck hit the boards toward the end of the period, the
boards are snowy, it hits snow and it’s going to pop like that, and
then you need an Albert Pujols to knock it out of the air there.
“(This
was) very
different. That one was in control of ours; we made a mistake, we
didn’t support the puck. We had support on the puck (Tuesday),
we knew the guy was open. That was a good hockey play.”
Schenn,
who has three goals the past two games, said, “Late
in the game, yeah, poise, if that’s what you’re taking (about).
The Dallas game before and this one, you have to have poise with the
puck, but the forwards or players out there have to support each
other and able to get the red line to not put yourself in those
positions. We did it twice against them and they made us pay for them
both times.”
A
fifth consecutive loss (0-4-1) and a fourth straight game in which
the Blues were in and found a way to lose.
“It
sucks
losing,”
Schenn
said.
“When you battle back like that, play hard for one another and get
rewarded with some goals. Again, same team, same result, losing in
the last minute. It’s
not fun losing, but got to keep on pushing our foot down and trying
to get better. We’re finding ways to lose hockey games and we have
to learn how to win them.”
*
Down
two more players, a third period for the ages comeback was for naught
– When Neighbours left after the first period and Kyrou after the
second, they were not only down to 10 forwards but down three goals.
What’s
the point, right? Wrong.
The
Blues showed some valiant fight, and it started with Fabbri, who
continues to show why the Blues brought him back, scratching and
clawing for
every inch when he’s given the opportunity.
It
looked inconsequential at the time and only drew browning points for
Fabbri scoring his first Blues goal in his second stint since his
last goal on Oct. 17, 2019 before being traded to the Detroit Red
Wings. He made it 3-1 at 3:15 on a play in which he started it with a
strong hit and ensuing shot from the slot off Justin Faulk’s feed:
The
Stats challenged the play for offside and Joseph was in question on
the far side, but the league came back that the play was onside with
the following ruling: It
was determined that Joseph legally tagged up at the blue line before
Faulk entered the offensive zone with
the puck on his stick prior
to Fabbri’s
goal.
“It
definitely feels good to get the first one, but it’s a lot more fun
around
the rink when you’re winning,” Fabbri
said.
“I’ll definitely take more wins after this one.
“Once
you get one on the board, everyone starts to put the foot on the gas
there and we did that. When you start rolling shift after shift and
you kind of get some momentum and the crowd gets into it, the bench
gets into it and it’s just one of those things where we were kind
rolling there and it was a good period, so we’ve just got to build
off that.”
There
had to be some juice on the bench, because as Schenn said in his
remarks postgame, “I
was dishing up pregame today and ‘Binner’ said ‘Fabs’ is
going to score tonight, so I guess ‘Binner’ had the read on that
one.”
Fabbri
replied, “He
actually chose the stick for me to use. Maybe we’ve got something
going there.”
But
for there being not much life in the building, there was a glimpse of
it now, and when Schenn made it 3-2 at 6:22 off a really nice pass by
Jimmy Snuggerud, the place started to get some jump in it:
“I
think Robby Fabbri got us going,” Montgomery
said.
‘He had a big hit right before his goal and then we get the quick
counter, 72 hitting nine, nine has some good poise. And then I think
we got rolling. I really liked the line of [Dalibor]
Dvorsky
between Snuggerud and Schenn. Obviously they got the goals, but they
just seemed to be going and making plays, 10-15 foot passes.”
The
Stars seemed to have a hammerlock on the game late, but a fortuitous
bounce finally went the Blues’ way when Harley’s clearing pass
around the boards off
referee Stephen Hiff right to Snuggerud, who found Schenn in the left
circle and the captain roofed his shot at 15:50 to make it 3-3:
“Just
attitude we’re going to come out in the third period and put a
solid effort together for our fans,” Schenn
said of the comeback.
“At the end of the day, our special teams aren’t helping us right
now and it’s tough falling behind 3-0 in this league against a good
team, but I thought we came out in the third period and played hard
for one another, inspired each other and like I said, close but not
good enough.”
The
couple of older vets (Schenn and Fabbri) and a couple of young pups
(Snuggerud and Dvorsky) fueled a comeback that nobody saw.
“Our
effort, falling behind 3-0 and not quitting, having the perseverance
to keep going,” Montgomery
said.
‘We had lost two forwards; we were down to 10 forwards. It was nice
to see that scrappy,
never-say-die attitude that we had.”
*
Special teams continue to be a problem – As Schenn mentioned above,
the Blues’ special teams are anything but special this season.
They
give up two more power-play goals, the third time in the past four
games and fifth time in 10 games they’ve allowed multiple
power-play markers.
The
first put Dallas up 1-0 when Matt Duchene scored the first of two
goals in 40 seconds at 3:20 of the second period when Mikko Rantanen
found a seam to deliver a dime of a pass to Duchene on the backdoor
through Tucker and past Faulk:
And
although the slashing penalty call by Hiff on Dvorsky was not a good
one at 17:58 of the second, the Blues needed a kill to keep it a
two-goal game and Roope Hintz scored eight seconds later for a 3-0
lead off a face-off win and one-timer from the interior of the right
circle:
So
for the night, the PK was 1-for-3 and the power play went 0-for-3
with one shot on goal. It simply isn’t good enough and it’s cost
this group plenty this season.
The
PK is 29th at 73.9 percent, and the PP is 25th at 16.9 percent.
Again, not nearly good enough.
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On Tuesday night, the Knicks closed their win over the Sacramento Kings with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson on the floor.
“This was a tight ball game and so I just rode that group,” Mike Brown said postgame.
Brown’s decision worked well; the Knicks went on a 13-0 run over four minutes late in the fourth to close the victory.
On Saturday, Brown also didn’t hesitate to put Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench late in New York’s road win over the 76ers.
Brown has not shied away from benching his starters down the stretch of close games in his first 40-plus contests as Knicks head coach.
“We needed to get the win,” Brown said after the team's third straight victory following a 2-7 stretch.
Towns played 27 total minutes on Tuesday after playing just 16 minutes on Saturday.
He said following the matchup that the wins mean much more to him than his minutes totals.
“He saw what he saw,” Towns said of Brown. “We got a win. That’s the most important thing…That’s all I care about, this team cares about, New York cares about -- the wins.”
TRADE WINDS
There will be rumors about Towns and other big-name Knicks ahead of next Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
One player that remains squarely on New York’s radar ahead of the deadline is Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado.
We noted New York's interest in Alvarado last month and can say that nothing has changed on that front -- the Knicks still see the NY-native as a player who can help bolster their bench/rotation.
Alvarado is averaging 7.9 points and 3.2 assists across 36 games for New Orleans this season.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Macklin Celebrini had a goal and three assists, the San Jose Sharks scored three first-period goals in a span of 4:04, and went on to beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Adam Gaudette, Tyler Toffoli, Will Smith and John Klingberg also had goals for the Sharks, and Yaroslav Askarov improved to 17-13-1 with 23 saves.
Celebrini now has 78 points in 51 games this season.
Tom Willander scored the game’s first goal for Vancouver at 1:15 of the first period, with the teams playing four-on-four. Filip Hronek added his team’s first power-play tally in six games in the third.
After the Canucks announced on Tuesday that Thatcher Demko is set to undergo hip surgery and will be out for the rest of the year, Kevin Lankinen was pulled after giving up three goals on six shots over 5:55. Nikita Tolopilo gave up two goals on 27 shots in relief.
The Sharks were 2 for 4 on the power play, with Klingberg’s goal coming at five-on-three. The Canucks were 1 for 4.
In addition to Demko, who has been sidelined since Jan. 10, the Canucks were missing forward Brock Boeser and defenseman Zeev Buium. Both were injured in Vancouver’s 3-2 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
After Conor Garland and Dmitry Orlov took roughing minors just 44 seconds into the game, Willander beat Askarov with a long shot from the blue line to open the scoring at 1:15. But the lead was short-lived, as Celebrini logged his 27th of the year just 36 seconds later.
Up next
Sharks: At the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in the second game of a five-game trip.
Canucks: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday in the seventh game of an eight-game homestand.
Jeremy Sochan might not be in San Antonio for much longer. The Spurs have granted his representation permission to talk to teams in the hopes of finding a landing spot for the young forward via trade, according to The SteinLine’s Marc Stein($).
“League sources say that Jeremy Sochan and his representation have received permission from the Spurs to explore the landscape for a potential new home via trade,” Stein wrote.
The news, while unfortunate, is not exactly surprising. Sochan, who started 149 games and played an average of 27 minutes a game in his first three seasons in San Antonio, has had a small bench role this year. The No. 9 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft is posting career lows across the board in 13 minutes a night and has only suited up for 27 games despite being available for more. He wasn’t inked to an extension over the summer despite being eligible and is slated to enter restricted free agency next offseason, so, understandably, he’s looking for a new team that will allow him to showcase his talents in hopes of getting a lucrative second contract.
Sochan seemed to be a part of the core during his first two years with the Spurs. He was drafted to be a defensive lynchpin and connective piece and delivered on both ends, looking like a potential perimeter stopper and showing a good floor game for a power forward. The problem from the start was his lack of range as a jump shooter, which made him an awkward fit in the current NBA. San Antonio tried to work around it as he rebuilt his shot by playing him as a lead ball handler and, later on, at center, but he started losing minutes late last season and has not been able to crack the rotation for Mitch Johnson in 2025/26. He’s currently shooting 26 percent from beyond the arc on limited attempts.
It’s unclear what the market for Sochan would be. The Spurs traded their other two first-round picks from the 2022 draft, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley, to the Wizards for Kelly Olynyk and a low-value second-round pick last summer, but Sochan should, in theory, yield a better return. His impending free agency, however, could be enough to dissuade a team from making a serious offer, since it’s clear he should be available next offseason despite his restricted free agent status, as San Antonio seems ready to move on. Still, there might be some suitors interested in giving him a tryout while having his Bird rights, or he could be valuable as an expiring contract.
Nothing appears imminent. The Knicks could be a potential destination in a move that would get the Spurs Guerschon Yabusele, according to Clutch Points’ Brett Siegel, but there hasn’t been confirmation of New York’s or San Antonio’s interest in such a swap. It’s also possible a trade doesn’t materialize, and Sochan finishes the season with the team that drafted him. But it would not be surprising to see the forward wearing another jersey this season.
Sochan is averaging 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and one assist per game this season.
PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Williams scored 27 points, Dillon Brooks had 26 and the short-handed Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-102 on Tuesday night in a game that featured a scuffle late in the fourth quarter.
After Brooks put the Suns ahead 104-102 on two free throws with 1:23 remaining, a steal by the Suns’ Royce O’Neale led to a scramble for the ball in the paint. Brooks tried to wrestle the ball away from Ziaire Williams after the whistle, and the Nets’ Egor Demin pushed Brooks.
Several players started jawing at each other and assistant coaches from both sides gathered on the floor as officials tried to restore order. Demin, Mann and Michael Porter Jr. received technical fouls for the Nets, and the Suns’ Grayson Allen and O’Neale also got technicals. Brooks did not receive a technical after getting one earlier in the game.
Allen added 18 points for the short-handed Suns, who ended a two-game skid. Devin Booker missed his second straight game after rolling his right ankle in a loss at Atlanta on Friday night, and Jalen Green also sat with a nagging right hamstring injury.
Porter finished with a season-high 36 points for the Nets, who have lost six straight and 14 of 16. Demin added 15 points, but Brooklyn struggled to find secondary scoring.
When Porter made a 3-pointer with 9:47 left in the third quarter, he had 12 of the Nets’ 24 baskets for 27 points.
Phoenix led 91-81 midway through the fourth, but Brooklyn responded with a 19-5 run capped by Porter’s 3 for a 100-96 lead with 3:33 left. Williams scored four quick points for Phoenix and then Allen tied it at 102-all with 1:39 remaining.
Jan 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) handles the puck during the second period against the Los Angeles Kings at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
DETROIT — Patrick Kane of the Detroit Red Wings has tied Dallas’ Mike Modano as the highest-scoring U.S.-born players in NHL history.
Kane matched Mike Modano by recording his 1,374th point on an assist on a goal by Alex DeBrincat late in Detroit’s 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. He got there a couple of months after turning 37, while Modano was 40 when he scored a goal to register point No. 1,374.
“Nothing really went right for us tonight, so it’s tough to really think about (the record) right now, but hopefully next game’s a better result and (I) can move past Mike next game,” Kane said after the game. “That’d be nice, to do that and do it with a win.”
He will have a chance to move ahead of Modano when the Red Wings host the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Kane has been one of the faces of American hockey since getting taken with the first pick in the 2007 draft by Chicago. He helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup three times from 2010-15 as a co-headliner of one of the most successful runs since the league’s salary cap era began in ’05.
Earlier this month, Kane became the 50th player and fifth American to score 500 goals, following Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick and Joe Mullen. Brett Hull, a dual citizen who was born in Canada and played internationally for the U.S., had 741 goals and 1,391 points.
Kane won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in ’07-08, the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013 and the Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP in 2015-16, when he also led the league in scoring.
Kane has 1,374 points on 500 goals and 874 assists in 1,341 career NHL regular-season games.
Modano retired in 2011 with 561 goals and 813 assists in 1,499 games.
Lauri Markkanen finally returned for the Utah Jazz tonight, but the young squad was unable to hang with the Los Angeles Clippers. In the end and after a valiant fight (even holding a lead for much of the 1st half), Utah fell to the Clips with a score of 115-103. The 2nd half ended up being a major struggle and the wheels really fell off.
Lauri struggled a bit to shoot in this first game back and the Jazz were also missing young Most Improved Player candidate Keyonte George (rest) and tank commander Jusuf Nurkic (undisclosed illness). Throughout the game, Utah did receive positive contributions from Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams, and (most importantly) Ace Bailey. There were also some good stretches from Kyle Filipowski throughout the game.
However, the Jazz struggled with Kawhi Leonard. He simply couldn’t be stopped and knows the exact spots to exploit. In tonight’s matchup, Kawhi ended with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. The superstar has been on a tear lately, averaging 28.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in his last 10 games and is ALSO on a streak of 25 straight games with 20+ points, which is insane. Ever since they sent Chris Paul home, the Clips have just been scorching through the league and add yet another win. They started the season pretty poorly and somehow they are now 22-24 and smack dab in the middle of the play-in standings.
Utah, as we all know, is losing games for a reason. The positive is that we are seeing fantastic growth from our young guys. As previously mentioned, Ace, Cody, and Isaiah all had great games. Ace particularly shot well with 4-9 from three and 2o points in the loss. Cody continues to look more dominant and decisive with yet another highlight play. Collier, filling in for Keyonte, distributed well and ended the night with a solid 9 assists.
The Clips were just too much to handle. Lauri looked a tad sluggish and the youth on the rest of the roster really stuck out at times, especially in the 2nd half where LA pulled out ahead. Kris Dunn hounded our young guards and had a THREE back-to-back steals and fast breaks. Kris ended up with 14 points on his former team.
It was just never gonna happen with Kawhi and James Harden playing at such a high level. The Clips do look like they may end up being a force in the playoffs this year and the Jazz continue to compete, but lose in the end. That’s all we want right? This one was definitely not the most entertaining watch and the crowd was quite lifeless. Everyone go catch up on some AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, or Darryn Petersen highlights. It’ll help the pain go away.
Utah will take on Golden State tomorrow night in a back-to-back at Delta Center (7:oo PM MST).
After stacking another victory on the road, the Lakers (28-17) move on to Cleveland where they will take on the Cavaliers (28-20) for the first time this season. Los Angeles hopes to make it three wins in a row and improve their record to 4-1 in this current eight-game road trip.
Over the years, the Cavaliers have been one of those teams that regularly give the Lakers trouble. One of the reasons is because of how they’re built with so much size, athleticism and speed that perfectly exposes the Lakers’ defense. Even when Anthony Davis was anchoring the Lakers’ defense, the Cavs were still not a good matchup for the purple and gold.
In fact, over the last five years, the regular season series between the teams has never been split. One has swept the other and it’s going to be interesting to see if that’s the case again this year with one significant change in place.
For the Lakers, this will be Luka Dončić’s first time competing against the Cavs since arriving in Los Angeles. That alone changes the purple and gold’s dynamic in terms of how they match up with the Cavs. It makes for a fun matchup between Dončić’ and Donovan Mitchell and theoretically between Austin Reaves and Darius Garland, though neither will be suiting up for this one. Expect Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and and Gabe Vincent to get Reaves’ minutes as per usual.
Speaking of injuries, the Cavs have more to report as well. Evan Mobley, unfortunately, recently sustained a left calf strain injury so he’s also not going to suit up on Wednesday. Suffice it to say this game will be completely different matchup wise and it’ll be up to the Lakers to capitalize against a Cavaliers team without two of their top three scorers. Mobley’s absence could also impact the Cavaliers’ defense, which ranks 13th in the league.
Moreover, this will also be LeBron James’ seventh time playing the Cavs on their homecourt as a Laker. As usual, James will get the love and recognition he rightfully deserves from the crowd but don’t expect him to take it easy. The King always plays well against his former team, averaging 28.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists against them. It’ll be nice to see another classic performance from LeBron.
More importantly, it’ll be ideal to see another team-spirited win. The Lakers have picked it up as of late thanks to their defense, which has shown signs of improvement since their recent victory against the Toronto Raptors. Rui Hachimura in particular has been spectacular off the bench and it’ll be nice to see this continue. Another strong performance from him and the rest of the Lakers’ role players will most likely guarantee a win in this one.
Let’s see if the Lakers can continue their winning ways on the road as James returns back home to Cleveland once again on Wednesday.
Notes and Updates
For the Lakers’ injury report, Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) are listed as out.
As for the Cavaliers, Garland (right great toe sprain), Max Strus (left foot surgery) and Mobley (left calf strain) are out. De’Andre Hunter (right knee soreness) and Sam Merrill (right hand sprain) are probable.
Jalen Brunson was terrific late, but leading the way was the Knicks’ improved defense.
Things were evened at 72 apiece through three quarters, but then Mike Brown’s shook up lineup turned things up and held Sacramento to just 15 points in the final frame.
Mitchell Robinson stayed in alongside Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby to close things out and the move worked tremendously.
New York’s tenacious defense helped limit the Kings to just 40 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent from three-point land on the night.
“It was an ugly game, but our defense stayed solid throughout,” Mike Brown said.
“We were able to grind it out and find a way,” Brunson added.
The Knicks are now averaging just 87.3 points allowed during their brief winning streak, and they’ve held opponents under the triple-digit mark in two of those three games.
So, what exactly has sparked this drastic turnaround?
Robinson said one of the biggest things has been their communication.
Brunson, on the other hand, pointed in another direction.
“Our attention to detail, our focus, those are big components,” the captain said. “We have the ability to be a really good team if we do those things, the little things have to be important.”
For New York to get where they hope this season, they’ll need to keep this up.
The improved defense will have another very big test right away, as they head to Toronto to face the Raptors in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights in the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.
The Nets lost a late lead. Then they lost forward Ziaire Williams. And in the end, they lost 106-102 to Phoenix before 17,071 at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Brooklyn wasted a huge night by Michael Porter Jr., who had 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting and 6-of-10 from deep. And they squandered a big fourth-quarter run, leading with a minute left before blowing that lead.
“We had the lead after being down pretty much the whole game,” said Jordi Fernández. “Positive fight, positive competitiveness; but not good enough. And we want to be good (enough) to win games.”
Michael Porter Jr. who scored a game-high 36 points, drives on Mark Williams during the Nets’ 106-102 loss to the Suns on Jan. 27, 2026 in Phoenix. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Egor Dëmin had 15 points and five rebounds, while Williams added 11 points and five assists before getting hurt in a late-game fracas between the teams.
The Nets had seized a 102-100 lead after Williams’ free throws capped a 16-2 run.
But they saw Grayson Allen (18 points) knot it on a finger roll with 1:39 to play. And after Porter lost the ball, Dillon Brooks (26 points) sank two at the charity stripe to put Phoenix ahead for good.
After Terance Mann lost the ball to Royce O’Neale, Williams dove on the floor for the loose ball. Brooks pounced on him to pry it loose. Dëmin — who had been thrown down hard by Dillon for a technical earlier — pushed the Suns instigator off Williams.
Mann and Phoenix’s Royce O’Neale got into it as hostilities ensued, and Williams got injured when a Suns staffer ran into him trying to break up the melee.
“Yeah, he’s hurt. We don’t know exactly what it is right now. It was a member of the other team running in to break up the fight, and he ran into him and hurt him,” Fernández said. “So, we’ll see how long it is; hopefully it’s not a long time.”
The Nets called a timeout trying to get a clean look for Porter, but they committed a shot clock violation with 34.1 seconds left.
Allen’s layup left Brooklyn down by four with 12.8 ticks remaining, and a Porter miss sealed it.
“There were a couple of options we could’ve executed,” Dëmin said. “But it was great defense by Phoenix, probably poor execution by us.”
Brooklyn has lost six straight and is a game out of a Top 3 spot in the lottery race.
In a dogfight that went down to the wire, the Suns find themselves victorious, shorthanded, over the Brooklyn Nets, 106-102. In one that went back and forth and featured many physical altercations, it was nice that the Suns could pull this one out.
Not only was the win nice for the team morale, but this night was very special for our site. With it being Bright Side Night at the Mortgage Matchup Center, I know so many kids were lucky to attend this game due to all your donations. I also know how much Dave King meant to Bright Side, so I am very excited to say they won on his special night!
In a night when Mark Williams set a season-high with 27 points, he was a significant factor alongside Dillon Brooks and Grayson Allen, who made winning plays on both ends. With most of their shot creators out, they struggled from three again, but they still had 72 points in the paint, a season high, which was very impressive. Even with Michael Porter Jr. trying to will the Nets back with 36 points, it was not enough against this sound Suns defense.
Game Flow
First Half
In a night for the Suns missing a majority of the shot creators, it was going to be a rough start, sadly, which showed from the beginning, with both teams struggling in the first few minutes. Luckily, the Suns were saved by two players, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams, who got involved early. Brooks made some big-time shots being the lead man, while Williams feasted down low, getting more touches in this game. He had found this hot hand in the previous matchup vs. Brooklyn, when they had no interior rim pressure to stop him.
For Brooklyn, they went to their main man, Michael Porter Jr., who was also finding ease to get to the rim and score. This matched the game a bit until Dillon Brooks received another flagrant foul, which was completely unnecessary. I did not notice it at first, but this lit a fire in the team not to back down. Phoenix then took a timeout and started going right back into the action with Mark Williams, finding him easy opportunities at the basket. This forced the Nets to take a timeout, following a Suns 8-0 run.
Sadly, this is where the Nets get their own 8-0 run as they found some ease scoring inside. Porter Jr., who has been their best player, cannot be stopped early, as he had 12 first-quarter points. Day’Ron Sharpe was also a beast inside for them. After the first, the Suns saw themselves down one, 29-28. After some shaky offense, it is clear that both teams will enjoy scoring in the paint tonight; it is just a battle of the big men.
Similar to the first quarter, it was rough for both teams to get it going offensively to start. With the Nets having Porter Jr. on the bench, they generated little and had some bad turnovers. The Suns, on the other hand, were led by a hot hand, Jamaree Bouyea. After being out a couple of games due to a concussion, he struck gold when the team needed him most. In just eleven minutes, he had 8 points and was attacking at all levels for the squad.
Luckily, in this quarter, the Suns were able to hold their own and take back the lead, 60-51. The one wild thing that transpired near the end was another hilarious call on Dillon Brooks. He received a technical foul for a “push” on Egor Demin, which is a bit weird. Since he already received a flagrant, the following technical results in a one-game suspension.
The Suns need to find a limit for Michael Porter Jr. in the second half, while also continuing these runs on offense. The defense has stepped up, even with a deeper rotation than usual due to injuries, as young guys learn on the fly.
Second Half
Sadly for the Suns, Porter Jr. started to catch fire out ofthe gate once again and continued to strike this defense. Luckily for the Suns, he seems to be one of their only productive scorers, and the Suns’ defense is making that known. With fighting for loose balls and never giving up on the defensive end, guys like Jordan Goodwin are making key steals to keep the Suns in front.
Grayson Allen also made a huge three-pointer off of one of those turnovers caused by Goodwin, which lit the crowd up. At that point, the Suns had only made two threes in totality this game, and it was needed more than ever. Since they are struggling beyond the arc without their primary scorers, the defense needs to win this game for them.
With some more action, the Suns went back to what worked in the first quarter, playing through Brooks and Williams. Both found some tough buckets inside the paint and kept this run alive, while the defense locked down and gave every ounce of hustle they could. Unfortunately, Porter Jr. eclipsed 30 points in the third, but even with that, the Suns still held a seven-point lead, 82-75, heading into the fourth after a big three from Grayson Allen at the end of the quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, the Suns’ defense remained locked in and limited the Nets. They have forced some big turnovers that have led to some big shots to extend the lead. One big play was a corner three from Ryan Dunn, as the team has been quiet from three-point land overall.
Sadly, the fun did not last long, as the Nets actually made this a game after Terance Mann attacked the rim. This was the fourth time the officials went to review a technical or flagrant foul, and Allen was assessed a flagrant 1 following this review. The Suns were now down and had to crawl back in this one to give the hometown fans their money’s worth.
That’s where Mark Williams came to play late, making some tough baskets in the paint once again. He stopped a huge Nets run and then found his own way to keep them in this one. Even with Porter Jr. trying to match the score, guys like Brooks, Allen, and Bouyea continued to keep this dog fight alive.
The most entertaining part had to be the late-game scuffle. After a physical matchup with a lot brewing, it was bound to happen, with coaches running in to stop it. Following the scuffle, five players were assesed technical fouls. Those players were Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. Funny part is Allen was not even involved in this conundrum.
Anyway, this led them to getting a free throw that Allen missed. This led to a jump ball, with the Suns getting possession in a close game. Even after losing that possession, the defense did what it does best and locked down Demin, who has had a hot hand alongside Porter Jr for the Nets.
In the end, Porter Jr’s electric night was not enough as Grayson Allen made another tough layup to secure the victory at home. A hard-fought night did not go wasted, and the Suns got the season series sweep over the Nets.
Up Next
After an excellent bounce-back win on their home court, the Suns look to get another sneaky win against a top team in the East, the Detroit Pistons. After losing on the road, this team will seek revenge, regardless of who is available, with this next-up mentality instilled here in the Valley.
The Brooklyn Nets, once again, could only move on in the wake of a depressing blowout to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. After following a 54-point loss with a double-OT defeat last week, Tuesday night’s match against the Phoenix Suns (sans Devin Booker) was their opportunity to continue a semi-disturbing pattern of blowout -> good game -> blowout -> good game.
After the Knicks loss, Michael Porter Jr. put the blame on himself: “A lot of it, that’s on me, I didn’t come in with the right energy. You know, I felt like that trickled down throughout the group.”
He continued: “It’s just an energy thing. I feel like when you go out there and you have the right aggression, the right energy and the right outlook, then it just can change the whole flow of the game.”
MPJ didn’t speak before Tuesday’s contest in Phoenix, but he clearly felt the same way this time around. Once again, he delivered. Porter scored 12 points in the first quarter, all two-pointers. Whether off the drive or off a cut, he was living at the rim early…
With the threat of the rim in his back-pocket, MPJ then his usual array of ridiculous 3-point shot-making. He would finish with a game-high 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting, including 6-of-10 from deep. With All-Star reserves announced this coming Saturday, MPJ gave the coaches one more All-Star-caliber performance to think about.
MPJ couldn’t do it alone, though. He was the only Net in double-digits in the first half, but the bigger issue was the team’s defense. Despite winning the first quarter, Brooklyn found themselves down 60-51 at halftime, their pick-and-roll defense falling leading to dunk after dunk for Mark Williams. It appears Drake Powell served the main punishment, as he started the game but played just eight first-half minutes, then was benched after the break.
With Powell on the bench, Brooklyn got it together in the second half. Nobody took over the game — the second-highest scoring Net on the night was Egor Demin with 15 points — but they got a variety of contributors. Ziaire Williams hit a big triple, Cam Thomas scored seven of his 11 in the second half, and Day’Ron Sharpe dropped a memorable dime…
…all part of a team-wide effort to chip away. Brooklyn kept the deficit within single-digits the whole half, then made their push midway through the fourth quarter. Finally, Terance Mann drove off the catch and rose up for an and-1 layup, punctuated by a flagrant foul from Grayson Allen…
Mann hit the free-throw, giving the Nets the lead and beginning a see-saw affair in the final few minutes. Dëmin hit a three, Mark Williams continued his monster night (27 points) with two more buckets inside. Brooklyn might have run away with this thing, but despite their resiliency, they could not get a handle on the little things. Phoenix scored a whopping 72 points in the paint, partially because Brooklyn turned it over 22 times…
Despite that, they still had a chance to win as Terance Mann brought the ball up court, trailing by two points with just over a minute left. Former Net Royce O’Neale back-poked him, setting off a mad dash for the ball, ending in a tie-up between former teammates and current friends Ziaire Williams and Dillon Brooks. That was just the beginning, though.
The baby-faced Dëmin finally had enough of Dillon Brooks, who had previously picked up both a flagrant foul and technical foul (for shoving Dëmin, incidentally) earlier in the game. Dëmin gave Brooks a shove, Brooks smartly exaggerated it, and then half the arena seemingly got involved…
A big scuffle breaks out after Egor Demin shoves Dillon Brooks, who was pulling at a loose ball well after the whistle was blown. Brooks shoved Demin earlier in the game and got a tech.
The Suns lead the Nets 104-102 with 1:14 remaining. Officials are going to the monitor for a… pic.twitter.com/9AmGhZcR0a
O’Neale grabbed Dëmin, Ziaire Williams and Grayson Allen had their own cussing match off to the side, Mann grabbed O’Neale as a crowd gravitated around them (Dëmin quietly walked away). In the middle of the chaos, Michael Porter Jr. shoved Suns assistant DeMarre Carroll, and only then did Ziaire Williams get injured: Postgame, Jordi Fernández reported that a well-meaning Suns coach ran into Williams while trying to break up the fight, and Williams had to be helped to the locker room postgame.
“Those are just guys protecting each other and fighting for each other, and I think they did a great job,” said Fernández of his team. “You know, you’re not going to let any of your teammates get hit or pushed or anything. Obviously, there’s boundaries and we don’t want anybody to get hurt here, but you know, you’ve seen a few dirty play. They call it, they didn’t call it, I think it got out of hand because of that.”
Whew boy. Three technicals on the Nets, two on the Suns. Frankly, Dillon Brooks’ master plan of being a huge [redacted] all game worked, as it typically does. Grayson Allen, often less cunning in his mischief, stepped to the line for the technical free-throw…and missed it. No harm done?
Not quite. With Williams hurt, the Suns could choose which Net to sub in the game for the jump-ball, and they chose Ben Saraf. Jordi Fernández then left him on the floor for the game-tying possession, which never went anywhere and ended in a 24-second violation. Then, Fernández subbed in Danny Wolf to guard Grayson Allen, who spun right around him for an extra-bitter dagger.
Baffling decisions, tanking decisions, or an extreme effort to get a couple rookies some crunch-time reps? You decide. Either way, the Nets continued the pattern, following up an ugly blowout with late-game heartbreak. They’ve now lost six in a row, their record now a pitiful 12-33. But hey, it’s a tanking season, and at least there was a clear positive on Tuesday night.
“I like my guys sticking up for each other…the resiliency and keep fighting, I think we did it.” — Jordi Fernández
Final Score: Phoenix Suns 106, Brooklyn Nets 102
Milestone Watch
Egor Dëmin made a pretty special 3-pointer midway through the second quarter. It marked his 33rd consecutive games with a triple, tying Landry Shamet (2018-19) and Rudy Fernández (2008-09), for the all-time longest streak by a rookie.
Michael Porter Jr. tied his season-high with those 36 points
Brooklyn is still the fifth in Tankathon rankings but only two games out of first, and ONE in the win column!
Injury Report
Jordi Fernández had no further update on Ziaire Williams postgame, saying the team did not know what the injury was. Based on his limp and escort off the floor, it may be lower body, but that is merely an educated guess at this point.
Nolan Traore and Cam Thomas both returned from one-game absences for this one. However, despite Traore having the best game of his NBA career vs. the Boston Celtics on Friday night, he did not see any minutes.
Meanwhile, Noah Clowney missed his second consecutive game with back soreness.
Next Up
<p>Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>
The Brooklyn Nets now embark on the worst back-to-back the NBA schedule could possibly offer: Denver and Utah. Hope you like your oxygen thin! Tip-off against the Denver Nuggets is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
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