Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half and No. Louisville held on to defeat No. Kentucky 96-88 on Tuesday night.
Knicks' Mike Brown: OG Anunoby 'is an All-Star,' deserves to be in Defensive Player of the Year consideration
OG Anunoby has never been an All-Star in his nine-year NBA career.
That will likely change this season if the Knicks wing keeps playing like he has through his first nine games, especially if head coach Mike Brown has a say.
But that's not all the recognition he believes Anunoby deserves.
"OG is an All-Star, in my opinion," Brown said after Tuesday's 133-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. "Not only is he an All-Star, he's an all-defensive performer. In my opinion, he should have an opportunity, amongst others in our group, to fight for Defensive Player of the Year in the league.
Brown continued, saying the 28-year-old is reaching new heights as a "playmaker" while still adjusting to a different style of offense.
"He's worked his tail off in the summertime, first of all. And then secondly, he's just getting comfortable with what we're trying to do. He knows where guys should be on the floor when he drives. He's making quick decisions with the basketball. When he feels a second defender step up, again based off of what we're trying to do offensively, he knows what spot should be filled. Anybody can make those passes almost blindly because he knows he's done his job and somebody should be there.
"He's just embracing what we're trying to do offensively with his talent, his size, his athleticism, his IQ. It's just showing that he can still go to another level as a playmaker."
In his first season under Brown, Anunoby is averaging career-highs in points (18.2), rebounds (6.2), and steals (2.2) per game.
He's also shooting a career-high 43.8 percent from three and making a career-high 3.1 three-pointers per game. His true shooting percentage is a best 62.5 percent, while his usage rate is also a high of 21.1.
Defensively, Anunoby currently ranks fifth in the league in defensive win shares at 0.187, trailing only Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr., OKC's Ajay Mitchell and Chet Holmgren, and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama. While it may be difficult to steal the DPOY from Wemby, Anunoby could find himself on an All-Defensive team.
Previously, Anunoby finished seventh in DPOY voting in the 2022-23 season after leading the league in steals (1.9) and earned All-Defensive Second Team honors that year.
What Anunoby has done so far this season is impressive, and, like Brown believes, his efforts should earn him a spot at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Inglewood, CA and other accolades at the end of the year.
Mike Brown on OG Anunoby:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 12, 2025
"OG is an All-Star, in my opinion. Not only is he an All-Star, he's an all-defensive performer. In my opinion he should have an opportunity amongst others in our group to fight for Defensive Player of the Year in the league" pic.twitter.com/RPeGgSszsv
Penguins' Fast Start Has Erik Karlsson's Fingerprints All Over It
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson was involved in a lot of trade rumors during this offseason.
He was coming off his second season with the Penguins after they acquired him from the San Jose Sharks before the 2023-24 season. Penguins general manager and president Kyle Dubas was trying to give this core one more push toward contention before he pivoted and started rebuilding at the 2024 trade deadline with the Jake Guentzel trade, since the Penguins were outside the playoff picture at the time. They tried to make a late-season push for the playoffs, but fell three points short.
Dubas has kept the same plan since that trade deadline and wants to return the Penguins to contention as urgently as possible. It felt like Karlsson wasn't going to be part of those plans after the 2024-25 season, but Dubas opted to hold onto Karlsson during the offseason, and it's been a great decision.
Karlsson is off to a tremendous start to the 2025-26 season, compiling one goal and 12 points in 17 games. His one goal came against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3, and it was a blistering shot.
He's been showcasing his playmaking ability at 5v5 and on the power play, the latter of which was a bit of a struggle for him these last two years. He wasn't even quarterbacking the top power play unit for most of last year (that job belonged to Matt Grzelcyk), but he has been great in the role this year. He's making the right reads at the point and using his elite skating ability to his advantage.
At 5v5, he's driving offense and is even holding his own in his own end. Part of it has to do with how steady Parker Wotherspoon has been as his partner, but you're not seeing him out to lunch nearly as much in his own zone like you did these previous two seasons. Speaking of the Karlsson-Wotherspoon pair, the two have played 243:32 at 5v5 this season, and when they're on the ice, the Penguins have had 52.7% of the shot attempts, 54% of the scoring chances, 57.4% of the high-danger chances, and 60% of the actual goals (9-6).
Dan Muse and Co. were never going to change Karlsson's playstyle. He's the best offensive defenseman of his generation for a reason. However, there was the opportunity to tweak certain aspects of his game, and so far, that has all worked to perfection. He's not being too aggressive in his pinches, like you'd see under former head coach Mike Sullivan. His positioning has also been outstanding. He's taking those top-pairing minutes and running with them.
Karlsson has even gotten some time on the penalty kill, which hasn't always been the case during his Penguins tenure. He spent a combined 78 minutes on the penalty kill these last two seasons and is already up to 31:45 of penalty kill time in just 17 games this year. He hasn't missed a beat on that unit and has done a great job getting his stick in shooting lanes and winning puck battles down low, leading to clears. It's part of the reason the Penguins rank seventh in the league with an 84.3% PK.
Penguins Take Swedish Goaltending Prospect To Stockholm As Third GoalieThe trip overseas to Stockholm, Sweden for the NHL Global Series presented the opportunity for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> to bring a third-string goaltender with them.
Overall, Karlsson is a big reason why the Penguins are off to a 9-5-3 start and is proving Dubas right for holding onto him during the offseason. He's also trying to secure a roster spot on the Swedish Olympic team after he was on the 4 Nations Face-Off team back in February. He was on a pairing with Mattias Ekholm, and they had great chemistry together. Nobody should be surprised if they get more minutes this coming February, especially if they both make the team.
Karlsson is set to play in his home country on Friday and Sunday, as the Penguins take part in this year's NHL Global Series. They'll play the Nashville Predators in both games before returning to Pittsburgh next week.
We're only a little over a month into the season, but so far, Karlsson is doing an outstanding job silencing his naysayers.
(Data via Natural Stat Trick).
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Knicks continue offensive onslaught vs. Grizzlies, but defense still a work in progress: 'We've got to finish games better'
The Knicks continued their dominance at home on Tuesday night, defeating the Grizzlies 133-120, pushing their winning streak to five games and starting the season 7-0 at MSG.
New York showed a lot of what has made them dangerous in the early going. They throttled the Grizzlies' defense for 78 first-half points and forced 11 Memphis turnovers. If you saw the final score, you'd think it was a much closer game, and the Knicks would tell you that it shouldn't have been.
Despite their offensive outburst in the first half, the Grizzlies outplayed them in the second, outscoring the Knicks 66-56. And first-year head coach Mike Brown brought up his team's defensive lapses in his opening statement after Tuesday's win.
"The first half, we did a really good job in a lot of areas...and our transition defense in the first half wasn't great but it was ok against a team like that," Brown said. "According to our measurements, they had 16 fastbreak points against us in the first half. The second half, we let up. We didn't sprint back like we should have...we did not play our rules and they got layup after layup after layup against us in transition, which gave them confidence...29 fastbreak points to a team in a half is going to kill ya. Especially when you have 11 turnovers in that half. We were careless with the ball as well...Hopefully, we'll grow from this and try to put 48 minutes in our next game because those two areas we did not do a good job of."
The Knicks will hope to put together that full 48-minute performance on the second of their back-to-back on Wednesday against the Magic, but they wasted an opportunity for extra rest because they allowed the Grizzlies to stick around. One positive is that New York is expected to have center Mitchell Robinson in the lineup after he sat out Tuesday due to injury management. Brown was asked about the defense and Robinson's role in it, but the coach didn't want that to be an excuse.
"It wasn't about Mitch; they killed us in transition," he said. "Give them credit because they kept fighting, but we could have had anybody on the floor, it would have been bad. We didn't do a good job getting back, we didn't do a good job following our rules while getting back."
While the Knicks let Memphis hang around in the second half, the offensive performance they put on allowed them to hold on. The team scored 130-plus points in their third straight game, which is the first time that's been done in franchise history.
Jalen Brunson was awesome, scoring 32 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing 10 assists. He is now tied for third in franchise history with Stephon Marbury and Ray Williams for the most 30/10/5 performances as a Knick (five).
But even the captain wasn't pleased with how his team finished Tuesday's game.
"Yeah, we're clicking (on offense), most importantly, we've got to finish games better," Brunson said. "Whatever's happening on offense, there's going to be times when we're not making shots and stuff. But we got to better defensively no matter what. It has to be our focus moving forward."
Brunson says the lapses are a product of late communication or simply a lack of communication, but was encouraged by the team's offensive production, especially in the first half.
"Ball's moving, playing off each other, playing ball," Brunson said. "When the ball is going in like that, it's great to see."
The Knicks shot 55 percent (39.3 percent from three) with 19 assists in the first two quarters. That's a product of Brown's offensive system that has ramped up the team's output.
Following New York's win over the Nets on Sunday, the team was the No. 2-ranked offense and had the league lead in made three-pointers per 100 possessions.
They will look to keep it going on Wednesday against the Magic, where they'll look to go a perfect 8-0 at home this season.
What To Know: NHL Global Series Feat. The Pittsburgh Penguins And Nashville Predators
The 2025-26 NHL Global Series is finally here, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators are gearing up for their two-game set at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Pittsburgh's last trip to Stockholm in 2008 ended up turning out pretty well for them, as they later went on to beat the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final for the franchise's third championship. And - according to NHL.com writer Amalie Benjamin - that's something that isn't unique to the Penguins.
In fact, starting with the Penguins' trip to Stockholm in 2008, there have been 10 NHL trips outside of North America. Six teams participating in those contests went on to win the Stanley Cup in the same respective year as their trip.
In other words, these trips actually tend to mean a lot in the grand scheme of things, whether that's due to the team bonding experiences or a break from the normalcy of the NHL schedule. And there are added stakes since these games will count toward the regular season.
Here is what you need to know about this year's Global Series between the Pens and Preds:
- Including this season, the NHL debuted the Global Series in 2017 when the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche squared off, and it had been six years since the league played an international regular season game overseas - as the NHL Premiere series ended in 2011. This is the seventh season the NHL has done the Global Series, as there was a recess in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Penguins Five-Day Break Before Sweden Games Comes At Perfect TimeThe Pittsburgh Penguins have five days off before their next game, and it couldn't come at a better time. - Both games will take place at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, and it will be an international home-and-home series. The two-game set begins Friday at 2:00 p.m. EDT, and it concludes on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. EDT.
- The games can be viewed on Sportsnet and Sportsnet Pittsburgh for regional coverage and on NHL Network for national/international coverage.
- The Penguins enter the Global Series third in the Metropolitan Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 21 points and a record of 9-5-3. They have lost four out of their last five games and have blown leads in three of them.
Forsberg And Wilsby Hope Global Series Will Breathe New Life Into PredatorsFilip Forsberg and Adam Wilsby have an opportunity to play two NHL games in their home country of Sweden. But this trip could also provide a fresh start for the Nashville Predators.- The Predators enter the Global Series at 5-9-4 with 14 points, which is second from the bottom of the league standings. The Calgary Flames are the only team with a lower points percentage (.278) than the Preds (.389). They are on a three-game losing streak.
- The Penguins are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games against Nashville.
- The Penguins' active roster features two Swedes in defenseman Erik Karlsson and goaltender Filip Larsson - who was named the team's third-string goaltender for the trip. They also have two inactive Swedish players on their roster in forwards Rickard Rakell and Filip Hallander, who are both on injured reserve. Rakell made the trip, while Hallander did not. The Predators feature forward Filip Forsberg and defenseman Adam Wilsby.
Penguins Take Swedish Goaltending Prospect To Stockholm As Third GoalieThe trip overseas to Stockholm, Sweden for the NHL Global Series presented the opportunity for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> to bring a third-string goaltender with them.
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Lincoln Riley says fake punt was ‘entirely legal’ after Big Ten rebuke
While critics suggested USC violated rules while using a backup quarterback in the same jersey number as its punter, Lincoln Riley defended the play.
No. 7 BYU rallies after halftime to beat Delaware 85-68
Robert Wright III and Richie Saunders each scored 26 points to lead No. BYU to an 85-68 victory over Delaware on Tuesday night. Wright also had nine assists and nine rebounds.
Three Takeaways: Flames Fall Short Of Comeback in St. Louis
The St. Louis Blues beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 in what came to be a rare thriller situation for the Flames in the Gateway to the West.
Here are the takeaways:
Needed A Good Start
Until the two Calgary goals that were scored in a span of 25 seconds by the 14:29 mark of the second period, the Blues outshot the Flames 22-20, out-chanced them 21-16 in scoring chances and 12-4 in high-danger scoring chances.
After that, it seemed to light a fire in Calgary as until the end of the game, the Flames outshot St. Louis 21-9, out-chanced them 7-6 in scoring chances and 3-2 in high-danger scoring chances.
But Jordan Binnington proved to be too good.
A good start is always necessary.
In the bigger picture, the Flames outshot the Blues 40-31, but St. Louis doubled them in high-danger scoring chances 14-7. Quality counts...
Penalty Costing Dearly
In a one-goal game, a single goal given up on the power play will always be scrutinized. Deservedly so.
But that's not the only reason why the penalty was costly.
Out of the 18 games Calgary has played so far, the time on the penalty-kill in this game (3:46) ranks the seventh-lowest but the shots on goal given up on it (7) were the seventh-highest and the eventual goal was the nail in the coffin.
Dustin Wolf
Even though it was a losing effort and his small size was taken advantage of, Wolf did face the seventh-most shots on goal in a Flames game this season. He came out with a save percentage of 0.903 which is still a consolation prize in this loss.
Bottom Line
This game showed something new in the Flames. That they had spunk and fire (pardon the pun).
For the first time since the season opener, you saw passion on both sides of the ice.
Let's see if this carries on.
Dwayne Aristode hits six 3-pointers as No. 5 Arizona rolls to 84-49 win over Northern Arizona
Dwayne Aristode scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, Jaden Bradley added 13 points and No. 5 Arizona routed Northern Arizona 84-49 on Tuesday night. The Wildcats (3-0) were sloppy at times offensively, particularly early, but locked down the Lumberjacks (1-2) to win their 36th straight game in the series. Arizona held Northern Arizona to 32% shooting, including 4 of 16 from 3-point distance, and scored 25 points off the Lumberjacks' 17 turnovers.
Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson misses game with hamstring injury
Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson sat out Tuesday night's 77-46 rout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after hurting his hamstring in a shootaround earlier in the day, but coach Bill Self does not believe the injury will keep the potential NBA lottery pick out of the starting lineup for long. The No. 25 Jayhawks, who were coming off a loss at North Carolina, rolled even without Peterson, who many considered the No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school. “I actually told the guys, ‘I’m excited to watch you play because (Peterson) is not going to be there,'” Self said.
No. 18 Tar Heels adapt to Trimble-less lineup in win against Radford
North Carolina had almost no time to bask in the glow of last week's rousing win against fellow blueblood Kansas before taking a shot to the gut, coming in the form of senior Seth Trimble suffering a broken arm in a workout mishap. “This lineup change, it just happened a couple of days ago,” coach Hubert Davis said. It will take some time to adjust without Trimble, both from an experience standpoint with the 6-foot-3 guard in his fourth year with the program and the fact that he's the team's top perimeter defender.
No. 7 Oregon vs. Minnesota prediction: Odds, expert picks, team and player news, betting trends, and stats
No. 7 Oregon Ducks vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Game Preview
Winter’s double-double helps No. 24 Wisconsin trounce Ball State 86-55
Nolan Winter had 19 points and 10 rebounds as No. 24 Wisconsin never trailed in an 86-55 blowout of Ball State on Tuesday night. Nick Boyd and Braeden Carrington had 12 points each for Wisconsin (3-0). Austin Rapp added 11 points and Andrew Rohde had 10.
Acuff Jr. leads fourArkansas players in double figures as Razorbacks roll Central Arkansas, 93-56
Acuff made 3-pointers on three straight possessions and Knox added a three-point play to stretch Arkansas' (2-1) lead from 10 to 20 during a 12-2 run early in the second that ultimately ended the Bears' comeback chances. Another 13-2 run later in the half turned things in a blowout. Arkansas' defense limited Central Arkansas (1-2), especially in the second half.
Nets drop third straight after 119-109 loss to Raptors
NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 25 points to help the Toronto Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 119-109 on Tuesday night.
Immanuel Quickley had 24 points for Toronto, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Scottie Barnes finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Jakob Poetl had 12 points and 10 boards.
The Raptors won for the fifth time in six games. They shot 49.5 percent (45 for 91) from the field and outrebounded the Nets 50-36.
Nic Claxton and Michael Porter Jr. each had 21 points for Brooklyn, losers of 10 of its first 11 games to start the season. The Nets are winless in six games at home.
Playing its third game of a five-game trip, Toronto led 60-52 at halftime and increased its lead to 14 points early in the third quarter.
Brooklyn closed to 83-81 late in the third, but Toronto responded with three consecutive baskets, including a buzzer-beating floater from Jamal Shead.
Quickley’s three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run for the Raptors that made it 102-89 with 7:41 left.
Toronto has won in its last three visits to Barclays Center.
Up next
Raptors: Continue their trip at Cleveland on Thursday.
Nets: Visit Orlando on Friday.