Worldwide Sports News

Not all star players have the same personality.

That became abundantly clear during Shaquille O’Neal’s postgame interview with Karl-Anthony Towns after the Knicks’ rousing 108-106 comeback win over the Rockets on Saturday night at the Garden.

Before Towns scored a team-high 25 points in the win, Shaq, along with Charles Barkley, criticized the Knicks’ big man’s game, calling him out for playing “soft.”

To his credit, O’Neal admitted to Towns after the game that he criticized his “soft” play because he has often seen him play with force and wants to see him do that on a consistent basis.

“At the beginning of the game, I said you were playing soft because I’ve seen you at times when you play great,” O’Neal told Towns on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” postgame show. “And what you must understand in New York, you need to be great for you guys to win the championship. It’s high aspirations.

“If you guys win the championship, of course, they’re gonna talk about [Jalen] Brunson, but it’s you and your play. You have to be dominant. You responded very, very well. You played well, you played in the paint, that’s how you should play. You should always play great. Being from Jersey, good ain’t good enough. You had a great game tonight. I’m proud of you.”

If Shaq was looking for agreement from Towns, he was in for a bit of a surprise.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

“Nah, for sure. But what you said, too, if we win a championship, they can talk about anybody as long as we all get a ring. That’s the most important thing. I don’t care about none of that.”

It was a team-first response by Towns, but Shaq still wasn’t buying it and came back with a quick retort.

Before the game, @SHAQ said KAT was "playing soft."

KAT responded with 25 PTS and a comeback win that had Shaq impressed pic.twitter.com/L4O10DDWmV

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 22, 2026

“No, but you gotta play great. 1-2 punch, and you’re a part of that 1-2 punch,” O’Neal said.

Towns gave Shaq’s point a quick acknowledgement but doubled down on his point that helping bring the Knicks an NBA title is what it’s all about, not individual accolades.

“Hell yeah, but I wanna make sure we all understand that the biggest goal, the main goal here, is to win,” Towns said. “It don’t matter about who gets the credit or whatever.”

But O’Neal tripled down on his point, replying: “It ain’t about that, you gotta play great. Nope, you gotta play great to get the credit.”

Towns, sounding like he was ready to end this part of the interview replied: “I hear you. Legend, I agree with you.”

After the interview with Towns was complete, Barkley told Shaq that Towns is a good player and a nice guy, but that it’s not in his mental makeup to have a killer mindset. He also added you can’t force a player to be something he’s not.

Despite the drama, it appears Towns may be starting to turn the corner.

Towns — a six-time All-Star — posted his fourth-straight 20-point game, his longest streak of the season.

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — T20 World Cup co-host Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field against England in their Super Eights Group 2 game on Sunday.

England has happy memories of the venue where it routed Sri Lanka 3-0 in a T20 series before the tournament.

However, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka was confident to chase under overcast conditions after beating Australia earlier in a group match when opening batter Pathum Nissanka scored a belligerent century.

Sri Lanka made two changes, bringing back fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera in place of Pramod Madushan while Kamil Mishra made way for Kusal Perera.

England captain Harry Brook said he would have liked to bowl first had he won the toss.

“See how it (the wicket) plays early on and try to adapt,” Brook said.

England has picked the same XI for the fourth straight game in the tournament, which meant Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid providing it three spin options with Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer the two pace bowlers.

Later on Sunday, in a Group 1 Super Eights game, India will take on South Africa at Ahmedabad.

___

Line-ups:

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (captain), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dunith Wellelage, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera.

___

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

In Jose Alvarado’s first four games with the Knicks, his offensive splits were much better in the two road games — both victories — than they were in the team’s two home losses at the Garden.

But the Brooklyn native enjoyed the first true MSG moment of his homecoming, helping spark the comeback from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a rousing 108-106 victory over the Rockets.

Alvarado was used by coach Mike Brown for significant minutes to help spark the team’s defensive revival down the stretch, finishing with eight points, five steals and a plus-18 rating over 20 minutes off the bench, even earning José Reyes-style chants of “Jose, Jose, Jose” from the appreciative crowd.

“It’s always gonna [feel] amazing. It’s kind of like a pride thing I got,” Alvarado said after the game.“It’s like when I play for my national team [Puerto Rico] or my country, I’m playing for my hometown, and I’m always gonna have to represent on another level, and just compete.”

Alvarado’s New York roots and gritty two-way playing style figured to endear him immediately to the MSG crowds following a trade-deadline acquisition from the Pelicans.

The undrafted five-year veteran’s best of his first four appearances in a Knicks uniform easily was a 26-point eruption in 19 minutes — on 8-for-13 shooting from 3-point range — in Wednesday’s road win over the 76ers. Alvarado also managed 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting (2-for 6 from deep) in a win in Boston in his team debut.

That represents a sharp contrast for the Christ the King High School product’s first two home games since his acquisition, with just 10 total points on 4-for-13 shooting, including 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. The backup point guard, known as “Grand Theft Alvarado,” also totaled seven steals in the two road victories and just one in two home defeats.

“Just getting a real rhythm,” Alvarado said earlier this week. “Like I’ve said, it just comes with spending time with the guys and being around them and slowly getting it.

“But we’re passing that, we’re in rhythm now so we’ve got a good stretch ahead of us and we’re trying to do something special here.”

Jalen Brunson was on the bench, and the Knicks were down by 16 to start the fourth, but 3-pointers by Landry Shamet, Karl-Anthony Towns and Alvarado plus a putback slam by Mikal Bridges pulled the Knicks within six with about seven minutes to play.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

“Sometimes it’s not gonna be shots falling and you gotta do the little things, get steals, and do that,” Alvarado said. “But it’s always gonna be a different type of motor when I put that jersey on. I’m from here, and I gotta represent the best way I can.”

Alvarado then cut the deficit to two with a strip of Kevin Durant and a layup before Brunson eventually tied it with 1:27 remaining.

“[Assistant coach] Rick Brunson was the one that suggested throwing Jose in the game at the time, which was the right call,” Brown said. “We threw Jose in, and he gave us a spark on both ends of the floor.”

Karl-Anthony Towns' message to his teammates entering the fourth quarter with the Knicks down 16 to the Houston Rockets was simple: Get stops.

In fact, he challenged his team to do so if they wanted to win the game and not be blown out for a second consecutive game following the All-Star break, himself included.

"I just challenged our team to start the fourth," Towns said. "I said, ‘we can win this game and I’ve seen us do it and it starts with the first possession of the fourth quarter playing defense. We gotta get a stop.’ I wanted to do my part as well and glad I was able to find a way to get that stop and from then I wanted to set the tone for our team and set the intensity level that we needed to play for for 12 minutes if we expected to come out with a win."

New York ended up pulling off an incredible fourth-quarter comeback by outscoring the Rockets, 33-15, in the final frame. Some of that was Jalen Brunson coming alive late in the quarter after Houston did a great job of limiting him offensively, but it was also the team-wide effort shown across the board.

Towns himself finished with 25 points and OG Anunoby was the main scoring threat early in the game, ending with 20 points while doing what he does defensively. Even role players like Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet played important parts in the win, as did the raucous MSG crowd.

"We got stops. We got turnovers and that translated into offense and it gave us a confidence boost, that momentum," Towns said. "The crowd was amazing, all 15 guys on the team were amazing."

Before the fourth quarter, the Knicks had little answers for Houston's trio of Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun. And even though Durant led all scorers with 30 points, he and the rest of the Rockets were held in check for the most part during the fourth quarter. 

For example, Sengun went 0-for-4 with two turnovers in the fourth, mostly defended by Towns. Meanwhile, Alvarado (suggested to head coach Mike Brown by assistant Rick Brunson to be on the floor for the fourth) did most of his damage in the final frame and finished with eight points, four assists and five steals.

"We got stops that we needed and then our leaders KAT and JB stepped up and do what they do and took us to the promised land," Alvarado said.

Knicks coach Mike Brown pushed back on the idea that Karl-Anthony Towns has to be more involved in the offense or more assertive.

Then Towns went out and proved him right, at least for one night.

He finished with a team-high 25 points in the 108-106 win over the Rockets on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

“Knowing that those two guys are our leading scorer, our second-leading scorer [Jalen Brunson and Towns], first-most shots, second-most shots; trying to fit those two guys in that order and then everybody else is what’s most important,” Brown said before Thursday’s game.

“I look at KAT and he’s probably right where he should be. Maybe he should be the leading scorer, I don’t know, but for sure the second-leading scorer — he’s that. He gets the second-most field goal attempts behind Jalen. … The No. 1 guy is probably gonna get the most stuff, because he’s the No. 1 guy. The No. 2 guy, he’s gonna get the second-most stuff because he’s the No. 2. So whatever you do, hopefully it averages out to you getting the second most, if you’re the No. 2 guy.”

But Brown did concede that he has made changes to the offense in order to maximize Towns.

“We’ve simplified it a lot,” Brown said. “We’ve simplified it a lot to try to fit him in and everyone else at the same time. … Our offense is different now than it was in the preseason because I’ve had to try to adjust and make it fit everybody to where Jalen’s getting his first, KAT’s getting his second, then we go from there.”

Tyler Kolek was briefly sent down to the G-League so that he could play for the Westchester Knicks on Saturday.

He recorded 19 points and 13 assists in 37 minutes in Westchester’s 122-114 win over the Cleveland Charge.

The Knicks then recalled him to the active roster immediately after the game, and he was available for Saturday night’s game, though he did not see any action.

“Shower up quick, head down there,” Kolek said after the G-League game. “Hopefully, I’ll make it for the tip.”

Kolek has fallen out of Brown’s rotation since the Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado just ahead of the trade deadline as a backup guard.

“Jose’s played, obviously,” Brown said before Saturday’s game. “Jose’s played well for us. He’s given us a different look. Tyler’s been awesome, for Year 2. He has a chance to be a good pro, really good pro. He’s just gotta stick with it, and we gotta keep trying to help him by finding ways for him to get reps. So today was a good opportunity for us to find a way for him to get a rep.”

Mitchell Robinson played 18 minutes and recorded six points and four rebounds on Saturday.

He is expected to sit the second leg of the back-to-back against the Bulls in Chicago on Sunday.

Giants coach John Harbaugh was in attendance Saturday and received a loud ovation from the MSG crowd when he was shown on the jumbotron.

Utah Jazz (18-39, 13th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (34-21, fourth in the Western Conference)

Houston; Monday, 9:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Keyonte George and the Utah Jazz visit Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in Western Conference action.

The Rockets are 19-16 in Western Conference games. Houston is 14-5 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 14.4 turnovers per game.

The Jazz are 10-26 against conference opponents. Utah averages 15.5 turnovers per game and is 7-7 when winning the turnover battle.

The Rockets are shooting 47.2% from the field this season, 1.6 percentage points lower than the 48.8% the Jazz allow to opponents. The Jazz score 8.8 more points per game (118.2) than the Rockets give up to opponents (109.4).

The teams square off for the third time this season. In the last matchup on Dec. 2 the Jazz won 133-125 led by 29 points from Lauri Markkanen, while Durant scored 32 points for the Rockets.

TOP PERFORMERS: Durant is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the Rockets. Jabari Smith Jr. is averaging 16.9 points over the last 10 games.

Jusuf Nurkic is scoring 10.9 points per game and averaging 10.4 rebounds for the Jazz. Isaiah Collier is averaging 16.7 points and 3.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 105.2 points, 45.9 rebounds, 22.9 assists, 9.4 steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.5 points per game.

Jazz: 3-7, averaging 115.9 points, 46.4 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 10.6 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.1 points.

INJURIES: Rockets: Jae'Sean Tate: day to day (knee), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).

Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: day to day (illness), Keyonte George: day to day (ankle), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: day to day (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Philadelphia 76ers (30-26, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (35-22, sixth in the Western Conference)

Minneapolis; Sunday, 7 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Timberwolves -8.5; over/under is 237.5

BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota hosts the Philadelphia 76ers after Anthony Edwards scored 40 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 122-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Timberwolves have gone 20-10 at home. Minnesota is fourth in the Western Conference with 16.0 fast break points per game led by Ayo Dosunmu averaging 3.6.

The 76ers are 15-11 on the road. Philadelphia ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference shooting 35.3% from 3-point range.

The Timberwolves are shooting 48.3% from the field this season, 1.2 percentage points higher than the 47.1% the 76ers allow to opponents. The 76ers average 115.9 points per game, 1.2 more than the 114.7 the Timberwolves give up to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Naz Reid is scoring 14.3 points per game and averaging 6.4 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Edwards is averaging 29.0 points and 5.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Tyrese Maxey is averaging 28.9 points, 6.7 assists and two steals for the 76ers. Kelly Oubre Jr. is averaging 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 123.2 points, 44.5 rebounds, 25.9 assists, 9.7 steals and 6.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.3 points per game.

76ers: 5-5, averaging 112.7 points, 41.5 rebounds, 22.9 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.0 points.

INJURIES: Timberwolves: None listed.

76ers: Joel Embiid: out (knee).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

New York Knicks (36-21, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (24-33, 12th in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Sunday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Knicks -10.5; over/under is 232.5

BOTTOM LINE: Chicago looks to end its eight-game skid when the Bulls take on New York.

The Bulls are 16-24 in conference matchups. Chicago is sixth in the league with 52.0 points in the paint led by Josh Giddey averaging 8.6.

The Knicks have gone 24-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York is third in the Eastern Conference scoring 117.7 points per game and is shooting 47.2%.

The Bulls' 14.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.8 more made shots on average than the 13.8 per game the Knicks allow. The Knicks average 14.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.9 more makes per game than the Bulls give up.

The teams square off for the third time this season. The Knicks won the last matchup 128-116 on Nov. 3. Jalen Brunson scored 31 points to help lead the Knicks to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Anfernee Simons is scoring 14.3 points per game and averaging 2.5 rebounds for the Bulls. Matas Buzelis is averaging 15.2 points and 6.0 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Mikal Bridges is scoring 15.7 points per game and averaging 4.2 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 24.5 points and 4.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 1-9, averaging 110.2 points, 42.3 rebounds, 25.2 assists, 8.3 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 124.1 points per game.

Knicks: 7-3, averaging 118.7 points, 43.8 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 7.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.0 points.

INJURIES: Bulls: Anfernee Simons: day to day (wrist), Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Jaden Ivey: out (knee), Zach Collins: out for season (toe).

Knicks: Miles McBride: out (ankle).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

San Antonio Spurs (40-16, second in the Western Conference) vs. Detroit Pistons (42-13, first in the Eastern Conference)

Detroit; Monday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Detroit is looking to continue its five-game win streak with a victory over San Antonio.

The Pistons are 22-6 on their home court. Detroit scores 117.6 points while outscoring opponents by 8.3 points per game.

The Spurs are 19-10 on the road. San Antonio is the NBA leader with 35.3 defensive rebounds per game led by Victor Wembanyama averaging 9.3.

The Pistons make 48.1% of their shots from the field this season, which is 2.7 percentage points higher than the Spurs have allowed to their opponents (45.4%). The Spurs score 9.3 more points per game (118.6) than the Pistons allow (109.3).

TOP PERFORMERS: Ausar Thompson is scoring 10.2 points per game and averaging 5.9 rebounds for the Pistons. Cade Cunningham is averaging 26.4 points and 5.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Wembanyama is averaging 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks for the Spurs. De'Aaron Fox is averaging 15.8 points and 7.4 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pistons: 8-2, averaging 119.1 points, 44.9 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 11.1 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.2 points per game.

Spurs: 9-1, averaging 124.0 points, 48.2 rebounds, 30.6 assists, 7.4 steals and 7.1 blocks per game while shooting 51.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.4 points.

INJURIES: Pistons: None listed.

Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle), Lindy Waters III: out (knee), Mason Plumlee: out (reconditioning).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Ariel Lassiter had the only goal of the second half and Portland beat the Columbus Crew 3-2 in a season opener on Saturday night, topping off a record-setting night for the Timbers' Diego Chará.

Lassiter scored the winner in the 88th minute on a night when Chará became the first field player in league history to make 400 starts with one club. It was the 500th MLS match for the Timbers and Chará has appeared in 427 of them as he begins his league-record 16th season with one team.

Kevin Kelsy and defender Jimer Fory had assists on Lassiter's 13th goal in 171 career appearances.

Wessam Abou Ali scored unassisted in the sixth minute to give Columbus an early lead.

Felipe Mora tied it with a goal in the 14th minute and Antony Alves Santos put Portland ahead with a goal six minutes later. Gage Guerra and Chará notched assists on Mora's goal and newcomer Cole Bassett assisted on Antony's score. Bassett came over in a trade with the Colorado Rapids.

Diego Rossi tied it 2-2 when he scored for the Crew in the 44th minute with assists from Abou Ali and Malte Amundsen.

James Pantemis finished with three saves in goal for the Timbers and Patrick Schulte turned away three shots for the Crew.

Up next

Portland: At Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

Columbus: At Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer