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Per head coach Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors plan to keep Kristaps Porziņģis out of the next three games (tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers, Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies, and Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs), keep him in San Francisco to work towards game fitness, and debut him after the All-Star break.

Steve Kerr said the Warriors plan is to hold Kristaps Porzingis out the next three games, keep him working in San Francisco during the All-Star break and debut him out of the break.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 8, 2026

Porziņģis was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, a pivot-move from failing to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. Porziņģis hasn’t played since January 7 due to being diagnosed with what’s called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS. However, reports are that Porziņģis is healthy enough to return to play, with conditioning being the only hurdle he has to overcome.

This matchup with the Brooklyn Nets was the Wizards’ most important game of the season, and they came prepared. Shorthanded because of the Anthony Davis trade — apparently, it’s a long walk from Dallas to DC — the Wizards sat mainstays Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, and Alex Sarr with “injuries.”

Also sitting this one out: Trae Young (“injury”), Tre Johnson (sprained ankle), and Cam Whitmore (deep vein thrombosis).

And darn the luck, Skal Labissiere’s 10-day contract expired, and they couldn’t come to an agreement on another one. Or something. The front office didn’t forget that 10-day contracts exist — they gave one to Keshon Gilbert, who’s been playing for the Capital City Go-Go. Gilbert got 29 minutes.

Also, starters like Justin Champagnie (22 minutes), Tristan Vukcevich (20 minutes), and Bub Carrington (22 minutes) were apparently on some kind of minutes restriction. Presumably to protect their health.

Oh yeah, did I mention it was critical for the Wizards to lose this one? Yeah, it was essential. At 13-37, the Nets were a game ahead of Washington in the quest for better draft lottery odds. Losing this one puts the team’s in a virtual tie, but the Wizards are now 1-2 against Brooklyn, which means they have the tie-breaker. The teams have one more game against each other (likely a must-lose for both, which might lead to tank-tacular shenanigans), which is April 5. Mark your calendars.

Despite all that preparation, the Wizards played the Nets close for the first 6-7 minutes. Then Brian Keefe went to the bench, and things avalanched. Washington gave up 46 points and trailed by 26 after the first quarter. They fell behind by as much as 34 before mounting a second half comeback that got them as close as 12. Kudos to the available for playing hard throughout.

Thoughts & Observations

• Champagnie had 21 points on 8 shots to go with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in just 22 minutes.
• Good offensive game from Will Riley, who scored 27 points on very good efficiency (129 offensive rating). He managed just three rebounds and two assists in 45 minutes. The three steals and a block were nice.
• Sharife Cooper had another solid game — 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists — though the team was -20 with him out there.
• I’ve not been impressed by Danny Wolf so far this season, but he played the game of his (short) NBA life against Washington — 7-11 from the floor, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and zero turnovers.
• Nolan Traore is fast. YODA didn’t like him much as a draft prospect, but I can see what the eyeball scouts saw in him. So far, on balance, YODA is looking more likely to be correct. We’ll see.
• Michael Porter Jr. had a decent though subpar game (for him). Overall, his numbers this season look eerily like they did when he was with the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic was not in the game.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	WIZARDS	NETS	LGAVG
eFG%	53.8%	62.1%	54.3%
OREB%	13.5%	34.2%	26.1%
TOV%	15.1%	13.1%	12.7%
FTM/FGA	0.354	0.154	0.208
PACE	99		99.4
ORTG	114	128	115.5

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Will Riley	45	93	129	20.2%	2.6	130	-12
Justin Champagnie	22	46	147	34.2%	4.9	246	4
Sharife Cooper	29	59	134	17.2%	1.9	106	-20
Tristan Vukcevich	20	42	110	27.5%	-0.7	69	-2
Anthony Gill	28	57	110	15.8%	-0.5	43	-12
Bub Carrington	22	46	92	27.8%	-3.0	15	4
Jamir Watkins	45	93	95	13.7%	-2.6	4	-12
Keshon Gilbert	29	59	68	14.0%	-3.9	-23	-20

NETS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Danny Wolf	20	41	167	24.5%	5.1	305	24
Day’Ron Sharpe	20	41	143	32.8%	3.7	294	26
Nolan Traore	24	49	184	15.3%	5.1	183	-18
Michael Porter Jr.	31	63	120	27.8%	0.9	132	-8
Noah Clowney	27	56	140	20.6%	2.9	147	-14
Ben Saraf	24	50	108	19.6%	-0.8	128	32
Nic Claxton	28	59	133	16.0%	1.7	95	-12
Terance Mann	19	39	114	18.3%	-0.1	133	26
Drake Powell	22	46	88	12.0%	-1.5	9	24
Egor Demin	26	53	57	13.8%	-4.3	-22	-10

11-time NBA All-Star James Harden is set to make his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road tonight against the Sacramento Kings at 10 PM Eastern.

Cleveland acquired Harden in a stunning blockbuster deal earlier this week, trading away long-time point guard and two-time All-Star Darius Garland in the process.

It was an emotional week for Cavs fans. Many had personal attachments and appreciation for Garland’s time in Cleveland. His departure was marked final in Los Angeles as the entire team hugged him goodbye after their win over the Clippers.

Harden joins a roster rebuffed by championship expectations. Alongside him are two other newcomers in Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. Those two made their debuts against the Clippers on Wednesday night. They return to play their former team tonight.

Watching how Harden can fit in will be a treat. This is a generationally talented playmaker who demands the ball more than most players in league history. At the same time, Harden has co-existed with numerous stars throughout his career. Fitting in with Donovan Mitchell shouldn’t be too heavy a challenge.

Harden is averaging an elite 25 points and 8 assists this season. He still has an uncanny ability for drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. But, he’s also as good as it gets at orchestrating the pick-and-roll. Pay close attention to how Harden and Jarrett Allen get along tonight. Their two-man action could quickly become a bread and butter for the Cavs.

Cleveland has been on a roll recently. They’ve won eight of their last two games, improving to 31-21 after a rocky start to the season. They have the easiest remaining schedule in the Eastern Conference and might have improved at the deadline. We will get our first look at their biggest addition in just a few hours.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks newly acquired forward Jonathan Kuminga will miss at least one week while recovering from a left knee bone bruise.

The Hawks announced before Saturday night's home game against Charlotte that Kuminga suffered the injury while playing for Golden State at Dallas on Jan. 22. The Hawks acquired Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield in the trade which sent center Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors on Wednesday night.

The Hawks say Kuminga will be evaluated following the All-Star break.

Atlanta forward-center Onyeka Okongwu is available against Charlotte after missing four games with a dental fracture. Okongwu wore a protective mask in pregame warmups.

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

BOSTON — The hobbling Knicks arrived here Saturday to a snowy city, where the locals were gearing up for their big Drake Maye Day and Jaylen Brown had his sights set on the opponent he enjoys beating the most.

“We just got to keep it up,” Brown said after the Celtics toppled the Heat on Friday night. “Sunday is going to be a big matchup so we need the fans to have the same energy.

“Looking forward to it.”

For the Beantowners, it’s a pre-Super Bowl showdown against the Knicks, who eliminated the Celtics from the playoffs last year and are now among a handful of teams jockeying at the top of the East.

The Knicks (33-19), whose eight-game winning streak was embarrassingly snapped Friday night in a blowout defeat to the Pistons, are third in the conference and a full game behind the No. 2 Celtics (34-18).

New York is banged up — with Miles McBride out for the regular season (sports hernia surgery), OG Anunoby (sore toe) and Karl-Anthony Towns (lacerated eyelid) sitting the previous game and Josh Hart reinjuring his ankle — but Jose Alvarado, the newly acquired scrappy point guard, is expected to debut for the orange and blue.

“He just brings a level of toughness to the team, his energy is unmatched,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “What he can do defensively in the full court and even in the frontcourt on the ball, especially on pick-and-rolls and stuff like that, is at a pretty high level.”

The Celtics also have a newcomer — the skilled but athletically limited Nikola Vucevic — who they got from the Bulls ahead of the trade deadline.

But Boston’s success this season — which is a surprise given Jayson Tatum’s absence following Achilles surgery — rides on the shoulders of Brown, who has made it known how he feels about the Knicks.

“Last year [in 2024] we were a championship team,” Brown said in a Netflix show ahead of this season. “We won the championship … Duckboats, champagne. … This year we gotta listen to insufferable Knicks fans. I don’t know how we lost in general.”

In December, Brown was more blunt: “F–k the Knicks,” he said on a livestream, a few weeks after dropping 42 points in a victory over New York at TD Garden.

Sunday is the latest installment of the rivalry and occurs with New York looking up at Boston in the standings.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

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The Knicks had been impressive for weeks before their ugly effort Friday in Detroit, where they managed a season-low 80 points and were overwhelmed by the Pistons speed and physicality.

“We missed a lot of shots offensively,” reserve guard Jordan Clarkson said. “They pressured us. We were just taking tough shots throughout the whole game. So, they got out and scored easy transition points and stuff like that. So, it’s definitely tough to beat a team on their own court when stuff like that is happening.”

The Celtics, who have won five straight, are theoretically a better matchup than the Pistons for the Knicks, who won’t win a footrace but can handle size.

The teams split the first two matchups of this season.

And if the current standings hold up, the Knicks would again meet the Celtics in the second round.

That’s an opportunity Brown — who is averaging 29.5 points this season — has been waiting for.

But first: a Super Bowl undercard at TD Garden.

The new-look Utah Jazz will take on the Orlando Magic in the first game, with Jaren Jackson Jr., Vince Williams, and John Konchar now available for the Jazz. What’s exciting for Jazz fans is that they get to watch them all together at least this one time, including Keyonte George tonight.

Jazz starters tonight: Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic.

Keyonte George on a minutes restriction around 24 MPG.

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 7, 2026

It’s the best lineup possible for the Jazz, even if Keyonte George will be on a minute restriction. It’s an important one to watch for Jazz fans because you might not see much of this lineup this season with the Jazz looking to keep their pick, or even rise higher in the tank standings.

Next season, Utah will likely be adding Walker Kessler and, hopefully, a top-8 pick in the draft. It’s going to be a team with a ton of potential. This game is a preview of that, and it’ll be exciting to get a flavor of Jaren Jackson Jr. next to Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Ace Bailey.

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How to watch

Who: Utah Jazz vs Orlando Magic

When: Saturday, February 7, 2026 – 5:00 PM MT

Where: Kia Center, Orlando, FL

How to watch: KJZZ, Jazz+

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Xzayvier Brown scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Oklahoma held off No. 15 Vanderbilt 92-91 on Saturday to end a nine-game losing streak.

Nijel Pack added 17 points for the Sooners (12-12, 2-9 Southeastern Conference) who had a 21-point lead with 12:03 left. Oklahoma shot 53.4% from the field.

Tyler Tanner led Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4) with 37 points. Tyler Nickel added 18.

Nickel hit a 3-pointer with 1 1/2 minutes left to cut Oklahoma's lead to 10. AK Okereke had a 4-point play to make it a two-possession game with 49 seconds remaining.

Up next

Oklahoma: Hosts Georgia on Saturday.

Vanderbilt: At Auburn on Tuesday night.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Chauncey Wiggins scored 22 points, and Florida State survived a late Notre Dame rally for an 82-79 win on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Florida State (11-12, 4-6 ACC) hit five straight 3-pointers to open the game and jumped out to a 17-2 lead with 14:00 left in the first half. The Seminoles led 41-32 at halftime, then watched Notre Dame close the gap in the final minutes of regulation.

Logan Imes’ 3-pointer gave Notre Dame a 75-74 lead with 2:07 remaining, but Wiggins answered on the next possession, burying a 3 of his own to put Florida State back in front 77-75. Lajae Jones made two free throws with 35 seconds left, Martin Somerville split a pair with 17 seconds remaining, and Alier Maluk made two with nine seconds left to seal the win.

Wiggins went 5 of 10 from 3-point range as Florida State made 15 3s and committed five turnovers. Robert McCray V scored 15 points and hit four 3s, Alex Steen had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Jones added 11.

Braeden Shrewsberry scored 18 points for Notre Dame (11-12, 2-8). Jalen Haralson had 15 before fouling out, Cole Certa scored 14 and Sir Mohammed added 11 off the bench for the Fighting Irish.

Up Next

Florida St. hosts No. 18 Virginia this Tuesday.

Notre Dame travels to SMU on Tuesday.

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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Labaron Philon Jr. tallied 25 points, six assists and five rebounds, Amari Allen added 17 points and six rebounds, and Alabama took down Auburn 96-92 on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide (16-7, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) trailed by as many as 10 points, but rallied back with runs of 11-0 and 8-0 in the second half. They took the lead for good with 10:39 remaining in regulation.

Aden Holloway scored 15 points, and Charles Bediako had 12 on 5-for-5 shooting. Aiden Sherrell had a game-high four blocks.

Bediako, who played in the NBA G League as recently as January 18th, remains NCAA eligible following a temporary restraining order, but a decision by an Alabama circuit judge is pending.

The Tigers (14-9, 5-5) were led by Tahaad Pettiford, who scored 25 points to go with seven assists. Keyshawn Hall added 24 points on 8-for-22 shooting before fouling out late, and Kevin Overton scored 17. Keshawn Murphy had a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Auburn led 41-37 at the half, with Overton pacing the Tigers with 11 points in the first frame. Philon Jr. scored nine first-half points for Alabama.

Up next

Alabama visits Ole Miss on Wednesday.

Auburn hosts No. 15 Vanderbilt on Tuesday.

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Freeing up two roster spots after sending Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porziņģis and trading Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a second-round pick, the Golden State Warriors signed Pat Spencer to a standard roster contract. Their one remaining roster spot is now left open for a potential buyout acquisition.

Per NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors are looking closely at Lonzo Ball, currently a free agent after being waived by the Utah Jazz, not long after acquiring him from the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 35 games this season, Ball has averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 20.8 minutes.

As the Warriors are working to convert two-way guard Pat Spencer to a roster spot, Golden State also has its sights set on adding Lonzo Ball via the buyout market, sources say.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 7, 2026

Ball certainly hasn’t had a good season, but the Warriors may be seeking his ability to be a connector, a trait the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr highly value. Furthermore, Ball has been somewhat of a turnover-generator on defense (2.2 steals per 75 possessions), which does fall in line with the Warriors’ defensive identity of a team that forces tons of turnovers (fifth in non-garbage-time opponent turnover rate, per Cleaning the Glass). Furthermore, his rebound and assist rates for a guard (6.8 rebounds per 75 possessions and 6.7 assists per 75 possessions) are nothing to scoff at.

However, signing Ball would do little to alleviate the problem of shooting and spacing, as Ball is shooting 27.2 percent on 4.2 three-point attempts per game, not to mention a less-than-ideal 44.8 percent on two-point shots. Ball has struggled to recover his shooting stroke after coming back from two seasons of inactivity due to knee problems.