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Brooklyn Nets overcome by Phoenix Suns in wild finish, lose 106-102

Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images

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…

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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Sixers Bell Ringer: PG nails 9 threes, McCain hits 5 in win vs. Bucks

2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 18
VJ Edgecombe – 6
Joel Embiid – 6
Paul George – 5
Andre Drummond – 2
Jared McCain – 2
Dominick Barlow – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

The Sixers took down Doc Rivers and the Bucks in an exciting 139-122 victory on Tuesday night.

They had the services of Joel Embiid and Paul George, both of whom were out for the first portion of the team’s back-to-back in Charlotte. Quentin Grimes was ruled out with a right ankle sprain.

Plenty of plausible performances for Bell Ringer tonight, lets not waste any more time.

Joel Embiid: 29 points, 11-of-24 FG, 1-of-4 3PT, 9 rebounds (6 offensive), 5 assists, 1 steal

Embiid helped set the tone for the Sixers on Tuesday following his absence in Monday night’s beatdown at the hands of the Hornets.

About halfway through the first quarter, Embiid scored eight straight — two free throws, a free-throw-line jumper off a Paul George assist, tip layup off a Maxey miss, then a putback off his own miss in a two-minute span of game time.

His MVP-level touch from the midrange seems to have returned in full force, making 8-of-12 attempts against the Bucks.

His buy-in into setting screens has been fruitful for the entire Sixers offense. It forces the defense to decide between helping the ball-handler’s defender or Embiid on the soft roll that sets him up at the top of the key. We saw that continuously against the Bucks, as VJ Edgecombe, George, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain all benefitted from his solid screens and got him open shots in rhythm.

It is the kind of offensive structure that makes the post-centric Embiid with the ball on the block and everyone else standing, feel outdated.

It lends itself to a more bought-in system, which can lead to moments like this, where Embiid is running a fastbreak and Maxey rewards him with a lob that felt like Fall 2016 all over again.

Embiid’s physicality in the post has been special to watch, and he displayed it again on Tuesday, causing havoc on the boards and getting easy points on second-chance opportunities.

Paul George: 32 points, 11-of-21 FG, 9-of-15 3PT, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

George had his best shooting game of the season, and perhaps of the past six years. He drained nine threes against the Bucks on Tuesday, a feat he has only accomplished twice prior in his career. His first career nine-three game came on Nov. 21, 2012, and his career best day from three came on Feb. 1, 2019 where he drained 10 threes as a remember of the OKC Thunder.

It began early where he knocked down his first two attempts from deep, and he carried the shooting touch throughout the game. He would start the third similarly with a pair of jumpers, then break down Kyle Kuzma on a crossover step-back three later in the quarter.

Nearing the end of the quarter, he drained back-to-back from three on consecutive possessions. At the top of the fourth quarter, he stayed hot and was alternating made threes with McCain as the Sixers began to put the Bucks away.

Not to be forgotten is George’s defensive impact, which helped slow down the Bucks’ somehow electric offensive attack.

Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 9-of-19 FG, 2-0f-8 3PT, 9 assists, 3 rebounds

Maxey once again did not have his best shooting night, but it was a drastic improvement from his six-point dud 24 hours prior in Charlotte. Most notably was Maxey’s playmaking ability in a game where multiple guys were feeling it in various stretches.

He assisted on five of George’s nine threes, and dealt up a beautiful lob to Embiid for a monumental slam.

His ability to let other guys cook like George or Embiid opens up the floor for him to attack with his speed or force strong reactions from the defense to find an open shooter.

Maxey used his speed throughout, valuable on a poor shooting night. Five of his nine makes came within five feet of the rim as he utilized his floater when unable to get all the way for a layup. Not his best performance, but a strong game-managing display to help him get back on track.

Jared McCain: 17 points, 6-of-8 FG, 5-of-6 3PT, 3 assists, 1 rebound

McCain had his best full-game performance on the season vs. the Bucks, putting up an almost identical stat sheet to his get-right performance in garbage time against the Hornets.

He drained a deep three in the first and followed it up with a patient finish at the rim on the next possession.

Then it was quiet until the fourth, when the avalanche began again.

He drained one over Jericho Sims early in the frame. A couple minutes later, he hit one off an assist from George, one in transition over AJ Green, and a corner three for nine straight points in a 40-second span of game time. Every one of the threes was pivotal in putting the Bucks away late.

These two performances have to feel good for the second-year guard after struggling for the better part of the season so far in limited minutes.

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Suns beat Nets 106-102 after teams scuffle late in fourth quarter

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.

Up next

Nets: At Denver on Thursday night.

Suns: Host Detroit on Thursday night.

___

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

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Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs game preview

The San Antonio Spurs come into this game off a tough loss in which they took the New Orleans Pelicans lightly (sound familiar?) and despite a furious comeback were unable to get the win at home. They’ve had two days to stew over that loss and get on a plane for a quick trip to Houston.

The Houston Rockets are coming off a tougher-than-expected win against an inferior opponent. That Houston struggled against the decimated-by-injury Memphis Grizzlies is not a surprise, but the whole winning part of the equation is a welcome one. Houston has had one day off since then.

So expect the Spurs to start the game pissed off and in high gear. Expect Houston to come out slowly as usual and depend on the bench (read: Reed Sheppard) to dig them out of any early holes. Further complicating matters for Houston is that the Rockets will head to Atlanta right after this game (which has a late start, mind you). The Spurs don’t play again until Saturday. So if San Antonio races out to an early lead as I expect, Houston may waive the white flag early. But if Houston takes control, it’s unlikely that the Spurs will allow the game to slip away. Basically, tonight is not a schedule loss, but it is a schedule excuse.

These teams wrap up their season series in San Antonio in March. Whoever loses tonight’s game is going to have to circle that contest on the calendar.

Tip-off

8:30pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network, ESPN

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Spurs

Jeremy Sochan: GTD

David Jones Garcia: GTD

The Line (as of this post)

N/A

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Thursday night on the road against the Atlanta Hawks

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Yankees news: Aaron Judge named “The Show” cover athlete again

MLB.com | David Adler: All Rise, for the unveiling of the 2026 MLB The Show cover. Aaron Judge is this year’s cover athlete for the video game, appearing in both his Yankees pinstripes and his Team USA uniform. It’s the second time Judge has appeared on the cover of The Show, as he was chosen for the 2018 edition of the game following his superb Rookie of the Year campaign in 2017.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees have named 44-year-old Mario Garza their new international scouting director. Garza will succeed longtime director Danny Rowland, whom the Yankees let go back in November after a string of poor showings on the IFA market. Garza has been with the Yankees for 16 years, most recently working as director of baseball development.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: A new pitcher is on the Yankees roster, as New York claimed righty Dom Hamel off waivers from the Rangers. A third-round pick by the Mets out of Dallas Baptist in 2021, Hamel debuted in September 2025 but that stands as his lone career game thus far. The Orioles grabbed him off waivers shortly afterward and the Rangers were soon to follow with a waiver claim of their own. Hamel had a high ERA at Triple-A Syracuse in 2025, but the 26-year-old did fan over a batter per inning, so perhaps there’s something for the Yankees to work with there. To make room on the 40-man, they designated the recently-claimed Marco Luciano for assignment, as well as lefty Jayvien Sandridge, who cameoed in the 2025 Yankees bullpen.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees signed 18-year-old pitcher Tijn Fredrikze as an international prospect at the end of 2025, the first time they’d signed a European-born player in 13 years. Phillips spoke to Fredrikze and Troy Williams, the scout who covers Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for the Yankees and uncovered Fredrikze. With so few prospects emerging from those areas, Williams was thrilled to secure Fredrikze, a player from the Netherlands that led the Dutch Major League in strikeouts last year. Fredrikze faces a long climb to the majors, but he sounds confident he can overcome the odds. “I want to be a Hall of Famer,” he said. “That’s my goal. My first goal was signing, and when I got close to that, my goals changed really fast. I just want to be the best out there.”

Newsweek | Jon Paul Hoornstra: Zach Monroe, a pitcher who played for the 1958 and 1959 Yankees, passed away at the age of 94 in his native Peoria, Illinois. He made 24 appearances in the majors in his career, all for the Yankees, posting a 3.38 ERA in the process. Monroe was part of the team that defeated the Milwaukee Braves in seven games in the 1958 World Series. He’s survived by four daughters, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. With Monroe’s passing, only four members of the 1958 champions remain: Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, Johnny James, and now-centenarian pitcher Bobby Shantz.

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George and Embiid lead 76ers to victory over Bucks

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George scored 32 points, Joel Embiid had 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter and the Philadelphia 76ers rolled to a 139-122 victory over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

Tyrese Maxey added 22 points for the 76ers, who were blown out a night earlier at Charlotte with Embiid and George sidelined.

Myles Turner scored 31 points for Milwaukee, which lost its third straight and sixth of seven. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out with a right calf strain that the team said will sideline him indefinitely.

George hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to help the 76ers extend their 11-point lead to start the period to 18 points. In their 130-93 loss to the Hornets, the Sixers trailed by 50 points entering the fourth.

The game at Charlotte was rescheduled to 3 p.m. EDT because of winter weather, but the Sixers still didn’t make it back to Philadelphia until after 1 a.m. Tuesday.

But the return of Embiid and George, who both sat Monday for injury management, provided a jolt of energy for the Sixers. Maxey found Embiid for an alley-oop dunk late in the first half and Maxey jumped up and down with excitement as both players smiled toward Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who led the Sixers for three seasons.

George made 11 of 21 shots, including 9 of 15 3-pointers. Embiid added nine rebounds and five assists.

Ryan Rollins scored 24 points for the Bucks, Bobby Portis had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma also scored 17.

WIZARDS 115, TRAIL BLAZERS 111

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Sarr had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots, and Washington snapped a nine-game losing streak with a victory over Portland.

It was Washington’s first home victory over Portland since Jan. 16, 2017.

The Wizards led 112-106 when Shaedon Sharpe cut the lead in half with a 3-pointer. After Bub Carrington tossed up an air ball for Washington, Sharpe’s dunk with 20.5 seconds left cut the lead to one.

Kyshawn George made one of two free throws with 15.5 seconds to play, putting the Wizards up 113-111. After a timeout, Sharpe’s contested jumper missed, and Khris Middleton’s free throws made it a four-point game.

Sharpe scored 31 points for Portland, which lost despite a 69-46 advantage in rebounds. The Trail Blazers shot just 13 of 23 on free throws.

The 7-foot-1 Sarr attempted a career-high 29 field goals, making 11. It was quite a battle of young big men between him and 7-foot-3 Donovan Clingan, who had 14 points and 20 rebounds for Portland. Ex-Wizard Deni Avdija had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers.

KNICKS 103, KINGS 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points and New York dominated the fourth quarter to beat Sacramento for its third straight victory.

Mikal Bridges added 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who outscored the Kings 31-15 in the final period after the game was tied at 72 after three.

DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points for the Kings, who lost their sixth straight. Russell Westbrook added 14 points, but he and DeRozan combined to go 3 for 16 from 3-point range on a night when Sacramento finished 5 for 30 (16.7%).

Mike Brown earned his first victory as Knicks coach against the team that fired him last season, two years after he was NBA Coach of the Year after leading Sacramento to the 2023 playoffs.

THUNDER 104, PELICANS 95

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and short-handed Oklahoma City beat New Orleans to avoid its first three-game skid of the season.

Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for NBA-best Oklahoma City (38-10), which had lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season. Isaiah Joe added 17 points.

The Thunder were missing starters Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace and key reserve Alex Caruso with injuries.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8 of 22 from the field but went 13 of 14 from the foul line. He scored at least 20 points for the 118th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NBA history.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had won two straight.

PISTONS 109, NUGGETS 107

DENVER (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 22 points, including two free throws with 2 seconds left, and Detroit held off a late Denver rally for the win.

Cade Cunningham had with 22 points and 11 assists for Detroit, which has won nine of 11 and leads the Eastern Conference by 5 1/2 games over Boston.

Jamal Murray had 24 points and 10 assists but missed two free throws in the final seconds. With the Nuggets down 107-104, Murray was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 4 seconds left and missed the first foul shot. Harris was fouled and made both free throws. Murray went to the line again with 0.7 seconds remaining but missed the second foul shot.

Jonas Valanciunas returned from a one-game absence to finish with 16 points and 16 rebounds for Denver, which had been scheduled to play at the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. The game was postponed because of the winter storm that hit most of the country, and the Nuggets were stranded in Memphis until Monday morning.

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Pistons vs. Nuggets final score: Tobias Harris delivers in clutch to get the W

Ball don’t lie. The Detroit Pistons escaped with a 109-107 win after Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray biffed free throws on consecutive trips where Detroit was whistled for fouling Murray on a 3-point shot.

The basketball gods are just.

The Pistons were clinging to a late lead against an amped up host Denver Nuggets team. To secure the 109-107 rode win against a dangerous Denver team, the Pistons turned to a complete shocker and then to the most dependable man in the arena.

First, the surprise. Duncan Robinson had one of the worst games of his young Pistons career, if not his NBA career writ large. Of his eight three-point attempts several were good looks. None went in.

After a Tim Hardaway three cut the Pistons lead to one with less than a minute to play, Detroit called a timeout and drew something up for Robinson.

But it wasn’t the three you were thinking or the Nuggets were expecting. They overloaded one side of the floor to create an open lane and had Robinson cut hard.

He took a Javonte Green pass into the lane and dunked the ball for his first points of the night.

Detroit was back up four, but Denver again cut it to one. That is when the Pistons turned to old reliable. Unc. Tobias Harris.

Harris was having a vintage Tobias game. Fitting for the 1,000 game of his career. He was surveying the floor well, recognizing mismatches, and abusing defenders in the post with his patented back down and compact jumper.

It’s no surprise that the Pistons put the ball in Tobias’ hands when they needed a basket most. With the clock running down, he didn’t panic. He got into position, created the space he needed, and hit the 16-foot fadeaway.

The aforementioned Green (and the refs) made things more interesting than they should have been by calling Green for fouls on consecutive Jamal Murray 3-point attempts. But Murray failed to convert at the line on both trips, and Detroit escaped with the victory.

Detroit had six players score in double figures and were led by Harris and Cade Cunningham with 22 points apiece. Harris was 10-of-15 from the field and served as the hero of the game for the Pistons. He delivered after every Denver run, and every time the Nuggets crowd was desperate to get back into the game.

Cunningham wasn’t far behind. It looks like the wrist issue that had sapped some of his offensive effectiveness is behind him. He was 9-of-17 from the field and had 11 assists and zero turnovers.

Down Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets didn’t back down all night. They played hard, smart basketball and were in the game to the bitter end.

Murray led with a game-high 24 points. Detroit played solid defense on Murray, who hit some really tough shots, but he was buoyed by 15 trips to the free-throw line.

A couple former Pistons, Tim Hardaway and Bruce Brown, had strong showings against their former team. Brown starred early (14 points on the night) and Hardaway hit some huge threes late (also 14 points).

The Pistons moved to 34-11 and will suit up next in Phoenix to face the Suns,

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Blackhawks Squander 3-0 Lead, Lose To Wild 4-3 In Shootout

The Chicago Blackhawks needed a big road effort on Tuesday night if they were going to get back on track against a team as good as the Minnesota Wild. 

This was a much better game for the Hawks, especially being on the road, and they had a 1-0 lead 1:19 into the game thanks to a goal scored by Teuvo Teravainen. In his return to the lineup, skating on a line with Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard, Teravainen made his presence felt right away. 

"I thought that it was a good line," head coach Jeff Blashill said after the game. "[Bedard] and [Nazar], I haven't seen them play a lot together. I thought they were really good. They showed a lot of skill, they fed each other in good spots, had a lot of chances, and scored with [Teravainen]. I thought that was a real dynamic line."

Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev helped build on the lead with goals of their own to make it 3-0 by the time the game was half over. 

The Blackhawks didn't totally collapse, but they allowed the Wild to crawl back. It started with Yakov Trenin scoring his fourth of the season to get them on the board. That 3-1 score held through two periods. 

Joel Eriksson Ek scored at 3:57 of the third period on a rebound created by Quinn Hughes. This gave the Wild the confidence they needed to begin their quest for a comeback. 

With the goalie pulled, Jared Spurgeon tied it up at 17:58. Spurgeon now has five goals in his last six games against the Blackhawks, and this one was as big as any of them. 

No scoring took place in overtime, and Kirill Kaprizov was the only scorer in the shootout, giving the Wild the comeback 4-3 victory. 

This was a mostly well-played game by the Blackhawks, but the Wild came back and found a way to win after going down 3-0. 

Mistakes and tough puck management in the late stages of the game allowed the Wild to slowly but surely get back in the game, but Minnesota had to work for this win. 

The penalty kill stayed hot, but they hardly had any work to do with just one kill. The power play, which is an entirely different story, continued its struggles with no goals on five tries. Jeff Blashill said after the game that he thought it did better at generating quality chances, but there were still no goals to show for it.

"I thought it was better," Blashill said. "We've walked away from other days where I just didn't feel it was dangerous at all. I thought we had a good number of chances [in this game]."

The power play needs a goal badly. If they keep drawing penalties and moving the puck the way they did against the Wild, eventually they will score. Once they get one, the unit as a whole may get back on track. A power play goal on one of their five tries would have likely won this game. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday night. They have a road date with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Steel City. 

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Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns unbothered by recent lack of minutes in closing stretches: 'We've got to win'

It took three full quarters of sloppy play for the Knicks to exert expected dominance over the Kings on Tuesday night, and a huge 31-point fourth quarter that lifted them to a 103-87 home win was sparked by a pair of timely threes from Karl-Anthony Towns in the opening minutes.

But the veteran center didn't contribute to a closing 21-9 run that clinched a third straight victory for the team. Towns watched the final seven minutes of action from the bench, while a lineup featuring Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson took the floor instead.

The lack of playing time for Towns down the stretch was curious. In spite of producing 17 points against the Kings across 27 minutes, he hasn't played more than 30 minutes in three straight games. It wasn't a matter of discipline on Tuesday -- Towns committed only two fouls.

When asked about the trend after the game, Knicks head coach Mike Brown didn't hint at any issue with Towns. He simply felt more comfortable with that rotation in a clear rhythm, causing the Kings fits.

"At the end of the game, we had a group out on the floor that was playing well," Brown said. "It's a tight ballgame, so I rode that group to the end of the game. We needed to get the win."

Towns, who played 20 minutes against the Nets last Wednesday and just 16 minutes against the 76ers last Saturday, wasn't miffed by Brown's decision or explanation. He trusted his coach.

"[Brown] saw what he saw. We've got to win," Towns said. "That's the most important thing. That's all I care about, New York cares about, this team cares about -- is wins."

While it's still unclear if the Knicks will attempt to make a blockbuster trade that involves Towns as a package headliner, he hasn't resembled a dominant force in January.

The five-time All-Star is averging just 16.6 points this month (12 games), and over his last six contests, he's actually logged more fouls (11) than assists and blocks combined (9).

Towns' minutes will be a topic of conversation again on Wednesday night, when the Knicks travel north of the border to face the Raptors.

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No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improves to 21-0 by holding off UMass 86-84

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored a career-high 30 points and No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improved to 21-0, rallying in the second half and then holding on for an 86-84 victory over UMass on Tuesday night.

Miami is one of two unbeaten teams in Division I after fifth-ranked Nebraska lost 75-72 at No. 3 Michigan earlier Tuesday night. Top-ranked Arizona is 21-0 following an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night.

The victory also tied the RedHawks with the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest in-season winning streak in Mid-American Conference history.

Elmer was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers. The junior shooting guard, who also grabbed seven rebounds, had 18 points in the first half.

Peter Suder added 13 points and nine assists. Freshman guard Justin Kirby also scored 13 as Miami improved to 9-0 in conference play.

Leonardo Bettiol had 22 points and 16 rebounds for UMass (13-9, 4-6), which had won four of five. Marcus Banks Jr. scored 18 and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 16.

Miami extended its lead to 82-75 with 2:07 remaining before the Minutemen made one final charge. K'Jei Parker sank three free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining after getting fouled by Kirby at the top of the key.

Suder was fouled with 4.4 seconds left. He hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Bettiol grabbed the rebound and passed to Isaiah Placide, whose desperation shot from halfcourt went off the glass, allowing the RedHawks to earn another close win after prevailing in overtime in their previous two games.

UMass was up 65-60 midway through the second half before Miami went on an 8-4 spurt. Elmer's 3-pointer with 8:40 remaining gave the RedHawks a 69-68 lead, their first since the first minute of the game.

Up next

UMass hosts Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

Miami (Ohio) hosts Northern Illinois on Saturday.

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Huff, Eaglestaff help lift West Virginia past Kansas State 59-54

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Honor Huff scored 17 points and Treysen Eaglestaff scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds and West Virginia beat Kansas State 59-54 on Tuesday night.

Brenen Lorient scored 10 points for West Virginia (14-7, 5-3 Big 12), which has won three of four and six of its last nine games. It was the third fewest points scored this season for Kansas State.

P.J. Haggerty scored 16 points, David Castillo scored 15 points and Nate Johnson 13 for Kansas State (10-11, 1-7). The Wildcats have lost seven of their last eight.

West Virginia led 57-54 with 22 seconds left before the Jayhawks intentionally fouled Huff. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and Kansas State took possession.

Lorient blocked Haggerty's layup attempt with 14 seconds left. Kansas State maintained possession but Haggerty's 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left was off the mark.

Taj Manning fouled Huff and he made both foul shots with eight seconds left to seal the win.

Up Next

Kansas State: Hosts No. 8 Iowa State on Sunday.

West Virginia: Hosts Baylor on Saturday.

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Utah women never trail, beat No. 22 West Virginia 71-64

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — LA Sneed scored 15 points, Reese Ross had a double-double, and Utah never trailed in a 71-64 victory over No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday night.

Sneed made three of the Utes’ 10 3-pointers. Ross scored 12 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. Lani White added 14 points and Chyra Evans scored 12 for Utah (15-6, 6-3 Big 12).

Jordan Harrison scored 18 points and had eight assists to lead West Virginia (17-5, 7-3), which ended a three-game win streak. Gia Cooke added 11 points and Carter McCray scored 10.

The Utes closed the second quarter on a 14-5 run for a 36-24 lead at the break. Sneed made two 3-pointers and scored eight points for the Utes, who hit six 3-pointers and shot 58% (15 of 26) in the the half.

Utah had its largest lead, 48-30, with 5:11 to play in the third quarter. West Virginia scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull to 55-49 with 6:30 left but didn't get closer.

Up next

West Virginia: Host No. 14 Baylor on Sunday.

Utah: At BYU on Saturday.

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Kane ties Modano as highest-scoring American-born NHL player in Red Wings loss to Kings

DETROIT (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 26 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Red Wings 3-1 on Tuesday night as Detroit winger Patrick Kane moved into a tie with Dallas’ Mike Modano as the highest-scoring American-born players in NHL history.

Kane matched Modano by recording his 1,374th point on an assist on a goal by Alex DeBrincat late in the third period. He accomplished the feat just a couple of months after turning 37, while Modano was 40 when he scored a goal to register point No. 1,374. For his career, Kane has 500 goals and 874 assists in 1,341 NHL regular-season games. Modano retired in 2011 with 561 goals and 813 assists in 1,499 games.

Samuel Helenius, Andrei Kuzmenko and Corey Perry scored for the Kings, who won their third straight game.

Detroit’s John Gibson made 19 saves and had his eight-game win streak halted, surrendering a goal midway through the second period and a power-play score early in the third.

The Kings have earned points in their last six games (3-0-3). The Red Wings lost for just the second time in six games and third time in their last 11.

JETS 4, DEVILS 3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored his 26th goal of the season, reigning MVP Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced and Winnipeg ended its two-game skid by beating New Jersey.

The Devils have lost back-to-back games after winning three in a row at the start of their Western Conference road trip. They traded veteran winger Ondrej Palat to the New York Islanders in a deal that was consummated before he left the arena prior to warmups and finalized during the first period.

Winnipeg, which entered the night eight points back of the second and final wild-card spot in the West, won for just the second time in five games. Scheifele got the Jets on the board 1:33 in, then Gabriel Vilardi, Cole Koepke and Nino Niederreiter scored in the second.

Hellebuyck, who is in line to be the U.S. starter at the upcoming Olympics, was sharp in bouncing back from allowing four goals in a 5-1 home loss to Detroit on Saturday.

New Jersey got goals from rookie Lenni Hameenaho and Swedish Olympian Jesper Bratt, and captain Nico Hischier scored with 1:46 left to make things interesting, but the offense couldn’t quite make up for a series of mistakes. Hours after coach Sheldon Keefe credited defensive commitment and “giving up way less on the rush” for his team’s recent success, all four goals against came on odd-man rushes.

BRUINS 3, PREDATORS 2, OT

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored 15 seconds into overtime and Boston beat Nashville.

Pastrnak tipped a pass from Charlie McAvoy past Juuse Saros for the winner as the Bruins held on after Nashville rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime.

Pastrnak scored his 22nd goal and had an assist, extending his point streak to eight games one night after becoming the sixth Boston player to reach 900 career points. Pastrnak has 10 assists in his last six games.

Morgan Geekie scored his 30th of the season and Hampus Lindholm also scored for Boston after being added to Sweden’s Olympic roster earlier in the day.

Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 shots for the Bruins, who improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Roman Josi and Nick Blankenburg scored for Nashville, which has lost four of five since a three-game winning streak. Steven Stamkos had an assist and Saros finished with 25 saves.

Blankenburg’s goal at 13:17 tied it and ended up forcing the overtime, which didn’t last long.

CANADIENS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2, OT

MONTREAL (AP) — Jake Evans scored at 3:58 of overtime, leading Montreal to a victory over Vegas.

Cole Caufield, with his 30th goal of the season, and Phillip Danault also scored for Montreal, as the Habs halted a two-game losing skid.

Mike Matheson ran his point streak to a season-long five games with an assist on Caufield’s goal.

Jakub Dobes made 32 saves in his first career start against Vegas. The 24-year-old boasts a 6-0-1 record over his past seven games, with his last regulation loss coming against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 9.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored both goals for the Golden Knights, who lost their third straight game against Montreal, dating back to last season.

Akira Schmid stopped 23 shots in the losing effort. The Swiss netminder lost for the second time in as many starts against Montreal this season.

MAMMOTH 4, PANTHERS 3

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Mikhail Sergachev scored in the third period to put Utah ahead to stay in a win over Florida.

Nick Schmaltz, Sean Durzi and Barrett Hayton also scored goals for the Mammoth, who have won nine of their last 11 games and played without top goal-scorer Dylan Guenther, who has a lower-body injury. Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves and Durzi also had an assist.

Sandis Vilmanis, Cole Schwindt and Carter Verhaeghe scored goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves for Florida, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Sergachev’s goal with 8:55 to play gave Utah a 3-2 lead and Hayton made it 4-2 with an empty-netter with 56 seconds to play. Verhaeghe scored with 16 seconds left to pull the Panthers within 4-3, setting up a frantic final few seconds.

SABRES 7, MAPLE LEAFS 4

TORONTO (AP) — Rasmus Dahlin had the first hat trick of his NHL career to go along with two assists and Buffalo beat Toronto.

Tage Thompson, with a goal and an assist in his 500th NHL game, Josh Doan, Alex Tuch and Jack Quinn also scored for Buffalo, which has won four straight.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed two goals on five shots before leaving with a lower-body injury in the first period. Colten Ellis made 16 saves in relief. Mattias Samuelsson added three assists.

Auston Matthews and Max Domi each had a goal and two assists for Toronto. Bobby McMann, with a goal and an assist, and Matthew Knies also scored. Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots.

The Maple Leafs came home last week off a successful road trip, but finished their disastrous five-game homestand with a solitary point (0-4-1) and have dropped seven of eight overall.

STARS 4, BLUES 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thomas Harley’s goal with just over a minute left short-circuited a late rally by St. Louis and lifted Dallas to a win.

Matt Duchene scored a pair of goals for his first multigoal game since Feb. 8. Roope Hintz also scored and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves, as the Stars won for the third time in their last four games and improved to 10-2-1 against St. Louis going back to Nov. 28, 2022.

Brayden Schenn scored twice and Robby Fabbri also scored in the third period as St. Louis attempted to rally from a 3-goal deficit. Jordan Binnington made 20 saves for the Blues, who dropped their fifth straight game.

Duchene’s power-play goal for the Stars at the 3:20 mark of the second period broke a scoreless tie.

Duchene recorded his seventh of the season 40 seconds later with the help of a lucky bounce to make it 2-0. Duchene threw the puck in front of the net, where it deflected off Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux, who was tied up with Jamie Benn in the crease.

WILD 4, BLACKHAWKS 3, SO

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored the shootout winner as Minnesota defeated Chicago.

Kaprizov was Minnesota’s second shooter and beat Spencer Knight with a wrist shot. Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt stopped all three shootout attempts as the Wild came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Chicago for the 17th time in 18 games.

Yakov Trenin, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared Spurgeon scored for Minnesota. Wallstedt stopped 29 of 32 shots.

Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev scored for Chicago. Knight made 20 saves.

The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Teravainen and Donato.

Mikheyev made it 3-0 nearly six minutes into the second period, when he beat Wallstedt with a wrist shot.

Trenin began the Minnesota comeback when he broke in alone and beat Knight with a wrist shot at 12:33 of the second.

Minnesota cut the Chicago lead to 3-2 early in the third when Quinn Hughes fired a shot that hit Marcus Johansson’s skate and deflected to Erikson Ek, who got his stick down in time to tap it into the net.

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Thunder's Lu Dort, Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears scuffle late in game

Well, these two won’t want to see each other any time soon.

Chippy, physical play between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort and New Orleans Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears bubbled throughout Oklahoma City’s 104-95 victory on Tuesday, Jan. 27 before a shoving match erupted after regulation.

As the Pelicans were trying to score a late basket in garbage time, Fears collected an offensive rebound and tried to put up a scoop layup before he drew contact from Dort. Fears immediately turned to face Dort, who shoved Fears twice, first lightly, and then with more force once Fears didn’t back down.

Eventually, both players clasped the other’s jersey in balled fists and were trying to shove the other backward before teammates, assistant coaches and officials stepped in to try to deescalate the situation.

At its height, around 40 people were in the scrum, trying to separate each side. Dort and Fears continued to jaw toward each other, though players and assistants did a good job of separating the two, until Fears broke free and continued to chase Dort down the floor.

Dort eventually walked toward the locker room, while Fears was ushered toward the New Orleans tunnel by two staffers.

There had been another altercation, a minor one, prior to the one between Dort and Fears. During an inbounds play with 1:18 left in the game, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Thunder forward Jaylin Williams shoved each other as they were battling for positioning.

“Good guys, good (officiating) crew, but I thought they lost control of the game in the final minutes,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “I thought that altercation at the end started well before that.

“The second thing is: I think that’s a foul on Dort,” Daigneault continued, speaking about the last shot attempt Fears took in the final seconds. “And if it was, they should put a whistle on that play regardless of the score and the time, because, if they do that, everybody stops playing and you can legislate the situation as you normally would.”

As Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sinking a pair of late free throws to ice the game, he said he overheard Fears and Dort jawing at each other during the dead ball.

“I wasn’t too sure what happened,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “I had heard them going back and forth after they made the last two free throws, but I wasn’t sure what happened. And then, I turned around and they were face-to-face. I’m sure it was nothing crazy, though. Typical basketball scuffle.”

Fears scored 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting and added 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Dort, a defensive-minded player whose physicality often pushes the limits of what’s acceptable, scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and had 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lu Dort, Jeremiah Fears scuffle after Thunder vs. Pelicans game