Lauri Markkanen finally returned for the Utah Jazz tonight, but the young squad was unable to hang with the Los Angeles Clippers. In the end and after a valiant fight (even holding a lead for much of the 1st half), Utah fell to the Clips with a score of 115-103. The 2nd half ended up being a major struggle and the wheels really fell off.
Lauri struggled a bit to shoot in this first game back and the Jazz were also missing young Most Improved Player candidate Keyonte George (rest) and tank commander Jusuf Nurkic (undisclosed illness). Throughout the game, Utah did receive positive contributions from Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams, and (most importantly) Ace Bailey. There were also some good stretches from Kyle Filipowski throughout the game.
However, the Jazz struggled with Kawhi Leonard. He simply couldn’t be stopped and knows the exact spots to exploit. In tonight’s matchup, Kawhi ended with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. The superstar has been on a tear lately, averaging 28.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in his last 10 games and is ALSO on a streak of 25 straight games with 20+ points, which is insane. Ever since they sent Chris Paul home, the Clips have just been scorching through the league and add yet another win. They started the season pretty poorly and somehow they are now 22-24 and smack dab in the middle of the play-in standings.
Utah, as we all know, is losing games for a reason. The positive is that we are seeing fantastic growth from our young guys. As previously mentioned, Ace, Cody, and Isaiah all had great games. Ace particularly shot well with 4-9 from three and 2o points in the loss. Cody continues to look more dominant and decisive with yet another highlight play. Collier, filling in for Keyonte, distributed well and ended the night with a solid 9 assists.
The Clips were just too much to handle. Lauri looked a tad sluggish and the youth on the rest of the roster really stuck out at times, especially in the 2nd half where LA pulled out ahead. Kris Dunn hounded our young guards and had a THREE back-to-back steals and fast breaks. Kris ended up with 14 points on his former team.
It was just never gonna happen with Kawhi and James Harden playing at such a high level. The Clips do look like they may end up being a force in the playoffs this year and the Jazz continue to compete, but lose in the end. That’s all we want right? This one was definitely not the most entertaining watch and the crowd was quite lifeless. Everyone go catch up on some AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, or Darryn Petersen highlights. It’ll help the pain go away.
Utah will take on Golden State tomorrow night in a back-to-back at Delta Center (7:oo PM MST).
After stacking another victory on the road, the Lakers (28-17) move on to Cleveland where they will take on the Cavaliers (28-20) for the first time this season. Los Angeles hopes to make it three wins in a row and improve their record to 4-1 in this current eight-game road trip.
Over the years, the Cavaliers have been one of those teams that regularly give the Lakers trouble. One of the reasons is because of how they’re built with so much size, athleticism and speed that perfectly exposes the Lakers’ defense. Even when Anthony Davis was anchoring the Lakers’ defense, the Cavs were still not a good matchup for the purple and gold.
In fact, over the last five years, the regular season series between the teams has never been split. One has swept the other and it’s going to be interesting to see if that’s the case again this year with one significant change in place.
For the Lakers, this will be Luka Dončić’s first time competing against the Cavs since arriving in Los Angeles. That alone changes the purple and gold’s dynamic in terms of how they match up with the Cavs. It makes for a fun matchup between Dončić’ and Donovan Mitchell and theoretically between Austin Reaves and Darius Garland, though neither will be suiting up for this one. Expect Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and and Gabe Vincent to get Reaves’ minutes as per usual.
Speaking of injuries, the Cavs have more to report as well. Evan Mobley, unfortunately, recently sustained a left calf strain injury so he’s also not going to suit up on Wednesday. Suffice it to say this game will be completely different matchup wise and it’ll be up to the Lakers to capitalize against a Cavaliers team without two of their top three scorers. Mobley’s absence could also impact the Cavaliers’ defense, which ranks 13th in the league.
Moreover, this will also be LeBron James’ seventh time playing the Cavs on their homecourt as a Laker. As usual, James will get the love and recognition he rightfully deserves from the crowd but don’t expect him to take it easy. The King always plays well against his former team, averaging 28.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists against them. It’ll be nice to see another classic performance from LeBron.
More importantly, it’ll be ideal to see another team-spirited win. The Lakers have picked it up as of late thanks to their defense, which has shown signs of improvement since their recent victory against the Toronto Raptors. Rui Hachimura in particular has been spectacular off the bench and it’ll be nice to see this continue. Another strong performance from him and the rest of the Lakers’ role players will most likely guarantee a win in this one.
Let’s see if the Lakers can continue their winning ways on the road as James returns back home to Cleveland once again on Wednesday.
Notes and Updates
For the Lakers’ injury report, Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) are listed as out.
As for the Cavaliers, Garland (right great toe sprain), Max Strus (left foot surgery) and Mobley (left calf strain) are out. De’Andre Hunter (right knee soreness) and Sam Merrill (right hand sprain) are probable.
Jalen Brunson was terrific late, but leading the way was the Knicks’ improved defense.
Things were evened at 72 apiece through three quarters, but then Mike Brown’s shook up lineup turned things up and held Sacramento to just 15 points in the final frame.
Mitchell Robinson stayed in alongside Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby to close things out and the move worked tremendously.
New York’s tenacious defense helped limit the Kings to just 40 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent from three-point land on the night.
“It was an ugly game, but our defense stayed solid throughout,” Mike Brown said.
“We were able to grind it out and find a way,” Brunson added.
The Knicks are now averaging just 87.3 points allowed during their brief winning streak, and they’ve held opponents under the triple-digit mark in two of those three games.
So, what exactly has sparked this drastic turnaround?
Robinson said one of the biggest things has been their communication.
Brunson, on the other hand, pointed in another direction.
“Our attention to detail, our focus, those are big components,” the captain said. “We have the ability to be a really good team if we do those things, the little things have to be important.”
For New York to get where they hope this season, they’ll need to keep this up.
The improved defense will have another very big test right away, as they head to Toronto to face the Raptors in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights in the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.
The Nets lost a late lead. Then they lost forward Ziaire Williams. And in the end, they lost 106-102 to Phoenix before 17,071 at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Brooklyn wasted a huge night by Michael Porter Jr., who had 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting and 6-of-10 from deep. And they squandered a big fourth-quarter run, leading with a minute left before blowing that lead.
“We had the lead after being down pretty much the whole game,” said Jordi Fernández. “Positive fight, positive competitiveness; but not good enough. And we want to be good (enough) to win games.”
Michael Porter Jr. who scored a game-high 36 points, drives on Mark Williams during the Nets’ 106-102 loss to the Suns on Jan. 27, 2026 in Phoenix. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Egor Dëmin had 15 points and five rebounds, while Williams added 11 points and five assists before getting hurt in a late-game fracas between the teams.
The Nets had seized a 102-100 lead after Williams’ free throws capped a 16-2 run.
But they saw Grayson Allen (18 points) knot it on a finger roll with 1:39 to play. And after Porter lost the ball, Dillon Brooks (26 points) sank two at the charity stripe to put Phoenix ahead for good.
After Terance Mann lost the ball to Royce O’Neale, Williams dove on the floor for the loose ball. Brooks pounced on him to pry it loose. Dëmin — who had been thrown down hard by Dillon for a technical earlier — pushed the Suns instigator off Williams.
Mann and Phoenix’s Royce O’Neale got into it as hostilities ensued, and Williams got injured when a Suns staffer ran into him trying to break up the melee.
“Yeah, he’s hurt. We don’t know exactly what it is right now. It was a member of the other team running in to break up the fight, and he ran into him and hurt him,” Fernández said. “So, we’ll see how long it is; hopefully it’s not a long time.”
The Nets called a timeout trying to get a clean look for Porter, but they committed a shot clock violation with 34.1 seconds left.
Allen’s layup left Brooklyn down by four with 12.8 ticks remaining, and a Porter miss sealed it.
“There were a couple of options we could’ve executed,” Dëmin said. “But it was great defense by Phoenix, probably poor execution by us.”
Brooklyn has lost six straight and is a game out of a Top 3 spot in the lottery race.
In a dogfight that went down to the wire, the Suns find themselves victorious, shorthanded, over the Brooklyn Nets, 106-102. In one that went back and forth and featured many physical altercations, it was nice that the Suns could pull this one out.
Not only was the win nice for the team morale, but this night was very special for our site. With it being Bright Side Night at the Mortgage Matchup Center, I know so many kids were lucky to attend this game due to all your donations. I also know how much Dave King meant to Bright Side, so I am very excited to say they won on his special night!
In a night when Mark Williams set a season-high with 27 points, he was a significant factor alongside Dillon Brooks and Grayson Allen, who made winning plays on both ends. With most of their shot creators out, they struggled from three again, but they still had 72 points in the paint, a season high, which was very impressive. Even with Michael Porter Jr. trying to will the Nets back with 36 points, it was not enough against this sound Suns defense.
Game Flow
First Half
In a night for the Suns missing a majority of the shot creators, it was going to be a rough start, sadly, which showed from the beginning, with both teams struggling in the first few minutes. Luckily, the Suns were saved by two players, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams, who got involved early. Brooks made some big-time shots being the lead man, while Williams feasted down low, getting more touches in this game. He had found this hot hand in the previous matchup vs. Brooklyn, when they had no interior rim pressure to stop him.
For Brooklyn, they went to their main man, Michael Porter Jr., who was also finding ease to get to the rim and score. This matched the game a bit until Dillon Brooks received another flagrant foul, which was completely unnecessary. I did not notice it at first, but this lit a fire in the team not to back down. Phoenix then took a timeout and started going right back into the action with Mark Williams, finding him easy opportunities at the basket. This forced the Nets to take a timeout, following a Suns 8-0 run.
Sadly, this is where the Nets get their own 8-0 run as they found some ease scoring inside. Porter Jr., who has been their best player, cannot be stopped early, as he had 12 first-quarter points. Day’Ron Sharpe was also a beast inside for them. After the first, the Suns saw themselves down one, 29-28. After some shaky offense, it is clear that both teams will enjoy scoring in the paint tonight; it is just a battle of the big men.
Similar to the first quarter, it was rough for both teams to get it going offensively to start. With the Nets having Porter Jr. on the bench, they generated little and had some bad turnovers. The Suns, on the other hand, were led by a hot hand, Jamaree Bouyea. After being out a couple of games due to a concussion, he struck gold when the team needed him most. In just eleven minutes, he had 8 points and was attacking at all levels for the squad.
Luckily, in this quarter, the Suns were able to hold their own and take back the lead, 60-51. The one wild thing that transpired near the end was another hilarious call on Dillon Brooks. He received a technical foul for a “push” on Egor Demin, which is a bit weird. Since he already received a flagrant, the following technical results in a one-game suspension.
The Suns need to find a limit for Michael Porter Jr. in the second half, while also continuing these runs on offense. The defense has stepped up, even with a deeper rotation than usual due to injuries, as young guys learn on the fly.
Second Half
Sadly for the Suns, Porter Jr. started to catch fire out ofthe gate once again and continued to strike this defense. Luckily for the Suns, he seems to be one of their only productive scorers, and the Suns’ defense is making that known. With fighting for loose balls and never giving up on the defensive end, guys like Jordan Goodwin are making key steals to keep the Suns in front.
Grayson Allen also made a huge three-pointer off of one of those turnovers caused by Goodwin, which lit the crowd up. At that point, the Suns had only made two threes in totality this game, and it was needed more than ever. Since they are struggling beyond the arc without their primary scorers, the defense needs to win this game for them.
With some more action, the Suns went back to what worked in the first quarter, playing through Brooks and Williams. Both found some tough buckets inside the paint and kept this run alive, while the defense locked down and gave every ounce of hustle they could. Unfortunately, Porter Jr. eclipsed 30 points in the third, but even with that, the Suns still held a seven-point lead, 82-75, heading into the fourth after a big three from Grayson Allen at the end of the quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, the Suns’ defense remained locked in and limited the Nets. They have forced some big turnovers that have led to some big shots to extend the lead. One big play was a corner three from Ryan Dunn, as the team has been quiet from three-point land overall.
Sadly, the fun did not last long, as the Nets actually made this a game after Terance Mann attacked the rim. This was the fourth time the officials went to review a technical or flagrant foul, and Allen was assessed a flagrant 1 following this review. The Suns were now down and had to crawl back in this one to give the hometown fans their money’s worth.
That’s where Mark Williams came to play late, making some tough baskets in the paint once again. He stopped a huge Nets run and then found his own way to keep them in this one. Even with Porter Jr. trying to match the score, guys like Brooks, Allen, and Bouyea continued to keep this dog fight alive.
The most entertaining part had to be the late-game scuffle. After a physical matchup with a lot brewing, it was bound to happen, with coaches running in to stop it. Following the scuffle, five players were assesed technical fouls. Those players were Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. Funny part is Allen was not even involved in this conundrum.
Anyway, this led them to getting a free throw that Allen missed. This led to a jump ball, with the Suns getting possession in a close game. Even after losing that possession, the defense did what it does best and locked down Demin, who has had a hot hand alongside Porter Jr for the Nets.
In the end, Porter Jr’s electric night was not enough as Grayson Allen made another tough layup to secure the victory at home. A hard-fought night did not go wasted, and the Suns got the season series sweep over the Nets.
Up Next
After an excellent bounce-back win on their home court, the Suns look to get another sneaky win against a top team in the East, the Detroit Pistons. After losing on the road, this team will seek revenge, regardless of who is available, with this next-up mentality instilled here in the Valley.
The Brooklyn Nets, once again, could only move on in the wake of a depressing blowout to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. After following a 54-point loss with a double-OT defeat last week, Tuesday night’s match against the Phoenix Suns (sans Devin Booker) was their opportunity to continue a semi-disturbing pattern of blowout -> good game -> blowout -> good game.
After the Knicks loss, Michael Porter Jr. put the blame on himself: “A lot of it, that’s on me, I didn’t come in with the right energy. You know, I felt like that trickled down throughout the group.”
He continued: “It’s just an energy thing. I feel like when you go out there and you have the right aggression, the right energy and the right outlook, then it just can change the whole flow of the game.”
MPJ didn’t speak before Tuesday’s contest in Phoenix, but he clearly felt the same way this time around. Once again, he delivered. Porter scored 12 points in the first quarter, all two-pointers. Whether off the drive or off a cut, he was living at the rim early…
With the threat of the rim in his back-pocket, MPJ then his usual array of ridiculous 3-point shot-making. He would finish with a game-high 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting, including 6-of-10 from deep. With All-Star reserves announced this coming Saturday, MPJ gave the coaches one more All-Star-caliber performance to think about.
MPJ couldn’t do it alone, though. He was the only Net in double-digits in the first half, but the bigger issue was the team’s defense. Despite winning the first quarter, Brooklyn found themselves down 60-51 at halftime, their pick-and-roll defense falling leading to dunk after dunk for Mark Williams. It appears Drake Powell served the main punishment, as he started the game but played just eight first-half minutes, then was benched after the break.
With Powell on the bench, Brooklyn got it together in the second half. Nobody took over the game — the second-highest scoring Net on the night was Egor Demin with 15 points — but they got a variety of contributors. Ziaire Williams hit a big triple, Cam Thomas scored seven of his 11 in the second half, and Day’Ron Sharpe dropped a memorable dime…
…all part of a team-wide effort to chip away. Brooklyn kept the deficit within single-digits the whole half, then made their push midway through the fourth quarter. Finally, Terance Mann drove off the catch and rose up for an and-1 layup, punctuated by a flagrant foul from Grayson Allen…
Mann hit the free-throw, giving the Nets the lead and beginning a see-saw affair in the final few minutes. Dëmin hit a three, Mark Williams continued his monster night (27 points) with two more buckets inside. Brooklyn might have run away with this thing, but despite their resiliency, they could not get a handle on the little things. Phoenix scored a whopping 72 points in the paint, partially because Brooklyn turned it over 22 times…
Despite that, they still had a chance to win as Terance Mann brought the ball up court, trailing by two points with just over a minute left. Former Net Royce O’Neale back-poked him, setting off a mad dash for the ball, ending in a tie-up between former teammates and current friends Ziaire Williams and Dillon Brooks. That was just the beginning, though.
The baby-faced Dëmin finally had enough of Dillon Brooks, who had previously picked up both a flagrant foul and technical foul (for shoving Dëmin, incidentally) earlier in the game. Dëmin gave Brooks a shove, Brooks smartly exaggerated it, and then half the arena seemingly got involved…
A big scuffle breaks out after Egor Demin shoves Dillon Brooks, who was pulling at a loose ball well after the whistle was blown. Brooks shoved Demin earlier in the game and got a tech.
The Suns lead the Nets 104-102 with 1:14 remaining. Officials are going to the monitor for a… pic.twitter.com/9AmGhZcR0a
O’Neale grabbed Dëmin, Ziaire Williams and Grayson Allen had their own cussing match off to the side, Mann grabbed O’Neale as a crowd gravitated around them (Dëmin quietly walked away). In the middle of the chaos, Michael Porter Jr. shoved Suns assistant DeMarre Carroll, and only then did Ziaire Williams get injured: Postgame, Jordi Fernández reported that a well-meaning Suns coach ran into Williams while trying to break up the fight, and Williams had to be helped to the locker room postgame.
“Those are just guys protecting each other and fighting for each other, and I think they did a great job,” said Fernández of his team. “You know, you’re not going to let any of your teammates get hit or pushed or anything. Obviously, there’s boundaries and we don’t want anybody to get hurt here, but you know, you’ve seen a few dirty play. They call it, they didn’t call it, I think it got out of hand because of that.”
Whew boy. Three technicals on the Nets, two on the Suns. Frankly, Dillon Brooks’ master plan of being a huge [redacted] all game worked, as it typically does. Grayson Allen, often less cunning in his mischief, stepped to the line for the technical free-throw…and missed it. No harm done?
Not quite. With Williams hurt, the Suns could choose which Net to sub in the game for the jump-ball, and they chose Ben Saraf. Jordi Fernández then left him on the floor for the game-tying possession, which never went anywhere and ended in a 24-second violation. Then, Fernández subbed in Danny Wolf to guard Grayson Allen, who spun right around him for an extra-bitter dagger.
Baffling decisions, tanking decisions, or an extreme effort to get a couple rookies some crunch-time reps? You decide. Either way, the Nets continued the pattern, following up an ugly blowout with late-game heartbreak. They’ve now lost six in a row, their record now a pitiful 12-33. But hey, it’s a tanking season, and at least there was a clear positive on Tuesday night.
“I like my guys sticking up for each other…the resiliency and keep fighting, I think we did it.” — Jordi Fernández
Final Score: Phoenix Suns 106, Brooklyn Nets 102
Milestone Watch
Egor Dëmin made a pretty special 3-pointer midway through the second quarter. It marked his 33rd consecutive games with a triple, tying Landry Shamet (2018-19) and Rudy Fernández (2008-09), for the all-time longest streak by a rookie.
Michael Porter Jr. tied his season-high with those 36 points
Brooklyn is still the fifth in Tankathon rankings but only two games out of first, and ONE in the win column!
Injury Report
Jordi Fernández had no further update on Ziaire Williams postgame, saying the team did not know what the injury was. Based on his limp and escort off the floor, it may be lower body, but that is merely an educated guess at this point.
Nolan Traore and Cam Thomas both returned from one-game absences for this one. However, despite Traore having the best game of his NBA career vs. the Boston Celtics on Friday night, he did not see any minutes.
Meanwhile, Noah Clowney missed his second consecutive game with back soreness.
Next Up
<p>Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>
The Brooklyn Nets now embark on the worst back-to-back the NBA schedule could possibly offer: Denver and Utah. Hope you like your oxygen thin! Tip-off against the Denver Nuggets is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
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.
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.
Next up, Joel Embiid. The big fella continues to move and dominate in a way I genuinely didn't know if we'd see again.
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.
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.
That was a fun one with the Sixers taking down the Bucks. First up for video, the leading-scorer on the floor tonight: Paul George, who absolutely came alive in the third frame when Philly needed it.
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.
Paul George is on FIRE in Q3! Two more triples and he's up to 26 points tonight! pic.twitter.com/llMWtV1xgQ
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.
Stellar two-man game between PG and Maxey opens up George for his third triple of the game 3⃣ pic.twitter.com/hfDXCLHyy0
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.
Rounding out a great game for the Sixers' Big 3 vs. Bucks tonight is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey still struggling a bit from long range, but absolutely no issues using his speed and getting right to the rim.
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.
Last video is of Jared McCain. Returning from injury and getting into any sort of groove in his sophomore season has been a struggle for McCain… Not tonight though.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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.
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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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.
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.
