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.
Helenius got Los Angeles on the board at the 10-minute mark of the second period, scoring his second of the season by converting a feed from Jeff Malott from behind the net.
Kuzmenko extended the lead to 2-0 for the Kings at 6:46 of the third period, scoring on the power play on assists from Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala. The goal was the 24th of the season with a man advantage for the Kings, who rank last in the NHL on the power play.
DeBrincat scored and pulled Detroit within 2-1 at 17:45 of the third period after the Red Wings pulled Gibson for the extra skater. Kane and Moritz Seider assisted.
The Kings iced the game when Perry scored into an empty net at 18:47.
Up next
Kings: At Buffalo on Thursday in the third game of a six-game trip.
Red Wings: Host the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
The Knicks avoided another inexcusable performance against the Kings, splitting their season series with a 103-87 win on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Mikal Bridges was the Knicks' leading scorer in their sloppy road loss to the Kings back on Jan. 14, and Tuesday's rematch happened to begin with the veteran guard igniting their offense with nine first-quarter points on four-made shots. While the Kings steadily attacked in the early minutes, leading by as many as five points midway through the opening period, they were forced to burn a timeout after allowing a quick 9-0 run to the Knicks. The break in action didn't cool off the Knicks -- they shot 54 percent from the floor and led 36-26 through 12 minutes of action.
-- Points were scarce for New York in the second quarter. They mustered a pair of buckets through the first four minutes, and that cold spell opened a window for the Kings, who trimmed their deficit to five, 45-40, with 5:50 left in the half. The Knicks' lack of rhythm was also due to poor ball control -- they committed a season-worst 11 first-half turnovers -- and in the closing minutes of the quarter, the Kings produced their own sudden 9-0 run that placed them ahead, 51-50. A driving layup from Karl-Anthony Towns with 14 seconds left gave the Knicks a 52-51 edge at the break.
-- Bridges wasn't a factor in the second quarter, as he took just one shot and remained at nine points. The Knicks' first-half leader was Jalen Brunson, but even his 13 points came on an underwhelming 3-of-9 shooting. DeMar DeRozan handily carried the Kings, scoring 22 first-half points and resembling the threat he posed in their Jan. 14 meeting (he contributed a game-high 27 points then). There weren't any other players with double-digit points through 24 minutes of play.
-- The Knicks didn't take too kindly to the Kings' physicality in the third quarter. By the 7:20 mark, a jumper from veteran Russell Westbrook put the Kings ahead again, 61-60, and both teams continued to exchange blows to the tune of a 72-72 tie by the buzzer. Turnovers continued to plague the Knicks, as they committed seven in the period to put their game total to an ugly 18. They also struggled to defend DeRozan, who reached 28 points -- his sixth-highest mark of the season -- entering the final quarter.
-- Towns tried his best to take matters into his own hands, scoring six of the Knicks' first eight points in the fourth on a pair of threes while clinching a double-double. With some assistance from OG Anunoby and five unanswered points from Brunson, their lead over the Kings climbed back to double-digits, 95-85, with 3:07 remaining. Following a media timeout, the tandem combined for another four points, bumping the Knicks' lead to a game-high 14 that forced the Kings to burn a timeout with 2:02 left. Their message on the bench was all for naught -- the Kings scored just two points in the final four-plus minutes, finishing with a measly 13 in the quarter. DeRozan gave the Knicks fits, adding 34 points in total, but his efforts weren't enough.
-- The only Knicks starter who failed to score double-digit points was Josh Hart, who added seven in 31 minutes. But the veteran made his presence known elsewhere, logging nine rebounds and four assists while forcing three turnovers. Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson combined for 16 points off the bench -- Robinson registered a team-best 13 boards -- and in spite of a season-high 21 turnovers, the Knicks' talent and tenacity prevailed.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
Brunson came to life in the fourth quarter, racking up 11 crucial points that pushed his total to a team-best 28. The Knicks captain has averaged 25.2 points over his last four games.
The Knicks (28-18), now on a three-game win streak, will have travel north of the border for a Wednesday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors (7:30 tip-off).
MONTREAL (AP) — Jake Evans scored at 3:58 of overtime, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
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.
Caufield, who had a hat trick in his team’s 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, has scored in six straight games, the longest streak of his career. Caufield has nine goals over that six-game stretch.
Noah Hanifin skated in his 800th career NHL game for the Golden Knights. The 29-year-old Boston native became the first player of the 2015 draft class to reach the milestone.
Up next
Golden Knights: Host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Canadiens: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
The performance wasn't among the Detroit Red Wings' best, but there was still a milestone to celebrate as Patrick Kane tied metro Detroit native (and former Red Wing) Mike Modano for most points in NHL history by a U.S.-born player.
The Los Angeles Kings, who are fighting for a playoff spot, had the better start and middle in their only appearance of the season at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 27. It wasn't until the third period that the Wings looked like they had some pop to them and got on the scoreboard, but they couldn't undo the slow start and lost, 3-1.
Red Wings playoff picture
That kept the Wings at 69 points, with a 32-17-5 record. The Tampa Bay Lightning (70 points) were idle, and still have three games in hand on the Wings atop the Atlantic Division. Kane's next chance to pass Modano will come with a notable record-holder in the building: Alex Ovechkin, who holds the NHL's all-time goals record, with 918, and the Washington Capitals visit Little Caesars Arena on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/HULU). After that, the Wings will host Colorado at 1 p.m. ET Saturday in their last home game until March 4.
The Kings, whose scheduled game on Monday against the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio, was postponed because of snow, looked like they had the fresher legs, even though both teams had been off since Saturday. They scored their second goal while defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker was in the penalty box early in the third period, with Andrei Kusmenko scoring on a low shot. Goalie Anton Forsberg, who had a good night, denied Alex DeBrincat in the final minutes.
The Wings pulled goalie John Gibson with about 3½ minutes to play for an extra attacker, and during that stretch, DeBrincat did succeed, edging the Wings within a goal with 2:15 on the clock. Kane's assist gave him 1,374 career points.
MIKE MODANO HAS COMPANY 🇺🇸
Patrick Kane is now tied for the most all-time points by a U.S.-Born player in NHL history 👏 pic.twitter.com/GG0gYoiuI4
Gibson was tested right away, by Warren Foegele. Midway through the first period, the Wings were assessed back-to-back penalties, to Albert Johansson and Dylan Larkin. It was while killing off the Larkin penalty that Moritz Seider was tripped, sending the Wings on a power play, as Larkin was released 6 seconds later. But the Wings got nothing out of the man advantage, running around chasing pucks and failing to generate a good chance against Forsberg. It was reflective of the Wings' first period overall: Sloppy.
That didn't improve much when the second period began, and sure enough, midway through, the Kings scored. Jeff Malott was in a forecheck when he got his stick on the puck and fired a backhand pass out to Samuel Helenius in the slot for a 1-0 lead.
A second power play wasn't enough to generate momentum for the Wings, who squandered the last 1:39 of the second period again running around accomplishing little. The Wings had 10 shots on goal after 40 minutes.
Both teams play on Jan. 27 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The last time these two played each other was when the Sharks won 6-3 on Dec. 27. Sharks had goals from Macklin Celebrini, Igor Chernyshov, William Eklund, Collin Graf, John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves.
That game for the Canucks, Sherwood had five shots on goal and a missed shot in 16:22 on the ice.
Sherwood is expected to miss this reunion with his former team as it's been reported that he will not play tonight, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Sherwood, 30, has scored 23 points (17 goals, six assists) in 44 games in the 2025-26 regular-season for the Canucks. He led the team in goals, was third in points, and ranks second in the NHL in hits with 210.
In 2018, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks as an undrafted free agent after playing three years of college hockey at Miami University.
His first career point and win was against the Sharks in 2018. Now, Sherwood looks forward to joining to franchise he began his hockey career facing.
"It's great. I know the facility is pretty new, so I'm coming at a good time," Sherwood told reporters. "It's been great. I'm really excited to join this group. And just love the energy so far, and looking forward to get going."
Sherwood, a 6-foot, 194-pound native of Columbus, Ohio, joins a Sharks team that is young, but aims to make strides towards the NHL Playoffs.
Sherwood leaves a Canucks team that is 17-30-5 and scored 39 points for a Sharks organization with a 26-21-3 record and 55 points scored that is also on the cusp of a wild-card playoff spot.
"I'm just excited. I looked at the standings right away. And, you know, obviously you just want to be able to compete and be in the hunt," Sherwood said. "So that's something that, you know, I'm really looking forward to helping this team and pushing forward in the second half."
Sherwood has an upper body injury that has sidelined him from Sharks games, but when he comes back players know that they are getting an impact player added to their squad.
"I mean, he's a dog, just the way he competes, the way he battles," Celebrini said. "He's hard to play against, and that's something that I respected, playing against them, just anytime you match up against them, you know, it's not going to be easy. And, I mean, I'm happy to have that on our team."
"I think it's great. I think it's great. That's what we want in this locker room, is to add pieces that will hopefully help us win," Celebrini added. "He's an awesome guy, and I think we're all just excited for him to get into the lineup and start playing."
Some standout moments from Sherwood early on in the 2025-26 regular-season has been recording two hat tricks this season. Once on Oct. 30 at the St. Louis Blues and later on Dec. 19 at the New York Islanders.
Over the course of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and Canucks, Sherwood has appeared in 309 NHL games, scoring 121 points (60 goals, 61 assists).
In a seven-game stretch from Nov. 8 to Nov. 20, Sherwood tallied three goals and four assists. He has scored three consecutive 10-goal seasons. He currently has 17 goals on the season, his career-high for a season in 19.
Known for his physical play, Sherwood is excited to bring his tenacity and talents to Northern California and the Bay Area.
"Yeah, that's I want to make us hard to play against and do whatever I can to do that, whether that's being physical or being verbal or emotional or mental, whatever it is, you know, kind of the game within the game, I want to make it hard to play against us, and try to add different and complement some of the identity that I know that the team is building," Sherwood said.
Sherwood said he looks to help bring the team energy by occasionally "stir things up" but also being a "glue guy."
He's eager to get out there.
"I know the Shark Tank is a special place when it gets buzzing," Sherwood said. "There's so many things about Northern Cali and what San Jose has to offer. And obviously, the players are, there's some special players brewing. And, you know, I think it's an exciting time to be part of that. And you know, they're building a great culture moving forward. And I'm just getting, you know, excited to get to know everyone and kind of ruffle some feathers when I can, you know, and and whatnot."
He is excited to join them and their fight for playoffs. Both, literally and figuratively.
He took notice of the Sharks' since-viral goalie fight between Sharks' goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on the night of the trade.
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 the Winnipeg Jets ended their two-game skid by beating the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Tuesday night.
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.
That made life much more difficult for goaltender Jake Allen, who made some big saves among his 22 to keep the deficit from getting out of hand. There was little he could do when his teammates were repeatedly outnumbered skating back down the ice into their defensive zone by the opportunistic Jets.
Devils forward Cody Glass left with an undisclosed injury early in the second.
Bo Bichette’s focus this spring appears to rest solely with his new team.
On the heels of his lucrative three-year, $126 million deal with the Mets, the infielder will not suit up for Team Brazil in this year’s World Baseball Classic, according to ESPN Brasil.
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The 27-year-old expressed his desire to suit up for Brazil in this year’s tournament alongside older brother Dante Bichette Jr., a first-round pick by the Yankees in 2011.
Their mother, Mariana, is a native of Porto Alegre, Brazil, which made them both eligible.
“I hope that I can bring some attention to baseball in Brazil,” Bichette told MLB.com last May. “There’s amazing and talented athletes in there. The WBC is a big opportunity for us.”
Bichette, the Mets’ new third baseman, was officially introduced at a press conference last week. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Bo and Dante, sons of former MLB slugger Dante Bichette, both suited up for Brazil during the 2016 WBC qualifiers at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn.
A prospect in the Blue Jays system at the time, Bichette recorded two hits in those games, though Brazil failed to qualify for the WBC.
Bichette would have been the lone MLB representative for Brazil in the tournament, as his brother never played above Double-A. The last Brazilian-born players to appear at the MLB level were catcher Yan Gomes and pitcher Thyago Vieira in 2024.
After spending his first seven major league seasons with the Blue Jays, the two-time All-Star officially joined the Mets as the team’s new third baseman last week.
He slashed a strong .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs last season, finishing second to Aaron Judge (.331) for the American League batting title.
Outside of last year’s postseason, when he played at second base after returning from a knee injury, Bichette spent his entire big league career at shortstop — where several defensive metrics rated him among the worst defenders at the position.
“He’s an athlete,” Mendoza said. “We’re looking at a guy that has played shortstop pretty much his whole career. And just watching him today, moving around third base, taking ground balls, creating angles and then the throws to first base, I was telling him, ‘It looks like you played there before.’”
The Florida Panthers returned to home ice looking to build on their recent road success.
Unfortunately for the Carts, they came up short on home ice for the third time in four tries this month, falling 4-3 to the visiting Utah Mammoth.
It was the visitors who struck first on this night, and they did it while down a man.
With Brandon Tanev in the penalty box for tripping A.J. Greer, a turnover by Uvis Balinskis at the Utah blue line led to a breakaway for Nick Schmaltz.
A couple quick forehand-backhand dekes later, Schmaltz sent his 19th goal of the season past the blocker of a sprawling Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Mammoth a 1-0 lead with 4:14 to go in the first period.
Florida tied the game early in the second on the first NHL goal scored by Sandis Vilmanis in just his ninth National League game.
Less than a minute later, the combination of a tough line change and a turnover by Florida led to the Mammoth moving quickly into the Florida zone.
Sean Durzi scored into a yawning cage after a couple quick cross-zone passes by Utah, giving them a 2-1 lead 3:46 into the period.
Florida again tied the game, and again it was the hard-working fourth line.
After Jeff Petry forced a turnover at the Utah blue line, A.J. Greer pushed the puck along to Vilmanis, who drove to the net. The puck came off his stick and went right to Cole Schwindt, and he beat Vanecek to tie the game once again.
A point shot by Sean Durzi was deflected by fellow defenseman Mikhail Sergachev with 8:55 left in the third period to give Utah their third lead of the night.
Two embellishment penalties called on the Panthers, one on Evan Rodrigues and another on Matthew Tkachuk, greatly hindered Florida’s ability to mount a comeback in the final minutes.
An empty-net goal by Barrett Hayton would seal the deal for the Mammoth, and it was a needed goal due to a tally by Carter Verhaeghe with 14.6 on the clock.
Photo caption: Jan 27, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) attempts to deflect the puck against Utah Mammoth goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Darrion Williams scored 23 points and Quadir Copeland scored 19 points, and NC State won its third straight game by beating Syracuse 88-68 on Tuesday night.
Ven-Allen Lubin made all eight of his shots and scored 18 points and reserve Musa Sagnia scored 10. Copeland, who made all nine of his foul shots, just missed a double-double distributing nine assists and defensively came up with four steals.
The Wolfpack (15-6, 6-2 ACC) shot 51% (33 of 65) despite a 29% effort (7 of 24) from behind the arc. NC State led the entire game.
Donnie Freeman scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and J.J. Starling scored 17 points for Syracuse (12-9, 3-5). The Orange missed 41 shots, going 26 of 67 (39%) from the floor.
NC State led 41-37 at halftime and made that margin over the first eight minutes of the second half. Freeman's layup with 11:50 left made it 55-51.
Copeland responded with a three-point play and two more foul shots to push the lead to 60-51. After a Starling layup, Sagnia threw down a dunk and Terrance Arceneaux made a layup and the Wolfpack claimed their first double-digit lead.
NC State stayed ahead by double digits over the final 5:16.
Up next
Syracuse: Will try to end its four-game losing streak when it hosts Notre Dame on Saturday.
NC State: Winners of five of six and eight of their last 10, the Wolfpack rravels to face Wake Forest on Saturday.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Riley Kugel scored 17 points, Jordan Burks hit a late 3-pointer and finished with 15 points, and UCF rallied to beat Arizona State 79-76 on Tuesday night.
UCF used a 14-2 run to tie it 72-all with 2:30 remaining. Burks' 3 gave the Knights a 78-76 lead with 34 seconds left, and he forced a turnover on the next possession. Themus Fulks split a pair of free throws for UCF with six seconds to go before Bryce Ford missed a 3-pointer to end it.
Jamichael Stillwell added 14 points and Fulks finished with 12 for UCF (16-4, 5-3 Big 12). John Bol grabbed 10 rebounds, and Kugel and Stillwell had nine apiece.
Maurice Odum made three 3-pointers and scored 18 points for Arizona State (11-10, 2-6). Anthony Johnson scored 12 points and Ford added 11.
An Odum 3-pointer with about six minutes left in the first half sparked a 15-6 surge to give Arizona State a 33-28 advantage, and the Sun Devils took a 39-35 lead into the break. Arizona State used a 23-11 run to take its largest lead, 70-58, with 6:09 remaining.
It was Arizona State's first game at Orlando in the series.
Up next
Arizona State: Hosts top-ranked Arizona on Saturday.
UCF: At home against No. 11 Texas Tech on Saturday.
DETROIT (AP) — Patrick Kane of the Detroit Red Wings has tied Dallas' Mike Modano as the highest-scoring U.S.-born players in NHL history.
Kane matched Mike Modano by recording his 1,374th point on an assist on a goal by Alex DeBrincat late in Detroit's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. He got there a couple of months after turning 37, while Modano was 40 when he scored a goal to register point No. 1,374.
“Nothing really went right for us tonight, so it’s tough to really think about (the record) right now, but hopefully next game’s a better result and (I) can move past Mike next game," Kane said after the game. "That’d be nice, to do that and do it with a win.”
He will have a chance to move ahead of Modano when the Red Wings host the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Kane has been one of the faces of American hockey since getting taken with the first pick in the 2007 draft by Chicago. He helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup three times from 2010-15 as a co-headliner of one of the most successful runs since the league’s salary cap era began in ’05.
Earlier this month, Kane became the 50th player and fifth American to score 500 goals, following Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick and Joe Mullen. Brett Hull, a dual citizen who was born in Canada and played internationally for the U.S., had 741 goals and 1,391 points.
Kane won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in ’07-08, the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013 and the Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP in 2015-16, when he also led the league in scoring.
Kane has 1,374 points on 500 goals and 874 assists in 1,341 career NHL regular-season games.
Modano retired in 2011 with 561 goals and 813 assists in 1,499 games.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday in a shakeup of their coaching staff in the wake of their AFC championship game loss.
Lombardi had been with coach Sean Payton since he took the Broncos job 2023. His tenure in Denver ended after backup Jarrett Stidham filled in for an injured Bo Nix on Sunday and the New England Patriots beat the Broncos 10-7 in a game where a snowstorm made it difficult for both offenses in the second half.
Denver also fired wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch. Lombardi also was part of Payton's staff in New Orleans.
“I want to thank these coaches for playing an important role in elevating our program over the last three seasons,” Payton said in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate to work with Joe Lombardi for 15 years and am particularly grateful for his many contributions to our success as offensive coordinator.
“We sincerely appreciate Joe, Keary and Addison’s hard work and wish them all the best in the future.”
Nix led the Broncos (15-4) to a franchise record-tying 14 wins in the regular season and their first playoff victory since Super Bowl 50 a decade ago. He’s won 25 games in two seasons and boasts an NFL-best 11 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime over that span. The Broncos’ offense averaged 23.6 points per game during the regular season.
The Washington Wizards defeated the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, 115-111 at Capital One Arena. Washington didn’t just get a win tonight. They pushed the Blazers down to a sub .500 record as well.
This game featured 19 lead changes, six ties and a long stretch in the middle of the game where the Wizards led by as many as 11 points. The Blazers on the other hand never led by more than 11.
In the fourth quarter, the Blazers started with the lead and still held it midway. Shaedon Sharpe scored 12 of his team-high 31 points and kept Washington on their toes. But Kyshawn George scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth. George even made a three off a Bilal Coulibaly assist with just under three minutes left that gave Washington the lead for good.
And it gets better. George made that three over Blazers superstar (and former Wizard) Deni Avdija.
Avdija, who is poised to make the NBA All-Star team for the first time, scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. But he also committed 6 turnovers for Portland. As for Washington, George had the biggest clutch play of the night, but Alex Sarr led Washington’s scorers with 29 points and added grabbed 12 rebounds.
The Wizards’ next game is on Thursday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip off is at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.
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The 2026 Spring Training report date for pitchers and catchers is two weeks from today. Joe Musgrove is again hosting his Camp 44 before the new season begins. San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish will almost definitely be participating with the team in one capacity or another. After having his third elbow surgery following last season, Darvish is three months removed and heading into the necessary rehabilitation required to get normal function back in his elbow.
The big question regarding Darvish is what role he will take going forward. As far back as last season, it was clear that Darvish had already started contemplating ending his professional career. While rehabbing and trying to get back on the field, he said: “I did seriously consider potentially not coming back – with the injury as well as with my performance the last couple years not being up to standard. But I thought to myself to go all out and treat it as if it was my last time.”
After the surgery, Darvish stated his goal was to rehab in order to be able to have normal function again. Many thought the 39-year-old veteran was implying that he was seriously considering retirement.
Now we jump forward to January of 2026 and the month leading up to Spring Training. Darvish again implied, while appearing at an event for Ronald McDonald House in December, that his goal was health and pitching again was not in his sights at that point.
The Padres are budget constrained, the free agent and trade markets have been outrageously expensive, and Padres fans are clamoring for additions to be made to the roster to round out the team.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune published an article stating the Darvish retirement was around the corner and he would be walking away from the remainder of his contract. His exact words:
“Yu Darvish does not plan to pitch again in the major leagues.”
Acee quoted Darvish (from the Ronald McDonald House event) – “The way my rehab is going now, I am focused on getting right, not coming back. Right now, I’m not really thinking too much about the future. Just knowing the way I think, I’m sure I will one day want to throw again. All I’ve thought about in my life is baseball.”
After writing in his article that Darvish was done, there was a swift response on social media from both Darvish and his agent, Joel Wolfe.
According to Yu Darvish’s agent, Joel Wolfe, no decision has been made on the pitcher’s retirement.
Wolfe: “Yu has not made a final decision yet. This is a complicated matter we are still working through.”
“You may have seen an article, and although I am leaning towards voiding the contract, there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the finer details are yet to be decided. Also I will not be announcing my retirement yet. Right now I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete. If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”
“Since there are reports about my retirement, I’ll explain briefly,” he posted. “I’ve been discussing with the Padres since last year about terminating the contract, but I haven’t decided to retire yet. My own intention has been consistent since the start of the offseason, but at this point, discussions with the Padres, the players’ association, and my agent haven’t been finalized.
“As for me, if I can thoroughly complete my rehab and feel confident that I can pitch in games both mentally and physically, I’d like to start over and compete from scratch again. As for this year, I plan to go to Petco Park for rehab as well, and also attend a bit of Spring Training.”
Two things are true as you read what Darvish stated. He intends to walk away from his contract with the Padres and, if he decides to pitch again, it will be starting over from scratch and earning a spot on a roster. The details of the first fact are complicated and involve legal and financial issues for both the player and his representatives.
The second point is that he must complete his rehab before even thinking about pitching again. Darvish will be 40 when that process is completed. This is his third elbow surgery and his second UCL surgery. His intention appears clear. He does not want to take any more money from the Padres as a professional pitcher. There will be a negotiation that settles on an agreement for all parties but it seems clear Darvish would prefer to walk away.
Any announcement of a retirement is not immediately forthcoming. If he voids his contract he will owe no one anything and can take his time deciding about his professional future. If he stayed under contract he would have to proceed as the team required but on his own he can do it his way.
Acee was interviewed on Monday, Jan. 26, on San Diego Sports 760 radio with Jon Schaeffer clarifying his reporting. He acknowledged that using the word “retired” or “retirement” was a mistake. Although he stands by his statement that Darvish is fully intending on walking away from his Padres contract, the end of his professional career has not necessarily arrived and that is a call only Darvish can make.
Despite the premature jump that Acee took in announcing this development, it should be noted that Padres fans have probably seen the last of Darvish in a Padres uniform in a professional game. Even if his contract is converted into a personal services agreement or a front office job, Darvish as a Padres starter is probably a done deal.
As is his tendency, Darvish will refuse to take money he didn’t earn. The same as when he had to walk away in 2024 to deal with family issues, the team will not have to pay him money that he hasn’t worked for. He was quoted in December – “As far as leaving lots of money, I look at it as that was never mine to begin with. Especially considering the money I haven’t physically earned yet.”
A man of high principles and honor, Darvish will hopefully remain a part of this organization even after his playing days are over. He has already begun the transition into another role as he sat in on talks with free agents and was present during the negotiations for Michael King’s re-signing. He also attended the news conference after that signing.
Darvish is known to be close to Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller and it would make sense that a special assistant role would be a good fit for him. No matter the final deal that is struck, Darvish should be admired for the ethics and principles that he brings to his career. All Padres fans should appreciate what he has meant to this team professionally and as a rolemodel for his teammates.
Like Musgrove, who stayed with the team as a mentor and cheerleader all through his rehab time last season, Darvish intends to spend time with the team during Spring Training. There is no doubt he will do what he can to support the rest of the team and the pitching staff as they prepare for the new season.
At an event on Saturday, Jan. 25, for the new Miracle League field, Musgrove was quoted:
“I know Darvish, I know his passion for the game, about his desire to help people around him get better, but I have no expectation as far as what we’re going to get out of him this year. I don’t say that in a negative way, I say that as this is a decision for Yu. He’s got his reasons why he’s doing it; I think it is extremely admirable what he’s doing, but I don’t want to put any of my opinions out there. It’s his decision to make 100 percent and I don’t feel a certain way about it.”
Staying out of the controversy is a wise choice for Musgrove but it seems clear that his teammates know what Darvish is intending and appreciate him for who he is.
Padres fans should do the same.
Even though this is likely to take some time to finalize, don’t become so wrapped up in the money side that we forget to appreciate the man who is doing it. Yes, the extra payroll flexibility will go far to helping with the roster this year and in coming years. No doubt, that is exactly what Darvish intended.
But with the unprecedented contracts we are seeing in professional sports, it is refreshing to be in the company of an athlete who puts his team, his adopted city and his fans ahead of himself.
