Scottish Premiership: Will Rangers beat Aberdeen to cut Hearts' lead to three?
After Macclesfield defeat, club must invest wisely to bolster a weak squad and convince their manager to stay
Oliver Glasner’s face told the story. The Crystal Palace manager watched in exasperation as the FA Cup holders headed towards ignominy on Macclesfield’s artificial surface and was still in shock when he conducted his post-match interview. “Honestly, I have no explanation for what I have seen today,” said Glasner.
A mere 238 days since the greatest day in Palace’s history, when he and the club stalwart Joel Ward paraded their first major trophy at Wembley, Marc Guéhi’s first thought after the final whistle at the weekend was to face the music from the diehards who had made the trip to Cheshire from south London. Accompanied by the assistant manager, Paddy McCarthy, the Palace captain held intense discussions with several supporters as Macclesfield’s celebrated their historic victory with a pitch invasion.
Continue reading...The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to take on the Utah Mammoth today at 7 PM.
Utah Mammoth - 22-20-3 - 47 Points - 6-4-0 in the last 10 - 4th in the Central
Columbus Blue Jackets - 18-19-7 - 43 Points - 4-5-1 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro
Blue Jackets Stats
Mammoth Stats
Series History vs. TheMammoth
Who To Watch For TheMammoth
CBJ Player Notes vs.Mammoth
Injuries
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 110
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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The Knicks' defensive inconsistencies were on full display in a 112-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. New York’s defense came alive in the fourth quarter, holding Phoenix to 18 points, but in the previous two quarters, the club gave up 66 points.
The performance was a microcosm of the Knicks’ defense all season, which has been inconsistent. Currently tied for second place in the East with a 24-14 record, it’s been the year of experimentation for New York. We’ve seen more zone defense, switches, as well as the occasional trap.
Despite these new wrinkles, the defense has produced underwhelming results. The Knicks defense is ranked 19th in the NBA after 38 games, and is 27th in the month of January. As we near the halfway mark of the season, let’s look at three major concerns with the Knicks' defense.
New York’s most glaring weakness on the defensive end is guarding the point-of-attack. Mikal Bridges has often been New York’s prime defender, and has struggled for the most part in a season and a half of chasing ballhandlers.
Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart are all quality wing defenders, but they have all looked better in help roles where they can disrupt passing lanes and cut off drives rather than defend speedy guards capable of getting into the paint.
Miles McBride has been effective at times in the role. He has a near 6-foot-9 wingspan. But he’s also a 6-foot-2 guard, so there’s some matchups where that won’t be ideal. Landry Shamet is another capable point-of-attack defender. Shamet should return soon from a shoulder injury.
The Knicks could make a move externally. Names like Jose Alvarado,Ochai Agbaji, and Keon Ellis have been floated as potential trade targets to improve the defense. But realistically, those players wouldn’t be focal points of New York’s rotation.
Brown has employed a zone at times to combat New York’s defensive issues and it’s been hit or miss. Most likely, the Knicks will have to improve from within to elevate the defense.
New York’s lack of an elite point-of-attack option has bled into another part of the defense, the three-point line. The Knicks are overhelping in the paint to contain drives and shots on the interior.
That strategy is working to a degree. New York is keeping teams subdued on the inside. The Knicks allow 46.2 points in the paint per 100 possessions per NBA Stats, the sixth best mark in the league. But the focus on the paint has exposed the perimeter. The Knicks are giving up the third most three-point attempts in the NBA. Opponents are also shooting 37.3 percent from three, a figure that is tied for 27th in the NBA.
New York struggled to contain the three on Friday, giving up 15 three-pointers in the first three quarters, before holding the Suns to just one trifecta in the final quarter. One reason for the improved defense was a switching strategy on the pick-and-roll. Switching could be something the Knicks defense goes to more as the season wears on.
New York’s Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are the two weakest defenders among the team’s top seven rotation players. But as the two top scorers on the team, they’re also crucial to New York’s offense. It’s a delicate balance that the Knicks have to constantly manage.
The opposition will try to bring Brunson and Towns into offensive actions to attack the two stars and create chaos. In the Eastern Conference Finals last year, that combination was exposed repeatedly by the Indiana Pacers. This year’s playoffs will be a major test on defense for Brunson and Towns.
The Knicks have not defended well with Brunson on the floor, giving up 119.4 points per 100 possessions in his 1,235 minutes. When the star point guard sits, New York is allowing 106.3 points per 100 possessions, a number that would rank second in the NBA. It’s not to say that Brunson is the sole reason for New York’s defensive issues, but it’s a number to monitor for the rest of the season.
Picking up a big road win isn’t as easy these days as it has been in recent seasons.
On Saturday, the Florida Panthers had to dig deep to pick up two points against the Ottawa Senators and begin making up some essential ground in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
As it stands, Florida is currently three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a game in hand, for the second Wild Card spot in the East, but the Cats are still seven points back of the Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division, also with a game in hand, and nine points behind first-place Detroit with two games in hand, for what it’s worth.
The Panthers are expected to get healthier in the coming days, with both Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk expected to join the team’s forward ranks at some point on their current road trip, which continues on Monday in Buffalo before ending with a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against Carolina and Washington.
Let’s get to Saturday’s takeaways:
BIG GAME FROM BOBROVSKY
Sergei Bobrovsky gave up two goals on 19 shot against the Senators, which on the surface is nothing to write home about.
His first goal was a shot from the corner that appeared to deflect off his extended blocker and back behind him, and the second goal was a great deflection by Drake Batherson from the doorstep that Bob had no chance on.
In between the tallies, Bobrovsky was downright brilliant.
He made several eye-popping stops to keep the Cats in the game as they erased their early deficit and ultimately scored three straight goals to take control of the contest.
It’s quite impressive how he can keep each goal and each save, every play he makes, completely individual of one another. Nothing that happened during the first period is going to impact him the rest of the game. It’s a testament to his incredibly strong mental fortitude.
“We played really, really hard, and if it didn't go our way, it didn't end our night,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Like the first goal, Sergei is not going to like that one, but you’ve just seen him do that so many times, if he if a bad one goes in on him early, he just somehow raises his level.”
SPECIAL TEAMS WAS SPECIAL
It makes sense that for Florida to earn a crucial two points on Saturday, they had to come up with an exceptional effort on special teams.
That’s exactly what they did, going a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and popping in a pair of power play goals on four opportunities.
The goals were certainly timely, taking the Cats from down by one to up by one, and the penalty kills were critical, coming at key points of the game that allowed Florida to build the momentum that ultimately carried them to victory.
“Probably over the last three years, the best part of our game has been our penalty kill,” Maurice said. “And it does start with those three big defensemen we have back there (Gus Forsling, Aaron Ekblad and Niko Mikkola), they were just outstanding. (Anton) Lundell, (Sam) Reinhart and (Eetu) Luostarinen are just natural penalty killers that are also elite offensive players, so we live and die by it, but they were great.
“A good night and a fast night,” Maurice continued, this time talking about the power play. “I thought we didn't look like a bunch of guys that had played together, and they were fast, so credit to (assistant coach) Jamie Kompon with those guys, because it can get frustrating. We’ve got four of the five guys that would be on our power play aren't our lineup, so you got a whole bunch of new guys, and there's not a lot of time spent together, because we don't practice with our schedule, but good on them. They were fast tonight and won us the game.”
STRONG DEBUT FOR VILMANIS
Saturday was a big night for 21-year-old Sandis Vilmanis.
Florida’s fifth round selection from the 2022 NHL Draft played his first National League game, and he showed out quite well from a coaching standpoint.
While he didn’t register on the scoresheet, Vilmanis still played 14 solid shifts, racking up 11:48 of ice time, all at even strength, logging a shot attempt and a takeaway in his NHL debut.
“I thought for his first game in the National Hockey League, Sandis Vilmanis held on to some pucks and showed some poise,” said Maurice. “He earned some fans in the coach's room because I thought he played hard, but he didn't play not to make a mistake, he just played the game. So really happy for him.”
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Photo caption: Jan 10, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Sandis Vilmanis (95) chases the puck in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)
When Simon Holmstrom scored the overtime winner against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, the New York Islanders improved to 5-0-0 in the five-minute sudden-death frame this season.
Nov. 10: 3-2 OTW vs. NJ via Mathew Barzal
Nov. 13: 4-3 OTW vs. VGK via Jean-Gabriel Pageau shorthanded
Nov. 14: 3-2 OTW vs. UTA via Matthew Schaefer's first career OT goal
Jan. 3: 4-3 OTW vs. TOR via Schaefer's second career OT goal
Jan. 11: 4-3 OTW vs. MIN via Simon Holmstrom's first career OT goal
As you can see, it's been different characters playing the lead role on these overtime winners.
Through 14 overtime periods played this season, they have yet to allow a goal, the only NHL team that can say that.
Last season, the Islanders went 5-9 in overtimes.
What's changed?
Outside of getting tremendous goaltending for essentially the entire season, the Islanders have been able to possess the puck much more than they did a year ago. They have more talent for sure, and there's been a keen understanding of what they are trying to accomplish in the overtime period -- it's not just chaos.
And, most importantly, they have garnered shots on goal, outshooting their opponents 35-19 in the overtime period.
There was a lot of indecisiveness last season, a lot of questionable shooting or non-shooting decisions, which ultimately gave the opponent more chances to end the game.
Three of the five OT winners came before the 3-minute mark, the latter of those three coming at 2:05 of the extra frame. The other two came at 3:02 and 4:11 of overtime.
What's been more impressive has been getting posession back. The Islanders have only won the opening overtime face-off twice in their five overtime frames, but have found ways to win puck battles, jump on rebounds, or just force turnovers to get the puck back on their stick.
They've been bold.
There's a level of confidence in overtime periods this season that we haven't seen. This group is resilient for sure, but they have just been able to execute. Getting two points rather than a loser point in what's an incredibly tight Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference is going to be the difference between Patrick Roy's squad making the playoffs this season after missing a season ago.
Jaylen Brown looked like an MVP candidate with 27 points and eight assists in the Celtics' 100-95 loss to San Antonio, an outing which included a couple of ridiculous 3-pointers over Victor Wembanyama.
Out of this world pic.twitter.com/12RocovMV3
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 11, 2026
However, a frustrated Brown didn't get to the free throw line once in the game. In fact, Boston as a team got to the line just four times all game long, compared to 20 for the Spurs. After the game, Brown went off on the officiating.
"I hope somebody can pull up the clips," Brown said, via the Associated Press. "It's the same s*** every time we play a good team. It's like they refuse to make the calls and they call touch calls on the other end. That's just extremely frustrating...
"Somebody please pull it up. Every time we play a good team, the inconsistency is crazy. ... I'm irate at how they officiated the game today."
Brown took his NSFW rant to social media.
Fine me I’m sick of this shit
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) January 11, 2026
Brown can count on a fine from the league, but he'd gladly pay it to get what he sees as a fair whistle.
The Spurs allow the lowest percentage of free throws to shot attempts in the league, and the second lowest number of allowed free throws a game at 21.3 — call it the Victor Wembanyama effect. With the best rim protector in the league in the paint (and a solid defender in Luke Kornett there when he's not), teams tend to pull up more and shoot further out. Brown was no exception, he had four shots inside four feet (make that six feet and he was 3-of-6 shooting) while he took nine shots between four and 14 feet.
That said, no free throws for Brown and just four for the Celtics as a whole was hard to get your head around. Brown made his point postgame and will get the fine he asked for because he did.
Saturday night’s game at the Bell Center wasn’t just another duel between the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings; it was also game number 500 for captain Nick Suzuki. While playing 500 games in the NHL is already impressive, it’s even more so when you realize that there were 500 consecutive games.
The center has never missed a game since he joined the Canadiens. It’s not that he’s never had any injury; he played through bumps and bruises and was never rested for a game. His game streak is the second-longest in the NHL, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns holding the longest amongst active players at 969 games. The record belongs to Phil Kessel, who played 1064 consecutive games, but it’s worth noting that he didn’t play as intensely as Burns or Suzuki, often staying away from the dangerous areas.
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In his first 500 games, Suzuki has put up 152 goals and 271 assists for a total of 423 points. Over his seven seasons, he has scored 19 game-winning goals (including seven in overtime), nine of which came in the 2024-25 season.
While he has a cumulative minus-41 rating, it’s primarily because of the team’s struggles in his early years and, as the rebuild progressed, so did his differential. Last season, he finished with a more than respectable plus-19, and he’s currently at plus-16; his excellence on the defensive side of the puck is starting to be recognized across the league as he earns votes for the Frank J. Selke Trophy every year.
Homme de fer et de savoir-faire. Félicitations à notre capitaine!
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 11, 2026
The truth is... He is Iron Man. Congrats, Nick!#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/V0B8XA70pS
The captain may not be the type to make a big deal of reaching game number 500, but his entourage didn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate the feat. During last night’s game, his father, Rob, tweeted, “Congratulations Nick Suzuki on completing the first third of your NHL career.” Given how young the captain was when he started playing in the league, the 1,500-game mark isn’t out of the realm of possibilities, but only 24 players have achieved it in league history. Patrick Marleau has the record with 1,779, followed by the late great Gordie Howe with 1,767 and Mark Messier with 1,756. Mike Modano stopped just short of the milestone with 1,499, but Los Angeles Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar should join the club before retiring at the end of the season, since he currently has 1,491 games to his name.
As for Mrs. Suzuki, she had giant balloons waiting at home for the captain on his return last night. He might not have been as happy as he would have been had the Canadiens won the game, but it was a delicate attention, nonetheless.
Mrs Suzuki had a surprise for the captain when he got back home last night after playing the 500th game of his career #GoHabsGo photo credit: Caitlinn Suzuki Instagram pic.twitter.com/KSeGKj8E8A
— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) January 11, 2026
Despite everything he has accomplished so far in his career, there’s still a lot ahead for Suzuki. He currently has 48 points in 45 games, and he’ll likely improve on his most productive season, which came last year with 89 points. The 90-point mark looks pretty attainable for the skilled forward. The Canadiens have not had a 90-point or more scorer since both Vincent Damphousse and Pierre Turgeon achieved the feat in 1995-96. Next month, Suzuki will also get to compete in his first Olympic Games, and while he may not play as important a role for the national side as he does for the Habs, just cracking Team Canada’s roster is already an impressive feat.
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The numbers back up Jaylen Brown's vent about officiating in C's-Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown made at least a $25,000 donation Saturday night by delivering a vociferous postgame rant about the officiating after his Boston Celtics endured a narrow loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Having already sounded off multiple times this season — including after a loss to the Denver Nuggets earlier in the week — Brown made his firmest and most direct declaration while accepting that his wallet would be lighter in the aftermath.
“I feel like, honestly, (the Spurs) just got away with a lot. And I’m tired of the inconsistency,” said Brown. I’ll accept the fine at this point. I thought it was some bulls— tonight. I think [the Spurs are] a good defensive team, but they ain’t that damn good.”
“I hope somebody can just pull up the clips, because it’s the same s— every time we play a good team. It’s like they refuse to make a call then call touch fouls on the other end.”
Brown did not shoot a single free throw over 43 minutes, 22 seconds of floor time against the Spurs. The Celtics generated just four free throw attempts overall, tied for the second-fewest in franchise history.
Boston’s free-throw rate in Saturday’s game was the worst in the NBA this season.
Did Brown deserve more calls? The numbers certainly suggest a harsh whistle in recent games against top competition.
In losses this week to the Nuggets and Spurs — two of the top teams in the Western Conference — Brown was credited with 54 total drives. He drew just one shooting foul, or 1.9 percent of his total drives.
For the season, Brown ranks third in the NBA in total drives. He gets fouled on 8.9 percent of those treks, which would suggest an expected output of 4.8 shooting fouls off those drives against San Antonio and Denver.
Brown’s free-throw attempts, which climbed to a season-high 8.7 per game in December, are down to 5.8 per game in January. The Celtics as a team rank 30th in the NBA in both free throw attempt rate and free throw attempts per game (18.9). They rank 27th in the NBA while drawing fouls on 6.3 percent of all their drives this season.
Given Boston’s shot profile, which leans heavily 3-pointers and long mid-range jumpers, it’s not surprising that the Celtics don’t draw as many fouls as some teams. But Brown has been demonstrative toward officials on multiple occasions when he believes opponents have dislodged him on drives to the basket.
The Nuggets and Spurs have physical, handsy defenses that might get a bit more leeway from officials given their consistency aggressive playstyle. But the 20-4 free-throw disparity in favor of the Spurs on Saturday night was impossible to ignore.
“Every time we play a good team, the inconsistency is crazy,” said Brown. “I’ll take the f—ing fine. [Official] Curtis [Blair and] all them dudes was terrible tonight. I don’t care. They can fine me whatever they want. But it’s crazy. Every time we play a good team, it’s the same bulls—.”
Brown admitted free throws weren’t the entire story of the game and fretted his own uneven play in the fourth quarter. He went 1 for 9 in the frame and missed a wide-open 3-pointer in a 2-point game with 1:19 to play. He turned the ball over soon after, and the Spurs cashed in with a bucket that essentially sealed the game. Two of Brown’s five turnovers came in the final quarter.
Brown also acknowledged that the Celtics have to be better at defending without fouling on the other end. But the overall disparity and what Brown perceived as a more firm whistle against the Celtics left him fuming.
“Zero free throws tonight,” said Brown. “The inconsistency is f—ing crazy. Give me the fine.”
After a smaller rant after Boston’s loss to Denver on Wednesday, Brown got a favorable whistle during the Celtics’ win over Toronto on Friday. That whistle evaporated the next night.
The question now is whether officials will be more likely to give Brown calls after he went so far as to name-check an official as part of his frustration on Saturday night.
A hat-trick from Gabriel Martinelli helped Arsenal come from behind to beat Portsmouth with plenty to spare
At Pride Park, Leeds have come from behind to lead Derby. They’re playing with so much confidence now they’re setting up in a 3-5-2.
Bad news for Liverpool:
Continue reading...On Saturday night at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Canadiens were attempting to win a fifth consecutive game at home, and doing so would have meant holding on to the top spot in the Atlantic Division ahead of the Detroit Red Wings, but the visitors had other plans. While the Michigan outfit hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016, it’s having a great season so far, and Todd McLellan’s men have clearly taken a step forward in their rebuild.
On Saturday morning, Martin St-Louis confirmed that 21-year-old netminder Jacob Fowler would be starting what was the Canadiens’ most crucial game of the week, meaning that Jakub Dobes, who hadn’t played since January 1, would remain the only one of the three goalies not to see any action in the last week.
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This is not reassuring for the Czech netminder, especially not since Kent Hughes mentioned earlier this week that we shouldn’t expect the trio of goaltenders to be around for too long. Just like Fowler, Dobes doesn’t have to clear waivers to go down to the Laval Rocket in the AHL, but if he had a say in the matter, it certainly wouldn’t be his choice.
Detroit plays a particular kind of hockey, one that aims to suffocate not only their opponents, but also the fans in the stands. McLellan’s men are quick on the forecheck, and they give little to no time to their opponent to think about their next play; they get on top of them immediately.
It clearly made the Canadiens uncomfortable, as St-Louis’ men struggled to execute effective passing plays and had a lot of trouble getting pucks on net. In the first 20 minutes, they could test John Gibson only 3 times; by 40 minutes, that had risen to 12, which is hardly enough. Montreal pressed a bit more in the third frame, but it was just too little too late and by then, Gibson was oozing confidence.
The other consequence of the Wings’ suffocating play was that it also suffocated the fans. A crowd that had been so noisy in the last couple of games, launching waves after waves in TV timeouts, seemed in stupor tonight, watching their favourite be unable to solve their divisional rival. While it’s true that the fans aren’t the ones playing the game, taming the Bell Centre crowd on a Saturday night is still something that can give momentum to a team.
Hockey is a puck possession game, and if you don’t win draws, you spend an incredible amount of time just chasing the puck. Over 40 minutes, the Canadiens won only 28% of the faceoffs, and by the end of the game, they had won only 42%.
Even faceoff specialist Phillip Danault had a wretched night in that department; after 40 minutes, he had only a 25% success rate (33% by the end of the night). Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki had only won 21% of his draws through two periods, but he improved to 41% in the third. That stat certainly didn’t help the Canadiens put more shots on net, and if you don’t shoot, you don’t score.
With Kaiden Guhle returning to the lineup, Jayden Struble found himself on the outside looking in as the healthy scratch, which meant that Arber Xhekaj kept his place in the lineup.
Once again on Saturday night, Xhekaj played a solid game, true to his identity, with eight hits, several of which were bone-crushing. Furthermore, he proved to the coaching staff that he could also do well as a lefty playing on the right side, which could favour him in his duel with Jayden Struble in their battle for the 6th blueliner’s role.
He was patient, wasn’t rushing his plays, made sound decisions, avoided unnecessary risks, and finished his checks without taking himself out of the play. In other words, he played to his identity, as St-Louis had said he needed to keep doing earlier that day.
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the Wings were very opportunistic, scoring their first goal of a weird bounce on the boards, capitalizing on a power play opportunity, and striking as quickly as lightning early in the third frame, before sealing the deal with an empty netter with just over a minute left. The smart money says it wasn’t the kind of game Suzuki wanted his team to play on the 500th game of his career, but you don’t get to decide these things.
Ray Ray opens the scoring! pic.twitter.com/f7efvPPmcS
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 11, 2026
This 3-0 defeat is the first in five games at the Bell Centre, but the Canadiens won’t have much time to dwell on it since they’ll be back in action on Monday night when they’ll host the Vancouver Canucks.
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The Week 13 fantasy basketball schedule is an interesting one, in that every day has between six and nine games. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any quirks for fantasy managers to navigate. The Lakers have the first five-game week of the season, while four teams are only playing twice during Week 13.
Add in the back-to-backs, injuries and teams looking to improve their draft lottery odds, and it's clear that the "silly season" is not far away. In fact, is it starting up earlier than in previous years? Washington acquired Trae Young, and it's unknown when he'll make his first appearance in a game. And Ja Morant has been out while his name has come up in trade rumors. Here's a look at the Week 13 schedule breakdown and some of its key storylines.
5 Games: LAL
4 Games: BKN, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, HOU, IND, NOR, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA
3 Games: ATL, BOS, CLE, GSW, LAC, MIA, MIN, NYK, OKC, PHI, PHX, SAS, WAS
2 Games: DET, MEM, MIL, ORL
Sunday (Week 12)-Monday: BKN, PHI, SAC, TOR
Monday-Tuesday: LAL
Tuesday-Wednesday: CHI, DEN, NOR
Wednesday-Thursday: DAL, NYK, UTA
Thursday-Friday: HOU
Friday-Saturday: IND, MIN, WAS
Saturday-Sunday: CHA, DEN, LAL, POR
Sunday-Monday (Week 14): BKN
- Week 13 is a good week to roster Lakers players.
After a poor fantasy schedule in Week 12 because they didn't play on Saturday or Sunday, the Lakers have an excellent slate for Week 13. They'll play five games, including Monday/Tuesday and Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs, which boosts the values of some of the team's low-rostered players. Even if Rui Hachimura can return from his calf injury during Week 13, Jake LaRavia will be worth a look in fantasy leagues due to the back-to-backs. Marcus Smart, as enigmatic a fantasy option as he can be, also has added value because of the schedule. As for Luka Dončić and LeBron James, their workloads will be worth tracking. Do they play all five games, or will the Lakers look to give them at least one night off? The answer will have a significant impact on fantasy basketball leagues next week.
- Be ready to move on from Bucks players after Thursday.
The Bucks are one of four teams playing only twice during Week 13. However, unlike the other three teams discussed below, Milwaukee plays its games on Tuesday and Thursday. Does the schedule give fantasy managers added motivation to trade Myles Turner, whose "sell high" window slammed shut during Week 12? What happens with Bobby Portis after the end of the games on Thursday? While he's been more productive than Turner recently, the combination of the schedule and his reserve role may make Portis expendable in the eyes of some fantasy managers. At this point, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter Jr. are the two players who must be held onto, no matter what the schedule looks like, with Ryan Rollins also in that discussion. As for the others? It's probably time to either make a deal or drop them to the waiver wire for the final days of Week 13.
- Detroit, Memphis and Orlando don't play their first game of Week 13 until Thursday.
The Pistons, Grizzlies and Magic won't play their first games of Week 13 until Thursday, with the former playing its second on Saturday. Memphis and Orlando will play their final game of the week on Sunday as part of a six-game slate, making them teams worth mining for streaming value ahead of those contests. Detroit has been hobbled by injuries recently, with Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris all sidelined. While players like Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed, to name two, have stepped up at various points, holding on to them until Thursday could be challenging. Hopefully, that's enough time for some of Detroit's main options to get back onto the court.
Memphis' injury situation is complicated by recent trade rumors involving Morant. Will the team be able to find a new home for him before the trade deadline? Also, how will the rumors affect his availability before something happens? Cam Spencer has been a valuable option at point guard, whether he starts or comes off the bench, while Santi Aldama and Jock Landale have added importance due to Zach Edey's injury. Orlando remains without Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, but Moritz Wagner will make his season debut on Sunday as he returns from a torn ACL. Anthony Black is a player who fantasy managers should hold onto despite the poor early schedule, but Wendell Carter Jr. may not be in some formats.
- The Nuggets have two back-to-backs during Week 13.
The Lakers aren't the only team that has two back-to-backs to navigate. Denver is one of the others, and the Nuggets are still awaiting the return of Nikola Jokić. He still has a few more weeks on the shelf, but the back-to-backs will impact the availability of some of Denver's other fantasy mainstays. Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Spencer Jones all missed time during Week 12, and that could also be the case in Week 13. And with all four of the Nuggets' Week 13 games being part of back-to-backs, this could be a case where players are only available for two games. While Murray may be able to offer three (or four) games' worth of production in two appearances, that won't be as easy for Braun or Gordon to do, especially with their minutes being restricted.
- The Nets also have two back-to-backs; what does that mean for Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas?
Brooklyn also has two back-to-backs, one of which begins with the final day of Week 12. Porter was ruled out of Sunday's matchup with the Grizzlies; hopefully, that means he will be available for Monday's matchup with the Mavericks. If so, Week 13 could be a three or four-game week for MPJ, as the second back-to-back is another Sunday/Monday set. As for Thomas, not only are the back-to-backs a concern, but so is his playing time. He hasn't surpassed 24 minutes in any of the six games he's played since returning from a hamstring injury. And Thomas being available for Sunday's game likely means that he won't play in Dallas on Monday. There's a chance he's only active for two games in Week 13; add in the restriction, and this could be a challenging week for those who have him rostered. Nic Claxton is someone else to watch; Week 13 could be when fantasy managers receive a preview of what's to come in Brooklyn during the "silly season."
- Dallas' four-game week will get very interesting due to Anthony Davis and P.J. Washington missing time due to injury.
Davis, another star who has been the subject of trade rumors recently, suffered a left hand injury during Thursday's loss to the Jazz that's expected to cost him six weeks minimum. And that's if he doesn't need surgery. As for Washington, he's missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Add in Brandon Williams sitting out Saturday's loss to the Bulls with an illness, and the Mavericks head into a four-game Week 13 down three rotation players.
As much as it's been reported that decision-makers would like to see what a trio of Davis, Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving would look like on the court together, would that be good business for the Mavericks? The 2026 first-round pick is the last that they'll have complete control over until 2031. Week 13's schedule includes a midweek back-to-back; fantasy managers may get some clues about what the Mavericks plan to do the rest of the season, even though the team is only three games out of the final play-in spot in the loss column.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young lost his first playoff start on Saturday, but he impressed head coach Dave Canales.
CHICAGO — All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman has agreed to a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to two people familiar with the deal.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday night on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical. The contract includes a no-trade provision allowing Bregman to block deals without his consent.
Bregman, who turns 32 in March, was back on the market for a second straight offseason. He also was pursued by the Cubs before he signed a $120 million, three-year contract with Boston last February, with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.
He decided to test free agency again after hitting .273 for the Red Sox with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in 114 games, his fewest since 2021. Bregman missed all of June with a quadriceps injury.
He earned $40 million in his one season with Boston, of which he received $15 million last year. The Red Sox owe him $5 million in January 2028 and $2 million each June from 2035-44.
Bregman played his first nine seasons with the Houston Astros, winning World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 — although the first of those yielded a sign-stealing scandal that earned Bregman and his teammates plenty of scorn.
When the Gold Glove winner joined the Red Sox, they already had All-Star Rafael Devers at third base. Boston asked Devers to move to DH, and the team’s relationship with the slugger soured to the point that Devers was traded to San Francisco in June.
Boston ended up leading the major leagues in errors, but the Red Sox did return to the postseason for the first time in four years. Bregman’s OPS of .822 was his best since 2019, and he earned All-Star honors for a third time.
Chicago finished second in the NL Central last year with a 92-70 record. The Cubs reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020 before getting eliminated by Milwaukee in a five-game Division Series.
The Cubs used Matt Shaw at third base last season, and the rookie played stellar defense while batting .226 with 13 homers, 44 RBIs and 17 steals in 126 games. Shaw also can play second base, but Nico Hoerner is a two-time Gold Glove winner at the position.
There could be another trade on the horizon to clear up the team’s infield situation, or Shaw could move into a super-utility role with Bregman’s arrival.
The addition of Bregman was the second major move by the Cubs in a matter of days. They acquired right-hander Edward Cabrera in a trade with the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
ESPN was the first to report Bregman’s agreement with the Cubs.
The Los Angeles Kings (19-15-10) once proved that they can go toe-to-toe with any team in the league, including the Edmonton Oilers (22-16-7), grinding out a dramatic 4-3 shootout win in Rogers Place after a back-and-forth battle that featured momentum swings and late-game controversy.
In a matchup that felt like a playoff game, the Kings were resilient on both ends of the floor. Missing their key players tonight, they stopped Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl from threatening to take over the game in the final moments of regulation.
THAT'S AN LA KINGS DUB#GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/nWa9Jegtpx
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 11, 2026
Edmonton opened the scoring midway through the second period after an ill-timed Kings turnover left Leon Draisaitl alone in the slot, burying his 22nd goal of the season, reminding everyone why he continues to be one of the elite players in the league.
But the Kings would respond later in the frame.
Following the high-sticking penalty called on Darnell Nurse, Corey Perry, returning to Edmonton for the first time since leaving the Oilers, jammed home a rebound on the power play to tie the game 1-1.
The first period looked evenly matched, both teams trading shots and goals, but the question was: could the Kings keep this pace up, or would they fold the same way they always do against their heated rival?
Draisaitl struck again early in the second period, winning a face-off and sprinting into open space before scoring his second goal of the night to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead.
Once again though the Kings had an answer for the Oilers.
Midway in the period, Andre Lee, the new King, who was recalled from Ontario, capped off a strong transition play, scoring his first goal of the season to tie the lead again, 2-2.
Despite Edmonton putting more pressure on the ice in the late stages of the period, the Kings escaped out of the intermission with an even game, setting the stage high for a final period in regulation.
The Kings finally grabbed their first lead of the night early in the third when Alex Laferriere diverted a Brandt Clarke shot to give Los Angeles its first lead.
The Oilers didn't go away though.
With Andrei Kuzmenko already in the box after serving a high-sticking penalty, Adrian Kempe was whistled for slashing, giving Edmonton a brief 5-on-3. A few seconds later, McDavid snapped a wrist shot to score his first goal of the game, tying the game 3-3 and reigniting the building.
Overtime belonged to Anton Forsberg, who turned aside multiple high chances of the Oilers scoring, especially from McDavid and Draisatil who had a lot of open shots to win the game, but Forsberg countered them.
In the shootout, Adrian Kempe delivered the decisive goal to win the game, while Forsberg denied all of Edmonton's shots to seal the game.
SHUT. 'EM. DOWN. pic.twitter.com/12wwKundrP
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 11, 2026
A couple of things to note: Los Angeles was good on the power play tonight, finishing 1/2, and it was the first power-play goal in over a week, a game they also won against Minnesota last Saturday.
Los Angeles also outshot the Oilers 30-24, but struggled with turnovers, giving the puck away 19 times, which is why the game came down to the wire, despite the Kings getting more shots up. But it was still a great quality win for a shorthanded Los Angeles team, coming off a terrible loss to the Winnipeg Jets last night, with no rest, against a fully rested Oilers team and one of the best offenses in the NHL.
Up next, Los Angeles will begin their three-game home stand against the Dallas Stars on Monday, Jan. 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET, a team that will look to get revenge on after losing on their home ice last month.
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