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Penguins/Blue Jackets Recap: Crosby scores late but Columbus wins shootout

Pregame

The Penguins use what they have been lately, Arturs Silovs gets his turn in the goalie rotation.

First period

Columbus gets the first goal of the game, a shot from Zach Werenski hits Noel Acciari and drops right to Zach Aston-Reese. Aston-Reese is quicker than Silovs as his quick shot slides on in. 1-0 CBJ to open things up 2:42 into the proceedings.

The Pens answer back in short order, matching the unlikely goal-scorer of Aston-Reese with a player scoring his first of the season for himself in Connor Clifton. Nice job by Clifton to stay activated deep in the offensive zone and finish off the goal to tie the game.

A Columbus turnover in their own end happened at the wrong place at the wrong time, and to the wrong guy. Sidney Crosby is there to grab a misplayed puck, he quickly centers the puck for Rickard Rakell to direct on net just as fast. 2-1 lead for the Penguins.

Good reaction from Pittsburgh, Columbus only had two shots after their goal in the last 17+ minutes of the period.

Second period

The Blue Jackets make a strong response early, the Pens get a power play but do little with it and the Columbus momentum keeps building up. They strike when Kirill Marchenko fires up out of no where in the neutral zone to grab a puck on the rush and shoot it in. 2-2 game.

Things don’t get much better for the Pens, most of their opportunities are few and far between. It looks like both teams might get to intermission tied but Danton Heinen redirects an Erik Gudbranson point shot late in the period and Columbus is back in front, 3-2.

Bad period for the Pens, can’t say it was undeserved. Columbus outshot Pittsburgh 13-8 in the period, most of the Pens’ chances were one-offs and not much in the way of consistent pressure.

Third period

Pittsburgh starts the period well by killing an overlap of a second period penalty, Clifton and Crosby flash to get chances that narrowly miss out on hitting the back of the net.

The aggressive play leads to some CBJ chances, Silovs does well to stop Adam Fantilli on a breakaway and fight off a 2-on-1 rush.

The Pens get a glorious opportunity with a late power play with 7:49 to go, still looks bad and doesn’t help.

It takes until about the 1:35 mark to get Silovs out of the net for the extra attacker, it doesn’t take long for the Pens to make it count with another 6v5 goal against Columbus late. Kris Letang shoots for a deflection, Crosby obliges with a typically outstanding redirect into the net past Elvis Merzlikins. 3-3 with 1:01 to go.

Overtime

Crosby-Malkin-Letang start it out for the Pens. Ben Kindel sneaks on the ice and gets a shot, Merlikins stops him.

Merzlikins keeps the game going with two point-blank stops on Evgeni Malkin. Silovs does his part with a stop on Charlie Coye from righti n front.

Crosby and Novak get really good looks at the net too before time expires but no one scores.

Shootout

The Pens go first, it’s Rakell. Merzlikins stays with the dekes and pokechecks the puck away when Rakell gets too close.

Kent Johnson takes the first turn for Columbus, dekes to the backhand and scores.

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Crosby is picked to shoot second, he goes with his move to shoot for the glove, but only hits the glove and can’t score.

Fantilli gets the chance to win the game, Silovs makes the stop on the low shot.

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Egor Chinakhov has to score against his former to keep the game going, his shot to the blocker side hits the net.

Marchenko could win it for CBJ, he was 5/5 on the season but Silovs comes up huge with a stop.

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Bryan Rust leads off Round 4 with the teams even. He bobbles the puck near the net and doesn’t get much of a shot off.

Coyle goes for the Blue Jackets with yet another chance to win, and this time they do after a strong forehand deke outmaneuvers Silovs.

Some thoughts

  • A cool little aspect of Malkin playing the wing these days is that sometimes his shift can bleed into when Crosby comes on the ice. That can’t happen when both are centers and change onto the ice for one another. Malkin extended a shift in the first period while the puck was in the offensive zone and got to generate a bonus chance out of it. Fun wrinkle about his move to the wing.
  • Dan Muse and the Pens look loyal to their goalie rotation, which you can’t knock too much given how well things are going across the board and how condensed the schedule is in this Olympic year. That said, if the concept of rotating goalies is going to stay, the question might shift to how long the team will stay loyal to Silovs being a part of that rotation? That’s a bigger picture question for a different day but one that might be worth asking when Silovs has won eight out of 22 decisions with a GAA over 3 and save percentage under .890% when Joel Blomqvist (.925 save%) and Sergei Murashov (.923%) are performing well and a phone call away for an alternative that could be performing better.
  • To that end, Moneypuck had Columbus with a 1.4 expected goal total at the point Silovs had surrendered a third goal.
  • One area Muse has remained too stubbornly loyal to is the shootout order and picking veterans who aren’t performing (Crosby) to go ahead of players who are (Chinakov). Once again, Chinakhov very nearly never even got an opportunity to shoot, the game could have been decided before Round 3 since neither Crosby or Rakell were able to score. This is a very correctable area, maddening to see it continue tonight, and know it’s probably not going to change next time either. It’s tough enough to win shootouts (where the Pens are 1-7 this season) since the goalies aren’t very good at stopping shots, failing to put the shooters in the proper alignment is makes the odds of success even slimer.
  • This was a sneaky tough position for Pittsburgh to be in, seeing Columbus days after a coaching change (and 2-0-0 coming into the night under Rick Bowness). The former coach seemed to be somewhat unpopular among the players, there’s always that period of revitalization, extra energy and a boost from a new voice coming in. That doesn’t make for an easy opponent, even if it’s not exactly a stacked lineup to deal with. The Pens probably don’t have room to complain too much in the sequence of the schedule since they’ve seen so many opponents in b-2-b situations lately (plus the good fortune of facing Philadelphia last way in full-on collapse mode) but that uncontrollable element worked against them tonight.
  • Cool to see Clifton get a goal, he played with confidence the rest of the night after that. As mentioned before, the Karlsson departure from the lineup makes for a great opportunity for Clifton to play regularly for the first time in a while. He hasn’t been poor so much as just lacked for the chance. Now it’s here. Clifton was probably one of the more noticeable better players on the ice for the Pens. And yes, I do mean that as a sort of backhanded compliment towards most of the rest of the team that should not have that be the case.
  • The Pens’ power play (0/3 on the night) might not be the singular reason they didn’t win, but it’s high on the list. Looking back, that early second period power play where they did nothing and Columbus only took off from there was a huge turning point in the game from the dreaded ‘what could have been’ type of thoughts. Then getting a chance to tie the game in the third period and get back in it disappeared without much coming of it. Big turnaround from Thursday night when the power play was incredibly effective (albeit, against a majorly struggling Philadelphia PK played a part in that discrepancy as well).
  • I don’t have the statistical backup at the moment but boy it sure feels like the 6v5 goals at the end of regulation where a goalie is pulled is way up this season. If not for the whole league, then certainly for the games Pittsburgh has been involved in. Luckily for the Pens, Columbus has been as allergic as they have this season when it comes to preserving third period leads.
  • Things you don’t see every day is eight total OT shots (and no goals). It usually doesn’t take that many looks at the net to end a game in a 3v3 format.
  • This game is tough to reconcile the question on if Pittsburgh got a fair shake or not at the end of the day. In some respects, maybe not: the expected goal count was 5.25 – 2.6 in the Pens’ on Moneypuck. On the other hand, the Pens were bad on the power play and had large stretches of unimpressive play. They certainly deserved getting something out of this one, all things considered it would have been pretty nice if someone could have scored in OT. Certainly enough players (Kindel, Malkin, Crosby, Novak) took great shots and had the chance. They couldn’t do that so taking the old school equivalent of a tie (one point) is ultimately fitting.

The next game is about 44 hours from when this one ended, which isn’t too bad. The part about it being, what about 2,500 miles away in Seattle might be the more daunting aspect.

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Mavs take out the Jazz, 138-120 Saturday night

The Dallas Mavericks have seen a lot of the Utah Jazz over the past month, with their most recent faceoff just two days ago. Dallas repeated their success from Thursday night with a 138-120 win Saturday.

Let’s get to the grades!

Brandon Williams: A

22 PTS / 4 REB / 5 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN

Williams had a very nice game on both sides of the ball. He scored on efficient shooting (8-for-13), played solid defense and made some nice passes. His assist-to-turnover ratio (5:2) wasn’t mind blowing, but there isn’t much to complain about in respect of his overall performance.

Max Christie: A

22 PTS / 2 REB / 4 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 26 MIN

Christie returned to action looking as though he didn’t miss a beat. He had himself a sound night in all respects, shooting well in his return (7-for-13). He took care of the ball and played sound defense without racking up fouls. Highlight play: cutting off a passing lane for a steal he took the other way for a layup in the second quarter.

Caleb Martin: C+

3 PTS / 6 REB / 5 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN

Martin’s near-flawless shooting was absent Saturday night, though he grabbed a few boards and dished some dimes. He didn’t hurt the Mavs, but also didn’t do a whole lot to favorably impact the game. Highlight play: on the opening tip Martin moved as though clairvoyant, getting to a spot before the jump ball was even touched, perfectly positioning himself to gain possession. It was a small thing, but pretty cool to see.

Naji Marshall: B+

16 PTS / 5 REB / 6 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 29 MIN

Marshall had a hot hand and did a bit of everything, but his grade takes a hit for the high turnover (3) and high foul (4) totals.

Dwight Powell: A-

10 PTS / 8 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 0 BLK – 27 MIN

Powell was quietly Powell, grabbing boards, hitting his limited shot opportunities, and setting solid screens — one of which got him free throws when Keyonte George committed a flagrant foul by running him over and pushing him to the ground. His steal total gives his grade a boost beyond his other contributions.

Jaden Hardy: C+

12 PTS / 1 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 17 MIN

Hardy can be streaky for sure, and on Saturday his shot could have been better (5-for-13). He did little else and his plus/minus was in the negative for most of the night. Still, he did what you’d want him to do — drop double-figure points in limited minutes.

Moussa Cisse: B-

9 PTS / 10 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 21 MIN

Cisse was solid, though some of his stats came in garbage time. He also had the worst plus/minus on the team (-minus-17).

Klay Thompson: A

23 PTS / 0 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 2 BLK – 20 MIN

Thompson’s first half alone had him in the “A” range: 7-for-10 from the floor, 6-for-9 from deep, 3-for-3 from the free throw line, 23 points. He even dished two assists around his prolific shooting. He came back down to earth in the second half, but very few minutes played was a factor in that.

Final thoughts

If you’re on board with Team Tank, you might be a bit chapped to see Utah doing it better than Dallas by sitting players somewhat arbitrarily in both this, and the game Thursday night. Utah is just behind Dallas in the Western Conference standings, so the losses for them are wins from a certain perspective.

I’m not a big fan of intentionally losing, but I would be lying to say a better pick this summer isn’t highly appealing. With the win, Dallas and Utah now have two wins apiece in the season series, but there is a long way to go before game 82 decides the final standings. For now, Dallas continues to look engaged with two-way players and others that don’t get a lot of burn showing up with maximum effort.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

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Sam Hauser shines as the Celtics smoke the Hawks, 132-106

On a night where Jaylen Brown scored 41 points, it was Sam Hauser who stole the show. He scored 30 points making 10 three pointers, including 8 of his first 9 looks. The Celtics smoked the Hawks 132-106 as the Celtics advance to 26-15 at the midway point of the season.

The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Josh Minott and Chris Boucher. They started Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta. The Hawks were without Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Kristaps Porzingis and N’Faly Dante. They started C.J. McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Vit Krecji, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Onongwu.

This was the Hawks first game back home after a 4 game west coast swing. Those are always tough, if you remember the Celtics were 0-5 in the first game back coming off of long road trips last season.

It was 14-11 at the second timeout. Jaylen Brown took 8 of the first 14 Celtics shots, making 3 of them for 6 points. Joe Mazzulla came out of that timeout with 4 new players surrounding Brown, Anferenee Simons, Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza.

The Celtics led the Hawks, 30-23 at the end of the first quarter. Jaylen Brown carried the Celtics, scoring 18 points while no else scored more than 3. Brown also had 2 rebounds and 2 assists. He took 13 shots.

It was in the 2nd quarter that the Celtics turned up the heat and it happened from three point range. They outscored the Hawks 37-20 in the first 9:23 of the quarter and were 9/12 from threes.

They did not slow down to end the quarter either, scoring 52 points in the period and 82 in the first half, a new season high. They finished the 2nd quarter 19/25 from the field and 11/15 from three.

Boston led Atlanta by 31 points at halftime, 82-51. Jaylen Brown had 29 points while Sam Hauser had 21 points going 7/8 from three point range.

The Celtics contained the, as NBC Sports Boston’s Drew Carter said, “vintage Mazzulla Ball barrage” in the third quarter, taking a 40 point lead at the 9:20 mark in the 3rd quarter. They hit the 100 point mark with just over 8 minutes to go in the period.

Jaylen Brown hit the 40 point mark in the first three quarters of the game. He had 41 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists through three quarters (he did not play in the 4th). He was 14/30 from the field and 2/9 from three in 29 minutes.

The Celtics led the Hawks 117-74 at the end of three quarters. Hauser had 24 points while Neemias Queta and Anfernee Simons had 14 points each.

The 4th quarter intrigue was whether or not Sam Hauser would break the single game three point record for the Celtics, which is 11 from Marcus Smart in 2020. He did not, he made 10 threes in the game, only making 2 of his last 12 three point attempts.

The Celtics shot 50% from the field and 42% from three while the Hawks shot 37% from the field and 32% from three. Boston’s next game is Monday night in Detroit against the Pistons at 8 EST.

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Utah Jazz vs Dallas Mavericks: recap and final score

The Utah Jazz were extremely successful in their tank lost to the Dallas Mavericks for the second time in a row 120-138.

In the Mavericks’ meaningless win, they showed that their depth is overall stronger than that of the Utah Jazz. Their reward? They jump two spots in the lottery standings and are closer to the play-in than they are to a top draft pick. Dallas now finds itself in a three-way tie with Milwaukee and Memphis, and is close to falling to 11th.

For Utah, they are now just two games up on the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings. The Kings, who have won four games in a row, are on their way to passing up Utah with Domantas Sabonis coming back soon. Brooklyn is winning more than they want behind the play of Michael Porter Jr., and we’re also seeing Indiana win some more games. Finally, the New Orleans Pelicans have no reason to tank because they don’t own their pick and are definitely going to win some games this season, they don’t want to. Utah would be exceptionally successful if it lost all three of its upcoming games against the Pelicans.

But how about the game that they played today?

Utah lost for a few reasons. One, they have one of the youngest rosters in history playing, and they’re also in the midst of a brutal road trip. It’s not surprising they struggled, and that’s perfectly fine. Games like this show who is worth investing in and who may not have what it takes, for now.

Keyonte George continues to show that he’s a future star for the Jazz. In the third quarter, he was 6/6 and exploded to finish with 29 points and 6 assists. George is proving to be a core part of the future and a player you can depend on to finish games. What’s exciting is that he will likely continue to improve. And what happens when the Jazz add even more talent? Does that open up even more room for him? He has a chance to be really special next year as the Jazz will be going for the playoffs.

We’re also seeing some exciting stuff from Cody Williams, who is turning into a legitimate rotation player and potential starter for Utah. Williams had 11 points (5/8 FG, 1/2 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 27 minutes. The difference in Cody Williams is night and day from last season and even from a month or two ago. He plays with force on the offensive end and provides great length and athleticism on the defensive end. He’s also shooting the ball well from three recently, which is a great sign, even if it is on a small sample size. It’s something to watch as the season goes along, but Utah is looking like they drafted a good one in Cody Williams.

Brice Sensabaugh continued his latest scoring flurry with 25. He only shot 1/7 from three, but was 10/20 from the field. It’s nice that Sensabaugh can get this type of scoring when the Jazz need it, but it’s not translating to wins. Somehow, Sensabaugh has to figure out how to involve his teammates more and not just end up shooting it, no matter what is happening in the possession. That said, this scoring is a nice sign for the future, even if that future is a potential bucket getter off the bench.

Jazz fans have to be excited about the incremental steps that Ace Bailey is making. He had 18 points in this one with 8 rebounds and 1 assist. He is playing within the flow of the game and getting these points regularly. At some point in his career, he’s going to figure out his driving gam,e and it’s going to take him to another level. For now, we can be excited about all the small things he does, including the defense and the ball movement. Ace Bailey was a great pick.

It continues to be a little bit of a problem with what we’re seeing from Taylor Hendricks and Kyle Filipowski but for different reasons. Filipowski continues to be a pretty terrible defender and is allowing an insane rate of scoring at the rim. He does put up numbers, but it’s fair to ask if what he does on the offensive end outweighs what’s given up on defense. Taylor Hendricks is looking extremely slow. It’s probably related to the injury, and he needs grace, but it doesn’t look good right now. He doesn’t have the same quickness he had before and you can only hope it comes back. Right now, each minute is good because it must help his recovery, but it doesn’t help with winning games. It makes things tough for Will Hardy, who likely wants to allow some development, but things aren’t going very well while he’s on the floor. Let’s hope we start seeing him make steps towards becoming a rotation player. The benefit of what the Jazz are doing now is that it allows him to do that.

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Noah Clowney’s extension is a looming question for Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets’ youth movement has been well documented this year. How could it not? In any conversation involving the team, you can’t get more than a minute or two without someone mentioning it. After all, Brooklyn made history seven months ago when it picked five players in the NBA draft, which we’ve since dubbed the Flatbush Five.

Indeed, the kids at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush have received more attention than anyone this year. But while Brooklyn’s youth may start with the 2025 Draft class, it certainly doesn’t end there. Like the Flatbush Five, Noah Clowney is also on his rookie deal and that means this coming Summer, he’ll be eligible for an extensive and say sources, he’s likely get multiple offers and not insignificant ones. That of course is evident to Nets fans and the organization after games like Friday night when he had a double-double, 23 points and 11 rebounds, and some clutch moments..

Clowney, drafted by the Nets now two summers ago, entered this season at just 21 years of age. His birthday is in July. Danny Wolf, who the Nets drafted with their last pick this past summer, is also 21, though 70 days older that Clowney with a birthday in May.

But while Wolf may have extra months of life, Clowney has two NBA seasons on him, and it’s shown so far during Brooklyn’s 2025-26 campaign. Through 39 games, Clowney is averaging 13.3 points, 1.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. All clock in as career-highs, as do his 4.0 free throw attempts per game. Teams are also scoring less with him on the court for the first time in his career. Brooklyn is +9.3 point per 100 possessions better with him on the floor vs without.

But the “eye test” signals progress as well. For two seasons, he seemed to be nothing more than super-sized sharpshooter at the offensive end, but the Alabama product’s made an extra effort this year to put the ball on the floor, attacking closeouts and set defenders alike.

He also appears to have put on more muscle. By all accounts, the improvement for Clowney has been no joke.

But for all that, there’s been little, if any attention to Clowney’s being eligible for an extension this coming summer. The basics are these: Brooklyn has him under contract until the summer of 2027. He’s eligible to sign a multi-year extension this July, which would kick in during the 2027-28 season. Clowney will be a restricted free agent meaning the Nets can match any offer.

Given his rise, a number of teams are likely to have interest in Clowney. A league source who’s familiar with their thinking has told NetsDaily that the San Antonio Spurs could be a part of that group, with an extension around $50 million over four years, an average of $12.5 million a year, a significant number in the Nets rebuild.

While Clowney has dramatically improved his offensive, some in the league think that his defense could hurt him when talks begin whether with the Nets or another team. That might be less of a concern for San Antonio who have Victor Wembenyama behind him.

While expected to compete in the Western Conference this year, the Spurs could be attractive. They represent one of the NBA’s surprise teams this year. They’re currently tied with the Denver Nuggets for the league’s third best record at 28-13 and are moving quicker toward title contention perhaps sooner than they intended.

If they have a gap anywhere in their rotation, its at the position Clowney plays as well. Harrison Barnes has started every game for San Antonio at the four this year, but is averaging his fewest points per game in over a decade. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton also recently named Jeremy Sochan as a trade deadline “player to watch.”

Historically, the Nets have not waited till to the last minute to negotiate. They signed Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson to extensions well before things got hairy. In both cases, the contract was front-loaded. In the case of Day’ron Sharpe last summer, they were able to use the lack of cap space in the NBA to negotiate a surprisingly team-friendly deal.

Of course, if Michael Porter Jr. stays with Brooklyn after the trade deadline and draft, he too will be eligible for an extension that will also kick in in 2027-28. Maximum: four years, $243 million. Would that complicate the Clowney negotiations? Unlikely 
 at the moment.

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Key Forward Removed From IR, Expected To Return Saturday In Game Between Predators and Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS -- Former Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault is expected to return to the ice Saturday night when the Nashville Predators visit Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.

Marchessault was removed from injured reserve earlier in the day, after missing the last 14 games. The 2023 Conn Smythe winner hasn't played since Dec. 17.

Marchessault missed the Predators' first trip to Vegas, a 4-2 New Year's Eve matinee win.

The Predators bring a three-game win streak to Vegas, while the Golden Knights ride a six-game win streak into Saturday night's game at T-Mobile, where Marchessault hoisted the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophies three summers ago.

Since joining the Predators, the 35-year-old forward has one goal and one assist against his former employer.

In 28 games this season, Marchessault has 10 points (7 goals, 3 assists).

PHOTO CAPTION: Nashville Predators center Jonathan Marchessault (81) skates with the puck against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Bridgestone Arena.

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Pirates sign two Top 25 international prospects, 23 others to begin signing period

The Pittsburgh Pirates landed two of the top international prospects in all of baseball this week.

On Thursday, the Pirates announced that they signed 25 players to begin the 2026 International Signing Period. 

Included in the class were two athletes from the Dominican Republic who ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 Prospects list.

Pittsburgh acquired No. 7 prospect Jeancer Custodio and No. 7 Wilton Guerrero Jr. on the first day of international deals.

A 17-year-old outfielder, Custodio is a 5-foot-10 right-handed hitter who prospects with a 65 overall hit tool.

He is from BanĂ­, the same city as Jose Ramirez and former MLB stars Miguel Tejada and Jose Bautista. Custodio has a 55-grade power tool and hit .333 with a .429 on-base percentage on the 18U World Cup qualifying team. 

Guerrero Jr. has a familiar last name for baseball fans around the world. Wilton Guerrero Jr. is the nephew of Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and cousin of Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 

His dad, Wilton Guerrero Sr., played eight years in Major League Baseball and retired to become a member of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program in Nizao, Dominican Republic, per MLB Pipeline. 

Only 16 years old, Wilton Guerrero Jr. is a 5-foot-10 shortstop with a 50-grade hit tool and a 70-rated speed. 

The deals signal two impactful additions for Vice President of International Scouting Max Kwan, who was hired prior to the 2025 season.

The Pirates signed 12 additional players from the Dominican Republic, seven from Venezuela, and one from Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Panama. Pittsburgh can still sign international players to deals, but the start of the International Signing Period is a key indicator of the top players who will sign with the 30 different organizations.

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Nate Calmese hits winner with 6.8 left, Wake Forest rallies to beat Florida State 69-68

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Nate Calmese scored 18 points, which included the winning jumper with 6.8 seconds left, and Wake Forest rallied for a 69-68 victory over Florida State on Saturday night for the Demon Deacons' first Atlantic Coast Conference road win this season.

The Demon Deacons used an 11-4 run to pull to 68-67 with 24 seconds left. Florida State called timeout after Calmese's floater ended the scoring, and the Seminoles' Robert McCray V missed a potential winning shot that hit the front of the rim to end it.

Calmese finished 8-of-19 shooting. Juke Harris and Myles Colvin added 15 points apiece for Wake Forest (11-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), which trailed 65-54 with 4:26 remaining.

Chauncey Wiggins scored 15 points to lead Florida State (7-11, 0-5). McCray finished with 12 points and five assists but committed 11 turnovers. Thomas Bassong chipped in with 11 points for the Seminoles.

Florida State scored the last four points of the first half to go up 34-31 at the break. Martin Somerville scored seven of his nine points in the first half for the Seminoles. Calmese scored 10 first half-points to pace Wake Forest.

Up next

Wake Forest: Hosts SMU on Tuesday.

Florida State: At Miami on Tuesday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Filip Jovic's career-high 23 points power Auburn in 71-67 win over South Carolina

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Filip Jovic scored a career-high 23 points and Auburn held off a last-minute rally by South Carolina, defeating the Gamecocks 71-67 on Saturday night.

Auburn led by six at halftime and held the lead throughout the second half. Back-to-back dunks by Sebastian Williams-Adams and Jovic gave the Tigers their first double-digit lead of the game, 60-49 with about 5 minutes remaining.

Two free throws by Mike Sharavjamts and a driving layup by Kobe Knox had the Gamecocks within 62-57 with 1:20 remaining before Kevin Overton's 3-pointer put Auburn up 65-57 with 53 seconds left. USC got within three points twice, the second time on a layup by Sharavjamts with 17 seconds remaining.

After a pair of free throws from Keyshawn Hall, USC's Meechie Johnson buried a 3-pointer to make it 69-67 with four seconds remaining. Overton then made two free throws to seal the win.

Jovic, a freshman from Bosnia & Herzegovina, made 9 of 12 shots and 5 of 8 free throws in his fourth double-digit scoring game of the season. KeShawn Murphy and Williams-Adams scored 11 points each for the Tigers (11-7, 2-3 SEC), who beat South Carolina for the 10th straight time.

Johnson scored 17 points, Sharavjamts 13, Knox 12 and Elijah Strong 10 for South Carolina (10-8, 1-4).

Although the Tigers missed seven of their first eight shots they still led 12-8 eight minutes into the game. A 3-pointer by Johnson had South Carolina within 21-19 but Tahaad Pettiford and Jovic converted three-point plays to push the margin to eight points. Auburn led 30-24 at halftime.

Up next

South Carolina: Hosts Oklahoma on Tuesday.

Auburn: Plays Tuesday at Mississippi.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Appreciating Anze Kopitar, His Contributions to Ducks vs. Kings Rivalry

Unfortunately for most hockey fans, but perhaps fortunately for the Anaheim Ducks and their supporters, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar (38) has probably played his last career game against the Ducks. Kopitar announced his retirement from the NHL on the first day of Kings’ training camp before the 2025-26 season.

The Kings drafted Kopitar with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, out of SödertĂ€lje SK of the then-Swedish Elite League. He made his NHL debut at Honda Center on Oct. 6, 2006, against the Ducks, to open the 2006-07 season, a 4-3 Ducks win that will be remembered as Kopitar’s introduction of himself to the NHL and the Ducks as a problem they were going to have to deal with for the duration of his career despite the Ducks going on to win the Stanley Cup in that very season.

Game #48: Ducks vs. Kings Gameday Preview (01/17/26)

Injury Update: Leo Carlsson Set to Miss 3-5 Weeks with Rare Thigh Injury

Kopitar scored two goals in that game, the first of which was a highlight reel goal where he burned Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger wide, pulled the puck around Conn Smythe-winning goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere, and buried from a tough angle. He went on to score a second goal in that game and finished with 22:16 TOI.

That’s how Kopitar’s career started against Anaheim, and he didn’t let up through his entire 20-year career. At the end, he rides off as the player to score the most points against the Anaheim Ducks/Mighty Ducks of Anaheim franchise, with 93 points (32-61=93) in 95 games. He went on to win two Stanley Cups with LA. He was the best player in the only playoff series between the Ducks and Kings franchises, a seven-game Western Conference semi-final matchup in 2014, where he scored nine points (1-8=9), playing his typical brand of detailed, two-way hockey and limiting the impact of the Ducks' top offensive producers.

To accompany his two cups (2012 and 2014), Kopitar’s trophy case includes three Lady Bing trophies, a Mark Messier Leadership Award, and two Selke trophies, an award he’d have won more had it not been for him playing in the same era as Patrice Bergeron and in a later time zone than most awards voters.

Kopitar has played the most games (1491) in a Kings uniform in franchise history and needs just nine more points to become their all-time leading scorer, when he’ll surpass Marcel Dionne (1307). He represented a quiet, lead-by-example brand of leadership that earned him the captaincy in 2016.

Despite the headaches he gave the Ducks franchise, Kopitar played with class, carried it off the ice, and was the catalyst to the “Freeway Faceoff” rivalry from the moment he stepped onto NHL ice that 2006 night in Anaheim and carried that into what was likely his last game against the Ducks, a three-point (all assists) performance that led his club to a 6-1 victory over Anaheim on Dec. 27, 2025.

The Kings and Ducks will face each other for a weekend home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles and Anaheim, respectively. Kopitar was placed on IR on Jan. 10 and will likely be unavailable for this set of games against the Ducks.

Both teams currently sit on the outside, looking in at the 2026 Western Conference playoff picture, leaving the odds of the two meeting in the playoffs at almost zero. If Kopitar has played his last game against the Ducks, his competitive drive will always be respected, and those headaches he gave his rival franchise, the Anaheim Ducks, will linger long after he’s hung ‘em up.

Before Friday’s game in Los Angeles, the Ducks organization presented Kopitar with a VIP tour of Disneyland for ten people. In his 20 years in LA, Kopitar did more for hockey and the growth of the sport in Southern California than all but a few, and it can be argued more than any.

Game #47: Ducks vs. Kings Gameday Preview (01/16/26)

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Cal hangs on to stun No. 15 North Carolina basketball

Cal snapped a three-game skid Saturday when the Golden Bears nabbed their second win against a ranked team when they defeated No. 15 North Carolina, 84-78, at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.

California led by 20 points in the second half of the game but North Carolina rallied late, although it wasn't enough to mount a comeback. The win was the Golden Bears' first victory over a top-15 opponent since 2016.

The Golden Bears were led by senior forward John Camden with 20 points. Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen, son of Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, each scored 17 in the game. Lee Dort had seven points and 12 rebounds.

Cal head coach Mark Madsen was grateful for the loud, raucous environment during their home game at Hass Pavilion.

"Just really want to thank the Cal coommunity, the students, the alums ... the donors and supporters. It was basically a packed house. We're trying to build something special here at Cal and it takes everybody and I can't say enough about the environment," Madsen told reporters after the game.

Madsen added: "Can't give enough credit to North Carolina. Late in the game they had us on our heels. They did a great job of trying to make us uncomfortable. Credit them and credit some guys of ours that stepped up and made plays late with no timeouts."

Tar Heels freshman Caleb Wilson had a team-high 17 points for North Carolina. Henri Veesaar and Derek Dixon each had 14. Veesaar grabbed 10 rebounds for UNC.

More NCAA Men's Basketball: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

"I think there was a sense of urgency that wasn't there in the first 20, 25 minutes," UNC coach Hubert Davis told reporters after the game. "There were still mistakes that were made on both ends of the floor but it was done with an urgency, with an effort that allowed us to get back in the game."

Cal shot 50% from the field and even better from 3-point territory, shooting 54% from deep.

"It was great to see," Madsen said. "Everybody knows we put pressure on the rim with attacking the rim with different actions that we have. It was nice to see a few shots drop too, tonight, early, because we can also shoot it, we can do both."

North Carolina shot 46% from the field and 33% from 3. Additionally, the Tar Heels missed 11 free throws, going 61% (17-of-28).

Despite dominating the paint 32-18, the Tar Heels never led.

Cal advances its record to 14-5 (2-4 in the ACC standings), while North Carolina, 14-4, now has a 2-3 mark in the ACC.

The Tar Heels' next game is against Notre Dame on Jan. 21 on ESPN2. The Golden Bears visit the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion on Jan. 24 on the ACC Network.

Cal vs No. 15 North Carolina basketball highlights

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cal upsets North Carolina basketball

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Agee posts double-double as Texas A&M holds off Texas 74-70

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Rashaun Agee posted a double-double, and Texas A&M beat Texas 74-70 on Saturday.

Agee finished with 17 points on 6 of 14 shooting to go with 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season and seventh-straight game in double figures. Rylan Griffen added 17 points for the Aggies (14-4, 4-1 SEC). Ruben Dominguez had 10.

Jordan Pope scored 17 for the Longhorns (11-7, 2-3). Dailyn Swain also had 17 points and added six rebounds and two steals. Matas Vokietaitis had 14 points and nine rebounds. Tramon Mark scored 13 points.

The game went to halftime tied 29-29 after a 7-0 run from the Longhorns was answered with a 7-0 run from the Aggies.

The Aggies used an 11-3 run to open up a 10-point lead with 5:02 remaining, spurred by Griffen, who scored all 17 of his points in the second half. They allowed an 8-0 Longhorn run starting with 3:02 remaining before closing out the win.

The Aggies had a 20-6 advantage in bench points and turned an 8-6 turnover advantage into a 15-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Up next

Texas A&M will host Mississippi State on Wednesday.

Texas hosts Kentucky on Wednesday.

___

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Treysen Eaglestaff scores 22, West Virginia blows 12-point lead, beats Colorado 72-61

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Treysen Eaglestaff scored 22 points, Honor Huff scored nine of his 14 points in the final seven minutes, and West Virginia blew a 12-point lead before beating Colorado 72-61 on Saturday.

Brenen Lorient had 12 points and nine rebounds for West Virginia (12-6, 3-2 Big 12) and Harlan Obioha added 10 points and nine boards.

Alon Michaeli and Barrington Hargress hit back-to-back 3s in a 12-2 run that made it 43-42 with 13:37 left in the game and gave the Buffaloes — who trailed by as many as 12 in the first half — their first lead. Jasper Floyd made a layup that put West Virginia in front for good 42 seconds later amid a 13-3 spurt, which included eight points by Eaglestaff, that made it 55-46 with nine minutes remaining.

It was at least a two-possession game the rest of the way.

West Virginia shot 52% from the field, limited Colorado to 39% shooting — 33% (10 of 30) in the second half — and outrebounded the Buffaloes 38-22.

Hargress led Colorado (12-6, 2-3) with 15 points, Isaiah Johnson had 12, Bangot Dak scored 11 and Sebastian Rancik added 10. The Buffaloes, who went in averaging 18.9 made free throws (No. 27 nationally) on more than 24 attempts per game, made 10 of 14 from the foul line.

Huff is second in the country with 68 3-pointers this season (Belmont's Tyler Lundblade, 70) and his 360 career made 3s are the third most amongst active players (High Point's Chase Johnston, 387; Oklahoma's Nijel Pack, 368). Huff, a 5-foot-10 senior, led the country with 131 3-point field goals made on 41.6% shooting for Chattanooga.

Up next

Colorado: Hosts Kansas on Tuesday.

West Virginia: Plays Wednesday at Arizona State.

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Stats Rundown: 3 numbers from the Mavericks 138-120 win against the Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks once again humiliated the Utah Jazz, this time by the score of 138-120. This is coming after Dallas trounced Utah on Thursday night, and the Maverick have done this all with a seriously constrained and short-handed roster.

Klay Thompson had another heather, the Mavericks made a bunch of threes, and the Jazz once again didn’t seem to care there was a basketball game being played. Dallas led wire-to-wire and mostly by double-digits.

Saturday’s game was the third time in nine days the Mavs and Jazz faced one another. This fourth and final meeting of the season did not feature Cooper Flagg, who was sitting out his second consecutive game with a left ankle sprain. Despite that, the Mavs held off the Jazz in a win that left the season series split 2-2. 

For the third consecutive season, the Utah Jazz are making it increasingly obvious they are tanking. Jusuf Nurkic missed his third consecutive game to rest, Lauri Markkanen missed his second consecutive game due to illness, and the Jazz have a host of players who have been DNP’d in recent games. Meanwhile, a plethora of Mavericks rotation players were out including P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell.  Despite being shorthanded, the Mavs blew past the Jazz (again). Here are three key numbers from the weekend win.

3: Mavericks with 20-plus points

For the first time this season, the Mavericks had three players score 20-plus points: Klay Thompson (23) Brandon Williams (22), and Max Christie (22). Jaden Hardy also added 12 points off the bench, Ryan Nembhard with seven, and Miles Kelly with eight. Dallas’s quickness in the backcourt gave Utah fits all afternoon. The dribble penetration left Jazz guards scrambling on the perimeter, seemingly with no answers. Scoring wasn’t the only story, as the Mavs were distributing the ball well, notching 35 assists, tying their season high of 35 in Denver on December 1.

Dallas took care of the ball too, having only 11 turnovers. Utah had 15 turnovers, leading to 30 Maverick fast break points. When Dallas wins the turnover battle, they typically win and proved it tonight. A 3:1 ratio of assists to turnovers is a recipe for success.

6: Made 3-pointers for Klay Thompson

After making 19 threes on Thursday night against Utah, the Mavs had a curtain call and hit 18 on Saturday afternoon. Dallas shot 18-41 from three, 44%. Klay Thompson led the charge with six, all of them in the first half, going 6-of-11 from distance. There’s a reason he’s fourth on the all-time three pointers made list, behind only Stephen Curry, Ray Allen, and James Harden. The Klay Thompson arc of being continually better from three as a season progresses is a real thing. This time of year, as soon as the ball touches his hands, it’s going up – and probably going in. Thompson also became the 109th player in NBA history to score 17,000 points.

Three-point shooting has been the Achilles heel of the Mavericks, as they’ve sat in the bottom fourth of teams all season long in three-point efficiency, but you couldn’t tell against Utah. The Jazz are 30th in the NBA in defense and letting these Mavericks catch fire two games in a row from three probably isn’t a fluke. The Mavs were shooting into an ocean right out of the gate, going 7-of-12 from three in the first quarter. Dallas led 42-29 after the first quarter and never let off the gas. They scored at least 70 points by halftime for the second game in a row, which was the catalyst enroute to a 138-120 win.

16: Naji Marshall points

There are only a few certainties in life: death, taxes, and Naji Marshall hitting a paint floater. The nickname “the knife” is fitting since this man can do it all. After putting up 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in Thursday’s game against Utah, he followed up with 16 points, six assists (team high) and five rebounds.

It’s been reported that the Mavericks prefer not to trade Naji Marshall and it’s easy to see why. In a season full of disappointment, Marshall has been a bright spot, averaging 14.0 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 54% from the floor. He’s also been the definition of durable in his time in Dallas, as he’s played in all of Dallas’s 43 games this season.

Marshall continues to stay steady amidst a wild season. His veteran leadership and competitive nature have kept the Mavs ship from completely sinking (for now).

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Smaller Jalen Brunson leading Knicks to NBA title is ‘tough’ task: NBA analysts

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson #11, dribbling the ball and guarded by LA Clippers guard James Harden #1

It’s the existential question that will hover over the Knicks until proven otherwise.

Can a team win a championship with a small, less-athletic guard — like the Knicks with Jalen Brunson — as their best player?

“Tough. It’s tough. Even if you just took out the ‘not as athletic’ component, and you just said ‘at his size as your highest-volume shot-taker,’ just look historically how many teams have done that,” former NBA guard Tim Legler, now ESPN’s top NBA analyst, told The Post. “And the teams that have been led by, let’s take a smaller guard that won a championship. Let’s take an Isiah Thomas, for example; look at the balance on their scoring. You didn’t have the discrepancy that you have here where your leading scorer is seven points better than your next leading scorer. Then there’s another five-point drop before you get to your third leading scorer.

Jalen Brunson looks to make a move on James Harden during the Knicks win over the Clippers earlier this month. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“The teams that have done it and won it all with a guy that size as your top shotmaker have been more balanced teams. Chauncey Billups was a little bit bigger than that but still was a grounded player. He wasn’t a super athletic guy; strong base, all that kind of stuff. Look at the balance on that team.”

Entering Saturday’s 106-99 loss to the Suns at Madison Square Garden, Brunson averaged more than six more shots per game than the next closest teammate in Karl-Anthony Towns. In both championship seasons in 1988-89 and 1989-90, Thomas was around two more shots per game than any of his Pistons teammates.

And on the 2003-04 championship Pistons team, Billups wasn’t even the leading scorer or shot-taker; it was Richard Hamilton.

The only recent example of a smaller guard winning a championship as a lead scorer is Stephen Curry.

The reigning champion Thunder have a guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their best player and top scorer, but he is much bigger at 6-foot-6 and much more athletic.

Unlike the Knicks, Oklahoma City was also an elite defensive team, similar to those Pistons teams.

“It’s not as easy,” former longtime NBA coach Stan Van Gundy, now an “NBA on Prime Video” analyst, told The Post. “Small guards in today’s game are not easy because you can’t switch as much. Steph Curry has shown us that certainly you don’t have to be a big guard to play on a championship-level team. One of the things that Steph has done throughout the course of his career is he has really improved at the defensive end. It’s one of the things in my preparation [for Warriors games]. Teams try to go at him, but it’s not that easy anymore. He has great pride in what he does at the defensive end. Can you have somebody that size on a championship team be the best player? Yep, you can. Is it easy? No.”

Jalen Brunson reacts after hitting a 3-pointer during a game earlier this month. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Across the past 10 years, the non-Warriors championship teams had LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown and Gilgeous-Alexander as their best player and top scorer.

The discourse became a national talking point when Becky Hammon, then an ESPN analyst, two years ago said Brunson is too small to be a “1A dude” capable of leading a team to a championship. Allen Iverson and Steve Nash were examples she used as precedent.

The Knicks have since added Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges as depth around Brunson rather than using the resources they parted with to land a big fish like Antetokounmpo that could make Brunson more of a second option.

“It’s a smaller guy, highest usage rate, biggest shot taker, kind of know exactly what’s gonna happen late in games,” Legler said. “Being honest? It’s not easy, it’s very rarely been done in the history of the league. That’s what they’re trying to pull off and it’s not an easy thing to do. Now fortunately for them, most guys his size aren’t this efficient. Most guys his size that shoot that much do not shoot 48 percent from the field. They don’t shoot 40 percent from the 3-point line. They don’t do that. Most of those guys, in that size range that take a lot of shots, are in the low 40s. They’re 34 percent from the three. That’s way more typical than what Brunson does.”

Brunson has defied expectations pretty much his whole career. But the vast majority of recent NBA history is against him.