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About 90 minutes before Monday’s game, Josh Hart was answering questions from a couple of reporters. Someone asked him about the Knicks’ then 2-8 stretch.

“I think it’s a combination of stuff. Just gotta be better defensively, more physical, into the ball, more effort, more energy. That kind of stuff. I can’t say that I’m surprised because obviously January – middle of January especially – those are the kind of dog days of the season. So not too surprised,” Hart said. “You kind of see a few teams around kind of showing that fatigue. You know, it happens every year.”

Hart wasn’t excusing the Knicks’ poor play. But he didn’t sound too worried about it.

About four hours later – after the Knicks put up a no-show performance against the Mavericks – Hart had a different take on the team.

“We have to go out there with a sense of urgency,” Hart said. “At this point, (more than) 40 games in, normally you don’t put too much into struggles, because there’s highs and lows, but at this point we have to play desperate, because that’s (where) we are right now.”

Now, the Knicks have lost nine of their last 11 games. They have a bottom 5 defense in that span; New York may have hit rock bottom on that side of the ball Monday when Dallas put up 75 points in the first half.

It was one of the worst losses of the Jalen Brunson era. And one that led to a damning comparison between this year’s team and last year’s team, which reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I think last year no matter what we did, the effort was there. I haven’t seen this kind of effort that we had today, it was embarrassing,” Hart said.

He referenced a game last season when the Knicks leaned on effort and physicality to win.

“We didn’t shoot the ball, we couldn’t score, but we said, ‘We’re gonna lock in, and we’re gonna play defense, we’re gonna play physical, and we’re gonna make it tough.’ It’s the same group of guys, so how we’re playing right now is really inexcusable,” Hart said. “We all gotta look in the mirror and do some soul searching.”

How did the Knicks reach this point? How did a team that started the season 23-9 end up here?

In digging around on this, one theme has come up consistently over the past couple of weeks:

This group is not tied together in the way that their early season success would suggest. Players haven't fully bought into their roles under head coach Mike Brown. Those reasons are cited often when you talk to people about the Knicks’ flaws.

Now, these issues aren’t unique to this year’s team. They existed to a degree in the locker room last season. But the Knicks coaching change hasn't rooted them out.

The firing of Tom Thibodeau and hiring of Brown was never going to cure all that ailed the Knicks. But the move definitely raised the stakes for New York. 

That was made clear earlier this month when owner James Dolan said in a WFAN interview that he expects the Knicks to reach – and win – the NBA Finals. 

A few weeks ago, Dolan’s expectations seemed reasonable. The Knicks started the season 23-9; they won the NBA Cup in Las Vegas last month.

But things have fallen apart since then.

New York is 27th in opponent three-point percentage; the club has one of the NBA’s worst defenses over the past four weeks. Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled on both ends of the floor for much of the season.

It’s easy to point the finger at the new head coach. Certainly, Brown and his staff deserve criticism for the club’s freefall.

But what about the front office? Management’s three biggest acquisitions (Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby) haven’t played at a high level with any consistency this season. The 2025 free agent signings (Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson) haven’t provided the depth the Knicks were looking for.

So how does it all get turned around? The Knicks don't have much flexibility from here. They can use draft capital and/or Miles McBride to acquire a significant rotation player. It may be tough for the Knicks to recoup value in a Yabusele trade because of his 2026-27 player option.

Sure, Leon Rose & Co can execute a larger trade. But that would mean giving up on a core that they put together two summers ago.

Would Rose and his group make that kind of move? They probably don’t want to. But more losses like Monday’s may force their hand.

Winter blues? Derrick White is battling his annual January slump originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

New Englanders know January can be a brutal month. The days are short and bitterly cold. Winter storm warnings seem to exist in perpetuity. All that holiday glee resides in the rearview mirror, and yet spring seems so far away.

January is a brutal month for NBA players, too. The body is feeling the effects of the first 41 games, but there’s still 41 more to go. There are trade rumors and a relentless game schedule. The All-Star break can’t arrive soon enough. Surviving the January doldrums feels like a legitimate chore.

And, if you’re Derrick White, January can’t seem to pass without a maddening shooting slump.

In his four full seasons since joining the Celtics, White has routinely slumped his way through January. It might have cost him an All-Star nod during the 2024 title season. On Monday night, in a showdown of Eastern Conference titans, White missed 10 of the 11 shots he hoisted against the Pistons and turned hesitant during the fourth-quarter moments where he typically thrives.

White was field-goal-less when he stepped to the free throw line early in the fourth quarter to shoot a technical freebie. He missed that one, too — in a game the Celtics would lose by a point, 104-103.

The numbers confirm what’s been hiding in plain sight: January is White’s toughest month. In his four full seasons since joining Boston, White’s scoring plummets to his lowest output of the seven regular-season months. It’s the only month in that span that he’s shooting under 40 percent from the field overall, and his January 3-point percentage is the worst of the seven months as well.

It’s fair to wonder if White is feeling the effects of Jayson Tatum’s absence. While he’s pushed back on the suggestion that scoring has become more difficult while elevating to the No. 2 option, his shooting woes suggest otherwise.

Of the 154 players averaging at least eight shots per game with at least 25 games played this season, White ranks 149th in field goal percentage at 39.1 percent. Of the 113 players in that same group who average at least four 3-pointers per game, White ranks 105th in 3-point percentage at 32.4 percent.

But January has still been his cruelest month. White, who has now failed to reach double digits in scoring in his last three games, is shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 24.7 percent on 3s in 10 games this month. 

Wake White up when January ends.

The good news: History suggests White typically rebounds well in February. That has been both his highest scoring month and his best shooting month (by far) over the past four seasons. White is averaging 17.3 points per game over his last four Februarys, while shooting 49.6 percent overall and 43 percent beyond the arc.

It says something about White’s ability to impact the game in so many other ways that he has lingered in the All-Star conversation despite his obvious shooting woes.

On Monday night, White registered a team-high five assists to go along with nine rebounds (including five on the offensive glass) and two blocks. White was the closest defender on 24 of Detroit’s shot attempts, an insanely high number even by his All-Defense standards. He’ll get votes for Defensive Player of the Year. 

The potential in-season return of Tatum could go a long way toward improving the shot quality White enjoys in the second half of the season. Some of the Celtics’ inconsistent ways in recent weeks could be alleviated by White simply getting himself back on track with his offensive output. That Boston is still second in the NBA in offensive rating despite White’s shooting woes is very impressive.

There are six more games to navigate in January. White has played in 40 of Boston’s 41 games this season and could be due for a night off along the way. The Celtics ought to change all the calendars in the Auerbach Center to February to see if they can accelerate White out of his January slump. 

LeBron James missed out on starting selection as an NBA All-Star starter for first time in 22 years, but the Los Angeles Lakers star is still set to feature in February's event.

Last month, the NBA announced the 10 players voted as starters, including Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, the Lakers' Luka Doncic and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama.

Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the 2026 starters, while current NBA players and a media panel each accounted for 25%.

The five players with the best score in each conference were named as starters across the three teams, with international players playing for the world team.

James, 41, was ranked ninth overall in the Western Conference by voters.

But after that initial snub, James was named among the reserves list, having been selected by a panel of NBA coaches to play as one of 14 additional players.

James was selected in 2025 but did not play in the event after picking up an injury.

The All-Star game has been revamped this season and will feature two teams of players from the United States and one team of international players.

They will compete in a round-robin tournament comprising of four 12-minute games. The top two teams will then face each other in a championship game.

Players selected from Eastern Conference:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks
• Jaylen Brown - Boston Celtics
• Jalen Brunson - New York Knicks
• Cade Cunningham - Detroit Pistons
• Tyrese Maxey - Philadelphia 76ers
• Scottie Barnes - Toronto Raptors*
• Jalen Duren - Detroit Pistons*
• Jalen Johnson - Atlanta Hawks*
• Donovan Mitchell - Cleveland Cavaliers*
• Norman Powell - Miami Heat*
• Pascal Siakam - Indiana Pacers*
• Karl-Anthony Towns - New York Knicks*

Players selected from Western Conference:

• Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
• Luka Doncic - Los Angeles Lakers
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Oklahoma City Thunder
• Nikola Jokic - Denver Nuggets
• Victor Wembanyama - San Antonio Spurs
• Deni Avdija - Portland Trail Blazers*
• Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns*
• Kevin Durant - Houston Rockets*
• Anthony Edwards - Minnesota Timberwolves*
• Chet Holmgren - Oklahoma City Thunder*
• LeBron James - Los Angeles Lakers*
• Jamal Murray - Denver Nuggets*

*denotes reserves

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

More questions answered...

• What changes are being made to 2026 NBA All-Star game?
• What is the NBA's controversial '65-game rule' and how is it impacting players?
• What is an ACL injury and why is it so serious?

The Atlanta Hawks suffered their fourth successive loss, and a loss at home on MLK Day on Monday afternoon in a closely fought 112-100 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hawks’ charge in the fourth quarter, scoring 32 points. Jalen Johnson added 28 points and 16 rebounds. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points, and Bobby Portis scored 19 points.

Off the back of a massive loss against the Boston Celtics, the Hawks welcomed back Dyson Daniels and Luke Kennard to the rotation, while Hawks head coach Quin Snyder made an additional change to the starting lineup by inserting Corey Kispert in place of — the struggling of late — Vit Krejci. CJ McCollum, meanwhile, returned to the bench with Daniels returning.

The story of the first, undoubtedly was the Hawks’ struggles shooting the three-pointer, missing their first 21 attempts from distance — basically going through the entire first half without making a three before McCollum made the Hawks’ first three with 27 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Hawks have looked leggy on jump shots of late — which, they hope, will be helped by a lighter schedule coming up — and Monday afternoon was no exception. Some of these shots they were unlucky not to see go down — the Hawks worked their opportunities well in the first half but had almost nothing to show for it.

The Hawks, finally, found their feet shooting the three-pointer in the second half, but did so as the Bucks — and Myles Turner — briefly found their own form shooting three, keeping the lead around 20 points in the beginning stages of the third quarter. A 10-0 run brought the Milwaukee lead down to 13 points, before an 18-4 run brought the lead below single digits — hope had returned. The Bucks looked as though they had stabilized in the fourth quarter, taking a 13-point lead in the early exchanges in the fourth quarter after a Kevin Porter Jr. and-one.

An Alexander-Walker brought the Milwaukee lead down to nine points with 6:57 remaining (leading to a timeout), and from this point forward it was the Alexander-Walker and McCollum show. Alexander-Walker would take the starring role, igniting for five threes in the fourth quarter, and his shot-making was instrumental to the Atlanta comeback.

McCollum chipped in too and, starting from that 6:57 mark on that Alexander-Walker three, combined with Alexander-Walker to score the next 24 points the Hawks scored — finally broken by a three from Jalen Johnson with 1:10 remaining (from which point forward, normal service was resumed between Alexander-Walker and McCollum).

These baskets from Alexander-Walker (especially) and McCollum brought the Hawks back within the game, and Atlanta faithful was rewarded with a clutch game down the stretch. Let’s look at how it unfolded and where the game was lost on this occasion.

Down four points with just over two and a half minutes remaining, Alexander-Walker continues his fourth quarter effort by coming off of a pin down set by Onyeka Okongwu, coming around the screen, receiving the ball, and rising into the three:

A good switch by Porter Jr. here to get a good contest. It’s just an even better shot by Alexander-Walker, and a good screen from Okongwu to facilitate it.

On the probe by Porter Jr., Dyson Daniels does an excellent job defensively to get through the Antetokounmpo screen and contest the shot, forcing the Milwaukee miss, and now, giving the Hawks a chance to take the lead:

Just brilliant on-ball defense from Daniels, especially to get through the screen and stay with Porter Jr.

After two missed free throws by Johnson — denying a great opportunity to give the Hawks their first lead since the first half — and a missed shot by Antetokounmpo, the Hawks take the lead thanks to made free throws from McCollum. This was short-lived, as the threat of the Antetokounmpo screen (which he slips) puts Daniels behind the play, and forces McCollum to switch from Green to Porter Jr. Daniels switches to Green, but it’s not enough to prevent Green draining his sixth three of the game:

It’s a well worked play from the Bucks, and the slip from Antetokounmpo really puts Daniels behind the play, who likely expected having to go around the stationary Antetokounmpo on the screen.

The Milwaukee lead itself was, briefly, short-lived, as McCollum draws the Bucks’ defense in the corner and kicks the ball out to Johnson above the break, who rises into the three to give the Hawks a 105-104 lead with 1:11 remaining:

It’s a good job by McCollum, operating in a tight space in the corner — with Daniels keeping Porter Jr. close-by — and another shot that is well contested by Porter Jr. Just another better shot made by the Hawks, in this case, by Jalen Johnson.

The Bucks would trade another blow to the Hawks’ newly found lead, with the Bucks using the threat of the two-man between Antetokounmpo and Green (which yielded a lot of success in this game) to open up an avenue offensively. In this case, the threat of a Green three prompts McCollum to chase around the screen to cover Green opens up the roll for Antetokounmpo. When Porter Jr. slips the pass to his roller, it prompts Johnson to slide over to plug the gap. This opens up Portis in the corner, and good use of a fake sends Johnson into the Hawks’ bench, while Portis hits the three to give the Bucks the lead once again:

Portis is shooting over 47% from three this season; it’s hard to blame Johnson a ton for committing to the challenge on Portis here. Prior to that, the Bucks run the play exactly as they should through Giannis and Green — it was their most consistent avenue to score, and with Green shooting as he did in this game the Hawks couldn’t afford to be burned by another three from him.

Faced with a favorable switch onto Ryan Rollins, Johnson looks to take it to the chest of Rollins, but as he bounces into Rollins the force of the bump knocks the ball loose and picked up by Antetokounmpo, who pushes the ball in transition and finishes at the rim to give the Bucks a four point lead with 36 seconds remaining, and an Atlanta timeout:

A tough break for Johnson, who on the last two possessions was sent to the shops by Portis for the three and then turns the ball over for a costly fastbreak basket (and, arguably, lucky not to be called for the foul on Antetokounmpo).

A tough, fading shot from McCollum at the rim out of the timeout brings the Hawks back within two, and once the Bucks get past half-court the fouling game begins. Kyle Kuzma hits both free throws to restore the four-point lead, and the Hawks take their final timeout. Out of which, Daniels (who was a threat for the Bucks inbounding the ball and then cutting), delivers the ball to Alexander-Walker back on the perimeter, who hits the three to bring the lead to one point:

The play provided an insight to how the Hawks were willing to play this one out: everything rode on this three. A quick two — which Daniels could have driven to the rim — and the Hawks can still play the foul game. Missing the three would have ended the game there and then. Fortunately for the Hawks, Alexander-Walker had the hot hand, and he keeps the Hawks’ hope alive:

A very quick foul on Ryan Rollins gives the Hawks plenty of time to get down the court — no matter how Rollins shoots from the line — and get a chance for a decent shot. Rollins splits the pair, meaning even just a two would give the Hawks a chance to send the game to overtime. Johnson inbounds the ball to McCollum, who brings the ball up the floor, gets stuck, stumbles, and puts up a tough shot which is missed, and the game comes to an empty end:

It’s a horrible possession for McCollum, who had a good fourth quarter right up this point. He just gets stuck and has to find a way to get the ball anywhere, away from the situation he found himself in. For one of Johnson, or, especially, Alexander-Walker to not get the final shot is tough for the Hawks. Alas, this was the way of things, and the Hawks’ comeback from a terrible shooting half falls agonizingly short.

Asked about the final possession, Quin Snyder discussed that while the Hawks didn’t have a timeout these are scenarios they try to prepare for. Snyder was pleased with the Hawks’ spacing on the play and believed it just unfortunate that the ball was tipped away.

“We didn’t have any timeouts and those are situations you work on in practice, and it was one of the ones we had touched,” said Snyder of the final possession. “Really trust CJ with the ball and thought we got into a position where we were going to get a good shot: either he was going to get one or he was going to kick it out, and the ball just got tipped. It’s hard to fault. I should preface it by saying it’s not just one play, but we actually executed. Sometimes you do that and don’t get the right result, but the floor was open, we had guys spaced, JJ was on the trail. The ball just got tipped.”

Nickeil Alexander-Walker provided a more detailed perspective of the final play and his perspective of it, and how the play began to unravel before his eyes.

“The last play I know coach had a call,” began Alexander-Walker. “I was running to the corner to be prepared for said call. CJ was coming down. I was waiting for the action to begin. Based on the spacing, I was hesitant to continue just because I guess the live read was different from the call. It was just about me staying spaced and being ready. The help guy gambled — and I was kind of shocked that he did just with it being Corey, and usually in late game you want to stay as solid as you can be. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the shot we wanted.”

As Snyder mentioned, the Hawks losing this game went beyond this missed shot from McCollum. It’s hard to look anywhere else other than the Hawks’ first half shooting: 1-of-22 from three (0-of-21 to start). By the end of the first half, the Bucks had eight three-pointers (outscoring the Hawks 24-0 in that department) and led by 16 points. Despite this, Snyder was pleased with how the Hawks continued to play the right way on both ends of the floor.

“It was our whole team,” said Snyder of the Hawks’ shooting struggles. “I think we were 1-of-21 from three — we’re better shooters than that. We were getting great looks. It’s really easy when that happens to stop doing the things that got us those shots. You can lose your resolve to keep playing that way. That was a big topic for us at the half: ‘Let’s keep doing what we’re doing, eventually we’re going to make some shots.’ When we score 72 points in the second half, 33 assists on 39 field goals, that’s how we want to play. If some of those shots go in it’s a different ball-game. Those are the things that are hard to control: whether the ball goes in. What we can control is the kind of shots we’re getting, and we were getting great looks — we were open.

“Having said that, it’s very easy — when you’re not seeing the ball go in the basket — to let up, get frustrated, and it carries over to the defensive end. That didn’t happen either. Holding a team like that to what we did and just continuing to grind and play, in spite of the fact we were missing shots, gave us an opportunity to stay in the game until we did make some. This is one of the games you wish you got the affirmation of a win, but I think our guys took a big step as far as their connectivity and how we need to play. I thought we ran well, even late in the game, and a couple of shots that went in that Milwaukee shot that you tip your hat — they’re not easy shots. What we take from this is how we play, if we continue to play that way the scoreboard will reflect it.”

“The good thing about it is we kept shooting, despite all the misses,” added Jalen Johnson. “That’s tough, and rare to go for 0-for-21, it’s unlike us. Sometimes, you’ve got to adjust. We came out in the second half and started making shots.”

The Hawks shot 11-of-20 from three in the second half, with Alexander-Walker shooting 5-of-6 from three in the fourth quarter alone, describing how the Hawks’ shooting would eventually even out. He also outlined his belief in how the Hawks’ energy and their approach to their play would be a dictating factor in the Hawks’ shooting and general play.

“It goes back to the law of averages of basketball and understanding the realities of the game,” said Alexander-Walker. “You’re not going to make shots all the time. Sometimes the ones that feel good miss, sometimes the ones that feel nasty go in somehow. That was the tale of the night, but we found a way to chip away at it. We understood a lot of shots we were getting were good shots. One thing I did learn and could feel: despite the shots going in or going out — whatever the game was giving us — our energy and mentality towards it will change everything. I feel the game follows the energy, and our energy changed our — I want to say — spirit, to a degree… You can feel it more in the second half than the first half. The first half, we were getting great looks. We make those shots, maybe it’s a different outcome. Nonetheless, woulda, coulda, shoulda.

“The main thing is our energy is what gave us a fighting chance, and we played through mistakes and the game went up and down, and they responded to our run. We threw another punch, and those are the things that carry on for the rest of the 37-something games (remaining in the season).”

The Hawks were unlucky in the first half, it must be said. They missed a lot of threes that on different nights would go in — to shoot 0-of-21 for, basically, an entire half is almost unheard of (the Pacers came close this season, shooting 1-of-20 in a half). Despite these struggles shooting the three, there were some strong, solid individual games from the Hawks.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s game in the second half was transformative in this game. Often this season, Alexander-Walker has stepped up in the fourth quarter for the Hawks and Monday afternoon was another such example. Having begun the game 2-of-10 from three through three quarters, Alexander-Walker finished shooting 43% from three — an achievement given how he began shooting in this game. While Johnson hit a big three, and McCollum hit some tough shots too — his threes galvanized the Hawks in this game. Alexander-Walker finished with 32 points on 9-of-20 from the field, 7-of-16 from three, and 7-of-7 from the free throw line.

Alexander-Walker and McCollum went on a combined run in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 straight points between them, and the ever-insightful Alexander-Walker outlined the adjustment playing next to McCollum.

“I think it’s just about reading points of attack and playing off-ball with movement,” said Alexander-Walker. “I know in the first half I had drove, he had hit to me, set a screen, then I got stopped, he peeled off, I hit him, he was able to drive a close-out and get a layup — small things like that. The more we use our skillset and tools together, I feel it’s going to benefit us. There was times where it did, and it’s just about communication and learning CJ. He’s also learning us and what our system is and where he can be effective. I’m trying my best to be better at communicating. The tough thing it is (me) being in year 7, and him being in year 13/14 — I’m not trying to come off as the guy that’s talking down to someone who has done this before, but still having that open communication and saying ‘Hey, trust me,’ or ‘What do you see here?’ Just getting the feel.”

I believe this is the play Alexander-Walker is referring to:

As the relationship grows, there’ll probably be times where McCollum is able to recognize Alexander-Walker’s movement to the corner and find him there when the layup isn’t as open as it was in this instance.

During an interview prior to the game, McCollum himself promised Peacock that he would shoot better in this game, and he did. McCollum scored 17 points on 5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. If Johnson’s missed free throws are something that is remembered from this game, there’s a whole different bracket for McCollum’s final possession of the game. Irrespective of the fact there was no timeout available, it was a bad possession that fell in McCollum’s hands, and a costly one — but a better game overall.

Johnson’s contributions to this game were, by no means, small, scoring 28 points on 11-of-24 from the field, 3-of-6 from three, 16 rebounds, and six assists. It was good to see Johnson be a little more forceful attacking the rim in this game; the Boston game was tough for many reasons, one of them being that between all the Boston makes, the Hawks couldn’t get out and run. Johnson was able to do that a little more in this game and also find his feet with three-pointer in this game.

“JJ just continued to play,” said Snyder of Johnson’s shooting. “He missed a couple early on that he can make, and he didn’t get discouraged at all.”

It’s hard not to think about Johnson missing those two free throws in the fourth quarter, which would have given the Hawks their first lead since the first half (McCollum would right this wrong moments later to give the Hawks the lead). In a game as close as this was down the stretch, those moments can go a long way.

Dyson Daniels had a solid return to action: 17 points on 8-of-16 from the field to go with nine rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. Daniels was excellent defensively, and he was able to get on the offensive glass in the first quarter for some put-backs, and some great cuts in this game too. That said, it’s so hard to ignore his three-point shooting — the Bucks were more than happy to let him shoot, and even though there were possessions where Daniels could have shot the three (kicking it to another teammate instead, there were also possessions where he was so open that he had no choice but to shoot it, and he missed his two attempts. Daniels last made a three on December 14th, and has missed his last 19 attempts from three when he has shot.

Late in the game, Snyder made the ‘offense-defense’ switch for the last possession of the game, and it was Kispert to come in for Daniels. It’s just tough that it’s come to this — perhaps after the season there’ll be an explanation behind Daniels’ incredible regression from three. He’s really solid everywhere else — and great defensively — but it’s difficult from three.

Still, pretty good games from those three players, led by the efforts of Alexander-Walker.

“We had a number of guys, from a statistical standpoint, had good numbers but I also thought that none of them were thinking that way when they were playing,” said Snyder. “They were connected, and those things happen naturally when you’re playing as a team and playing the way we want…”

Onyeka Okongwu had a difficult game: four points on 0-of-6 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 from three, scoring all four of his points from the free throw line — just a difficult game for Okongwu, his hook shots just weren’t falling, and he wasn’t able to get deep enough inside, nor get amongst the offensive rebounding for his own offense, but did help contribute for others with his four offensive rebounds.

Corey Kispert didn’t add a whole lot more than Vit Krejci in the starting lineup, scoring two points on 1-of-4 shooting and 0-of-3 from three in (…drumroll!) 20 minutes — that magical 18-22-ish minutes for the starting small forward spot. A return to the bench did not solve Krejci’s shooting struggles, shooting 0-of-6 from the field and three — now shooting 14-of-49 from three (28.6%) in the month of January.

All in all, a solid comeback from a 23-point hole and a 0-of-21 start from three. Alexander-Walker was excellent in the second half (28 of his 32 points coming in the second half), Johnson was much more impactful than he has been lately, and Dyson Daniels was solid too. The Hawks executed well down the stretch, but that three from Portis followed by the Johnson turnover put the Hawks on the back foot, and when Alexander-Walker gave the Hawks a chance to tie or win the game, the last possession was an unfortunate dud.

The Hawks (20-25) are now on a four-game losing streak and head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies (18-23) on Wednesday night. The game is Memphis’ first game back on home soil since their games in Berlin and London — perhaps a good time as any to play a Grizzlies side adjusting back to a vastly different time zone.

Until next time!

It probably was not as smooth as you would have drawn it up, but the Suns took care of business in Brooklyn on Monday night. They never fully shook the Nets, yet they controlled the game anyway. Brooklyn was doing it on the second night of a back-to-back, which made it even more impressive, especially after falling into an early 20-point hole. You could feel the Nets gaining confidence as the night went on. They shot 50.6% from the field and 39.5% from deep and kept pushing.

The difference came on the defensive end, specifically in how Phoenix handled Michael Porter Jr. The plan was clear: let the kids around him fire. Make everything he wanted uncomfortable. It worked. He finished with 23 points, but it took 23 shots to get there, including 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.

The Suns led nearly wire-to-wire after a brief 6-3 deficit, though a 15-2 run to close the second quarter let Brooklyn linger longer than ideal. Same story in the fourth. Not perfect. Still effective. Phoenix held on for win number 26.

It was a full team effort to reach 126 points. Three players cleared 20. Six finished in double figures. Scoring came from everywhere. The road trip now sits at 2-2 with two games left, and the Suns are back to even at 12-12 away from home.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

It was close after the Suns’ win over the Knicks, with the entire bench mob pulling in 28% of the total vote. But one guy separated himself from the pack, and that was Jordan Goodwin.

His 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, paired with the defensive pressure he brought as part of that second unit, helped steady the game when it started to wobble. That impact did not go unnoticed, and it earned him his third Bright Side Baller of the season.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 43 against the Nets. Here are your nominees:

Dillon Brooks
27 points (8-of-15, 6-of-9 3PT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, +7 +/-

Devin Booker
24 points (10-of-18, 1-of-4 3PT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, +7 +/-

Collin Gillespie
22 points (7-of-10, 5-of-7 3PT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, +16 +/-

Mark Williams
16 points (5-of-6), 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, +12 +/-

Grayson Allen
14 points (5-of-13, 4-of-10 3PT), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 turnovers, -7 +/-

Royce O’Neale
11 points (4-of-8, 3-of-7 3PT), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers, +13 +/-

Who gets it?

After last night’s victory against the Utah Jazz, Victor Wembanyama was asked about being selected to the All-Star staring five. Immediately after discussing the honor, the focus shifted to baldness.

When asked about Carter Bryant’s standout performance, Wemby responded,

“It was great, it was great. Feels like now he makes dunks, he don’t want to let the hair go.”

Wembanyama is referring to the recent posts that Carter Bryant was offered $20,000 to shave his head. Thus far, Victor and Keldon Johnson have ceremoniously shaved their heads while Jordan McLaughlin was ahead of the curve.

Bryant was offered the stipend to join in the festivities. When he turned it down, De’Aaron Fox said that if Bryant blew three more dunks he’d not have an option to shave his head.

Wemby believes despite making the dunk and turning down the money, Bryant will come around.

“I think everybody needs more bald players. I think it’s a show of dedication, at least from my point of view. I think Carter’s coming next if I had to bet on it.”

When asked if Wemby, as a team leader could exert his power and influence to lobby for more shave players, he replied wryly,

“I definitely am. And we need to start having contracts and conditions.”

His influence thus far has garnered the respect of his fans and peers in the Jackals as well as members of the Spurs crew.

There was even some in-arena fun from The Coyote focused on bald members of the audience.

We all know when Wemby wraps his head around an idea, he gets people on board. After all, the Jackals was his brainchild.

Now the head is bald and he’s putting his energy behind getting his teammates on board.

In his postgame interview, Harrison Barnes stated he wasnt against shaving his head as long ias it was his decision. He also hypothesized that Stephon Castle will be the last to shave his head.

Even NBA on Prime got in on the trend.

Who will be next to go under the shaver? Only time will tell.

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1. Another Close Loss to the Pistons

For the third time in four matchups against the Detroit Pistons this season, the Celtics have lost in very close fashion. This was an incredible game of basketball overall. It was a back and forth game all night long and Jaylen Brown just missed the game winning shot by an inch. Definitely not the desired outcome for Boston, there were a lot of mistakes and very cold shooting but it was a great fight. In the three losses this season, Boston has only lost by 6,7, and 1 point. The Pistons are first in the East for a reason and the Celtics showed that they were able to hang with them even without Jayson Tatum.

2. Tobias Harris/Duncan Robinson Legacy Game?

Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson have been no strangers to the Celtics over the years. Harris spent 6 seasons on the Philadelphia 76ers and Robinson spent 7 years on the Miami Heat. Boston has battled and matched up with them numerous amounts of times, but I can’t say I have seen both of them play actually productive games against the Celtics until this game. Tobias Harris finished with 25 points on 11-20 shooting from the field and Duncan Robinson finished with 15 points on 5 three points. In a game where Boston was able to slow down Cade Cunningham, it was really demoralizing to see them go off in this game.

Robinson made some really timely shots for Detroit all night long but none were bigger than his three in the fourth quarter. He got the ball on the wing, shook Derrick White out of his shoes on a pump fake, and splashed the three

Harris also made some timely threes in the fourth quarter but his biggest came at the 1:37 mark. The shot clock was running low and Cade Cunningham was looking to pass the ball. Hauser stepped up to Cunningham and left Harris wide open in the corner for three that made it a 4 point Pistons lead that basically won them the game.

3. Detroit Bigs Crushed Boston

One big advantage the Pistons are always going to have over the Celtics is their big man rotation. Jalen Duren finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Isaiah Stewart finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds. When Detroit ran their double big man lineup, it really killed Boston, especially with both Luka Garza and Neemias Queta getting into foul trouble.

Duren had a stretch in the third quarter where he showed how much of a dominant force he really was. At the 4:26 mark, the Pistons were running the fast break off of a Celtics miss. Cunningham ran to the corner, threw up an alley-oop pass to Duren who was streaking down the court and he finished a thunderous slam over Anfernee Simons. Then later in the quarter at the 3:33 mark, Duren again was a force in the paint, following a missed layup by Stewart for a put-back slam.

Stewart made a ton of great defensive plays in this game but none were bigger than the block he had on Neemias Queta in the second quarter. Queta got the ball in the middle of the floor and rose up for a two-handed jam. However, Stewart came out of no where to jump perfectly with Queta to swat the ball away.

4. Turnovers Hurt

The Celtics finished this game with 14 turnovers but with the way they were throwing the ball around, it really felt like they had more. Detroit was able to take advantage almost every time, scoring 19 points off of Boston’s turnovers and at times it was the only reason why the Pistons were able to stay in the game. A lot of them were turnovers where the Celtics would just lose the handle on the ball or make an errant pass that lead to an easy basket for the Pistons. Take this play from Jaylen Brown for example, Brown loses the handle and the Pistons go down the court the other way for easy layup. This was an all night problem for Boston and it really felt like they just shot themselves in the foot.

5. All-Star Starter: Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown was voted as an All-Star Starter before tonight’s game and showed why he was deserving of his spot, finishing with a double-double of 32 points and 11 rebounds on 11-28 shooting. Brown did all he could to will the Celtics to a win in this game but just came up short in the end. The outcome shouldn’t deter the great game he had however because he made some incredible plays against a tough Pistons defense late in the game to keep Boston in striking distance.

One of my favorite plays of the night from Brown came at the 2:30 mark in the first quarter. Defended by Ron Holland, Brown pump faked the three to get him to jump, then went to the midrange, created seperation with his off arm, and sank the jumper.

His fourth quarter was probably the biggest for Boston however, scoring 10 of the Celtics 21 points. Brown started with a play where he got to his spot at the free throw line, pump faked to get Caris LeVert in the air, and finished the midrange jumper through contact. He then matched up with Duncan Robinson at the three point line and blew by him. Brown then met Duren at the rim and finished a tough basket over him. Next was a play where Tobias Harris was all over him on defense but Brown was able to get by him and finish the layup with his right hand. Finally, Brown was once again matched up with Harris but this time he blew right by him to score a floater that made it a one point game with 45 seconds left.

7. Sam Hauser Continues to Impress

After hitting 10 threes against the Hawks in his last game, Sam Hauser continued his great run of play into this matchup with the Pistons, finishing with 16 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and 4-7 shooting from three. You can argue that Hauser was the second best player on the court for Boston as he had a huge stretch of scoring in the third quarter.

Hauser began the third quarter doing a great job running around the court to get to the top of the three point line for a pull-up jumper over two Pistons defenders. On his next basket, he made another cut to a similar spot at the three point line but a little farther. White found him and Hauser made another three over a great contest by Ausar Thompson. Finally, Hauser pulled out his midrange bag, taking Duncan Robinson off of the dribble. He drove, got Robinson up in the air, and hit the jumper looking a little bit like Jaylen Brown. Sadly this stretch got interrupted with him picking up his fourth foul but this was a great stretch that gave the Celtics energy coming out of halftime.

6. Payton Pritchard Back in the Lineup

After a tough game in Miami and missing the Celtics last game in Atlanta, Payton Pritchard made his return to the lineup for this matchup and had a pretty solid game, finishing with 17 points on 5-8 shooting. Although there were times he looked hesitant to shoot, he was able to make an impact. Like Hauser, Pritchard had a great third quarter where he dropped 10 points.

Pritchard’s third quarter started off of a nice pass from Jaylen Brown. Brown was double teamed on the block and found Pritchard who was wide open on the wing for three. His next play started with a pass from Queta where he pump faked Robinson and drove to lane. He then hit a hesitation dribble and put up a midrange shot over Duren for a tough bucket. His final play of the third quarter started with him blowing by Harris on the perimeter where he was picked up by Isaiah Stewart. Pritchard did a good job of getting to the basket and was able to finish a reverse layup over the contest from Stewart. I hope this game is able to get Pritchard going again for a while because the Celtics are in desperate need of a consistent number two option next to Jaylen Brown right now.

8. Tough Derrick White Game

This was arguably the worst game of the season for Derrick White, finishing with 4 points on 1-11 shooting and 0-6 from three. He did have 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks on Cade Cunningham but this was the worst game in a string of rough games. In his last 4 games, White is averaging 9.3 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, on 28% shooting from the field and 15% from three. This after White had a great month of December and looked to be shaking off the rust from his slow start to the season. It feels like there is a correlation between the Celtics winning and losing games this season and at times it feels like it comes down to if White is going to have a good game or not. I’m sure he will bounce back from this rough patch just like he did before but I just hope this doesn’t become a more concerning trend.

9. Brown vs Cunningham

Brian Scalabrine did a pregame interview with Jaylen Brown on NBC where he said that he would be the primary defender on the Pistons All-Star Starter Cade Cunningham in this game. Despite the loss, Brown and the Celtics did a pretty good job of defending Cunningham as a whole. He finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds but shot 4-17 from the field and 0-4 from three.

Out of the shot attempts where Brown looked to be the primary defender, Cunningham shot 1-5. On the first attempt, Brown rode Cunningham’s off hand all the way to the basket where Cade missed the layup. The second attempt saw Cunningham attempt a midrange jumper that Brown was able to block and even though they called it a foul, it was overturned on a Celtics challenge. The third attempt was another midrange jumper where Brown was able to get around a Duren screen for a nice contest. The fourth attempt saw Cunningham once again try to shake off Brown but Jaylen stayed glued to him and forced another contest jumper. The final attempt was the only attempt that Cunningham got the win on and was a big one. At the 2:21 mark of the fourth quarter Brown was stuck behind a screen from Thompson that allowed Cade to get into the lane for an easy floater.

If these two teams match up in a playoff series, I can see Brown being the primary defender on Cunningham again and hopefully holding him to a similar result in this game.

10. Playoff Atmosphere

All four games that the Celtics and Pistons have played this season have been down to wire, good old fashioned slugfests that have felt like the Game 7 of a playoff series. This is due to the intensity that comes out of both teams when they step foot on the floor and it feels like it will be a disservice to everyone who enjoys basketball if these two teams don’t matchup in the playoffs this season. Detroit has become a juggernaut behind their aggressive defense and timely offense while Boston is going to have Jayson Tatum back in a playoff series which increases almost every attribute on both sides of the ball for the Celtics. Ideally we get a rematch of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals with the same result but either way I love this budding rivalry and I hope we get to see it for years to come.