CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball overcame an early head-to-head collision with coach Charles Lee to score 24 points, and the surging Charlotte Hornets fought back from a 22-point deficit to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 102-95 on Monday for their seventh straight win.
Kon Knueppel added 17 points, hitting four 3s, and Brandon Miller and Grant Williams each scored 16 as Charlotte pulled within a half-game of the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hornets overcame 17 turnovers while matching their longest winning streak since March 2016.
Trey Murphy III scored 27 points to lead the Pelicans, who have lost six of their last nine. Zion Williamson finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Derik Queen had 16 points.
ROCKETS 118, PACERS 114
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Alperen Sengun matched his season high with 39 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. added 19 to help short-handed Houston overcome the absence of All-Star forward Kevin Durant to beat Indiana.
Durant sat out, coach Ime Udoka said, after spraining his left ankle when he stepped on a fan’s foot. The Rockets already were missing center Steven Adams, who is expected to miss the rest of this season following surgery on his injured left ankle, so Sengun did the heavy lifting.
He made 13 of 25 from the field and 13 of 18 from the free-throw line including 8 of 12 during the fourth quarter. Houston won its third straight, got its fifth victory in six games and captured its third straight on the road.
All-Star forward Pascal Siakam finished with 27 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 25 to lead the Pacers, who charged back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to take the lead. But they didn’t have quite enough to extend their winning streak to a season-best three straight.
GRIZZLIES 137, TIMBERWOLVES 128
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 30 points, Ty Jerome added 19 and Memphis built a 20-point lead in the second half and held on for a victory over Minnesota.
Memphis maintained a double-digit advantage through much of the fourth quarter. Minnesota, behind Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards, seemed poised to overtake Memphis, but the Grizzlies never let the Timberwolves within nine points and snapped a six-game losing streak.
Jaylen Wells scored 18 points for Memphis, while Cam Spencer and Vince WIlliams Jr. added 16 points apiece.
Edwards led Minnesota with 39 points and seven rebounds. Jaden McDaniels scored 29 points and DiVincenzo finished with 21, including 13 in the fourth. Minnesota had its four-game win streak halted.
76ERS 128, CLIPPERS 113
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, Dominick Barlow added 26 points and 16 rebounds, and Philadelphia beat Los Angeles for their fourth consecutive victory.
The game featured two big names who weren’t selected as All-Star reserves: Joel Embiid of the Sixers and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers.
Embiid had 24 points as he continues to gain full strength after a right ankle injury. The Sixers improved to 11-10 without Paul George, who is serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.
Leonard led the Clippers with 29 points and Jordan Miller had 21 points off the bench.
Los Angeles was without James Harden, who missed his second straight game due to personal reasons. Coach Tyronn Lue said before the game that Harden was at home in Phoenix.
After falling into a 5-1 hole in the second period, the Nashville Predators scored five unanswered goals for a miraculous comeback victory over the St. Louis Blues, 6-5 on Monday at Bridgestone Arena.
It ties the franchise record for the largest comeback in the game, four goals, set in a 7-5 win over the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 21, 2025, when Nashville also came back after going down 5-1.
Steven Stamkos scored the game-tying and game-winning goal in the third period.
The Predators were down by just a goal at the end of the first period, with Ryan O'Reilly recording his first tally of the night on the power play.
However, in the first four minutes of the second period, the Blues scored three unanswered goals, two of which came just 30 seconds apart.
The early second-period barrage saw the Predators pull Juuse Saros for Justus Annunen after Saros allowed five goals on 21 shots.
The Predators began to turn things around near the end of the second as Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg scored to make it a two-goal game. Forsberg now has four goals in three games.
In the third, O'Reilly netted his second of the night to cut the Blues' lead down to a goal. Stamkos took over, scoring twice to tie the game and give the Predators the lead. The second goal was his ninth game-winning goal of the season.
While they didn't score, Roman Josi had four assists and Luke Evangelista had three assists. Josi is riding a red-hot scoring streak, with 37 points in 42 games.
Nashville was able to hang on for the final 10 minutes of the game for its 17th comeback win of the season. The Predators improve to 26-23-6 on the year and steal two points for 58 on the season.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored his second goal of the game on a power play at 3:38 of overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.
Minnesota got the power play when Phillip Danault hooked Kaprizov in front of the goal. Kaprizov took a feed from Quinn Hughes and fired a shot past Jakub Dobes from the high slot for his 32nd goal of the season.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber also scored, and Hughes had three assists to reach 50 for the season. Filip Gustavsson made 17 saves.
Faber tied it at 3 at 7:05 of the third, racing onto the puck down the right side for a quick shot. Quinn assisted on the goal.
Hughes assisted on Kaprizov’s first goal to tie the Russian’s team-record assists streak at nine and push his franchise-record points streak for defenseman to nine. Kaprizov had assists in nine straight games in 2022-23.
Minnesota won its fourth straight, ending Montreal winning streak at three.
Brendan Gallagher, Ivan Demidov and Kirby Dach scored to give Montreal the lead after the Wild raced to a 2-0 advantage.
Dach put Montreal ahead 12 seconds into the third, knocking in Nick Suzuki’s feed. Gallagher started the comeback with 52 seconds left in the first, and Demidov tied it with 17 seconds to go in the second,
Eriksson Ek opened the scoring at 38 seconds of the first, firing a wrist shot from right circle. Kaprizov made it 2-0 with 4:12 left in the first, tipping in Quinn's feed.
Wild defenseman Daemon Hunt didn’t return after taking a puck to the throat in the first period.
Up next
Canadiens: At Winnipeg on Wednesday night in their final game before the Olympic break.
Wild: At Nashville on Wednesday night in their final game before the Olympic break.
MEMPHIS, TN - FEBRUARY 2: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #3 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives to the basket during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 2, 2026 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Everything the Minnesota Timberwolves do right now is under a massive microscope. That microscope’s name is Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It’s hard to watch Jaden McDaniels shoot 18-26 from three during the last two weeks and not think immediately of how a certain team in Milwaukee would think of him. It’s increasingly difficult to watch Julius Randle without wondering if he will be sticking around if Minnesota continues to try to prioritize McDaniels and Naz Reid without getting a deal done for Giannis.
Jaden McDaniels over his last 10 quarters…
Points: 58 Rebounds: 11 Assists: 6 2s: 11 for 18 (61%) 3s: 11 for 14 (79%) https://t.co/fdPhRMkgYa
All of that is on the table. It means that so little about tonight’s game is actually about tonight’s game. Still, the nature of this recap means that we do need to talk about what happened against the Memphis Grizzlies instead of thinking about what price, if any, is too high for a current top-three player in the entire association.
(If that price is all three of Naz, Jaden, and Julius, that’s certainly too high for me)
The Wolves did what we all know them to do and came out flat. A first-quarter deficit grew and festered like an ever-spreading cough that no one seems to be able to get rid of. While on the topic of sicknesses, it seems pretty clear that the entire team frequently looks anemic and completely devoid of whatever vitamin is needed to provide consistent effort.
The story of this game was the eight-point lead that the Grizzlies maintained for the entirety of the contest. It is exceptionally difficult to consider the Wolves a good team when they have inverted their early-season form and turn into a pumpkin whenever they face a team below 500.
To Minnesota’s discredit, Memphis was also missing two consistent starters and at least four rotation pieces by my count.
It’s just bad.
Despite a great performance from Jaden, these are the types of games that fuel the desperation necessary for the Wolves to go all in on a Giannis trade. And it doesn’t help when your supposed second option has fans tweeting like this:
Julius looks like he’s volunteering to be the guy traded tonight lol
The word to describe it is just flat. So much of this team is without depth and without texture. The Wolves are not a product you can trust. They are the gas station sandwiches of the NBA. One day, they are the exact thing you need on a road trip, a shocking bit of excellent normalcy to distract from disappointing other options. Another day, they had you projectile vomiting on the side of the highway about an hour and a half later because the lettuce had started to rot.
All that is to say that anyone who sees Minnesota as a title contender is simply wrong. The unseriousness is unavoidable and is just fully baked into this team as is. Whether that would change in an era focused fully on the Jaden/Ant/Naz trio remains to be seen, but this iteration of the team will not escape who they are.
Maybe we will look back on this recap in a couple of months — as we did last year… and the year before as well — and laugh at this level of declaration, but I think there’s a reason that the Wolves burn out in the conference finals.
The Wolves have the ceiling of being able to beat anyone. The last few matchups with the Thunder have shown that. But their inability to lock in and just show up every day, every hour, every play means that they just cannot stop getting in their own way.
If you missed this whole game, you missed out on nothing. You should’ve watched Unrivaled.
A 16-3 run in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter buried any hope of a Minnesota comeback. What else is there to say about a performance like tonight that hasn’t already been said? Ant started off hot, and then cooled off as the game fell out of grasp. Cam Spencer and Ty Jerome made a bad loss worse for Minnesota.
If there’s a story that continues to stand out, it is how dreadful Mike Conley has been. Whereas Bones Hyland at least has a lesser version of the Jordan Poole/Michael Jordan wheel that he spins every game, Conley is ping-ponging between Hornets Tony Parker and Bucks Jeff Teague.
The old man is, by all accounts, a wonderful teammate and an integral part of the locker room, but the biggest difference maker for the Wolves’ deadline hopes is probably getting number 10 to go from a five-minute-a-game player to a zero-minute-a-game player.
Additionally, it was a terrible night for Naz Reid, who had been the most impactful Wolves player according to most net rating numbers over the past few game winning streak. Naz’s issues tend to mirror the team’s. There’s such a high high, but such a low low. Tonight was quite low.
Basketball is fun. Being a fan of a good team is, typically, fun. The Wolves have once again drained me of my will to watch and my will to support.
That brings us back to the question that looms as large as the last name that would answer it. I’d have no problems putting my own words to it, but I think it’s already been said about as well as it can.
To me the Wolves trading for Giannis puts both potentially crashing and burning AND potentially winning a ring on the near-future table — maybe even equally as likely. I don’t think either of them are foreseeable right now
Your view kinda depends on your appetite for risk/reward
Goodnight Wolves fans. I’m sorry you had to watch that. I wish you didn’t have to. I wish I hadn’t.
Up Next
The Timberwolves finish their three-game road trip north of the border as they take on the Toronto Raptors, where they look to end one of the craziest streaks in the NBA, as they have not won a road game in Toronto since January 21, 2004. The game begins at 6:30 PM CT, airing on FanDuel Sports Network.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 09: Matt Shaw #6 of the Chicago Cubs throws to first base during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the National League Division Series at Wrigley Field on October 09, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a new week here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in out of the cold. We’ll waive the cover charge for you. Let us take your coat. The hostess can take you to your table now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week, I asked you which Cubs corner outfielder should the team sign to an extension. Your choice was Seiya Suzuki with 49 percent of the vote. Ian Happ only got 21 percent, which affirms my belief that Happ is the most underrated Cub of the 21st Century. Nineteen percent of you did want to sign both players to an extension.
Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You’re free to skip that if you’d like. You won’t hurt my feelings.
Tonight we’re featuring Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias in New York in 2011 playing “Samba Triste.” Joining her are Marc Johnson on bass and Satoshi Takeishi on drums.
You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and like most things that decide to go up against Godzilla, The Day the Earth Stood Still got crushed. I would have thought Gort would have been able to put up a better fight with all his alien technology, but that’s what people thought about Mechagodzilla as well.
Today we’ve got another third round matchup to decide which film will face off against Godzilla in the semifinals. It’s director Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey and the film with one of the most famous endings of all time, Planet of the Apes (1968).
2001: A Space Odyssey.(1968) Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood.
Here’s the “hunt” scene where Taylor (Heston) and his crew are captured by the Apes.
Reading back what I wrote about these two films, I don’t really have a lot more to say. Both of them kind of defy criticism anyways, but in very different ways. I also assume that all of you who have been following along have already seen both of these movies, so I don’t need to tell you a lot.
So you might as well vote.
You have until Wednesday to vote. Up next, Alien takes on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I’m wondering if we won’t get Alien versus Godzilla in the final, which would no doubt give some producer an idea for a new film series.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
The Boston media and Red Sox fans have been going nuts since the Cubs signed Alex Bregman. Even the few Boston fans who didn’t think the Red Sox should re-sign Bregman are upset because the team has too many outfielders and not enough infielders. Marcelo Mayer is pencilled in for third base and while he was a highly-regarded prospect coming into last season, he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first go at the major leagues. He also struggled badly against left-handed pitching, so he probably needs a platoon partner. That’s no reason to give up on Mayer, but it is a risky spot to be in for a team that has title aspirations.
The situation for the Red Sox at second base is even worse. Romy Gonzalez did very well at the plate last season—..305/.343/.483 in 96 games, but most of that damage was done against left-handers. Basically, he’s a good platoon partner for Mayer at third base and he can’t play second and third base against left-handed pitching at the same time.
Another option the Red Sox have at second base is Kristian Campbell, who was poor in his rookie season, hitting .223/.319/.345 over 67 games. There’s also David Hamilton, who was even worse.
The situation is so desperate that the team is apparently kicking around is moving center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela to second base. Rafaela was a good defensive infielder before the Red Sox moved him to center field and he could probably handle the position well should they move him back. The problem is that Rafaela is an elite center fielder who may be the only outfielder in Pete Crow-Armstrong’s class as a defender. So that might solve the Red Sox problem of too many outfielders and not enough infielders, but it comes with a big cost.
One thing that has been suggested a lot by Red Sox fans is to trade for one of the Cubs infielders, in particular Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw. The idea is behind Hoerner is that the Cubs have one too many infielders and Hoerner is a free agent at the end of the season. If the Cubs aren’t planning to sign him to an extension, they might be better off getting something for him in trade.
Honestly, I don’t see the Cubs trading Hoerner. The Cubs also consider themselves playoff contenders and Hoerner is one of the best all-around players on the team. For the Cubs to trade Hoerner, they would have to get something back that would give them equal or better production this year. If the Red Sox had that to trade, they wouldn’t need Nico Hoerner.
Matt Shaw is a more interesting question. Shaw got off to a poor start to his rookie season last year, but he really turned it on in the second half. He also was surprisingly good at third base, but with Alex Bregman under contract, he doesn’t have a full-time job. The Cubs have made it clear that they’d like to use Shaw as a “supersub” all around the diamond, but for 2026 at least, Shaw is a luxury rather than a necessity. It’s also escaped no one’s attention that Shaw is from Massachusetts and grew up a Red Sox fan.
Most of the trade offers I’ve seen out of Boston for Shaw is along the lines of “here’s a bunch of players we don’t want for a Cub we very much do want.” Sorry, but trades don’t work that way. The Cubs have no reason that they have to trade Shaw. The Cubs need a strong bench and he’s the backup plan for 2027 should Hoerner leave as a free agent. On top of that, I believe that even though Hoerner is the better player, Shaw has more trade value than Hoerner. He was the 35th-ranked prospect according to Baseball America coming into last year. Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him as the 14th-best prospect. While he didn’t set the world on fire his rookie season, he’s still young and promising. On top of that, he has five years of team control left instead of just one for Nico.
So sorry Red Sox fans. If you want Matt Shaw, it’s gonna hurt. Boston will definitely have to give up something they don’t want to give up if they want Shaw.
Fortunately for them, they do have two prospects the Cubs might covet. The Red Sox have two young (23 years old) starting pitchers who are major-league ready this season: left-handers Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. Baseball America ranked Tolle as the 17th-best prospect in the game. They ranked Early 52nd. Law ranked Tolle 40th and Early 64th. Both have already made their major league debuts. Early and was very good (2.33 ERA) over four starts. Tolle wasn’t nearly as effective out of the gate with a 6.06 ERA over three starts and four relief spots. But the important thing is that both pitchers are ready to pitch in the majors this season.
Here’s a little of what Baseball America said about Tolle
He . . . averaged 96.6 mph in his big league cameo and hit triple digits for the first time in his life on a pitch that averaged 16.7 inches of ride and 6.7 inches of armside run. Tolle reshaped his secondary mix throughout the season, most notably with the introduction of an 88-90 mph cutter in August that immediately surpassed his gyro slider,
And here’s a little of what they said about Early.
He paired the [93-94 mph] fastball with an excellent mid-80s changeup with sink and fade to his arm side as well as a slider and curveball against righties, while crushing lefties by mixing his four- and two-seamer with a low-80s sweeper that produced a 100% whiff rate—not a typo—on 10 regular-season swings.
To be clear, while all the rankings I’ve seen have Tolle ranked higher, presumably because of his greater velocity, I have read some people saying they think Early is the better prospect and will be the better pro. He was certainly better in his cup of coffee last year than Tolle was. In any case, this isn’t a situation where one pitcher is obviously superior to the other. There’s a general consensus that Tolle is better, but reasonable teams could think otherwise.
The Red Sox would have to give up one of those two to get Matt Shaw and probably another lesser prospect as well. As I said, it’s going to have to hurt if they want Matt Shaw. I’m not going to speculate on who that might be (I don’t know the lower reaches of the Red Sox system at all) and maybe if the Cubs took Early they’d get a slightly better second prospect than with Tolle.
I’m not saying that the Red Sox would make this deal. They may not want to part with either pitcher. But what I am saying is that this is the type of offer they would have to make for the Cubs to consider dealing Shaw.
To be clear, such a trade would be risky for the Cubs as well. Shaw is pencilled in for a major bench role in 2026 and if someone gets hurt, he’s likely going to have to play a lot. On top of that, if the Cubs were to trade Matt Shaw, they’d be operating without a safety net with Nico Hoerner. If Hoerner leaves at the end of the year, then the Cubs would be without a second baseman if they trade Shaw. Maybe another minor league infielder like Jefferson Rojas, Pedro Ramirez or James Triantos will establish themselves this year as an alternate heir apparent to Hoerner. But there’s no guarantee of that.
So with the understanding that the Red Sox may not be willing to make the offer, would you be willing to part with Matt Shaw for either of these packages?
Thanks for stopping by tonight. It’s always good to start the week with friends. Please get home safely. Stay warm and dry out there. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next time for more BCB After Dark.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 20: Alanna Rizzo of the MLB network reports as part of the first all female broadcast on Youtube during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field on July 20, 2021 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Rays announced today that Major League Baseball will take over production and distribution of local television broadcasts beginning with the 2026 season. The partnership ensures that fans across Florida will be able to watch Rays games through their cable or satellite provider and through MLB’s direct‑to‑consumer streaming service.
“Since our first days of taking ownership of the club, we’ve been committed to delivering a world‑class fan experience,” said Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby. “This transition reflects that commitment. With MLB’s best‑in‑class streaming platform, Rays fans in our home market will finally be able to stream games on the MLB app without local blackouts. And just as importantly, fans who prefer the tradition of watching Rays baseball on television will continue to find our games on cable and satellite. Every decision we make is done first and foremost with our fans in mind.”
Fans in the Rays home market will be able to access games on participating cable and satellite systems, with provider details and channel lineups to be shared soon. Streaming access will be available for purchase on MLB.com and the MLB app once subscriptions go on sale in February.
The Rays join a number of MLB clubs already partnering with the league for local broadcasts. All 162 regular‑season games in 2026 will be available either through local distribution or MLB’s national broadcast partners.
Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks.
Feb 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) controls the ball under pressure from Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The NBA officially filled out its All-Star game roster, and it is filled with former Kentucky Wildcats. There will be five total Cats in Los Angeles as the ASG festivities kick off in a little less than two weeks.
The five Wildcats named to the league’s most prolific game are New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Jamal Murray, and Phoenix’s Devin Booker.
Murray, a nine-year veteran with the Nuggets, will appear in his first-ever All-Star Game in 2026. He’s having a career year in Denver, averaging 25.5 points per game, shooting 48.7% from the field, and also 7.5 assists per game. He currently has the Nuggets sitting as the third seed in the Western Conference.
The Wildcats’ guard pipeline never fails to amaze. Maxey, who is playing his sixth season for the 76ers, has been one of the most elite guards in the league this season. Averaging just under thirty points a game, the former Wildcat has become the face of the franchise in Philly. A savvy guard who can score at all three levels.
In a weekend full of celebrities and stars in LA, there will be no shortage of Wildcats around all weekend long. Former Cats are always making BBN proud.
The All-Star game is set for February 15th at the Inuit Dome, the home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Joyce Edwards had 28 points and Tessa Johnson added 19 and tied a career high with five 3-pointers to help No. 3 South Carolina outlast Texas A&M 71-56 Monday night.
South Carolina (22-2, 8-1 Southeastern Conference) led by as many as 16 points, but was clinging to a five-point lead when Edwards scored eight points in a 9-0 run that made it 67-53 with less than two minutes remaining.
Johnson made her first four 3-point attempts and made all five of her 3s in the first half. She finished 5 of 11 from long range.
The Aggies had made six free throws in the fourth, but missed their first 10 shots of the quarter before Janae Kent made a 3-pointer with 90 seconds remaining.
Ny’ceara Pryor had 14 points for Texas A&M (8-10, 1-8), which lost its sixth straight. The Aggies performed much better on Monday night than they had in recent contests when they dropped four of their previous five games by 25 points or more.
NO. 13 MISSISSIPPI 71, AUBURN 45
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Cotie McMahon scored 20 points and Mississippi rolled to a victory over Auburn at neutral site Legacy Arena.
McMahon made 7 of 13 shots, 6 of 8 free throws and grabbed seven rebounds for the host Rebels (19-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), who have won three straight and five of six.
Sira Thienou totaled 14 points and eight rebounds for Ole Miss. Christeen Iwuala added 12 points and 11 rebounds for her ninth double-double this season.
NO. 25 NORTH CAROLINA 61, NC STATE 59
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Lanie Grant scored 10 of her 18 points in the third quarter and Indya Nivar rebounded her own missed free throw in the closing seconds to secure North Carolina’s victory over N.C. State.
North Carolina (18-5, 7-3 ACC) broke a five-game losing streak on the road in the series, notching its first victory in Raleigh since the 2018-19 season. The Tar Heels also secured their fifth straight victory overall this season.
Nivar’s driving layup in the opening minute of the fourth quarter gave North Carolina the first double-digit lead of the game at 52-42.
Tilda Trygger made a layup with 12.6 seconds left to pull N.C. State within 61-59 and the Wolfpack forced a jump ball at the other end to regain possession. N.C. State was off on a 3-point attempt and Nivar secured the defensive rebound before being fouled. Nivar missed both free throws, but she outhustled three N.C. State players to secure the rebound.
Nivar finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists for North Carolina. Nyla Harris had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Khamil Pierre led N.C. State (15-7, 8-3) with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Trygger finished with 11 points and Qadence Samuels scored 10.
The Islanders react after the Capitals scored during their Feb. 2 game.
WASHINGTON — The parade of four-point games for the Islanders leading into the Olympic break started with a thud.
The Islanders rolled out new lines and new power-play units, but they produced the same disappearing forecheck and tailed off after the first period just like two nights earlier on Long Island. The result was a 4-1 defeat Monday night to the Capitals, who moved within two points of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Over 56 games, themes have emerged on nights where the Islanders don’t have it going, and they hit nearly all of them Monday. Too many one-and-done chances off the rush and too little time holding the puck in the offensive zone. Nothing on the power play. A couple of messy plays around the front of the net. It’s familiar by now, though it’s more than a little alarming to see it happen two games in a row.
Afterward, the Islanders went to the refrain that they’d played well and had plenty of chances, and the advanced stats backed them. The stats, though, didn’t quite capture the way the wind went out of their sails once they went 2-1 down early in the second period.
“For some reason it affected us,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Is it because we had a few good chances, didn’t score on those? Maybe that affected us as well. We had a couple breakaways where we could’ve got back in that game and their goalie made some good saves.”
The Islanders react after the Capitals scored during their Feb. 2 game. NHLI via Getty Images
Tuesday’s home match against the Penguins, who sit two points above the Islanders in the standings after losing to Ottawa on Monday, feels particularly important now. The Islanders can only afford so much slippage before Friday, when the three-week Olympic break begins and the NHL gets a chance to take a deep breath.
The Islanders had tossed away a 1-0 lead in the second period of this one, but with the score sitting at 2-1 Washington entering the third, things were far from over.
After the Islanders killed off two consecutive penalties, it looked like they might even have a chance to seize some momentum.
Instead, the Caps made it 3-1 after Nic Dowd threw a puck at the crease, which pinged off Tony DeAngelo before finding the back of the net at 8:48 of the period.
Martin Fehervary (42) celebrates his goal during the Capitals’ Feb. 2 win over the Islanders. Hannah Foslien-Imagn Images
The Islanders did eventually have a semblance of a push, but it didn’t come until Roy emptied his net with over five minutes to go. By then, it was too little and too late — and John Carlson’s empty-netter extended Washington’s lead to 4-1 before the Isles could make a game of it.
“I thought, honestly, we played pretty well,” Bo Horvat, who had a pair of breakaways and converted neither, told The Post. “I thought we carried the play pretty much the majority of the game. Had a couple breaks. Just unfortunate for us tonight.”
Just like against the Predators on Saturday, the Islanders’ best moments of the game came at the start. That was when they were most active below the hashes, holding pucks in the zone and creating havoc. It paid off at 16:38 of the first when Tom Wilson’s pass from the corner went straight to Mathew Barzal’s stick, and Barzal promptly deposited the gift of a turnover into the Washington net.
The Capitals’ frustration didn’t last long though. Wilson fed Martin Fehérváry for the 1-1 goal 5:29 into the second with Aliaksei Protas screening, and just 31 seconds later, old friend Anthony Beauvillier took advantage of what looked like a complete breakdown around the net to stuff the puck in at the right post for a Washington lead.
The Capitals celebrate a goal during their win over the Islanders on Feb. 2. NHLI via Getty Images
In contrast, Roy was lamenting the lack of bodies toward the Capitals net, where Clay Stevenson was making just his third career NHL start.
“It’s on us to be better, get more around their net,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “Try harder to get there.”
Again and again, Roy keeps changing the lines and again and again, the best Islanders trio is the only one staying intact: the fourth line of Marc Gatcomb, Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean.
The revamped top six that featured Barzal and Ondrej Palat on Bo Horvat’s wings with Jonathan Drouin centering Emil Heineman and Simon Holmstrom had its moments — enough of them for Roy to say he was happy with the lines after the game. Self-evidently, though, it wasn’t enough, and the same old problems aren’t going away for the Islanders.
Rather, it is more a question of whether they can work around them than whether they can solve them each night. If that doesn’t change soon, the Islanders won’t like the result.
Vincent Iorio #22 of the San Jose Sharks shoots the puck against the Los Angeles Kings.
In one month, the Rangers have spiraled from the thick of the playoff race to uncontested possession of the Eastern Conference basement, having won only three games since the final week of December.
They saw Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox go down with injuries.
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After being waived for the second time in less than four months, the 23-year-old former second-round pick looked like there is nowhere he would rather be.
“Since I’ve been playing pro, I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs, but for me, just continue to have that positive mindset and just be the happy-go-lucky kid that I am,” Iorio said Monday, following his first practice with the Rangers. “I pride myself on smiling, coming to the rink every day and being happy and I’m gonna continue to do the same thing here.
Vincent Iorio #22 of the San Jose Sharks shoots the puck against the Los Angeles Kings. Getty Images
“I’m just grateful. My parents, growing up, they really preached the 1 percent better each day and being happy with where you’re at in life. For me, playing this game is such a privilege. Playing in this league is such a privilege. Especially a team like New York.
“I was obviously really excited. This is such a storied franchise.”
Iorio, who was claimed off waivers Saturday from San Jose, is a low-risk move for a team in transition, looking to get younger.
Taken 55th overall by Washington in 2021, Iorio spent the majority of his first two professional seasons in the AHL, appearing in 123 games with Hershey, but just 10 with the Capitals.
After being waived in October, the native of British Columbia appeared in 21 games with the Sharks, recording no goals, three assists and a minus-4 rating in 21 games.
“This team has such an amazing and skilled forward corps, so [I want to] distribute pucks to them and let them make plays,” Iorio said. “Just continue to play my game. I thought I did a good job with building on things in San Jose. I just [want] to break pucks out, play hard defensively, not try and do too much and just play simple.”
On Monday, the 6-foot-4 defenseman — who will be a restricted free agent after the season — saw his transition eased by the familiar faces of former teammates Braden Schneider (WHL) and Scott Morrow (Shattuck-St. Mary’s School).
Mike Sullivan saw potential.
“I thought he looked good today,” the Rangers coach said. “First time seeing him up close, he looks like he has decent puck skills, good size. I thought for the first practice, it’s not an easy thing just jumping into a brand new team like that, but I thought he executed pretty well in some of the drills that we were doing. Maybe the biggest thing that jumped out was maybe his ability to move the puck. That skill set will certainly help us.
“Obviously he’s young and has a lot of his career ahead of him. From that standpoint, it’s exciting when you can add younger players like that into the mix and we’ll see where it goes. He’s obviously a young guy that has been fairly sought after. I know his name has come up in a few discussions throughout the course of this season with our hockey operations and we’re looking forward to getting to know him and watching him up close.”
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 02: Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) and Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield (24) fight during the New York Islanders versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on February 2, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Third-string rookie goalie? No problem… for the Capitals. Clay Stevenson played just his second game this year, and while he didn’t get his first career shutout, he turned away 29 of 30 shots by the Islanders.
Bo Horvat still looks a bit rusty after missing some time due to injury; he had a lot of chances tonight but just was off the mark each time. Hopefully he’ll get on the board soon, since the power play could really use his shot.
It wasn’t a bad effort by the Islanders, but struggling to score more than one goal against this guy just isn’t going to cut it for a team that has some level of playoff ambitions.
Early, David Rittich made a save on Ryan Leonard and took some extra contact and went down. Nic Dowd was called for slashing Rittich, sending the Islanders to the power play. That power play was not great, despite Patrick Roy putting Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Matthew Schaefer back together on PP1.
Schaefer took a holding penalty, and Horvat missed a shorthanded breakaway backhand, but the Islanders killed the penalty.
Rittich saved an Anthony Beauvillier breakaway, and then the Capitals gave the puck away to Barzal in the slot, and he made it 1-0 with his 15th of the season.
Ondrej Palat drew a slashing penalty on Tom Wilson with 19 seconds left in the period, and the Caps killed it in the second period. Palat, on PP1, nearly gave the puck away to Aliaksei Protas, but he couldn’t catch up to it.
Then, Martin Fehervary scored to tie the game, and just 30 seconds later, Beauvillier made it 2-1 quickly, two fairly soft goals given up by Rittich.
Bo Horvat shot wide on a breakaway chance and Simon Holmstrom hit the outside of the post, on the best opportunities to tie the game after the quick Capitals lead.
David Rittich made big saves on Wilson and Jakob Chychrun, and then Wilson laid a big open ice hit on Holmstrom, which got Scott Mayfield’s attention. Mayfield and Wilson fought, and Mayfield picked up an extra two minutes for “roughing” that seemed like a pseudo-instigator penalty even though Wilson was the one who dropped the gloves first after Mayfield came up to him.
Casey Cizikas had a good shorthanded chance on the kill, but with 10 seconds left, Carson Soucy took a high sticking penalty, giving the Capitals some 5 on 3 time and another power play.
After some dangerous moments, the Islanders killed both Mayfield and Soucy’s penalties. Any chance of a comeback seemed to deflate, though, when a Dowd pass bounced off Tony DeAngelo and past Rittich to make it 3-1.
Rittich was pulled for an extra skater with 5 minutes left, but John Carlson scored the empty netter with 2:25 left, giving the Capitals a 4-1 win.
Up Next
Tomorrow, the Islanders head back to UBS Arena to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently occupy the second seed in the Metro Division, two points ahead of the Islanders. Feels like a big one for the season as we approach the Olympic break!
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 29: Jarrett Allen #31, Darius Garland #10, Donovan Mitchell #45 and Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers pose for a portrait during Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day at Rocket Arena on September 29, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the things that the team seemingly hasn’t been willing to do in the past is give up one of their core four players: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. That group — based on what was said publicly — was considered mostly untouchable. That might be changing.
ESPN insider, Brian Windhorst, said Monday during a radio hit for ESPN Cleveland that he’s “not as convinced” that keeping that group together is their focus.
“For a while now, it was very clear that they did not want to touch the core four. I think it’s probable that the core four will still be on the team on Thursday afternoon, but I think the fact that I have heard some more willingness to expand beyond that indicates that the Cavs feel a level of pressure with this roster in this season.
“I just want to be careful how I word it, because I think what’s most likely to happen is that the roster, the core, stays intact. But I’m not as convinced that that is 100% their focus as it has been in the last year and a half or so.”
“I’m not as convinced that that is 100% their focus as it has been in the last year and a half,” – @WindhorstESPN on if the Cavs will keep the Core 4 intact through the trade deadline on Thursday 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/SX7PmYkaim
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While it’s likely that the core will stay together, it’s notable that there is noise around it breaking up, even if it’s unlikely at this time. Presumably, any move that would shake up the core would have to put them in a better position to compete now, which is difficult to do given how little time is left in the season.
At the same time, there is pressure within the organization to succeed at all levels. This is the most expensive team in the league, and they’re expected to compete at a championship level. Despite their recent strong play, they frankly aren’t near the same level as the other top contenders in the league, and they’re running out of time to prove that they can get there.
The Cavs’ recent success is almost more damning than anything. For example, Allen has consistently played his best basketball in Cleveland when Mobley isn’t available. That showed again on Sunday when he dropped 40 points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. You don’t want to make too much from one game, but outside of stretches last regular season, their core group specifically has been less than the sum of their parts — especially in previous playoff runs.
There’s also the tacit admission that the team’s two biggest trades in the last year were misses. The Cavs didn’t win the initial Hunter trade with the Atlanta Hawks, and were wrong to choose Lonzo Ball over either/both Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome — even though Jerome has only played two games this season. They already moved Hunter and are looking to move Ball as well.
We’ll see if the Cavs make any moves before Thursday’s deadline. They likely won’t make a trade just for the sake of doing so. That’s not how this front office has operated. But it’s worth noticing that they could be open to making a bigger move and finally have the ability to do so.
Altman has often talked about how his team has a long runway to compete. This season, they’re starting to run out of that runway. The plane needs to start flying.
