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Nets fall to Suns, 106-104, after teams scuffle late in fourth quarter

PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Williams scored 27 points, Dillon Brooks had 26 and the short-handed Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-102 on Tuesday night in a game that featured a scuffle late in the fourth quarter.

After Brooks put the Suns ahead 104-102 on two free throws with 1:23 remaining, a steal by the Suns’ Royce O’Neale led to a scramble for the ball in the paint. Brooks tried to wrestle the ball away from Ziaire Williams after the whistle, and the Nets’ Egor Demin pushed Brooks.

Several players started jawing at each other and assistant coaches from both sides gathered on the floor as officials tried to restore order. Demin, Mann and Michael Porter Jr. received technical fouls for the Nets, and the Suns’ Grayson Allen and O’Neale also got technicals. Brooks did not receive a technical after getting one earlier in the game.

Allen added 18 points for the short-handed Suns, who ended a two-game skid. Devin Booker missed his second straight game after rolling his right ankle in a loss at Atlanta on Friday night, and Jalen Green also sat with a nagging right hamstring injury.

Porter finished with a season-high 36 points for the Nets, who have lost six straight and 14 of 16. Demin added 15 points, but Brooklyn struggled to find secondary scoring.

When Porter made a 3-pointer with 9:47 left in the third quarter, he had 12 of the Nets’ 24 baskets for 27 points.

Phoenix led 91-81 midway through the fourth, but Brooklyn responded with a 19-5 run capped by Porter’s 3 for a 100-96 lead with 3:33 left. Williams scored four quick points for Phoenix and then Allen tied it at 102-all with 1:39 remaining.

Up next

Nets: At Denver on Thursday night.

Suns: Host Detroit on Thursday night.

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Knicks’ improved defense key during three-game winning streak

Call it a players only meeting, or don’t. 

Whatever it was, the message appears to have gotten through. 

The Knicks have suddenly turned things around following their brutally rough stretch, taking home their third consecutive victory on Monday night over the Sacramento Kings. 

Jalen Brunson was terrific late, but leading the way was the Knicks’ improved defense. 

Things were evened at 72 apiece through three quarters, but then Mike Brown’s shook up lineup turned things up and held Sacramento to just 15 points in the final frame.

Mitchell Robinson stayed in alongside Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby to close things out and the move worked tremendously. 

New York’s tenacious defense helped limit the Kings to just 40 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent from three-point land on the night. 

“It was an ugly game, but our defense stayed solid throughout,” Mike Brown said.

“We were able to grind it out and find a way,” Brunson added. 

The Knicks are now averaging just 87.3 points allowed during their brief winning streak, and they’ve held opponents under the triple-digit mark in two of those three games. 

So, what exactly has sparked this drastic turnaround?

Robinson said one of the biggest things has been their communication. 

Brunson, on the other hand, pointed in another direction.

“Our attention to detail, our focus, those are big components,” the captain said. “We have the ability to be a really good team if we do those things, the little things have to be important.” 

For New York to get where they hope this season, they’ll need to keep this up. 

The improved defense will have another very big test right away, as they head to Toronto to face the Raptors in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights in the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.  

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Suns beat Nets 106-102 after teams scuffle late in fourth quarter

PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Williams scored 27 points, Dillon Brooks had 26 and the short-handed Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-102 on Tuesday night in a game that featured a scuffle late in the fourth quarter.

After Brooks put the Suns ahead 104-102 on two free throws with 1:23 remaining, a steal by the Suns' Royce O'Neale led to a scramble for the ball in the paint. Brooks tried to wrestle the ball away from Ziaire Williams after the whistle, and the Nets' Egor Demin pushed Brooks.

Several players started jawing at each other and assistant coaches from both sides gathered on the floor as officials tried to restore order. Demin, Mann and Michael Porter Jr. received technical fouls for the Nets, and the Suns' Grayson Allen and O'Neale also got technicals. Brooks did not receive a technical after getting one earlier in the game.

Allen added 18 points for the short-handed Suns, who ended a two-game skid. Devin Booker missed his second straight game after rolling his right ankle in a loss at Atlanta on Friday night, and Jalen Green also sat with a nagging right hamstring injury.

Porter finished with a season-high 36 points for the Nets, who have lost six straight and 14 of 16. Demin added 15 points, but Brooklyn struggled to find secondary scoring.

When Porter made a 3-pointer with 9:47 left in the third quarter, he had 12 of the Nets' 24 baskets for 27 points.

Phoenix led 91-81 midway through the fourth, but Brooklyn responded with a 19-5 run capped by Porter's 3 for a 100-96 lead with 3:33 left. Williams scored four quick points for Phoenix and then Allen tied it at 102-all with 1:39 remaining.

Up next

Nets: At Denver on Thursday night.

Suns: Host Detroit on Thursday night.

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George and Embiid lead 76ers to victory over Bucks

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George scored 32 points, Joel Embiid had 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter and the Philadelphia 76ers rolled to a 139-122 victory over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

Tyrese Maxey added 22 points for the 76ers, who were blown out a night earlier at Charlotte with Embiid and George sidelined.

Myles Turner scored 31 points for Milwaukee, which lost its third straight and sixth of seven. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out with a right calf strain that the team said will sideline him indefinitely.

George hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to help the 76ers extend their 11-point lead to start the period to 18 points. In their 130-93 loss to the Hornets, the Sixers trailed by 50 points entering the fourth.

The game at Charlotte was rescheduled to 3 p.m. EDT because of winter weather, but the Sixers still didn’t make it back to Philadelphia until after 1 a.m. Tuesday.

But the return of Embiid and George, who both sat Monday for injury management, provided a jolt of energy for the Sixers. Maxey found Embiid for an alley-oop dunk late in the first half and Maxey jumped up and down with excitement as both players smiled toward Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who led the Sixers for three seasons.

George made 11 of 21 shots, including 9 of 15 3-pointers. Embiid added nine rebounds and five assists.

Ryan Rollins scored 24 points for the Bucks, Bobby Portis had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma also scored 17.

WIZARDS 115, TRAIL BLAZERS 111

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Sarr had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots, and Washington snapped a nine-game losing streak with a victory over Portland.

It was Washington’s first home victory over Portland since Jan. 16, 2017.

The Wizards led 112-106 when Shaedon Sharpe cut the lead in half with a 3-pointer. After Bub Carrington tossed up an air ball for Washington, Sharpe’s dunk with 20.5 seconds left cut the lead to one.

Kyshawn George made one of two free throws with 15.5 seconds to play, putting the Wizards up 113-111. After a timeout, Sharpe’s contested jumper missed, and Khris Middleton’s free throws made it a four-point game.

Sharpe scored 31 points for Portland, which lost despite a 69-46 advantage in rebounds. The Trail Blazers shot just 13 of 23 on free throws.

The 7-foot-1 Sarr attempted a career-high 29 field goals, making 11. It was quite a battle of young big men between him and 7-foot-3 Donovan Clingan, who had 14 points and 20 rebounds for Portland. Ex-Wizard Deni Avdija had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers.

KNICKS 103, KINGS 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points and New York dominated the fourth quarter to beat Sacramento for its third straight victory.

Mikal Bridges added 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who outscored the Kings 31-15 in the final period after the game was tied at 72 after three.

DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points for the Kings, who lost their sixth straight. Russell Westbrook added 14 points, but he and DeRozan combined to go 3 for 16 from 3-point range on a night when Sacramento finished 5 for 30 (16.7%).

Mike Brown earned his first victory as Knicks coach against the team that fired him last season, two years after he was NBA Coach of the Year after leading Sacramento to the 2023 playoffs.

THUNDER 104, PELICANS 95

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and short-handed Oklahoma City beat New Orleans to avoid its first three-game skid of the season.

Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for NBA-best Oklahoma City (38-10), which had lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season. Isaiah Joe added 17 points.

The Thunder were missing starters Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace and key reserve Alex Caruso with injuries.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8 of 22 from the field but went 13 of 14 from the foul line. He scored at least 20 points for the 118th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NBA history.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had won two straight.

PISTONS 109, NUGGETS 107

DENVER (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 22 points, including two free throws with 2 seconds left, and Detroit held off a late Denver rally for the win.

Cade Cunningham had with 22 points and 11 assists for Detroit, which has won nine of 11 and leads the Eastern Conference by 5 1/2 games over Boston.

Jamal Murray had 24 points and 10 assists but missed two free throws in the final seconds. With the Nuggets down 107-104, Murray was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 4 seconds left and missed the first foul shot. Harris was fouled and made both free throws. Murray went to the line again with 0.7 seconds remaining but missed the second foul shot.

Jonas Valanciunas returned from a one-game absence to finish with 16 points and 16 rebounds for Denver, which had been scheduled to play at the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. The game was postponed because of the winter storm that hit most of the country, and the Nuggets were stranded in Memphis until Monday morning.

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Blackhawks Squander 3-0 Lead, Lose To Wild 4-3 In Shootout

The Chicago Blackhawks needed a big road effort on Tuesday night if they were going to get back on track against a team as good as the Minnesota Wild. 

This was a much better game for the Hawks, especially being on the road, and they had a 1-0 lead 1:19 into the game thanks to a goal scored by Teuvo Teravainen. In his return to the lineup, skating on a line with Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard, Teravainen made his presence felt right away. 

"I thought that it was a good line," head coach Jeff Blashill said after the game. "[Bedard] and [Nazar], I haven't seen them play a lot together. I thought they were really good. They showed a lot of skill, they fed each other in good spots, had a lot of chances, and scored with [Teravainen]. I thought that was a real dynamic line."

Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev helped build on the lead with goals of their own to make it 3-0 by the time the game was half over. 

The Blackhawks didn't totally collapse, but they allowed the Wild to crawl back. It started with Yakov Trenin scoring his fourth of the season to get them on the board. That 3-1 score held through two periods. 

Joel Eriksson Ek scored at 3:57 of the third period on a rebound created by Quinn Hughes. This gave the Wild the confidence they needed to begin their quest for a comeback. 

With the goalie pulled, Jared Spurgeon tied it up at 17:58. Spurgeon now has five goals in his last six games against the Blackhawks, and this one was as big as any of them. 

No scoring took place in overtime, and Kirill Kaprizov was the only scorer in the shootout, giving the Wild the comeback 4-3 victory. 

This was a mostly well-played game by the Blackhawks, but the Wild came back and found a way to win after going down 3-0. 

Mistakes and tough puck management in the late stages of the game allowed the Wild to slowly but surely get back in the game, but Minnesota had to work for this win. 

The penalty kill stayed hot, but they hardly had any work to do with just one kill. The power play, which is an entirely different story, continued its struggles with no goals on five tries. Jeff Blashill said after the game that he thought it did better at generating quality chances, but there were still no goals to show for it.

"I thought it was better," Blashill said. "We've walked away from other days where I just didn't feel it was dangerous at all. I thought we had a good number of chances [in this game]."

The power play needs a goal badly. If they keep drawing penalties and moving the puck the way they did against the Wild, eventually they will score. Once they get one, the unit as a whole may get back on track. A power play goal on one of their five tries would have likely won this game. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday night. They have a road date with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Steel City. 

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Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns unbothered by recent lack of minutes in closing stretches: 'We've got to win'

It took three full quarters of sloppy play for the Knicks to exert expected dominance over the Kings on Tuesday night, and a huge 31-point fourth quarter that lifted them to a 103-87 home win was sparked by a pair of timely threes from Karl-Anthony Towns in the opening minutes.

But the veteran center didn't contribute to a closing 21-9 run that clinched a third straight victory for the team. Towns watched the final seven minutes of action from the bench, while a lineup featuring Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson took the floor instead.

The lack of playing time for Towns down the stretch was curious. In spite of producing 17 points against the Kings across 27 minutes, he hasn't played more than 30 minutes in three straight games. It wasn't a matter of discipline on Tuesday -- Towns committed only two fouls.

When asked about the trend after the game, Knicks head coach Mike Brown didn't hint at any issue with Towns. He simply felt more comfortable with that rotation in a clear rhythm, causing the Kings fits.

"At the end of the game, we had a group out on the floor that was playing well," Brown said. "It's a tight ballgame, so I rode that group to the end of the game. We needed to get the win."

Towns, who played 20 minutes against the Nets last Wednesday and just 16 minutes against the 76ers last Saturday, wasn't miffed by Brown's decision or explanation. He trusted his coach.

"[Brown] saw what he saw. We've got to win," Towns said. "That's the most important thing. That's all I care about, New York cares about, this team cares about -- is wins."

While it's still unclear if the Knicks will attempt to make a blockbuster trade that involves Towns as a package headliner, he hasn't resembled a dominant force in January.

The five-time All-Star is averging just 16.6 points this month (12 games), and over his last six contests, he's actually logged more fouls (11) than assists and blocks combined (9).

Towns' minutes will be a topic of conversation again on Wednesday night, when the Knicks travel north of the border to face the Raptors.

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No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improves to 21-0 by holding off UMass 86-84

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored a career-high 30 points and No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improved to 21-0, rallying in the second half and then holding on for an 86-84 victory over UMass on Tuesday night.

Miami is one of two unbeaten teams in Division I after fifth-ranked Nebraska lost 75-72 at No. 3 Michigan earlier Tuesday night. Top-ranked Arizona is 21-0 following an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night.

The victory also tied the RedHawks with the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest in-season winning streak in Mid-American Conference history.

Elmer was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers. The junior shooting guard, who also grabbed seven rebounds, had 18 points in the first half.

Peter Suder added 13 points and nine assists. Freshman guard Justin Kirby also scored 13 as Miami improved to 9-0 in conference play.

Leonardo Bettiol had 22 points and 16 rebounds for UMass (13-9, 4-6), which had won four of five. Marcus Banks Jr. scored 18 and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 16.

Miami extended its lead to 82-75 with 2:07 remaining before the Minutemen made one final charge. K'Jei Parker sank three free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining after getting fouled by Kirby at the top of the key.

Suder was fouled with 4.4 seconds left. He hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Bettiol grabbed the rebound and passed to Isaiah Placide, whose desperation shot from halfcourt went off the glass, allowing the RedHawks to earn another close win after prevailing in overtime in their previous two games.

UMass was up 65-60 midway through the second half before Miami went on an 8-4 spurt. Elmer's 3-pointer with 8:40 remaining gave the RedHawks a 69-68 lead, their first since the first minute of the game.

Up next

UMass hosts Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

Miami (Ohio) hosts Northern Illinois on Saturday.

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Huff, Eaglestaff help lift West Virginia past Kansas State 59-54

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Honor Huff scored 17 points and Treysen Eaglestaff scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds and West Virginia beat Kansas State 59-54 on Tuesday night.

Brenen Lorient scored 10 points for West Virginia (14-7, 5-3 Big 12), which has won three of four and six of its last nine games. It was the third fewest points scored this season for Kansas State.

P.J. Haggerty scored 16 points, David Castillo scored 15 points and Nate Johnson 13 for Kansas State (10-11, 1-7). The Wildcats have lost seven of their last eight.

West Virginia led 57-54 with 22 seconds left before the Jayhawks intentionally fouled Huff. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and Kansas State took possession.

Lorient blocked Haggerty's layup attempt with 14 seconds left. Kansas State maintained possession but Haggerty's 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left was off the mark.

Taj Manning fouled Huff and he made both foul shots with eight seconds left to seal the win.

Up Next

Kansas State: Hosts No. 8 Iowa State on Sunday.

West Virginia: Hosts Baylor on Saturday.

___

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Utah women never trail, beat No. 22 West Virginia 71-64

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — LA Sneed scored 15 points, Reese Ross had a double-double, and Utah never trailed in a 71-64 victory over No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday night.

Sneed made three of the Utes’ 10 3-pointers. Ross scored 12 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. Lani White added 14 points and Chyra Evans scored 12 for Utah (15-6, 6-3 Big 12).

Jordan Harrison scored 18 points and had eight assists to lead West Virginia (17-5, 7-3), which ended a three-game win streak. Gia Cooke added 11 points and Carter McCray scored 10.

The Utes closed the second quarter on a 14-5 run for a 36-24 lead at the break. Sneed made two 3-pointers and scored eight points for the Utes, who hit six 3-pointers and shot 58% (15 of 26) in the the half.

Utah had its largest lead, 48-30, with 5:11 to play in the third quarter. West Virginia scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull to 55-49 with 6:30 left but didn't get closer.

Up next

West Virginia: Host No. 14 Baylor on Sunday.

Utah: At BYU on Saturday.

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Kane ties Modano as highest-scoring American-born NHL player in Red Wings loss to Kings

DETROIT (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 26 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Red Wings 3-1 on Tuesday night as Detroit winger Patrick Kane moved into a tie with Dallas’ Mike Modano as the highest-scoring American-born players in NHL history.

Kane matched Modano by recording his 1,374th point on an assist on a goal by Alex DeBrincat late in the third period. He accomplished the feat just a couple of months after turning 37, while Modano was 40 when he scored a goal to register point No. 1,374. For his career, Kane has 500 goals and 874 assists in 1,341 NHL regular-season games. Modano retired in 2011 with 561 goals and 813 assists in 1,499 games.

Samuel Helenius, Andrei Kuzmenko and Corey Perry scored for the Kings, who won their third straight game.

Detroit’s John Gibson made 19 saves and had his eight-game win streak halted, surrendering a goal midway through the second period and a power-play score early in the third.

The Kings have earned points in their last six games (3-0-3). The Red Wings lost for just the second time in six games and third time in their last 11.

JETS 4, DEVILS 3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored his 26th goal of the season, reigning MVP Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced and Winnipeg ended its two-game skid by beating New Jersey.

The Devils have lost back-to-back games after winning three in a row at the start of their Western Conference road trip. They traded veteran winger Ondrej Palat to the New York Islanders in a deal that was consummated before he left the arena prior to warmups and finalized during the first period.

Winnipeg, which entered the night eight points back of the second and final wild-card spot in the West, won for just the second time in five games. Scheifele got the Jets on the board 1:33 in, then Gabriel Vilardi, Cole Koepke and Nino Niederreiter scored in the second.

Hellebuyck, who is in line to be the U.S. starter at the upcoming Olympics, was sharp in bouncing back from allowing four goals in a 5-1 home loss to Detroit on Saturday.

New Jersey got goals from rookie Lenni Hameenaho and Swedish Olympian Jesper Bratt, and captain Nico Hischier scored with 1:46 left to make things interesting, but the offense couldn’t quite make up for a series of mistakes. Hours after coach Sheldon Keefe credited defensive commitment and “giving up way less on the rush” for his team’s recent success, all four goals against came on odd-man rushes.

BRUINS 3, PREDATORS 2, OT

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored 15 seconds into overtime and Boston beat Nashville.

Pastrnak tipped a pass from Charlie McAvoy past Juuse Saros for the winner as the Bruins held on after Nashville rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime.

Pastrnak scored his 22nd goal and had an assist, extending his point streak to eight games one night after becoming the sixth Boston player to reach 900 career points. Pastrnak has 10 assists in his last six games.

Morgan Geekie scored his 30th of the season and Hampus Lindholm also scored for Boston after being added to Sweden’s Olympic roster earlier in the day.

Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 shots for the Bruins, who improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Roman Josi and Nick Blankenburg scored for Nashville, which has lost four of five since a three-game winning streak. Steven Stamkos had an assist and Saros finished with 25 saves.

Blankenburg’s goal at 13:17 tied it and ended up forcing the overtime, which didn’t last long.

CANADIENS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2, OT

MONTREAL (AP) — Jake Evans scored at 3:58 of overtime, leading Montreal to a victory over Vegas.

Cole Caufield, with his 30th goal of the season, and Phillip Danault also scored for Montreal, as the Habs halted a two-game losing skid.

Mike Matheson ran his point streak to a season-long five games with an assist on Caufield’s goal.

Jakub Dobes made 32 saves in his first career start against Vegas. The 24-year-old boasts a 6-0-1 record over his past seven games, with his last regulation loss coming against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 9.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored both goals for the Golden Knights, who lost their third straight game against Montreal, dating back to last season.

Akira Schmid stopped 23 shots in the losing effort. The Swiss netminder lost for the second time in as many starts against Montreal this season.

MAMMOTH 4, PANTHERS 3

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Mikhail Sergachev scored in the third period to put Utah ahead to stay in a win over Florida.

Nick Schmaltz, Sean Durzi and Barrett Hayton also scored goals for the Mammoth, who have won nine of their last 11 games and played without top goal-scorer Dylan Guenther, who has a lower-body injury. Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves and Durzi also had an assist.

Sandis Vilmanis, Cole Schwindt and Carter Verhaeghe scored goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves for Florida, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Sergachev’s goal with 8:55 to play gave Utah a 3-2 lead and Hayton made it 4-2 with an empty-netter with 56 seconds to play. Verhaeghe scored with 16 seconds left to pull the Panthers within 4-3, setting up a frantic final few seconds.

SABRES 7, MAPLE LEAFS 4

TORONTO (AP) — Rasmus Dahlin had the first hat trick of his NHL career to go along with two assists and Buffalo beat Toronto.

Tage Thompson, with a goal and an assist in his 500th NHL game, Josh Doan, Alex Tuch and Jack Quinn also scored for Buffalo, which has won four straight.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed two goals on five shots before leaving with a lower-body injury in the first period. Colten Ellis made 16 saves in relief. Mattias Samuelsson added three assists.

Auston Matthews and Max Domi each had a goal and two assists for Toronto. Bobby McMann, with a goal and an assist, and Matthew Knies also scored. Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots.

The Maple Leafs came home last week off a successful road trip, but finished their disastrous five-game homestand with a solitary point (0-4-1) and have dropped seven of eight overall.

STARS 4, BLUES 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thomas Harley’s goal with just over a minute left short-circuited a late rally by St. Louis and lifted Dallas to a win.

Matt Duchene scored a pair of goals for his first multigoal game since Feb. 8. Roope Hintz also scored and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves, as the Stars won for the third time in their last four games and improved to 10-2-1 against St. Louis going back to Nov. 28, 2022.

Brayden Schenn scored twice and Robby Fabbri also scored in the third period as St. Louis attempted to rally from a 3-goal deficit. Jordan Binnington made 20 saves for the Blues, who dropped their fifth straight game.

Duchene’s power-play goal for the Stars at the 3:20 mark of the second period broke a scoreless tie.

Duchene recorded his seventh of the season 40 seconds later with the help of a lucky bounce to make it 2-0. Duchene threw the puck in front of the net, where it deflected off Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux, who was tied up with Jamie Benn in the crease.

WILD 4, BLACKHAWKS 3, SO

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored the shootout winner as Minnesota defeated Chicago.

Kaprizov was Minnesota’s second shooter and beat Spencer Knight with a wrist shot. Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt stopped all three shootout attempts as the Wild came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Chicago for the 17th time in 18 games.

Yakov Trenin, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared Spurgeon scored for Minnesota. Wallstedt stopped 29 of 32 shots.

Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev scored for Chicago. Knight made 20 saves.

The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Teravainen and Donato.

Mikheyev made it 3-0 nearly six minutes into the second period, when he beat Wallstedt with a wrist shot.

Trenin began the Minnesota comeback when he broke in alone and beat Knight with a wrist shot at 12:33 of the second.

Minnesota cut the Chicago lead to 3-2 early in the third when Quinn Hughes fired a shot that hit Marcus Johansson’s skate and deflected to Erikson Ek, who got his stick down in time to tap it into the net.

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Thunder's Lu Dort, Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears scuffle late in game

Well, these two won’t want to see each other any time soon.

Chippy, physical play between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort and New Orleans Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears bubbled throughout Oklahoma City’s 104-95 victory on Tuesday, Jan. 27 before a shoving match erupted after regulation.

As the Pelicans were trying to score a late basket in garbage time, Fears collected an offensive rebound and tried to put up a scoop layup before he drew contact from Dort. Fears immediately turned to face Dort, who shoved Fears twice, first lightly, and then with more force once Fears didn’t back down.

Eventually, both players clasped the other’s jersey in balled fists and were trying to shove the other backward before teammates, assistant coaches and officials stepped in to try to deescalate the situation.

At its height, around 40 people were in the scrum, trying to separate each side. Dort and Fears continued to jaw toward each other, though players and assistants did a good job of separating the two, until Fears broke free and continued to chase Dort down the floor.

Dort eventually walked toward the locker room, while Fears was ushered toward the New Orleans tunnel by two staffers.

There had been another altercation, a minor one, prior to the one between Dort and Fears. During an inbounds play with 1:18 left in the game, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Thunder forward Jaylin Williams shoved each other as they were battling for positioning.

“Good guys, good (officiating) crew, but I thought they lost control of the game in the final minutes,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “I thought that altercation at the end started well before that.

“The second thing is: I think that’s a foul on Dort,” Daigneault continued, speaking about the last shot attempt Fears took in the final seconds. “And if it was, they should put a whistle on that play regardless of the score and the time, because, if they do that, everybody stops playing and you can legislate the situation as you normally would.”

As Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sinking a pair of late free throws to ice the game, he said he overheard Fears and Dort jawing at each other during the dead ball.

“I wasn’t too sure what happened,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “I had heard them going back and forth after they made the last two free throws, but I wasn’t sure what happened. And then, I turned around and they were face-to-face. I’m sure it was nothing crazy, though. Typical basketball scuffle.”

Fears scored 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting and added 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Dort, a defensive-minded player whose physicality often pushes the limits of what’s acceptable, scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and had 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lu Dort, Jeremiah Fears scuffle after Thunder vs. Pelicans game

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Hammond, Bedford help Virginia Tech hold off Georgia Tech 71-65

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Ben Hammond scored 20 points and Jailen Bedford scored 14 points and Virginia Tech nearly squandered a double-digit lead late and held on to beat Georgia Tech 71-65 on Tuesday night.

Reserve Christian Gurdak scored 11 points and Tobi Lawal 10 before fouling out. Surprisingly, the Yellow Jackets outshot Virginia Tech 44% to 34%, but the Hokies (16-6, 5-4 ACC) made up for the shooting deficit and outscored Georgia Tech 24-9 from 3-point range.

Jaeden Mustaf posted a double-double and scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Baye Ndongo scored 14 points, Lamar Washington added 12 points and Kam Craft had 11 for Georgia Tech (11-10, 2-6).

Lawal made two foul shots to give Virginia Tech a 65-50 lead with 4:26 remaining before Georgia Tech went on an 11-0 run to get within four points after Washington drove the lane uncontested for a layup with 1:09 left.

Neoklis Avdalas made 1 of 2 foul shots for a 66-61 lead before Ndongo reduced the deficit to three with a layup with 29 seconds left.

Bedord made 1 of 2 for a 67-63 lead, Washington followed with a layup with 19 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets never got closer.

Hammond and Bedford each made two foul shots to seal it.

Hammond's 3-pointer with 13:59 remaining gave the Hokies their first double-digit lead at 50-40. He followed that 23-foot shot with a 24 footer less than a minute later to stretch the lead to 13.

Up Next

Georgia Tech: Hosts 16th-ranked North Carolina on Saturday.

Virginia Tech: Hosts fourth-ranked Duke on Saturday.

___

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Michigan pulls out tough win, but Nebraska shows it's legit in loss

Nebraska was the first one to tell you it was eventually going to lose.

As the Cornhuskers marched to their best start in program history with a 20-0 record, players told USA TODAY Sports in December "we're not going to go undefeated." A loss would happen, it was just a matter of when.

It finally happened Tuesday, Jan. 27 with Nebraska, in the top five of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the first time, falling on the road to No. 2 Michigan in a monster Big Ten clash.

We were going to learn a lot in the contest. Is Nebraska legit? Is Michigan still the Big Ten and national championship favorite?

Turns out, both are true.

It was an entertaining contest that showed Michigan is still on the path to the Final Four, and the Cornhuskers cannot be ignored anymore. The Wolverines are real. So is Nebrasketball − even in a loss.

“That just proved to everybody, most importantly to those guys in the locker room, that we can compete with anybody in this country," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) and guard Sam Hoiberg (1) look for a rebound in the first half at Crisler Center.

Michigan had to really work for this one. The team that started the season blowing every team out of the water was the one trying to swim out of a rip current. After Michigan took a 3-2 lead in the first two minutes, Nebraska took control and were comfortably holding the lead.

The Cornhuskers were on fire. Jamarques Lawrence was money from deep and the rest of the team seemingly drilled every shot that went in the air. Nebraska averages 10 made 3-pointers a game, and it achieved that in just 18 minutes. The Wolverines looked shell shocked. They couldn't keep up, trailing by as much as 11 points in the first frame and down at halftime. Oh, and all of this came with Nebraska's second and third leading scorers in Rienk Mast and Braden Frager out.

It was an ugly second half. However, that suited Michigan, and Nebraska's inexperience showed.

The Cornhuskers couldn't maintain their hot shooting, allowing the Wolverines to hang around. The game turned from a fast-paced shooting frenzy to a physical one that didn't suit Nebraska. Michigan got to the foul line while ratcheting up the defensive intensity.

Despite Michigan shooting just 6-for-24 (25%) in the second half with 11 turnovers, it went 14-for-17 from the free throw line. Nebraska shot just four free throws all game, and the magic wore off with a 1-for-13 mark from deep in the second half. Michigan only made one shot in the final five minutes, but the Cornhuskers didn't score in the final three minutes.

It wasn't pretty, but that can happen. The great teams find ways to win even when everything is going wrong. You need wins like this to prepare you for March, when it will inevitably happen as the competition gets stiffer each round.

As January nears an end, Michigan still remains the class of the Big Ten. It's the best candidate to be the first from the conference to win a national championship since 2000. It has had some not-so-incredible performances in the first month of Big Ten play and it only has one loss. If the Wolverines are firing on all cylinders, there's little hope for opponents.

At the same time, Nebraska proved its legitimacy. People have been cautious to believe the Cornhuskers are for real, and wanted to see how they measured up against a top-tier foe. The Cornhuskers nearly beat Michigan without two of their top three scorers.

“That team is projected by a lot of people to win a national championship," Hoiberg said. "You fight them all the way to the finish, you lose by a basket. That shows the character of our team and it also shows we can compete with anybody in the country."

Michigan has to admit it was outplayed most of the game. The Cornhuskers just couldn't close the deal late, as they ran out of steam. There is such a thing as finding a win in a loss, and Nebraska still is poised to contend in the Big Ten and make some program history in the NCAA Tournament.

"We're going to compete for the Final Four, and I think we just put ourselves in that conversation," said Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg.

It was a great battle, and you could only imagine what this game would be like in Lincoln with the Cornhuskers at full strength. Or even better, in a postseason contest.

"Hopefully we’ll see them in March, April," Michigan coach Dusty May said postgame on the Peacock broadcast.

Let's hope so, because both of these teams are capable of some magical things.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why both Michigan and Nebraska are winners of their top five matchup

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3 storylines to watch as the Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves

As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex emerges from its three-day winter standstill, the Dallas Mavericks (19-27) get back to regularly scheduled basketball programming on Wednesday, when they host the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves (28-19) at American Airlines Center.

The sudden onset of winter weather caused the Mavericks to miss their game on Sunday in Milwaukee, giving the team an extra day of rest after Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Mavs’ four-game winning streak on Saturday, 116-110, with a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 37-17 in the game’s final 9:35 on Saturday, and wintry precipitation in DFW kept the team’s plane from taking off the following day, giving Dallas an extra day to stew in the melting puddle of misery that has been the 2025-26 season.

With the recent fingy injury suffered by Mavs forward Anthony Davis, we don’t even have much excitement to look forward to with the NBA Trade Deadline little more than a week away. Around these parts, trade deadline hysteria season has given way to injury management season, as both Cooper Flagg (ankle) and Anthony Edwards (foot) are listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game on the NBA’s injury report as of 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

The basketball gods have spoken. We do not, in fact, deserve nice things. Even still, here are three storylines to watch when the Timberwolves come to town.

The best ability

Edwards has played through ongoing right foot issues in recent games, but missed Monday night’s 108-83 win over the Golden State Warriors with what was listed as “right foot injury maintenance.” The fact that he’s generally been able to play through any pain associated with the foot injury, but got the night off on Monday, may point to the superstar guard being available on Wednesday in Dallas. Edwards is averaging 29.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game coming into Wednesday’s matchup. His 29.7 points-per-game average is good for third in the NBA though 46 games, just a hair ahead of Boston’s Jaylen Brown.

Flagg is also listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, getting the same “injury management” designation as Edwards on the latest NBA injury reports. He missed a pair of games, both against the Utah Jazz, less than two weeks ago, so who knows when the rookie star’s next off-day will come. Dallas seems to have two feet traveling in opposite directions, with some remarkable recent wins against seemingly quality opponents but a dismal outlook in the Western Conference standings with little, if any, hope of making noise down the stretch.

If both stars are available for their respective teams on Wednesday, the matchup clearly favors Minnesota, but the Wolves were mired in a muck of their own making before Monday’s win over the Warriors. They came into that game losers of five straight, including losses at Utah and at home to the Chicago Bulls. They’re part of the Western Conference contingent made up of teams that might be good enough to make a deep run even if they’re not laying out a particularly convincing case at the moment.

Shooting ability

The Timberwolves come into Wednesday’s game fourth in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (37.2%) as a team. Much has been made of the Mavericks’ inability to shoot the long ball this year and how much the lack of shooting has held the team back in the standings. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Mavericks sit 24th in the NBA in the same category, at 34.5%. Dallas’ recent four-game win streak was largely fueled by 3-point heaters from Klay Thompson and Max Christie. Christie has been the Mavs’ lone bright spot from long range this year, shooting it at a 45.5% clip, good for sixth in the league as a sharpshooter.

Both Edwards (41%) and Jaden McDaniels (42.3%) shoot the 3-ball at above 40% for the Wolves, while big man Naz Reid comes into the game shooting it at a 39% clip. The Timberwolves own most of the matchup advantages against the injury-depleted Mavericks and have the ability to run the home team out of its own gym. What’s plagued Minnesota during its recent run is a lack of focus and leadership that presents itself on the floor as a tendency to turn the ball over and let struggling teams stay in the game long enough for the tide to eventually turn.

Neither team shot it particularly well when the Wolves dominated the Mavericks in the teams’ first meeting, 120-96 on Nov. 17. The Mavericks looked lost with 20 turnovers that night, falling behind by 33 points before the reserves played for most of the fourth quarter in the blowout.

The ability to dictate terms

The Mavs enter Wednesday’s game with a distinct disadvantage in firepower, with or without Flagg, but the Wolves’ own tendency to coast may be Dallas’ path to another unlikely win. The Mavs have proven their own ability to absorb blows this year. They’re a try-hard bunch. They nip at the heels of superior rosters, and sometimes it works.

All it takes is one or two hot stretches from this or that unsung role player, and the Mavs just have a knack for making games of what on paper appears to be a lopsided matchup. If the Wolves don’t dictate the terms of the Mavericks’ surrender from the opening tip, the Mavs will once again make a game of what should be a blowout loss.

And we’ve seen it a number of times this year — anything can happen if Dallas finds a way to stay in the game when crunch time rolls around.

How to watch

The Mavericks host the Timberwolves on Wednesday, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29 and regional sister stations throughout the Mavericks’ viewership area, or you can catch the stream on MavsTV or NBA League Pass where available.

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No. 3 Michigan beats No. 5 Nebraska 75-72 to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Trey McKenney made a tiebreaking layup with 1:07 left and No. 3 Michigan rallied past No. 5 Nebraska 75-72 on Tuesday night to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss this season.

Morez Johnson Jr. had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolverines (19-1, 9-1 Big Ten), who trailed for 36-plus minutes before holding Nebraska scoreless over the final 3:15.

Jamarques Lawrence missed a 3-pointer with 4 seconds remaining for the short-handed Cornhuskers (20-1, 9-1), and Sam Hoiberg missed a jumper just before the buzzer.

Nebraska had won 24 straight games dating to last season, including four victories in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament at Las Vegas last April. That was the longest winning streak in Division I since the 2014-15 Kentucky team went 38-0 before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four.

The previous defeat for the Cornhuskers came in their regular-season finale last year, 83-68 to Iowa at home on March 9.

McKenney finished with 11 points for Michigan. Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara scored 10 apiece.

NO. 2 UCONN 87, PROVIDENCE 81

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Tarris Reed Jr. scored seven of his 19 points in the final five minutes as UConn beat Providence 87-81 to become the first team to open 10-0 in Big East play in seven years.

Solo Ball had 17 points, Silas Demary Jr. added 15 points and six assists, and Eric Reibe had 14 points and eight rebounds for UConn. The Huskies opened a season 20-1 for the sixth time, but the first since 1998-99. Villanova in 2018-19 was the last team to start 10-0 in the Big East.

Malachi Smith, 1 for 8 from 3-point range in his previous 13 games, made his first four and had 12 points and seven assists as the Huskies won their 16th straight game.

Jamier Jones had 20 points and Jaylin Sellers added 18 for Providence (9-12, 2-8).

NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE 88, RUTGERS 79, OT

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Jeremy Fears scored 27 of his career-high 29 points in the second half and overtime, and Michigan State outlasted Rutgers.

Fears also had nine assists, including a pass to Divine Ugochukwu for the tying 3-pointer from the corner with 11 seconds left in regulation.

When the Spartans (19-2, 9-1 Big Ten) scored the first points of overtime on two free throws by Jaxon Kohler, it was their first lead since they were ahead 9-8. Michigan State pushed ahead 78-73 and led comfortably from there on the way to its seventh straight win.

Tariq Francis scored 23 points and missed a floater at the regulation buzzer that could have won it for Rutgers, (9-12, 2-8) which has lost four in a row.

Fears was 16 of 17 from the free-throw line and 6 of 12 from the field. Coen Carr scored 13 points for the Spartans, and Carson Cooper had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Harun Zrno added 16 points for the Scarlet Knights, Jamichael Davis had 15 and Darren Buchanan Jr. scored 14.

INDIANA 72, NO. 12 PURDUE 67

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Lamar Wilkerson had 19 points, Nick Dorn added 18 and Conor Enright scored five of his eight points in the final 71 seconds to help Indiana hold off Purdue.

Indiana won its second straight game and gave coach Darian DeVries the biggest win of his first season with the Hoosiers (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten). It came in his first matchup against Indiana’s biggest rival and on the same night college football’s new national champions were honored during a pregame ceremony on the same court where coach Curt Cignetti once proclaimed “Purdue sucks.”

The Hoosiers have beaten ranked Boilermakers teams in four of their last five matchups at home.

Trey Kaufman-Renn led Purdue (17-4, 7-3) with 23 points and Braden Smith added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. But it wasn’t enough for the Boilermakers to avoid extending their losing streak to a season-worst three games.

NO. 15 ARKANSAS 83, OKLAHOMA 79

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Freshman star Darius Acuff Jr. had 21 points and nine assists, and Arkansas held off Oklahoma.

Meleek Thomas added 16 points for the Razorbacks (16-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), who have won four of their past five games.

Arkansas shot 55.6% from the field despite making just 2 of 17 3-pointers.

Nijel Pack scored 22 points for Oklahoma (11-10, 1-7 SEC), which lost its seventh straight. The Sooners were coming off a heartbreaking loss at Missouri on Saturday that included buzzer-beaters by the Tigers to tie late in regulation and win in overtime.

NO. 17 VIRGINIA 100, NOTRE DAME 97, 2OT

SOUTH BEND, Ind.. (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored a career-high 32 points and Virginia matched the biggest comeback in school history, rallying from a 19-point first-half deficit to beat Notre Dame in double overtime.

Sam Lewis added 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers (17-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), and his 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in the first OT tied it at 85-all. Lewis also scored Virginia’s final four points after De Ridder fouled out with 45 seconds left in the second OT.

Virginia also had a 19-point comeback on Nov. 12, 2006 to beat Arizona in the inaugural game at John Paul Jones Arena.

Cole Certa led Notre Dame (11-10, 2-6) with a career-high 34 points. Jalen Haralson added 20, Braeden Shrewsberry scored 18 and Brady Koehler had 16 for the Fighting Irish, who have lost six of seven.

NO. 18 VANDERBILT 80, KENTUCKY 55

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Tanner and Tyler Nickel each scored 19 points, and Vanderbilt rolled to its largest victory over Kentucky since 2008.

Devin McGlockton added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Commodores (18-3, 5-3 SEC), who raced to a 20-point lead at halftime and never let the cold-shooting Wildcats in the game.

It was the Commodores’ largest halftime lead and win over Kentucky (14-7, 5-3) since Feb. 12, 2008, when they led 40-11 at the break and went on to win 93-52. The 18-3 start to the season is Vanderbilt’s best through 21 games since 1973-74.

Otega Oweh scored 20 points for Kentucky, which shot for just 32% (19 for 59) from the floor and 25% (6 for 24) from 3-point range.

NO. 21 SAINT LOUIS 79, GEORGE WASHINGTON 76

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robbie Avila scored a season-high 22 points and hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to lift Saint Louis to a victory over George Washington.

Trey Green matched career bests with 23 points and six 3-pointers for the Billikens (20-1, 8-0 Atlantic 10), who won their 14th straight game and are off to the best 21-game start in school history.

Tyrone Marshall and Christian Jones each scored 15 points, and Rafael Castro had 12 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and three steals for George Washington (13-8, 4-4). The Revolutionaries were seeking their first road win against a Top 25 team in 24 tries, dating to an upset of top-ranked Massachusetts in 1996.

NO. 23 ALABAMA 90, MISSOURI 64

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Latrell Wrightsell scored 21 points, all on 3-pointers, and Labaron Philon Jr. had 18 as Alabama routed Missouri.

Aiden Sherrell added 16 points and Charles Bediako had 14 for the Crimson Tide. Wrightsell went 7 for 10 from 3-point distance and took only one shot inside the arc.

Alabama (14-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) debuted a new starting lineup with the 7-foot Bediako, allowed to play again after a judge delayed a hearing in his eligibility case against the NCAA. Bediako also grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes on the court.

After its lowest-scoring output of the season last Saturday against Tennessee, Alabama responded with an efficient offensive showing. The Crimson Tide knocked down 15 shots from 3-point range, shot 88% at the free-throw line, well above its season average of 74%, and recorded 19 assists after a season-low nine last Saturday.

The Crimson Tide closed the final 6:53 of the first half on a 17-6 run that extended a 26-23 lead to a 42-29 halftime advantage. A 16-2 second-half run, sparked by 12 points from Wrightsell, gave Alabama a 70-46 lead with 8:10 to play.

Missouri (14-7, 4-4) was led by T.O. Barrett’s 13 points and 11 from Mark Mitchell. It was the fourth loss in six games for the Tigers, and this was their worst offensive performance in SEC play. Missouri’s 64-point output was its lowest in a conference games this season.

NO. 24 MIAMI (OHIO) 86, MASSACHUSETTS 84

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored a career-high 30 points and Miami (Ohio) improved to 21-0, rallying in the second half and then holding on for a victory over UMass.

Miami is one of two unbeaten teams in Division I after fifth-ranked Nebraska lost 75-72 at No. 3 Michigan earlier Tuesday night. Top-ranked Arizona is 21-0 following an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night.

The victory also tied the RedHawks with the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest in-season winning streak in Mid-American Conference history.

Elmer was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers. The junior shooting guard, who also grabbed seven rebounds, had 18 points in the first half.

Peter Suder added 13 points and nine assists. Freshman guard Justin Kirby also scored 13 as Miami improved to 9-0 in conference play.

Leonardo Bettiol had 22 points and 16 rebounds for UMass (13-9, 4-6), which had won four of five. Marcus Banks Jr. scored 18 and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 16.