NBA
Jalen Brunson scored 40 points and shook off an apparent eye injury to make the go-ahead basket with 1:46 remaining as the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 109-105 for their ninth straight victory. Hours after being voted an All-Star for the first time in his career, Brunson scored 11 in the fourth quarter to rally the Knicks in a game they trailed by 15 points. The Knicks, playing without injured starting forwards Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, were coming off a 14-2 January.
Austin Reaves scored a season-high 32 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers to help a Los Angeles Lakers team missing LeBron James and Anthony Davis stun the Boston Celtics 114-105 on Thursday night. James sat out because of a left ankle injury and Davis was sidelined by an Achilles tendon issue and left hip spasms. Reaves was 7 of 10 from 3-point range. He also was fouled on one of the misses and made all three free throws. The Lakers hit 19 of 36 3-pointers, holding off the NBA-leading Celtics to end a two-game losing streak. D’Angelo Russell added 16 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds for the Lakers. Jaxon Hayes had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jayson Tatum scored 23 points for Boston.
Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 51 points hours after being selected to his first All-Star Game, helping the Philadelphia 76ers overcome star center Joel Embiid’s absence for a 127-124 victory over the Utah Jazz last night. After missing three games because of a sprained left ankle, Maxey topped his previous career high of 50 — set Nov. 12 at home against Indiana — with two free throws with 4.1 seconds left. Embiid has an injured lateral meniscus in his left knee. The 76ers finished 1-4 on their longest trip of the season. Maxey was 17 of 27 from the field, 7 of 9 on 3s and made 10 of 11 free throws. Lauri Markkanen scored 28 points for Utah.
Donovan Mitchell had 25 points and seven assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-101 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory and 12th in 13 games. Caris LeVert added 16 points in a reserve role, Jarrett Allen finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Max Strus had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Darius Garland scored nine points in his second game since returning from a fractured jaw that sidelined him for 19 games. He had 19 points Wednesday night in a home victory over Detroit. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points. Santi Aldama had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Vince Williams Jr. scored 17 points.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers were chosen as All-Star reserves Thursday, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks also had two players selected. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves will be going to the Feb. 18 game in Indianapolis. Stephen Curry is an All-Star for the 10th time, while the Lakers’ Anthony Davis and Devin Booker of Phoenix rounded out the West reserves. Jalen Brunson was selected for the first time and was joined by teammate Julius Randle from the Knicks, who went 14-2 in January.
NFL
Patrick Mahomes is chasing Tom Brady. Brock Purdy is playing in the shadow of Joe Montana. Winning the Super Bowl would be another major step for either quarterback. Mahomes and the Chiefs seek to become the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls when they take on Purdy and the 49ers in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. For Mahomes, it’s an opportunity to win his third NFL championship in his sixth full season as a starter at age 28. For Purdy, it’s a chance to complete his journey from being the last player selected in the 2022 draft to leading a storied franchise to a record-tying sixth Super Bowl title.
Jim Harbaugh fulfilled one of his goals by winning a national championship at his alma mater. Now he's looking to capture his ultimate goal of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy with one of the teams he played for. Harbaugh resumed his pursuit of a Super Bowl title on Thursday when he was introduced as the Los Angeles Chargers’ coach. He agreed to terms on a five-year contract last Wednesday after nine seasons at the University of Michigan, including going 15-0 and winning the school’s first national championship since 1997 last month.
The Washington Commanders have an agreement with Dan Quinn to hire him as coach, two people with knowledge of the move tell The Associated Press. Quinn has been the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. He coached the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in his five-plus years in Atlanta. Quinn became the choice for Washington after Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson informed teams he was staying with Detroit. Controlling owner Josh Harris, new general manager Adam Peters and Quinn give the organization a much-desired new approach after four years of Ron Rivera in charge turned out to be a disappointment.
If Taylor Swift is jetting from her upcoming concert in Tokyo to Las Vegas to see boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Super Bowl, she’d better already have a place to park her plane. Officials at Harry Reid International Airport and the FAA say space for aircraft parking in and around Las Vegas has been spoken for. Four airports in the area have a combined 475 parking spots. By comparison, the Phoenix area where the Super Bowl was played in 2023 had 1,100 and all sold out. Pilots flying into Las Vegas still might be able to drop passengers off and park at other airports in the region.
The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury to be their offensive coordinator, a person informed of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized. This is the first major hire for new Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who had the interim tag removed Jan. 19. Kingsbury spent this past season at USC as an offensive analyst. Kingsbury went 28-37-1 over four seasons as the Cardinals coach.
MLB
The Milwaukee Brewers have traded All-Star right-hander Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles for left-hander DL Hall, infield prospect Joey Ortiz and a competitive balance draft pick. It’s a blockbuster for the Orioles, who had a quiet offseason but remained hopeful they could add more pitching as they prepared to defend their AL East championship. Baltimore has a terrific core of young players but had not been particularly aggressive in terms of signing free agents or making trades. Now the Orioles are acquiring the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner. Then 29-year-old Burnes went 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA last year.
PGA TOUR
Patrick Cantlay has spent a lot of time on the phone as a PGA Tour board member trying to finalize a $3 billion investment deal. His focus was on golf at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Cantlay opened with a bogey-free 64 at Spyglass Hill. That leaves him one shot behind Thomas Detry, who chipped in for birdie on his final hole. Matthieu Pavon was at 65. Rory McIlroy was leading until a rough finish gave him a 71. That included a two-shot penalty for taking an incorrect drop on the 16th hole at Spyglass. McIlroy's bogey turned into a triple bogey.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UVM 81 UAlbany 59
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UVM 64 UAlbany 59
Siena 74 Manhattan 51
Louisville 81 Syracuse 69
Mt. Saint Mary’s 55 Iona 48
OT: Quinnipiac 64 Marist 62
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