NBA
Jalen Brunson had 42 points and 10 assists, and the New York Knicks beat the Houston Rockets 124-118. Brunson scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to bring the Knicks back in a game they trailed by 11 after three. He ended up with his 12th game with at least 30 points and 10 assists since coming to New York, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Richie Guerin for most in franchise history. Amen Thompson had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in his third career triple-double for the Rockets.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 31 points, GG Jackson added a season-high 27, and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the San Antonio Spurs 128-109 on Monday night. Ja Morant, returning after a two-game absence to nurse a sore right shoulder, finished with 25 points and 11 assists as Memphis won its ninth in the last 10. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Stephon Castle finished with 21 points as San Antonio lost its fourth in the last five. The start of the game was delayed 45 minutes by a medical emergency to a courtside spectator.
Bilal Coulibaly had 26 points, Corey Kispert scored 25 off the bench on five 3-pointers and the Washington Wizards handed the Charlotte Hornets their fifth straight loss 124-114. Miles Bridges had his first career triple-double for the Hornets, finishing the game Monday night with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller were both out with injuries. Nick Smith Jr. scored 24 points and Mark Williams overcame a sluggish first half to finish with 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Hornets. Three of Washington’s eight wins this season have come against the Hornets.
Trae Young made a 23-foot fadeaway with 1.6 seconds left and scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the Atlanta Hawks to a 132-130 win over the Detroit Pistons. Young helped the Hawks end an eight-game losing streak. Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 14 assists for the Pistons, who failed to attempt a shot on their final possession. Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter had 20 points and rookie Zaccharie Risacher added 17 points. Detroit’s Tobias Harris scored 22, Jalen Duren had 18 points and nine rebounds and Malik Beasley scored 18.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points in 22 minutes, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 125-96. Milwaukee was without injured stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton, turning what could have been an exciting rematch of the NBA Cup final that Milwaukee won into a blowout. Ousmane Dieng finished with 21 points and seven rebounds and Isaiah Joe added 18 points for the Thunder, who improved to 39-9 despite all-star Jalen Williams sitting out with a sprained right wrist.
DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points, and the Sacramento Kings edged the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-114 after finalizing their trade for Zach LaVine. Malik Monk had 26 points for the Kings, who closed out a 2-6 road trip. Keegan Murray added 19 points. Sacramento traded De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio as part of a three-team trade that put LaVine on the Kings. LaVine likely will play in his first game with his new team on Wednesday. Naz Reid led Minnesota with a season-high 30 points, including 16 in the first quarter. Jaden McDaniels added 22, and Anthony Edwards finished with 21 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 31 points, GG Jackson added a season-high 27, and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the San Antonio Spurs 128-109 on Monday night. Ja Morant, returning after a two-game absence to nurse a sore right shoulder, finished with 25 points and 11 assists as Memphis won its ninth in the last 10. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 27 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Stephon Castle finished with 21 points as San Antonio lost its fourth in the last five. The start of the game was delayed 45 minutes by a medical emergency to a courtside spectator.
Medics attended to a fan who collapsed courtside before the San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies game. The teams were preparing for the opening tipoff Monday night when attention turned to the courtside seats. Medics were working on the man on the floor as both teams were sent back to the locker rooms and the game was delayed. The man was taken out of the arena on a stretcher after about seven minutes. The game started after a 45-minute delay.
Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 36 points, Nikola Jokic added 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Denver Nuggets overcame a career-high 41 points from Trey Murphy III to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-113 on Monday night. Jamal Murray had 20 points and eight assists while Julian Strawther scored 15 points off the bench for Denver. In his first start of the season, Zeke Nnaji, filling in for the injured Aaron Gordon, had a season-high 12 points. The triple-double was Jokic’s NBA-best 23rd of the season and ninth in his past 11 games.
Pascal Siakam scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Utah Jazz 112-111 for their fourth straight win. Tyrese Haliburton scored 18 for the Pacers, who played without Myles Turner after the center was a late scratch due to an ankle injury. Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith each had 13 points. John Collins and Jordan Clarkson both scored 21 for the Jazz, who have dropped nine of 10. Utah guard Collin Sexton sprained his left ankle in the opening minutes and did not return.
Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points and Stephen Curry added 24, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 104-99 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Wiggins shot 7 of 14, made 10 free throws and passed Hall of Famer Chris Mullin to take seventh place on the Warriors’ career list for 3-pointers. Moses Moody added 17 points while rookie center Quinten Post had seven points and seven rebounds in his third consecutive start to help Golden State get back above .500. Cole Anthony had 26 points and five rebounds for the Magic. Franz Wagner added 21 points and five assists and Paolo Banchero scored 18.
Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 20 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers edged the Phoenix Suns 121-119 in overtime for their fourth consecutive victory. Deni Avdija scored 24 points for Portland, which also beat Phoenix 127-108 on Saturday night. Toumani Camara made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points. The Blazers had a 120-117 lead when Avdija fouled Devin Booker on a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left. Booker made the first two free throws but missed the third, which Ayton grabbed for his 20th rebound. Booker scored 34 points while becoming the franchise’s career scoring leader. Kevin Durant had 27 points for the Suns, and Bradley Beal finished with 25.
Trae Young made a 23-foot fadeaway with 1.6 seconds left and scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the Atlanta Hawks to a 132-130 win over the Detroit Pistons. Young helped the Hawks end an eight-game losing streak. Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 14 assists for the Pistons, who failed to attempt a shot on their final possession. Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter had 20 points and rookie Zaccharie Risacher added 17 points. Detroit’s Tobias Harris scored 22, Jalen Duren had 18 points and nine rebounds and Malik Beasley scored 18.
Luka Doncic came to the NBA in 2018 calling LeBron James his idol. The first time they went head-to-head, Doncic asked James during the game if he could have his jersey. And after that game, Doncic headed to the Los Angeles Lakers locker room to pick up the souvenir. James wrote a message on the purple jersey. “Strive for greatness,” James scrawled, those words being his longtime mantra. Here they are, almost seven years later, set to strive for more greatness — together.
NFL
Hundreds of internal emails show executives of the New Orleans Saints were far more involved than previously known in providing public relations help to Catholic Church leaders as they confronted a clergy sex abuse crisis. The emails sharply undercut assurances the Saints provided five years ago when they asserted they had provided only “minimal” assistance to the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Survivors of clergy abuse say they're disgusted by the team's involvement. The Saints said in a statement Saturday that the team does not condone sex abuse. They also criticized the media for using leaked emails to misconstrue what they called “a well-intended effort.”
Patrick Mahomes treated Super Bowl opening night like a two-minute drill, providing rapid-fire answers to one question after another. Travis Kelce passed on an inquiry about popping the question to Taylor Swift. Been here, done that. That’s how the Kansas City Chiefs handled the annual extravaganza that kicks off Super Bowl week. The Philadelphia Eagles were here two years ago so they weren’t fazed by the silliness either, though their most dynamic player is new to the wild experience that could overwhelm teams that aren’t used to the circus atmosphere. Saquon Barkley got his first taste of this made-for-television spectacle. Nick Sirianni received letters, and a kiss from Chad Johnson. Jalen Hurts even cracked a smile or two.
Star defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns with the hope of better positioning himself to play in a Super Bowl. That's according to a statement he sent to media outlets. The Browns finished last in the AFC North with a 3-14 record and general manager Andrew Berry said last week that he would not trade Garrett. Garrett is under contract with the Browns for two more seasons under a five-year, $125 million extension he signed in 2020.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shot down the perception that officials favor the Kansas City Chiefs, saying it’s a “ridiculous theory.” Goodell addressed several topics, including diversity, an 18-game season, international expansion, Tom Brady’s dual role as a broadcaster and co-owner and more during his annual news conference that kicked off Super Bowl week on Monday. The Chiefs are going for a three-peat Sunday in a rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to Kansas City 38-35 two years ago. The two-time defending champions have benefited from calls that have gone their way in the playoffs. There were two roughing-the-passer penalties during a 23-14 victory over Houston in the divisional round that viewers considered egregious.
Harrison Butker is expressing confidence in his kicking and in the stances he's taken on some sensitive issues as he enters his fifth Super Bowl. Butker says he never expected to be as well-known as he is as a kicker. He says playing for the Chiefs in four Super Bowls and winning three NFL titles has helped give him a big platform. Last offseason, he generated headlines and drew his share of criticism for his stance against Pride month and abortion. But he says he doesn’t feel the need to apologize for anything and feels like God has prepared him to feel confident in who he is.
MLB
Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation. MLB opened the investigation last February when it was brought to its attention by the sportsbook, and Hoberg did not umpire last season. While MLB said the investigation did not uncover evidence Hoberg personally bet on baseball or manipulated games, MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill recommended on May 24 that Hoberg be fired. Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday he upheld Hill’s decision. Among the highest-rated umpires at judging the strike zone, Hoberg can apply for reinstatement no earlier than 2026 spring training.
NHL
Adam Gaudette and David Perron each scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Monday night. Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig also scored and Anton Forsberg made 25 saves for Ottawa, winners of five straight. Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist, Jonathan Marchessault also scored and Juuse Saros made 33 saves for the Predators, losers of five in a row.
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Maryland enters February with momentum and an AP Top 25 ranking. The Terrapins cracked Monday's poll at No. 18 for the program's first appearance since February 2023. Maryland has won four straight and six of seven. They have games this week against Ohio State and Rutgers. That's part of an AP Top 25 schedule that includes No. 1 Auburn playing No. 6 Florida. There's also No. 2 Duke facing what could be its toughest Atlantic Coast Conference test with Saturday's trip to Clemson.
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