To become a major rivalry, coaches for the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets believe meeting in a playoff series would enhance things.
For now, both sides will settle for jockeying for playoff position in the Eastern Conference as the Nets seek their 10th straight win over the Knicks on Monday night when the intracity foes meet at Madison Square Garden.
Brooklyn hasn’t lost to the Knicks since Jan. 26, 2020. Seven of those wins are by single digits and the Nets have scored at least 110 points in each win, including their 122-115 victory in Brooklyn on Jan. 28 in what turned out to be Kyrie Irving’s final big game as a Net.
Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to save the Nets from blowing a 19-point lead. He played two more games with the Nets before seeking and ultimately getting a trade to Dallas, with Kevin Durant following out the door to Phoenix.
When they had Irving and Durant, the Nets were viewed as being in the upper echelon of the East with the likes of Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, but the trades may push them into the middle of the pack with the Knicks.
Brooklyn is 8-11 since putting together 12 straight wins from Dec. 7-Jan. 2, with 14 of those games being played since Durant sprained his right knee. The last two have seen mixed results from the revamped lineups.
After scoring 37 points in the fourth quarter in Thursday’s 116-105 home win over Chicago, the Nets were held to 16 points in the fourth of Saturday’s 101-98 home loss to Philadelphia. Brooklyn was outscored 16-4 over the final 7:43 and lost when Spencer Dinwiddie’s triple at the buzzer was ruled to be late.
Mikal Bridges scored 23 in his Nets debut while Cameron Johnson added 12 against the 76ers, but Dinwiddie was held to nine points on 2-of-10 shooting.
While the Nets struggled to find scoring in the fourth quarter, the Knicks scored plenty down the stretch. A night after being held to 15 in the final quarter at Philadelphia, New York scored 39 points in the final 12 minutes of its 126-120 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Jalen Brunson scored 38 points and is averaging 32.0 points in six games since the last meeting with the Nets. Julius Randle added 31 and is averaging 26.3 points in his past six contests.
New York also welcomed Josh Hart to its rotation, and he scored 11 points in 25:39 against Utah while also hitting a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 6:44 left.
Since the end of last season, the Denver Nuggets have been focused on building a roster to take the next step and win the first title in franchise history.
After a week of trades and signings, Denver’s roster is relatively set for the final push of the regular season. Bones Hyland is out and Thomas Bryant and Reggie Jackson are in, adding veterans to a strong lineup.
The Nuggets should get a good look at their new players Monday night when they wrap up a three-game road trip against the Miami Heat.
Denver added players to start the year without making a move when Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returned from season-long injuries, and then brought in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown to bolster the roster.
Bryant was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Jackson was bought out by Charlotte after the Los Angeles Clippers sent him to the Hornets.
Bryant played two minutes in the Nuggets’ 119-105 win at Charlotte on Saturday night but should get more action against Miami while Jackson slots in as the backup point guard.
With Murray (right knee inflammation) likely out until after the All-Star break and Aaron Gordon (rib contusion) a question mark, the two newest Nuggets could make an immediate impact.
Denver sits atop the Western Conference despite not having Murray for the last four games, but Nikola Jokic has been available and dominating. The Nuggets are unbeaten this year when he has a triple-double and he notched his NBA-high 20th on Saturday night.
It came two nights after a disappointing loss at Orlando.
Miami beat the same Magic team 107-103 in overtime on Saturday night to continue a trend of close games this season. The Heat are 19-11 in games decided by five or fewer points this season, and nine of their last 10 games have been by that margin.
One of those 30 games came in Denver on Dec. 30, a 124-119 Nuggets win.
Miami doesn’t seem bothered by playing in so many close games.
The Heat weren’t as active as Denver at the trading deadline, making one small move to send Dewayne Dedmon to San Antonio for cash considerations. Miami was considered a possible landing spot for Jackson before he went to the Nuggets.
The Heat could be a spot for Russell Westbrook, who was traded to Utah and could be bought out of his contract.
Miami could use another veteran in the backcourt with Kyle Lowry dealing with a knee issue that will keep him out at least until the All-Star break and Victor Oladipo having played in just 26 games this year. The Heat sit atop the Southeast Division but have just a three-game lead on Atlanta.
The Philadelphia 76ers narrowly escaped with a 101-98 road win against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
The Sixers open a five-game homestand that spans the All-Star break Monday against the reeling Houston Rockets.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 37 points and 13 rebounds and James Harden added 29 points, six assists and six rebounds at Brooklyn.
The Sixers were awarded the victory when Spencer Dinwiddie’s 40-footer was ruled to still be in his hand as time expired.
Jalen McDaniels, acquired at the trade deadline, made his Sixers debut and had five points and four rebounds.
Rivers believes that McDaniels will be an asset to an already deep team.
Philadelphia doesn’t play another road game until March 1 at Miami.
The Rockets will look to snap a five-game losing streak when they battle the Sixers.
Unlike a few previous losses, Houston was much more competitive in Friday’s 97-95 road loss against Miami. Gabe Vincent threw an alley-oop pass to Jimmy Butler for a dunk at the buzzer to lift the Heat.
Ever-improving Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points, Kenyon Martin Jr. added 17, Alperen Sengun contributed 12 and Jalen Green had 11, including what had been the game-tying layup with 0.7 seconds remaining.
The result was another loss, the 43rd of the season for the frustrated Rockets.
The Rockets’ defense was solid throughout against the Heat. That had not been the case in four previous losses — 117-111 to the Toronto Raptors, 153-121 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 140-120 to the Sacramento Kings and 130-128 to the Kings.
To be fair, the young roster has been overhauled. This team is clearly rebuilding for the future.
Players who joined them like Justin Holiday, Danny Green and Frank Kaminsky are likely not going to be retained after the season.
The Indiana Pacers hope to get an assist from a familiar face in their efforts to snap out of their recent funk.
George Hill, an Indianapolis native who played for the Pacers from 2011-16, and Jordan Nwora are expected to be available for action Monday night when Indiana hosts the Utah Jazz. The two players were traded to the Pacers last week ahead of the deadline.
The Pacers made the Eastern Conference finals twice and were in the playoffs four times during Hill’s first tenure in Indy. His former teammates are looking forward to the reunion, too.
Indiana is in desperate need of a shot in the arm on the court. The Pacers have lost four straight and 15 of 17 since going 23-18 in the first half of the season.
Utah beat the Pacers in the first matchup of the season 139-119 in Salt Lake City on Dec. 2. Although the Jazz also went through an overhaul leading up to the trade deadline, the team still has the key players from that win.
In that game, Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points with five 3-pointers and 13 rebounds, Walker Kessler totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson had 19 points and Collin Sexton chipped in with 18 points.
The Jazz are coming off an interesting weekend in the aftermath of trading Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Utah rallied in the final minutes to overcome a double-digit deficit in a win at Toronto on Friday and then played the Knicks well in New York before falling 126-120.
Clarkson tied New York at 109 late in the fourth quarter before Jalen Brunson, who had 38 points, sparked a game-clinching spurt for the Knicks.
It was another testament of the resilience of this overachieving Jazz squad.
The Jazz, however, have lost four of five games and are 1-1 on a four-game Eastern road trip.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will look for their seventh consecutive win Monday night when they host the slumping San Antonio Spurs.
Cleveland improved to 6-0 in February with a 97-89 home defeat of the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
The stout defensive showing marked the Cavaliers’ sixth game holding an opponent to fewer than 90 points this season, as they continue to boast the league’s top scoring defense at 105.9 points allowed per game.
Mitchell finished with 29 points and 10 assists against the Bulls.
His 26.9 points per game lead Cleveland for the season, but over the course of the Cavaliers’ current winning streak, Darius Garland has stepped up to lead the team with 32 points Feb. 2 against Memphis; 24 points Feb. 5 at Indiana; and matching Jarrett Allen’s 23 points Feb. 6 vs. Washington.
Allen also scored a team-high 20 points Feb. 8 against Detroit, the first in a current, three-game stretch of 20-point, 10-rebound double-doubles that extended with Saturday’s 23 points and 10 boards.
Monday’s contest puts that concept to the test, as San Antonio limps into Cleveland riding a 12-game losing streak after its 125-106 defeat Saturday at Atlanta.
The blowout loss came one night after dropping a 138-131 decision in double-overtime at Detroit. The game against the Cavaliers marks the midway point of the Spurs’ annual rodeo road trip.
San Antonio was active at last week’s trade deadline amid the nine-game road swing, acquiring Devonte’ Graham from Charlotte, who scored 31 points off the bench in Detroit.
San Antonio also added Khem Birch in a trade that moved Jakob Poeltl — part of the deal that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto in 2018 — back to the Raptors. Birch has not played since Dec. 29.
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio’s leading scorer on the season at 21.8 points per game, has scored at least 21 points in his last three appearances after finishing with 25 Saturday in Atlanta.
The Atlanta Hawks keep showing signs of breaking through and they have another chance to show they’re heading in the right direction Monday night against the host Charlotte Hornets.
The Hawks have won two in a row and four of their last six outings.
The Hornets have a seven-game losing streak. Charlotte already has two eight-game losing streaks, so it will try to avoid a third such skid.
In Saturday’s 125-106 romp past visiting San Antonio, De’Andre Hunter had 24 points to lead the Hawks in scoring for the first time in almost two months, though Trae Young also poured in 24 points.
Atlanta held a 64-46 edge in the second half.
The Hornets can’t seem to get their defense sorted out, something of a season-long issue.
Charlotte’s interior is being put to the test, particularly since last week’s trade of center Mason Plumlee. The lane was exploited by Denver’s Nikola Jokic in Charlotte’s 119-105 loss Saturday night.
Rookie Mark Williams has started the past two games at center for the Hornets, a heightened role that should challenge his development.
A disastrous third quarter put the Hornets in a bind against Denver.
The Hornets should be plenty familiar with the Hawks, who are 1-2 in the series this season. Charlotte’s loss came during the team’s previous eight-game skid.
Plumlee had a 25-point, 11-rebound effort in Charlotte’s road win in the most recent meeting with the Hawks on Jan. 21, so that production will need to be replaced.
Young, who supplied a season-high 17 assists on Saturday night, has averaged 28 points in the three games this season against Charlotte.
The Hornets are in need of more all-round production in the paint, particularly as some of their perimeter resources on offense have been slowed. They’ve made 10 or more 3-point baskets in only three of their last 11 games.
For Atlanta, the trip to Charlotte serves as its only road assignment during an eight-game span, though there are just two games left before the All-Star Game.
So far this month, the Hawks have avoided any late-game drama. Their last six games have been decided by seven or more points.
Gramaglia will join the Brazilian club for the remainder of the year Gramaglia is the youngest player in club history to make their NWSL debut as a 19-year-old on July 16, 2022 in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Red Stars Houston exercised the option for Gramaglia’s permanent transfer at the end of the 2022 season from Argentinian club UAI Urquiza.
HOUSTON – The Houston Dash will loan forward Paulina Gramaglia to Red Bull Bragantino FC Femenino from Brazil for the remainder of the year, the team announced today.
Gramaglia agreed to a new contract with Dash earlier this year through the 2023 season with an option for 2024.
“At 19, Paulina has a big opportunity to earn a spot with Argentina’s squad at the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer,” Dash general manager Alex Singer said. “Getting her in an environment to play consistent game minutes to prepare her was something we discussed and prioritized as part of our planning to make sure she’s maximizing match play and furthering the opportunity for her development.”
Gramaglia first joined the Dash at the start of preseason in 2022 on loan from UAI Urquiza, from the Argentinian first division. While at UAI Urquiza, Gramaglia appeared in seven games and scored nine goals.
Gramaglia became the youngest player to debut for the Houston Dash on July 16, 2022. The 19-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in Houston’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars.
Internationally, Gramaglia has represented the Argentina Women’s National Team at various levels. The Cordoba, Argentina native made her senior team debut in November 2021 in a friendly against Ecuador. Last spring, Gramaglia was called up by La Albiceleste to participate in the Under-20 CONMEBOL Women’s Championship and has earned several call ups to the Argentina U-20 WNT since.
TRANSACTION: Houston Dash signed Paulina Gramaglia to a one-year contract through the 2023 season with an option for 2024. Additionally, Houston will send Gramaglia on loan to Red Bull Bragantino through Dec. 31, 2023.
* Connor McDavid joined Wayne Gretzky as the second player in NHL history with multiple point streaks of 15-plus games in the same season more than once in his career.
* Artemi Panarin, widely known as the “Breadman”, made it rain both hats and bread with a natural hat trick and four-goal, five-point performance before Adrian Kempe thrilled Kings fans with four straight goals.
* Ryan O’Reilly scored the overtime winner to help the Blues fend off a three-goal, third-period rally from the Coyotes as St. Louis became the third team to earn a multi-goal comeback victory Saturday.
* Eight teams are in action before the NFL’s finale – the slate opens with Montreal looking to earn its League-leading 21st all-time win on Super Bowl Sunday and closes with a nationally-televised tangle at T-Mobile Arena.
McDAVID JOINS GRETZKY WITH SECOND 15-GAME POINT STREAK OF SEASON
Connor McDavid scored his League-leading 42nd goal of the season just 2:18 into the contest to extend his point streak to 15 games (10-15—25), the second time this season and fourth in his career that he has posted a point streak of 15 or more contests.
* McDavid, the only active player with at least four point streaks of 15-plus games, joined Wayne Gretzky as the second player in NHL history with multiple point streaks of 15-plus games in the same season more than once in his career. Gretzky had multiple point streaks of 15-plus contests in 1981-82, 1982-83, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1988-89 and 1990-91. McDavid, meanwhile, matched a career high with a 17-game point streak earlier in 2022-23 (equaling a mark set in 2021-22 when he tallied 15- & 17-game runs).
“BREADMAN”, KEMPE SCORE NATURAL HAT TRICKS AND FOUR GOALS
Artemi Panarin (4-1—5) and Adrian Kempe (4-0—4) each scored natural hat tricks and four goals to help their clubs, which both sit third in their respective divisions, earn wins Saturday:
* Kempe scored four straight goals and became the first Kings player to record a four-goal outing since Dustin Brown (April 5, 2018), whose No. 23 was raised into the rafters ahead of the game. Kempe became the seventh player in the past 30 years to score four consecutive goals, joining David Backes (Jan. 6, 2015), Ilya Kovalchuk (Nov. 11, 2005), Dany Heatley (Oct. 29, 2005), Patrik Elias (March 30, 2003), Wendel Clark (Nov. 9, 1996) and Peter Bondra (Feb. 5, 1994).
* Panarin tallied five points – which included both a natural hat trick and four goals to surpass the 200-career goal milestone – and became the seventh Rangers player in the past 30 years to record a natural hat trick, joining Andrew Copp (April 21, 2022), Mika Zibanejad (March 25 & March 17, 2021), Chris Kreider (March 4, 2021), Michael Grabner (Dec. 1, 2017), Marian Gaborik (Jan. 31, 2010) and Martin Straka (March 29, 2006).
BLUES FEND OFF COYOTES COMEBACK IN BACK-AND-FORTH BATTLE After Arizona took a 2-0 first-period lead, St. Louis responded with five straight goals to build its own three-goal cushion with just over 10 minutes to play. The Coyotes rallied with a three-goal, third-period comeback – which included a tying tally with 57 seconds remaining in regulation – but Ryan O’Reilly netted the winner in overtime as the Blues (24-25-3, 51 points) became the third team to register a multi-goal comeback victory Saturday (also CGY & CBJ).
* Calle Rosen (2-0—2) scored twice in the third period over a span of 1:49 – the third-fastest pair of goals by a defenseman this season behind Erik Karlsson (0:23 on Nov. 1, 2022)and Miro Heiskanen (1:48 on Dec. 8, 2022), as well as the fourth-fastest two tallies by a blueliner in Blues history.
* There have been 23 game-tying goals in the final minute of regulation this season but St. Louis became just the seventh team to withstand that tying tally to win, joining Vegas (Dec. 31, 2022), Carolina (Nov. 29, 2022), Detroit (Nov. 25, 2022), Winnipeg (Nov. 25 & 21, 2022) Colorado (Nov. 21, 2022) and Los Angeles (Oct. 17, 2022).
* Nick Schmaltz (1-3—4) and Clayton Keller (2-2—4) each had four points, marking just the third time since 2009-10 that multiple Coyotes skaters have had four-plus points in the same game. The other instances came on March 5, 2022 (Schmaltz: 2-5—7, Keller: 2-2—4 & Shayne Gostisbehere: 1-3—4) and Dec. 28, 2021 (Phil Kessel: 0-4—4 & Lawson Crouse: 2-2—4).
MacKINNON HELPS COLORADO CONTINUE TO CLIMB WEST STANDINGS The Panthers erased a two-goal deficit but Nathan MacKinnon (2-1—3) factored on his team’s next three goals to help the Avalanche (28-19-4, 60 points) improve to 8-2-1 in their past 11 games. Prior to this current stretch, Colorado sat six points back of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and seven points behind Minnesota for third in the Central Division; they now sit third in their division ahead of the Wild (28-20-4, 60 points).
* MacKinnon now has 16-42—58 (40 GP) this season (1.45 P/GP) thanks to his 47th career game-winning goal and 59th career outing with three-plus points – behind Joe Sakic (158 GP), Peter Stastny (128 GP), Michel Goulet (98 GP) and Peter Forsberg (92 GP) for the most in franchise history.
DEFENSEMEN DRIVE TEAMS TO VICTORY IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Saturday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates saw defensemen across the League propel their teams to victory, with a couple reaching franchise and career benchmarks in the process:
* Moritz Seider and Ben Chiarot assisted on both of the Red Wings’ goals in the opening 2:35, which marked the second-fastest two points from the start of a game by defensemen in franchise history behind Willie Huber (0:46 on Oct. 29, 1981).
* Calen Addison (0-1—1) factored on one of two Minnesota goals in regulation to boost his career totals to 5-25—30 (69 GP). His 30 points tied Filip Kuba (9-21—30 in 75 GP) for the most by a rookie defenseman in Wild history.
NOT ONE PATH: K’ANDRE MILLER’S CHOICE BETWEEN TWO SPORTS Heading into Super Bowl Sunday, we’re sharing a Not One Path feature on K’Andre Miller who was one choice away from becoming a college football player. Miller was mistaken by the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers football team as one of their recruits after having just watched some of his film while Miller was touring the campus for hockey. His decision to play NCAA hockey as opposed to football led him to become a first-round draft pick for the Rangers – he enters Super Bowl Sunday sitting second on his team in scoring among defensemen (5-24—29 in 53 GP).
FOUR GAMES PRECEDE SUPER BOWL INCLUDING ANAHEIM-VEGAS ON SPORTSNET Eight teams are in action before the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs clash at Super Bowl LVII, including the Ducks (17-30-6, 40 points) and Golden Knights (31-18-4, 66 points) on Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE.
Today’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates explores if some of the top storylines surrounding the NFL’s finale have ever happened in the NHL and also features other Super Bowl Sunday-centric team and player notes for the eight clubs in action. Some highlights include:
* Super Bowl LVII is set to feature brothers Travis and JasonKelce going head-to-head for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The only Stanley Cup Final in the last 76 years that saw siblings go head-to-head was in 2003 when Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer squared off with his younger brother Rob, a forward for the Mighty Ducks. The elder Niedermayer joined forces with his sibling when he was signed by Anaheim on Aug. 4, 2005, and the brothers won a championship together in 2007.
* Alex Ovechkin (12-7—19 in 15 GP) owns the second-most career goals and points during games on Super Bowl Sunday in NHL history behind Phil Esposito (16-16—32 in 12 GP). Nicklas Backstrom (4-12—16 in 13 GP) has the third-highest assist total in League history, trailing only Esposito and Johnny Bucyk (5-13—18 in 9 GP).
The Detroit Pistons aim to carry the momentum from a double-overtime win into their game against the host Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 32 points in the two overtime periods and rookie Jalen Duren had a career-high 30 points in the Pistons’ 138-131 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
Detroit will face a reeling Raptors team that squandered a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead in losing 122-116 to the visiting Utah Jazz on Friday.
Duren also grabbed 17 rebounds — two short of his career best — as the Pistons ended a three-game losing streak on Friday.
Over his past 10 games, Duren is averaging 13.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots.
In their loss to the Jazz, the Raptors took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter and still led by 13 with 5:17 to play.
The Raptors wasted a 35-point effort by Pascal Siakam.
Utah was 11-for-13 from the foul line in the final period and shot 13-for-17 (76.5 percent) from the field in the quarter against a porous Raptors defense.
The Raptors shot 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) from the field in the final 12 minutes.
Jakob Poeltl, who played his first game for Toronto after being acquired in a trade with the Spurs on Thursday, had six points, four rebounds and five fouls in 16:41 playing time as a reserve.
He started the game on the bench because he had not had a chance to practice with the team, but Nurse expects Poeltl to eventually become a starter and provide an anchor for the defense.
The Raptors were without O.G. Anunoby (wrist) for the seventh consecutive game on Friday.
After an up-and-down stretch that included three straight losses and four in six games, the Boston Celtics are back on a winning streak and are the first NBA team to reach 40 victories this season.
Boston seeks its fourth straight triumph in a Sunday afternoon game against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, who are 23-5 at home and just 11-16 on the road.
Despite playing without three starters in Jaylen Brown (facial swelling), Marcus Smart (ankle) and Al Horford (knee), the Celtics led wire-to-wire and earned a 127-116 win Friday over the Charlotte Hornets.
Derrick White scored a career-high 33 points on the strength of eight of the team’s 25 3-pointers and Jayson Tatum led Boston with 41.
The Celtics integrated a fresh face into the lineup Friday as center Mike Muscala debuted with his new team just a day after being acquired in a trade from Oklahoma City. He scored 12 points in just 16 minutes, including making his first 3-point attempt.
Muscala fit right into the offense in a game in which the Celtics tied for the third-most 3-point makes in franchise history. Muscala made four of his eight attempts from behind the arc.
The Grizzlies have won back-to-back games following a three-game skid and 1-8 stretch, bouncing back for a 128-107 win Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Memphis was hot from beyond the arc, shooting 40 percent from 3-point range (10 of 25) for only the second time in its past 12 games. That was without newcomer Luke Kennard, the sharpshooter who arrived Friday after being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers a day earlier.
Ja Morant had 32 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in a similar complete-game performance to his last head-to-head meeting with the Celtics.
The teams have not met since Nov. 7, a 109-106 Boston road win in which Tatum went for 39 points, Malcolm Brogdon had 10 rebounds and Smart dished 12 assists.
Morant had 30 points, eight boards and nine assists in that game.
The Celtics have won eight straight home games in the series.
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