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NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (26-24) at Utah Jazz (25-26)

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NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (26-24) at Utah Jazz (25-26)

A potential matchup of two of the best European players in the NBA will not happen Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

Luka Doncic, the Slovenian superstar who was just voted in as a 2023 NBA All-Star starter, was ruled out for the Dallas Mavericks’ game against the host Utah Jazz and Finnish big man Lauri Markkanen.

Doncic twisted his left ankle early in the Mavericks’ 99-95 win against Phoenix on Thursday night after stepping on the foot of a Suns player. Doncic, whose X-ray was negative, did not return to action after leaving with 8:39 left in the first quarter.

Unfortunately for Doncic, the quick injury and exit from Thursday’s contest resulted in him going scoreless for the first time in his NBA career. The empty points total dropped his scoring average to 33.0 points per game from 33.8, allowing Joel Embiid (33.4 ppg) to leapfrog him for the league lead.

Markkanen comes in tied for 17th in the scoring race with a career-best average of 24.8.

Remarkably, Markkanen etched his name in the NBA history books in the Jazz’s loss at Portland on Wednesday night. The All-Star candidate, who narrowly missed out on earning a starting role, has hit a 3-pointer in 37 consecutive outings. That’s the most in NBA history for a 7-footer.

Unfortunately for the Jazz, Markkanen’s milestone was overshadowed by an enormous game from Portland’s Damian Lillard. The standout guard scored 60 points, including 20 straight at one point in the third quarter.

Lillard made 21 of 29 shots, drained nine 3-pointers, dished out eight assists and snagged seven rebounds in the Blazers’ 134-124 victory.

Saturday’s game against Dallas kicks off a five-game homestand for the Jazz. The stretch includes two games against the Mavericks. It’s an especially important period for Utah, which goes into the All-Star break with a four-game Eastern Conference road trip.

Spencer Dinwiddie carried the Mavericks’ scoring load — with Doncic in the training room for most of Thursday’s game. Dinwiddie scored 36 points with nine assists.

Though the Mavs beat the Suns mostly without Doncic, Dallas is 0-5 this season in games in which the talented playmaker has not played at all as he was rested during back-to-back games scheduled.

Including this one, Dallas will play seven of 10 games before the midseason break away from home.

NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (23-26) at Boston Celtics (35-15)

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NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (23-26) at Boston Celtics (35-15)

Two of the NBA’s marquee players will face each other Saturday night when Jayson Tatum and the slumping Boston Celtics play LeBron James and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.

On Thursday, Tatum and James were announced as starters for this year’s NBA All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. James is averaging 29.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7-0 assists per game. Tatum is averaging 31.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per contest.

Saturday night’s game will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Tatum scored a game-high 44 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists when the Celtics went to Los Angeles and beat the Lakers 122-118 in overtime on Dec. 13. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 37 points and 12 rebounds. James finished with 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

The Celtics are coming off Thursday night’s 120-117 overtime loss to the visiting New York Knicks. That extended Boston’s losing streak to three games.

The Celtics trailed by one when Boston’s Jaylen Brown went to the free-throw line with 7.6 seconds remaining in overtime, but he missed both shots. Brown made each of his five free-throw attempts in the game up to that point.

Boston played without starting point guard Marcus Smart, who missed his third straight game with a right ankle sprain. He’s listed as day-to-day.

The Lakers got a boost when Davis returned to the court and scored 21 points in 26 minutes during Wednesday’s 113-104 victory over San Antonio. Davis, who missed nearly six weeks with an injured right foot, also had 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.

It was the first time Davis has come off the bench in a game since 2013.

Rui Hachimura, who was acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards earlier this week, also made his debut for the Lakers on Wednesday. He scored 12 points in 22 minutes.

The Lakers sent guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks to Washington for Hachimura, who was the No. 9 selection in the 2019 NBA draft.

NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (25-25) at San Antonio Spurs (14-35)

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NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (25-25) at San Antonio Spurs (14-35)

The Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs will look to get back on the winning track when they square off on Saturday but there will be a different level of desperation for the teams.

The Suns are trying to hold on until they get everyone healthy while San Antonio is looking for a way, any way in fact, to find the win column in a season that’s been a struggle.

The Suns travel to San Antonio after a 99-95 loss at home to short-handed Dallas on Thursday that snapped a four-game winning streak. Cam Johnson and Chris Paul led Phoenix with 22 points each, with Deandre Ayton racking up 19 points and 20 rebounds after missing the last three games with a non-COVID illness.

Mikal Bridges scored 16 points and Paul amassed 10 assists in the loss. Phoenix trailed by nine points with 3:34 remaining and cut its deficit to 96-95 on Paul’s layup with 19 seconds remaining but couldn’t get over the hump.

The Suns played without injured guards Devin Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot). Thirteen players saw the court for Phoenix, including backup center Jock Landale, who was originally listed as a DNP (coach’s decision) at the start of the game.

The Spurs head back to the Alamo City for a four-game homestand after a 138-100 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Thursday. The setback came on the back end of a road back-to-back and extended San Antonio’s losing streak to four games.

Keldon Johnson hit for 19 points while Isaiah Roby had a career-high 14, Keita Bates-Diop scored 13, Doug McDermott added 11 and Jakob Poeltl tallied 10 for the Spurs. San Antonio never led, was down by 21 points in a first half in which it allowed the Clippers to score a season-high 78 points and stumbled to the finish line.

San Antonio, which played without starter Jeremy Sochan (left quad contusion) and key reserves Josh Richardson (left knee tightness) and Romeo Langford (injured hip), has dropped nine of its past 10 games.

The Spurs have won just twice in their 13 contests in January and have lost 10 straight road games, marking the fifth time in franchise history that they’ve reached that dubious mark.

NBA Preview: Washington Wizards (22-26) at New Orleans Pelicans (26-23)

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NBA Preview: Washington Wizards (22-26) at New Orleans Pelicans (26-23)

The Washington Wizards and the New Orleans Pelicans are heading in different directions as they meet Saturday night in New Orleans.

The Wizards have won four games in a row and the Pelicans have lost six consecutive games.

Washington’s most recent win came despite falling behind by 19 points and trailing by 10 entering the fourth quarter before rallying to beat the Rockets 108-103 on Wednesday night in Houston.

Kyle Kuzma led the comeback by scoring 20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Kristaps Porzingis missed his second straight game because of an ankle injury and Monte Morris was sidelined by a sore right hamstring, but Kendrick Nunn made his debut after being acquired in a trade that sent Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Nunn had 12 points.

The Pelicans’ season-worst losing streak continued Wednesday, primarily due to Minnesota outscoring them 39-21 in the third quarter on the way to a 111-102 victory.

Forward Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans’ second-leading scorer, returned after a 29-game absence due to a bruised toe and scored 13 points in about 26 minutes, but he made just four of 18 shots from the floor.

Valanciunas had 27 points and 12 rebounds and CJ McCollum added 34 points as the Pelicans had a season-high point total in a 132-112 victory at Washington on Jan. 9.

NBA Preview: Los Angeles Clippers (27-24) at Atlanta Hawk (25-24)

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NBA Preview: Los Angeles Clippers (27-24) at Atlanta Hawk (25-24)

The Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers will both try to keep their momentum going when they meet on Saturday in Atlanta.

Atlanta has won seven of its last 10 games after a 137-132 shootout victory over Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The Clippers pounded San Antonio 138-100 on Thursday and have won four in a row — their longest streak of the season.

Atlanta defeated the Clippers 112-108 in their first meeting on Jan. 8 in Los Angeles. The Hawks have won the last three meetings in Atlanta. The teams split their two-game series a year ago.

This is Atlanta’s final home game before embarking on a five-game road trip to face Western Conference opposition. This is the opener of a six-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents for the Clippers.

Atlanta’s recent success has been led by the backcourt duo of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young.

Murray has scored 20-plus points in seven consecutive games. He lost out on Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors to the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jrue Holiday despite averaging 28.3 points, 6.5 assists, five rebounds and 1.8 steals, and shooting 60 percent from the floor and 58.3 percent on 3-pointers to help the Hawks go 3-1 during that span. He is averaging 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and six assists this season.

Young had 33 points and 11 assists in the win over Oklahoma City. In 12 games in January, Young has scored 30-plus four times and 20-plus 11 times. He is averaging 27.1 points and 9.9 assists.

The Clippers shot 58.4 percent from the floor against San Antonio with Paul George scoring 35 on 14-for-19 shooting and Kawhi Leonard scoring 27 on 10-for-16 shooting.

“It’s PG (George) and Kawhi,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “They draw so much attention that they create shots for other people. They’ve done a good job scoring the ball and making the right decision. We’re a totally different team when those guys are able to play. We’re able to get the ball in the paint more and that’s made a difference.”

George is averaging 23.5 points, six rebounds and 5.3 assists. Leonard is averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Los Angeles got Luke Kennard back from a calf injury that kept him out three weeks. He got the start, played 16 minutes and scored five points.

The Hawks have been hurt by the absence of De’Andre Hunter for the last two games with asthmatic symptoms. Meanwhile, the Clippers have played for two weeks without John Wall (abdomen). Marcus Morris Sr. missed Thursday’s game with a rib injury.

NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (11-38) at Detroit Pistons (13-37)

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NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (11-38) at Detroit Pistons (13-37)

The leading contenders for the top pick in this year’s draft cross paths in Detroit on Saturday night.

It’s the worst of the worst by NBA standards, as the last place team in the Western Conference visits the bottom feeder in the Eastern Conference. The Houston Rockets have lost 20 of their last 22 games, while the Detroit Pistons have dropped seven of their last nine games.

In the Rockets’ latest defeat, the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped to a 74-48 halftime lead en route to a 113-95 victory on Thursday. Guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Eric Gordon and forward Jae’Sean Tate were sidelined due to injuries. The Cavaliers — who were missing All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell — converted 22 Rockets turnovers into 40 points.

Everyone in the Rockets’ starting five was age 22 or younger. They didn’t hold up well in the second game of a back-to-back. Houston lost to Washington 108-103 on Wednesday.

Second-year guard Josh Christopher made his first start this season and the third of his career. He played a season-high 19 minutes and had seven points and no assists while committing two turnovers.

Jalen Green, who reached the 40-point mark twice in the previous four games, was held to six points.

Silas will miss Saturday’s game. He’ll attend a memorial for his father, former NBA star player and coach Paul Silas, in Charlotte. John Lucas will coach the team in his absence.

The Pistons are coming off a rare victory. They defeated Brooklyn on the road on Thursday, 130-122, as eight players reached double figures.

In their previous outing, Milwaukee scored 150 points against them, including 49 in the first quarter.

Detroit took control against the Nets with a 43-point third quarter, then held off Brooklyn’s late charge.

Casey inserted veteran guard Alec Burks into the starting lineup, and it helped Detroit get off to a better start.

NBA Preview: New York Knicks (27-23) at Brooklyn Nets (29-19)

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NBA Preview: New York Knicks (27-23) at Brooklyn Nets (29-19)

The New York Knicks earned what can be considered their best win of the season on Thursday, while the Brooklyn Nets absorbed what can be deemed their worst loss of the season.

Coming off those drastically different outcomes, the two intracity rivals are will get together for the second time this season Saturday night at Brooklyn.

The Knicks have dropped past eight meetings and 13 of the past 16, and they trailed by 16 after the opening quarter of their 112-85 loss at Brooklyn on Nov. 9. That loss was part of a 10-13 start that culminated in a 121-100 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 3.

Since then, New York is 17-10 over its past 27 games, though it has taken an extremely streaky route. Their turnaround began with an eight-game winning streak and also featured seven wins in another eight-game span, but the Knicks also produced losing streaks of five and four games.

On Thursday, the Knicks recorded their second straight victory following the four-game skid when they beat the Celtics 120-117 in overtime in Boston. The Knicks blew a 12-point lead in the final five minutes of regulation. The win occurred two nights after they blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead and held on for a 105-103 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Julius Randle starred in both wins. He tied a career high with eight 3s and scored 36 points Tuesday and then led the Knicks with 37 on 13-of-25 shooting Thursday. Twelve of his 15 games with at least 30 points have come since Dec. 3.

Randle’s latest big performance keyed another close win, something the Knicks have experienced with mixed results so far. They are 9-7 in games decided by five points or fewer, including a 5-2 mark this month.

Brooklyn is 2-6 over its past eight games after winning 14 of 15 to vault into the top four of the Eastern Conference. The Nets are in their worst slump in over two months while waiting for Kevin Durant to recover from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

Last year, the Nets lost 11 straight and 15 of 21 until Durant returned from the same injury in his left knee.

On Thursday, Durant watched from the bench as the Nets took a 130-122 loss to the Detroit Pistons that marked their third straight home defeat without the star forward. After a 137-133 loss in Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Nets allowed 43 points in the third quarter along with 50.5 percent shooting for the game to the worst team in the Eastern Conference.

Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and is averaging 37.2 points in his past five games. Nic Claxton added a career-high 27 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double in seven games.

The Nets held out Seth Curry because of knee soreness and also lost Ben Simmons and T.J. Warren to knee injuries that could keep them out Saturday.

NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (34-15) at Philadelphia Sixers (31-16)

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NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (34-15) at Philadelphia Sixers (31-16)

Joel Embiid will have plenty of reasons for extra motivation when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

After all, Embiid will be going up against Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who has edged him out for the league’s Most Valuable Player award in each of the plast two seasons.

In addition, Embiid surprisingly was not selected as a starter for the upcoming All-Star Game.

In the meantime, all he does is pile up eye-popping statistics for the Sixers, who have six straight victories.

In a 137-133 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, Embiid hit all 13 free throws and had 26 points and 10 rebounds. It was his 18th game this season of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Tyrese Maxey led the way with 27 points and James Harden, who was named as an All-Star reserve along with Embiid, added 23.

As the All-Star break approaches, the Sixers will look to continue surging. They swept a five-game road trip and then kept their positive momentum in a hard-fought battle against the Nets. Expect the crowd to be revved up again.

The Nuggets, who lead the Western Conference, will look to rebound after a 107-99 setback to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

To be fair, the Nuggets played without Jokic – who was named an All-Star starter — and Jamal Murray. Jokic warmed up before the game but ultimately was held out to rest a sore hamstring. Murray (knee maintenance) also sat out as a precaution.

Both players are likely to play against the Sixers.

Jokic will be competing in the All-Star Game for the fifth consecutive season. He leads the league this season with 15 triple-doubles.

Aaron Gordon paced the Nuggets with 26 points and 14 rebounds and Bones Hyland added 15 points. They also played without Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (right wrist) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons).

The Nuggets’ depth has been a key to their success all season and it paid dividends even in a loss to the Bucks.

Ish Smith came off the bench and gave them a lift with 10 points and three assists.

Royals announce signing of seven-time All-Star pitcher Aroldis Chapman

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Royals announce signing of seven-time All-Star pitcher Aroldis Chapman

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Royals announced that they have signed left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a one-year contract. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Chapman, 34, is a seven-time All-Star, 2016 World Series winner with the Chicago Cubs and was named the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year in 2019. He is one of 13 pitchers in Major League history to record at least 1,000 strikeouts as a relief pitcher, and his 315 career saves rank 24th all-time and 3rd among active pitchers.

Chapman’s career K/9 rate of 14.7 (1,045 K in 640.0 IP) is the best in Major League history (min. 500.0 IP). He’s held opponents to a .164 average in his career, which is also the best mark in Major League history (min. 500.0 IP).

He is one of 14 pitchers, since saves became an official statistic in 1969, to record at least eight 30-save seasons. Chapman is the only pitcher in Major League history to record at least four seasons of at least 30 saves and 100 strikeouts, something he did in four consecutive seasons from 2012-15.

Chapman defected from Cuba in 2009 and signed with the Reds in 2010. He is a 13-year Major League veteran with Cincinnati (2010-15), the Chicago Cubs (2016) and the New York Yankees (2016, 2017-22). He was an All-Star as recently as 2021, when he saved 30 games for the Yankees, recorded a 3.36 ERA (21 ER in 56.1 IP) and 97 strikeouts (15.5 K/9). He was limited to just 43 appearances with the Yankees in 2022 and missed a total of eight weeks over two separate stints on the Injured List.

Rays sign Pete Fairbanks to Three-Year extension

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Rays sign Pete Fairbanks to Three-Year extension

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays have signed right-handed pitcher Pete Fairbanks to a three-year, $12 million contract through the 2025 season, including a club option for the 2026 season. The pact is worth up to $24.6 million if the club option is exercised, performance escalators are reached and award bonuses are triggered.

Fairbanks, 29, is 11-10 with a 2.98 ERA (105.2-IP, 35-ER) and 15 saves in 111 appearances (two starts) since being acquired by the Rays in July 2019. Last season, he went 0-0 with a 1.13 ERA (24-IP, 3-ER) in 24 appearances after opening the season on the 60-day IL with a right lat strain. He made his season debut on July 17 and tied for the team lead with eight saves despite missing over three months. Min. 20 IP, he ranked second in the American League in WHIP (0.67), fourth in ERA and fifth in opponents’ avg. (.159). He struck out 43.7 pct. (38 of 87) of batters faced, second in the majors (min. 20 IP) behind NYM Edwin Díaz (50.2 pct.), and it marked the second-highest for a single season in franchise history behind Nick Anderson (52.6 pct.) in 2019. He ended the season with 22 straight scoreless appearances, the second-longest streak in club history.

Fairbanks is 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA (15-IP, 6-ER) and three saves in 12 career postseason appearances, all with the Rays. In 2020, he became the fifth rookie since saves became an official stat (since 1969) to record three (or more) in the postseason. He was on the mound when the Rays clinched the pennant in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

Fairbanks was acquired by the Rays from the Texas Rangers on July 13, 2019 in exchange for minor league infielder Nick Solak. He was selected by the Rangers in the ninth round of the 2015 Amateur Draft out of the University of Missouri.

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