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NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (25-15-4) at Florida Panthers (22-20-5)

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MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

SERIES NOTES
UPCOMING WILD GAMES
GAME BROADCASTS
FLORIDA PANTHERS
All-Time Wild Record: 18-8-3 (10-2-2 at Xcel Energy Center, 8-6-1 at Florida)

2021-22: The Wild lost both meetings against the Panthers, 5-4, at FLA Live Arena (11/20) and 6-2 at Xcel Energy Center (2/18)…LW Kirill Kaprizov led the Wild with four points (2-2=4)…C Joel Eriksson Ek (1-2=3) and RW Mats Zuccarello (1-2=3) tallied three points each…G Cam Talbot went 0-2-0 with a 4.26 GAA and a .886 SV%…LW Rudolfs Balcers (1-3=4) and D Aaron Ekblad (1-3=4) led the Panthers with four points
each…LW Nick Cousins (1-2=3), LW Jonathan Huberdeau (0-3=3), LW Mason Marchment (3-0=3) and RW Frank Vatrano (2-1=3) tallied three points each…G Sergei Bobrovsky went 2-0-0 with a 3.00 GAA and a .908 SV% in two starts.

WILD LEADERS: Zuccarello leads Minnesota with 27 points (14-13=27) in 25 matches against Florida…LW Marcus Foligno owns 11 points (5-6=11) in 26 games…D Jared Spurgeon has 11 points (1-10=11) in 17 contests…D Jonas Brodin owns nine points (2-7=9) in 14 games.

WILD GOALIES: G Marc-Andre Fleury is 18-10-2 with a 2.30 GAA, a .922 SV% and two shutouts in 31 career games (29 starts) vs. the Panthers…G Filip Gustavsson is 0-1-0 with a 4.00 GAA and a .867 SV% in one start (4/28/22).

PANTHERS LEADERS: C Aleksander Barkov leads Florida with 16 points (4-12=16) in 15 matches against Minnesota…RW Patric Hornqvist owns 15 points (7-8=15) in 30 contests…Balcers has eight points (2-6=8) in nine games…Cousins owns eight points (3-5=8) in 14 matches…RW Matthew Tkachuk has eight points (4-4=8) in 15 games.

PANTHERS GOALIES: Bobrovsky is 12-3-1 with a 2.10 GAA, a .929 SV% and one shutout in 16 career starts vs. the Wild…G Spencer Knight has not faced Minnesota.

FAST FACTS: Minnesota went 10-0-1 against Florida from Nov. 29, 2001-Dec. 13, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center – its second-longest home point streak against a team in franchise history…The Wild’s 18 career wins against the Panthers are its fourth-most wins against an Eastern Conference opponent.

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 47
  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 22
  • G Spencer Knight | Games Missed: 6
    Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 140

LAST GAME
Panthers 6, Canadiens 2 – Jan. 19 – Bell Center
FLA Goals: Reinhart (14-PPG), Bennett (11-PPG), Tkachuk (23-PPG), Smith (1), Tkachuk (24-PPG), Lomberg (6)
MTL Goals: Pitlick (2), Anderson (13)
FLA Goalie: Lyon (W) – 23 Saves | Bobrovsky – 0 Saves
MTL Goalie: Montembeault (L) – 28 Saves | Primeau – 6 Saves
FLA Shots: 40
MTL Shots: 25
Notes: Florida matched a club record with four power-play goals in the second period……Alex Lyon made his season & Panthers debut, earning his first win in a Cats uniform…Sam Reinhart recorded three points (1-2-3), extending his point streak to 6 games (2-6-8)…Matthew Tkachuk scored two power-play goals for the 2nd time this season…Aleksander Barkov notched two assists, extending his point streak to 6 games (3-6-9)…Brandon Montour logged an assist to extend his point streak to 4 games (1-3-4)…Anton Lundell posted an assist for his third point in as many games (2-1-3)…Carter Verhaeghe contributed an assist, extending his point streak to three games (2-2-4)…Givani Smith scored his first goal with Florida…Radko Gudas registered an assist for the 2nd straight game…Sam Bennett recorded two points (1-1-2)…Florida’s 20 blocked shots tied their season high…FLA PP: 4-8, FLA PK: 5-5

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • Jan. 20: G Spencer Knight loaned to Charlotte (AHL) | G Mack Guzda recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
  • Jan. 16: F Grigori Denisenko recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
  • Jan. 15: F Zac Dalpe loaned to Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS vs. WILD
ALL-TIME vs. MIN: 10-16-1-2
ALL-TIME HOME vs. MIN: 7-7-0-1
2021-22 vs. MIN: 2-0-0

CATS STATS

  • Florida had three skaters (Lomberg, Smith, Tkachuk) score a goal and register a fighting major in the same game Jan. 19 at MTL, the first time since ANA on March 16, 2018 a team has had 3 players score a goal and record a fight in the same contest.
  • The Panthers rank 2nd in the NHL in goals by defensemen (28), ranking tied for third-most points by blueliners (114).
  • The Panthers lead the league in shots on goal per game at home (37.2).

CATS AND WILD
The Panthers face off against the Wild for the first time this season following Florida’s season sweep of Minnesota in 2021-22, outscoring the Wild 11-6 over two contests. In their most recent matchup at FLA Live Arena on Feb. 18, 2022, five different Panthers collected multiple points in a 6-2 win. Florida has earned the win in four of their past five matchups (4-1-0) against Minnesota since March 8, 2019, as well as a 3-1-0 record in the Wild’s past four visits to FLA Live Arena. Aleksander Barkov has registered 16 points (4-12-16) over 15 career games against Minnesota.

NHL Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning (29-14-1) at Calgary Flames (21-16-9)

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NHL Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning (29-14-1) at Calgary Flames (21-16-9)

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:

LAST GAME
Lightning 3 at Edmonton 5
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s five-game winning streak came to an end Thursday night with a 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place…The Bolts fell to 29-14-1 on the season with a road record 12-10-0…The Lightning dropped to 3-5-0 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season…Ryan McLeod opened the scoring for EDM at the 6:13 mark of the first…Leon Draisaitl scored a power-play goal and gave EDM a 2-0 lead with 3:17 remaining in the first period…After Alex Killorn took a pass from Anthony Cirelli and rang a shot off the post, Brandon Hagel jumped on the rebound and made it a 2-1 game just 1:30 into the second period…Zach Hyman answered 1:38 later to give EDM a 3-1 lead…Steven Stamkos got Tampa Bay back within one when he took a pass from Brayden Point and hammered a one-timer past Jack Campbell with 12:09 remaining in the second period as Victor Hedman recorded the secondary helper…At the 12:03 mark of the middle frame, Nikita Kucherov sent a backhand feed to the left point for Hedman, who sent a one-touch pass to the back door, where Point redirected the puck top shelf for his team-leading 27th goal of the season to tie the game at three…Connor McDavid gave EDM a 4-3 lead 2:10 into the third period before Hyman scored an empty-net goal with 2:12 remaining to close out the game…Andrei Vasilevskiy started in goal for the Bolts and made 29 saves on 33 shots against.
PP: TBL – 0-2 EDM – 1-4
SOG: TBL – 31 EDM – 34
Attendance: 17,742

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Flames are playing the second of two matchups this season and the only meeting at Scotiabank Saddledome…The Bolts skated to a 4-1 victory in the first meeting between the two teams Nov. 17 at AMALIE Arena…Milan Lucic scored the first goal of the game at the 7:28 mark of the first period, but Tampa Bay successfully challenged for offside and the goal was overturned…Just 35 seconds after the Lucic goal was overturned, Steven Stamkos scored his ninth goal of the season and gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead with Mikhail Sergachev picking up the lone assist…Nikita Kucherov gave the Bolts a 2-0 lead on the power play with 1:44 left in the second period when he beat Jacob Markstrom over the glove with Stamkos and Sergachev earning the helpers…Calgary made it a one-goal game with a power-play goal at the 4:53 mark of the third off the stick of Elias Lindholm…Tampa Bay got an immediate answer just 10 seconds later when Philippe Myers scored his first goal as a member of the Lightning with a shot from the point…Kucherov got his second goal of the game when he found the empty net with 14 seconds remaining in regulation…Andrei Vasilevskiy made 39 saves on 40 shots against in his sixth win of the season…Tampa Bay is 7-3-0 in both the last 10 games at CGY and the last 10 games vs. CGY overall…The Bolts have scored 18 goals over their last four trips to CGY…The Lightning have won six of their last seven games vs. CGY…Stamkos has picked up points in seven of his last nine games vs. CGY (6-3—9)…Kucherov has recorded a multipoint game in five of his last six games vs. CGY (3-9—12)…Alex Killorn has picked up points and scored a goal in four straight games at CGY (6-4—10)…Vasilevskiy is 5-1-0 in his last six starts vs. CGY with a .915 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average…Tampa Bay is 24-16-1 with one tie all-time vs. CGY, including a road record of 11-8-1…Kucherov (5-11—16) holds the Lightning franchise record for career points vs. CGY.

TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. CGY

  1. Nikita Kucherov – 16 pts. (5-11—16, 15 GP)
    T2. Vincent Lecavalier – 14 pts. (5-9—14, 14 GP)
    T2. Steven Stamkos – 14 pts. (9-5—14, 16 GP)
    T4. Martin St. Louis – 13 pts. (8-5—13, 10 GP)
    T4. Alex Killorn – 13 pts. (8-5—13, 14 GP)

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the fifth and final game of a season-long, five-game road trip tonight…The Bolts will play eight of their 13 games in January on the road…The Lightning are 7-3-0 against Pacific Division opponents and 14-5-0 against the Western Conference this season…Tampa Bay is 12-10-0 on the road this season.

INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 90
Current Injuries:
Nick Perbix (Upper-body injury; Day-to-day) 3 Games

TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 15 – Assigned F Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Syracuse for conditioning
Jan. 2 – Signed D Nick Perbix to a two-year contract extension

GAME POINT
Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point recorded his 17th multi-point game of the season with one goal and one assist Jan. 19 at EDM…Point has pointed in seven of his last nine games vs. EDM (3-8—11)…Point has found the scoresheet in 11 of his last 13 contests (11-7—18)…Point has scored a goal in 14 of his last 20 games (17-8—24)…Point (27-22— 49) leads all Lightning skaters in goals, game-winning goals (7) and even-strength goals (18), while ranking second in even-strength points (33), third in both points and power-play points (16) and fifth in assists…Point is tied with Steven Stamkos for the Bolts team lead in power-play goals with nine…Point’s 27 goals are tied for the ninth-most among all NHL skaters…Only Leon Draisaitl and Kyle Connor (8 each) have scored more game-winning goals than Point this season…Point (194-223—417, 461 GP) ranks fifth in Lightning franchise history in goals, while ranking ninth in points and 10th in assists…Point’s career average of 0.90 points per game ranks fifth all-time among third-round draft picks in NHL history…Point has recorded the third-most points off all skaters drafted in the 2014 NHL Draft and is the only skater in the top five that was drafted outside of the first round…Point is averaging 3.09 shots per game, the first time that he’s averaged over three shots per game in his career.

CALGARY FLAMES NOTES:

FLAMES LAST GAME RECAP
JANUARY 18, 2023 – CALGARY FLAMES [1] vs. Colorado Avalanche [4]
The Calgary Flames began a four-game homestand on Wednesday nigh when they welcomed the Colorado Avalanche to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary fell behind the eight-ball early after Mikko Rantanen fired home a one-timer to give the Avs an early advantage, followed by a pair of goals by Artturi Lehkonen to make it 3-0 Colorado through 20. There would be no scoring change in the second despite the teams combining for 24 shots in the middle stanza. In the third the Flames tried to start a rally after Tyler Toffoli ripped a shot past Alexandar Georgiev to give the Flames life, and cut Colorado’s lead to two. But that is as close as Calgary would come, and the Flames fell 4-1.

CGY GOAL SCORERS: Toffoli (16)
GOALIE: Markstrom 27/30, .900 Sv%)
PP: 1/2 (50%)
PK: 2/3 (66%)

FLAMES LAST FIVE RESULTS, RECORD: 2-2-1
DATE RESULT GWG CGY GOALIE OPP. GOALIE
January 18, 2023 COL [4] vs. CGY [1] Lehkonen Markstrom Georgiev
January 16, 2023 CGY [1] at NSH [2] Parssinen Markstrom Saros
January 14, 2023 CGY [6] at DAL [5] Tanev Vladar Wedgewood
January 12, 2023 CGY [4] at STL [1] Dube Vladar Greiss
January 10, 2023 CGY [3] at STL 4 Thomas Markstrom Binnington
*shootout winning goal

FLAMES UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
DATE TIME
(MST) OPPONENT VENUE
January 21, 2023 1:00pm vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Saddledome
January 23, 2023 7:30pm vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Scotiabank Saddledome
January 26, 2023 7:00pm vs. Chicago Blackhawks Scotiabank Saddledome
January 27, 2023 8:00pm at Seattle Kraken Climate Pledge Arena
February 6, 2023 5:30pm at New York Rangers Madison Square Garden

TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS
This is the second of two matchups this season between the Flames and Lightning. The Flames lost in Tampa 4-1 earlier this season. This is a Pacific Division versus Atlantic Division matchup; The Flames have an overall record of 2-4-2 against Atlantic Division opponents this season and a record of 7-8-5 against Eastern Conference opponents.

LAST TIME VERSUS THE BOLTS:
The Calgary Flames began a season-long six-game road trip at Amalie Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning back on November 17th. Steven Stamkos scored halfway through the first period to give Tampa the lead through 20. In the second the Flames would outshoot the Lightning 16-6, but Nikita Kucherov would score the only goal of the frame on the power play to extend Tampa’s lead. In the third, Nazem Kadri would deflect an Elias Lindholm shot to give the Flames life and draw Calgary within one. But that’s as close as the Flames would get, and Tampa would score 10 seconds later and add an empty netter to win 4-1.

AFTERNOON GAMES:
This will be the first of three afternoon games at the Scotiabank Saddledome this season and the fourth of seven The Flames will play in overall. The Flames come into today’s matinee with a 2-1-0 record in afternoon games with wins in Florida and Dallas, they fell in their other contest fell in Carolina. Calgary’s two remaining afternoon games at home come on February 20th versus the Flyers and March 25th against San Jose.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Flames lead the NHL with 28 games decided by one goal. MacKenzie Weegar’s lone career goal versus Tampa Bay was a game-winning goal, coming on May 10th, 2021 in a 4-0 win. The Flames are 8-1-2 at the Saddledome when Blake Coleman scores since he signed with the team prior to the start of last season.

CALGARY FLAMES vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
ALL-TIME HOME AWAY L10 STRK
CGY vs. TBL 17-19-1-5 9-8-0-3 8-11-1-2 3-6-1 L1

GAME INFO:
Calgary Flames vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
1:00pm MT
Scotiabank Saddledome
TV: Sportsnet, CBC
Radio: Sportsnet Fan 960

2022-23 Season Series: 0-1-0 (Home: 0-0-0, Road 0-1-0)
Nov. 17, 2022 – CGY [ 1] at TBL [4]
Jan. 21, 2023 – TBL at CGY

2021-22 Season Record vs. TBL: 1-1-0 (Home: 1-0-0, Road: 0-1-0)
Last Home Win vs. TBL: March 10, 2022 – Tampa Bay [1] vs. Calgary [4]
Last Road Win @ TBL: January 11, 2018 – Calgary [5] at Tampa Bay [1]
Last Home Loss vs. TBL: December 20, 2018 – Tampa Bay [5] vs. Calgary 4
Last Road Loss @ TBL: November 17, 2022 – Calgary [1] at Tampa Bay [4]

2022-23 CALGARY FLAMES
FLAMES RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Dec. 18 – recalled Dennis Gilbert (D) from Calgary (AHL); placed Chris Tanev (D) on IR (retroactive)
Dec. 20 – recalled Nick DeSimone (D) from Calgary (AHL); placed Dennis Gilbert (D) on IR
Dec. 20 – reassigned Radim Zohorna (F) to Calgary (AHL)
Dec. 24 – reassigned Matthew Phillips (F) and Nick DeSimone (D) to Calgary (AHL)
Dec. 27 – recalled Radim Zohorna (F) from Calgary (AHL)
Dec. 28 – activated Dennis Gilbert (D) from IR
Dec. 29 – reassigned Dennis Gilbert (D) and Radim Zohorna (F) to Calgary (AHL)
Dec. 30 – recalled Radim Zohorna (F) from Calgary (AHL)
Jan. 7 – recalled Jakob Pelletier (F) and Walker Duehr (F) from Calgary (AHL); placed Brett Ritchie (F) on IR
Jan. 13 – reassigned Radim Zohorna (F) to Calgary (AHL)

FLAMES RECENT INJURIES (Total man games lost – 34)
Noah Hanifin – illness (1 game: Oct. 21)
Chris Tanev – upper-body (5 games: Nov. 3 – Nov. 10)
Jonathan Huberdeau – upper-body (3 games: Nov. 8 – Nov. 12)
Michael Stone – lower-body (11 games: Nov. 7 – Nov. 25)
MacKenzie Weegar – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 12)
Elias Lindholm – upper-body injury (1 game: Dec. 12)
Chris Tanev – upper-body injury (3 games: Dec. 14 – Dec. 18)
Radim Zohorna – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 18)
Dennis Gilbert – lower-body injury (4 games: Dec. 20 – Dec. 27)
Brett Ritchie – upper-body injury (6 games: Jan. 8 – Jan. 18)

NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (29-16) at Sacramento Kings (26-18)

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NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (29-16) at Sacramento Kings (26-18)

The Sacramento Kings are one of the NBA’s top surprises and are making a solid run at ending a 16-season playoff drought.

The Kings get another chance to prove they are for real on Saturday night when they host the powerful Philadelphia 76ers.

Sacramento will be attempting to match its season-best winning streak of seven games.

The Kings also will be aiming to snap an eight-game skid against the 76ers. Sacramento’s last win in the series was a 115-108 home decision on Feb. 2, 2019. De’Aaron Fox is the only current Kings’ player to participate in that game.

Philadelphia is equally hot, having won six of its past seven games, including all four heading into the finale of a five-game road trip.

While the 76ers were off Friday night, Sacramento was continuing its hot streak with a 118-113 home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

All-Star candidates Fox (25 points) and Domantas Sabonis (fifth triple-double of the season) were key contributors as usual, but rookie Keegan Murray was the main man for the Kings.

Murray established season bests of 29 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 10 of 12, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

“Every shot I took was shots I’m good at,” said Murray, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2022 draft. “I didn’t try to rush anything. I let everything come to me, and that showed with good shot selection and me making shots.”

Sabonis, who returned from a one-game absence caused by an illness, was impressed with Murray’s arsenal.

“I told him to be aggressive,” Sabonis said. “He made a couple (shots) and they started pressuring him and he showed he has more to his game. He can dribble, he can penetrate, he can dunk on someone, he can find open guys. The more comfy he gets at playing this game, he’s going to be big for us.”

Sabonis recorded 18 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds while stretching his franchise record to 21 consecutive double-doubles.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia star big man Joel Embiid ranks second in the NBA with a 33.6 scoring average and has scored 30 or more in each of his past seven games and 11 of his past 12 appearances.

Embiid had 32 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots on Thursday when the 76ers notched a 105-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Philadelphia’s James Harden added 16 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for his fourth triple-double of this season and 73rd of his career.

Harden aggravated a foot injury during the contest and is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game.

Embiid and Harden have been teammates for 11-plus months, and Embiid is more than pleased with their partnership.

“I think from the beginning it was easy. When you’ve got two guys with high basketball IQs, you can figure out everything easy,” Embiid said of mixing well with Harden. “So it’s all about just playing off of each other. We’ve been doing a wonderful job of doing that.”

Philadelphia never trailed against Portland and led 57-34 at halftime. The 76ers were up by as many as 26 points before the Trail Blazers narrowed the gap late in the contest.

The 76ers are 8-2 in January, a strong follow-up to December, when they recorded a season-best, eight-game winning streak.

“I think we’re good, and I think we can be really, really good,” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. “But we have work to do.”

Embiid poured in 31 points and Harden added 21 points, 15 assists and five steals as the 76ers rolled to a 123-103 home victory over the Kings on Dec. 13.

NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (23-24) at Phoenix Suns (22-24)

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NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (23-24) at Phoenix Suns (22-24)

The Phoenix Suns plan to put Cameron Johnson’s ramp-up to full participation on hold Saturday night, as they will rest the forward on the front end of a back-to-back with the Indiana Pacers in town.

Johnson was limited to 22 minutes in a 117-112 home win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night in his first action since undergoing right knee surgery in November. He missed 37 games.

Phoenix made the most of Johnson’s return, using his 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks to help make up for the continued absences of Chris Paul (sore right hip) and Devin Booker (strained left groin). Johnson figures to return to the court on Sunday when the Suns play host to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Nets likely weren’t surprised to see Johnson, but they were blindsided by a pair of unheralded Lees in the Thursday matchup, with Damion going for 16 points in a rare start and Saben chipping in with 15 points and six assists on the ninth day of a 10-day contract.

Among Saben Lee’s biggest fans was Johnson.

The Suns are expected to sign Saben Lee, a Phoenix-area high school product, to a second 10-day deal before the Saturday contest.

The Suns had lost three in a row — all on the road — before Johnson’s return against the Nets.

Next up, Phoenix gets to face an Indiana team that will be completing a back-to-back set.

The Pacers were once again without Tyrese Haliburton (sprained left knee and elbow) as they fell 134-111 at Denver on Friday night. The standout guard, who last played on Jan. 11, remains sidelined indefinitely.

The loss was the sixth straight for the Pacers, the third in a row to start a four-game trip that ends in Phoenix.

Indiana reserves Bennedict Mathurin and Chris Duarte had 19 and 18 points, respectively, against the Nuggets. The Pacers benefitted from the one-sided nature of the game in that it allowed coach Rick Carlisle to limit his starters to 25 or fewer minutes.

On a night when the Indiana backups outscored the team’s starters 67-44, the Pacers got scoring from seven different reserves, including Trevelin Queen, who connected on one of the team’s eight 3-pointers.

Queen, who is playing on a two-way contract, had a season-high 13 points in the previous game, on Wednesday at Oklahoma City. The 25-year-old credits Haliburton, three years his minor, with being a positive influence.

The Pacers and Suns will be meeting for the first time this season. The rematch is slated for Feb. 10 in Indianapolis.

Phoenix swept last year’s two-game season series, winning 113-103 at home in January in a game in which Paul and Booker combined for 29 points. Johnson chipped in with eight off the bench as a backup to Jae Crowder, whose holdout this season opened a starting spot for the fourth-year player.

NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (10-35) at Minnesota Timberwolves (23-24)

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NBA Preview: Houston Rockets (10-35) at Minnesota Timberwolves (23-24)

The injury report was long and the recent schedule unforgiving, yet for a team that disappointed over the first half of the schedule, the Minnesota Timberwolves finally displayed some impressive mettle Thursday.

Despite being down a pair of starters in Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) and Rudy Gobert (groin) plus reserve guards Austin Rivers and Jordan McLaughlin, the Timberwolves rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and improved to 6-1 at home this month with a 128-126 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Minnesota has won seven of its last 10 contests.

The Timberwolves will host the Houston Rockets on Saturday in the first of back-to-back games between the teams, with the home-and-home series concluding on Monday in Houston.

After blowing a late lead against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, the Timberwolves mustered the gumption to overcome Toronto. They did so with a collective effort led by D’Angelo Russell, who scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth, Anthony Edwards (23 points, seven assists, three steals) and Kyle Anderson, who posted a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.

While Minnesota shot well throughout, with 50.6/42.5/91.3 shooting splits, it was the late-game defense that saved the day against the Raptors.

That the Timberwolves proved able to limit Toronto to seven points over the final 9:45 without Gobert protecting the rim was a testament to their commitment, starting with the on-ball effort provided by Edwards down the stretch.

Anderson is averaging 15.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 2.3 steals over his last three games for Minnesota.

The Rockets dropped their 12th consecutive game on Wednesday despite two of their second-year building blocks, guard Jalen Green and center Alperen Sengun, playing exceptionally.

Houston suffered a 122-117 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets that extended its home-court skid to 10 games. Green matched his career high of 41 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Sengun added 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to continue a seven-game tear during which he is averaging 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

Unsurprisingly, turnovers offset the production from Green and Sengun. The Rockets are last in the NBA in turnover rate at 16.7 percent, and their 20 turnovers against Charlotte yielded 29 points and fueled the Hornets’ 26 fast-break points.

NBA Preview: Milwaukee Bucks (29-16) at Cleveland Cavaliers (28-19)

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NBA Preview: Milwaukee Bucks (29-16) at Cleveland Cavaliers (28-19)

Following one of their most embarrassing losses of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to regroup in time for a matchup against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Cleveland fell 120-114 at home on Friday to a Golden State Warriors squad that rested star Stephen Curry along with fellow starters Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.

The Warriors shot 23 of 43 (53.5 percent) from 3-point range and led by as many as 20 in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers played without star guard Donovan Mitchell, who missed his second straight game due to a strained groin. Mitchell could return to face Milwaukee.

Cleveland, which has lost three of its past four, should have reserve guard Ricky Rubio available after the veteran sat out Friday’s contest to rest his surgically repaired left knee.

One bright spot in the loss to Golden State was the play of point guard Darius Garland, who had 31 points and nine assists in 40 minutes.

The Cavaliers have also received a spark this month from third-year pro Isaac Okoro. The 6-foot-5 forward is shooting 57.7 percent (15 of 26) from beyond the arc over his past 10 games.

Cleveland is aiming for a series split against Milwaukee after dropping two of the first three meetings. The Cavaliers won the latest matchup 114-106 on Dec. 21 despite 45 points and 14 rebounds from Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee is aiming for its third straight win but could be without Antetokounmpo, who has missed the past four games due to left knee soreness.

With Antetokounmpo sidelined, Milwaukee has leaned on point guard Jrue Holiday, who is averaging 27 points, 8.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds over his past five games while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from 3-point range.

Holiday has also helped the Bucks overcome the absence of forward Khris Middleton, who will miss his 18th straight game on Saturday with right knee soreness.

Milwaukee enters Saturday’s contest on one of its best shooting streaks of the season. The Bucks averaged 131 points while shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 49.4 percent from 3-point range in back-to-back wins over the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors earlier this week.

NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (12-34) at Atlanta Hawks (24-22)

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NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (12-34) at Atlanta Hawks (24-22)

The Atlanta Hawks will put their season-long five-game winning streak on the line Saturday when they host the struggling Charlotte Hornets.

Atlanta beat the New York Knicks 139-124 on Friday night. Charlotte snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Houston on Wednesday, but has lost eight of its last 10.

The Hawks have pulled within a half-game of Miami and New York for the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The two clubs have split the first two meetings, each losing on their home court. The Hawks won the last contest 125-106 on Dec. 16, with Trae Young scoring 31 points. The final game will be Feb. 13 in Charlotte. The Hawks and Hornets split four games last year, and the Hawks have won six of the last 11 in the series.

It was the third time in four games that Dejounte Murray and Young have each scored 20-plus points. Murray scored 29 against the Knicks, going 14-for-25 from the field, and adding 12 assists to record his sixth double-double of the season. Young scored 27 points with six assists.

Over the five-game winning streak, Murray is averaging 26.4 points, seven assists, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Onyeka Okongwu has blocked at least one shot in a career-best 12 straight games.

Charlotte’s task will be more difficult if LaMelo Ball is unable to play. He stepped on teammate P.J. Washington’s foot while going for a rebound in Wednesday’s game and exited with a left ankle injury. Ball is also dealing with left wrist soreness and is listed as doubtful for the Atlanta game.

Ball averages 23.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He has made 78 3-pointers since returning from an ankle injury on Dec. 14, the most in the league during that span. This is the third time he has injured the same ankle, which caused him to miss the first 13 games of the regular season. He stepped on a fan’s foot on Nov. 16 and missed 11 games.

Terry Rozier averages 21 points. Washington averages 15.2 points and had three steals, three blocks and two 3-pointers against the Rockets, becoming only the fifth player this season to meet those thresholds in a game.

NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (17-28) at Washington Wizards (19-26)

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NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (17-28) at Washington Wizards (19-26)

The Orlando Magic look for consecutive wins for the first time in almost a month, playing the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday when they visit the Washington Wizards.

Orlando topped New Orleans 123-110 on Friday behind 30 points from Franz Wagner and 22 points off the bench for Cole Anthony.

The duo combined to pace a big fourth quarter for the Magic, each knocking down a late-game 3-pointer.

Anthony missed 16 games early in the season, but since coming back on Nov. 30, the Magic are 9-1 when he scores at least 13 points. Wagner’s big game came in spite of sustaining a minor ankle injury earlier in the week.

Orlando has no time for rest heading into Washington, seeking consecutive wins for the first time since beating Houston on Dec. 21 and San Antonio on Dec. 23.

Washington scored a 116-105 victory at New York on Wednesday, just the Wizards’ second win in their last seven outings. Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis both recorded double-doubles with 27 points and 13 rebounds, and 22 points with 11 boards.

Wednesday also marked the return of Bradley Beal to the lineup, who missed the previous five straight and eight of the Wizards’ last nine due to a hamstring injury. The one game he played during that stretch, Jan. 3 at Milwaukee, he logged just 13:18 of playing time.

Beal scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor against the Knicks, grabbed four rebounds and dished four assists.

Beal has played in 25 of Washington’s 45 games. The Wizards are 11-12 when he has played more than 20 minutes, and just 8-14 when Beal has either been sidelined or limited to fewer than 20 minutes.

Washington also got a boost from Rui Hachimura’s return to the lineup. In 13 games since rejoining the rotation on Dec. 22, the Wizards are 7-6, and Hachimura has averaged 13.5 points per game in those contests despite going scoreless on Wednesday.

Hachimura’s presence gives depth to a Washington frontcourt with Porzingis and Kuzma averaging 22.2 and 21.7 points with 8.8 and 7.6 rebounds per game.

NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (34-12) at Toronto Raptors (20-26)

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (34-12) at Toronto Raptors (20-26)

After losing two in a row on the road, the Toronto Raptors know they must improve defensively when they return home Saturday to play the surging Boston Celtics.

The Raptors completed a three-game trip Thursday with a 128-126 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves after leading by as many as 18 points.

Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell made two free throws with 9.9 seconds to play, and Toronto’s OG Anunoby missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.

The Raptors still led by 14 with 9:46 left in the game.

Scottie Barnes scored a season-best 29 points and added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals for Toronto.

The Raptors, who won the opener of their trip in overtime against the New York Knicks on Monday, lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 130-122 on Tuesday.

The Celtics won their eighth in a row Thursday when they overcame a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the visiting Golden State Warriors 121-118 in overtime.

The Warriors defeated the Celtics in the NBA Finals last season and on Dec. 10 this season in San Francisco.

The Celtics did not play their best on Thursday and made some turnovers down the stretch before Jaylen Brown tied the score on a 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, forcing overtime.

Boston shot 39.8 percent (43 for 108) from the field for the game.

Boston’s Al Horford, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds and made some big plays late in the game, said the team showed maturity.

The Celtics defeated the Raptors 116-110 on Dec. 5 at Toronto. Tatum had 31 points for Boston and Pascal Siakam scored 29 for Toronto.

NHL Morning Skate – Jan. 21, 2023

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate – Jan. 21, 2023

* Saturday marks the 23rd annual Scotiabank Hockey Day In Canada, with Ron MacLean hosting the day-long celebration from Owen Sound, Ont., with a cast of special guests and in-depth features.

* Jake Guentzel scored twice for his third multi-goal outing of 2022-23 – tied with captain Sidney Crosby for the most among all Penguins players – to reach the 20-goal and 40-point mark for the sixth straight season.
 

* Nathan MacKinnon assisted on two goals and reached the 50-point mark for the eighth consecutive campaign to help the Avalanche win their fourth straight contest.


* The #NHLStats Pack for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game is available now.
 



ALL SEVEN CANADIAN CLUBS IN ACTION DURING SCOTIABANK HOCKEY DAY IN CANADA
Saturday is set to feature all seven Canadian teams in action during the 23rd annual Scotiabank Hockey Day In Canada, with Ron MacLean hosting the 14.5-hour marathon broadcast from Harrison Park’s Good Cheer Rink and the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound, Ont. The day-long celebration starts at 11 a.m. ET with Team Scotiabank facing Team adidas in a PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour contest on Sportsnet, which is followed by a four-game NHL slate.


 

* The first contest features the Flames (21-16-9, 51 points) hosting the Lightning (29-14-1, 59 points) at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary forward and two-time Stanley Cup winner Trevor Lewis (2014 LAK & 2012 LAK) skated with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack in 2006-07, while Jonathan Huberdeau scored an overtime goal against the Attack during the 2011 Memorial Cup as a member of the eventual-champion Saint John Sea Dogs.

* The Canadiens (19-24-3, 41 points) clash with the Maple Leafs (28-11-7, 63 points) at Bell Centre in the 763rd regular-season edition of the League’s oldest rivalry. Montreal forward Nick Suzuki (2015-16–2018-19) and Toronto defenseman Mark Giordano (2002-03 – 2003-04) played for the Attack before becoming NHL captains, while Maple Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds (2006-07–2007-08) also skated with the club.

* The Jets (29-16-1, 59 points) fly to the capital to take on the Senators (20-22-3, 43 points) at Canadian Tire Centre. Winnipeg defenseman Dylan DeMelo played against the Attack as a member of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the 2011 OHL Championship Series – Jarrod Maidens, who was later chosen by Ottawa with the No. 82 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, scored the championship-clinching goal at 3:27 of overtime in Game 7 to give Owen Sound its first J. Ross Robertson Cup in franchise history.

* The final contest of the slate features League scoring leader Connor McDavid (39-47—86 in 47 GP) and Edmonton (26-18-3, 55 points) vying for a victory versus Vancouver (18-24-3, 39 points) at Rogers Arena. Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci was traded by the Ottawa 67’s to the Attack on Jan. 7, 2013 and concluded the campaign with 64 points, which ranked second among OHL blueliners.



MORE SCOTIABANK HOCKEY DAY IN CANADA #NHLSTATS


* A total of 390 Canadian-born players have dressed in at least one game in 2022-23 (41.2% of 946 total players), with all 10 provinces and one territory represented among their birthplaces: Ontario (177), Quebec (50), Alberta (49), British Columbia (46), Saskatchewan (26), Manitoba (23), Nova Scotia (9), New Brunswick (4), Prince Edward Island (3), Newfoundland and Labrador (2) and Yukon (1).

* Seven players who won the J. Ross Robertson Cup with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack in 2011 went on to play in the NHL: Jordan Binnington, Jesse Blacker, Mike Halmo, Joey Hishon, Kurtis Gabriel, Andrew Shaw and Garrett Wilson. Binnington (2019 STL) and Shaw (2015 CHI & 2013 CHI) each won at least one Stanley Cup, while Gabriel was a finalist for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2020-21.

* Other Stanley Cup winners that played for the Attack in addition to Binnington, Shaw and Trevor Lewis include Kirk Maltby (2008 DET, 2002 DET, 1998 DET & 1997 DET), Kurtis MacDermid (2022 COL) and Brad Richardson (2012 LAK). Binnington (108) is one of three former Owen Sound goaltenders to record 100 wins in the NHL, with the others being Brent Johnson (140) and Kevin Weekes (105).

* Several players born in Owen Sound have reached the NHL, including Stanley Cup winners Hap Day (1932 TOR), Butch Keeling (1933 NYR), Pat McReavy (1941 BOS) and Harry Lumley (1950 DET). Day went on to win five more Cups as head coach of the Maple Leafs and was named general manager of the club a few months after Lumley captured the Vezina Trophy with Toronto in 1953-54. Day and Lumley were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and 1980, respectively.



PENGUINS, AVALANCHE BOTH EARN WINS FRIDAY

Nathan MacKinnon (0-2—2) and Jake Guentzel (2-1—3) each reached milestones to help their team earn wins Friday. For more notes, visit #NHLStats: Live Updates.

* MacKinnon (13-38—51 in 33 GP) factored on two goals, including the game winner, and recorded the 102nd multi-assist game of his career, surpassing Michel Goulet (101 GP) for sole possession of the fourth most in franchise history behind Joe Sakic (232 GP), Peter Stastny (173 GP) and Peter Forsberg (141 GP), en route to Colorado’s fourth straight win.



* Guentzel (20-22—42 in 41 GP) reached the 20-goal and 40-point mark for the sixth straight season, while Tristan Jarry made a season-high 44 saves in his return to the lineup to backstop Pittsburgh to victory. Only six other players in franchise history have had at least six consecutive campaigns with 20-plus markers: Sidney Crosby (6; twice), Jaromir Jagr (11), Rick Kehoe (9), Mario Lemieux (6), Jean Pronovost (9) and Evgeni Malkin (7).



NHL PODCASTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP

* NHL Fantasy (Jan. 17): Fantasy waiver wire pickups: Week 15

* NHL @ The Rink (Jan. 17): Kevin Woodley joins

* The Chirp with Daren Millard (Jan. 19): Dave Goucher and Gary Lawless join

* NHL Fantasy (Jan. 19): Week 15 fantasy mailbag; Josh Norris and Evander Kane return

QUICK CLICKS


* Joseph siblings sent to penalty box in first NHL game against each other
* Devils fan Jeremy Katz reaches new heights, ‘draws’ logo with flight path
* Max Pacioretty placed on injured reserve by Hurricanes with torn Achilles

* All-Star: NHL to Host Free Outdoor Fan Festival at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park
* Fall Out Boy to headline entertainment for 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game


FORMER CUP FINAL FOES FACE OFF ON SATURDAY
Saturday’s 14-game slate includes four different matchups between franchises who previously faced each other in a Stanley Cup Final: Tampa Bay at Calgary (2004), Philadelphia at Detroit (1997), Toronto at Montreal (5x; most recent 1967) and Washington at Vegas (2018). That will match the most such games in one day, which has happened 10 other times in NHL history and most recently on March 10, 2020 (BOS at PHI; CAR at DET; NYI at VAN; OTT at ANA). 

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