NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, reserve Jordan Clarkson had 25 and the New York Knicks came from 17 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124 on Thursday and win on Christmas Day for the third straight year.
Reserves Tyler Kolek and Mitchell Robinson sparked the comeback after the Cavaliers led 103-86 early in the final period. Kolek had 16 points and nine assists, and had fans chanting his name after a late block on Donovan Mitchell that originally was called a foul but was overturned on review. Robinson hustled after offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive and finished with 13 boards.
Brunson made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining, after he, Kolek and Clarkson all hit from behind the arc in a 13-2 run that cut Cleveland’s 12-point lead to 111-110.
Mitchell had 34 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Darius Garland added 20 points and 10 assists, but the Cavaliers blew their chance at a third straight win.
The Cavs raced to an 18-3 lead behind 10 points from Mitchell and led 38-23 after one quarter. But Clarkson opened the second with consecutive 3-pointers, and after a Cavs 3-pointer, the Knicks ripped off an 18-0 burst to take a 47-41 lead.
The Knicks made 12 of their first 14 shots in the second, before Mobley had Cleveland’s final four baskets as New York took a 60-58 edge into the break.
Cleveland quickly regained control in the third. Mitchell slammed down a lob pass that Garland threw from beyond halfcourt to cap a 10-3 burst to open the period, and Mitchell later hit a 3-pointer to cap an 18-4 spurt that turned a 71-all tie into an 89-75 advantage for the Cavs.
Cavaliers: Visit Houston on Saturday.
Knicks: Visit Atlanta on Saturday.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Toronto Raptors (18-13, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Washington Wizards (5-23, 15th in the Eastern Conference)
Washington; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Washington hosts Toronto looking to end its four-game home slide.
The Wizards have gone 3-17 against Eastern Conference opponents. Washington ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference with 11.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Marvin Bagley III averaging 2.7.
The Raptors are 16-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. Toronto has a 3-1 record in one-possession games.
The Wizards’ 13.0 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.5 more made shots on average than the 12.5 per game the Raptors allow. The Raptors average 11.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.1 fewer made shots on average than the 15.0 per game the Wizards give up.
The teams meet for the second time this season. In the last matchup on Nov. 22 the Raptors won 140-110 led by 24 points from Brandon Ingram, while CJ McCollum scored 20 points for the Wizards.
TOP PERFORMERS: McCollum is averaging 18.6 points and 3.5 assists for the Wizards. Bilal Coulibaly is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Immanuel Quickley is shooting 44.2% and averaging 15.8 points for the Raptors. Sandro Mamukelashvili is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Wizards: 3-7, averaging 112.8 points, 45.4 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 5.9 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 123.4 points per game.
Raptors: 4-6, averaging 104.7 points, 42.0 rebounds, 28.7 assists, 8.3 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.0 points.
INJURIES: Wizards: Corey Kispert: day to day (hamstring), Cam Whitmore: out (shoulder), Bub Carrington: day to day (foot).
Raptors: Jakob Poeltl: day to day (back), RJ Barrett: out (knee).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Wildcats topped the poll for the third straight week in the AP Top 25 released on Monday, receiving 38 first-place votes from a 58-person panel. The Wolverines had 19 first-place votes — four more than last week — and closed the gap in total points, pulling within 20.
No. 3 Iowa State had one first-place vote, with UConn and Purdue rounding out the top five in the final poll of the calendar year. The next Top 25 will be released Jan. 5.
Arizona has won its last six games by at least 20 points, its longest streak since another six-game rout run in 1942-43.
Michigan (11-0) had one game last week, also a blowout. The 102-50 win over LaSalle was the fifth time in six games the Wolverines scored at least 100 points and eighth straight win by 15 points or more.
No. 13 Nebraska continued its rise, climbing two places for its highest ranking since reaching No. 11 in 1991-92.
No. 15 Texas Tech made the largest move up the poll, rising four spots after rallying from a 17-point deficit to beat Duke 82-81, ending the Blue Devils’ unbeaten start to the season. Duke dropped three places to No. 6 after its loss to Texas Tech.
No. 24 USC is ranked for the second time this season following lopsided wins over UTSA and UC Santa Cruz. No. 25 Iowa (10-2) is ranked for the first time since early in the 2022-23 season with its best start since 2020.
Auburn dropped out from No. 21 after being blown out by Purdue, the Tigers’ third loss in five games. St. John’s fell out from No. 22 following a 78-66 loss to Kentucky.
The Big Ten Conference leads with seven ranked teams after USC and Iowa moved into the poll. The Southeastern Conference dropped to six ranked teams after Auburn fell out, matching the Big 12, which has four teams in the top 10.
The Atlantic Coast Conference has four ranked teams, with the Big East and West Coast Conference notching one each.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SAN FRANCISCO — The future of women’s basketball was on full display at Chase Center on Sunday night.
And Cal had no answer for her.
Despite a valiant effort, Cal couldn’t stop Freshman sensation Jazzy Davidson as she scored 24 points in a 61-57 win for USC.
Sakima Walker finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Cal. Taylor Barnes also had 13 points and Lulu Twidale added 11 points.
Cal did just enough to trail by just three points at halftime.
But Cal quickly took back the momentum coming out of the halftime break. The Bears scored seven unanswered points to start the third quarter to take a three-point lead and force USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb to call a timeout.
After scoring 14 points in the first half, Cal held Davidson to just three points in the third quarter.
Cal’s lead ballooned to as large as nine in the third quarter, but USC ended the quarter on a 10-3 run to come within two points of Cal’s lead heading into the fourth quarter.
USC took a four-point lead with under 90 seconds left on a jumper from Kara Dunn. Two free throws from Gisella Maul cut the Trojans’ lead to just two at the 1:15 mark.
But a costly turnover down two and a missed free throw trailing by Walker was the difference late as USC hit every clutch shot at the line to seal the win.
Despite a hot-scoring start from Davidson, Cal kept up with the high-powered USC offense.
The Bears shot 41% from the field and didn’t allow USC to find a secondary scorer in the first half. Davidson scored 14 points through the first two quarters, but no other USC player scored more than seven.
USC forced 11 Cal turnovers that led to nine points, helping the Trojans build a 31-28 advantage by halftime.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Braeden Smith scored 21 points, Braden Huff had 20 points and No. 7 Gonzaga beat Oregon 91-82 on Sunday at Moda Center.
Graham Ike added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-1). Steele Venters scored 14 points, and Tyon Grant-Foster had 10.
Nate Bittle had 28 points and nine rebounds for Oregon (6-6). Kwame Evans Jr. added 14 points, Takai Simpkins had 13 and Jackson Shelstad 12.
Oregon played Gonzaga tough in a back-and-forth first half, led by 16 points from Bittle, and it was tied in the final seconds before Grant-Foster’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer put the Bulldogs up 42-39.
Gonzaga pulled away in the second half, leading by 15.
Despite large swaths of San Francisco struggling with blackouts as heavy rainstorms moved through the Bay Area on Saturday night, the Warriors’ 119-116 over the Suns was not lacking for juice.
Like many of Golden State’s games this season, it was competitive late into the fourth quarter.
With a minute showing on the clock, Curry brought the ball up with the Warriors leading by just two. Curry hit Gary Payton II, who found Jimmy Butler on the baseline for a contested layup that he turned into an and-1 score and a 115-112 lead.
Devin Booker responded by driving for an and-1 layup of his own five seconds later. Collin Gillespie had a chance to take the lead on an open corner three, but he missed, Brandin Podziemski grabbed a contested rebound, and Steph Curry made two free throws to push the lead back to four.
But Gillespie made it a 117-116 game when his one-legged 3-pointer in the corner went cleanly through the rim. The Suns elected not to foul, and let Steph Curry make a baseline layup with 5.7 seconds remaining. The Suns missed a desperation attempt from midcourt to end the wild game.
Curry scored a team-high 27 and Butler put up 25 points for Golden State, and Will Richard added 20. Booker led Phoenix with 38 points, and Dillon Brooks scored 22.
It was abundantly clear early on that neither side had much love for the other.
There were three technical fouls handed out and one ejection.
Draymond Green was ejected in the second quarter after shoving Gillespie from behind and arguing with the officials afterwards.
Booker also got whacked with a tech for complaining to Pat Fraher’s crew over what he believed to be an uncalled foul on Curry.
Brooks, the longtime Warriors nemesis, and Butler had a brief incident when Butler flung the ball at Brooks after a Warriors bucket, but no technical was called.
The Suns jumped out to a 44-32 lead after one quarter, but the Warriors cut the deficit to 67-64 at halftime thanks to Richard and Butler’s aggression. The Warriors led 93-87 after three quarters.
The Warriors (14-15) will remain in the Bay Area and will welcome the Magic to Chase Center on Monday.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
Steve Kerr has tried quite possibly every lineup combination possible, attempted a multitude of tactics this season, all in aims of finding a way of mitigating the Warriors’ turnover-happy ways.
None of them are working, and nothing he did seemed to work on Saturday night. After giving up 30 points on 20 turnovers on Thursday, Golden State did not benefit from being back home.
The Warriors turned the ball over 13 times in the first half alone, and 20 times overall. Those giveaways led to 15 points for Phoenix.
Will Richard makes most of opportunity
One adjustment Kerr made in rainy San Francisco was giving an unheralded rookie another chance. After starting a dozen games in November and early December, the second-round rookie Richard was a healthy scratch for each of the past three losses.
But with the team in need of a spark, Kerr went back to the kid from Georgia.
He made the most of his first action in almost two weeks when he checked in during the first half in lieu of Buddy Hield. The rookie out of Florida scored 20 points, shooting 6 of 7 in the process, including 4-of-4 on 3-pointers and 4-of-4 from the line.
Jonathan Kuminga out with illness
One game after rejoining the Warriors’ rotation, Jonathan Kuminga remained at home with an unspecified illness. Curry also previously missed time with an illness.
Kuminga rejoined the rotation after three consecutive healthy scratches, and produced two points and four rebounds in 10 minutes of action.
Bruce Brown and Kevin Durant probably won’t be sending each other Christmas cards.
They played together in Brooklyn for two years. They competed against each other in a playoff series in 2023, when the Nuggets eliminated the Suns in six games. Their relationship as former teammates has “been cool,” according to Brown. Until Dec. 20, 2025.
“I think it’s been cut slow now, after tonight,” Brown said Saturday. “Some words were said that’s a little disrespectful. I can’t wait to see him next time.”
Brown told reporters that on separate occasions, Durant said something to him and to another Nuggets player that crossed a line.
“As a man,” Brown said, “there’s certain things you don’t say to another man.”
Durant agrees.
“I definitely wanted to cross the line tonight,” the two-time NBA Finals MVP said, smiling. “That’s basketball. That’s in between the lines. Ain’t no respect. Ain’t no love. Nothing. People don’t show love to me. They cross the line a lot with their physicality. It’s just part of the game. Some people can talk and play. Some people can’t. I had to learn how to talk and play as a player. So I think Bruce is probably learning the same thing.”
Denver Nuggets guard/forward Bruce Brown (11) and Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) get chippy during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at Ball Arena in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
With 2:40 to go in the third quarter of a tight game between Western Conference title contenders, Brown grabbed an offensive rebound and made a floater. It cut Houston’s lead to 69-62 and prompted a timeout from Rockets coach Ime Udoka.
Brown immediately located Durant, who wasn’t involved in the play, and stared him down.
Both players declined to share the specifics of what Durant had said that offended Brown, but the Nuggets wing claimed Durant’s offensive comments had been ongoing “before and after” that moment.
“He said it before to someone else, and then he said it to me,” Brown said.
“Nothing that should be told to the media,” Durant added. “He knows. He understood. I understood. We know what that is. We don’t need to tell you about it.”
The Rockets pulled away for a 16-point lead by the end of the third quarter. Durant amassed 31 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win, shooting the 3-pointer at a 5-for-6 clip. Brown compiled 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Denver.
“We’re coming in here and playing a championship organization with arguably, in my opinion, one of the top 10 players, five players that I’ve ever seen play basketball, you know?” Durant said, referring to Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. “That’s how much respect I’ve got for these dudes, that I want to get up and bring that energy. Bring that fight. It might go across the line. But that’s basketball sometimes. So Bruce will be all right.”
Durant continued to relish his role as the antagonist throughout the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. He and Tim Hardaway Jr. picked up matching technical fouls after Durant buried a three over the Nuggets guard. A few minutes later, Durant taunted Nuggets coach David Adelman when Adelman was ejected for arguing with the referees.
Then with about six minutes remaining, the eighth-leading scorer in NBA history made another 3-pointer, this time over Jamal Murray. It gave Houston a 98-81 lead. Durant pointed an imaginary gun in the direction of Murray and the crowd then danced down the court.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) celebrates a three-pointer during a 115-101 win over the Denver Nuggets during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at Ball Arena in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
“Somebody in the crowd was talking crazy to me right before that,” he said. “So everybody enjoyed it. People in the stands enjoyed the game. Bruce and Tim Hardaway probably didn’t enjoy it. But I enjoy when we go back and forth. That’s basketball, you know what I’m saying? A lot of people say that’s missing from the game. When I do it, it’s a problem. But it was a fun game. Glad we got the win. I’m not celebrating like it’s the championship, but we lost two in a row (before Saturday). We wanted to win tonight.”
Adelman said he had no issue with how Durant made fun of him after the ejection. Jokic also weighed in on the chirping.
“They can do whatever,” he said. “I think some people like to do that. Some people don’t care. I think some people get their energy from that. So I’m OK. I don’t care.”
Durant has long held deep admiration for Jokic, but he also bickered with Nuggets fans on social media for being too devoted to him during the 2024 Paris Olympics. People from Denver who were rooting for Jokic’s Serbian national team to beat Team USA in the semifinals of the basketball competition, Durant asserted, were “lame.” No basketball player in history has won as many Olympic gold medals as Durant, who has four.
“A lot of people may disagree with me right now, but I feel like (Jokic and I) have a similar mentality with how we approach the work, just the game itself,” he said Saturday, smirking as if he recognized the comparison might irritate Nuggets fans. “And I can sense that from afar. So I always have respect for him. … But when we’re playing against each other, once again, we might cross the line.
“So if that offends you, that’s on you. Next game, I’m sure Bruce will be better from that. But I crossed the line tonight.”
When they were Brooklyn Nets teammates in 2022, Durant got annoyed at an unfiltered comment Brown made to the media about the Boston Celtics, saying that Brown’s blunt criticism gave Boston bulletin board material in a playoff series between the two teams. Brooklyn got swept.
Durant has since been traded twice, going to Phoenix and now Houston. Brown, who won an NBA championship in Denver, reunited with the Nuggets last offseason after two years away.
The Nuggets prevailed in overtime when they hosted Houston last Monday in another emotionally charged game, adding to the tension surrounding the Saturday rematch. Udoka was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his postgame comments about the refs after Monday’s contest, while Adelman also felt the whistle had disadvantaged his team. Jokic and backup big man Jonas Valanciunas both fouled out in the eventual win, leaving Adelman without a center at the end of overtime.
Denver still leads the season series 2-1 after the loss on Saturday. One more regular-season meeting remains on the schedule, but it’s not until March 11, 2026.
“Walking off the court, I was asking when we’re gonna play them again,” Brown said. “… I can’t wait.”
The night before emotions boiled over between him and Durant, Brown was taking in a Colorado Avalanche game at Ball Arena. A loyal supporter of Denver’s NHL team, he said his main takeaway was that “I wish there was fighting” in the NBA. “I wish we didn’t get a fine.”
Would Brown have dropped the gloves on Saturday with Durant if it was kosher?
Dallin Hall scored a season-high 20 points, Jacari White had a spectacular dunk and scored 15, and No. 23 Virginia beat Maryland 80-72
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Dallin Hall scored a season-high 20 points, Jacari White had a spectacular dunk and scored 15, and No. 23 Virginia beat Maryland 80-72 on Saturday night in the first meeting since 2018 between the former Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.
Hall went 8 of 8 from the field for the Cavaliers (10-1). Devin Tillis added 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting on a night when Virginia’s leading scorer, Thijs De Ridder, went 1 of 8 from the field and scored five points.
David Coit led Maryland (6-6) with 15 points and Myles Rice added 12.
The Cavaliers went 6:49 without a field goal in the first half but responded with a 17-0 run spanning halftime.
Maryland pulled ahead 35-33 early in the second half on two free throws by Coit. Virginia then took control with a 15-2 run that included nine points by White. He connected on two 3-pointers before igniting the crowd with a rim-shaking transition dunk over Maryland’s Solomon Washington.
This was the third matchup between the longtime rivals since the Terrapins left the ACC for the Big Ten in 2014. Virginia has won all three, as well as nine of the last 10 since 2011.
Both teams completely turned over their rosters in the offseason under new coaches: Ryan Odom for the Cavaliers and Buzz Williams for the Terps.
Standout Virginia freshman Chance Mallory left the game briefly in the second half after turning his left ankle but was able to return. He finished with six points.
Tyler Perkins scored 19 points, Duke Brennan posted a double-double, and Villanova held off a second-half comeback from Wisconsin to win 76-66 in overtime on Friday night
MILWAUKEE — Tyler Perkins scored 19 points, Duke Brennan posted a double-double, and Villanova held off a second-half comeback from Wisconsin to win 76-66 in overtime on Friday night.
Perkins also grabbed six rebounds for the Wildcats (9-2), while Brennan scored 13 and grabbed 11 rebounds and Matt Hodge scored 15 points.
Nolan Winter made his first seven shots, finished 9-of-12 shooting and scored 23 points for the Badgers (7-4). Winter also grabbed 11 rebounds. Nick Boyd added 19 points to go with five rebounds and four assists, and John Blackwell scored 14 before fouling out.
The Wildcats took a 35-22 lead into the first half, using runs of 10-2 and 14-3, buoyed by 10 points off 12 Badgers turnovers.
But after halftime, The Badgers used a 9-0 run to cut a 12-point deficit to three, and remained within five points for the rest of regulation. Blackwell scored all 14 of his points in that second half. Winter tied the game with 31 seconds remaining on a second-chance score after missing, then gathering his own rebound.
That scoring evaporated in overtime for the Badgers, who were outscored 20-10. Lindsay Bryce scored 10 of his 12 points for Villanova in that frame, making both of his 3-point attempts, and a pair of free throws.
CLEVELAND — Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic each scored 24 points as the Chicago Bulls pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 136-125 victory over the reeling Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Vucevic, who also grabbed 15 rebounds, had 11 points and six boards in the fourth quarter as the Bulls won consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 19.
Seven players scored in double figures for Chicago. Josh Giddey had 17 points and Tre Jones added 16 off the bench.
Darius Garland scored a season-high 35 for Cleveland, which was missing All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell due to illness. All-Star forward Evan Mobley will be sidelined for at least another week with a calf injury.
Rookie guard Tyrese Proctor scored 16 points in his first NBA start, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin had 15 off the bench.
The Cavaliers have dropped three straight and four of five. They’ve also lost five of their last six home games.
The game was tied at 115 before Chicago took control with a 17-8 run. Vucevic had seven points during the spurt, including a go-ahead layup.
Chicago had a 66-55 lead at halftime and was up 74-60 early in the third quarter before Cleveland fought back with a 27-9 surge. Jarrett Allen had 10 points and four rebounds while Garland scored nine points with four assists during the run.
Cleveland scored the game’s first 11 points before Chicago began to come back with six points on one trip down the floor. Buzelis hit a 3-pointer before Jaylon Tyson received a Flagrant 1 foul. Buzelis hit the free throw and Vucevic added a layup.
Game official Tre Maddox injured his leg at the end of the first quarter, reducing the officiating crew to two the rest of the game: Ray Acosta and Phenizee Ransom.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Yarden Garzon scored 12 of her 25 points in the first quarter, and No. 7 Maryland routed Central Connecticut State 98-30 on Friday.
To the delight of the screaming kids in attendance for the team’s annual Field Trip Day game, Terrapins coach Brenda Frese wore a jersey with the number 67 on it before tip-off. Then Maryland nearly won by that margin.
The blowout was no surprise. Maryland entered the game as one of 12 unbeaten teams left in Division I, and Central Connecticut State was one of 10 without a victory. The Terps (13-0) scored the game’s first 10 points and led 39-14 after one quarter.
Garzon made four 3-pointers in the first period.
Oluchi Okananwa had 22 points and Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu, who appeared to hobble on her right leg before leaving the game in the fourth quarter, had 10 points and nine rebounds. Ozzy-Momodu said after the game she’s OK.
Lucia Noin led Central Connecticut State (0-11) with 12 points.
Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger has been dealing with an ankle injury, and she sat out Friday as a planned rest day before the team returns to conference play. The Terrapins have lost Lea Bartelme, Ava McKennie and Kaylene Smikle to season-ending knee injuries, and Bri McDaniel, who tore her ACL 11 months ago, now plans to redshirt this season.
After the Terps took a 64-18 lead, they attempted five straight 3-pointers before Garzon finally made one to gave Maryland exactly 67 points. That drew an excited response from the crowd, as expected.
Central Connecticut State: Hosts Long Island University on Jan. 2.
Deni Avdija made two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in overtime for the last of his 35 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the Sacramento Kings 134-133 on Thursday night to open a home-and-home set.The teams will meet again Saturday night in Sacramento.DeMar DeRozan hit a jumper with four seconds left to give the Kings a 133-132 lead. With no timeouts, Portland raced down the court and Avdija was fouled by Russell Westbrook. DeRozan’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left forced overtime, completing a 17-2 run in the final 2:28 of regulation.DeRozan led Sacramento with 33 points, with 22 of the points coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. He was 3 of 4 from 3-point range, 10 of 16 overall from the field and made all 10 of his free throws.Avdija was 12 for 19 from the field and made 10 of 12 free throws. The shooting guard also had five assists and five turnovers.Shaedon Sharpe added 26 points for Portland, hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers. Jerami Grant scored 20 points, Donovan Clingan had 19 and Toumani Camara 17.Maxime Raynaud added a career-high 29 points for Sacramento. Westbrook had 20 points and 10 assists. He was 8 of 11 from the field.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
PORTLAND, Ore. —
Deni Avdija made two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in overtime for the last of his 35 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the Sacramento Kings 134-133 on Thursday night to open a home-and-home set.
The teams will meet again Saturday night in Sacramento.
DeMar DeRozan hit a jumper with four seconds left to give the Kings a 133-132 lead. With no timeouts, Portland raced down the court and Avdija was fouled by Russell Westbrook. DeRozan’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left forced overtime, completing a 17-2 run in the final 2:28 of regulation.
DeRozan led Sacramento with 33 points, with 22 of the points coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. He was 3 of 4 from 3-point range, 10 of 16 overall from the field and made all 10 of his free throws.
Avdija was 12 for 19 from the field and made 10 of 12 free throws. The shooting guard also had five assists and five turnovers.
Shaedon Sharpe added 26 points for Portland, hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers. Jerami Grant scored 20 points, Donovan Clingan had 19 and Toumani Camara 17.
Maxime Raynaud added a career-high 29 points for Sacramento. Westbrook had 20 points and 10 assists. He was 8 of 11 from the field.
AJ Dybantsa had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Richie Saunders led No 10 BYU with 24 points, and the Cougars beat Pacific 93-57
PROVO, Utah — AJ Dybantsa had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Richie Saunders led No 10 BYU with 24 points, and the Cougars beat Pacific 93-57 on Tuesday night.
Robert Wright III added 22 points for BYU (10-1). Saunders and Wright each had five steals.
Kajus Kublickas scored 14 points for Pacific (8-4). Elias Ralph added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Wright, Dybantsa and Kennard Davis Jr. each scored in the paint to make it 6-0 and the Cougars led throughout. The Tigers missed their first eight field-goal attempts, went 0 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half and trailed 41-20at the intermission.
Kublickas went 3-4 on 3-pointers and helped Pacific open the second half with a 20-8 spurt that trimmed its deficit to 49-40 with 14 minutes left in the game, but Dybantsa answered with a 3-pointer that sparked an 18-0 run.
Wright scored 16 second-half points.
BYU shot 47% from the field, hit 11 3-pointers and made 24 of 27 from the free-throw line. Pacific missed each of its three free-throw attempts.
Pacific plays at home against Nicholls State on Sunday.
BYU continues its homestand against Abilene Christian on Friday.
Reynolds Coliseum erupted into cheers and a standing ovation from the Wolfpack faithful after Paul McNeil hit a program-record 10th 3-pointer of the game.
McNeil was then greeted by his teammates in the huddle as they patted him on the back and celebrated his accomplishment. But he didn’t check out. Head coach Will Wade left McNeil in the game, and he hit an 11th 3. Rodney Monroe previously held the record with nine made 3s.
The sophomore put together a career-high 47-point night to lift N.C. State past Texas Southern, 108-72, on Wednesday night.
It was clear McNeil was in for a massive performance from the start. McNeil jump-started the offense by scoring the first points of the game with a corner 3-pointer. He’d shot 4 for 4 from the perimeter for 12 points by the first media timeout. McNeil hit two free throws and another 3-pointer shortly after the break for a perfect 5-of-5 start.
McNeil’s perfect night ended when he missed a pair of 3s roughly six minutes into the game, but his career performance was far from over.
N.C. State’s Paul McNeil Jr. (2) celebrates after making his 11th three-pointer in the second half of N.C. State’s 108-72 victory over Texas Southern at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
He scored 26 points in the first half on 7-of-9 3-point shooting. McNeil was one point shy of matching his career high and set a new personal best from 3. The sophomore surpassed his scoring best 2 ½ minutes into the second period and followed that up with another long-range dagger and free throw.
McNeil’s 47 points were a season high for the team. He is now tied with Sammy Ranzino (1951) for No. 5 in program history.
“Records are meant to be broken,” McNeil said. “I feel like somebody is gonna break mine one day. I’m just blessed to be this position.”
He shot 12-18 from the field, 11-15 from 3 and 12-12 from the free-throw line.
McNeil added 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
The sophomore from Rockingham actually entered the game in a shooting slump. He made just 5 of 20 from 3 (20%) in the previous four games, including three games with only one 3-pointer. His best game had been a 27-point performance against UNC-Greensboro, when he set now-previous career highs in scoring and 3-point makes (6).
N.C. State’s Tre Holloman and the team celebrate with Paul McNeil Jr. after McNeil broke the three-point record in the second half of N.C. State’s 108-72 victory over Texas Southern at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
McNeil’s highlights will focus on the scoring, but he did everything for the Pack, from pulling down rebounds to going airborne to contest shots and forcing a couple of turnovers.
It seemed appropriate that his big night came at the Old Barn. McNeil is the lone scholarship player remaining from Kevin Keatts’ tenure, a merging of two eras in N.C. State basketball, just as playing one game in Reynolds every season honors the program’s history.
Wade complimented McNeil’s performance, saying the young guard deserves to have a game like he did, considering the work he puts in. He often stays late in the gym or misses off-court team outings to get in more practice.
“Paul don’t complain. You got a lot of guys like to complain. He don’t ever complain. He just goes to work, figures it out,” Wade said. “I always stick with him. I make changes, but I usually stick with him because I trust his work, trust who he is. He’s going to struggle some, but he’s gonna have more good nights for us than bad nights. He was in a little bit of a slump. I’m just happy to see him get out of it. He got out of it, in grand fashion.
“Very happy with him. He works very hard; very diligent and does what we ask him to do.”
N.C. State’s Scottie Ebube (12) slams in two during N.C. State’s 108-72 victory over Texas Southern at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Scottie Ebube scored a season-high five points, three rebounds and three blocks. Jerry Deng also scored 14 points on 4-of-10 3-point shooting.
The Wolfpack’s defense, however, struggled at times. Wade expressed his displeasure.
“In the first half, they missed 16 shots. Had eight offensive rebounds. [Duane] Posey was at Northwestern State last year. My team at McNeese guarded him better than we did,” Wade said. Posey finished with six of the Tigers’ 15 offensive rebounds. “My front line at freaking McNeese could block him out. … Not good enough. We make mistakes in shootaround. We make mistakes in practice. They make the same mistakes in the game.”
Williams sits for the night
The Wolfpack played without Darrion Williams, whom the program announced as unavailable an hour before the game. Williams sustained a shoulder injury earlier this season and played limited minutes against UNC-Asheville in an attempt to rest Williams ahead of the Kansas game. He is expected to play against Ole Miss on Sunday in Greensboro.
Williams averages 16 points and 5.6 points per game. The Texas Tech transfer scored 17 points and added 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season, in the Wolfpack’s 77-76 overtime loss to the Jayhawks.
N.C. State’s Darrion Williams, center, watches from the bench during the first half of N.C. State’s game against Texas Southern at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
N.C. State used Williams’ absence, and the opponent, to play around with its lineup.
Quadir Copeland, Alyn Breed, Paul McNeil, Musa Sagnia and Ven-Allen Lubin were tabbed for the start, with Breed and Sagnia earning their first starts in a Wolfpack uniform. That proved effective against TSU, holding the Tigers to just four shot attempts in the four eight minutes.
It also used Deng alongside Sagnia. Terrance Arceneaux played with Matt Able and Tre Holloman.
While some lineups worked better than others, this was a good chance for the Pack to further pare down its regular rotation while developing other possible lineups that could be used depending on the matchup.
The standard is the standard
“What the [expletive] are you doing?” Will Wade screamed at Matt Able, his face red and spit spraying from his mouth. Able had just picked up his third foul of the game, sending Zaire Hayes to the line.
That was the third instance of Wade’s visible anger in roughly three minutes. He also yelled at Ebube for committing two fouls in the span of three seconds, and at a group of players for missing a defensive rebound and allowing TSU’s Posey to grab his own rebound and make the putback. The team was up 21 points.
Wade gave his team an early second-half earful after it allowed the Tigers to start 6 for 10 from the field, including a trio of 3s.
N.C. State head coach Will Wade yells at his team in the first half of N.C. State’s game against Texas Southern at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
N.C. State has been perfectly clear: The team can be playing the worst team in college basketball and lead by 25 points, but no one is safe from a verbal lashing if they’re not playing to the program’s expectation.
“Whether you’re in late or just throughout the game, when you go in, you’ve got to be effective and play to our standard,” Williams said on Nov. 12 following the win over UNC-Greensboro. “If we don’t play to our standards, we pay the price next time in practice.”
Wade’s spirited responses after bad plays reiterated that point.
“He holds us to high expectations,” Ebube said. “He wants us to work hard. He wants us to get the 50/50, balls, and wants us to play hard at all times. Having that expectation from him is a blessing.”
Rebounding makes big impact
N.C. State’s offense couldn’t always get the shot to fall against Texas Southern. In fact, there was a stretch in the first half when the Wolfpack missed 9 of 11 of its attempts. Its rebounding, however, played a role in the team’s ability to maintain and extend its lead.
The Wolfpack jumped out to a 10-rebound advantage early in the first half, leading 15-5. It maintained that advantage at halftime, out-rebounding the Tigers 25-15. Of those 25 rebounds, 10 came on the offensive end. N.C. State turned those into 14 second-chance points.
Rebounding and the ability to force turnovers led to six TSU shot attempts in the first eight minutes of play. The Pack took 18 in that stretch.
N.C. State’s Matt Able (3) and Texas Southern’s Oumar Koureissi (1) go after the ball during the first half of N.C. State’s game against Texas Southern at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
At halftime, the Pack led 25-15, off 10 offensive rebounds with 14 second-chance points.
The Pack came out of the locker room somewhat sluggish off the glass, but it picked things up as the half progressed. It finished with a rebounding advantage of 45-33, including 17 offensive boards.
N.C. State’s rebounding has slowly improved. It is now 7-0 when out-rebounding the opponent. The team, however, still has room to develop more consistency. Its win, which allowed bench players to earn valuable reps, was a step forward.
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 9:14 PM.
PHILADELPHIA — Ose Okojie totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds to help Howard fend off Drexel 74-66 on Tuesday.
Okojie made 6 of 10 shots with a 3-pointer and all four of his free throws for the Bison (8-5), who upped their win streak to four with their first road win in their fourth try.
Cam Gillus contributed 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Howard. Bryce Harris had 13 points and Cedric Taylor III scored 12.
Kevon Vanderhorst had a career-high 30 points to pace the Dragons (4-7), now 3-2 at home. He made 8 of 11 shots with four 3-pointers and 10 of 11 free throws. Villiam Garcia Adsten added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Okojie had 11 points and Gillus scored 10 to guide Howard to a 36-25 advantage at halftime. Gillus hit a 3-pointer to give Howard a 7-5 lead and the Bison never trailed after the first 2:28.
But that was never going to be the plan if the coach could help it. Mazzulla, after all, is one of the most overcompetitive men in sports, which is saying something. He embraces suffering. He starts every day with an ice bath and ends it in his chapel. He hiked through the Costa Rican jungle in bare feet. After winning the championship last year, he told reporters, “People are gonna say the target is on our back, but I hope it’s right on our forehead in between our eyes.” During training camp this past fall, at the annual media pickup game, he had the media play the coaching staff—and then instructed those coaches, which included former N.B.A. and N.C.A.A. Division I players, to run a full-court press on defense. The coaches won 57–4. (The game was just twelve minutes long.) Mazzulla fist-pumped after the final basket. That man? Tank? We all should have known.
The Celtics started the season 0–3, then muddled their way to 5–7, which was more or less where many people thought they’d be. They won some quality games, lost some games they might have won, shot a lot of threes, and couldn’t rebound to save their lives. Brown was great, but White and Pritchard, the other main holdovers from the championship team, struggled badly, and sometimes pressed and panicked as the clock ran down and the shots didn’t fall.
The turnaround was sudden: after a tough loss by two to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics blew out the Memphis Grizzlies the next night, 131–95. And for two weeks after that they had the No. 1 offense in the league. What happened?
The simplest answer centers on Brown. Most of the offense centers on him, too, and he’s been spectacular. Great players can make up for a lot of team-wide weaknesses. Brown is constantly attacking and making sharp reads of the situation; he runs pick-and-rolls now with ease. His main job is to score, and he’s doing it from everywhere—including taking more deep two-point shots than anyone, shots that have fallen out of favor lately for their analytical profile (almost as hard to hit as threes, but worth fifty per cent fewer points). They’re working for him—and for the team, opening driving lanes, causing defenders to hesitate. He’s averaging nearly thirty points a night, and is not only more involved in possessions but also scoring more efficiently—a rare combination.
Another answer is that White and Pritchard are good players, and even good players have cold streaks; eventually, the cold streaks end. The Celtics’ fortunes have changed as those two have recovered their form. Yet another answer emphasizes the team’s adaptability: a lot of players are getting minutes, and all of them are treating those minutes as valuable. Talent wins in the N.B.A., but solid execution on basic fundamentals can go a long way toward upending the established order. (Then there’s the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have only one loss so far this season, and are an order all their own.) Brown has perfect footwork. Queta is a wall. Everyone sets screens and cuts hard. The team watched a lot of film to fix its rebounding problem, and upped the effort: when you’re smaller, coaches stressed, it helps to hit first and hit hard.
That could describe the team’s over-all approach. Last season, and for a while before that, the Celtics rode a kind of algorithmic process to the top, involving shooting a lot of threes—so many threes that the strategy became known as Mazzulla Ball. And the players taking those shots, particularly Tatum and the seven-foot-two-inch Porzingis, were so smooth that the style could seem a little bloodless. That’s not true anymore. The shotmaking now feels less actuarial than psychologically motivated. The Celtics still are near the top of the league in three-point attempts, but they’re not playing the kind of seamless, positionless basketball that modern teams favor. Every single player appears to have something to prove, and everybody knows their job. The basic instructions are clear enough: don’t turn the ball over, ever; hustle to collect missed shots; knock their balls loose; take open looks. Do absolutely everything you can to help the team score.
Can the team’s success last? Maybe not. On Thursday, playing the Milwaukee Bucks—who had been in freefall, and were without their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo—the Celtics coasted to an early advantage. Walsh hit all seven of his shots in the first half, for eighteen points, to go with three rebounds and three steals. Then, in the second half, the Celtics lost aim. There was an almost slapstick quality to ball after ball being heaved up, over and over, clanging against the rim or missing it altogether. Collectively, the team missed sixteen consecutive three-point attempts.
McNeese Cowboys (9-2, 2-1 Southland) at Houston Christian Huskies (5-5, 1-1 Southland)
Houston; Monday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: McNeese visits Houston Christian after Tyshawn Archie scored 24 points in McNeese’s 102-66 win over the East Texas A&M Lions.
The Huskies are 3-1 on their home court. Houston Christian is fifth in the Southland with 15.8 assists per game led by Kylin Green averaging 6.2.
The Cowboys have gone 2-1 against Southland opponents. McNeese is fourth in the Southland with 33.7 rebounds per game led by Jacolb Cole averaging 4.5.
Houston Christian’s average of 6.9 made 3-pointers per game is 2.4 fewer made shots on average than the 9.3 per game McNeese allows. McNeese averages 16.7 more points per game (88.9) than Houston Christian allows to opponents (72.2).
The Huskies and Cowboys face off Monday for the first time in Southland play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Trent Johnson is shooting 42.6% from beyond the arc with 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Huskies, while averaging 10.1 points. Green is shooting 46.8% and averaging 12.2 points.
Larry Johnson is averaging 16.1 points for the Cowboys. Archie is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Azzi Fudd scored 17 points and No. 1 UConn routed 16th-ranked Southern California 79-51 on Saturday, snapping the Trojans’ 20-game home winning streak with their best player on the bench watching.
The Huskies (10-0) shut down USC star freshman Jazzy Davidson, who was held to 10 points on 3 of 13 shooting.
USC led 9-8 before UConn pulled away.
The defending national champion Huskies ran off 15 straight points to end the first quarter as part of a 24-2 spurt that gave them a 32-11 lead early in the second quarter. Davidson’s jumper — her only one of the first half — was one of just seven field goals for the Trojans before halftime, when UConn led 39-17.
Watkins did her best to keep her teammates loose and confident during timeouts and as they came in and out of the game. But she couldn’t do anything about the Trojans’ poor shooting and UConn’s swarming defense.
USC had no answer defensively, either. As soon as the Trojans packed the paint, UConn would burn them by hitting a 3-pointer. And the Huskies didn’t even have their usual great game from long-range, hitting 7 of 19.
USC’s only sustained run of the game ended the third quarter, with the Trojans outscoring UConn 18-9 to trail 69-39. Jana El Alfy’s basket gave the Huskies their largest lead of 39 points earlier in the period.
Ashlynn Shade added 15 points and Sarah Strong had 14 points and seven rebounds for UConn.
UConn alum Diana Taurasi and USC alum and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller shared a pre-game hug wearing their respective school clothing.
UConn: Hosts Marquette on Wednesday.
USC: Hosts Cal Poly on Thursday to end a six-game homestand.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Oscar Cluff made all nine of his shots and finished with a season-high 22 points, and Braden Smith reached another milestone with 10 more assists Saturday to lead No. 6 Purdue past Marquette 79-59.
It took Smith only 12 seconds to find Fletcher Loyer for a 3-pointer to become the second Division I men’s basketball player to join the 1,500-point, 850-assist, 550-rebound club. D.J. Cooper was the first to do it during his career at Ohio from 2009-13.
Smith had seven points and five rebounds to increase his career numbers to 1,515 points, 859 assists and 759 rebounds. Cluff had 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Loyer scored 15 points.
The Boilermakers (10-1, 2-0 Big Ten) have won two straight since an embarrassing 23-point home loss to then-No. 10 Iowa State last weekend.
Royce Parham had 19 points to lead Marquette (5-6), which lost for the second straight Saturday by 20 points. Chase Ross added 10 points for the Golden Eagles, who shot only 8% from the field and were a dismal 8 of 31 from 3-point range.
The Boilermakers took control with a 12-0 run that gave them a 21-8 lead midway through the first half and then pulled away late in the half by scoring nine straight points to open up a 37-19 lead.
Cluff helped put it away when he scored 13 consecutive points for Purdue early in the second half, a stretch then ended with the Boilermakers leading 53-29.
Marquette: Opens Big East play by hosting Georgetown on Wednesday.
Purdue: Has a week-long break before welcoming No. 21 Auburn to Indianapolis next Saturday.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
