Houston Astros owner Jim Crane was less than 20 seconds into his introduction of free agent pitcher Tatsuya Imai on Monday when he turned to the front row to thank a sponsor.
“One of the things that made this possible, is with our great partners in the front row,” Crane said. He then asked Takayuki Inoue, the chief marketing officer of Daikin, to stand up. “Thank you, sir.”
Daikin, a Japanese HVAC company, is entering the second year of a 15-year naming rights deal with the Astros stadium that will pay the team more than $140 million, according to someone familiar with the terms. For most MLB teams, naming rights are the most valuable corporate asset they can sell. In the case of the Astros, the team may have received something more valuable than money—an assist in making the first major free-agent splash of 2026.
Imai has agreed to a three-year deal worth a reported $54 million, making him the team’s highest-paid starting pitcher. He’s also the first player that the Astros have ever signed directly out of Asia.
Of course, the Imai signing works well for Daikin, too. While it’s unclear exactly what Inoue’s role was in the free agent process—a rep for the company didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry—there are obvious benefits for a Japanese company to have a Japanese star playing in the venue that bears its name. Daikin was mentioned multiple times, by multiple people, during Monday’s press conference, and Inoue reportedly took part in the official photos with Imai afterwards—all things that likely delight a high-paying partner.
The Daikin Park partnership, announced in November 2024, appears to have helped shift the team’s entire approach in Asia. Crane spoke Monday about his team’s scouting presence in Tokyo, Seoul and Taiwan, all of which are recent developments. According to The Athletic, Crane and some other Astros executives recently toured the Daikin headquarters and manufacturing plants, and some local baseball stadiums.
“We’ll be moving pretty fast in Asia,” Crane said Monday.
Crane’s non-Astros businesses have been critical here as well. His freight and supply chain company, Crane Worldwide Logistics, had a pre-existing relationship with Daikin. He said Monday that the team’s scouting apparatus across Asia was able to “set up quickly” by working out of Crane offices.
Everyone in MLB is currently chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers, in more ways than one. The two-time World Series champs make more money than anyone else in the sport, spend among the most, and have built a balanced roster of homegrown talent and free-agent signings. Some of the biggest examples of the latter have come via Japan. Shohei Ohtani gets the most attention, of course, but the team’s postseason run was also fueled by pitchers Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the World Series MVP.
On a recent episode of the Sporticast podcast, Dodgers president Stan Kasten told stories about the team’s pursuit of both Sasaki and Ohtani. He also discussed the impact that the team’s Asian presence has had on business. The Dodgers have more than a dozen Japanese sponsorships, including some newcomers in the past two years—All Nippon Airways, Daiso, Kosé, Kowa, Toyo Tires and Yakult—all part of a new corporate push that SponsorUnited estimated added $70 million in incremental sponsor revenue last year.
Crane, who said the Dodgers “led the way” in Asia, added Monday that he thought the Pacific Rim was an “untapped” until Ohtani.
“The players coming out of there are really equivalent or better than some of the guys we have here,” he said. “We’ll be laser-focused on it moving forward.”
Welcome back to the world’s most accurate power rankings, where we have sorted all 30 NBA teams into so perfect an order that you could not possibly quibble with the list, for fear of being mocked yourselves.
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who started the season on pace to break the league’s all-time record for wins in a regular season, have played .500 basketball for almost a sixth of the season. Fortunately for them, their biggest challengers in the Western Conference — the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets — are all on shaky ground, battling injuries to their All-Star centers.
(Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
We have reached the season’s doldrums, when injuries compound and a general malaise threatens to sort the contenders from the pretenders. Survival to the All-Star break is paramount. Don’t let go of the rope.
The Detroit Pistons certainly have not. They remain atop the East, handing the New York Knicks — yet another contender on thin ice — a fourth straight loss. The Boston Celtics (18-5 since mid-November) are coming, and their superstar, Jayson Tatum, will presumably provide a bit of reinforcement at some point.
However you see it, our championship view is increasingly becoming a landscape, rather than a portrait of the mighty Thunder, even if they remain the heavy betting favorites to win at BetMGM. Let’s get to the rankings.
Coach Rick Carlisle’s message to Bennedict Mathurin is a message to all of his Pacers: “There’s great opportunity here. And we have to work at helping him adjust to his level of responsibility. This is a lot. … It’s work. You don’t just show up and get your numbers every night. Teams are ultra-prepared. Everyone’s got the same information. And it’s tough.”
Coach Doug Christie is trying to hold his team to a high standard, only they are playing to a low one. What gives? “What you can do is you can say, ‘This is the standard of Sacramento Kings basketball,’” said Christie, “and you continue to play to that standard until you get a locker room full of guys that play the right way.” So, we’re in “coach throws everyone under the bus” territory.
“We’ve been in this place before,” coach James Borrego said of his last-place Pelicans, who have lost seven straight since a five-game win streak. “We found our way out of it. You’ve just got to keep plugging away. Keep chopping. Keep working. The No. 1 thing is: Stay together. Keep our heads up. Keep spirits up and keep fighting. This group has not dropped the sword.”
Jordi Fernández has given his young Nets some tough love this season, and Nolan Traoré is the latest of their five first-round draft picks to feel the brunt of his coach’s expectations: “And if you keep shooting and missing, then sometimes, if you keep doing the same thing and seeing the same results, that’s the definition of insanity.” Yup, we have reached this part of the season.
The Wizards are 6-5 since mid-December! “Thankfully over the course of the last 15 games or so, we’ve proven this isn’t who we are,” Wizards wing Corey Kispert said of another poor performance, against Minnesota. “So it feels like more of fluke than a bad trend, so we’re really optimistic, and we’re excited to get back out there and change the narrative and flip the script.”
By net rating, the Jazz (-6.8) are almost as close to the third-place Lakers (-0.2) as they are the last-place Kings (-11.5). They better pick a direction, since they owe their first-round draft pick (top-eight protected) to the Thunder, but the players are not on board with a tank job. As Walter Clayton Jr. conceded after a recent victory over the Spurs, “I think guys are just tired of losing.”
“That just shows growth,” Miles Bridges said of his team’s effort not to give up easy baskets, as had been a problem for much of the season. “Earlier in the year we wouldn’t have been able to do that. But we are learning as we go. We’ve got guys that want to win, and when you’ve got guys that want to win, it’s easy to compete.” Except when LaMelo Ball is one of those guys?
Anthony Davis is back. Kyrie Irving is, presumably, coming back at some point. But the Mavericks have still been bit by the injury bug. “It’s just tough because of the simple fact that we don’t have the guys to be on the floor at the same time. Injuries have been our Achilles heel, but we’re managing,” said Daniel Gafford. “It’s just something we’re trying to figure out on the fly.”
Even after a win, it is difficult to draw much encouragement from Milwaukee’s season, as the Bucks nearly blew a 26-point lead to the eight-win Kings. “We should not be in that position,” said Giannis Antetokounmpo. “We should not be in that position. We’re up 26 points. We should not let them come back to three. Like, we have to do a better job of just putting the game away.”
If you had any concerns about how a 9-16 start would impact the Blazers, or whether they might tank, center Donovan Clingan is here to assuage them: “We’re really just sticking together. We’re figuring out what we have to do to win games, to play well. And we’re not going off script … we’re listening to coaches. Everyone’s playing for one another and that’s really important.”
Following a horrendous start to the season, the Clippers are 7-1 since coach Tyronn Lue said they have to finish the season with a 35-20 record over their final 55 games to give themselves a chance at a playoff berth. “Yeah, we still got steps,” said Kawhi Leonard. “I mean, good teams are in the top eight or above. We’re not there. We’re below .500. So we’re working our way up.”
“Fire Iisalo!” chants have apparently been audible in FedEx Forum, where the Grizzlies are scrapping for a play-in tournament berth and facing an existential question: Do they want their coach or their superstar, Ja Morant, for the future? Because it is becoming increasingly clear Memphis cannot succeed at the level it needs to under the current leadership structure.
“We love Trae and what he does for us,” insisted Hawks coach Quin Snyder, even amid reports to the contrary. The coach went on, though. “We’ve got some high-level defenders … which they’re consistent no matter who’s on the floor. But it’s been great to have Trae back. And I think our team will continue to meld.” Not exactly a surprise that Young is on the trading block, then!
Billy Donovan, a coach’s coach: ‘‘We don’t have the margins not to [do the little things]. The consistency part, the concentration part. The way we’re trying to play — and I don’t necessarily think that we’re different from other teams because the pace of the game is definitely sped up throughout the league — that’s what we’re fighting for. Can you come back and do it again?”
Draymond Green was ejected twice in a seven-game span — in a pair of Warriors wins, which raised interesting questions around Golden State, where coach Steve Kerr … quelled concerns they may be better in his absence? “We’ve been a little jumbled this year,” he said. “We haven’t quite found a rhythm, but I do feel better about the way we’ve played the last couple weeks.”
Coach Kenny Atkinson’s confidence in his talented Cavaliers might, slowly, be paying off, even amid the losses. “I wish I could be up here and be like, ‘Yeah, we won this game,’ but you feel it as a coach,” he said. “I told the guys after: I couldn’t be more encouraged. Disappointed in kind of how we lost, but like I keep telling you: Buy the dip. I’ve got a ton of confidence in this group.”
“We’re definitely not there yet,” Heat guard Norman Powell said of his team’s status, as it heads for the midseason turn on either an upswing or downswing, depending on how you look at it. “We’ve had stretches. You can see where we want to be, how we are, and the potential of the team. But good, great teams, it’s their identity every single night. And that’s what we’re building.”
A win over the Pacers was a microcosm of the season for the Magic. “Much better offensively, but we’ve still got to figure out how to string together some stops on the defensive end,” said Orlando’s Desmond Bane, who has been averaging a 22-5-5 on 47/37/94 shooting splits for a month-plus. “We got a few when it mattered, but we’re better than that on that end, for sure.”
Of rookie Collin Murray-Boyles and sophomores Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said, “Those guys, they’re built of special cloth, of resiliency. They’re really putting in a lot of work. It doesn’t matter if we win, we lose. It doesn’t matter if we’re up, we’re down. It does not really matter what kind of mood we’re in. They keep going forward.”
The Sixers are, believe it or not, incorporating Joel Embiid and Paul George into Tyrese Maxey’s team, and it is … kind of working. “Everybody understands that it will be your time,” said Embiid. “But until then, just do your job. It’s not necessarily that everybody knows their role. We’re just playing basketball, and we like each other. No one cares about taking a step back for the other.”
What did Suns star Devin Booker think when in a span of 17 seconds the Thunder erased a four-point deficit to tie Sunday’s thriller? “It’s our turn,” he said. Against all odds, it may be their turn very soon. The Suns play hard, and they have Booker. Dillon Brooks is enjoying a great season. Everyone has bought in behind them. And Jalen Green has barely even played yet.
The Nuggets, one could argue, are a bottom-10 team without Nikola Jokić, as is the case right now. As coach David Adelman said, “We’re going to have to find a way to get to the fourth quarter.” But be real: Jokić will be back, and Denver will be fine. For now I put them here, on the bottom of our title tier, where every team on out, if all were to go right, could win the whole thing.
Yeah, they could still win it, despite their four-game losing streak, if they can solve their defensive issues. There is only so much Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson can do when Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both need to be on the floor. Coach Mike Brown’s solution? “Our mindset is everybody just trying to bring a little bit more.”
Something is missing from these Timberwolves, especially in the absence of Nickeil Alexander-Walker. “We have to have more internal voices,” said Minnesota’s coach, Chris Finch. “When things aren’t going well, our guys can be a little bit quiet in those moments. That’s just kind of been in our DNA the last couple of years.” Not sure Ja Morant would be that answer.
“Best 2 way player in the game,” Jaylen Brown posted on X (formerly Twitter), before he asked to defend two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. “Smh,” Brown added when he was passed over for Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors in favor of Brunson, before he dropped 50 points on Leonard’s Clippers. Yes, he is a superstar. The dude is a bona fide MVP candidate.
The Knicks came for the Pistons on Monday, and Detroit set the defending Eastern Conference finalists straight, reminding New York that last season’s playoff series was last season. “It was a playoff series from last year,” said Cade Cunningham, “but them being second and us being first [in the East], them being on our heels, we were not trying to allow that. It was a big game and we all came in locked in.”
Like the Nuggets, who are without Jokić (left knee hyperextension), and like the Rockets, without Şengün (right ankle sprain), the Spurs are playing in the absence of their injured All-Star center, Victor Wembanyama (left knee hyperextension). But he should be back this week. “He’s champing at the bit, and we’ll get him out there as soon as we can,” said coach Mitch Johnson.
After starting the season 24-1, the Thunder are 6-6 in their last 12 games, including consecutive losses to the Suns and Hornets, which counts as a serious slump for the defending champions. They remain heavy favorites, though. As coach Mark Daigneault said, “You can look at it as a threat, as a source of insecurity, or you can look at it as a challenge and, like I said, a privilege.”
HOUSTON — Moments after draining a 27-foot game-winning shot over his former Suns teammates, Rockets veteran superstar forward Kevin Durant found it difficult to contain his emotions. The pleasantries exchanged after the final buzzer indicated the existence of bonds that still remained between Durant and his old colleagues, but the raw emotion of the moment — or more importantly, what it represented — took over.
Durant’s blunt honesty, delivered in an almost satirical fashion, cut through the room like a knife, all while reminding us of the other side we don’t see often. The fast-paced nature of the NBA — and the business of basketball, to some degree — routinely eschews personal feelings in lieu of the overarching structure of the sport. Our brains are wired to the transactional roller coaster the game brings, obsessed with trade talk, free agency and mass upheaval.
But far too often, we forget that for as much fun as it is to drum up fake trades and hypotheticals, these players are living out their lives in front of us — with real feelings and experiences. The NBA is the great equalizer, from the two-way late roster addition to the future Hall of Famer with one of the most decorated resumes in basketball history. Regardless of how Durant eventually found his way to Houston, it was evident the Suns, despite the fiasco that their 2024-25 campaign was, were comfortable with a future without Durant.
“It hurt because I put all my effort, love and care towards the Suns and Phoenix area,” Durant added. “But that’s just the business. That’s the name of the game. So when you play against a team, you got a chip on your shoulder. In the back of my mind it’s there. Nothing but love for the players, but I want to beat that team.”
Durant’s leadership and poise are especially needed in moments like this. The Rockets will be without starting center Alperen Şengün for at least two weeks after the Turkish big man rolled his right ankle against Dallas over the weekend. But Houston’s issues with their crunchtime execution have been well-documented, still with a 7-9 clutch record and a -9.7 net rating, per Second Spectrum. Head coach Ime Udoka has routinely expressed his satisfaction with how Durant approaches the game and closing moments, seeking out the best play instead of his own. But Monday night was a gentle reminder that perhaps one of the NBA’s best finishers should have the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
“We wanted to get him the ball at the right spot,” Udoka said. “We want to keep it simple, not do too much where they can deny or take something away. Get him open to his spot. He said it felt good as soon as he let it go.”
With the win, Houston has now won five out of their last six games and are just two games out of second place in the Western Conference. An important upcoming road trip with two games in Portland and Sacramento could set up the Rockets for a big homestand to kickstart the new year.
However things shake out, it is all a reminder of Durant’s immense talent and what his presence means for the Rockets. And that superstars are people too.
SAN FRANCISCO — If any talks heat up for the Giants over the next few days, they will face an interesting challenge.
Buster Posey, Zack Minasian and Tony Vitello are part of a large contingent that flew to South Korea this week for a goodwill tour in Jung Hoo Lee’s home country. Willy Adames joined, along with members of the team’s ownership group, marketing department and social media staff, with plans to hold clinics and join Lee at a dinner. Posey and Minasian are scheduled to meet with the commissioner of the KBO while in Seoul, further strengthening relationships that they hope will pay off down the line.
Minasian, sitting in a hotel room halfway around the world, hopped on a Zoom call with reporters on Monday to discuss the state of the rotation. The answer has been the same most of the winter.
“It’s my stock answer: I don’t know if we’re ever done,” he said of adding more arms. “I think we’re very comfortable with the five that we have and then the bundle of arms behind them now, to say that our depth is in a much better spot than it was at the beginning of the offseason.
“We’re happy with where we’re at. We’ll keep working at it, but we do think this is a solid five-man rotation going into the spring.”
The Giants don’t want to publicly close off any potential pursuits, but there’s not really much they need to say when it comes to their rotation. The math is the math.
In Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp, they already had three starters. Adrian Houser and Mahle both came to San Francisco to be in the rotation, and the Giants are hopeful that they’re getting both on the upswing, similar to what they did a few years ago with Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafani.
They ended up taking a short-term approach this winter, but there were other ways, and they were discussed at length internally early in the offseason. The market was and still is full of guys — Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, etc. — looking for big deals. There also is a middle class of experienced players and safer options who could have been had around the combined price of Houser (two years, $22 million) and Mahle (one year, $10 million). Merrill Kelly, for instance, signed a two-year, $40 million deal.
The most interesting option, at least for the fan base, was Tatsuya Imai, a right-hander from Japan who signed a three-year, $54 million deal with the Houston Astros last week. The 27-year-old seemed to check a lot of boxes, and Giants officials certainly noticed that he went out of his way to make it clear he wants to face the Dodgers. But what ultimately mattered was their evaluation of his talent, makeup and fit in a big league rotation.
The Giants viewed Imai as more of a back-end starter, with real risk that his repertoire will prove to be too limited to be a consistent big league starter. There were concerns about the way his fastball will play, and while the contract ultimately came in well short of early industry expectations, it’s structured in a way that makes 2026 particularly important. Because of the posting fee and opt-outs, it could end up becoming more of a one-year deal in the $30 million range.
That’s beyond where the Giants valued Imai, and while they checked in early in the process, they were not involved in recent weeks, per a source familiar with discussions.
Instead, it will be Houser and Mahle, although there is risk there, too, particularly with Mahle. The right-hander has made more than 20 starts just twice in the past six seasons, and while he had a 2.18 ERA last season, shoulder discomfort limited him to 16 starts.
This is the time of year when teams preach optimism, but the Giants also are realistic about the group they have put together behind Webb and Ray. Roupp had an elbow scare last summer. Houser has had fewer health issues than Mahle, but also has just one season of more than 21 starts.
The Giants dug deep on Mahle’s medical history and Minasian noted that trainer Dave Groeschner and his group have a strong history with pitchers. Still, the odds are good that a fill-in starter will be needed at some point.
“I think it would be foolish for us to not recognize that it’s a risk,” Minasian said. “Obviously there’s a history there.”
Posey said early in the offseason that his biggest lesson in Year 1 in charge was that you truly can never have too much pitching, and Minasian often mentions that the Giants used 15 starters last year. That will make the young depth particularly important, and the 2026 Giants ultimately might sink or swim based on whether they can get a couple of young starters to break through.
Hayden Birdsong is the most obvious candidate, mostly because he has shown flashes of it before. When the front office and Vitello interviewed potential pitching coaches late last year, they were asked specifically about what they might do to unlock Birdsong’s potential. Carson Whisenhunt, Blade Tidwell, Trevor McDonald, Kai-Wei Teng and others provide depth, although several could end up in a bullpen that hasn’t seen significant additions.
“We do think there’s going to be an opportunity for our young starters and we’ve shown an openness to use some of these arms in the bullpen as well,” Minasian said. “We need to put the best team on the field and if that means some of these younger pitchers going in the bullpen, we’ll have to be open-minded to that. I don’t think you can have too much pitching. A lot of these things tend to work themselves out and we’re certainly happy when you look at the amount of depth.”
The Giants have committed just under $25 million to their 2026 roster this winter, and while there have been surprises from the Posey regime — most notably the Rafael Devers deal — the current expectation is that the rest of the offseason will be spent filling gaps instead of chasing a splash.
They continue to pursue second basemen, with St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan and Chicago’s Nico Hoerner standing out as potential options in trades. That market is expected to move quickly once free agent Alex Bregman chooses a home.
It’s possible a veteran outfielder becomes the right fit as players scramble to find spots before pitchers and catchers report, although it would be a requirement that the player is a strong defender. One of the major goals in Vitello’s first season is to improve what was an awful defensive outfield in 2025.
A lot is being put on Vitello’s shoulders, and internally, there is a hope that the new staff makes a huge difference right away. That will be necessary after a relatively quiet offseason, but the front office still has several weeks to seek additional help.
“I think the goal is just to continue to improve,” Minasian said. “Whether we’re going to be able to do that or not remains to be seen. We’ll keep trying, but with us, it’s easy to look around the field and see certain positions that are completely locked in (with) players that are signed here that are proven players.
“And then obviously there’s positions where there are players there that we believe in, but we’ll continue to look outside and see what’s available and what the cost will be.”
Kevin Durant did not hold back after beating his former team on Monday night.
Durant hit a game-winning shot with just 1.1 seconds left on the clock to lift the Houston Rockets to a 100-97 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday. He caught an in-bounds pass with Royce O’Neale on him, dribbled twice and pulled up easily to sink the shot from deep.
Naturally, that sparked a huge celebration at the Toyota Center and prompted some very clear taunts from Durant.
But it was what Durant said about the Suns after the game that was the most notable part of the night.
“Most definitely,” he said when asked if the shot meant more because it was against the Suns, via The Associated Press. “[That was] a place that I didn’t want to leave. My first time — I don’t want to sound too dramatic, but I will — to be kicked out of a place.”
Durant spent 2 1/2 seasons with the Suns before the team traded him to the Rockets in a massive deal last summer. The Suns made it to the second round of the playoffs only once with Durant on their roster, and they missed the postseason completely last season. Durant also had three different head coaches during his time in Phoenix, and the organization has a new one running things now in Jordan Ott.
While the Suns had more issues with their roster than just Durant, he said he felt like all of the blame was placed on his shoulders.
“It feels good to play against a team that booted you out of the building and scapegoated you for all the problems they had,” he said. “And it hurt because I put all my effort and love and care towards the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona in general. But that’s just the business, that’s the name of the game. So, when you play against a [former] team, yeah you got a chip on your shoulder.”
Devin Booker led the Suns with 27 points in the loss. O’Neal finished with 15 points, and Dillon Brooks added 15 points. The Suns now sit at 21-15 on the season, and have won six of their past eight to climb rapidly in the Western Conference standings.
Durant finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the win for the Rockets. His game-winner was just the second 3-pointer he made all night. Durant went 2 of 12 from behind the arc.
Both Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 17 points and seven rebounds each, and Tari Eason added 12 points and eight rebounds. Houston now holds a 22-11 record this season.
“Even though I’m old, I still can play,” Durant said. “I feel like every player has that mentality playing against their former team. I don’t think it’s malicious in any way towards them. But just as a competitor, you want to go out there and beat them.”
While Durant is still clearly harboring some negative feelings toward the Suns organization, he’s gotten most of his matchups against them out of the way early. Monday’s game wasn’t the Rockets’ first against the Suns this season; it was their third. All three of them have been wins. The Rockets won’t play the Suns again until April 7. If the two teams don’t see each other in the playoffs, that’ll be it until next fall.
Yet despite his comments, Durant may not even care by then — or even by the time he left the Toyota Center.
“By the time I get home tonight, I probably won’t even remember it,” he said. “Well, I will remember it, but I’ll try my best to forget about it and move on to the next one.”
Fortunately for NBA fans, Snoop Dogg was on the call on Peacock to take everyone through it.
Kerr erupted midway through the fourth quarter of the game at the Intuit Dome after becoming increasingly frustrated throughout the game. It was a block from John Collins, who stuffed Gary Payton at the rim and blocked his layup off the backboard, that finally set off Kerr for good. After Stephen Curry was called for a foul on the other end, an irate Kerr charged toward the officials screaming and arguing for a goaltending call.
It took an assistant, Payton and Gui Santos restraining him to keep Kerr back while he picked up two technical fouls, which triggered the ejection. Kerr then quickly walked off the floor and into the tunnel.
Snoop Dogg was on the call as Steve Kerr had to be held back as he was EJECTED vs. the Clippers Monday night 🤣
Snoop Dogg was a special guest on the broadcast for Peacock’s tripleheader Monday night. He joined regular announcers Reggie Miller and Terry Gannon in a unique event ahead of his participation in the network’s coverage of the Winter Olympics next month in Italy.
While it didn’t have an impact on the game, his presence on the broadcast made Kerr’s ejection that much more memorable.
Kerr declined to speak with reporters after the game. Instead, assistant coach Terry Stotts took his place.
The Clippers led for most of the game Monday night, and even built up a 14-point lead in the third quarter before the Warriors came storming back down the stretch. Curry brought the Warriors within a single possession after hitting a huge 3-pointer with just more than a minute left in the game before fouling out. Draymond Green, who was briefly considered questionable to return with a rib injury after he crashed into the bench just before halftime, then cut the deficit to a single point with a layup.
While Jimmy Butler had a look at a game-winner, his turnaround jumper was just off the mark at the buzzer. That secured the Clippers’ one-point victory.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points and 12 rebounds, though he went 0 of 8 from behind the arc. Kobe Sanders added a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds, and Collins finished with 18 rebounds. The win for the Clippers pushed them to 13-22 on the season.
Curry led the Warriors with 27 points and six assists in the loss. Butler added 24 points and six rebounds. Those two were the only Warriors starters to hit double figures, and they combined to shoot just 5 of 19 from the 3-point line. The loss dropped Golden State to 19-18 on the season.
A 6-5 run since then muted that talk. A stunning home loss to the previously 12-23 Charlotte Hornets on Monday night dropped the Thunder to 30-7 and should officially put to bed their quest for a 73-win regular season.
After a 33-33 first quarter, the Hornets rode a 34-17 second quarter to a 67-50 halftime lead in Oklahoma City. They never looked back en route to a 124-97 win that’s arguably the most stunning result of the NBA season.
“From the get, it just seemed like they were ahead of us on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively,” MVP Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game.
Are the Thunder OK?
The loss is the second straight for the Thunder after Devin Booker iced a Phoenix Suns win Sunday night with a last-second 3-pointer. Oklahoma City has now lost six of its past 12 games. Three of those losses have come to the San Antonio Spurs.
A stretch of .500 basketball and a single bad loss isn’t cause for panic in Oklahoma City for a Thunder team that remains the favorite to win the NBA title. But the Thunder look much more vulnerable now than they were during their scorching start to the season.
Hornets controlled both ends of the court
The Hornets outplayed the Thunder in virtually every facet of the game. They outshot them from the floor (53% to 37%), from 3 (51% to 28%) and from the line (92% to 67%).
They secured a 52-34 rebounding advantage and moved the ball better while assisting on 25-of-41 made field goals, compared to 18 assists on 34 made field goals for the Thunder. Charlotte did this on the third leg of a three-game road trip.
Oklahoma City’s only notable advantage in the game arrived where expected. The Thunder forced 20 Hornets turnovers while committing just eight of their own. But their ball-hawking defense wasn’t enough to overcome a Hornets team that shot the lights out when it held on to the ball.
Starting Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein sat for a fourth straight game with a calf injury. Alex Caruso also was out. Otherwise, Oklahoma City featured its full allotment of starters, including Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 21 points and 6 assists in an unusually inefficient effort while shooting 7 of 21 from the floor. Holmgren added 15 points and 6 rebounds, while Williams posted 16 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Aaron Wiggins (4 of 8) was the only Thunder starter to shoot 50% from the field.
Brandon Miller paced the Hornets with 28 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 7 of 10 from 3. Breakout rookie sharpshooter Kon Knueppel hit 5-of-7 3s en route to 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. LaMelo Ball got in on the long-distance party in a 4-of-7 effort from deep while tallying 16 points.
The Hornets will return home to Charlotte to host the Raptors on Wednesday night. The Thunder, meanwhile, will look to regroup for a home game against the Jazz on Wednesday.
There is still quite a ways to go in the 2025-26 NBA season, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are off a great start.
Though they’ve fallen off their scorching pace to start the season, they still could threaten the Golden State Warriors’ single-season wins record of 73.
Only two teams in league history have won more than 70 games in a single season. The first was the Chicago Bulls during the 1995-96 campaign, when they won 72 games. The Warriors broke that record by one in 2016. The Bulls won the NBA championship in their record-breaking season, while the Warriors ultimately fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers during their Finals run.
The reigning NBA champion Thunder were on a good pace, but a quick string of losses, including three to the San Antonio Spurs, has left them behind pace to hit the mark.
Their sixth loss of the season came in crushing fashion, on a last-second Devin Booker 3-pointer Sunday night. It was the Thunder’s first loss since Christmas.
DEVIN BOOKER HITS THE TRIPLE AND WINS IT FOR THE SUNS 🚨
It’s still early. A lot can change between now and April. But the Thunder’s campaign is definitely something to keep an eye on. Here’s everything you need to know about the Thunder’s quest to set the NBA’s single-season wins record.
OKC’s current pace: 68.3 wins
OKC’s last game
Most wins in NBA history, single season
73: Golden State Warriors, 2015-16 72: Chicago Bulls, 1995-96 69: Chicago Bulls, 1996-97 69: Los Angeles Lakers, 1971-72 68: Oklahoma City Thunder, 2024-25 68: Boston Celtics, 1972-73 68: Philadelphia 76ers, 1966-67
Thunder vs. ‘95-96 Bulls vs. ‘15-16 Warriors
Record after 34 games ‘25-26 Thunder: 30-6 (.833) ‘95-96 Bulls: 32-3 (.914) ‘15-16 Warriors: 33-2 (.943)
SGA vs. MJ vs. Steph Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 31.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 6.4 APG (36 games) Michael Jordan: 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.3 APG (82 games) Stephen Curry: 30.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.7 APG (79 games)
OKC’s upcoming schedule
Jan. 5: vs. Hornets Jan. 7: vs. Jazz Jan. 9 vs. Grizzlies Full schedule
Tracking Thunder’s historic start
Largest average margin of victory in a season ‘25-26 Thunder: 14.75 ‘24-25 Thunder: 12.87 ‘71-72 Lakers: 12.28 ‘70-71 Bucks: 12.26 ‘95-96 Bulls: 12.24
Highest net rating in a season ‘25-26 Thunder: 15.0 ‘95-96 Bulls: 13.4 ‘24-25 Thunder: 12.8 ‘96-97 Bulls: 12.0 ‘25-26 Rockets: 11.9
Losing a long snapper to the transfer portal might not be something that makes many people take notice, but true freshman starter Jack Wills entering the portal is a little noteworthy. On Monday, the former 5-star long snapper entered the portal after one season with Michigan State football.
Wills, who is from Hudsonville, Michigan, was the No. 2-ranked long snapper in the 2025 class and was a starter from day one for the Spartans. However, the Spartans have a lot of change coming with special teams, as long-time Iowa assistant LeVar Woods takes over that group.
It’ll be interesting to monitor who Wills’ replacement will be next year in the first season under Woods.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.
PHILADELPHIA — As the Philadelphia 76ers continue with their schedule on Monday to host the banged up Denver Nuggets, they are still waiting for some players to return from injuries of their own.
Kelly Oubre Jr. has not played since Nov. 14 due to a left knee sprain while Trendon Watford hasn’t played since Nov. 25 due to a left adductor strain. Those two guys are still working their way back to help the Sixers get the job done on the floor.
Both Oubre and Watford were getting some 3-on-3 work done, both half court and full court, after shootaround on Monday morning. Coach Nick Nurse gave an encouraging update on both players as there is hope they can return sooner rather than later.
“They’re both doing well,” Nurse said before the matchup with the Nuggets. “I would expect any day now to get some clearance on them, hopefully. It’s not today, but any day after today.”
Trendon Watford and Kelly Oubre Jr. participating in 3-on-3 after shootaround this morning with some player development coaches #Sixerspic.twitter.com/wRWx72lJYg
The Sixers will take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday before then heading on the road to take on the Orlando Magic on Friday to begin a 3-game trip. One has to believe Oubre and Watford will return in one of these next few games.
