As the calendar turns to 2026, resolutions are being made across the globe for the next 12 months, hoping to accomplish in the new year what couldn’t be done prior. For the Knicks and their fans, there’s only one resolution that really needs to come true in this high-stakes 2026, but we’ve put together five for the franchise to tackle anyway.
To be clear, head coach Mike Brown, Brunson and the rest of the team have done all they can here. Brunson’s having a career year, averaging just under 30 points and seven assists on efficient shooting numbers, while the Knicks are streaking towards the top of their conference and one of the best records in basketball.
If not for the generational juggernaut in Oklahoma City, Brunson would already be a serious contender here. Brown’s spent multiple press conferences trying to garner appropriate hype that just hasn’t come.
More needs to be done: Brunson just came in third in the East in All-Star fan voting when he should be a face of the league. This is a call on the Knicks organization and greater New York elite to step up, get the propaganda machine turning and expend whatever political and economic capital they have to get this man the respect he deserves.
Add depth at the trade deadline
It’s all or nothing for the Knicks now, the far-and-away favorites to come out of the East and potentially capture the franchise’s first championship in over a half-century. From top to bottom the franchise has operated with that view in recent years, trading the star player and firing the head coach that set off this very rebuild in pursuit of glory.
That means they shouldn’t be getting conservative around 2026’s trade deadline, the last chance the Knicks will get to upgrade their roster before the postseason hunt. Leon Rose and company haven’t been shy about making midseason moves, and everybody outside of the core rotation should be treated as expendable.
It’s unlikely we see a ground-shaking move like acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo or even an All-Star level player, but the Knicks should be able to package enough assets to bring in another real contributor. In the playoffs, every bit of margin helps.
Coming into this season and early on thus far, it looked like we were getting a more aggressive Bridges — one unafraid of contact or attacking the rim. This was an enticing prospect because when he plays like this he’s able to really utilize his creation and his game goes to another level.
While he’s still driving towards the rim, putting together big scoring nights and showing more tenacity defensively, he’s regressed back to not looking at the cup when he gets into the paint. By way of comparison, he had 33 free throws in the first 17 games and has had seven in the 15 since (entering play on Wednesday).
The resolution for Bridges should be avoiding another clip of him turning down open layups for fading jumpers or a kickout.
One would think Knicks fans would have gotten used to their score-first star second-fiddle big man living and dying with their emotions, but some are seemingly re-learning the Julius Randle lesson with Towns. In their defense, KAT has been too focused on the officials this season and it’s affected his play at times.
In his defense, the worst whistle in basketball appears to only have gotten worse. But he’s talented enough to play through it, and once he’s more focused on the game than the refs, they’ll start sending more calls his way.
Towns’ resolution will be to try and contain some of that fire that’s made him so special since joining the league, the Knicks, and will make him an All-Star once again this season.
Win the NBA Championship
2026 should be a year of lofty, ambitious goals, and there’s no greater bar to clear for this Knicks team. It’s no doubt been the resolution of many of their players long before this New Year’s, but it’ll be the same one atop everybody’s list this time around.
Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai has agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Houston Astros, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
This closes the door on a potential Phillies addition that had gained traction recently.
Imai, 27, spent eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Seibu Lions, compiling a 3.15 ERA across 159 appearances. He was coming off a breakout 2025 season, posting a 1.92 ERA in 24 starts with 178 strikeouts over 163 2/3 innings, while significantly improving his command. His WHIP was a career-best at 0.89.
His contract with Houston includes opt-outs after each season with an average annual value of $18 million, with a number of incentives.
The Phillies were among the teams linked to Imai as his posting window neared its Friday deadline, but Philadelphia ultimately did not land the right-hander.
Missing out on Imai keeps the club’s rotation picture largely unchanged — and places added emphasis on its internal decisions.
The Phillies already have significant money, just over $102 million, committed to starting pitching, with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sánchez all on multi-year deals, plus Jesús Luzardo in his final year of arbitration.
This move, though, keeps the door open for a reunion with southpaw Ranger Suárez.
Suárez, who will also carry a hefty price tag in free agency, remains an option for Philadelphia to reinforce its rotation without adding an external arm. The club’s top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter, will have the opportunity to compete for a rotation spot in spring training.
With Wheeler’s availability uncertain early next season and the club already pushing luxury-tax thresholds, a reunion with Suárez may still be unlikely, but it would provide continuity to one of the best rotations in the game.
For now, the Phillies will continue monitoring the starting pitching market. Whether that results in renewed talks with Suárez or they stand pat, Imai’s decision elsewhere narrows the options.
Since our initial Warriors Report Card following the first 20 games of the 2025-26 NBA season, Golden State has gone 8-6, a slight improvement from being 10-10 since we last checked in.
The hardest part of the schedule is over. Living life on the road with constant back-to-backs is done. Now that 2026 is here, it’s go-time for the Warriors at 18-16.
Here’s how they grade out so far this session entering the new year.
Offense
How does a team that has Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler rank 21st in points per game (115.6)? Turnovers. The Warriors have turned the ball over the second-most times in the entire NBA. It’s why 11 of their 16 leads have come from blown fourth-quarter leads.
They’re now 5-13 when they have more turnovers than their opponents, 10-2 when they have fewer and 3-1 when they’re tied with their opponent in turnovers. The system still creates open shots. The problem is the Warriors miss too many of them and don’t take care of them well enough.
The Warriors rank 18th overall in offensive rating (114.3), and were 11th for the month of December (116.3).
Grade: C-
Defense
Advanced statistics like the Warriors’ defense a whole lot more than their offense. For the season, the Warriors now are third in defensive rating (111.8) and were fifth in December (111.9).
There still are cracks. Point of attack remains a concern. A lack of stopping ball-handlers, plus being a smaller team, has them ranked 17th in opponent points in the paint per game (51.3). Somehow, the Warriors rank fourth in opponent 3-point percentage (34.3 percent), even though it feels like teams catch fire from deep at the worst times.
Second, third and fourth options still are having career games against the Warriors. Yet the numbers tell a different story.
Grade: B-
Stars
So much has changed around the NBA, and so much has remained the same for Curry and the Warriors. He still is the sun of their solar system, and still needs others to shine brighter around him.
The Warriors are 4-6 in the 10 games Curry has scored 30-plus points. Curry for the third straight season is leading the NBA in 3-point attempts and makes per game while shooting just under 40 percent from deep. After missing five games to injury, he closed 2025 by scoring at least 20 points in eight of his final nine games, including two 39-point games and a 48-point game.
His second true star is Butler, who remains Mr. Efficient and has been everything the Warriors could hope for at 36 years old as of late. In his final seven games of the year, Butler averaged 21.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 90.7 percent at the free-throw line on 7.7 attempts per game while averaging 33 minutes per game.
And then there’s Green. The last two games of December were his only with a positive plus/minus. He was ejected one game and took himself out of another, and the Warriors were better without him in both. Less is becoming more for Green, and the Warriors know they still are at their best when he’s at his best in all facets.
To honor older players and give them a longer leash, Richard was a healthy DNP (Did Not Play) in three straight games during December. The Warriors lost all three. Since then, Richard has played 20 minutes per game and averaged 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game over the last six games, highlighted by his 10 points and two steals in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ win against the Nets in Brooklyn.
Horford finally returned from a seven-game absence on Christmas, and Melton made his season debut. The Warriors’ Christmas win was a display of what Horford brings with four threes and rim protection, and though Melton has struggled to find his shot, he clearly is one of their top defensive players already and has been a plus-57 in the 10 games he has played.
Grade: C+
Youth
For the seventh straight game to close the calendar year, two younger players have accompanied Curry, Butler and Green in the starting lineup. Moody and Post, at least for now, have security as starters. But that always can change, and the Warriors still need those two to find more consistency shooting the ball.
Several youngsters off the bench have come on strong as of late. Brandin Podziemski scored 19 points on New Year’s Eve and averaged 12.7 points on 51.7 percent shooting in December. Trayce Jackson-Davis has re-emerged in the center rotation with strong finishes around the rim, and Richard continues to impress, earning Steve Kerr’s trust to close games with his two-way impact.
Writing about Jonathan Kuminga might as well be with invisible ink. Wednesday was his fifth straight healthy DNP and he already has received eight this season. January 15, the first day Kuminga becomes trade eligible, can’t come soon enough for him and the team.
Grade: C+
Health
A number of bumps and bruises have hampered the Warriors while still avoiding major injury.
Steph Curry missed five straight games due to a quad contusion, and his young brother Seth has been sidelined due to sciatic-nerve issues in his pelvis and lower back. Horford missed three weeks because of sciatica, and Green was out for a few weeks with a right foot sprain. This is about how it goes for a team that has seven players who are at least 33 years old.
As teams around the league have seen their stars miss multiple weeks or worse, the Warriors have played a game of roulette with who will be healthy or have to take a seat. In this case, things could be much more grim for Golden State.
Grade: B-
Overall
The Warriors finished 2025 by winning five of their last six games. Though they failed to earn their first four-game win streak of the season with a bad loss against the Raptors in Toronto, the Warriors are finally are finding consistency in their starting lineup and rotations, as well as the win column.
As 2026 begins, the Warriors are the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The goal going into the season was to be a top-six seed, and they hoped to get greedy as a top-four seed. Well, the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves are three games ahead of them, and the fourth-seeded Houston Rockets are four games ahead.
Starting Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 10 of the Warriors’ next 11 games are at home, and they don’t leave California until Jan. 22. This is their chance to bump their grades much closer to what they expected.
MLB free agency is much more like a marathon than a sprint.
In leagues like the NBA and NFL, the start of free agency typically coincides with a flurry of activity.
But the activity in MLB free agency tends to be spread out over the course of the winter. Look no further than last offseason, when Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman didn’t strike deals until February.
So, with hot stove season underway, here’s an updated look at the best remaining MLB free agents (this list will be updated as free agents sign; players listed alphabetically by last name):
Luis Arráez, 1B, San Diego Padres
Luis Arráez. (Denis Poroy-Imagn Images)
Luis Arráez, 28, continued to be a singles machine in 2025, with 139 of his 181 hits being base hits. While the three-time batting champion didn’t record a .300-plus batting average for the first time since 2021, his .292 average still tied for 12th-best in the majors. And Arráez, who slashed .292/.327/.392 with eight homers, 61 RBI and 11 steals in 154 games, tied for the second-most hits in all of baseball. He had the lowest strikeout percentage in the majors (3.1%), but also tied for the 10th-worst walk percentage (5%). In the field, Arráez tied for third-worst among first basemen in outs above average at minus-7.
Harrison Bader, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
Harrison Bader‘s age-31 campaign was the best offensive season of his career, as he split time between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. He posted career highs in hits (124), doubles (24), home runs (17), RBI (54) and OPS (.796) while slashing .277/.347/.449 across 146 games. Bader also tied for 18th among outfielders in outs above average (plus-7).
Chris Bassitt, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Chris Bassitt. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
Chris Bassitt logged at least 30 starts for the fourth straight season. The 36-year-old recorded a 3.96 ERA, 166 strikeouts and 52 walks in 170.1 innings pitched over 31 starts and 32 total appearances. While Bassitt brought down his 1.462 WHIP from 2024, he still tied for ninth-worst in that category at 1.327.
Cody Bellinger, OF, New York Yankees
Cody Bellinger. (Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images)
Cody Bellinger, 30, declined his $25 million player option following a strong debut season in the Bronx. The 2019 NL MVP hit .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI and 13 steals. Bellinger, who made his most appearances since 2019 with 152, tied for 18th among outfielders in outs above average (plus-7).
Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Bo Bichette. (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)
Bo Bichette, 27, was back to his old self at the dish following a 2024 season where he posted a .598 OPS while being limited to 81 games due to injuries. The two-time All-Star hit .311/.357/.483 with 18 homers and 94 RBI in 139 games. He tied for the second-most hits (181) and second-best batting average in the majors, while also tallying the second-most doubles (44). Bichette, however, tied for last among shortstops in outs above average at minus-13. Bichette declined the qualifying offer from Toronto.
Alex Bregman, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Bregman opted out of two years and $80 million remaining on the deal he signed with the Boston Red Sox last offseason. The 31-year-old is coming off his first All-Star campaign since 2019, hitting .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI in 114 games. Bregman, who missed extended time with a quad injury, tied for ninth among third baseman in outs above average at plus-3.
Zac Gallen, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Zac Gallen. (Joe Rondone-Imagn Images)
Zac Gallen, who declined the qualifying offer, hit free agency on the heels of a subpar 2025 campaign. The 30-year-old hadn’t recorded an ERA higher than 3.65 since 2021, but saw that figure balloon to 4.83 across 192 innings last season. In 33 starts, Gallen posted 175 strikeouts, 66 walks and a 1.260 WHIP. He tied for the fourth-most homers allowed among all pitchers with 31.
Lucas Giolito, RHP, Boston Red Sox
Lucas Giolito. (James A. Pittman-Imagn Images)
Lucas Giolito enjoyed quite the bounce-back season after being traded and subsequently waived in 2023 and then missing all of 2024 due to UCL surgery. The 31-year-old posted a 3.41 ERA — his best since 2019 — in 145 innings over 26 starts. Giolito recorded 121 strikeouts and 56 walks with a 1.290 WHIP.
Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers
Rhys Hoskins. (Benny Sieu-Imagn Images)
Rhys Hoskins was limited to 90 games last season as he missed extended time with a thumb injury. The 32-year-old hit .237/.332/.416 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI. He was tied for 11th among first basemen in outs above average at plus-1.
Nick Martinez, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Nick Martinez. (Sam Greene-Imagn Images)
Nick Martinez again split time between the rotation and bullpen in 2025, making 26 starts and 14 relief appearances. The 35-year-old saw his ERA rise from 3.10 in 2024 to 4.45 in 2025 and his WHIP go from 1.026 to 1.207. Martinez, who accepted the qualifying offer last offseason, struck out 116 hitters and walked 42 in a career-high 165.2 innings.
Kazuma Okamoto, 3B/1B, Japan
Kazuma Okamoto. (Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports)
Kazuma Okamoto, 29, hit .277/.361/.521 with 248 home runs and 717 RBI in 1,074 games over 11 NPB seasons. An elbow injury limited Okamoto to 69 games last season, when he hit .327/.416/.598 with 21 homers and 49 RBI. Okamoto has until Jan. 4 to sign with a team.
Marcell Ozuna, DH, Atlanta Braves
Marcell Ozuna. (Dale Zanine-Imagn Image)
After two straight seasons with a .900-plus OPS, Marcell Ozuna saw that figure dip to .756 in 2025. The 35-year-old slashed .232/.355/.400 with 21 homers and 68 RBI in 145 games. Ozuna had hit a combined 79 home runs in the previous two seasons.
J.T. Realmuto, C, Philadelphia Phillies
J.T. Realmuto, 34, last season failed to record a .750-plus OPS for the first time in a decade. The three-time All-Star catcher hit .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI.
Max Scherzer, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Max Scherzer. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
Max Scherzer, 41, posted a career-worst 5.19 ERA in 2025 while being limited to 17 starts due to a thumb injury. The three-time Cy Young winner had 82 strikeouts, 23 walks and a 1.294 WHIP in 86 innings. Opposing hitters put up an .810 OPS against Scherzer, the highest mark of his career. It was the second straight season that Scherzer missed extended time after making nine starts in 2024.
Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Seattle Mariners
Eugenio Suárez. (Steven Bisig-Imagn Images)
Eugenio Suárez last season made his first All-Star Game since 2018, matching his career high in homers (49) and driving in a personal-best 118 runs. The 34-year-old had an .897 OPS and 36 homers in 106 games with the D-backs, but dropped off to a .682 OPS and 13 homers in 53 games after a midseason move to the M’s. His outs above average of minus-5 ranked 32nd among third basemen.
Ranger Suárez, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
In addition to Schwarber, Ranger Suárez also declined the qualifying offer from the Phillies. The 30-year-old southpaw posted a 3.20 ERA in 2025, his best in a season in which he made at least 20 starts. Suárez, who earned his first All-Star nod the season prior, logged 157.1 innings over 26 starts with 151 strikeouts, 38 walks and a 1.220 WHIP.
Kona Takahashi, RHP, Japan
Kona Takahashi, like Okamoto, has until Jan. 4 to sign with an MLB team. The 28-year-old right-hander recorded a 3.39 ERA and 1.296 WHIP in 196 games over 11 NPB seasons. In 24 games last season, Takahashi had a 3.04 ERA, 88 strikeouts, 41 walks and a 1.230 WHIP across 148 innings.
Kyle Tucker, OF, Chicago Cubs
Kyle Tucker. (Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images)
Following an offseason trade from the Houston Astros, Kyle Tucker earned his fourth straight All-Star nod in 2025. The 28-year-old hit .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs, 73 RBI and 25 stolen bases. But Tucker, a Gold Glove winner in 2022, tied for 70th among outfielders in outs above average at minus-2 while playing right field.
Framber Valdez, LHP, Houston Astros
Framber Valdez. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
Framber Valdez, 32, is the top left-hander in this free agent class. The two-time All-Star has made at least 28 starts and posted a sub-3.70 ERA in each of the last four seasons. He made 31 starts in 2025, posting a 3.66 ERA, 187 strikeouts, 68 walks and a 1.245 WHIP across 192 innings. His 20 quality starts last season tied for the seventh-most in the majors, and the southpaw has tossed eight complete games since 2022, good for the second-most over that span.
Justin Verlander, RHP, San Francisco Giants
Justin Verlander logged 29 starts in his age-42 season. The three-time Cy Young winner recorded a 3.85 ERA, 137 strikeouts, 52 walks and a 1.362 WHIP in 152 innings.
Editor’s note: This story was first published on Nov. 25.
The Knicks scored a season-high 45 points in the first quarter and led by as many as 19 points on Wednesday night, but let it all slip away, eventually falling to the San Antonio Spurs, 134-132.
New York allowed 41 fourth-quarter points in the loss, including 12 to Julian Champagnie on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from three-point land. The former St. John’s star made a Spurs-record 11 threes in total, finishing with a game high 36 points.
After the game, head coach Mike Brown didn’t beat around the bush with what went wrong for the Knicks.
“Great win by San Antonio, they just outworked us in a lot of different ways,” Brown said. “Mitch (Johnson) kicked my a–, the rest of the team kicked our a–, we all got our a– kicked today so you got to give San Antonio a ton of credit.
“Julian Champagnie, he was fantastic, he shot the mess out of the ball and he made the shots. I was a little disappointed in our guys because it was almost like we didn’t respect him. We didn’t pick him up in transition… We know he’s a hot player and that’s what he does, but he just kept getting look after look after look after look after look that were wide open. You give him a lot of credit because he knocked the shots down, but I was really, really disappointed in the way we defended him.”
In addition to Champagnie’s scoring being a difference-maker, the Spurs went 32-of-40 from the foul line compared to 18-of-20 shooting from the charity stripe for the Knicks. Brown acknowledged that some of San Antonio’s foul shots came toward the end of the game, but still pointed to the large “free throw disparity” in the game.
“Forty free throw attempts, I know we fouled late in the game… They almost doubled us in free throw attempts the whole game,” Brown said. “I don’t know, maybe we weren’t aggressive enough, I’m not sure. It’d be interesting to go back to look at the film to see why we couldn’t get to the free throw line but why they were getting to the free throw line.
“That’s a huge disadvantage if you’re talking about 20 to 40 from the free throw line. And again you have to take into consideration that some of those fouls at the end of the game we were fouling to get an opportunity to stop the clock and try to go score. It’s going to be tough if the free throw disparity is that big.”
In addition to the fouling problems, Brown went on to discuss the team’s defense as a whole. He said they need to do a better job about not reaching, instead “leading with the chest, not with our hands.”
“We as a team got to figure out how we can be physical but defend without fouling,” Brown said.
He emphasized New York’s physicality needs to improve, believing the group hasn’t shown that ability through a full game this season. Brown added that there needs to be a “sense of urgency” defensively in order to win games like Wednesday night’s.
“A team scores 134 points (against you), first of all it’s our physicality,” Brown said. “We haven’t figured out how to be physical for 48 minutes in the last I don’t know how many games. But doing it without fouling. We pick up some silly fouls that we have to do a better job of. I feel everybody understands that, but now we just have to go do it. Our physicality is not good.
“I don’t know if we’re tired or what, but we have not been able to sustain anything defensively for 48 minutes. We’ve won a lot of games, and you want to win games, and you feel good about it. But at the end of the day, if we don’t figure out how to sustain what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end of the floor for 48 minutes it’s going to be a long year for us and it’s going to eventually catch up to us. Our physicality, our inability to sustain what we’re supposed to do on that end of the floor, and for a while it was our transition defense… those areas are really big for us.”
Like Brown mentioned, New York will need show an improved, physical style of defense if they want to achieve their long-term goals. Their first try at turning it around in 2026 comes right away as they’ll face the Atlanta Hawks back home at The Garden on Thursday night.
The Knicks wrapped up their 2025 slate on a sour note, squandering several double-digit leads in a frustrating 134-132 loss to the Spurs on Wednesday night at Frost Bank Center.
Here are the takeaways…
— Making his third career start, rookie forward Mohamed Diawara tried his best to set a tone, draining a pair of threes within the first three minutes of action to help push the Knicks out to an early 10-3 lead. But it didn’t take long for the Spurs to find a rhythm, as a quick 11-0 run midway through the first quarter erased their early deficit and made the Knicks burn two timeouts. Much to the delight of head coach Mike Brown, the Knicks maintained a hot stroke from beyond the arc, making a whopping nine threes that contributed to a season-high 45 first-quarter points. It was their 14th opening period with 40-plus points this season — the mark actually matched their total from last season.
— Just when it looked like the Knicks’ torrid scoring pace was unsustainable — their lead of 12 points was trimmed down to four with 7:02 remaining in the second quarter, due to a few turnovers — another heat check arrived. In a span of three minutes, they rattled off 14 unanswered points, extending their lead to an imposing 71-52 with 3:51 left. However, the inevitable cold spell finally appeared, as the Knicks failed to score a single point in the final 2:54 before halftime. The Spurs took advantage of that lull with a 9-0 run, cutting their deficit to 73-63 at the break.
— Jalen Brunson was naturally the first-half catalyst, delivering 13 points as one of eight — that’s right, eight — Knicks who made a three. But his baker’s dozen, plus 15 from Karl-Anthony Towns, didn’t pack the punch that Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama flaunted. The behemoth youngster led all first-half scorers with 22 points — he was solely responsible for the closing 9-0 run — and the Knicks didn’t feel this presence from him during the NBA Cup final, since the Spurs carefully restricted his court time to 25 minutes then.
— A quick eight points on two threes from Miles McBride pushed the Knicks’ lead back to 14 with 8:43 remaining in the third, but once again, their cushion wasn’t comfortable for long. Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie sparked a monstrous Spurs rally by scoring 19 combined points across four-plus minutes, and suddenly, the game was knotted up at 91-91 with 4:24 left in the quarter. Keldon Johnson then made a floater that gave the Spurs their first lead since the 6:13 mark of the first and reignited the crowd. In spite of the momentum swing, the Knicks recovered on both ends of the floor, producing 11 unanswered points while holding the Spurs scoreless in the final 3:23 to reclaim a nine-point lead, 102-93. No surprise, it was Brunson who added eight points to that energized run.
— The Knicks’ battles with Wembanyama, who logged 31 points through three quarters, abruptly ended within the first 90 seconds of the fourth. After grabbing the rebound on a missed Knicks three attempt, Wembanyama landed awkwardly in the paint and cameras caught his right knee buckle. Wembanyama stayed down for a few moments before hobbling directly to the locker room without any assistance from trainers. While he appeared to mouth, “I’ll be back,” to concerned Spurs fans, the 7-foot-4 threat never checked back in.
— Somehow, the sudden absence of Wembanyama didn’t crush the Spurs’ spirits. A pair of threes from Champagnie cut their deficit back down to five, 110-105, with 7:29 remaining and prompted a Knicks timeout. While the Knicks bit back, bumping their lead to 116-109 with clutch jumpers from Jordan Clarkson off the bench, the Spurs rallied behind Champagnie, who added another two threes to knot the score at 116-116 and set a new franchise record with 11-made shots from beyond the arc. Call it a career night for Champagnie — he scored a game-changing 36 points. Moments later, De’Aaron Fox made a layup that gave the Spurs another lead, 118-116.
— While the Knicks entered the final minute trailing by just a point, poor defense, foul trouble, and missed shots forced the Spurs to the free-throw line and placed them in a six-point hole with just 10 seconds left. Miraculously, McBride drew a foul on a three-point attempt and made each shot at the charity stripe, cutting the Knicks’ deficit to three. But an ensuing jump-ball claimed by the Spurs resulted in a victory-sealing two more points for the Spurs, and even a buzzer-beating three from Brunson was all for naught. Considering the opponent and NBA Cup rematch buildup, this was no ordinary crumble for the Knicks. They entered the night 19-0 when leading after three quarters, too.
— The Knicks found a new way to lose, as a staggering 22-made threes on 52 attempts somehow weren’t enough. The defensive breakdowns were also apparent in the fourth quarter, as they gave up 41 points in the period and struggled to get in the face of Champagnie and others. Overall, the Knicks were outrebounded, 48-40, and charged with 13 more fouls than the Spurs (30-17).
— Contributions from McBride and Clarkson, who combined for 41 points off the bench on 15 of 29 shooting, were proven essential. Why? OG Anunoby was held to a scant nine points, and Diawara failed to score once after his pair of first-quarter threes. Brunson scored a team-best 29 points with eight assists and four rebounds across 36 minutes, while Towns accounted for 20 points in 33 minutes. Mikal Bridges was also quiet, limited to 13 points over 35 minutes.
Game MVP: Julian Champagnie
Champagnie deserves rounds of champagne this New Year’s Eve. The St. John’s product’s game-high 36 points on a record-setting 11 threes simply crushed the Knicks.
Victor Wembanyama left Wednesday’s game between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs with what he said after the game was a hyperextended knee.
The injury requires further testing, but Wembanyama was confident he won’t be sidelined long, if at all.
The injury took place early in the fourth quarter, with the Knicks holding a 102-96 lead. Wembanyama appeared to hyperextend his left knee when landing after securing a rebound. He fell to the floor in pain and needed to be helped up.
He then limped to the locker room.
Victor Wembanyama just went down holding his leg after what looked like a hyperextension on the replay. He limped off the court against the Knicks and has headed to the locker room. All eyes now on the Spurs’ medical update. pic.twitter.com/qBexO85I4x
Wembanyama didn’t return to the game, but he walked to the bench in his warmups with 1:20 remaining and stood while cheering on his teammates.
The Spurs didn’t provide any injury reports, but Wembanyama offered one of his own in a surprise appearance at the postgame podium. Per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, Wembanyama told reporters that he sustained a hyperextended knee.
He added, “I’ll be all right” and that “I expect to be back the next game.”
“I was this close to going back into the game, but they had to hold me back,” Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama said he’ll undergo further testing of the injury on Thursday.
Wembanyama’s injury status is unclear
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson didn’t offer any more information on the injury in his postgame news conference and told reporters before Wembanyama’s update that he hadn’t yet spoken with the Spurs’ medical staff.
“He finished the game on the bench with this teammates,” Johnson said. “That made me feel good. I have no idea know what to say. But it was good to see him walk back out and be able to finish the game on the bench with his teammates.”
Spurs win despite Wemby’s injury
With Wembanyama sidelined, the Spurs rallied from a six-point deficit when he left the game — and a 14-point deficit in the second half — for a 134-132 victory. The win took place two weeks after New York beat San Antonio in the NBA Cup final.
Julian Champagnie led the rally with 36 points while hitting a franchise-record 11 3-pointers on 17 attempts. All of his shots from the field came from beyond the arc.
Wembanyama tallied 31 points, 13 rebounds and 1 block in his most productive all-around game since he returned Dec. 13 from a calf strain that sidelined him for 12 games. The Spurs are certainly hoping he comes back sooner than that from his latest injury.
Victor Wembanyama left Wednesday’s game between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs with what he said after the game was a hyperextended knee.
The injury requires further testing, but Wembanyama was confident he won’t be sidelined long, if at all.
The injury took place early in the fourth quarter, with the Knicks holding a 102-96 lead. Wembanyama appeared to hyperextend his left knee when landing after securing a rebound. He fell to the floor in pain and needed to be helped up.
He then limped to the locker room.
Victor Wembanyama just went down holding his leg after what looked like a hyperextension on the replay. He limped off the court against the Knicks and has headed to the locker room. All eyes now on the Spurs’ medical update. pic.twitter.com/qBexO85I4x
Wembanyama didn’t return to the game, but he walked to the bench in his warmups with 1:20 remaining and stood while cheering on his teammates.
The Spurs didn’t provide any injury reports, but Wembanyama offered one of his own in a surprise appearance at the postgame podium. Per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, Wembanyama told reporters that he sustained a hyperextended knee.
He added, “I’ll be all right” and that “I expect to be back the next game.”
“I was this close to going back into the game, but they had to hold me back,” Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama said he’ll undergo further testing of the injury on Thursday.
Wembanyama’s injury status is unclear
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson didn’t offer any more information on the injury in his postgame news conference and told reporters before Wembanyama’s update that he hadn’t yet spoken with the Spurs’ medical staff.
“He finished the game on the bench with this teammates,” Johnson said. “That made me feel good. I have no idea know what to say. But it was good to see him walk back out and be able to finish the game on the bench with his teammates.”
Spurs win despite Wemby’s injury
With Wembanyama sidelined, the Spurs rallied from a six-point deficit when he left the game — and a 14-point deficit in the second half — for a 134-132 victory. The win took place two weeks after New York beat San Antonio in the NBA Cup final.
Julian Champagnie led the rally with 36 points while hitting a franchise-record 11 3-pointers on 17 attempts. All of his shots from the field came from beyond the arc.
Wembanyama tallied 31 points, 13 rebounds and 1 block in his most productive all-around game since he returned Dec. 13 from a calf strain that sidelined him for 12 games. The Spurs are certainly hoping he comes back sooner than that from his latest injury.
Ben Hammond scored a career-high 30 points to lift Virginia Tech to a 95-85 triple-overtime victory against No. 21 Virginia on Wednesday.
Hammond, who came off the bench, made just 7 of 16 from the floor, but hit 16 of 18 from the free-throw line for the Hokies (12-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast), who have won four games in overtime this season.
Malik Thomas had 26 points for the Cavaliers (11-2, 0-1), who had their six-game winning streak end. Thijs De Ridder scored 22.
There were 17 ties and 20 lead changes in the game. Hammond scored eight points in the third overtime, sparking a 10-1 run that helped the Hokies build a nine-point lead and pull away.
Both teams squandered opportunities to end the game much sooner.
At the end of regulation, both teams missed shots in the final 30 seconds that would have won the game. Then in the first overtime, Virginia led 68-66, but the Hokies’ Christian Gurdak scored on a dunk with about four seconds remaining to force another overtime.
In the second overtime, Virginia Tech led 75-70 with less than 15 seconds remaining. Thomas scored six points on back-to-back possessions before Chance Mallory’s putback at the buzzer tied the game at 78.
Hammond carried the Hokies, who played without injured starters Tobi Lawal and Tyler Johnson and shot just 35% from the floor. Amani Hansberry, Neoklis Avdalas, and Gurdak each had 17 points.
The Cavaliers shot a season-low 36% from the floor, including 10 of 45 on 3-point attempts.
NO. 4 UCONN 90, XAVIER 67
CINCINNATI (AP) — Freshman guard Braylon Mullins made a career-high five 3-pointers and matched his season best with 17 points as UConn beat Xavier.
It was Mullins’ eighth appearance and fourth straight start after missing the first six games with an ankle injury.
Alex Karaban led the Huskies with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Solo Ball scored 17 and Tarris Reed Jr. added 10 points and eight boards. Mullins finished with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
UConn (13-1) improved to 3-0 in Big East play after rolling through a challenging nonconference schedule, losing only to top-ranked Arizona.
Malik Messina-Moore paced Xavier (9-5, 1-2) with 16 points and Roddie Anderson III added 15 off the bench for the Musketeers, who went 4 of 18 (22%) from 3-point range and got outrebounded 42-26.
NO. 6 DUKE 85, GEORGIA TECH 79
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Cameron Boozer had 26 points and 12 rebounds to help Duke hold off Georgia Tech to open Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Isaiah Evans added 17 points for the Blue Devils (12-1), who had fits all day with the Yellow Jackets (9-5). Georgia Tech led 43-39 at the break and by seven early in the second half, then hung close as Duke pushed ahead and came through in multiple late-game possessions to stay in control.
That included Kowacie Reeves Jr. knocking down a 3-pointer that brought the Jackets within 81-78 with 39.1 seconds left. But Boozer responded by calmly knocking down two free throws moments later to again make it a two-possession game, while Evans hit two more with 7.9 seconds left as Duke made its last five free throws to close it out.
This marked the Blue Devils’ first action following an 82-81 loss to now-No. 16 Texas Tech in New York’s Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20. In that game, Duke blew a 17-point, second-half lead and a double-digit margin in the last 6 1/2 minutes. And this wasn’t any easier, with the Blue Devils shooting 40.6% overall, but just 9 of 32 (28.1%) from distance while missing 11 free throws.
Reeves scored 23 points and hit five 3s to lead Georgia Tech, which shot 67.9% in the first half and finished the game at 53.7% — including 10 of 18 from 3-point range.
Georgia Tech has lost 20 of 22 in the series and hasn’t won in Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium since March 2004.
A reflective, grateful and emotional Gary Danielson asked a rhetorical question after sharing his Sun Bowl sign-off message with his expansive CBS team, “How are we going to get off the air?”
The answer to the question came less than 10 seconds later.
As the analyst was searching for the final words of his final college football broadcast to punctuate a 36-year run calling ball, CBS cut him off.
In the corner of the frame, a hand can be seen counting down the final seconds of the farewell to the former Purdue, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns quarterback.
That’s when Danielson appeared to call an audible.
“Sometimes you can say, how do you get off? Danielson said before pointing to his producer and adding, “This guy right here.”
Abruptly, CBS went to commercial break, wrapping the broadcast. Hard outs are part of live TV, and Danielson of course knows that, but that ad interruption brought an untimely end to an otherwise beautiful tribute to one of the greatest voices in college football history.
Minutes earlier, Danielson — flanked by play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler and sideline reporter Jenny Dell — heard about and watched back some of the great moments during his illustrious career in the booth.
“To have done it with somebody that is unmatched in what you do has been a privilege,” Nessler said. “It’s been an honor. I’m going to miss you. Our team’s going to miss you. Our crew’s going to miss you. CBS is going to miss you.
“And damn it, college football’s going to miss you, buddy.”
Danielson has been part of CBS’ top college football broadcasting pair since 2006 and is a six-time Emmy nominee.
A mainstay in the afternoon slot, he became a staple in SEC coverage and lately had expanded his footprint to the Big Ten with CBS.
“Everybody says, what do you want to be remembered as? That’s cool, but it’s what I want to remember. And this is the stuff I remember,” Danielson said as a slideshow of pictures rolled, documenting his time with his coworkers at CBS.
Those weren’t his final words on air. But maybe they should be the ones we remember.
