Giannis, Bucks Top Shorthanded Bulls; Morant, Grizzlies Beat Nuggets
  | Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped up on primetime Friday night, helping his Milwaukee Bucks knock the Chicago Bulls out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 94-90 home victory. The Greek Freak had 30 points and 12 rebounds, as his team was able to move past a Grayson Allen ejection in a defensive battle. Both teams shot below 40% on the night and each had their worst three-point shooting percentage of the season. The Bulls shot just 18.4% from beyond the arc, while the Bucks were not much better at 19.4% from downtown. DeMar DeRozan added to that by missing a potential go-ahead three-pointer with 23 seconds left, but he did finish with 35 points in the loss for the road team. Khris Middleton sealed the win with two free throws with 15.8 seconds left on a night that saw the Bulls playing without Lonzo Ball or Zach LaVine for a fourth straight game. The Memphis Grizzlies keep proving that they know how to win games this season just as well as anyone else in the West, as they earned a solid road win, 122-118, over the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Ja Morant led the way with 38 points to help the Grizzlies overcome Nikola Jokic's fourth straight triple-double of 26 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds. The Grizzlies' star fell six points shy of his career high and added six rebounds and six assists in Memphis's 32nd victory of the season, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 points, including a clutch three-pointer with 41 seconds left that put them up by four. De'Anthony Melton also stepped up with 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench in the win, as the Grizzlies moved to 2-2 since their 11-game winning streak came to an end. Will Barton contributed 27 points and eight assists for the home team, who could not make it two in a row after a thrilling overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this week. Other key scores saw Steph Curry nail his first-career game-winning shot at the buzzer to help the Golden State Warriors avoid another upset at home with a 105-103 win over the Houston Rockets. Fred VanVleet's late three-pointer lifted the Toronto Raptors over the Washington Wizards, 109-105. The Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to edge the Philadelphia 76ers, 102-101. And James Harden's triple-double powered the Brooklyn Nets past the San Antonio Spurs, 117-102, and in to first place in the East. |
Cousins Joining Nuggets on 10-Day Deal
 | The Denver Nuggets are bringing on some veteran presence for at least the short term, signing center DeMarcus Cousins to a 10-day contract on Friday morning. The two sides had been in conversations for two weeks, and this 10-day deal will feature six games for him, starting Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. The 31-year-old was recently on a short deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds over 17 games. He most recently played on January 6th, posting 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals, but the Bucks would not give him a deal for the rest of the year. The four-time All-Star will be looking for that guaranteed deal from another playoff contender in the Nuggets, and he does bring some solid productivity, averaging 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game over his 13-year NBA career. |
Michigan State Earns Ranked Road Win; Maryland Upsets Illinois
  | The 14th-ranked Michigan State Spartans overcame last week's home upset against Northwestern by going on the road Friday night and taking out the eighth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers, 86-74. Malik Hall scored 14 points to lead the way for the Spartans, who put an end to the Badgers' seven-game winning streak. Max Christie, Tyson Walker, and A.J. Hoggard all added 12 points apiece for a Spartans team that shot 53% from the floor, making 29 of their 55 shots on the night. It was their first game since falling to the Wildcats at home six days ago, and they moved in to first place in the Big Ten at 6-2 in conference play and 15-3 overall. Johnny Davis led the Badgers with 25 points, while Brad Davison added 22 in the loss, as they were held to just 26 first half points and trailed by 16 through 20 minutes. Staying in the Big Ten Conference, the Maryland Terrapins took advantage of the 17th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini not having Kofi Cockburn to earn an 81-65 upset victory at home. Donta Scott stepped up with a career-high 25 points, as the Terrapins took advantage of the big man being out by outscoring the Illini in the paint, 40-16, as well as in the free throw department, 21-8. Cockburn missed this game due to a concussion and his team dropped their second straight contest since a six-game winning streak, falling to 6-2 in Big Ten play. Alfonso Plummer led the way in a losing effort with 18 points, this after he had a big effort despite a double overtime loss to Purdue last Monday afternoon. Illinois has not won at Maryland since 2011, and the Terrapins improved to 4-0 against Illinois since joining the Big Ten Conference. Despite this win, Maryland still sits at just 2-6 in conference play, but did get over .500 overall at 10-9. |
Grant, Ducks Rout Lightning; DeAngelo Helps 'Canes Double-Up Rangers
  | The Anaheim Ducks shifted themselves in to second place in the Pacific Division on Friday night, blowing past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-1, on their home ice. Derek Grant scored twice, while John Gibson made 32 saves in net, helping the home team snap a four-game losing streak. Kevin Shattenkirk and Vinni Lettieri both added a goal and an assist, while Nicolas Deslaurier had a short-handed empty-netter with 7:37 to play, putting the final nail in the coffin. Ross Colton was the only Tampa Bay player to find the back of the net, as Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves, but the Lightning saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. This was the first meeting between these two teams since January 31st, 2020, and the Ducks were able to overcome consecutive shutout losses, but they have won just three games over their past 12. Tony DeAngelo led the offensive charge for the red hot Carolina Hurricanes, posting a goal and two assists against his former team in their 6-3 home win over the New York Rangers. DeAngelo spent four seasons with the Rangers before signing with the Hurricanes this past off-season, this after New York moved on from him after he had a confrontation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev. Sebastian Aho added a goal and two assist of his own, while Vincent Trocheck, Seth Jarvis, and Nino Niederreiter all scored as well in the first meeting of the season between these two teams. They came in to play as the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division, and they leave that way, but this time with the Hurricanes sitting in first place. Frederik Andersen made 20 saves in net for the 'Canes, who won their third straight. Georgiev did get the start for the Rangers and made 29 saves in his first game in over a week. Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider each scored on the power play in the Rangers' 11th regulation loss, and they sure are missing DeAngelo, who has seven goals and 24 assists, good for 31 points, which is the most points through the first 30 games in Carolina's franchise history. Other key scores saw Sidney Crosby complete the hat trick in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ryan Hartman scored twice to lead the Minnesota Wild over the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-1. And Aleksander Barkov netted the game-winner in the shootout to lift the Florida Panthers past the Vancouver Canucks, 2-1. |
Cowboys' Randy Gregory to Undergo Knee Surgery
 | The Dallas Cowboys announced on Friday morning that defensive end Randy Gregory will undergo surgery on his left knee on Friday. This news comes after Gregory played in all 13 of the 18 games, including the playoffs, this season, but this was an injury that was bothering him throughout the year. He did miss one game due to COVID-19 and then four when he was placed on injured reserve with a calf strain, but none because of this ailment. The defensive star is on pace to be an unrestricted free agent come March, and is expected to be cleared in time for the off-season program. 2021 was also the first year since 2015 that he did not deal with any suspensions, and Gregory finished second on the team with six sacks and third with 30 pressures. He also added 16 tackles, three forced fumbles, and an interception, this after re-singing with the Cowboys last off-season. |
