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Hot-shooting Suns return home to face in-flux Warriors

NBA: Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail BlazersFeb 3, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23) recognizes teammate guard Collin Gillespie (12) during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns return home Thursday following a career performance from Collin Gillespie to face a Golden State Warriors team in a state of flux since the loss of All-Star Jimmy Butler.

How much flux will be determined by the NBA trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET Thursday.

The Warriors have the best offer on the table for Milwaukee two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN, while franchise stalwart Draymond Green has acknowledged that he could be dealt as Golden State looks to find a way through Butler’s season-ending knee injury.

“This is probably the first time I would say, since I have been here, that his name has been mentioned in trade talks,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said of Green, a part of four championship teams. “It’s different, but it’s also part of the league.”

Green had six points and seven rebounds in what might have been his last home game with Golden State, a 113-94 loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Warriors also played without Stephen Curry, who has missed two of the last four games with right knee soreness.

Golden State has lost two in a row and five of seven, and Kerr alluded to the possibility of trade rumors affecting the team’s performance.

“When you coach a team, you can almost predict when things are going to go well and when they are going to go poorly,” Kerr said. “Just overall health, mood, vibe. This was not a good vibe for us.

“It doesn’t matter what the trade chatter is. It’s everyone’s job to bring the energy, bring the fight. It’s about competing for 48 (minutes) for 82 games. That’s the most disappointing thing.”

The Warriors have won two of three against the Suns this season, but Kerr said lineup changes will be made for their final meeting. Golden State started its 23rd different combination Tuesday when the team was outscored 55-39 in the second half.

“The group to start the game, and the second half, couldn’t score,” Kerr said. “With Steph out, Jimmy out, we’re going to have to sort through some of these combinations and rotations.”

Jonathan Kuminga (knee) missed his fifth game Tuesday, and his future with the team is uncertain.

Gillespie had a career-high 30 points and tied a career high with eight 3-pointers while handing out 10 assists as the Suns overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the host Portland Trail Blazers 130-125 on Tuesday.

Phoenix has won four of five and seven of 10. The Suns would move a season-high 12 games over .500 with a win over the Warriors in the first of a four-game homestand.

“They were in drop coverage, so we were just taking what they were giving us,” Gillespie said on NBC. “Simple screens and come off it and let it fly. We have a lot of guys who can really shoot the ball.”

Phoenix made 20 of 41 3-pointers against the Blazers, with Gillespie going 8 of 14 and Grayson Allen going 6 of 11 from distance. The Suns have made 20, 19 and a season-high 23 3-pointers in their last three games without Devin Booker (ankle).

Booker is not expected to play Thursday, and Jalen Green (hip, hamstring) is questionable.

“He’s an unselfish superstar in this league,” Gillespie said of Booker, “and we miss him. But when he is out, guys have to step up. I’m always going to look for my shot. I feel like if I get going, it’ll get everybody else shots.”

–Field Level Media

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KJ Lewis helps Georgetown upend Creighton for fourth straight win

Syndication: The Indianapolis StarGeorgetown Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley reacts to a call Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, during a basketball game between the Butler Bulldogs and the Georgetown Hoyas at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

KJ Lewis scored 22 and Malik Mack had 20 as Georgetown won its fourth straight, beating Creighton 76-68 on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C.

Vince Iwuchukwu posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Hoyas (13-10, 5-7 Big East) matched their longest conference regular season winning streak since 2015. Caleb Williams added seven points and 10 rebounds as Georgetown won despite shooting 34.9% and not making a field goal over the final 4:04.

Jasen Green scored 12 points to lead Creighton (12-11, 6-6) which has now lost a season-worst three straight. Nick Graves and Fedor Zugic each added 11 as the Bluejays shot 24.2% (8 of 33) from 3-point range. Creighton committed 16 turnovers, one short of a season-high.

Georgetown took control during a 12-0 run early in the second half that started with a Mack 3-pointer and ended on a dunk by Iwuchukwu to give the Hoyas a 45-34 lead with 15:45 remaining. Iwuchukwu scored 12 points in the second half.

Creighton trailed virtually all of the second half but closed to within 74-68 after a Zugic 3-pointer with 36.5 seconds remaining. Lewis sank a pair of free throws to close it out. Georgetown shot 24 of 33 from the free throw line as Lewis and Mack combined to go 21 for 25. Creighton shot 6 of 10 from the charity stripe.

After Creighton needed overtime in the first matchup with Georgetown to escape with an 86-83 victory on Jan. 13, the first half in the rematch was much of the same. There were four ties and six lead changes as neither team led by more than four with the Bluejays taking a 29-27 lead into halftime.

Creighton took their halftime lead on a Graves jumper as time expired as the Bluejays connected on six of their final seven shots, hitting 48.3% from the field despite going 1 for 11 from 3-point range.

Green had 10 points before the break to lead Creighton. Georgetown struggled from the field in shooting 26.5% but made 5 of 12 3-pointers to stay in the game. Creighton outscored Georgetown 22-6 in the paint as the Hoyas missed 11 layups.

–Field Level Media

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Anthony Edwards' 4th-quarter explosion carries Wolves past Raptors

NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Toronto RaptorsFeb 4, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) dribbles against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the second quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves came back to defeat the Toronto Raptors 128-126.

Reserve Bones Hyland added 20 points as Minnesota rallied with a 12-2 run in the last 3 1/2 minutes.

Jaden McDaniels scored 19 points, Naz Reid contributed 17 points off the bench, Julius Randle tallied 17 points and Donte DiVincenzo scored 15 points for the Timberwolves, who have won five of their past six. Rudy Gobert logged 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Timberwolves had lost on their 20 previous trips to Toronto.

Brandon Ingram scored 25 points and Immanuel Quickley scored 23 for the Raptors, who have split the opening two games of a five-game homestand.

Toronto’s Scottie Barnes added 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 14 points while RJ Barrett and Collin Murray-Boyles each scored 13.

The Raptors led by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, but Minnesota soon reduced that to three points when Reid drained a 3-pointer with 8:25 to play.

The Timberwolves were down 113-111 after Randle’s layup with 5:40 to go, and Edwards made a free throw to cut the margin to one.

Minnesota led by one after a steal and a running dunk by Edwards with two minutes to play. The Timberwolves’ advantage reached four with 1:04 remaining on Edwards’ fadeaway jumper. Another Edwards steal set up a McDaniels’ dunk with 15.4 seconds left, and Minnesota was up by five.

Toronto led 35-32 after a free-wheeling first quarter.

Minnesota opened the second quarter with an 8-3 burst capped by Hyland’s consecutive 3-pointers.

The Raptors responded with an 11-0 run to lead 49-40 after a Barrett three-point play. Toronto stretched the lead to 11 with 5:30 to go against Minnesota’s indifferent defending on four straight points by Murray-Boyles.

Quickley finished the first half with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 72-59.

The Raptors kept up their fast pace and scored the first five points of the third quarter. Edwards made a three-point play with 6:10 to play, shrinking the gap to eight as Minnesota improved at getting back on defense.

Toronto went up by 16 when Barnes banked in a floater with 1:12 remaining in the third. Reid finished the period with back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting the Raptors’ lead to 104-94.

–Field Level Media

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Jaylin Sellers comes up big as Providence tops Butler in double-OT

NCAA Basketball: Butler at ProvidenceFeb 4, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Providence Friars guard Stefan Vaaks (7) shoots over Butler Bulldogs center Drayton Jones (13) at the buzzer during the first half at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Jaylin Sellers scored 27 of his game-high 36 points after halftime as Providence edged past visiting Butler for a 97-87 win in Big East play on Wednesday night.

Sellers finished 11-for-20 from the field and had six 3-pointers to lead Providence (10-13, 3-9 Big East), which had lost its first four overtime games this season. Stefan Vaaks scored 10 of his 20 points at the free-throw line, while Ryan Mela had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double.

The Friars went more than 2:30 without a made field goal in the first overtime before Nilavan Daniels’ go-ahead corner trey with 17.8 seconds left. Then, Butler’s Michael Ajayi made one free throw to force another period.

In the second extra session, Duncan Powell’s 3-point play fueled Providence’s opening 10-0 run to take its largest lead and never looked back. Sellers scored eight in that period alone.

Finley Bizjack scored 30 points with five assists and Ajayi added 20 points for Butler (13-10, 4-8).

Butler led for the final 3:09 of the first half to take a 34-32 score into the break, thanks to two 6-0 runs in the latter half of the period. Bizjack scored seven of the Bulldogs’ first eight points.

Providence scored an 8-2 run out of halftime, including five straight points from Vaaks, to take a 40-36 lead. Following a back-and-forth segment, multiple turnovers led to an Ajayi dunk and Bizjack transition layup during an 8-1 Butler response.

After Sellers’ game-tying 3-point play with 10:43 left, Ajayi responded with back-to-back buckets and scored all eight during another 8-2 run that put Butler up 60-54.

A Sellers 3-pointer and Jamier Jones jumper made up a quick 5-0 Providence run, but Evan Haywood hit his second triple from the corner to give the visitors a 66-61 lead before the final timeout.

Bizjack made a driving assist to set up a Yohan Traore 3-point play. Sellers later made a 5-0 run by himself, knocking down a long trey with 55 seconds left for a 72-71 Friar lead.

After Haywood’s runner flipped Butler back in front, missed free throws on both sides — one by Vaaks and two on one trip by Bizjack within the final 20 seconds — loomed large and forced overtime.

–Field Level Media

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