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NBA roundup: Nikola Jokic's return sparks Nuggets past Clippers

NBA: Los Angeles Clippers at Denver NuggetsJan 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) is fouled by Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller (22) in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Nikola Jokic returned from a 16-game absence to produce 31 points and 12 rebounds, leading the host Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers 122-109 on Friday night.

Jokic, who had been sidelined since sustaining a left knee injury at Miami on Dec. 29, shot 13-for-17 from the foul line to help Denver win its second in a row. The Nuggets went 10-6 while he was out.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points, Peyton Watson contributed 21 and Jamal Murray finished with 20 points for Denver.

The Clippers were led by James Harden, who recorded 25 points and nine assists. Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points as Los Angeles saw its three-game win streak end.

Lakers 142, Wizards 111

Luka Doncic punctuated his sixth triple-double of the season with 37 points as visiting Los Angeles rolled past Washington.

Doncic showed no ill effects from the injury he sustained when falling off Cleveland’s elevated court on Wednesday, reaching a triple-double by halftime with 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He finished with 13 assists and 11 boards.

Los Angeles’ Deandre Ayton posted 28 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while LeBron James chipped in 20 points and six assists. Malaki Branham scored 17 points as the Wizards failed in a bid for their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Celtics 112, Kings 93

Payton Pritchard tossed in a game-high 29 points and Neemias Queta had 10 points and 15 rebounds to lead Boston to a victory over visiting Sacramento.

Pritchard made 12 of 16 shots from the field, including 5 of 6 3-point attempts. Anfernee Simons and Baylor Scheierman each added 16 points for the Celtics, who didn’t have leading scorer Jaylen Brown (hamstring/knee).

Zach LaVine scored 17 points and Maxime Raynaud logged 14 points and 14 rebounds, but the Kings lost their eighth game in a row.

Knicks 127, Trail Blazers 97

Karl-Anthony Towns posted 14 points and 20 rebounds New York, which continued surging with a wire-to-wire win over visiting Portland.

Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 26 points for the Knicks, who ended the month with five straight wins following a 2-9 skid that began Dec. 31. OG Anunoby (24 points) and Josh Hart (20) also contributed to New York’s offense.

Shaedon Sharpe scored 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who concluded a winless three-game East Coast road trip as they lost their fourth straight overall.

Pistons 131, Warriors 124

Cade Cunningham scored 29 points and handed out 11 assists as Detroit withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat Golden State in San Francisco.

Jalen Duren added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, who earned their third win four games. Duncan Robinson scored 15 points on five 3-pointers.

Golden State star Stephen Curry exited the game late in the third quarter due to right knee soreness and did not return. He scored a team-high 23 points.

Magic 130, Raptors 120

Desmond Bane scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and sank a season-best seven 3-pointers, lifting host Orlando to a victory over Toronto.

Anthony Black scored 25 points and hit all 14 of his free-throw attempts for the Magic, who outscored the Raptors 44-21 in the fourth quarter. Wendell Carter Jr. chipped in with 23 points and seven rebounds.

Brandon Ingram led all scorers with 35 points, while Scottie Barnes totaled 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocks, but Toronto’s road winning streak ended at four games.

Suns 126, Cavaliers 113

Dillon Brooks scored 17 of his 27 points in Phoenix’s 45-point third quarter as the host Suns handled Cleveland.

Jordan Goodwin put up 17 points and made five 3-pointers while Collin Gillespie added 16 points for the Suns, who won their third straight. Phoenix sank a season-high 23 3-pointers in 48 attempts.

De’Andre Hunter scored 17 points and Donovan Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson added 16 points each for the Cavaliers, who had won a season-high five straight. Mitchell committed eight turnovers.

Pelicans 114, Grizzlies 106

Rookie Derik Queen scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out seven assists as New Orleans turned a dominant third quarter into a victory over visiting Memphis.

Saddiq Bey added 22 points and eight rebounds and Zion Williamson scored 21 as the Pelicans defeated the Grizzlies for the second time in eight days, marking their third win in four games overall.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Cam Spencer each scored 16 points for the Grizzlies, who have lost five in a row.

Nets 109, Jazz 99

Egor Demin scored 25 points and collected 10 rebounds to lead Brooklyn past Utah in Salt Lake City.

Cam Thomas added 21 points to help the Nets end a seven-game losing streak. Day’Ron Sharpe chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds.

Keyonte George posted 26 points and seven assists while Kyle Filipowski had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost their fifth straight game and fell to 1-9 in their past 10.

–Field Level Media

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David Kelly named executive director of NBPA

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Boston CelticsJan 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A basketball goes through the hoop before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

David Kelly was elected the next executive director of the National Basketball Players Association.

Kelly, who has been the NBPA’s managing director and general counsel since February 2025, will succeed Andre Iguodala, who will step down from the position at the end of his term in July, the union announced Friday.

“David Kelly is a transformational leader and one of the most respected legal minds in the game,” Iguodala said. “I am pleased the players recognize he is the right person to unapologetically fight for them.”

Kelly, who came to the NBPA after working on the business and legal side for the Golden State Warriors, served as a close adviser to Iguodala and NBPA president Fred VanVleet while overseeing all legal matters and the strategic direction of the organization

“I am honored that the players have trusted me to lead this next chapter alongside our dedicated executive committee,” Kelly said. “The energy and momentum Andre has built has created an incredible opportunity for our players.”

Kelly’s tenure as executive director could include overseeing the addition of expansion franchises and leading the union through the collective bargaining agreement with team owners, which is set to expire in 2030 but could come up earlier as either side can opt out in 2029. During part of his time with the Warriors, Kelly managed the team’s salary cap and oversaw all matters related to the CBA.

–Field Level Media

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Cal's sweet shooting earns ACC win at Boston College

NCAA Basketball: California at Florida StateJan 28, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; California Golden Bears forward Chris Bell (22) during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Chris Bell scored a game-high 22 points to help visiting Cal end a two-game losing streak by beating Boston College 86-75 Saturday.

Bell made 6 of 10 3-point attempts. Cal (18-8, 6-7 ACC) shot 30 of 54 from the field in the win, which included 14 of 29 (48.3%) from 3-point range.

Dai Dai Ames and John Camden each finished with 15 points for the Bears, who never trailed in the game. Camden also had a game-high nine rebounds.

Fred Payne led Boston College (9-16, 2-10 ACC) with 16 points and five rebounds, but the Eagles’ losing streak reached six games. Boston College hasn’t won since it beat Pittsburgh 65-62 on Jan. 21.

Chase Forte scored 14 points while Jayden Hastings added 12 points and eight rebounds and Luka Toews notched 12 points and five assists for Boston College.

The Eagles played without No. 2 scorer Donald Hand Jr., who sustained a knee injury during the first half of Wednesday night’s 70-64 loss to Stanford. Hand, in his fourth season with Boston College, started each of his team’s first 24 games and averaged 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds.

Cal used a 9-0 run to take a 15-4 lead 6:11 into the contest. Boston College has trailed by double digits during the first half in 12 of its 25 games.

Cal had a 43-23 advantage with 1:49 left in the first half, but Boston College scored the final five points in the half to trail 43-28 at the break. Cal made 7 of its 16 3-point attempts in the first 20 minutes while turning eight Boston College turnovers into 10 points.

The Eagles trimmed their deficit to 11 points when a Forte free throw made it 66-55 with 8:09 to play, but they failed to get closer than nine the rest of the way. After a Toews jumper cut Cal’s lead to 80-71, Camden answered with a 3-pointer that put the Bears up 83-71 with 1:55 left.

–Field Level Media

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Karolina Muchova collects first WTA title since 2019 in Doha

Syndication: Desert SunKarolina Muchova serves to Iga Swiatek on Stadium 1 during their round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

For the first time since 2019, Karolina Muchova is a champion on the WTA Tour.

The 29-year-old Czech Republic native earned a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Canada’s Victoria Mboko in the Qatar Open final on Saturday in Doha.

Muchova, the tournament’s No. 14 seed, converted three of eight break points to claim her first win in a WTA 1000 event and her second overall — joining the 2019 Korea Open title on her resume.

“It’s been a while since I won a tournament,” Muchova said while receiving her trophy after the match. “So it’s nice to get that feeling again, to be reminded of that victory feeling again.”

Muchova needed 94 minutes to complete the victory as she won 79% of her first serves compared to Mboko’s 57%. Muchova was particularly on point in the first set, when she earned points on 18 of her 21 first serves while allowing Mboko no chances to break her.

Muchova improved her WTA ranking from 19th to 11th with the win.

The 19-year-old Mboko entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed and 13th in the world rankings. She was playing in her first tourney since reaching the Australian Open’s round of 16, where she lost to top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka.

Mboko secured enough points to climb to 10th in the WTA rankings. She knocked off No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia on her way to the finals.

“It’s not the outcome I wanted,” said Mboko, who was competing in her fourth WTA final and second at the 1000 level. “But I think there’s many positives to take away.”

Muchova, who has battled through injuries in recent years, including a February 2024 wrist surgery that caused her to miss ten months, praised her opponent.

“I’d like to congratulate Victoria,” Muchova said on the court after the match. “You’re still a teenager but you play with so much maturity. I’m sure you have many titles ahead of you.”

Mboko was the only seeded player Muchova faced during the tournament as top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland fell in Thursday’s quarterfinals to Greece’s unseeded Maria Sakkari. No. 3 seed Amanda Anisimova retired in the third set of Round 2 on Monday while No. 4 seed Coco Gauff lost in straight sets to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Round 2 on Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

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