Knicks doomed by cold shooting in disjointed loss to Cavaliers: 'An ugly game'

While the anticipation for a primetime heavyweight bout was warranted, the Knicks never came close to resembling a threat to the Cavaliers with crucial playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference at stake.

The fatal combination of poor three-point shooting, costly turnovers, and jumbled defense knocked the Knicks out early on Tuesday night at Rocket Arena, and head coach Mike Brown didn't bother to describe the 109-94 loss with any fancy adjectives. He cut right to the chase.

"An ugly game, obviously. We didn't do much right defensively, we didn't do much right offensively," Brown said. "Our turnovers in the first half really put a damper on things we were trying to do... We had some decent looks throughout the course of the game, but we couldn't knock a shot down."

Held below 100 points for just the sixth time this season, the Knicks couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc, and that start-to-finish cold spell heavily influenced their pace and cohesion. They shot a measly 27 percent from three (10 of 37), their fourth-worst mark of the 2025-26 campaign.

To make matters worse, the Knicks struggled to score from anywhere on the floor during the third quarter, as the Cavaliers held them to a season-low 11 points. It was the Knicks' worst shooting quarter (3 of 20) since 2018, and also their worst third-quarter points output since 2022.

"One of the things we have to do better, especially offensively, is play with pace," Brown said. "Our pace isn't good. We have to do a better job of getting to the corners, we have to do a better job of playing with pace in the frontcourt."

Now, the turnovers. The Knicks committed 11 in the first half, finishing with 16 that produced 17 points in transition from the Cavaliers. The sloppiness disrupted their rhythm and thwarted any chance of a late comeback -- akin to what the Knicks showed the same Cavaliers on Christmas Day.

Rightfully so, the Knicks directed most of their attention toward stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who combined for a tolerable 43 points. But they didn't have much of a plan for Jarrett Allen, who caused fits down low with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brown didn't see the Knicks defending "on a string," with sharp attention to the Cavaliers' ball movement.

Jalen Brunson scored a quiet 20 points on 6 of 19 shooting, and Mitchell Robinson was the Knicks' lone bright spot with 16 boards -- eight came on offense -- and 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

But the most confounding performance belonged to Karl-Anthony Towns. Despite scoring 14 points, he attempted just a single shot in the second half, finishing a perfect 5-for-5, and was responsible for five giveaways. A far cry from the stellar 28-point, 11-rebound double-double he delivered against the Bulls on Sunday.

"There were some things we could've done better defensively, but our offense was non-existent, in terms of pace, the ability to touch the paint, and spray the ball," Brown said. "All that stuff came to play in that third quarter."

Now tied with the Cavaliers for third in the East playoff picture -- although New York has the tiebreaker -- the Knicks (37-22) will wrap up their brief Midwest road trip on Friday night against the Bucks. They're 2-2 since the All-Star break, and of their five-worst shooting displays from three this season, three have come in February.

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Golden Nuggets: Would it be a 49ers offseason without a gnarly contract dispute?

49ers, Trent Williams locked in contract dispute that reportedly could end in his release (paywall)
“The 49ers have little financial incentive to part with Williams. The 49ers would earn $4.69 million in salary cap space by releasing Williams, but such a move would trigger a $34.15 million dead-money charge.

In addition, the 49ers don’t have a replacement on the roster after not drafting an offensive tackle since 2021. Their top option is Austen Pleasants, 28, who has been waived eight times since he went undrafted in 2020.

It’s possible the 49ers haven’t made heir-apparent plans because they have confidence that Williams can reach his oft-stated longevity goal. Williams wants to join a select group of by playing in 2028 when he’s 40. Only six offensive linemen have played into their 40s since 1925: Andrew Whitworth, Jason Peters, Jackie Slater, Bruce Matthews, Jeff Van Note and Ray Brown.” 

Five offensive linemen 49ers could target at pick No. 27 in 2026 NFL Draft
“Iheanachor got a late start in football because he focused on basketball earlier in his early high school days. Those movement skills are necessary for success in the 49ers’ blocking scheme. 

Again, Iheanachor does not check all the boxes because he played right tackle in college. The 49ers need someone to protect Brock Purdy’s blindside. 

He improved his stock with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl against top competition, an indication his game is on the rise.”  

Five top edge rusher prospects 49ers could target at No. 27 in 2026 NFL Draft
“Assuming they hold onto the 27th pick in the draft, the 49ers likely will not have the opportunity to draft such players as Arvell Reese (Ohio State), David Bailey (Texas Tech), Rueben Bain (Miami) and Keldric Faulk (Auburn).” 

49ers GM John Lynch speaks at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine
“San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Here’s everything he had to say.” 

49ers select ‘most natural left tackle prospect’ in Bucky Brooks’ latest mock draft
“The most natural left tackle prospect in the draft could give the 49ers an enviable long-term plan at the crucial position,” Brooks wrote. “Lomu’s nimble feet and quick hands would make him the perfect eventual replacement for Trent Williams on the blind side.” 

The War Room: It’s Combine Week (paywall)
“Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State: This is one of the sharpest running backs I’ve watched. He has an elite tempo to his runs. He handles small spaces in flow, and follows his blockers with outrageous patience and intelligence. He might not have the top-tier measurables, but I think he’s quick enough. On early watch, this is a guy who can start Day 1.

Chris Brazzell III, WR, Tennessee: He’s WR2 for me right now, and that’s from someone who is typically lower on big receivers. He has no business moving the way he does at 6’5” and while he’s not a wide-framed player, he blocks his tail off. His deceleration is astonishing. His route distribution at Tennessee didn’t allow him to show off his full tree, but I see the route craft and movement skills. He also Mosses people. The only thing I really dislike is his inability to toe tap. He’s lazy/inconsistent dragging his feet along the sidelines a la Brian Thomas Jr. last year.” 

49ers add developmental prospect in Mel Kiper’s latest 2026 mock draft
“From an analytics standpoint, Proctor closed his collegiate career on a strong note. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted career-best marks in 2025 with an 86.1 overall offensive grade, an 81.1 run-blocking grade, and an 84.2 pass-blocking grade. He surrendered 21 pressures and two sacks across 611 pass-blocking snaps.

At 6-foot-7 and 366 pounds, Proctor possesses rare size, so the upside is apparent.

“So, Proctor could develop in Year 1 while kicking inside to guard and/or playing a swing tackle role before perhaps taking over for Williams in 2027,” Kiper added. “He has 40 career starts — all at left tackle — and is reliable in pass protection. This would be an upside pick for GM John Lynch.”

Will QB Mac Jones be on the 49ers’ roster next season? 
“Among those who could be in need of a quarterback, Jones would make the most sense in Minnesota, Miami and Arizona, all of whom employ head coaches or offensive coordinators with a background running at least a version of Shanahan’s offensive scheme. 

While Jones won’t have full say in a potential trade, his relationship with the Niners is strong enough that if multiple offers were on the table, he’d get some say in where he lands. And it’s a safe bet that his preference would be to land in a place that most closely resembles what he’s had in San Francisco both culturally and in terms of offensive system.” 

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NFL could be headed for expanded relationship with YouTube for game broadcasts

Bar patrons watch the YouTube TV telecast of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers on September 05, 2025 in Buffalo, New York.

Football fans better be ready to watch more games on YouTube in the future. 

The platform is the favorite to land a four-game slate of regular-season contests that the NFL kept as part of an equity deal with ESPN, Sports Business Journal reported. 

The report dubbed YouTube the “early leader” for the package, though there are still several parties reportedly interested in it. 

The four games in the package were part of the recently greenlit deal between ESPN and the NFL that will see the former take ownership of NFL Network while the league gets a 10 percent stake in ESPN.

Bar patrons watch the YouTube TV telecast of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers on September 05, 2025 in Buffalo, New York. Getty Images

It wasn’t immediately clear what games would be part of the package, though one could envision that some of the league’s international games could end up on the digital platform. 

“Beyond an international element, other games that could go to YouTube could be for exclusive windows elsewhere on the calendar, such as later in the season when streamers such as Peacock or ESPN+ have picked up games in the past,” Sports Business Journal wrote. “Other sources have told SBJ that the NFL could be interested in expanding its Black Friday slate, which has been a sole Prime Video game thus far.”

The slate of games would signal a growing relationship between the NFL and YouTube as digital platforms and streaming services become more prominent when it comes to the NFL’s media rights deals. 

The NFL aired its first game on YouTube this past season when the Chargers and Chiefs played during Week 1 in Brazil. 

The game drew an audience of 18.5 million viewers in the United States. 

There were an additional 1.1 million fans who tuned in abroad to watch the Chargers defeat the Chiefs.

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Could JJ Redick become ‘next Pat Riley’ for Lakers?

Feb 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick at a press conference at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images NBA: Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers

As JJ Redick prepared to coach the Lakers against the Celtics on Sunday, Pat Riley was being honored outside of Crypto.com Arena with the team’s first statue of a coach. 

The franchise’s past and present had collided, with the 41-year-old hot shot hoping to one day mirror the accomplishments of the 80-year-old legend. 

Ever since Redick was hired to take over the Lakers’ helm in June 2024, he has drawn comparisons to Riley. 

Luka Doncic talks to JJ Redick against the New Orleans Pelicans. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

They’re both former players. After they retired, they both became broadcasters. Riley hardly had any coaching experience (two years as a Lakers assistant from 1979-81) before being handed one of the most prestigious jobs in the league in 1981. Redick had no coaching experience. They both have strikingly slick personas. 

And they both were tasked with leading the team through major transitions. Riley helped the Lakers pass the baton from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Magic Johnson, while Redick is overseeing the Lakers’ passing of the guard from LeBron James to Luka Doncic. 

When Redick was hired, he knew the franchise was hoping he’d fill the Armani shoes of the legendary coach. The question on everyone’s mind was obvious: Could he be the next Pat Riley? 

“Pat, to me, sort of set the standard for modern NBA coaches,” Redick said.

For Riley, the respect is reciprocated.

“He’s a fiery guy,” Riley said of Redick. “He could shoot the hell out of the ball. He was tough as nails, you know. I don’t know. Sometimes I look back and I remember myself at that time and I looked at JJ and I think they picked the right person. There’s just a quality about him I think that goes above and beyond.”

Redick is still evolving into who he is as a coach. He’s still finding his style. His voice. But this much is for sure: He’s an incredibly hard worker. His basketball IQ is respected by everyone in the locker room. After games, Redick locks himself in a dark basement and pores over film. He’s a basketball sicko.

He undoubtedly can be described as intense, a quality for which Riley was infamous.

Magic Johnson gave a handful of reporters a glimpse into how Riley ran his teams after the 8-foot, 510-pound statue of his former coach was unveiled in a star-studded ceremony Sunday.

“He didn’t let us take a day off or a play off or a moment off,” Johnson said. 

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick speaks with the team during the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers. Getty Images

Johnson praised Riley for his masterful in-game adjustments, calling him “a visionary.” He also pointed out how much courage it took for Riley to make Johnson the team’s No. 1 offensive option while he was still sharing a uniform with Abdul-Jabbar, who turned 35 in Riley’s first season as Lakers head coach. 

“Hold on, wait a minute, huh?” Johnson recalled his reaction being at the time. “A dude who was the greatest player at that time that ever played the game and you’re going to go to him and say somebody else is going to take the bulk of the offense now?”

Johnson called Riley fearless and extremely tough. 

He’d make the Lakers run for 40 minutes straight at practices. He’d make them do three-man weaves without letting the ball touch the ground. Over the summer, he’d send each player a letter telling them how much he wanted them to weigh. Then he’d weigh them publicly when they reported to training camp. 

Riley especially knew how to get under Johnson’s skin. He’d show him highlights of Larry Bird and Michael Jordan and say, “What are you gonna do?”

“Soon as he did that, the button was going to go off on me and I’m going to have a triple-double,” Johnson said. “That’s all he had to do, just put those two dudes up there and he knew I was going to go to another level.”

Riley led the Lakers to four championships from 1982-1988, and he ushered in the Showtime era. Under him, Johnson became a three-time MVP. Johnson called him “one of the greatest coaches who ever lived,” as well as “the coolest man that’s ever put on an Armani suit.”

Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley poses after the unveiling of his statue at Crypto.com Arena on February 22, 2026. Getty Images

Redick, meanwhile, is just in his second season as coach of the Lakers. 

He’s still getting his feet wet. Last season, he vowed to evaluate himself by growth instead of metrics. He led the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference at 50-32 before they were eliminated by the Timberwolves in the first round. 

Afterward, Redick was far from patting himself on the back. 

“I know I can be better,” he said. “And I know I will get better. I don’t necessarily take any satisfaction from how the year went. That’s not to say I’m not proud of what the group was able to do and how we were able to figure out things on the fly and put ourselves in a position to have homecourt in the first round. But there’s always ways to get better. And I can get a lot better.”

This season, Redick has led the Lakers to fifth place in the West despite James, Doncic and Reaves only playing 12 games together because of injuries.

Redick is still becoming Redick.

But his potential is unquestionably through the roof. His analysis of the game is incredibly sharp. When he was still hosting the “Mind the Game” podcast with James before he was hired by the Lakers, he’d dissect players and their moves with surgeon-like precision.

Players respond to him. They respect him.

And he has navigated the tricky line of helping the 26-year-old Doncic become the face of the team while the 41-year-old James is still the face of the league and one of the greatest players of all time.

Whether Redick can become a Riley-esque figure is still unknown.

Perhaps it’s an unfair comparison, one that would set up any fledgling coach for disappointment. 

But for now, Redick is going to have a reminder of who he aspires to be every time he shows up for work.

It stands tall in between bronzed figures of Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. It has slicked-back hair, a tailored designer suit and is the ultimate example of greatness. 

“It’s a good-looking statue,” Redick said.

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49ers News: NFL Combine Week

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 27: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 27, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

49ers free agency: Jauan Jennings’ projected market value
“According to Spotrac, Jennings’ projected market value sits at $22.6 million annually, which would rank 18th among NFL wide receivers. The salary cap tracking site estimates he could command a three-year, $67.8 million contract on the open market.”

The 49ers must race to find Christian McCaffrey help before it’s too late (paywall)
“The optimal path forward involves pairing McCaffrey with a bona fide receiving threat. Pittsburgh’s Kenneth Gainwell and the New York Jets’ Breece Hall, both of whom made the YPRR leaderboard above, are both scheduled to be free agents next month. Kenneth Walker III, who won Super Bowl MVP at Levi’s Stadium, might also become available because Seattle likely won’t slap the franchise tag on him. 

Is it time for the 49ers to go all-in on offense, spending be damned? Fans might prefer that route to, say, drafting another running back in the third round. None of those experiments have worked and McCaffrey is still waiting for a credible counter-threat. 

Isaac Guerendo, who’s endured some ball security issues, is still on the team. So is Jordan James, who enters his second season as a back with adaptable potential. 

But unless the 49ers are sure one of those players can reliably move the needle in 2026, they can’t wait around forever. McCaffrey’s 30th birthday is a looming reminder of that. So is the fact that he’s only under contract with the team for two more seasons. That means 2026 almost certainly marks a defining inflection point. 

History tells us that McCaffrey’s versatility can be the lynchpin that pushes a properly stocked offense over the top. His jaw-dropping volume of production in 2025 indicates that there’s still gas left in the tank.”

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Cardinals "devastated and heartbroken" by death of Rondale Moore

NFL wide receiver Rondale Moore, who died on Saturday at the age of 25, was drafted by the Cardinals in 2021 and spent his first three NFL seasons in Arizona. The news of his death hit the Cardinals organization hard.

"We are devastated and heartbroken by today's news concerning Rondale Moore," the Cardinals said in a statement. "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family, friends, teammates, and everyone who loved him and had the privilege of knowing such a special person."

Moore played three years for the Cardinals and had 135 catches for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns, 52 carries for 249 yards and one touchdown, 22 punt returns for 182 yards and 13 kickoff returns for 291 yards.

In 2024 Moore was traded to the Falcons but missed the entire season with a knee injury. In 2025 he signed with the Vikings but again missed the entire season with a knee injury.

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Top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul wins home LPGA Thailand tournament for the first time

CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul justified her top billing in emphatic fashion after edging Japan’s Chizzy Iwai by one stroke to capture and claim her home LPGA Thailand tournament for the first time.

Buoyed by raucous home support, the Thai star kept her composure under sweltering conditions and intense pressure to card a closing 4-under-par 68, finishing on 24-under-par 264.

The victory marked her eighth LPGA Tour title and her first triumph on home soil.

“I would rate it A triple-plus," said the 23-year-old. “I know it’s not as big as the majors, but winning in my home country means so much to me — sometimes even more than a major.”

Thitikul became the third Thai winner of the tournament, following Ariya Jutanugarn in 2021 and Patty Tavatanakit in 2024.

The win was made even more special with her mother watching in person after the Thai had made eight previous attempts at the event.

“My mom came up to me after I finished 18 and she cried a lot,” Thitikul said. “I told her I finally won in front of you. She was emotional, and that made me emotional too.”

World No.19 Iwai mounted a strong challenge, drawing level briefly after rolling in her second eagle of the day on the par-5 10th.

However, the Japanese added no further birdies and signed for a 66 to finish runner-up on 23-under-par 265.

Korea’s Kim Hyo joo, the world No.9, posted a 68 to take third at 22-under-par 266, while compatriot Lee Somi, the opening-round leader, finished fourth on 21-under-par 267.

Former world No.1 Lydia Ko carded a 68 to tie for fifth alongside Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who produced the lowest round of the day with a scintillating 63 as both ended the week on 20-under-par 268.

Defending champion Angel Yin shot 70 and was in a tie for 48th at 5-under 283.

The tournament about 125 kilometers (75 miles) east of Bangkok was the first of three events in Asia in consecutive weeks, to be followed by those in Singapore and China in the so-called early Asian swing on the LPGA Tour.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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