Jan 29, 2023; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Nika Muhl (10) drives to the basket against Villanova Wildcats guard Lucy Olsen (3) in the first half at XL Center. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Aubrey Griffin scored 19 points, and No. 5 UConn topped No. 21 Villanova 63-58 on Sunday. Dorka Juhasz added 16 …

Getty Images Following an emotional overtime loss to the Boston Celtics Saturday night, in which a no-call foul at the end of regulation left the Lakers furious with the officials, the team announced that LeBron James and Anthony Davis would sit out of Monday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers said Davis will be out with a right foot …

Tyler Harris scored all but two of his game-high 23 points in the second half Sunday afternoon but it wasn’t enough as South Florida fell behind SMU by 19 points and was unable to come all the way back in a 80-82 American Athletic Conference loss to SMU at Moody Coliseum. Serrel Smith Jr. came off the bench to score …

Jan 7, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) sits on the bench next to forward Anthony Davis against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / © Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports LeBron James and Anthony Davis are out for the Los Angeles Lakers’ game …

Who’s Playing Boston University @ Lehigh Current Records: Boston University 10-12; Lehigh 12-8 What to Know The Lehigh Mountain Hawks haven’t won a matchup against the Boston University Terriers since Feb. 26 of 2020, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Sunday. Lehigh and Boston University will face off in a Patriot battle at noon ET at Stabler Arena. …

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t getting along with NBA officials this season. Los Angeles ranks third in the league in restricted area field goal attempts, but just 19th in clutch free-throw attempts per minute. For whatever reason, the offense that scores more in the paint than any other can’t seem to get calls at the end of games. And against the …

Who’s Playing Southern Illinois @ Illinois State Current Records: Southern Illinois 17-5; Illinois State 8-14 What to Know The Illinois State Redbirds may be playing at home Sunday, but the experts are forecasting a 4.5-point defeat. The Redbirds and the Southern Illinois Salukis will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 3 p.m. ET at Redbird Arena. Illinois State …

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons sits on the bench with guards Seth Curry and Patty Mills. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports With the NBA Trade Deadline just two weeks away, talks are ramping up as teams push to make their final moves before the home stretch of the season. The Nets are likely to be an active dealer, setting up …

Who’s Playing Bradley @ Illinois-Chicago Current Records: Bradley 14-8; Illinois-Chicago 9-13 What to Know After a two-game homestand, the Bradley Braves will be on the road. Bradley and the Illinois-Chicago Flames will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 3 p.m. ET Sunday at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Braves will be strutting in after a win while Illinois-Chicago …

Getty Images LeBron James is steaming toward Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. With another 41 points on Saturday, albeit in a losing effort at Boston, James is now legitimately within three or four games of the NBA record. However, James will sit out the Lakers next game Monday against the Nets in Brooklyn. He’s likely to play next Tuesday against …

Who’s Playing Drake @ Belmont Current Records: Drake 16-6; Belmont 16-6 What to Know The Belmont Bruins will be returning home after a two-game road trip. Belmont and the Drake Bulldogs will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 3 p.m. ET Sunday at Curb Event Center. The Bruins are out to keep their five-game home win streak alive. …

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers have two of the top players in the league in the form of Joel Embiid and James Harden. The two of them just have this ability to dominate the game in the pick-and-roll due to Harden’s elite playmaking and Embiid’s ruthless scoring. In Saturday’s 126-119 win over the Denver Nuggets, Embiid had 47 points and 18 rebounds …

Who’s Playing Saint Joseph’s @ George Mason Current Records: Saint Joseph’s 9-11; George Mason 12-9 What to Know The Saint Joseph’s Hawks haven’t won a contest against the George Mason Patriots since March 9 of 2018, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Sunday. Saint Joseph’s and GMU will face off in an Atlantic 10 battle at noon ET …

The Memphis Grizzlies (31-18) are 15-3 against teams under .500 this season, and have an opportunity to snap a five-game losing streak on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers (24-27). Indiana remains without Tyrese Haliburton, who has missed the last nine games with elbow and ankle injuries. The Pacers are 1-9 in their last 10 games and are just 7-13 against Western …

USATSI Grading teams this season has, for the most part, followed a formula. I’ve leaned on tougher grades overall and been more judicious with “As,” requiring only truly special weeks from teams to earn that distinction. This week, however, I went full Oprah with the “As.” We’re almost to February. Conference races are fully in form, and a big nonconference …

Fans of the Boston Celtics have been hooked on fireworks in the form of trades since the deal that brought Kevin Garnett to the ball club in 2007 set the stage for Banner 17. Now, with the team contending again and in the best position in years to have a shot at taking home the elusive Banner 18, Celtics co-governor …

Who’s Playing Wichita State @ East Carolina Current Records: Wichita State 10-10; East Carolina 11-10 What to Know The Wichita State Shockers and the East Carolina Pirates are set to square off in an American Athletic matchup at noon ET Jan. 29 at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. East Carolina will be strutting in after a win while the Shockers …

Why Coby White-Jae Crowder trade rumors need tweaking originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago As the NBA trade deadline draws ever closer, Bulls fans continue to wonder whether the team will be big time sellers this year. There’s been talk of widespread interest in Alex Caruso, and speculation that the front office could move on from Nikola Vucevic since he’s …

Who’s Playing Providence @ Villanova Current Records: Providence 16-5; Villanova 10-10 What to Know The Villanova Wildcats are 13-4 against the #23 Providence Friars since January of 2016, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success Sunday. Villanova and the Friars will face off in a Big East battle at noon ET at Wells Fargo Center. The Wildcats won …

The Los Angeles Clippers (28-24) have been patiently waiting for Kawhi Leonard to play himself back into his perennial All-Star form, which he has done this season. However, he continues to sit in the second games of back-to-backs this season and shouldn’t be on the floor when the Clippers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (30-21) on Sunday. The Cavaliers could …

Who’s Playing Georgetown @ St. John’s Current Records: Georgetown 6-15; St. John’s 13-8 What to Know The Georgetown Hoyas haven’t won a game against the St. John’s Red Storm since Dec. 13 of 2020, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Sunday. Georgetown and St. John’s will face off in a Big East battle at 2 p.m. ET at …

How Wizards’ results could affect their draft pick originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington It has been two years and a month since the Wizards traded John Wall to the Houston Rockets and they should feel good about how that deal has worked out since. They got Russell Westbrook, who broke Oscar Robertson’s triple-doubles record, then traded him to the …

Who’s Playing South Florida @ SMU Current Records: South Florida 9-12; SMU 7-14 What to Know The South Florida Bulls lost both of their matches to the SMU Mustangs last season on scores of 65-77 and 54-74, so they’re hoping to turn the tables this season. The Bulls and SMU will face off in an American Athletic battle at 4 …

Giannis Antetokounmpo has stayed on the Milwaukee Bucks’ (32-17) injury report in the three games since he missed five with a minor knee injury. However, he is coming off of a 41-point performance in his last start and should be ready to go when his team hosts the New Orleans Pelicans (26-24) on Sunday. Milwaukee is 19-5 at home this …

Who’s Playing Rutgers @ Iowa Current Records: Rutgers 14-6; Iowa 12-8 What to Know The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 3-9 against the Iowa Hawkeyes since January of 2016, but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit Sunday. The Scarlet Knights and Iowa will face off in a Big Ten battle at 2 p.m. ET at Carver-Hawkeye …