Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Nets 25th OT tally

Andersen will patrol the home crease Sunday against Boston, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports. Andersen will play for the first time since leaving Wednesday's game against Dallas after the first period with an upper-body injury, though he was able to serve as Antti Raanta's backup Friday versus San Jose. Andersen has a 9-3-0 record this season with a 2.49 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 13 appearances. Boston is tied for first in the league with 3.76 goals per game.

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is next week and the rumor mill has begun to overflow with potential trade targets. We're starting to get a clearer picture of who the buyers and sellers are ahead of the deadline, but we've yet to see any deals that will seriously change the landscape for the rest of the season. As we get closer to the Feb. 9 deadline the rumors will only heat up and we should start to see some deals happen over this week.

We have seen NBA players pick up technical fouls for taunting. We've seen them get technicals for cursing, for obscene gestures and for making unnecessary contact with an official. On one hilarious occasion, we even saw Tim Duncan get T'd up for laughing. But never in the history of the NBA have we seen a technical foul quite like the one Eric Lewis hit Patrick Beverley with at the end of regulation of Saturday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

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 the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Pippen did not play in Sunday's 152-118 win over the G League Warriors with a concussion. Pippen missed Sunday's contest after being placed in concussion protocols. However, his usual scoring impact was not missed by South Bay as the team dominated Santa Cruz. It's unclear when Pippen will clear protocols, but his next chance to play will come Wednesday.

Middleton posted nine points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt), three rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 18 minutes during Sunday's 135-110 win over the Pelicans. Fantasy managers who are hoping for a quick return from Middleton may have to wait a bit longer. A minute limitation is currently capping his potential, and there's no definitive timetable on how long the restriction will last. His next chance for increased usage comes Tuesday against the Hornets.

Love (back) is listed as probable for Tuesday's game against the Heat. After experiencing a recurrence of back spasms shortly before Sunday's eventual win over the Clippers, Love ended up sitting out a third game in a row. He participated in practice Monday, however, and avoided any apparent complications, setting the stage for him to rejoin the rotation Tuesday. In his last nine appearances prior to the back injury, Love averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds across 16.4 minutes per game.

Looney isn't starting Monday's game against the Thunder, Madeline Kenney of The San Jose Mercury News reports. Looney recently lost his starting spot to Jordan Poole as the Warriors turn to more of a small-ball look, but he was reinserted into the starting lineup last Friday with Andrew Wiggins out due to an illness. However, Wiggins has been cleared and will return to the Warriors' first five Monday, sending Looney back to a bench role. The veteran center has made just three appearances as a reserve this season, but he's posting 6.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.0 minutes in those contests.

Nurkic (calf) played 26 minutes and finished with 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in Monday's 129-125 win over the Hawks. Nurkic missed just one game on account of the calf injury he suffered in last Wednesday's win over...

Ingram has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Bucks due to left toe injury management, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports. Ingram has appeared in back-to-back games following a two-month absence due to a toe injury, but he'll be sidelined for the second half of New Orleans' current back-to-back set to manage his workload. Barring a setback, it's safe to presume Ingram will return to action Tuesday in Denver. Meanwhile, CJ McCollum (thumb) has also been ruled out Sunday, so Jose Alvarado, Devonte' Graham and Kira Lewis are all candidates for increased roles against the Bucks.

Saturday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics was much more than just a battle between the NBA's two greatest franchises. No, it also served as a duel between the NBA's two Sixth Man of the Year award favorites. One of those players finished with 26 points, six assists and four rebounds. He defended Anthony Davis for lengthy stretches despite giving him half a foot in height, and thanks in large part to his performance, his team won. The other player missed 10 of his 14 shots, committed five turnovers and didn't play in the fourth quarter.

Gobert (groin) is questionable for Monday's game against Sacramento. Gobert has been dealing with a sore right groin recently but has appeared in the last four games, averaging 13.0 points and 13.8 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game. If he'd be unavailable Monday, Naz Reid would presumably see increased run for Minnesota.

A late-January, Monday-night game between the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs is not exactly a marquee matchup. Still, there was more on the line in this contest than most people probably realized. With their 127-106 win, the Wizards ended one of the NBA's strangest losing streaks. Before this game,...

Torres agreed to a one-year, $9.95 million contract with the Yankees on Saturday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. It's the penultimate year of arbitration eligibility for Torres, and he'll receive a nice raise after he made $6.25 million in 2022. The 26-year-old rebounded at the plate last season with a .257/.310/.451 slash line and 24 home runs after he struggled to a .697 OPS in 2021.

Philadelphia designated Coonrod for assignment Monday. The transaction clears room on the 40-man roster for infielder Josh Harrison, who was signed to a one-year, $2 million deal. Coonrod was ineffective in 12 appearances with Philadelphia in 2022, recording a 7.82 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 12.2 innings. If he clears waivers, the 30-year-old will be outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley if he opts not to elect free agency.

The Los Angeles Lakers aren't getting along with officials this season. Los Angeles ranks third in the NBA 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 Celtics Saturday night in Boston, the situation hit a new low.