ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Trade Bait

The NBA Trade Deadline ends today at 3:00 PM ET, and it’s safe to say it’s been a major upheaval.

• The biggest move happened Tuesday evening, with the Los Angeles Clippers trading 36-year-old James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for 26-year-old Darius Garland and a second-round pick.

• The 76ers sent guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 Rockets first-round pick and three second-round picks. Strangely, Philadelphia traded away the only thing they actually needed: a young guard who can score.

• The Mavericks sent All-Star Anthony Davis to the Wizards in a massive 8-player trade. Washington also acquired Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum in the deal. In exchange, the Mavericks received a 2026 first-round pick from the Thunder and a 2030 protected Warriors first-round pick, along with second-rounders in 2026 (belonging to Phoenix), 2027 (belonging to Chicago), and 2029 (belonging to Houston).

• And in a bit of a head-scratcher, the Cavs traded PG Lonzo Ball and two second-round picks to Utah for ... nothing. Cleveland is apparently clearing cap space, creating about $6.5M in room, dropping below the second apron, and gaining a $10M trade exception. This frees them for potential future moves.

As you read this, Cavs GM Koby Altman leads the pack in wheeling and dealing this season.

PHOENIX over Golden State by 11

Yes, we realize that our call on the Warriors over the 76ers Tuesday night laid an egg and the Dubs now enter this contest now off a pair of home defeats – a role in which they’ve cashed in only 7 times in the last 18 attempts. The Suns, meanwhile, have been one of the NBA's dependable teams – the kind you can count on, not one that seniors with bladder problems carry around while being force to make pit stops. Starting this week, Phoenix has been on a season-long 33-15-2 ATS run. They are also 11-4 ATS in the last 15 games in this series, including 6-1 ATS in the last seven as a host. The bottom line is they check enough boxes to deserve a spot on this page today.

The game write-up above is from this week’s Playbook Hoops Newsletter.

TRENDING TODAY
Milano Cortina 2026

Let the curling begin.

The first day of action of 2026 Winter Olympics began yesterday as the mixed doubles curling tournament kicked off in beautiful Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

If you’re already wondering what to watch and when over the next two-plus weeks, The Athletic put a fabuous resource for you to follow. Check it out here

Hockey begins today

The women’s tournament starts us off, with the U.S. and Canada both playing. The men start Feb. 11

• The opening ceremony is Friday

Curling, women’s hockey, snowboarding and figure skating all begin before Friday’s opening ceremony, which starts at 2 p.m. ET.

• Lindsey Vonn has a torn ACL

The U.S. Alpine skiing star is one of the Olympics’ biggest stars and still hopes to compete despite the injury. The women’s downhill race is Sunday.

• High hopes for U.S. figure skating

The Americans are sending one of their strongest teams in years, headlined by the unmatched Ilia Malinin on the men’s side.

The best athlete in this year’s Olympics:

Malinin burns with a fire familiar in GOATs. He’s the first to land seven quadruple jumps in a single program. A year prior, he became the first to land a quad in all six figure skating jumps — the salchow, axel, lutz, flip, loop and toe loop — in the same program.

The 21-year old son of Russian-born figure skaters. Why the “Quad God”?

Malinin’s nickname, earned by his proficiency in four-rotation jumps, known as quadruples (or “quads”) — figures to become a household name.

He dominated the 2024 and 2025 world championships. He has the three highest free skating scores ever, thanks largely to his addiction to quad jumps. The only thing missing from his resume is Olympic gold.

Because he hasn’t been there yet.