NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks scored 119 points and shot efficiently -- 50% from the field and 40% from the 3-point stripe. They even managed to get to the line 11 more times than the Detroit Pistons.

But in the end, none of those things were enough as the Knicks fell 124-119 to the red-hot Pistons on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

The game, which marked the halfway point of the regular season for New York, was the kind of contest the defense-first Knicks were used to winning in previous years. But they couldn't come up with stops late and gave up back-to-back shots on identical plays, both of which resulted in wide-open corner 3s from Detroit's Malik Beasley in the closing moments.

"We're losing games I feel like we shouldn't be losing," wing Josh Hart said in the locker room after the defeat. "We've got to start figuring it out. We're halfway through. There's nothing we can do about the first half now. But if we want to be the team we're trying to be at the end of the season, we need to start correcting stuff now."

Hart's comments make it seem like the third-place Knicks, at 26-15, are vastly underperforming relative to expectations. But it's actually the best mark they've had under coach Tom Thibodeau at this point in a campaign. Last season, they were 24-17. In 2022-23, they were 22-19, and in 2021-22, the Knicks were 20-21. So there's an argument to be made that this is progress.

Thibodeau himself said Monday after the loss that clear progress has been made since the team's slow start. The club caught fire in December, reeling off nine wins in a row at one point, and it has one of the league's best scoring duos in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

But on some level, that's what's noteworthy: The team's identity -- once perhaps the NBA's most physical, grind-it-out unit -- now frequently finds itself in shootouts like Monday's loss. And the Knicks, who are tied for second in offense but rank just 15th in defense, sometimes can't get enough stops to close the deal. It's an unusual problem for a Thibodeau-coached team to have.

Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who had just seven points in the first half after being saddled with foul trouble, exploded for 29 points in the second half. In the third period alone, he had 18. That was why New York aggressively sought to trap him twice in the closing moments, only for Cunningham to unload the ball to Tim Hardaway Jr., who then found an open Beasley on back-to-back possessions to close the game out.

Yes, it was just one contest, against a resurgent Pistons unit that has won 10 of 12, no less. And it was the second end of a back-to-back for the Knicks, who'd taken apart the Bucks a night earlier. But it's abundantly clear what New York needs to tighten up as it heads into its second half.

"Defensively, we've got to be better," Hart said. "We've just got to be better there."

LOS ANGELES -- With the Lakers about to play their first game after a six-day layoff due to the Southern California wildfires, their coach, JJ Redick, took a moment to focus on something he hoped could be gained after so much has been lost.

"I think a group functions best when you draw strength from each other," said Redick, whose home was one of the thousands lost to the fires in the past week. "Then it's our job to go give strength, and give hope and give joy. Sports are a lot of things, and sports can certainly provide an escape and a distraction, and hopefully sports, and tonight, can provide some joy as well."

The Lakers worked with the NBA, county officials and the San Antonio Spurs to hold Monday's game as scheduled, announcing the franchise would be dedicating the game to the L.A. community and the first responders who have worked to provide relief from the fires that have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures across 40,000 acres of charred land.

"Sports really work well when the team, the organization has a connection to the city and the fans feel a connection to the team," Redick said before the Lakers lost 126-102 to the Spurs. "And then it just flows in some sort of eternal circle of that. The Lakers have that with the city of Los Angeles. Having played here before and lived here, I'm well aware of that relationship. And part of the reason I wanted to coach here was to participate in that."

The Lakers banded together with all of L.A.'s professional sports teams to pledge more than $8 million toward local relief efforts, and the team started a donation drive Monday that it will continue through Saturday to collect essential personal items and nonperishable food items at home games at Crypto.com Arena and at the team's practice facility in El Segundo.

Redick said several Lakers players were forced to leave their homes by order of evacuation, too.

Despite the upheaval around them, Redick said the Lakers became closer during the unplanned break in their game schedule, with contests against the Charlotte Hornets and another game against the Spurs postponed indefinitely.

"Truthfully, I think it was our best three days in the gym -- non-games, of course -- but our best three days in the gym since the first three days of training camp," Redick said. "It was the right spirit, we got a lot done and the guys were super connected."

L.A. players took the court before the game wearing special black warmup shirts printed with the Lakers' logo along with the L.A. Fire Department's symbol and the message, "Thank you, first responders." Prior to tipoff, Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter invited the crowd to join in a moment of silence and reflection.

"Our hearts are with those who have suffered from this horrible tragedy," he said.

Thankful for the heroes protecting LA pic.twitter.com/BwqcJkX3aI

Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 14, 2025

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, one of the players displaced by the fires, also took the microphone to address the fans from center court.

"We definitely want to give a shoutout to the first responders who are putting their lives on the line right now to protect our community," Vincent said.

The Clippers, meanwhile, returned to host the Miami Heat on Monday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood about 10 miles south of downtown. They covered every seat with giveaway white towels featuring the words "LA Strong" and a blue image of the state of California.

"We're so thankful for the first responders, but we ache for the victims," public address announcer Eric Smith said before the Clippers' 109-98 win against the Heat. "The smoke will lift and they will return and rebuild, because this is L.A. Today we all stand together [as] one team, one Los Angeles."

The Heat, who will face the Lakers on Wednesday, didn't know if they would be allowed to head to Los Angeles on Saturday until after their game in Portland.

"We understand our responsibility," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We want to do whatever we can in this profession. We're coming with great empathy and grace, and if our role is to provide entertainment and inspiration, then that's our role. But while we're doing that, we're thinking about all the devastation and all people are dealing with. It's just been horrible."

Redick, whose family is staying in a hotel while reeling from the loss of their Pacific Palisades home, again took the chance to thank everyone inside and outside the Lakers organization who has offered support thus far.

"I'm awfully proud to be a part of the Lakers organization and our response," Redick said. "It just makes you feel proud to be with the Lakers."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

TORONTO -- With the trade deadline just over three weeks away, Golden State star guard Stephen Curry wants to see the slumping Warriors get better but not at the expense of making a "desperate" move that would "deplete the future" for the franchise.

The Warriors fell under .500 for the first time all season with a 104-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. Since a 12-3 start, the Warriors have lost 17 of 24 games and now stand at 19-20.

Still, Curry doesn't want to see panic. And he echoed a sentiment that general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., coach Steve Kerr and star forward Draymond Green have been saying since training camp started in Hawaii: The Warriors should not make any rash decisions in trades, especially if they have to surrender young players or draft picks.

"Desperate trades or desperate moves that deplete the future, there is a responsibility on allowing or keeping the franchise in a good space and good spot when it comes to where we leave this thing when we're done," Curry said. "Doesn't mean that you're not trying to get better. It doesn't mean that you're not active in any type of search to, if you have an opportunity where a trade makes sense or even in the summer free agency [move] makes sense. You want to continue to get better.

"Nobody wants to be stale or be in a situation where you're passing up opportunities. But it doesn't mean that you're desperate just flinging assets all around the place just because you want to do something."

The franchise centerpiece said this in response to Green telling Yahoo Sports that he, Kerr and Curry are in lockstep with the thinking that the team should not mortgage its future and make a potential bad trade.

"Mike understands we want to win," Curry said. "We want to be in that position where we've always said that you want to be relevant in the championship type of chase. While we understand we're getting older and deeper into our careers and allowing some of the young guys to kind of blossom, it doesn't mean you're getting desperate."

Kerr, Dunleavy, Curry and Green have been preaching patience since camp and wanting to see what this roster can do. But that patience is being tested almost nightly. The latest stinging loss comes to a Raptors squad that is now 9-31.

The Warriors were short-handed Monday without Green (illness/back), Jonathan Kuminga (ankle), Gary Payton II (calf) and Brandin Podziemski (abdomen). Still, Golden State was up by nine points with 9:27 remaining. The Warriors were hanging on to a 101-98 lead with 2:34 left, but they failed to score again.

Golden State missed its final five shots, including three 3-point attempts in the last 44.7 seconds from Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield. Hield's contested 29-footer at the buzzer fell short and skimmed the net.

Meanwhile, onetime Warrior Chris Boucher scored 17 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for Toronto.

Afterward, a frustrated Kerr pointed the finger at himself.

"Just didn't get good looks, didn't execute very well, weren't disciplined enough, and that's my fault," Kerr said. "I'm the coach of the team. I have to find a way to help this team. And I'm not doing a good job of that.

"This is as frustrating a night as we've had all season for me."

Curry finished with 26 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds, but Toronto kept the all-time 3-point leader from touching the ball on the final play.

The guard has been frustrated at times this season. He acknowledged that the team was "mid" with its average play earlier during this slump. Curry, Green and Kerr have tried a variety of approaches to snap out of the funk, from Curry and Green talking to the players to Kerr starting 22 different lineups this season.

Golden State will head to Minneapolis next looking to get back to .500 with a win versus the Timberwolves on Wednesday.

"It sucks!" Kerr said. "It sucks. I don't like falling below .500. But here we are, so we got to do better."

CINCINNATI -- The Reds announced Monday they reached an agreement to return to their former regional sports network partner for the upcoming season.

The Reds will have their games air locally on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio.

Both sides announced in November they were ending their joint venture while Diamond Sports Group was in bankruptcy proceedings. The Reds had a 20% stake in what is now FanDuel Sports Network Ohio. Diamond bought back the team's stake for $1.

Diamond emerged out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy Jan. 2 as Main Street Sports Group. The Reds had planned to have their games produced and distributed by Major League Baseball until changing course.

As part of the agreement, cable and satellite subscribers in the Reds' TV territory can stream games and other programming on the FanDuel Sports Network app. Subscribers to FanDuel Sports Network on a direct-to-consumer basis will also have access to the games.

Doug Healy, the Reds' chief operating officer and chief financial officer, said the decision helps provide continuity for fans to watch games as they had in previous seasons.

"The decision to stay with Sports Network provides continuity for our fans to watch Reds games as in previous seasons, and now with a direct-to-consumer streaming product available through the Sports Network app."

It is the second time in two weeks a team has decided to return to the regional sports network model instead of MLB. The Milwaukee Brewers announced Dec. 31 they were also going back to FanDuel Sports Network after their deal expired at the end of the 2024 season.

Main Street Sports has the rights for nine MLB teams for the upcoming season. MLB will produce and distribute games for five teams in 2025.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SEATTLE -- Infielder Donovan Solano and the Seattle Mariners finalized a $3.5 million, one-year contract on Monday.

Solano can earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $200,000 each for 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500.

The 37-year-old Solano hit .286 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 96 games with San Diego last year, including .302 (32 for 106) with four home runs against left-handers.

He is a .279 career hitter with 40 homers and 279 RBIs in 11 major league seasons with Miami (2012-15), the New York Yankees (2016), San Francisco (2019-21), Cincinnati (2022), Minnesota (2023) and San Diego.

Since 2019 Solano is hitting .294 with 31 homers and 180 RBIs.

"Donovan has been among the most underrated hitters in the game over the past six years," Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.

Solano also gets a hotel suite on road trips. He would receive $50,000 for election to the All-Star team and $25,000 for selection. Solano also can earn $150,000 for MVP, $100,000 for World Series MVP and $50,000 each for League Championship Series MVP, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger.

Left-hander Austin Kitchen was designated for assignment to open a roster spot. He made his major league debut for Miami at Tampa Bay on July 30, went 0-1 with a 14.14 ERA in one start and three relief appearances and was claimed off waivers by Seattle on Sept. 9.

SAN FRANCISCO -- For the first time in nearly two decades as a major league pitcher, Justin Verlander didn't take an offseason break from throwing.

He needed to keep a baseball in his hand so his shoulder would cooperate. He needed the routine to maintain a rhythm.

"I've always been somebody who, I set down the ball, I don't pick it up again for a few months and then I've always been very lucky that I just pick it up and start throwing," Verlander said Monday. "Well, at 41, that caught up with me. So that was an adjustment that I've made that I feel is paying big dividends already."

The star right-hander finalized a one-year, $15 million contract with the San Francisco Giants last weekend, and he's determined to show he can still pitch at the highest level after a forgettable, injury-plagued 2024 season.

New president of baseball operations Buster Posey and the Giants believe Verlander can still bring it and are counting on him to help them contend again in the talented National League West.

The three-time American League Cy Young Award winner said he's "miles ahead" of where he was last year at this time and he's trying not to overdo it ahead of spring training, which begins next month.

Verlander went 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts for the AL West champion Houston Astros last year. He opened the season on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. He also was on the IL from June 18 to Aug. 21 because of neck discomfort.

"Last year was difficult," he said. "It was worst-case scenario for me. You could never get in a groove, pitched about as bad as I felt like I could. Positives were, I was able to learn a lot. You can't play this game for very long if you don't learn from injuries."

Verlander will receive a full no-trade provision and a hotel suite on road trips.

He would earn $200,000 for winning his second MVP award, $150,000 for finishing second in the voting and $50,000 for third -- and would get the same bonuses for Cy Young Award voting.

In addition, Verlander's deal calls for him to make $100,000 for an All-Star selection, $150,000 for World Series MVP and $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP.

Verlander clearly remembers the electric atmosphere in San Francisco during the 2012 World Series, when the Giants swept his Detroit Tigers.

That included Posey on the other side -- and now the retired star catcher did the recruiting of the veteran pitcher.

And the Giants aren't adding him just to be a mentor or an example for their young pitchers but rather a top-tier starter to complement Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.

"Justin's track record speaks for itself," Posey said. "I was lucky enough to get to compete against him for a number of years and have always admired the way that he takes care of himself. When we started having the conversation a couple of weeks ago, it was very evident just how motivated he is, and you don't get to the level of greatness that he's accomplished in his career without having just the utmost fortitude and desire to be the best."

Star Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki plans to sign with either the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres or Toronto Blue Jays at some point over the next week or so, sources told ESPN on Monday, with a cadre of big-name teams informed in recent days they are no longer in consideration for one of the most talented pitchers in the world.

The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers were told they are out on Sasaki, sources said, leaving the two favorites from the beginning -- Los Angeles and San Diego -- along with a surprise entrant in Toronto.

The 23-year-old Sasaki, whose 100-mph-plus fastball and devastating split-fingered fastball made him among the best pitchers in Japan, was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in December, opening a 45-day window for him to sign. Because Sasaki is under 25, he must sign as an international amateur. The new international signing period opens Wednesday, though Sasaki is not expected to sign until perhaps closer to Jan. 23, when his posting window closes.

The emergence of Toronto comes on the heels of Sasaki's visit there Thursday and Friday, which was first reported by The Athletic. Sasaki also visited San Diego over the weekend, bringing even closer the conclusion of a process that has engaged teams across baseball.

The prospect of signing Sasaki is alluring. Doing so at a steeply discounted price -- international signings are hard-capped, putting a ceiling of around $10 million on Sasaki's signing bonus -- offers teams immense value as Sasaki would play the next three seasons making around the league minimum salary and then spend three more years in an arbitration system that dampens salaries. The finalists, understanding the rarity of a player such as Sasaki, are exploring trading for extra bonus money beyond their allotted amount in case they are chosen.

High-ranking MLB executives were regular attendees of Sasaki's games with Lotte over the past two seasons. In 111 innings last year, Sasaki struck out 129 and walked 32 while logging a 2.35 ERA. He put up even better numbers the previous two seasons, and Lotte posted him despite understanding that if he had remained with the team for two more years, he would have been in line for a nine-figure contract that would include a significant posting fee paid to the team.

With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers already employ two of Sasaki's Samurai Japan teammates and are coming off a World Series win. While they have been the public favorites from the jump, sources cautioned that the Padres -- with right-hander Yu Darvish, who has played a mentor role to Sasaki -- were every bit a threat to sign him.

The Blue Jays being the third team stunned front offices around the game. Toronto is coming off a last-place finish in the American League East, has a below-average farm system, has not come to terms on a contract extension with its foundational player, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and has been turned down by a number of high-profile free agents, from Ohtani to Juan Soto to Corbin Burnes.

Nevertheless, Toronto emerged from its meeting with Sasaki confident and hopeful, sources said, that as one of the biggest baseball decisions in recent memory approaches, the feelings are reciprocated.

The European Squash Federation (ESF) has teamed up with leading sport streaming platform provider Sportall to launch its own digital platform, European Squash TV.

European Squash TV will give the ESF and its 46 member nations control over their own online squash content, allowing them to build their fan base across Europe and beyond. It will raise the profile of Europes elite squash players, ESF competitions and the sport of squash in general.

Squash is a sport on the up, with increased participation in many major nations and the exciting prospect of its forthcoming Olympic debut at the LA2028 Games.

European Squash TV undertook a successful pilot from 2-6 January when it screened five days of live coverage from the European junior circuits platinum event, the British Junior Open in Birmingham.

The ESFs media team used the live streaming to produce edited highlights which were distributed on social media and to member nations for their own use.

European Squash TV also features a library of previous tournaments which all ESF member nations can access to use and distribute as they wish.

The vision is for all 46 member nations to have their own European Squash TV landing page which they can design and organise to their own requirements. They will have easy access to all European Squash TV content from which they can select matches involving their own players, tournaments they have hosted or anything else they wish to use.

ESF President Thomas Troedsson said: We are delighted to launch European Squash TV in what is an important period for squash and our organisation in the run-up to the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be a vital resource for our member nations and will help to raise awareness of our wonderful sport and athletes.

The project is being led by ESF Vice-President Otto Kalvo, who said: Owning our own content is crucial to the future of the European Squash Federation, our member nations and the sport of squash.

Once we have custody of our content, it opens up potential to do all kinds of value-adding by editing, distributing, embedding with advertising and much more.

Our aim is to build a catalogue of as much high quality content as possible, which is continually updated and augmented by professional live coverage which our Championships and circuit of junior and Masters events has needed and deserved for many years.

Thierry Boudard, Sportalls CEO, added: We are proud to help an international federation of a new Olympic sport increase its global digital visibility and to support European Squash Federation in opening their streaming platform to their member nations.

Ireland flanker Peter O'Mahony will be monitored for selection before Munster's final European Pool match as he continues his recovery from a calf injury.

Munster travel to Northampton Saints, who have already qualified, in the final round of Pool Three fixtures in the Investec Champions Cup.

The Irish province say O'Mahony, 35, will "increase his training load" and a decision on his availability will be made "later in the week".

The potential return of O'Mahony will be a boost to Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby, who names his Six Nations squad on Wednesday.

However, Munster will be without wing Shane Daly, who is following return to play protocols after failing a head injury assessment during Saturday's win over Saracens.

Scrum-half Conor Murray, back row Jack O'Donoghue and hooker Diarmuid Barron are all available for selection after returning to action in the 17-12 win over the English side, which put Munster into second place in the Pool.

Wing Diarmuid Kilgallen has also returned to full training following a wrist injury and prop Mark Donnelly has recovered from an ankle injury sustained on Emerging Ireland duty in September.

Victory over Northampton would secure a place in the knock-out stages and a home last-16 tie.

Former Scotland rugby union captain Peter Brown has died aged 83 following a long illness.

Born in Troon to a sporting family, Brown played at club level for West of Scotland and Gala, making his international debut in a home win against France on 4 January 1964.

Brown's father Jock was a football goalkeeper who won the Scottish Cup with Clyde in 1939, his uncle Jim played for the United States at the 1930 World Cup and his younger brother Gordon was a fellow Scotland rugby international, who also represented the British and Irish Lions on eight occasions.

A versatile forward, Brown split his 27 caps between lock and number eight and was an effective goal-kicker - his 66 points for Scotland remains a record for a member of the pack.

He remained heavily involved with Gala after retiring from playing, and also had a successful career in accountancy.

In a statement, Brown's family said: "Peter underwent several years of chemotherapy treatment for myeloma, supported wonderfully by the haematology team at the Western General.

"Earlier this week, he was admitted to the Royal Infirmary following a fall at home. Peter passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday 12 January.

"The family would like to express their gratitude to the Acute Medical Unit for their care and compassion."