Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Thursday, January 23.

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic withdrew from his Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev, citing a muscle tear that had not improved in the last two days since the injury occurred. The stunning withdrawal occurred just moments after Novak missed a volley and lost the first set 7-6. The unusual timing combined with the sudden decision made for a very odd scene in Melbourne. Would Djokovic have continued playing if he won the set? Why did he begin the match in the first place? Is this the end of the line for the 24-time Grand Slam champion? We’ve got more questions than answers overshadowing what is sure to be a thrilling championship weekend. In pursuit of his first career Grand Slam, Zverev will face the winner of Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner, a match that I unfortunately will not be awake tonight/this morning to witness.

On the women’s side of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka continued her quest for a three-peat, taking down Paula Badosa in straight sets. Her opponent in the final, however, will not be Iga Swiatek. The number two seed was stunned by Madison Keys in one of the best matches of the tournament. The American saved two match points during an incredible three-hour contest, triumphing by a score of 5-7, 6-1, 7-6. Honestly, my summary of the match here will never do justice to this awesome display of tennis. The road gets no easeier for Keys, who heads into her second-ever Grand Slam final and faces an opponent in Sabalenka that she always plays close, but has only beaten one time.

NBA

This was simply a fantastic day of NBA competition:

• We start in Paris, France, where the San Antonio Spurs and national hero Victor Wembanyama are in town to play two games against the Indiana Pacers. There was no doubt who the best player was in this one; watch this two-minute sequence where Wemby records four blocks, dishes out two assists, and slams home an alley-oop. He finished the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists as the Spurs dominated the Pacers 140-110. Did I mention Wemby also threw himself an alley-oop off the backboard? The guy can do it all!

• The Oklahoma City Thunder have eight losses on the season– three of them have come at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie led the Mavs with 28 points and Dallas took down OKC 121-115.

• When Anthony Davis scores 24 points, Austin Reaves 23 points, and LeBron James 20, the Lakers are a tough team to beat. That was the case last night, as LA beat the defending champion Celtics 117-96. In Boston’s defense, this was their third game in four days. Still, an impressive showing by the Lakers.

• Apologies for burying the lede, but I had to close out the day’s basketball highlights with Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets superstar recorded just the second-ever 35/20/15 game in NBA history, joining an exclusive club with Wilt Chamberlain. In fact, Jokic finished with 35 points, 22 rebounds, and 17 assists, leading Denver to a 132-123 victory. On top of all that mind-blowing statistical greatness, Jokic also pulled off the most insane shot of the year:

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

A mixed bag last night for Maryland… the men’s team upset an injury-plagued (17) Illinois team 91-70, but the (8) women’s squad lost to (12) Ohio State 74-66.

One other notable result from women’s hoops last night, as (7) Texas won a close one 80-76 against (17) Tennessee. The Vols have now dropped two in a row.

NHL

Alexander Ovechkin is just 20 goals away from the all-time record! Ovi scored number 875 last night as part of a 3-0 Capitals win over the Seattle Kraken. But don’t mistake this NHL section as a pure individual update: the Washington Capitals have the most points of any team in the league. With their veteran goal scorer leading the way, the Caps have become a legit Stanley Cup contender.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

The NBA announced the starters for next month’s all-star game. In the East: Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokunmpo, and Karl-Anthony Towns. In the West: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Steph Curry. Apologies to worthy candidates Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, and LaMelo Ball, but it’s tough to argue with that starting group.

I told you it was a great day for the NBA- and no, I’m not talking about their sponsorship deal with Tissot to redesign the shot clock. Take a look at this awesome trailer for an upcoming documentary series on Netflix:

The Jacksonville Jaguars have found their new head coach: Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. This comes less than 48 hours after two very unusual developments. First, it was reported that Coen had signed a very expensive new deal with the Bucs to remain in his OC position. Then, the Jaguars fired their general manager. Strange circumstances, but all will be forgotten if Coen can make the Jaguars a winning team. 

A new audio recording has revealed Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara impersonating the Dodgers superstar while on the phone with a bank. Mizuhara is facing a very lengthy jail sentence.

In other baseball news, the Atlanta Braves signed outfielder Jurickson Profar to a three-year deal. Profar had a breakout season in 2024 for the San Diego Padres, and will be a huge boost to the Braves lineup.

And last but not least… I just can’t get over that shot by Jokic!

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NHL: Golden Knights @ Stars, 7:30 PM on ESPN

COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• WOMEN: (5) LSU @ (2) South Carolina, 5 PM on ESPN

• MEN: (21) Michigan @ (11) Purdue, 8 PM on Fox

SATURDAY’S BIG GAMES

AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL: Madison Keys vs Aryna Sabalenka, 3:30 AM on ESPN

NBA:

• Pacers @ Spurs in Paris, France, Noon on ESPN

• Nuggets @ Timberwolves, 3 PM on ABC/ESPN+

• Celtics @ Mavericks, 3 PM on ABC/ESPN+

• Lakers @ Warriors, 8:30 PM on ABC

COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• (13) Texas A&M @ Texas, 2:30 PM on ESPN2

• (2) Duke @ Wake Forest, 4:30 PM on ESPN

• (16) Ole Miss @ (22) Missouri, 6 PM on SEC Network

• (7) Houston @ (12) Kansas, 6:30 PM on ESPN

• (6) Tennessee @ (1) Auburn, 8:30 PM on ESPN

SUNDAY’S BIG GAMES

AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN’S FINAL: Alexander Zverev vs Ben Shelton/Jannik Sinner, sometime between 1 and 3 AM on ESPN

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Commanders @ Eagles, 3 PM on Fox

• They split their two regular season matchups, and now these NFC East rivals face off with a Super Bowl spot on the line. Can Jayden Daniels keep the magic going? It’s going to be tough against this very impressive and well-rounded Philly team

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Bills @ Chiefs, 6:30 PM on CBS

• A perfect end to a fantastic sports weekend. Enjoy every moment of this one, even if we all sorta-maybe-don’t-want-to-admit-it-but-we-already-know who’s going to win

“I would like to invite him over to my house, and we’ll have a drink together, and we’ll have a good chat,” –newly elected baseball hall of famer Ichiro, when asked about the one and only person who didn’t vote for him

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday