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Ryan Nembhard pulled off a spectacular alley-oop highlight that was reminiscent of Jason Kidd during the Dallas Mavericks’ matchup against the New York Knicks on Monday night. Nembhard is going through the rookie campaign of his NBA career with the Mavericks. He has embraced the opportunities he got in the rotation, making several starts as he secured a firm role as a spark plug off the bench. While his scoring wasn’t explosive in Dallas’ game against New York, he remained active with his playmaking. That much was the case when he pulled off this play in the final minutes of the third quarter. He got the ball as he lobbed it from the half-court line, getting the pass to Moussa Cisse for the ferocious throwdown. Ryan Nembhard lobs it to Moussa Cisse from about halfcourt! DAL/NYK on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/FXOpEUEbu5 — NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2026 How Ryan Nembhard, Mavericks played against Knicks Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images It was an incredible highlight for Ryan Nembhard to add to his resume, helping the Mavericks embarrass the Knicks in a 114-97 blowout win. Dallas torched New York throughout the course of the first half, leading 75-47 at halftime. The hosts failed to bounce back from their early struggles, being unable to spark a rally as the visitors’ offensive firepower proved to be too much. Five players scored in double-digits for Dallas in the win. Max Christie delivered an excellent performance with 26 points, six rebounds and two assists. He shot 9-of-13 from the field, including 8-of-10 from beyond the arc. Naji Marshall came next with 19 points and eight rebounds, Cooper Flagg had 18 points and seven rebounds, Moussa Cisse put up 15 points and nine rebounds, while Klay Thompson provided 14 points and five rebounds. Dallas improved to an 18-26 record on the season, holding the 12th spot in the Western Conference standings. They are 3.5 games above the Utah Jazz and 5.5 games above the Sacramento Kings. However, they trail the Memphis Grizzlies by 1.5 games and Los Angeles Clippers by two games. Rolling with three consecutive wins, the Mavericks will look forward to their next matchup. They return home as they host the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The post Mavericks’ Ryan Nembhard goes full Jason Kidd with bonkers halfcourt alley-oop pass appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Lady Gamecocks made a trip up to Maryland to play Coppin State. Although the game was uncompetitive, South Carolina cruised to an easy victory. But the game meant more than just a box score. “I remember when I was at Temple, we couldn’t get very many high-level Division I teams to play us, let alone play us on our home court,” Staley said in postgame availability. “So I always think about those times and give people an opportunity to play a game like this.” Staley has been vocal about her support for HBCUs, and welcomed Coppin State being added to the South Carolina schedule as she took to her X account to find another game. She then turned to her X account in late 2024 to confirm that she was able to confirm an HBCU opponent that she didn’t name at the time after “moving things around.” It was revealed that Coppin State, which agreed to a home-and-home with the Lady Gamecocks, delivered on Sunday. She said on her X account in 2024, “When going to the peeps here on this app allows you to converse with great people and get options to complete schedules WINNING … we gotta game y’all. Paperwork is not complete, but we are good for it! I love my HBCUs. Thank you all for reaching out! Love up,” she tweeted on X. Coppin State coach Daryl Mosely commented on scheduling South Carolina in postgame availability, saying, “Talking to Coach Staley, it’s tough for them to find games…You’re top in the nation in wins and winning national championships; nobody really wants to play you.” Coppin State wasn’t the only HBCU that the Lady Gamecocks faced. South Carolina hosted North Carolina Central, winning 106-42 on December 7th. The post Dawn Staley, South Carolina recap successful HBCU hoops battle appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Mark Williams was one of the pieces the Phoenix Suns brought in this past offseason to try and solve their woes at the center position that Jusuf Nurkic was no longer equipped to fill. Williams has had his ups and downs, with head coach Jordan Ott opting to roll with Oso Ighodaro over him at times, but when the towering center is locked in, he can be such an imposing presence near the basket. Just ask the Brooklyn Nets. Williams wasted no time establishing himself as a premier shot-blocking threat on Monday night against the Nets. With over 11 minutes still left in the third quarter of play, the Suns center defended a dribble drive from Nic Claxton. Claxton tried to go a little fancy with it, using a sidestep to try and shake Williams. But Williams matched him step for step and ended up snatching the ball in mid-air from Claxton’s floater attempt. Mark Williams just SNATCHED the ball out of the air for the block pic.twitter.com/6nUxouX27l — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 20, 2026 The timing, athleticism, and dexterity needed to pull this off is no joke. Only the best shot-blockers in the league even try to snatch the ball in mid-air to immediately claim possession for his team, and the Suns center has all the tools needed to do this sort of thing. This block was only one of three rejections Williams has on the night. The Suns are currently leading the Nets in the fourth, 121-114. Mark Williams is an ideal fit for this plucky Suns team Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Williams has a huge chip on his shoulder from the nixed trade that would have brought him to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it’s this underdog mentality that’s fueling the Suns to such a good run thus far in the 2025-26 campaign. But beyond being an incredible fit on the mental side of the ball, he is also the perfect fit on the court. He can run the floor quickly, he is an athletic big man who is very unselfish, and he can protect the rim to try and protect the Suns’ smaller guards. The post Suns center Mark Williams’ unreal block prevents bucket vs. Nets appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Heading into the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship, the one defensive player Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers certainly highlighted above all others on the pregame scouting report was Reuben Bain Jr., the do-it-all front-seven player for the Miami Hurricanes. Joining his hometown team as a 24/7 Sports four-star recruit out of Miami Central, Bain Jr. rapidly established himself as one of the better edge rushers in all of college football, but as has so often been the case in 2026, a player’s true legacy isn’t defined by the regular season, but how they perform in the playoffs. After watching players like Dante Moore return to school after underwhelming runs in the CFP, would Bain befall a similar fate? Nope, after being a highlight for the Hurricanes on their way up the ladder, the 21-year-old delivered early on against a stout Indiana offensive line, showcasing why he is without a doubt a top-5 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Against the run, Bain was a force of nature, powering through the offensive line to slow down the Hoosiers’ rushing attack with ease. In the first half, Bain recorded four tackles, three solo, and a tackle for loss as a certified disruptor against a premier unit. Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. has such heavy hands and he knows how to weaponize them. Scary pass rusher but just as scary against the run. That’s a top 10 pick. Don’t get caught up in the arm length pic.twitter.com/05ZmFeU2pY — Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) January 20, 2026 And against the pass? Well, while Bain didn’t sack Fernando Mendoza in the first half, he did pressure him early and often, forcing the potential first overall pick to speed up his delivery and eliminate deep passing concepts from his mental gameplan. Indiana was held to just 6.8 yards per completion in the first half, which is a full 2.7 yards less than his regular season average. Not a sack, but the first step, violent hands, bend… all here at 275+ pounds. Rueben Bain has been everywhere so far for Miami. pic.twitter.com/sy7W0Daxyh — Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 20, 2026 Can the Hurricanes come back and secure the win over the Hoosiers? Only time will tell, but if they do, it’s safe to assume it’s at least partially because Bain locked in and took his elite game up even further. The post Rueben Bain Jr. boosts draft stock with insane early Miami production vs. Indiana appeared first on ClutchPoints.