There are challenges that come with a famous family name though. These are young men carrying the preconceptions and expectations of others.

"I always get called Mike Friday's son, every time," says 18-year-old Friday with a smile.

"I want to make a name for myself as well. My dad has done everything he was really good but obviously I want to try and push on for myself.

"It is not about escaping his shadow. I just want to be seen as my own person as well, not just a son."

For Bracken it is about being more than a brother as well. Charlie, two years older, is also on Saracens' books and has represented England under-20s in the past.

Bracken says that being a wing rather than a scrum-half like Charlie and Kyran limits comparisons, though even if they do come he has the belief that he could hold his own against his father's heyday.

"I have been shown a few highlight reels and been told my dad used to be quicker than me I'm not sure that works anymore!" he says.

"I have also watched a few England games from the 2003 World Cup run. It is funny seeing how the game has changed so much in a short space of time, with the speed and the structure there is now.

"I wonder how good he would be today. I'm sure he would do alright."

The more pressing question for many England fans is how good this generation of youngsters can become after winning the junior version of both the Six Nations and World Cup in 2024.

Bracken, who is studying at Loughborough University, made his Saracens debut earlier this season in the Premiership Cup, while Friday appeared in the Premiership for the first time in December, coming off the bench in a victory over Newcastle.

Among the under 20s preparing for their Six Nations opener against Ireland on Thursday, they are now the wise, old heads.

"There are different faces from last time, but I am really enjoying the vibe and brotherhood we have got going," says Bracken.

"It has almost continued from last season and built again this season."

From babes-in-arms to brothers-in-arms, they won't be the last to follow their parents' stud marks towards the top.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Veteran goaltender John Gibson sustained an upper-body injury during the first period of the Anaheim Ducks' 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.

Lukas Dostal took over netminding duties at the start of the second period. Gibson made nine saves in the first period as the Ducks held a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes. Dostal made 31 saves across the final 40 minutes, giving up only one goal, en route to the win.

It's the second time this season Gibson has left a game because of injury. He was hit in the right eye by a stick blade during a Dec. 23 game against the Vegas Golden Knights and sat out the next two games.

Anaheim coach Greg Cronin, in his postgame media availability, told reporters that, after the first period -- when Gibson was being evaluated -- he was preparing the team to return to the ice, so he didn't have a major update other than saying "I think he's going to be fine."

One of few proven netminders who has been mentioned in trade rumors as the regular season hits its stretch run, Gibson also was out for the first 12 games of the regular season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

Gibson came into Saturday's game with an 8-8-2 record in 20 games, a 2.76 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. He has 201 career victories with the Ducks and is five away from tying Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the most wins in franchise history.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

AUBURN, Ala. -- Miles Kelly hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining, and Johni Broome had 16 points and 13 rebounds in his return to the lineup as No. 1 Auburn extended its winning streak to 11 games by outlasting No. 6 Tennessee 53-51 on Saturday night.

Auburn (18-1, 6-0 SEC) was held to its lowest point total of the season by Tennessee's physical defense. Kelly's trey off a feed from Broome turned a two-point deficit into a one-point advantage.

Tennessee had a chance to retake the lead in the final seconds, but a 3-point try by Zakai Zeigler missed the mark.

Broome, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound fifth-year senior and preseason Associated Press All-American, was back in action for the first time since suffering what Tigers coach Bruce Pearl called a "significant sprain" to his left ankle during a win at South Carolina on Jan. 11. The forward secured crucial defensive rebounds on Tennessee's final two possessions.

"I just want to thank my trainers and my doctors and Johni Broome for living in the training room for two weeks. I didn't think he was going to come back tonight, in the middle of the week. And even here the day before, I knew he wanted to go," Pearl said after the victory. "I didn't think he was going to be effective. And he had a triple-double tonight: 16 points, 13 rebounds -- and he missed 12 shots.

"But I think the team really respected their leader for putting it on the line, and I don't know if we win if he doesn't come back."

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes didn't take any chances. He had his Volunteers prepared to see Broome, although, in the end, that didn't stop him.

"There was no doubt in our mind [Broome] was going to play," Barnes said. "We knew he was going to play. So, we prepared all week for him to be there."

Zeigler had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Vols (17-3, 4-3). Chaz Lanier added 10 points, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the second half.

Both teams shot less than 32% from the field in the defensive slugfest.

"The last thing is that we've won four games now in the last possession -- four of the last six," Pearl said. "Last year, we had 20 wins by double digits. And so, whether this team is better or not or whatever we are, this league is better. And so, it's going be a battle every night. But we are happy with this one, because that's a great team."

Auburn will play at LSU on Wednesday.

Tennessee will look to bounce back when it hosts No. 9 Kentucky on Tuesday.

"I thought they fought all night long," Barnes said of his Volunteers. "And we went through just a couple minutes where we didn't quite stick to the details and gave them a few baskets that we wouldn't want to give them."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CHICAGO -- Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George exited in the second quarter of Saturday's 109-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls and did not return after jamming his left pinkie.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said George was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday to test for any further damage.

George's finger bent backward while attempting to grab the ball over Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the second quarter. George did not play the final five minutes of the first half and shortly after he did not take the court to begin the third quarter, the Sixers ruled him out for the rest of the game. He played 13 minutes and went 3-of-6 from the field with nine points.

The Sixers were already without star Joel Embiid, who has not played since Jan. 4 because of a knee injury.

Philadelphia arrived in Chicago on the second night of a back-to-back and after a 132-129 upset win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at home Friday, which ended a seven-game losing streak. George scored 30 points Friday before appearing in a back-to-back for the first time in two weeks.

With Saturday's win, the Sixers pulled closer to the Bulls in the race for the final Eastern Conference postseason spot. Philly trails Chicago by one game for the No. 10 seed, which is part of the play-in tournament.

"We're piecing it together the best we can," Nurse said afterward.

DALLAS -- The Boston Celtics readily admit that the aftermath of their championship celebration has impacted their intensity this season.

"We were a lion last season, and some games this year we've looked like a house cat," center Kristaps Porzingis said after the Celtics' 122-107 win Saturday over the Dallas Mavericks. "We want to have that spirit as a team this year, and it's tough. Obviously we can't trick ourselves and make it [like] it's playoffs every game. It's tough, just human nature. But we know the group that we have and we know that we're going to bring it to the big games, but we need to bring it consistently and keep building on top of good wins like tonight."

The Celtics, who won 68 games last regular season and lost only three times during the postseason run to the franchise's record-setting 18th title, are second in the Eastern Conference standings with a 32-14 record. Boston jumped to a 21-5 start but is only 11-9 since then and sit 4.5 games behind the Cavaliers.

"We're definitely working towards getting our killer instinct back," said Porzingis, who scored 18 points in Saturday's win, his first game at the American Airlines Center since the Mavs traded him to the Washington Wizards at the 2022 deadline. "We want to have that. Some moments we've looked really good, some moments not so good. Some moments we've cruised a little bit."

Boston arrived in Dallas off an embarrassing blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on national television Thursday. There was a motivational quote written on the white board in the visitors' locker room that was attributed to star forward Jaylen Brown, although he didn't think that he actually uttered those particular words.

"Whatever it takes to inspire the team," Brown said.

Brown did, however, cite one of his favorite sayings that he believes applies to Boston's relative struggles this season: "Winter always turns to spring."

In this case, the saying reflects Brown's confidence that the Celtics will soon go on a dominant run. Boston hasn't had a winning streak longer than three games since November.

"It's coming. It's coming," said Brown, who had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists against the Mavs. "You just keep working. It's coming. You got to keep fighting if you want to be what you say you want to be, got to be tested and you got to pass those tests and be worthy of it. It's been hard. Shots are not going in. It's looked a little bit ugly at times. Our offense has been a little bit [off]. The energy hasn't been flowing the way it's used to, but that's all right.

"Just keep your mind, you keep your spirit lifted, you keep your teammates' spirit lifted and you come out and you play basketball, the tide will turn."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry acknowledged his injured right thumb bothered him but said it wasn't the reason why he matched the worst shooting half of his career, missing all eight of his second-half shots in a 118-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night at Chase Center.

Curry shot 4-for-17, including just 2-for-9 on 3-pointers, to finish with 13 points and nine assists. While he keeps getting his shooting thumb banged up, Curry would not use the injury as an excuse.

"It sucks, but it's not an excuse for anything," Curry said. "Got to play through it. I went 8-for-8 with it [against the Sixers]. It's just something that has been lingering to the point that it gets hit every once in a while. It's one of those things, it is almost gone and then it gets knocked again. I will deal with it, but it shouldn't bother me like it did tonight."

Curry has been battling the thumb injury and pain in his knees, which the team has had to manage. Golden State (22-23) has held out Curry in a game during back to backs because of the knee pain, though he did play in the Warriors' most recent back-to-back set against Sacramento and Chicago.

"It's trending in the right direction," Curry said of his knees. "It's still something you got to stick with the maintenance and all that type of stuff. For me to play, it checked all the boxes. In terms of how it responds from game to game, if that continues, I like where I'm at."

Keeping the injured thumb from getting hit has been an issue for Curry. Before facing the Sixers on Jan. 2, Curry was listed on the injury report with a sprained right thumb. He made all eight of his 3-point attempts and scored 30 points in a win over the Sixers. He also drilled seven triples in a win at Minnesota on Jan. 15.

But there are times when Curry can be seen shaking his right hand after getting the thumb whacked during a game. The Lakers' defense was also a thorn in Curry's side Saturday.

The Lakers held Curry scoreless in the second half, contesting seven of his eight shots. For the game, Curry shot 1-for-9, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range, on contested shots.

"Obviously Steph didn't shoot it well," said Lakers center Anthony Davis, who had 36 points and 13 rebounds. "But I think a lot of that was on us -- our guards ... constantly getting into the ball, making it tough on him. So I think everybody played a part of the Steph Curry defense that we tried to play on him tonight."

With the Warriors in a stretch in which they play eight of nine games at home, Curry has said this span could "make or break" their season as Golden State tries to get back above .500 without the injured Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga. Green is considered week-to-week with a calf injury, and head coach Steve Kerr says Kuminga is not close to returning after suffering a severe ankle injury three weeks ago.

The most nagging injury on the team, however, is Curry's shooting thumb.

"I think every time it gets hit, it's like a step-back," Curry said. "It's just annoying. Obviously I am going to play through it, but I was joking with one of our doctors tonight, I didn't even want to mention it because it's like as soon as it gets 100 percent, it gets knocked again.

"Again, not an excuse. I try not to worry about when I am out there, but hopefully it will clear up sooner than later."

Unhappy with his status with the Phoenix Suns, center Jusuf Nurkic said he hasn't spoken with head coach Mike Budenholzer in two months, going so far as to say the two "don't have a relationship."

Nurkic, who started 23 games this season before being moved to the bench earlier this month, has not played since Jan. 7. He said Budenholzer didn't tell him he would sit out a Jan. 9 game against the Atlanta Hawks, and Saturday's 119-109 win over the Washington Wizards marked the ninth consecutive game he has missed.

"We don't have a relationship," Nurkic said of Budenholzer, according to the Arizona Republic. "So, it's fine. For me, just be a pro and do the best I can. Work and stay ready for whatever might be, but there is no chaos or bringing that to this team. They already have plenty of it. Trying to be as professional as I can and work my ass off for something else."

Nurkic, who is averaging 8.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, was replaced in the starting lineup by Mason Plumlee when the Suns played at the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 6. It was his first time coming off the bench since the 2016-17 season, when he played for the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic became the starting center.

"It's hard to understand why," Nurkic said about Budenholzer moving him to the bench. "As you know, I try to do whatever they want from me. I play my role or whatever, but at the end of the day, it's the NBA."

With Nurkic out, Budenholzer has used three other centers in his rotation, including Plumlee and Nick Richards, whom the Suns acquired in a Jan. 15 trade. Richards has started the past three games and had 20 points and 19 rebounds in Saturday's win. Rookie Oso Ighodaro has also gotten minutes off the bench.

Budenholzer addressed Nurkic's remarks after Saturday's game.

"It's never easy in this league, Budenholzer said. "He hasn't played. I'm sure he's frustrated, so I respect that."

He added: "There's been conversations that have been had. There's been communication, but you know, we got three or four guys who play the same position. We're gonna go with who gives us our best chance. You've gotta earn your minutes, and that's been communicated."

Nurkic said he has nothing against the Suns' other big men.

"I'm glad Bud find somebody who he like he can play," Nurkic said of Richards. "I think that's refreshing for him to rotate four centers. I think that's something that's sustainable and that's the NBA. I have nothing against Nick. Any way I can help, but I'm glad they found someone who they want to play."

Shipped to Phoenix in a three-team trade before the 2023-24 season, Nurkic started 76 games that year, averaging 10.9 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Despite his situation, Nurkic said he believes he will be with the Suns after the Feb. 6 trade deadline but added that he will be prepared if he is moved.

"One door close, another will open eventually, sooner or later," Nurkic said.

He added: "It was what it is. Life is not fair."