Sports
Cooper Flagg, No. 2 Duke take aim at North Carolina
Jan 25, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) drives to the basket against Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Tre’Von Spillers (25) during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Duke’s Cooper Flagg will get his first taste of the Tobacco Road rivalry Saturday evening when the No. 2 Blue Devils welcome North Carolina to Durham, N.C.
Duke (18-2, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has pulled out seven- and 10-point wins, respectively, over Wake Forest and North Carolina State in its past two games. The run against in-state opponents will conclude when the Tar Heels (13-9, 6-4), who swept last year’s series, make the short trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Both teams are playing it cool in the lead-up to game day. Duke players and coach Jon Scheyer didn’t comment on their next opponent after beating the Wolfpack 74-64 on Monday. As for North Carolina coach Hubert Davis, an alum of the school, he stayed even-keeled.
“We’ll prepare, we’ll practice, and we’ll play with the same type of competitive enthusiasm that we played with (Tuesday against Pitt),” Davis said. “I think every game is the Super Bowl. Whether it’s a preseason game or just any time you get a chance to step out there on the floor, you should be ready to go.”
Davis was speaking after the Tar Heels dropped a 73-65 decision on the road to Pitt. They committed 14 turnovers and were outscored 16-6 on free throws, neutering North Carolina’s plus-10 advantage on the boards.
North Carolina needs more quality wins to bolster its NCAA Tournament case, and beating Duke easily would qualify as the Tar Heels’ second Quadrant 1 victory.
It’s a different story in Durham, where Duke has an argument as the best team in the nation. The Blue Devils beat the only team ahead of them in the AP Top 25 poll, Auburn, by six points at home on Dec. 4.
Duke has won 14 straight games, the longest active streak in the nation, and Flagg is just one reason why. The star freshman and presumptive No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA draft is averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game — including 27.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists over his past five.
Flagg is hardly perfect. He revealed after the North Carolina State game that Scheyer told him he was being “very soft” in the first half.
“I felt like that led to most of our first-half troubles, just me being soft,” Flagg said. “It’s hard to initiate the offense if I’m not being strong with the ball. It’s not really a choice anymore. I have to be aggressive. What Coach has told me is that that’s going to create for everyone else.”
Flagg scored 23 of his 28 points vs. North Carolina State in the second half. He got to the foul line more after intermission and shot 10 of 11 there.
Kon Knueppel added 19 points and Sion James had 13 on Monday as Duke’s defense kicked in and held the Wolfpack to 27 points after halftime.
Duke ranks fifth in Division I in scoring defense (59.6 points per game), fifth in field-goal percentage defense (37.2) and, per KenPom.com, first in 2-point percentage allowed (41.0).
That could spell trouble for a North Carolina team that gets the majority of its offense inside the arc. Guards RJ Davis (17.6 ppg), Ian Jackson (14.7), Seth Trimble (12.3) and Elliot Cadeau (10.7) average double figures in scoring, but of the quartet, only Jackson (38.1 percent) shoots better than 30.3 percent from deep.
North Carolina won 93-84 at home and 84-79 at Duke last season. Duke swept the series the year before that, meaning Scheyer and Hubert Davis are 2-2 against one another.
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series 145-117.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lu Dort’s Antics Outshine Big Win for Oklahoma City Thunder
Luguentz Dort is a dirty player.
I’m not saying something entirely unheard of with this take. Dort, along with most players on the Thunder, benefit from a whistle not given to the rest of the league. Friday night’s matchup between the Nuggets and Thunder showed that at full effect.
This game was very physical from start to finish. These two teams do not like each other, and I feel much of that comes from the SGA vs. Jokic MVP debates. Jokic is probably the better player, but Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP last year and knocked the Nuggets out of the playoffs.
Things are different this time around. Jokic has far more help than in years past. Denver isn’t quite fully healthy yet, but in spurts, you’ve seen what this team could do in the playoffs.
OKC and Denver met at the start of the month, but the Nuggets were still missing multiple role players, and Jokic had a bit of a down night in only his second game back from injury. Even still, we saw a level of chippiness in this one that you normally won’t see in the NBA.
What happened on Friday had been building for the better part of two seasons.
While trying to get back on defense on a made basket, Dort purposefully hip-checked and tripped Jokic, leading to a mid-court fight between Jokic and Jaylin Williams.
Dort was given a flagrant two and ejected from the game, something Coach Daigneault disagreed with. He claimed that any player who trips someone running up the floor should be ejected now that this precedent has been set.
In most cases, if something like this occurs, a player should probably be ejected. Rocket’s Tari Eason did something similar earlier this week, and it led to Vince Williams Jr. tearing his ACL. Physicality is great in basketball, but dumb plays like the one Dort made are dangerous and could potentially injure a superstar like Jokic.
Another key factor is that Dort doesn’t deserve any benefit of the doubt. This isn’t a one-off play. He’s a Draymond Green-like character who is always toeing the line between fair and foul.
Dort has countless plays like this. If you feel like he’s close to doing anything dirty, he should be removed from the game and fined, because he’s constantly committing non-basketball fouls.
The Thunder did go on to win in OT, but luckily, these teams meet again in less than 10 days, so I doubt this is the end of this beef.
Sports
After capturing gold, Wild trio focused on Blues
Feb 4, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) celebrates defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) winning goal against the Nashville Predators during the overtime period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images A trio of United States Olympic gold medal winners are about to return “home.”
It’s likely that fans from the “State of Hockey” will welcome them back with a roar.
Matt Boldy and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber will be front and center when the Minnesota Wild face off against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday in Saint Paul, Minn. It will be their first home game since Feb. 2 for the Wild, who had a three-week break for the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Faber might get the loudest cheer when he is recognized as part of a U.S. team that won the nation’s first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980. The local product grew up in suburban Maple Grove, Minn., and starred collegiately for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
How’s he feeling after the whirlwind of February?
“Good enough, right?” Faber said. “I played hockey the whole time, so I’m still in game shape.”
The Wild have split their two games since returning from the Olympic break. They stormed to a 5-2 road win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night but lost by the same score versus the Utah Mammoth on Friday.
The loss might have come with added cost as veteran forward Joel Eriksson Ek left the game after taking a high stick to the face.
Eriksson Ek’s status is uncertain for Sunday. He has 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) in 54 games this season.
“We all know the type of player ‘Ekky’ is and the situations we count on him to play in,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “It’s unfortunate, but hopefully he’s OK.”
St. Louis also will try to bounce back from a loss after falling short 3-1 against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Pavel Buchnevich scored the lone goal for the Blues.
Blues forward Jake Neighbours said he and his teammates needed to come out with a better effort against the Wild. He said the team recorded a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday because of a great effort level and lost its most recent game because of a reduced effort level.
“To me, it’s battles,” Neighbours said. “I thought on Thursday, our compete (level) was really high. We were excited. There was a lot of energy on the bench and in the dressing room.
“For whatever reason, (on Saturday), it just didn’t seem like we could muster up the momentum and the energy to take over the game.”
Joel Hofer could get the start for the Blues in net one night after Jordan Binnington turned aside 30 of 32 shots against the Devils. Hofer is 13-11-3 with a 2.87 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage this season, and he is 1-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .944 save percentage in his only career game against Minnesota.
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson likely will get the nod after fellow netminder Jesper Wallstedt started against Utah. Gustavsson is 21-9-6 with a 2.60 GAA and a .909 save percentage this season, and he is 5-2-0 with a 2.32 GAA and a .919 save percentage in eight career appearances against the Blues.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Islanders in playoff position, Panthers have work to do as teams meet
Jan 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice watches the play against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers do not have to be reminded that five of the eight teams currently occupying a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference did not make the postseason last year.
And the Panthers will get another glimpse at a team attempting to take their spot in the tournament Sunday night, when Florida opens a four-game road trip by visiting the surging New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.
The Panthers are coming off a 3-2 loss to the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. The Islanders are completing a back-to-back set after overcoming a two-goal deficit Saturday night and edging the host Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3, in overtime.
The loss Friday was the sixth in eight games for the Panthers (2-6-0), who are eight points behind the Boston Bruins in the race for the second wild-card spot with 23 games to play.
The Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Sabres — the latter of whom are in second place in the Atlantic Division — all missed the playoffs last year.
A reigning Stanley Cup champion hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2015, when the Los Angeles Kings came up two points shy of a tournament berth.
A spate of injuries has endangered the Panthers’ pursuit of the NHL’s first three-peat since the Islanders won the Stanley Cup four consecutive times from 1980-83. Captain Aleksander Barkov has yet to play due to a right knee injury suffered in training camp while Matthew Tkachuk has played just 12 games following offseason surgery for a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle. Tkachuk and Barkov were Florida’s second- and third-leading scorers last season, respectively.
The Panthers’ fortunes haven’t improved since returning from the Olympic break. Right winger Cole Schwindt will be out indefinitely with a lower body injury suffered in Thursday’s 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs while Uvis Balinskis was slated to be evaluated Saturday after exiting Friday’s game due to injury.
“Not cheating on effort,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “We’re doing the best we can.”
Simon Holmstrom’s goal 1:47 into overtime Saturday continued a pair of trends for the Islanders, whose effort to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence has featured plenty of comeback wins and extra session dramatics.
New York is tied for second place in the Metropolitan Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have two games in hand. The Penguins also missed the playoffs last season.
The win Saturday was the fourth straight for the Islanders, who have trailed in three of those victories — including Thursday night’s 4-3 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens in which New York also came back from a 2-0 second-period deficit.
Holmstrom’s goal improved the Islanders to 8-0 in games decided in overtime. New York trailed in regulation in all eight overtime wins.
The only team in NHL history to record more overtime wins without a loss in a single season are the 2021 Vegas Golden Knights, who went 9-0 in overtime during the pandemic-shortened 56-game campaign.
“At the end of the day … I feel like we’re calm and we just focus on what needs to be done,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re behind. We find ways to get back into the game.”
–Field Level Media
Lu Dort’s Antics Outshine Big Win for Oklahoma City Thunder
After capturing gold, Wild trio focused on Blues
