Sports
Wizards carry 9-game skid into matchup vs. Trail Blazers
Jan 24, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) handles the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the first quarter at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images The Washington Wizards find themselves in the midst of another extended losing streak, but team officials are increasingly optimistic about the future.
The club brass will be looking for continued growth when the Wizards face the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
Portland has dropped two in a row following a four-game winning streak. The Trail Blazers scored a season-low 37 points in the first half of a 102-94 road loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday.
The rebuilding Wizards turned in another encouraging outing before losing their ninth straight game on Saturday, falling 119-115 to the host Charlotte Hornets.
Washington’s starting lineup of Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington and Will Riley was the NBA’s youngest in average age (20.64 years) since the league began tracking that data in 1970-71.
George had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with a left ankle injury. He is expected to play on Tuesday.
Johnson recorded career highs of 26 points and six assists in the Saturday loss for the Wizards, who dropped 14 in a row earlier this season. The 19-year-old rookie also made a career-high six 3-pointers.
“This guy has been in our gym, working on his craft,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “We know he can shoot and make plays for himself, but I’ve been really impressed with how he is involving his teammates.”
Keefe is 36-129 as an interim and permanent head coach with the Wizards, but Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger praised him for developing a young roster.
“I think Brian has done a remarkable job,” Winger said. “He’s built a culture of competitiveness, accountability, togetherness and joy. I’m very, very pleased with the job that Brian has done.”
Washington is set to begin a five-game homestand against a Portland team that trailed 32-11 at the end of the first quarter against Boston on Monday.
Jerami Grant finished with 19 points to lead the Trail Blazers, while Toumani Camara added 18.
Leading scorer Deni Avdija (26 points per game) missed his second straight game with a lower back strain, but he is expected to be available on Tuesday.
Rookie guard Caleb Love had 11 points in the loss to Boston and is averaging 15.4 points in 13 games this month.
“He’s really stepped up,” Portland interim coach Tiago Splitter said. “But what I’m most impressed with is the effort he has put in defensively. He doesn’t have the biggest wingspan or jump the highest, but he always puts in the effort.”
Love has scored in double figures in 17 of his past 18 games.
“I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunity,” said Love, who went undrafted out of Arizona last summer. “Until I get where I want to get — having my contract converted — I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But if I do get converted, it will definitely be a milestone that I’m going to be proud of, for sure.”
Portland swept the two-game season series against Washington last season and has won 10 of the past 13 meetings between the teams.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angel Reese exits Dream's win after injuring leg
Jul 19, 2026; College Park, Georgia, USA; Chicago Sky center-forward Elizabeth Williams (1) blocks a shot against Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese left Sunday’s 93-91 win over the visiting Chicago Sky early in the fourth quarter after injuring her left leg during a layup attempt and did not return.
Just 15 seconds into the fourth, Reese was driving for a layup when she appeared to roll her ankle as she released the ball and went down to the floor.
Courtney Vandersloot was called for a foul as she defended on the play but a replay showed Vandersloot did not touch Reese and the foul call was overturned. Reese was also wearing a sleeve over her left knee.
After getting back to her feet, Reese went back down to the floor before returning to the bench. She was ruled out for the rest of the game, and no update was provided on her status, though coach Karl Smesko did speak with the media.
“It’s hard because we’re in the timeout. It seemed like a really long timeout, and there wasn’t a lot being said because we were all just looking at Angel,” Sesko said. “And when I was looking at her, it seemed like she was in a lot of pain, and she wanted to go out there and keep playing because she’s competitive and she wants to win the game. … I just didn’t feel comfortable with it because she looked like she was in a lot of pain.”
Reese, an All-Star in each of her first two seasons with Chicago, entered the game averaging a career-best 15.7 points along with a league-leading 11.8 rebounds.
She was traded from Chicago along with a second-round pick to Atlanta for a pair of first-round picks in the offseason.
She scored eight points with five rebounds in 20 minutes Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Joey Logano fastest to finish in first North Wilkesboro points race since '96
Jul 19, 2026; North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA; Team Penske driver Joey Logano (22) takes the second stage during the Window World 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Joey Logano dominated by leading a career-high 323 laps as NASCAR welcomed historic North Wilkesboro Speedway back to the Cup Series’ regular-season points schedule for the first time since 1996 in Sunday night’s Window World 450 in North Wilkesboro, N.C.
Winless since early May of last season at Texas Motor Speedway, the three-time Cup Series champion notched his 38th career victory in 16 seasons by topping Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota over the final half of the race, beating the points leader by 0.859 seconds in a long stretch of green-flag racing.
Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Shane van Gisbergen finished as the top five.
Sixth-place Bubba Wallace was the final car on the lead lap.
After three cleanly-raced support events over the weekend, Ryan Blaney was slotted first after qualifying was washed out Saturday, but his No. 12 Ford team had to fix a power steering issue that sent him to the back of the 37-car field.
That gave the point to Gibbs, who took them to green in a points race for the first time since polesitter Ted Musgrave did so on Sept. 29, 1996, before a nearly three-decade-long shutdown of the 0.625-mile short track.
Gibbs led the first 40 circuits until John Hunter Nemechek spun after contact with Zane Smith, and the first caution period ended with Hamlin taking two tires to claim the lead on the restart.
Gibbs hustled back in his No. 54 Toyota and narrowly beat van Gisbergen to win Stage 1, which consisted of 80 laps. Logano, Hamlin and Carson Hocevar were the next three finishers.
Logano, the 2024 winner of the All-Star Race at NWS, took the lead from van Gisbergen on Lap 113 in Turn 4 in the 185 laps that made up Stage 2.
The No. 22 Team Penske driver increased his advantage over second-place Chase Elliott to 3 1/2 seconds by Lap 150 and soon lapped Gibbs (speeding penalty), but Hamlin found his way to move by Elliott in the first long green-flag run on the short track.
On Lap 183, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman wrecked coming off Turn 2 and slid onto the pit-road entrance for the third caution, putting William Byron and Elliott two laps down after their green-flag stop.
Logano captured Stage 2 for his first segment win this season, and Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Wallace and van Gisbergen earned top-five bonus points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals RHP Stephen Kolek (flexor) hurt on rehab assignment, placed on IL
Kansas City Royals pitcher Stephen Kolek (32) pitches in the third inning between the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Stephen Kolek on the 15-day injured list on Sunday after he strained his right flexor during a rehab start.
Kolek was injured on Saturday while pitching for Triple-A Omaha to get him ready to return to the major league squad as soon as this week after an extended absence on the family medical emergency list.
He was scheduled for four innings or 65 pitches but made it through only 51 pitches (30 strikes) over 2 2/3 innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs before he exited in the third inning with the Omaha Storm Chasers’ trainer.
Kolek allowed two runs on six hits with a hit batter, no walks and three strikeouts.
“He said he didn’t feel great playing catch, but then as he got on the mound, he felt better,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday. “The first couple of innings were pretty good. In the third inning, he felt more aggressive discomfort. They thought it was best to get him out of there.”
Kolek, 29, is scheduled to get imaging done on Monday.
He last pitched in a major league game on July 2, allowing three runs on four hits in two innings of a 5-2 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kolek has been away from the team since before the birth of his daughter, Faye, who was born seven weeks premature on June 25, MLB.com reported. He has been in the hospital with his wife, Jessica, and their baby, leaving only for that July 2 start. The Royals placed him on the family emergency medical list three times and the paternity list twice as well as the restricted list on July 11, according to MLB.com.
With his child making progress, Kolek planned to return to the Royals, including Saturday’s rehab start. Major League Baseball gave the Royals permission for Kolek to have a rehab assignment, which is not the norm for players on the restricted list.
Kolek is 4-3 with one shutout, a 4.50 ERA, 12 walks and 34 strikeouts in 54 innings over 10 starts this season.
He is a career 12-10 with a 4.13 ERA, 55 walks and 150 strikeouts in 213 1/3 innings over 71 games (29 starts) for the San Diego Padres (2024-25) and Royals (2025-present). The Padres traded Kolek and right-hander Ryan Bergert to the Royals for catcher Freddy Fermin on July 31, 2025.
–Field Level Media
