Sports
Jets set sights on further momentum vs. streaky Stars
Jan 31, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Winnipeg Jets look to head into the upcoming Olympic break on a positive note when they face host Dallas on Monday night, while the Stars enter the matchup seeking their fifth straight victory.
Dallas forward Matt Duchene extended his goal-scoring streak to four games Saturday as the Stars edged the Utah Mammoth 3-2 on the road for their fifth win in the last six games.
“I think we’re playing better hockey now,” Duchene said after the win in Salt Lake City. “There was some stuff there that we needed to fix. … I think we’ve just got to keep with those little things and keep going.”
The win marked a continued turnaround for the Stars, who had won just three of 14 games in a 3-7-4 stretch that began before Christmas prior to this current win streak. Dallas had a 25-7-5 record prior to that slump, and coach Glen Gulutzan said recent results suggest the club is regaining its form.
“We had to get back into our game and what we did better in the first half of the year than we’ve done since the new year,” Gulutzan said. “You can see, I’m sure, a visible difference if you’re watching the games on how we’re playing the last few.
“It’s got to continue. We know that’s got to be part of the fabric of our team and I think the players see it, we all see it, so it’s got to carry on.”
Winnipeg is coming off a 2-1 road victory over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Jets scored twice in the third period for just their second third-period comeback win of the season.
“I just liked the way we competed,” said Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel when asked about his takeaway from the victory. “We stayed in it. … We did a really good job of winning our share of puck battles. Did a good job in eliminating what we gave up.”
Despite the win, Winnipeg remains nine points out of a playoff spot with only two games remaining before the Olympic break and four teams between it and the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Jets are hoping to build momentum as the schedule heads toward a near-month-long pause.
A lot of that could rest on the shoulders of Cole Perfetti, who tallied at Florida on Saturday. It was just his fifth goal and 16th point of the season, disappointing numbers considering the step he was hoping to take this year after scoring 18 goals and 50 points in 82 games in 2024-25.
“Yeah, it’s obviously a good feeling. Like you said, got a lot of chances there earlier in the game and wasn’t able to find it,” Perfetti said. “So, just keep going to the net, trying to generate and try to get those chances, and go to the net and get rewarded. That felt good.”
The Jets’ blue line remains depleted. Neal Pionk (lower-body injury) has returned to practice but is not expected to rejoin the lineup until after the Winter Games. Defensemen Colin Miller (knee surgery) and Haydn Fleury (upper body) also are sidelined until late February or early March.
Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin remains out with a lower-body injury but is progressing toward a return after traveling with the team on its most recent road trip.
–Field Level Media
Sports
With each team missing top scorer, Thunder push past Lakers
Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) shoots the ball over Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Jalen Williams scored 23 points and Isaiah Joe added 19 as the Oklahoma City Thunder ended a two-game losing streak with a 119-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday in a game where both teams were missing an All-Star.
Alex Caruso put up 17 points and Chet Holmgren totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) for the third consecutive game. Gilgeous-Alexander will be replaced in the All-Star Game on Sunday by the Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun.
Oklahoma City rallied from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter to avoid a season-high third consecutive defeat.
LeBron James scored 22 points and dished 10 assists while Marcus Smart added 19 points for the Lakers, who saw a three-game winning streak come to an end. Los Angeles was without Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) for the second consecutive game.
Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Jake LaRavia added 14 for Los Angeles, which is 0-2 against Oklahoma City this season with the teams set to meet two more times late in the regular season.
Doncic (32.8 points per game) and Gilgeous-Alexander (31.8 ppg) are the NBA’s top two scorers.
The Thunder trailed 99-98 before an Isaiah Hartenstein dunk with 7:08 left sparked an 11-2 run for a 109-101 lead following a 3-pointer from Williams with 3:05 on the clock.
James pulled the Lakers within 111-108 on a dunk with 1:43 left before an offensive rebound and follow-up dunk by Holmgren with 1:17 remaining put the Thunder up by five.
James missed a 3-point attempt with 40.7 seconds remaining, and Williams sealed the victory for the Thunder on two free throws for a 117-110 lead with 35.9 seconds left.
Oklahoma City led by as many 11 points in the third quarter before Los Angeles went on a 22-3 run to take an 85-77 lead with 5:09 remaining in the period. The Thunder changed the momentum and took a 93-91 lead into the fourth after a late Caruso 3-pointer.
The Thunder led by 14 points in the first half and were up 67-58 at halftime. Joe had 16 points for Oklahoma City in the first half, while Reaves had 12 for the Lakers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mikel Brown Jr. ties single-game records as No. 24 Louisville crushes NC State
Feb 9, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) reacts after making a shot against the NC State Wolfpack during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. tied the Louisville single-game scoring mark with 45 points and matched another single-game record with 10 3-pointers to lead the No. 24 Cardinals to a 118-77 win over visiting North Carolina State on Monday night.
Louisville (18-6, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed. Brown produced 21 points with five 3-pointers to stake the Cardinals to a 56-36 halftime lead before topping that total with five more 3-pointers in the second half.
He finished 14 of 23 from the field, 10 of 16 on 3-point attempts and 7 of 7 at the line while adding nine rebounds, three steals and two assists in 34 minutes. Ryan Conwell added 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Cardinals while going 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
When Brown hit his final 3-pointer with 2:09 to play — a swish from nearly 30 feet away — he tied Wes Unseld’s single-game school record set against Georgetown (Ky.) College on Dec. 1, 1967. Brown’s point total set the ACC freshman record, and his 10 3-pointers tied the school record established by Reyne Smith last season against SMU.
Louisville coach Pat Kelsey then called timeout to remove Brown from the game. The Cardinals wound up with their highest point total since beating Morehead State 119-61 on Dec. 6, 1995.
Louisville opened the game on a 7-0 run. NC State pulled within 25-20 on a Quadir Copeland dunk with 10:58 left in the first half.
Louisville answered with a 10-2 run, and NC State never got within single digits after that surge that included 3-pointers from Conwell and Brown.
The Cardinals racked up their sixth 100-plus scoring effort on the year. No Cardinal other than Brown and Conwell reached double figures, but Louisville shot 60% overall (39-for-65) and 60% from 3-point range (18-for-30).
NC State (18-7, 9-3) saw the end of a six-game winning streak as the Wolfpack allowed more than 85 points for just the second time this season. The Wolfpack were led by Ven-Allen Lubin’s 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Tre Holloman added 19 points and Copeland tallied 10.
The Wolfpack shot just 4-for-22 (18.2%) from 3-point range and were outrebounded 42-28.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top 25 roundup: No. 9 Kansas ends No. 1 Arizona's perfect run
Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) hugs Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self after defeating Arizona Wildcats in the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 9, 2026. Flory Bidunga scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 9 Kansas handed top-ranked Arizona its first loss of the season, 82-78 on Monday at Lawrence, Kan.
The Wildcats (23-1, 10-1 Big 12) achieved the best start in Big 12 history at 23-0 overall before the defeat. Kansas (19-5, 9-2) beat the No. 1 team at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time ever after losing five such games, including to Arizona the last time in 2003.
The Jayhawks won their eighth straight game overall despite playing without freshman star Darryn Peterson, who had flu-like symptoms. It was the 11th game Kansas played without Peterson, who has dealt with an ankle sprain, hamstring strain and chronic cramping.
Arizona led by 11 with 17:02 to go before Kansas rallied, scoring seven straight points in little more than a minute, then keeping the score within six until a Bidunga field goal gave the Jayhawks the lead with 9:32 to go. Kansas never trailed again. Miami (Ohio) is the nation’s lone remaining unbeaten at 24-0.
No. 17 St. John’s 87, Xavier 82 (OT)
Zuby Ejiofor scored six points in overtime for the Red Storm, who fended off an upset bid by the Musketeers to win in New York, giving coach Rick Pitino another milestone win against his son Richard.
The win was the 904th on-court victory for the elder Pitino, who snapped a tie with Roy Williams for third-place all-time. On Jan. 24, the Red Storm beat the Musketeers for Rick Pitino’s 900th win. The NCAA recognizes Rick Pitino with 781 wins after he was stripped of 123 victories due to violations at Louisville.
Ejiofor finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists for St. John’s (19-5, 12-1 Big East), which has won 10 straight — the third 10-game winning streak in the last two seasons under Rick Pitino. Tre Carroll had 21 points and eight rebounds but missed a potential game-winning shot at the regulation buzzer for Xavier (12-12, 4-9).
No. 24 Louisville 118, North Carolina State 77
Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. tied the Louisville single-game scoring mark with 45 points and matched another single-game record with 10 3-pointers to lead the Cardinals past the visiting Wolfpack.
Brown matched Wes Unseld’s single-game school record set against Georgetown (Ky.) College on Dec. 1, 1967. Brown’s point total set the Atlantic Coast Conference freshman record, and his 10 3-pointers tied the school record established by Reyne Smith last season against SMU.
Ryan Conwell added 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Cardinals (18-6, 8-4 ACC), who have won four in a row. North Carolina State (18-7, 9-3) got 20 points from Ven-Allen Lubin but had a six-game winning streak end.
–Field Level Media
With each team missing top scorer, Thunder push past Lakers
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