Sports
Lakers return home from grueling road trip with surging Sixers waiting
Feb 3, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) looks to drive past Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) in the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images With their grueling annual winter trip behind them, the Los Angeles Lakers will not get a chance to ease into familiar surroundings as the surging Philadelphia 76ers come to town Thursday.
The Lakers went 5-3 as they vacated their home arena for the Grammy Awards, although the long-awaited return of guard Austin Reaves on Tuesday was a reason to feel revived.
Out since Christmas Day, Reaves returned from a calf injury by scoring 15 points off the bench in 21 minutes of a 125-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. LeBron James scored 25 points in the victory, and Luka Doncic had 24 as Los Angeles scored 23 points off 20 Nets turnovers.
Reaves was just 3 of 9 from the floor, including 1 of 5 from behind the 3-point line, but he showed some pent-up aggression by getting to the free-throw line, where he went 8 of 10.
“For as long as he has been out, obviously, the No. 1 thing is rhythm and fatigue, how fast you get fatigued,” James said about Reaves, according to the Los Angeles Times. “So, it’s just a boost for all of us, especially at the end of a road trip, to get a guy like that back.”
Even on a team with stars like James and Doncic, Reaves’ presence is key for Los Angeles. He has delivered career bests in points (26.1), rebounds (5.2) and assists (6.0) this season, his fifth in Los Angeles, and has developed a strong rapport with Doncic.
“I’ve been bored for a little over a month now,” Reaves said.
He added: “It’s good to be back out there and run around, feel the energy and play the game I love.”
The 76ers increased their winning streak to a season-best five games with a 113-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Philadelphia has been in California all week, starting a five-game road trip with a 128-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
With Joel Embiid out for injury management on his right knee and ankle on the second game of a back-to-back versus the Golden State Warriors, rookie VJ Edgecombe led the Sixers with 25 points, well over his 15.1 per-game average, and added seven rebounds with seven assists and two steals.
Edgecombe was just 1 of 11 from the floor against the Clippers before the 20-year-old went 11 of 20 against the Warriors.
“He does a little bit of everything,” Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse said of the Baylor product. “He can handle, he can shoot a little, he rebounds, he can get to some non-paint two pullups, play some one-on-one, block shots. He does all of those things at kind of an above-average level.”
Leading scorer Tyrese Maxey was held to 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting against the Warriors, under his 28.9-point average, as the offense deferred to the hot shooting Edgecombe. Andre Drummond filled in at center for Embiid and scored 12 points with 12 rebounds.
The victory came as Stephen Curry sat out for the Warriors with knee soreness.
Philadelphia also dominated in the rebounding department with a 56-33 edge. The Sixers have averaged 44.7 rebounds and now face the Lakers, who are one of the worst teams in the NBA on the boards at 41 per game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lakers star Luka Doncic suspended 1 game after 16th technical foul
Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives against Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images The NBA suspended Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic for one game without pay on Saturday for receiving his 16th technical foul this season, and he will miss Monday’s game against the visiting Washington Wizards.
Doncic, the league’s leading scorer, was assessed a technical along with Brooklyn forward Ziaire Williams when they jostled each other with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter of the host Lakers’ 116-99 victory on Friday.
An offensive foul was called seconds earlier on Doncic, and a video review showed him pushing Williams, with the Nets player retaliating by swiping at Doncic’s face.
The 16th technical triggered an automatic suspension, which will cost Doncic 1/174th of his annual salary, about $264,000, per ESPN. League rules stipulate that following the 16th technical, for every two additional technicals, the player will be suspended another game without pay.
The Lakers had successfully appealed Doncic’s most-recent technical for a yelling match with Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze on March 21. The league rescinded the technicals.
Doncic, 27, is averaging 33.7 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds for the Lakers (48-26), who are in third place in the Western Conference with eight games remaining in the regular season.
A six-time All-Star guard, Doncic has been selected All-NBA first team five times and was the 2018-19 NBA Rookie of the Year.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Marta Suarez scores 33 as TCU upends Virginia in Sweet 16
Mar 28, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; Texas Christian University Horned Frogs guard Olivia Miles (5) and forward Marta Suárez (7) embrace after a called foul during the second quarter of the game against the Virginia Cavaliers in the Sweet Sixteen game of the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Marta Suarez scored a career-high 33 points, Olivia Miles added 28 points in a near triple-double and third-seeded TCU ended Virginia’s magical NCAA Tournament run with a 79-69 victory in the Sweet 16 in Sacramento on Saturday.
Miles had 10 rebounds and eight assists and Suarez had 10 rebounds as the Horned Frogs (32-5) overcame a one-point halftime deficit by scoring the first 11 points of the third quarter to take control.
The Horned Frogs will make their second straight Elite Eight appearance when they meet top-seeded South Carolina on Monday.
Suarez had 13 points in the third quarter, when Miles had six assists and four rebounds as the Frogs pushed their lead to 15. The 10th-seeded Cavaliers did not get closer than eight until the final 31 seconds.
Miles’ two free throws with 26.1 seconds left for a 77-69 lead clinched it. She is one of four Division I players with at least 600 points, 250 rebounds and 100 assists.
Paris Clark had 20 points and Kymora Johnson had 18 for the Cavaliers (22-12), the lowest seed to reach the Sweet 16 since 2022.
Clara Silva had eight points and eight rebounds for TCU, which had a 38-29 edge on the boards and limited Virginia to 41% shooting.
Virginia led by seven late in the first quarter. TCU took a 35-33 lead with 1:09 left in the first half, when Suarez made a free throw after Romi Levy was called for a Flagrant 1 foul for pulling Miles down as she drove to the basket.
Clark’s three-point play gave the Cavaliers a 36-35 lead at halftime.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Troy appoints NC State assistant Adam Howard as new coach
Nov 13, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg and assistant coach Adam Howard watch play during the first half against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images North Carolina State assistant Adam Howard is the new head coach at Troy, the school announced Saturday night.
Howard replaces Scott Cross, who left after the NCAA Tournament to become head coach at Georgia Tech. Cross finished his seven-year tenure with five straight 20-win campaigns.
Troy went 22-12 this season and reached the NCAA tourney for the second straight season. The Trojans, seeded 13th, were routed 76-47 by Nebraska in the first round of this year’s tournament.
Howard will look to continue the success. He had a two-season stint as an assistant with Troy (2016-18) earlier in his career with the Trojans qualifying for the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Last season was Howard’s lone campaign at NC State, which went 20-14 and reached the NCAA Tournament before losing to the Texas in the First Four. Wolfpack coach Will Wade departed for LSU after the season.
Howard’s other stops as an assistant coach include Southern Miss (2012-14), Tennessee (2014), South Alabama (2018-22) and Nebraska (2022-25).
Howard resigned at Tennessee in November 2014, citing personal reasons, during a time when he and then-Volunteers coach Donnie Tyndall were being investigated by the NCAA for recruiting violations at Southern Miss, where Tyndall was previously the head coach.
–Field Level Media
Lakers star Luka Doncic suspended 1 game after 16th technical foul
Marta Suarez scores 33 as TCU upends Virginia in Sweet 16
