Sports
Amid whispers of tanking, Jazz wrap road trip at Heat
Feb 7, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Utah Jazz center Jaren Jackson Jr. (20) shoots during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Losers of 18 of their last 22 games, the Utah Jazz are playing for next season.
On Monday night, the Jazz will visit the Miami Heat to conclude a five-game stretch on the road, where they are just 6-20 this season. And just how focused Utah will be on the task at hand provides the backdrop for the game.
In the Jazz’s most recent game, a 120-117 loss at Orlando on Saturday night, they led 94-87 entering the fourth quarter. Yet Utah’s two biggest stars — Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. — were “rested” the rest of the game. Markkanen finished with 27 points in 27 minutes; Jackson finished with 22 points in 25 minutes.
Making those types of decisions is what lead critics to charge the Jazz with tanking — losing on purpose in the hopes of landing a better draft pick in June. Keep in mind that Utah’s 2026 first-round pick goes to Oklahoma City, unless it’s a top-eight selection.
Tanking allegations aside, Utah could be building something for the future. Markkanen, an All-Star in 2023, enters Monday ranked ninth in the NBA in scoring (27.1).
Jackson, a two-time All-Star acquired in a trade with Memphis last week, is averaging 19.3 points. The Orlando game marked his team debut.
“Jaren’s a hell of a player,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “His resume speaks for itself. Very excited — I think we all are.”
Hardy and the Jazz have formed an imposing frontcourt with the 6-foot-10 Jackson, 7-foot-1 Markkanen and 7-foot-2 Walker Kessler, who last season averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Kessler, though, will miss the rest of this season due to shoulder surgery after playing in only five games.
Utah point guard Keyonte George (23.8 points, 6.5 assists per game) has been ruled out for Monday with an ankle sprain. He missed three games before playing 13 minutes against Orlando.
Meanwhile, the Heat — who have won eight of their past 10 games against Utah — are coming off a 132-101 win over the host Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Despite the blowout victory, Miami emerged with a concern as All-Star forward Norman Powell did not finish the game due to a sore back.
“If the game (were) closer I could’ve stayed in, I guess,” Powell said. “That’s a tough question to ask me.
“I think it had to do with being stuck on the plane for a lot of hours and soft beds in the hotel. I always get a back flareup when I sleep on a soft mattress.”
Rookie first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis scored a career-high 22 points and added a team-high-tying six assists in 26 minutes off the bench. He made 8 of 10 shots, including 6 of 6 on 3-pointers.
In Miami’s previous game, a 98-96 loss to Boston on Friday, Jakucionis did not play (coach’s decision), giving way to fellow backup point guard Dru Smith, who scored two points in 19 minutes behind Davion Mitchell.
“Our three point guards are all really important,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Mitchell, Smith and Jakucionis. “If I’m playing two of them and not one, it’s not an indictment. But (Jakucionis) gives us something different. He competes. He was getting into dust-ups (against Washington) because of how hard he plays, and there’s a purity to that.
“Offensively, he has a big upside. He can shoot, but he also is a playmaker.”
Spoelstra added that the Heat — who have two games left before the All-Star break — want to finish the first half on a high note.
“It’s very important,” Spoelstra said. “We want to handle the next one (Utah) professionally.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: North Dakota State joining Mountain West
North Dakota State Bison wide receiver Jackson Williams (81) rushes the ball through South Dakota State defense on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, at Fargodome in Fargo, Nouth Dakota. North Dakota State has reached an agreement to join the Mountain West Conference for football, multiple outlets reported on Sunday.
The Bison, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) heavyweight over the last 15 years with 10 national championships over that span, have long been rumored to be a candidate to jump up to the next level.
According to ESPN, the school will pay roughly a $12 million entrance fee to its new league, as well as $5 million to the NCAA in order to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. Per standard NCAA arrangement, the NDSU football team will not be eligible for a bowl or College Football Playoff berth until 2028.
The school had yet to confirm the move Sunday evening. On Saturday, a statement was posted to social media.
“North Dakota State University is regularly involved in conversations about the future of collegiate athletics, including conference affiliation. We are aware of media reports and will have no further comments,” the school said.
The Mountain West has been active about pursuing new members since a split occurred among its membership and five schools (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State) left for the new-look Pac-12 in 2024.
North Dakota State becomes the league’s 10th football team for 2026, joining newcomers Northern Illinois (football only) and UTEP along with Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming.
North Dakota State most recently won the FCS national title in 2024. The Bison finished 12-1 last season, losing to Illinois State in the second round of the playoffs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cortina smiles on US skier Breezy Johnson after previous pain
Feb 8, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Breezy Johnson of the United States celebrates with her gold medal after winning the women’s downhill alpine skiing race during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Olimpia della Tofane piste wrecked Breezy Johnson’s Olympic downhill hopes four years ago but made amends on Sunday, even if the gold medal came apart minutes after being hung round her neck.
Johnson held up the separated components – the chunky medal, clasp and ribbon – in the post-race press conference after becoming the first U.S. medalist of the Milan Cortina Games in the opening race of the women’s Alpine ski program.
“I was jumping in excitement and it broke. I’m sure somebody will fix it. It’s not like crazy broken but it’s a little broken,” she said.
‘HEART ACHES’ FOR LINDSEY VONN
The pain this time was for others – teammate Lindsey Vonn who was flown to hospital after a horrific crash while attempting to become the oldest Alpine Olympic medalist at the age of 41 and with a severely injured left knee.
“My heart aches for her. It’s such a brutal sport sometimes,” said Johnson.
Four years ago it was Johnson’s heart that was aching after she qualified for the Beijing Games and then crashed in training for a Cortina World Cup downhill and was ruled out by injury.
The Wyoming-born skier was then banned for 14 months from October 2023, a sanction announced only in May 2024, after three anti-doping whereabouts failures.
A year ago, also on February 8, in the Austrian resort of Saalbach, Johnson hit the headlines in a more positive sense by becoming downhill world champion.
Yet to win a World Cup race, she now holds the two most valuable titles at the same time and is only the second U.S. skier to win women’s downhill gold after Vonn in 2010. Sunday was her first Olympic medal.
“Obviously I’ve had quite a history here,” said Johnson, a keen knitter who had talked the day before about finishing a “lucky” headband in time for the race.
“I knew that with a good run it was possible but I have had a lot of mistakes here.
“So it was really just trying to figure out how to avoid those mistakes. I wasn’t quite sure it would be enough for the gold but I thought when I got down it would be enough for a medal.”
CELEBRATIONS WITH FAMILY
Johnson said Cortina, a smart picture-book Alpine resort, was also third time lucky and she was ready to celebrate with her family.
“This is the third team that I’ve made and obviously it didn’t go to plan on the second one,” said the 30-year-old.
“I want to celebrate, my friends and family are here.
“My first Games were in (South) Korea. It felt very far away so my family was like ‘I hope you make another’. And then obviously COVID happened and they were like ‘hope you make another’. So hopefully I get some time with them and get to share a moment.”
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Alycia Parks kicks off Qatar Open by upsetting Diana Shnaider
Jan 19, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Alycia Parks of United States celebrates her victory over Alexandra Eala of Philippines in the first round of the women’s singles at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images A recent practice session with the great Serena Williams may have paid off for Alycia Parks, who took down Russian 15th seed Diana Shnaider 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) to begin the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Sunday in Doha.
Parks, an American ranked 85th in the world, recently told the website Tennis Majors that she considers Williams a “mentor” and said the 44-year-old tennis icon is in great shape and “would kill it on tour” if she weren’t retired.
But Sunday was about Parks showing her own stuff. She shook off her first-set loss and won on her first match point in the tightly contested third-set tiebreaker. Parks finished with an 11-0 edge in aces.
Parks had to win in the qualifying round to make the 56-woman main draw. She actually knocked Shnaider out in the first round at Doha last year before repeating the feat Sunday.
“I’m actually pretty match-ready,” Parks, 25, told Tennis Majors before the main draw. “I’m just riding the wave of having matches under my belt from Ostrava (last week’s tournament). My season has started good. I think I needed that mental break for offseason. So now I’m actually ready to play.”
The highest seed in action on the first day of the tournament was Canadian 10th seed Victoria Mboko, who beat Czech opponent Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 6-2. Mboko overcame six double faults without an ace, saving 4 of 7 break points while converting 6 of 11 opportunities to break Bouzkova’s serve.
Poland’s Magdalena Frech upset No. 13 seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7). Samsonova had three match points in the third set, two of them during the tiebreaker, but Frech saved them all before pushing ahead and winning on her first match point.
Czech 14th seed Karolina Muchova beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 6-3. No. 16 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium sailed 6-2, 6-1 past Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 68 minutes.
Russian 41-year-old Vera Zvonareva pushed past American Peyton Stearns 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Other winners on Day 1 included France’s Varvara Gracheva, Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Poland’s Magda Linette, Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, Australian Daria Kasatkina and American Ann Li.
–Field Level Media
Reports: North Dakota State joining Mountain West
Cortina smiles on US skier Breezy Johnson after previous pain
