Connect with us

Sports

Trendon Watford making impressions as 76ers close trip at Blazers

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers at Phoenix SunsFeb 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Trendon Watford (12) shoots over Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) during the second half of an NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers aim to wrap up a five-game road trip in style when they face the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

Philadelphia is 3-1 on the Western trip and has won six of its last seven overall games. The 76ers have won by double digits four times during the seven-game run.

Philadelphia currently holds a top-six playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and stands 2 1/2 games ahead of the Orlando Magic.

Identifying potential contributors for the postseason is one of the tasks at this stage, and forward Trendon Watford has displayed he might be fit for a role.

Watford scored 16 points in Tuesday’s 113-94 rout of the Golden State Warriors and had six points in each of the two ensuing games. The point total against the Warriors was his highest since November.

Watford collected seven rebounds in 27 minutes during Saturday’s 109-103 win over the Phoenix Suns.

“You got to be ready to help the team,” 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey said while discussing Watford’s contribution. “Your number is going to be called. It’s inevitable. You need everybody to win games.”

Maxey registered 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the Suns and Embiid led with 33 points and also had nine rebounds.

Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse is noticing that Watford and Embiid complement one another on the floor.

“He seems to fit pretty well with Joel due to his spacing and passing,” Nurse said.

Watford, 25, feels similarly to his coach.

“Creating chemistry. We had a few plays (Saturday) when I had a small (player) on me,” said Watford of things that set up Embiid. “Little stuff. Just building confidence together.”

Watford is in his fifth NBA season. He spent the first two with the Trail Blazers and the next two with the Brooklyn Nets. He has career averages of 7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 247 NBA games (34 starts).

Meanwhile, Maxey ranks fourth in the NBA with 169 3-point baskets. On Sunday, he was named as one of eight contestants for the 3-point shooting contest that’s part of next weekend’s All-Star festivities.

The Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on back-to-back nights over the weekend to end a season-worst six-game losing streak.

Portland rolled to a 135-115 victory on Friday and followed it up with a 122-115 win on Saturday.

Jerami Grant made six 3-pointers and scored 29 points in the latter victory.

“My teammates were finding me,” Grant said. “I was getting open shots and getting open 3s and knocking them down.”

Jrue Holiday added 21 points and Donovan Clingan excelled in the interior with 20 points and 19 rebounds.

“He’s a beast,” Grant said of Clingan. “He’s been amazing for us all year on the boards and in the paint. He’s helping us win a lot of games.”

Portland outscored Memphis 34-19 in the fourth quarter on Saturday and held the Grizzlies to 27.3% (6 of 22) from the field in the final 12 minutes.

Trail Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija (back) sat out for the ninth time in 13 games and Shaedon Sharpe (left calf) missed Saturday after being injured in Friday’s triumph. Portland ruled Sharpe out for Monday’s contest while listing Avdija as questionable.

Scoot Henderson (left hamstring) sat out Saturday after making his season debut on Friday and is slated to play against Philadelphia.

The teams split two meetings last season with the road club prevailing each time.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

ATP roundup: Felix Auger-Aliassime defends title, sets Canadian record

Tennis: Australian OpenJan 19, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in action against Nuno Borges of Portugal in the first round of the men’s singles at the Australian Open at John Cain Arena in Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime successfully defended his Open Occitanie championship on Sunday with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over Adrian Mannarino in Montpellier, France.

Auger-Aliassime, 25, recorded 13 aces and won 87% of his first-serve points to dispatch the Frenchman in 1 hour, 35 minutes. The ninth career ATP title for Auger-Aliassime is one more than Milos Raonic for the most tour-level titles by a Canadian in the Open Era.

A strong service game was nothing new for Auger-Aliassime, who delivered 20 aces while posting a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory over French qualifier Titouan Droguet on Saturday.

Auger-Aliassime will elevate one spot to No. 6 in the ATP rankings on Monday.

Davis Cup

The fifth-seeded United States finished a 4-0 sweep of host Hungary on Sunday in Tatabanya to advance to the second round of Davis Cup qualifying.

Christian Harrison and Austin Krajicek defeated Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan and Zsombor Piros in doubles action 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and Emilio Nava defeated Matyas Fuele 6-2, 6-3 to close out the first round against unseeded Hungary.

In more dramatic action, unseeded host South Korea rallied for a 3-2 win over ninth-seeded Argentina in Busan. After the Argentinian doubles team of Guido Andreozzi and Federico Agustin Gomez defeated Jisung Nam and Uisung Park 6-3, 7-5 to go up 2-1, the Koreans rallied behind a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory from Soonwoo Kwon over Thiago Agustin Tirante and a 6-4, 6-3 win by Hyeon Chung over Marco Trungelliti in the decisive match.

Host India also won 3-2 in the decisive fifth match, beating the fourth-seeded Netherlands in Bengaluru thanks to a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win from Dhakshineswar Suresh over Guy Den Ouden. India also claimed the doubles point in three sets while Dutch competitor Jesper De Jong won the fourth match 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 to level it at 2-2.

Entering the day tied at 1, sixth-seeded France beat visiting Slovakia in both matches in Le Portel. Arthur Rinderknech defeated Alex Molcan 7-5, 7-6 (6) to clinch the result after doubles pair Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert beat Milos Karol and Lukas Klein 6-2, 6-3.

Host Czechia entered Sunday with a 2-0 lead over visiting Sweden and clinched its spot in the second round with the doubles point in Jihlava. Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl escaped with a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) win over Andre Goransson and Erik Grevelius. Ollie Wallin beat Maxim Mrva 6-4, 7-6 (1) in Match 4 to put a point on the board for the Swedes.

Belgium completed a 4-0 sweep of host Bulgaria with two more wins in Plovdiv. Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen won the doubles point 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) over Alexander Donski and Pyotr Nesterov, and Raphael Collignon defeated Ivan Ivanov 6-2, 6-2.

Host Ecuador finished off a 3-1 upset of No. 2 seed Australia in Quito with Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo winning in doubles, 7-6 (5), 6-4, over Rinky Hijikata and Jordan Thompson. Jason Kubler beat Emilio Camacho 6-4, 6-2 to salvage a point for the Aussies.

The second round of Davis Cup qualifying is set for Sept. 18-20, with the finals set for Nov. 24-29.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading

Sports

Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 2 UCLA fends off No. 8 Michigan

NCAA Womens Basketball: Iowa at UCLAFeb 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) reacts after a foul call in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Kiki Rice scored 16 of her 20 points after halftime and Lauren Betts tied a season high of 16 rebounds to go with 16 points as No. 2 UCLA escaped with a 69-66 win over No. 8 Michigan on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Bruins (23-1, 13-0 Big Ten) rallied from an early six-point hole to lead by as many as 13 in the third quarter. Michigan was down 69-60 with 29 seconds left, but Olivia Olson and Syla Swords sandwiched back-to-back 3-pointers around a Rice turnover to cut it to three.

After Gabriela Jaquez was sent to the line and missed both free throws, Michigan had a chance to tie at the buzzer but Swords was off the mark.

Jaquez scored 13 points and Gianna Kneepkens had 12 for UCLA in its 17th straight win. Olson scored 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter to power Michigan (20-4, 11-2) and Mila Holloway added 15 points and six assists.

No. 3 South Carolina 93, No. 19 Tennessee 50

Ta’Niya Latson scored 21 points to lead all five starters in double figures as the Gamecocks smashed the Lady Volunteers in Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina (24-2, 10-1 SEC) won by 43 for the second straight game while Tennessee (15-6, 7-2) suffered its largest loss of the season. The Gamecocks shot 69.2% from the field and limited the Vols to 28.1%.

Joyce Edwards (20 points, eight rebounds) and Madina Okot (10 points, 15 rebounds) also starred for South Carolina. Talaysia Cooper had 17 points, five boards and five assists for Tennessee.

No. 9 Ohio State 80, Oregon 64

Elsa Lemmila tallied 23 points and nine rebounds to pace the Buckeyes to a thorough win over the Ducks in Eugene, Ore.

Kennedy Cambridge had 20 points, seven rebounds and eight steals while sister Jaloni Cambridge added 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Ohio State (22-3, 11-2 Big Ten). The Buckeyes had 14 steals and 28 fastbreak points on the day.

Ari Long scored 16 points and Mia Jacobs and Sarah Rambus added 13 apiece for Oregon (18-8, 6-7), which committed a season-high 23 turnovers to end its four-game winning streak.

Colorado 80, No. 14 TCU 79

Jade Masogayo drew a foul while sinking a fastbreak layup with two seconds to go and converted the accompanying free throw to give the Buffaloes their only lead of the second half and the upset of the Horned Frogs in Boulder, Colo.

Masogayo scored 17 of her 23 points in the second half for Colorado (16-8, 7-5 Big 12) while Desiree Wooten scored 19 with six assists, Logyn Greer had 17 points and Zyanna Walker chipped in 15 points.

TCU (21-4, 9-3) erased a 10-point deficit with a 10-0 second-quarter run, but squandered an eight-point lead in the fourth. Olivia Miles did all she could with 31 points and five rebounds to lead the Frogs, while Marta Suarez had 20 points and five boards.

No. 24 Washington 91, Wisconsin 86 (OT)

Avery Howell poured in a career-high 34 points, including 10 in the extra session, and had a game-high 14 rebounds as the Huskies escaped in Madison, Wis.

Washington (18-6, 8-5) scored the last four points of regulation to push the game to overtime, when Howell hit consecutive 3-pointers to put the Huskies in front. A four-point play by Destiny Howell gave the Badgers (13-11, 5-8) an 86-85 lead with 1:09 to go, but Howell and Sayvia Sellers scored the game’s final six points.

Sellers recorded 23 points and five assists and Elle Ladine had 16 points and seven boards for the Huskies. Destiny Howell (unrelated to Avery) led Wisconsin with 28 points and Gift Uchenna had a season-high 24 points with 12 rebounds.

No. 17 Duke 95, SMU 36

Toby Fournier dropped 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting, freshman Arianna Roberson had career highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds as the Blue Devils thrashed the Mustangs in Durham, N.C.

It marked the largest margin of victory for the Blue Devils this season and their second time holding an opponent below 40 points. Duke led by as many as 60 in the final minutes.

Delaney Thomas added 16 points and 10 rebounds and Ashlon Jackson bundled 11 points with a career-high 10 assists for the Blue Devils (18-6, 13-0 ACC), who outrebounded the Mustangs, 53-29, and scored 20 points off 25 SMU turnovers.

Grace Hall had nine points and seven rebounds to guide SMU (8-16, 1-11). The home team outshot the visitors 52.0% to 22.8% as the Mustangs never led.

No. 5 LSU 77, Auburn 44

ZaKiyah Johnson tallied 16 points and eight rebounds, Amiya Joyner added 10 points and 10 boards and the visitors ran away with the SEC victory in a battle of Tigers in Auburn, Ala.

Mikaylah Williams had 12 points and seven rebounds and Flau’jae Johnson added 10 points and seven boards as LSU (22-3, 8-3 SEC) bounced back from a loss to No. 4 Texas. LSU owned a 54-30 advantage on the glass while overcoming 19 turnovers.

Harissoum Coulibaly paced Auburn (13-12, 2-9) with 13 points and four assists. Clara Coulibaly grabbed 10 rebounds in 22 minutes.

No. 6 Louisville 84, Syracuse 65

Laura Ziegler made 10 of 13 shots from the floor for a team-high 22 points and the Cardinals used a dominant first quarter to sail to victory over the host Orange.

Mackenly Randolph (15 points, eight rebounds), Imari Berry (15 points, five assists) and Tajianna Roberts (12 points, five boards, five assists) also contributed to the Cardinals’ cause. Louisville (22-4, 12-1 ACC) shrugged off a home loss to Duke on Thursday by winning the first quarter 28-6, then shook off Syracuse’s comeback efforts in the second half.

Dominique Darius scored 22 points on 7-for-7 shooting to lead Syracuse (19-5, 9-4). Uche Izoje posted 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks and Sophie Burrows scored 11.

No. 25 North Carolina 84, Wake Forest 56

Freshman Nyla Brooks went off for 21 points and seven rebounds, both career highs, to power the Tar Heels past the host Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Brooks made 5 of 11 3-point tries while teammate Nyla Harris scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half to help North Carolina (20-5, 9-3 ACC) win its seventh in a row.

Milan Brown scored 13 points to lead Wake Forest (13-12, 3-10). UNC owned a 41-24 rebounding edge and a 21-1 advantage in second-chance points.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading

Sports

Auston Matthews named US Olympic hockey captain

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Vancouver CanucksJan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) celebrates his game winning shootout goal against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The U.S. men’s hockey team tabbed Auston Matthews as its captain for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.

Matthews keeps the C on his chest for the Americans after serving in that role for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025, in which they fell to Canada in an overtime final.

The Toronto Maple Leafs star will be flanked by alternate captains Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk.

“Auston, Charlie and Matthew did a great job in leading our team a year ago at Four Nations and it’s great to have them back in those roles for the Olympics,” U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said in a statement. “They all bring different leadership traits to the table and I know all three are excited, as is our whole team, about representing our country as part of Team USA.”

Matthews, 28, has tallied 48 points in 51 games this NHL season for the Leafs (26 goals, 22 assists).

A former No. 1 overall draft pick, the 2021-22 Hart Memorial Trophy winner for league MVP and a three-time league scoring leader, Matthews is one of many young hockey stars playing in his first Olympics. NHL players are participating in the men’s hockey competition at the Games for the first time since 2014.

McAvoy, 28, has four goals and 35 assists in 45 games this season as a defenseman for the Boston Bruins. Tkachuk, 28, recently returned from offseason hernia surgery to play in 10 games for the Florida Panthers before the Olympic break.

While the women’s hockey competition is underway in Milan, the men’s competition begins Wednesday and the U.S. team takes on Latvia in its first match Thursday. Most NHL players arrived in Italy early Sunday morning and Team USA had its first practice later in the day.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading