Sports
Without star guards, Spencer brothers take Grizzlies-Warriors spotlight
Feb 4, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer (24) celebrates after making a three point shot against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Two teams adapting to life without their star point guard try out their new look on one another Monday night when the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors duel in San Francisco.
Memphis’ Ja Morant is expected to miss a 10th straight game because of an elbow injury, and Golden State’s Stephen Curry has been ruled out of a fourth in a row due to a sore knee when the Western Conference clubs meet for a second time this season.
Both Morant and Curry were in action when the Warriors beat the Grizzlies 131-118 in San Francisco in October. Morant outscored Curry 23-16 in defeat.
Several front-line performers from the earlier meeting also will be missing for the mismatch.
Jonathan Kuminga was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points and Jimmy Butler III chipped in with 20 for the Warriors to help overcome Curry’s relatively low production in the October win.
Kuminga was traded last week to Atlanta along with Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis, who also will be sidelined Monday with Achilles tendinitis. Butler, meanwhile, was lost for the season to an ACL injury last month.
As Warriors fans await a first look at their intriguing new big man, Golden State coach Steve Kerr disclosed over the weekend that Porzingis will miss both remaining games before the All-Star break. The Warriors will also host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, then not play again until the Boston Celtics — one of Porzingis’ former teams — visit on Feb. 19.
“I saw (Porzingis) at the hotel and had a good chat,” Kerr said leading into the Warriors’ 105-99 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. “He’s excited; we’re excited. The plan is he’ll (work out in San Francisco) all of All-Star break, and he’ll play after the break.”
The Warriors have gone 3-6 since losing Butler. They’ve dropped two of three without Curry, held below 100 points twice as Brandin Podziemski (one) and Pat Spencer (two) have gotten starts.
Scoring hasn’t been an issue of late for the Grizzlies despite going without not only Morant but also Jaren Jackson Jr., Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. the last three games after they were dealt to Utah for four players and three first-round picks.
In running up an average of 119.7 points in the three games since the trade, including 115 in each of two losses at Portland on Friday and Saturday, the Grizzlies have given 10 different players starts, including Cam Spencer, the younger brother of the Warriors’ Pat.
Pat Spencer, who is in his third NBA season, and brother Cam, currently in his second, have gone head-to-head just twice after taking different routes to pro ball.
Cam Spencer, who won a national championship at UConn in 2024, has outscored his brother 18-2 in their matchups, each of which was won by the Warriors.
Pat Spencer played only one year of college basketball — at Northwestern — after exhausting his first four years of collegiate eligibility as an All-American lacrosse player at Loyola (Md.)
He had his two-way contract restructured into a full-season deal this week in the wake of the Kuminga trade.
It might not be Morant vs. Curry, but Cam Spencer assures his lifelong duels with his brother have tended to be entertaining.
“We’re the biggest competitors when we’re going against each other,” he said recently. “But when we’re watching, we have each other’s back and we’re each other’s biggest fans.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Felix Auger-Aliassime defends title, sets Canadian record
Jan 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
Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 2 UCLA fends off No. 8 Michigan
Feb 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
Sports
Auston Matthews named US Olympic hockey captain
Jan 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
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