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Damian Lillard wins 3-point Contest for 3rd time, ties Larry Bird

NBA: All Star-Saturday NightFeb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with the trophy after winning the three point contest during the 2026 NBA All Star Saturday Night at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Damian Lillard has not played a minute on the court for the Portland Trail Blazers this season and yet still found a way to make an impact at All-Star Weekend.

Lillard defeated seven other long-distance shooting rivals in the 3-point Contest and won the event Saturday for a third time, tying the record previously held by Larry Bird and Craig Hodges. The 35-year-old has been out due to an Achilles injury.

Lillard scored 29 points in the final round to hold off Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, who had 27 in the final after posting a high score of 30 while advancing from the first round. Rookie Kon Knnueppel of the Charlotte Hornets also advanced to the final round but was eliminated with a score of 17.

While Lillard made his final 3-point shot to record his 29, Booker reached 27 by making his first two shots on the final rack of balls, then missed all three of his final shots, any one of which would have forced overtime in the competition.

In addition to Booker’s 30 in the first found, Knueppel and Lillard each scored 27 to move on. Failing to advance were the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (24), the Miami Heat’s Norman Powell (23), the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (18), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (17) and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis Jr. (15).

–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media

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Villanova wins fifth straight, avenges loss to Creighton

NCAA Basketball: Villanova at CreightonFeb 14, 2026; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Duke Brennan (24) drives against Creighton Bluejays forward Isaac Traudt (41) during the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Duke Brennan had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Tyler Perkins had 17 points and 11 rebounds as Villanova extended its win streak to five with an 80-69 victory over Creighton on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.

Deven Askew had 13 points off the bench for the Wildcats (20-5, 11-3 Big East Conference), who ended a four-game losing streak to the Bluejays (13-13, 7-8). Villanova is 6-1 on the road in conference play and avenged a 76-72 home loss to Creighton last month.

Back-to-back Askew 3-pointers gave the Wildcats a 25-10 lead with 7:17 to play in the first half as Villanova used a 16-3 run to take control. The Wildcats never led by less than seven points the rest of the game.

Both teams struggled offensively early. Villanova started 5 for 17 from the field.

Creighton, whose team attended the funeral of guard Josh Dix’s mother Friday, struggled for nearly all of the first half. Isaac Traudt, one of the Bluejays’ key long-range shooters, was 0 of 4 from beyond the arc early.

Nik Graves led Creighton with 15 points, scoring 13 after the break. Dix chipped in with 14 points.

Austin Swartz made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half for the Bluejays, who have lost seven of 10 and are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

Villanova secured the game late, finishing 14 for 19 (74%) from the foul line, markedly better than recent performances.

Malachi Palmer came off the bench to score all 10 of his points in the second half for the Wildcats. Acaden Lewis, one of just five freshmen in the country to average 12.5 points and at least five assists, had eight points, four assists and two steals.

Brennan posted his 11th double-double to lead Villanova.

Jasen Green had a team-high 11 rebounds for Creighton. Hudson Greer added eight points and five rebounds and Fedor Zugic scored all seven of his points in the second half.

Villanova is holding opponents to a Big East-leading 29.9% shooting percentage from beyond the arc, and Creighton finished 8 for 27 (29.6%).

–Field Level Media

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Report: Padres agree to deal with RHP German Marquez

MLB: Chicago White Sox at Colorado RockiesJul 5, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher German Marquez (48) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander German Marquez, according to ESPN.

Marquez has played all 10 of his MLB seasons for the Colorado Rockies. He owns a career record of 68-72 with a 4.67 ERA and 1.334 WHIP.

He earned his sole All-Star selection in 2021, in which he posted a 4.40 ERA, 1.272 WHIP, 176 strikeouts and a league-leading three complete games across 32 starts.

The 30-year-old is looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 2025 campaign. Across 26 games, he went 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA, 1.710 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings pitched.

The metrics were concerning, as well. He ranked in the bottom five percentile in pitching run value (-42), fastball run value (-29), breaking run value (-11), xERA (5.81), xBA (.287) and strikeout percentage (14.0).

Pitching at Coors Field is a well-known challenge, and Marquez’s away splits are slightly better. For his career, he has a 5.17 ERA at home and a 4.22 ERA on the road.

–Field Level Media

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Oregon downs Penn State to snap 10-game skid

NCAA Basketball: Michigan State at OregonJan 20, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Takai Simpkins (5) is introduced before the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Oregon overcame a slow start and held on for an 83-72 win over Penn State in Big Ten play on Saturday afternoon in Eugene, Ore.

The Ducks (9-16, 2-12 Big Ten) put an end to a 10-game losing streak with the win, and were led by Takai Simpkins and Nate Bittle with 22 points each.

Oregon made 7 of 10 3-point attempts in the second half to pull away for its first win since January 2 at Maryland.

Penn State (11-15, 2-13) got a game-high 24 points from guard Kayden Mingo in the loss. Josh Reed added 13 for the Nittany Lions in a matchup of two Big Ten cellar dwellers.

Penn State tied the game at 46 on a 3-pointer from Dominick Stewart with 15:42 to play. Then Oregon took control, building its lead to 58-49 on a 3-pointer from Wei Lin and 62-51 after a dunk by Kwame Evans Jr. following a Nittany Lions turnover.

Simpkins scored 20 of his points in the second half, including three early 3-pointers in the first few minutes. When Bittle found forward Sean Stewart all alone jogging down the lane for a dunk with 7:04 remaining, Oregon took a 69-58 lead and was able to finish the game with ease.

Simpkins knocked down a deep 3 from the top of the arc with 4:00 to play, with Bittle passing out of the low post for the assist. Oregon led 80-65, and the fans at Matthew Knight Arena could, for the first time in well over a month, fully enjoy the traditional playing of “Shout,” an Oregon sports tradition, during a late timeout.

Oregon trailed by as many as seven early in the game but turned things around with a Bittle dunk in transition for a 27-23 lead and a couple Evans free throws for a 38-28 lead. Penn State trailed 38-32 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

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