Sports
Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s late work preserves Heat's win over Bulls
Jan 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) defends against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Miami reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr. capped a standout performance with a key assist and a rebound, helping the Heat escape with a 116-113 win over the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
Jaquez finished with 19 points and closed out a double-double with his 10th rebound in the closing seconds, as Chicago’s Coby White missed a would-be game-tying 3-point attempt.
White’s final shot nearly capped a Bulls rally from down by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter. Chicago trailed by 10 with less than four minutes remaining.
Chicago went on a 13-4 run, pulling within a point after a pair of White free throws with 7.1 seconds left. Miami gave itself a much-needed cushion on the ensuing possession as Jaquez found Pelle Larsson for a dunk to extend the gap to three points with 4.6 seconds to go.
The assist was Jaquez’s team-high sixth, and Larsson’s slam capped a 15-point performance. Jaquez and Larsson were among seven Miami players who scored in double figures.
Norman Powell put up 21 points as the Heat won for the third time in four games. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins finished with 10.
Kel’el Ware and Dru Smith and joined Jaquez notching double figures off the bench with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ware also blocked two shots, contributing to Miami limiting Chicago to 39.4% shooting from the floor.
The Bulls’ offensive woes included White shooting just 2-of-11 from the floor, with much of his 14 points coming on 8-of-10 production at the foul line. Ayo Dosunmu led all scorers with 23 points off the Chicago bench, while fellow Bulls reserve Kevin Huerter added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic posted 15 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, Chicago’s third in a row.
Thursday marked the beginning of a three-game set between Chicago and Miami, with the Heat hosting the next two over the weekend. This unusual stretch of games is the result of a Jan. 8 postponement when the scheduled matchup in Chicago wasn’t played due to condensation on the court.
–Field Level Media
Sports
World Curling takes action after Sweden accuses Canada of cheating
Ben Hebert, Marc Kennedy and Brett Gallant of Canada in action during their match against Sweden at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Friday. CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — World Curling said on Saturday that it would have officials monitoring for rule violations during the rest of the competition at the Olympics after Sweden’s men’s team accused Canada of cheating in a tense round-robin game.
Tensions boiled over on Friday when Brad Jacobs’ Canada entry beat Sweden 8-6, with Niklas Edin’s rink alleging their opponents were double touching the stone during the contest.
World Curling has introduced electronic handles on stones at the Games, which flash red if players are still making contact with the stone beyond the hog line — the point where curlers must let go during delivery.
However, the sensor for detecting violations is in the handle, with Sweden claiming Canada’s players were touching the granite, where there are no sensors.
“It is not possible for World Curling to have game umpires positioned to observe all hog lines for every stone delivery,” World Curling said in a statement.
“However, beginning with the Saturday (Feb. 14) afternoon session, two officials will move between all four sheets and observe deliveries.”
World Curling also clarified its rules on deliveries, saying: “During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play.”
After Sweden and Canada asked officials to keep an eye on their opponents’ deliveries early on, there was a heated exchange between the teams’ thirds Marc Kennedy and Oskar Eriksson toward the end of the game.
Eriksson told Kennedy he would show him a video replay of him touching the stone repeatedly. The Canadian responded with an expletive.
“World Curling spoke with the Canadian officials to issue a verbal warning regarding the language used by a Canadian men’s player during the game,” the sport’s governing body said.
“During that meeting it was made clear to those officials that further inappropriate behavior… would result in additional sanctions.”
Curling Canada CEO Nolan Thiessen said it was a poor choice of words from Kennedy
“I think heat of the moment, I would allow for as well,” Thiessen told reporters.
“Something was said in his ear which got him going. Head games get played in a lot of sports and things get said in competitive sport and I think this was one of those situations. Do I wish Mark didn’t drop an F-bomb? Yeah.”
Swedish media on Friday tore into Kennedy, accusing the 2010 Olympic champion of cheating while also releasing videos and images of him appearing to touch a stone while it was crossing the hog line.
Asked about the video, Thiessen replied: “I was surprised that there was a live video on the hog line outside of OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Services) rules.
“That seems odd to me. But nevertheless, you know, I think they (the Canada team) are concentrating on the game today.”
The Swedish Curling Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
Sports
Switzerland's Kevin Fiala undergoes surgery on injured leg
Feb 5, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Kevin Fiala (22) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Kevin Fiala underwent surgery on his left leg after being removed from the ice on a stretcher late in the third period of Switzerland’s 5-1 loss to Canada on Friday in a Group A preliminary round game in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation announced the surgery on Saturday for Fiala, a forward for the Los Angeles Kings, and said he will miss the remainder of the Olympics.
Fiala was injured after getting his legs tangled with Canada’s Tom Wilson with just less than three minutes left in the game. Fiala was unable to get to his feet and medical personnel attended to him after a stoppage in play.
“Obviously it doesn’t look very good,” Switzerland coach Patrick Fischer said after the game. “Tough moment for Kevin and the whole team, obviously.”
Fiala, 29, has recorded 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) in 56 games this season with the Kings, who reside three points in back of the Anaheim Ducks for the final wild-card spot in the NHL’s Western Conference.
“We need that guy on my team back home, big time,” said Canada defenseman Drew Doughty, who plays for the Kings.
For Fiala’s career, the 2022-23 All-Star has 229 goals and 299 assists across 707 games. He is in his 12th NHL season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Australian takes gold, 2 US women medal in dual moguls
Jaelin Kauf of United States in action during the women’s dual moguls final on Saturday. She won the silver medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. LIVIGNO, Italy — Australia’s Jakara Anthony won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle skiing dual moguls at the Winter Olympics on Saturday, redeeming herself after a disappointing loss three days earlier in the single-format moguls.
Anthony, 27, became the first Australian to earn two Winter Olympics gold medals when she overtook American Jaelin Kauf under heavy snow in the northern Italian town of Livigno. Kauf earned silver, and bronze went to fellow American Elizabeth Lemley.
“This one is really different to the last one because I picked this up after the heartbreak of the other day,” Anthony said of her new medal, which joins the one she earned in the single moguls in Beijing in 2022.
Dual moguls is a new sport at the Olympics, pitting skiers together in a head-to-head elimination format in which two competitors race side-by-side through parallel bump fields. Speed counts, but so do turns and aerial maneuvers.
Anthony crossed the finish line a fraction of a second before Kauf but had to wait for the judges’ final assessment. She smiled and pumped her arms in the air when she saw she had earned a score of 20, compared to Kauf’s 15. A throng of Australian supporters cheered and waved yellow inflated kangaroos on the side of the mountain.
At the medal ceremony, Anthony broke into a wide smile as she celebrated her historic second Olympic gold.
Anthony had been the favorite to win the singles but wobbled out of line in her second run to finish eighth. In the single moguls, riders tackle the course solo and the highest score wins.
Heavy snow fell throughout the women’s dual moguls finals, hindering visibility for the skiers.
Kauf’s second-place run gave the 29-year-old her third Olympic silver medal. She finished second in the singles at the Milan Cortina Games and at Beijing in 2022.
“I was really going for gold, but I guess ‘Silver Jae’ has a ring to it, so I’m living up to the name,” Kauf said.
The 20-year-old Lemley, the surprise gold medalist in the singles, made it to the podium in the dual moguls despite a crash in the semifinals. She hurt her elbow but was determined to keep going, she said.
“I was able to just push the pain out of my head and ski as if it was any other run,” she said.
Singles bronze medalist Perrine Laffont of France finished fourth in the dual event.
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
