Sports
Jets set sights on further momentum vs. streaky Stars
Jan 31, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Winnipeg Jets look to head into the upcoming Olympic break on a positive note when they face host Dallas on Monday night, while the Stars enter the matchup seeking their fifth straight victory.
Dallas forward Matt Duchene extended his goal-scoring streak to four games Saturday as the Stars edged the Utah Mammoth 3-2 on the road for their fifth win in the last six games.
“I think we’re playing better hockey now,” Duchene said after the win in Salt Lake City. “There was some stuff there that we needed to fix. … I think we’ve just got to keep with those little things and keep going.”
The win marked a continued turnaround for the Stars, who had won just three of 14 games in a 3-7-4 stretch that began before Christmas prior to this current win streak. Dallas had a 25-7-5 record prior to that slump, and coach Glen Gulutzan said recent results suggest the club is regaining its form.
“We had to get back into our game and what we did better in the first half of the year than we’ve done since the new year,” Gulutzan said. “You can see, I’m sure, a visible difference if you’re watching the games on how we’re playing the last few.
“It’s got to continue. We know that’s got to be part of the fabric of our team and I think the players see it, we all see it, so it’s got to carry on.”
Winnipeg is coming off a 2-1 road victory over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Jets scored twice in the third period for just their second third-period comeback win of the season.
“I just liked the way we competed,” said Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel when asked about his takeaway from the victory. “We stayed in it. … We did a really good job of winning our share of puck battles. Did a good job in eliminating what we gave up.”
Despite the win, Winnipeg remains nine points out of a playoff spot with only two games remaining before the Olympic break and four teams between it and the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Jets are hoping to build momentum as the schedule heads toward a near-month-long pause.
A lot of that could rest on the shoulders of Cole Perfetti, who tallied at Florida on Saturday. It was just his fifth goal and 16th point of the season, disappointing numbers considering the step he was hoping to take this year after scoring 18 goals and 50 points in 82 games in 2024-25.
“Yeah, it’s obviously a good feeling. Like you said, got a lot of chances there earlier in the game and wasn’t able to find it,” Perfetti said. “So, just keep going to the net, trying to generate and try to get those chances, and go to the net and get rewarded. That felt good.”
The Jets’ blue line remains depleted. Neal Pionk (lower-body injury) has returned to practice but is not expected to rejoin the lineup until after the Winter Games. Defensemen Colin Miller (knee surgery) and Haydn Fleury (upper body) also are sidelined until late February or early March.
Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin remains out with a lower-body injury but is progressing toward a return after traveling with the team on its most recent road trip.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Toumani Camara's career night boosts Blazers past Sixers
Feb 9, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) shoots the ball over Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Trendon Watford (12) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images Toumani Camara established career highs of 30 points and eight 3-pointers while leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 135-118 rout of the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Deni Avdija returned from a four-game absence caused by a back injury to produce 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Portland, which outscored the 76ers 49-22 in the decisive third quarter.
Jerami Grant and Donovan Clingan added 15 points apiece for the Trail Blazers, who won their third straight game. Jrue Holiday contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Scoot Henderson had 12 points and six assists off the bench.
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points for the 76ers, who played without Joel Embiid (knee) while concluding a 3-2 road trip.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 19 points and Trendon Watford and backup Justin Edwards each scored 12 for Philadelphia, which lost for the second time in the past eight games. VJ Edgecombe and Andre Drummond had 11 points apiece for the 76ers.
Portland knocked down a season-best 22 3-pointers (on 54 attempts) while shooting 48.5% overall. Camara was 10 of 12 from the field, 8 of 10 from beyond the arc.
The Trail Blazers took advantage of Embiid’s absence to hold a 51-33 rebounding edge. Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe (calf) missed his second straight game.
Portland trailed by one at halftime before hitting 8 of 15 3-point attempts in the third quarter while outscoring the 76ers by 27 points. Camara had 13 points and Avdija added 12 in the frame.
Avdija had 10 points in less than two minutes as the Trail Blazers took an 82-69 lead with 8:56 left in the third. Camara later buried two treys in 27 seconds as the Portland lead grew to 90-72 with 7:36 remaining.
Clingan’s putback and Camara’s two free throws pushed the lead to 105-78 with 3:08 left. Big man Robert Williams III later knocked down the seventh and eighth 3-pointers of his eight-year career as Portland took a 113-85 advantage heading into the final stanza.
Philadelphia trailed 124-105 after Maxey’s 3-pointer with 7:25 left before the Trail Blazers responded with a 11-1 spurt.
The 76ers shot 46.9% from the field, including 11 of 30 (36.7%) from behind the arc.
Maxey (14 first-quarter points) and Oubre each scored 16 in the first half as the 76ers led 65-64 at the break. Camara had 17 points in the half for Portland.
–Field Level Media
Sports
With each team missing top scorer, Thunder push past Lakers
Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) shoots the ball over Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Jalen Williams scored 23 points and Isaiah Joe added 19 as the Oklahoma City Thunder ended a two-game losing streak with a 119-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday in a game where both teams were missing an All-Star.
Alex Caruso put up 17 points and Chet Holmgren totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) for the third consecutive game. Gilgeous-Alexander will be replaced in the All-Star Game on Sunday by the Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun.
Oklahoma City rallied from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter to avoid a season-high third consecutive defeat.
LeBron James scored 22 points and dished 10 assists while Marcus Smart added 19 points for the Lakers, who saw a three-game winning streak come to an end. Los Angeles was without Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) for the second consecutive game.
Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Jake LaRavia added 14 for Los Angeles, which is 0-2 against Oklahoma City this season with the teams set to meet two more times late in the regular season.
Doncic (32.8 points per game) and Gilgeous-Alexander (31.8 ppg) are the NBA’s top two scorers.
The Thunder trailed 99-98 before an Isaiah Hartenstein dunk with 7:08 left sparked an 11-2 run for a 109-101 lead following a 3-pointer from Williams with 3:05 on the clock.
James pulled the Lakers within 111-108 on a dunk with 1:43 left before an offensive rebound and follow-up dunk by Holmgren with 1:17 remaining put the Thunder up by five.
James missed a 3-point attempt with 40.7 seconds remaining, and Williams sealed the victory for the Thunder on two free throws for a 117-110 lead with 35.9 seconds left.
Oklahoma City led by as many 11 points in the third quarter before Los Angeles went on a 22-3 run to take an 85-77 lead with 5:09 remaining in the period. The Thunder changed the momentum and took a 93-91 lead into the fourth after a late Caruso 3-pointer.
The Thunder led by 14 points in the first half and were up 67-58 at halftime. Joe had 16 points for Oklahoma City in the first half, while Reaves had 12 for the Lakers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mikel Brown Jr. ties single-game records as No. 24 Louisville crushes NC State
Feb 9, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) reacts after making a shot against the NC State Wolfpack during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. tied the Louisville single-game scoring mark with 45 points and matched another single-game record with 10 3-pointers to lead the No. 24 Cardinals to a 118-77 win over visiting North Carolina State on Monday night.
Louisville (18-6, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed. Brown produced 21 points with five 3-pointers to stake the Cardinals to a 56-36 halftime lead before topping that total with five more 3-pointers in the second half.
He finished 14 of 23 from the field, 10 of 16 on 3-point attempts and 7 of 7 at the line while adding nine rebounds, three steals and two assists in 34 minutes. Ryan Conwell added 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Cardinals while going 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
When Brown hit his final 3-pointer with 2:09 to play — a swish from nearly 30 feet away — he tied Wes Unseld’s single-game school record set against Georgetown (Ky.) College on Dec. 1, 1967. Brown’s point total set the ACC freshman record, and his 10 3-pointers tied the school record established by Reyne Smith last season against SMU.
Louisville coach Pat Kelsey then called timeout to remove Brown from the game. The Cardinals wound up with their highest point total since beating Morehead State 119-61 on Dec. 6, 1995.
Louisville opened the game on a 7-0 run. NC State pulled within 25-20 on a Quadir Copeland dunk with 10:58 left in the first half.
Louisville answered with a 10-2 run, and NC State never got within single digits after that surge that included 3-pointers from Conwell and Brown.
The Cardinals racked up their sixth 100-plus scoring effort on the year. No Cardinal other than Brown and Conwell reached double figures, but Louisville shot 60% overall (39-for-65) and 60% from 3-point range (18-for-30).
NC State (18-7, 9-3) saw the end of a six-game winning streak as the Wolfpack allowed more than 85 points for just the second time this season. The Wolfpack were led by Ven-Allen Lubin’s 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Tre Holloman added 19 points and Copeland tallied 10.
The Wolfpack shot just 4-for-22 (18.2%) from 3-point range and were outrebounded 42-28.
–Field Level Media
Toumani Camara's career night boosts Blazers past Sixers
With each team missing top scorer, Thunder push past Lakers
