Sports
Knicks look to keep rolling vs. struggling Pacers
Feb 8, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after a play against the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images The last time the New York Knicks played a home game against the Indiana Pacers, both teams were on the verge of the NBA Finals.
More than nine months later, the Pacers are much further away from championship contention than the Knicks — even if New York’s ceiling remains uncertain despite a recent surge.
The Knicks will look to continue their solid play Tuesday night, when they host the Pacers in the second clash of the season between the longtime rivals.
Both teams were off Monday after playing road matinees on Super Bowl Sunday, when the Knicks cruised past the Boston Celtics 111-89 and the Pacers fell to the Toronto Raptors, 122-104.
The win was the ninth in the last 10 games for the Knicks, who moved into a tie with the Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference, five games behind the Detroit Pistons before the Pistons’ game Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets.
It also continued a trend of dominant victories for New York. Seven of New York’s last nine wins have been by double digits, including five by at least 20 points and three by 30 points or more.
But the lone loss in the current stretch was a 118-80 loss to the Pistons on Friday night. Starters Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby sat out for the Knicks, as did new backup guard Jose Alvarado, who was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans last Thursday.
Yet the Knicks had a full starting lineup in Detroit on Jan. 5, when the Pistons rolled to a 121-90 victory. The first loss to Detroit was one of the low points of a lengthy skid for New York, which went 2-9 from Dec. 31 through Jan. 19 while falling to the lottery-bound Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks.
“Our group is resilient,” said Knicks head coach Mike Brown, who was hired after Tom Thibodeau was dismissed following a six-game loss to the Pacers in last season’s Eastern Conference finals — New York’s first trip to the conference finals since 2000.
“Sometimes things like (Friday) happen in Detroit. None of us like it. None of us want to go through it. Give Detroit a lot of credit, but we know it’s not who we are. We’ve played a lot better than that. We will.”
The Pacers’ hopes for the 2025-26 season likely ended in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June 22, when star guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles in the first quarter of a 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Indiana, which was seeking its first NBA title, has fallen to last place in the Eastern Conference without Halliburton, who will miss the season. The Pacers are 13-40 and on pace for the worst record in franchise history.
The loss Sunday may have been a particularly costly defeat for the Pacers, who have dropped four straight following a 7-5 stretch from Jan. 8-31. Second-year guard/forward Johnny Furphy suffered a right knee injury while landing awkwardly following a dunk in the third quarter. He was helped off the court before he took a wheelchair to the locker room.
MRI testing Monday reportedly revealed a torn ACL for the Australian native, who had recently shown considerable promise for the organization while starting 21 of his 35 regular-season appearances in his second season in the league.
The Pacers were already without Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown, who have yet to play since they were acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Zubac, who was on paternity leave at the time of the trade, is playing through a left ankle injury suffered in December.
“It’s kind of yo-yo’d a little bit,” Carlisle said of Zubac’s injury before Friday’s 105-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “My understanding from talking to him is that there’s still something there that’s not quite right. We’re not going to put him out there until he’s really ready.”
As eager as Zubac may be to get on the court, Carlisle said they’ll take their time with his return.
“He’s a guy that has played 94 or 95% of his games through his career and I’m presuming that’s because he’s always raring to go through things,” Carlisle said. “That’s not going to be an option here.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
NHL roundup: Jack Eichel's OT goal sends Knights to playoffs
Apr 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Members of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate an overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Jack Eichel scored 1:19 into overtime and the Vegas Golden Knights clinched a playoff spot with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Saturday night.
Eichel grabbed the puck in the Colorado end, skated down the left boards and beat goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood with a shot from the circle for his game-winner, helping the Knights clinch their eighth playoff berth in nine seasons of existence.
Mark Stone and Pavel Dorofeyev also scored and Carter Hart made 30 saves for the Knights.
Nick Blankenburg and Devon Toews scored and Blackwood turned away 26 shots for the Central Division-leading Avalanche, who have clinched the Presidents’ Trophy.
Lightning 2, Bruins 1
Defenseman Emil Lilleberg scored a rebound goal with 1:35 left in regulation, leading visiting Tampa Bay to a win over Boston, which reached the postseason later in the day despite the defeat.
Moments after the Bruins were unable to clear a puck, Lilleberg buried the rebound of a Jake Guentzel shot to lead Tampa Bay to the win The Lightning snapped a three-game skid, while Boston clinched a playoff spot when the Detroit Red Wings lost to the New Jersey Devils.
Brandon Hagel also scored and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for the Lightning, who trailed 1-0 into the third and registered their 23rd come-from-behind win this season. Morgan Geekie scored Boston’s goal. Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for the Bruins, who are 0-3-2 in their last five games.
Senators 3, Islanders 0
Ridly Greig scored a short-handed goal in the first period and Jake Sanderson added a power-play goal in the third, lifting Ottawa to a victory over New York in Elmont, N.Y.
Michael Amadio added an empty-net goal late in the third and Linus Ullmark stopped all 23 shots he faced for the Senators, who won their fourth straight game. They clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season later in the evening after the New Jersey Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings.
Ilya Sorokin recorded 13 saves for the Islanders (43-32-5, 91 points), who went 0-for-5 on the power play. They fell to 1-1-0 under Peter DeBoer and lost for the fifth time in six games overall.
Kings 1, Oilers 0
Anton Forsberg made 27 saves for Los Angeles against visiting Edmonton for his third shutout this season and 11th in his 11-year NHL career.
Artemi Panarin scored the lone goal of the game for the Kings, who won their fourth in a row to hold on to the second wild-card spot from the Western Conference with three games remaining.
Connor Ingram made 20 saves for the Oilers, who clinched a playoff spot with Winnipeg’s loss. Edmonton lost 1-0 for the third time this season and fell to 1-2-1 in its past four games.
Hurricanes 4, Mammoth 1
Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal scored first-period goals as Carolina topped Utah in Salt Lake City.
With the victory, Carolina moved four points up on the idle Buffalo Sabres for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Carolina and Buffalo each have two games remaining. Sebastian Aho and Sean Walker also tallied while Nikolaj Ehlers, Jordan Martinook and Shayne Gostisbehere added a pair of assists each. Frederik Andersen made 26 saves in his first career appearance and win against the Mammoth.
Dylan Guenther scored for the Mammoth and Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots as Utah’s five-game win streak ended. The Mammoth hold the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference, leading the Kings by three points. Both teams have three games to play.
Stars 2, Rangers 0
Jason Robertson scored a power-play goal with 7:11 left in regulation for Dallas, which earned a victory over visiting New York.
Robertson added an empty-netter with 59 seconds left to tie Wyatt Johnston for the team lead with 44 goals. The win, coupled with a loss by the Minnesota Wild against the Nashville Predators, cemented home-ice advantage for Dallas against the Wild when the teams face off in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Dallas’ Jake Oettinger posted his fourth shutout of the season, and second in his last four starts, making 22 saves as he won his fourth consecutive game. Igor Shesterkin kept the Rangers, stopping 17 of the 18 shots he faced.
Capitals 6, Penguins 3
Ilya Protas scored his first NHL goal and added two assists and visiting Washington kept its playoff chances alive with a win against a depleted Pittsburgh team.
Ryan Leonard scored twice, and Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson each had a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who remain three points behind Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Anthony Mantha, Noel Acciari and Kevin Hayes scored for the Penguins, who were without Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and other contributors due to day-to-day injuries.
Devils 5, Red Wings 3
Jesper Bratt’s second goal broke a tie late in the third period and New Jersey rallied for a win over host Detroit.
The loss eliminated the Red Wings from playoff contention. Jesper Bratt added an assist, Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist and Cody Glass and Dawson Mercer also scored for the Devils, whose playoff hopes expired earlier in the week. Jake Allen stopped 25 shots.
Emmitt Finnie had a goal and an assist and defenseman Justin Faulk and David Perron also scored for Detroit, which is 2-5-1 in its last eight. Dylan Larkin had two assists and John Gibson made 28 saves.
Predators 2, Wild 1
Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist for Nashville in a win against visiting Minnesota.
Matthew Wood also scored and Justus Annunen made 21 saves for Nashville, which stayed within a point of the Los Angeles Kings for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Predators have two games left and the Kings have three.
Michael McCarron scored and Jesper Wallstedt made 20 saves for Minnesota, which will open the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Dallas Stars.
Blue Jackets 5, Canadiens 2
Charlie Coyle scored a pair of goals as Columbus kept its playoff hopes alive with a crucial road victory over Montreal Canadiens.
Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced and Kirill Marchenko finished with a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who are two points back of Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division with two games to play.
Cole Caufield kept pace in the Rocket Richard Trophy race as he scored his 51st goal of the season for Montreal. Josh Anderson also tallied and Jakub Dobes made 28 saves as the Canadiens lost for just the second time over their past 12 contests.
Flyers 7, Jets 1
Sean Couturier had two goals and an assist as Philadelphia moved closer to securing a playoff berth with a rout of host Winnipeg.
Noah Cates had a goal and two assists, while Matvei Michkov scored and had a helper. Porter Martone, Travis Sanheim and Nick Seeler also tallied. Rasmus Ristolainen collected two assists. Dan Vladar made 27 stops. The victory provided the Flyers the ability to hold the third seed in the Metropolitan Division with two games remaining.
Haydn Fleury scored the Jets’ lone goal. Connor Hellebuyck made 15 saves, while Eric Comrie stopped one shot and allowed two goals in relief after taking over for the third period. The defeat was a large setback for the Jets’ slim playoff chances, pushing them five points back of Los Angeles for the final Western Conference wild-card spot with three games remaining.
Canucks 4, Sharks 3 (SO)
Macklin Celebrini tallied his 109th and 110th points of the season, but San Jose couldn’t win its home finale of the season, falling to Vancouver in a shootout.
Jake DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson found the back of the net for the Canucks in the shootout, which went to six rounds. DeBrusk, Teddy Blueger and Marco Rossi scored in regulation, and Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves for the Canucks, who had lost four straight games and nine of their last 10.
Igor Chernyshov scored twice, Celebrini had two assists and Yaroslav Askarov made 38 saves for the Sharks, who have lost three straight. The loss keeps the Sharks five points behind the Los Angeles Kings, who are in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff standings.
Blues 5, Blackhawks 3
Joel Hofer made 31 saves to help St. Louis hold off host Chicago.
Jimmy Snuggerud, Alexey Toropchenko, Jordan Kyrou, Cam Fowler and Dalibor Dvorsky scored for the Blues.
Ilya Mikheyev scored twice, Ryan Greene added a goal and Arvid Soderblom made 23 saves for the Blackhawks.
Kraken 4, Flames 1
Goaltender Nikke Kokko made 26 saves to win his first NHL start as Seattle defeated visiting Calgary.
Frederick Gaudreau, Chandler Stephenson, Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle scored and Ryker Evans had two assists for the Kraken, who were eliminated from postseason contention before taking the ice as Los Angeles defeated Edmonton earlier in the day.
Hunter Brzustewicz scored for the Flames, who took their third straight loss. Goalie Devin Cooley stopped 17 of 20 shots.
Panthers 6, Maple Leafs 2
Mackie Samoskevich and Eetu Luostarinen each tallied a goal and two assists to lead visiting Florida to a 6-2 defeat of Toronto.
Samoskevich restored a two-goal lead for the Panthers after the Leafs’ William Nylander nabbed back-to-back goals in the second period to cut the deficit to 3-2. A.J. Greer chipped in with a goal and an assist. Tomas Nosek had two goals.
Joseph Woll stopped 19 of 23 shots for Toronto, while Daniil Tarasov turned away 17 of 19 for Florida.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Union edge CF Montreal, end 6-game losing streak
Apr 11, 2026; Montreal, Province of Quebec, CAN; CF Montreal defender Dagur Thorhallsson (17) defends against Philadelphia Union defender Japhet Sery (5) during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Jesus Bueno scored the tiebreaking goal in the 70th minute, and the visiting Philadelphia Union earned a 2-1 victory over CF Montreal to snap a season-opening six-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon.
Philadelphia (1-6-0, 3 points) ended its worst skid to open a season since going 0-4-4 to start the 2017 season.
The Union took their first lead of the season when Bueno scored a minute after Bruno Damiani’s right-footed shot was stopped by Thomas Gillier. Following a throw-in, Bueno took a pass from Ezekiel Alladoh following a throw-in by Nathan Harriel.
Bueno charged in through the middle of the field, eluded Montreal’s Dawid Bugaj and finished it with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box that landed in the lower left corner of the net.
Bueno scored his fifth career MLS goal, and the clutch tally occurred 15 minutes after Japhet Sery Larsen tied it with a header. Larsen evened the score by flicking it in with a header off a set piece after Bueno was fouled by Montreal’s Fabian Herbers a minute earlier.
After the goals, Philadelphia controlled the final minutes and held on after Olger Escobar’s free kick sailed long on the final play following a yellow card by Jovan Lukic.
Ivan Jaime had given Montreal the lead by finishing a 2-on-1 with Prince Owusu in the 23rd minute. On a counterattack, he got a pass from Efrain Morales at midfield, faked a shot with a left foot as defender Olwethu Makhanya fell down, and flicked a shot from the center of the box into the bottom right corner.
Philadelphia goalie Andre Blake made four saves.
Hillier finished with three saves as Philadelphia finished 15 shot attempts.
Montreal (1-6-0, 3 points) played its home opener after losing five of its first six matches. Montreal is off to a slow start for the second straight season after opening 2025 with an 11-game winless streak (0-8-3).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dallas Fuel reach grand final of OWCS NA Stage 1 playoffs
Dallas Fuel downed Spacestation Gaming 3-1 on Saturday to advance to the grand final of the Overwatch Champions Series’ North America Stage 1 playoffs.
Spacestation Gaming dropped to the lower-bracket final in the double-elimination playoffs on Sunday against Team Liquid, with the winner advancing to the grand final against Dallas Fuel later in the day.
Team Liquid stayed alive on Saturday by blanking LuneX Gaming 3-0 in the lower-bracket semifinal.
The Overwatch 2 online competition, with a prize pool of $75,000, began with six teams playing a regular season with a round-robin format.
The top four teams advanced to the regional playoffs, and all sealed berths in North America Stage 2. All playoff matches are first-to-three except for the grand final, which is first-to-four.
The championship team will receive $30,000, the runner-up $15,000, with both teams receiving berths in the OCS Champions Clash, scheduled for May 22-24 in Tokyo.
Dallas Fuel opened the best-of-five on Saturday with a 2-0 win on Busan Control before Spacestation Gaming earned a 3-3 draw on Numbani Hybrid. Dallas came through with a 2-1 victory on Watchpoint: Gibraltor Escort, then lost 3-1 on Aatlis Flashpoint.
In the decisive final map, Dallas won on Esperanca Push, 87.01 meters to 47.24 meters.
Team Liquid swept LuneX Gaming 2-0 on Lijang Tower Control, 4-3 on Havana Escort and 144.4m to 62.39m on Runasapi Push.
Overwatch Champions Series’ North America Stage 1 prize pool
1. $30,000, qualifies for Champions Clash, NA Stage 2
2. $15,000, qualifies for Champions Clash, NA Stage 2
3. $12,000, qualifies for NA Stage 2
4. $8,000, qualifies for NA Stage 2 — LuneX Gaming
5-6. Extinction, Disguised — $5,000, qualifies for NA Stage 2 promotion/relegation
–Field Level Media
