Sports
Lakers return home from grueling road trip with surging Sixers waiting
Feb 3, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) looks to drive past Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) in the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images With their grueling annual winter trip behind them, the Los Angeles Lakers will not get a chance to ease into familiar surroundings as the surging Philadelphia 76ers come to town Thursday.
The Lakers went 5-3 as they vacated their home arena for the Grammy Awards, although the long-awaited return of guard Austin Reaves on Tuesday was a reason to feel revived.
Out since Christmas Day, Reaves returned from a calf injury by scoring 15 points off the bench in 21 minutes of a 125-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. LeBron James scored 25 points in the victory, and Luka Doncic had 24 as Los Angeles scored 23 points off 20 Nets turnovers.
Reaves was just 3 of 9 from the floor, including 1 of 5 from behind the 3-point line, but he showed some pent-up aggression by getting to the free-throw line, where he went 8 of 10.
“For as long as he has been out, obviously, the No. 1 thing is rhythm and fatigue, how fast you get fatigued,” James said about Reaves, according to the Los Angeles Times. “So, it’s just a boost for all of us, especially at the end of a road trip, to get a guy like that back.”
Even on a team with stars like James and Doncic, Reaves’ presence is key for Los Angeles. He has delivered career bests in points (26.1), rebounds (5.2) and assists (6.0) this season, his fifth in Los Angeles, and has developed a strong rapport with Doncic.
“I’ve been bored for a little over a month now,” Reaves said.
He added: “It’s good to be back out there and run around, feel the energy and play the game I love.”
The 76ers increased their winning streak to a season-best five games with a 113-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Philadelphia has been in California all week, starting a five-game road trip with a 128-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
With Joel Embiid out for injury management on his right knee and ankle on the second game of a back-to-back versus the Golden State Warriors, rookie VJ Edgecombe led the Sixers with 25 points, well over his 15.1 per-game average, and added seven rebounds with seven assists and two steals.
Edgecombe was just 1 of 11 from the floor against the Clippers before the 20-year-old went 11 of 20 against the Warriors.
“He does a little bit of everything,” Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse said of the Baylor product. “He can handle, he can shoot a little, he rebounds, he can get to some non-paint two pullups, play some one-on-one, block shots. He does all of those things at kind of an above-average level.”
Leading scorer Tyrese Maxey was held to 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting against the Warriors, under his 28.9-point average, as the offense deferred to the hot shooting Edgecombe. Andre Drummond filled in at center for Embiid and scored 12 points with 12 rebounds.
The victory came as Stephen Curry sat out for the Warriors with knee soreness.
Philadelphia also dominated in the rebounding department with a 56-33 edge. The Sixers have averaged 44.7 rebounds and now face the Lakers, who are one of the worst teams in the NBA on the boards at 41 per game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jamie Benn scores with 23 seconds left to lift Stars past Blues
Feb 4, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) and center Sam Steel (18) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) celebrate after Benn scores the game winning goal against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jamie Benn had two goals, including the winner with 23 seconds left, and an assist as the Dallas Stars defeated the visiting St. Louis Blues 5-4 Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory.
The Stars beat the Blues three times during that span, all on late goals.
Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist for Dallas. Mavrik Bourque also scored, Miro Heiskanen had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 14 saves.
Jordan Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who lost for the eighth time in ninth games.
Pavel Buchnevich and Alexey Toropchenko also scored for St. Louis. Justin Faulk earned two assists and Jordan Binnington made 23 saves.
The Stars put six shots on goal during the game’s first 62 seconds. The Blues survived that onslaught, then moved ahead 1-0 on Buchnevich’s power-play goal at the 7:29 mark.
Dallas tied the game 1-1 with Robertson’s 200th career goal. Mikko Rantanen sliced to the slot and fed Robertson for his goal.
During a delayed penalty call, Kyrou put the Blues up 2-1 with 1:27 left in the period with a shot from the left circle.
The Stars outshot the Blues 13-5 during the second period and surged ahead 4-2.
Duchene tied the game 2-2 at the end of a power play by converting the long rebound from Thomas Harley’s slap shot.
The Stars moved ahead 3-2 just over two minutes later when Robertson fired a turnaround shot from the left circle and Bourque banged in the rebound.
Benn took Duchene’s pass from the left wall and scored from the slot to make it 4-2 with 8:03 left in the period.
Snuggerud zig-zagged through the Stars and scored to cut the Stars’ lead to 4-3 at 11:05 of the third period. Toropchenko tied the game 4-4 by driving the pass and converting Philip Broberg’s no-look drop pass at 15:31.
But Benn scored off the rush with 23 seconds left to decide the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flames take Battle of Alberta with tight win over Oilers
Feb 4, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Connor Zary (47) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images Ryan Lomberg broke a third-period tie and rookie Matvei Gridin scored once and added an assist to lead the host Calgary Flames to a 4-3 victory over the slumping Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary also scored for the Flames in the final clash before the Olympic break for both clubs.
Goaltender Devin Cooley made 36 saves and recorded an assist.
Zach Whitecloud, MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri all collected two assists.
Calgary claimed the season’s Battle of Alberta by winning three of the four meetings.
Leon Draisaitl scored twice, while Kasperi Kapanen added a single for the Oilers, who have lost three straight games and five of eight outings.
Goalie Tristan Jarry stopped 21 shots, and Evan Bouchard netted a pair of assists.
Calgary has won 49 consecutive games when scoring four or more goals, a total hit when Lomberg scored the winner.
The fourth-line winger broke the deadlock when he pounced on the rebound and chipped it home at 6:44 of the third period.
The Oilers had a frantic push, but Cooley stood tall to close out the back-and-forth clash.
Huberdeau opened the scoring with the first of four power-play goals on the night by unloading a one-timer from the right face-off dot at the 3:12 mark.
Draisaitl replied just over two minutes later with the first of his two man-advantage markers, coming when he neatly lifted a back-hand shot from near the net.
Gridin again put the Flames ahead on the power play by converting a shot off the wing when he was sprung on a breakaway at 14:44 of the first period. It is the first multi-point game for the 2024 first-round draft pick (28th overall), who skated in his 13th career game.
Zary made it a 3-1 contest when Whitecloud’s point shot ricocheted off his leg while he was setting the screen at 11:43 of the second period.
However, the Oilers again tied the clash. Draisaitl notched his second of the game with a sharp-angled one-timer from his off-wing at 18:26 of the second period.
Then, Kapanen evened the score at 3-3 when his rising shot from the high slot was originally stopped by Cooley, but the puck slid down and off his equipment and into the net at 4:17 of the third period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Day after James Harden trade, Cavs demolish Clippers
Feb 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson (20) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Kobe Sanders (4) as he shoots the ball in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Donovan Mitchell registered 29 points, nine assists and five rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers mauled the Los Angeles Clippers 124-91 on Wednesday night in Inglewood, Calif.
Cleveland won for the ninth time in its past 11 games one day after the two teams worked out a trade that included James Harden going to the Cavaliers and Darius Garland joining the Clippers.
Jaylon Tyson scored 17 points as Cleveland continued its recent success. Sam Merrill and reserve Dennis Schroder added 11 points apiece and Jarrett Allen had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland.
Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and seven rebounds while John Collins scored 19 points for the Clippers, who lost for the second straight game and the third time in four outings.
Neither Harden nor Garland was allowed to be in the bench area Wednesday night with the trade still pending. Both players were in the building and most if not all of the Cleveland players greeted Garland in an emotional scene after the game.
Cleveland shot 51.0% from the field, including 16 of 41 (39.0%) from 3-point range. The Cavaliers scored 47 points off 24 turnovers by the Clippers. Cleveland committed just nine turnovers and never trailed in the contest.
Los Angeles made 46.3% of its shots and was 6 of 28 (21.4%) from behind the arc. Kobe Brown and Yanic Konan Niederhauser each had 10 points off the bench for the Clippers.
Cleveland dominated from the start and led 36-18 after the opening quarter.
The Clippers moved within 10 early in the second quarter but the Cavaliers reasserted control. Mitchell’s 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left capped his 14-point first half to give Cleveland a 62-42 halftime lead. Tyson had a team-high 15 in the half, while Leonard scored 16 in the half for the Clippers.
Merrill’s 3-pointer capped an 8-0 burst in the third quarter as Cleveland went ahead 70-46 with 10:06 remaining. Craig Porter Jr. later slammed home a dunk with 11 seconds left to make it 94-68 entering the final quarter.
Porter’s 3-pointer 40 seconds into the period elevated the lead to more than 30. The margin topped out at 35 points.
–Field Level Media
