Sports
NBA roundup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 52, but Thunder lose
Jan 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the hoop against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Stephen Curry bounced back from a four-point first half with five second-half 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rallied to overcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52 points and stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Andrew Wiggins went for a team-high 27 points and Curry finished with 21 points for the Warriors, who beat the Western Conference front-runners for the second time in three meetings this season.
Kevon Looney chipped in with a career-high-tying 18 points off the bench as Golden State earned its third win in four games.
Gilgeous-Alexander logged the second 50-point effort of his career. He put up 54 in a home win over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 22. Gilgeous-Alexander, who singlehandedly outscored the Warriors in the first quarter with a 21-point performance, finished 16-for-29 from the field. He padded his point total with an 18-for-21 night at the free-throw line.
Raptors 106, Wizards 82
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points as visiting Toronto thrashed Washington for its fifth straight win.
Barnes eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fourth consecutive game, making 10 of 19 attempts from the field. Jakob Poeltl finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Kyle Kuzma recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who lost their 15th game in a row, one game shy of their season-worst skid.
Celtics 122, Bulls 100
Kristaps Porzingis scored a season-high 34 points and collected 11 rebounds to help Boston breeze to a victory over visiting Chicago.
Porzingis made 10 of his 18 field goal attempts, including 8 of 14 shots from behind the 3-point arc. His eight 3-pointers tied his career high. Jaylen Brown added 28 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who also received a 22-point performance from Derrick White.
The Bulls didn’t have leading scorer Zach LaVine, who is averaging 24.0 points per game. Chicago guard Coby White returned from an ankle injury and scored 16 points in 31 minutes.
Knicks 122, Nuggets 112
Jalen Brunson posted his second double-double in three games for host New York, which continued its surge with a win over Denver.
Brunson, who finished with 30 points and 15 assists, had 15 points during a decisive third-period run for the Knicks, who have won five straight following a 3-6 skid. Karl-Anthony Towns supplied 14 points and 10 rebounds, while OG Anunoby netted 23 points.
Jamal Murray scored 33 points for the Nuggets, who set a season-worst with their third straight loss. Denver superstar Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists while playing just 33 minutes due to early foul trouble.
Cavaliers 126, Heat 106
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and Evan Mobley collected 22 points and 15 rebounds, lifting visiting Cleveland to a wire-to-wire victory over Miami.
Ty Jerome contributed 20 points and Georges Niang added 15 off the bench for the Cavaliers, who shot 54 percent from the floor and held a decisive 68-38 edge in points in the paint.
Terry Rozier scored 22 points off the bench for the Heat, who have lost six of their last nine games. Tyler Herro also put up 22 points, and Bam Adebayo contributed 21 points and nine rebounds.
Mavericks 137, Pelicans 136
P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford had double-doubles, four of their Dallas teammates scored in double figures and the visiting Mavericks defeated New Orleans.
Washington finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, and Gafford had 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Kyrie Irving logged 25 points, nine boards and six assists. Klay Thompson added 20 points, Quentin Grimes had 17 and Spencer Dinwiddie put up 11 as Dallas won for the third time in four games.
Trey Murphy III scored 32, Zion Williamson added 29 points and seven assists, Dejounte Murray scored 27 points, and CJ McCollum amassed 23 points and eight assists for New Orleans, which lost its fourth straight game.
Timberwolves 121, Suns 113
Minnesota rode a pivotal fourth-quarter run to a road win over Phoenix in a chippy contest featuring a bevy of technical fouls.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points off the bench and Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 33 points for Minnesota, which earned its fourth straight win. Julius Randle finished with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor and matched Edwards with a game-high seven rebounds. Randle also swiped a game-high three steals, and his six assists matched Mike Conley’s team high.
Devin Booker, who also received a technical foul, finished with 28 points and a game-high eight assists. Bradley Beal added 17 points and six assists for Phoenix, while Grayson Allen had 11 points and seven rebounds.
76ers 117, Kings 104
Tyrese Maxey supplied 30 points and eight assists to guide host Philadelphia past Sacramento for its fourth straight win.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 15 points and four steals for Philadelphia, which continued to play without Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (finger), among others.
Sacramento lost for the third time in four games despite all five starters scoring in double figures. Malik Monk notched 21 points and eight assists, while Domantas Sabonis recorded his third straight triple-double (13 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists).
Nets 104, Hornets 83
Keon Johnson scored 18 points as Brooklyn won at Charlotte, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
Jalen Wilson added 15 points for the Nets, while Nic Claxton supplied 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 23 points to go with 13 rebounds. The Hornets, who have lost four of their last five games, were without LaMelo Ball (ankle) and Mark Williams (foot).
Clippers 128, Spurs 116
Kawhi Leonard poured in a season-high 27 points and Ivica Zubac amassed 21 points and 22 rebounds as Los Angeles dominated the final five minutes to win at San Antonio.
Norman Powell also had 27 points while James Harden racked up 21 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who earned their third victory in four games.
Wembanyama scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Spurs, who have lost five of their past six games.
Pacers 133, Pistons 119
Pascal Siakam had a season-high 37 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 30 and Indiana fought off a strong challenge to defeat Detroit in Indianapolis.
The game saw a total of six technical fouls called, four on Detroit, and Pistons backup center Isaiah Stewart was ejected in the second quarter after a flagrant foul on Pacers forward Thomas Bryant.
Indiana is an NBA-best 10-2 since the start of 2025, and all 10 wins have been by double figures. Detroit was led by Cade Cunningham’s 32 points. Myles Turner had 24 for the Pacers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 13 Michigan State chasing season sweep of Indiana
Jan 13, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) dunks the ball over Indiana Hoosiers forward Tucker Devries (12) and forward Nick Dorn (7) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images No. 13 Michigan State picked up a valuable road win on Thursday to enhance its NCAA Tournament resume.
The Spartans won’t get much time to savor it, however, as they face Indiana on Sunday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
The Spartans knocked off No. 8 Purdue, 76-74, for their third straight win and fifth over a ranked opponent. Michigan State (23-5, 13-4 Big Ten) was projected as a No. 4 seed entering the contest but could move up to a No. 3 or even No. 2 seed with a strong finish.
“They’ve got a hell of a team, it was just our night,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said of the Boilermakers. “They made 3s. We weathered the storm of all those 3s. To do that on the road in Mackey Arena, I’ll give my team some credit on that.”
It was Michigan State’s first win at Purdue since a 94-79 decision on Feb. 20, 2014. The Spartans had lost seven straight games on Purdue’s home floor.
“I did think we played with a different mentality that we haven’t been playing with as much lately,” Izzo said. “So hopefully that can catapult us. Now we go home, get a quick rest, quick turnaround and then go to Indiana.”
The Spartans, who had four players in double figures, shot 52.7% from the floor, including 57.7% in the second half. They also committed just six turnovers.
“All in all, we couldn’t play much better,” Izzo said.
Now, the Spartans will look for their second win over the Hoosiers (17-11, 8-9) this season. Michigan State rolled to an 81-60 victory in the first matchup on Jan. 13 behind a big performance from point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who racked up 23 points and 10 assists.
Indiana is desperate for a quality win to improve its chances of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers have lost three straight following a stretch of five wins in six games.
They were defeated on the road by Illinois and Purdue before a damaging 72-68 home loss Tuesday to unranked Northwestern.
“It was a tough loss. We have a big home stand here,” coach Darian DeVries said. “This was the first game of it. We’re at that point in the year where games have become very meaningful and it was an opportunity. We certainly wanted to get started off on the front of the home stand with a good note. You know, didn’t happen, so we have to make sure that we put it away. We got a big game on Sunday and then we’ve got to come ready to go.”
The Hoosiers were outscored 39-26 in the second half and missed 11 straight field goal attempts during crunch time.
“The path forward is just keep fighting, keep pushing forward,” DeVries said. “The Illinois and the Purdue losses were tough. They were two tough games, two tough teams. Not a lot of people going in there and winning. I thought our guys were ready (Tuesday). Thought they came out and had good focus in practice, good energy. Thought they came out and played well the first half. Unfortunately, the second half we weren’t good enough.”
Lamar Wilkerson (21.0 points per game) has led the team in scoring the last six games. The Hoosiers will need a big game from him to pull off the upset on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NYCFC visits Philadephia, hoping to get on winning track
Feb 1, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; New York City FC coach Pascal Jansen looks on after a win in a MLS preseason match between Austin FC at Q2 Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Jefferson-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Union and visiting New York City FC will both look to respond from disappointing away results when they meet on Sunday in Chester, Pa.
As the winner of the 2025 Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season finish, the Union (0-1-0, 0 points) suffered one of the MLS opening weekend’s most shocking results in last Saturday’s 1-0 loss at a D.C. United team that finished 2025 with the worst MLS record.
Former Union striker Tai Baribo scored the lone goal for his new club late in the first half. And a red card on the hour mark to Philadelphia Ezekiel Alladoh for an obscene gesture toward an opponent hurt the Union’s comeback chances. It also means Alladoh will be suspended on Sunday.
But after beginning their 2026 schedule with a 5-0 victory at Defence Force in a Concacaf Champions Cup match three days before the league opener, Philadelphia manager Bradley Carnell was able to rest several regulars in Thursday’s home return leg (a 7-0 win).
“It’s only as good as we want it to be, right?” Carnell said of the rest. “I mean we have to apply it in the right way, and just because you’re rested, it doesn’t mean — it’s only an ingredient for success. It doesn’t mean that the success is there. So we have to work really hard at it to make it count.”
New York City (0-0-1, 1 point) earned a 1-1 draw at the LA Galaxy in their opener last Sunday, but that felt more like a defeat after failing to capitalize on a man advantage for the final 26 minutes plus stoppage time.
Nicolas Fernandez Mercau scored the visitors’ lone goal from the penalty spot as they began the season without Alonso Martinez, who led NYCFC in scoring the previous two seasons but suffered a torn ACL while on international duty last November.
But Cityzens manager Pascal Jansen insisted the performance showed his team is still capable of attacking production.
“We are fully aware of the fact that we are missing our No. 1 No. 9,” he said. But the fact is … If you see, if we are able to add maybe 20% more quality, better decision-making, we’ll get the goals …”
–Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
Sports
Inter Miami looks to get offense going against Orlando
Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) moves the ball against Los Angeles FC midfielder Mathieu Choinière (66) during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Inter Miami led the MLS with 81 regular-season goals last season.
Surprisingly, the defending champions didn’t find the back of the net a single time in their 2026 opener.
Inter Miami look to get the attack moving on Sunday night when they travel north to face Orlando City.
Miami lost 3-0 at Los Angeles FC last weekend when soccer icon Lionel Messi managed four shots and all of them were off target.
It certainly wasn’t the type of season debut Miami coach Javier Mascherano was expecting.
“We clearly know we have a lot to improve,” Mascherano said. “We need to keep building on the positive things we’ve done, correct the mistakes we made, and keep moving forward.”
Miami defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup and is reportedly set to visit the White House next Thursday, two days before a road match against D.C. United.
Messi did score a goal in a friendly this past Thursday when Inter Miami closed out their Champions Tour with a 2-1 victory over Independiente del Valle of Ecuador at Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
Keeping two-time MLS MVP Messi in check has been a challenge for Orlando City. Messi has six goals in four matches across all competitions against the Lions.
Orlando City also got off to a rough start last weekend as they fell 2-1 to the visiting New York Red Bulls.
The Lions finally got on the board in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time when Tiago tapped in a pass from Zakaria Taifi.
New goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was bombarded all game long and matched a franchise record with 11 saves.
Crepeau said the Lions might be the fresher side Sunday due to Miami’s trip to Puerto Rico.
“The mileage they have is a bit more challenging than us this week, since we stayed here, that is for sure,” Crepeau said. “But every team has their own decision on how to manage their preseason, manage their roster. Both teams, when they step on the field, will be ready to play.”
Orlando City won both regular-season meetings against Miami last season by a combined 7-1. Messi played in just one of those games.
Messi scored two goals when the squads met in the Leagues Cup semifinals with the Herons prevailing 3-1.
Orlando coach Oscar Pareja said his side can’t be consumed by the 38-year-old Messi.
“They have kept that identity that is normal and functional, just trying to play around Leo and what he contributes to that team,” Pareja said. “We have respect for them like any other, but now we’re focusing much more on us.”
–Field Level Media
No. 13 Michigan State chasing season sweep of Indiana
NYCFC visits Philadephia, hoping to get on winning track
