Sports
Nets score 80 in 1st half, outclass short-handed Wizards
Feb 7, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (2) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard Will Riley (27) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 of his 23 points before halftime as the Brooklyn Nets produced their biggest first half in a little over three years and beat the Washington Wizards 127-113 Saturday afternoon in New York.
Brooklyn scored 46 points in the opening quarter, its most since a 47-point first quarter against the host Detroit Pistons on April 5, 2023. The Nets also scored 80 in the first half, its most before halftime since getting 91 points in a 143-113 home win over the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 21, 2022.
Porter led seven in double figures as the Nets won for the fourth time in their past 22 games.
Day’Ron Sharpe added 19 and nine rebounds to lead a 56-point showing by Brooklyn’s bench. Noah Clowney contributed 18 and rookies Danny Wolf and Nolan Traore finished with 16 and 15, respectively.
The Nets shot 54.9%, scored a season-best 66 points in the paint and led by as many as 34 in the first half.
Rookie Will Riley scored a career-high 27 points as Washington played with eight available players. Justin Champagnie added 21 while Tristan Vukcevic and Sharife Cooper contributed 14 apiece for the Wizards, who shot 46.8% from the floor.
Besides missing Jaden Hardy and D’Angelo Russell following their acquisitions from the Dallas Mavericks in the blockbuster Anthony Davis trade, Washington was without Bilal Coulibaly (sore back), Kyshawn George (right knee bruise), Alex Sarr (sore right ankle) and Tre Johnson (sprained left ankle)
The Nets ended the opening quarter on a 23-3 run and held a 46-20 lead after Wolf buried a 3-pointer with nine-tenths of a second left following Washington’s eighth turnover. The Nets saw their lead reach 30 when Sharpe’s 3-point play made it 51-21 early in the second and held an 80-47 lead by halftime after Porter hit a stepback 3 with 7.3 seconds left.
The Wizards showed some life by opening the second half on a 21-5 run to get within 85-68 on a 3 by Riley with 6:44 left. Brooklyn regained a little control in the final minutes of the quarter and held a 101-82 cushion entering the fourth.
Riley converted a four-point play and a layup on consecutive trips to cut the lead to 117-103 with 5:14 remaining, and Cooper’s corner 3 made it 123-111 with 2:10 left before the Nets finished it off by scoring the next four points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 1 Arizona sets school, Big 12 records while punishing Oklahoma State
Feb 7, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) celebrates during the first half of the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images Behind 15 points and eight rebounds from Brayden Burries, No. 1 Arizona set a school record with its 23rd consecutive win as it rolled to an 84-47 Big 12 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
Arizona (23-0, 10-0 Big 12) broke the record of 22 straight wins created from 1914-17. The Wildcats also set a conference record for best start in a season, passing Kansas’ 1996-97 team that started 22-0.
Jaden Bradley had 13 points and four assists while Tobe Awaka finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Arizona, which didn’t need to play anybody more than 27 minutes. Koa Peat and Anthony Dell’Orso added 11 points apiece and Motiejus Krivas recorded 10 points and nine rebounds.
Anthony Roy scored 10 points to pace Oklahoma State (16-7, 4-6), which came to town on a roll after beating Utah and No. 16 BYU in its previous two games.
A Roy 3-pointer gave the Cowboys a 6-4 edge four minutes in, but the Wildcats never trailed again after going on a 17-3 run that gave them a 21-9 lead with 10:10 left in the first half. Awaka started the run with three consecutive layups.
The Cowboys cut the lead to 25-18 with a 7-0 run, but Arizona pulled away by scoring 10 unanswered points. Bradley scored five and Peat added four during that spree.
Arizona pushed its lead to 40-22 by the break as Oklahoma State shot 20.7% from the field, including 3 of 14 from 3-point range, in the first half.
The Wildcats missed their four 3-point attempts in the first half, but outrebounded the Cowboys 29-15 and outscored them 28-6 in the paint.
Arizona started the second half on a 12-3 roll to end any suspense. The Cowboys missed nine consecutive shots from the field after Roy made a 3-pointer with 19:15 left.
Arizona did not make a 3-pointer until Dell’Orso converted one with 6:39 left. The Wildcats finished 2 of 14 from beyond the arc, but they made 52.4% of their shots overall.
Oklahoma State made 24.6% of its shots, including 6 of 28 from 3-point range, as Arizona scored more points in the paint (54) than Oklahoma State did overall.
The Wildcats, third nationally in rebounding margin (13.1) entering the game, outrebounded the Cowboys 55-35.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Labaron Philon's 25 points squeeze Alabama past Auburn
Alabama Crimson Tide guard Aden Holloway (2) drives on Auburn Tigers forward Keyshawn Hall (7) as Auburn Tigers take on Alabama Crimson Tide at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. Labaron Philon scored 25 points and three teammates hit double figures as Alabama held off host Auburn 96-92 on Saturday.
Amari Allen added 17 points, Aden Holloway scored 15 and Charles Bediako had 12 for the Crimson Tide (16-7, 6-4 SEC).
Tahaad Pettiford scored 25 points, Keyshawn Hall had 24 before fouling out, Kevin Overton contributed 17 points and KeShawn Murphy added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers (14-9, 5-5), who lost their second straight after a four-game winning streak.
Auburn scored the first three points of the second half to open a 44-37 lead. Holloway’s layup produced Alabama’s first points, but the Tigers increased the lead to 54-47 on a Hall layup with 15:31 to play.
London Jemison scored seven consecutive points to start an 11-0 spurt that gave the Tide a 58-54 lead. Pettiford and Overton each made a 3-pointer and the Tigers pulled even at 60.
Philon’s 3-pointer broke the tie before the lead changed hands twice. The Tide opened a 71-65 lead on Aiden Sherrell’s 3-pointer with 9:10 to go. Auburn got within one point, but Philon scored the next five points.
Once again, the Tigers saw an Alabama six-point lead and crept within one. Allen made a 3-pointer and Tide pushed the lead back to six twice more. Murphy’s 3-pointer cut the lead in half, but Holloway made three free throws for a six-point margin with 28 seconds left.
At the game’s outset, the lead changed hands three times before Overton made consecutive 3-pointers to complete a 10-2 run and give Auburn a 14-7 lead. Philon made a 3-pointer to slow the momentum, but Elyjah Freeman scored four straight points to help the Tigers take a 20-12 lead.
The Tide scored the next six points before the Tigers extended the margin to six points on four occasions. They pushed the lead to 36-26 — the largest of the game — on two Pettiford free throws with 2:33 left in the half.
Houston Mallette made two 3-pointers during an 11-2 run by Alabama before Overton’s 3-pointer left Auburn with a 41-37 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Super Bowl LX: Patriots thinking about path to big game
Feb 5, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks to media members at the Santa Clara Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images PALO ALTO, Calif. – The New England Patriots returned to Stanford Stadium for a final time on Saturday afternoon to take a team photo and spend time with their family and friends ahead of Super Bowl LX.
Quarterback Drake Maye was the first player on the field to take photos. Players wore the white jerseys and white pants they will don on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. A team photographer took photos of each position group in front of a backdrop before players lined up in numerical orders on the bleachers for the official Super Bowl photo.
After a couple of quick snaps, players were free to mingle with their families and friends. Assistant coaches chased toddlers around the field, while a group of older children took turns hurling themselves into a tackling dummy. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled both Maye and receiver Stefon Diggs aside to take photos with McDaniels’ kids, who range in age from 13 to 21.
“I want them to enjoy this time with their families,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “You can see how many people care about us and helped us get to this position, and this is all part of being able to celebrate it.”
Vrabel was planning to speak with the team later Saturday at their hotel in Santa Clara. He planned to remind players about the team’s path here, and the identity they built along the way.
“Everybody talked about getting to this point, and hoped for it to happen at the beginning of the year. Now it’s real,” Vrabel said. “That’s what I think has been pretty cool.”
The Patriots made two roster moves on Saturday, elevating defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III and running back D’Ernest Johnson off the practice squad.
–Pro Football Writers of America
