Sports
New-look Grizzlies take on slumping Trail Blazers
Feb 4, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard/forward Ty Jerome (2) dribbles against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images The revamped Memphis Grizzlies begin play after the trade deadline with two games against the host Portland Trail Blazers, the first on Friday night.
The Grizzlies traded club stalwart Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in an eight-player deal earlier this week that also netted Memphis three future first-round draft picks.
The players the Grizzlies received from the Jazz were guard Walter Clayton Jr., and forwards Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang.
Also rating as a big deal was retaining point guard Ja Morant despite the wealth of rumors that Memphis was shopping the seventh-year point guard. The two-time All-Star is currently sidelined with a left elbow injury.
It hasn’t yet been divulged whether the new Grizzlies will be on the floor against Portland.
Memphis has won back-to-back games after enduring a six-game slide.
On Wednesday, Ty Jerome scored 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting as the Grizzlies recorded a 129-125 victory over the host Sacramento Kings.
Jerome is averaging 22.3 points and 7.0 assists in three games after missing the first three-plus months of the season due to a right calf injury.
The Grizzlies signed Jerome as a free agent in the offseason.
Cam Spencer added 20 points and Jaylen Wells had 18 in the team’s first game without Jackson, who began his NBA career with Memphis in 2018-19 after being the fourth overall pick of the draft.
Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo was concerned with shaky play in the interior. The Kings finished with a 58-42 edge in points in the paint.
“We didn’t do a good job protecting the rim,” Iisalo said. “We allowed them to score 38 points in the paint in the first half. In the second half, we did a better job.”
Portland has dropped six straight games but will have third-year point guard Scoot Henderson on the court for the first time this season. Henderson tore his left hamstring prior to the season.
Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter announced Henderson’s return after Thursday’s practice. The coach didn’t sound optimistic about All-Star forward Deni Avdija (lower back), who has missed seven of the last 11 games.
Henderson was slated to be the future face of the franchise after being picked third in the 2023 draft.
Henderson started 42 of 128 games played over his first two NBA seasons and had averages of 13.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds.
He turned 22 on Tuesday and said earlier this week that he was itching to get back on the floor.
“I’m the player that kind of just can be thrown in any type of fire and understand the role and understand what I bring to the table and have confidence in that role,” Henderson said. “So I feel like my teammates believe in me and coming back, and that’s all I can ask for, for real.”
Portland is coming off a 130-125 home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. Jerami Grant scored 23 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 19.
The Trail Blazers had crept above .500 at one game over before the current skid.
“I think we’re definitely going through a rough patch right now,” forward Toumani Camara. “But I think our energy was picking back up. I think we showed a lot of great things, a lot of good effort. Our heart was there.”
Vit Krejci had five points in 14 minutes in his Portland debut Tuesday. The guard was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
Memphis posted a 119-96 home win over Portland on Dec. 7. Seven Grizzlies scored in double digits, led by Santi Aldama with 22 points. Grant scored 21 for the Trail Blazers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Timberwolves prep for Pelicans by adding Ayo Dosunmu
Dec 2, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Jaden McDaniels can breathe a sigh of relief.
The versatile forward heard his name mentioned in plenty of rumors as the Minnesota Timberwolves explored the idea of adding a star player before the trade deadline.
However, Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed put with the Milwaukee Bucks and McDaniels stayed put in Minneapolis, where the Timberwolves will play the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
“It’s hard to block out,” McDaniels said before Thursday’s trade deadline. “It’s everywhere you go on your phone, you see something. I try. I’ve been through six deadlines, and I just keep it the same way every time.”
This time, McDaniels and the Timberwolves will welcome a new teammate.
Minnesota and several other teams failed to land the NBA’s biggest prize in Antetokounmpo, but the Timberwolves added much-needed talent and depth when they acquired Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls before the deadline. In exchange, Minnesota parted with lightly used Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller along with four second-round picks.
Dosunmu, 26, averaged a career-high 15.0 points along with 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 45 games for the Bulls this season. The fifth-year pro shoots 51.4% from the field and a career-best 45.1% from 3-point range.
It is not certain whether Dosunmu will join his new team in time for Friday’s game.
Whenever he arrives, he figures to come off the bench and play a prominent role in the Timberwolves’ rotation. He averaged 26.4 minutes primarily in a reserve role with Chicago this season, compared with 9.3 minutes per game for Dillingham with the Timberwolves.
As the Timberwolves prepare to welcome reinforcements, the Pelicans head to Minnesota without a trusted veteran. New Orleans traded Jose Alvarado, 27, to the New York Knicks on Thursday in exchange for Dalen Terry, two second-round picks and cash considerations.
Alvarado averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 assists in 41 games this season and provided dependable defense. Terry averaged 3.5 points and 1.3 assists in 34 games for the Bulls.
New Orleans rests near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and plots how more losing might benefit its future. The Pelicans have lost three games in a row, including a 141-137 overtime loss Wednesday at Milwaukee.
Pelicans interim coach James Borrego praised Trey Murphy III for his career-high 44-point performance, but said his team needed to do more on the other end of the court to stop the skid. The Bucks hit 60.9% from the field, which featured 21 of 47 shooting (44.7%) from 3-point range.
“It was our defense,” Borrego said. “Not enough resistance. (Our) point-of-attack defense was too weak, too soft. We’ve got to be better (defensively).”
The Timberwolves are coming off a 128-126 road win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Minnesota has won five of its past six games.
Anthony Edwards will look to stay hot after scoring 30 points on 11-for-23 shooting against the Raptors. He added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
This is the third of four meetings between the Timberwolves and Pelicans this season.
Minnesota won the first two games as it held on for a 149-142 overtime win on Dec. 2 in New Orleans, then won the rematch two days later with a 125-116 verdict in New Orleans.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Nets waive G Cam Thomas after trade deadline
Jan 30, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) dribbles against the Utah Jazz during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images The Brooklyn Nets ended their sometimes sour relationship with guard Cam Thomas on Thursday by releasing him to allow him to be a free agent, according to multiple reports.
Thomas signed a $5.9 million qualifying offer last summer after he and the Nets could not agree to contract terms. Brooklyn reportedly tried to shop him before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Now he is in an unrestricted free agent instead of being restricted, which would have given the Nets the right to match any offer sheet.
“Super excited, ready to actually help and contribute to another team,” Thomas, 24, told ESPN. “My next team is getting elite scoring, good playmaking and a good combo guard.”
Thomas ranked second on the team with a 15.6 scoring average and averaged 3.1 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game in 24 contests (eight starts) this season after missing 20 games because of a strained left hamstring.
He was Brooklyn’s leading scorer in the 2023-24 regular season (22.5) and averaged a team-best 24.0 scoring average in only 25 games in 2024-25 before he was limited by hamstring issues.
For his career, Thomas averages 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 23.3 minutes in 239 regular-season games (88 starts).
Brooklyn selected Thomas with the 27th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cowboys to play in NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro
Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; A general view of a Dallas Cowboys helmet before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Dallas Cowboys will participate in the NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro in 2026, the league announced Thursday.
The 78,000-seat Maracana Stadium, which has hosted World Cup matches and the 2016 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, will host the game. The league previously announced Rio as one of its new international markets; at least three regular-season games will be played there in the next five years.
The Cowboys’ opponent and the game date will be announced at a later date, but it’s likely to be early in the season. The NFL came to Brazil for the first time in 2024, and its Sao Paulo games in 2025 and 2026 were played on Friday of Week 1.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo in 2024 and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs there this past year.
The NFL is adding International Series games in Melbourne, Paris and Rio for the first time in 2026 while continuing series in London, Madrid, Mexico City and Munich. Earlier Thursday, the NFL announced the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers would contest the Melbourne game, the league’s first in Australia.
–Field Level Media
Timberwolves prep for Pelicans by adding Ayo Dosunmu
Reports: Nets waive G Cam Thomas after trade deadline
