Sports
No. 1 Arizona looks to rebound against flashy No. 16 Texas Tech
Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) reacts after scoring against Kansas Jayhawks during the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 9, 2026. Top-ranked Arizona will look to bounce back after suffering its first loss of the season when it hosts No. 16 Texas Tech in a Big 12 game on Saturday at Tucson, Ariz.
Arizona (23-1, 10-1 Big 12) had a program and Big 12 record start of 23 consecutive wins snapped Monday with an 82-78 loss at No. 9 Kansas.
Texas Tech (18-6, 8-3) enters the game with wins over West Virginia and Colorado after losing against UCF and then-No. 11 Kansas.
A key matchup will be in the paint with Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas and reserve Tobe Awaka matching up against JT Toppin, who leads the Red Raiders with 21.5 points and 10.9 rebounds a game.
Krivas had 14 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots against Kansas, but Jayhawks post player Flory Bidunga countered with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and had 10 rebounds.
Awaka got in early foul trouble and finished with only six points and a season-low three rebounds.
Texas Tech’s Lejuan Watts, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward, is second on the team with 6.4 rpg.
He will be matched against Arizona freshman Koa Peat, who averages 14.3 ppg but is coming off a six-point performance on 2-of-11 shooting from the field against Kansas.
“In this league, you don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “We played a tough game in a tough environment, but our focus has to be on the next one. Texas Tech is a disciplined, physical team that doesn’t beat themselves.
“We have to be better on the glass and more connected defensively if we want to protect our home court.”
Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland, an assistant coach of Lloyd’s with the gold medal-winning Team USA U19 World Cup team last summer, also used the word “connected” when describing how his team must play against Arizona.
Keeping the teams connected could come down to the play of Texas Tech point guard Christian Anderson (19.1 ppg, 7.7 assists per game) and Arizona counterpart Jaden Bradley (13.5 ppg, 4.5 apg).
Bradley struggled at Kansas with a season-low six points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line.
“The effort is matching the intelligence that we need to understand scheme and not just physicality or how hard you play,” McCasland said of the wins over West Virginia and Colorado. “JT Toppin and Christian Anderson are really the anchors to what we’re doing.
“Arizona is as talented as it gets. You can’t just play hard; you have to play smart, communicate, and stay connected for all 40 minutes.”
Anderson is coming off 11 assists against West Virginia and seven against Colorado.
Arizona freshman guard Brayden Burries had 25 points against Kansas, his eighth game with at least 20 points.
He leads the Wildcats in scoring at 15.7 ppg while shooting 50.8% from the field.
Both teams have an eight-player rotation with all but one player averaging double figures in minutes played.
Texas Tech has attempted 705 shots from 3-point range, while Arizona is at 395. The Red Raiders have made 276 (39.1%) while Arizona has converted 141 (35.7%).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Knicks even series as Hawks can't contain Karl Anthony-Towns (triple-double)
Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) tries to reach the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Karl Anthony-Towns totaled 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career playoff triple-double as the New York Knicks earned a 114-98 victory over the host Atlanta Hawks and evened their Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece on Saturday night.
Towns ensured Game 5 on Tuesday in New York will not be an elimination game for the Knicks and also ensured the series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday.
Towns posted his fifth career triple-double in any game. He also notched the seventh postseason triple-double in New York’s history and joined Dick McGuire, Walt Frazier and Josh Hart as the fourth player with a postseason triple-double in team history.
Towns secured his 10th rebound when he grabbed a missed jumper by Jalen Brunson and converted the putback in the final seconds of the third to give the Knicks an 86-65 lead into the fourth quarter. The center recorded his 10th assist by finding OG Anunoby for an open corner 3 to put the Knicks up 90-66 with 10:46 left.
Anunoby led the Knicks with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career playoff double-double. Jalen Brunson added 19, including a 3 as the shot clock was expiring for a 104-80 lead with 5:26 left.
Miles McBridge chipped in 11 off the bench while Hart collected 10 points and nine rebounds. Mikal Bridges remained in the starting lineup after going scoreless in Game 3 and contributed eight points.
The Knicks shot 49.4%, made 14 of 31 3-pointers (45.2%) and led for the final 42:40.
CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 17 points but was held to three points after halftime. McCollum shot 8-of-15 but missed four of five shots in the second half.
Nickell Alexander-Walker added 15 and hit five 3s, but the Hawks were a dreadful 10 of 41 (24.4%) from behind the arc.
Jalen Johnson finished with 14 but shot 4 of 12. Onyeka Okongwu contributed 12, but Dyson Daniels was held to six points.
Atlanta shot 41.5% and conceded 21 points off 19 turnovers
Brunson was 3 of 10 in the opening quarter, but the Knicks clamped down defensively and held Atlanta to 36.8% (7 of 19) shooting en route to a 27-20 lead.
The Knicks took their first double-digit lead when Bridges was credited with a basket due to a goaltending call on Atlanta a little over a minute into the second. Brunson returned with 7:31 left and his open 3 pushed the lead to 41-29 with 6:56 remaining.
New York took a trio of 16-point leads in the final minutes of the second quarter and held a 58-44 lead by halftime. Atlanta cut the lead to 61-53 on a basket by Okongwu with 8:26 left, and the Knicks countered by scoring 11 straight points with Brunson on the bench.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Matt Boldy nets game-winner as Wild even series with Stars
Apr 25, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson (21) shoots the puck against the Minnesota Wild during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images Matt Boldy scored with 29 seconds left in overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 win over the visiting Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series on Saturday evening in St. Paul, Minn.
Boldy deflected a point shot into the net by Jared Spurgeon after it appeared to be headed wide.
The best-of-seven series is even 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Tuesday in Dallas.
Brock Faber had a goal and an assist, Marcus Foligno also scored and Jesper Wallstedt made 43 saves for the Wild, who dominated the series opener 6-1 before losing two in a row, including Game 3 at home in double-overtime.
Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen scored power-play goals, Matt Duchene and Mikko Rantanen had two assists each, and Jake Oettinger made 40 saves for the Stars, who are 8-for-19 on the power play this series.
Robertson scored his fourth goal in four games on a rebound while on the first power play to give Dallas a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period.
Faber became the first defenseman in Wild history to score three goals in a playoff series when he tied it 1-1 at 13:52 of the first.
Faber took a shot from the right point that clipped the glove of Heiskanen and was redirected into his own net.
Dallas went on its second power play when Duchene made a pass from below the goal line to Heiskanen above the left circle and he had room to skate to nearly the hash marks before beating Wallstedt under his left armpit for a 2-1 lead with 35 seconds left in the second period.
After getting outshot 17-5 in the second period, the Wild managed to tie it 2-2 at 14:40 of the third after a bouncing puck came off the end boards and got behind Oettinger. Foligno reached over Oettinger and swatted the puck across the goal line.
Minnesota went 0-for-4 with the man-advantage and is 1-for-15 in the past three games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ty France hits 2 homers as Padres rally past D-backs in Mexico City
Apr 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) hits a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Ty France hit two bases-empty homers, Mason Miller recorded his major league-leading 10th save, and the San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 in the Mexico City Series at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City on Saturday.
Miller has not allowed a run in 14 1/3 innings this season, and he extended his scoreless streak to a franchise-record 34 2/3 innings.
France hit his second and third homers of the season and Gavin Sheets had a two-run single in a four-run seventh for the Padres, who overcame an early 4-0 deficit. They have won 13 of 15.
Alec Thomas homered in a four-run second, his second homer in three games, and Nolan Arenado and Jose Fernandez had two hits for the D-Backs, who are the designated home team in the two-game series. They have lost three of four.
Arizona infielder Ildemaro Vargas extended his season-opening hitting streak to 19 games, the longest active streak in the majors and the second-longest since Pablo Sandoval’s 20-gamer in 2012. Vargas has a 22-game hitting streak dating to 2025.
Padres right-hander German Marquez (3-1) gave up four runs on six hits in six innings, with two strikeouts and one walk.
Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts walked around a single by Manny Machado to open the Padres’ seventh before Taylor Clarke entered to replace Brandon Pfaadt.
Sheets hit a two-run single and shortstop Gerardo Perdomo’s fielding error re-loaded the bases. Freddy Fermin and Ramon Laureano followed with sacrifice flies for a 5-4 lead. Perdomo suffered a left ankle sprain on his error and left the game.
Pfaadt replaced Arizona starter Zac Gallen in the fourth inning. Gallen suffered a right shoulder contusion when was struck by a Fermin’s 92 mph line drive with one out in the third inning. Fermin reached on a single and Gallen got the final two outs of the inning before leaving.
Clarke (1-1) allowed all three inherited runners to score and they were charged to Pfaadt, who allowed four runs on two hits and three walks, while fanning five in three innings. The run charged to Clarke was unearned.
Vargas and Arenado singled with two outs in the second inning before Fernandez lined a double to left-center to drive in two. Thomas followed with his 400-foot homer to right, extending his hitting streak to six games.
France hit his first homer of the game in the fifth to put Arizona on the board.
–Field Level Media
