Sports
No. 9 Illinois rallies past No. 5 Nebraska with big 2nd half
Feb 1, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) and center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) celebrate after a shot in the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images Keaton Wagler scored 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half as No. 9 Illinois rallied for a 78-69 Big Ten victory over No. 5 Nebraska on Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb.
After going 2-for-9 from the field in the first half, Wagler canned 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 10 of 12 at the line in the second half for the Fighting Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten), who won their 11th game in a row and pulled into a share of the Big Ten lead alongside No. 3 Michigan.
Jake Davis scored 13 points and Tomislav Ivisic added 12 points and eight rebounds, as Illinois held a 40-27 edge on the boards and a 28-18 advantage in points in the paint.
Braden Frager came off the bench to score 20 points for the Cornhuskers (20-2, 9-2), who dropped their second game in a row despite hitting 15 of 35 from 3-point range. Pryce Sandfort scored 14 points and Sam Hoiberg added 13, but Rienk Mast, who missed Tuesday’s loss at Michigan due to the flu, hit just 2 of 10 shots and scored all five of his points in the final minute.
Similar to the teams’ meeting at Illinois, where Nebraska earned an 83-80 victory on Dec. 13, Sandfort buried two 3-pointers during the opening minutes to stake the Huskers to a 9-4 lead.
Wagler missed his first four shots, but his driving layup at the 12:46 mark gave Illinois its first edge at 10-9. This coincided with Illinois’ decision to switch to a Twin Towers lineup and a 2-3 zone that slowed Nebraska for several minutes.
Then Frager, playing for the first time since rolling his ankle Jan. 21 against Washington, swished three 3-point attempts in a 4:22 stretch to forge a 20-20 tie with 7:11 remaining in the half.
Illinois took a 31-25 lead late in the first half, but Nebraska answered with back-to-back 3-pointers by Sandfort and Sam Hoiberg. Worse for the Illini between those shots, Wagler took a blow to the midsection while trying to chase a loose ball.
With Wagler on the bench, Frager drilled a 3-pointer as part of Nebraska’s 11-0 run. The Huskers finished 11 of 20 from 3-point range in the first half to take a 39-33 lead into the break.
Illinois enjoyed an 11-2 burst early in the second half and seized a 46-44 lead on Ivisic’s running lefty bank with 15:06 to play.
After the teams exchanged the lead, Illinois went on a 10-0 spree that began with a Davis 3-pointer and concluded with a Wagler 3-pointer to make it 63-52 with 6:45 to go. Nebraska never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Thunder's Nikola Topic back after cancer battle
Oct 5, 2025; North Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic (44) drives up the court against the Charlotte Hornets at North Charleston Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Arthur Ellis-Imagn Images Nikola Topic, an Oklahoma City Thunder first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, made his debut in the G League Monday night as he returned from fighting testicular cancer.
The 12th overall pick in that draft, Topic scored seven points and added seven assists in 16 minutes for the Oklahoma City Blue in their 137-135 overtime win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
He is a 6-foot-6 point guard from Serbia.
Topic, 20, has yet to play in a regular-season game for the Thunder. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee a few weeks before the draft and did not play as a rookie. Then, in October, he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy.
“There was probably a ton of emotions that he was going through,” Blue head coach Daniel Dixon told reporters postgame. “Having something taken away from you that you loved from a young age cannot be easy, and so, just to see his resilience and him to know that the whole organization is behind him, we’re pushing him forward.”
He added: “Just seeing him crack a smile while being out there on the court again, doing what he enjoys doing, what he loves to do, being out there with his teammates. I mean, there was so many positive things.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors' Brandon Ingram to replace Stephen Curry in ASG
Feb 5, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) holds the ball from Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram on Tuesday was named to replace injured Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry on USA Stripes in the upcoming NBA All-Star Game.
The selection of Ingram was made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The All-Star Game will take place on Sunday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Ingram, 28, will be playing in his second NBA All-Star Game and first since the 2019-20 season.
He is averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 52 games (all starts) this season.
Curry, a two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, will not compete in Sunday’s annual showcase due to an ongoing injury to his right knee.
The 37-year-old is averaging 27.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 39 games (all starts) this season.
Curry, who has not played since leaving a Jan. 30 home game against the Detroit Pistons, joins Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) as All-Stars who will miss the game. Gilgeous-Alexander has been replaced on the Team World roster by Houston Rockets’ center Alperen Sengun.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jayson Tatum’s Possible Return Changes Everything for Boston Celtics
This was supposed to be a down year for the Boston Celtics.
Al Horford, the heart and soul of the Celtics, went to the Warriors in free agency. Kristaps Porzingis was shipped off to the Hawks for virtually nothing. Jrue Holiday was flipped to the Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons, and even depth pieces like Luke Kornet elected to leave for the Spurs in free agency.
Most importantly, in last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon — an injury most would have assumed would sideline him for all of this season.
Fast forward to today, and the Celtics are 34-19 and tied for second place in the East. Jaylen Brown has silenced plenty of haters with an MVP-level season, and head coach Joe Mazzulla continues to prove why he’s one of the best leaders in the NBA.
It’s truly been an incredibly fun season for Celtics fans. This year felt like house money, but now Boston is in position to win the East in what was supposed to be a down season.
I wouldn’t bet on this Celtics team to win the East as they’re currently constructed. I’m not sure I love their trade for Nikola Vucevic, but the move I’m most excited about is the potential return of Jayson Tatum.
Boston continues to say it’s being cautious with Tatum, so if that’s the case, he might be superhuman. Early reports highlighted how quickly Tatum was progressing in his recovery, and now he’s been cleared to practice with the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine.
Every rational person assumed Tatum would miss the entire season. He still might be out for the remainder of the year, but it’s starting to look like that won’t be the case. If he’s already able to fully practice, how long before he’s back as a full participant?
The Eastern Conference is completely wide open. You cannot rush Tatum back for the sake of his career, but if he’s able to play, would the Celtics instantly become the favorites again?
Most players need a full year of live action to get their legs back after an Achilles tear, but with how quickly Tatum has recovered, he may simply be an athletic anomaly.
Once again, Boston looks like the smartest organization in the league. They moved off big-money contracts in Porzingis and Holiday, retained an elite core led by arguably the best coach in basketball, and now their top-10 player could return for the playoffs.
Boston is +380 to win the East, and that number feels like it has real value. Revenge against the Knicks would certainly be on the table after last year’s second-round upset, and if James Harden doesn’t mesh in Cleveland, Detroit may be the only true competition.
It might be time to start respecting the Celtics again.
Thunder's Nikola Topic back after cancer battle
Primary Ventures raises healthy $625M Fund V to focus on seed investing
