Sports
Norway team reacts with skepticism to bizarre penis-enhancement claims
Ski Jumping – Ski Flying World Championships – Heini-Klopfer Ski Flying Hill, Oberstdorf, Germany – January 25, 2026 Norway’s Marius Lindvik in action during the men’s team HS235 first round REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach PREDAZZO, Italy — Norwegian ski jumpers greeted with skepticism suggestions that anti-doping officials must now police their anatomy as well as their equipment after regulators said they would stay alert to rumors of athletes artificially enlarging their genitals to exploit suit rules at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The sport briefly found itself in an absurd spotlight after the World Anti-Doping Agency signaled it would watch for evidence of manipulation, following a report in German newspaper Bild which raised fears of some male ski jumpers attempting to manipulate the 3D body-scanning measurements used to size competition suits by temporarily enlarging their penises.
Skiing’s governing body also dismissed talk of competitors injecting paraffin or hyaluronic acid for aerodynamic gain.
Jumpers said the speculation had travelled faster than any athlete down the in-run — and with considerably less grounding.
The story gained international attention and took the spotlight from the competition that is about to start on Saturday with the women’s normal hill individual event.
For many of the Norwegian ski jumpers, talk of a creative attempt to gain extra inches in their jumps was met with skepticism and head-shaking, with several dismissing it as a gimmick and hearsay.
“I do not think we need that kind of attention, and on the women’s side we are quite calm about the subject,” Norway women’s coach Christian Meyer told Reuters.
“I have not seen anything like it, so I am also wondering whether it is true. I actually do not believe it, but if someone is that sick …”
Ski jumper Anna Odine Stroem said the controversy reflected poorly on the sport.
“If it takes something like this to get people watching ski jumping, I do not know what to think. It is sad that we need controversy for people to find our sport endearing or exciting,” she said.
“That is not something we want in our sport,” Johann Andre Forfang added, while fellow Norwegian Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal suggested the spotlight would be better directed elsewhere.
“All interest is good interest, but I wish it came more from what is happening on the hills,” Sundal said.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Suns, Sixers aiming for better finishing ability after close losses
Jan 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives against Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12) during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The host Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers enter their game Saturday looking to regain their touch on the offensive end after near-misses Thursday.
The Suns scored only 15 points in the fourth quarter and could not hold a 14-point lead in the final 10 minutes of a 101-97 home loss to Golden State.
“We have to find a way to score more than 15 in the fourth,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said.
The 76ers led the Los Angeles Lakers by as many as 14 and nearly recovered from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit before taking a 119-115 road loss.
“For 30 minutes of the game, we were really generating good offense,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “Then it got a little bit tough and sticky and physical, and we couldn’t really generate great shots.”
The loss snapped the 76ers’ five-game winning streak as they prepare for the fourth of a five-game road trip that has included wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Warriors.
The Suns have lost their last two at home, to the Clippers and Warriors.
Phoenix was outscored 25-7 after taking a 90-76 lead with 10:11 remaining and was scoreless in the final 3:55. The team missed its final six field-goal attempts, four by go-to guy Dillon Brooks.
Devin Booker and Jalen Green were again out because of injury, and Grayson Allen (right knee) walked off the floor with about three minutes remaining after a scramble under the Warriors’ basket and did not return.
Booker (ankle) has missed the last seven games and Green (hamstring, hip) has been sidelined for six of the last seven. Both are listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, while Allen has been ruled out.
“Where we’re at right now, every possession offensively we’re going to have to execute,” Ott said.
Brooks scored 24 points and the Suns made 16 3-pointers, but the ball stuck in the fourth quarter against an aggressive Warriors’ defense that hounded the 3-point line.
“Our second group found a rhythm by moving the basketball, and then it stopped,” Ott said. “It’s really hard to move it even late in the game. … We’ve got to find a way somehow to get a shot up on the rim and at least give us a chance.”
Suns center Mark Williams had 11 points and 10 rebounds but did not play in the fourth quarter, when reserve Oso Ighodaro played all 12 minutes and had four points.
“A little bit on both ends,” Ott said of the decision to stay with the more mobile Ighodaro. “Especially defensively, just our ability to be up and aggressive.”
The Suns are nearing the midway point of a stretch in which they play 16 of 19 games at home, a recipe to gain ground as they look to avoid the play-in round in the postseason. They are in seventh place in the Western Conference, one game behind Minnesota for the final guaranteed playoff spot.
The 76ers made a minor trade at Thursday’s deadline, sending Eric Gordon to Memphis in a deal that enabled them to convert Dominick Barlow’s two-way contract to a standard NBA deal.
Barlow is averaging a career-high 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 41 games (34 starts). He had 13 points, three rebounds and two steals against the Lakers.
“He certainly more than deserved it, right?” Nurse said. “A two-way guy starting that many games out of the block for a team that’s got a winning record, I don’t know if that’s ever happened.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Celtics overcome slow start to beat Heat, extend win streak to 5
Feb 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) drives to the basket past Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and Payton Pritchard finished with 24 as the Boston Celtics overcame a 22-point deficit to defeat the visiting Miami Heat 98-96 Friday night.
Miami had possession with a chance to tie or win the game, but Davion Mitchell missed a 3-point attempt from the corner with 2.7 seconds left. Miami knocked the ball out of bounds on the rebound attempt, allowing the Celtics to run out the clock.
Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and 12 rebounds in his first game with Boston after being acquired in a trade with Chicago earlier in the week. Derrick White added 21 points for the Celtics, including a 3-pointer that put Boston in front 98-96 with 1:31 to play.
The victory extended Boston’s winning streak to five games.
Andrew Wiggins led Miami with 26 points. The Heat received a 24-point performance from Norman Powell, who missed Miami’s last three games for personal reasons.
Miami’s Pelle Larsson left the game with 5:01 left in the second quarter with a right elbow contusion and did not return.
The Heat scored the game’s first nine points and led by as many as 19 points in the opening quarter. The Celtics were 6-of-24 from the field, including 1-of-10 from 3-point territory, in the quarter and trailed 29-15 after 12 minutes.
Miami had its largest lead of the game after a Powell basket made it 56-34 with 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, and the Heat held a 59-38 halftime lead. Boston missed 19 of its 20 3-point attempts in the first half.
Boston erased its 21-point halftime deficit by outscoring Miami 36-15 in the third, which left the teams tied at 74 entering the final quarter. The Celtics took their first lead when White broke a 72-72 tie by making two free throws with 9.1 seconds left in the third.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bucks build big lead, then hang on to top Pacers
Feb 6, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) passes the ball away from Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Kevin Porter Jr. scored 23 points and dished eight assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 105-99 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Milwaukee has won three games in a row for the first time all season. Ryan Rollins added 22 points while Bobby Portis scored 21 and Jericho Sims grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.
Indiana fell for the third game in a row and fourth time in its last six games. Andrew Nembhard led the way with 22 with all but four coming in the fourth quarter. Pascal Siakam added 19.
Milwaukee got off to a slow start, turning it over five times in the first quarter and shooting just 9-of-22. Relief would come from beyond the arc.
Milwaukee shot 6-for-10 from deep in the second quarter alone and 50% from the floor in the first half. Those numbers helped them take a 54-47 lead into halftime.
The shooting momentum did not carry over into the second half for Milwaukee. AJ Green knocked down two 3-pointers to start the quarter and the team went 0-for-13 after. Despite that, the Bucks still outscored Indiana 29-18 in the frame and took a commanding 83-65 edge going into the fourth.
Things got interesting late in the fourth. As Milwaukee continued to struggle from the floor, Indiana rattled off a 15-0 run, capped by seven straight points from Nembhard.
Milwaukee went four and a half minutes without any points and Indiana got the deficit down to just 91-87 with four to play.
Despite Nembhard’s heroics, the Bucks bounced back for the victory, with Porter and Portis combining for 11 points in the final four minutes.
This was Milwaukee’s fourth consecutive regular-season victory over Indiana, including three this season. The Bucks had not won four in a row over their division rival since they won 10 in a row from 2020-23.
–Field Level Media
Suns, Sixers aiming for better finishing ability after close losses
Celtics overcome slow start to beat Heat, extend win streak to 5
