Sports
Raptors aspire to shed second-half woes against spiraling Jazz
Jan 30, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) looks on against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Toronto Raptors will be intent on avoiding another second-half collapse when they open a five-game homestand Sunday night against the Utah Jazz.
The Raptors lost their past two games by squandering halftime leads in spectacular fashion.
On Friday night, Toronto led by seven at halftime and took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter before its 130-120 road loss to the Orlando Magic. The Magic dominated them in the fourth quarter, 44-21.
That followed a 119-92 home loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night when they led by four points at halftime and 11 in the third quarter. The Knicks outscored the Raptors 64-26 over the final 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Jazz are coming off a 109-99 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. They have dropped five straight entering their five-game road trip.
The Jazz and Raptors are meeting for the first time this season. Toronto won both matchups last season.
Despite Friday’s loss, the Raptors still have a better record on the road (16-10) than at home (13-11).
Their last two losses were alarmingly similar with the Raptors offering little resistance when the other team made a strong run. The disappointing efforts came after a gritty 103-101 win over the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder Jan. 25 to complete a 4-1 road trip that gave them optimism coming home.
“We stepped up our defensive intensity in the third quarter, got some stops in transition,” Toronto forward Brandon Ingram said after scoring 35 points at Orlando. “Fourth quarter, they just competed, they battled back, they found some openings in transitions, and they drove to the lane and drew a lot of fouls.”
Ingram shot 13-for-23 from the field, including 4-for-8 on 3-point attempts.
“We played with a lot of force in that third quarter and we were not able to replicate it in the fourth quarter,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We did not do a good job defensively.”
Scottie Barnes had 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four blocked shots for Toronto.
The Jazz were without Lauri Markkanen (rest) and Jusuf Nurkic (illness) against the Nets as they closed out a 1-5 homestand.
“The biggest thing defensively tonight was our physicality with our switching,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “They were able to get us in rotation. But there were some things defensively that gave us a chance to win.”
Keyonte George had 26 points and seven assists for the Jazz, who trailed by two points going into the fourth quarter.
George shot 9-for-11 from the field before leaving in the game with a sprained left ankle late in the fourth quarter. X-rays were negative.
“I think he’s demonstrated that he’s an elite scoring guard,” Hardy said. “He’s not just shooting, he’s facilitating a lot for our team. His efficiency this year has been great.”
The Jazz are 5-17 on the road.
“As always, there’s a lot to learn from the game, and now we hit the road,” Hardy said.
The Jazz will need to improve their free-throw shooting after going 11-for-19 (57.9%) against the Nets.
“A few uncharacteristic things in the game in terms of free throws,” Hardy said. “I felt like we missed a lot of layups tonight. A couple of bobbled gathers around the basket.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers put 1B Freddie Freeman on paternity list, call up OF Ryan Ward
Apr 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers placed first baseman Freddie Freeman on the paternity list Sunday and called up outfielder Ryan Ward to the major leagues for the first time after seven minor league seasons.
Freeman, 36, is batting .296 with three home runs and 14 RBIs over 20 games this season. He had two hits in each of the last three games and four times in the past five games to raise his early batting average nearly 40 points.
Ward, 28, was drafted in the eighth round by the Dodgers in 2019 and is in his fourth season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He won the Pacific Coast League MVP last season when he hit 36 home runs with 122 RBIs in 143 games.
Ward finally gets his first call to the major leagues after 154 home runs, 530 RBIs and a .266 batting average over 696 games in the Dodgers’ system, including 420 games at Triple-A.
“You talk about performance and he’s performed as well as, if not better than, anyone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Ward in spring training, according to the Orange County Register. “So for him to not get a shot, I’m sure he’s frustrated and understandably so. But the message for him is to keep putting up numbers and knock the door down and hopefully the opportunity comes for him sometime this year.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Transfer portal roundup: Kentucky adds Furman transfer Alex Wilkins
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Furman Paladins guard Alex Wilkins (10) dribbles the ball against the UConn Huskies in the second half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Former Furman guard Alex Wilkins has transferred to Kentucky.
His move was one of the biggest on a busy transfer portal weekend.
Wilkins excelled in his freshman season with the Paladins, averaging 17.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 35 games (all starts).
Listed at 6-foot-5, Wilkins showed his skills to a national audience in Furman’s lone game of the NCAA Tournament. He made four 3-pointers and scored 21 points in the Paladins’ 82-71 loss to eventual national championship runner-up UConn in the first round.
–Ex-Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski announced his transfer to Duke.
In his recently completed sophomore season at Belmont, the 6-9 Scharnowski averaged 10.7 points. 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists over 21.9 minutes per game. He shot 68.1% in 30 games (24 starts).
He takes the roster spot of forward Nikolas Khamenia, who transferred to UConn on Saturday.
–Florida State gained the commitment of 6-11 forward Sebastian Rancik, who heads to Tallahassee after two seasons at Colorado.
A native of Slovakia, he attended high school in Southern California, where he was ranked as a four-star prospect in the 2024 class.
In 29 games (26 starts) with the Buffaloes as a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros place OF Joey Loperfido (quad) on injured list
Apr 11, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Joey Loperfido (10) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images The Houston Astros placed outfielder Joey Loperfido on the injured list with a right quad strain on Sunday and recalled right-hander Jayden Murray from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Loperfido, 26, was batting .259 with six RBIs in 20 games this season. He started at least one game in all three outfield positions.
Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024 and then re-acquired via trade in February, Loperfido is a career .249 major league hitter with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 142 games over three seasons.
Murray, 29, had one appearance earlier this season and has a 2.63 ERA in 10 games over the past two seasons for the Astros. His addition increases Houston’s staff to 13 pitchers.
Also on Sunday, the Astros traded minor league right-hander Wilmy Sanchez to the New York Yankees for infielder Braden Shewmake, a former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2019.
In 31 major league games for the Braves and Chicago White Sox, Shewmake, 28, is batting .118 with a home run and four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Dodgers put 1B Freddie Freeman on paternity list, call up OF Ryan Ward
Transfer portal roundup: Kentucky adds Furman transfer Alex Wilkins
