Sports
Spurs pursue back-to-back wins over swooning Mavericks
Feb 5, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) attempts a free throw during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The San Antonio Spurs stood pat at the trade deadline and look to continue to show why they are happy with the progress they’ve made as they host the swooning Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in the second of a home-and-home miniseries between the teams.
The Spurs took the first game 135-123 in Dallas on Thursday as Victor Wembanyama dominated with 29 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots, with one swat coming in the final minutes when the Mavericks were making a last-gasp push.
“We had some possessions where I thought we had good multiple efforts but our initial game plan execution or physicality wasn’t there,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “We did a really good job, especially at the end, of shoring it up a little bit more than we were throughout the game.”
Harrison Barnes had 19 points for the Spurs, including a pair of free throws in the deciding stretch. Stephon Castle hit for 18 points, De’Aaron Fox tallied 17, Julian Champagnie added 14 and Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell had 12 each as San Antonio won its third straight game.
“We stayed pretty solid on defense,” Wembanyama said. “Everything could have been better. We went back to what we know offensively, because at some point, we’re just doing whatever.”
With 35 wins, the Spurs have already exceeded their total from last season.
Dallas dropped its sixth straight game despite a season-high 32 points from Naji Marshall and 32 from 19-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg.
Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to record four consecutive 30-point games. He is the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1985 with four consecutive 30-point, five-rebound games.
“I think me and Naji have played a lot of minutes together this year and have been together for a long time,” Flagg said. “It’s just a relationship we built out there. We trust each other. Part of it is he plays the right way. I play the right way. So, it’s kind of easy to gel together and mesh with other groups out there.”
Max Christie added 20 points and Daniel Gafford scored 16 with 10 boards for the Mavericks in the loss. Dallas had just 10 players suited up for Thursday’s game as they await the four reinforcements obtained from the Washington Wizards in Wednesday’s Anthony Davis trade.
“There’s a lot to learn,” Flagg said about the loss to the Spurs. “We’ll watch the film, we’ll look at what worked and what didn’t. But I think there’s a lot to clean up.”
Before Flagg’s performance on Thursday, Jalen Green was the most recent rookie to score at least 30 points in four straight games, accomplishing that feat during the 2021-22 season when he collected five in a row while playing for Houston.
“Cooper’s had an incredible start to his NBA career,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s learning to play the game at a high level and accepted all the challenges. We’ve got a long runway with him and some of the other players in that locker room.”
Saturday’s contest is the first of a six-game road trip for the Mavericks that will be split by the All-Star break.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers designate LHP Anthony Banda, claim C Ben Rortvedt
Oct 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Anthony Banda (43) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning during game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers designated left-handed reliever Anthony Banda for assignment on Friday as they moved to bring back backup catcher Ben Rortvedt on a waiver claim.
Banda, 32, played a key role in the Dodgers’ bullpen during two consecutive championship seasons, but he struggled in the last World Series with an 18.00 ERA in four appearances against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Banda was the victim of a roster crunch. The Dodgers were looking at six left-handed reliever options before he was designated.
Banda was 8-3 with a 3.14 ERA over 119 appearances (three starts) over the last two seasons in Los Angeles. In nine major league seasons, he is 15-9 with a 4.44 ERA in 209 appearances (nine starts).
Rortvedt, 28, was a late-season acquisition for the Dodgers last September when Will Smith went down with a broken hand. He was on the roster throughout the playoffs and started the first four games of the championship run.
The Dodgers signed Rortvedt to a guaranteed $1.25 million contract for the 2026 season before he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Cincinnati Reds. He was designated for assignment by the Reds earlier this week when Cincinnati signed Eugenio Suarez.
Rortvedt hit 3-for-7 with one RBI in the playoffs for Los Angeles. In 138 career games over four seasons with four different teams, he is a career .190 hitter with nine home runs and 52 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michigan State G Divine Ugochukwu (foot) out for season
Michigan State’s Divine Ugochukwu passes the ball against Northwestern during the first half on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Michigan State guard Divine Ugochukwu will miss the remainder of the season due to a left foot injury, head coach Tom Izzo announced Friday.
Per Izzo, Ugochukwu will undergo surgery next week after sustaining the injury during the first half of the 10th-ranked Spartans 76-73 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday.
The setback was the second in a row for Michigan State (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten), which hosts No. 5 Illinois (20-3, 11-1) on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich. The Fighting Illini have won 12 in a row.
Ugochukwu averaged 5.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22 games (12 starts) this season with the Spartans. He transferred from Miami during this past offseason.
The loss of Ugochukwu leaves Michigan State with Jeremy Fears, Kur Teng, Trey Fort and Harvard transfer Denham Wojcik at the guard position.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockets crave greater ‘aggression’ against depleted Thunder
Feb 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) on the bench during a timeout against the Charlotte Hornets during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Houston Rockets, the teams turned in an epic season opener.
The Thunder ultimately came out ahead 125-124 in double overtime Oct. 21.
The teams meet again Saturday in Oklahoma City.
The Rockets have dropped back-to-back games after winning five of their previous six, leaving Ime Udoka frustrated with his team’s performance in home losses to Boston and Charlotte.
“Teams basically looking like they’re coming in and playing harder and they’re looking at that mentality that, ‘If we play harder than them, we’ll beat them,'” Udoka said after Houston’s 109-99 loss to the Hornets on Thursday. “There’s no fight, there’s no aggression, just blank stares.
“In the past, if we didn’t win or weren’t going to win, at least we would get into it, do something about it. Right now, it’s the same mistakes over and over.”
Udoka said he needed to see a spark from the entire team, not looking specifically to leaders like Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun to fix the team’s recent issues.
“The guys that are here have done it for the last few years,” Udoka said. “It’s not one guy, it’s the group in general. The players started the year doing it and, until recently, at least had that. It’s not like one guy’s going to do it, it’s collective.”
Sengun, who scored 39 in that season-opening loss to Oklahoma City, shot just 36.3% from the field over the last six games after shooting 51.8% through his first 37 games of the season.
Udoka said it wasn’t an issue of shot selection.
“Decent shots, the shots he’s made since I’ve been here. Getting good looks there,” Udoka said. “That’s not the problem. Players allow their offense to dictate their game in general and … give something away on defense when you’re not as engaged because you’re not scoring. It’s not just an Alperen thing.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault hasn’t worried about his team’s effort recently, especially in Wednesday’s 10-point loss in San Antonio.
The Thunder stayed within striking distance of the Spurs despite having none of their normal five starters available and dressing only eight players.
“They gutted it out and played hard, played their minutes hard,” Daigneault said. “There’s no moral victories there but there are things we can take from everything. … But certainly, we’re not content.”
One thing Daigneault said his team took from the game was working on Jaylin Williams’ conditioning.
Williams, who missed much of December and early January due to injury, scored 24 points in a career-high 40 minutes Wednesday.
“I was tired,” Williams said.
Though the Thunder figure to have some reinforcements back against the Rockets, they’ll still remain without two of their biggest pieces — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Gilgeous-Alexander is out until after the All-Star break with an abdominal injury, while Williams hasn’t played since Jan. 17 after suffering a thigh injury.
Starters Chet Holmgren (back), Isaiah Hartenstein (eye) and Luguentz Dort (knee) also missed the loss in San Antonio, as did rotational players Alex Caruso (adductor), and Ajay Mitchell (abdomen).
Of that group, only Mitchell missed Tuesday’s 128-92 win over the Orlando Magic.
–Field Level Media
Dodgers designate LHP Anthony Banda, claim C Ben Rortvedt
Michigan State G Divine Ugochukwu (foot) out for season
