Sports
Timberwolves aim to secure season series vs. Thunder
Jan 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) boxes out Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images The Minnesota Timberwolves are having success against the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, although heading into Sunday’s road game between the teams, center Rudy Gobert wants his side to be more like the defending champions.
“I think OKC is actually a great example of what we want to be in terms of their mindset,” Gobert said. “I’m not talking about talent. I’m just talking about their mindset of just giving yourself away to the team and just letting the game take care of itself.”
“They’re a team that plays hard every night, regardless of who is on the floor, and for 48 minutes. And I think this is exactly the test that we need, so I’m excited about that.”
The Timberwolves come into the game, the last of a four-game road trip, off a 10-point win at Golden State.
Minnesota star Anthony Edwards scored 42 points against the Warriors despite being listed as questionable with right knee soreness.
That win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Timberwolves.
In three meetings with Oklahoma City this season, Edwards is averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
The Timberwolves have won two of those three matchups after falling to the Thunder in five games during last season’s Western Conference finals.
Minnesota comes into the game in a tight bunch of teams that sit between third through seventh place in the Western Conference.
Gobert said Minnesota would have to be sharper against Oklahoma City after it built a big lead early and then had to hold on late against Golden State.
“When we feel that thing creeping in, we have to lift each other up,” Gobert said. “It starts individually, and then it becomes collective. We just got to help each other out, and hold each other accountable. … We’re trying to play for a championship, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do that.”
The Thunder have won seven in a row, their longest winning streak since a 16-game streak during their 24-1 start.
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points in Thursday’s 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics. Gilgeous-Alexander topped the 20-point mark for the 127th consecutive game, breaking a record set by WIlt Chamberlain more than 60 years ago.
“Human nature is that you have success and you ease a little bit,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “He’s the opposite. He tastes it and wants more. He goes back for seconds.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has also worked to keep his teammates involved. Over the last two games, he has averaged 12 assists.
“It’s not just me out there being great,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s the rest of the group and we’ve accomplished things because of that — everybody knowing their role and executing at a high level.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points in each of the Thunder’s three matchups against Minnesota this season.
The game is the last of a four-game homestand for Oklahoma City, which will play its next five games on the road.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 18 Purdue gets revenge on short-handed UCLA in Big Ten semis
Mar 14, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) goes to the basket against Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Oscar Cluff had 17 points with 14 rebounds and No. 18 Purdue advanced to the Big Ten Conference championship game with a 73-66 semifinal victory over short-handed UCLA on Saturday at Chicago.
The No. 7-seed Boilermakers (26-8) earned the win over the sixth-seeded Bruins (23-11) behind two strong first-half runs, as well as Cluff’s nine offensive rebounds and dominant play in the paint over the closing five minutes.
The victory avenged Purdue’s 69-67 loss at UCLA on Jan. 20 and gave the program a chance for its third conference tournament title on Sunday.
Fletcher Loyer scored 14 points, and Trey Kaufman-Renn totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Braden Smith had five points and nine assists.
The Boilermakers held a 37-26 rebounding advantage.
The Bruins were without top scorer Tyler Bilodeau (right knee), who was injured in Friday’s 88-84 win over No. 3-seed Michigan State, and only received 10 minutes from second-leading scorer Donovan Dent, who left in the first half with a calf injury.
Trent Perry scored 15 points with nine assists for UCLA, while Xavier Booker scored 12 points. Eric Dailey Jr. notched 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while Skyy Clark scored 10 points, four steals and three assists for the Bruins.
Purdue set the tone early with a 15-2 lead less than four minutes into the game behind Loyer’s second 3-pointer, Kaufman-Renn’s four points and a technical foul on the Bruins.
As the Boilermakers hit a significant cold spell, UCLA took off on a 15-2 run to knot the game at 17-17 as Booker and Dailey each tallied five points.
In a first half defined by runs, Purdue used a 9-0 stretch for a 26-17 lead, while UCLA had to cope with the injury to Dent, who was scoring nearly 14 points per game and had been key to the Bruins’ late-season surge.
Top-five n assist nationally at 7.5 per game, Dent returned from the locker room and joined the team on the bench in the final seconds of the first half, but he only had two points and did not play in the second half.
The Boilermakers increased a seven-point lead to 40-27 on Loyer’s 3-pointer inside the second half’s first minute, but Clark’s steal and layup with seven minutes left and a 3-pointer made it 58-57 with 6:14 remaining.
UCLA tied it 62-62 with 3:41 left, but Purdue closed it out with an 11-4 down the stretch as Cluff scored six of the Boilermakers’ last seven points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Quakes, Sounders clash while off to sterling starts
Feb 28, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Ousseni Bouda (7) reacts after scoring a goal during the second half against the Atlanta United FC at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images The San Jose Earthquakes try to continue their perfect start Sunday when they host a Seattle Sounders side coming off an impressive result in CONCACAF play.
After finishing 10th in the Western Conference last season, the Earthquakes (3-0-0, 9 points) are one of four West teams yet to drop points after three matches, and one of three yet to concede.
Most recently, Ousseni Bouda scored his second goal — again on an assist from new acquisition Timo Werner — to help San Jose earn a 1-0 victory last Saturday at the Philadelphia Union.
The visitors may have ridden their luck a bit in a game where the Union created more and better-quality chances overall. But Bouda suggested there was some value in grinding out that kind of result.
“I don’t think it was the best of our games,” he said this week. “We could have done better in possession, but we were able to get the win, and that’s something that we will take away, learning to win differently, especially.”
Werner, the former RB Leipzig and Tottenham man, still hasn’t started as he works back into shape following a German season when he was rarely used. But that could change Sunday after he played the entire second half against the Union.
Seattle (2-1-0, 6 points) has won two straight in all competitions after hammering West champions Vancouver 3-0 in Thursday’s opening leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 series.
Making his first start since he suffered a torn ACL a year and a day prior, winger Paul Arriola scored twice to suggest he could be a critical piece as the Sounders try to keep pace with the West’s four unbeatens.
“It’s not just the goals,” Seattle manager Brian Schmetzer said. “But some of his savvy play, some of his smart defending, helping Nouhou, there were a lot of good soccer plays, soccer experience that helped us in this game.”
Arriola and Osaze De Rosario’s inclusion also allowed Schmetzer to bring regulars Paul Rothrock and Daniel Musovski off the bench during a busy patch of the schedule. Rothrock scored the third goal of the contest and his second of the season in all competitions.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Victor Wembanyama returns as Spurs hold off Hornets
Mar 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a shot in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Victor Wembanyama racked up 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots in his return to lead the host San Antonio Spurs to a 115-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday as two of the hottest teams in the NBA clashed.
De’Aaron Fox added 17 points for the Spurs, with Stephon Castle adding 15 points with 10 assists. Keldon Johnson scored 13 points and Luke Kornet contributed 10 for San Antonio.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 22 points while Kon Knueppel scored 20, Coby White had 18 off the bench and LaMelo Ball added 17 for the Hornets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
The Spurs are now 17-2 since the start of February, while the Hornets fell to 8-3 since Feb. 22.
The Spurs led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter and 13 at halftime before heading into the fourth quarter up 91-83. Bridges’ 3-pointer with 9:33 left brought Charlotte to within four points before San Antonio reeled off the next 12 points to expand its advantage to 104-88 with 6:05 remaining.
The Hornets were unable to chalenge down the stretch, with Wembanyama’s fifth 3-pointer of the game coming with 1:12 remaining to seal the victory and get San Antonio’s back on track after a loss on Thursday to Denver when Wembanyama was out with ankle soreness.
San Antonio used an 18-0 run, capped by two free throws by Barnes, in building an early 28-13 lead. The Hornets missed 13 consecutive shots during the Spurs’ surge before pulling within 31-24 after one quarter.
The Spurs were up 46-28 five minutes into the second quarter and finished the first half with an 8-0 run to take a 59-46 advantage into the break. Wembanyama had 18 points and eight rebounds before halftime for the Spurs while Fox added 10. Ball had 11 points for the Hornets in the first half.
Knueppel tried to shoot Charlotte back into the game in the third period, making three 3-pointers as part of his 17 points in the quarter as the Hornets cut San Antonio’s lead to 82-73.
–Field Level Media
No. 18 Purdue gets revenge on short-handed UCLA in Big Ten semis
Quakes, Sounders clash while off to sterling starts
