Sports
Why Cade Cunningham MVP Could Be Smart Bet Amid SGA Injury Concerns
To combat star players sitting out, the NBA instituted a 65-game minimum for postseason award eligibility. With the influx of injuries to star players we’re seeing each year, this rule opens the door to other players winning awards in years they might not deserve them.
This season, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is starting to create some distance between himself and the other candidates. SGA is currently a -220 favorite with Nikola Jokic the only other player close by at +300.
Jokic is having an MVP-caliber season, generating career highs in both rebounds and assists. Unfortunately, after missing over a month with a knee injury, he can only miss one game and still be eligible for MVP. However, Jokic has been a bit of an ironman, playing fewer than 70 games only once prior in his career.
He only has a one-game buffer to stay eligible for MVP, but before the All-Star break, Gilgeous-Alexander went down with an abdominal strain. He’s going to be reevaluated after the break, so I’m assuming he won’t be out for too long, but abdominal issues can be tricky.
The Thunder can be on cruise control the rest of the season and still easily lock up a top-two seed in the West, so if this injury lingers, SGA could push the games missed limit as well. He’s already missed six games this year, so now might be a great time to bet on someone who’s a long shot to win the MVP.
Detroits Cade Cunningham has arrived on the scene this year as an All-NBA first team favorite. The Pistons have been the story of the season, shocking the league with the best winning percentage in the NBA at the All-Star break.
Cade does have an All-Star teammate in Jalen Duren, but this isn’t an incredibly deep Pistons roster. His ability to elevate everyone around him and turn this team into an NBA Finals contender is the most impressive thing happening in the league. He currently has the third-highest MVP odds with Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown, and Victor Wembanyama trailing closely behind.
Wemby and Doncic are close to the limit for missed games, and they could also be in similar situations as the favorites, real soon. Jaylen Brown or even Donovan Mitchell are two other guys to keep in mind as long shots, especially if they can figure out how to chase down the Pistons before the season ends.
Nevertheless, if Cade, Mitchell, and Brown stay healthy, the narrative surrounding the Pistons far outweighs anything from the Celtics and definitely the Cavs. The counting stats might not be the most impressive for Cunningham, but I’m not sure any player is more vital to his team’s success than he is, and isn’t that exactly what an MVP should be?
SGA might miss minimal time due to his injury; however, if this issue lingers, you can buy Cade MVP stock for pennies on the dollar.
Sports
Mikael Kingsbury wins Canada's first gold of Games in his final Olympics
Mikael Kingsbury of Canada wins the gold medal in the men’s dual moguls in Livigno, Italy, on Sunday at the Milan Cortina Olympics. LIVIGNO, Italy — Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury, widely considered one of the best moguls skiers of all time, ended a decorated Winter Olympics career on Sunday with a fast-paced final run that earned him a gold in the Italian Alps.
Kingsbury won the new Olympic event of dual moguls, three days after he had to settle for silver in the single moguls, in what he said was his last Games appearance.
It was the first gold medal for Canada in the Milan Cortina Games.
He beat Ikuma Horishima of Japan, who started strong in the final head-to-head race but lost control and had to bail on the required second jump. Australia’s Matt Graham took bronze on a sunny day in the mountain town of Livigno.
Kingsbury, at 33 the oldest man racing in dual moguls, has claimed a medal in each of the four Olympics he entered.
His first win was a silver in Sochi in 2014, followed by gold at Pyeongchang 2018 and silver at Beijing 2022.
“I really wanted this one and I knew it was my last Olympic performance,” Kingsbury said on Sunday. “I gave everything. I had no regrets.”
The Canadian said he dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion when he was 8 years old. He said he printed the Olympic rings on a piece of paper and wrote “I will win.”
“I always believed I could do it,” he said. “I trusted myself.”
On Sunday, Kingsbury held both skis high in the air as he was proclaimed the winner. He closed his eyes and sang along to the national anthem as he stood on the podium. Fans in the crowd waved red-and-white Canadian maple leaf flags.
Dual moguls is a new event at the Olympics, pitting skiers together in a head-to-head elimination format in which two competitors race side-by-side through parallel bump fields. Speed counts, but so do turns and aerial maneuvers.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Arizona F Koa Peat nursing lower leg injury
Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) looks for a pass against Kansas Jayhawks during the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 9, 2026. Freshman forward Koa Peat sat out the second half of top-ranked Arizona’s 78-75 loss to No. 16 Texas Tech with a lower-body injury on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
“We’re gonna figure it out. It’s a lower leg deal,” Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd said of Peat’s injury. “I know (trainer Justin Kokoskie) and the doctors are on it and I’m sure they’ll do some testing and we’ll figure out where it’s at. But I don’t have anything other than that.”
Peat, who is a projected first-round NBA draft pick, finished with two points and a rebound in 11 minutes of action on Saturday.
He is averaging 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 25 games for Arizona (23-2, 10-2 Big 12), which has lost two in a row following a 23-game winning streak to start the season.
The Wildcats return to action on Wednesday against BYU (19-6, 7-5).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twisted Minds show grit in winning OWCS Pre-Season Bootcamp
A custom gaming keyboard backlit with red LED lights waits for tactile input before Manual took on Boone County in a Rocket League match, which was streamed on YouTube on Thursday, March 5, 2020. Twisted Minds overcame a two-map deficit in the semifinals before coasting to a 4-1 victory over Crazy Raccoon in the grand final of the Overwatch Champions Series Pre-Season Bootcamp on Sunday in Seoul.
Twisted Minds found themselves on the brink of elimination to Team Liquid in the semifinals after dropping a 2-1 setback on Lijiang Tower and 134.14m-85.66m decision on Esperanca. Twisted Minds, however, reversed course by posting a 3-0 win on Eichenwalde, a 3-1 victory on Havana and a 139.62m-45.31m triumph on Colosseo.
Twisted Minds had a much easier time of it versus Crazy Raccoon. They bolted out to a fast start, courtesy of a 2-1 win on Busan, 3-2 victory on Blizzard World and 139.62m-39.81m triumph on Colosseo. Crazy Raccoon briefly halted the momentum with a 2-1 win on Shambali Monastery, however Twisted Minds ended the match with a 138.31m-52.44m victory on Esperanca.
OWCS PRE-SEASON BOOTCAMP CHAMPIONS ????
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— Twisted Minds ?? (@TwisMinds) February 15, 2026
Crazy Raccoon advanced to the grand final with a 3-2 triumph over Team Falcons. Crazy Raccoon won the first two maps and Team Falcons countered with two victories of their own before the latter rebounded with a 2-0 victory on Lijiang Tower.
Twelve teams took part in the $25,000 event that kicked off the 2026 Overwatch Champions Series. Teams from North America, the EMEA region, China, Japan and elsewhere in Asia were invited.
The single-elimination bracket saw teams seeded by regional and 2025 World Finals performance. Sunday’s grand final was a first-to-four-wins competition.
Overwatch Champions Series 2026 Pre-Season Bootcamp prize pool
1. $15,000 — Twisted Minds
2. $5,000 — Crazy Raccoon
3-4. $2,500 — Team Falcons, Team Liquid
5-8. No money — Team Peps, Weibo Gaming, T1, Virtus.pro
9-12. No money — Disguised, VARREL, Dallas Fuel, All Gamers
–Field Level Media
Mikael Kingsbury wins Canada's first gold of Games in his final Olympics
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