Sports
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pursues third Phoenix Open title
Professional golfer Scottie Scheffler walks with his son, Bennett, after speaking with the press during the Annexus Pro-Am at the WM Phoenix Open on Feb. 4, 2026, at TPC Scottsdale. The drive for an exceptional 2026 season is off to a rousing start for Scottie Scheffler, who began his year with a championship at the American Express a week ago Sunday in La Quinta, Calif.
That title was the 20th of Scheffler’s career, which earned him lifetime status on the PGA Tour. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old is wasting no time chasing No. 21 as the Phoenix Open tees off Thursday.
The Scottsdale, Ariz. event is famous for its crowd involvement, and Scheffler welcomes the big stage.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing this type of test,” he said. “I think this golf course plays really well when it comes tournament time. It plays firm and fast and you got to hit a lot of different shots and you got to be very precise with your ball, but then there is also a big crowd that comes with it as well.
“I think it’s always a lot of fun to play in front of a group this size. It can be a bit hectic out there sometimes, but it really is a lot of fun.”
Scheffler is certainly familiar with the setup as a two-time winner at this event (2022, 2023), though he’ll also be hoping to improve on last year’s respectable showing, a 9-under performance that left him in a tie for 25th.
The first of his Phoenix championships was the first of his PGA career.
“Yeah, it doesn’t feel all that long ago, but at the same time, it feels like quite a bit of time has passed since then,” Scheffler acknowledged. “Yeah, lots of good memories. It’s nice to come back to this tournament. This tournament is a lot of fun for me to play in and it’s fun to be able to play in front of this crowd.”
His competition will naturally be a bigger concern than the crowd or his history on the course, and Brooks Koepka is once again a part of that field, continuing his return from LIV Golf.
Scheffler expressed appreciation for having Koepka and Patrick Reed back on the Tour.
“Having those guys competing out here is great for the Tour, great for the fans, and great for our sponsors,” Scheffler said. “I think the last few years — there has just been a lot of the noise, and so I think getting those guys back is another step towards us just being able to play golf again. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
Part of embracing the challenge of winning another championship, Scheffler explained, is leaning into the razor-thin margin between delight and disaster on the finishing holes.
A course like TPC Scottsdale demands excellence late and, for Scheffler, that’s all part of the fun.
“You have to play well at the end. I think this golf course is one of those — one of the best ones we see all year in terms of an exciting finish,” Scheffler said. “There is opportunity, but also a lot of danger. You look at even the second shot on 15. If you hit a really good shot there, you can get a really good look for eagle, but if you hit a poor shot you’re going to be in the water staring bogey in the face.
“So there is a lot of variety, and I think it’s a fantastic finish that provides a great amount of opportunity — but also can be pretty severe penalties as well.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Torrid Pistons pose challenge to reconfigured Wizards
Feb 3, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) tugs on the shorts of Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) before trying to drive past him in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Though the All-Star break approaches, the Detroit Pistons show no signs of slowing down.
The Pistons have won 12 of their last 15 games to maintain a healthy Eastern Conference lead over New York and Boston.
Detroit wraps up a four-game homestand with a back-to-back as it hosts the new-look Washington Wizards on Thursday and the Knicks on Friday.
The Wizards are acquiring 10-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks in an eight-player trade, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
In addition to Davis, out since Jan. 8 with a hand injury, Washington gets Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum, per the report.
The Mavericks receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Marvin Bagley III plus two first-round draft picks and three second-round selections.
The Pistons followed up a 53-point victory over Brooklyn on Sunday — the largest margin in franchise history — with a 124-121 win over Denver on Tuesday. Though Detroit never trailed, the Nuggets rallied to make things interesting in the closing minutes.
“I feel like at the end of the game, it comes down to who wants it more, who’s going to get the loose balls, who’s going to be the most disciplined, who’s going to go back to their strategy and do it best,” Pistons forward Ausar Thompson said. “I feel like we did it best (Tuesday). They’re a great team, but you know we came up victorious.”
That has been the norm for Detroit, especially on its home court. The Pistons have a 20-5 record at Little Caesars Arena.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff felt the Nuggets’ comeback was a good test for his club.
“Two really good teams competing at a high level,” he said. “Two teams that have elite players on their teams, that can make a difference, that can start runs, that can stop runs. Two teams that understand the selflessness, the physicality, the toughness that it takes to win at this level.”
The Pistons had a 26-9 edge in fast-break points, though they forced only 10 turnovers.
“Our entire team has bought into the identity that when we’re at our best, we’re the best defensive team on the floor,” Bickerstaff said.
The Wizards had won three of four before getting pounded by the Knicks, 132-101, on Tuesday.
“We didn’t play to our standard,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “We’ve been playing good basketball here for a long time and we didn’t have the necessary execution on our defensive end. And offensively, too.
“We played one of the better teams in the NBA,” Keefe added. “If you don’t have your best stuff, that can happen. It’s not who we’ve been, it’s not who we’re going to be. We were not happy with our performance. We did not uphold to our standard.”
The Wizards had posted wins over Portland, Milwaukee and Sacramento after a nine-game losing streak.
“Got to give them some credit, but that’s the deal here in the NBA. You’ve got to raise up to what you’re going to see,” Keefe said. “We didn’t have our necessary level tonight. Excited to get back at that in Detroit.”
Washington gave Detroit a strong challenge in their first meeting on Nov. 10. The host Pistons eked out a 137-135 overtime victory at home.
Detroit’s Daniss Jenkins hit two 3-pointers in the final three seconds to force overtime. Cade Cunningham otherwise carried the Pistons with 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two blocks.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Red Sox sign INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa to 1-year deal
Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) runs to first base after hitting a single during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Free-agent infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa is set to join his fifth team in four seasons after agreeing to a deal with the Boston Red Sox, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
The deal is for one year, ESPN reported, with no financial terms revealed.
Kiner-Falefa, 30, batted .262 with two home runs and 40 RBIs in 138 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays last season. He batted just .162 (6-for-37) in 15 postseason games for the Blue Jays, including .063 (1-for-16) in six World Series games.
The versatile Honolulu native played second base exclusively during Toronto’s postseason run, but he started 93 games at short, 30 at third and only one at second during the regular season.
Over eight major league seasons, he is a career .262 hitter with 36 home runs and 286 RBIs in 918 games. He played his first four seasons with the Texas Rangers after he was their fourth-round draft pick in 2013. Kiner-Falefa then moved on to the New York Yankees (2022-23) before flipping back and forth between the Pirates (2024-25) and Blue Jays (2024-25).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Struggling Magic get to face blowout-prone Nets
Jan 7, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) controls the ball against Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images The Orlando Magic open a four-game homestand Thursday against the reeling Brooklyn Nets looking to right the ship after losing six of their last eight games.
The Magic are one game above .500 and sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, yet they’ve been losing ground to the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth and final playoff spot in the East.
“It’ll be great to be back home for four games, it’s very important for us going into the (All-Star) break, but we have to take it one game at a time,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said after his team’s 36-point loss Tuesday at Oklahoma City.
“It’s hard to win in this league. We have to understand that and the work we need to put in.”
The Magic also need leading scorer Franz Wagner (22.2 ppg) to get healthy as he has missed the last seven games with an ankle injury. It’s his second big chunk of missed time this season — and Orlando has gone 15-11 with him and 10-13 without.
At the same time, Orlando had just 14 points in the first quarter against the Thunder on the way to trailing by as much as 41. Mosley said Wagner’s return, whenever it might be, won’t fix all of Orlando’s problems.
“We still have to wait for him to come back, I don’t think any one person solves any of this,” Mosley said. “We work together as a group, you win as a group and lose as a group. We’re all involved in this. We have to maintain our ability to work on the right things, but it starts with our mental preparation. When the horn starts, we gotta be ready to go.”
Brooklyn has not looked ready for anything lately. The Nets have lost nine of their last 10 games and own a 3-16 mark since Jan. 1.
When the Nets hosted the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, they trailed by 22 points after the first quarter. This came after a 53-point loss to Detroit on Sunday.
“Yeah, more of the same. We got to figure something out,” Nic Claxton told The New York Post. “Like, this is not basketball. We’re supposed to be NBA basketball players. We shouldn’t be getting beat by this much. We shouldn’t get down by this much.”
Nets coach Jordi Fernandez looked for a silver lining, saying his team was competitive in the second half.
“You start off losing the game by 22 points and lose by 16, right? That’s a little bit of the story of the game,” Fernandez said. “I thought we competed at a higher level closing the second quarter and second half. I like our composure and not quitting. We saw some positive things, but obviously the first quarter is unacceptable.”
The game tips off four hours after Thursday’s trade deadline. One of the league’s biggest trading chips is Brooklyn standout Michael Porter Jr., who ranks among the NBA’s top 15 scorers (25.5 ppg) and has scored 36, 38 and 21 points in his last three games.
Porter Jr. in the final season of his contract at $40 million this season and will be eligible for an extension in July. Brooklyn must decide whether to keep Porter and build around him or flip him for draft capital.
Paolo Banchero leads the Magic’s healthy players with 21.6 points per game. Desmond Bane had been on a heater (23, 32, and 25 points in a three-game stretch) before being held to seven by the Thunder. Bane leads the NBA with his 93.6% free-throw accuracy.
Orlando will be going for a season sweep after beating Brooklyn 105-98 on Nov. 14 and 104-103 in overtime on Jan. 7.
–Field Level Media
Torrid Pistons pose challenge to reconfigured Wizards
Reports: Red Sox sign INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa to 1-year deal
