Spurs Rally to Continue Home Dominance of Nets

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports A 117-114 defeat was the Nets’ 16th consecutive loss in San Antonio, dating to 2002. In Los Angeles, LeBron James returned to the Lakers’ lineup.https://nyti.ms/2Rw2mFM

The Billionaire’s Stadium Next Door

By DUSTIN CHAMBERS from NYT Sports Two historically black neighborhoods lie in the shadow of the Atlanta stadium hosting this year’s Super Bowl, but the riches its creation represents? Just out of reach.https://nyti.ms/2TqFFV0

Mika Zibanejad Scores 3, Including Winner, as Rangers Beat Devils

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports It was the second career hat trick for Zibanejad, fueling the Rangers’ rally from a 2-0 deficit. Mats Zuccarello added three assists.https://nyti.ms/2UvPSQ7

Louisville Knocks Off UConn in a Showdown Between No. 2 and No. 3

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Louisville had not beaten Connecticut since the 1993 N.C.A.A. women’s national tournament.https://nyti.ms/2Ux9J1s

N.F.L. Players Union Says Retiree Benefits Are a Priority

By KEN BELSON and KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports The association will push for more generous benefits for all retired players in negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement, which expires after the 2020 season.https://nyti.ms/2HKNzqU

Sean McVay’s Age is Just a Number. A Small One.

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports At 33, McVay will be the youngest head coach in Super Bowl history. To put it mildly, the rest of the N.F.L. has noticed.https://nyti.ms/2SdF6AN

Knicks Close to Trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks for Dennis Smith Jr.

By MARC STEIN from NYT Sports The deal would send Porzingis, the star forward who has been out injured this season, to Dallas for Dennis Smith Jr.https://nyti.ms/2CYtRlP

N.C.A.A. Punishes Missouri Teams for Academic Misconduct

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports The N.C.A.A. banned Missouri’s football, baseball and softball teams from the postseason for a year after a two-year investigation revealed academic misconduct involving a tutor.https://nyti.ms/2G20MtE

Super Bowl LIII Prediction: Our Pick Against the Spread

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports The Rams were Super Bowl contenders all season, but faith in the Patriots turned Sean McVay’s team into underdogs. Can Los Angeles pull off an upset against the five-time champions?https://nyti.ms/2RqtLsA

U.A.E. Accuses Qatar of Fielding Ineligible Players at Asian Cup

By TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports Beaten on the field by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates has asked Asian Cup organizers to investigate its rival’s leading scorer, Almoez Ali, and another player.https://nyti.ms/2WwITbK

Aaron Donald Doesn’t Look Like a Defensive Tackle. So He Reinvented the Position.

By BEN SHPIGEL from NYT Sports The speed and power of the Rams’ wrecking-ball lineman show that size isn’t everything in the N.F.L.https://nyti.ms/2MGzJos

On Jackie Robinson’s 100th Birthday, 100 Photos of an Icon

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports The man, the athlete, the game changer.https://nyti.ms/2RszCxA

On Jackie Robinson’s 100th Birthday, 100 Photos of an Icon

By ERIC MOSKOWITZ from NYT Sports Through images and personal essays by longtime New York Times writers, a vivid look at the man who made baseball truly American.https://nyti.ms/2WwVnQw

Was C.T.E. Stealing His Mind? A Gunshot Provided the Answer

By JOHN BRANCH from NYT Sports Jason Hairston played briefly in the N.F.L., hunted with Donald Trump Jr. and owned a wildly successful hunting gear and apparel company. But he increasingly worried about a degenerative brain disease.https://nyti.ms/2RqJ6t6

Jackie Robinson Showed Me How to Fight On, Not Fight Back

By CLAIRE SMITH from NYT Sports The first black woman in the Baseball Hall of Fame recalls 42’s influence on her as a child.https://nyti.ms/2CVBARN

Whether They Wanted it or Not, Jackie Robinson Raised Americans’ Consciousness

By GEORGE VECSEY from NYT Sports A longtime New York Times columnist examines the legacy of the baseball great.https://nyti.ms/2S24MB5

Mavericks Thump Knicks as Dirk Nowitzki Comes Alive at the Garden

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Nowitzki, who may be playing his final season, scored a season-high 14 points. Luka Doncic added 16.https://nyti.ms/2RoMzsc

The Year the N.F.L. Bounced Back

By KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports New Stars, higher ratings and fewer off-field controversies helped the N.F.L. to a comeback after two down years. Now, about those officials.https://nyti.ms/2MF2Yb2

Atlanta Stokes a Civil Rights Conversation for Some Super Bowl Players

By KEN BELSON from NYT Sports With issues of race percolating in the N.F.L., several players reflect on Martin Luther King Jr. and his protest movement.https://nyti.ms/2sWkheX

N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell Finally Acknowledges Referee Error in Saints Game

By KEVIN DRAPER and KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Goodell, during his pre-Super Bowl news conference, said the league is considering changes to prevent a similar situation but that a N.F.C. championship game was “absolutely not” on the table.https://nyti.ms/2HCRPbR

Cooper Kupp Was Everywhere for the Rams, Until He Was Nowhere

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports A knee injury took away one of the Rams’ most consistent options on offense. He joins a fraternity of players forced to sit out their first Super Bowl.https://nyti.ms/2RVtpiG

Pound Notes, Canned Soup and Common Goals

By RORY SMITH from NYT Sports As the needs of Britain’s poor have soared under government austerity programs, soccer clubs and their fans have emerged as an unlikely (and vital) resource for local food banks.https://nyti.ms/2DHaoIa

Sandy Alderson Is Returning to the Oakland Athletics

By JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports Alderson, who left his post as the Mets’ general manager last summer because of a cancer recurrence, will go back to the first franchise he ran.https://nyti.ms/2WsNKuw

Nets Beat the Bulls for a 9th Straight Win at Home

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 18 points and Joe Harris 17 for the Nets, who matched their win total from last season (28) in only their 52nd game.https://nyti.ms/2sSvjBR

Rangers Lose to the Streaking Flyers

By FIELD LEVEL MEDIA from NYT Sports Anthony Stolarz made a career-high 38 saves, and Oskar Lindblom scored the lone goal as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Rangers, 1-0.https://nyti.ms/2G9NB9o

Maroon 5 Will Skip One Super Bowl Performance: The News Conference

By KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports The headliner — along with Travis Scott and Big Boi — opted out of speaking to the media. Were anticipated questions about Colin Kaepernick a factor?https://nyti.ms/2GbHJwn

N.B.A. Fines Anthony Davis $50,000 After Agent’s Request for a Trade

By MARC STEIN from NYT Sports The league called the agent’s public request for New Orleans to trade his client an “intentional effort to undermine the contractual relationship between Davis and the Pelicans.”https://nyti.ms/2MG8F8W

New Jersey Embraces Sports Gambling, and a Billion-Dollar Business Is Born

By JOE DRAPE from NYT Sports A Supreme Court ruling that expanded legal betting on sports has produced a gambling gold rush. Now bookmakers, media companies and tech entrepreneurs are rushing in to build out the industry.https://nyti.ms/2FXYlIy

Why Isn’t Anyone Bidding for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado?

By MICHAEL POWELL from NYT Sports The two best free agents on the market are stars who deserve big money. So what are they doing waiting by the phone as February nears?https://nyti.ms/2WsSEaP

Andy Murray Has Another Hip Surgery; His Future in Tennis Remains Unclear

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Murray had said the Australian Open might be the final event of his career.https://nyti.ms/2WusNiw

With Shoes and Insults Flying, Qatar Beats U.A.E. and Advances to Asian Cup Final

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports The Qataris, who will host the World Cup in 2022, routed one of their main geopolitical rival, the United Arab Emirates, 4-0, enraging the home fans.https://nyti.ms/2RoAsvg

A Week Later, a Blown Call Is Still Topic A

By KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Nickell Robey-Coleman of the Rams drilled Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis before he could get in position to catch a pass. No flag was thrown.https://nyti.ms/2DFSJR4

Calgary Flames Propelled by New Coach and Infusion of Youth

By ANDREW KNOLL from NYT Sports The Western Conference leaders, guided by Bill Peters, feature four of the top 15 scorers in the N.H.L. and a solid goaltender in David Rittich.https://nyti.ms/2CN2mf4

Boston Celtics End the Nets’ Six-Game Winning Streak

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports The Knicks also lost on the road, falling at Charlotte for their 10th defeat in a row.https://nyti.ms/2RUauVn

Christian Yelich on Life as an M.V.P. and Why He Never Guesses at the Plate

By TYLER KEPNER and JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports Yelich, the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, visited The New York Times last week to discuss everything from hitting to the business of baseball.https://nyti.ms/2MFhekb

P.S.G.’s Neymar Joins Growing Champions League Injury List

By VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports A fracture in his right foot has dealt a blow to Paris St.-Germain’s hopes of winning the competition for the first time.https://nyti.ms/2DEzlDT

Joe Harris: Walking Down Your Street and Pushing the Nets Up the Standings

By KELLY WHITESIDE from NYT Sports An unsung guard who could be mistaken for a barista is the epitome of an unsung, surging team that player by player has made Brooklyn its home on and off the court.https://nyti.ms/2UodfLn

Anthony Davis Wants Out of New Orleans, and the Lakers May Be His Destination

By MARC STEIN from NYT Sports Rich Paul, who represents Davis, confirmed that he had notified New Orleans that Davis wants to be moved and will not sign a contract extensionhttps://https://nyti.ms/2RUEArN

Gregg Berhalter Wins Debut as U.S. Coach With Lineup Full of First-Timers

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Djordje Mihailovic and Christian Ramirez scored in their first national team appearances in a victory against Panama before a home crowd of less than 10,000.https://nyti.ms/2RkEHYO

Late Burst by Miami Gives Knicks Ninth Consecutive Loss

By FIELD LEVEL MEDIA from NYT Sports The Knicks fought hard in the second half, but Wayne Ellington took over in the game’s final minutes and led the Heat to victory.https://nyti.ms/2Tpeh9O

Justin Rose Tightens Grip on No. 1 Ranking With Win at Torrey Pines

By RANDY YOUNGMAN from NYT Sports A shaky start on Sunday never cost him the lead as he held off a run by his friend Adam Scott to win the Farmers Insurance Open.https://nyti.ms/2HB57G4

Nathan Chen Wins 3rd Straight U.S. Figure Skating Championships Title

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports The reigning world champion easily prevailed with a free skate score that topped the combined total of most of his competitors.https://nyti.ms/2SezFRS

‘Wow’: North Carolina Upsets Top-Ranked Notre Dame

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports The Tar Heels, who came in with a losing record in the A.C.C., got 30 points from Paris Kea in giving their coach the big moment she asked for.https://nyti.ms/2FThPhv

At Daytona, a Win for Fernando Alonso and a Triumph for Alex Zanardi

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports In the first rain-shortened Rolex 24, Alonso put himself on the verge of a “Triple Crown.” Zanardi, in his first race in North America since his legs were severed in 2001, fought through mechanical woes.https://nyti.ms/2FTkHLw

The Jets and the Gregg Williams Gamble

By ZACH SCHONBRUN from NYT Sports A team that has been deep in the doldrums now has one of the N.F.L.’s top defensive minds. Can it take the intensity and baggage he brings?https://nyti.ms/2S5Mu13

How the 1-3-1 Power Play Works

By JOE WARD and JOE LEMIRE from NYT Sports An increasingly popular power-play formation, the 1-3-1, is giving N.H.L. scorers many more options — and goaltenders many more headaches.https://nyti.ms/2MzLhKa

Novak Djokovic Passes His Idol and Sets a New Target: Roger Federer

By KAREN CROUSE from NYT Sports Djokovic broke a tie with Pete Sampras for third-most men’s Grand Slam titles by winning his 15th — the Australian Open — on Sunday. Federer’s record of 20 is within sight.https://nyti.ms/2sOPctt

Need a Power-Play Goal? In the N.H.L., It’s as Easy as 1-3-1

By JOE LEMIRE from NYT Sports Power-play success has increased with the arrival of more highly skilled young players who use sophisticated video scouting and an aggressive formation borrowed from the Capitals.https://nyti.ms/2Mz91Oj

Novak Djokovic Defeats Rafael Nadal for His 7th Australian Open Title

By KURT STREETER from NYT Sports Djokovic, 31, whose career was wobbling a year ago, has won three straight Grand Slam championships, giving him 15 altogether.https://nyti.ms/2ROymK9

Sidney Crosby and Henrik Lundqvist Lead Metropolitan to N.H.L. All-Star Win

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Crosby had two goals and three assists, and Lundqvist did not yield a goal in his 10 minutes, fueling a 10-5 victory against the Central.https://nyti.ms/2DCqW3W