Sports

By MICHAEL KELLY – Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 37 points, Jamal Murray scored 21 of his 34 points in a decisive third period, and the Denver Nuggets survived Detroit’s fourth-quarter rally to beat the Pistons 134-121 on Saturday night. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 26 points for Denver, which used an

By AP Ahkello Witherspoon makes last-minute interception to preserve Rams’ 13-9 win over Arizona INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ahkello Witherspoon made a diving interception on a deflected pass in the end zone with 37 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams barely maintained command of the NFC West race with a 13-9 victory over

By AP TORONTO (AP) — Alex Ovechkin’s record chase is back on. His empty-net goal for the Washington Capitals in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn’t the most challenging goal among the 869 he’s scored in the NHL, but it was significant given his return from a 16-game hiatus due to injury.

By The Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw his third touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 1:07 left in overtime, and the Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a wild 30-24 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday. Following a Broncos punt, Burrow completed a 31-yard pass to Higgins to

By MATT CARLSON – Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Josh Giddey had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double this season to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 116-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Giddey, who missed the previous four games with an ankle injury, sank two free

By ERIC HE – Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga had 34 points and made the go-ahead free throw in the Golden State Warriors’ 109-105 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. With the Warriors down one, Kuminga was fouled after getting inside positioning on Kevin Durant on an out-of-bounds play with 29

By NOAH TRISTER – AP Sports Writer ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Rahjai Harris broke free for an 86-yard touchdown run with 1:33 remaining, giving East Carolina a pulsating 26-21 victory over NC State in the Military Bowl in a game that descended into a wild brawl in the final minute. Harris had 220 of ECU’s

By NOAH TRISTER – AP Sports Writer ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — If you’re already looking ahead to 2025 in college football, mark this season opener down: East Carolina at NC State on Aug. 30. The Pirates and Wolfpack began brawling in the final minute of East Carolina’s 26-21 victory in the Military Bowl on Saturday

By AP WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves, Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists and the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets beat the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Saturday night. Gabriel Vilardi gave Winnipeg a 3-2 lead on a power play midway through the third period, scoring off Ehlers’ one-touch pass. Kyle Connor

By The Associated Press All Times EST Sunday, Dec. 29 NFL Carolina at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Dallas at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Las Vegas at New Orleans, 1 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Tennessee at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Miami at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. Green Bay at Minnesota,

By ERIK ERLENDSSON – Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and two assists to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the reeling New York Rangers 6-2 on Saturday night. Anthony Cirelli and Ryan McDonagh both had a short-handed goal. Jake Guentzel and Nick Paul also scored

By By: SCOTT CHARLES – Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee each scored twice and the New York Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Saturday night. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Duclair also scored, and Mathew Barzal and Alexander Romanov each had two assists for New York, which had lost

By AP TORONTO (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal in his return to action as the Washington Capitals upended the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Saturday night. Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, Nic Dowd and Tom Wilson also scored for the Capitals. John Tavares and Bobby McMann scored for the Leafs. Washington’s captain Ovechkin

By JOHN MARSHALL – AP Sports Writer TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Snoop Dogg climbed to top step of the bandstand and raised his arms, setting off a roar from the crowd. The marching bands fired up a version of “Who Am I,” the celebrity drum major grooving to the beat of his own tune. Forget

By JEFF WALLNER – Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) — The Denver Broncos needed one win in their final three games to reach the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2015. They are running out of chances. The Broncos (9-7) fell short in an attempt to secure a postseason berth Saturday,

By TOM CANAVAN – AP Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — For a team with that’s 2-13 and currently holds the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, the New York Giants are as motivated to win Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts, who are fighting for a winning season and possible playoff berth.

By The Associated Press Indianapolis (7-8) at New York Giants (2-13) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox. BetMGM NFL Odds: Colts by 7 1/2. Against the spread: Colts 9-6; Giants 4-11. Series record: Colts lead 12-7. Last meeting: Giants beat the Colts 38-10 on Jan. 1, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. Last week: Colts beats Titans

By BOB SUTTON – Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jackson Blake scored a power-play goal with 9:17 remaining to give Carolina the lead, and Jack Roslovic scored twice as the Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Saturday night. Dmitry Orlov and Sebastian Aho also scored in Carolina’s four-goal third period. Dustin Tokarski

By MITCH STACY – AP Sports Writer CINCINNATI (AP) — This time, near the very end of a mostly agonizing season, the Cincinnati Bengals made enough plays to win. A familiar connection closed it out. Joe Burrow threw his third touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 1:07 left in overtime, and the Bengals kept their

By TIM REYNOLDS – AP Sports Writer ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cam Ward made NCAA history in his final college game. The Miami quarterback threw a record-setting 156th touchdown pass of his college career Saturday, connecting with Jacolby George for a 4-yard score with 4:12 left in the first quarter of the Pop-Tarts Bowl against

By DAN GREENSPAN – Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James is out with an illness when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, while Anthony Davis is a game-time decision because of a sprained ankle. James is missing his third game this month after sitting out against Portland and

By KEN POWTAK – Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Jeremy Swayman stopped 18 shots for his second shutout of the season, David Pastrnak scored on a clean breakaway and the Boston Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 on Saturday to split consecutive-night, home-and-home games between the teams. Morgan Geekie, Justin Brazeau and Cole Koepke

By BETH HARRIS – AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 18 points, making four 3-pointers, and No. 22 UCLA edged 14th-ranked Gonzaga 65-62 on Saturday in the first college basketball game played at Intuit Dome, the new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. Ryan Nembhard’s basket gave Gonzaga a

By The Associated Press INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 18 points, making four 3-pointers, and No. 22 UCLA edged 14th-ranked Gonzaga 65-62 on Saturday in the first college basketball game played at Intuit Dome, the new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. Ryan Nembhard’s basket tied it at 60 before the

By AP ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Mariah Keopple and Alexandra Labelle scored their first goals of the season and the Montreal Victoire edged the Minnesota Frost 3-2 on Saturday. Marie-Philip Poulin’s goal almost six minutes into the second period was the difference as she converted a 2-on-1 from Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner and

By BERNIE WILSON – AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tucker Anderson made a 3-point shot from the right wing with 6.8 seconds left and Utah State stunned No. 20 San Diego State 67-66 on Saturday after rallying from an 18-point deficit. SDSU’s Wayne McKinney III missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left, and

By PHILIP ROSSMAN-REICH – Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Iowa State was 84 yards away from a historic 11th victory. It was a situation the team faced before. It was a situation the team had been preparing for since January. To ask Cyclones coach Matt Campbell the difference between this team and his others,

By STEVE REED – AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 points, Jalen Williams added 20 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Charlotte Hornets 106-94 on Saturday night for their 10th straight regular-season win. Aaron Wiggins added 17 points and Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and 15 rebounds for

By AP TUSCON, Ariz. (AP) — Kevin Davis had a career-high 148 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries Saturday and Jordan Brunson also ran for two TDs to help Miami (Ohio) beat Colorado State 43-17 at the Arizona Bowl. Davis scored on a 4-yard run with 12:35 left in the third quarter,

By TIM REYNOLDS – AP Sports Writer ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — It was a season of Iowa State comebacks. And fittingly, that’s how it ended for the Cyclones. Game MVP Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history