Sports

By TIM REYNOLDS – AP Basketball Writer ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero is getting closer to a return, with the Orlando Magic forward hoping he may be able to play again sometime within the next couple of weeks. The Magic said Friday that Banchero — an All-Star last season — has entered the “return

By AP EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Running back J.K. Dobbins could return for the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend after being activated off injured reserve on Friday. Dobbins missed four games after suffering a knee injury late in the first half of the Chargers’ 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 25. Los

By AP LONDON (AP) — Bukayo Saka is likely to be sidelined until at least March following surgery on his hamstring, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League with a 1-0 home win against Ipswich on Friday, its first game without Saka after the England winger tore

By The Associated Press Scottie Scheffler injured his right hand on a broken glass preparing Christmas dinner, forcing the top-ranked player to withdraw from the PGA Tour’s season-opening event in Hawaii. “Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass,” Scheffler’s manager, Blake Smith, said Friday in a

By SCHUYLER DIXON – AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic will be out about a month before being re-evaluated for a calf injury sustained in a Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, a person with knowledge of the injury said Friday. Doncic underwent an MRI on his strained left calf, the

By DAN GELSTON – AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol, forcing the Philadelphia Eagles to play against Dallas without their star quarterback. The Eagles will turn to backup Kenny Pickett on Sunday because Hurts is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion suffered against

By TOM WITHERS – AP Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have again restructured quarterback Deshaun Watson’s massive contract to create salary-cap space and give them future flexibility, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Friday. Watson has been limited to just 19 games in three seasons because

By AP BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa says it has failed in an attempt to have Jhon Duran’s red card at Newcastle overturned on appeal. The 21-year-old Colombia international was sent off 32 minutes into a 3-0 defeat in the Premier League at St. James’ Park on Thursday after appearing to stamp on defender

By AP FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Navy quarterback Blake Horvath read the play perfectly and turned it into the longest in school history, a 95-yard touchdown run in the Armed Forces Bowl. “By somebody that’s not really that fast,” Horvath said after the 21-20 win over Oklahoma on Friday. The Midshipmen (10-3) fell behind

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. – AP Pro Football Writer FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein will be activated from injured reserve and will play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich announced Friday that Zuerlein is returning after missing seven games with a knee injury to his

By JIMMY GOLEN – AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — UConn coach Jim Mora pulled a move that would make Bill Belichick proud while preparing the Huskies to play the notoriously churlish former New England Patriot’s next team in his old backyard. Mora and his players were more than 45 minutes late for what was

By AP LONDON (AP) — Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League with a 1-0 home win against Ipswich on Friday. Mikel Arteta’s side is six points behind leader Liverpool, which has a game in hand. Second-bottom Ipswich had won two of its last three away games but was up against it

By The Associated Press New York Jets (4-11) at Buffalo (12-3) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS BetMGM NFL odds: Bills by 9 1/2. Series record: Bills lead 70-58. Against the spread: Jets 5-10, Bills 9-6. Last meeting: Bills beat Jets 23-20 on Oct. 14, at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Last week: Jets lost to Rams

By STEPHEN HAWKINS – AP Sports Writer FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Blake Horvath set a Navy record with a 95-yard touchdown run and then scored a go-ahead 6-yarder with 4:34 left as the Midshipmen overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and stopped a late 2-point conversion attempt to beat Oklahoma 21-20 in the Armed Forces

By AP MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler will not play in the final two games of Miami’s ongoing road trip while recovering from illness, the team said Friday. That means Butler will not play Saturday at Atlanta or Sunday at Houston. The earliest he could play again is Wednesday at home against New Orleans. Butler

By NOAH TRISTER – AP Sports Writer There are times when a postseason bowl seems like the first game of next year for the participating teams. That cliche means something a little different for NC State and East Carolina. The Wolfpack and Pirates face each other in the Military Bowl on Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland.

By The Associated Press Dallas (7-8) at Philadelphia (12-3) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 7 1/2 Against the spread: Dallas 6-9; Philadelphia 9-6 Series record: Cowboys lead 74-58. Last meeting: Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in the Eagles’ 34-6 rout of the Cowboys at Dallas

By AP SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings have fired coach Mike Brown after a 13-18 start to the season, AP source says.

By DAN GELSTON – AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts is sitting out a potential NFC East clincher against Dallas because of the lingering effects of a concussion. The Eagles are turning to backup Kenny Pickett on Sunday because Hurts remains in the concussion protocol after being injured against Washington. Eagles coach Nick

By DENNIS PASSA – AP Sports Writer Two sailors on separate boats have died in boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, adding to the event’s long history of deaths at sea. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, which administers the yacht race,

By DAVE HOGG – Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman knew his team needed a change. So did his captain, Dylan Larkin. As a result, Yzerman and Larkin were each speaking to the media on Friday — the day after Yzerman fired head coach Derek Lalonde and replaced him

By CURT RALLO – Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame’s defense set a dominating tone early in its College Football Playoff opener against Indiana. The Fighting Irish stuffed the highest-scoring team in the CFP field for a 14-3 halftime lead, but then Notre Dame suffered a gut punch. Defensive lineman Rylie Mills

By SHANE LANTZ – Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — It wasn’t pretty, but the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a 6-3 slog of a victory Thursday over the Chicago Bears. The win featured an outstanding effort from Seattle’s defense, a near disappearance from the offense and a game-sealing pick that ended Caleb Williams’ rookie record for

By NOAH TRISTER – AP Sports Writer COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — For Brenda Frese and her unbeaten Maryland team, the word “chemistry” is an important one. After a down season by their standards, the Terrapins have rebounded in 2024-25, winning their first 11 games with a slew of new players. Of the six women

By ANDREW SELIGMAN – AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — When the Chicago Bears threatened to score in the closing minutes of a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, fans expressed their feelings loud and clear. They weren’t cheering for a touchdown or field goal. They had something else in mind. “Sell the

By CIARÁN FAHEY – AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Union Berlin has fired coach Bo Svensson and his assistants after nine games without a win in all competitions. The Bundesliga club said Friday it will decide on a new coach to take charge of the team from Jan. 2 in the “next days.” Union

By JOHN MARSHALL – AP Sports Writer TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Snoop Dogg has nearly as many ties to football as he does to rap music. The entertainer coached youth football for years and created the Snoop League, an after-school program for inner city Los Angeles youths. Snoop has been a guest analyst on football

By AP DUBAI (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo backed Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim on Friday, saying “the storm will finish” after his Portuguese countryman’s difficult start to life in the Premier League. The former Manchester United star, and five-time Ballon d’Or winner, currently plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr. Ronaldo spoke after being named the best

By AP KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is heading to the NFL draft after leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing and setting a handful of school records. The SEC Offensive Player of the Year announced on social media his intention Friday to leave after his junior season. He helped the seventh-ranked

By AP ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Program milestones are on the line Saturday when Louisiana-Lafayette and TCU meet in the New Mexico Bowl. In the first meeting between the two schools, the Ragin’ Cajuns (10-3) are playing in a seventh consecutive bowl game and looking to reach 11 or more wins for only the third