Sports

By PAUL NEWBERRY – AP National Writer ATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State’s biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren’t the least bit surprised to be rated a two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That’s a familiar position for the Sun Devils. “We’ve been the

By The Associated Press Quotes from around the basketball world on LeBron James’ longevity as he turns 40 on Monday: “It’s always a blast. The competitive spirit, the history, his greatness, it allows me to just appreciate all that we’ve been through, all the battles back and forth and the fact that in 2024, we’re

By TIM REYNOLDS – AP Basketball Writer LeBron James turns 40 on Monday, and the Los Angeles Lakers star is about to join a small list of NBA players who have been in the league at that age. A look at some statistical milestones for players in their 40s in NBA history: Scoring 40 at

By The Associated Press Dec. 30 1956 — The New York Giants win the NFL title with a 47-7 rout of the Chicago Bears. 1962 — The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 16-7 to win the NFL title for the second straight year. 1973 — The Minnesota Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys

By AP SEMMERING, Austria (AP) — Zrinka Ljutic gave the Croatian women’s ski team its first World Cup victory in almost 19 years by triumphing in the final race of the calendar year on Sunday. With injured star Mikaela Shiffrin not racing, Ljutic dominated the fourth slalom of the season, posted the fastest times in

By AP UNDATED (AP) — Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has announced his plans to enter the NFL draft, five days after having season-ending elbow surgery. The fifth-year senior made his NFL plans official on social media. Beck suffered a right elbow injury in the first half of the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas in

By AP SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On the scoreboard, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders went out with a whimper at Colorado. But their lasting impact in Boulder — both on the field and off — was probably immeasurable. With two dynamic stars playing their final college game, the 20th-ranked Buffaloes were blown out 36-14 by

By AP INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 18 points and No. 22 UCLA edged 14th-ranked Gonzaga 65-62 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 60-58 lead with 56 seconds left before the Bruins scored

By RICH DUBROFF – Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored nine of his season-high 55 points in overtime and Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 14 rebounds as the New York Knicks extended their season-long winning streak to seven games in a 136-132 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. It was

By AP CENTURION, South Africa (AP) — South Africa tailenders Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen hung in against relentless fast bowler Mohammad Abbas for a tense two-wicket win in the first test on Sunday to seal the Proteas’ place in next year’s World Test Championship final. Jansen (16 not out) overshadowed Abbas’ brilliant figures of

By AP ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — 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 by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Becht finished with 270 yards passing and three touchdowns for Iowa

By AP WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka says she won’t “hang around” in tennis if her results fail to match her high expectations. The 27-year-old Japanese player will play her first match since she suffered a back injury in the China Open in October at the ASB tennis classic

By AP BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — On the eve of his return to the court, Novak Djokovic has weighed in on tennis’s high-profile doping cases and criticized what he perceives as double standards in the sport. The former world No. 1, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title at next month’s Australian Open,

By DAN GREENSPAN – Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Based on what he saw in a 132-122 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night after what he described as a “crazy 24 hours” following the firing of Mike Brown, interim coach Doug Christie thinks the Sacramento Kings are capable of turning things

By ROY LANG III – Associated Press SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Bryson Daily broke the FBS record for touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 32, running for three scores in No. 19 Army’s 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night. Daily ran for 127 yards on 27 carries

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ – Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On the scoreboard, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders went out with a whimper at Colorado. But their lasting impact in Boulder — both on the field and off — was probably immeasurable. With two dynamic stars playing their final college game, the 20th-ranked Buffaloes were

By DAN GREENSPAN – Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis had 36 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 132-122 win over Sacramento on Saturday night in the Kings’ first game under interim coach Doug Christie. LeBron James didn’t play for the Lakers because of illness, but a balanced

By JOE REEDY – AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Trey McBride became the 10th tight end in NFL history to have 100 catches in a season and had one of the best games of his three-year career Saturday night for the Arizona Cardinals. However, an unlucky bounce prevented the Cardinals from rallying for

By The Associated Press 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

By The Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson scored 28 points and the Atlanta Hawks closed out a four-game homestand, winning a third straight contest, 120-110 over the Miami Heat on Saturday. Trae Young added his 22nd double-double of the season, with 11 point and 15 assist, and De’Andre Hunter scored 26 points in

By GIDEON RUBIN – Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice and the Calgary Flames beat San Jose 3-1 on Saturday night, handing the Sharks their seventh straight loss. Mikael Backlund also scored and Nazem Kadri had two assists for the Flames, and Dustin Wolf had 21 saves. Macklin Celebrini got

By AP PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Shaedon Sharpe had 23 points, Anfernee Simons scored 22 and the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Dallas Mavericks 126-122 on Saturday night. Deandre Ayton had 21 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks and Deni Avdija had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. Scoot Henderson had 19 points,

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ – Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — L.J. Martin rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns, Jake Retzlaff passed for 151 yards, and No. 17 BYU beat 20th-ranked Colorado 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday night. “Understanding that they have great players on the other side of the field,” Martin said.

By The Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — 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 by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns

By GREG BEACHAM – AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams spent the entire second half struggling on offense while bending just enough on defense to preserve a tiny lead. Arizona even backed Los Angeles into its own end zone in the final minute, needing just one big play to steal

By JOHN COON – Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 32 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 114-111 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. Embiid went 11 of 13 from the free-throw line to rally the 76ers from a 14-point first-half deficit for

By AP DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche acquired center Juuso Parssinen from the Nashville Predators on Saturday. The Avalanche also received a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft in exchange for forward Ondrej Pavel and a third-round pick in 2027. Parssinen had two goals and three assists in 15 games with the Predators

By DAVID BRANDT – AP Sports Writer The NBA suspended Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall for four games and Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic for three games for their roles in an on-court fight during Friday night’s game. Dallas forward P.J. Washington was suspended one game. The suspensions handed down Saturday are without pay. Suns

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