NFL:
The Miami Dolphins have their first winning streak of the season following their best win of the year.
Tua Tagovailoa came off the bench and capped his night with a 1-yard sneak for a score with 2:19 left to secure the Dolphins’ 22-10 victory over Baltimore. Tagovailoa threw for 158 yards in relief of Jacoby Brissett, who passed for 156 yards before needing to depart in the third quarter with an injured right knee. Tagovailoa couldn’t start because of a fractured finger on his throwing hand, but he was good enough to help Miami improve to 3-7. Xavien Howard forced a fumble and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown in the victory.
Lamar Jackson completed 26 of 43 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown for the 6-3 Ravens, who ended an NFL-record run of 51 regular-season games with at least 14 points.
Cam Newton is a Carolina Panther again after working out a contract for the rest of the season.
Newton returns to a franchise that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2011 and later cut him prior to the 2020 season after losing eight straight games.
Carolina was in need of a quarterback after an MRI on Monday revealed starter Sam Darnold would miss at least four weeks with a incomplete fracture of his right shoulder blade.
Coach Matt Rhule said P.J. Walker will start Sunday against the Cardinals and have Matt Barkley as his primary backup.
In other NFL news:
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson says he’s ready to return this weekend after missing the team’s past three games following surgery on the middle finger on his throwing hand. Wilson was injured when his hand hit the helmet of a Rams player during a game last month. The contact dislocated Wilson’s finger, caused a tendon injury, and resulted in a pair of fractures.
Odell Beckham Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Rams. The Browns released Beckham on Monday midway through his third season in Cleveland. Beckham elected to join NFL yards passing leader Matthew Stafford in one of the league’s most productive passing offenses.
The Browns remain hopeful star running back Nick Chubb will be able to play this week despite testing positive for COVID-19. Chubb rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns last week at Cincinnati. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday along with rookie running back/punt returner Demetric Felton.
Dallas defensive end Randy Gregory will miss multiple weeks after straining a calf in practice. Coach Mike McCarthy says no decision had been made on Gregory being placed on injured reserve.
Henry Ruggs’ lawyers are telling a judge they found a witness who says firefighters were slow to extinguish a vehicle fire sparked by a deadly crash that authorities blame on the former Raiders wide receiver. Prosecutors allege Ruggs was driving drunk at speeds up to 156 mph before the crash in Las Vegas, killing another driver. The Raiders immediately released Ruggs, who’s under house arrest with strict conditions.
NBA:
The Philadelphia 76ers have followed six consecutive victories with three straight losses.
Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet hit back-to-back 3-pointers over the final 1:10 to lift the Toronto Raptors over the Sixers, 115-109. VanVleet hit six 3s and scored 32 points, while Trent added 20.
Tyrese Maxey did score 33 points for the Sixers, who were without Joel Embiid, Isaiah Joe, and Matisse Thybulle as they remain in NBA health and safety protocols.
Seth Curry did return from a foot injury and Tobias Harris scored 19 points in his return from a six-game absence after testing positive for COVID-19.
Checking out Thursday’s other NBA action:
The Clippers picked up their sixth consecutive win as Paul George scored 27 points and Reggie Jackson added all of his 22 points in the second half of their 112-109 decision over the Heat. Ivica Zubac finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who trailed by 17 points in the first quarter when Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 19 points. Adebayo had a season-high 30 points and 11 rebounds.
Malcolm Brogdon scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Pacers to a 111-110 victory over the Jazz. T.J. McConnell added 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists off the bench for Indiana. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points for Utah, which lost at home for the first time this season.
The Detroit Pistons’ season just got tougher as they try to vacate the NBA’s Eastern Conference cellar.
Detroit’s Kelly Olynyk will miss at least six weeks with a sprained left knee suffered in the Pistons’ 112-104 victory over the Rockets, limping off the court in the fourth quarter.
The Pistons said he underwent testing Thursday that revealed a Grade 2 MCL sprain.
Detroit is 2-8.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
No. 25 Pittsburgh wasted a 16-point lead before maintaining control of first place in the ACC’s Coastal Division.
Kenny Pickett hit Lucas Krull for an 11-yard touchdown pass in overtime to give the Panthers a 30-23 victory over North Carolina. Pickett completed 25 of 43 passes for 346 yards with three touchdowns and an interception on a night he became the school’s career leader in passing yards.
Sam Howell passed for 296 yards with two touchdowns for the Tar Heels.
No. 20 Wisconsin has lost leading rusher Chez Mellusi for the rest of the season. He injured his left knee in last weekend’s win over Rutgers.
Mellusi had rushed for 815 yards this season to rank fifth in the Big Ten.
In other college football news:
UConn has hired former UCLA coach Jim Mora to lead the Huskies from the morass that has enveloped the football program since Randy Edsall left the first time. Mora has been out of coaching since 2017 after spending six seasons leading UCLA to a 46-30 record. The Huskies are 1-8 in their first season as an independent in football, playing under an interim coach following Edsall’s resignation in September.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL:
Maryland was the only top-25 men’s basketball team in action on Thursday, and the 21st Terrapins shook off a slow start to beat George Washington, 71-64.
Qudus Wahab had 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Terps, while Fatts Russell added 15 points. Wahab was 5-for-5 from the field in the first half, but Maryland trailed 26-21 before pulling away.
The NCAA said some staff members have received threatening and offensive messages since Oklahoma State basketball coach Mike Boynton identified some by name last week. Boynton ID’d several officials after a one-year postseason ban and other penalties were upheld on appeal.
An NCAA infractions committee last year hit the Cowboys with the penalties for former assistant coach Lamont Evans accepting up to $22,000 so he could help steer athletes to certain financial advisers. Evans was arrested in 2017, and Oklahoma State fired him.
MLB:
Four members of the World Series champion Atlanta Braves have won Silver Sluggers as the top hitters at their position.
Infielders Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley represent the Braves, along with pitcher Max Fried (freed).
Filling out the National League list are MVP finalists Bryce Harper, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr., along with recently-retired Buster Posey and free agent Nick Castellanos.
MVP finalists Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semian highlight the American League Silver Sluggers. The list includes Salvador Perez, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, Teoscar Hernandez, Aaron Judge and Cedric Mullins.
NHL:
The Florida Panthers are in danger of going winless on their four-game road trip after opening the season 10-0-1.
Bryan Rust and Jeff Carter scored shootout goals as the Pittsburgh Penguins nipped the Panthers, 3-2. Teddy Blueger and Evan Rodrigues tallied in regulation for the Penguins, who bounced back from Tuesday’s loss to the Blackhawks and improved to 5-3-4.
Frank Vatrano and Aleksander Barkov scored for the Panthers. Barkov notched his 189th career goal for Florida to pass Olli Jokinen for the most in team history.
The Panthers are 0-2-1 on their road trip heading into the finale at Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Leon Draisaitl had two goals and an assist as the Oilers topped the Bruins, 5-3. Draisaitl leads the NHL with 26 points, two more than Connor McDavid. Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman and Cody Ceci also scored for Edmonton, which avoided its first back-to-back losses of the season.
The Kings have run their winning streak to seven games by getting 34 saves from Jonathan Quick in a 2-0 decision over the Senators. Anze Kopitar and Andreas Athanasiou scored to back Quick’s 55th career shutout. Filip Gustavsson stopped 32 shots in Ottawa’s sixth consecutive loss.
Zach Fucale became the first goaltender in Capitals history to post a shutout in his NHL debut, stopping 21 shots in a 2-0 verdict over Detroit. Fucale was the first goaltender to shut out the Red Wings in his NHL debut in the franchise’s 95 seasons. Lars Eller and Dmitry Orlov scored 10 seconds apart in the first period.
Mackenzie Blackwood made a season-high 42 saves for his seventh career shutout to lead the Devils’ 4-0 victory over the Islanders. Janne Kuokkanen scored a short-handed goal and Tomas Tatar tallied on a power play as New Jersey improved to 4-1-2 over its last seven games. The Isles have dropped two straight in regulation since a 5-0-2 stretch.
Matt Duchene scored his second goal of the game 2:01 into overtime to complete the Predators’ 4-3 win over the Blues. Yakov Trenin and St. Louis native Luke Kunin also scored for the Predators. Jordan Kyrou scored twice for the Blues, and Vladimir Tarasenko tied it 8:13 into the third period.
Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists to help the Avalanche overcome the absence of injured center Nathan MacKinnon to rout the Canucks 7-1. Logan O’Connor and Devon Toews each added a goal and an assist in Colorado’s highest-scoring output of the season. Valeri Nichushkin also tallied in his return from injury.
Nate Schmidt broke a second-period tie with his first goal for Winnipeg in a 4-1 downing of the Sharks. Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and assist and Kyle Connor and Jansen Harkins also scored for Winnipeg. Seven San Jose players and coach Bob Boughner missed the game because they are in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
Nick Suzuki scored his fourth goal in five games to help the Canadiens beat the Flames, 4-2. Suzuki gave Montreal the lead with a power-play goal midway through the third period. Brendan Gallagher and Ben Chiarot also scored and Jake Evans iced it with an empty-netter.
Paul Cotter and Jonas Rondbjerg each scored their first NHL goal and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2. The Golden Knights improved to 7-2-0 since Oct. 26 after opening the season 1-4-0. Minnesota had its four-game win streak snapped. Jonathan Marchessault also scored for the Golden Knights, and Laurent Brossoit made 24 saves. Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Hartman scored for the Wild. Cam Talbot stopped 32 shots.
Troy Terry extended his NHL-leading scoring streak to 13 games with two goals and an assist, and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Seattle Kraken 7-4. Josh Mahura scored twice to help the Ducks win their sixth in a row in their first game since general manager Bob Murray’s resignation on Wednesday amid an investigation into his conduct. The Ducks have an eight-game unbeaten streak. John Gibson made 21 saves for his fifth straight victory, and 18-year-old rookie Mason McTavish scored his second career goal.
The Ottawa Senators placed forward Alex Formenton, defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and goaltender Matt Murray to the COVID-19 list on Thursday, hours before they were scheduled to host the Los Angeles Kings.
Murray and Formenton played Tuesday night in the Senators’ 3-2 loss at Boston.
The Senators currently have nine players in COVID-19 protocol.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS-SCHWAB CUP:
Phil Mickelson shot a 6-under 65 and season points leader Bernhard Langer battled through back tightness for a 68 in the opening round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Thursday.
Mickelson had seven birdies and a bogey to match Jim Furyk and Kirk Triplett for the lead in the PGA Tour Champions season finale at Phoenix Country Club.
Langer, Furyk, Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez are the only players with a chance to win the season championship. Langer is seeking his sixth Cup title.
LPGA-PELICAN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP:
Solheim Cup star Leona Maguire fired an 8-under 62 for a two-shot lead over defending champion Sei Young Kim in the Pelican Women’s Championship.
Maguire is trying to become Ireland’s first winner on the LPGA Tour after runner-up finishes in Michigan and Hawaii this year. She was in a group with Kim and Lexi Thompson as the trio played bogey-free rounds.
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