NFL
The Jacksonville Jaguars might have to play without quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the first time since drafting him after Lawrence sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter of Jacksonville’s 34-31 overtime loss to Cincinnati last night and will have more tests to determine the severity of the injury. He left the locker room in a walking boot and on crutches. Left tackle Walker Little stepped on Lawrence’s ankle on a third-down play. Lawrence tried to get up, but dropped to the ground, ripped off his helmet and threw it in disgust. He was helped off the field and into the tunnel for X-rays, which were negative. Lawrence completed 22 of 29 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
Jake Browning threw for 354 yards and a touchdown in his second career start, and the Cincinnati Bengals stunned the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 in overtime. Browning also ran for a score as the Bengals won on a Monday night for the first time since 1990 on Evan McPherson’s 48-yard field goal in the extra frame. This one was shocking and potentially costly for the Jaguars, who lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a sprained right ankle late in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for a high right ankle sprain. Pickett had the procedure done less than 24 hours after a 24-10 loss to Arizona. Pickett was injured in the second quarter when Cardinals defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter fell on his at the end of a 2-yard scramble. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Mitch Trubisky will start for Pittsburgh when the Steelers host New England on Thursday.
NBA
All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton recorded the first triple-double of his career and completed a tiebreaking four-point play with 1:33 left as the surprising Indiana Pacers ousted the Boston Celtics from the NBA In-Season Tournament with a 122-112 quarterfinal victory. Haliburton finished with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds as the Pacers improved to 5-0 in the tournament. They’ll face Milwaukee or New York in Thursday’s semifinals at Las Vegas. Jayson Tatum had 32 points and Jaylen Brown added 30 for the Celtics, who tied the score seven times in the final 6 1/2 minutes before Haliburton's big basket.
Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Sacramento Kings 127-117 in the quarterfinals of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. Ingram helped New Orleans erase an early deficit and the Pelicans never trailed in the second half as they advanced to play the winner of tonight’s game between Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals Thursday in Las Vegas. De’Aaron Fox scored 30 points and Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double for the Kings. Sacramento lost for the first time in the tournament after sweeping all four games in group play.
MLB
Big-name free agents appear in no hurry to strike deals at the winter meetings, biding time until Shohei Ohtani potentially breaks the record for richest contract set 4 1/2 years ago by Mike Trout. And Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be holding up the starting pitching market. Ohtani, the two-way unicorn who has won two of the last three AL MVP awards for the Los Angeles Angels, is expected to get a deal topping $500 million — Trout’s contract was for $426.5 million over 12 years. And that’s with Ohtani sidelined from pitching until 2025 following elbow surgery.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., transfer quarterbacks who have all played at least five college seasons, and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy. The Heisman winner will be announced Saturday in New York. With Nix and Penix, the Pac-12 has two Heisman finalists for the first time since 2010 when Stanford’s Andrew Luck was the runner-up to Auburn’s Cam Newton, and Oregon running back LaMichael James finished third in the balloting. The Pac-12 is in its final season with its current membership before 10 schools depart.
There will be plenty to miss when college football undergoes myriad changes next season. A traditional Pac-12. Regional conferences and rivalries. The Rose Bowl kicking off on New Year’s Day, just about the time the New Year’s Eve hangover fades away. A College Football Playoff with not enough spots to accommodate deserving teams? Good riddance. AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo says change is hard, but the 12-team playoff is something to look forward to.
Ohio State’s Kyle McCord, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel and Oregon State's Aidan Chiles led a parade of quarterbacks into the transfer portal on the first day of a 30-day window football players can put their names out in search of another opportunity. Arizona State’s Drew Pyne, Utah's Bryson Barnes and Baylor’s Blake Shapen also entered the portal. McCord threw for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions. Gabriel ranks in the top 10 in Division I history in yards passing and passing touchdowns. Recruiting website 247Sports lists Chiles as the No. 2 player in the portal.
OLYMPICS
The bid-rigging trial around the Tokyo Olympics is playing out in a Japanese courtroom — more than two years after the Games closed — with advertising giant Dentsu and five other companies facing criminal charges. Seven individuals are also facing charges from the Tokyo district prosecutors. Tokyo spent officially $13 billion to organize the Olympics, although a government audit suggested the figure was twice that large. About 60% is taxpayer money. Dentsu has a long history of lining up sponsorships and advertising with bodies like World Athletics, headed by Sebastian Coe, and the Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee, headed by Thomas Bach.
Chris Mazdzer has decided to end his luge career after four trips to the Olympics and becoming the first men’s singles slider to medal there for the United States. He won silver at the 2018 games in South Korea. The 35-year-old will compete in his final World Cup race this weekend in Lake Placid, New York, his home track just a few miles away from his hometown of Saranac Lake. Mazdzer spoke with WAMC about his decision to retire Monday.
Mazdzer has spent nearly two decades on luge’s top circuit, winning 24 World Cup medals along the way.
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