NFL
Tommy DeVito threw a 32-yard pass to Wan’Dale Robinson to set up Randy Bullock’s 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the New York Giants beat Green Bay 24-22 to hand the Packers their first December loss since Matt LaFleur took over as coach in 2019. The Giants went 57 yards in eight plays after Jordan Love threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath with 1:33 to play. Green Bay then tried a 2-point conversion but Jayden Reed was stopped by linebacker Bobby Okereke. The go-ahead drive was set up by a Saquon Barkley fumble. DeVito rushed for 71 yards in the third straight win for the Giants.
Rookie Will Levis threw for a career-high 327 yards and directed two touchdown drives in the final 4 1/2 minutes, and the Tennessee Titans rallied to stun Miami 28-27, knocking the Dolphins out of the top spot in the AFC. The Titans held Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s explosive offense in check for most of the game but still fell behind by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, thanks to critical mistakes that gave short fields to the Dolphins. Raheem Mostert ran for TDs of 3 yards and 5 yards to put Miami ahead 27-13. But Levis threw a TD pass to DeAndre Hopkins and then set up a 3-yard run by Derrick Henry for the go-ahead score.
North Carolina star quarterback Drake Maye is entering the NFL draft and won’t play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl for the Tar Heels against West Virginia. Maye announced his decision in a social media post Monday. That ended his UNC career after putting up prolific numbers and making himself one of the most sought-after potential prospects for the NFL. The school has also announced that all-ACC linebacker Cedric Gray, receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker, offensive lineman Corey Gaynor and defensive lineman Myles Murphy are all entering the draft. Of that group, only Murphy is set to play in the bowl.
Tyreek Hill sat out a big portion of Miami’s 28-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans with an ankle injury after he landed awkwardly while being tackled in the first quarter. The star Dolphins receiver returned to the game late in the third quarter as fans chanted “MVP!” and caught a 21-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa as the quarter ended. Hill got hurt when he was tackled on a catch that went for a 6-yard loss. He went down briefly and grabbed at his left leg. He began limping off the field, then ran off. Hill stood on the sideline with his helmet in his hand as the second quarter started.
MLB
Shohei Ohtani will receive just $20 million of his $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers over the next 10 years, with $680 million payable from 2034-43 in an unusual structure that gives the team greater payroll flexibility in coming seasons. Ohtani’s record-setting deal, agreed to Saturday, calls for annual salaries of $70 million, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. Of each year’s salary, $68 million is deferred with no interest, payable in equal installments each July 1 from 2034-43. For purposes of baseball's luxury tax, the contract is valued as a yearly addition to the Dodgers' payroll of about $46 million.
NBA
Julius Randle scored 34 points, Quentin Grimes had a season-high 19 and the New York Knicks shook off some bad injury news to beat the Toronto Raptors 136-130. RJ Barrett added 27 points and Jalen Brunson had 21 points and nine assists for the Knicks, who had a new starting center for the first time this season after Mitchell Robinson sustained a stress fracture in his left ankle. OG Anunoby scored a season-high 29 points for the Raptors, who dropped their fourth straight.
DeAaron Fox had 28 points and nine assists, and the Sacramento Kings set a franchise record for 3-pointers with 25 in a 131-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Domantas Sabonis added 15 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Kings. Keegan Murray scored 24 and Malik Monk had 21 points and nine assists. Sacramento shot 25 of 45 from 3-point range, breaking the previous Kings record of 23. Fox and Trey Lyles led the sharp shooting from beyond the arc with five 3s apiece. Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 22 points, five assists and five rebounds. Brooklyn was one of the hottest teams in the East going into the night with six wins in its previous seven games.
Tyrese Maxey hit three 3-pointers in a game-opening 14-0 run that helped the Philadelphia 76ers lead the Washington Wizards by 29 at halftime, and Joel Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds as the Sixers cruised to a 146-101 win. Maxey hit two 3s, Tobias Harris hit a 3, Maxey hit another 3 and Harris added two free throws for the 14-0 lead that decided the outcome in the first two minutes. Maxey made five 3s and scored 24 points. Kyle Kuzma led Washington with 21 points. The 76ers scored 75 points in the first half for the second time this season. Both games were against the Wizards.
Duncan Robinson had five 3-pointers and scored 24 points, Kevin Love provided a big boost off the bench with a season-high 19 points and the Miami Heat overcame a huge night from Terry Rozier to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 116-114. Jimmy Butler added 23 points and eight assists and Caleb Martin had 20 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which entered the game having lost five of its last seven. Jaime Jaquez chipped in with 18 points before fouling out late. Rozier scored 34 points with eight 3-pointers for the Hornets, but his halfcourt heave at the final buzzer hit the backboard and bounced away.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 30 points and the Indiana Pacers handed the Detroit Pistons their 20th straight loss, winning 131-123. Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 16 assists for Indiana in its first game since Saturday’s 123-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA In-Season Tournament final. Detroit’s losing streak is the longest single-season stretch in franchise history and matches the NBA’s longest since the Houston Rockets lost 20 straight in 2020-21. Detroit lost 21 straight between the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Franz Wagner added 19 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t recover from a dismal third quarter in a 104-94 loss to the Magic. Darius Garland scored 36 points for the Cavaliers, who made only two of 17 shots in the third quarter and scored 15 points. Donovan Mitchell added 22 points for the Cavaliers, who had won four straight on the road. Goga Bitadze had 15 points for the Magic, who have won 11 of 13. One of the losses came at Cleveland last week.
Jamal Murray scored 29 points, Nikola Jokic rediscovered his shooting touch to score 25 and the Denver Nuggets ended their three-game skid, holding off the Atlanta Hawks 129-122. Bogdan Bogdanovic set career highs with 40 points and 10 3-pointers in the Hawks’ fourth consecutive loss. The Nuggets led by 20 points early in the fourth qyarter. Bogdanovic sank three 3s in the final two minutes, but the defending NBA champions held off Atlanta’s comeback. Rookie Julian Strawther scored a career-high 22 points while making six 3-pointers for Denver. Aaron Gordon had 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 134-120. Chet Holmgren had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who have won four of five to strengthen their hold on second place in the Western Conference standings. Ousmane Dieng scored a season-high 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting off the bench. Josh Giddey had 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in just 24 minutes for the Thunder. Keyonte George scored a season-best 30 points for the Jazz.
Tari Eason had a season-high 18 points and 14 rebounds off the bench as the Houston Rockets beat San Antonio 93-82 on Monday night and dealt the Spurs their franchise-record 17th consecutive loss. Top overall pick Victor Wembanyama had 15 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks, along with an overpowering dunk over Houston’s Alperen Sengun in the third period, but it wasn’t enough to get the Spurs back in the win column. San Antonio hasn’t won since a 132-121 victory over Phoenix on Nov. 2. The Rockets won their 10th straight home game and third in a row overall.
Luka Doncic scored 35 points, Dereck Lively II added 16 points and 16 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-113. Jaden Hardy scored 19 points off the Dallas bench and Dante Exum had 16 points for the Mavericks, who have won three straight. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 41 points and Desmond Bane added 28 for Memphis. Doncic finished 9 of 21 from the field and 5 of 10 on 3-pointers, including his 1,000th career 3 to open the fourth.
Zion Williamson scored a season-high 36 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the NBA-leading Minnesota Timberwolves 121-107. The game was a character test for the Pelicans after their 133-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Thursday night. It was Williamson's third game this season with more than 30 points. The Wolves played without leading scorer Anthony Edwards, who left Friday night’s win at Memphis with a right hip pointer. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 17 points and 12 rebounds, but he fouled out with 2:35 left.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 133-129 victory over the Chicago Bulls in overtime. Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley each had 19 points, and Bobby Portis scored 17 for the Bucks. DeMar DeRozan had 41 points and Coby White scored 33 for Chicago, which had won four straight. Torrey Craig hit the second of two free throws to put Chicago up 119-118 to open overtime, but the Bucks answered with seven straight points, capped by Antetokounmpo’s layup to make it 126-119 with two minutes remaining. DeRozan scored on a dunk to pull Chicago within 131-129 with 12 seconds left. Damian Lillard hit two free throws with 10.2 seconds remaining to make it 133-129.
Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 132-127 for their fourth straight win. Paul George had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Clippers, and James Harden added 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Ivica Zubac scored 18 as Los Angeles improved to 9-3 since a season-worst six-game skid. Portland was without Deandre Ayton, who missed his third straight game, and Malcolm Brogdon, who sat out his second in a row. Anfernee Simons scored a career-high 38 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 27 for the Blazers, who fell to 0-8 on the road against Western Conference opponents.
NBA star Ja Morant says a teenager hit him in the face with a one-handed basketball pass at close range during a pickup game last year when the Memphis Grizzlies guard punched the 17-year-old in the face. Morant has testified in court Monday that the teen bumped Morant in the chest, balled his fists and got into a fighting stance at the basketball game. The lawsuit was filed by Joshua Holloway, who was 17 when he and Morant got into a brief fight on a court located at the Memphis-area home of the NBA All-Star’s parents on July 26, 2022.
NHL
Kyle Okposo and Eric Robinson each had a goal and two assists as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Arizona Coyotes 5-2. JJ Peterka, Peyton Krebs, and Rasmus Dahlin also scored, and Connor Clifton had two assists to help the Sabres to their second win in three games. Devon Levi made 21 saves. Michael Kesselring and Michael Carcone scored, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 33 shots in his first start since Nov. 22 for the Coyotes, who have lost three straight following a five-game win streak.
Bo Horvat scored 46 seconds into overtime as the New York Islanders recovered after giving up a two-goal lead and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri each had a goal and an assist, and Casey Cizikas also scored to help the Islanders win their third straight game. Noah Dobson had three assists and Ilya Sorokin finished with 36 saves. John Tavares had a goal and an assist to reach 1,000 career points, and Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly also scored as Toronto snapped a two-game win streak. William Nylander had two assists and Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves. In the extra period, Horvat scored on a feed from Mathew Barzal to push the Islanders ahead of Philadelphia into second place in the Metropolitan Division — trailing only the rival New York Rangers.
Miro Heiskanen scored two goals, Stars captain Jamie Benn recorded his 500th career assist as Dallas won 6-3 Monday night over the Detroit Red Wings, who were without their injured captain Dylan Larkin and suspended forward David Perron. Jason Robertson, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen each had a goal and an assist as the Stars. Perron was suspended six games without pay by the NHL on Monday for his retaliatory cross-check two days earlier against an Ottawa defenseman. That came in the aftermath of Larkin being knocked unconscious after being en cross-checked. Dallas went ahead to stay on Lindell’s goal in the final second of the first period.
Nathan MacKinnon scored with 4:30 remaining to complete Colorado’s rally from two goals down in the third period, and the Avalanche beat the Calgary Flames 6-5. Trailing 5-3 entering the final period, Ross Colton scored with 8:40 remaining and Mikko Rantanen tied it up with 6:29 left. MacKinnon scored the winner on a breakaway after Rantanen delivered a long pass to Valeri Nichushkin who dished it to MacKinnon in stride. Tomas Tatar scored his first goal in a Colorado sweater, Cale Makar added a power-play goal and Ben Meyers knocked in another. Andrew Mangiapane, Blake Coleman, Connor Zary and Yegor Sharangovich also had goals for the Flames against a mistake-prone Colorado defense.
Red Wings forward David Perron has been suspended for six games by the NHL for cross-checking Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub in the aftermath of a hit on Dylan Larkin that knocked out the Detroit captain. Perron was given a match penalty for intent to injure for cross-checking Zub as he stood next to the prone Larkin in the first period of Saturday’s game. The Red Wings center was motionless on the ice after getting cross-checked in the back of the head and neck by Ottawa’s Mathieu Joseph. Perron will forfeit more than $148,000 in salary during the suspension. Larkin was put on injured reserve.
PGA TOUR
Jon Rahm has officially been suspended by the PGA Tour for joining LIV Golf. That's not a surprise. The defection is good news for the likes of Mackenzie Hughes and Carl Yuan. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is telling players that Rahm's suspension means he is officially removed from the FedEx Cup list. That moves up Hughes one spot to No. 50 and makes him eligible for all the $20 million events next year. It might be even better news for Yuan. He goes up one spot to No. 125. That's the magic number to keep his PGA Tour card.
SOCCER
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will meet in Saudi Arabia after all. Inter Miami confirmed Monday that it will take part in the Riyadh Season Cup, something that was announced by Saudi officials on Nov. 21. Inter Miami said the reports at that time were inaccurate. Inter Miami will play Al-Hilal on Jan. 29 and Al Nassr, which is Ronaldo’s team, on Feb. 1. Those two clubs lead the Saudi Pro League and Ronaldo is that league’s leading scorer.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Iga Swiatek’s second consecutive season-ending No. 1 ranking has helped her collect a second consecutive WTA Player of the Year award. She is the first player since Serena Williams to claim that honor twice in a row. Williams, who retired last year, was the WTA Player of the Year every season from 2012-15, the final four of the seven total times the American claimed that award. Swiatek went 68-11 in 2023 with a tour-leading six titles. Other WTA awards announced Monday included Zheng Qinwen of China as the Most Improved Player of the Year, Mirra Andreeva of Russia as the Newcomer of the Year and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine for the Comeback of the Year.
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
A report prepared by FIFA and the global players' association says players at the Women’s World Cup were 29% more likely to receive online abuse than those at the men’s tournament in 2022. The report says one in five players at the Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in md-year received “targeted discriminatory, abusive or threatening messaging.” FIFA and FIFPRO released data from FIFA's social media protection service. It tries to shield players, teams and officials from online abuse and hate speech. They say almost 50% of “detected and verified” abusive messages were homophobic, sexual and sexist.
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