NBA
The Detroit Pistons have made NBA history, becoming the league’s first team to lose 27 straight games in a season in falling 118-112 to the Brooklyn Nets last night. The Nets beat the Pistons on Saturday in Brooklyn, handing them their 26th consecutive defeat to match the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers for the most losses in a row within one season. Next up is the overall record of 28 straight losses, set by the Philadelphia 76ers from late in the 2014-15 season through early 2015-16. Detroit's next game is Thursday night against Boston on the road.
Franz Wagner had 28 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, rookie Anthony Black scored a career-high 23 points and the Orlando Magic defeated the Washington Wizards 127-119. Paolo Banchero overcame a slow start to finish with 24 points and eight assists and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence due to a left wrist injury to score 11. Jordan Poole had 30 points to lead the Wizards, who have lost four of their last five, and Tyus Jones added 22.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, Jalen Williams added 21 and the Oklahoma City Thunder made 18 shots from 3-point range in a 129-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort each added 20 points for the Thunder, who went 18 for 39 on 3s and forced 24 Minnesota turnovers that led to 23 points. Dort was 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City shot 60.5% from the field and led by as many as 25 in the second half of its sixth victory in eight games. Anthony Edwards had 25 points to pace Minnesota. Mike Conley added 17 and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16.
Tyrese Haliburton had 33 points and 10 assists and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with a minute left to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 123-117 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. Indiana snapped a three-game losing streak, winning on the road for the first time since Dec. 7. Haliburton went 13 of 21 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3. Alperen Sengun led Houston with 30 points and 16 rebounds and Fred VanVleet finished with 18 points and nine assists.
Lauri Markkanen had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz overcame a slow start to beat the San Antonio Spurs 130-118. Jordan Clarkson added 24 points, Collin Sexton had 20 and Walker Kessler scored 11 for Utah. Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 26 points, Devin Vassell had 22, Jeremy Sochan added 19 and Victor Wembanyama had 15. The Spurs have lost five straight since snapping a franchise-worst 18-game losing streak.
Andre Drummond had season highs of 24 points and 25 rebounds in his first start of the season, DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points and the Chicago Bulls cooled off Atlanta’s Trae Young somewhat in beating the Hawks 118-113 on Tuesday night. Young finished with 21 points and 13 assists after tying Oscar Robertson’s record of seven consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 assists. The Bulls won for the ninth time in 13 games with Zach LaVine sidelined because of inflammation in his right foot. And they did it this time with center Nikola Vucevic out because of bruised muscles around his left hip and groin.
Ja Morant scored 31 points and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 116-115 in overtime to improve to 4-0 since Morant made his season debut in New Orleans a week earlier. Desmond Bane scored 27, including a 3 in the final minute of regulation that helped Memphis erase a 15-point, second-half deficit. Bane also made what turned out to be a clinching free throw to give the Grizzlies a 4-point lead with 4 seconds left in overtime. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 19 points. Zion Williamson had 23 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans.
Anfernee Simons scored 29 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 130-113 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Duop Reath added a career-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench for the Blazers, who were without starting center Deandre Ayton (right knee tendinitis) and shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe (right adductor strain). Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points, while Scoot Henderson and Jabari Walker each had 17 off the bench. Henderson added 11 assists and had only one turnover in one of his strongest games of his pro career.
James Harden scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied for a 113-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Paul George scored 25 points and Ivica Zubac added 18 points with 14 rebounds as the Clippers won for the first time in three games since Kawhi Leonard was sidelined with a left hip contusion. Miles Bridges scored 21 points with 11 rebounds, while Terry Rozier and P.J. Washington added 18 each for the Hornets, who have lost eight in row. Charlotte is 1-10 in December, all without the injured LaMelo Ball, who has not played since Nov. 26.
NFL
The Chiefs lost again. The Eagles struggled against the lowly Giants. The 49ers were embarrassed at home. Christmas Day was rough on Super Bowl contenders except for the Ravens. Lamar Jackson boosted his MVP chances and Baltimore made a major statement with a convincing 33-19 victory over San Francisco in a prime-time matchup that featured the NFL’s two No. 1 seeds. Monday’s results along with the rest of Week 16 left more questions open across the NFL. There’s two weeks remaining to answer those before the playoffs.
Sports betting has spread rapidly across U.S. states in the past five years. But the odds for further expansion may be fading as state legislatures prepare to return to work in 2024. A 2018 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court opened the way for states to legalize sports betting. Since then, a total of 38 have done so. But proposals in some other states have become bogged down by political resistance and competing financial interests from casinos, tribal gaming groups, horse tracks and other gambling operations. California and Texas — the two most populous states — are among the dozen where sports betting still is illegal.
The Houston Texans have claimed hard-hitting but oft-suspended safety Kareem Jackson off waivers from the Denver Broncos. Jackson began his 14-year career with the Texans as the 20th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Alabama. After nine seasons with Houston, he moved to safety when he joined the Broncos in 2019. This year, he's repeatedly run afoul of the league's safety rules with several illegal hits. Those have cost him nearly $1 million in salary and fines. He met with Commissioner Roger Goodell last month to see what he could do to avoid future fines.
Mason Rudolph’s dynamic play against Cincinnati helped keep the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season alive. The longtime backup quarterback could get a chance to do it again when the Steelers visit Seattle on New Year’s Eve. Coach Mike Tomlin says Rudolph will “have the ball” to begin the week and will get the nod against the Seahawks if starter Kenny Pickett’s surgically repaired right ankle is not ready in time. Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two long touchdowns to George Pickens in a win over the Bengals that moved Pittsburgh to 8-7 and kept its faint playoff hopes afloat.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
JuJu Watkins is poised to step in as the next big star of women's college basketball. The Southern California freshman guard is the nation's second-leading scorer at 26.8 points per game, just behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark with 30.5. Watkins broke Lisa Leslie's school record for most 30-point games by a freshman with five. She's led the Trojans to a No. 6 ranking and a 10-0 start. Watkins was already a prep sensation when she chose USC as the nation's top recruit in the class of 2023. Her outstanding play is attracting celebrities and men, women and children of all ages and races who want a moment with her after games.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Rome Odunze will leave Washington in the discussion as the best wide receiver ever to wear the purple and the gold. He’s made all the big catches asked of him, had one very important and memorable run, played the middle portion of the year with a broken rib and finished the year as a first-team All-American on seemingly every list. All that’s left for is the big stage of the College Football Playoff, where Odunze and the No. 2 Huskies will face No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. On their way to the first 13-0 season in school history, the last Pac-12 championship in the current form of the conference and a spot in the playoff, Odunze became a star.
Jason Bean threw for 449 yards and all six of his touchdown passes to two receivers, and penalty-plagued Kansas outlasted UNLV 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The Jayhawks were flagged 18 times for 210 yards, including four personal fouls. They made up for it with an explosive offense that produced 591 total yards at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Luke Grimm had four catches for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Lawrence Arnold added six catches for 132 yards and three more scores. UNLV's Jayden Maiava threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.
SOCCER
Old Trafford witnessed the best and worst of Erik ten Hag’s team in the space of 90 minutes and in front of soon-to-be director Dave Brailsford. It is two days since confirmation that British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe will buy a stake of up to 25% in the club. But a new era did not start well as United trailed by two goals inside 26 minutes against Aston Villa and was booed by the home crowd. Ten Hag’s players then produced a spectacular comeback to win 3-2 and spark celebrations rarely seen at its famed stadium during a troubled season so far. Liverpool is back on top of the league and Darwin Nunez is again among the goals after a 2-0 win against Burnley.
PGA TOUR
The PGA Tour has its own version of D-Day. It was on June 6 that it announced a proposed partnership with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. No one was sure what that meant six months ago and no one is sure where it will lead. But golf marched on. There were two new major champions, rising stars and plenty of memories along the way. Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele got a new appreciation for Olympic stardom. Justin Thomas ended the year with a nice gesture to his caddie. All are part of this year's tales from the tour.
© 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
