NBA
Karl-Anthony Towns returned from a one-game absence with 24 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson had 20 points and 11 assists and the New York Knicks held on to beat the Toronto Raptors 113-108 for their fifth win in six games. Towns broke a tie by scoring a layup with 36 seconds left in the game, then sealed the win by making a 3-pointer on New York’s next possession. Raptors forward Scottie Barnes left midway through the third quarter because of a sprained right ankle.
NHL
Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist, Arvid Soderblom stopped 29 shots and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the New York Rangers 2-1. Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for the Blackhawks, who were 0-5-1 in their previous six road games. Will Cuylle scored a short-handed goal and Igor Shesterkin finished with 30 saves as the Rangers lost for the eighth time in 10 games.
Andrew Copp scored twice as the Detroit Red Wings snapped a five game skid by rallying to beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-5 in a shootout. Defenseman Moritz Seider, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond also scored in regulation. Dylan Larkin scored the decider in the shootout. Jason Zucker had two goals and an assist for the Sabres, who are winless in seven straight games (0-5-2). James Reimer made 26 saves in his first start since Nov. 30. Zach Benson, Tage Thompson and Nicolas Aube-Kubel scored for the Sabres.
Patrik Laine scored in regulation and added the winner in the shootout as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Kirby Dach scored his first goal in 20 games as the Canadiens won for the third time in four games. Nick Suzuki extended his point streak to seven games. Sam Montembeault made 27 saves for the Canadiens. Troy Terry scored his team-leading seventh and eighth goals of the season for the Ducks. Lukas Dostal made 19 saves as Anaheim lost its third straight game of a four-game trip.
NFL
Joe Burrow threw a tiebreaking 40-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase after Dallas botched a blocked punt to give the ball back to Cincinnati in the final two minutes, and the Bengals beat the Cowboys 27-20. The Cowboys were about to get the ball back with the score tied on the first play after the two-minute warning when Nick Vigil blocked a punt by Ryan Rehkow. Amani Oruwariye tried to field the bouncing ball when leaving it alone would have given Dallas possession. Oruwariye couldn’t hold on, and the Bengals' Maema Njongmeta recovered. Three plays later, Burrow threw to Chase for the lead with 1:01 to go.
Micah Parsons rocked back and forth on the bench in agony after Cincinnati’s winning touchdown that followed a botched blocked punt from his Dallas Cowboys. The star pass rusher couldn’t bear to watch the end, so he left the field before the clock hit zeros in the Bengals’ 27-20 victory. Joe Burrow’s tiebreaking 40-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase with 1:01 remaining was possible only because the Cowboys touched a blocked punt that would have put them in position for the victory in the final two minutes. Amani Oruwariye tried to field the bouncing ball on Nick Vigil's block when leaving it alone would have given Dallas possession.
MLB
Dave Parker and Dick Allen have been elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame by the classic era committee. Parker received 14 of 16 votes and Allen got 13. A vote of 75% or more was needed for election. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on Jan. 21.
Juan Soto’s record $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets, the largest and longest deal in baseball history, has reverberated across the winter meetings. It stung the Yankees, who offered $760 million over 16 years to the All-Star outfielder. Soto’s deal sparked even greater expectations in a free agent market that includes pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, first basemen Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielder Anthony Santander. Many small-market teams have long sought a salary cap but the consensus since the 1994-95 strike has been not to propose a hard limit.
Shohei Ohtani is expected to be ready to hit when the reigning World Series champions open their season in Japan against the Chicago Cubs in March but is doubtful to pitch. Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that it's very unlikely that the two-way star will be on the mound pitching for the Dodgers in his home country. Ohtani had surgery last month on his left, non-throwing shoulder after getting hurt on a stolen base attempt during the World Series. He didn’t pitch at all during the first season of his $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers while recovering from the elbow surgery in September 2023.
If Juan Soto replicates his 2024 performance throughout his $765 million, 15-year deal with the Mets, he'll make roughly $1.2 million for every home run he hits. He's hardly the only superstar athlete earning outrageous sums for each of his accomplishments. Some NFL quarterbacks make more than $3 million per game. Stephen Curry could make roughly $161,000 per 3-pointer. This past regular season, Lionel Messi earned $229 for every second he was on the field with Inter Miami.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The committee that chose the 12 contenders for college football’s national title was only worried about ranking the teams. Where those teams landed in the bracket was based on a formula created by conference commissioners. That jumbled up the pairings and made a strong case for tinkering in the future. Some possible tweaks, like reseeding after the first round or not giving conference champions automatic byes, would have resulted in a vastly different tournament this
Former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick says he had “a couple of good conversations” with North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts amid his discussions about the Tar Heels’ head-coaching job. Belichick appeared on ESPN's “The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday. He said he had spent the 11 months since his departure from the Patriots taking a “longer look” at the college level. He said he had learned a lot and had “a couple of good conversations" with Roberts. UNC fired the program's all-time winningest coach in Mack Brown last month.
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward have been announced as the Heisman Trophy finalists. The Heisman has been given to the nation’s most outstanding college football player since 1935. This year’s winner will be announced Saturday in New York. The top four top vote-getters determined by more than 900 voters are selected as finalists. The voting panel includes members of the media and former Heisman winners.
Tennessee is the new No. 1 in men's college basketball after a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25. The Vols are No. 1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Auburn remained No. 2 and No. 3 Iowa State has its highest ranking since 1956-57. Kentucky rounds out the top five. Tennessee is off to its best start since opening the 2000-01 season 9-0.
Quarterback Carson Beck’s status for No. 2 Georgia’s Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal is uncertain after he suffered an elbow injury in Saturday’s Southeastern Conference championship game win over Texas. Georgia announced Monday there is no timetable on Beck’s return as he and his family explore treatment options. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Sunday the team was awaiting results of tests. The school did not announce details of the injury. Punter Brett Thorson will need season-ending surgery after injuring his non-kicking leg. Backup Gunner Stockton likely would start in the Sugar Bowl if Beck is unable to play.
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