FIGURE SKATING
An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members has collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. There were multiple fatalities, according to a person familiar with the matter, but the precise number of victims was unclear.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash occurred before 9 p.m. when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on a training flight while on approach to an airport runway. It occurred in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over three miles south of the White House and the Capitol.
Passengers on the flight included a group of figure skaters, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.
In a statement, U.S. Figure Skating said “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,”
There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision late Wednesday. All takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac, just north of the airport. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to say how many bodies had been recovered.
NBA
Keon Johnson led a balanced Brooklyn attack with 18 points, and the Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 104-83 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Jalen Wilson added 15 points and Tosan Evbuomwan had 14 for the Nets, who never trailed. Ben Simmons returned after missing the last five games with an illness and a back injury and had 10 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Nets. Miles Bridges had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who played without four regular starters including LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, Brandon Miller and Josh Green
Two years after he won an NBA title, Nikola Jokic views the surging New York Knicks as a “top-five candidate” to end their 52-year championship drought. The Knicks beat Jokic’s Denver Nuggets 122-112 on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory. At 32-16, they are a game behind reigning champion Boston for second place in the Eastern Conference. After ringing up 143 points in each of their two previous games, their total Wednesday gave the Knicks 408 over their last three games, a franchise record. The Knicks haven’t won the title since 1973 and haven’t reached the conference finals since 2000.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 of his season-high 34 points in the first half, and the Boston Celtics coasted to a 122-100 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The 7-foot-2 Porzingis made a season-best eight 3-point shots in 14 attempts with 11 rebounds over 33 minutes, helping Boston bounce back from a rough home loss to the Rockets on Monday. Jaylen Brown added 28 points, Derrick White had 22 and Jayson Tatum 16 for the recently up-and-down Celtics, who are just 7-6 in their last 13 games. Coby White led Chicago with 16 points in 31 minutes in his first game after missing four straight with an ankle injury. The Bulls have dropped eight of nine.
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Sacramento Kings 117-104 for their fourth straight victory. Maxey had his 12th consecutive game with 25 or more points and added eight assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 15 points, Eric Gordon added 14 and Ricky Council IV 13 for the 76ers, who have rebounded from a seven-game skid. Malik Monk scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half for the Kings. Domantas Sabonis had his second straight triple-double and eighth of the season with 13 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points and the Toronto Raptors beat NBA-worst Washington 106-82 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory and the Wizards’ 15th loss in a row. Jakub Poetl added 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help the Raptors to their first five-game winning streak since April 1, 2022. They have win seven of eight games. Toronto allowed its fewest points of the season and forced a season-high 27 turnovers. Kyle Kuzma had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Washington. The Wizards had their worst scoring and turnover numbers of the season.
Pascal Siakam scored 37 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 30 points and eight assists, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Detroit Pistons 133-119. Siakam and Haliburton combined to hit 25 of 38 shots, including 8 of 16 from 3-point range. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 32 points and nine assists. Indiana scored 40 first-quarter points on 16-of-20 shooting, including 7 of 10 from 3. The Pacers finished 46 of 81 overall (56.8%), 19 of 38 on 3-pointers. Myles Turner had 24 points for Indiana. Malik Beasley had 20 points with six 3-pointers for Detroit.
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points, Ty Jerome added 20 off the bench and the Cleveland Cavaliers never trailed in a 126-106 win over the Miami Heat. It was Mitchell’s 14th 30-point game of the season and his fifth in his last seven outings. Evan Mobley had 22 points and 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which got 13 points from Georges Niang and 12 points and 10 rebounds from Jarrett Allen. Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier each scored 22 points for Miami. Bam Adebayo had 21 points for the Heat, who never led in the game.
Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell had 27 points each and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs 128-116 on Wednesday night. Los Angeles center Ivica Zubac added 21 points and 22 rebounds in an intense battle with San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs. They have lost five of six. Wembanyama and Zubac battled throughout with one exchange nearly leading to a skirmish with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter following a 3-pointer by Harrison Barnes and a Clippers timeout.
Victor Wembanyama has had enough. The San Antonio star charged after Ivica Zubac after the Los Angeles center shoved him to the court during the Clippers’ 128-116 victory over the Spurs on Wednesday night. The frustration with what Wembanyama sees as a lack of calls, and respect, from officials boiled over late in the third quarter — and during his postgame press conference. When asked if he believes he gets a fair whistle from officials, Wembanyama curtly said, “No.” Despite Zubac’s shove, no foul was called. Officials also did not call a technical foul on Wembanyama and, after a brief discussion, did not review the play.
P.J. Washington scored 25 points, making all four of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter, and Kyrie Irving added 25 points and six assists as the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 137-136. Washington had missed all three of his long-range tries until he hit three in the first 4:16 of the final period. Daniel Gafford had 22 points, going 9 of 9 from the field, and added 12 rebounds and five blocks. Klay Thompson had 20 points for Dallas, shooting 6 of 11 from deep. Washington grabbed 14 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. Trey Murphy led New Orleans with 32 points, and Zion Williamson had 29 points in 28 minutes.
Anthony Edwards scored 33 points, Julius Randle added 28 and the Minnesota Timberwolves won their fourth straight game by beating the Phoenix Suns 121-113 on Wednesday night. The Timberwolves trailed for much of the night, but rallied near the end of the third quarter for an 81-77 advantage. Nickeil Alexander-Walker made three 3-pointers early in the fourth to help Minnesota push to a 10-point lead. Alexander-Walker finished with 23 points, making 5 of 10 shots behind the arc. The Timberwolves — who swept the Suns out of the playoffs last season in the first round — shot 56% from the field. Kevin Durant led the Suns with 33 points.
Stephen Curry hit a long 3-pointer with 1:52 left on the way to 21 points, Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 52 points for the Thunder, two off his career high set against the Utah Jazz a week earlier. Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points in the opening 8:10, and 21 of his team’s 34 first-quarter points. He shot 16 for 29 and converted 18 of 21 free throws.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
New Jersey scored four times in the second period and Jake Allen made 24 saves as the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-0 on Wednesday. Ondrej Palat, Luke Hughes, Nathan Bastian and Dawson Mercer scored for New Jersey in a 13-minute span as the Devils won for the third time in four games. Jack Hughes scored early in the third, his 20th goal of the season. The Flyers are 1-3-0 in their last four after a 5-0-1 run.
Jared Spurgeon and Marat Khusnutdinov scored in the first period, Filip Gustavsson stopped 31 shots, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. Marcus Foligno added an empty-netter in the final minute as Minnesota won its second straight to improve to 3-5-0 in their last eight games. William Nylander scored for Toronto, which has lost three straight in regulation. Joseph Woll had 22 saves.
Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots for his second shutout of the season, and the Florida Panthers beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-0. Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett also scored for the Panthers, who entered the game a point back of Toronto for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Bobrovsky got his 46th career shutout. It was the second time in eight days the teams played each other. The Kings beat the Panthers 2-1 in Los Angeles last Wednesday. Darcy Kuemper made 36 saves for the Kings, who have lost three straight and seven of their last 10 games.
Linus Karlsson scored his first NHL goal and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 3-1. Nils Hoglander and Pius Suter also scored, and Quinn Hughes had two assists and for the Canucks, who have won three straight. Thatcher Demko made 31 saves. Tommy Novak scored and Juuse Saros had 19 saves for the Predators, losers of two straight.
Sidney Crosby scored at 3:54 of overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Utah Hockey Club 3-2. Marcus Pettersson and Erik Karlsson scored in regulation as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak. Alex Nedeljkovic made 27 saves. Mikhail Sergachev and Michael Carcone scored for Utah, and Connor Ingram had 25 saves. In the extra period, Crosby got a drop pass from Cody Glass at the bottom of the left circle, skated across the front of the goal and put a backhander over Ingram’s left pad.
The Utah Hockey Club has chosen three finalists for the permanent team name it will adopt beginning with the 2025-26 NHL season. Yeti isn't one of them. The franchise will use a final round of fan voting to decide among the Utah Mammoth, Utah Hockey Club and Utah Wasatch. Fans in attendance the next four home games beginning Wednesday night against Pittsburgh will vote at designated iPad stations at the Delta Center to help decide the name and logo. Team officials backed away from including Yeti as a finalist after being unable to work out a co-existence agreement with Yeti Coolers to use the name in branding and merchandising.
NFL
The Philadelphia Eagles can trace their run to the Super Bowl to an epic collapse last season. The Eagles were 10-1 and flying high as the best team in the NFL in 2023. Then they limped to a 1-5 regular-season finish before they were put of their misery in a wild-card loss to Tampa Bay. Changes were mandated. The Eagles needed to fix everything from the assistants to the game plan to drafting to repairing the loose connective tissue inside the locker room. The pain and lessons learned from last season fueled the Eagles on their way to a 14-win regular season and three more wins in the playoffs.
Baltimore Ravens fans are being urged to donate to a group supported by Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid. He had a pass go through his arms late in last weekend’s playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This effort comes after a Bills fan started a fundraiser for a charitable cause supported by Ravens tight end Mark Andrews. His dropped 2-point conversion helped seal Buffalo’s win over Baltimore in the divisional round. According to a GoFundMe page Wednesday night, over $20,000 had been raised for Summit Educational Resources. The Summit Center provides programs to children and adults with developmental, social and behavioral challenges. Last April, Kincaid visited with students and staff at Summit Academy.
A person familiar with the situation says the New York Jets have agreed to terms with Steve Wilks to be their defensive coordinator. Wilks is the first coordinator hired by new head coach Aaron Glenn. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team didn’t announce the agreement. NFL Network first reported that Wilks and the Jets had agreed to terms. The 55-year-old Wilks was out of the NFL this season and served as a volunteer adviser for Charlotte’s football team. He was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2023, but was fired after the 49ers’ loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.
WNBA
Caitlin Clark is going to wait until Indianapolis hosts the WNBA All-Star weekend to enter her first 3-point contest. Clark's representatives said Wednesday that the Fever star declined an invitation to participate in a special challenge during NBA All-Star weekend next month. There had been discussions for Clark to participate in a contest similar to the one that pitted Stephen Curry against Sabrina Ionescu in a 3-point shootout during last season’s NBA All-Star festivities. The upcoming season's WNBA All-Star weekend is scheduled at the end of July in Indianapolis.
PGA TOUR
More changes could be on the way for the PGA Tour. That might include the use of rangefinders to speed play and even disclosing violations and fines related to pace of play. It's all part of the “Fan Forward” program announced last year. That included a survey of some 50,000 fans to see what they like and what they want to see. Among the key topics are improving the broadcast and speeding play. Also being studied is change to the Tour Championship format. Commissioner Jay Monahan is expected to go into more detail at The Players Championship in March.
NCAA
Most of the objections posted so far to the lawsuit settlement set to alter the college-sports model concerned the impact roster limits will have on players in so-called “Olympic sports,” some of whom have already been cut from their teams. As part of the settlement, the NCAA proposed limits on rosters that would be imposed for schools that choose to adhere to the terms of the deal. While the new roster limits expand the number of scholarships schools can provide, estimates are they could lead to the loss of 10,000 or more spots in “non-revenue," or Olympic sports, across the NCAA.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Ohio State defensive quality control coach Joe Lyberger has been on paid administrative leave for the last month while the university investigates him. Ohio State’s human resources department sent Lyberger a letter on Dec. 27 that noted he would be placed on leave immediately. The investigation is being conducted by the university’s Office of Institutional Equity. The letter was obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press through a public records request. The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch first reported Lyberger’s situation and noted that the Office of Institutional Equity deals with complaints of harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct among other things. The letter didn’t specify the nature of the investigation.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Stanford 70 Syracuse 61
Rhode Island 88 UMass 82
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UMass 71 George Washington University 54
© 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
