The Miami Heat won an NBA battle of Eastern Conference division leaders while dealing the Philadelphia 76ers their first loss of the season. Kendrick Nunn scored 26 points and Bama Adebayo added 23 as the Heat downed the Sixers, 108-104.
Duncan Robinson had 15 points for Miami, including a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to put the Heat ahead by 14. The 76ers had been 14-0 at home, including a 113-86 victory over the Heat last month. Joel Embiid had 22 points and 19 rebounds after missing the Sixers' previous game due to an upper respiratory illness. The outcome drops Philadelphia into a first-place tie with Toronto in the Atlantic Division. Miami is 20-8 and leads the Southeast Division by eight games over Orlando.
Kemba Walker delivered 32 points and Jaylen Brown had 26 as the Celtics defeated the short-handed Mavericks, 109-103. Jayson Tatum added 24 points for Boston, which held Dallas 15 points below its season average. Luka Doncic sat out his second straight game for the Mavericks with a right ankle sprain.
Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap helped fuel a 24-0 run in the third quarter as the Nuggets turned a 69-50 deficit into a 113-104 triumph over the Magic. Murray finished with 33 points, including 13 in the pivotal third quarter. Millsap scored 14 of his 15 points during the third in his return from a strained quadriceps.
Kyle Lowry recorded a triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in leading the Raptors to a 112-99 win over the Pistons. Toronto played without guard Fred VanVleet because of right knee injury and finished without center Marc Gasol due to a strained left hamstring suffered in the first quarter.
The Trail Blazers earned a 122-112 win over the Warriors as Damian Lillard had 31 points and a season-high 13 assists. Hassan Whiteside chipped in 16 points and 23 rebounds for Portland, while teammate CJ McCollum provided 30 points.
Dennis Schroder dropped in 31 points and the Thunder overcame a 24-point deficit to beat the Grizzlies, 126-122. Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 20 points for Oklahoma City, which came back from 26 points down to beat Chicago on Monday.
Wendell Carter Jr. hit a layup with 9.1 seconds left in overtime to complete the Bulls' rally from an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a 110-109 triumph over the Wizards. Lauri Markkanen had 31 points and nine rebounds for Chicago, which closed out regulation on a 21-3 run.
The Pelicans' team-record 13-game losing streak is over after Brandon Ingram scored 34 points in a 107-99 downing of the Timberwolves. Jrue Holiday had 18 points and Lonzo Ball added 10 points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench as New Orleans dealt Minnesota its seventh straight loss.
Cleveland won for just the third time in its last 19 games as Collin Sexton scored 23 points and Cedi Osman had 18 in the Cavaliers' 100-98 victory over the Hornets. The Cavs wasted most of a 24-point lead in the second half and had to withstand Terry Rozier's career-high 35 points for Charlotte, including five 3-pointers in the final period.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In men's college basketball, St. John’s crushed UAlbany 85-57, Syracuse topped Oakland 74-62, New Hampshire beat Marist 64-56, Virginia took down Stony Brook 56-44, UNC Greensboro edged Vermont 54-53, and UConn defeated St. Peter’s 66-56.
Unranked Utah probably can expect to crack the AP top-25 men's basketball poll next week after an impressive victory on a neutral court. The Utes are 9-2 after Timmy Allen scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 69-66 downing of sixth-ranked Kentucky. Allen's floater with 1:14 left gave the Utes a 68-66 lead after the Wildcats used a 27-10 run to erase a 17-point deficit. Tyrese Maxey led the 8-2 Wildcats with 18 points, while Ashton Hagans added 16.
Second-ranked Gonzaga cruised to a 94-81 win against North Carolina as Corey Kispert scored 26 points and Filip Petrusev added 20. Garrison Brooks had a team-high 16 points for the unranked Tar Heels, who have dropped four straight for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Jordan Nwora scored 20 points and third-ranked Louisville pulled away with a 17-0 run to beat Miami of Ohio 70-46. Ryan McMahon added 11 points and Dwayne Sutton tied a career-high with 15 rebounds for the 11-1 Cardinals.
N'Faly Dante played his first college game and contributed 11 points to help eighth-ranked Oregon roll to an 81-48 win over Montana. Francis Okoro posted the second double-double as a Duck by tying a career high with 12 points and grabbing a personal-high 17 rebounds.
Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler scored 19 points each as No. 10 Baylor picked up its eighth straight win, 91-63 against UT-Martin. MaCio Teague had 12 points and Mark Vital added 11 for the 9-1 Bears, who shot 56% from the field.
Cassius Winston scored 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting as 15th-ranked Michigan State downed Northwestern, 77-72. Xavier Tillman had 15 points and 10 rebounds as Michigan State improved to 8-3 overall.
Yanni Wetzell scored 17 points and No. 20 San Diego State stayed unbeaten by knocking off NAIA school San Diego Christian, 92-48. KJ Feagin added 12 points and Malachi Flynn and Jordan Schakel had 10 apiece to help the Aztecs improve to 11-0.
Trevon Scott scored 15 points and Cincinnati ended a two-game skid by downing No. 21 Tennessee, 78-66. Keith Williams added 11 points, including a layup off his own steal during a 9-0 run that put the Bearcats in control at 67-57 with 3:27 left.
NHL
The Colorado Avalanche are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games after rebounding from Monday's 5-2 loss to St. Louis. Ian Cole and Mikko Rantanen each had a goal and an assist as the Avalanche beat the Blackhawks, 4-1 in Chicago. The game was tied 1-1 early in the second period until Nathan MacKinnon and Andre Burakovsky scored 2:19 apart for Colorado. Pavel Francouz made 31 saves for the Avs, who remain three points behind the Blues for the NHL's Central Division lead. The Hawks continue to share the worst record in the Western Conference following their fifth loss in six games.
The Blues were 2-1 winners against the Oilers as Brayden Schenn scored and Jake Allen made 35 saves to help St. Louis win its fourth in a row. Mackenzie MacEachern furnished the eventual game-winner and Allen blanked Edmonton until Chris Neal beat him with 1:50 remaining. Mikko Koskinen stopped 42 shots for the Oilers, who lost for the fifth time in six games.
Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmeiri provided second-period goals and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 26 shots as the Devils knocked off Anaheim, 3-1. Sami Vatanen also scored in helping New Jersey win its second straight under interim coach Alain Nasreddine.
In NHL news, the family of former NHL defenseman Scot Kleinendorst says he died Tuesday of injuries suffered in a workplace accident in northern Minnesota. Kleinendorst suffered severe brain trauma and numerous broken bones at UPM Blandin paper plant in Grand Rapids on Dec. 7. The accident remains under investigation, and authorities have not said how Kleinendorst was injured. Kleinendorst played eight NHL seasons for the Rangers, Whalers and Capitals.
NFL
It looks like Daniel Jones is returning as the Giants' starting quarterback after missing two games with a sprained right ankle. Jones took most of the first-team snaps at practice Wednesday, a major indication the rookie will start Sunday in the penultimate game of the season against the Washington Redskins.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott has a shoulder injury that is limiting him in practice but shouldn't keep him out Sunday when the Cowboys try to qualify for the playoffs at Philadelphia. The Cowboys and Eagles are tied for the NFC East lead at 7-7. Dallas advances to the postseason with a victory, but the Eagles will take the division and make the playoffs by beating the Cowboys and Giants. Prescott didn't throw during the portion of practice that was open to reporters Wednesday. Coach Jason Garrett said Prescott had an MRI and "everything seems to be OK."
The Jaguars have fired Tom Coughlin as executive vice president of football operations, two seasons after the team advanced to the AFC championship game. The 73-year-old Coughlin built the team from the ground up in 1995 and revived it upon his return in 2017. The NFL Players Association says more than 25% of player grievances filed in the last two years have been against the Jaguars.
The Titans have made yet another move at kicker, placing veteran Ryan Succop back on injured reserve and signing Greg Joseph off Carolina's practice squad. The Titans announced the moves a day after waiving Ryan Santoso after he struggled on kickoffs.
Buccaneers Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans and safety Jordan Whitehead will miss the remainder of the season because of hamstring injuries. The Buccaneers placed both players on injured reserve and also announced that receiver Spencer Schnell has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.
Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green won't play this season because his ankle injury isn't fully healed. The Bengals' most accomplished player becomes a free agent after the season and says he's open to a contract extension. But he doesn't want the team to give him a franchise tag and keep him for one more year.
The Bears have placed inside linebacker Danny Trevathan on injured reserve because of a left elbow injury. Trevathan has not played since Nov. 10, when his arm bent awkwardly as he tried to sack Jeff Driskel in a win over Detroit.
Tired of speculation about his future, Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ended any conjecture by saying he wants to stay in Cleveland despite a disappointing first season. Beckham decided to set the record straight after reports surfaced in recent weeks claiming he was unhappy and wanted to go to another team.
The Panthers are preparing to play rookie quarterback Will Grier against the Colts. Interim coach Perry Fewell said Wednesday that Grier is taking reps with the first team at practice this week. Fewell added he'll make a decision on his starter after Thursday's practice.
In other football news, Herman Boone, the Virginia high school football coach who inspired the movie "Remember the Titans," has died. He was 84. Aly Khan Johnson, an assistant coach for Boone beginning in 1972, said the coach died Wednesday at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. Boone guided T.C. Williams High School to a state championship while navigating the early days of desegregation. In the movie, he was portrayed by Denzel Washington.
MLB
The New York Yankees have introduced the new ace of their pitching staff. The Yanks and Gerrit Cole have finalized the record nine-year, $324 million contract they agreed to during the winter meetings last week. His deal is the largest for a pitcher in both its total and its average annual value of $36 million. Cole was 20-5 with an AL-leading 2.50 ERA and a major league-leading 326 strikeouts for Houston last season.
The Red Sox will pay a team-record $13.4 million luxury tax after failing to make the playoffs, according to figures sent to clubs and obtained by The Associated Press. The Yankees and Cubs are the only other teams on the hook for a luxury tax. New York finished with a $6.7 million bill and Chicago will shell out $7.6 million.
Free agent outfielder Avisaíl García has finalized a two-year, $20 million contract with the Brewers a deal that includes a 2022 club option and could be worth $30 million over three years. García batted .282 with a career-high 20 home runs and 72 RBIs for the Tampa Bay Rays last season.
Three-time All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp has agreed to terms on a minor league contract with the Marlins and is expected to take part in spring training. The 35-year-old Kemp hit .200 in 20 games for the Reds last season before spending time in the Mets organization.
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