NFL
Derrick Henry helped the Tennessee Titans improve their chances for an AFC wild-card berth in a convincing 30-9 win over Jacksonville.
Henry tied an NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown run, matching Tony Dorsett's run for Dallas against Minnesota in 1983. He set a franchise record with 238 yards on just 17 carries, topping the previous mark of 228 yards set by Chris Johnson in 2009.
Henry matched another Titans franchise record with four touchdowns to help Tennessee move to 7-6.
The Titans outgained the Jaguars 426-255, and they also had four sacks.
Redskins want privacy for injured QB:
The Washington Redskins are asking for privacy for Alex Smith and his family amid reports he is dealing with complications from surgery to repair a broken leg.
A team spokesman declined to say whether the 34-year-old quarterback is still in the hospital, more than two weeks after surgery to repair a broken right tibia and fibula.
NFL Network and Washington's FM-106.7 are reporting that Smith is still battling infection in his right leg and being tended to by doctors.
In Sunday’s NFL Action:
The New York Jets take on the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m.
The Washington Redskins host The New York Giants at 1 p.m.
The New England Patriots go against the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m.
In other NFL news:
Reuben Foster's ex-girlfriend tells ABC's "Good Morning America" that he slapped her and pushed her during an incident in Tampa, Florida, that led to his arrest for domestic violence. Elissa Ennis says in the interview that Foster abused her three times, most recently last month in Tampa. Foster was charged with one count of first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence. The 49ers released Foster after the incident, and the Redskins claimed the second-year linebacker off waivers, even though he is not allowed to play or practice.
The Giants have placed safety and leading tackler Landon Collins on injured reserve with a shoulder injury suffered in last Sunday's win over the Bears.
Fired coach Mike McCarthy was welcomed back to bid farewell to the Packers players. McCarthy was in his 13th season when he was fired after Sunday's home loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
It's a big night for several college football players as a host of annual individual awards are handed out in Atlanta.
AP player of the year Kyler Murray of Oklahoma has received the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback, and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Murray beat out Tagovailoa and Washington State's Gardner Minshew II to become the second straight Sooners QB to win the honor.
However, Tagovailoa was the recipient of the Maxwell Award as the outstanding collegiate player
Alabama's Jerry Jeudy wins the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wide receiver
The John Mackey Award for the outstanding tight end has gone to Purdue's Tim Stratton.
Devin White of LSU has won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.
Kentucky's Josh Allen is the Bronko Nagurski Award winner as the NCAA's finest defensive player.
Georgia's Deandre Baker has claimed the Jim Thorpe Trophy for the nation's best defensive back.
Andre Szmyt of Syracuse came away with the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award.
Terps introduce Locksley:
The University of Maryland has introduced Mike Locksley as its new head football coach.
The Washington native who spent two stints as a Maryland football assistant and also served as the Terrapins' interim leader for six games in 2015. The Alabama offensive coordinator will remain with the Crimson Tide through the College Football Playoff.
Locksley takes over a program that went 5-7 under interim coach Matt Canada following the June 13 death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair.
NBA
The Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to four games and avenged a recent loss to the lowly New York Knicks.
Kyrie Irving scored 22 points and Al Horford had a double-double in the Celtics' fourth consecutive victory, a 128-100 romp over the Knicks. Irving shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range and had a team-high eight rebounds before leaving the game with an apparent shoulder injury with under four minutes remaining.
The Boston guard had his shoulder wrapped in ice as he walked off the court at the end of the game.
Horford had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who absorbed a 117-109 loss to the Knicks at Boston on Nov. 21.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 for New York, which has lost four of its last five games.
Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:
Derrick Favors had 24 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as the Jazz blasted the Rockets, 118-91. Joe Ingles added 18 points and six rebounds for Utah, which was without Rudy Gobert following his ejection for swatting a paper cup at the scorer's table less than three minutes into the game.
The Trail Blazers' three-game winning streak is over after Damian Lillard contributed 25 points and eight assists before sitting out the final period of a 108-86 rout of the Suns. Jake Layman came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points for the Blazers.
Friday on the Court:
The 76ers take on Detroit at 7 p.m.
The Brooklyn Nets host Toronto at 7:30 p.m.
In other NBA news:
Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson has been fined $15,000 for making an "inappropriate gesture" to a spectator. Thompson's action came at the end of the Cavaliers' 99-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday at the Barclays Center. Thompson finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Lakers guard Brandon Ingram is missing the team's upcoming two-game road trip due to a sprained left ankle suffered in Wednesday's win over the Spurs. Ingram is the Lakers' starting shooting guard and their third-leading scorer with 15.2 points per game.
MLB
The Cleveland Indians have negotiated a new contract with one of their top starting pitchers.
The Indians have given Carlos Carrasco a four-year, $47 million extension through the 2022 season. The package includes $37.25 million in new guaranteed money and could keep him in a Cleveland uniform through the 2023 season.
The 31-year-old Carrasco went 17-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 30 starts last season, finishing with a career-high 231 strikeouts as the Indians became the first team to have four pitchers reach 200 strikeouts in the same season.
Cleveland is still toying with trading either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer to address their outfield needs.
In other MLB news:
Nathan Eovaldi is staying with the Red Sox after agreeing to a $68 million, four-year contract. Eovaldi was acquired by Boston from Tampa Bay on July 25 and went 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA for the Red Sox. He was outstanding in the postseason, going 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA in six appearances, including two starts.
The Phillies have acquired left-handed pitcher Jose Alvarez from the Angels for right-hander Luis Garcia. Alvarez was 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA and one save in 76 appearances in 2018, striking out 59 in 63 innings. The 29-year-old Alvarez is 12-18 with a 3.69 ERA over six seasons with the Tigers and Angels. Garcia went 3-1 with a 6.07 ERA in 59 games last season after posting a career-best 2.65 ERA in 71 1/3 innings in 2017.
The Twins and second baseman Jonathan Schoop are working toward an agreement on a one-year, $7.5 million contract. Schoop became a free agent last week when Milwaukee failed to offer a 2019 contract. He batted .233 with 21 home runs last season, one year after belting 32 home runs and batting .293 in his lone All-Star campaign.
Cubs closer Brandon Morrow likely will miss the start of the season following arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last month. Signed to a $21 million, two-year contract last December, Morrow led the Cubs with 22 saves and had a 1.47 ERA in 35 games. He did not pitch after July 15 because of a bone bruise in his right elbow.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
No. 18 Iowa ended a two-game skid by knocking off a state rival.
Tyler Cook delivered 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Hawkeyes whip Iowa State, 98-84. Isaiah Moss added 20 points for the 7-2 Hawkeyes, who shot 57.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Cyclones 44-24.
Iowa took control with a 16-2 run late in the first half, and the Hawkeyes pushed their lead to 63-47 on Baer's 3-pointer early in the second half.
The other top-25 matchup of the night had No. 23 Maryland absorbing a 62-60 loss at Purdue. Carsen Edwards scored 20 points and Aaron Wheeler had a season-high 15 as the Boilermakers avoided their first 0-2 start in Big Ten play since 2013-14. Anthony Cowan Jr. finished with 18 points and six assists for the Terrapins, who led 34-30 before shooting under 29 percent the rest of the way.
A 10:
UMass faces off against Providence at 7 p.m.
MAAC:
Oakland edged Fairfield 87-86
Kansas hopeful Azubuike to return Jan. 2:
Kansas coach Bill Self is hopeful that injured center Udoka Azubuike will be back on the floor by the time the second-ranked Jayhawks open Big 12 play against Oklahoma on Jan. 2.
The 7-footer sustained a severe high ankle sprain when he landed awkwardly on a Wofford player early in the Jayhawks' 72-47 rout on Tuesday night.
Azubuike is averaging 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds this season.
In other men’s college basketball news:
New Mexico coach Paul Weir is apologizing for the actions of some of his players before the start of Tuesday's game against rival New Mexico State. Weir says he was embarrassed and described the behavior as unsportsmanlike without offering any details. Witnesses reported shoving and punches thrown between the teams.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
A 10:
UMass takes on Incarnate Word at 7 p.m.
Siena goes against St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m.
American:
Temple defeated Iona 59-39
NHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning have doubled their lead in the NHL's Atlantic Division and improved to a league-best 22-7-1 by downing a division rival.
Louis Domingue turned back 33 shots and the Lightning scored twice early in the third period to knock off the Bruins, 3-2 in Tampa. The game was tied 1-1 until Mathieu Joseph and Anthony Cirelli scored 1:23 apart.
Brayden Point scored his 21st goal as the Lightning won their fifth in a row and moved four points ahead of Toronto for the Atlantic lead.
The Maple Leafs ended their five-game winning streak by falling to Detroit. The Red Wings blew a 4-1 lead in the third period before Dylan Larkin scored 2:48 into overtime to give Detroit a 5-4 win at Toronto. Gustav Nyquist provided a goal and two assists as the Wings won for just the third time in eight games.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Andre Burakovsky scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period and Pheonix Copley stopped 27 shots as the Capitals doubled up the Coyotes, 4-2. Jakub Vrana scored his third goal in two games and Matt Niskanen had one on his birthday to help Washington end Arizona's four-game winning streak.
Rookie sensation Elias Pettersson scored on his first NHL penalty shot and the Canucks halted a four-game skid with a 5-3 decision over the Predators. Petterson leads all first-year players with 14 goals and 24 points after helping Vancouver win for just the second time in 14 games.
Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Tuch scored 12 seconds apart in the third period to send the surging Golden Knights past the sputtering Blackhawks, 4-3. Reilly Smith and Deryk Engelland also scored for Vegas, which blew a 2-0 lead before winning for the seventh time in eight games.
Carl Soderberg scored twice, including a short-handed tally in Colorado's 5-2 victory at Florida. The game was tied 2-2 until J.T. Compher scored 6:21 into the third period.
The Flames were 2-0 winners against Minnesota behind Mike Smith's 31-save effort. Elias Lindholm scored twice to back Smith's second shutout of the season and 38th of his career.
The Blue Jackets earned a 4-3 win at Philadelphia on Seth Jones' second goal of the game, beating Anthony Stolarz 10 seconds into overtime. Cam Atkinson set up the winning goal to stretch his point streak to 12 games and help Columbus stop a two-game skid.
Phil Kessel scored twice and had two assists in the Penguins' 6-2 blowout win over the Islanders. Kris Letang also had a two-goal game, and Sidney Crosby added a goal and two assists as Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in six games since a 2-7-2 slump.
Kyle Palmieri scored twice and Travis Zajac had a goal and an assist in the Devils' 6-3 victory at Los Angeles. Taylor Hall set up three goals and Keith Kincaid handled 29 shots as New Jersey won for just the third time in 14 road contests.
Paul Byron scored twice, including a second-period tally that put the Canadiens ahead to stay in a 5-2 win at Ottawa. Montreal closed out its second straight victory by scoring twice while outshooting the Senators, 19-3 in the third period.
Saturday on the Ice:
The Buffalo Sabres host the Philadelphia Flyers at 1 p.m.
The Boston Bruins take on Toronto at 7 p.m.
The New York Islanders face off against Detroit at 7 p.m.
The New York Rangers go against Florida at 7 p.m.
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