NFL-NEWS
Today’s Thanksgiving Day Matchups:
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions 12:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Chargers at Dallas Cowboys 4:30 p.m.
New York Giants at Washington Redskins 8:30 p.m.
Quarterback Paxton Lynch is getting another chance to start for the Denver Broncos Sunday against the Raiders. The former first-round pick failed to win the job outright under two different coaching staffs but takes over again because of the Broncos' six-game losing streak, their longest in 27 years. The quarterback change comes after offensive coordinator Mike McCoy was let go and replaced by Bill Musgrave.
In other NFL news:
— The 49ers are planning to give rookie C.J. Beathard his fifth consecutive start Sunday against the Seahawks, That means Jimmy Garoppolo will likely be the backup for at least another week after being acquired in a trade with the Patriots at the Oct. 31 deadline.
— Wide receiver Josh Gordon practiced Wednesday with the Browns for the first time since the 2016 preseason. Gordon was conditionally reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this month after being suspended numerous times for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
— Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler remains in the concussion protocol but hasn't yet been ruled out of Sunday's game at New England. Matt Moore would make his second start of the season for the 4-6 Dolphins if Cutler doesn't play.
— Bills coach Sean McDermott says Tyrod Taylor will start at quarterback in Kansas City on Sunday, a week after his decision to start rookie Nathan Peterman backfired. Peterman threw five interceptions in a 54-24 loss at the Chargers last Sunday.
— The Texans have placed rookie running back D'Onta Foreman on injured reserve and claimed veteran Andre Ellington off waivers from Arizona. Foreman ruptured his left Achilles tendon Sunday against the Cardinals.
— Jets running back Matt Forte remains sidelined with an ailing knee and is uncertain to play Sunday against the Panthers.
— Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sat out practice Wednesday with what the team says is an Achilles tendon injury.
— The Chiefs have signed seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis though it is unclear when he'll be ready to play.
— The Lions have added 37-year-old defensive end Dwight Freeney off waivers from Seattle.
NBA-SCHEDULE
The Boston Celtics made a habit out of erasing double-digit deficits during their 16-game winning streak, doing it five times when trailing by at least 13. They couldn't do it Wednesday, ending the fourth-longest win streak in team history.
Dion Waiters poured in 26 points and nailed a pair of big 3-pointers in the final minutes as the Heat hung on to beat the Celts 104-98 at Miami. Waiters supplied the big buckets after the Heat saw an 18-point lead shrink to one with 3:14 remaining.
Goran Dragic had a game-high 27 points for Miami.
Checking out the other NBA finals:
— Russell Westbrook came within one assist of a triple-double as he delivered a season-high 34 points and 10 boards in the Thunder's 108-91 win over the Warriors. Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points and Paul George added 20 to help Oklahoma City beat Golden State for the first time since Kevin Durant left the Thunder for the Warriors.
— The Cavaliers picked up their sixth straight win as LeBron James scored 23 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter of a 119-109 downing of the Nets. James provided 18 straight Cleveland points in the final period after needing stitches in the third quarter to close a gash above his lip.
— Joel Embiid had 28 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in the 76ers' 101-81 rout of the Trail Blazers. Philadelphia jumped out to a 16-0 lead as Portland missed its first 13 shots over the opening seven minutes.
— Dwight Howard's 26 points and 13 rebounds helped the Hornets win a shootout with the Wizards 129-124 in overtime. Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb each had 24 points for Charlotte, which overcame a nine-point, fourth quarter deficit.
— Jimmy Butler tied a season high with 26 points and the Timberwolves ended a two-game skid by topping the Magic 124-118. Taj Gibson scored a season-high 24 points for Minnesota, which also got 22 points and 11 assists from Jeff Teague.
— Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 12 of his career-high 38 points while the Knicks were reeling off a 28-0 run in a 108-100 comeback over the Raptors. Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who outscored the Raptors 41-10 in the third period and ended Toronto's four-game winning streak.
— The Clippers' nine-game losing streak is over after Blake Griffin contributed 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 116-103 triumph over the Hawks. Wesley Johnson scored a season-high 24 points in helping Los Angeles win for just the sixth time in 17 games.
— Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins each had double-doubles for the Pelicans in a 107-90 rout of the Spurs. Davis had 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Cousins chipped in 24 points and 15 boards to send New Orleans to its second straight win.
— Trevor Ariza's season-high 25 points was among the Rockets' highlights in a 125-95 drubbing of the Nuggets. Chris Paul had 23 points and 12 assists, and James Harden added 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in Houston's ninth win in 10 games.
— Derrick Favors scored 23 points and Rodney Hood came off the bench to add 19 as the Jazz hammered the Bulls 110-80. Alec Burks chipped in 15 points against the 3-13 Bulls, who are 0-3 on their Western road swing.
— Eric Bledsoe hit for 30 points in his return to Phoenix and Khris Middleton scored a game-high 40 as the Bucks edged the Suns 113-107 in overtime. Suns fans greeted Bledsoe with a mixed reaction as he was introduced in the starting lineup, but he was booed when he touched the ball.
— The Mavericks celebrated a 95-94 win over the Grizzlies after Harrison Barnes banked in a 30-footer at the buzzer. Barnes scored nine of his 22 points in the final period for Dallas, which trailed by 18 before handing Memphis its sixth straight loss.
— The Kings received 22 points, seven boards and seven assists from Zach Randolph in a 113-102 win against the Lakers. De'Aaron Fox had 13 in his first NBA matchup against Lonzo Ball, who had 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for Los Angeles.
NBA-NEWS
The Nuggets say they're exploring options to repair All-Star Paul Millsap's torn ligament in his left wrist amid concerns he'll need surgery that will sideline him until late February.
Millsap got injured in the second quarter of Sunday's 127-109 loss to the Lakers on Sunday. He's averaging 16 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his first season in Denver after signing a three-year, $90 million free agent deal last summer.
In other NBA news:
— Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is expected to miss the rest of the season after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The 29-year-old Beverley appeared in 11 games for the Clippers, averaging 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.73 steals and 30.3 minutes.
T25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Local College Basketball:
UAlbany beat Dartmouth 91 to 73.
UMass Lowell defeated LIU Brooklyn 74 to 66.
Boston University beat Maine 78 to 69.
UBuffalo lost to South Dakota State 94 to 80.
Syracuse topped Toledo 72 to 64.
Women’s:
UMass Lowell lost to Texas Tech 93 to 65.
UAlbany defeated Wagner 89 to 44.
Cornell beat Canisius 67 to 59.
Notre Dame remains unbeaten in men's college basketball after storming back from a 16-point deficit in the Maui Invitational title game.
Martinas Geben hit two free throws with 2.3 seconds left to send the Irish to a 67-66 win over No. 6 Wichita State.
Bonzie Colson finished with 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and hit a jumper after the Shockers took a 64-61 lead with 1:24 to play.
Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Villanova won its opening-round game at the Battle 4 Atlantis, but second-ranked Arizona and No. 18 Purdue weren't as fortunate.
Jalen Brunson scored 18 points and the Wildcats led by as many as 18 before settling for a 66-58 win over Western Kentucky. Villanova went on a 13-2 run and shot 63 percent in the second half after hitting just 33 percent of its shots while taking a 27-24 halftime lead.
North Carolina State pulled off a stunner as Allerik Freeman scored 24 points and freshman Braxton Beverly added a season-high 20 to lead a 90-84 win over Arizona. Beverly delivered the go-ahead, 3-pointer with 4:19 left while scoring nine points during a 13-1 spurt that put the Wolfpack up 86-76.
Grant Williams scored all 22 of his points after halftime and hit the go-ahead shot with 14.5 seconds left in overtime to lift Tennessee past Purdue 78-75 in overtime. Carsen Edwards scored 21 points to lead the 4-1 Boilermakers.
Also in Wednesday's top-25 action:
— Nick Richards had career highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds as No. 8 Kentucky whipped Fort Wayne 86-67.
— Jonah Mathews hit four of Southern California's 12 3-pointers and finished with 18 points as part of the 10th-ranked Trojans' 88-63 romp over Lehigh.
— Dewan Huell scored 16 points and No. 11 Miami did just enough to get by La Salle 57-46 and improve to 4-0.
— Gary Clark scored 17 points and Kyle Washington had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead 12th-rated Cincinnati to victory in the inaugural Cayman Islands Classic title game, 78-53 over Wyoming.
COLLEGE CORRUPTION-LOUISVILLE
Louisville has announced that freshman forward Brian Bowen will not play for the school and that the Cardinals have parted ways with men's basketball assistant coach Kenny Johnson.
Bowen had been held out of practice and games since the school announced in September that it was being investigated in a federal corruption probe of bribery in college basketball.
Johnson had been on paid administrative leave while the allegations were investigated.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Brock Boesser and the Vancouver Canucks are going to miss Pennsylvania.
Boesser scored twice for the second straight night and the Canucks followed Tuesday's win over the Flyers with a 5-2 triumph at Pittsburgh. Former Penguins Derrick Pouliot and Brandon Sutter also scored for Vancouver, while teammate Loui Eriksson notched a goal in his 800th NHL game.
Anders Nilsson stopped 42 shots for the Canucks, who are just 3-5-3 at home but 8-3-0 on the road.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Brayden Point scored a power-play goal 3:25 into overtime to complete the Lightning's comeback in a 3-2 verdict over the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane had two goals in the first 16 minutes to put Chicago ahead 2-0, but Ryan Callahan set up goals by Ondrej Palat and Chris Kunitz to help Tampa Bay knot the score.
— The Islanders won for the fourth time in six games as Josh Bailey capped his three-point night with an overtime goal in a 4-3 decision over the Flyers. Bailey also set up goals by Matthew Barzal and Johnny Boycuk as New York dealt Philadelphia its sixth straight loss.
— Josh Anderson scored two minutes into overtime to give the Blue Jackets their fifth straight win, 1-0 over the Flames. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots in his third shutout this season and 22nd of his career.
— Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast each scored twice as the Rangers buried the Hurricanes 6-1. Henrik Lundqvist turned back 30 shots in the Blueshirts' eighth win in 10 games.
— Alex Ovechkin ended his six-game goal drought and Jakub Vrana posted his first two-goal game to lift the Capitals over the Senators 5-2. Evgeny Kuznetsov added a goal and two assists, while Braden Holtby handled 29 shots for Washington.
— Charlie McAvoy scored in the 11th shootout round to give Boston a 3-2 win at New Jersey. Anton Khudobin made 40 saves to backstop the Bruins' third consecutive win.
— Nick Bjugstad delivered a game-tying goal and added the deciding shootout tally to bump the Panthers past the Maple Leafs 2-1. Nazem Kadri had the Leafs' lone goal in their second straight loss since a six-game winning streak.
— Nashville also went the shootout route as Kyle Turris bagged the final goal in the Predators' 3-2 victory against the Canadiens. Filip Forsberg scored twice as the Predators won for the eighth time in nine games.
— James Neal set up the game-tying goal and provided the winner while the Golden Knights outscored the Ducks 3-0 in the third period of a 4-2 win at Anaheim. The Ducks led 2-0 until Jonathan Marchessault scored on a power play in the last minute of the second period.
— The Jets made it five wins in their last six games as Adam Lowry and Patrik Laine furnished Winipeg's goals to beat the Kings 2-1. Steve Mason made 38 saves during his first start in 11 days.
— The Wild were 5-4 winners at Buffalo behind two goals apiece from Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund. Niederreiter has scored in five straight games for Minnesota, which stopped a two-game losing skid.
— Logan Couture scored his team-best 11th goal as the Sharks skated to a 3-1 win over the Coyotes. The Sharks halted a three-game slide and ended Arizona's season-high three-game winning streak.
— Semyon Varlamov picked up his 15th career shutout with a 28-save effort in Colorado's 3-0 victory against Dallas. Erik Johnson, Nail Yakupov and Gabriel Landeskog did the scoring, with Nathan MacKinnon assisting on all three goals.
— Connor McDavid set up goals by Drake Caggiula and Darnell Nurse as the Oilers won for the first time in four games, 6-2 at Detroit.
NHL-DEVILS-PALMIERI
New Jersey Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri is going to be sidelined up to six weeks with a broken right foot suffered in Monday's loss at Minnesota.
The 26-year-old Palmieri had four goals and five assists in 13 games. He missed six games earlier this season after injuring his left foot in practice on Oct. 22.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
The University of Minnesota and coach P.J. Fleck have agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2022 season, pending approval by the Board of Regents.
The Gophers are 5-6 this season under the 36-year-old Fleck, who was the coach at Western Michigan.
In other college football news:
— Kent State coach Paul Haynes has been fired after five losing seasons and a 14-45 record. The Golden Flashes lost to Akron on Tuesday night to finish the season 2-10.
— Tennessee has dismissed wide receiver Jauan Jennings from the team after he ripped the Volunteers' coaching staff in a profanity-laced video posted on Instagram. Jennings hadn't played since the season opener because of a wrist injury after grabbing 40 passes for 580 yards and seven touchdowns last year.
DOCTOR-SEXUAL ASSAULT
Michigan State University says allegations that it covered up a former gymnastics doctor's criminal sexual misconduct are "simply false" and it is "appalled" by Larry Nassar's crimes.
USA Gymnastics says it is "very sorry" any athlete was harmed by Nassar.
The institutions issued statements Wednesday after victims and their lawyers criticized their handling of Nassar, who pleaded guilty in a Michigan courtroom to molesting girls under the guise of medical treatment.
The victims and attorneys — who have sued the university, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee — want an independent investigation of officials who work there. A plea deal calls for a minimum prison sentence of 25 years.
