NFL:
On Thursday Night Football, Arizona beat Minnesota 23-20.
On Sunday at 1, Buffalo is in Philadelphia, Tennessee is in New York to face the Jets, and then at 8:30 New England sees Houston in Texas. On Monday Night Football, the Giants are in Miami to face the Dolphins.
J.J. Watt says he won't let a broken hand prevent him from playing Sunday against New England. The defensive end plans to take aim at Tom Brady this weekend despite breaking his left hand in Wednesday's practice. Watt leads the NFL with 13 ½ sacks and is sporting a black cast covering his left hand and wrist.
Darrelle Revis is ready to shut down wide receivers again. The New York Jets cornerback returned to practice yesterday on a limited basis for the first time since suffering a concussion in a game on November 22nd at Houston. While he isn't officially cleared yet to play, Revis has his sights set on being on the field on Sunday against Tennessee.
Rob Gronkowski has returned to the practice field after suffering a knee injury in a November 29th loss to the Denver Broncos. Yesterday's workout was not in full pads, and there was no indication of whether Gronkowski will play on Sunday night at Houston.
NBA:
In the NBA, Brooklyn topped Philadelphia 100-91, Sacramento bested New York 99-97, Chicago won against the Clippers 83-80, and it was Oklahoma City over Atlanta 107-94.
NHL:
In the NHL, Calgary beat Buffalo 4-3, Detroit edged Montreal 3-2, Tampa Bay won against Ottawa 4-1, Florida defeated Washington 4-1, Nashville bested Chicago 5-1, Winnipeg beat Columbus 6-4, and Philadelphia doubled up St. Louis 4-2.'
Basketball Hall of Famer and 12-time NBA All-Star Dolph Schayes has died at 87. Schayes was diagnosed with terminal cancer six months ago and died after being stricken with a severe infection, according to his son Danny Schayes. Dolph Schayes was the franchise player for the old Syracuse Nationals from 1948-1963 and was voted one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
MLB:
The Boston Red Sox have traded infielder-outfielder Garin Cecchini to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash. The Red Sox designated Cecchini for assignment on December 4th. The 24-year-old Cecchini appeared in two games for the Red Sox this season.
A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that free-agent shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and the New York Mets have agreed to a two-year, $18.5 million contract. Cabrera would be the second middle infielder added by the Mets at the winter meetings after they acquired second baseman Neil Walker from the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-hander Jon Niese.
Pitcher Andrew Miller wants to stay with the New York Yankees, saying he has no control over trade talks. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn't rule out dealing players such as Miller and left fielder Brett Gardner while speaking at this week's winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.
Among the lesser deals:
— The Los Angeles Angels have acquired infielder Yunel (yoo-NEHL') Escobar from the Washington Nationals for right-handed pitchers Trevor Gott and Michael Brady, along with cash considerations. Escobar played third base last season and batted .314 with nine homers and 56 RBIs in 139 games. Gott went 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 48 games as a rookie last season.
— The Pirates have acquired some bullpen help, signing free-agent right-hander Juan Nicasio (nih-KAH'-see-oh) to a one-year package. The 29-year-old Nicasio was 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA and one save for the Dodgers this year in 52 relief appearances and one start. Pittsburgh snared him a week after he was released by Los Angeles.
— The Royals have finalized a three-year, $25 million deal that brings pitcher Joakim Soria back to Kansas City. Soria was one of the game's premier closers during his first stint in Kansas City, but he missed the 2012 season for Tommy John surgery and the Royals decided not to exercise their option on him. Soria was 3-1 with 24 saves and a 2.53 ERA for the Tigers and Pirates last season.
— The Angels have come terms with outfielder Craig Gentry on a $1 million, one-year contract. The 32-year-old Gentry spent the last two seasons with Oakland and hit .120 this year in 26 games.
— The Braves have dealt away young catcher Christian Bethancourt to the San Diego Padres for right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly and minor league catcher Ricardo Rodriguez.
Fantasy Sports:
Daily fantasy sports companies DraftKings and FanDuel are voicing support for Massachusetts' approach to regulating their controversial industry as states across the country weigh greater restrictions or outright bans on the games played for money. The companies and other industry experts spoke yesterday before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
NCAA:
On Saturday in men’s college basketball, UAlbany and Siena will see each other in a local head-to-head match. The game starts at 7:30 in the Times Union Center.
In college men's basketball, Boston University rolled to an 80-60 win over UMass-Lowell last night. Cheddi Mosely scored 23 points, and John Papale added 17, both hitting five 3-pointers. Eric Johnson added 11 points and Eric Fanning 10 for the Terriers, who raced to a 46-23 halftime lead.
The sentencing hearing for a former NBA player convicted of fraud will be continued at a later date. Yesterday was the second day of the hearing for Tate George in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey, and a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman says it will not resume today. The former University of Connecticut star was convicted in 2013 on four counts of wire fraud in what prosecutors say was a real estate Ponzi scheme.
College Football Awards:
Some of the top college football awards were handed out on Thursday.
Alabama running back Derrick Henry came away with both the Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards as the college player of the year. He rushed for 1,986 yards to break Herschel Walker's SEC single-season record. Henry capped a big night when he won the Maxwell Award, given to the college player of the year.
Deshaun Watson of Clemson has won the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's best quarterback. Watson threw for more than 3,500 yards with 30 touchdowns and ran for almost 900 yards with 11 touchdowns to lead the 13-0 Tigers to a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Baylor's Corey Coleman has won the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's outstanding receiver. Coleman 74 receptions for 1,363 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Bears this year.
Joshua Garnett of Stanford has won the Outland Trophy as the nation's most outstanding interior lineman. Garnett helped clear running room for Stanford's star running back Christian McCaffrey
Tyler Matakevich of Temple has won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's defensive player of the year. It was the second major award for Matakevich, who won the Bronko Nagurski Award on Monday.
Desmond King is the first Iowa player to win the Jim Thorpe Award for the nation's best defensive back. The junior cornerback led Iowa with eight interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, this season.
The Lou Groza award went to UCLA's Ka'imi Fairbairn, who made 20 of 23 field-goal attempts and each of his 44 extra points in 2015. Fairbairn scored over 100 points in each of his four seasons with the Bruins.
Utah's Tom Hackett has won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter. He also won the award last season before averaging a career-best 47.8 yards a kick this year.
The Heisman Trophy will be presented Saturday in New York.
Golf:
Matt Kuchar and Harris English are the leaders of the Franklin Templeton Shootout after they flirted with the tournament scoring record in the first round. Kuchar and English opened with an eagle on No. 1 and followed with three straight birdies en route to a 14-under 58. Billy Horschel-Hunter Mahan and Graeme McDowell-Gary Woodland are tied for second with 59s.
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