NBA:
In the NBA, Brooklyn beat Minnesota 119-110, Memphis won against Denver 108-107, Portland topped Phoenix 124-121, Sacramento defeated New Orleans 102-94, Dallas beat the Lakers 109-97, and it was Atlanta over Cleveland 110-106.
Police made six arrests at a mall in Cambridge that had to be evacuated when a crowd turned unruly at an event featuring the rapper Desiigner along with Celtics forward Jaylen Brown. Police had to move in to clear the mall, with some in the crowd tossing glass and bricks at the officers.
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski donned pajamas to personally deliver a football to a 10-year-old girl battling ulcerative colitis in the hospital after surgery last week. Video shows Gronk with the smiling Katie, with the pair giving a "Let's go Patriots" cheer.
NHL:
In the NHL, New Jersey beat Carolina 3-2 in double overtime, Vancouver defeated the Rangers 5-3, Montreal won against Boston 3-2, the Kings blanked Toronto 7-0, Nashville beat Ottawa 3-1, Detroit beat Philadelphia in double overtime 3-2, Winnipeg blasted Dallas 8-2, Arizona doubled up Colorado 4-2, Pittsburgh edged Edmonton 4-3, and it was San Jose over Washington 3-0.
The Florida Panthers have acquired Dylan McIlrath from the New York Rangers for fellow defenseman Steven Kampfer and a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2018 NHL Draft. McIlrath has scored two goals and four points in 38 NHL games since the Rangers took him with the 10th overall pick in the 2010 draft. Kampfer has produced nine goals and 23 points in 134 career games that include a stint with the Bruins.
The Blackhawks' Tyler Motte will be sidelined for two to three weeks with a lower body injury. He was hurt in Sunday's overtime win over Dallas. The 21-year-old Motte was off to a nice start in his first NHL season, with three goals and three assists in 13 games.
MLB:
Five minor leaguers have drawn suspensions from the commissioner's office under baseball's minor league drug program, with Arizona system pitcher Jorge Despaigne suspended 72 games. Yankees system outfielders Edel Luaces and Erick Mendez both were banned for 50 games apiece. Luaces tested positive for amphetamines and Mendez for a banned stimulant.
The reigning World Series champs can also boast a pair of Gold Glove winners. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right fielder Jason Heyward have come away with fielding honors. It's the fourth Gold Glove for Heyward, and the first for Rizzo. Three Giants earned the hardware, with catcher Buster Posey and second baseman Joe Panik each getting their first. Shortstop Brandon Crawford is the third San Francisco player in the group.
Other National League recipients are Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, Pirates left fielder Starling Marte and Atlanta center fielder Ender Inciarte.
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre picked up his fifth Gold Glove to lead the American League recipients. Royals catcher Salvador Perez claimed his fourth and Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel won his third. Also from the AL squad are Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland, Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler and Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, along with Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner, Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier and Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts.
NFL:
A measure that would raise hotel occupancy taxes to help pay for a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers was failing by a resounding margin early Wednesday morning. Measure C, which was written by the Chargers without input from City Hall, the powerful tourism industry or other stakeholders, received only 41 percent yes votes with approximately 27 percent of the ballots counted. It needs 66.7 percent to pass. It's unclear what the Chargers' next step will be in their long, twisting effort to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium.
As if losing wasn't frustrating enough, Bills coach Rex Ryan has a bone to pick with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and a Seattle fan who taunted Buffalo assistant Kathryn Smith. Ryan rallied to the defense of Smith, the NFL's first full-time female assistant, who was the target of a sexist taunt.
Rochester's WROC-TV filmed a male fan yelling "Waitress!" at Smith and asking her to get him a soda. Ryan called what the fan yelled as being "ridiculous" and "classless."
The coach also responded sarcastically when informed Carroll was unhappy the Bills coach called Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman "an ass." Speaking on a conference call Tuesday, Ryan joked he forgot to check with Carroll first about what his appropriate response should've been. Sherman caused a stir after making a play on the Bills sideline by exchanging words with Ryan in the second half of Buffalo's 31-25 loss on Monday night.
NCAA:
Harvard has begun a probe into a report the men's cross country team created sexually explicit spreadsheets rating players on the women's cross country team. The university's athletic director says he's asked Harvard attorneys to look into the incident. The Crimson student newspaper says the spreadsheet was created before an annual dance for the teams.
There's been a slight change among the top four in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Washington has slid into fourth following Texas A&M's loss to Mississippi State. The committee's first ranking of the season raised eyebrows because the unbeaten Huskies were behind the Aggies last week. Alabama, Clemson and Michigan still hold the top three spots. Ohio State is fifth, but the Buckeyes still have a Nov. 26 meeting with the Wolverines that could put them in the semifinals. Louisville moved up a spot to sixth, followed by Wisconsin and Texas A&M.
Western Michigan is the first college football team with 10 victories this season. Justin Franklin and Fabian Johnson combined for 259 yards as the 14th-ranked Broncos rallied for a 37-21 win at Kent State. Franklin rushed for 134 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown with 8:27 remaining. Johnson added a career-high 125 yards rushing for the Broncos, who trailed 14-0 in the first quarter before improving to 10-0. Western Michigan quarterback Zach Terrell scored on a 1-yard keeper in the third quarter, capping a 20-play drive to give Western Michigan its first lead at 19-14.
The third-ranked Clemson Tigers are losing a few key players a year early. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, tailback Wayne Gallman and receivers Mike Williams and Artavis Scott are giving up their senior seasons to enter the upcoming NFL draft. Coach Dabo Swinney says that the four juniors are graduating in December and have informed him this would be their last college season. The group has been essential in Clemson's rise into a national championship contender. Watson became the first player in the Football Bowl Subdivision to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards last season as the Tigers won an ACC title, were ranked No. 1 in the country and reached the national championship game where they lost to Alabama.
Plans for the first Big Ten Friday night football games next season are in, and two games will kick off the new schedule next season. Washington will visit Rutgers and Wisconsin will host Utah State on Sept. 1 in the first two of the six Friday night games. Other games are Ohio University at Purdue on Sept. 8, Nebraska at Illinois on Sept. 29, Northwestern at Maryland on Oct. 13, and Michigan State at Northwestern on Oct. 27. Conference officials said last week there would be six Friday night football games a year starting in 2017 and continuing through at least 2022.
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