NBA:
In the NBA, Boston topped Orlando 117-87, Brookyln beat Denver 116-111, Cleveland blasted the Knicks 126-94, Houston bested the Lakers 134-95, Sacramento defeated Dallas 120-89, Charlotte won against Detroit 87-77, Indiana topped Phoenix 109-94, and it was Golden State over the Clippers 115-98.
NHL:
In the NHL, Washington beat Boston in overtime 4-3, Anaheim won against Carolina in a shootout 6-5, Ottawa doubled up San Jose 4-2, and it was Minnesota over Toronto 3-2.
The National Hockey League is moving its headquarters to a 67-story office tower under construction on Manhattan's west side. Developer Brookfield Property Partners announced Wednesday the NHL will move from its current location in midtown to the tower that will be known as One Manhattan West. The league will lease five floors of the new skyscraper, which is scheduled to open in 2019. The building will be part of the seven-acre Manhattan West complex. The development is west of Madison Square Garden, home of the NHL's Rangers. The NHL will also open a new store in the complex's retail mall. NHL Chief Financial Officer Craig Harnett said league officials believe the west side of Manhattan is "the future of New York."
The NHL's reigning All-Star game MVP has retired. John Scott announced his decision in an article published in The Players' Tribune, ending an eight-year NHL career that included five goals, 16 points and 544 penalty minutes in 285 regular-season games with seven teams.
He scored twice in the All-Star game last February to earn MVP honors after being dealt by Arizona and demoted to the AHL. The 34-year-old Scott was voted into the mid-winter classic by fans despite his lackluster statistics and subsequent trade to the Canadiens weeks before the game.
The Montreal Canadiens expect to spend the next 6-8 weeks without forwards Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais because of knee injuries suffered during the team's last two games. Galchenyuk had a team-high 23 points when he was injured during Sunday's game at Los Angeles. Desharnais was hurt in Tuesday's loss at St. Louis, prompting the Habs to recall Sven Andrighetto from the St. John's of the AHL.
NCAA:
In men’s college basketball, UAlbany topped Marist 78-66, Army beat Air Force 79-71, Canisius defeated Boston University 87-77, and Binghamton beat Colgate 73-64.
In women’s college basketball, No. 1 UConn handed No. 2 Notre Dame its first loss of the season 72-61 and No. 20 Syracuse humiliated Coppin State 76-30.
South Florida football coach Willie Taggart has informed the school that he is leaving to become the head coach at Oregon. Taggart spent four seasons at USF and went 18-7 the last two seasons, including 10-2 this year. The former Western Kentucky player also spent three seasons as coach of his alma mater and was an assistant coach at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh.
Stanford tailback Christian McCaffrey says he will give up his senior season and enter the NFL draft after gaining more than 6,000 yards the past two seasons. McCaffrey ran for 1,596 yards and scored 16 touchdowns despite an injury that hampered his production in October. He was runner-up for the 2015 Heisman Trophy after gaining 2,019 yards rushing and 645 yards receiving while scoring 10 TDs for the Cardinal.
Kentucky had an easy victory in its first game since falling from the top of The Associated Press men's basketball poll. The sixth-ranked Wildcats scored 21 straight points in the first half of an 87-63 rout of Valparaiso. Kentucky held the Crusaders scoreless for seven minutes and bounced back from Saturday's loss to UCLA. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points and Malik Monk added 15 for the 8-1 Wildcats.
Checking out the rest of the top-25 finals:
— Justin Jackson canned a career-high seven 3 pointers and matched his personal best with 27 points as seventh-ranked North Carolina held off Davidson, 83-74. The Tar Heels are 9-1 after withstanding Jack Gibbs' 30 points for the Wildcats.
— Nigel Williams-Goss hit for 23 points and eighth-rated Gonzaga improved to 9-0 by thumping Washington, 98-71. Przemek Karnowski added 17 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 53 percent compared to the Huskies' 30 percent.
— No. 10 Creighton got a season-high 25 points from Maurice Watson Jr. in a 77-72 win against Nebraska. Cole Huff had 13 points as the 9-0 Bluejays beat the Cornhuskers for the 15th time in their 18 meetings.
— Mangok Mathiand scored Louisville's first seven points and finished with 15 as the 11th-ranked Cardinals whipped Southern Illinois, 74-51. Deng Adel added 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the Cardinals, who opened the game on a 21-4 run and improved to 8-1.
— Derrick White scored 23 points and had a key block with 13 seconds left to help Colorado knock off No. 13 Xavier, 68-66. Xavier Johnson had 18 points as the Buffaloes dealt the Musketeers their second straight loss since a 7-0 start.
— Esa Ahmad scored 14 points and 15th-ranked West Virginia forced 34 turnovers in a 90-37 pounding of Western Carolina. The Mountaineers put together runs of 16-0 and 26-4 before winning for the seventh time in eight games.
— No. 16 Butler was knocked off as Brandon Scott hit a free throw with 0.8 seconds left to give Indiana State a 72-71 triumph over the Bulldogs. Scott finished with 25 points and Matt Van Scyoc drained six 3-pointers while scoring 23 points in the Sycamores' third straight win.
— Bronson Koenig dropped in 21 points and Ethan Happ contributed 12 and 12 boards as 17th-ranked Wisconsin stifled Idaho State, 78-44. The 8-2 Badgers scored the first 10 points and opened up a 21-3 lead.
Obit:
Former Dallas Cowboy Dave Edwards has died at the age of 76. Tim Edwards says his brother was recently diagnosed with a heart condition and was set to undergo surgery this week. Edwards was on one Super Bowl winner and played in two other NFL title games while with the Cowboys from 1963-75.
NFL:
The Giants will continue their playoff push without the team's most versatile defensive lineman. Jason Pierre-Paul is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing hernia surgery on Wednesday. The defensive end was injured during the first half of Sunday's 24-14 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, leaving a huge hole in New York's defensive front. Pierre-Paul is in the running for NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors after his right hand was mangled in a fireworks accident 17 months ago.
The New York Jets have signed running back Khiry Robinson, who was waived/injured in September, and promoted running back Brandon Wilds from the practice squad. The team also announced Wednesday that it has signed defensive lineman Claude Pelon to the practice squad.
In other NFL news:
— The Packers will face the Seahawks on Sunday without linebacker Nick Perry, who is out with what coach Mike McCarthy calls a significant hand injury. Perry hurt his left hand during the first half of Sunday's win over Houston but finished the game. He leads Green Bay with eight sacks.
— Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has received clearance to travel with the team this weekend following surgery to repair a detached retina. The patch on his right eye during practice Tuesday has been removed, and he remains on track to resume his regular duties for the game Sunday at Jacksonville.
— Browns safety Derrick Kindred suffered a broken ankle during the week off and will miss the remainder of the season. Kindred made five starts and appeared in all 12 games.
MLB:
Chicago's two baseball teams continue to utilize opposite strategies at the winter meetings. The Cubs hope they've bolstered their shot at a second straight World Series appearance by replacing closer Aroldis Chapman. The White Sox continue their rebuilding effort by dealing their starting center fielder, one day after trading ace pitcher Chris Sale.
The Cubbies have picked up right-hander Wade Davis from the Royals for outfielder Jorge Soler. Davis was a key piece in Kansas City's World Series run last year and was 2-1 with 27 saves and a 1.87 ERA last season. Davis is coming off a forearm injury that limited him to 43 1/3 innings this year.
The 24-year-old Soler batted .238 with 12 homers and 31 RBIs in 86 games this year, missing about two months with a strained left hamstring.
Meanwhile, the White Sox have shipped Adam Eaton to the Nationals for three pitching prospects, including highly-touted Lucas Giolito. Eaton is a lifetime .284 hitter who compiled a .284 average with 59 RBIs, 14 steals and a major league-leading 18 outfield assists this year.
Chicago also gets Reynoldo Lopez and Dane Dunning.
In other news from the winter meetings:
— A source tells The Associated Press that closer Fernando Rodney has reportedly agreed to a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Diamondbacks, pending a physical. Rodney was an All-Star for the third time this year and had 25 saves in 28 chances with San Diego and Miami.
— A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that All-Star free agent outfielder Ian Desmond has accepted a five-year, $70 million contract with the Rockies. The 31-year-old signed with the Rangers last winter before hitting .285 with 22 homers and 86 RBIs.
— The Giants have shipped right-hander Chris Heston to the Mariners for a player to be named. Heston was unable to crack San Francisco's rotation this year after going 12-11 with one no-hitter as a rookie in 2015.
— Outfielder Carlos Gomez has agreed to a one-year, $11.5 million package that keeps him with the Rangers. Gomez was released by the Astros in August before hitting .284 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs in 33 games for Texas.
— Two people familiar with the negotiations tell The Associated Press that free-agent lefty Jeff Locke and the Marlins have worked out a one-year deal worth just over $3 million. Locke was an All-Star in 2013 but went just 9-8 with a 5.44 ERA in 19 starts and 11 relief appearances for the Pirates this year. One of the people with information on the Marlins' moves says the team has also worked out one-year pacts with catcher A.J. Ellis and right-hander Dustin McGowan.
— The Yankees have finalized their one-year, $13 million contract with seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, who hit .246 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs in 110 games for the Cardinals last season. The Yankees' first free-agent signee since the 2014-15 offseason is expected to serve as their designated hitter.
— A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that free agent closer Aroldis Chapman and the New York Yankees have reached agreement on an $86 million, five-year deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the contract was still pending a physical.
FIFA:
The former head of the Nicaraguan soccer federation has pleaded guilty in New York in the corruption scandal that has engulfed the sport's governing body. Julio Rocha pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy Wednesday in federal court. The case is part of a sprawling prosecution that triggered turmoil at FIFA, the governing body of international soccer.
Authorities say Rocha negotiated and accepted bribes totaling more than $150,000 linked to the sale of marketing rights. Rocha was a FIFA development officer at the time of his arrest in May 2015. He was president of the Nicaraguan soccer federation from 1998 to 2012. Rocha faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count. He also has agreed to forfeit nearly $300,000.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said a proposal to expand the World Cup finals to 48 teams, with 16 groups of three teams, received enthusiastic backing at a meeting of national confederations on Thursday. That model, along with an alternative 48-team format and a 40-team event, were three proposals put forward for discussion this week by FIFA as it considers expansion of the World Cup from 2026 onward.
A select meeting of national confederations from Asia, Europe and Oceania met with Infantino on Thursday, and the FIFA president said "everyone, unanimously" supported an expansion. "The big, big, big majority is in favor of the 48 teams with the 16 groups of three." Under that format, the top two teams from each of the 16 groups would advance immediately into knockout stages, eliminating games in which one or both teams had nothing to play for.
Empire State Winter Games:
The Empire State Winter Games are expanding. Organizers announced Wednesday that a marathon skate, youth ski race, broom ball and barrel jumping will be added in 2017.
The marathon skate will be staged on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, winter bike events will be at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, and ski racing will add events for the 12- and 10-and-under age groups at Mount Pisgah. The broom ball will be played at Malone Civic Center.
Cash prizes also will increase by one third. Athletes participating in marathon skate, ski and snowboard freestyle, winter bike, and broom ball will compete for $16,000 in prize money. The 37th Empire State Winter Games will be staged Feb. 2-5 in and around Lake Placid. As many as 2,300 participants are expected.
Doping:
Swimming's world governing body FINA says it has agreed to reduce a doping ban for Russian swimmer Vitalina Simonova from four to two years. Simonova, a former European championship silver medalist, was given the original four-year ban in July after testing positive in 2015 for excessive testosterone.
She said this occurred by accident after she took a supplement named Testosterol 250 and claimed she did not know it contained substances which would break down into testosterone.
After Simonova appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, FINA says it agreed to cut her ban to two years because she "could identify the source in contaminated supplements and had promptly admitted the anti-doping rule violation." Her ban now ends June 28, 2017.
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