© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
An update has been released for the Android version of the WAMC App that addresses performance issues. Please check the Google Play Store to download and update to the latest version.

#SportsReport: Start Of The NFL Playoffs

NFL football

NBA:

In the NBA, Indiana beat Brooklyn 121-109, Toronto won against Utah 101-93, Detroit defeated Charlotte 115-114, Houston bested Oklahoma City 118-116, Atlanta topped New Orleans 99-94, Phoenix beat Dallas 102-95, San Antonio won against Denver 127-99, and it was Portland over the Lakers 118-109.

The Atlanta Hawks could be ready to move Kyle Korver. A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to complete a trade to acquire Korver from the Hawks. The proposed trade was first reported by The Vertical. Korver was held out of Thursday's game at New Orleans, leading to speculation that a deal is imminent. The Cavs are in need of a long-range shooter with J.R. Smith expected to miss the rest of the regular season following surgery on a broken thumb. Korver has shot 43 percent from 3-point range during his career and ranks eighth on the all-time list with 1,952 3-pointers made.

NHL:

In the NHL, Chicago edged Buffalo in overtime 4-3, Edmonton topped Boston 4-3, Detroit blanked Los Angeles 4-0, Minnesota won against San Jose 5-4, Carolina doubled up St. Louis 4-2, Nashville bested Tampa Bay 6-1, and Washington shut out Columbus 5-0.

The Boston Bruins have honored Milt Schmidt, the former captain, coach and general manager who died this week at the age of 98. The Bruins dipped Schmidt's retired Number 15 from the rafters in a ceremony before a game against Edmonton on Thursday night. A highlight video of his career was played. In lieu of the usual moment of silence, the announcer asked for "a moment of celebration and applause," and the crowd responded. The Bruins also wore patches on their sweaters in his memory.

NCAA:

In men’s college basketball, UMass Lowell beat UAlbany 85-79.

In women’s college basketball, Syracuse topped Clemson 88-62.

The Florida Gators won't have cornerback Jalen Tabor next season. He has decided to skip his final year of college eligibility and enter the NFL draft, where he is expected to be one of the first players chosen. He had 33 tackles, four interceptions and a sack for the Gators, who have already lost cornerback Quincy Wilson, offensive tackle David Sharpe and linebacker Alex Anzalone to the pros.

Joe Mixon may have played his final game for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Oklahoman, ESPN and other news outlets say the running back will enter the upcoming NFL draft.

Seton Hall has opened another section at the Prudential Center to meet the demand for more tickets for its game against Number 1 Villanova on February 18th. The Big East Conference school announced Thursday that attendance for game could reach 16,000 with the opening of the 200 level seats at the arena.

Curtis Cobb scored a career-high 46 points and Fairfield rode a big first half to a 97-79 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win at Manhattan Thursday night. Zane Waterman scored 26 points to lead Manhattan and Aaron Walker Junior added 14 points.

Matt Klinewski and Nick Lindner combined for 41 points to lead Lafayette to a 79-74 win over Army Thursday might. The Black Knights have lost three straight and five of its last six games.

Fifth-ranked Gonzaga remains one of the two unbeaten teams in men's college basketball. Nigel Williams-Goss scored a career-high 36 points and the Bulldogs improved to 15-0 by whipping San Francisco, 95-80 on the road. The Zags shot 61 percent from the field, with Williams-Goss going 12 for 15 in helping Gonzaga extend the best start in school history. He also had 11 rebounds and six assists, while teammate Jordan Mathews scored 16 points.

In Thursday's other top-25 finals:

— Bryce Alford scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half and finished with five 3-pointers in fourth-ranked UCLA's 81-71 victory over California. TJ Leaf finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Bruins improved to 15-1 with their fifth straight win over the Golden Bears at Pauley Pavilion.

— Dusan Ristic scored 18 points and 17th-ranked Arizona improved to 14-2 with a 66-56 downing of Utah. The Wildcats didn't allow a point for almost seven minutes of the first half and held the Utes to 4-for-21 shooting from 3-point range.

— No. 19 Saint Mary's was an 81-68 winner over BYU behind Jock Landale's 24 points and eight boards. Calvin Hermanson scored 15 points in the Gael's seventh straight win and 13th in 14 games.

— Caleb Swanigan capped his 16-point performance by hitting a free throw with five seconds left to push No. 20 Purdue past Ohio State, 76-75. Vincent Edwards also had 16 points and Dakota Mathias added 14 as the Boilermakers improved to 2-1 in the Big Ten.

— Jordan McLaughlin scored 15 points and Chimezie Metu added 14 as No. 25 Southern California defeated short-handed Stanford 72-56. The Trojans scored 25 points off Cardinal turnovers.

Golf:

Jimmy Walker is the first-round leader at the PGA's SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. Walker opened with an 8-under 63 for a two-stroke advantage over Jim Herman, Justin Thomas and Ryan Moore. Herman was 6-under through 13 holes before fading.

MLB:

The Blue Jays have retained Gavin Floyd by signing the 33-year-old reliever to a minor league contract. Floyd was 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 29 appearances last year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in late June. He made his big league debut in 2004 with Philadelphia.

The Cleveland Indians have introduced Edwin Encarnacion at a news conference after finalizing a three-year, $60 million contract with the slugger. Encarnacion averaged 39 homers and 110 RBIs over the past five seasons with Toronto. The three-time All-Star hit 42 homers and drove in 127 runs last season while helping the Blue Jays make the playoffs for the second straight year. The package includes a $25 million option for 2020 and a $5 million buyout.

Former Met Edgardo Alfonzo has been promoted to manager of the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones. The 43-year-old spent the last three seasons as a coach with the New York-Penn League team. He played for the Mets in eight of his 12 big league seasons, helping them reach the 2000 World Series.  His brother, Edgar, managed the Cyclones in 2001, 2007 and 2008. Royce Ring will be pitching coach after serving in that role last year at Kingsport, the Cyclones said Thursday. Sean Ratliff returns for his second season as hitting coach.

NFL:

Tomorrow marks the start of the playoffs in the NFL. On Saturday, Oakland takes on Houston at 4:35 p.m., Detroit faces Seattle at 8:15 p.m. On Sunday, Miami goes head to head with Pittsburgh at 1:05 p.m., and the Giants face Green Bay at 4:40 p.m.

Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor is having surgery to repair a sports hernia that contributed to a groin injury he sustained this past season. Taylor had previously said he intended to get a second medical opinion this week on the severity of the injury, but the Bills confirmed that an operation would take place after he posted photos of himself in a hospital gown. He went 7-8 this season and was benched in Buffalo's 30-10 season-ending loss at the New York Jets last weekend.

Willie Evans, the star black halfback of Buffalo's 1958 team that balked at competing in the Tangerine Bowl because of a rule barring integrated football games, has died. He was 79. The school announced Evans died in Buffalo on Wednesday after a brief illness. Evans grew up in Buffalo and was a member of UB's 1958 team that went 8-1 and won the Lambert Cup, awarded to the nation's top small school in the East. Buffalo accepted a berth to play in the Tangerine Bowl before being informed the school district which operated the host stadium in Orlando, Florida, barred integrated games. Buffalo's roster featured two black players, Evans and defensive backup Mike Wilson. The school left the decision to compete up to its players, who unanimously rejected the invitation.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson understands the frustration felt by fans after a dismal 5-11 season, and urges them to be patient as the team heads into what will likely be a busy offseason. Johnson says Thursday that he believes in both coach Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan. He retained them because he thinks "they will get this done." He adds that there is no playoff mandate for next season because he doesn't like "lines in the sand," although he says he's not "here to come in second place." While some fans and media thought the Jets should make a coaching change, Johnson says he's "very, very much" in Bowles' corner. Johnson says it's just speculation that he's under consideration for a spot in President-elect Donald Trump's administration, although he says it's an honor to even be mentioned in such discussions.

Randy Gregory played just two games for the Dallas Cowboys this season, and he won't play with them anytime soon. The defensive end has been suspended for at least one year following another violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Gregory served four- and 10-game bans for the same infraction during the regular season, keeping him off the field until Week 16. The latest suspension makes him ineligible for the playoffs, which start Jan. 15 for the top seed in the NFC. The suspension is for one calendar year, meaning Gregory could be eligible for the playoffs without another violation if the Cowboys make it again next season.

World Junior Hockey Championship:

The United States has won the world junior hockey championship for the first time in four years. Troy Terry scored the lone goal in the five-round shootout to give the Americans a 5-4 victory over Canada. The Canadians led 4-2 in the third period until Kieffer Bellows scored his second goal of the night. Colin White tied it with about 13 minutes left in regulation before the two teams played a scoreless, 20-minute overtime. Tyler Parsons was perfect in the shootout after stopping 46 shots in regulation and OT to help the U.S. win its fourth junior title.

WNBA:

Some WNBA players are considering breaking their contracts with the Turkish league they play in during the offseason over safety concerns. The women play overseas to earn salaries that can be three times as high as what they earn in the U.S. But violence in nearby Syria and the nightclub attack in Istanbul on New Year's Eve has many weighing coming home.

The players spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they feared they could become a target if they spoke about their plans to leave publicly. Sugar Rodgers, a guard for the New York Liberty, left this fall after only lasting a month. Her team was about two hours from the Syrian border, and she said she worried about her safety when access to Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels was blocked by the government.

©2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Related Content