NFL:
In the NFL playoffs this weekend, on Saturday, Seattle takes on Atlanta at 4:35 p.m., and Houston faces New England at 8:15 p.m. On Sunday, Pittsburgh goes head-to-head against Kansas City 1:05 p.m. and then Green Bay faces Dallas at 4:40 p.m.
The New York Jets are interviewing Denver Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville for their offensive coordinator job. The spot on coach Todd Bowles' staff opened last week when Chan Gailey announced his retirement after two years with the Jets.
New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams is replacing injured Oakland Raiders pass rusher Khalil Mack in the Pro Bowl. Williams, who led the Jets with seven sacks and 25 quarterback hits in his second NFL season, was initially selected as a first alternate to the AFC team. The NFL announced the move Thursday for the NFL's all-star game in Orlando, Florida on January 29th.
The mayor of a New Jersey township who moonlights as a kicking consultant for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens has decided against running for governor of the Garden State. Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown, a Republican, announced Thursday that he's abandoning plans to succeed Republican Gov. Chris Christie after contemplating a run for his party's nomination for more than a year. The 49-year-old took serious steps toward launching a campaign, even establishing a super PAC called One Team, One Vision, One Jersey in June. But Brown ultimately decided that a run for governor would take time away from his family and his job with the Ravens, which he's held since 2008. Brown says he will soon announce his endorsement for the Republican nomination in the race.
It was quite a day for Los Angeles football fans. It began with the return of the Chargers before the Rams made Sean McVay the youngest head coach in NFL history. The Chargers announced that they are leaving San Diego after 56 years and coming back to the LA market, where they began as an AFL franchise. The Chargers plan to play their home games at a 27,000-seat stadium in suburban Carson before joining the Rams at a new facility in Inglewood. Hours after the Chargers made their big splash, the Rams butted in by naming McVay their head coach, 12 days before his 31st birthday.
A former professional football player has saved a man from a New Jersey house fire. The Record newspaper reports former New York Giants practice squad player Cole Farrand helped an elderly man escape a burning house Monday. Farrand's mother alerted him there was a fire in their Green Pond Lake neighborhood in Rockaway around 1 a.m. Farrand rushed to the scene and found the fire. One of the residents, Jean Moore, had escaped. Her husband, Jim Moore, was trapped on the roof. Farrand left the burning home and returned with a ladder from his house. He then helped Moore down from the roof. All five of the Rockaway fire departments were called to extinguish the fire. Investigators say the cause of the fire hasn't been determined.
NBA:
In the NBA, the Knicks beat Chicago 104-89, New Orleans won against Brooklyn 104-95, Denver bested Indiana 140-112, San Antonio defeated the Lakers 134-94, Dallas beat Phoenix 113-108, and it was Golden State over Detroit 127-107.
Carmelo Anthony had 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah had big games against their former team, and the New York Knicks beat the short-handed Chicago Bulls 104-89 Thursday night. The Knicks bounced back from a loss at the buzzer in Philadelphia on Wednesday to win for the first time this season on the second night of back-to-back games.
NHL:
In the NHL, Edmonton topped New Jersey in overtime 3-2, Nashville edged Boston 2-1, Tampa Bay doubled up Buffalo 4-2, Ottawa beat Pittsburgh 4-1, Philadelphia won against Vancouver in a shootout 5-4, Anaheim bested Colorado 4-1, the Kings beat St. Louis 5-1, and it was Minnesota over Montreal 7-1.
NCAA:
In women’s basketball, Alexis Peterson scored 28 of her school-record 45 points in the second half and Syracuse took control in the fourth quarter to defeat Number 23 North Carolina State 85-75 Thursday night.
In men’s college basketball, Steven Santa Ana hit five 3-pointers and scored 29 points to help lead Elon to a 96-80 win over Hofstra Thursday night.
In Division III hockey, there exists only one undefeated team. The Hamilton College men’s hockey team are 10-0-2 overall and is actually the only undefeated team in both men’s and women’s hockey in Division I or III. They face Connecticut College tonight at 7 p.m.
Fifth-ranked Gonzaga still owns the distinction of being the only unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball. The Bulldogs improved to 16-0 on the season and 4-0 in the West Coast Conference as Przemek Karnowski scored 17 points and Zach Collins added 15 in a 93-55 romp over Loyola Marymount. Karnowski hit three buckets while the Zags opened the second half on a 10-3 run to take a 56-38 lead. Silas Melson added 13 points in Gonzaga's 15th consecutive win over the Lions.
In other top-25 finals:
— Bryce Alford tied a school record by hitting nine 3-pointers while he poured in 37 points to carry No. 4 UCLA over Colorado, 104-89. Isaac Hamilton added 20 points as the Bruins improved to 17-1.
— No. 16 Arizona whipped Arizona State, 91-75 behind Lauri Markkanen's career-high 30 points and Kadeem Allen's 18. The Wildcats scored the game's first 12 points, shot 57 percent and had 25 assists on their 34 baskets.
— Peter Jok's 29 points, eight assists and six rebounds carried Iowa to victory over 17th-ranked Purdue, 83-78. Freshman Tyler Cook had 16 points and helped the Hawkeyes rally from a nine-point, halftime deficit.
— Bronson Koenig scored 21 points and 18th-ranked Wisconsin bounced back from Sunday's loss to Purdue by hammering Ohio State, 89-66. Nigel Hayes had 15 points for the Badgers, who hit 12 of their 22 3-point attempts in winning for the ninth time in 10 games.
— V.J. Beachem sank the go-ahead basket and made the clinching steal to help No. 20 Notre Dame earn a 67-62 win over Miami. Matt Farrell had 15 points and six assists for the Irish, who closed on a 10-1 run to end the Hurricanes' 21-game home winning streak.
— Calvin Hermanson scored a career-high 27 points as No. 21 Saint Mary's shut down Portland, 74-33. Jock Landale added eight points and 10 rebounds to the Gaels' 15th win in 16 games.
— Gary Clark scored 18 points and No. 22 Cincinnati earned its seventh straight win by nipping SMU, 66-64. Troy Caupain finished with 16 points for the Bearcats, who wasted most of a 15-point lead before ending the Mustangs' 10-game winning streak.
— No. 25 USC jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Utah dominated the remainder of the game to hammer the Trojans, 86-64. Devon Daniels had 17 points in the Utes' first win over a ranked team this season.
Texas Longhorns scoring leader Tevin Mack has been suspended for the second time this season. Coach Shaka Smart says Mack is out indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules. Mack has averaged 14.8 points a game since missing the season opener due to another unspecified rules violation.
Squash:
Amanda Sobhy, a recent Harvard graduate and the top squash player in the U.S., will compete at Grand Central Station in the Tournament of Champions. Sobhy is No. 6 in the world and the highest-ranked U.S.-born professional squash player, male or female. Commuters were stopping at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central to watch players in the Plexiglas cube on the first day of competition Thursday. Sobhy, who went 62-0 in her college career, was runner-up last year. The final is Jan. 19. The New York native likes that it's one of the few events where "the crowd is super rowdy and loud." The Number 1 players Mohamed Elshorbagy and Nour El Sherbini of Egypt are back to defend their titles. The top male and female players will vie for $300,000 in total prize money.
Skiing:
Skier Lindsey Vonn says she is taking "a lot of risk of doing more damage to my arm" as she gets ready for her World Cup ski return this weekend. It's only been nine weeks since she broke her right upper arm and underwent surgery. The four-time overall champion says surgery has made the arm more vulnerable to another fracture if she has to break a fall.
MLB:
Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer and Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams have avoided salary arbitration by accepting contracts. Bauer OK'd a one-year, $3.55 million package after going 12-8 with a 4.26 ERA in a career-high 190 innings last year. Adams' one-year, $2.8 million pact comes after he batted .249 with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs in 118 games for the 2016 Redbirds.
Also in the majors:
— A person with knowledge of the talks tells The Associated Press that Toronto second baseman Darwin Barney has avoided arbitration by taking a one-year, $2.9 million deal. Barney earned a share over $1 million last season while batted .269 with four homers, 19 RBIS and 13 doubles in 104 games for the Blue Jays.
— A person familiar with the situation says the Chicago White Sox and reliever Dan Jennings have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.4 million, one-year contract. Jennings was 4-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 64 appearances last year.
PGA:
Justin Thomas has become the seventh player to shoot a 59 on the PGA Tour, doing it four days after winning the SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. Thomas capped his 11-under 59 with a 15-foot eagle on his final hole, giving him the first-round lead at the Sony Open in Honolulu. The round included two eagles, eight birdies and a bogey. Hudson Swafford is alone in second at minus-8. Jim Furyk was the last player with a sub-60 round when he closed with a record 58 at the Travelers Championship last summer. Furyk also has a 59, along with Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, David Duval, Paul Goydos, and Stuart Appleby.
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