NFL:
The Seattle Seahawks were able to win a matchup of desperate NFL teams on Thursday. Russell Wilson hit Ed Dickson for a 15-yard touchdown with 5:08 to send the Seahawks past the visiting Green Bay Packers, 27-24. Wilson threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns while helping Seattle overcome a 14-3 deficit. The Seahawks' defense stiffened in the second half, holding the Packers to 114 total yards. Half of that came on Aaron Rodgers' 57-yard strike to Davante Adams. Rodgers was 21 of 30 passing for 332 yards and two scores, while Adams had 166 yards on 10 receptions. The Seahawks are 5-5 after ending a two-game skid. The Packers are 4-5-1.
Odell Beckham Jr. says more than a couple of people scoffed last week when he said the New York Giants could win their final eight games and make the playoffs. The NFL's highest-paid receiver knew it was a long shot when he made the statement and little has changed since the Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers 27-23 on Monday night.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa isn't sure if he will make his long-awaited season debut on Sunday against the Broncos. The third-year pro has practiced the last two days as he works his way back from a foot injury that caused him to miss the first 10 games. He acknowledged before Thursday's practice that it will likely be a game-time decision if he plays this week.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is frustrated by his team's offensive struggles, but tells The Associated Press he's not veering from his rebuilding plan. The Bills are 3-7 and essentially out of the playoff conversation mostly due to a young and patchwork offensive lineup, and a carousel at quarterback.
NHL:
Anthony Beauvillier had three goals and an assist, and the New York Islanders held off the Rangers 7-5 to keep up their recent mastery over their cross-town rival. Leo Komarov had a goal and an assist, and Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Cal Clutterbuck also scored as the Islanders beat the Rangers for the 12th time in 13 meetings since the start of 2015-16 season.
Keith Kinkaid made 29 saves, Kyle Palmieri scored and the New Jersey Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0. Joey Anderson also scored and Blake Coleman added an empty-netter for the Devils, who won consecutive games for the first time since opening the season with four straight victories. New Jersey got its second road win in nine tries this season. The Devils have played eight of their last nine on the road.
The Nashville Predators have a couple of major holes in their lineup. The Predators say forward Viktor Arvidsson will miss between up to eight weeks with a broken thumb suffered in last weekend's win at Dallas. Arvidsson had just returned off injured reserve after sitting out three games with a lower-body injury. The Predators have also placed defenseman P.K. Subban on injured reserve and activated blueliner Dan Hamhuis. Subban has an upper-body injury.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Kasperi Kapanen's second goal of the night was a short-handed tally that lifted the Maple Leafs over the Sharks, 5-3. John Tavares had a goal to extend his scoring streak to seven games and help Toronto win for the eighth time in nine road games this season.
— Darcy Kuemper turned back a career-high 44 shots as the Coyotes handed the Predators their third consecutive loss, 2-1. Michael Grabner and Jason Demers did the scoring in Arizona's second victory in six games.
— Mikko Koivu had a goal and two assists in the Wild's 11th victory in 14 games, 6-2 against the Canucks. Eric Staal scored once and had an assist as Minnesota topped its season high for goals.
— Columbus is 4-0-2 in its last six after Joonas Korpisalo turned back 38 shots in the Blue Jackets' 7-3 rout of the Panthers. Anthony Duclair, Pierre Luc-Dubois, Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist as the Jackets ended Florida's five-game winning streak.
— Anthony Beauvilier broke out of his season-long scoring slump by registering his first career hat trick and adding an assist in the Islanders' 12th victory in their last 13 meetings with the Rangers, 7-5. Leo Komarov added a goal and an assist in the Isles' seventh win in 10 games overall.
— The Devils earned a 3-0 win at Philadelphia as Keith Kinkaid turned back 29 shots in his third shutout of the season and seventh of his career. Joey Anderson notched his first NHL goal by scoring 3:45 into the first period of New Jersey's second straight win.
— Drake Batherson scored in his NHL debut to snap a 1-1 tie in the second period of the Senators' 2-1 victory against the Red Wings. Craig Anderson preserved the lead by stopping two penalty shots in the final period.
— Third-period goals by Jonathan Drouin and Artturi Lehkonen lifted the Canadiens past the Flames. 3-2. Tomas Tatar also scored and Carey Price stopped 43 shots, blanking Calgary after Matthew Tkachuk scored twice in the second period.
The Buffalo Bills head to Winnipeg to face the Jets tonight at 7 p.m. and the Boston Bruins play the Stars tonight at 8 p.m. in Dallas.
NBA:
Carmelo Anthony's stint with the Houston Rockets has lasted just 10 games. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has released a statement saying the team is "parting ways" with the 10-time All-Star forward and "working toward a resolution." Morey added that Anthony had a tremendous approach while with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D'Antonio gave him, but the fit they envisioned never materialized. Anthony signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal during the offseason after being traded by the Thunder to Atlanta before his contract was bought out by the Hawks. He averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds for Houston. Anthony is third among active NBA players with 25,551 points, and 19th in league history.
The Houston Rockets had no trouble beating the team that stopped them from reaching the NBA Finals last spring. James Harden poured in 27 points and the Rockets opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to take an 88-65 lead in a 107-86 rout of the Warriors. James Ennis III had 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting for Houston, which reached the .500 mark at 7-7 despite a 1-4 start. Kevin Durant had 20 points for the Warriors on a night they were just 4 of 18 on 3-pointers. Golden State is 2-2 since Stephen Curry suffered a groin injury. Curry is expected to miss the last two games of the Warriors' three-game trek through Texas.
Checking out the rest of Thursday's NBA slate:
— Lou Williams hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining as the Clippers downed the Spurs, 116-111 for their season-high third straight win. Williams had a team-high 23 points off the bench for Los Angeles, which is 7-1 at home.
— The Nuggets ended their four-game losing streak by getting a season-high 25 points from Juancho Hernangomez in a 138-93 dismantling of the Hawks. Paul Millsap and Gary Harris added 18 points apiece for the Nuggets, who outscored Atlanta 36-16 in the third quarter.
WNBA:
It's been a year since James Dolan announced his intent to sell the New York Liberty, and the team is still on the market. Over the past year, there have been several potential buyers, a few have gotten close to purchasing the team, but for various reasons all the potential deals fell through.
MLB:
Boston's Mookie Betts and Milwaukee's Christian Yelich were runaway winners of the Most Valuable Player awards after the 26-year-old outfielders each led their teams to first-place finishes with dominant seasons that included batting titles. Betts received 28 first-place votes and 410 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Yelich got 29 first-place votes and 415 points.
Baseball owners have extended the contract of Commissioner Rob Manfred through the end of the 2024 regular season. Manfred took over for Bud Selig in 2015 to become the 10th commissioner in MLB history. He has worked in the commissioner's office since 1998 after serving as outside counsel for owners during the 1994-95 baseball strike. Owners also signed a new television deal with Fox, which has been airing MLB games since 1996. The seven-year extension runs through 2028 and will continue to include the World Series, All-Star game and various LDS and LCS games.
NCAAF:
Unbeaten Colgate hits the road for its season finale against Army. The Raiders are ranked sixth in the Championship Subdivision and have posted five shutouts to tie the national record for the division. They've already qualified for the NCAA playoffs. The Black Knights have won 12 straight at Michie Stadium.
Notre Dame's famous Four Horsemen rode through upper Manhattan in 1924 and Knute Rockne implored the Fighting Irish to "Win one for the Gipper" in the Bronx in 1928. The Fighting Irish played Army every season from 1923-46, all but once in New York City, cultivating a huge following of so-called Subway Alumni. Now, No. 3 Notre Dame returns to its New York to face No. 12 Syracuse. It's the highest-stakes college football game at Yankee Stadium since No. 1 Army vs. No. 2 Notre Dame in 1946.
Fifty years after a furious comeback against Yale left Harvard celebrating a 29-29 "victory," players from both sidelines have no doubt who won and who lost. The 1968 tie is still considered one of the greatest games in college football history. Players from that game will be recognized at halftime of The Game on Saturday at Fenway Park.
NCAA:
Jordan Bohannon scored 16 points to lead Iowa to a 77-69 upset of No. 13 Oregon in the second semifinal of the 2K Classic.
Buddy who? Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim's son, had his last name misspelled on his jersey in the Orange's 2K Classic game against Connecticut. The 6-foot-5 freshman's name was spelled "Boheim." The Orange lost to the Huskies 83-76.
The Norfolk State Spartans will see the Siena Saints tonight at 8:30 p.m. UAlbany will face Canisius tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Vermont will take on the Cardinals at Louisville today at 7 p.m.
In women’s college basketball, Marist will take on Boston University today at 7 p.m. The Saints take on Harvard at 7 p.m. Tomorrow, Vanderbilt goes head-to-head UConn. On Sunday UAlbany will travel to take on Rutgers and Bucknell will face Syracuse.
In men’s college hockey, UMass visit Holy Cross for a game at 7:05 p.m.
PGA:
Charles Howell played a bogey-free round in an 8-under 64 that gives him a two-shot lead through one round of the PGA's RSM Classic. Howell played the Plantation course at Sea Island Resort. He is seeking his first victory in 333 starts since his Riviera victory in February 2007. Defending champion Austin Cook and J.J. Spaun each shot 66s while also navigating the Plantation course. Tournament host Davis Love III had two bogeys and still managed a 67.
LPGA:
Amy Olson shot a 9-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Brittany Lincicome and Nasa Hataoka through first-round play at the LPGA's season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Olson had two separate streaks of four consecutive birdies, finished with nine overall and never dropped a shot. Lincicome started with five straight birdies on her way to a 64.
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