NBA
The Toronto Raptors improved to an NBA-best 22-7 by dealing the Los Angeles Clippers their worst loss of the season.
Serge Ibaka delivered 25 points and nine rebounds as the Raptors ripped the Clippers, 123-99 in Los Angeles. Kyle Lowry hit four of Toronto's 14 3-pointers and added 21 points to help the Raptors win while Kawhi Leonard sat out with a bruised right hip. Fred Van Vleet had a career-high 14 assists starting in place of Leonard.
Toronto shot 52 percent from the floor, had 34 assists and outscored the Clippers 28-4 in fast-break points. The Raptors also held Tobias Harris to 10 points, less than half his team-high average.
Checking out Tuesday's other NBA action:
James Harden led seven Rockets in double figures with 29 points as Houston knocked off the Trail Blazers, 111-104. Eric Gordon had 14 points off the bench and helped the Rockets put together a 24-6 run in the opening half. Chris Paul had a double-double of 11 points, 11 boards and 10 assists.
Bryn Forbes had a season-high 24 points and a career-best 11 rebounds as the Spurs hammered the Suns, 111-86. LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points in 25 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter of San Antonio's third consecutive victory.
Wednesday on the Court:
The New York Knicks take on Cleveland at 7 p.m.
The 76ers host the Brooklyn Nets at 7 p.m.
Boston faces off against Washington at 8 p.m.
Cavaliers' Thompson out with sprained foot:
The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost yet another major component of their team.
Forward Tristan Thompson could miss a month with a sprained left foot suffered in Monday's loss in Milwaukee. He made 6 of 7 shots and added six rebounds in 18 minutes before he twisted his foot in the third quarter.
Thompson is averaging 12 points and a career-high 11.6 rebounds in 27 games.
The Cavs are also without All-Star forward Kevin Love, who is recovering from toe surgery and isn't expected to return until sometime in January.
MLB
The Philadelphia Phillies are adding a five-time All-Star to their outfield.
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Andre McCutchen has agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Phils.
McCutchen was an All-Star each season from 2011-15 and was the National League MVP in 2013. He spent nine years with Pittsburgh before he was traded to San Francisco last winter.
McCutchen hit .255 with 20 homers and 65 RBIs in 155 games overall for the Giants and New York Yankees this year.
In other MLB news:
The Blue Jays have released oft-injured shortstop Troy Tulowitzki with two years and $38 million remaining on his contract. The 34-year-old Tulowitzki hasn't played in the majors since July 2017, missing all of last season following right ankle surgery performed last spring. He has been a disappointment since coming to the Blue Jays in a trade with Colorado, batting .250 with 31 home runs and 105 RBIs in 197 games.
AL MVP Mookie Betts will hit second next year, a season after the Red Sox outfielder led the big leagues in batting average and slugging percentage from the top spot. Manager Alex Cora says Andrew Benintendi will move up a slot and hit first for the majors' highest-scoring team.
The White Sox have acquired right-handed Ivan Nova from the Pirates for minor league pitcher Yordi Rosario and $500,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation. Nova was 9-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 29 starts this season, striking out 114 in 161 innings.
The Cardinals have traded third baseman Patrick Wisdom to the Rangers for infielder/outfielder Drew Robinson. The 27-year-old Wisdom made his major league debut last season, hitting .260 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 32 games. The 26-year-old Robinson batted .183 with three homers and nine RBIs in 47 games for Texas.
The Orioles are denying reports that they are close to hiring Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde as their manager. The team said those stories were premature and they wouldn't make a decision before leaving Las Vegas.
Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the team is reopening its site search for a new stadium now that plans for a new ballpark in Tampa's Ybor City can't be finalized by this month's deadline. The decision will delay any opening until at least 2024.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Villanova's six-year unbeaten streak against Philadelphia's Big 5 opponents is over.
The 17th-ranked Wildcats had won a city-record 25 straight games against their local rivals until Penn pinned them with a 78-75 loss on Tuesday at the Palestra. AJ Brodeur and Antonio Woods each scored 16 points for the Quakers, who beat Villanova for the first time since 2002.
Michael Wang added 14 points for Penn, which outrebounded the Wildcats, 35-22 and improved to 9-2.
Also in top-25 college hoops:
Noah Gurley scored 17 points and hit a 3-pointer with 5:51 left to cap a 14-4 run in No. 23 Furman's 77-69 win over Charleston Southern. Alex Hunter and Andrew Brown had 16 points apiece for the 11-0 Paladins, and Matt Rafferty had 14 points and 14 rebounds to the win.
A 10:
UMass takes on Temple at 7 p.m.
America East:
Yale topped UAlbany 71-63
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Stony Brook edged Iona 53-51
A 10:
UMass hosts Boston University at 7 p.m.
NHL
It took a third-period comeback and an overtime goal for the Buffalo Sabres to end their five-game losing streak.
Jeff Skinner scored a power-play goals 1:49 into the extra session to send the Sabres past the Kings, 4-3. Los Angeles led 3-1 until Jack Eichel and Johan Larsson scored about 3 1/2 minutes apart over the first 7:23 of the third period.
Linus Ullmark stopped 26 shots for the Sabres, whose 0-3-2 skid followed a team record-tying 10-game winning streak.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL with 25 goals after registering his 21st career hat trick in the Capitals' 6-2 rout of the Red Wings. Nicklas Backstrom collected four assists and TJ Oshie scored a power-play goal in his return to the Washington lineup after missing 11 straight game with an injury.
Brad Marchand scored twice and assisted on another during a four-goal, second-period flurry to lead the Bruins to a 4-3 win over the Coyotes. Arizona led 2-0 before Boston scored four times in five minutes, starting when Danton Heinen and David Pastrnak delivered 33 seconds apart.
William Nylander picked up his first two points of the season by setting up a pair of goals in the Maple Leafs' 4-1 win at Carolina. Morgan Rielly scored the go-ahead goal for the Leafs, who also received goals by Tyler Ennis, Paritck Marleau and John Tavares in their third win in four road games.
Elias Pettersson and Jake Virtanen scored over the final 3:04 of regulation to give the Canucks a 3-2 comeback win over the Blue Jackets in Columbus. Virtanen netted the game-winner with 1:46 remaining and Jacob Markstrom stopped 34 shots as Vancouver won its third straight after losing 12 of 13.
Nashville had dropped two straight until Ryan Ellis scored his first game-winning goal of the season in the Predators' 3-1 verdict over the Senators. Austin Watson and Craig Smith also scored to back Pekka Rinne, who turned back 25 shots.
The Blackhawks absorbed their eighth straight loss as Kyle Connor scored twice to lead the Jets to a 6-3 win against Chicago. Mark Scheifele and Tyler Myers each had a goal and assist as Winnipeg stayed one point off the Central Division lead.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice in Edmonton's four-goal second period that led the Oilers to their fourth straight win, 6-4 at Colorado. Connor McDavid added a goal and an assist as the Oilers improved to 8-2-1 since coach Ken Hitchcock took over the struggling team on Nov. 20.
The Wild crushed the Canadiens, 7-1 as Matt Dumba scored twice in the rout. Dumba scored two of Minnesota's power-play goals and Charlie Coyle added a short-handed goal for the Wild.
Brayden Schenn capped St. Louis' four-goal third period as the Blues beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Tuesday night. David Perron had two goals and Ivan Barbashev also scored to help the Blues win for the fourth time in their last 12 games.
Wednesday on the Ice:
The New York Islanders host Vegas at 7 p.m.
The Flyers go against The Flames at 8:30 p.m.
Ducks shelve Miller, Rakell, get goalie off waivers:
The Anaheim Ducks have announced that backup netminder Ryan Miller will miss about six weeks with a sprained knee ligament suffered in Sunday's game against the Devils. The club also says forward Rickard Rakell is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle.
The Ducks replaced Miller by claiming goaltender Chad Johnson off waivers from St. Louis.
In other NHL news:
Penguins’ goaltender Matt Murray is nearing a return from a lower-body injury that has sidelined him since mid-November. The two-time Stanley Cup winner is practicing with his teammates for the first time since going on injured reserve last month. Murray is 4-5-1 with a 4.08-goals against average in 11 appearances.
NFL
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (RAHTH'-lihs-bur-gur) believes he'll play Sunday against New England despite bruised ribs suffered in Sunday's loss at Oakland.
Roethlisberger took a shot in the ribs and missed most of the second half of Sunday's game before leading a potential game-tying drive that ended with a botched field-goal attempt by Chris Boswell.
Head coach Mike Tomlin indicated pain management will be the biggest concern. Roethlisberger rarely practices on Wednesdays and there's a chance he could be given an additional day off.
Tomlin also said he will be auditioning kickers this week, although he acknowledged the talent pool is thin at this point in the season.
In other NFL news:
The Lions have put defensive end Ziggy Ansah and tight end Michael Roberts on injured reserve with shoulder problems. Detroit kept Ansah this season with the franchise tag, but he's dealt with injuries all season and has played in only seven games.
The Rams have placed running back Malcolm Brown and cornerback Dominique Hatfield on injured reserve. Brown injured his collarbone earlier this month, and Hatfield needs surgery after injuring his ankle Sunday.
The 49ers have placed receiver Pierre Garcon on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury. Garcon has 64 receptions for 786 yards and one touchdown in 16 games over two seasons with the 49ers.
The Cardinals have placed linebacker Thurston Armbrister and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche on injured reserve and signed two players. The moves leave 16 players placed on injured reserve by Arizona this season.
Titans’ right tackle Jack Conklin and tight end Jonnu Smith have been placed on injured reserve with knee injuries. Both starters were hurt in Tennessee's 30-9 win over Jacksonville last week.
The Vikings have fired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo after just 13 games at the post and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski on an interim basis. The 6-6-1 Vikings have been held under 300 total yards in four of their past five games.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
An autopsy report states that ex-Clemson running back C.J. Fuller died of a blood clot that lodged in an artery in his lungs.
Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley said in a report released Tuesday that the 22-year-old Fuller died from a "Pulmonary thromboembolism and deep vein thrombosis." Pulmonary thromboembolism is when a clot breaks off in one part of your body and gets stuck in an artery in your lungs.
Fuller died on Oct. 3. The report said Fuller had surgery on his leg on Sept. 19, two weeks before he died.
Fuller played three seasons with the Tigers and was part of Clemson's national championship team in 2016.
In other college football news:
Boston College has extended the contract of football coach Steve Addazio through 2022. Addazio led the Eagles to a 7-2 record and a No. 17 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 before losses in their last three regular-season games.
Former Utah State coach Gary Andersen has returned to the Aggies. Andersen previously was Utah State's coach from 2009 to 2012. He replaces Matt Wells, who had taken over the Aggies after Andersen's first stint with the team.
NBA G LEAGUE
Vanderbilt has hired NBA G League President Malcolm Turner as its new athletic director, going with a business executive over candidates with experience in college athletic administration for the SEC's only private university.
Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos says Turner didn't come up through college athletics but believes Turner is a great fit for the Commodores. He will start Feb. 1 and replace David Williams, the first African-American athletic director in the SEC to cap a search that started in September.
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