an Page 312 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Houston Astros Bet $54 Million on Tatsuya Imai in Risky Move
Tatsuya Imai signs a three-year, $54M deal with the Astros as MLB free agency turns into a high-stakes gamble shaped by posting deadlines and shrinking leverage....

Shooting stars on display in No. 10 BYU's matchup with K-State
A pair of elite scorers will be on display as No. 10 BYU takes on Kansas State to open Big 12 Conference play Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, Kan.,How each standout performs may determine which team begins 1-0 in the Big 12 race.,The Cougars are paced by true freshman AJ Dybantsa, and the Wildcats ...

Canucks dealing with new injury absences as Kraken visit
The new year brought more discouraging injury news for the Vancouver Canucks.,Coach Adam Foote announced at practice on Thursday that forwards Marco Rossi and Conor Garland would both be out for at least a week after sustaining injuries in a 6-3 loss on Tuesday against the visiting Philadelphia Flye...

Indiana, Miami open as CFP semifinal favorites
Indiana emerged as the lone team with a bye to win in the College Football Playoff semifinals, and the Hoosiers are now the clear favorite to win the national title.,Following a 38-3 dismantling of ninth-seeded Alabama, top-seeded Indiana was installed as a consensus 4.0-point favorite to beat Orego...

Nuggets C Jonas Valanciunas (calf) to miss at least month
The Denver Nuggets already were without star center Nikola Jokic for a minimum of a month, and now his backup will be sidelined for the same period.,Jonas Valanciunas strained his right calf on Wednesday, and the team announced a day later that he would be re-evaluated in four weeks.,In Denver's fir...

Canadiens rally past Canes, spoil Sebastian Aho's big game
Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson scored 23 seconds apart in the second period as the Montreal Canadiens came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 7-5 on Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C.,Lane Hutson, Sammy Blais and Juraj Slafkovsky each had a goal and an assist, while Nick Su...

Canadiens rally past Hurricanes to spoil Sebastian Aho's big game
Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson scored 23 seconds apart in the second period as the Montreal Canadiens came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 7-5 on Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C.,Lane Hutson, Sammy Blais and Juraj Slafkovsky each had a goal and an assist, while Nick Su...

Venus Williams receives Australian Open wild-card entry
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams received a wild-card entry into the main draw of this month's Australian Open, event organizers announced Friday in Australia (Thursday night U.S.).,Williams, 45, last competed in Melbourne in 2021 when she lost in the second round to Italy's Sara Errani...

Unbeaten No. 13 Nebraska prepares for duel with No. 9 Michigan St.
The nation's longest active win streak will be on the line when No. 13 Nebraska hosts No. 9 Michigan State in a Big Ten Conference game on Friday night in Lincoln, Neb.,The host Cornhuskers (13-0, 2-0 Big Ten) have won 17 in a row dating back to last season, the longest win streak in school history....

Zion Williamson peaking in lineup as Pelicans host Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers begin their 2026 schedule on Friday when they continue a three-game road trip against the slumping New Orleans Pelicans. ,New Orleans put together a season-best five-game winning streak from Dec. 11-22 - a run that began with the Pelicans' 143-120 rout of Portland - but th...

No. 1 Indiana rolls at Rose Bowl, hands No. 9 Alabama worst bowl loss
Fernando Mendoza threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns to lead top-seeded Indiana to a 38-3 blowout of ninth-seeded Alabama in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Thursday in Pasadena, Calif.,The Hoosiers advance to the semifinals and will take on fifth-seeded Oregon on Ja...

No. 16 Louisville's defense could cause trouble for stagnant Stanford
Louisville will wrap up its California road trip on Friday, looking to start 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play as the No. 16 Cardinals square off against the Stanford Cardinal.,The Cardinals (11-2, 1-0 ACC) are coming off one of their better victories of the season, a 90-70 win over Cal that sna...

Unbeaten outdoors, Rangers hit Miami for Winter Classic vs. Panthers
The New York Rangers' perfect record in outdoor games will be on the line Friday when they face the Florida Panthers in the 2026 Winter Classic at Miami's loanDepot Park.,The franchise is 5-0 outdoors, the most wins without a loss of any NHL team. Previously, the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers...

Jrue Holiday nearing a return for Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday is making progress from his right calf strain and is nearing a return to play, the team said Thursday.,Holiday has missed 22 consecutive games. The Trail Blazers said he has been cleared for on-court basketball activities and his availability will be based o...

Dylan Guenther's hat trick leads Mammoth to demolition of Islanders
Dylan Guenther collected his first career hat trick and Nick Schmaltz scored twice Thursday for the Utah Mammoth, who rolled to a 7-2 win over the New York Islanders Thursday in Elmont, N.Y.,Mikhail Sergachev and Clayton Keller also scored for the Mammoth, who finished with just 20 shots.,The seven ...

Dominant No. 2 Michigan resumes Big Ten play vs. No. 24 USC
A Top 25 showdown ushers in 2026 and the meat of this season's Big Ten schedule when second-ranked Michigan hosts No. 24 Southern California on Friday in Ann Arbor, Mich.,The Wolverines (12-0, 2-0 Big Ten) aim to extend their best start for the program since the 2018-19 team won 17 straight to open ...

Rare late-game stumble motivates Knicks against Hawks
The New York Knicks spent much of December offering evidence they are serious contenders to win their first NBA title in more than 50 years.,The last day of the month (and the year) served as a reminder the Knicks are still a work in progress.,The Knicks will look to bounce back from a rare fourth-q...

Injury-riddled Nuggets visit suddenly healthy Cavaliers
Much of the luster was taken away from the Denver Nuggets' only regular-season visit to Cleveland when superstar center Nikola Jokic hyperextended his left knee on Monday and was ruled out until at least late January.,The games must go on, though, and the Cavaliers will host the injury-plagued Nugge...

Victor Wembanyama unconcerned about knee as Spurs prep for Pacers
In what easily could have been an NBA Finals preview between two of the best teams in the league, the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit for a 134-132 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.,But as thrilling as the win was, the postgame focus was on the health of Victor ...

No. 5 Oregon defense stifles No. 4 Texas Tech in Orange Bowl shutout
Brandon Finney Jr. intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble and No. 5 Oregon advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 23-0 victory over No. 4 Texas Tech on Thursday afternoon in the Orange Bowl at Miami Gardens, Fla.,Matayo Uiagalelei had a key strip-sack for the Ducks (13-1),...