review Page 131 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Mediocre Cowboys, injury-ravaged Commanders aim for 'some success'
The Dallas Cowboys visit the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day wondering what might have been.,With a pair of winnable division road games remaining (Commanders and Giants), the 6-8-1 Cowboys could finish with a .500 record -- but there's no possible path to the playoffs thanks to their recent ...

Lions' fleeting playoff hopes on the line Christmas Day vs. Vikings
The Detroit Lions are down but not out.,Not yet, at least.,The Lions (8-7) try to keep their dim playoff hopes alive when they take on the Minnesota Vikings (7-8) in a Christmas Day matchup on Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis.,Detroit comes off a crushing 29-24 loss Sunday at home against the Pitts...

UConn, Army eager for last hurrah at Fenway Bowl
BOSTON -- UConn's Skyler Bell wants to finish what he started.,The Huskies (9-3) enter Saturday's Fenway Bowl matchup against Army (6-6) with quarterback Joe Fagnano opted out and coach Jim Mora gone to take over at Colorado State.,Despite rumors that Bell -- who has logged 1,278 receiving yards and...

Plenty of opt-outs as underachievers Penn State, Clemson battle in Pinstripe Bowl
Penn State and Clemson had playoff-sized expectations when this season began.,Instead, both teams nearly missed bowl season altogether until they saved themselves with season-ending winning streaks. One school fired its coach midway through the season, while fans of the other wondered aloud how hot ...

Departures may hurt East Carolina facing Pitt in Military Bowl
Pitt missed out on bigger things late in the regular season, but the Panthers still can capture a nice finishing prize.,Pitt takes on East Carolina in the Military Bowl on Saturday at Annapolis, Md.,The roster for East Carolina (8-4) looks ravaged by departures, but that can't be a concern for the P...

Kraken, Kings eager to overcome stretch of adversity
For all the Seattle Kraken have gone through in the past month, they still have a chance to reach the holiday break with a record better than the NHL's version of .500.,The Kraken "evened" their record at 14-14-6 with a 3-1 victory Monday at Pacific Division-leading Anaheim and will try to sweep the...

Skidding Blackhawks bid to 'push back' vs. Flyers
Losses and injuries are mounting for the Chicago Blackhawks, but with that reality comes a spike in self-awareness.,"Of course, it's frustrating," Chicago forward Ilya Mikheyev said. "But we need to learn how to play. Because the best teams play a whole 60 minutes. We're growing up, and it takes tim...

Kings, in search of rare consecutive wins, shake up rotation vs. Pistons
Having surprised one of the best teams in the West, the Sacramento Kings will look to duplicate their success against the Eastern Conference leader when they host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.,The Kings had lost five games in a row, including the opener of a four-game homestand to the Portla...

Magic eager to raise intensity level vs. Trail Blazers
The Orlando Magic will attempt to put up an improved performance when they conclude a four-game road trip with a visit to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.,Orlando is 1-2 on the trip and fell apart in the second half on Monday night when it lost 120-97 to the Golden State Warriors. The 23...

Depleted Grizzlies piece together lineup for matchup vs. Jazz
For the Memphis Grizzlies, the impact of repeated injuries is taking its toll on the team's season.,The Grizzlies have dropped three of their past five games, including a 119-103 loss Monday night at Oklahoma City, and will head to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.,Memphis was o...

West's best square off as surging Spurs host Thunder
The San Antonio Spurs will return home with a six-game winning streak in hand but will have to play even better to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.,The game will be the first of a home-and-home set for the Western Conference leaders, with the follow up on Christmas Day in Oklahoma Ci...

Mavericks face tall task vs. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
A couple weeks ago, it looked as if the Dallas Mavericks were starting to turn their season around after a tumultuous start. ,The Mavericks won five of six games, including victories against contenders such as the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets. ,Since then, however, the Mavericks have lost thre...

Teams on losing streaks collide as Bucks face Pacers
A pair of sinking foes will meet up in Indianapolis on Tuesday when the Indiana Pacers face the Milwaukee Bucks.,Milwaukee dropped its third straight game and fifth in its past six tries on Sunday when a 40-point second half doomed the Bucks in a 103-100 setback against the Minnesota Timberwolves. W...

Cavs' Darius Garland rediscovering form ahead of Pelicans' visit
The past two games are too few to declare that Darius Garland is back to his All-Star form, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are optimistic that is the case.,The 25-year-old point guard has put together a stretch where he looks like his pre-toe-surgery self, averaging 31 points and nine assists over 31.5...

Hornets put focus on ball retention against Wizards
The Charlotte Hornets have lots of areas to fix in a short timeframe. After losing Monday night, they return home for a Tuesday night game against the Washington Wizards.,The Hornets fell 139-132 to the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday despite LaMelo Ball's 23 points, including six 3-pointers. Whi...

Dominant Avalanche host Mammoth in pre-Christmas matchup
The NHL is starting its three-day holiday hiatus on Wednesday, and the Colorado Avalanche can head into the break on a high note when they host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night in Denver.,Colorado has won five in a row -- one behind Buffalo's league-leading six-game winning streak -- and has just t...

After stunning Lakers, Clippers set sights on Rockets
After recording their most impressive win of the season, the Los Angeles Clippers look to carry the momentum into a matchup against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday in Inglewood, Calif.,Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points and James Harden added 21 to help the Clippers snap a five-game losing streak with a ...

Vegas hosts San Jose in key pre-break divisional matchup
On the heels of losing back-to-back games in regulation for the first time this season, the Vegas Golden Knights return home to Las Vegas to open a four-game homestand against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.,Vegas brings in a three-game losing streak, including a 6-3 loss at Calgary on Saturda...

Flames look to continue hot streak against rival Oilers
Mikael Backlund will look to remain hot as the Calgary Flames travel to Edmonton for the first of a home-and-home against the Oilers on Tuesday night.,Backlund has four goals and an assist over his last two games for the Flames, who have won back-to-back and three of four.,The Flames captain scored ...

Suns, Lakers square off for third time this month
Western Conference rivals clash for the third time this month when Phoenix hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.,The Suns split the first two games with the Lakers, winning 125-108 in Los Angeles on Dec. 1 before losing 116-114 in Phoenix on Dec. 14. The Suns managed to overcome Luka Doncic's 38-...