w Page 52 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Spurs look to lean on depth in encounter vs. Trail Blazers
The San Antonio Spurs have built a team that thrives on synergy and balance.,They hope to lean on those traits and more when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night in the second game of a back-to-back set for both teams., ,The Spurs head home after a 123-113 win over the woeful India...

Bench boosts Bulls heading into matchup with Hornets
Looking to stamp a winning homestand, the Chicago Bulls host the reeling Charlotte Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams on Saturday.,Chicago beat the Orlando Magic 121-114 on Friday to improve to 3-2 on its weeklong stretch of home games. A third straight win on Saturday woul...

Jalen Johnson-led Hawks set for 2-game visit to Toronto
The visiting Atlanta Hawks have a chance to break the Toronto Raptors' hold on them, and perhaps get even, starting Saturday night with the opener of a two-game set.,The teams will meet again on Monday, with both contests in Toronto.,The Raptors won twice in Atlanta to begin the four-game season ser...

Knicks, smarting from ugly loss, pursue improvement vs. Sixers
Fresh off perhaps their most lethargic performance of the season, the New York Knicks hope to author a crisper effort Saturday when they host the Philadelphia 76ers.,The Knicks dropped a 111-99 decision to the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Friday, when they shot just 37.1% from the field and 9 of 42 (21...

Canadiens, Blues set to face off minus key roster pieces
The first half of the season gave the Montreal Canadiens' organizational depth a severe test. The Canadiens passed it, overcoming myriad injuries to earn 50 points in their first 40 games.,"You're not going to go through this season with 23 guys," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "You're probab...

Robby Ashford (5 total TDs), Wake Forest outslug Mississippi State in Mayo Bowl
Robby Ashford passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for two touchdowns to lead Wake Forest to a 43-29 victory over Mississippi State on Friday night in the Duke's Mayo Bowl at Charlotte, N.C.,Ashford, who earned MVP honors, completed 20 of 33 passes with one interception and rush...

SMU avoids collapse, holds off No. 17 Arizona at Holiday Bowl
T.J. Harden ran for two touchdowns, Kevin Jennings amassed 278 yards through the air and SMU defeated No. 17 Arizona 24-19 to win the Holiday Bowl on Friday night in San Diego.,SMU (9-4) was ahead 24-0 at halftime and had to overcome Jennings' three second-half interceptions to pick up its first bow...

Contending for NFC's No. 2 seed, Eagles seek familiar sweep of Commanders
The NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles will attempt to sweep the visiting Washington Commanders for the sixth time in nine seasons on Sunday afternoon.,The Eagles (11-5) won both meetings with Washington (4-12) in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 and registered a 29-18 victory two weeks ago in Lan...

No. 3 Iowa State handles WVU, equals school's best start
Joshua Jefferson notched a triple-double and Milan Momcilovic scored a game-high 26 points as No. 3 Iowa State rolled to an 80-59 win over West Virginia in the teams' Big 12 Conference opener Friday in Ames, Iowa.,Jefferson finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while Momcilovic made 8...

Deni Avdija scores 34 as Blazers extend Pelicans' misery
Deni Avdija scored 34 points and dished 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers sent the host New Orleans Pelicans to a sixth consecutive loss with 122-109 decision on Friday.,Avdija buoyed the Blazers for much of the first half, having scored almost half of Portland's points deep into the second...

Giannis Antetokounmpo's late dunk lifts Bucks past Hornets
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and threw down a game-winning alley-oop slam to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a thrilling 122-121 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Friday.,Antetokounmpo grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists, giving him the most 30-point, 10-rebound, five-assi...

Jalen Johnson's triple-double sparks Hawks' win over Knicks
Jalen Johnson recorded a triple-double Friday night for the visiting Atlanta Hawks, who withstood a late rally by the New York Knicks to earn a 111-99 win.,Johnson finished with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in his seventh triple-double of the season and the ninth of his five-year career.,Ni...

Reports: Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons eyeing SEC rival in portal
Austin Simmons, who began the season as Ole Miss' starting quarterback but lost the job after an injury, plans to enter the transfer portal with a no-contact tag, multiple reports said Friday.,Simmons is expected to land at SEC rival Missouri, according to On3 and ESPN reports.,Ole Miss is still ali...

Celtics keen to slow Kawhi Leonard, snap Clippers' win streak
On one of the best stretches of an already accomplished career, Kawhi Leonard will lead the resurgent Los Angeles Clippers against the Boston Celtics on Saturday in Inglewood, Calif.,The Clippers have made Leonard the focal point of their offense, and the six-time All-Star has put the charge into th...

'It's on now': Minnesota locking in for Big Ten play, faces Northwestern
Minnesota coach Niko Medved does not have to worry about giving a big pep talk to his team heading into this weekend.,That's because the calendar has flipped to 2026, and every game from now on will come against a Big Ten Conference opponent.,"It's on now," Medved said. "We're playing the best leagu...

Rockets being 'aggressive' sharers ahead of tilt with Mavericks
As the Houston Rockets ride a four-game winning streak into Saturday's visit to Dallas, the Mavericks look to end a four-game slide.,Houston opened a stretch playing five of six on the road with a 120-96 rout of Brooklyn on Thursday. Amen Thompson's 23 points led six Rockets scoring 14-plus points, ...

Battle-tested OK State, No. 15 Texas Tech open grueling Big 12 slate
With plenty of tests behind them, Oklahoma State and 15th-ranked Texas Tech have learned about strengths and weaknesses, with each team making progress.,What matters now, though, is how that translates into success in the rugged Big 12 Conference.,The Cowboys (12-1) and Red Raiders (10-3) open leagu...

J.J. McCarthy tabbed to start Vikings' finale against Packers
After sitting out Week 17 with a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will start Sunday's season finale against the Green Bay Packers.,McCarthy was a full participant in the Vikings' practices on Thursday and Friday, which inspired head coach Kevin O'Co...

Blake Horvath, Navy seniors go out in style, top Cincinnati in Liberty Bowl
Blake Horvath threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to propel Navy to a 35-13 victory over short-handed Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl on Friday in rainy Memphis.,Eli Heidenreich contributed 126 yards of offense and had a touchdown catch as the Midshipmen (11-2) won their fourth strai...

Austria's Katharina Liensberger to miss Olympics with knee injury
Austria's Katharina Liensberger, the 2022 Olympics slalom silver medalist, miss the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics after suffering a right knee injury in a training crash in St. Michael, Austria.,According to the Austrian ski federation, the 28-year-old suffered multiple injuries to the knee, includi...