HUTCHINSON, Kan.—The 2021 edition of the NJCAA D1 Women's Volleyball Championship final four is set after an exciting day of competition on Friday.

Only one of the top seeds remain as #1 seeded Blinn, Texas was swept by the NJCAA D1 defending champion Iowa Western 3-0 in the late match on Friday night.&nbsp; 

The Region VI Kansas representative Butler swept Snow College 3-0. Butler also swept Wallace State to earn the right to match up against Snow in their opening match of the tournament. Butler is seeded #2 in this years tournament and is their first time to the National Championship.

The other two teams to reach the semifinals are Missouri State-West Plains and New Mexico Military.&nbsp; West Plains swept Central Wyoming and the #4 seed Florida Southwestern to earn the right to play Iowa Western tonight at 6:30pm at the Sports Arena.

New Mexico Military will play Butler Community College on court 2 at 6:30pm.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

HUTCHINSON, Kan.—The 2021 edition of the NJCAA D1 Women's Volleyball Championship final four is set after an exciting day of competition on Friday.Only one of the top seeds remain as #1 seeded Blinn, Texas was swept by the NJCAA D1 defending champion Iowa Western 3-0 in the late match on Friday night.&nbsp; The Region VI Kansas representative Butler swept Snow College 3-0. Butler also swept Wallace State to earn the right to match up against Snow in their opening match of the tournament. Butler is seeded #2 in this years tournament and is their first time to the National Championship.The other two teams to reach the semifinals are Missouri State-West Plains and New Mexico Military.&nbsp; West Plains swept Central Wyoming and the #4 seed Florida Southwestern to earn the right to play Iowa Western tonight at 6:30pm at the Sports Arena.New Mexico Military will play Butler Community College on court 2 at 6:30pm.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

NJCAA D1 Volleyball semifinalists set

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<div><iframe title="November 18, 2021 Morning Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=w97pw-113536d-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=&btn-skin=7"></iframe></div><a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

🎙 Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday Morning

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — Kansas State has the longest winning streak in the Big 12 Conference at four wins in a row. If the 7-3 Wildcats extend that with a win over No. 11 Baylor, they could open the door for No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Oklahoma to lock up the two spots in the Big 12 title game. Baylor is still in contention for its second Big 12 title game appearance in three years after beating Oklahoma last week. Oklahoma State plays Saturday night at Texas Tech, and Oklahoma hosts Iowa State in a rematch of last year's league championship game.&nbsp;

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Chris Lykes scored 26 points and No. 16 Arkansas reeled off 13 straight points in the final minutes to beat Northern Iowa 93-80. The teams traded the lead 18 times and were tied another 10. Northern Iowa stayed competitive by making 17 of 37 from 3-point range and led 78-77. Jaylin Williams' layup with 2:42 put Arkansas ahead for good. The Razorbacks forced three straight turnovers during the final run and finished off the game from the foul line. Arkansas is 3-0. Northern Iowa is 1-3.Trae Berhow led the Panthers with 23 points and shot 7 of 11 from deep.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes followed three of the worst games of his professional career with one of his best, throwing for 406 yards and five touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs rolled to a 41-14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was the third time Mahomes had thrown for at least 400 yards and five TDs since he was picked in the 2017 draft, and he became the first player in league history to have at least two of them without throwing an interception. Mahomes will need another big game if the Chiefs want to continue their recent winning streak against the Cowboys on Sunday.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech's radio announcers have been suspended for a game by the Big 12 over comments about officiating in the Red Raiders' 41-38 victory over Iowa State. The announcers have been publicly reprimanded by the conference and banned from calling Saturday's home finale against No. 9 Oklahoma State. Several calls on reviews went against Texas Tech. One was an interception that was overturned near the goal line and prompted fans to throw objects on the field.

UNDATED (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban and Georgia's Kirby Smart continue to make their ability to field elite defenses a big part of their formula for maintaining consistently elite programs in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia and Alabama are the top two defensive teams in the SEC through 10 games. Neither program ranks in the top two in the SEC in total offense. Georgia already has won the SEC East for the fourth time in Smart's six seasons since he left his old job as Alabama defensive coordinator. Alabama is one victory away from a ninth SEC West title under Saban. &nbsp;&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ismael Massoud and Nijel Pack each scored 15 points, both hitting three 3-pointers, and Kansas State used a quick start to defeat Omaha 79-64. The Wildcats were up 15-2 less than five minutes into the game and had a late 18-3 run in the first half to go up by 21 before settling for a 42-26 lead at the break. The Mavericks had a 10-0 run in the middle of the second half to get within 12 but Kansas State had four 3s in a 16-2 run to ice it. Kyle Luedtke hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points off the bench for the Mavericks.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her second career triple-double, McKenna Warnock had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 8 Iowa beat Southern 87-67. Monika Czinano added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Tomi Taiwo scored 12 for the Hawkeyes (4-0). Clark shot 2 for 9 from the field — including 1 for 6 on 3-pointers, but she was 11 for 12 on free throws. Genovea Johnson led Southern (0-3) with 19 points. Kayla Watson had 12 points and Nakia Kincey had 10. The Jaguars were called for 29 fouls and Iowa was 33 for 38 on free throws.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Josiah Allick and Anderson Kopp scored 17 points apiece as Kansas City easily beat Kansas Christian 99-36. Caden Boser added 13 points for the Roos, while Timothy Barnes and Jack Chapman each had 11. Javarius Washington led the Falcons with 10 points.

Antetokounmpo, Middleton help Bucks defeat Lakers

UNDATED (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) scored 47 points and Khris Middleton tied Milwaukee's franchise record for career 3-pointers in the Bucks' 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Middleton returned after missing eight games due to COVID-19 and made consecutive 3-pointers 30 seconds apart early in the fourth quarter to put the Bucks ahead for good. The second of those 3-pointers was his 1,051st as a Buck to match Ray Allen for first place on the team's all-time list.

LeBron James missed an eighth straight game for the Lakers due to an abdominal strain.

— The Phoenix Suns ran their winning streak to 10 games, beating the Dallas Mavericks 105-98. Chris Paul drove to the basket and was about to fall out of bounds before finding Deandre Ayton for the dunk and a four-point lead with 1:27 left. Devin Booker hit a long 3-pointer with the shot-clock expiring with 50 seconds left to seal it.

— Damian Lillard struggled at the start but warmed up to finish with 22 points and 10 assists, rallying the Portland Trail Blazers to a 112-107 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, who trailed by 20 in the first half.

— The Charlotte Hornets beat the Washington Wizards 97-87. Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 19 points, while Miles Bridges added 17 and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14. It was the Hornets' fourth straight win and ended the Wizards' five-game winning steak.

— James Harden scored 27 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 and Kevin Durant 23 to help the Brooklyn Nets beat the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 109-99. Patty Mills added 21 points to give the Nets four 20-point scorers for the first time this season. Brooklyn improved to 11-5 with its eighth victory in 10 games.

— The Atlanta Hawks have now won three in a row. John Collins scored 20 points, Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter had 19 apiece in a 110-99 victory over the Boston Celtics. Trae Young chipped in with 18 points as the Hawks used a balanced attack to overcome a 34-point performance by Jayson Tatum.

— The Miami Heat had to play without injured starters Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry but, thanks in large part to Jimmy Butler, still managed a 113-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Butler had a triple-double in his return from a sprained right ankle, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

— Jeremi Grant scored 19 points and Cory Joseph added 18 as the Detroit Pistons rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 97-89. Cade Cunningham added 16 points for Detroit, and Saddiq Bey scored 15. Both teams shot below 43% from the floor and under 30% on 3-pointers.

— The Orlando Magic rallied late in the fourth quarter to defeat the New York Knicks 104-98. Cole Anthony had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Mo Bamba added 12 points and 11 boards, while Terrence Ross scored 19 points off the bench.

— Lu Dort scored 34 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 101-89. The Thunder snapped a two-game skid with their largest victory margin of the season. The Rockets have lost 13 straight.

— Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 107-97 win against the Sacramento Kings. The Timberwolves' improved defense held Sacramento to 36.6% shooting and forced 20 turnovers.

UNDATED (AP) — D'Shawn Schwartz scored a career-high 24 points, DeVon Cooper added 16 and George Mason withstood a frantic comeback bid by No. 20 Maryland to pull off a 71-66 upset.

The Patriots let a 10-point lead dwindle to 59-56 before Cooper made a layup and Schwartz made a 3-pointer for an eight-point cushion with 3:06 to go. That was just enough to provide George Mason with its first win over a ranked foe since 2007.

In other top 25 men's college basketball: 

— No. 2 UCLA routed North Florida, 98-63, for its 4th win in row. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 points Johnny Juzang added 17. The Bruins took control with a 28-9 run to close the first half, then ran off 11 straight points to start the second.

— Newcomer Tre Mitchell had 16 points and seven rebounds as No. 8 Texas defeated Northern Colorado 62-49. Mitchell made 7 of 11 shots in 21 minutes for the Longhorns, who are 2-1. Mitchell came through the NCAA transfer portal from Massachusetts.

— LJ Cryer scored 20 points for the second game in a row and ninth-ranked Baylor tied a school record with 21 steals in a 92-47 victory over Central Arkansas. The defending national champion Bears extended their home winning streak to a record 16 in a row.

— Chris Lykes scored 26 points and No. 16 Arkansas reeled off 13 straight points in the final minutes to beat Northern Iowa 93-80. The teams traded the lead 18 times and were tied another 10. But the Razorbacks forced three straight turnovers during the final run and finished off the game from the foul line.

— No. 23 UConn used stifling defense to rout overmatched Long Island University 93-40. Tyler Polley led the Huskies' scoring with 17 points, Andre Jackson had 14 points, Jalen Gaffney and Adama Sanogo each had 11 and Tyrese Martin added 10. The Huskies held LIU to 27% shooting and 14 field goals.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Garnet Hathaway scored a pair of goals during a two-minute span in the third period and the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-0. 

The game was scoreless until there was 3:30 remaining, when John Carlson caught Jonathan Quick playing out of position and flipped a pass to Hathaway, who was able to put it into the net. Hathaway then added an empty-net goal. 

Ilya Samsonov made 34 saves for his second shutout this season and fifth of his career. Quick stopped 36 shots.

— Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat (deh-BRIHN'-kat) each had a goal and an assist and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 for their fourth straight win. Marc-Andre Fleury (marhk-ahn-dray FLOOR'-ee) stopped 31 shots. The Kraken have lost their last five games.

— Nazem Kadri (NA'-zehm KA'-dree) and Mikko Rantanen (MEE'-koh RAN'-tah-nehn) each had a goal and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2. It was the fifth straight loss for the Canucks.

Red Sox owners in talks to buy Pittsburgh Penguins

UNDATED (AP) — The owners of the Boston Red Sox are in talks to buy the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Red Sox President Sam Kennedy confirmed Wednesday that Fenway Sports Group has been working on a deal for the professional hockey club. 

Sportico valued the Penguins last month at $845 million. FSG owns the Red Sox and Liverpool FC of the Premier League and is partners in the RFK Racing NASCAR team.

— Aleksander Barkov is hurt, and the Florida Panthers are relieved it's not as bad as initially feared. Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette says Barkov will be week-to-week with a knee injury but will not need surgery.

Toronto lefty Ray wins AL Cy Young, Brewers' Burnes takes NL

UNDATED (AP) — Toronto left-hander Robbie Ray bounced back from a dismal season to win the AL Cy Young Award and Milwaukee righty Corbin Burnes returned from a bout of COVID-19 to win the NL's top pitching prize.

In the Year of the Pitcher, Burnes led the majors with a 2.43 ERA and Ray topped the AL at 2.84 and both put up impressive strikeout totals.

Burnes edged Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler for the award, while Max Scherzer finished third. Burnes endured a bout of COVID-19 in May, returning after two weeks to finish with 234 strikeouts in 167 innings and an 11-5 record, as the Brewers went on to win the NL Central.

Ray beat Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who finished second in the voting, and Chicago White Sox righty Lance Lynn. Ray actually took a pay cut after a rough 2020 but bounced back to lead the majors with 248 strikeouts and and 193 1/3 innings, going 13-7.

Verlander agrees to one-year deal with Astros

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander has agreed to a $25 million, one-year contract with the Houston Astros. 

Verlander played just one game in the past two seasons after injuring his elbow in the 2020 season opener and undergoing Tommy John surgery in October of last year. The contract includes a conditional $25 million player option for a second season. 

— First baseman Brandon Belt has accepted an $18.4 million qualifying offer from San Francisco rather than pursue bidders as a free agent. Belt was the only one to accept among the 14 free agents who received the offers from their former clubs on Nov. 7. Among those to turn down offers were first baseman Freddie Freeman of Atlanta, shortstop Carlos Correa of Houston, Robbie Ray and infielder Marcus Semien of Toronto, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and Mets outfielder Michael Conforto.

— The Cleveland Indians will officially transition to Guardians on Friday, completing a name change that has been occurring in stages over the past few months. The team sent out a release saying its team shop at Progressive Field will begin selling Guardians merchandise and souvenirs later this week.

— The Seattle Mariners will induct Ichiro Suzuki into the team's Hall of Fame during the 2022 season. Suzuki will be honored on Aug. 27 when Seattle faces Cleveland. Suzuki spent parts of 14 seasons with the Mariners before retiring in March 2019 after Seattle opened the season with games in his home country of Japan.

— A person familiar with the negotiations says the New York Mets are close to completing a deal to hire Billy Eppler as general manager. Eppler was fired as general manager of the Los Angeles Angels a little more than a year ago after five losing seasons. He would become the Mets' fifth head of baseball operations in 13 months.

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL is requiring players and staff to wear masks inside team facilities regardless of vaccination status for a week starting on Thanksgiving, and they must be tested twice for COVID-19 after the holiday. 

The league's protocols have been updated as a result of increasing rates of COVID-19 across the country. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lihs-bur-gur) each missed a game in consecuwtive weeks because of COVID-19.

— Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for the New York Jets on Sunday at home against the Miami Dolphins. Coach Robert Saleh made the announcement Wednesday as the team decided to go with the 36-year-old veteran over Mike White, who started the last three games in place of the injured Zach Wilson.

— Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield sat out practice Wednesday in hopes of letting several injuries heal as Cleveland prepares to face the winless Detroit Lions. Mayfield has played with a torn labrum and fracture in his left, non-throwing shoulder. He suffered a bruised right knee in Sunday's loss to New England, a week after hurting his left foot.

— The Detroit Lions held out Jared Goff from practice after the starting quarterback suffered an oblique injury in last week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

— A Las Vegas judge has ordered former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III to appear in court Monday after learning he missed a required alcohol test while on house arrest following a fatal crash he's accused of causing. Ruggs could face a return to jail.

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-TOURNAMENT EXPANSION

NCAA women's basketball tournament expands to 68 teams

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA women's basketball tournament is expanding to 68 teams beginning with the current season, giving it an equal number of participants as the men's tournament as part of a concerted effort at gender parity.

The expansion of the women's tournament was among the recommendations put forth in August after a comprehensive external gender equity review. It was commissioned after backlash driven by social media over disparities in the men's and women's tournaments, including weight rooms and other facilities.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>UNDATED (AP) — Kansas State has the longest winning streak in the Big 12 Conference at four wins in a row. If the 7-3 Wildcats extend that with a win over No. 11 Baylor, they could open the door for No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Oklahoma to lock up the two spots in the Big 12 title game. Baylor is still in contention for its second Big 12 title game appearance in three years after beating Oklahoma last week. Oklahoma State plays Saturday night at Texas Tech, and Oklahoma hosts Iowa State in a rematch of last year's league championship game.&nbsp;FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Chris Lykes scored 26 points and No. 16 Arkansas reeled off 13 straight points in the final minutes to beat Northern Iowa 93-80. The teams traded the lead 18 times and were tied another 10. Northern Iowa stayed competitive by making 17 of 37 from 3-point range and led 78-77. Jaylin Williams' layup with 2:42 put Arkansas ahead for good. The Razorbacks forced three straight turnovers during the final run and finished off the game from the foul line. Arkansas is 3-0. Northern Iowa is 1-3.Trae Berhow led the Panthers with 23 points and shot 7 of 11 from deep.&nbsp;KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes followed three of the worst games of his professional career with one of his best, throwing for 406 yards and five touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs rolled to a 41-14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was the third time Mahomes had thrown for at least 400 yards and five TDs since he was picked in the 2017 draft, and he became the first player in league history to have at least two of them without throwing an interception. Mahomes will need another big game if the Chiefs want to continue their recent winning streak against the Cowboys on Sunday.LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech's radio announcers have been suspended for a game by the Big 12 over comments about officiating in the Red Raiders' 41-38 victory over Iowa State. The announcers have been publicly reprimanded by the conference and banned from calling Saturday's home finale against No. 9 Oklahoma State. Several calls on reviews went against Texas Tech. One was an interception that was overturned near the goal line and prompted fans to throw objects on the field.UNDATED (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban and Georgia's Kirby Smart continue to make their ability to field elite defenses a big part of their formula for maintaining consistently elite programs in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia and Alabama are the top two defensive teams in the SEC through 10 games. Neither program ranks in the top two in the SEC in total offense. Georgia already has won the SEC East for the fourth time in Smart's six seasons since he left his old job as Alabama defensive coordinator. Alabama is one victory away from a ninth SEC West title under Saban. &nbsp;&nbsp;MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ismael Massoud and Nijel Pack each scored 15 points, both hitting three 3-pointers, and Kansas State used a quick start to defeat Omaha 79-64. The Wildcats were up 15-2 less than five minutes into the game and had a late 18-3 run in the first half to go up by 21 before settling for a 42-26 lead at the break. The Mavericks had a 10-0 run in the middle of the second half to get within 12 but Kansas State had four 3s in a 16-2 run to ice it. Kyle Luedtke hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points off the bench for the Mavericks.IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her second career triple-double, McKenna Warnock had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 8 Iowa beat Southern 87-67. Monika Czinano added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Tomi Taiwo scored 12 for the Hawkeyes (4-0). Clark shot 2 for 9 from the field — including 1 for 6 on 3-pointers, but she was 11 for 12 on free throws. Genovea Johnson led Southern (0-3) with 19 points. Kayla Watson had 12 points and Nakia Kincey had 10. The Jaguars were called for 29 fouls and Iowa was 33 for 38 on free throws.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Josiah Allick and Anderson Kopp scored 17 points apiece as Kansas City easily beat Kansas Christian 99-36. Caden Boser added 13 points for the Roos, while Timothy Barnes and Jack Chapman each had 11. Javarius Washington led the Falcons with 10 points.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NBA SCHEDULEAntetokounmpo, Middleton help Bucks defeat LakersUNDATED (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) scored 47 points and Khris Middleton tied Milwaukee's franchise record for career 3-pointers in the Bucks' 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.Middleton returned after missing eight games due to COVID-19 and made consecutive 3-pointers 30 seconds apart early in the fourth quarter to put the Bucks ahead for good. The second of those 3-pointers was his 1,051st as a Buck to match Ray Allen for first place on the team's all-time list.LeBron James missed an eighth straight game for the Lakers due to an abdominal strain.In other NBA action:— The Phoenix Suns ran their winning streak to 10 games, beating the Dallas Mavericks 105-98. Chris Paul drove to the basket and was about to fall out of bounds before finding Deandre Ayton for the dunk and a four-point lead with 1:27 left. Devin Booker hit a long 3-pointer with the shot-clock expiring with 50 seconds left to seal it.— Damian Lillard struggled at the start but warmed up to finish with 22 points and 10 assists, rallying the Portland Trail Blazers to a 112-107 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, who trailed by 20 in the first half.— The Charlotte Hornets beat the Washington Wizards 97-87. Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 19 points, while Miles Bridges added 17 and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14. It was the Hornets' fourth straight win and ended the Wizards' five-game winning steak.— James Harden scored 27 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 and Kevin Durant 23 to help the Brooklyn Nets beat the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 109-99. Patty Mills added 21 points to give the Nets four 20-point scorers for the first time this season. Brooklyn improved to 11-5 with its eighth victory in 10 games.— The Atlanta Hawks have now won three in a row. John Collins scored 20 points, Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter had 19 apiece in a 110-99 victory over the Boston Celtics. Trae Young chipped in with 18 points as the Hawks used a balanced attack to overcome a 34-point performance by Jayson Tatum.— The Miami Heat had to play without injured starters Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry but, thanks in large part to Jimmy Butler, still managed a 113-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Butler had a triple-double in his return from a sprained right ankle, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.— Jeremi Grant scored 19 points and Cory Joseph added 18 as the Detroit Pistons rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 97-89. Cade Cunningham added 16 points for Detroit, and Saddiq Bey scored 15. Both teams shot below 43% from the floor and under 30% on 3-pointers.— The Orlando Magic rallied late in the fourth quarter to defeat the New York Knicks 104-98. Cole Anthony had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Mo Bamba added 12 points and 11 boards, while Terrence Ross scored 19 points off the bench.— Lu Dort scored 34 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 101-89. The Thunder snapped a two-game skid with their largest victory margin of the season. The Rockets have lost 13 straight.— Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 107-97 win against the Sacramento Kings. The Timberwolves' improved defense held Sacramento to 36.6% shooting and forced 20 turnovers.T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULEGeorge Mason shocks No. 20 MarylandUNDATED (AP) — D'Shawn Schwartz scored a career-high 24 points, DeVon Cooper added 16 and George Mason withstood a frantic comeback bid by No. 20 Maryland to pull off a 71-66 upset.The Patriots let a 10-point lead dwindle to 59-56 before Cooper made a layup and Schwartz made a 3-pointer for an eight-point cushion with 3:06 to go. That was just enough to provide George Mason with its first win over a ranked foe since 2007.In other top 25 men's college basketball: — No. 2 UCLA routed North Florida, 98-63, for its 4th win in row. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 points Johnny Juzang added 17. The Bruins took control with a 28-9 run to close the first half, then ran off 11 straight points to start the second.— Newcomer Tre Mitchell had 16 points and seven rebounds as No. 8 Texas defeated Northern Colorado 62-49. Mitchell made 7 of 11 shots in 21 minutes for the Longhorns, who are 2-1. Mitchell came through the NCAA transfer portal from Massachusetts.— LJ Cryer scored 20 points for the second game in a row and ninth-ranked Baylor tied a school record with 21 steals in a 92-47 victory over Central Arkansas. The defending national champion Bears extended their home winning streak to a record 16 in a row.— Chris Lykes scored 26 points and No. 16 Arkansas reeled off 13 straight points in the final minutes to beat Northern Iowa 93-80. The teams traded the lead 18 times and were tied another 10. But the Razorbacks forced three straight turnovers during the final run and finished off the game from the foul line.— No. 23 UConn used stifling defense to rout overmatched Long Island University 93-40. Tyler Polley led the Huskies' scoring with 17 points, Andre Jackson had 14 points, Jalen Gaffney and Adama Sanogo each had 11 and Tyrese Martin added 10. The Huskies held LIU to 27% shooting and 14 field goals.NHL SCHEDULELOS ANGELES (AP) — Garnet Hathaway scored a pair of goals during a two-minute span in the third period and the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-0. The game was scoreless until there was 3:30 remaining, when John Carlson caught Jonathan Quick playing out of position and flipped a pass to Hathaway, who was able to put it into the net. Hathaway then added an empty-net goal. Ilya Samsonov made 34 saves for his second shutout this season and fifth of his career. Quick stopped 36 shots.In other NHL action:— Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat (deh-BRIHN'-kat) each had a goal and an assist and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 for their fourth straight win. Marc-Andre Fleury (marhk-ahn-dray FLOOR'-ee) stopped 31 shots. The Kraken have lost their last five games.— Nazem Kadri (NA'-zehm KA'-dree) and Mikko Rantanen (MEE'-koh RAN'-tah-nehn) each had a goal and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2. It was the fifth straight loss for the Canucks.NHL-NEWSRed Sox owners in talks to buy Pittsburgh PenguinsUNDATED (AP) — The owners of the Boston Red Sox are in talks to buy the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Red Sox President Sam Kennedy confirmed Wednesday that Fenway Sports Group has been working on a deal for the professional hockey club. Sportico valued the Penguins last month at $845 million. FSG owns the Red Sox and Liverpool FC of the Premier League and is partners in the RFK Racing NASCAR team.In other NHL news: — Aleksander Barkov is hurt, and the Florida Panthers are relieved it's not as bad as initially feared. Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette says Barkov will be week-to-week with a knee injury but will not need surgery.MLB-CY YOUNG AWARDToronto lefty Ray wins AL Cy Young, Brewers' Burnes takes NLUNDATED (AP) — Toronto left-hander Robbie Ray bounced back from a dismal season to win the AL Cy Young Award and Milwaukee righty Corbin Burnes returned from a bout of COVID-19 to win the NL's top pitching prize.In the Year of the Pitcher, Burnes led the majors with a 2.43 ERA and Ray topped the AL at 2.84 and both put up impressive strikeout totals.Burnes edged Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler for the award, while Max Scherzer finished third. Burnes endured a bout of COVID-19 in May, returning after two weeks to finish with 234 strikeouts in 167 innings and an 11-5 record, as the Brewers went on to win the NL Central.Ray beat Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who finished second in the voting, and Chicago White Sox righty Lance Lynn. Ray actually took a pay cut after a rough 2020 but bounced back to lead the majors with 248 strikeouts and and 193 1/3 innings, going 13-7.MLB-NEWSVerlander agrees to one-year deal with AstrosHOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander has agreed to a $25 million, one-year contract with the Houston Astros. Verlander played just one game in the past two seasons after injuring his elbow in the 2020 season opener and undergoing Tommy John surgery in October of last year. The contract includes a conditional $25 million player option for a second season. In other baseball news:— First baseman Brandon Belt has accepted an $18.4 million qualifying offer from San Francisco rather than pursue bidders as a free agent. Belt was the only one to accept among the 14 free agents who received the offers from their former clubs on Nov. 7. Among those to turn down offers were first baseman Freddie Freeman of Atlanta, shortstop Carlos Correa of Houston, Robbie Ray and infielder Marcus Semien of Toronto, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and Mets outfielder Michael Conforto.— The Cleveland Indians will officially transition to Guardians on Friday, completing a name change that has been occurring in stages over the past few months. The team sent out a release saying its team shop at Progressive Field will begin selling Guardians merchandise and souvenirs later this week.— The Seattle Mariners will induct Ichiro Suzuki into the team's Hall of Fame during the 2022 season. Suzuki will be honored on Aug. 27 when Seattle faces Cleveland. Suzuki spent parts of 14 seasons with the Mariners before retiring in March 2019 after Seattle opened the season with games in his home country of Japan.— A person familiar with the negotiations says the New York Mets are close to completing a deal to hire Billy Eppler as general manager. Eppler was fired as general manager of the Los Angeles Angels a little more than a year ago after five losing seasons. He would become the Mets' fifth head of baseball operations in 13 months.NFL-NEWSNFL updates COVID-19 protocols UNDATED (AP) — The NFL is requiring players and staff to wear masks inside team facilities regardless of vaccination status for a week starting on Thanksgiving, and they must be tested twice for COVID-19 after the holiday. The league's protocols have been updated as a result of increasing rates of COVID-19 across the country. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lihs-bur-gur) each missed a game in consecuwtive weeks because of COVID-19.In other NFL news:— Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for the New York Jets on Sunday at home against the Miami Dolphins. Coach Robert Saleh made the announcement Wednesday as the team decided to go with the 36-year-old veteran over Mike White, who started the last three games in place of the injured Zach Wilson.— Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield sat out practice Wednesday in hopes of letting several injuries heal as Cleveland prepares to face the winless Detroit Lions. Mayfield has played with a torn labrum and fracture in his left, non-throwing shoulder. He suffered a bruised right knee in Sunday's loss to New England, a week after hurting his left foot.— The Detroit Lions held out Jared Goff from practice after the starting quarterback suffered an oblique injury in last week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.— A Las Vegas judge has ordered former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III to appear in court Monday after learning he missed a required alcohol test while on house arrest following a fatal crash he's accused of causing. Ruggs could face a return to jail.WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL-TOURNAMENT EXPANSIONNCAA women's basketball tournament expands to 68 teamsUNDATED (AP) — The NCAA women's basketball tournament is expanding to 68 teams beginning with the current season, giving it an equal number of participants as the men's tournament as part of a concerted effort at gender parity.The expansion of the women's tournament was among the recommendations put forth in August after a comprehensive external gender equity review. It was commissioned after backlash driven by social media over disparities in the men's and women's tournaments, including weight rooms and other facilities.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sports Headlines for Thursday

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — No. 9 Hutchinson raced out to a 21-14 lead Wednesday.&nbsp;

Independence tied the game at 35 with eight minutes left in the first half.&nbsp;

Zavion McClendon knocked down four triples in the first half, but the Pirates kept pace. The game was tied 52-all at halftime. 

Neither team gained an inch through the first five minutes of the second half as the Dragons and Pirates battled to a 62-62 tie.&nbsp;

Hutchinson scored the next six points to take a 68-62 advantage with 13:29 remaining.&nbsp;

The Dragons fell behind with five minutes left before a hustle-play by Tarese Morse led to a Jacquez Yow layup.

Yow then hit a three as Hutchinson took a five-point lead and held off Independence the last two minutes.&nbsp;

FINAL: Hutchinson 96 Independence 91

Yow finished with a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds).

Four Dragons scored in double digits.&nbsp;

Rodney Munson and Ian Hardy each had double-doubles for Independence (Munson 14 points, 11 rebounds; Hardy 13 points, 10 rebounds).

Hutchinson is 7-0 and will play Cloud County on the road Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637199375645.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By DAREN DUNNHutch PostINDEPENDENCE, Kan. — No. 9 Hutchinson raced out to a 21-14 lead Wednesday.&nbsp;Independence tied the game at 35 with eight minutes left in the first half.&nbsp;Zavion McClendon knocked down four triples in the first half, but the Pirates kept pace. The game was tied 52-all at halftime. Neither team gained an inch through the first five minutes of the second half as the Dragons and Pirates battled to a 62-62 tie.&nbsp;Hutchinson scored the next six points to take a 68-62 advantage with 13:29 remaining.&nbsp;The Dragons fell behind with five minutes left before a hustle-play by Tarese Morse led to a Jacquez Yow layup.Yow then hit a three as Hutchinson took a five-point lead and held off Independence the last two minutes.&nbsp;FINAL: Hutchinson 96 Independence 91Yow finished with a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds).Angelo Stuart led Hutchinson with 20.Four Dragons scored in double digits.&nbsp;Rodney Munson and Ian Hardy each had double-doubles for Independence (Munson 14 points, 11 rebounds; Hardy 13 points, 10 rebounds).The game was tied 14 times.&nbsp;Hutchinson is 7-0 and will play Cloud County on the road Saturday.

MBB: Dragons start conference play with road victory

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — The Pirates scored the game's first seven points and built an 11-4 lead just five minutes into Wednesday night's contest.&nbsp;

No. 17 Hutchinson trailed 21-9 after one quarter.

With 4:16 left before the break, Hutchinson trailed by the most it has all season at 35-11.

The Dragons trailed by 22 at halftime.&nbsp;

The Dragons outscored the Pirates by six in the second half, but could not make up the season's biggest deficit.&nbsp;

Independence scored 21-plus points in each quarter. Hutchinson kept pace in the second half, but turned in a nine-point first quarter and 11-point second quarter.&nbsp;

FINAL: Independence 85 Hutchinson 69

Three Pirates scored 15-plus points, led by Maisa Marcal's 23. She added 11 rebounds.&nbsp;

Tor'e Alford led Hutchinson with 23 and Mya Williams added 20.

Hutchinson is now 6-1 and will play Saturday in Concordia against Cloud County.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637191737949.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By DAREN DUNNHutch PostINDEPENDENCE, Kan. — The Pirates scored the game's first seven points and built an 11-4 lead just five minutes into Wednesday night's contest.&nbsp;No. 17 Hutchinson trailed 21-9 after one quarter.With 4:16 left before the break, Hutchinson trailed by the most it has all season at 35-11.The Dragons trailed by 22 at halftime.&nbsp;The Dragons outscored the Pirates by six in the second half, but could not make up the season's biggest deficit.&nbsp;Independence scored 21-plus points in each quarter. Hutchinson kept pace in the second half, but turned in a nine-point first quarter and 11-point second quarter.&nbsp;FINAL: Independence 85 Hutchinson 69Three Pirates scored 15-plus points, led by Maisa Marcal's 23. She added 11 rebounds.&nbsp;Tor'e Alford led Hutchinson with 23 and Mya Williams added 20.Hutchinson is now 6-1 and will play Saturday in Concordia against Cloud County.&nbsp;

WBB: Dragons can't overcome biggest deficit of season

KANSAS CITY — Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the seventh time during his career for his performance in the Chiefs win over Las Vegas Sunday.

Mahomes completed 35-of-50 passes for 406 yards with five touchdowns with no interceptions. He managed a 127.6 passer rating and completed 70% of his passes, leading all quarterbacks in passing yards and passing touchdowns in Week 10.

Only Derrick Thomas and Dante Hall have had as many Player of the Week awards as Chiefs as Mahomes has now. Thomas holds the current team record with eight.

KANSAS CITY — Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the seventh time during his career for his performance in the Chiefs win over Las Vegas Sunday.Mahomes completed 35-of-50 passes for 406 yards with five touchdowns with no interceptions. He managed a 127.6 passer rating and completed 70% of his passes, leading all quarterbacks in passing yards and passing touchdowns in Week 10.Only Derrick Thomas and Dante Hall have had as many Player of the Week awards as Chiefs as Mahomes has now. Thomas holds the current team record with eight.

Mahomes AFC Offensive POW

<div><iframe title="Eagle Radio Sports for Wednesday Morning" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=a3yma-1133c7e-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=auto&btn-skin=7"></iframe></div><a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

🎙 Eagle Radio Sports for Wednesday Morning

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Izaiah Brockington had 23 points and 13 rebounds, Tyrese Hunter scored nine of his 19 points in the final 96 seconds and Iowa State held on for a 68-60 win over Alabama State. Brockington grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed 3-point shot by Hunter and threw down a dunk. Hunter, on the ensuing possession, jumped into the passing lane for a steal that he took the other way and finished through contact on a fast-break dunk. His and-1 free throw pushed the lead to 61-53 with 1:36 to play. Hunter went 6 for 6 from the foul line from there.

UNDATED (AP) — Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash has become the second skipper to win Manager of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons, taking this year's American League award. San Francisco's Gabe Kapler won the NL honor. Cash led the low-payroll Rays to a second consecutive AL East crown. Bobby Cox had been the only person to win Manager of the Year two straight seasons. He did it with Atlanta in 2004 and 2005. Seattle's Scott Servais finished second behind Cash in the voting by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Houston's Dusty Baker was third. Kapler beat out Craig Counsell of Milwaukee and Mike Shildt of St. Louis.

UNDATED (AP) — NFL Hall of Fame defensive lineman Curley Culp announced Tuesday that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Culp played 14 NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, including first team in 1975. Culp was considered one of the strongest players and best interior linemen during his career. He was originally drafted by Denver and traded to Kansas City. Culp was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Harris had 18 points, Emoni Bates scored 16 as No. 11 Memphis remained undefeated with a 90-74 win over Saint Louis. Jalen Duren added 13 points and Josh Minott finished with 12, both going perfect from the field. Terrence Hargrove Jr. led Saint Louis (3-1) with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Marten Linssen scored 11 points before fouling out in the second half. Francis Okoro grabbed 13 rebounds for the Billikens.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Alex Padilla is set to make his second straight start when No. 18 Iowa hosts Illinois on Saturday. That doesn't mean the Hawkeyes have moved on from Spencer Petras. Coach Kirk Ferentz said he'll have to decide whether to bring back Petras. That decision might come soon. Petras started 17 consecutive games before a shoulder injury knocked him out of most of the Nov. 6 win at Northwestern. Petras isn't listed on the depth chart this week but has been working with the No. 2 offense in practice.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Keegan Murray had 27 points and 21 rebounds — both career highs — and Iowa used a 14-3 second-half run to pull away in its 86-69 win over North Carolina Central. His 21 rebounds are the most since by and Iowa player since Greg Brunner had 23 against Minnesota on January 18, 2006. Murray scored eight points, including three dunks, as Iowa (3-0), which led by as many as 15 points in the first half, used an 18-6 run in the middle of the second to pull away for good. Randy Miller Jr. led the Eagles with 15 points. The Hawkeyes shot just 38% from the field, compared to 47% by NCCU, but outrebounded the Eagles 44-31 and outscored them 35-8 from the free-throw line — where Iowa shot 85%.&nbsp;

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Barrett Hayton scored twice and Scott Wedgewood made 33 saves as the Arizona Coyotes downed the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Tuesday. Kyle Capobianco scored his first goal of the season for Arizona, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won in regulation for only the second time in 16 games this season. Torey Krug scored in his return from COVID-19 protocol for St. Louis, which lost its fourth straight game. Jordan Kyrou also scored and Ryan O'Reilly added two assists for the Blues. Jordan Binnington made 20 saves for St. Louis.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — With two weeks left in the regular season, the Big Ten has positioned itself to get a third straight berth in the College Football Playoff, and possibly two if an avalanche of things go the right way. No. 5 Ohio State, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 8 Michigan all have 9-1 records and are in position to get the league a third straight spot in the playoff. There's also a chance the Big Ten can get shut out, as it did in 2017 and '18. That happens if the West winner _ &nbsp;No. 19 Wisconsin leads _ captures the conference title game.

Curry scores 37, Durant season-low 19 as Warriors rout Nets

UNDATED (AP) — Stephen Curry had 37 points, easily winning the matchup of the NBA's top two scorers when Kevin Durant had his worst night of the season, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-99.

Durant came in leading the league with 29.6 points per game, but he managed only 19, the first time all season he didn't hit 20. He shot 0 for 8 in the decisive third quarter and finished 6 for 19 after sitting the fourth. Curry almost caught his former teammate for the NBA scoring lead, making nine 3-pointers and raising his average to 28.7 per game. Durant dropped to 28.9.

— Bojan (BOY'-ahn) Bogdanovic scored a season-high 27, including five 3-pointers, to power the Utah Jazz to a 120-85 rout of the depleted Philadelphia 76ers. Jordan Clarkson had 20 points and Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR') contributed 15 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. The Jazz had lost four of five games. Shake Milton scored 18 and Tyrese Maxey added 16 for the 76ers, who have lost five straight games for the first time since December 2017.

— Paul George scored 34 points, hitting 12 of 13 free throws, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 106-92. Reggie Jackson overcame a poor start and finished with 21 points to help the Clippers bounce back after their seven-game winning streak ended on Sunday. Dejounte Murray narrowly missed his second triple-double since Sunday, leading the Spurs with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. The Spurs dropped their third in a row and fell to 2-6 on the road.

UNDATED (AP) — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic (DAHN'-chich) has been ruled out of Wednesday's game against Phoenix with a sprained left ankle and knee. 

Doncic was injured late in a win over Denver. Doncic's lower left leg got caught and bent awkwardly under Austin Rivers as the Nuggets guard fell on a layup attempt. The team says the 22-year-old won't be available for the first of two consecutive games at the Suns.

—Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is practicing with his teammates again and expects to play Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing eight games due to a positive COVID-19 test. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Middleton will gradually work toward his usual amount of playing time. Milwaukee went 3-5 in the games the two-time All-Star missed.

—The New Orleans Pelicans says forward Zion Williamson won't participate in five-on-five drills for at least another week. Williamson has been cleared for one-on-one contact drills after doctors reviewed imaging of his fractured right foot late last week. He's scheduled to have more scans done on Nov. 24. Williamson was an All-Star last season when he averaged 27 points per game. The Pelicans have started 2-13 without Williamson.

— Cavaliers rookie forward Evan Mobley could be sidelined for a month with a sprained right elbow suffered Monday night in a loss to Boston. The No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft got hurt when his arm got tied up while battling Celtics center Enes Kanter. The team said an MRI confirmed the original diagnosis of a sprain and estimated Mobley's return in 2 to 4 weeks. 

— The NBA is bringing two preseason games to Abu Dhabi next season, marking the first time the league will play in the Arabian Gulf. The games will be in October 2022. The exact dates and the teams involved have not been announced. 

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and outside linebacker T.J. Watt will both have an opportunity to play, while safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is expected to miss Sunday's road game against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Roethlisberger entered the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 protocol on Saturday night after testing positive and he missed Sunday's tie with the Detroit Lions. Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Roethlisberger has a chance to play, but the Steelers are currently preparing to start backup quarterback Mason Rudolph.

Watt left in the third quarter of Sunday's game with hip and knee injuries and did not return. Fitzpatrick played on Sunday, but he joined Roethlisberger on the COVID-19 list on Monday.

The Los Angeles Chargers may be missing a pair of important defensive players going into Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after linemen Joey Bosa and Jerry Tillery entered the league's reserve/COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday. Bosa is tied for the league lead with three strip-sacks and has 5 1/2 sacks this season. Tilley has started eight games and is third on the team with eight quarterback hits.

—The Baltimore Ravens have waived running back Le'Veon Bell. Bell was one of three veterans the Ravens picked up after losing running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to preseason injuries. Baltimore also brought in Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman, and Bell had the fewest carries of the three. The 29-year-old Bell rushed for 83 yards on 31 carries for the Ravens. He did run for two touchdowns.

—Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus has gone on injured reserve after hurting his biceps in a 17-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The designation means Mercilus must miss at least the next three games. Mercilus joined the Packers on Oct. 21. The Houston Texans released him a day earlier. 

—The Miami Dolphins placed offensive tackle Greg Little on injured reserve and waived safety Sheldrick Redwine on Tuesday, moves involving two players who hadn't appeared in a game for the team yet this season. Little was acquired in a trade with Carolina on Aug. 17 and has been inactive for all 10 of Miami's games. Redwine was signed Oct. 26 and was inactive for three games.

—NFL Hall of Fame defensive lineman Curley Culp announced Tuesday that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Culp played 14 NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, including first team in 1975. Culp was considered one of the strongest players and best interior linemen during his career. Culp was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

AP source: Blue Jays, Berrios reach deal for 7 years, $131M

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the matter tells The Associated Press that the Toronto Blue Jays have reached an agreement with pitcher José Berríos on a seven-year, $131 million deal pending a physical. 

The Blue Jays acquired the 27-year-old right-hander at the July trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins. He was due to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022 season. Berríos went 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts with Toronto down the stretch. 

—The Detroit Tigers are adding left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to their rotation with a $77 million investment. The team announced Tuesday that it agreed to terms on a five-year contract with Rodríguez. The 28-year-old Rodríguez joins a pitching staff with Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal (TAH'-rihk SKOO'-bul) on a third-place team that finished with 77 wins for its best season in five years. The Tigers know they have a lot of catching up to do after trailing the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox by 16 games.

—Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash has become the second skipper to win Manager of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons, taking this year's American League award. San Francisco's Gabe Kapler won the NL honor. Cash led the low-payroll Rays to a second consecutive AL East crown. Bobby Cox had been the only person to win Manager of the Year two straight seasons. He did it with Atlanta in 2004 and 2005. Seattle's Scott Servais finished second behind Cash in the voting by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Houston's Dusty Baker was third. Kapler beat out Craig Counsell of Milwaukee and Mike Shildt of St. Louis.

Right-hander Noah Syndergaard has agreed to terms on $21 million, one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He's leaving the New York Mets for a lucrative fresh start on the West Coast. Syndergaard has made only two major league appearances since 2019 due to Tommy John surgery and other ailments.

— The Cleveland Indians, soon to be known as the Guardians, have resolved a lawsuit filed by a local roller derby team over naming rights. Both will be called the Guardians. The legal issue was the final hurdle for the Major League Baseball team to continue its name changeover. The sides jointly announced an "amicable resolution." No other terms of the agreement were disclosed. 

—The Mississippi state auditor says retired NFL player Brett Favre has missed a deadline to pay $228,000 in interest on welfare money he received for a public speaking contract he did not fulfill. Auditor Shad White says Tuesday he's turning the matter over to the state attorney general's office, a month after sending a demand letter to Favre. He is not facing criminal charges. 

—Fire up the hot dog cannon! The Phillie Phanatic is back to his usual look following the settlement of a lawsuit. The Phillies and creator Harrison/Erickson reached a settlement his week that allowed the more familiar version to return in 2022 to Citizens Bank Park. 

UNDATED (AP) — Jack Campbell made 24 saves to register his third shutout of the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Tuesday night. 

Auston Matthews, David Kampf and Mitch Marner scored for Toronto. Juuse Saros stopped 31 shots as Nashville lost in regulation for just the second time in its last 11 contests. It was Campbell's seventh career shutout and his 100th regular-season NHL game. 

— Trevor Zegras scored his second goal in overtime to extend the Anaheim Ducks' winning streak to eight — and notch the 1,000th franchise win — with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Ryan Getzlaf reached 1,000 career points and Troy Terry extended his point streak to 15 games for the Ducks, who remain unbeaten in November and have won six straight at home dating back to Oct. 31. John Gibson stopped 28 shots for the Ducks.

— Sebastian Aho (AH'-hoh) had a goal and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2. Tony DeAngelo, Seth Jarvis, and Vincent Trocheck (TROH'-chehk) also scored for the Hurricanes, while Antti Raanta (an-tee RAHN'-tah) stopped 21 shots. Brett Howden and Shea Theodore scored for the Golden Knights. Robin Lehner made 38 saves. It was a matchup of two of the hottest teams in the league, as Carolina opened the season 11-2-0 and the Golden Knights came in riding an 8-2-0 run since starting the campaign 1-4-0. 

—Barrett Hayton scored twice and Scott Wedgewood made 33 saves as the Arizona Coyotes downed the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Tuesday. Kyle Capobianco scored his first goal of the season for Arizona, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won in regulation for only the second time in 16 games this season. 

—Chris Kreider had another goal, Kaapo Kakko scored for the second straight game, and the New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 for their fourth straight win. Julien Gauthier also scored and Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves to help the Rangers beat the Canadiens for the fourth time in five meetings. 

—Timo Meier had a goal and an assist to keep up his strong start, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1. Mario Ferraro, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl also scored for San Jose. Logan Couture and Rudolfs Balcers had two assists, and James Reimer made 26 saves as the Sharks won for the second time in six games. 

—Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots and the Florida Panthers overcame the loss of center Aleksander Barkov to remain unbeaten at home with a 6-1 rout of the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Jonathan Huberdeau, Carter Verhaeghe, Aaron Ekblad and Frank Vatrano each scored a goal, Ryan Lomberg recorded his first of the season and Patric Hornqvist had a goal and an assist. Kyle Palmieri scored for the Islanders. 

—Cam Atkinson scored 45 seconds into overtime and Carter Hart made 33 saves to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. Kevin Hayes also scored for the Flyers. Oliver Kylington scored for the Flames, who have lost six of eight. 

Ex-minor league hockey coach charged with sexual assault

UNDATED (AP) — A former minor league coach in the Pittsburgh Penguins system has been indicted on sexual assault charges in Rhode Island. 

The state attorney general's office says 55-year-old Clark Donatelli was indicted in July on four counts of second-degree sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment last week and was released. Donatelli is charged in connection with an alleged incident from November 2018. The Penguins this month settled a lawsuit filed by a former minor league assistant and his wife, who said a coach sexually assaulted her in Rhode Island that same month.

— Dion Phaneuf has retired after 14 NHL seasons. He was a former Calgary Flames star defenseman and Toronto Maple Leafs captain. Phaneuf is 36 and had not played since appearing in 67 games with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2018-19 season. He was a three-time All-Star.

UNDATED (AP) — Paolo Banchero started for Duke two days after he was cited for aiding and abetting impaired driving. 

The freshman finished with 10 points and eight rebounds in the seventh-ranked Blue Devils' 92-52 win over Gardner Webb. Banchero was stopped by police early Sunday morning in nearby Hillsborough along with teammate Michael Savarino — coach Mike Krzyzewski's grandson. Savarino was driving Banchero's white Jeep, according to court records, and was arrested for driving while impaired. Banchero, who was in the back seat, was cited at the scene and released. Savarino did not play against Gardner-Webb.

—Jared Rhoden scored 16 points, helping Seton Hall rally to beat No. 4 Michigan 67-65. The Wolverines had a chance to extend the game with 0.8 seconds left, but Terrance Williams missed the first of two free throws. 

—Brandon Slater hit all four 3-pointers and scored 23 points, Collin Gillespie scored 21 and No. 5 Villanova knocked off Howard 100-81. 

—Trevion Williams scored 20 points and Zach Edey added 18 as No. 6 Purdue routed Wright State 96-52. It's the first time since 2018-19 that the Boilermakers have opened 3-0. 

—Tyler Harris had 18 points, Emoni Bates scored 16 as No. 11 Memphis remained undefeated with a 90-74 win over Saint Louis. 

—Oscar Tshiebwe had a career-high 24 points with 16 rebounds, TyTy Washington scored 16 points and No. 13 Kentucky shot well for the second consecutive game to run away from Mount St. Mary's 80-55. The Wildcats made 34 of 64 from the field for 53%

—Keon Ellis scored 18 points, Jahvon Quinerly made a go-ahead layup with under three minutes to go and No. 14 Alabama got past South Alabama 73-68. The Crimson Tide trailed 34-31 at the break after committing 14 turnovers. Alabama improved to 3-0. 

—Marcus Sasser scored 19 points, Kyler Edwards added 18 points and No. 15 Houston used a suffocating defensive effort to defeat Virginia, 67-47, on Tuesday night. Houston held the Cavaliers to 35% shooting and 4 of 19 on 3-pointers.

—Chevez Goodwin scored 20 points, Boogie Ellis added 18 and No. 25 Southern California beat Florida Gulf Coast 78-61 in the return of Trojans coach Andy Enfield to the school. Enfield led FGCU to the "Dunk City" moniker in the 2013 NCAA tournament. 

2 Duke basketball players face DWI-related charges

UNDATED (AP) — Court records show Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski's grandson and a star teammate of his were arrested over the weekend on charges related to impaired driving. 

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Michael Savarino was pulled over for a stop sign violation in Orange County early Sunday. Court records show Krzyzewski's 20-year-old grandson was driving teammate Paolo Banchero's white Jeep and admitted that he had consumed "several shots." Savarino was charged with driving while impaired and driving after consuming under the age of 21. Banchero, who was riding in the back seat, was charged with aiding and abetting impaired driving. The 19-year-old is considered a top NBA prospect.

—Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard and the school have agreed to a five-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2025-26 season. The announcement was made by athletic director Warde Manuel. He hired Howard in May of 2019, giving the Miami Heat assistant and member of Michigan's Fab Five a chance to be a head coach. 

Illini's Bielema positive for COVID-19, will miss Iowa game

UNDATED (AP) — Illinois coach Bret Bielema has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss his team's game at No. 18 Iowa on Saturday.

Bielema said he was tested for the coronavirus Monday night after developing mild symptoms during the day. He said he is vaccinated and received a booster shot last week. Bielema said without elaborating that he would be as present as possible for Saturday's game through technology. 

—Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte urged Texas fans on Tuesday not to "splinter or pull apart" but rather support first-year football coach Steve Sarkisian and the players during the program's worst losing streak in 65 years. Del Conte wrote in his weekly newsletter that Sarkisian is "building a culture" and has the full support of the athletic department. Texas is 4-6 and has lost five in a row. 

— Athletic director Whit Babcock says Virginia Tech and football coach Justin Fuente have mutually agreed to part ways. The move is effective immediately, with two games left in the season. Fuente, in his sixth season in Blacksburg, Virginia, compiled a 43-31 record. 

— Clemson leading receiver Justyn Ross will miss this week's game against No. 13 Wake Forest with a foot injury. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday Ross has dealt with a stress fracture in his foot most of the season. The coach says Ross will need a screw in his foot and will likely undergo surgery this week. Ross had 46 catches for 514 yards and three touchdowns this season.

—The Big 12 issued a public reprimand and fined Baylor $25,000 because fans stormed the field before time expired in the No. 11 Bears' 27-14 victory Saturday over Oklahoma, and then again after the game was actually over. 

Sports Headlines for Wednesday

UNDATED (AP) — Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays has won AL Rookie of the Year honors, following up his 2020 postseason heroics with a stellar 2021 season. The 26-year-old Arozarena finished with a 274 average, 32 doubles and 20 homers and 20 steals. Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds won NL Rookie of the Year honors, eight months after winning the team's second base job and never letting it go during an impressive first season. He finished with a .269 average, 34 doubles, 21 homers, 69 RBIs and scored 98 runs.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns without an interception, and the Chiefs piled up 516 yards, during a 41-14 romp over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night. That should serve notice to the rest of the NFL that the two-time defending AFC champs aren't going away without putting up a fight. They may have been lousy on defense earlier in the year, and their offense has been misfiring for weeks, but the Chiefs are back on top of the AFC West through their first 10 games with the Cowboys coming to town Sunday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton associate athletic director Adrian Dowell will move across town to take the athletic director's job at Omaha. The university announced Dowell will fill the vacancy created in July when Trev Alberts was named athletic director at Nebraska. Dowell joined Creighton's staff in 2014 as the assistant athletic director and senior director for development. Dowell has guided the department's external affairs and oversaw fundraising efforts. He will begin his new job Dec. 1. The Mavericks are members of the National Collegiate Hockey Association and the Summit League.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Lexi Donarski scored 22 points, Aubrey Joens added 17 and No. 14 Iowa State beat South Dakota State 75-56. Joens scored the first five points of Iowa State's 18-6 run to take a 20-point lead early in the third quarter. Emily Ryan had 12 points, five assists and four steals for Iowa State. Madysen Vlastuin led South Dakota State with 14 points. Tylee Irwin added 12 points and Paiton Burckhard 10.

49ers win 1st home game in more than a year, 31-10 over Rams

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo threw two touchdown passes, Jimmie Ward returned one of his two first-quarter interceptions for another score and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-10 for their first home win in more than a year. 

The Niners had lost four of five games and were in danger of falling out of the playoff race before putting together a complete performance against the Rams. San Francisco has won five straight against Los Angeles, including its last home win last October. The Rams have lost two straight.

Steelers DB Minkah Fitzpatrick placed on COVID-19 list

UNDATED (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers placed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list, where he joins quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. 

Teams are not required to release information whether players are vaccinated. If Fitzpatrick is, he would be required to be free of symptoms and have two negative tests 24 hours apart. If he is not vaccinated, the playmaking defensive back could be sidelined for at least 10 days. Roethlisberger sat out Sunday's 16-16 tie with winless Detroit and his return for next week's game at the Los Angeles Chargers is uncertain.

—Banged-up Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is day to day after bruising his right knee in Sunday's blowout loss at New England, his latest injury. Mayfield has been playing with a damaged left shoulder for several weeks and had to leave in the third quarter after being hit by blitzing Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon. 

—Browns cornerback Troy Hill has been released from a Boston-area hospital after being treated for a neck sprain suffered in Sunday's 45-7 loss to the Patriots. A team spokesman says Hill is traveling back to Cleveland following the scary moment in the closing minutes of the blowout loss. Hill was immobilized, strapped to a backboard and carried off the field before being taken to a 

— Any Green Bay Packers fans wanting to invest a personal stake in their favorite team has a chance to do so this week. The NFL's only community-owned team is opening the sixth stock offering in franchise history Tuesday morning. The price per share is $300. Potential investors should keep in mind that owning stock in the Packers doesn't constitute an investment. The team has no obligation to repay the amount a buyer pays to purchase Packers stock.

CP lights up in last quarter in Suns win over T-wolves

UNDATED (AP) — Chris Paul scored 19 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Devin Booker had 29 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-96 for their ninth straight win. 

Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 12 rebounds in his return to the Suns after missing five games. Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost eight of nine.

— DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points and Zach LaVine added 26 in the Chicago Bulls' 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Lonzo Ball had 27 points and eight assists against his former team as the Bulls got their fourth win in five games. Chicago snapped an eight-game skid against the Lakers dating to November 2016. Anthony Davis had 20 points and six rebounds before getting ejected in the third quarter. Los Angeles is 3-4 since LeBron James was sidelined with an abdominal strain.

— CJ McCollum had 29 points and Damian Lillard added 24 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 118-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The Blazers, who were playing the second of a back-to-back, improved to 6-1 at home. OG Anunoby had 27 points for the Raptors, who have lost five of six. Pascal Siakam added 20. 

—Trae Young and John Collins each scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks won their second straight game with a 129-111 victory over the Orlando Magic. Clint Capela finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds and Bogdan Bogdanovich scored 20 for Atlanta, which snapped a six-game skid with a 20-point win over defending NBA champion Milwaukee on Sunday. Cole Anthony had 27 points and 11 assists for the Magic, who have dropped three straight and five of six. 

—Tyler Herro scored 26 points and the short-handed Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-90. Duncan Robinson scored 21 points and Kyle Lowry added 11 points and 11 assists for the Heat. Miami played without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo because of injuries. Lu Dort scored 20 points and rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added 16 for the Thunder

—Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks rallied past the Denver Nuggets 111-101. Luka Doncic had 23 points and 11 assists, and Jalen Brunson scored 17 off the bench for the Mavericks, who have won five of their last six games. Nikola Jokic scored a season-high 35 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who saw a five-game winning streak end.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>UNDATED (AP) — Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays has won AL Rookie of the Year honors, following up his 2020 postseason heroics with a stellar 2021 season. The 26-year-old Arozarena finished with a 274 average, 32 doubles and 20 homers and 20 steals. Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds won NL Rookie of the Year honors, eight months after winning the team's second base job and never letting it go during an impressive first season. He finished with a .269 average, 34 doubles, 21 homers, 69 RBIs and scored 98 runs.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns without an interception, and the Chiefs piled up 516 yards, during a 41-14 romp over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night. That should serve notice to the rest of the NFL that the two-time defending AFC champs aren't going away without putting up a fight. They may have been lousy on defense earlier in the year, and their offense has been misfiring for weeks, but the Chiefs are back on top of the AFC West through their first 10 games with the Cowboys coming to town Sunday.OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton associate athletic director Adrian Dowell will move across town to take the athletic director's job at Omaha. The university announced Dowell will fill the vacancy created in July when Trev Alberts was named athletic director at Nebraska. Dowell joined Creighton's staff in 2014 as the assistant athletic director and senior director for development. Dowell has guided the department's external affairs and oversaw fundraising efforts. He will begin his new job Dec. 1. The Mavericks are members of the National Collegiate Hockey Association and the Summit League.AMES, Iowa (AP) — Lexi Donarski scored 22 points, Aubrey Joens added 17 and No. 14 Iowa State beat South Dakota State 75-56. Joens scored the first five points of Iowa State's 18-6 run to take a 20-point lead early in the third quarter. Emily Ryan had 12 points, five assists and four steals for Iowa State. Madysen Vlastuin led South Dakota State with 14 points. Tylee Irwin added 12 points and Paiton Burckhard 10.NFL-SCHEDULE49ers win 1st home game in more than a year, 31-10 over RamsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo threw two touchdown passes, Jimmie Ward returned one of his two first-quarter interceptions for another score and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-10 for their first home win in more than a year. The Niners had lost four of five games and were in danger of falling out of the playoff race before putting together a complete performance against the Rams. San Francisco has won five straight against Los Angeles, including its last home win last October. The Rams have lost two straight.NFL-NEWSSteelers DB Minkah Fitzpatrick placed on COVID-19 listUNDATED (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers placed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list, where he joins quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Teams are not required to release information whether players are vaccinated. If Fitzpatrick is, he would be required to be free of symptoms and have two negative tests 24 hours apart. If he is not vaccinated, the playmaking defensive back could be sidelined for at least 10 days. Roethlisberger sat out Sunday's 16-16 tie with winless Detroit and his return for next week's game at the Los Angeles Chargers is uncertain.In other NFL news:—Banged-up Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is day to day after bruising his right knee in Sunday's blowout loss at New England, his latest injury. Mayfield has been playing with a damaged left shoulder for several weeks and had to leave in the third quarter after being hit by blitzing Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon. —Browns cornerback Troy Hill has been released from a Boston-area hospital after being treated for a neck sprain suffered in Sunday's 45-7 loss to the Patriots. A team spokesman says Hill is traveling back to Cleveland following the scary moment in the closing minutes of the blowout loss. Hill was immobilized, strapped to a backboard and carried off the field before being taken to a — Any Green Bay Packers fans wanting to invest a personal stake in their favorite team has a chance to do so this week. The NFL's only community-owned team is opening the sixth stock offering in franchise history Tuesday morning. The price per share is $300. Potential investors should keep in mind that owning stock in the Packers doesn't constitute an investment. The team has no obligation to repay the amount a buyer pays to purchase Packers stock.NBA-SCHEDULECP lights up in last quarter in Suns win over T-wolvesUNDATED (AP) — Chris Paul scored 19 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Devin Booker had 29 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-96 for their ninth straight win. Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 12 rebounds in his return to the Suns after missing five games. Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost eight of nine.In other Monday night NBA action:— DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points and Zach LaVine added 26 in the Chicago Bulls' 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Lonzo Ball had 27 points and eight assists against his former team as the Bulls got their fourth win in five games. Chicago snapped an eight-game skid against the Lakers dating to November 2016. Anthony Davis had 20 points and six rebounds before getting ejected in the third quarter. Los Angeles is 3-4 since LeBron James was sidelined with an abdominal strain.— CJ McCollum had 29 points and Damian Lillard added 24 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 118-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The Blazers, who were playing the second of a back-to-back, improved to 6-1 at home. OG Anunoby had 27 points for the Raptors, who have lost five of six. Pascal Siakam added 20. —Trae Young and John Collins each scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks won their second straight game with a 129-111 victory over the Orlando Magic. Clint Capela finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds and Bogdan Bogdanovich scored 20 for Atlanta, which snapped a six-game skid with a 20-point win over defending NBA champion Milwaukee on Sunday. Cole Anthony had 27 points and 11 assists for the Magic, who have dropped three straight and five of six. —Tyler Herro scored 26 points and the short-handed Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-90. Duncan Robinson scored 21 points and Kyle Lowry added 11 points and 11 assists for the Heat. Miami played without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo because of injuries. Lu Dort scored 20 points and rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added 16 for the Thunder—Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks rallied past the Denver Nuggets 111-101. Luka Doncic had 23 points and 11 assists, and Jalen Brunson scored 17 off the bench for the Mavericks, who have won five of their last six games. Nikola Jokic scored a season-high 35 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who saw a five-game winning streak end.—Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and Dennis Schroder had six points in the final 76 seconds as the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-92, splitting their two-game set at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Al Horford had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Schroder and Marcus Smart each scored 14 as Boston won for the third time in four games. —Buddy Hield scored 22 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 10 assists as the Sacramento Kings routed the Detroit Pistons 129-107. Richaun Holmes had 19 points and eight rebounds as the Kings snapped a four-game losing streak. De'Aaron Fox scored 19 for Sacramento, which had six players with at least 15 points. Cade Cunningham had 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Detroit.—Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Washington Wizards erased a 19-point deficit to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 105-100 for their fifth consecutive victory. Washington at 10-3 is off to the franchise's best start in 47 years. The Wizards have done this with and without All-Star guard Bradley Beal, who missed a second consecutive game mourning the death of his grandmother. New Orleans lost for the 13th time in 15 games this season. —Immanuel Quickley came off the bench to score 16 points and the New York Knicks limited the Indiana Pacers to two baskets in the fourth quarter to rally for a 92-84 victory. Kemba Walker also had 16 points for the Knicks. The Knicks ended a three-game home losing streak and a two-game skid overall.—Ja Morant had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated Houston 136-102, sending the Rockets to their 12th straight loss. Dillon Brooks finished with 16 points, and Kyle Anderson added 15 points as Memphis snapped a three-game losing streak. The 136 points was a season-high for the Grizzlies. Jalen Green led the Rockets with 15 points.NBA-NEWSJudge: Kobe Bryant's widow must turn over therapy recordsUNDATED (AP) — A judge has ruled that Kobe Bryant's widow must turn over her therapy records to Los Angeles County in her lawsuit claiming she suffered emotional distress after first responders shared photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed the basketball star and his teenage daughter. District Court Judge Charles Eick granted a request by county lawyers to review Vanessa Bryant's records. The Los Angeles Times reports the judge limited the documents to the years since 2017 — not 2010 as the lawyers had sought. Vanessa Bryant is suing for invasion of privacy. The case is scheduled for trial in February.In other NBA news: — The NBA has fined the Minnesota Timberwolves $250,000 for violating league rules that prohibit teams from arranging or paying for offseason practice or group workout sessions for their players outside their home market. The league said the activities took place in early September in the Miami area, where new co-owner Alex Rodriguez resides. The team and players posted several photos and videos to social media during the trip.T25 MENS BASKETBALLStrawther scores 18 as No. 1 Gonzaga tops Alcorn State 84-57UNDATED (AP) — Julian Strawther scored 18 points and top-ranked Gonzaga dominated Alcorn State 84-57 on Monday. The win extended the nation's longest home-winning streak to 54 games. Freshman Hunter Sallis added 16 points for Gonzaga , which was coming off Saturday's decisive win over then-No. 5 Texas. Keondre Montgomery scored 13 points for Alcorn State (0-4), which was no match for the taller Bulldogs. In other T25 action:—LJ Cryer had a career-high 20 points to lead five players scoring in double figures for ninth-ranked Baylor in a 89-60 victory over Nicholls State. Freshman Kendall Brown had 13 points and 10 assists for the 2-0 Bears, who had 33 assists on their 37 made baskets. Ty Gordon had 20 points for the 3-1 Colonels. The defending Southland Conference champions who were overwhelmed by the defending national champions.— Tyler Kolek converted a steal into a go-ahead layup with 18 seconds left and Marquette forced 26 turnovers for a 67-66 comeback victory over No. 10 Illinois on Monday. Marquette came back from a 12-point deficit in the second half to give new coach Shaka Smart a signature win. —Five players scored in double figures for No. 19 Ohio State, which routed Bowling Green 89-58 on Monday night. The Buckeyes started pouring it on early and never allowed the Mid-American Conference squad to get close. NHL-SCHEDULEVasilevskiy makes 25 saves, Lightning beat Islanders 4-1UNDATED (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves, Anthony Cirelli had a tiebreaking goal and a fight, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 4-1. Tampa Bay also got goals from Mathieu Joseph, Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos. The defending Stanley Cup champions are 6-0-2 over the last eight games.The Islanders have lost three in a row. In other rinks on Monday:Zach Werenski scored the go-ahead goal with 1:19 remaining after Yegor Chinakhov tied it with his first NHL goal, and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied past the Detroit Red Wings 5-3. Boone Jenner added a goal and an assist, and Adam Boqvist and Alexandre Texier also scored for Columbus, which stopped a two-game skid. Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen and Lucas Raymond scored for Detroit. NHL NEWSIginla highlights class inducted into Hockey Hall of FameUNDATED (AP) — The Hockey Hall of Fame's pandemic class finally got its moment in the spotlight. Jarome Iginla headlined the five players and one executive enshrined Monday night — a year later than originally intended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The former captain of the Calgary Flames was joined by Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Doug Wilson and Canadian women's national team goalie Kim St-Pierre, while Ken Holland went in as a builder to round out the group voted in by the hall's 18-member selection committee nearly 17 months ago.Elsewhere in the NHL:—The NHL has postponed three games this week due to a COVID-19 outbreak amid the Ottawa Senators. Ten Senators players are in NHL COVID-19 protocol. Their games against New Jersey, Nashville and the New York Rangers are all on hold. They are the first postponements for virus reasons in the major four North American professional sports leagues this fall. The NHL postponed 51 games for virus reasons during its last regular season.MLB-NEWSReds India wins NL Rookie of the Year, Rays Arozarena takes AL rookie honorUNDATED (AP) —Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays has won AL Rookie of the Year honors, following up his 2020 postseason heroics with a stellar 2021 season. The 26-year-old Arozarena finished with a 274 average, 32 doubles and 20 homers and 20 steals. Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds won NL Rookie of the Year honors, eight months after winning the team's second base job and never letting it go during an impressive first season. He finished with a .269 average, 34 doubles, 21 homers, 69 RBIs and scored 98 runs.Elsewhere in the majors:— A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a $77 million, five-year contract. The agreement is subject to a successful physical. Rodríguez was 13-8 with a 4.74 ERA in 31 starts and one relief appearance for the Boston Red Sox this year. The 28-year-old Rodríguez was 1-1 in three postseason starts.—The Boston Red Sox say former major league shortstop Julio Lugo has died. Lugo played for seven teams in a 12-year major league career and was the shortstop for Boston's 2007 World Series championship team. ESPN reported that Lugo's family presumed the cause of death to be a heart attack. Lugo batted .269 with 80 homers and 475 RBIs from 2000 to 2011 with the Astros, Devil Rays, Red Sox, Cardinals, Orioles and Braves. He hit .385 in Boston's 2007 World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies.—The New York Yankees have hired Luis Rojas as their third base coach, a month after he was let go as manager of the New York Mets. Rojas managed the Mets for the past two seasons. The team declined its 2022 option for him on Oct. 4, a day after finishing third in the NL East at 77-85. Rojas will take the spot of Phil Nevin, who had been the Yankees' third base coach since the 2018 season. — The Chicago Cubs have hired former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Daniel Moskos as their assistant pitching coach. The 35-year-old Moskos will assist pitching coach Tommy Hottovy on the staff of manager David Ross. He spent the past two seasons coaching in the New York Yankees' farm system. —The Seattle Mariners have filled out their coaching staff for the 2022 season, adding minor-league director Andy McKay and Triple-A manager Kristopher Negron to the major league staff. McKay was added to the Mariners staff as a major league coach and senior director of baseball development. Negron will be the Mariners first base coach. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;