AP Sports Summary for December 28th, 2024:
Corbin Burnes and Arizona Diamondbacks agree to $210 million, 6-year deal, AP source says
PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $210 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical. The 30-year-old Burnes was perhaps the top free agent pitcher on the market after going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for Baltimore last season. The Orioles acquired the right-hander in a February trade after he spent his first six major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Kings fire coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his 3rd season
The Sacramento Kings have fired coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his third season with the team mired in a five-game losing streak. General manager Monte McNair called the move a "difficult decision" and thanked Brown for his work. Assistant Doug Christie will take over as interim coach with his first game coming Saturday night at the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown was the unanimous choice for NBA Coach of the Year in his first season in 2022-23, when he helped Sacramento end the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16 seasons.
Injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won't play Sunday against Dallas
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won't play Sunday against Dallas. Hurts is still in the NFL concussion protocol. The Eagles will turn to backup Kenny Pickett on Sunday because Hurts is dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion suffered against Washington. Hurts was injured early at Washington after his head slammed against the ground on one run and he was hit in the helmet by Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu at the end of another. Hurts isn't healthy enough to play just yet.
McCord throws for 453 yards, 5 TDs in No. 22 Syracuse's 52-35 Holiday Bowl win over Washington State
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Kyle McCord threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns to break Deshaun Watson's Atlantic Coast Conference season passing record and lead No. 22 Syracuse to a 52-35 victory over depleted-yet-scrappy Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night. LeQuint Allen rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns for his second straight 1,000-yard season for the Orange (10-3), who had their first 10-win season since 2018. Fran Brown joined Paul Pasqualoni (1991) as the only Orange coaches since World War II to win 10 game in their first season. The Cougars (8-5) lost their fourth straight game but were spirited despite losing coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest, quarterback John Mateer to Oklahoma, both coordinators and the quarterbacks and running backs coach.
Southern California overcomes 17-point deficit to beat Texas A&M 35-31 in Las Vegas Bowl
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jayden Maiava threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds left to give Southern California a 35-31 victory over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl on Friday night. A graduate of Liberty High School in nearby Henderson and a transfer from UNLV, Maiava helped the Trojans (7-6) overcome a 17-point deficit. After Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed raced 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining to regain the lead, Maiava drove Southern California 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score.The Aggies (8-5) opened the third quarter by scoring 17 straight points to take a 24-7 lead.
Taylen Green leads Arkansas to 39-26 victory over Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylen Green threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards in Arkansas' 39-26 victory over Texas Tech on Friday night in the Liberty Bowl. Green completed 11 of 21 passes and Arkansas (7-6) had 573 yards of total offense. J'Koby Williams rushed for 123 yards and a TD for Texas Tech (8-5). Will Hammond threw for 280 yards and a touchdown. The Red Raiders took a shot before game time when leading running back Tahj Brooks, who rushed for 1,505 yards, opted not to play for "personal reasons." The first half was highlighted by big scoring plays, including a 54-yard run by Williams and a 94-yard pass from Green to receiver Dazmin James, the longest pass play in Liberty Bowl history.
Navy gets 95-yard TD run from Horvath and stops 2-point try to beat Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Blake Horvath set a Navy record with a 95-yard touchdown run and scored a go-ahead 6-yarder with 4:34 left as the Midshipmen overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and stopped a late 2-point conversion attempt to beat Oklahoma 21-20 in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Sooners got a 10-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hawkins Jr. to Jake Roberts with six seconds left, but Hawkins was sacked by Justin Reed on the conversion try. Navy reached 10 wins for the first time since 2019, which had been their last winning season. Oklahoma has its second losing season in Brent Venables' three years as coach.
Dodgers set to re-sign outfielder Teoscar Hernández for $66 million over 3 years, AP source says
Teoscar Hernández is headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The free agent outfielder has agreed with the reigning World Series champions on a $66 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press late Friday night. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical. Hernández hit .272 with a career-high 33 homers and 99 RBIs in 154 regular-season games last season, helping the Dodgers win their second title in five years.
Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78
Longtime CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel has died from cancer. He was 78. His family announced his death in a statement released by CBS on Friday. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. David Berson, the president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as someone who broke barriers and set standards for others during his career.
Scottie Scheffler injures right hand on a broken glass, withdraws from PGA Tour opener in Hawaii
Scottie Scheffler injured his right hand on a broken glass preparing Christmas dinner, forcing the top-ranked player to withdraw from the PGA Tour's season-opening event in Hawaii. Scheffler's manager, Blake Smith, said Friday in a statement: "Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass," Scheffler's manager, Blake Smith, said Friday in a statement. "Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery. He has been told that he should be back to 100% in three to four weeks." Scheffler withdrew from The Sentry, the winners-only tournament Jan. 2-5 at Kapalua Resort. His next scheduled tournament is The American Express on Jan. 16-19 in La Quinta, California.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final New York 108 Orlando 85
Final Boston 142 Indiana 105
Final San Antonio 96 Brooklyn 87
Final Minnesota 113 Houston 112
Final Memphis 132 New Orleans 124
Final Cleveland 149 Denver 135
Final Dallas 98 Phoenix 89
Final L.A. Clippers 102 Golden State 92
___
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Toronto 5 Detroit 2
Final Buffalo 6 Chicago 2
Final New Jersey 4 Carolina 2
Final Columbus 6 Boston 2
Final OT Minnesota 3 Dallas 2
Final St. Louis 7 Nashville 4
Final Colorado 4 Utah 1
Final Vegas 6 San Jose 3
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (22)Syracuse 52 Washington St. 35
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (25)Baylor 107 Arlington Baptist 53
___
TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Miami at Atlanta 3 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Charlotte 6 p.m.
New York at Washington 7 p.m.
Milwaukee at Chicago 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Golden State 8:30 p.m.
Detroit at Denver 9 p.m.
Philadelphia at Utah 9:30 p.m.
Dallas at Portland 10 p.m.
Sacramento at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
___
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Montreal at Florida 1 p.m.
Edmonton at Los Angeles 4 p.m.
Philadelphia at Anaheim 4 p.m.
Seattle at Vancouver 4 p.m.
Columbus at Boston 7 p.m.
N-Y Rangers at Tampa Bay 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Carolina 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Winnipeg 7 p.m.
Washington at Toronto 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at N-Y Islanders 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at San Jose 10 p.m.
___
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
L.A. Chargers at New England 1 p.m.
Denver at Cincinnati 4:30 p.m.
Arizona at L.A. Rams 8:10 p.m.
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(18)Iowa St. at (15)Miami 3:30 p.m.
(17)BYU at (20)Colorado 7:30 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at (19)Army 9:15 p.m.
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Abilene Christian at (13)Texas A&M 4 p.m.
(14)Gonzaga at (22)UCLA 4 p.m.
(16)Mississippi at Memphis 2 p.m.
Utah St. at (20)San Diego St. 6 p.m.
___