AP Sports Headlines for Saturday Morning
Dodgers cut pitcher Trevor Bauer after suspension reduced
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers are cutting ties with pitcher Trevor Bauer, whose unprecedented 324-game suspension over sexual misconduct allegations was reduced two weeks ago, allowing him to resume his career with the start of the new season. The team says the 31-year-old right-hander will not be part of the organization. Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying that everything that happened between him and a San Diego woman he met online was consensual. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Bauer was designated for assignment, which means the Dodgers have seven days to pull off an unlikely trade or just release him. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the roster move.
Bills' Hamlin breathing on his own, joins team via video
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's agent says the player is breathing on his own and able to talk after having his breathing tube removed. It comes four days after he went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field. Hamlin also joined the team's morning meeting by videoconference and told them "love you guys." The 24-year-old Hamlin was listed Thursday in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
NFL owners approve playoff plan after Bills-Bengals canceled
NFL owners have approved a resolution that could lead to a neutral site for the AFC championship in response to the cancellation of Monday night's Bills-Bengals game after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. NFL teams held a special meeting to consider the recommendation of Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's competition committee. Hamlin is breathing on his own and able to talk after having his breathing tube removed, his agent said. It's the latest step in his remarkable recovery in the four days since going into cardiac arrest during the game at Cincinnati. Hamlin even joined the Bills' team meeting via videoconference.
Heart screening may not have prevented Hamlin's collapse
Quick on-the-field emergency care is widely credited with helping save Damar Hamlin's life, but it's unclear if his cardiac arrest could have been prevented with screening. Doctors have said they're still evaluating what caused Hamlin's heart to stop after a tackle during Monday night's Bills-Bengals game. One possibility is a fluke type of chest trauma that is impossible to predict or prevent. Existing heart conditions are the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes. Cardiac testing including EKGs and echocardiograms can sometimes detect them. But these tests can't detect all heart conditions. And they sometimes miss ones that can be deadly.
LeBron leads Lakers past Hawks 130-114 for 4th straight win
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-114 for their first four-game winning streak in just under a year. LeBron James had 25 points and 10 assists in his return from an illness, and Russell Westbrook added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Lakers' second win over Atlanta in eight days. Kendrick Nunn had 23 points in the highest-scoring performance of his career with the injury-depleted Lakers. Trae Young scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half for the Hawks, who have lost five of six. Thomas Bryant had 19 points and 13 rebounds for LA. Dennis Schröder scored 21 points.
Morikawa builds 2-shot lead going to weekend at Kapalua
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Collin Morikawa has taken a big step toward winning after going without a victory last year. Morikawa had a 66 on Friday in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. That gives him a two-shot lead over Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun. Morikawa has gone bogey-free over two rounds on the Plantation Course at Kapalua. He had a chance to tie the 36-hole tournament record with a birdie on the 18th, but he muffed a chip and had to settle for par. Scheffler can go to No. 1 with a two-way third for third or better. He had a 66.
LaVine hits 11 3s, scores 41 points in Bulls' win over 76ers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zach LaVine made 11 of 13 3-pointers and scored 41 points and the Chicago Bulls beat Philadelphia 126-112 on Friday night to end the 76ers' home winning streak at 11. LaVine made three 3-pointers in less than a minute and a half of play to give Chicago an 88-74 lead with 3:33 left in the third quarter. He was two short of his career high for 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic had a triple-double for the Bulls with 19 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. Vucevic took advantage of Philadelphia's undersized center tandem of PJ Tucker and Montrezl Harrell with Joel Embiid missing his second straight game because of soreness in his left foot. Tyrese Maxey had 26 points and six assists for the 76ers
Column: A round of applause, please, for playoff-crasher TCU
AP Sports Columnist Paul Newberry says TCU has given the College Football Playoff something it desperately needed: Variety. The four-team playoff has been largely monopolized by a group of powerful programs during its first eight years of existence. Alabama has played in the title game six times. Clemson reached the finale four times. Ohio State and Georgia were two-time finalists before this season. Now along comes TCU. Newberry says the Horned Frogs have already made this playoff a winner even before Monday's showdown with Georgia for the national championship.
Browns done with Jadeveon Clowney after critical comments
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was sent home Friday and will not practice after he made critical comments about the team. The Browns will play their season finale Sunday in Pittsburgh, and Clowney will not make the trip. Coach Kevin Stefanski said 'nothing comes above the team.' Clowney is in his second season with the Browns. He said in an interview Thursday with cleveland.com that he didn't feel appreciated and was "95% sure" he wasn't coming back for a third season. Clowney also said the Browns are giving Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett preferential treatment and were focused only on getting him to the Hall of Fame.
Shiffrin 5th in 1st run as she chases Vonn's wins record
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has some work to do in the second run of a giant slalom if she's going to match Lindsey Vonn's women's World Cup skiing record with her 82nd win. Shiffrin stands fifth after the opening run and is 0.31 seconds behind surprise leader Valerie Grenier of Canada. Shiffrin has won five straight races across three disciplines but struggled with an open course set in the first leg. Reigning world champion Lara Gut-Behrami is second 0.04 behind Grenier and Italian GS standouts Federica Brignone and Marta Bassino were third and fourth at deficits of 0.16 and 0.24 behind. If Shiffrin does surge into the lead in the second run she could break Vonn's record in another giant slalom on the same course scheduled for Sunday.
College Basketball Scores
Friday, Jan. 6
EAST
Alfred 93, Hartwick 80
Amherst 53, Williams 51
Brockport 62, Geneseo 61
Brooklyn College 69, Medgar Evers 56
Canisius 64, Manhattan 57
Cazenovia 90, Thomas (Maine) 82
City College (NY) 70, Baruch 62
Connecticut College 63, Tufts 55
Cornell 88, Penn 69
Cortland 87, Fredonia St. 62
Daemen 79, Staten Island 75
Dartmouth 81, Yale 77
Dist. of Columbia 97, D'Youville 79
Elmira 64, Sage 55
Hamilton 65, Middlebury 56
Harvard 70, Brown 68, OT
Husson 85, SUNY-Delhi 78
Iona 84, Marist 57
Ithaca 64, RPI 53
Lehman 105, Hunter 84
Maine Maritime 93, SUNY-IT 62
Maine-Farmington 80, Northern Vermont-Johnson 71
Nazareth 78, Medaille 70
Niagara 77, Fairfield 69, OT
Oswego St. 112, Buffalo St. 54
Penn St.-Abington 77, Penn St.-Berks 66
Penn St.-Harrisburg 88, Penn College 73
Princeton 68, Columbia 49
Quinnipiac 72, Rider 63
Roberts Wesleyan 91, Mercy 88, OT
Rochester 73, Hobart 64
SUNY-Canton 101, Northern Vermont-Lyndon 88
SUNY-Cobleskill 74, Maine-Presque Isle 70
Siena 70, St. Peter's 60
St. John Fisher 91, Houghton 56
St. Lawrence 67, Bard 52
St. Mary's (Md.) 71, SUNY-Morrisville 67
Trinity (Conn.) 87, Colby 80, OT
Union (NY) 74, Skidmore 61
Vassar 92, Clarkson 90, OT
Wells 80, Gallaudet 62
Wesleyan (Conn.) 81, Bowdoin 65
York College (NY) 81, John Jay 73
SOUTH
Belhaven 82, Berea 80, 2OT
Berry 64, Millsaps 59
Birmingham Southern 98, Oglethorpe 92
Centre 82, Rhodes 72
LaGrange 88, Maryville (Tenn.) 84
Oakland 64, N. Kentucky 63
Piedmont 81, Huntingdon 52
University of The South Tigers 87, Hendrix 73
MIDWEST
Ball St. 70, Akron 63
Mary 62, SW Minnesota 57
Minn. Duluth 80, Concordia (St.P.) 78
Minn. St. (Moorhead) 78, Wayne St. (Neb.) 52
Minnesota St. 78, St. Cloud St. 65
Northern St. 86, Augustana (SD) 64
Sioux Falls 66, Minot St. 63
Toledo 102, W. Michigan 74
Upper Iowa 87, Bemidji St. 80
Winona St. 58, Minn.-Crookston 53
Wright St. 90, Detroit 85
SOUTHWEST
Schreiner 86, Austin 70
Trinity (FL) 75, Dallas 69
FAR WEST
Black Hills St. 78, W. Colorado 73
California 92, Stanford 70
Chaminade 77, Concordia (Cal.) 51
Colorado College 79, Southwestern (Texas) 78, OT
Colorado Mesa 73, Chadron St. 60
Colorado Mines 97, CSU-Pueblo 62
Fort Lewis 77, Colo.-Colo. Springs 69
Linfield 61, Pacific Lutheran 60
Metropolitan St. 73, N.M. Highlands 66
Puget Sound 107, George Fox 99
Regis 79, Adams St. 77
Westminster (Utah) 80, Colorado Christian 45
Whitman 79, Pacific (Ore.) 69
Whitworth 78, Lewis & Clark 57
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NBA Glance
All Times EST
Thursday's Game Finals"
Memphis 123, Orlando 115
Boston 124, Dallas 95
Utah 131, Houston 114
Denver 122, L.A. Clippers 91
Friday's Games
Chicago 126, Philadelphia 112
Indiana 108, Portland 99
Brooklyn 108, New Orleans 102
New York 112, Toronto 108
Charlotte 138, Milwaukee 109
Oklahoma City 127, Washington 110
San Antonio 121, Detroit 109
Minnesota 128, L.A. Clippers 115
Denver 121, Cleveland 108
Miami 104, Phoenix 96
L.A. Lakers 130, Atlanta 114
Saturday's Games
Boston at San Antonio, 6 p.m.
New Orleans at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Utah at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Orlando at Golden State, 8:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
Sunday's Games
Philadelphia at Detroit, 3 p.m.
Portland at Toronto, 3:30 p.m.
Charlotte at Indiana, 5 p.m.
Brooklyn at Miami, 6 p.m.
Utah at Memphis, 6 p.m.
Dallas at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Houston, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Phoenix, 8 p.m.
Atlanta at L.A. Clippers, 9 p.m.
Monday's Games
New Orleans at Washington, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Milwaukee at New York, 7:30 p.m.
San Antonio at Memphis, 8 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9 p.m.
Orlando at Sacramento, 10 p.m.