Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
WACO, Texas (AP) — Jared Butler had a season-high 30 points and eight assists as No. 2 Baylor remained undefeated with a 77-69 victory over No. 9 Kansas. The Jayhawks have lost consecutive Big 12 games for the first time in nearly eight years. Butler made the first of his seven 3-pointers on the first shot of the game, part of an opening 11-2 spurt by the the 13-0 Bears. Kansas played for the first time since a 75-70 loss last Tuesday at Oklahoma State before the Jayhawks' scheduled game Saturday was postponed because of COVID-19 issues in Iowa State's program.
UNDATED (AP) — Backup quarterbacks stayed on the sideline in just one of the four NFL playoff games during the divisional round last weekend. Chad Henne played a major role in helping the Kansas City Chiefs reach the AFC championship for a third consecutive season. Jameis Winston played one snap in place of Drew Brees and threw a long touchdown pass on a trick play. And Tyler Huntley was pressed into duty when Lamar Jackson suffered a concussion in the Ravens' loss to at Buffalo. Patrick Mahomes is in concussion protocol as the Chiefs prepare for the Bills' visit Sunday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs built a defense and signed a backup quarterback that were good enough to preserve a win. Now, are they good enough to win on their own? The Chiefs, who lost Patrick Mahomes to a concussion in the third quarter of Sunday's divisional-round win over Cleveland, might have to find out with their hopes of back-to-back AFC titles and a Super Bowl repeat on the line. Mahomes remained in the league's concussion protocol Monday and coach Andy Reid declined to speculate on when he'll be cleared.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Kyrou got the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period, Justin Faulk scored twice and the St. Louis Blues rallied to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-4. Mike Hoffman scored his first goal as a Blue and Brayden Schenn also scored for St. Louis, which beat San Jose for the fourth straight time on home ice. Jordan Binnington made 22 saves. Logan Couture had two goals and an assist, Brent Burns had a goal and two assists, and Kevin Labanc also scored for the Sharks. Devan Dubnyk stopped 27 shots.
UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga once again has racked up all but the two first-place votes that went to Baylor in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll. Villanova remained firmly behind the preseason top two despite not playing a game since Dec. 23 due to COVID-19 pauses within its program. Iowa and Texas swapped places to round out the top 5, while Duke plummeted from the poll for the first time since February 2016 following its loss to Virginia Tech. Louisville also fell out while No. 18 Alabama and No. 24 UCLA were newcomers to the poll.
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans say they've interviewed four more candidates to replace fired coach Bill O'Brien. The Texans announced Monday they have completed interviews with Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Buffalo assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Baltimore assistant head coach/receivers coach David Culley. Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson reportedly had been unhappy the team did not immediately reach out to Bieniemy for an interview.
Update on the latest sports
NBA-SCHEDULE
Nets edge Bucks
UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Durant made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, James Harden had 34 points and 12 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets edged the Milwaukee Bucks 125-123. Durant finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists to give the Nets their fourth straight victory in a game in which two of the East's best went toe-to-toe right down to a tense finish that ended when Khris Middleton missed a potential winning 3-pointer from the corner. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Middleton added 25 points and Jrue Holiday had 22.
In other King holiday action:
— R.J. Barrett scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 91-84 win over the Orlando Magic. Elfrid Payton chipped in with 12 points and rookie guard Immanuel Quickley added 11 for the Knicks, who improved to 7-8 with their second straight win. Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando in its sixth straight loss.
— Ja Morant had 17 points and 10 assists and took a key charge late as the Memphis Grizzlies won their fifth straight, defeating the Phoenix Suns 108-104. Morant assisted on a Grayson Allen 3-pointer with 1:06 left to give Memphis a 101-98 lead, then scored on a drive with 30.8 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Morant took a charge against Chris Paul to help maintain the Memphis lead. Deandre Ayton led the Suns with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Mikal Bridges with 17 points, while Paul had 16 points and seven assists for Phoenix.
— LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points, DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and 11 assists and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 125-104. Rudy Gay and Patty Mills came off the bench for 21 points apiece as the Spurs reserves outscored Portland's 59-24. Reserve center Jakob Poeltl added 11 points and seven rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. Damian Lillard led Portland with 35 points.
— Clint Capela had 23 points and 15 rebounds, De'Andre Hunter scored 25 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-97. The Hawks wore black, tan and white uniforms with "MLK" sewn across the chest to commemorate the national holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Atlanta snapped a two-game skid. Trae Young had 20 points and 13 assists for Atlanta, which took its biggest lead, 15 points, on consecutive 3s from the right side by Kevin Huerter and Hunter with 5:59 remaining. D'Angelo Russell finished with 31 points for Minnesota, which has lost nine of 10.
NBA-NETS-IRVING
Irving missing seventh game
NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving will miss a seventh straight game when the Brooklyn Nets host the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nets hoped their point guard would be able to return for the showdown against the Eastern Conference powers. They listed him as questionable in Sunday's injury report. Irving was downgraded to out on Monday afternoon.
Irving's absence began when he missed a victory over Philadelphia on Jan. 7 for personal reasons. He was eligible to rejoin the Nets on Saturday after completing a five-day quarantine, but coach Steve Nash said the team wanted to make sure he ramped up his conditioning carefully after missing so much time.
In other NBA news:
— A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Cavaliers are moving on from troubled and talented forward Kevin Porter Jr. The Cavs will either trade or release Porter, who has not played for them this season. A first-round draft pick in 2019, Porter rejoined the team only last week after being away to attend to personal issues.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Columbus beats Detroit
DETROIT (AP) — Alexandre Texier and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored 1:16 apart early in the third period to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a two-goal lead and they held on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored late in the second period and Joonas Korpisalo finished with 35 saves in the Blue Jackets' first win of the season. Bobby Ryan scored twice for Detroit. and Thomas Greiss stopped 26 shots.
In other Monday action:
— A stickless Chandler Stephenson was credited with the game-winning goal, Robin Lehner made 30 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-2. Not too long after the first of Reilly Smith's two goals tied it early in the third period, Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud gathered a loose puck from a faceoff in Arizona's zone and fired a shot off Stephenson's back to give Vegas its first lead of the game. Max Pacioretty also scored for the Golden Knights, his third goal in three games.
— Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist for the Calgary Flames in Monday's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Mark Giordano and Rasmus Andersson with an empty-net goal also scored for the Flames. Calgary goaltender Jacob Markstrom earned a second straight win over his former team with 25 saves.
— Sam Reinhart and Curtis Lazar each scored two goals to lead the Buffalo Sabres to their first win of the season, 6-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hutton stopped 21 shots for the Sabres. Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall each had three assists. Reinhart had his 10th career multigoal game. Hall became the fifth player in the last 20 years to record a point in each of his first three games as a member of the Sabres.
—Jordan Kyrou got the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period, Justin Faulk scored twice and the St. Louis Blues rallied to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-4. Mike Hoffman scored his first goal as a Blue and Brayden Schenn also scored for St. Louis, which beat San Jose for the fourth straight time on home ice. Jordan Binnington made 22 saves. Logan Couture had two goals and an assist, Brent Burns had a goal and two assists, and Kevin Labanc also scored for the Sharks. Devan Dubnyk stopped 27 shots.
— Jake Allen made 25 saves in his first game with Montreal, Shea Weber got his first goal of the season and the Canadiens beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-1. Artturi Lehkonen and rookie Alexander Romanov also scored for Montreal, which beat Edmonton for the second time in three nights. Montreal's penalty kill was key in the victory, shutting down Oilers snipers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on seven power plays.
— John Gibson made 34 saves in his 20th career shutout, and Nicolas Deslauriers scored early in the third period of the Anaheim Ducks' 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Deslauriers converted a superb pass from new Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk for his first goal of the season. The Ducks hung on to earn their first win of the season while winning their home opener for the fifth consecutive year.
— Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots for his 29th career shutout, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored with 4:09 remaining, and the New York Islanders beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 in their home opener. Adam Pelech fired a shot from the left point and Boston's Patrice Bergeron deflected the puck up in air. Pageau batted it in past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to put the Islanders on the scoreboard. Varlamov missed Saturday's game against the Rangers after he took a puck off his neck in pregame warmups. He got his second shutout in two starts this season. He had 24 saves in a 4-0 win against the Rangers last Thursday.
— Mitch Marner scored twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-1. John Tavares also scored and Frederik Andersen made 27 saves for Toronto in first of 10 meetings between the North Division rivals. Kyle Connor scored for Winnipeg, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 35 shots inside an empty Scotiabank Arena because of COVID-19 protocols. The Jets were without star Patrik Laine, who sat out with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-TENNESSEE-PRUIT
Tennessee fires Pruitt, 9 others for 'serious' NCAA issues
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has fired football coach Jeremy Pruitt, two assistants and seven members of the Volunteers' recruiting and support staff for cause after an internal investigation found what the university chancellor called "serious violations of NCAA rules."
Chancellor Donde Plowman said Pruitt was responsible for overseeing the program.
Tennessee has been conducting an internal investigation since at least the middle of November into allegations of recruiting violations.
Tennessee will be looking for its fourth different coach since the Vols last won the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title. Pruitt's team went 3-7 last season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-POLL
Familiar names at top of poll
UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga once again has racked up all but the two first-place votes that went to Baylor in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll.
Villanova remained firmly behind the preseason top two despite not playing a game since Dec. 23 due to COVID-19 pauses within its program. Iowa and Texas swapped places to round out the top 5, while Duke plummeted from the poll for the first time since February 2016 following its loss to Virginia Tech.
Louisville also fell out while No. 18 Alabama and No. 24 UCLA were newcomers to the poll.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Michigan State postpones game
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State is postponing its game this weekend against No. 22 Illinois, moving a third straight basketball game due to a COVID-19 outbreak within coach Tom Izzo's program.
Izzo made the announcement Monday, a day after one additional player and two non-coaching staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. Last week, three players tested positive and that led to the Spartans postponing games at No. 4 Iowa and against Indiana.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Vanderbilt women's team ends season
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt's women's basketball program has decided to end its season with the Commodores struggling with a depleted roster.
The Commodores were 4-4. The start of their season had three cancellations, and they've played two games since having a game canceled and two others postponed. They lost on Sunday to No. 12 Kentucky 80-73. Vanderbilt's roster has been thinned by COVID-19 issues, opt-outs, injuries, a player with myocarditis and another recovering from an ACL injury.
The Commodores join a growing list of women's basketball teams that have decided to stop playing that now includes Duke, SMU, Virginia and San Jose State.
In other virus news:
— UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma says playing the NCAA Tournament this year is a fiscal necessity for most schools. The Hall of Famer was responding to comments by Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who said she believes the college basketball season will continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic because of "the almighty dollar." Auriemma said most schools can't afford to lose the money generated by the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year. He said he also believes most players, coaches and school administrators are in favor of completing the season.
MLB-RED SOX-PHILLIES
Phillies get Chatham from Bosox
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired infielder C.J. Chatham from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named or cash. Chatham hit .298 with 14 home runs and a .739 OPS in 266 minor league games. He batted .302 with two home runs in 20 games in Tripe-A in 2019.
In other MLB moves:
—A person with knowledge of the deal has confirmed to The Associated Press that left-hander Jon Lester and the Washington Nationals have an agreement in principle in place for a one-year contract. The deal is pending the successful completion of a physical exam. ESPN was first to report an agreement between Lester and the Nationals, whose manager, Dave Martinez, was the bench coach for the Chicago Cubs when the starting pitcher helped the club win the 2016 World Series.
NFL-COMBINE
NFL won't allow in-person workouts for scouting combine
UNDATED (AP) — The NFL will not allow in-person workouts for the scouting combine for health and safety precautions because of COVID-19. The league informed teams Monday that any workouts will take place on the individual pro days on college campuses. Interviews of prospects and psychological testing and assessments will be done virtually. The league is working with club physicians and athletic trainers to obtain comprehensive medical information on each of the invited prospects. The plan will likely involve a combination of virtual interviews by club medical staffs and testing done at labs and medical facilities near the invited prospect's residence.
In other NFL news:
— Jon Arnett, one of Southern California's greatest running backs who went on to become a five-time Pro Bowl player for the Los Angeles Rams, has died. He was 85. USC says Arnett died Saturday of heart failure in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Arnett earned the nickname "Jaguar Jon" for his acrobatic agility and elusiveness running the ball that he honed as a youth gymnast. He lettered at USC from 1954-56. Arnett was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Arnett was a five-time Pro Bowl selection with the Rams. He also played for the Chicago Bears during his 10-year NFL career.
NOTE LANGUAGE IN THE FOLLOWING:
METS-GM-EXPLICIT TEXTS
Report: Mets GM admits explicit texts to female reporter
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets general manager Jared Porter sent graphic, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 while working for the Chicago Cubs in their front office, according to an ESPN report.
The report says Porter sent dozens of texts to the woman, concluding with a picture of "an erect, naked penis." ESPN says it obtained a copy of the text history.
New York hired the 41-year-old Porter last month after he spent the past four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks as senior vice president and assistant general manager. Mets president Sandy Alderson says in a statement that Porter acknowledged to him a serious error in judgment, expressed remorse and had previously apologized for his actions.