AP Sports Summary for October 25th, 2024:
The Dodgers and Yankees are ready for the starriest World Series in decades
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will play Major League Baseball's starriest World Series in decades. This figures to be the first World Series featuring five MVPs: the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and the Yankees' Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Ohtani and Judge are the likely MVPs this year, marking the first Series to feature both since in 2012. This will be the first Series with a pair of 50-home run hitters in Judge and Ohtani. This is just the fifth World Series since the Wild Card Era started in 1995 involving the teams with the best records in each league.
With Kupp and Nacua back from injury, Stafford throws 4 TD passes in Rams' 30-20 win over Vikings
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Demarcus Robinson caught two of Matthew Stafford's four touchdown throws in the Los Angeles Rams' 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Cooper Kupp caught a TD pass and Puka Nacua had 106 yards receiving in their returns from injury absences. Stafford passed for 279 yards for the Rams, who won back-to-back games for the first time this season with an offense that looked exponentially more dangerous with its top two receivers back in uniform. Sam Darnold passed for 240 yards for the Vikings, who followed up their first loss of the season with an ineffective defensive performance.
Darnold, O'Connell not blaming missed face mask call as reason why Vikings lost to Rams
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold didn't blame the officials for a missed face mask call when he was sacked for a safety late in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Instead, Darnold lamented the situation that pinned Minnesota deep in the first place. On second-and-10, Darnold got a couple clean seconds in the pocket before Byron Young barreled past left guard Blake Brandel and took down Darnold for a safety, to put the game out of reach. Referee Tra Blake said in a pool report that he and umpire Carl Paganelli did not have a clear view.
Sean McVay shuts down Cooper Kupp trade speculation after star WR returns for Rams' win over Vikings
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay expects star receiver Cooper Kupp to stay right where he is. McVay criticized media speculation about the possibility of the Rams trading Kupp after the Super Bowl 56 MVP returned from injury in Los Angeles' 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Kupp had been blanketed by trade rumors this week as he neared a return from a four-game injury absence. The 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year had five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings in the second victory in five days for the Rams.
USF men's basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim dies at 43
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — South Florida coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who led the Bulls to the American Athletic Conference's regular-season championship a year ago, has died. He was 43. The school announced his death Thursday, saying he died from complications that presented while he was undergoing a procedure at a Tampa-area hospital. Abdur-Rahim was a rising star in the coaching world. He got the USF job after leading Kennesaw State to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. He was an immediate success with the Bulls, going 25-8 and winning a game in the NIT. Abdur-Rahim was a brother of G League president and former NBA player Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
NBA opens investigation into Joel Embiid's playing status after 76ers star misses season opener
The NBA is now investigating why Philadelphia center Joel Embiid did not play in the team's nationally televised season-opener against Milwaukee. The league confirmed the probe on Thursday. It was opened as part of the NBA's player participation policy that went into effect last season. Such a move was to be expected: The NBA has said that any time a star player misses a game an investigation can be opened to "promote compliance" with league rules and can include "independent medical review and related determinations regarding player availability."
It's a pick-6 party for No. 19 Pitt as the Panthers use 3 defensive TDs to drill Syracuse 41-13
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rasheem Biles, Kyle Louis and Braylan Lovelace areturned first-half interceptions for touchdowns and No. 19 Pittsburgh breezed past Syracuse 41-13. Pitt improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1982 behind a defense that harassed Kyle McCord from the first snap and never relented. McCord threw five picks in all as the Orange fell to 5-2. Pitt's three pick-6s were the most in an FBS game since USC had three against Rice in 2022. Eli Holstein threw for 108 yards and two scores for Pitt, which has won 19 of its last 23 meetings with Syracuse.
Klay Thompson sets 3s record for Dallas debut in Mavs win after 13 seasons with Warriors
DALLAS (AP) — Klay Thompson has set a Dallas record for 3-pointers in a debut with six as the Mavericks beat San Antonio in his first game after 13 seasons with Golden State. Thompson scored 22 points playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the first time in the Mavs' 120-109 victory. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors made his first two shots with the Mavs. That was after missing all 10 in his final game in a play-in tournament loss with Golden State last season.
Messi and Inter Miami will take on Atlanta United in an MLS Cup playoff opener
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Inter Miami's Lionel Messi played in only one Major League Soccer loss in 2024. It was at home against Atlanta United. Messi makes his MLS Cup playoff debut Friday night, and it's at home against Atlanta United. Inter Miami, which set the MLS records for most points and best winning percentage in the regular season, gets a big challenge right out of the gate in the playoffs by facing Atlanta in a best-of-three Eastern Conference first-round series. Messi is coming off a hat trick in the regular-season finale, a 6-2 romp past New England.
Shohei Ohtani won't pitch in the World Series, but that's not slowing Ohtanimania
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The race was on to reach Shohei Ohtani first. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar waited calmly as a horde of media rushed toward him on the eve of his first World Series. He didn't flinch at the wall of cameras and microphones shoved toward him to capture his every thought. Some of Ohtani's teammates laughed as they watched the chaotic scene. Ohtani patiently answered questions about his excitement at making the World Series after six losing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, how his dog Decoy will likely be at the games and traded compliments with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 122 Washington 102
Final Dallas 120 San Antonio 109
Final Oklahoma City 102 Denver 87
Final Minnesota 117 Sacramento 115
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Florida 3 N-Y Rangers 1
Final Dallas 5 Boston 2
Final Minnesota 4 Tampa Bay 2
Final St. Louis 5 Toronto 1
Final Detroit 5 New Jersey 3
Final Colorado 5 Utah 1
Final Carolina 4 Calgary 2
Final OT Winnipeg 4 Seattle 3
Final Los Angeles 3 San Jose 2
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final L.A. Rams 30 Minnesota 20
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (19)Pittsburgh 41 Syracuse 13
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
N-Y Yankees at L-A Dodgers 8:08 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Brooklyn at Orlando 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Toronto 7 p.m.
Charlotte at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Detroit at Cleveland 7:30 p.m.
Indiana at New York 7:30 p.m.
Chicago at Milwaukee 8 p.m.
Memphis at Houston 8 p.m.
Golden State at Utah 9:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Portland 10 p.m.
Phoenix at L.A. Lakers 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Ottawa at Vegas 6 p.m.
N-Y Islanders at New Jersey 7 p.m.
Nashville at Chicago 8:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Edmonton 9 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(17)Boise St. at UNLV 10:30 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Atlanta at Miami 8:30 p.m.
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