AP Sports Summary for January 9th, 2025:
NHL postpones LA Kings' home game against Calgary due to wildfires while NFL, NBA monitor situation
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings' home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires still burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play Wednesday night at the Kings' downtown arena. The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena on Thursday night. The NFL is also monitoring the potential impact of the fires on the two Los Angeles teams' playoff preparations and the Rams' wild-card postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night at SoFi Stadium.
Cavaliers beat Thunder 129-122 to end OKC's 15-game winning streak in matchup of NBA's top teams
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jarrett Allen scored 25 points, Evan Mobley added 21 and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Oklahoma City's 15-game winning streak by beating the Thunder 129-122 in a marquee meeting between the NBA's top two teams. The Cavs extended their winning streak to 11, improved the league's best record to 32-4 and moved to 19-1 at home. They did it on an off night for leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who had just 11 points on 3 of 16 shooting. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 and Jalen Williams 25 for the Thunder, who lost for the first time since Dec. 1. Darius Garland added 18 points and Max Strus 17 for Cleveland.
Doping clouds tennis talk at the Australian Open with Sinner and Swiatek facing scrutiny
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Doping is a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is sure to be a talking point as the 2025 Grand Slam season gets going at the Australian Open. Play starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday, which is Saturday in the United States. Defending men's champion Jannik Sinner and No. 2 women's seed Iga Swiatek both failed drug tests last season. Sinner was exonerated although the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed that ruling and a final decision is not expected before next month. Swiatek accepted a one-month ban that was partly served in the offseason.
Inside the numbers of Cleveland's 129-122 win over Oklahoma City
CLEVELAND (AP) — The most-hyped game so far this season in the NBA didn't disappoint. Cleveland beat Oklahoma City 129-122 on Wednesday night, with the Cavaliers — now winners of 11 straight — pushing the NBA's best record to 32-4 and snapping the Thunder's 15-game winning streak. It was the first time in NBA history that a team with a winning streak of at least 15 games faced a team with a streak of at least 10 straight wins.
Penn State coach James Franklin calls for college football to have uniformity
DANIA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Big Ten plays nine conference games in football. So does the Big 12. The Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference are among those playing eight-game league schedules. The Mountain West played a seven-game league slate. Notre Dame doesn't have a league. Enough, Penn State coach James Franklin says. Franklin said Wednesday on the eve of his team's matchup with Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl that the sport needs uniformity.
Briefly a Buckeye, Texas QB Quinn Ewers returned to his roots to lead Longhorns' resurgence
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas quarterback and Texas native Quinn Ewers once played for Ohio State. After spending a semester deep on the depth chart in Columbus, Ewers headed back home to become the leader of Steve Sarkisian's rebuilding project with the Longhorns. Ewers and Texas will face his former team on Friday at the Cotton Bowl in a College Football Playoff semifinal. The winner advances to the national championship game.
Texas and Ohio State arrive for CFP semifinal at Cotton Bowl ahead of a winter storm
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Texas and Ohio State arrived for the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl before the snow expected to hit the North Texas area. Both teams got into the Dallas area as scheduled Wednesday, a day before an expected winter storm forecast to bring 2 to 4 inches of snow on Thursday, along with sleet and rain. That is a day before the game that will be played inside at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. With the roof closed Friday night, there will be no direct impact on the outcome of the game that will determine which team advanced to the national title game.
A plot twist from what college football has become: A player who stayed
DANIA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — When Penn State moved a different linebacker into what had been Tyler Elsdon's starting spot, Elsdon made a choice that doesn't really fit into the storyline college football has been selling these days. He stayed right where he was. In an era in which NIL money, playing time and the promise of the transfer portal are a phone call away, Penn State's fifth-year senior decided to stay because he feels loyal to his teammates and loves his school. Elsdon and the Nittany Lions take on Notre Dame on Thursday in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Sinner, Djokovic in opposite halves at the Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st round
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season's first major, ruling out a replay of last year's semifinal encounter. Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals in Melbourne last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final for his first Grand Slam singles title. Aryna Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women's singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999. Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens.
At the end of another stellar season, Ravens' Lamar Jackson will still face doubters in the playoffs
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens return to the postseason with a lot of the same strengths they had a year ago. That's when they hosted Kansas City in the AFC championship game but couldn't overcome the Chiefs. This time Baltimore will need two wins just to reach that round. As the No. 3 seed in the conference, the Ravens face Pittsburgh on Saturday night. And it goes without saying that their star quarterback is under pressure to deliver. Jackson recently became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 900 in one season. Now a different stat hangs over him. That's his 2-4 record in playoff games.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Indiana 129 Chicago 113
Final Philadelphia 109 Washington 103
Final Cleveland 129 Oklahoma City 122
Final Detroit 113 Brooklyn 98
Final New York 112 Toronto 98
Final Portland 119 New Orleans 100
Final Denver 126 L.A. Clippers 103
Final Milwaukee 121 San Antonio 105
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Calgary at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Chicago 3 Colorado 1
Final OT Washington 2 Vancouver 1
Final Florida 4 Utah 1
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (5)Alabama 88 South Carolina 68
Final Villanova 68 (9)UConn 66
Final (10)Texas A&M 80 (17)Oklahoma 78
Final (11)Kansas 74 Arizona St. 55
Final (13)Illinois 91 Penn St. 52
Final (18)Gonzaga 93 San Diego 80
Final (23)Mississippi 73 Arkansas 66
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Golden State at Detroit 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Orlando 7 p.m.
Toronto at Cleveland 7 p.m.
Houston at Memphis 8 p.m.
Portland at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Phoenix 9 p.m.
Miami at Utah 9 p.m.
Charlotte at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston at Tampa Bay 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Ottawa 7 p.m.
Dallas at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Pittsburgh 7 p.m.
New Jersey at N-Y Rangers 7 p.m.
Seattle at Columbus 7 p.m.
Toronto at Carolina 7:30 p.m.
Anaheim at St. Louis 8 p.m.
Colorado at Minnesota 8 p.m.
N-Y Islanders at Vegas 10 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(3)Notre Dame at (5)Penn St. 7:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(15)Oregon at Ohio St. 6 p.m.
Washington at (16)Michigan St. 8 p.m.
(20)Purdue at Rutgers 6 p.m.
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