AP Sports Summary for December 18th, 2023.
Ravens beat mistake-prone Jaguars 23-7 for 4th consecutive victory and clinch AFC playoff spot
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass and made the play of night when he avoided a sack and threw to Isaiah Likely near the goal line, and the Baltimore Ravens clinched a postseason berth with a 23-7 victory at Jacksonville. The Ravens won their fourth in a row and moved a step closer to securing the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Jaguars lost their third straight — all against AFC North teams — and are now tied with Houston and Indianapolis atop the AFC South. Self-inflicted mistakes were a common thread in Jacksonville's skid.
James Cook leads dominant rushing attack as Bills trample Cowboys 31-10
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — James Cook had a career-best 179 yards rushing and scored twice as Buffalo dominated on the ground, and the Bills beat Dallas 31-10, ending the Cowboys' five-game winning streak. Josh Allen threw for just 94 yards for the Bills, who won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game winning streak ended on Oct. 1. Buffalo gained ground in the AFC playoff race, moving one game ahead of Denver and Pittsburgh. The Cowboys clinched their third playoff berth before kickoff thanks to other results around the league. But nothing else went right for Dallas. The Bills rushed for 266 yards and had 28 first downs to the Cowboys' 14.
That's a wrap: Bryant Gumbel and HBO's 'Real Sports' air their last episode after 29 years
NEW YORK (AP) — Bryant Gumbel's "Real Sports" airs its final episode on HBO after 29 years this week, and an era in sports journalism ends with it. The newsmagazine used sports as a lens to look through all manners of social issues, and won awards for stories on concussions, camel jockeys and labor abuses in Qatar. For its last few years of operation, it taped episodes on the same Manhattan block that houses the offices of CBS' "60 Minutes," with which it shares a sensibility. At age 75, Gumbel takes pride in never having missed a taping and, like many athletes, he said he'd rather leave the field too early than too late.
McCaffrey scores 3 TDs and 49ers clinch NFC West with 45-29 rout of Cardinals for 6th straight win
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey scored three touchdowns, Charvarius Ward had two interceptions, including a pick-6, and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West while pushing their winning streak to six games with a 45-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Brock Purdy completed 16 of 25 passes for 242 yards and tied a career high with four touchdowns, shaking off a hard hit in the second quarter that caused him to miss a few plays. The 49ers have won all their games during the winning streak by at least 12 points. They have also won 12 straight against divisional opponents in the NFC West.
Eagles' Jalen Hurts questionable for Monday night vs Seahawks because of illness, AP source says
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is questionable for Monday night's game at Seattle because of an illness, a person familiar with his status told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the injury report hasn't been released yet, said Hurts will travel separately from the team. The Eagles have lost two straight games but would secure the NFC East title if they beat the Seahawks and win their final three games.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase day to day with shoulder injury. DT Reader and CB Ivey lost for the season
CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase is day to day with a shoulder injury suffered in Saturday's win over the Vikings. Coach Zac Taylor said Sunday that Chase has a sprained shoulder joint. The Bengals will be without defensive tackle DJ Reader and cornerback DJ Ivey for the rest of the season. Cincinnati will play at Pittsburgh on Saturday as both teams fight to stay in the playoff race. Bengals quarterback Jake Browning won his third consecutive start after being pushed into service when franchise quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury Nov. 16.
Stephen Curry's 3-pointer streak ends at 268 games in Warriors' win in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Stephen Curry's NBA-record 3-pointer streak ended at 268 games Sunday night in the Golden State Warriors' 118-114 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Curry was 0 for 8 from 3-point range, 2 for 12 overall and scored seven points. He began the streak Dec. 1, 2018, at Detroit. Curry, the NBA career leader who recently made his 3,500th 3-pointer, last went without one in a regular-season game on Nov. 8, 2018, when he went 0 for 4 against Milwaukee. He also owns the second-longest NBA streak at 157 games.
Antetokounmpo passes Abdul-Jabbar for Bucks' career rebounding record in victory over Rockets
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 17 rebounds, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the Bucks' career rebounding leader, and Damian Lillard scored 39 points in Milwaukee's 128-119 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Antetokounmpo's highest rebounding total of the season allowed him to pass Abdul-Jabbar after he had already moved past the Hall of Famer for the team's scoring record. He is also the Bucks' career leader in assists, joining Michael Jordan (Chicago), LeBron James (Cleveland) and Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) as the only players to lead a franchise in all three categories.
Bernhard Langer and son win PNC Championship. Woods finishes hopeful for next year
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Bernhard Langer capped off a magical year by winning the PNC Championship for the fifth time with his son. Never mind the 30 mph wind. Langer and Jason Langer put together a 59 with 10 birdies on the opening 11 holes. They won by two shots over David Duval and his son. Tiger Woods and 14-year-old son Charlie tied for fifth after a 61. Charlie delivered a big moment when he chipped for birdie and Woods couldn't help but smile. The 66-year-old Langer earlier this year set the PGA Tour Champions record with his 46th win.
Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord commits to transfer to Syracuse and new coach Fran Brown
Quarterback Kyle McCord, who started every game this season for Ohio State, has announced he is transferring to Syracuse. McCord passed for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in his third season at Ohio Sate, but first as a starter. He was a four-star recruit out of Philadelphia. McCord is the latest transfer addition for new Syracuse coach Fran Brown. The former Georgia assistant coach has also received transfer commits from former Bulldogs receivers Jackson Meeks and Zeed Haynes. Brown is a New Jersey native who previously worked at Temple and Rutgers before spending two seasons with Georgia.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 114 Orlando 97
Final New Orleans 146 San Antonio 110
Final Milwaukee 128 Houston 119
Final Phoenix 112 Washington 108
Final Golden State 118 Portland 114
___
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Vancouver 4 Chicago 3
Final SO Washington 2 Carolina 1
Final Anaheim 5 New Jersey 1
Final Colorado 6 San Jose 2
Final Vegas 6 Ottawa 3
___
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Carolina 9 Atlanta 7
Final Cleveland 20 Chicago 17
Final OT Houston 19 Tennessee 16
Final Kansas City 27 New England 17
Final Miami 30 N-Y Jets 0
Final New Orleans 24 N-Y Giants 6
Final Tampa Bay 34 Green Bay 20
Final L.A. Rams 28 Washington 20
Final San Francisco 45 Arizona 29
Final Buffalo 31 Dallas 10
Final Baltimore 23 Jacksonville 7
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (16)Illinois 74 Colgate 57
Final (17)Colorado St. 86 CSU-Pueblo 54
___
TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Houston at Cleveland 7 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Indiana 7 p.m.
Charlotte at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Detroit at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at Oklahoma City 8 p.m.
Brooklyn at Utah 9 p.m.
Dallas at Denver 9 p.m.
Washington at Sacramento 10 p.m.
New York at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
___
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Anaheim at Detroit 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Pittsburgh 7 p.m.
Montreal at Winnipeg 7:30 p.m.
Seattle at Dallas 8 p.m.
Florida at Calgary 9:30 p.m.
___
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Philadelphia at Seattle 8:15 p.m.