AP Sports Summary for December 30th, 2024:
Darnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over Packers
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 for their ninth consecutive victory. The Vikings are 14-2. They set up a final-week showdown in Detroit next Sunday night for both the division title and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs in the NFC. Jordan Love's only touchdown pass for the Packers came with 2:18 left to pull the Packers within two points. Darnold responded with two completions for first downs to seal the game.
Jayden Daniels dazzles again as Commanders clinch a playoff spot by beating Falcons 30-24 in OT
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Washington Commanders clinched a playoff spot by beating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in overtime. Jayden Daniels ran for a season-high 127 yards and threw for 227 and three touchdowns to make the postseason in his rookie year in the NFL. He outdueled fellow top-10 draft pick Michael Penix Jr. in a game each had an interception. The Commanders can move up to the sixth seed in the NFC if they win at Dallas next weekend. The Falcons lost control of their playoff chances and now can only get in if they beat Carolina and Tampa Bay loses to New Orleans in Week 18.
Falcons run out of time to control their path to the playoffs after mismanaging the clock
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have run out of time to control their path to the playoffs after mismanaging the clock multiple times in an overtime loss at the Washington Commanders. Coach Raheem Morris declined to use all three of his timeouts in the first half and two more in the second. Morris defended most of how he handled the situations other than saying it was reasonable to second-guess not taking a timeout near the end of regulation. Riley Patterson's 56-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired, sending the game to overtime.
NFC's No. 1 seed comes down to Vikings-Lions showdown at Detroit in Week 18
The NFC's No. 1 seed will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night. The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Lions hold the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and play to a tie. The Vikings held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18.
Bills clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the undisciplined Jets
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the New York Jets. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo's defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills improved to 13-3 to match a franchise single-season record.
Thompson-Herro fight leads to ejections of multiple players and coaches in Heat's victory in Houston
HOUSTON (AP) — Rockets forward Amen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor to trigger an altercation that resulted in six ejections in the closing minute of Miami's 104-100 victory over Houston on Sunday. Thompson and Herro became entangled with Miami about to inbound the ball leading 99-94 with 35 seconds left. Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and tossed him, with referee Marc Davis describing it as Thompson "body slams Herro." Herro, Thompson, and Udoka were ejected, as were Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan.
LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader
When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career.
Rising Sun Devils: Arizona State looks to pull off another big surprise at the Peach Bowl
ATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State's biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren't the least bit surprised to be rated a nearly two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That's a familiar position for the Sun Devils. They've been an underdog most of the season. Of the eight teams still vying for a national championship, there's no bigger surprise than 11-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago and were picked to finish dead last in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, they're getting ready to face Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year's Day.
Penn State coach James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football's commissioner
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Franklin made the suggestion Sunday at Penn State's College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions are preparing for their game against No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday. The veteran coach was responding to a question about Penn State's backup quarterback situation after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri before the playoff. Pribula's decision highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times.
Crosby breaks Lemieux's Penguins career assists record in 3-2 victory over the Islanders
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux's Pittsburgh franchise career record for assists on Michael Bunting's power-play goal and the Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Sunday night. Crosby has 1,034 assists, good for 12th in NHL history. Only three players — Ray Bourque, Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman — have more assists with a single team. The 37-year-old Crosby has played 1,310-regular-season games. Lemieux played 915. Evgeni Malkin added the deciding power-play goal in the third for Pittsburgh, which has 14 goals with the man advantage in its last 13 games. Anthony Beauvillier also scored to help the Penguins win for the seventh time in their last eight home games. Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves in his first start since Dec. 17.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Orlando 102 Brooklyn 101
Final Indiana 123 Boston 114
Final Atlanta 136 Toronto 107
Final Oklahoma City 130 Memphis 106
Final Miami 104 Houston 100
Final Minnesota 112 San Antonio 110
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 4 St. Louis 2
Final Anaheim 5 Edmonton 3
Final Detroit 4 Washington 2
Final Montreal 5 Tampa Bay 2
Final Pittsburgh 3 N-Y Islanders 2
Final Ottawa 3 Minnesota 1
Final Vegas 3 Calgary 0
Final Dallas 5 Chicago 1
Final Los Angeles 5 Philadelphia 4
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 40 N-Y Jets 14
Final Jacksonville 20 Tennessee 13
Final Las Vegas 25 New Orleans 10
Final N-Y Giants 45 Indianapolis 33
Final Philadelphia 41 Dallas 7
Final Tampa Bay 48 Carolina 14
Final Miami 20 Cleveland 3
Final Minnesota 27 Green Bay 25
Final OT Washington 30 Atlanta 24
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (5)Alabama 105 S. Dakota St. 82
Final (6)Florida 85 Stetson 45
Final (9)Oregon 89 Weber St. 49
Final (12)Oklahoma 89 Prairie View 67
Final (21)Purdue 83 Toledo 64
Final (24)Illinois 117 Chicago St. 64
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago at Charlotte 7 p.m.
New York at Washington 7 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at New Orleans 8 p.m.
Denver at Utah 9 p.m.
Cleveland at Golden State 10 p.m.
Dallas at Sacramento 10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Portland 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
N-Y Rangers at Florida 7 p.m.
Nashville at Winnipeg 7:30 p.m.
Utah at Seattle 8 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Detroit at San Francisco 8:15 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Iowa at (23)Missouri 2:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Monmouth (NJ) at (2)Auburn 6:30 p.m.
(3)Iowa St. at Colorado 9 p.m.
(14)Gonzaga at Pepperdine 10 p.m.
(15)Houston at Oklahoma St. 8 p.m.
(17)Cincinnati at Kansas St. 7 p.m.
W. Michigan at (18)Michigan St. 3 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman at (19)Mississippi St. 9 p.m.
Oakland at (23)Arkansas 8 p.m.
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