AP Sports Summary for December 27th, 2024:
Seahawks players say team that hires Pete Carroll would be fortunate to have him
CHICAGO (AP) — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith put in a good word for former coach Pete Carroll, saying any team would be fortunate to have him on the sideline. So did his teammates. Smith says Carroll is a "special human being" who is "always going to be upbeat." ESPN reported this week that he is interested in returning to coaching after moving into an advisory role with the Seahawks at the end of last season. Carroll led Seattle to its lone Super Bowl championship during a 14-year run that included 10 trips to the playoffs. He is also won a national championship at USC. The Bears are looking for a coach to replace the fired Matt Eberflus. The Giants and Saints also fired coaches this season.
Woolen's late interception seals win as Seahawks beat struggling Bears 6-3 to boost playoff hopes
CHICAGO (AP) — Riq Woolen intercepted Caleb Williams' late pass and the Seattle Seahawks boosted their fading playoff hopes, squeezing past Chicago 6-3 on Thursday night to hand the Bears their 10th straight loss. Jason Myers kicked field goals on the game's first possession and near the end of the second quarter. Woolen picked off a deep pass intended for Keenan Allen at the Seattle 22 with 20 seconds left, ending Williams' NFL rookie-record string of passes without an interception at 353. The Seahawks (9-7) made just enough plays to come away with a win they sorely needed after dropping two in a row. Leonard Williams had two of Seattle's seven sacks. Chicago dropped to 4-12.
At least 65 million tune in for Netflix NFL Christmas Day games. NBA holiday ratings also skyrocket
LeBron James and the NBA are going to have make room for the NFL on Christmas. That shouldn't be a problem. In the battle for TV viewers, sports fans will be among the big winners. Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history while the NBA had its best holiday numbers in five years according to Nielsen. The Baltimore Ravens' 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City's 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday. The NBA's five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.
Cowboys shutting down CeeDee Lamb with 2 games to go over receiver's shoulder issue
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team says additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team says surgery isn't expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend's 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay.
Pat Riley says the Miami Heat will not trade Jimmy Butler
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — If Jimmy Butler wants a trade, the Miami Heat have no plans to make him happy. Heat President Pat Riley — in a rare move — spoke out to address rumors Thursday, saying the team has no plans to trade Butler. It's a clear sign that, if necessary, the team will be willing to let Butler leave as a free agent and get nothing in return. Riley says in a release distributed by the team "we usually don't comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches."
Jaden Ivey's 4-point play with 3 seconds left rallies Pistons past Kings 114-113
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play with 3 seconds left and the Detroit Pistons rallied past the struggling Sacramento Kings 114-113. With the Pistons trailing by three, Ivey made a 3-pointer in the right corner and was fouled by De'Aaron Fox. Ivey hit the free throw to cap a 19-point comeback in the second half. Fox missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. Cade Cunningham scored 33 points to lead the Pistons. Malik Beasley added 22 off the bench, including six 3-pointers. The Kings, who played without Domantas Sabonis, led 68-53 at halftime after shooting 54% in the half. Fox paced Sacramento with 26 points.
Tucker Gleason runs and passes for 5 OT scores as Toledo beats Pitt 48-46 in bowl-record 6 overtimes
DETROIT (AP) — Tucker Gleason ran for one overtime score and threw for four more as Toledo beat Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field. The game surpassed the previous mark set 48 hours earlier when South Florida beat San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawaii Bowl on Tuesday. Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, ran for two overtime scores and threw for two more but his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game.
Dylan Edwards scores 3 TDs, Kansas State rallies to beat Rutgers 44-41 in Rate Bowl
PHOENIX (AP) — Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored his third touchdown on a 36-yard run in the fourth quarter, helping Kansas State rally past Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl. The Scarlet Knights led by 10 at halftime and went up 34-17 on Ja'shon Benjamin's 7-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive of the second half. Edwards scored on 65-yard touchdown run and Garrett Oakley caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to pull Kansas State within five. Rutgers stretched the lead to 41-29, but Kansas State scored twice after that and stopped the Scarlet Knights on downs to close it out.
2 sailors die in the stormy first night of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, organizers say
Two sailors on separate boats have been killed in boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, adding to the event's long history of deaths at sea. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, which administers the yacht race, said Friday that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. Officials later said a sailor was washed overboard on another boat, but was rescued. That crew member was from Hobart yacht Porco Rosso, and he drifted a kilometer from the yacht before being rescued. The race will continue.
US sex-abuse watchdog fires investigator after learning of his arrest for stealing drug money
DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Center for SafeSport abruptly fired one of its investigators last month after learning he'd been arrested for stealing money confiscated after a drug bust he was part of during his previous job as a police officer. Jason Krasley left his job with the Allentown Police Department in Pennsylvania in 2021 and was hired by the Denver-based SafeSport center to look into sensitive cases involving sex abuse and harassment. The center said it conducts multiple interviews and a "comprehensive background check" of potential employees. The center said it was looking into cases Krasley handled to make sure they were dealt with appropriately.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Miami 89 Orlando 88
Final Oklahoma City 120 Indiana 114
Final Washington 113 Charlotte 110
Final Atlanta 141 Chicago 133
Final Houston 128 New Orleans 111
Final Memphis 155 Toronto 126
Final Brooklyn 111 Milwaukee 105
Final Portland 122 Utah 120
Final Detroit 114 Sacramento 113
___
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Seattle 6 Chicago 3
___
TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York at Orlando 7 p.m.
Indiana at Boston 7:30 p.m.
San Antonio at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at New Orleans 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Houston 8 p.m.
Cleveland at Denver 9 p.m.
Dallas at Phoenix 9 p.m.
Golden State at L.A. Clippers 10 p.m.
___
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston at Columbus 7 p.m.
Carolina at New Jersey 7 p.m.
Chicago at Buffalo 7 p.m.
Toronto at Detroit 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas 8 p.m.
Nashville at St. Louis 8 p.m.
Colorado at Utah 9:30 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose 10:30 p.m.
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(22)Syracuse at Washington St. 8 p.m.
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Arlington Baptist at (25)Baylor 7 p.m.
___