INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES SATURDAY
Avon 54 Northeastern 43
Chicago Kenwood (Ill.) 72 East Chicago Central 59
Rich Twp. (Ill.) 84 Griffith 50
South Bend St. Joseph 86 St. Pius X (Mo.) 65
Wapahani 59 Jay County 24
Whitney Young (Ill.) 74 Gary West 65
Central Christian Tournament
Crosspointe Christian 58 Central Christian 44
Horizon Christian 57 Indianapolis Herron 27
Northwest HomeSchool 62 Purdue Poly North 21
Indianapolis HomeSchool 66 Irvington Prep 58
Delphi Classic
Rossville 56 Pioneer 52
Winamac 48 Delphi 42
Taylor 47 North Montgomery 34
Frankfort 67 North Newton 49
Gibson County Classic
Wood Memorial 63 North Harrison 48
Evansville Mater Dei 56 Ohio County (Ky.) 49
Princeton 47 Gibson Southern 33
Danville 74 North Posey 63
Grant 4 Tournament
Mississinewa 50 Eastbrook 49
Oak Hill 65 Madison-Grant 46
Eastbrook 57 Madison-Grant 52
Mississinewa 69 Oak Hill 59
Jefferson County Invitational
Christian Academy 74 Carroll County (Ky.) 56
Trimble County (Ky.) 73 Shawe Memorial 61
Shawe Memorial 55 Carroll County (Ky.) 52
Christian Academy 57 Trimble County (Ky.) 41
Southwestern (Hanover) 68 Madison 40
Kokomo Tournament
Kokomo 81 South Bend Riley 54
Jeffersonville 58 Mount Vernon (Fortville) 52
Plainfield 67 New Haven 51
Warren Central 61 Mishawaka 50
South Bend Riley 49 Mount Vernon (Fortville) 48
Kokomo 64 Jeffersonville 57
North Daviess Tournament
South Knox 54 Loogootee 39
Paoli 54 Forest Park 49 OT
Scottsburg 49 North Daviess 31
Evansville Christian 58 Brownstown Central 57
Shenandoah Classic
Blackford 38 Rushville 36
Indianapolis Lutheran 61 Evansville Day 28
Blackford 51 North Knox 44
Indianapolis Lutheran 60 Shenandoah 45
Rushville 47 North Knox 44
Shenandoah 46 Evansville Day 44
Trine University Classic
Lakeland 59 Fort Wayne Northrop 49
Michigan City 71 Lakeland 60
Wayne Trace (Ohio) 66 West Noble 35
Fairfield 54 Fort Wayne North 43
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES SATURDAY
Lawrence North 57 Norwell 55
Penn 49 Valparaiso 48
St. Pius X (Mo.) 55 South Bend St. Joseph 41
Carroll (Flora) Tournament
Tippecanoe Valley 63 Riverton Parke 14
Western 56 Covenant Christian 50
University 65 Western Boone 56
Carroll (Flora) 60 Lewis Cass 37
Western Boone 46 Riverton Parke 44
Tippecanoe Valley 78 University 48
Lewis Cass 47 Covenant Christian 28
Carroll (Flora) 61 Western 53
Delphi Tournament
North Newton 45 Taylor 41
Rossville 40 Frankfort 28
North Montgomery 44 Pioneer 38
Winamac 45 Delphi 40
Franklin Tournament
Franklin 54 Zionsville 49
Carmel 41 Castle 35
Zionsville 57 Castle 47
Franklin 57 Carmel 42
Gibson County Classic
Evansville Mater Dei 40 Fairfield (Ill.) 23
Danville 45 North Posey 27
Gibson Southern 61 Wood Memorial 49
Silver Creek 49 Princeton 31
Indianapolis Riverside Classic
Believe Circle City 43 Indianapolis Riverside 21
Indianapolis Herron 65 Believe Circle City 22
Indianapolis Herron 59 Indianapolis Riverside 23
Knox Tournament
Knox 41 Griffith 22
South Central (Union Mills) 38 Elkhart Christian 22
Elkhart Christian 33 Griffith 16
South Central (Union Mills) 43 Knox 30
Northview Tournament
West Vigo 45 South Vermillion 10
Clay City 37 Cloverdale 10
Terre Haute North 54 Greencastle 45
Parke Heritage 48 Northview 30
Richmond Tournament
East Central 50 Purdue Poly Englewood 34
Floyd Central 64 Anderson 50
Indianapolis Tech 60 Centerville 56
Jac-Cen-Del 42 Richmond 28
Purdue Poly Englewood 67 Centerville 55
East Central 62 Indianapolis Tech 26
Richmond 68 Anderson 50
Floyd Central 54 Jac-Cen-Del 31
Trine University Classic
Fort Wayne South 48 Lakeland 41
Fort Wayne Northrop 49 Westfield 40
Lakeland 61 Fort Wayne North 55 OT
Fort Wayne South 38 Concord 35
Elkhart 61 West Noble 18
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING SCORES
https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/
COLLEGE BOWL GAMES
Saturday, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl
Duke 17 Troy 10
Camellia Bowl
Northern Illinois 21 Arkansas State 19
Armed Forces Bowl
Air Force 31 James Madison 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Georgia State 45 Utah State 22
68 Ventures Bowl
South Alabama 59 Eastern Michigan 10
Las Vegas Bowl
Northwestern 14 Utah 7
Hawai’i Bowl
Coastal Carolina 24 San Jose State 14
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Minnesota
Detroit, Michigan
2 p.m. | ESPN
First Responder Bowl
Texas State vs. Rice
Dallas, Texas
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Kansas vs. UNLV
Phoenix, Arizona
9 p.m. | ESPN
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl
Tulane vs. Virginia Tech
Annapolis, Maryland
2 p.m. | ESPN
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
North Carolina vs. West Virginia
Charlotte, North Carolina
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Holiday Bowl
No. 15 Louisville vs. Southern Cal
San Diego, California
8 p.m. ET | FOX
Texas Bowl
No. 20 Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
Houston, Texas
9 p.m. | ESPN
Thursday, Dec. 28
Fenway Bowl
No. 24 SMU vs. Boston College
Boston, Massachusetts
11 a.m. | ESPN
Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers vs. Miami (Fla.)
The Bronx, New York
2:15 p.m. | ESPN
Pop-Tarts Bowl
No. 18 NC State vs. No. 25 Kansas State
Orlando, Florida
5:45 p.m. | ESPN
Alamo Bowl
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona
San Antonio, Texas
9:15 p.m. | ESPN
Friday, Dec. 29
Gator Bowl
No. 22 Clemson vs. Kentucky
Jacksonville, Florida
12 p.m. | ESPN
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
No. 16 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 Oregon State
El Paso, Texas
2 p.m. | CBS
Liberty Bowl
Memphis vs. Iowa State
Memphis, Tennessee
3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Cotton Bowl
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Missouri
Dallas, Texas
8 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 30
Peach Bowl
No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss
Atlanta, Georgia
12 p.m. | ESPN
Music City Bowl
Auburn vs. Maryland
Nashville, Tennessee
2 p.m. | ABC
Orange Bowl
No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia
Miami Gardens, Florida
4 p.m. | ESPN
Arizona Bowl
Wyoming vs. Toledo
Tucson, Arizona
4:30 p.m. | CW Network/Barstool
Monday, Jan. 1, 2024
ReliaQuest Bowl
No. 13 LSU vs. Wisconsin
Tampa, Florida
12 p.m. | ESPN2
Citrus Bowl
No. 17 Iowa vs. No. 21 Tennessee
Orlando, Florida
1 p.m. | ABC
Fiesta Bowl
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 23 Liberty
Glendale, Arizona
1 p.m. | ESPN
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama
Pasadena, California
5 p.m. | ESPN
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl
No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas
New Orleans, Louisiana
8:45 p.m. | ESPN
Monday, Jan. 8
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
Houston, Texas
7:30 p.m. | ESPN
NFL WEEK 16 SCHEDULE
Pittsburgh 34 Cincinnati 11
Buffalo 24 LA Chargers 22
SUNDAY EARLY FOOTBALL GAMES SCHEDULE, DEC. 24 (TIMES ARE PACIFIC)
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons, 11 a.m., FOX (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers, 11 a.m., FOX (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans, 11 a.m., CBS (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 11 a.m., FOX (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Washington Commanders at New York Jets, 11 a.m., CBS (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans, 11 a.m., CBS (stream with free trial from FUBO)
SUNDAY LATE FOOTBALL GAMES SCHEDULE, DEC. 24
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2:05 p.m., CBS (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears, 2:25 p.m., FOX (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins, 2:25 p.m., FOX (stream with free trial from FUBO)
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, DEC. 24
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos, 6:15 p.m., NFL Network (stream with free trial from FUBO)
MONDAY FOOTBALL GAMES SCHEDULE, DEC. 25
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs, 11 a.m., CBS, Nickelodeon (stream with free trial from FUBO)
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 2:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes (stream with free trial from FUBO)
Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers, 6:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN Plus, ESPN Deportes (stream with free trial from FUBO)
MEN’S TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
#25 Ole Miss 89 Southern Mississippi 72
#14 Florida Atlantic 96 #4 Arizona 95 2OT
#5 Connecticut 69 St. John’s 65
#23 Memphis 77 Vanderbilt 75
ELSEWHERE
Mississippi State 70 Rutgers 60
Providence 85 Butler 75 OT
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 25 SCORES
No game scheduled
NBA SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee 130 New York 111
Boston 145 LA Clippers 108
Houston 106 New Orleans 104
Denver 102 Charlotte 95
Orlando 117 Indiana 110
Utah 126 Toronto 119
Memphis 125 Atlanta 119
Brooklyn 126 Detroit 115
Cleveland 109 Chicago 95
LA Lakers 129 Oklahoma City 120
Dallas 144 San Antonio 119
Golden State 126 Portland 106
Minnesota 110 Sacramento 98
NHL SCOREBOARD
Dallas 3 Nashville 2
Florida 4 Vegas 2
Toronto 4 Columbus 1
New Jersey 3 Detroit 2
Tampa Bay 2 Washington 1
Ottawa 5 Pittsburgh 4
Minnesota 3 Boston 2
NY Islanders 5 Carolina 4
NY Rangers 4 Buffalo 3 OT
St. Louis 7 Chicago 5
Seattle 3 Anaheim 2
Colorado 4 Arizona 1
Los Angeles 5 Calgary 3
Vancouver 7 San Jose 4
NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES
NFL NEWS
STEELERS USE BIG PLAYS TO BURY BENGALS
Mason Rudolph threw touchdown passes of 86 and 66 yards to George Pickens to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 34-11 rout of the visiting Cincinnati Bengals Saturday.
The Steelers (8-7) intercepted Bengals quarterback Jake Browning three times and converted them into 17 points, including touchdown runs by Najee Harris and Calvin Austin III to help snap a three-game losing streak.
Pickens finished with four catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns, while Rudolph completed 17-of-27 for 290 yards.
Four weeks after piling up 421 yards against the Cincinnati defense, the Steelers again got healthy against the Bengals, amassing 397 yards on the afternoon behind a quarterback who was their third-string option before Kenny Pickett went down with an ankle injury.
The Bengals (8-7) fell behind 24-0 in the first half and could never recover as their three-game winning streak came to an end. Cincinnati fell to 0-5 in AFC North play this season.
Browning, who was starting his fifth game in place of the injured Joe Burrow, completed 28-of-42 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown.
Rudolph, making his first NFL start since a 16-16 tie vs. Detroit on Nov. 14, 2021, got off to a hot start.
Rudolph threw a simple slant to Pickens at the Pittsburgh 20. Cornerback DJ Turner II fell behind Pickens and safety Dax Hill over-pursued and slipped to the turf, allowing Pickens to race untouched for an 86-yard touchdown.
The Bengals appeared poised to answer when Jake Browning completed passes of 23 and 12 yards to Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas, respectively.
With the Bengals down to the Pittsburgh 16 facing third-and-9, Browning threw an ill-advised pass into the end zone instead of throwing the ball away and preserving the field goal chance. The pass was intercepted by Patrick Peterson.
The Steelers took the ball and marched right down the field again, driving 80 yards in 10 plays, scoring their second touchdown when Calvin Austin III ran seven yards off left tackle for a 14-0 lead.
Pittsburgh capitalized on another Cincinnati turnover as Eric Rowe picked off Browning at the Cincinnati 39 and returned it to the 24. Four plays later, Najee Harris went in from three yards for a 21-0 score.
The Bengals offense showed signs of life when they marched down the field and had first-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 14. But after a nine-yard gain, the Steelers held fast and stopped Cincinnati when Browning, following a timeout, threw incomplete for Tee Higgins in the end zone on fourth-and-inches.
The Steelers capped their first half with a 50-yard Chris Boswell field goal at the gun to take a 24-0 lead. The Steelers gained 263 yards in the first half in Rudolph’s second appearance of the year.
TYLER BASS BOOTS LATE FG AS BILLS RALLY PAST CHARGERS
Tyler Bass kicked a 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds left and the Buffalo Bills avoided an upset by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 24-22 on Saturday night at Inglewood, Calif.
Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one as Buffalo (9-6) bolstered its AFC playoff hopes with its third straight victory. Gabe Davis had four receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown for the Bills.
Cameron Dicker kicked a career-best five field goals as the Chargers (5-10) lost for the sixth time in seven games. Easton Stick completed 23 of 33 passes for 215 yards while making his second straight start in place of Justin Herbert, who underwent season-ending finger surgery earlier this month.
The contest was the first for the Chargers since coach Brandon Staley was fired one day after an embarrassing 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 14. Veteran assistant Giff Smith is serving as interim coach.
Los Angeles star receiver Keenan Allen (heel) also missed his second consecutive contest.
Allen completed 15 of 21 passes for 237 yards and one interception. James Cook rushed for 70 yards and Ed Oliver had two sacks for Buffalo.
Allen guided the Bills 64 yards on 13 plays over 4:58 to set up Bass’ winning boot.
The setback sewed up the Chargers’ fourth campaign of 10 or more losses in the past nine seasons.
Dicker was busy with three field goals in a span of 7:10 in the fourth quarter to put Los Angeles ahead. Dicker kicked a 47-yard field goal with 12:36 left and a 45-yarder with 7:19 remaining to bring the Chargers within two and then he smacked a 53-yarder to provide Los Angeles with a 22-21 lead with 5:26 left.
A lost fumble by Cook set up Dicker’s final field goal.
The Bills started slow and were behind by 10 before finally getting on the board on Allen’s 57-yard long throw to Davis with 9:02 left in the second quarter.
Buffalo moved ahead at 14-10 on Allen’s 2-yard run with 38 seconds left in the first half.
The Chargers cut the margin to one when Dicker booted a 40-yard field goal with 7:22 left in the third quarter.
The Bills increased their lead to 21-13 when Allen scored from the 1 with 1:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Los Angeles sped out to a 10-0 lead over the first 16-plus minutes on Dicker’s 20-yard field goal and Stick’s 1-yard keeper.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
BOWL ROUNDUP: TRICKERY LIFTS NORTHERN ILLINOIS OVER ARKANSAS STATE
Kicker Kanon Woodill scored a 32-yard touchdown on a trick play to help Northern Illinois notch a 21-19 victory over Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl on Saturday at Montgomery, Ala.
Rocky Lombardi passed for one touchdown and rushed for another as Northern Illinois (7-6) ended a seven-game bowl losing streak. Ironically, the previous win also came against Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl following the 2011 regular season.
Antario Brown rushed for 132 yards on 25 carries for the Huskies. Lombardi completed 18 of 29 passes for 200 yards and two interceptions in his final game to end a seven-year college career (2017-20 at Michigan State, 2021-23 at NIU).
Jaylen Raynor was 16-of-30 passing for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Red Wolves (6-7). Corey Rucker had five catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns, the latter one coming with 1:14 left to bring Arkansas State within 21-19.
On the ensuing two-point conversion play, Raynor’s pass was high and out of the end zone. The Red Wolves recovered the ensuing onside kick, but it was nullified due to a controversial offside penalty. Grayson Barnes recovered the next try and the Huskies ran out the clock.
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force 31, James Madison 21
Emmanuel Michel rushed for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 35 carries as the Falcons beat the Dukes in Fort Worth, Texas.
Michel headlined a fierce rushing attack for the Falcons (9-4), who totaled 351 yards on the ground. John Lee Eldridge III had 78 of those yards on eight touches, and quarterback Zac Larrier ran for a touchdown. Larrier attempted just five passes, completing three for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Dukes (11-2) totaled just 35 yards on 19 carries in their first-ever bowl game in program history. Jordan McCloud went 20-for-33 passing for 248 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
68 Ventures Bowl: South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 10
Gio Lopez threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Jaguars notched their first-ever bowl victory by pounding the Eagles at Mobile, Ala.
Lopez had 192 passing yards and 88 rushing yards for South Alabama (7-6). Desmond Trotter had a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. Jamaal Pritchett caught eight passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns and DJ Thomas-Jones also caught two touchdown passes.
Cam’Ron McCoy had a 10-yard rushing touchdown for Eastern Michigan (6-7). The Jaguars outgained the Eagles 417-27 in the first half while roaring to a 38-3 halftime lead.
Birmingham Bowl: Duke 17, Troy 10
Todd Pelino kicked three field goals and the Blue Devils relied mostly on defense to defeat the Trojans in Birmingham, Ala., where interim coaches guided both teams.
Troy didn’t score until the second half but made a game of it until a late interception doomed the Trojans’ final chance. Pelino had second-quarter field goals from 34 and 37 yards. Combined with Jaylen Coleman’s 1-yard scoring run late in the first quarter and Nicky Dalmolin’s two-point conversion run, Duke carried a 14-0 lead to halftime.
Quarterback Grayson Loftis finished 19-for-29 for 183 yards with an interception for the Blue Devils (8-5), who received 73 rushing yards from Jaquez Moore. Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson completed 21 of 36 passes for 230 yards, and Kimani Vidal gained 79 yards on 17 carries. The Trojans (11-3), the Sun Belt Conference champions, had a 10-game winning streak end.
Idaho Potato Bowl: Georgia State 45, Utah State 22
Darren Grainger threw for three touchdowns and ran for two while Freddie Brock rushed for 276 yards and a score as the Panthers walloped the Aggies in Boise, Idaho.
Grainger was 19-for-22 in the air for 257 yards while rushing for 111 yards on 24 carries as the Panthers (7-6) emphatically snapped a five-game losing streak, rolling up 395 yards in the first half and 643 for the game as they did anything they wanted against the Aggies’ leaky defense.
Utah State (6-7) saw quarterback Levi Williams, the MVP of this game two years ago when playing at Wyoming, hit on 12 of 21 passes for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was knocked out of the game late in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury.
Las Vegas Bowl: Northwestern 14, Utah 7
Ben Bryant passed for 222 yards and two touchdowns and Jaheem Joseph hauled in two interceptions to help the Wildcats edge the Utes in Las Vegas.
Bryant connected with Bryce Kirtz for a go-ahead 19-yard touchdown with 6:19 remaining. The Wildcats (8-5) forced the Utes into a turnover on downs at the Northwestern 38-yard line on the ensuing possession and ran out the clock to seal the victory.
Utah (8-5) has lost five straight bowls, including two against Northwestern. The Utes punted seven times, threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and had two turnovers on downs on Saturday.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: PISTONS MATCH NBA RECORD WITH 26TH STRAIGHT LOSS
Mikal Bridges scored 29 points and the Brooklyn Nets earned a 126-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons, who tied an NBA record with their 26th straight loss on Saturday night in New York.
The Pistons became the third team to lose 26 straight in a season, joining the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. Detroit scored the game’s first six points but never regained the lead after falling behind 16-15 with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
Bridges helped the Nets end a season-high five-game losing streak by making 9 of 17 shots. He also sank all 10 of his free-throw attempts, handed out seven of Brooklyn’s 32 assists and grabbed six rebounds. Cam Thomas added 20 points as the Nets shot 52.3 percent and scored 62 points in the paint.
Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Cade Cunningham added 22 points and Isaiah Stewart contributed 20 points as Detroit shot 49.4 percent and hit 15 3-pointers.
Mavericks 144, Spurs 119
Luka Doncic racked up 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in just three quarters to lead Dallas past visiting San Antonio.
The Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak. Doncic’s triple-double was his sixth of the season and 62nd of his career, which is ninth all-time in league history. Six other Dallas players scored in double figures, led by Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 23 points.
San Antonio played without rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, who was ruled out just prior to tip-off with a right ankle sprain. Jeremy Sochan led the Spurs with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Keldon Johnson added 16 points off the bench.
Celtics 145, Clippers 108
Boston made 25 of its 53 3-point field-goal attempts and breezed to a road victory over Los Angeles.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a game-high 30 points. He made nine of his 16 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 10 3-point shots. Tatum returned to the court after not playing in Wednesday’s 144-119 win against Sacramento because of an ankle injury.
It marked the first time the Celtics have scored at least 140 points in back-to-back games since 1966. Paul George scored a team-high 21 points for the Clippers, while Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Bucks 130, Knicks 111
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and Bobby Portis recorded a double-double off the bench to fuel visiting Milwaukee to a comfortable win over New York.
The Bucks led nearly wire-to-wire in the first game of a back-to-back set between the Eastern Conference rivals. Portis collected 23 points and 11 rebounds while Antetokounmpo added seven rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks, who have won seven straight games.
Jalen Brunson scored 36 points and Isaiah Hartenstein recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who are 5-5 this month. The teams are slated to play again in New York on Monday afternoon.
Rockets 106, Pelicans 104
Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. had double-doubles and Houston slipped past host New Orleans.
Sengun had 37 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and 11 rebounds, Smith added 26 points and 11 rebounds and Fred VanVleet scored 10 points. Sengun’s layup with 2:10 left gave the Rockets a 101-100 lead. He added a free throw and Smith dunked for a 104-100 edge with 36.2 seconds left.
Zion Williamson scored 28 points, Brandon Ingram added 19 and Trey Murphy III chipped in with 14 for the Pelicans.
Magic 117, Pacers 110
Paolo Banchero scored 34 points, Franz Wagner finished with 24 points and Orlando ended a four-game losing streak with its defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis.
Orlando led most of the way and by as many as 15 points in the first half before Indiana rallied to pull ahead briefly in the third quarter. The Pacers outscored the Magic 33-20 in the third, but Orlando responded with a stout defensive effort in the final frame.
Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 29 points, and the league leader in assists (12.0 per game) finished with 14 on Saturday. Myles Turner added 24 points and Buddy Hield made 5 of 11 3-point attempts en route to 20 points.
Nuggets 102, Hornets 95
Michael Porter Jr. scored 22 points and Jamal Murray posted 20 points as Denver cranked out a couple of key second-half stretches to keep its hot streak going by defeating host Charlotte.
Nikola Jokic provided 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets. Denver, which held the Hornets to one point in the final 3:23, went 3-0 on a road trip in advance of a Christmas Day showdown with the Golden State Warriors.
The Hornets lost their seventh game in a row despite 22 points from Miles Bridges, 20 points from P.J. Washington and 19 points from Nick Smith Jr.
Grizzlies 125, Hawks 119
Desmond Bane scored a game-high 37 points to help lead visiting Memphis over Atlanta.
Ja Morant added 30 points and 11 assists for the Grizzlies, who won their third straight game since Morant’s reinstatement from his 25-game suspension. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the floor.
Trae Young led Atlanta with 30 points and 13 assists as the Hawks lost their second game in as many nights. It was Young’s seventh consecutive game of at least 30 points and 10 assists, tying Oscar Robertson for the longest run in NBA history.
Jazz 126, Raptors 119
Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson each scored 30 points and visiting Utah came back to defeat Toronto.
Collin Sexton added 16 points for the Jazz, who trailed by as many as 17. Walker Kessler and John Collins scored 10 points apiece for the Jazz, who are 2-1 on a five-game road trip.
Scottie Barnes had 32 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost three straight.
Cavaliers 109, Bulls 95
Max Strus scored a game-high 26 points and Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 17 rebounds to lift visiting Cleveland over Chicago.
Craig Porter Jr. contributed 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Cleveland, while Isaac Okoro (12 points) and Dean Wade (11) also scored in double figures.
All five Bulls starters scored in double figures, led by DeMar DeRozan, who scored 21 points to go along with eight assists. Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Coby White added 17 points.
Lakers 129, Thunder 120
LeBron James had 40 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as Los Angeles snapped host Oklahoma City’s three-game winning streak.
His team having lost four consecutive games, Lakers coach Darvin Ham shuffled the starting lineup, inserting Jarred Vanderbilt in place of D’Angelo Russell. Russell finished with 15 points. Anthony Davis collected 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Rui Hachimura added 21 points off the bench.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 34 points. Jalen Williams had 28 points and Chet Holmgren added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Warriors 126, Trail Blazers 106
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 28 points and Stephen Curry added 27, and Golden State rolled over Portland in San Francisco.
Brandin Podziemski had 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Warriors tied a season high with their fifth straight win. The Trail Blazers ended Curry’s NBA-record 268-game streak with at least one 3-pointer when the clubs met in Portland last Sunday. Curry knocked down a 3-pointer on Golden State’s first possession Saturday.
Anfernee Simons had a team-high 25 points to pace Portland, which fell for the ninth time in its past 10 games.
Timberwolves 110, Kings 98
Anthony Edwards recorded 34 points and 10 assists to help Minnesota post a victory over host Sacramento.
Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 17 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 20 points and four steals as Minnesota won for the 21st time in the past 25 games. De’Aaron Fox had 27 points and six assists for the Kings, who lost for the second time in three games. Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
After seeing its 22-point lead cut to five, Minnesota finished the game with a 10-3 burst to remain tied with the Celtics for the NBA’s best record at 22-6.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 14 FAU GETS BY NO. 4 ARIZONA IN 2-OT THRILLER
Johnell Davis scored a season-high 35 points, and Caleb Love’s last-possession 3-pointer rattled out, as No. 14 Florida Atlantic won one of its biggest regular-season games in school history, knocking off No. 4 Arizona 96-95 in double overtime on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Davis made 15 of 27 shots for FAU (10-2), which is coming off a Final Four run but was in rare air with this kind of marquee showdown between highly ranked teams. Arizona (9-2) had a chance to win at the end, but Love, who scored a team-best 26 points, missed from about 25 feet.
Davis hit a series of big buckets in a game that had a late-March electricity to it, but it was Giancarlo Rosado who provided the winning margin when he hit 1 of 2 free throws with 57.2 seconds left after being fouled while shooting with one second remaining on the shot clock.
On the ensuing possession, Love missed a reverse layup and Oumar Ballo (13 points, 21 rebounds) failed to convert the tip, but the Wildcats got one more chance to win at T-Mobile Arena after Alijah Martin missed a 3-pointer for the Owls. Arizona called timeout with 6.7 seconds left to set up the final shot.
No. 23 Memphis 77, Vanderbilt 75
The Tigers, led by 28 points and nine rebounds from David Jones, came from behind to knock off the visiting Commodores.
Memphis (10-2) trailed by eight, 62-54, with 8:21 remaining in the second half, but its ensuing 12-0 run keyed the team’s fifth win in a row. Jahvon Quinerly scored 13 points and led the Tigers with four assists.
Vanderbilt (4-8) shot 42.9 percent from the field to Memphis’ 38.2 percent, but the Commodores turned it over 17 times. The Tigers had nine turnovers. Ezra Manjon led Vanderbilt with 22 points with Tyrin Lawrence, Jason Rivera-Torres and Tasos Kamateros each adding 12.
No. 25 Ole Miss 89, Southern Miss 72
Matthew Murrell scored 26 points and Jaylen Murray added 21 to help the Rebels record a win over the Golden Eagles in Biloxi, Miss.
Jaemyn Brakefield scored 15 points and Allen Flanigan added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Ole Miss (12-0), which took a 19-point lead late in the first half and never let the margin fall into single digits after that.
Cobie Montgomery scored 15 points and Andre Curbelo, Victor Iwuakor and Victor Hart scored 13 apiece to lead Southern Miss (6-6). Curbelo made all four of his field-goal attempts, including his only 3-point attempt, before fouling out after playing 25 minutes.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: BLUES SCORE 5 STRAIGHT GOALS TO UPEND BLACKHAWKS
Justin Faulk scored the go-ahead goal with 2:07 left in the third period, and the St. Louis Blues stormed back for a 7-5 win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
Jordan Kyrou tallied two goals for St. Louis, which trailed 5-2 before piling up the final five goals. Faulk and Robert Thomas each had a goal and an assist, and Kevin Hayes and Pavel Buchnevich tallied two assists apiece.
Nick Foligno scored twice for Chicago. Jarred Tinordi and Taylor Raddysh each had three assists.
The Blackhawks grabbed a three-goal lead with 14:44 remaining in the third period. Foligno scored his second goal of the game and his eighth of the season, and it also marked his first short-handed goal in 1,114 career games. Then came the comeback.
Stars 3, Predators 2
Dallas scored twice in the final 15 seconds of regulation, including Jani Hakanpaa’s winning goal with four seconds left, to edge host Nashville.
The winning marker came moments after Craig Smith scored his third goal of the season to tie the game with 15 seconds remaining. It came with an empty Dallas net, after netminder Scott Wedgewood made 19 saves.
Hakanpaa then scored his first goal of the season. The late victory allowed the Stars to avoid a fourth straight overtime game, while it also marked their third consecutive contest in which at least a single goal has been scored in the final 30 seconds of regulation or overtime.
While Wedgewood picked up his ninth win of the season, Juuse Saros stopped 31 shots in the loss.
Panthers 4, Golden Knights 2
Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart scored third-period goals on the power play to lead Florida to victory over Vegas in a rematch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla.
Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist and Gustav Forsling and Sam Bennett also scored for Florida, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Montour each added two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves to pick up his 15th win of the season.
Mark Stone and Pavel Dorofeyev scored goals for Vegas, which suffered its third consecutive regulation loss for the first time this season. Jiri Patera finished with 38 saves as the Golden Knights allowed a season-high 42 shots on goal.
Maple Leafs 4, Blue Jackets 1
Auston Matthews scored twice and added an assist while William Nylander had one goal and two helpers as Toronto defeated host Columbus.
John Tavares had the other goal for the Leafs, and Martin Jones made 27 saves to improve to 3-0-0 on the road this season. With the win, Toronto avoided a third straight loss and picked up its fifth win in its past six trips to Columbus.
Justin Danforth had the lone Blue Jackets goal, and Daniil Tarasov stopped 26 shots in his third start of the season.
Devils 3, Red Wings 2
Timo Meier scored two goals, and Tyler Toffoli scored the game-winner in the third period as host New Jersey edged Detroit.
The Devils snapped a three-game losing streak as Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves.
Patrick Kane scored his fourth goal in three games for the Red Wings, who were playing the second game of a back-to-back. They recorded a 7-6 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, in which Kane scored the clinching goal during the shootout after tallying twice in regulation.
Senators 5, Penguins 4 (OT)
Tim Stutzle scored 1:10 into overtime as Ottawa snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over visiting Pittsburgh.
After the Senators blew a pair of two-goal leads, Stutzle gave Ottawa the victory by lifting the puck over the stick of Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who had attempted a poke-check.
Kris Letang had a goal and two assists and Lars Eller, Rickard Rakell and Drew O’Connor also scored for the Penguins, who had won two straight games.
Islanders 5, Hurricanes 4
Captain Anders Lee collected a goal and two assists to lift New York over Carolina in Raleigh, N.C.
New York’s Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat and defenseman Mike Reilly each recorded a goal and an assist, and defenseman Sebastian Aho also scored. Kyle Palmieri and Mathew Barzal notched two assists apiece and Ilya Sorokin made 36 saves for the Islanders, who improved to 11-2-6 in their past 19 games.
The Hurricanes’ Teuvo Teravainen scored a goal for the second time in as many games, and center Sebastian Aho and Stefan Noesen each converted on the power play. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin also scored and Pyotr Kochetkov turned aside 23 shots for the Hurricanes, who saw their six-game point streak come to an end (3-0-3).
Rangers 4, Sabres 3 (OT)
Chris Kreider scored at 2:28 of overtime to lift New York over visiting Buffalo.
Kreider had an open net for the game-winner after Mika Zibanejad drew Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen out of the crease and went behind the net before dishing to Kreider in front.
Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, Ryan Lindgren and Artemi Panarin also scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves for the Rangers.
Kraken 3, Ducks 2
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Vince Dunn each scored in the opening 17 minutes and visiting Seattle extended its point streak to a season-best six games with a win over Anaheim.
Tomas Tatar added a third-period goal for the Kraken and Joey Daccord made 32 saves while improving to 4-1-3 since Dec. 9, when Philipp Grubauer departed with a lower-body injury. Seattle is 4-0-2 during its point streak.
Frank Vatrano and Trevor Zegras scored for the Ducks, while Lukas Dostal made 19 saves in his third consecutive start in place of John Gibson. Anaheim has lost consecutive games and has dropped 15 of its last 18.
Kings 5, Flames 3
Pierre-Luc Dubois snapped a 13-game goal-scoring drought and Quinton Byfield scored twice to lead host Los Angeles over Calgary.
Alex Laferriere and Trevor Moore also scored for the Kings, who snapped a two-game skid on their home ice. Goaltender Cam Talbot made 29 saves while Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar both collected two assists.
Blake Coleman scored twice and Rasmus Andersson added one goal for the Flames, who saw their season-best three-game winning streak snapped. Goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 29 shots.
Wild 3, Bruins 2
Joel Eriksson Ek registered a goal and an assist in the second period as Minnesota came from behind to complete a season sweep of Boston in Saint Paul, Minn.
Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Foligno also scored for Minnesota, which has won three in a row and six of seven. Kaprizov has four goals and two assists over his last three games.
David Pastrnak opened the scoring for the Bruins, joining a 20-goal club that included three other NHL players entering Saturday. Morgan Geekie also tallied for the Bruins, who dropped their season-high fourth straight (0-2-2) despite Linus Ullmark’s 33-save effort.
Lightning 2, Capitals 1 (SO)
Victor Hedman rattled in the game-winning goal in the shootout as visiting Tampa Bay won its third straight game, nipping Washington in the first of three meetings between the teams this season.
In the fourth round, the Lightning defenseman lost control of the puck slightly on approach, collected it and beat Washington goaltender Charlie Lindgren (19 saves) on the stick side for the game-winner as Tampa Bay moved to 7-3-0 in its past 10 matches.
The Lightning’s Luke Glendening scored the game’s first goal, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves. Anthony Mantha scored in the second period for the Capitals, whose three-game win streak ended. Brayden Point scored in the second round of the shootout for Tampa Bay.
Avalanche 4, Coyotes 1
Fredrik Olofsson had a goal and an assist, Josh Manson and Valeri Nichushkin also scored, and Colorado beat Arizona thanks to a dominant second period in Denver.
Alexandar Georgiev made 24 saves and Logan O’Connor had two assists for Colorado. Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his point streak to 18 games, the longest in the NHL this season. He also has at least one point in all 18 home games.
Alex Kerfoot scored and Connor Ingram turned away 22 shots for Arizona, which lost defenseman J.J. Moser to an upper-body injury early in the game. Moser was hurt after a check along the boards by Avalanche forward Miles Wood.
Canucks 7, Sharks 4
Andrei Kuzmenko scored two goals and Quinn Hughes had a goal and an assist as host Vancouver extended its point streak to nine games by outscoring San Jose.
Nils Aman, Sam Lafferty, Dakota Joshua and Pius Suter also scored for Vancouver, which goes into the three-day holiday break with an NHL-best 49 points. Elias Pettersson, Conor Garland, Teddy Blueger and J.T. Miller each added two assists, and Thatcher Demko made 21 saves to improve to 11-0-0 in 11 career starts against San Jose.
Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist, Mario Ferraro had three assists and Tomas Hertl, Fabian Zetterlund and Jacob MacDonald also scored for San Jose, which suffered its fifth straight loss. Filip Zadina added two assists while Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 19 saves.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/ NEWS
COLTS NEWS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-6) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (6-8)
DATE: Sunday, December 24, 2023
GAME TIME: 1:00 PM ET
FOX: Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink
SiriusXM (also available on the SXM App) IND: 137 or 380 ATL: 85 or 225
QB GARDNER MINSHEW completed 18 of 28 atts. (64.3 pct.) for 215 yards & season-high 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs with season-high 123.4 rating last week, 5th-career game with 3 TD passes. Has 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating in 2 of past 3. Had TD pass & 0 INTs in only career start vs. Atl. (12/22/19 w/ Jax.). Needs 261 pass yards for 2nd-career 3,000-yard season (3,271 in 2019 w/ Jax.). • RB JONATHAN TAYLOR has 517 scrimmage yards (86.2 per game) in his past 6. Has TD in 2 of 3 road games this season. • RB ZACK MOSS had 2nd TD catch of season last week. Has 55+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. Needs 44 scrimmage yards for 1st-career 1,000-yard season. • RB TREY SERMON led team with season-high 88 rush yards last week • WR MICHAEL PITTMAN has 75+ rec. yards in each of his past 5. Has 8+ catches & 55+ rec. yards in each of his 7 road games this season. Ranks 4th in NFL with 99 catches & can become 1st Ind. player with 100 catches since 2012 (Reggie Wayne). • WR D.J. MONTGOMERY had 1st-career TD catch last week. • TE MO ALIE-COX aims for 3rd in row with rec. TD. • LB ZAIRE FRANKLIN has 5+ tackles in all 13 of his games this season, incl. 13+ tackles in 4 of 6 road games. Leads NFL with 149 tackles in 2023. • LB E.J. SPEED led team with season-high 10 tackles & had FF last week. Aims for 4th in row with 6+ tackles. • DT DEFOREST BUCKNER had half sack in Week 15. Aims for 3rd in row on road with PD. Has 7th-career season with 6+ sacks. • DE SAMSON EBUKAM has 1.5+ sacks in 3 of past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Atl. with TFL. Needs half sack for 1st-career 10-sack season. • DE DAYO ODEYINGBO had 1.5 sacks last week. Has career high 8 sacks in 2023, 2nd-straight season with 5+ sacks.
• QB TAYLOR HEINICKE has TD pass in each of his 3 games in 2023 & aims for his 8th in row overall with TD pass. Has 36 TDs (34 pass, 2 rush) in 27 career starts. • RB BIJAN ROBINSON (rookie) has 663 scrimmage yards (94.7 per game) & 5 TDs (3 rec., 2 rush) in 7 home games this season. Leads all rookies in rush yards (801) & ranks 2nd in scrimmage yards (1,124). Robinson & RB TYLER ALLGEIER (666) are 1 of 2 NFC RB duos (Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs & David Montgomery) each with 600+ scrimmage yards in 2023. • WR DRAKE LONDON has 58 receptions for 769 yards in 2023 & needs 97 rec. yards for new career high (866 in 2022). Has 5+ catches in 8 of his past 9 at home. Aims for his 6th in row at home with 5+ catches & 65+ rec. yards. • TE KYLE PITTS has 586 rec. yards in 2023, his 2nd-career season with 500+ rec. yards. Has 47 receptions & needs 3 catches for 2nd-career 50-catch season (68 in 2021). Has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 at home. • TE JONNU SMITH led team with 61 rec. yards last week. Has career highs in catches (43) & rec. yards (521) in 2023. • DL CALAIS CAMPBELL had 4th sack of season & 2 TFL last week. Has 7 TFL in his past 8 vs. Ind. • DL DAVID ONYEMATA aims for his 3rd in row at home with FF. • LB KADEN ELLISS has career-high 100 tackles & tied his career high with 7 TFL in 2023. Aims for his 9th in row with 5+ tackles. • LB NATE LANDMAN has TFL in 4 of his past 5 & aims for his 3rd in row with TFL. Has career-high 86 tackes in 2023. • S JESSIE BATES had 10 tackles in Week 15, his 5th game with 10+ tackles in 2023, most among DBs. Aims for his 4th in row at home with PD. Ranks 2nd among DBs with 111 tackles this season.
INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL
GAME REWIND: PACERS 110, MAGIC 117
For the second time in a month, the upstart Orlando Magic came into Gainbridge Fieldhouse and knocked off the Pacers.
The Magic dominated the first meeting, leading by as many as 40 points in a runaway victory on Nov. 19. Indiana (14-14) was much more competitive this time around, but the end result was the same, as Orlando (17-11) pulled away in the closing minutes for a 117-110 victory.
The Pacers trailed by 14 points at halftime, but rallied in the third quarter behind 15 points from center Myles Turner to trim the deficit to just one point entering the fourth quarter.
The Blue & Gold briefly tied the game at 95 following Buddy Hield’s fifth 3-pointer of the night with 10:27 to play, but Orlando strung together seven straight points over the next minute and a half to retake the lead.
Indiana got back within one at 102-101 following Turner’s jumper with 6:31 to play, but two Paolo Banchero layups and a pair of free throws from Anthony Black pushed the gap back to seven.
After a Tyrese Haliburton layup, Aaron Nesmith fouled Franz Wagner on a 3-point attempt with 4:05 remaining. It was Nesmith’s sixth foul, ending his night, and Wagner hit all three free throws to extend the margin to eight.
The Pacers never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Haliburton recorded his 20th double-double of the season in the loss, tallying a team-high 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting (3-of-5 from 3-point range) and 14 assists. Turner added 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
But Banchero had a game-high 34 points to go along with seven boards and four assists for Orlando, going 11-for-20 from the field and 12-for-16 from the free throw line. Wagner added 24 points while going 8-for-14 from the field and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe as the Magic snapped a four-game losing streak.
With the loss, the Pacers slipped to .500 on the season for the first time since they were 2-2 on Nov. 3. They have dropped six of their last seven contests.
“We are what our record is right now,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re a .500 team. We’ve had high highs and we’ve had low lows and we’ve got to become more consistent. We’re making some strides on defense. It’s the third game in a row where we’ve held opponents under 120, which is progress for us. We’ve got to continue with that.”
Veteran guard Bruce Brown was scratched shortly before Saturday’s game due to a right knee bone bruise. Carlisle opted to start second-year guard Andrew Nembhard in Brown’s place and Nembhard rewarded that decision with a strong start, scoring six of Indiana’s first 10 points.
The Magic surged in front midway through the opening frame thanks to a 9-2 run. Haliburton kept the Blue & Gold within striking distance, scoring eight points in the first quarter.
But Banchero scored 12 points on the other end and Orlando closed the first quarter with seven unanswered points to take a 36-27 lead into the second quarter.
The Magic tacked on a 7-1 spurt at the start of the quarter to stretch their lead to 15. The Pacers found their shooting stroke shortly thereafter, connecting on jumpers on five straight possessions, with four different players (Haliburton, Hield, Nembhard, and Turner) hitting a three over that stretch.
That got Indiana within seven, a margin they cut it to on four separate occasions, but couldn’t get any closer.
Fouls became a problem late in the second quarter for Indiana. Starting center Turner picked up a third foul and bumped knees with Magic guard Gary Harris with 4:44 remaining in the first half. He headed to the locker room and later returned with his left knee wrapped.
Backup center Jalen Smith also had three fouls at the time, so the Pacers subbed in third-year big man Isaiah Jackson, who picked up his third and fourth fouls in quick succession, forcing Smith to return. Nesmith then picked up three fouls in a 56-second span to become the fourth Pacers frontcourt player with at least three fouls at the intermission.
“Teams live at the free throw line against us,” Haliburton said. “It’s been a recurring theme, something that’s been noticeable since the Lakers game (in the In-Season Tournament Championship) really. We didn’t foul as much in the second half. That allowed us to get out and run. Teams are attacking us to get us to foul because they can’t get out and run with us. When we don’t foul, we’re a lot better.”
Indiana trailed 73-59 at the half, but the Blue & Gold mounted a charge at the start of the third quarter. Hield and Haliburton each hit a three and Turner did the rest of the damage during a 14-6 Indiana run to open the half.
The 6-11 big man scored eight points in the first 3:34, including back-to-back baskets where he threw down a two-hand dunk in the lane, then intercepted the ensuing inbounds pass and drove right back to the rim for a layup.
Turner continued to provide highlights as the quarter progressed. He swatted away an attempted alley oop to Wendell Carter Jr. with 5:33 remaining in the quarter, then tied the game at 81 two possessions later, throwing down a massive tomahawk slam off a dish from Haliburton in the pick-in-roll.
After an Orlando turnover, Turner popped and drilled a three from the top of the key to put Indiana in front 84-81 with 4:23 remaining in the third quarter, the Blue & Gold’s first lead since the six-minute mark of the first quarter.
“Once I see my opportunities, I just try to get as aggressive as possible,” Turner said of his big third quarter. “I’ve got to make more opportunities for myself. I think I know that. Especially in the second half…I’ve just got to keep picking and choosing my spots to be aggressive and need to be more aggressive down the stretch.”
The Magic surged back in front thanks to a 12-4 run, but Hield scored four points on the Pacers’ final possession (hitting a free throw after a defensive three seconds violation, then draining his fourth three of the night) to trim the deficit to 93-92 entering the fourth.
But the final frame belonged to the Magic, who gradually pulled away over the closing minutes while holding the Pacers to a season-low 18 points in the final frame.
Hield finished with 20 points and seven rebounds for Indiana in the loss, going 5-for-11 from 3-point range. Nembhard added a season-high 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and five assists, while Smith scored 11 points in 15 minutes off the bench.
Fishers native Harris had 15 points for the Magic, while Cole Anthony tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists off the bench.
The Pacers have just three games remaining in the calendar year. After off days on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, they travel to Houston on Tuesday and Chicago on Thursday before returning to Indianapolis to host New York on Dec. 30.
Inside the Numbers
Haliburton has 20 double-doubles on the season, the most of any guard in the NBA. He matched his season high with 40 minutes and added 14 more assists to his league-leading total. He has dished out 14 or more assists in eight games this season.
Turner topped 20 points for the seventh time this season and blocked four shots for the second straight game and the fourth time this season.
Nembhard’s 17 points were his most in 19 games this season. His previous high was 14 at Boston on Nov. 1. He started for the third time this season with Brown being sidelined.
Orlando had a major advantage at the free throw line on Saturday. The Magic went 33-for-41 (80.5 percent) on the night, while the Pacers went 9-for-13 (69.2 percent). Indiana was whistled for 30 fouls, while Orlando committed just 18.
The Magic outscored Indiana 64-40 in points in the paint.
The Pacers outscored Orlando by 27 points from 3-point range. Indiana went 15-for-34 (44.1 percent), while the Magic were 6-for-18 (33.3 percent).
You Can Quote Me On That
“The thing that concerns me is giving up 73 in the first half and only 44 in the second half. It just speaks to our readiness to compete right off the bat. It’s not okay to (need) to get smashed in the face to bring the force necessary. That’s how it went tonight.” -Carlisle on the Pacers’ propensity for slow starts
“Wagner and Banchero, they do a hell of a job of getting downhill. That’s why they’re so good because they slow the game down. A team like us, we play fast. So they’re on the free throw line and we’re just walking the ball back up to them. Their length can be a big factor and we can’t get into the flow that we want to. We’ve got to do a better job not fouling.” -Hield on the Pacers’ foul troubles
“We flew around a lot better this game than we did last game. I’m really not mad at our defensive efforts. I think we held them to (44) points in the second half. Terrible first half, but we prove night in and night out that we can do it, but we just wait too long. I feel like sometimes we wait to get punched to punch back and it can’t be that way.” -Turner on the Pacers’ defense
“I thought he did a good job protecting the rim when Paolo got downhill…Offensively, I just was able to find him in the roll. When I’m scoring the ball well and teams have to put two on the ball more, that leaves him open to do his thing. He played really well today.” -Haliburton on Turner’s big third quarter
“He’s terrific. He knows this role. He did it all last year. He had a terrific game.” -Carlisle on Nembhard sliding into the starting lineup
“I was just letting it come to me. The way we play is so random so you’ve got to kind of pick your spots and understand when is the right time to be aggressive and make a play for yourself and when is the right time to also be aggressive but kick it out to someone else.” -Nembhard on his strong showing offensively
“I feel really good. I feel like that whole week I was really rehabbing hard, really getting in the weight room. So my body is fresh. I feel like I’m ready to get out there and play whatever minutes I get and just compete.” -Nembhard on returning for the last two games after missing six games with a bone bruise in his knee
“Every night is a growing experience. Every night is an opportunity to learn and get better. I’m a basketball junkie so I think after games I’ve been having lately it’s just been a lot of film study…That’s been my biggest thing.” -Haliburton on what he’s learned from this recent stretch seeing teams focus more attention on him defensively
Stat of the Night
The Pacers outscored the Magic 33-20 in the third quarter, but were outscored 24-18 in the fourth. Indiana’s 18 points in the final frame were four less than their previous low of 22, set against Chicago on Oct. 30.
Noteworthy
With two victories in Indianapolis, the Magic have won the season series over the Pacers. The two teams will meet just once more in the regular season — on March 10 in Orlando.
The Pacers lost for the first time this season when wearing their City Edition uniforms. They are now 6-1 when wearing City Edition.
Brown missed his first game of the season on Saturday. Hield, Obi Toppin, and Bennedict Mathurin are now the only players on the roster who have played in all 28 games this season.
The Pacers used their eighth different starting lineup of the season.
With five 3-pointers on Saturday, Hield now has 1,787 for his career, tying him with Rashard Lewis for 25th place on the all-time list.
The Magic were without starting guard Jalen Suggs (sprained left wrist) for the second straight game.
Up Next
After Christmas, the Pacers will tip off a two-game road trip in Houston against Jabari Smith Jr. and the Rockets on Tuesday, Dec. 26 at 8:00 PM ET.
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
BUTLER FALLS IN OVERTIME AT PROVIDENCE TO CLOSE 2023 PORTION OF SCHEDULE
Providence utilized a three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation and an efficient overtime period to take an 85-75 win over visiting Butler at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Rhode Island Saturday afternoon.
It marked the final game of 2023 for the Bulldogs, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Butler is now 10-3 overall and a level 1-1 in BIG EAST play.
The Friars improve to 11-2 (2-0 BIG EAST).
HOW IT TRANSPIRED:
Butler missed their first 13 attempts from the field as Providence took a 15-0 lead to begin the contest.
The Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent (13-22) over the next 15 minutes to climb back into the game. Eleven of Pierre Brooks II’s 20 points came in the first half as Butler cut the lead to as few as two points late in the half.
Providence led, 37-33, at the half.
Butler’s first lead of the game came at 43-42 with 15:11 remaining in regulation thanks to a DJ Davis three-pointer.
The second half would include 11 lead changes and eight ties with neither team leading by more than four over the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Two Davis free throws gave Butler a 69-66 lead with nine seconds remaining.
PC’s Ticket Gaines found space and hit a three-pointer off a Jayden Pierre Drive with two seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
In the extra period, Providence’s Devin Carter scored 10 points to take control of the game.
OF NOTE:
Carter led all scorers with 24 points.
Davis (22) and Brooks (20) led the Bulldogs; 17 of Davis’s points came in the second 20 minutes of play.
Landon Moore added 14 points, which is his season-high.
Posh Alexander pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds for Butler, matching his career-high.
The teams combined for only 12 turnovers in the 45 minutes of play.
Josh Oduro (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Bryce Hopkins (12 points, 13 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for Providence.
Providence hit 12 three-pointers on 33 attempts; seven of those came in the first half.
Butler shot 39 percent from the field in the game; PC countered at a 46-percent clip.
Butler went only 11-for-20 from the free throw line. Entering the game, Butler’s 79.4-percent free throw percentage on the season ranked seventh nationally. The Bulldogs had shot 70 percent or better from the free throw line in every game this season prior to Saturday.
This was Butler’s third overtime game of the season, which is now 2-1 on the season in extra sessions.
Due to a mechanical issue with the plane that was planned to transport Butler from Indianapolis to Providence on Friday, the Bulldogs stayed in Indianapolis Friday night and flew to Providence Saturday morning, going straight from the airport to the arena.
Providence has won the last seven match-ups in the series.
UP NEXT: Saturday’s tip was the last action of 2023 for Butler. The Bulldogs will take a few days to celebrate the holidays with their family before returning to action Tuesday, Jan. 2 with a road game at St. John’s. Butler’s next home game is Friday, Jan. 5 against defending national champion UConn.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NFL STANDINGS
https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/standings
NBA STANDINGS
https://www.foxsports.com/nba/standings
NHL STANDINGS
https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/standings
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/standings/
NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS
https://www.ncaa.com/standings/basketball-women/d1
FOOTBALL HISTORY
December 24, 1892 – Charleston, South Carolina – The University of South Carolina Gamecocks played the school’s first football game. The outcome unfortunately for USC was a loss to Furman 0-44 according to a correspondence from the SC Athletic Department.
December 24, 1950
December 24, 1950 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium – The NFL Championship Game is played as the Los Angeles Rams faced the Cleveland Browns. This game had some extremely interesting storylines. The first one is that if you remember our December 16 edition of this series we talked about how the Rams played their last game calling Cleveland their home city as they won the 1945 NFL Championship there. I would venture to guess that there was some deep interest on one side of the fence or the other on the team returning a bit over 5 years later to vie for another NFL Title in the same stadium they once called home. The second interesting item of the game was that this was the first season that the Cleveland Browns participated in the NFL. They had spent the prior four seasons as the best team in the All-America Football Conference or AAFC, and in fact they won all four championships of the Leagues existence. At the end of the 1949 AAFC season the fledgling football conference disbanded but made an agreement with the NFL to absorb their three most successful franchises so Cleveland, the Baltimore Colts and the San Fran 49ers all joined the NFL for the 1950 season. The popularity of the Browns success had probably healed any unrest the fans had of when the Rams moved to the West Coast. The contest was evenly matched on the slick turf of Cleveland stadium. It all came down to Cleveland’s final drive. There was 1:48 left in regulation with LA up by a single point and the game rested in the hands of veteran Browns signal caller Otto Graham. Using both his legs and short passing game, Graham engineered a drive down the field as the Rams defenders had to sit back due the slippery conditions. With 20 seconds remaining Cleveland kicker Lou Groza nailed a 16 yard field goal to put the Browns up by two. The Rams gave everyone a scare on the kick off as return man Jerry Williams took the Groza kick and weaved through traffic to race 35 yards before Groza tackled him to secure the victory. The Cleveland Browns in the game went on to defeat the LA Rams, 30-28 per the website story on GoldenRankings.com. Cleveland’s defense provided five interceptions of the Rams offense often regarded as one of the most prolific in league history to that point.
December 24, 1961 – Balboa Stadium, San Diego – The AFL Championship Game took place as the San Diego Chargers entertained the Houston OIlers per the Medium.com website story. It was the second season in a row that the Stout defense of San Diego would battle against the offensive Juggernaut of the Oilers. Houston’s high flying offense was quite subdued by the Charger D for most of the contest. Houston’s defenders were no slouch though in the contest as they sacked quarterback Jack Kemp 6 times and intercepted four of his throws. It was a rough game all around as 13 players were assisted off of the field of play. The Oilers Billy Cannon scored the game’s only touchdown on a 35 yard pass play from George Blanda as the Oilers outlasted the Chargers 10-3.
December 24, 1967 – The NFL Divisional Rounds were played and the Dallas Cowboys put a hurting on the Cleveland Browns 52-14 to advance. Pro-Football-Reference.com informs us that Dandy Don Meredith tossed 2 TD passes with 212 yards but the Cowboys ground game of Don Perkins and Craig Baynham with two touchdowns each powered the scoring for Dallas.
December 24, 1967 – The Green Bay Packers won their Divisional Playoff with the LA Rams 28-7. Travis Williams fueled the Packers scoring with his two rushing touchdowns and 88 yards that kept the Rams offense off of the field per the Pro-Football-Reference site.
Hall of Fame Birthday for December 24
December 24, 1871 – Hawley, Pennsylvania – The University of Pennsylvania’s End, Charlie Gelbert was born. The footballfoundation.org says that some folks called Gelbert the “Miracle Man” because he did so much with so little with his 5’-9” frame that weighed 170 pounds, Charlie was an excellent blocker of larger men. Penn’s Coach Georg Woodruff devised a play called “guards back” in which Gelbert would play guard and with a few other linemen would drop back into the backfield at the snap and run interference for the ball carriers. Walter Camp named Charlie to his All-America Team in three straight years from 1894 through 1896. The College Football Hall of Fame welcomed Charlie Gelbert into their group of legends in 1960.
December 24, 1921 – Bluefield, Virginia – The University of Virginia’s legendary halfback Bullet Bill Dudley celebrated his birth. The Pittsburgh Steelers did not hesitate a second to pick Bill and the first pick in the 1942 Draft of the NFL. In his 9 pro seasons he had 8217 total yards and recorded 23 interceptions and played in 3 Pro Bowls. Bill Dudley found the door wide open for him to enter into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
11 – 20 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 6
December 24, 1921
December 24, 1921 – Ottawa’s Harry Broadbent scored in 10-0 Senators blowout of the Montreal Canadiens; first in 16-game NHL record goal-scoring streak. Long time LA Kings Number 11, Charlie Simmer’s 13 game streak (1979) is considered modern-day record
December 24, 1961 – AFL Championship, Balboa Stadium, San Diego: Houston Oilers beat San Diego Chargers 10-3; Number 20, Billy Cannon scored the game’s only TD
December 24, 1968 – Ballon d’Or: Manchester United’s winger Number 7, Number 8, Number 9, and Number 11, George Best wins award for best European football player ahead of teammate Number 9, Bobby Charlton and Red Star Belgrade winger Number 11, Dragan Džajić. Best was the first Northern Irish national to win the award
December 24, 1974 – MLB St Louis Cardinals Number 20, Lou Brock was named as the Sportsman of the Year
December 24, 1985 – Ballon d’Or: Juventus’ French midfielder Number 10, Michel Platini was named as Europe’s best football player for the 3rd consecutive time; beats Verona striker Number 11, Preben Elkjær and Barcelona midfielder Number 8, Bernd Schuster
December 24, 1991 – Ballon d’Or: Marseille forward Number 9, Jean-Pierre Papin was named as Europe’s best football player. Papin was the first from the French League to win the trophy
December 24, 1995 – Ballon d’Or: PSG/Milan’s Liberian striker Number 9, George Weah was named Europe’s best soccer player. This was the first edition where players born outside Europe permitted to receive votes
December 24, 1996 – Ballon d’Or: Borussia Dortmund’s German sweeper Number 6, Matthias Sammer was named as the best football player in Europe ahead of PSV/Barcelona striker Number 9, Ronaldo and Newcastle United striker Number 9, Alan Shearer
TV SUNDAY
| BASKETBALL | TIME | TV |
| Men: Temple-Portland | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Men: Old Dominion-UMass | 4 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Men: TCU-Hawaii | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Men: Nevada-Ga. Tech | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| FOOTBALL | TIME | TV |
| NFL: Cleveland at Houston | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| NFL: Detroit at Minnesota | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| NFL: Dallas at Miami | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| NFL: New England at Denver | 8:15 p.m. | NFLN |
| HOCKEY | TIME | TV |
| Exhibition: Canada-USA | Noon | NHLN |
| SOCCER | TIME | TV |
| Premier: Wolverhampton-Chelsea | 8 a.m. | USA TELEM |
| Turkey: Fenerbahce-Galatasaray | 11 a.m. | BEIN/E |