NFL-DOLPHINS/JETS
Dolphins rally
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) β The Miami Dolphins surrendered 277 rushing yards on Monday night, yet they kept their playoff hopes alive by rallying for a 16-13 victory over the New York Jets.
Caleb (KAY’-lehb) Sturgis won it with his third field goal of the night, a 26-yarder with 1:57 remaining. The winning kick came after Lamar Miller’s four-yard touchdown run allowed the Dolphins to tie it earlier in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Tannehill threw for 235 yards and one interception as the Dolphins improved to 7-5, tying them with five other teams battling for the final AFC wild-card berth.
The Jets threw only 13 times, fewest in the NFL this season. Geno Smith had just 65 passing yards in his first game back as starter for the 2-10 Jets.
NFL-CARDINALS
Thumb injury for Cards’ safety
UNDATED (AP) β Arizona coach Bruce Arians says safety Tyrann Mathieu (TY’-ran MATH’-yoo) has a fractured left thumb and doctors are determining whether he will require surgery. Arians says the best-case scenario is for Mathieu to have the thumb in a cast and be able to play next Sunday against Kansas City. The worst case scenario is for doctors to put a pin in the thumb, sidelining him for three weeks.
Mathieu was among four Cardinals hurt in their 29-17 loss at Atlanta on Sunday.
Also in the NFL:
β The St. Louis Rams say the team and the NFL will not discipline the five players who stood with their hands raised in a show of solidarity with Ferguson protesters before Sunday’s game. Rams coach Jeff Fisher said he plans to talk with the players but those conversations will remain confidential.
β The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed defensive end Brett Keisel (KEE’-sul) on injured reserve, one day after he tore his triceps in the third quarter. The 13-year veteran had 17 tackles and a sack in 12 games this season.
β New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (BEHL’-ih-chik) and team owner Robert Kraft are listed as possible witnesses by prosecutors in the upcoming murder trial of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is charged in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Spurs keep Sixers winless
UNDATED (AP) β Even the absences of Tony Parker and Tim Duncan couldn’t stop the Philadelphia 76ers from continuing their season-long losing streak.
The 76ers are 0-17 and one loss away from tying the NBA record for worst start following a 109-103 loss to San Antonio. Parker and Duncan watched from the bench as Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard poured in a game-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Aron Baynes scored 15 points and Manu Ginobili (MAN’-oo jih-NOH’-blee) and Cory Joseph each added 14 in the Spurs’ eighth straight win.
Michael Carter-Williams had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who could equal the league record for losses to begin a season on Wednesday at Minnesota.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
β The Los Angeles Clippers stretched their winning streak to five games as Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick (RED’-ihk) each scored 23 points in a 127-101 laugher against Minnesota. The Timberwolves actually led heading into the second quarter before the Clippers outscored them 70-34 over the next two periods.
β John Wall finished with 18 points and 13 assists as the Wizards clobbered the Heat 107-86 in Washington. Rasual (rah-SOOL’) Butler added 23 points for the Wizards, who drained their first seven 3-point tries and held Miami to 2-for-22 from beyond the arc.
β Ty Lawson had 15 points, registered 12 assists and hit a jumper to beat the shot clock with 29.6 seconds left in Denver’s eighth victory in 10 games, 103-101 at Utah. The game’s intensity rose after Arron Afflalo (af-LAH’-loh) was ejected and the Jazz stormed back from a 22-point deficit to tie the game in the final minutes.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Lightning continue hex on Rangers
UNDATED (AP) β The Tampa Bay Lightning still have a share of the NHL’s Eastern Conference lead after beating the New York Rangers for the third time in two weeks.
Brett Connolly and Tyler Johnson each scored twice as the Lightning doubled up the Rangers 6-3 at Madison Square Garden. The game was tied 3-3 until Connolly scored a power-play goal 5 Β½ minutes into the third period. Johnson made it 5-3 just 84 seconds later to cap his three-point night.
Victor Hedman had three assists and Ben Bishop stopped 32 shots in Tampa Bay’s fourth consecutive win.
The Lightning and Montreal Canadiens each have a league-high 36 points.
The Canadiens kept pace with Tampa Bay by scoring the last two goals in a 4-3 triumph at Colorado. Max Pacioretty (pash-uh-RET’-ee) scored the game-winner with 6:06 remaining after P.K. Subban’s (soo-BANZ’) goal tied it late in the second period. Subban and Andrei Markov each finished with a goal and an assist as the Habs ended a two-game skid.
In other NHL finals:
β Anaheim leads the Western Conference by a point over Nashville and St. Louis after Frederik Anderson stopped 32 shots in the Ducks’ 3-2 victory against Boston. The Bruins led 1-0 until Sami Vatanen (VAH’-tah-nehn) and Devante Smith-Pelly scored late in the second period.
β Columbus ended a six-game losing streak by beating Florida 2-1 on Boone Jenner’s goal midway through the third period. Matt Calvert also scored and Sergei Bobrovsky (boh-BRAHV’-skee) stopped 24 shots for the Blue Jackets, who won for only the third time in 18 games.
β The Oilers have a 10-game losing streak after Tobias Rieder scored a pair of short-handed goals during a 58-second span early in the second period of Arizona’s 5-2 triumph against Edmonton. Martin Erat (EE’-rat) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each had power-play goals for the Coyotes, and Mikkel Boedker (mih-KEHL’ BAHD’-kur) had a goal and an assist in Arizona’s first victory in four games.
NHL-PENGUINS
No Letang on Tuesday
UNDATED (AP) β Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will miss Tuesday night’s game against New Jersey because of a lower-body injury. He was hurt late in Friday night’s loss to Carolina and was scratched from Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes. Coach Mike Johnston describes Letang as day to day and hasn’t ruled out his return to the lineup later this week.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
β The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed Artem Anisimov (AHR’-tehm ah-NEE’-see-mawv) on injured reserve as a result of a torn triceps muscle sustained Saturday at Nashville. It is believed the center will be sideline for between two-to-three months.
β Center Scott Gomez is back with the New Jersey Devils and could play against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Gomez last played for the Devils in 2006-07 before signing a big contract with the New York Rangers as a free agent. He was traded to Montreal and also played with San Jose and Florida.
MLB-CRUZ
Report: Cruz may be heading to Seattle
SEATTLE (AP) β The Seattle Mariners signed one of the best hitters available in last year’s free-agent market, inking Robinson Cano (kuh-NOH’) to a multiyear contract. The Mariners are about to do it again.
Two people with knowledge of the deal tell The Associated Press that Seattle is on the verge of signing free-agent slugger Nelson Cruz. El Caribe in the Dominican Republic first reported the agreement, saying it was worth $57 million over four years.
Cruz led the major leagues with 40 home runs last season and had 108 RBIs for Baltimore, which signed him to an $8 million, one-year deal. He served a 50-game suspension in 2013 for violations of the major league drug agreement in relation to the sport’s Biogenesis investigation.
MLB-DRUG TESTING
Adderall causing most positive tests
NEW YORK (AP) β While 113 big leaguers had exemptions in the past year to use otherwise banned substances to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Adderall caused eight of the 10 positive tests for stimulants under Major League Baseball’s drug program.
That’s according to a report released Monday by MLB’s independent program administrator that detailed the findings. Dr. Jeffrey M. Anderson’s report showed that therapeutic use exemptions given to 40-man roster players to treat ADHD were down from the 119 in the year ending with the 2013 World Series.
In other baseball news:
β The San Diego Padres have hired former big leaguer Mark Kotsay (KAHT’-say) as their hitting coach. He’s the seventh person to hold the job since Petco Park opened in 2004.
β Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay have worked out a minor trade that sends utilityman Sean Rodriguez to the Pirates for a player to be named and cash. Rodriguez has a .225 career average and appeared in 96 games this year, batting .211 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs.
T25 FOOTBALL-OHIO STATE
Investigation continues
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) β A neuropathologist will look for signs of traumatic brain injury in Ohio State athlete Kosta Karageorge (KOH’-stah KA’-rah-johrj), who was found dead in a trash bin of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and had a reported history of concussions.
The Franklin County, Ohio, coroner said preliminary results from Monday’s autopsy confirmed that Karageorge died of a gunshot wound, but she hasn’t yet definitively ruled it a suicide. His mother told police her son had had several concussions and a few spells of being extremely confused, and players knew of Karageorge’s history of concussions.
T25 FOOTBALL-BAYLOR
QB woozy but expects to play against K-State
WACO, Texas (AP) β Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty says he feels good and expects to play Saturday night against Kansas State even while still experiencing some concussion-related symptoms.
Petty said Monday that he woke up with a headache, but that such occurrences have been “kind of off and on, and it’s starting to get shorter on and longer off.”
The quarterback was knocked out in the third quarter of Saturday’s 48-46 victory over Texas Tech with what was termed a mild concussion.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-TULSA
Football coach fired
TULSA, Okla. (AP) β Tulsa has fired coach Bill Blankenship, three days after the Golden Hurricane wrapped up a second consecutive losing season. Tulsa was 2-10 this season after going 3-9 last year. Blankenship took over at his alma mater in 2011 after Todd Graham left for Pittsburgh.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BUFFALO
Buffalo gets a new coach
Lance Leipold has been introduced as the football coach at the University at Buffalo. He succeeds Jeff Quinn, who was fired last month after four-plus seasons.
Leipold led Wisconsin-Whitewater to five Division III national championships and was 106-6 in eight seasons.
T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-POLL
Wildcats still No. 1
UNDATED (AP) β The unbeaten Kentucky Wildcats remain the top team in The Associated Press Top-25 men’s basketball poll. The 7-0 ‘Cats are outscoring opponents by an NCAA-best 36.8 points a game. Kentucky received 62 of 65 first-place votes in the new rankings, with second-ranked Wisconsin receiving the remaining three first-place votes after improving to 7-0.
Rounding out the top five this week are Arizona, Duke and Louisville. The second five are Texas, Virginia, Wichita State, Gonzaga and Villanova.
T25 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL-POLL
Gamecocks remain on top
UNDATED (AP) β South Carolina is No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the second straight week. The Gamecocks ascended to the top spot last week for the first time before beating Wisconsin and then-No. 22 Syracuse.
Notre Dame, Connecticut, Texas and Texas A&M round out the first five.
PELE
Update on former soccer great
SAO PAULO (AP) β A Brazilian hospital says former Brazilian soccer great Pele (PAY’-lay) has been taken out of intensive care and his condition is continuing to improve.
The hospital in Sao Paulo says the 74-year-old Pele is under “semi-intensive” care. He remains in the same room where he was transferred to five days ago to undergo kidney support treatment, and there is no need to monitor his condition as closely as before.
The hospital says Pele remains off the hemodialysis treatment that was needed to support his only kidney, although another evaluation will be done tomorrow.
The three-time World Cup champion was hospitalized on Nov. 24 after being diagnosed with a urinary tract infection that stemmed from a Nov. 13 surgery to remove kidney stones.
