NFL – National Football League – Week 16
Last Night
Los Angeles Chargers 34, Denver Broncos 27
Chargers 34, Broncos 27 – Justin Herbert passes for 2 touchdowns, Chargers rally past Broncos 34-27
Justin Herbert passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 19-yarder to Derius Davis early in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Chargers got closer to wrapping up a playoff spot by rallying past the Denver Broncos 34-27 on Thursday night. The Chargers’ comeback also included Cameron Dicker making the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL in 48 years. He was good from 57 yards on the final play of the first half to pull the Chargers within 21-13. Los Angeles needs losses by Indianapolis and Miami on Sunday to make the playoffs. Denver failed to clinch a playoff berth and had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Sunday
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. Rock 107 WIRX 12:00/ 94.3 11:00
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. Live 99.9 12:00
NFL – Lions look to pick themselves up against struggling Bears
The banged-up Detroit Lions will try to get back to winning when they visit the struggling Chicago Bears after having their franchise-record 11-game streak stopped. Coach Dan Campbell says the Lions were “popped in the mouth” last week when Buffalo beat them 48-42. A win over the Bears would give the Lions a franchise-record 13 victories. Detroit is coming off its first loss since Week 2 against Tampa Bay. The Lions are in a first-place tie in the NFC North and in the race for top seed in the conference. The Bears have lost eight in a row after getting blown out at Minnesota on Monday. They are 0-2 under interim coach Thomas Brown.
NCAAFB – College Football Playoffs
Tonight
(10) Indiana at (7) Notre Dame, 8:00 p.m. Sports Radio 96.1 WSBT/Sunny 101.5 7:00
Saturday
(11) SMU at (6) Penn State, 12:00 p.m.
(12) Clemson at (5) Texas, 4:00 p.m.
(9) Tennessee at (8) Ohio State, 8:00 p.m.
NCAAFB – 12-team playoff arrives after 100 years, a few billion dollars and many detours
It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever. And now, finally, college football has what the rest of sports have: a legitimate postseason tournament. The first-of-its-kind 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off Friday and Saturday with four first-round games on campuses steeped in gridiron tradition: Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Winners advance to play over the New Year’s holiday, and the tournament concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game.
NCAAFB – ND/IU playoff game a twist for those with dual loyalties in the Hoosier State
Many sports fans in the state of Indiana have split loyalties. They cheer for Notre Dame in football and the Hoosiers in basketball. And the two rarely overlap, creating a friendly relationship rather than a rivalry. But those emotions will be put to the test Friday night when 10th-seeded Indiana makes the 200-mile trip to seventh-seeded Notre Dame. The two in-state programs have only met once since 1958. The Fighting Irish won that game 49-27 in 1991. It’s a matchup that tugs at the heartstrings of many across the Hoosier State.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
Valparaiso at Western Michigan, 1:00 p.m.
Saturday
Florida Atlantic at (20) Michigan State, 2:00 p.m. Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM
Wright State at Eastern Michigan, 2:00 p.m.
Central Michigan at Arizona, 4:00 p.m.
Sunday
Purdue Fort Wayne at (24) Michigan, 1:00 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 12:30
Le Moyne at Notre Dame, 6:00 p.m. Sports Radio 96.1 WSBT 5:30
NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball
Yesterday
(15) Michigan State 69, Montana 38
Texas Rio Grande Valley 73, Eastern Michigan 66 – OT
Today
(20) Michigan at Akron, 12:00 p.m.
Alabama vs. (15) Michigan State, 4:30 p.m. at Fort Lauderdale, FL
Eastern Michigan vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 5:00 p.m. at Texas Rio Grande Valley
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Seattle Kraken 1
Blackhawks 3, Kraken 1 – Mikheyev stars as the Blackhawks beat the Kraken 3-1 for their 3rd straight win
Ilya Mikheyev scored two more goals, Arvid Soderblom made 27 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Seattle Kraken 3-1 for their third straight win. Teuvo Teravainen had two assists as Chicago closed out a perfect three-game homestand. Nolan Allan added his first career goal in the third period. It’s the first three-game win streak for the Blackhawks since they won five in a row in February 2023. Seattle lost for the fourth time in five games and has managed just two goals during a three-game losing streak. Mikheyev has four goals during a three-game scoring streak.
Tonight
Montreal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday
Chicago Blackhawks at Calgary Flames, 4:00 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens, 7:00 p.m.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Utah Jazz 126, Detroit Pistons 119
Chicago Bulls 117, Boston Celtics 108
Indiana Pacers 120 Phoenix Suns 111
Jazz 126, Pistons 119 – Collin Sexton and Keyonte George lead Jazz past Pistons, 126-119
Collin Sexton scored 30 points, Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 14 rebounds and the Utah Jazz beat the Detroit Pistons 126-119 on Thursday night for for their second victory in 10 games. Keyonte George added 28 points for Utah. The Jazz built a 29-point lead in the first quarter and overcame 27 turnovers to improve to 6-20. Cade Cunningham had 33 points for Detroit before fouling out in the final minute. Malik Beasley added 23. Utah led by 15 with 3:54 left, but had five turnovers to help the Pistons pull to 114-109 with 1:45 left. John Collins and George hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 120-109 with 51 seconds to go.
Bulls 117, Celtics 108 – Zach LaVine scores season-high 36 points to help the Bulls hold off the Celtics 117-108
Zach LaVine scored a season-high 36 points and the Chicago Bulls used a fourth-quarter flurry to hold off the Boston Celtics 117-108 on Thursday night in the opener of a home-and-home set. The teams will meet again in Chicago on Saturday night. Ayo Dosunmu added 17 points and Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 14 rebounds to help Chicago win its season-best third straight. Chicago outscored Boston 35-22 in the fourth quarter and made 19 3-pointers for the game. Jayson Tatum had 31 points to lead Boston, which lost for just the fourth time at home this season. Kristaps Porzings added 20 points and eight rebounds.
Pacers 120, Suns 111 – Siakam has 25 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Pacers past the Suns, 120-111
Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 18 rebounds, Myles Turner added 19 points and the Indiana Pacers beat the Phoenix Suns 120-111 on Thursday night. Indiana used a 15-4 run to lead 97-83 after three quarters and stretched it to 105-86 early in the fourth. The Pacers shot 16 of 41 from 3-point range to win for the fourth time in five games. Tyrese Halliburton added 13 points and 12 assists, hitting 4 of 9 from 3. Kevin Durant led the Suns with 37 points and 10 rebounds. Bradley Beal added 16 points after missing two games because of a swollen right knee. Devin Booker had 17 points, but went out in the third quarter with groin tightness.
Saturday
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons at Phoenix Suns, 9:00 p.m.
Sunday
Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings, 8:00 p.m.
MLB – Sammy Sosa appears to acknowledge PED use, apologizes; Cubs welcome him back
Sammy Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance enhancing drugs during a career in which he hit more than 600 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs said they were ready to welcome him back. Sosa says in a statement "there were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games." He adds: "I never broke any laws. But in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said the team plans to invite Sosa to the annual fan convention Jan. 17-19 in Chicago.
USWNT – US women’s team Trinity Rodman says her relationship with father is strained
U.S. women’s soccer team forward Trinity Rodman has opened up about her strained relationship with father Dennis Rodman, saying he is largely absent from her life. She told the Call Her Daddy podcast that the former NBA star is only a father by blood. Dennis Rodman responded to his daughter with a post on Instagram saying he tried to be a father and will keep trying.
RFK Stadium site provision removed from federal spending bill
A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in Congress’ short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to pass before a government shutdown. The removal of that part of the bill is a loss for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, who were hoping to have the land available as an option to build a new stadium. Controlling owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied on Capitol Hill in favor of its inclusion earlier this month.
Scandals, some changes in public perception highlighted the year for sports betting
Sports bettors in the U.S. are expected to set another record in 2024 for the amount of money wagered legally. That coincides with what has been a year of reckoning for U.S. sports betting, which was rocked by scandals. The bad publicity included Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the NBA for trading on inside information to fix prop bets, and MLB star Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter pleading guilty to bank and tax fraud after prosecutors said he stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off illegal gambling debts. That, along with an oversaturation of advertising and some low tax benefits in the 38 states that currently allow betting, has contributed to what one expert says is an ongoing moral reboot surrounding the public’s attitude about sports betting.
NBAGL – NBA G League
Yesterday
Grand Rapids Gold 124, Oklahoma City Blue 110
Windy City Bulls 109, Memphis Hustle 104
Tonight
Texas Legends vs. Motor City Cruise, 11:00 a.m. at Orlando, FL
AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Milwaukee Admirals at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.
Chicago Wolves at Iowa Wild, 8:00 p.m.
ECHL – ECHL Hockey League
Tonight
Cincinnati Cyclones at Kalamazoo Wings, 7:00 p.m.
Toledo Walleye at Wheeling Nailers, 7:10 p.m.
Indy Fuel at Fort Wayne Komets, 7:35 p.m.
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Last Night
Boys Basketball
SMAC
Mattawan 54, Lakeshore 38
-Lakeshore fell 54-38 at Mattawan. Alex Toothman had 15 points to lead Lakeshore.
Portage Central 75, St. Joseph 29
-St. Joe turned the ball over 26 times during a 75-29 loss at Portage Central. Bryce Vujtech had 8 points to lead St. Joe, who falls to 0-6 on the season. Ben Johnson led Portage Central with 20 points.
Portage Northern 62, Gull Lake 38
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 69, Battle Creek Central 47
Kalamazoo Central 68, Battle Creek Lakeview 49
Lakeland
Benton Harbor 74, Brandywine 69
Berrien Springs 62, Dowagiac 57
Wolverine
Edwardsburg 53, Sturgis 27
Niles 65, Paw Paw 61
Plainwell 58, Vicksburg 27
Otsego 83, Three Rivers 43
Southwest 10
Centreville 76, Bangor 38
Comstock 60, Cassopolis 53 – OT
Hartford 65, Decatur 22
White Pigeon 73, Lawrence 28
Marcellus 69, Bloomingdale 42
Boys Swimming
St. Joseph 98, Kalamazoo Central 44
Girls Basketball
SMAC
Lakeshore 52, Mattawan 31
-Emily Lockman scored a game high 21 points, while Megan Wurster had 12 as Lakeshore defeated Mattawan 52-31. Charlotte Douglass had 14 to lead Mattawan. Lakeshore improves to 4-1 and 2-0 in the SMAC West
St. Joseph 50, Portage Central 36
-Freshman Lauer Wright had 14 points to lead St. Joe in a 50-36 win over Portage Central in a matchup of unbeatens. Tess Kapelke and Ava Rommel added 11 points for the 5-0 Bears.
Gull Lake 42, Portage Northern 40
Battle Creek Central 60, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 33
Battle Creek Lakeview 44, Kalamazoo Central 41
Lakeland
Brandywine 56, Benton Harbor 10
Berrien Springs 46, Dowagiac 26
Wolverine
Edwardsburg 52, Sturgis 35
Paw Paw 71, Niles 53
Vicksburg 45, Plainwell 18
Otsego 53, Three Rivers 28
Southwest 10
Centreville 44, Bangor 18
Cassopolis 67, Comstock 25
Decatur 42, Hartford 14
White Pigeon 45, Lawrence 43
Marcellus 56, Bloomingdale 31
SAC
Bridgman 43, Watervliet 24
Non-Conference
Athens Factoryville Chr. 45, Howardsville Chr. 27
Tonight
Boys Basketball
Watervliet at Bridgman, 7:30 p.m.
Allegan at Coloma, 7:30 p.m.
South Haven at Fennville, 7:30 p.m.
New Buffalo at Buchanan, 7:15 p.m.
Howardsville Chr. at Kalamazoo Phoenix, 7:00 p.m.
Wyoming West MI Lutheran at River Valley, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Constantine, 7:30 p.m.
Saugatuck at Delton-Kellogg, 7:30 p.m.
Martin at Galesburg-Augusta, 7:30 p.m.
Gobles at Holland Black River, 7:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett at Lawton, 7:30 p.m.
Parchment at Schoolcraft, 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Allegan at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
South Haven at Fennville, 6:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at Buchanan, 6:00 p.m.
Allegan at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Constantine, 6:00 p.m.
Saugatuck at Delton-Kellogg, 6:00 p.m.
Martin at Galesburg-Augusta, 6:00 p.m.
Gobles at Holland Black River, 6:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett at Lawton, 6:00 p.m.
Parchment at Schoolcraft, 6:00 p.m.
Saturday
Boys Basketball
Culver Military vs. Paw Paw, 8:00 a.m. Michianahoops shootout at PC
Elkhart Central vs. Mattawan, 10:00 a.m. Michianahoops shootout at PC
Concord vs. Berrien Springs, 12:00 p.m. Michianahoops shootout at PC
South Bend St. Joseph vs. Loy Norrix, 2:00 p.m. Michianahoops shootout at PC
Mishawaka Marian vs. Niles, 4:00 p.m. Michianahoops shootout at PC
South Bend Riley vs. Portage Central, 6:00 p.m. Michianahoops shootout at PC
SB Washington vs. Benton Harbor, 8:00 p.m. Michianahoops shootout at PC
