The Denver Nuggets had their four-game winning streak snapped by the Utah Jazz last night in a 105-103 loss in Salt Lake City. The Nuggets led by 15 points in the first half but allowed Utah to claw back into the game and send it into the fourth quarter tied at 81. The Nuggets had a chance to tie or win the game with five seconds left, but never got a shot off. Kenneth Faried led the Nuggets with 21 points on the night. Denver visits Golden State for their third meeting of the season with the Warriors Thursday night.
Category: Sports
Broncos Ink Free Agent RB Hester
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have signed former Chargers running back Jacob Hester to take the spot opened when Willis McGahee went on injured reserve.
The Broncos also signed Jeremiah Johnson back to their practice squad Monday.
Hester, a third-round pick out of LSU in 2008, played fullback for San Diego for four years. He had 94 rushes for 319 yards and also caught 55 passes for 308 yards.
He’ll join Knowshon Moreno, Lance Ball and Ronnie Hillman as the fourth running back on Denver’s 53-man roster.
McGahee, who injured his right knee last week, is eligible to return to the active roster for the AFC title game if the Broncos advance that far.
Johnson spent the entire season on the practice squad before being cut last week.
Monday Sports Day – Monday Night Football Matchup a Snoozer
Eagles hosting Panthers
PHILADEPHIA (AP) — In a game featuring two teams going nowhere this season the Philadelphia Eagles are playing host to Carolina this evening. The Panthers enter the game in last place in the NFC South with a record of 2-8, while the Eagles are last in the NFC East at 3-7.
The Eagles have lost six straight and enter the home game as the underdog. With Michael Vick out with a concussion, Nick Foles will be under center making his second straight start. While the Eagles are banged-up, the Panthers are close to full strength as they have no significant injuries.
Jets’ Ryan thinks Tebow will be ready to play
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Rex Ryan anticipates Tim Tebow will be “ready to go” in the New York Jets’ next game against the Arizona Cardinals in spite of the backup quarterback’s two broken ribs.
The Jets coach said Monday that the team will see how Tebow does during the week.
Tebow was in uniform but didn’t play Thursday night in the Jets’ 49-19 loss to the New England Patriots, with Ryan saying he could have played but would have been used only in an emergency. Tebow revealed after the game that he was injured two weeks ago at Seattle.
Initial X-rays after that game were negative, and Tebow played three snaps at St. Louis last week. When the pain worsened early last week, Tebow underwent an MRI exam and CT scan, which revealed the fractures.
Carroll stays mum on possible Seattle suspensions
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he cannot comment on the possibility of his starting cornerbacks, Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Carroll didn’t say much about the situation during his radio show Monday morning on 710 ESPN in Seattle. ESPN.com first reported Sunday afternoon, following the Seahawks’ 24-21 loss at Miami, that Browner and Sherman are facing suspensions and are in the process of appealing. The team has only said it is aware of the report.
Messages left for Sherman’s representatives have not been returned. Browner’s representatives said Sunday they would not comment until the team had returned to Seattle, but had yet to follow up.
Longoria agrees to deal adding $100 million
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria has agreed to a new contract through 2022 that adds six guaranteed seasons and $100 million.
The agreement announced Monday with the three-time All-Star incorporates the remainder of the 27-year-old’s existing contract, which called for him to earn $36.6 million over the next four seasons. The new deal includes a team option for 2023.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Carolina at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York at Brooklyn 6:00 p.m.
San Antonio at Washington 6:00 p.m.
Portland at Detroit 6:30 p.m.
Charlotte at Oklahoma City 7:00 p.m.
Cleveland at Memphis 7:00 p.m.
Milwaukee at Chicago 7:00 p.m.
Denver at Utah 8:00 p.m.
New Orleans at L-A Clippers 9:30 p.m.
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
San Jose St. at (12) Kansas 8:00 p.m.
Sunday Sports Wrap – Five College Coaches Get Pink Slips
Costly win in Chicago…Giants end their November slump
UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Bears got Jay Cutler back after missing a game because of a concussion and he led the Bears to an easy 28-10 win over Minnesota at Soldier Field. Cutler threw for 188 yards and one TD. The Bears raced out to a 25-3 halftime lead and improved to 8-3. The Bears have beaten the Vikes six straight games.
But the victory could be costly. The Bears lost ace return man Devin Hester to a concussion. Also, running back Matt Forte and top cornerback Charles Tillman suffered ankle injuries. Both of Chicago’s starting guards also were injured.
Thanks to Green Bay’s loss Sunday night, the Bears have a one-game lead over the Packers in the NFC North.
In other Week 12 action:
— The New York Giants snapped their two-game slide by routing Green Bay 38-10 in the matchup of the last two Super Bowl champs. Eli Manning tossed three TDs to give him 200 career TD passes, passing Phil Simms to become the Giants all-time leader in that department. The Giants own a two-game lead atop the NFC East.
— The San Francisco 49ers returned a pair of Drew Brees interceptions for touchdowns in their 31-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Colin Kaepernick is 2-0 as a starter in relief of Alex Smith.
— Baltimore rallied from a 13-3 deficit to edge San Diego 16-13 in overtime. The Ravens are 9-2, good for a three-game lead in the AFC North. The key play for the Ravens came when they were facing fourth down and 29 yards to go late in regulation and Ray Rice converted a screen pass for a first down
— The Atlanta Falcons survived a dogfight in Tampa Bay and eked out a 24-23 win over the Bucs to improve to 10-1. Matt Ryan threw for 353 yards. Michael Turner’s 1-yard TD run with 7:55 left put the Falcons on top. The win enables the Falcons to keep pace with Houston for the NFL’s best record.
— Cincinnati moved back into the playoff picture with its third straight win, 34-10 over the hapless Raiders. The Bengals are 6-5. Andy Dalton tossed three TDs.
— Cleveland surprised Pittsburgh 20-14. The Browns forced eight Steelers turnovers as Pittsburgh struggled with third-string quarterback Charlie Batch.
— Indianapolis improved to 7-4 with a 20-13 win over Buffalo. T.Y. Hilton scored on a 75-yard punt return and caught an 8-yard TD pass from Andrew Luck.
— Jacksonville snapped a seven-game losing streak by surprising Tennessee 24-19. Two TD passes for Chad Henne.
— Dan Carpenter kicked a 43-yard field goal on the final, and Miami scored 17 points in the last 8:08 to down Seattle 24-21.
— St. Louis downed Arizona 31-17. Janoris Jenkins became the first player in Rams history and the first NFL rookie since 1960 to return two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game.
Holmgren goes out a winner with Browns
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns announced after their 20-14 victory over rival Pittsburgh that the game was the last for Mike Holmgren as the team’s president.
The 64-year-old former coach said earlier this fall that he hoped to stay until the end of the season in an advisory role, but left open the possibility of an earlier departure.
New owner Jimmy Haslam is replacing him with CEO Joe Banner, who spent 19 years with Philadelphia.
The Browns went 12-31 under Holmgren, who was hired by former owner Randy Lerner to fix his franchise.
Holmgren has indicated he’s still interested in coaching. There have been stories about him joining the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s unanimous – Notre Dame’s the 1
NEW YORK (AP) — The football polls continue to smile on the Irish.
Notre Dame is the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest Associated Press college football poll following a 22-13 win over USC in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The Fighting Irish claimed all 60 first-place votes after running their record to 12-0 and moving within one victory of their first national championship in 24 years.
Alabama remains No. 2 after their 49-0 rout of Auburn. Georgia sits third and will take on the Crimson Tide on Saturday for the SEC title and the right to face Notre Dame in the BCS title game. Notre Dame, Alabama and Georgia are also 1-2-3 in the new BCS standings.
Chizik dismissed
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — The Auburn Tigers are looking for a new head football coach.
Gene Chizik has been fired following a 3-9 season that included an 0-8 record in the SEC. The move comes less than two years after Chizik led the Tigers to the national championship.
It marked the worst slide within two years of winning a national title of any team since the AP poll started in 1936. Auburn hasn’t lost this many games since going 0-10 in 1950.
Auburn lost its last three games by a combined 150-21, including a season-ending 49-0 loss to rival Alabama.
Buffs coach says he’s out after 1-11 season
DENVER (AP) — Jon Embree tells The Associated Press he has been fired as coach of the University of Colorado football team.
Embree made the announcement as he was heading into a meeting with his players Sunday night and didn’t want to comment on his firing other than to confirm he’d been let go by athletic director Mike Bohn earlier in the day.
The Buffaloes just completed the worst season in the 123-year history of the program. They finished 1-11 with their only win a 35-34 win at Washington State on Sept 23.
Embree was 4-21 in two years at Colorado, where he replaced Dan Hawkins.
O’Brien fired
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tom O’Brien led North Carolina State to four bowl appearances in six seasons, but it wasn’t enough for him to keep his job.
O’Brien was fired a day after the Wolfpack finished a 7-5 regular season with a win over Boston College. He went 40-35 at the school but also posted a 22-26 record in ACC play, including a 1-14 mark in Atlantic Division road games.
N.C. State says offensive coordinator Dana Bible will be the interim coach for a bowl game.
Spaziani gets the boot
BOSTON (AP) — Frank Spaziani is out after four years as Boston College’s head football coach.
The Eagles have gotten progressively worse under Spaziani, going from eight wins his first season to a 2-10 mark this year.
Spaziani had three years remaining on a contract that paid him $1.1 million a season.
No Hope for Purdue
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A strong finish for Purdue wasn’t enough to save Danny Hope’s job.
One day after the Boilermakers retained the Old Oaken Bucket and became bowl-eligible for the second straight season, athletic director Morgan Burke announced that Hope had been fired.
Hope went 22-27 in four mostly injury-ravaged seasons. He ended the school’s three-year bowl drought last season and brought Purdue its first bowl title since 2007 by winning the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit. He was given a two-year contract extension in December that runs through the 2016 season.
Taking a Holiday in Philly…A rout in Gotham
UNDATED (AP) — Jrue Holiday had a career-high 33 points and 13 assists, leading the Philadelphia 76ers over the Phoenix Suns 104-101.
Evan Turner scored 16 points, Lavoy Allen had 11 and Thaddeus Young 10 for the 76ers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
In other NBA action:
— Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Paul Pierce added 23 points and Rajon Rondo was one rebound shy of a triple double with 15 points and 16 assists as the Boston Celtics outlasted the Orlando Magic 116-110 in overtime
— The New York Knicks had little trouble ending their two-game losing streak. Carmelo Anthony scored 21 of his 29 points while the Knicks were grabbing a 64-44 halftime lead in a 121-100 rout of Detroit.
— Tony Parker scored six of his 32 points in the second overtime as San Antonio outlasted Toronto 111-106. Tim Duncan had 26 points in helping the Spurs improve to a league-best 7-1 on the road.
— Joe Johnson scored 21 points and Kris Humphries and Deron Williams each had double-doubles in Brooklyn’s 98-85 triumph over Portland. Humphries finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Williams added 15 points and 12 assists for the 8-4 Nets.
BASKETBALL: Bulldogs Host Sidney in NHSSHOF Jamboree Games
PRESS RELEASE FROM NORTH PLATTE HIGH SCHOOL:
North Platte High School will host the varsity girl’s and boy’s basketball games vs. Sidney High School in the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Jamboree tonight. The girl’s game will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. followed by the boy’s game at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $4 for students and $5 for adults. All passes (gold cards, GNAC, faculty, administrative) and student activities cards will not be accepted. All proceeds will go the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Huskers a Top-15 Team in Every Poll Heading to B1G Title Game
The Husker football team heads into this Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game ranked 14th in the AP poll and 13th in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. That’s a three-spot jump in the AP ranking and a one-notch move in the coaches’ ranking. The Huskers also rose two slots to 12th in the penultimate BCS standings of the season. Nebraska won the final six games of their regular season, including a 13-7 triumph at Iowa Friday, and with Michigan’s loss to Ohio State, the Huskers clinched the Legends Division Title outright. They’ll take part in their third conference title game in the last four seasons. The opponent is Wisconsin, who finished third in the Leaders Division but were behind two teams ineligible for postseason play. The Huskers topped the Badgers 30-27 in Lincoln on September 29. Kickoff for the championship game is set for 7 PM.
Sloppy Broncos Hold Off Awful Chiefs
It wasn’t pretty, but the Denver Broncos will take it anyway. Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes as the Broncos held off the lowly Kansas City Chiefs 17-9 at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos trailed for most of the first half until Manning found Jacob Tamme for a seven-yard scoring strike with 18 seconds to play in the half. After the Chiefs added their third field goal of the game to regain the lead, Manning connected with Demaryius Thomas on a 30-yard score with 4:41 to play in the third quarter to give the Broncos the lead for good. Manning threw for 285 yards on the day. Knowshon Moreno filled in ably for the injured Willis McGahee at running back, rushing for 85 yards. The win is Denver’s sixth in a row, giving them an 8-3 record and a four-game lead in the AFC West. They host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.
Huskers to Host First Two Rounds of NCAA Volleyball Tournament
The Husker volleyball team will host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament this weekend. It’s the ninth straight year they’ve had the privilege. The Huskers are the fourth overall seed in the tournament and will face Maryland-Eastern Shore in first-round play Thursday night at 7. The other match on Thursday pits Kansas State against Northern Iowa. The winning teams will play each other Friday night, with the winner of that match going on to the Omaha Regional.
Nuggets Rout Hornets For Fourth Straight Win
Andre Iguodala scored 23 points and Kenneth Faried posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Hornets 102-84 in Denver. The Nuggets led by as many as 28 points in the second half on their way to their fourth straight victory. Faried’s double-double was his eighth of the season. Ty Lawson joined Iguodala and Faried in double figures with 17 points. The Nuggets are 8-6 on the season. They play the Utah Jazz tonight in Salt Lake City at 8 PM.
McGahee Placed On Recallable Injured Reserve After Knee Injury
Willis McGahee has been placed on recallable injured reserve by the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos.
The Broncos (7-3) put their 31-year-old running back on the list Wednesday, meaning he can return to practice after missing the final six regular-season games and play in a game after missing two more.
That would bring Denver up to the AFC title game.
McGahee tore the medical collateral ligament in his right knee Sunday when he was tackled low by San Diego cornerback Quentin Jammer. Coach John Fox says McGahee won’t need surgery.
McGahee ranks fifth among AFC rushers with 731 yards.
He’ll be replaced by rookie Ronnie Hillman, Lance Ball and former first-round pick Knowshon Moreno, who’s been inactive since Week 2.