NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball
Last Night
(10) Michigan State 71, Minnesota 69
Notre Dame 72, Clemson 56
(10) Michigan State 71, Minnesota 69 – No. 10 Michigan State beats Minnesota 71-69 on Hauser’s shot
Joey Hauser made a low-post shot with a tenth of a second left, lifting No. 10 Michigan State to a 71-69 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night for a ninth straight win. The Spartans had the ball with 18.1 seconds left, and A.J. Hoggard drove into the lane in the final seconds and set up Hauser for the final basket. Michigan State freshman Max Christie had 16 points, Gabe Brown scored 13 points and Tyson Walker added 10 points. The Golden Gophers were very competitive throughout the game and had opportunities to pull off the upset.
Notre Dame 72, Clemson 56 – Goodwin, Notre Dame beat Clemson 72-56 for 6th straight win
Dane Goodwin had 21 points and seven rebounds, freshman Blake Wesley scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half and Notre Dame won its sixth straight game, 72-56 over Clemson. Notre Dame made its first six shots of the game, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Nate Laszewski and Goodwin, for a 15-6 lead. The Irish missed their seventh shot, but Goodwin grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back for an 11-point lead. Notre Dame held at least a 14-point advantage in the second half and led by as many as 23 to easily top Clemson’s previous season high of an 11-point deficit.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Boston Celtics 119, Indiana Pacers 100
Brooklyn Nets 138, Chicago Bulls 112
Nets 138, Bulls 112 – Durant, Harden lead Nets to 138-112 romp over Bulls
Kevin Durant scored 27 points, James Harden added 25 points and season-high 16 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets rolled to an easy win over Chicago, beating the Bulls 138-112 in a matchup between the Eastern Conference’s top two teams. Durant had 17 points in the third. The second-place Nets outscored East-leading Chicago by 20 in the quarter to silence a raucous crowd and came away with the win with all three superstars in the lineup for just the second time. Kyrie Irving scored nine in his third game. The seven-time All-Star has refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine and is barred from suiting up in New York due to the city’s mandate. Zach LaVine scored 20 for Chicago. DeMar DeRozan added 19 points.
Celtics 119, Pacers 100 – Celtics take control early, pull away from Pacers 119-100
Jaylen Brown scored 34 points, Jayson Tatum added 33 and the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 119-100. Boston snapped a six-game road losing streak while beating Indiana for the second time in three days and the fourth straight time. Myles Turner had 18 points and Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Pacers lost their second straight and eighth in nine games. After the opening minutes, the Celtics never really gave the Pacers a chance.
NBA – Hall of Famer Grant Hill’s memoir ‘Game’ coming out in June
Grant Hill’s path to the NBA Hall of Fame had plenty of pain along with all the highlights. Hill has a deal with Penguin Press for the memoir “Game,” scheduled for June 7. It’s billed by the publishers as a full, frank story that covers both the pinnacle of success and the depths of personal trauma. Hill will tell about helping Duke University win back-to-back NCAA titles and his achievements with professional teams like the Detroit Pistons. He will also discuss the ankle problems that plagued him for years and the health struggles of his wife, Tamia Hill.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Winnipeg Jets at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
NHL – Lukas Reichel set for NHL debut with Chicago Blackhawks
Top prospect Lukas Reichel is slated for his NHL debut when the Chicago Blackhawks host Montreal on Thursday night. The 19-year-old Reichel was added to Chicago’s taxi squad after he was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League. Interim coach Derek King said he plans to put the young forward in the lineup against the Canadiens. Reichel was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 NHL draft. He has 11 goals and nine assists in 20 games with the IceHogs.
KHL – KHL to suspend season for a week because of virus cases
The Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League says it will suspend its season for a week because of coronavirus outbreaks at many clubs. The KHL says it will stop play for a week from Saturday and resume on Jan. 22. The league says it recorded positive tests for 124 players. Twenty-seven of those cases had been reported within the previous 24 hours. The KHL is crucial to building Olympic men’s hockey rosters after the NHL said last month it would not release players for the tournament in Beijing.
NFL – Bears interview Pederson, Cook for coach, GM positions
The Chicago Bears interviewed former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson and Cleveland Browns executive Glenn Cook for their vacant coach and general manager jobs. The two positions opened Monday when the Bears fired former coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on the heels of a 6-11 season. Pederson led Philadelphia to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl championship. He was 42-37-1 with two division championships and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 in 2020 and getting fired. Pederson and Nagy are friends from their time working under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City. Cook has spent six years in Cleveland’s front office. He was the Browns’ vice president of player personnel the past two seasons.
NFL – NFL regular-season ratings increase 10% over last season
An extra week of games, close finishes and a non-election year helped propel the NFL to its highest regular-season ratings in six years. The 272 regular-season games averaged 17.1 million viewers across television and digital platforms, that is a 10% increase over last season and is the league’s highest average since 2015. It was expected that the audience would increase after the 2020 season was played in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with empty stadiums presenting a strange viewing dynamic, and many people’s viewing habits changing. The first half of that season also occurred in the midst of a presidential campaign, when many were watching cable news channels.
MLB – Former Cubs, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester announces retirement
Jon Lester, a durable left-hander who won three World Series titles during 16 years in the majors, has announced his retirement. Lester tells ESPN “It’s kind of run its course.” Lester finishes with a 200-117 record and a 3.66 ERA in 452 career games, including 451 starts. He also has been a reliable postseason performer, compiling a 2.51 ERA in 26 appearances. Lester helped Boston win the championship in 2007 and 2013, and led the Chicago Cubs to the title in 2016. The championship for the Cubs was the franchise’s first since 1908.
NCAAWBKB – Women’s College Basketball
Last Night
Toledo 72, Central Michigan 49
Ball State 83, Eastern Michigan 73
Ohio State 89, Michigan State 83
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan, PPD
Tonight
(11) Michigan at Penn State, 7:00 p.m.
(20) Notre Dame at Wake Forest, 7:00 p.m.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Chicago Wolves 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 0
ECHL – ECHL Hockey
Last Night
Kalamazoo Wings 5, Fort Wayne Komets 4
MCCAA – Junior College Sports
Last Night
Women’s Basketball
Lake Michigan College 77, Mid-Michigan College 69
Men’s Basketball
Lake Michigan College 70, Mid-Michigan College 54
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Wrestling
St. Joseph, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Kalamazoo Central at Lakeshore
- St. Joseph 78, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 6
- St. Joseph 45, Kalamazoo Central 27
- Lakeshore 84, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0
- Lakeshore 75, Kalamazoo Central 6
Plainwell, Vicksburg, Dowagiac at Edwardsburg
- Plainwell 37, Edwardsburg 31
- Plainwell 43, Dowagiac 27
- Edwardsburg 63, Vicksburg 18
- Dowagiac 49, Vicksburg 25
Allegan, Otsego, Paw Paw at Niles
- Niles 58, Allegan 12
- Otsego 49, Niles 30
- Paw Paw 60, Otsego 22
- Paw Paw 84, Allegan 0
Three Rivers 84, Sturgis 0
Tonight
Boys Basketball
SMAC
St. Joseph at Portage Northern, 7:00 p.m.
Mattawan at Lakeshore, 7:00 p.m.
Portage Central at Kalamazoo Central, 7:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Kal. Loy Norrix, 7:00 p.m.
Gull Lake at Battle Creek Lakeview, 7:00 p.m.
Southwest 10
Comstock at Decatur, 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
BCS
Bridgman at Lake Michigan Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
New Buffalo at Michigan Lutheran, 7:00 p.m.
River Valley at Lawrence, 7:00 p.m.
Buchanan at Brandywine, 7:00 p.m.
Non-Conference
Berrien Springs at Benton Harbor, 6:30 p.m.
Elkhart Concord (IN) at Edwardsburg, 7:00 p.m.
Southwest 10
Comstock at Decatur, 6:00 p.m.
