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Bronny James in attendance for USC opener in Las Vegas, and LeBron James hopes for a comeback

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — USC freshman Bronny James took the court at T-Mobile Arena donning grey sweats while his teammates warmed up for their opener against Kansas State on Monday night.And as his team played, his father — NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James — revealed what the family hopes is a path to Bronny being back on the floor.“Things are going in the right direction with Bronny’s progress,” LeBron James said Monday night in Miami, after he and the Los Angeles Lakers played the Heat. “He’s done with rehab. Every week, he gets to do more and more and more. We have a big — a big — moment at the end of the month to see how we can continue to go forward.“If he’s cleared, we’ll be not too long away from him being back on the floor and back with his teammates and practicing with the notion of being back on the floor and playing in game situations,” LeBron James added. “Everything’s on the up and up.”Bronny James is still on his way back from suffering a cardiac arrest during a summe...

Calle Jarnkrok scores in OT to give Maple Leafs 6-5 victory over Lightning

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Calle Jarnkrok scored his second goal of the game 46 seconds into overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 6-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.Auston Matthews added two goals and an assist, Mitch Marner had a goal and three assists and Matthew Knies had a goal and two assists. Toronto dug out of an early 4-1 hole to improve to 5-4-2 and end an 0-2-2 slide.“We don’t have any quit in this locker room,” Marner said. “A lot of trust in our group that, regardless of the situation, we’re never out of a game.” Jarnkrok scored his third goal of the season in the extra period after taking a pass from Morgan Rielly and redirecting the puck past Jonas Johansson.“There are a lot of things that haven’t gone good for us in the season,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “But we’ve responded in those moments a lot and kept going. Really proud of the way the guys stepped up.”Toronto starter Ilya Samsonov allowed four goals on 12 shots in just over 15 minutes of ...

Kam Jones scores 20 as No. 5 Marquette opens with 92-70 triumph over Northern Illinois

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kam Jones’ teammates could sense he was going to start the season off the right way.Jones scored 20 points and No. 5 Marquette beat Northern Illinois 92-70 on Monday night in the opener for both schools. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 6 of 9 from the floor and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.“You could tell Kam was going to have a good game when you saw him this morning, man,” said Marquette guard Sean Jones, who isn’t related to Kam. “He came into the Al (McGuire Center) real energetic, real happy like he always does. Had a great fit on. He was just ready to go, all business, hair picked out. Man, it was just great to see.”Kam Jones went 3 of 3 from 3-point range in the first four minutes, helping Marquette put together a solid start to a season with huge expectations.Marquette entered with its highest preseason ranking since 1977, when it was coming off a national championship and started out at No. 3. The Golden Eagles return four starters from a team that won the Big E...

Wake Forest recovers from 21-point deficit, defeats Elon easily 101-78

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Hildreth scored 33 points, Andrew Carr had 24 points and nine rebounds, and Wake Forest rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat Elon 101-78 on Monday night in a season opener for both teams.The Demon Deacons trailed by 21 with 7:04 left in the first half before going on a scoring spree. They outscored Elon 58-23 after halftime to win going away.Hildreth made 13 of 18 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Carr’s total included 10 free throws. The Demon Deacons shot 60% after halftime.Zac Ervin led four members of the Phoenix in double figures with 17 points. Max Mackinnon added 14 points, and Nick Dorn and TK Simpkins each added 13.It was the 45th meeting of the schools — first since 2010 — and the 39th Wake Forest victory.___Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ___AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball...

Israeli forces cut off north Gaza to isolate Hamas as an advance on the urban center looms

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and pounded it with airstrikes Monday, preparing for expected ground battles with Hamas militants in Gaza’s largest city and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war.Already, the Palestinian death toll surpassed 10,000, the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Monday. The ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. About 1,400 people in Israel have died, mostly civilians killed in the Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas that started the war.The war has quickly become the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence since Israel’s establishment 75 years ago, with no end in sight as Israel vows to remove Hamas from power and crush its military capabilities.Casualties are likely to rise sharply as the war turns to close urban combat. Troops are expected to enter Gaza City soon, Israeli media reported, and Palestinian militants who have had years to prepar...

Rob Dillingham scores 17 points as No. 16 Kentucky beats New Mexico State 86-46

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Rob Dillingham scored 17 points, D.J. Wagner had 13 and No. 16 Kentucky shot 59% in the second half to rout New Mexico State 86-46 on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.Picking up where they left off from winning the GLOBL Jam this summer in Toronto, the Wildcats’ touted freshmen took charge after four minutes and helped the team pull away. Wagner and Justin Edwards (12 points) set the tone, and Kentucky native Reed Sheppard finished with 12 points. Dillingham heated up late and went 6 of 11 from the field, including 2 of 6 from long range.“Robert has two or three, like, ‘What in the world?’ (plays),” Kentucky coach John Calipari said of Dillingham. “As long as it’s not five or six. … I told him I’m fine with one or two because he can’t help himself, but I tell you that he creates space for himself and his teammates as good as anybody that I’ve coached.”Fifth-year senior Antonio Reeves, one of Kentucky’s few holdovers...

Cal upends St. Thomas (Minn.) in Madsen’s first game as Golden Bears coach

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Devin Askew made a tie-breaking layup and Jalen Cone added two free throws with less than a minute remaining to lift California to a 71-66 win over St. Thomas (Minn.) on Monday night in Mark Madsen’s first game as head coach of the Golden Bears.Madsen, who won NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001 and 2002, was hired by Cal on March 29 to be the 19th head coach in the program’s history. Jalen Celestine led the Golden Bears with 21 points. Fardaws Aimaq recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Cone finished with 10 points. Brooks Allen led the Tommies with 17 points. Drake Dobbs chipped in with 14 points, and Parker Bjorklund had 11.Bjorklund’s layup with 2:27 remaining tied the game at 64-all, but the Tommies would not score again until Dobbs’ layup with six seconds remaining.Askew’s layup put the Golden Bears ahead 66-64, and moments later Cone knocked down two free throws. Askew added a free throw of his own to extend the...

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30 as Thunder ease past Hawks 126-117

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Atlanta Hawks 126-117 on Monday night.The Thunder’s leading scorer sat out Friday against the Golden State Warriors with a sprained left knee. He bounced back quickly, making 11 of 20 shots and getting eight rebounds and six assists.Gilgeous-Alexander was impressed with the way the Thunder played on offense in the 141-139 loss to Golden State, so he was careful not to disrupt things. “I just tried to fit in with the group, do what was necessary, and then pick my spots accordingly,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who has scored at least 30 points in four of his six games. “I feel like we played pretty good basketball last game and wanted to carry it over to this game.”Jalen Williams scored 21 points, Lu Dort added 19 and Chet Holmgren had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who were coming off losses of four points to New Orleans and two points to the Warriors.Dejounte Mu...

Live updates | Israeli troops divide north and south Gaza as UN fails to reach cease-fire resolution

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

Palestinians look for survivors of an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)(AP/Fatima Shbair) Palestinians look for survivors of an Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)(AP/Fatima Shbair) Israeli troops divided the northern and southern parts of Gaza, as communications across the besieged territory were gradually restored Monday after being cut for a third time since the war started. The troops were expected to enter Gaza City on Monday or Tuesday, Israeli media reported.The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 10,000, including more than 4,100 ...

‘We’ve got some holes to fill’: Offseason work continues for the Chicago White Sox with the GM meetings

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:37:52 GMT

The Chicago White Sox have been busy since the World Series wrapped up.Thursday, they introduced Paul Janish as the organization’s director of player development.The next day, the Sox declined the club option on closer Liam Hendriks for 2024 while starter Mike Clevinger declined a mutual option. The changes continued Saturday when the Sox declined shortstop Tim Anderson’s club option for 2024.All that activity came ahead of the MLB general managers’ meetings, which formally begin Tuesday at a resort in Paradise Valley, Ariz.It will be Chris Getz’s first since being promoted to Sox GM on Aug. 31.“I’ve had a lot of conversations with other general managers around the league, just understanding their needs and conveying what we’re set out to do as well and see if we match up,” Getz said during a video conference Thursday. “Clearly, we’ve got some work to do based on the production we’ve had on the field the last two year...