DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are the top two teams in the hunt for an NFC wild card and are still holding on to hopes to compete for division championships. Detroit hosts Dallas on Thursday night and the winner will improve its position in the playoff picture, while the loser may not have time to recover from the setback over the last month of the regular season. After starting 5-2, the two-time defending NFC North champions have lost three of five to fall behind division-leading Chicago and second-place Green Bay. Dallas has a winning record for the first time this year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins has testified in a federal antitrust case against NASCAR. He claims he was pressured into signing a new charter agreement with a tight deadline. Jenkins, along with 23XI Motorsports, is suing NASCAR, alleging the charter system is monopolistic. The agreement, which took effect this year, ended lengthy negotiations but fell short of team requests. Jenkins argues the deal is unfavorable and feels NASCAR is acting like a monopoly. NASCAR denies wrongdoing, stating the charter system created significant market value. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Milwaukee Bucks’ game with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night after straining his right calf in the first quarter. Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said after the Bucks’ 113-109 victory that Antetokounmpo was undergoing an MRI. Rivers added that he believed the Bucks had ruled out the possibility that Antetokounmpo had injured his Achilles tendon on the play. The two-time MVP had just assisted on AJ Green’ layup less than three minutes into the game when he headed back up the court and slipped in the painted area.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was listed as questionable just a few hours before Wednesday night’s game at Indiana. By tip-off, he left nothing to chance. Just two nights after spraining his right ankle, Murray returned to action and delivered one of the NBA’s most efficient performances all season. He made 19 of 25 shots including an incredible 10 of 11 on 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 52 points in a 135-120 victory over the defending Eastern Conference champs.
DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg didn't wilt in the month the Dallas Mavericks were without injured forward Anthony Davis. Now that the rookie No. 1 overall pick is playing alongside the 10-time All-Star again, Dallas hopes they can flourish together. The Mavericks are on their first winning streak of the season. Dallas beat Miami 118-108 for a third consecutive victory. Flagg found himself in the company of LeBron James while Davis was sidelined with a calf strain. Now the Mavs hope Flagg can find life a little easier with Davis. There's the longer-term hope of injured star guard Kyrie Irving returning.
Lane Kiffin’s awkward and angst-filled departure from Ole Miss will happen again. It’s inevitable unless college administrators and football coaches agree to reimagine an imperfect calendar that has been a mess for decades. Under the current format, national signing day happens during conference championship week, the transfer portal opens during the College Football Playoff and some coaches are secretly interviewing for other jobs before Halloween. No one has an ideal solution. Even the thought of adopting an NFL-like format seems flawed.
The changing landscape of college football means the nation’s premier recruits are no longer signing with the same handful of programs. That became particularly apparent this week when the nation’s top-ranked prospect landed in Vanderbilt. Quarterback Jared Curtis decided to stay home after initially committing to Georgia. Curtis’ decision wasn’t an aberration. Two other top-five prospects signed with home-state schools generally unaccustomed to acquiring five-star recruits. Houston got the nation’s No. 3 recruit by signing Keisean Henderson of Legacy the School of Sport Sciences in Spring, Texas. Edge rusher Zion Elee, rated fifth overall, is going from Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy to Maryland.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scores twice, reaching 911 career goals, as the Washington Capitals beat the San Jose Sharks 7-1. This victory marks their sixth straight win. On Wednesday night, Ovechkin started a four-goal barrage in the first period and added a power-play goal in the second. Riley Leonard had four points, including two goals and two assists. Dylan Strome also scored for Washington. Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves and added his second career assist. Pavol Regenda scored for San Jose, denying Lindgren a shutout. The Sharks had won seven of their last eight home games but struggled against the Capitals.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matthew Stafford’s 192 career interceptions are the most among active quarterbacks. He has also fumbled 91 times in his 17-year NFL career. So his three crucial turnovers in the Los Angeles Rams’ 31-28 loss to Carolina aren’t going to send Stafford into a funk or a crisis of competence. Stafford knows his two interceptions and a late fumble were the biggest reasons why the Rams lost to the Panthers and fell out of the No. 1 spot in the NFC standings. There’s still nothing he’ll do much differently when he leads Los Angeles to Arizona this weekend.
TOKYO (AP) — The Haas Formula 1 team will get a new name next season, further showcasing its relationship with Japanese automaker Toyota. The team's new name in 2026 will be TGR Haas F1 Team. The TGR stands for Toyota Gazoo Racing which is the racing division of the Toyota Motor Corporation. The partnership includes primarily research, engineering and driver development. Haas and Toyota entered into the first stages of the technical partnership a year ago and the Haas car has been carrying Toyota’s branding since.
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Dallas 3 New Jersey 0
Final Philadelphia 5 Buffalo 2
Final SO Montreal 3 Winnipeg 2
Final Washington 7 San Jose 1
Final Utah 7 Anaheim 0
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (25)Arkansas 89 (6)Louisville 80
Final (9)BYU 91 California Baptist 60
Final (10)Iowa State 132 Alcorn State 68
Final (12)Alabama 90 Clemson 84
Final (17)Vanderbilt 88 SMU 69
Final (20)Auburn 83 North Carolina State 73
Final Minnesota 73 (22)Indiana 64