Giannis Antetokounmpo agrees to extension with Bucks
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s staying with the Milwaukee Bucks for at least five more seasons.
“I’m blessed to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years,” the two-time reigning MVP posted Tuesday on his social media platforms.
The 26-year-old Antetokounmpo had until Monday to sign the Bucks’ supermax extension offer. If he turned it down, Antetokounmpo could have become a free agent after the upcoming season.
Although Antetokounmpo didn’t announce the terms of his new deal, The Athletic and Stadium reported that he agreed to a fiveyear contract worth $228 million that includes an opt-out clause in 2025.
“This is my home, this is my city,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.”
His decision means the Bucks will hang
on to their biggest superstar since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who led Milwaukee to its lone NBA title in 1971 but demanded a trade and was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975.
Jackson returns to save Ravens with 47-42 win over Browns
CLEVELAND — Lamar Jackson emerged from the locker room, saved the game and maybe Baltimore’s season.
Back on the field after being sidelined by cramps, Jackson threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown and then set up Justin Tucker’s 55-yard field goal with two seconds left, helping the Ravens to a wild 4742 win over the Cleveland Browns that helped them stay in the playoff picture. A Monday night game dripping with playoff intensity delivered with endless drama and stunning twists. Tucker, who made 70 straight field goals inside 40 yards before he missed last week, had plenty of distance on his kick to give the Ravens (8-5) a much-needed win. It was a gut punch for the Browns (9-4), who had rallied from a 14-point deficit to take the lead while Jackson was out. The Browns had one last chance after Tucker’s kick, but a series of laterals on the final play ended with a safety that affected gamblers all over the country. The Ravens were favored by three on the opening line. The NFL’s top two rushing teams combined for nine rushing touchdowns, tying a league record set in 1922. Jackson rushed for two touchdowns while rescuing his teammates, who have overcome a COVID-19 outbreak and numerous scheduled changes so far in 2020.
Kentucky taps NFL Rams assistant Coen to guide its offense
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has hired Los Angeles Rams assistant Liam Coen as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to revive the Southeastern Conference’s worst passing game.
Coen, 35, was named the Rams’ assistant quarterbacks coach before this season after two as the NFL club’s wide receivers’ assistant. He will join the program after the season with Los Angeles, which reached the Super Bowl in 2018 and currently leads the NFC West. Coen works with Pro Bowl QB Jared Goff and has helped the receiver corps produce a 1,000-yard duo each of the past two seasons.
Coen replaces Eddie Gran, who was let go last week along with quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw after Kentucky averaged just 124.4 yards per game this season and was Stoops’ main focus for improvement.
‘Bama, ND, Clemson, OSU enter champ weekend in CFP position
Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State will enter championship weekend in position to make the College Football Playoff with very little drama.
The top five teams were locked into their places Tuesday night for the fourth straight week, with the Crimson Tide (10-0) leading the way as it prepares to play Florida for the Southeastern Conference championship.
The Fighting Irish (10-0) are second and Clemson is third going into their Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
Ohio State (5-0) is fourth going into the Big Ten title game against Northwestern, and Texas A&M is on deck at No. 5. The Aggies host Tennessee in their last regular-season game Saturday.
If all the favorites win — that includes Clemson (9-1) in the rematch with Notre Dame — the current top four likely would be reordered a bit and placed in the semifinals.
If the Irish beat the Tigers for the second time this season, the selection committee’s job becomes a little trickier.
After Texas A&M (7-1), Iowa State (8-2) is sixth heading into the Big 12 title game against No. 10 Oklahoma. No team with two losses has ever made the playoff.
Florida (8-2) dropped only one spot to seventh after losing as a big favorite to LSU. Georgia (7-2) is eighth and Cincinnati (8-0) is ninth after not playing for two weeks because of COVID-19 issues.
Flips only: Winter X Games on, but fans not part of the show
The 2021 version of the Winter X Games promises lots of flipping and spinning, not so much singing and dancing.
ESPN announced Tuesday that the first major action-sports contest since the COVID-19 pandemic started forcing major cancellations will take place during its usual slot in Aspen, Colorado, from Jan. 29-31, but will be closed off to fans.
Among those expected to compete are Chloe Kim, Mark McMorris and David Wise, all of whom have missed several events since cancellations scrubbed the late-winter calendar earlier in 2020. They now find themselves facing an uncertain international schedule with only 14 months to get ready for the Beijing Olympics.
“Obviously it’s been tough on everybody,” said Tim Reed, the ESPN executive who oversees the X Games. “No doubt the athletes are excited to get back out there.”
Supercross season to feature 4 tripleheaders
ELLENTON, Fla. — Supercross will have another unique pandemic-driven format for the 2021 season.
AMA Supercross announced Tuesday the 17race season will include four tripleheaders in one city and two doubleheaders to promote safety among riders and teams.
The series will kick off with three straight races in Houston, starting on Jan. 16. The next three races will be in Indianapolis, followed by two in Orlando and another in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The series then swings to Arlington, Texas, for three races and three more in Atlanta. The season concludes with two races at Salt Lake City.
SpongeBob, slime, football: Nickelodeon ready for NFL game
Get ready for SpongeBob SquarePants running out of the tunnel, players being covered with digital slime after touchdowns and commentary from the cast of “All That” when Nickelodeon airs an NFL playoff game.
CBS Sports and Nickelodeon revealed their plans on Tuesday for the kid-focused channel’s broadcast of a wildcard game on Sunday, Jan. 10. The Nickelodeon feed will be tailored for younger audiences with the usual broadcast airing on CBS and online at CBS All Access.
CBS and NBC got the rights to the two new wildcard games after owners voted earlier this year to expand the field from six to seven teams in each conference. There will be six games on wild-card weekend. The Jan. 9 and 10 games are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m., 4:40 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. EST, and the middle Sunday game will get the Nickelodeon simulcast.