SPORTS BRIEFS
Curry, Harris help 76ers hold off 4-win Magic 101-96
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Seth Curry scored 24points, Tobias Harris had 17and the Philadelphia 76ers needed free throws in the final minute to beat the four-win Orlando Magic 101-96 on Monday night.
The Magic showed grit in a fiery second half and rallied from 16down to tie it 93-all on Mo Bamba’s dunk with 57 seconds left. The Magic bench erupted with the team on the brink of upset. The Sixers just hung on from the line. Ty Maxey made two for the lead, Joel Embiid hit 3 of 4 and Maxey added two more to help the Sixers avoid an embarrassing defeat. Embiid scored 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting. Franz Wagner led the Magic with 27 points and Jalen Suggs had 17.
Celtics’ Freedom calls becoming US citizen ‘unforgettable’
Enes Freedom will now be linked forever to a word he says he fought for his entire life.
The Boston Celtics center changed his name from Enes Kanter to Enes Kanter Freedom in celebration of him officially becoming a United States citizen on Monday.
He said Tuesday that taking the citizenship oath was “maybe the most unforgettable moment that I had in my life.”
Kanter, 29, is a native of Turkey who has been an outspoken critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government.
The 2011first-round draft pick has also taken to social media to support
Tibetan independence and criticize Chinese treatment of the Uyghur people. During games, he has worn shoes decorated to say “Free Tibet” and argued for a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
He first got a U.S. green card while he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. He has been trying to become a citizen ever since.
Washington beats Wilson, Seahawks 17-15 for 3rd win in a row
Kendall Fuller intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass on a last-minute 2-point conversion attempt, and Washington held on to beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-15 Monday night for the team’s third consecutive victory. Wilson led the Seahawks on a 10-play, 96-yard touchdown drive in the final three minutes. He connected with Freddy Swain on a 32-yard TD pass with 15seconds left but came up just short of leading a memorable comeback on his 33rd birthday. Seattle (3-8) was called for an illegal formation penalty on the first onside kick attempt and failed to recover the second. Wilson was 20of 31for 247 yards and two TD passes, but he lost three consecutive games for the first time as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback, with his team’s playoff hopes fading in the process. Washington (5-6) moved into the final NFC wild-card spot with the win. J.D. McKissic caught a touchdown pass from Taylor Heinicke, ran for another and accounted for 56yards from scrimmage against the team he broke into the NFL with.
Heinicke and Co. had to do it all in the second half without the possibility of a field goal after kicker Joey Slye injured a hamstring late in the second quarter on an extra point attempt that was blocked and returned for two points. Heinicke evaded a couple of potential sacks and outdueled Wilson in a matchup of mobile QBs, going 27 of 35 for 223 yards with the TD throw to McKissic and an interception.
Michigan moves into top 4 of CFP rankings; coachless ND 6
Michigan moved up to No. 2Tuesday night in the second-to-last College Football Playoff rankings, joining Georgia, Alabama and Cincinnati in the top four heading into conference championship weekend. Oklahoma State is fifth going into the Big 12 championship game Saturday against Baylor, and Notre Dame is sixth with no games left and no head coach.
Brian Kelly left the Fighting Irish and was introduced as the new coach at LSU on Tuesday, three days after independent Notre Dame finished its season 11-1.
Georgia was first, as it has been for every selection committee ranking so far, and Michigan climbed to No. 2 after it beat last week’s No. 2, Ohio State. The Wolverines play Iowa in the Big Ten title game.
Alabama will be third going into the Southeastern Conference championship game with Georgia, and Cincinnati is fourth heading into its American Athletic Conference championship against Houston.
The playoff field will be set Sunday.
LSU, Kelly agree to 10-year contract worth at least $95M
LSU flew newly hired coach Brian Kelly on a private jet to Baton Rouge, where he was greeted Tuesday by fans, dignitaries and the Golden Band from Tigerland after agreeing to a 10year contract worth $95million plus incentives.
The hiring of Kelly — who has Notre Dame for the past 12seasons and eclipsed Knute Rockne for career victories with the storied Fighting Irish — came together on Monday night in yet another blockbuster coaching move in college football.
LSU made it official on Tuesday morning. “Brian Kelly is the epitome of a winner,” LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said. “He has built and sustained success at every program he’s led, from multiple undefeated regular seasons and National Coach of the Year honors to (Division II) national titles and College Football Playoff berths. His credentials and consistency speak for themselves.” Kelly replaces Ed Orgeron, a Louisiana native who won a national title at LSU just two seasons ago with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow leading the Tigers to a 15-0 record. Orgeron has gone 11-11since and agreed in October to a $17million buyout that would have him step down at the end of this season.
Lincoln Riley eager to return USC Trojans to winning ways
Standing on the top rim of the venerable Coliseum on a 76-degree autumn Monday, Lincoln Riley took a glance behind him at the Los Angeles panorama stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Hollywood sign to the gleaming downtown skyscrapers.
“Wow. Is this real?” Riley asked. “Unbelievable.”
Southern California appeared to be asking itself the same rhetorical questions after a surprising 36-hour courtship ended with Riley in charge of restoring the Trojans to a place atop the college football world.
Riley arrived in sunny Los Angeles one day after he agreed to leave Oklahoma following five successful seasons in charge. He addressed his new players on
campus before receiving his official welcome at the Coliseum in what he called “a surreal moment.”
“It was tough to leave the place I was,” Riley said. “At the same time, I knew this was the right thing.”
The respected 38-year-old coach who went 55-10and won four Big 12titles with the Sooners said he didn’t hesitate when forced to make a swift decision to join the Trojans, who expressed their fervent interest in him shortly after he arrived home Sunday morning from Oklahoma’s narrow loss to Oklahoma State. “I call plays in a lot less than a day, and those are life-changing decisions, too,” Riley said. “This one felt like I had an eternity.”
Riley said he never spoke to any other school about its opening, and he insists he was happy in Norman. But the opportunity presented by this new challenge on the West Coast was too fascinating to resist.