LeBron just misses historic triple-double, but still defies his age with prolific efforts for Lakers
LeBron James needed only one more rebound late in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over Atlanta to become the oldest player to record a triple-double. But when the Lakers finally pushed their lead into insurmountable territory, the 41-year-old James gladly stopped just short of history. After playing in back-to-back games for the first time in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, James needs every possible minute of rest far more than he needs another career superlative. James demonstrated he can still reach extraordinary heights, even if he pays for that exertion with uncountable hours of off-court recovery.
49ers count on 2 unlikely contributors at linebacker for playoff run
Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow have played key roles for the San Francisco 49ers in their wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The two linebackers, who joined the team late in the season, helped secure a 23-19 victory. Kendricks had 10 tackles and broke up a crucial fourth-down pass. Wallow had 11 tackles in his first start in three years. Coach Kyle Shanahan praised their high-level play. The 49ers, dealing with numerous injuries, have relied on unlikely contributors this season. Kendricks, who joined the team in November, is now two wins away from his first Super Bowl.
Chloe Kim says she’s ‘good to go’ for Olympics despite labrum tear in shoulder
Snowboarder Chloe Kim says she’s “good to go” for the Milan Cortina Olympics despite tearing the labrum in her shoulder during a training run last week in Switzerland. The two-time gold medalist in the halfpipe posted an update to Instagram, saying she wasn’t surprised to learn she had torn the area that holds her shoulder together. She says she’s upset that she won’t be able to snowboard again until just before the Winter Games, but that she’ll be in Italy going for her third straight Olympic title.
Diamondbacks acquire 8-time All-Star 3B Nolan Arenado in a deal with the Cardinals
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from St. Louis for minor league pitcher Jack Martinez. The Cardinals are also including $31 million in the trade. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Arenado has played for the Cardinals the past five seasons and was shopped extensively after the 2024 season by a rebuilding team. The 34-year-old isn’t the offensive force he used to be but will still provide a veteran presence at the position after the D-backs traded slugger Eugenio Suárez at last season’s trade deadline. Arenado batted. .237 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs last season.
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 34 as Thunder top Spurs for first time in four meetings this season
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder beat San Antonio 119-98 on Tuesday night. This marked their first win in four tries against the Spurs this season. Jalen Williams added 20 points, while Chet Holmgren contributed eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. The Thunder improved to a league-best 34-7 at the season’s midway point. Stephon Castle leads San Antonio with 20 points. Victor Wembanyama added 17 points and seven rebounds. Oklahoma City has now won four straight games. The teams will meet again on Feb. 4 in San Antonio.
Kucherov scores deciding shootout goal as Lightning beat Penguins 2-1 for 11th straight win
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored the deciding goal in the shootout and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Tuesday night for their 11th straight win. J.J. Moser scored in regulation and Andrei Vasilevskiy had 26 saves for the Lightning, who have not lost since a 2-1 defeat at home against Los Angeles on Dec. 18. The Lightning moved into first place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of Detroit, which lost 3-0 at Boston. Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins and Arturs Silovs had 30 saves. Pittsburgh lost its third straight (0-2-1) since a six-game win streak. Gage Goncalves scored for Tampa Bay in the second round of the tiebreaker, and Egor Chinakov tied it for Pittsburgh on their attempt in the third round. Kucherov then won it for the Lightning.
Kansas hands No. 2 Iowa State its 1st loss of the season with dominant 84-63 win at Allen Fieldhouse
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has handed Iowa State its first loss of the season, winning 84-63 on Tuesday night. Tre White scored 19 points and Darryn Peterson added 16 for the Jayhawks. Kansas, which recently fell out of the AP Top 25, dominated both ends of the floor. The Jayhawks forced Iowa State into 10 first-half turnovers and built a 44-23 halftime lead. Iowa State, previously unbeaten, struggled to catch up despite a second-half push. Joshua Jefferson led the Cyclones with 12 points but also had five turnovers. Kansas has won eight straight against Iowa State at Allen Fieldhouse.
Anthony Davis expected to miss 6 weeks in latest absence for Mavs but won’t need hand surgery
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis will be sidelined about six weeks in his latest injury absence, although the 10-time All-Star won’t need surgery to repair ligament damage in his left hand. The teams says the determination to skip surgery came after a medical evaluation Tuesday. Davis was injured late in the Mavericks’ 116-114 loss to the Utah Jazz last week. It will be the second absence of at least a month this season for Davis. The 32-year-old missed 15 of the 16 games in November with a calf strain.
Mario Cristobal’s path back to Miami was forged by family. He has Miami on the cusp of a CFP title
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Mario Cristobal, head coach at the University of Miami, has brought the Hurricanes back to the national spotlight. His approach mirrors the values instilled by his Cuban-American parents: hard work, toughness, and dedication. Cristobal returned to Miami four years ago, aiming to build a championship team. On Monday, his Hurricanes face undefeated Indiana in the College Football Playoff championship. Miami seeks its sixth national title, while Indiana aims for its first. Cristobal emphasizes family, hard work, and togetherness, and his leadership has transformed Miami into a contender once again.
Supreme Court seems likely to uphold state bans on transgender athletes in girls and women’s sports
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems likely to uphold state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams. Lower courts ruled for the transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia who challenged the state bans. But the conservative-dominated Supreme Court gave no indication after more than three hours of arguments Tuesday that it would follow suit. Instead, at least five of the six conservatives on the nine-member court indicated they’ll rule the laws don’t violate either the Constitution or the landmark Title IX law. Title IX prohibits discrimination in education and has produced dramatic growth in girls and women’s sports.
Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn’s US teammates are also making an impact in the Olympic season
FLACHAU, Austria (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin and American teammate Paula Moltzan finished 1-2 in a World Cup slalom night race. Shiffrin has now won six of the seven slaloms in the Olympic season. She added to her first-run advantage to finish 0.41 seconds ahead of Moltzan. Katharina Truppe of Austria finished third before her home fans 0.65 behind. Camille Rast came fourth 0.67 behind after recently beating Shiffrin. Now there’s only one more slalom before the Milan Cortina Winter Games open on Feb. 6. Shiffrin earned her record-extending 107th World Cup win and 70th in slalom. It was sixth win in Flachau.