Sports Headlines

Bulls beat Rockets 125-120; Oladipo solid in Houston debut
By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 33 points, and the Chicago Bulls overcame a strong effort by Victor Oladipo in his Houston debut, beating the Rockets 125-120. LaVine scored nine points

Yandle gets 100th NHL goal, Panthers beat Blackhawks 5-2
By PAUL GEREFFI Associated Press SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Keith Yandle got his 100th career goal, Chris Driedger made 23 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the Chicgo Blackhawks 5-2. Eetu Luostarinen scored his first NHL goal,

Henry scores 16 to carry Bradley past Evansville 86-55
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Ja’Shon Henry had 16 points off the bench to lead Bradley to an 86-55 wire-to-wire win over Evansville. The Braves built a 23-6 lead on a 3-pointer from Ville Tahvanainen seven minutes into

Key scores 18 to lead Indiana St. over Illinois St. 74-68
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Tyreke Key scored 18 points as Indiana State turned aside a late rally to defeat Illinois State 74-68. Randy Miller Jr. had 13 points for Indiana State. Tre Williams added 11 points and

Bulls roll past Mavs 117-101 to end 4-game losing streak
By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Lauri Markkanen had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Garrett Temple scored 15 of his season-high 21 points in the second quarter and the Chicago Bulls ended a four-game

Williams carries Indiana St. over Illinois St. 73-65
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Tre Williams recorded 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to carry Indiana State to a 73-65 win over Illinois State. DJ Horne led the Redbirds with 16 points.

Thomas scores 20 to lead Ball St. over N. Illinois 78-58
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — Miryne Thomas had a season-high 20 points as Ball State romped past Northern Illinois 78-58. Zool Kueth led the Huskies with 15 points.

Cubs avoid arbitration with Bryant, Báez, Contreras
By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs avoided arbitration with three of their biggest stars by agreeing to one-year deals with Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and Willson Contreras. Bryant is set to

Cubs avoid arbitration with Bryant, Báez, Contreras
By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs avoided arbitration with three of their biggest stars by agreeing to one-year deals with Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and Willson Contreras. Bryant is set to

Stamkos, Palat lift Lightning over Blackhawks again
By ERIK ERLENDSSON Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat had a goal and an assist each, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman added

Blackhawks place Jonathan Toews on long-term injured reserve
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will miss at least 10 games after the team placed him on long-term injured reserve. The 32-year-old Toews has an unspecified illness. He has said it leaves him feeling

Bears plan to keep Nagy, GM Pace for at least 1 more season
By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears plan to keep general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy for at least another season. Chairman George McCaskey says the team opted against sweeping

Stamkos has goal, 2 assists as Lightning beat Blackhawks 5-1
By ERIK ERLENDSSON Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Steven Stamkos had a goal and two assists in his return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup, and the defending Stanley Cup champions opened the season with 5-1

Lee scores 15 to carry Northern Illinois over Akron 67-65
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — Justin Lee had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Darius Beane made a go-ahead jumper with six seconds left to help Northern Illinois beat Akron 67-65. Trendon Hankerson had 15 points for Northern

Perfect Alabama finishes No. 1 in AP Top 25 for 12th time
By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Alabama has finished No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the 12th time after finishing with the program’s first perfect season since 2009.

Colliton agrees to 2-year extension with Blackhawks
By JAY COHEN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton has agreed to a two-year contract extension on the eve of his third season with the team. Colliton is 62-58-17 since he replaced

Bears facing decisions on Pace, Nagy after wild-card loss
By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer The Bears head into the offseason with some big issues to address after going 8-8 in the regular season for the second year in a row. They start with whether general

‘Uncharted waters’: More NBA games off as virus issues grow
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer The NBA has called off two more games because of COVID-related and contact tracing issues. The league postponed Monday’s game in Dallas between the Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans as

Morsell scores 19 as Maryland upsets No. 12 Illinois 66-63
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Darryl Morsell scored 19 points, Donta Scott added 16 and Maryland upset No. 12 Illinois 66-63. The game was fast-paced and close throughout. Hakim Hart hit a 3-pointer with 4:08 left to give

Leonard reaches 10,000 points; Clippers beat Bulls 130-127
By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 35 points, going over 10,000 in his career, and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat the Chicago Bulls 130-127. Leonard reached

Drop, ejection and penalties sink Bears in playoff loss
By GUERRY SMITH Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A drop in the end zone by Chicago receiver Javon Wims was just one of many mistakes that cost the Bears a chance to stay with New Orleans

LeBron gets 28, Lakers hold off Bulls 117-115 without Davis
By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of two injured starters for a 117-115 victory over

Schwarber, Nationals agree to 1-year, $10M deal
By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says slugging outfielder Kyle Schwarber has agreed in principle to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Washington Nationals. The person confirmed

Former Blackhawk Corey Crawford retires on eve of NHL season
By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey goaltender Corey Crawford is retiring less than three months after signing with the Devils and less than a week before the start of the NHL

Cockburn leads No. 12 Illinois past Northwestern 81-56
By JAY COHEN AP Sports Writer EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Kofi Cockburn scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, and No. 12 Illinois rallied to beat Northwestern 81-56. Cockburn also had 12 rebounds in

Hield’s 4-point play helps Kings hold off Bulls, 128-124
By MICHAEL WAGAMAN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Buddy Hield converted a four-point play with 38 seconds left to make up for a horrible shooting night, and the Sacramento Kings held off the Chicago Bulls 128-124.

Wilson scores 25 to lead Ohio over Northern Illinois 76-73
ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Dwight Wilson III had a season-high 25 points as Ohio narrowly defeated Northern Illinois 76-73. Wilson III made 12 of 14 shots. He added eight rebounds. Ben Roderick had 13 points for Ohio.

White scores 21 and Bulls rally to beat Blazers 111-108
By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Coby White had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the short-handed Chicago Bulls downed the Portland Trail Blazers 111-108. Otto Porter Jr. added 19 points and

No word on Toews as Blackhawks begin on-ice practices
By JAY COHEN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks held their first on-ice practice of training camp. A number of familiar faces were not there. Goaltender Corey Crawford signed with New Jersey in free

Northern Illinois fires coach Montgomery after 1-7 start
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — Northern Illinois has fired basketball coach Mark Montgomery after a 1-7 start. Montgomery had just two winning seasons since he took over in 2011 and led the Huskies to a 124-170 record. After

LaVine scores 39, Bulls beat Doncic-less Mavericks 118-108
By JOHN JACKSON Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine had 39 points and Coby White scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 118-108 victory over the

Blackhawks, forward Dylan Strome agree to 2-year extension
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks and forward Dylan Strome have agreed to a two-year contract extension. Strome was a restricted free agent. The extension runs through the 2021-22 season and carries a $3 million salary-cap hit.

Banged-up Chicago Bears back into playoff spot
By JAY COHEN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears have backed into the playoffs, but they have some health concerns heading into next weekend’s matchup with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Linebacker

Michael Jordan Awarded $46,000 for ‘Emotional Damages’ but Not Full Rights to His Own Name in China
A In the latest installment of Jordan’s years-long saga of trademark suits, a Shanghai court ruled Wednesday that a Chinese sportswear and shoe manufacturer that has used his name as its brand for decades did so without

Bucks stay hot from 3-point range in 126-96 rout of Bulls
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and the Milwaukee Bucks used torrid 3-point shooting to blast the short-handed Chicago Bulls 126-96 on Friday. Milwaukee shot 22 of 45 from 3-point