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Celtics Face Magic in Friday Matinee

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ORLANDO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said his team is starting to believe it can compete with – and defeat – the best teams in the NBA, and that showed when his squad knocked off the Denver Nuggets 124-119 Wednesday night.

The victory extended the Magic’s winning streak to five games.

Orlando has another big challenge ahead when it meets the visiting Boston Celtics in an NBA in-season tournament game Friday afternoon. Boston improved its record to an NBA-best 12-3 by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday.

“That’s what the growth of this team is turning into — the belief system of knowing what we’re capable of doing in big games,” Mosley said. “I can’t say enough how proud I am of this group. How hard they worked and how they continue to believe in what they’re capable of doing on a regular basis.

“The trust and belief these guys have in one another. … Our identity is that we’re a defensive team that strives for pushing each other to be better every night.”

Franz Wagner scored 24 of his team-high 27 points in the second half of the victory over the defending champion Nuggets. Paolo Banchero added 23 points in the win.

“I think (Wagner’s) ability to see, and communicate the things that he sees … that’s not easy for a lot of people to do, because he sees the game a little bit differently because of his IQ,” Mosley said. “In the way he’s able to communicate it with his teammates is very special, and then at the end he had 24 points in the second half. They challenged him and he stepped up. He made big play after big play.”

The Magic broke a 115-115 tie on a Banchero 3-pointer with 1:49 to play. Banchero, last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, shot 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point arc. He’s shooting 45.5 percent on 3-point attempts this season after finishing at 29.8 percent last season.

“A lot of teams try to stop me from getting to the rim so my whole thing is just making ’em pay,” Banchero said. “I’ve always been a good shooter so it’s just believing in it and taking the right ones, the ones that are in rhythm, the ones that feel good. And when I take ‘em, I’m shooting with confidence.”

The Celtics received 26 points and eight assists from Jaylen Brown, and 23 points and 11 rebounds from Jayson Tatum in their triumph over Milwaukee.

Boston led throughout the game, but had to fend off a late run by the Bucks. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points.

“Obviously, the fans and everyone in the building knew this was No. 1 and No. 2 seed (in the Eastern Conference) playing against each other, and that just adds more fuel to the atmosphere,” Porzingis said. “The energy was there. We played hard and they made a good push at the end and almost made a comeback, but we held strong.”

The Celtics are 2-0 in in-season tournament games, and are the only unbeaten team in the East’s Group C. Boston’s victories came against Brooklyn and Toronto.

Orlando has won two of its three in-season tournament games. The Magic beat Chicago and Toronto after opening with a loss to Brooklyn.

– Field Level Media

Thanksgiving Night Special

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SEATTLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Seattle Seahawks likely would have preferred a full week to determine whether quarterback Geno Smith was healthy enough to start against the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers.

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Instead, they’ll only have until tonight, when the teams meet in Seattle.

Smith was injured late in the third quarter of a 17-16 defeat to the host Los Angeles Rams on Sunday when he was knocked to the turf by Aaron Donald. Smith suffered a bruise on his right arm, near the elbow.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Smith said of his availability for the Thanksgiving Day game. “That’s up to coach.”

Smith missed most of the fourth quarter with his throwing elbow in a heavy wrap before returning after the Rams took the lead with 1:31 remaining. Despite losing communication with the sideline, Smith guided the Seahawks into field-goal range before Jason Myers narrowly missed a 55-yard attempt in the closing seconds.

“Pretty difficult, in a lot of pain, but just tried to go out there and do my best,” said Smith, who finished 22-of-34 passing for 233 yards and one touchdown.

The Seahawks (6-4) don’t know if leading rusher Kenneth Walker III will be available after suffering an oblique injury in the first half against the Rams. They’re hopeful safety Jamal Adams will return after missing Sunday’s game with a knee issue. And star wide receiver DK Metcalf appeared on Tuesday’s estimated injury report with a toe injury.

San Francisco (7-3) has righted itself after a three-game losing streak heading into its bye week.

Second-year quarterback Brock Purdy, who threw five interceptions during the 49ers’ skid, has been nearly flawless the past two weeks in victories against Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. Purdy completed 40 of 51 passes for 629 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in those games. He posted sky-high passer ratings of 148.9 and 158.3 against the Jaguars and Bucs, respectively.

Purdy said he got the “chip” back on his shoulder.

“Getting back to that and then proving myself every drive, every play that I can be the guy for this team and I have to earn it every single week at practice, in meetings, whatever it may be,” Purdy said. “So, that’s the mindset of what I was talking about and definitely more in tune to being detailed and stuff the last couple weeks and finding that chip again.”

Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating (115.1), completion rate (70.2 percent), yards per attempt (9.7) and percentage of passes for touchdowns (6.5 percent).

“System quarterback, right?” 49ers tight end George Kittle joked about Purdy. “Brock’s fantastic in the way he shows up every single day. Someone asked him about his mindset, like how he can be so aggressive and protect the football. He talked about being a surgeon. He talked about having zero fear and just that quote from him shows his maturity level, how he understands the game and what it means to play quarterback at a high level while being aggressive at taking care of the football.”

San Francisco safety Talanoa Hufanga suffered a season-ending knee injury last week. The 49ers could be without both starting offensive guards, as Spencer Buford (knee) missed practice time this week and Aaron Banks (toe) was limited, as were defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (thumb), wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (rib) and cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles (shoulder).

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he knows his team faces a tough test but pointed to San Francisco’s recent skid.

“It’s just really a difficult team to deal with. But teams have figured it out. They have found them out and they were able to get them,” Carroll said. “So we understand that. They’ve got three losses. We got four losses. This is a huge opportunity for us.”

–Field Level Media

Packers Sack Lions. 29-22

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DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jordan Love passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting Green Bay Packers surprised NFC North leader Detroit, 29-22, on Thanksgiving Day.

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Christian Watson caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown for Green Bay (5-6). AJ Dillon gained a combined 81 yards rushing and receiving, while Jonathan Owens scored on a fumble return.

Detroit’s Jared Goff passed for 332 yards and two touchdowns but also lost three fumbles. David Montgomery rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 95 yards (8-3).

Detroit has lost seven straight on Thanksgiving Day.

The Packers led 23-6 at halftime.

Both teams scored touchdowns on their opening drives. Love connected with Watson on a 53-yard pass on the Packers’ first play from scrimmage. A 10-yard pass from Love to Jayden Reed completed the possession.

Goff connected with Sam LaPorta on a 7-yard scoring strike after the same connection produced a 31-yard gain. Riley Patterson missed the extra point, leaving Detroit down 7-6.

Green Bay answered with a 75-yard drive, completed by Love’s 10-yard pass to Tucker Kraft.

The Packers stretched their lead to 14 points when Goff fumbled while getting sacked. Owens scooped up the ball on one bounce and scored from 27 yards out. Anders Carlson missed the extra point.

Carlson made a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Detroit scored on its first possession of the second half on Montgomery’s 6-yard run.

The Lions attempted a run on a fake punt later in the quarter and it failed, giving Green Bay the ball on Detroit’s 23. Watson caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Love on third down. A two-point conversion try failed, leaving the score at 29-14.

Goff threw an incompletion on fourth down deep in Green Bay territory midway through the fourth quarter.

Goff connected with Josh Reynolds on a 12-yard touchdown pass and hit LaPorta for the two-point conversion but there were only 41 seconds left. The Packers recovered the onside kick, essentially ending the game.

–Field Level Media

Thanks! Commanders Visit Dallas Today

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DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders enter their NFC East Thanksgiving Day matchup in vastly different mindsets.

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While the Cowboys (7-3) are rolling toward their third straight playoff appearance, the Commanders (4-7) are on track for their seventh consecutive non-winning season.

With speculation flying about a potential pink slip for coach Ron Rivera on Black Friday, especially if Washington lays another egg on national TV in Dallas, there’s one overarching storyline entering the game.

Rivera hit perhaps the nadir of his tenure in Washington on Sunday when the Commanders committed six turnovers in a 31-19 loss at home to the lowly New York Giants.

Peppered with questions about his future and the team’s lack of improvement over his four seasons in D.C., Rivera stuck to his one-game-at-a-time mantra Monday.

“What I try to do is just focus in on what’s important today and that’s really just preparing to get ready for Dallas,” Rivera said.

Throughout this season, Rivera has emphasized the development of second-year quarterback Sam Howell and his role as a long-term building block.

But against the Giants, Howell threw three interceptions, including a fluttering pass that Isaiah Simmons returned 54 yards for the game-clinching touchdown with 16 seconds left.

“It’s not like we got outplayed. We just didn’t take care of the football. We were moving the ball up and down the field,” Howell said. “We literally beat ourselves.”

A.J. Dillon Active vs. Packers

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DETROIT – Green Bay Packers running back A.J. Dillon is active for today’s road game against the Detroit Lions.

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Dillon, who is nursing a groin injury, was one of five players listed as questionable on the injury report.

While Dillon is expected to play on Thursday, fellow running back Aaron Jones was listed as inactive due to a sprained MCL. Joining Jones as inactive for the Packers (4-6) are cornerback Jaire Alexander, wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, safety Rudy Ford, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, tackle Caleb Jones and tight end Josiah Deguara.

As for the Lions (8-2), they listed the following players as inactive: Defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, cornerback Steven Gilmore, wide receiver Antoine Green, guard Jonah Jackson, defensive lineman Brodric Martin and linebackers Julian Okwara and Trevor Nowaske.

–Field Level Media

Ross Places Dolphins on the Block

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report from a News Post by Sportico) – Billionaire Stephen Ross is exploring options to sell a minority stake in the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium and the F1 Miami Grand Prix, according to a report from sports business site, Sportico.

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Ross reportedly has been talking to multiple investors since earlier this year, according to a Sportico source.

It is possible that Ross could decide not to sell at a later date, according to the source.

The talks are reportedly intended to provide Ross with capital to invest in new sports ventures.

Ross is worth $8.64 billion, according to Bloomberg, but Forbes pegs his net worth at $11.6 billion. He is the principal owner of the Dolphins which, including team-related businesses and real estate holdings, are worth $5.24 billion, per Sportico.

In 2022, the Dolphins had revenue of nearly $600 million and an operating profit of approximately $128 million.

He is also the principal owner of Hard Rock Stadium, which had total revenues of $129.8 million, according to Fitch Ratings.

Ross also owns the Miami International Autodrome, which runs around Hard Rock Stadium and had exclusive rights to host the Miami Grand Prix through the 2032 season. The Formula 1 Grand Prix was held there for the first time in 2022.

In addition to The Related Companies, a real estate development company he founded in 1972, Ross is also the 2012 co-founder of a private investment firm, RSE Ventures, which covers sports and entertainment, media and marketing, food and lifestyle, and technology.

Ross has been active in real estate development and philanthropy for four decades. His other holdings include the Miami Open tennis event as well as investments in the Equinox gym chain and SoulCycle.

Ross is the third NFL owner looking to sell a minority franchise stake. New Washington Commanders owners David Blitzer and Josh Harris need to divest their stakes in the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Los Angeles Chargers have a 24 percent stake available.

–Field Level Media

Lightning’s Hagel Burns Bruins in OT

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TAMPA-ST. PETE – Tampa’s Brandon Hagel scored on a breakaway 1:19 into overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning took down the NHL’s top club, topping the visiting Boston Bruins 5-4 on Monday night.

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After winning the overtime face-off and keeping possession the entire three-on-three session, Victor Hedman found Hagel on a breakaway off a line change.

Hagel slipped his ninth goal through the legs of goaltender Jeremy Swayman (41 saves) as the Lightning won for the first time in five overtime games.

Hagel and Steven Stamkos each had a goal and an assist, while Tanner Jeannot, Nicholas Paul and Austin Watson scored to help Tampa Bay improve to 6-2-2 at home and win its third straight game. Goalie Jonas Johansson stopped 23 shots.

David Pastrnak recorded a goal and an assist, and Pavel Zacha and John Beecher each scored for the Bruins, who dropped to 7-1-2 in their past 10 games and are 2-3 in overtime.

To open the second game on their three-game homestand, the Lightning went up 1-0 on a delayed penalty, as Jeannot scored his fourth goal at 6:39.

However, the visitors scored the equalizer off a turnover when Pastrnak skated in and reversed a pass to Zacha, who deposited his seventh goal at 9:55.

During a testy second period that resulted in three of the six minor penalties being for roughing, the Lightning had a five-on-three and four-on-three power play.

But Paul put his club up 2-1 when he deflected in a wide shot from Mikhail Sergachev with 30 seconds remaining in the frame.

Starting the third trailing for just the second time in 17 games, the Bruins evened it 2-all when Pastrnak blistered his 12th goal from way above the left circle at 6:26, then the club quickly took its first lead.

It kept the puck in the offensive zone, and the puck found its way to Beecher, who slipped his second tally by Johansson just 82 seconds after Pastrnak’s goal.

On his first point of the season, Watson flipped in the game-tying goal from the bottom of the right circle less than a minute later.

James van Riemsdyk won a battle behind the Lightning goal and put the puck on Coyle’s stick for his sixth tally at 16:09.

However, Stamkos’ seventh marker tied it with. 4.8 seconds left to send the match to overtime.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Gift a Game in Charlotte

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CHARLOTTE – Hornets forward Miles Bridges, recently reinstated from an NBA suspension, drilled a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left in overtime as Charlotte pulled off a 121-118 upset victory against the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday.

Charlotte delivered a startling fourth-quarter comeback, scoring the last nine points in regulation over a span of the final two minutes, en route to snapping a four-game losing streak.

LaMelo Ball contributed 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Hornets. Ex-Celtic Gordon Hayward had 20 points, Mark Williams posted 18 points and 16 rebounds, Bridges finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds and P.J. Washington had 15 points off the bench.

Jayson Tatum scored 31 of his 45 points in the first half for the Celtics, whose six-game winning streak ended. He also had team-high totals in rebounds (13) and assists (six).

Boston’s Payton Pritchard produced 21 points off the bench, while teammates Kristaps Porzingis (17 points), Jaylen Brown (13) and Jrue Holiday (11) were also in double figures.

After Bridges’ basket, Tatum made two free throws and Hayward matched that to account for the final score.

Until the final minutes Monday, the Celtics had a wildly successful four-game road trip — and they were greeted by many of their adoring fans on this final stop.

Bridges played in his third game since serving a suspension stemming from a domestic violence case, but he was in the starting lineup for the first time. Bridges replaced Washington.

Charlotte, which was down 11 points with six minutes left, trailed 108-99 with two minutes to go before rallying.

Williams’ putback of an offensive rebound made it a two-point game with 33 seconds left.

Holiday missed a pair of free throws with 10.1 seconds to play in regulation, and Ball’s driving, double-clutch layup tied the score with seven seconds left. Boston’s Sam Hauser missed a potential winning shot at the regulation buzzer.

The Celtics led 65-54 at halftime. Charlotte was within 90-87 on Washington’s jumper with about 9 1/2 minutes to play.

Ball had 17 first-half points, but that seemed pedestrian compared to Tatum, who shot 10-for-15 from the floor and sank five 3-pointers in the half.

–Field Level Media

Eagles Land Big Win at KC

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KANSAS CITY – Philly QB Jalen Hurts rushed for two touchdowns and the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the host Kansas City Chiefs 21-17 on Monday night in a Super Bowl rematch.

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D’Andre Swift rushed for a touchdown and had 107 scrimmage yards (76 rushing, 31 receiving) as the Eagles, who own the best record in the NFL at 9-1, won their fourth straight game. DeVonta Smith caught six passes for 99 yards, including a long one that set up the winning score.

Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdowns but also threw an interception and finished with just 177 passing yards. He completed 24 of 43 passes for the Chiefs (7-3). Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and Justin Watson had touchdown receptions.

The Week 11 showdown was a rematch of the highly competitive Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs won the game 38-35 thanks to Harrison Butker’s game-winning 27-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining.

Hurts was 14-of-22 passing for 150 yards and one interception on Monday. He was harassed repeatedly in the first half when he was sacked five times, but the Eagles didn’t allow a sack in the second half.

Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie each had two sacks for the Chiefs. Kelce had seven receptions but just 44 yards.

Philadelphia moved ahead for the first time at 21-17 with 6:20 remaining.

The touchdown was set up by Hurts’ 41-yard pass to Smith to the Kansas City 1-yard line. The Eagles then called for the “Tush Push,” and Hurts received the usual extra help while plunging in for the score.

The Chiefs later took over from their 9-yard line with 2:49 remaining. Kansas City had second down from its 49-yard line when Mahomes threw deep but Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropped the pass despite being open inside the Philadelphia 5.

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Later in the possession, Mahomes’ pass on fourth-and-25 was incomplete and the Eagles took over with 1:28 left and ran out the clock.

The Eagles pulled within 17-14 when Hurts scored on a 10-yard keeper on third-and-5 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.

Mahomes threw two touchdowns to help the Chiefs hold a 17-7 halftime lead.

Kansas City got on the board when Mahomes tossed a 3-yard scoring pass to Watson with 5:34 left in the first quarter.

The Eagles knotted the score on Swift’s 4-yard run with 31 seconds remaining in the opening period.

The Chiefs scored 10 points in the final two minutes of the half. Mahomes hit Kelce on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 1:45 left and Butker booted a 43-yarder as time expired.

–Field Level Media

It’s Georgia and Ohio State as No. 1 and 2

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DALLAS – Ohio State overtook Michigan to capture the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday, as the bitter rivals prepare to meet next weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.

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The Wolverines, without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh, earned their 1,000th program victory on Saturday against Maryland but dropped one spot to No. 3.

Georgia, which has sat atop the poll all season, remained No. 1 and earned 61 of 62 first-place votes, with the remaining vote going to the Buckeyes.

Washington, after a 22-20 win over then-No. 10 Oregon State, rose a spot to No. 4, trading places with No. 5 Florida State. The Seminoles defeated North Alabama on Saturday but lost their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, to an apparently serious left leg injury.

Each of the teams in the top five is 11-0. The College Football Playoff committee, which ultimately determines the four teams that will contest for the national championship, will issue its updated rankings on Tuesday.

This week, the CFP had Georgia at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and Washington.

The AP Top 25 ranking for the No. 6 through 9 teams remained unchanged Sunday, with No. 6 Oregon followed by Texas, Alabama and Louisville — a quartet of 10-1 teams.

Oregon State (8-3) plummeted five spots to No. 15.

Moving up one spot to No. 10 was Missouri, followed by Penn State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, all 8-2. LSU (9-3) stands at No. 14.

With losses Saturday, James Madison (10-1) plunged six spots to No. 24, with Tennessee falling four positions to No. 25.