Durant leads Rockets past Nets for fourth straight victory

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant had 22 points and a season-high 11 assists, Amen Thompson scored 23 points and the Houston Rockets beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-96 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.

Alperen Sengun had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists after a two-game absence for the Rockets, who started fast in both halves to win in Brooklyn for the first time in seven years. Tari Eason finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard each scored 14 points.

Sengun was 8 for 12 from the floor after sitting out two games with a left calf injury.

Cam Thomas scored 21 points for the Nets, who dropped their second straight after winning three in a row for the only time this season. Ziaire Williams added 14.

HEAT 118, PISTONS 112

DETROIT (AP) — Norman Powell scored 36 points and Bam Abdebayo added 15 points and 14 rebounds as Miami extended their winning streak to four games with a win over Detroit.

Cade Cunningham had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for Detroit and Marcus Sasser scored 18.

Detroit trailed by 22 in the second half and was still down 114-103 with two minutes left, but scored six straight points to make it a five-point game. Powell missed and Javonte Green hit a 3-pointer to get the Pistons within two with 46.4 seconds to play.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. hit a short jumper to make it a two-possession game, though, and Ausar Thompson's turnover forced the Pistons to start fouling. Powell hit a pair of free throws — his first points of the fourth quarter — to clinch it.

Jaquez scored 19 points for the Heat and Andrew Wiggins added 17.

76ERS 123, MAVERICKS 108

DALLAS (AP) — Tyrese Maxey had 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Joel Embiid scored 22 points and Philadelphia beat Dallas.

Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe, the one-and-done player from Baylor playing 100 miles from his college campus for the first time, scored 23 points two nights afterhitting a 3-pointer in the final seconds of a 139-136 overtime victoryat Memphis.

Oft-injured Anthony Davis returned for Dallas after missing two games with a sore adductor muscle. The 10-time All-Star finished with 13 points and eight rebounds as the Mavs matched their season worst with a fourth consecutive loss.

Rookie No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg scored 12 points for the Mavericks, who were led by Max Christie's 18 points.

CELTICS 120, KINGS 106

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Boston pulled away down the stretch to beat the Sacramento.

Brown shot 11 of 25, including 1 for 9 from 3-point distance, but made six free throws and added four assists before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

The four-time All-Star has been on a scoring tear lately, pouring in 20 or more points in 12 of his last 15 games.

Payton Pritchard had 16 points and six assists as Boston improved to 3-1 on its five-game trip. Sam Hauser hit five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points. Anfernee Simons also scored 15.

DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 25 points. Dennis Schroder scored 18 and Keon Ellis added 16. The Kings (8-26) have lost four of five and nine of 11.

CLIPPERS 118, JAZZ 101

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points, James Harden added 20 and Los Angeles recovered from blowing a 21-point lead to beat Utah, extending their winning streak to a season-best six games.

Leonard was the only Clippers starter on the floor for much of the fourth quarter. He singlehandedly matched Utah's points in the period (20), with blood on his nose from what appeared to be a scratch.

Los Angeles hit seven straight 3-pointers, with Leonard making four, to pull away. Nicolas Batum finished with 14 points and went 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Jazz rallied despite being without three starters. They were led by reserve Kyle Anderson with 22 points — his first 20-point game in nearly three years — and Brice Sensabaugh with 20. Anderson's eight rebounds were a season high. Cody Williams also had 18 points, while Isaiah Collier had 16 points and 10 assists.

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January 02, 2026

Durant leads Rockets past Nets for fourth straight victory

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant had 22 points and a season-high 11 assists, Amen Thompson scored 23 points and the Houston ...

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Last-minute field goal lifts Ole Miss past Georgia, into CFP semis

Since the regular season ended, Ole Miss dominated the college football news cycle with its off-field buzz regarding the Lane Kiffin saga.

Under new head coach Pete Golding, the No. 6 Rebels are thriving with an "us against the world" mentality.

Ole Miss earned the biggest win in school history on Thursday, as Lucas Carneiro drilled a tiebreaking 47-yard field goal with six seconds left, propelling the Rebels to a 39-34 victory over No. 3 Georgia in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

Golding, unlike Kiffin, wasn't a household name until recently, but now the former defensive coordinator has Ole Miss two wins away from a national championship.

"I think you've got to have the right guys," Golding said of his team. "I think they've got to be tough, they've got to be competitive. I think they've got to love football. I think you've got a lot of guys on other teams that don't love football. If there's one thing about this group, it's that they love football."

Trinidad Chambliss threw a 40-yard pass to De'Zhaun Stribling on third-and-5 with 26 seconds left, leading to Carneiro's third field goal of the game.

A backwards pass on Georgia's ensuing kickoff return struck the end-zone pylon, resulting in a safety with one second left.

Chambliss threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns and Kewan Lacy rushed for 98 yards and two scores for Ole Miss (13-1), which will face No. 10 Miami in a semifinal game at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

The Rebels' remarkable postseason run hasn't come without its fair share of obstacles, but Chambliss and company aren't thinking big-picture quite yet.

"We're not really focused on destiny or anything like that," said Chambliss, who was selected as the Sugar Bowl's offensive MVP. "We just want to play ball and have fun. A lot of people did doubt us before the season, and they still doubted us when our coach left. We just want to play ball and have fun, and I think that's showing right now."

Ole Miss' Harrison Wallace III made nine receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown, and Stribling hauled in seven catches for 122 yards.

Gunner Stockton threw for 203 yards and a touchdown for Georgia (12-2), which saw its second straight season end in the quarterfinals in New Orleans. A disappointing finish for the Bulldogs also marks their third consecutive campaign without a semifinal appearance.

Ole Miss outgained Georgia 473-343 and held coach Kirby Smart's team to a 3-for-13 mark on third downs.

"(The Rebels) made more plays than we did, and I've got to be honest, that's part of football," Smart said. "They outexecuted us, outcoached us, but I enjoyed that game and the atmosphere. I'm proud of our team. I'm sick that we lost."

After Georgia held a nine-point halftime lead, Bulldogs kicker Peyton Woodring had a 55-yard field-goal attempt come up short with 8:33 left in the third. From there, Lacy's 7-yard touchdown rush cut the Rebels' deficit to 21-19.

Facing a fourth-and-5 from its own 30-yard line, Georgia had Landon Roldan connect with Lawson Luckie for 16 yards on a fake punt. Woodring's 37-yarder then put the Bulldogs ahead by five.

Ole Miss took its first lead of the second half as Lacy's 5-yard touchdown rush was followed with Chambliss' two-point conversion pass to Wallace, giving the Rebels a 27-24 edge with 11:29 left in the fourth.

Georgia took another gamble on its next drive, going for it on fourth-and-2 from its own 33-yard line. Stockton was sacked, leading to Chambliss' 13-yard touchdown pass to Wallace, pushing Ole Miss' lead to 34-24 with 9:02 remaining.

The Bulldogs pulled within three as Stockton's 18-yard touchdown pass to Zachariah Branch stamped a 75-yard scoring drive that lasted just 1:59.

After forcing a punt, Georgia faced a fourth-and-9 on its 48, and Stockton connected with Branch for 16 yards. A pair of Ole Miss pass-interference penalties set Georgia up with a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line, but the Rebels held the Bulldogs to a game-tying 24-yard field goal from Woodring with 56 seconds left.

Carneiro made field goals from 55 and 56 yards in the first quarter, both setting the Sugar Bowl record. The first-year transfer from Western Kentucky is 5-for-5 on field goals in Ole Miss' two postseason wins, and Golding understands how important the redshirt junior is to the Rebels' present and future.

"A lot of people think Lucas is the best kicker in the country, so a lot of people want Lucas. So I've been meeting with Lucas a lot lately," Golding said of retaining Carneiro. "We felt he was the best kicker in the country coming out of Western Kentucky last year, and he's done an unbelievable job. ...

"We've got all the confidence in the world in him."

--Field Level Media

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January 02, 2026

Last-minute field goal lifts Ole Miss past Georgia, into CFP semis

Since the regular season ended, Ole Miss dominated the college football news cycle with its off-field buzz regarding...

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Heave and hope: How Ole Miss pulled off one of the wildest College Football Playoff wins ever

NEW ORLEANS — The best stories are those unexpected.

The ones that defy logic, that go against every prediction or prognostication. This isn't only in sports, but in life as well. The moments we least expect are often the most bewildering, shocking and altogether fascinating of our fleeting time on this earth.

This year, in this college football season, in, of all states, Mississippi and of all teams, the Ole Miss Rebels, there is an unexpected story — improbable, unprecedented, incredible really.

On New Year's Day night inside a rocking Louisiana Superdome, the latest chapter of this confounding tale played out in a football game that delivered some entirely unlikely Mardi Gras magic to this party place.

With a former Division II quarterback and a head coach in his first month on the job, the Ole Miss Rebels, a touchdown underdog playing against the country's latest perennial power, with a staff of a half-dozen coaches bound for their conference rival, that Ole Miss team, the one left in the dust by Lane Kiffin, the center of perhaps the most unprecedented coaching move in college football history, that one, these Rebels, they did it.

Ole Miss beat Georgia, 39-34, to advance to theCollege Football Playoff semifinalagainst 10th-seeded Miami (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl next Thursday — one win away from an unthinkable scenario and something that hasn't happened in more than 60 years: the Rebels playing for a national championship.

How they did it — with their former head coach an hour away in Baton Rouge, a quarterback who few knew just a year ago and a big-legged transfer kicker from Western Kentucky — is one of the most stunning happenings in the history of the sport.

"It's incredibly hard to put it in words," says Glenn Boyce, the Ole Miss chancellor, nearly in tears amid the on-field celebration. "The way you hold something like this together is, sure, leadership and leadership matters, but here's the other way: these players."

The players had been forgotten, victims of the giant shadow created by Kiffin's departure, resulting in one of the most bizarre staffing structures ever seen: Two former LSU staff members are now at Ole Miss and at least six future LSU staff members are still coaching the Rebels.

Caught in between the bickering adults is a group of players that helped sixth-seeded Ole Miss (13-1) storm back on Thursday from a nine-point second-half deficit against the third-seeded and SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs (12-2).

There's quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, a former Division II passer who tore through Georgia's defense for 362 yards and two touchdowns and, in his final heave, found receiver De'Zhaun Stribling for 40 yards to set up the game-winning 47-yard field goal from another unlikely star, transfer kicker Lucas Carneiro, who swung that leg of his to field goals of 57 and 55 yards as well.

How about receiver Harrison Wallace? He caught nine passes on this night for 156 yards. There was also running back Kewan Lacy, banged up enough that in the post-game locker room he reminded a reporter not to tap too hard on that injured shoulder of his. He didn't seem hurt between the lines, gouging UGA for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

Don't forget about the defense, too. Linebacker Suntarine Perkins' sack on a Georgia fourth down put Ole Miss in position to take a two-score lead. And defensive tackle Zxavian Harris led the team in tackles (10) and broke up a key pass.

In fact, within that celebratory locker room, Harris, barechested with a towel wrapped around his sweaty head and a silver chain around his thick neck, had a message for his former coach.

"He's been trying to steal our shine," Harris said. "All of our coaches could leave now and we'd still operate as a close team. We are our own team. Coaches can only do so much."

Later on, Harris quipped, "I heard [Kiffin] was trying to get [on TV] with the announcers [at the game]. We're not worried about Kiffin. Kiffin gone."

Gone but not forgotten. Afterward, Kiffin's departure still lingered across the post-game celebration. While he didn't appear at the game,Kiffin posted congratulatory messages to his former squadon social media. But on the field and in the locker room, during these mayhem moments, no one seemed particularly complimentary of the man who helped build the roster and then left it amid a playoff run.

"Eat s***!" one Ole Miss official said amid the postgame celebration. "He can eat s***!"

Kiffin's impact on the Ole Miss team isn't necessarily done. In fact, it remains unclear if the six Ole Miss assistant coaches who have signed to coach next season at LSU will remain with the team. Many around the program expect all or some of them to permanently join the LSU staff and end their run with the Rebels.

Asked about the future of the LSU-bound assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter told Yahoo Sports, "I don't know."

In the meantime, on Friday, the transfer portal opened, potentially setting off whatone Ole Miss staff member described as a multitude of potential "player swaps" between the two programs.

It's one of the most bizarre situations to ever happen in the sport.

But, alas, don't let it take away from the unexpected, from the unpredictable, from the unprecedented that unfolded here at the Superdome, where an Ole Miss Powder Blue Party carried on deep into the night — their athletic director and new head coach, Pete Golding, at the center of it all.

"I think we all lost a few years off our lives tonight. But, man, it was worth it," Carter said. "It's one of the most mature groups I've ever been around in that locker room. For us to come back and win that game, it shows character."

Carter pulled aside Golding after the game and whispered to him, "What you've done the last few weeks is unbelievable."

On Thursday night, the Rebels trailed 21-12 before their comeback. They amassed two long touchdown drives to take the lead and then their defense stuffed the Bulldogs on fourth down at the UGA 30-yard line when Perkins mauled quarterback Gunner Stockton, popping the ball free and setting up Chambliss' touchdown to Wallace for a 10-point lead with nine minutes left.

But Georgia tied the score late on wild drives of its own. All that did was set up more Chambliss magic. On third-and-5 and with 32 seconds left, he hit in stride a streaking Stribling for that big gain and Carneiro booted his field goal.

"This is awesome," the kicker said afterward. "Something I dreamed about. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

But before the party could really begin, drama unfolded in the final seconds. In fact, Ole Miss players and fans celebrated the win three different times. The Rebels were even awarded a safety in the final seconds as a backward throw on a kickoff bounded into the end zone and an official review also put one second back on the clock.

In a wild scene, Ole Miss players were twice ushered off the field and the stage, wheeled onto the playing surface for the trophy presentation, needed to be shoved back onto the sideline.

Finally, after Georgia's last-gasp — a play of nearly a dozen laterals — the party could begin.

The crowd boomed Golding's name, "Peeeete! Peeeete!" Players carried around the giant Sugar Bowl trophy. The band played. And people cried.

Do players realize the story in which they are a part of?

"They'll realize it when it's all said and done but right now, they're playing football in the backyard," said Eric Wood, the school's deputy athletic director. "They're playing backyard football. I don't know if they realize it, but I do know that they are fighting like crazy to not have it stop."

It's all so unexpected.

byAdministrator

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January 02, 2026

Heave and hope: How Ole Miss pulled off one of the wildest College Football Playoff wins ever

NEW ORLEANS — The best stories are those unexpected. The ones that defy logic, that go against every predictio...

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Brown scores 29 points and Celtics pull away in 4th for 120-106 win over Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics pulled away down the stretch to beat the Sacramento Kings 120-106 on Thursday night.

Brown shot 11 of 25, including 1 for 9 from 3-point distance, but made six free throws and added four assists before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

The four-time All-Star has been on a scoring tear lately, pouring in 20 or more points in 12 of his last 15 games.

Payton Pritchard had 16 points and six assists as Boston improved to 3-1 on its five-game trip. Sam Hauser hit five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points. Anfernee Simons also scored 15.

DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 25 points. Dennis Schroder scored 18 and Keon Ellis added 16. The Kings (8-26) have lost four of five and nine of 11.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/NBA

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January 01, 2026

Brown scores 29 points and Celtics pull away in 4th for 120-106 win over Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics pulled away down the stretc...

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Ole Miss-Georgia had 1 of the weirdest endings ever: A safety, a free kick, confused stage workers and 9 laterals

A game as good as the Sugar Bowl between Ole Miss and Georgiahad to have a wild ending. It ended up having three of them.

In one of the more confusing endings to a football game you will ever see, Ole Miss twice celebrated what it thought was the final play of a breakthrough win in the College Football Playoff, only to be told the game hadn't ended.

In both cases, the crew working the stage for the trophy ceremony had already moved it onto the field, then had to awkwardly remove it as the game played on.

The refs REALLY drew this one out 😭pic.twitter.com/oDdgVjvjLg

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports)January 2, 2026

The sequence of events worked out like this.

After a frantic drive that saw Ole Miss reach the Georgia 30-yard line in less than a minute, Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro broke a 34-34 tie with a 47-yard field goal. That appeared to be the game-winner, but six seconds were still left on the clock, so Ole Miss had to kick the ball back to Georgia, opening the door for a miracle for the Bulldogs.

Instead, an attempt at a cross-field lateral resulted in the ball bouncing out of bounds, but not without first hitting the pylon. That made it a safety for Ole Miss, putting the Rebels up five points with one second left. Ole Miss had already been celebrating the win, with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss hugging teammates and several non-players and coaches already running onto the field.

The officials restored order and had Georgia make its free kick, which went 10 yards and then was recovered by Bulldogs running back Cash Jones. However, Ole Miss thought that the final second of the game had still passed and celebrated accordingly, giving head coach Pete Golding a Gatorade bath as the ESPN announcers pronounced the game over.

Nope. The officials ruled there was still one second left on the clock … and Georgia had the ball at its own 31-yard line. ESPN announcer Sean McDonough said the ending felt "excruciating" and asked rules expert Matt Austin, "Does common sense need to prevail here?"

Austin's response. "Well, yes, but we do have rules we have to follow."

And so Georgia got its last play, completing one forward pass and nine laterals before quarterback Gunner Stockton was slammed to the ground, 80 yards short of the end zone. The game was over, for real this time.

You can watch the whole thing play out below:

The official play-by-play of that final desperation play:

STOCKTON, Gunner pass short to the left complete for 4 yards to YOUNG, Colbie caught at the UGA35 and advanced to the UGA35 lateral to JONES, Cash for 1 yard to the UGA36 lateral to LUCKIE, Lawson for -3 yards to the UGA33 lateral to JONES, Cash for 5 yards to the UGA38 lateral to YOUNG, Colbie for -7 yards to the UGA31 lateral to YOUNG, Colbie for -5 yards to the UGA26 lateral to LUCKIE, Lawson for 7 yards to the UGA33 lateral to JONES, Cash for 13 yards to the UGA46 lateral to YOUNG, Colbie for -14 yards to the UGA32 lateral to LUCKIE, Lawson for 0 yards to the UGA32 lateral to BELL, Dillon for -11 yards to the UGA21 lateral to MADDOX, Adrian for -2 yards to the UGA19 (PERKINS, Suntarine;JONES, Andrew), clock 00:00.

This could have become even more chaotic, but the end result was what everyone expected after Carneiro made his kick.Ole Miss will advance to the semifinal of the College Football Playoff and face Miami.Georgia's season is over. Rebels head coach Pete Golding is $500,000 richer.So is former head coach Lane Kiffin.

And we saw firsthand just how far officials will go to end a game by the book.

byAdministrator

in

January 01, 2026

Ole Miss-Georgia had 1 of the weirdest endings ever: A safety, a free kick, confused stage workers and 9 laterals

A game as good as the Sugar Bowl between Ole Miss and Georgiahad to have a wild ending. It ended up having three of them...

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