Buccaneers edge Panthers to keep NFC South title hopes alive

Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their chance to win the NFC South alive by beating the Carolina Panthers 16-14 on a rainy Saturday at Tampa.

The Buccaneers (8-9) and Panthers (8-9) finish tied in the NFC South, but they'll be joined by the Atlanta Falcons (7-9) if they beat the New Orleans Saints (6-10) on Sunday. A three-way tie would benefit Carolina and put the Panthers into the playoffs, while the Buccaneers will be rooting for the Saints because Tampa Bay would win the division if there's only a two-way tie.

"We'll see what happens tomorrow," Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield said after the win on awaiting the result of the Saints and Falcons game.

Mayfield was 16-for-22 for 203 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His 20-yard completion to Cade Otton for a first down late in the fourth quarter helped seal the outcome.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was 24-for-35 for 264 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Carolina produced only 19 rushing yards.

McLaughlin's 48-yard field goal with 14:12 remaining marked the first points of the second half and stretched the Buccaneers' lead to 16-7.

Then the Panthers moved to the Tampa Bay 20, but a flea-flicker went awry with a wayward pitch from Rico Dowdle, resulting in a fumble recovered by Lavonte David for the Buccaneers.

But Carolina had another chance and went 72 yards on eight plays, capped by Young's 8-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker with 2:27 left. The Panthers forced a punt, but got the ball back at their own 3-yard line with 18 seconds left and no timeouts.

It was the second Panthers-Buccaneers matchup in less than two weeks, with Carolina winning 23-20 on Dec. 21 in Charlotte.

The Buccaneers scored on the game's first possession, with Mayfield completing three passes, including an 18-yard touchdown to Otton.

Tampa Bay threatened again in their next possession but settled for McLaughlin's 29-yard field goal.

Carolina's Christian Rozeboom intercepted Mayfield and his 20-yard return put the ball at Tampa Bay's 19. Three plays later, the Panthers were within 10-7 after Young's 8-yard pass to Tommy Tremble.

Carolina's next possession ended when Jacob Parrish picked off Young at the Tampa Bay 42. The Buccaneers converted on McLaughlin's 36-yard field goal with two seconds left in the first half to stretch their edge to 13-7.

--Field Level Media

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January 03, 2026

Buccaneers edge Panthers to keep NFC South title hopes alive

Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their chance to win the NFC South alive ...

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Maxey scores 36 points and the 76ers win again in New York, beating the Knicks 130-119

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 36 points, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe each had 26 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 130-119 on Saturday night for their third straight victory.

Paul George added 15 points and Quentin Grimes had 10 for the 76ers, who won at Madison Square Garden for the second time this season. Embiid also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points for the Knicks, who have lost three straight for the second time this season. Karl-Anthony Towns, who returned after missing one game due to illness, added 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Deuce McBride scored 20 points, OG Anunoby had 19 and Mikal Bridges added 12 for New York.

The Knicks were ahead 30-25 when the 76ers scored the final six points of the first quarter and led 31-30.

Philadelphia increased its run to 9-0 when Edgecombe opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Anunoby and Jordan Clarkson put the Knicks back in front.

Trailing 38-37, the 76ers produced a 9-0 run and grabbed the lead for good. They went ahead by 13 before the Knicks scored the last five points of the second quarter and cut their deficit to 66-58 at halftime.

Embiid's two free throws gave Philadelphia its largest lead at 96-77 with 3:13 remaining in the third quarter. The Knicks' 10-3 run pulled them within 99-87 heading into the fourth.

Towns' bucket opened the final quarter and his three-point play with 9:59 left brought the Knicks within 103-94.

The 76ers regained a 15-point lead, but Anunoby's free throws with 2:08 left got the Knicks within 121-114.

Maxey's free throw, Grimes' layup and Edgecombe's jam followed and the Knicks never got any closer.

76ers: Host Denver on Monday.

Knicks: Visit Detroit on Monday.

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

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January 03, 2026

Maxey scores 36 points and the 76ers win again in New York, beating the Knicks 130-119

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 36 points, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe each had 26 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat ...

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49ers' offense goes silent against Seahawks, costing them NFC's No. 1 seed

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The game started with the San Francisco 49ers unable to generate a single first down in the first quarter. It ended with Brock Purdy on his back after a crushing hit on a fourth-down incompletion.

It wasn't much better in between for the 49ers. An offense that was nearly unstoppable during a six-game winning streak could generate almost nothing against the Seattle Seahawks in a13-3 loss Saturday nightthat cost San Francisco a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

"They played good defense and we didn't execute," Purdy said. "All these other games were we pulled away and had good points and stats and all that stuff is because we execute on the gritty third downs and stay on the field and then we go and score touchdowns after that. So obviously that's something we needed to do tonight. We didn't and the scoreboard shows it."

Now, instead of getting a bye, home-field advantage and the chance to play the Super Bowl on their home field without taking another trip, the 49ers (12-5) will have to head on the road next week in the wild-card round after falling flat in their biggest game of the season.

San Francisco will get the fifth seed and the chance to play the 8-9 winner of the NFC South in the playoffs if the Rams lose or tie against Arizona on Sunday. The Niners will fall to the sixth seed with a trip to Philadelphia or Chicago if Los Angeles beats the Cardinals.

"We're ready for it," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "It would have been nice to have a home game here — or both home games — and get a bye. But it is what it is. This team's been through a lot this year. Now we got to do it the hard way."

The Niners had put themselves in this position thanks to an offense that helped the team average a league-best 35.7 points during a six-game winning streak that featured back-to-back games with at least 42 points ahead of the showdown against Seattle.

But after thriving against several of the NFL's weaker defenses in recent weeks, San Francisco was outclassed by a Seahawks unit that put heavy pressure on Purdy, shut down Christian McCaffrey and the running game and used sound tackling to eliminate big plays after the catch.

It added up to one of the worst offensive performances for San Francisco in nine seasons under Shanahan, with the three points being the fewest the team scored since a 23-3 loss to Carolina in his debut in 2017 and the 173 yards the fewest ever in a regular-season game.

"Disappointed," tight end George Kittle said. "NFL, you can have a bad game any game. Unfortunately, we decided to have a bad game today. ... Kind of hard to expect to really win a game if we're not going to score more than three points."

Purdy finished 19 of 27 for 127 yards with one interception and took three sacks. McCaffrey was held to 23 yards on eight carries and a season-low 57 yards from scrimmage.

Playing without Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams and receiver Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco never got into a rhythm on offense. The 49ers started the game with back-to-back three-and-outs and then got stopped on fourth-and-1 on the next drive after finally getting a first down.

The Niners got a late field goal in the first half and only trailed 10-3 at the break, but nothing changed in the second half with the team punting for a third time — one more than in three games combined in December — after failing to reach midfield on the opening drive of the third quarter.

San Francisco's best chance to reach the end zone came early in the fourth quarter when it drove to the 6 and was in position to cut into a 10-point deficit. But a pass by Purdy was tipped at the line andbobbled by McCaffrey into Drake Thomas' handsfor what was essentially a game-sealing interception.

"It's a play I have to make, absolutely have to make," McCaffrey said. "I expect nothing less but to make that play and it's completely on me."

The Seahawks killed more than eight minutes on the ensuing drive and the 49ers' last chance ended when Purdy was drilled by Derick Hall on a failed fourth-down pass to Kittle. Purdy was down on the turf for a bit before finally walking off the field gingerly with a stinger that Shanahan said wouldn't have kept him out of the game.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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January 03, 2026

49ers' offense goes silent against Seahawks, costing them NFC's No. 1 seed

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The game started with the San Francisco 49ers unable to generate a single first down in the f...

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Bridges and Miller help the Hornets beat the Bulls 112-99

CHICAGO (AP) — Miles Bridges had 26 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 112-99 on Saturday night.

Brandon Miller scored 22 points for Charlotte, and Kon Knueppel finished with 18. LaMelo Ball added 17 points and seven assists.

The Hornets had lost three straight and five of seven. They improved to 5-2 on the second day of back-to-back games.

Nikola Vucevic had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Chicago, which had won two in a row and seven of nine overall. Matas Buzelis scored 17 points.

The Bulls closed out a 3-3 homestand after they beat the Magic 121-114 on Friday night.

Charlotte trailed by 15 before moving in front with a big third quarter, outscoring Chicago 32-17 in the period. Miller made three of the Hornets' seven 3-pointers in the third, and the Bulls shot 21.7% (5 for 23) from the field in the quarter.

Miller's 3 made it 82-73 with 49.3 seconds left, but Ayo Dosunmu's driving layup trimmed Chicago's deficit to seven going into the fourth.

The Hornets pulled away with a 10-0 run in the final period. Miller capped the decisive stretch with a fadeaway jumper that made it 105-87 with 4:01 left.

Charlotte outrebounded Chicago 52-43 while playing with a depleted frontcourt. Moussa Diabate (wrist), Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow), Mason Plumlee (groin surgery), Grant Williams (knee surgery) and Tidjane Salaun (ankle soreness) were sidelined by injuries.

Bulls guards Josh Giddey (left hamstring) and Coby White (right calf) each missed their third consecutive game after they got hurtin a lossto Minnesota on Monday night. Jalen Smith departed in the third quarter after a collision with Ball, and the Bulls said he was being evaluated for a concussion.

The Bulls had a 58-50 lead at the break. Dosunmu scored 14 points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting, includinga half-court buzzer-beaterat the end of the first quarter.

Hornets: At Oklahoma City on Monday night.

Bulls: At Boston on Monday night.

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

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January 03, 2026

Bridges and Miller help the Hornets beat the Bulls 112-99

CHICAGO (AP) — Miles Bridges had 26 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 112-99 ...

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Deni Avdija has triple-double to power Trail Blazers past Spurs, 115-110

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Deni Avdija had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Donovan Clingan added a career-high 24 points along with 12 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the San Antonio Spurs 115-110 on Saturday night.

Toumani Camara had 20 points and eight rebounds as Portland led for all but 18 seconds in picking up its second straight victyory.

Luke Kornet had 20 points and Julian Champagnie added 20 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio. The Spurs had won two straight.

The Spurs were without All-Star center Victor Wembanyama (left knee soreness) and Devin Vassell (strained left adductor). San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama remains day-to-day, but is "looking really good" and expects him to accompany the team to Memphis for a game Tuesday night.

It was the second night of back-to-back games for both teams.

Portland never trailed in the first half, building its lead to 15 points while San Antonio shot 3 for 12 on 3-pointers.

The Spurs captured their lone lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Kelly Olynyk's free throw following an off-ball foul on Champagnie's 3-pointer gave San Antonio its first lead at 74-71 lead. That advantage lasted only 18 seconds as former Spurs forward Sidy Cissoko drained a 3-pointer.

Portland went on a 12-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters in capturing a 93-80 lead with 10:36 remaining in the game.

San Antonio rallied again, with De'Aaron Fox's steal and pass to Stephon Castle for a breakaway dunk cutting Portland's lead to 111-110 with 1:36 remaining. As they had all game, the Trail Blazers efficiently rebuilt their lead to topple the Spurs.

Fox finished with 19 points and Castle had 16.

Portand was 19 for 45 on 3-pointers, while San Antonio was 10 for 31.

Blazers: Host Utah on Monday night.

Spurs: At Memphis on Tuesday night.

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

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January 03, 2026

Deni Avdija has triple-double to power Trail Blazers past Spurs, 115-110

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Deni Avdija had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Donovan Clingan added a career-high 24 points ...

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