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NFL: Patriots Desk

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Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, December 8, 2019
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

FOXBORO – The New England Patriots’ bid for a perfect season slipped away in Week 9 and now they have lost their grip on the top overall seed for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. The Patriots will try to rebound from their second loss in four weeks and clinch their 11th consecutive postseason berth against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.

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New England set an NFL record with its 17th consecutive 10-win season but it is only one game ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East after dropping a 28-22 decision at Houston on Sunday night that was not as close as the score indicated.

“We’re not any different than any team,” quarterback Tom Brady said of his team’s recent struggles. “At the same time, we’re in decent position here. Now we have to try to go beat a great football team at home, Kansas City.”

The Chiefs suffered a pair of narrow defeats to New England last season, including a 37-31 defeat that kept them from reaching the Super Bowl, but they have chance to win the AFC West title and end the Patriots’ 18-game home winning streak.

“As far as it looks, you’re going to have to go there to win at some point. It’s kind of been a thing where we came close last year,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of playing at Gillette Stadium. “It’s about trying to find the best way to do it.”

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -3. O/U: 48.5

ABOUT THE CHIEFS (8-4): Mahomes threw for a touchdown and ran for another in last week’s 40-9 drubbing of Oakland — the third time in four weeks he failed to eclipse 182 yards passing — but he torched New England for 647 yards and seven scores versus two interceptions last season. Kansas City is thin in the backfield with Darrel Williams going on injured reserve and Damien Williams (rib) still not practicing, leaving veteran LeSean McCoy and rookie Darwin Thompson to carry the load. Mahomes has elite weapons in speedster Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, who needs 77 yards to become the first tight end with four straight 1,000-yard seasons. The Chiefs are a lowly 30th against the run, allowing 141.3 yards per game.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (10-2): New England’s offense continues to sputter and only two late touchdown passes from Brady last week enabled the team to surpass 20 points for the first time in the last four games. While Brady has 18 TD passes against six interceptions, he has barely completed more than 50 percent of his passes over the last three games and has not registered a quarterback rating of at least 100.0 since Week 5 at Washington. Julian Edelman remains Brady’s top target with 61 receptions and four scores over the past eight games, but running back Sony Michel has yet to hit 100 yards after eclipsing that mark twice versus Kansas City last season. The Patriots rank second against the pass at 163.5 yards allowed.

EXTRA POINTS

  1. Hill has 14 catches for 275 yards and four TDs in two regular-season matchups versus New England.
  2. Patriots RB James White scored twice and had a career-best 177 yards from scrimmage last week.
  3. Chiefs K Harrison Butker was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month.

PREDICTION: Chiefs 26, Patriots 23

NHL: Bruins Desk

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Colorado Avalanche at Boston Bruins

When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 7, 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

BOSTON – The Boston Bruins finally saw their season-high eight-game winning streak come to an end but they still are riding a pair of impressive point streaks. The Bruins remain the league’s only team without a regulation home loss (12-0-5) and have earned points in 13 straight games (9-0-4) entering tonight’s matchup against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

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Boston, which has built a double-digit cushion in the Atlantic Division, continued its dominant third-period play by erasing a three-goal lead before dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to Chicago on Thursday.

“Complacency? I would say no,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Lack of urgency some nights? I would say yes. We’re not pushing as hard as we need to to get to our level.”

The Bruins will need to push against the surging Avalanche, who have won five in a row overall and own a six-game point streak against Boston following a 4-2 home win on Oct. 19.

“Guys have stepped up and also I feel like we are fine-tuning our game and getting sharper in a lot of areas,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said after returning to the lineup in Thursday’s 3-2 win at Montreal. “Playing simple, simplifying our game and things like that.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), NESN (Boston)

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (18-8-2): Landeskog, who missed 16 games and had not played since Oct. 26 due to a lower-body injury, made a triumphant return by scoring a first-period goal against Montreal. “I was even nervous about not getting back in the lineup, the boys were so hot,” said Landeskog. “But no, it is nice to get back in and get a win right away. It has been a good road trip so far, excited to get to Boston and … back to work on Saturday.” Landeskog scored one goal and set up another versus Boston in October.

ABOUT THE BRUINS (20-3-6): Center Patrice Bergeron returned to practice Friday and is close to returning but he has been ruled out for a seventh straight game. David Pastrnak, the league’s leader with 25 goals, has been held without a tally in back-to-back games for only the third time this season amid concerns opponents are taking liberties with him. “It’s a small sample size, but I’m going to acknowledge it,” Cassidy said. “It has been three or four games; he’s taken some hits and some of them were been borderline late.”

OVERTIME

  1. Pastrnak, who had a goal and an assist in the early-season matchup. has scored 16 times in 17 home games.
  2. Avalanche G Philipp Grubauer has allowed four goals in winning all three career starts versus Boston.
  3. Bruins F Brad Marchand has one assist in four games after scoring five times in his previous four.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Avalanche 2

Home Cookin’

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Boston Celtics 108, Denver Nuggets 95

When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, December 6, 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #64 Justin Van Duyne, #29 Mark Lindsay, #14 Ed Malloy
Attendance: 19,156
Recap for Digital sports Desk by Field Level Media

BOSTON – Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown added 21 and the Boston Celtics blew out the visiting Denver Nuggets 108-95 Friday night.

Nuggets at Celtics (NBA/Youtube)

Kemba Walker had 19 points, and Marcus Smart chipped in nine in his return from an abdomen injury as the Celtics won for the fifth time in their last six games. Boston improved to 9-0 at home.

Nikola Jokic had a season-high 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost for the third time in their last four games. Denver was playing the second night of a back-to-back, having beaten the New York Knicks by a 37-point margin Thursday.

Jokic snapped a personal funk of four single-digit scoring games in his last five, but the Nuggets were still handed nearly their worst loss of the season. They shot 39 of 94 (41.5 percent) as a team and hit 5 of 30 tries (16.7 percent) from behind the arc.

The Celtics never trailed, grabbing their first double-digit lead, 28-18, on a Brown basket with 2:15 left in the opening quarter.

Boston upped its advantage to 15, 49-34, with 5:24 left in the second, but Denver was able to battle back within six, 51-45, with 1:53 on the clock. A Walker basket ended the scoring in the half, and the Celtics led 53-45 at the break.

Brown had 13 points, and Tatum 12 for Boston. Jokic paced Denver with 14.

The Nuggets got back within five early in the third quarter, but the Celtics continued to pull away, grabbing a 65-53 lead with 6:10 to go. Denver kept pace, but Boston wouldn’t let up, Smart draining a 3-pointer to restore the 12-point edge, 74-62, with 2:50 left.

Tatum hit a three with 1.7 ticks remaining as the Celtics carried an 85-64 lead into the final quarter.

Boston’s lead grew as high as 23 in the fourth, as Denver was unable to get back within single digits.

–Field Level Media

Da Bears!

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Chicago Bears 31, Dallas Cowboys 24

When: 8:20 PM ET, Thursday, December 5, 2019
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 61,276
By Field Level Media

CHICAGO – Mitchell Trubisky threw three touchdown passes and added a rushing score to lead the Chicago Bears to a 31-24 victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.

Cowboys at Bears (Youtube/NFL).

Allen Robinson had two touchdown receptions, and Anthony Miller added one as the Bears (7-6) won for the fourth time in their past five games.

Trubisky completed 23 of 31 passes for 244 yards and added 63 more on 10 rushes, though he did throw an interception. David Montgomery had a game-high 86 yards on 20 rushes before leaving with an apparent leg injury.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (6-7), who have lost three consecutive games and seven of 10.

Dak Prescott was 27-of-49 passing for 334 yards for Dallas. He threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper with 4:29 remaining to bring the Cowboys within 10, and Brett Maher added a 31-yard field goal with eight seconds left.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Miller to seal Chicago’s win.

The setback will surely bring more heat in the direction of Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, who received an endorsement from owner Jerry Jones after a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Dallas still holds a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) in the NFC East.

Chicago scored 24 consecutive points after Dallas began the game with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with Elliott’s 2-yard run.

The Bears tied the score early in the second quarter when Trubisky connected with Robinson for a 5-yard touchdown, and moved ahead when Eddy Pineiro booted a 36-yard field goal with 8:06 left in the half.

Trubisky and Robinson teamed up again on an 8-yard score with 10 seconds left in the half to give Chicago a 17-7 lead.

The Bears increased their lead to 17 when Trubisky tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Miller with 8:18 left in the third quarter.

Dallas pulled within 24-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter, when Elliott plunged in from the 2 on fourth down.

But Chicago rebounded quickly to push the margin back to 17 with a three-play, 60-yard drive. The touchdown came when Trubisky kept the ball on a zone read and meandered 23 yards through the Dallas defense to make it 31-14 with 13:22 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Mets Mulling Ownership Change

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FLUSHING – The New York Mets’ owners are negotiating a deal to sell the controlling share of the team to investor Steve Cohen, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.

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According to the reports, the Sterling Partners — the business of the Wilpon family — plan to complete the process of the sale over a five-year period, with principal owner Fred Wilpon remaining in his current position and his son, Jeff Wilpon, remaining chief operating officer during that period.

Cohen, who bought a reported 4 percent of the team in 2012, will increase his share to up to 80 percent, according to Bloomberg News, which said the team confirmed talks in a statement. Bloomberg added that the team will be valued at $2.6 billion in the transaction, and that Cohen will remain CEO of Point72 Asset Management, the hedge fund he founded in 1992.

Cohen, 63, is from Great Neck, N.Y., and has a net worth of $13.6 billion, according to Forbes. He paid a reported $20 million for his 4 percent stake in 2012.

The Wilpons currently own 52 percent of the Mets, after acquiring the controlling share of the team in 2002. They will reportedly retain a stake in the franchise after the completion of the deal with Cohen.

NFL: Sunday Night Desk

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Seattle Seahawks at L.A. Rams

When: 8:20 PM ET, Sunday, December 8, 2019
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

LOS ANGELES – The Seattle Seahawks look to win their sixth straight game when they visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Seattle will clinch an NFC playoff berth with a victory or tie, while Los Angeles badly needs a win to keep its playoff aspirations alive.

The Seahawks are tied for first place in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers as the Rams – a Super Bowl participant last season – sit third, and coach Pete Carroll is expecting a ferocious effort from Los Angeles.

“We know we have another terrific opponent,” Carroll said of the Rams. “It just seems like one after another after another. We just keep getting challenged by it. The teams keep bringing special players and schemes and histories of winning and all that stuff that just makes this a great run and a great challenge.”

Los Angeles is one game behind the Minnesota Vikings for the second NFC wild-card berth but had lost five of eight games prior to a 34-7 rout of the Arizona Cardinals last week.

“I would be lying to say that this season hasn’t been more challenging,” Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters. “But that’s also why there’s a motivation to make sure to do right and to use this as an opportunity to try to respond in the way that you challenge your players and everybody else.”

TV: 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Even. O/U: 47.5

ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS (10-2): Quarterback Russell Wilson passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-30 victory over the Vikings on Monday night and is a leading MVP candidate with an NFL-best 26 touchdown passes along with 3,177 yards, and only four interceptions. Chris Carson has been productive out of the backfield with a team-best 981 rushing yards, while second-stringer Rashaad Penny has picked up the pace with 203 of his 370 rushing yards coming over the last two games. Star middle linebacker Bobby Wagner has six double-digit tackle outings this season and is tied for second in the NFL with 115 stops.

ABOUT THE RAMS (7-5): Quarterback Jared Goff’s level of play has been below his level of the previous two seasons but he stood out with 424 yards and two touchdowns in the rout of the Cardinals. Goff has 13 touchdowns against 12 interceptions this season after having 60 passing strikes against 19 picks over the previous two seasons. Los Angeles has been wildly inconsistent and has allowed 13 or fewer points in each of its past six victories but has yielded 55, 45 and 30 points in three of its setbacks.

EXTRA POINTS

  1. Wilson threw four touchdown passes as the Seahawks recorded a 30-29 home victory over the Rams on Oct. 3.
  2. Los Angeles WR Robert Woods matched his career high of 13 receptions and established a personal best of 172 yards in the win over Arizona.
  3. Carson has five 100-yard rushing outings this season, including a 118-yard effort against the Rams.

PREDICTION: Seahawks 31, Rams 24

NFL: Monday Night Football Desk

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N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

When: 8:15 PM ET, Monday, December 9, 2019
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles have lost three in a row to plummet two games under .500 after 13 weeks of the NFL season, a damning predicament for most teams but not in the NFC East. The Eagles bid to move into a first-place tie atop the moribund division on Monday night when they host the free-falling New York Giants.

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“I’m disgusted, I’m mad, I’m angry and I’m probably more so mad at myself,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson told 94WIP in Philadelphia on the heels of the team’s 37-31 setback to Miami last weekend.

The three-game skid of the Eagles, however, has coincided with that of Dallas, allowing the former to reside a half-game behind the Cowboys as it kicks off the final quarter of the season with four games against NFC East foes — including two versus the Giants. New York, which has lost five in a row in the series and eight straight overall, hopes to turn back the clock by sending two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Eli Manning under center to replace rookie Daniel Jones (ankle).

“Just take it one game at a time,” the 38-year-old Manning said of his playing career. “You never want to try to make decisions about your future while you’re still living in the present and don’t know the circumstances of what could happen.”

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Eagles -9.5. O/U: 46

ABOUT THE GIANTS (2-10): Saquon Barkley showed signs of returning to form with 115 scrimmage yards (83 rushing, 27 receiving) in Sunday’s 31-13 setback to Green Bay, and a date with Philadelphia could prove beneficial if last season is any indication. The second-year pro erupted for 231 yards rushing with two touchdowns and 16 receptions for 140 yards and a score against the Eagles in 2018, but this year’s rush defense ranks fourth in the NFL. Rookie Darius Slayton continues to show promise after recording 20 catches for 232 yards in his last three games overall and four touchdowns in his last five. Fellow wideout Sterling Shepard reeled in Jones’ lone touchdown pass last week and has at least seven catches and a score in two of his last three encounters with Philadelphia.

ABOUT THE EAGLES (5-7): Carson Wentz collected his third three-touchdown performance of the season last Sunday, while his 310 yards passing fell three shy of matching his best output of 2019. Alshon Jeffery returned from a two-game absence (ankle) and hauled in nine of 16 targets for 137 yards and a score versus Miami, and looks to feast on a generous Giants pass defense that ranks 25th in the NFL. Tight end Zach Ertz, who leads the team in receptions (70) and receiving yards (736), will look to atone after dropping a pair of touchdown passes against the Dolphins in what he called “probably one of the worst games I’ve played in a long time.” Rookie Miles Sanders has made the most of the absence of Jordan Howard (shoulder), rushing for a career-high 83 yards against Miami while highlighting his personal-best five receptions with a touchdown.

EXTRA POINTS

  1. Philadelphia DE Brandon Graham leads the team with 7.5 sacks, including 5.5 in his past four home games.
  2. New York’s minus-14 turnover differential is tied with Miami for the worst in the NFL.
  3. Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins had an interception and forced a fumble in the last meeting, a 25-22 victory over the Giants on Nov. 25, 2018.

PREDICTION: Eagles 24, Giants 17

Best Hoops Game in Town

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Davidson at Northeastern

When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 7, 2019
Where: Matthews Arena, Boston, Mass

BOSTON – Only the savviest of Boston basketball fans will recognize the fact the best of hoops games to be played today in New England will be staged at the great Matthews Arena on the campus of Northeastern University where, surely, Cats and Dogs will be fighting.

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In an Atlantic 10 vs Colonial Athletic Association matchup, coach Bill Coen’s Northeastern’s Huskies (5-4) will host the Davidson Wildcats (3-5) and coach Bob McKillop. Yes, it’s two great college basketball coaches who’ve each built their own programs into highly respected, highly consistent, tournament-level teams – each nightmare match-ups for opponents. Simply put? Dogs vs. Cats!

Northeastern is riding a two-game win streak, while Davidson limps into Matthews, losers of three of their last four games, including a 66-53 loss to Temple at the Orlando Classic when Davidson shot an anemic 18-50 from the field and was out-rebounded by a 38-27 margin.  

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Look for NEU’s senior-redshirt guard Jordan Roland to be the key figure in today’s game. Roland scored a game-high 28 points in his last outing, a 78-63 win over Maine. Earlier this season, Roland lit-up Harvard with a 42-point performance (13-19 FG, 6-of-9 from 3P, 10-11 FT) in a 84-79 home win over Harvard.

QUICK HITS
Overall Team Offense
The Northeastern Huskies are ranked No. 8 for offensive field goal percentage shooting 51.2% while attempting 52.6 shots per game. The Huskies shooting percentages include 81.5% for free throw percentage and 44.2% for three point percentage so far this season.

The Davidson Wildcats are ranked No. 110 for offensive field goal percentage shooting 44.7% while attempting 55.6 shots per game. The Wildcats shooting percentages include 78.4% for free throw percentage and 33.2% for three point percentage so far this season.

Home and Away
The Northeastern Huskies are 2-1 at home this season, 0-0 against conference opponents, and 5-4 against non-conference opponents.

At home the Huskies are averaging 77.0 scoring, and holding teams to 72.7 points scored on defense.

The Davidson Wildcats are 0-1 while on the road this season, 0-0 against conference opponents, and 3-5 against non-conference opponents.

On the road, the Wildcats are averaging 58.0 scoring while holding teams to 71.0 points scored on defense.

Big East Desk:

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – As the college basketball season progresses into more meaningful contests, a seven-game Saturday schedule includes rivalry games and quality intersectional matchups for Big East teams.

The rivalry games started on Friday when Providence and Rhode Island met for the 130th time. URI pulled away late in the second half and won 75-61. Alpha Diallo led PC (5-5) with 13 points. David Duke added 12 points and six rebounds. The loss dropped conference teams to a combined record of an impressive 66-19 (77-percent).

Today, at Noon ET, Butler puts its undefeated mark on the line when it hosts Florida on the FOX tv network. The 8-0 Bulldogs have won 55 in a row at Hinkle Fieldhouse against non-conference foes, the longest streak in the nation.

The BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle continues with two games. At noon, St. John’s hosts West Virginia at Madison Square Garden. The Mountaineers have started 7-0, while the Johnnies have won their last three. Later in the evening, Marquette plays at Kansas State on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. Marquette won last year’s meeting 83-71 with Markus Howard scoring 45 points.

Three intense local rivalries start with Creighton hosting Nebraska at 2:30 p.m. on FS1. The Bluejays have won 11 straight at home against the Cornhuskers. At 3 p.m. on ESPN2, Villanova takes the short ride to Saint Joseph’s for its third Philadelphia Big 5 game of the week. Villanova has already knocked off La Salle (83-72) and Penn (80-69). Xavier hosts Cincinnati in the rivalry known as the Crosstown Shootout at 5 p.m. on FS1. The Musketeers have won seven straight at home against the Bearcats and eight of the last 12 overall.

After an 81-74 win at Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Georgetown stayed in the Southwest to prepare for its game at SMU at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Mac McClung provided the offensive punch at Oklahoma State with 33 points.

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