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Oxford sack manager Gary Rowett with club in Championship relegation zone

  • Rowett leaves after a year with club two points from safety

  • Oxford have one win from their past 10 matches

Oxford have sacked Gary Rowett with the club 22nd in the Championship, two points from safety. The former Birmingham, Derby, Stoke and Millwall manager was appointed on 20 December 2024 and kept the club in the second tier last season.

Oxford’s chairman, Grant Ferguson, told the club’s website: “Gary joined during a challenging period and deserves immense credit for the hard work and leadership that saw us retain our Championship status last season. However, following a disappointing run of results, we have had to take this difficult decision in the best interests of the club.”

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A brutal schedule, merciless crowds and always on the road: is professional darts all it’s cracked up to be?

For many of the performers in the 12-month circus, the tour can be soul-destroying and lonely with only the promise of untold wealth to keep them chasing the dream

“It’s a lonely place,” Stephen Bunting reflected as he sat quietly in Alexandra Palace on Saturday night, the tears welling in his eyes. “If things don’t go right, you can look at your family, your management, you can look at your sponsors. But it’s down to you. And yeah, I’m getting a bit emotional, but … ”

These are stories darts is less keen on telling. Ever since this sport burst out of the smoky pubs and on to our television screens, it has possessed a kind of hedonistic, hyperreal quality, a game in which normal guys slip on their superhero suits and take a shot at unimaginable riches, unimaginable fame. The crowds dress up, get the drinks in and chase the ultimate high. The winners are brought into the press conference room to be feted; the losers slip out through the back door. From its start, darts has been conceived as a vehicle for joy and transformation.

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Knueppel the fastest player to 100 three-pointers

Kon Knueppel
Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.4 points per game this season [Getty Images]

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel became the fastest player to score 100 three-pointers in the NBA during a 139-132 defeat at the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 20-year-old, the fourth pick at the 2025 draft, reached the landmark in only 29 games when he scored in the first quarter at Rocket Arena.

Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen held the previous record of 41 games, while playing for the Chicago Bulls in 2017-18.

Knueppel scored five of the nine three-pointers he attempted against the Cavaliers to finish with 20 points, while LaMelo Ball contributed 23 and Brandon Miller 20 for the Hornets.

But Donovan Mitchell racked up 30 points, DeAndre Hunter 27 and Darius Garland 27 with 10 assists for the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers are seventh in the Eastern Conference and the Hornets 12th.

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Crosby breaks Lemieux's scoring record, Penguins beat Canadiens 4-3 in shootout to end 8-game skid

NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins

Dec 21, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) skates with the puck in a shootout against the Montréal Canadien at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s franchise scoring record and Rickard Rakell had the deciding goal in the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Sunday night to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Crosby, who began the night one point behind Lemieux, broke the mark in the first period with a goal and an assist and now has 645 goals and 1,079 assists for 1,724 points in 1,387 games. He also moved past Lemieux for the eighth-most points in NHL history.

Crosby, who has 20 goals this season, achieved his 18th 20-goal season. Only six players in NHL history have more. Rakell had a goal and an assist in regulation and Noel Acciari also scored for the Penguins.

Arturs Silovs had 23 saves for his first win since Nov. 6 against Washington. Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson scored for the Canadiens, who saw a brief two-game win streak end.

Montreal is 4-1-2 since a 6-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Dec. 9. Jakub Dobes had 28 saves. Kevin Hayes also scored for the Penguins in the shootout and Cole Caulfield tallied for the Canadiens.

After Rakell gave Pittsburgh the lead in the third round, Silovs denied Nick Suzuki on Montreal's last attempt.

Pittsburgh, which is 1-4-4 in its last nine games, rebounded from consecutive shutout losses at Ottawa on Thursday and Montreal on Saturday. The Penguins won their first shootout this season.

Phillip Danault, who was traded to Montreal from Los Angeles on Friday, didn’t play on Sunday and is expected to play on Tuesday at Boston.

Pittsburgh led 3-2 entering the third period, but Dobson tied it with a backhand from the slot. Crosby tipped Erik Karlsson’s point shot at 7:58 of the first period for a goal to tie the game and the record.

Crosby then broke the mark with 7:20 left in the period when his shot on a power play hit Bryan Rust and Rakell tapped the rebound behind Dobes.

Crosby also passed Phil Esposito 449 for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history. He also tied Adam Oates for the eighth-most assists in NHL history in the first period.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Continue a seven-game road trip at Boston on Tuesday.

Penguins: Visit Toronto on Tuesday.

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No. 1 Arizona routs Bethune-Cookman 107-71 after sluggish start

The Wildcats scored 50 points in the paint, grabbed 20 more rebounds and converted 36 points off Bethune-Cookman's 22 turnovers. Arizona point guard Jaden Bradley had 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Arizona is one of six remaining undefeated teams in Division I and has seven straight wins by at least 20 points, its longest streak since eight straight 20-point wins in 1929, according to Sportradar.