If the Big 12 becomes a two-bid conference for the CFP bracket, then it might be adios for Alabama. Yes, really.
Nets remain winless at home after 113-99 loss to Celtics
NEW YORK (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Payton Pritchard had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-99 on Tuesday night to move above .500 for the first time this season.
Derrick White added 15 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight game to improve to 8-7. They played the Nets even for about three quarters before smothering them defensively in the fourth, allowing just one basket for the first 10 minutes of the period.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points for the Nets, his career-best seventh straight game with at least 20. But after his 3-pointer gave Brooklyn a 90-89 lead with 9:08 left, the Nets didn’t make another basket until 1:56 remained.
Day’Ron Sharpe added 16 points for the Nets, who fell to 2-12 overall and 0-7 at home.
The Celtics started the season 0-3 and then won their next three. They dropped the next two games and hadn’t gotten their record back to even again until beating the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Porter had 18 points at halftime and Pritchard scored 17. The teams combined for 22 2-pointers and 21 3-pointers in the first half, which ended with Boston leading 62-61.
The Celtics opened their first double-digit cushion when Brown followed a three-point play with a 3-pointer to cap an 8-0 burst and make it 75-65 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the third. Brooklyn cut it to one late in the period before Brown made another 3-pointer to send the Celtics to the fourth with an 89-85 edge.
With the Celtics leading 97-92, they chased down three missed shots on one possession to set up White’s 3-pointer. After a Brooklyn free throw, he made another 3 to make it 103-93. Brown’s 3 with 2:55 left capped an 18-3 run to make it 107-93.
Up next
The teams meet Friday night in Boston.
CFP committee chair says Notre Dame is ahead of Miami because of quality of losses
College Football Playoff selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek said Notre Dame is ranked ahead of Miami because of the quality of the teams' losses
Devils give up hat trick in 5-1 loss to Lightning
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored three goals for his eighth career hat trick and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Darren Raddysh had a goal and two assists, and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves as Tampa Bay improved to 9-3-0 since a 1-4-2 start.
Nico Hischier scored for New Jersey, which got Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown and Evgeni Dadanov back in the lineup. Jakob Markstrom stopped 24 shots for the Devils, who lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 2 to end a five-game point streak (4-0-1).
The Lightning played without coach Jon Cooper, who missed the game for what the team described as personal reasons. Cooper, the head coach for Team Canada at the Olympics in February, last missed a game on Dec. 21, 2021, at Las Vegas when he tested positive for COVID.
Jeff Halpern served as the head coach on Tuesday.
Guentzel opened the scoring on a breakaway 11:40 into the game, and added his second of the game at 10:38 of the second period with a power-play goal as he shoveled in a pass from Raddysh. Guentzel completed his third hat trick in a Lightning uniform at 7:48 of the third period from the left post as he again shoveled a puck into the net off a cross-ice pass from Kucherov.
Kucherov moved into third all-time in franchise history with his 366th career goal with 22 seconds left in the first period to make it 2-0. Hischier cut New Jersey’s deficit to 3-1 with 2:13 remaining in the second for his 435th career point to move past Mark Streit for fifth-most by a Swiss-born player.
Up next
Devils: At Florida on Thursday
Lightning: Host Edmonton on Thursday
It's official: LeBron James to make season debut for Lakers Tuesday vs. Jazz
LOS ANGELES — It's official: LeBron James will make his season debut Tuesday night at home when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz.
He is listed in the starting five, though he is likely to be on a minutes limit in his first few games.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 19, 2025
"I thought he looked great," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said of LeBron's practice with the team Monday. "He's smart enough and there's enough carryover from last year, both with personnel and with our schemes, that I think it'll be, you know, easy for him to be integrated right away."
LeBron started suffering from sciatica on his right side back in August, and it caused him to miss all of training camp as well as the first 14 games of the season. The Lakers and James' medical team had agreed not to rush his return, and mid-November has long been the target date.
LeBron was assigned to the Lakers' G-League team last week to get in a couple of full practices, then was recalled and went through a full practice with the varsity Lakers on Monday. "Got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus," he said after the practice.
He obviously felt well enough to play.
LeBron James warming up pregame before his 23rd season debut (that’s not technically official yet, but…) pic.twitter.com/5N6cpPd5pF
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) November 19, 2025
"My lungs feel like a newborn baby," LeBron said after Monday's practice. "That's the most important thing: I've got to get my lungs back up to a grown man. My voice is already gone (from) one day back barking out calls and assignments and stuff. Got to get my voice working again. Be a lot of tea and rest tonight. Feels good to be out here with the guys. Missed them."
By stepping on the court tonight, LeBron will set a record by becoming the first player to play in 23 NBA seasons.
LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game last season, earning Second Team All-NBA honors and coming in sixth in MVP voting. He makes the Lakers' offense much more dangerous. While Redick has the Lakers running the offense through Luka Doncic, more and more teams are blitzing and trapping Doncic more to get the ball out of his hands and dare any other Laker on the floor to beat them. That ball now goes to LeBron, who gets to lead an attack on the defense in a 4-3 situation when that happens.
After Tuesday's game, the Lakers are off until Sunday, when they face the Jazz in Salt Lake City. At that point, they return home to face the Clippers in a critical West Group B NBA Cup game, which you can watch on Nov. 25 on NBC and Peacock.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
WATCH: Ritchie Scores First Goal With Islanders vs. Stars
Offense was hard to come by when the New York Islanders battled the Dallas Stars. But at 10:31 of the second, Calum Ritchie buried a give-and-go with Anthony Duclair to give his team the lead:
The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XFirst goal & point as an #Isles for Cal Ritchie.The Stars answered off the rush less than a minute later to even the score at 1-1.
That was Ritchie's first goal and first point as a member of the Islanders since being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson blockbuster trade from last season's trade deadline.
Ritchie, 20, had no points with the Islanders through his first nine and just one goal through his first 16 career NHL games.
Lakers star LeBron James set to make season debut tonight vs. Jazz
LeBron James will make his season debut Tuesday when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, after sciatica kept James sidelined for the Lakers’ first 14 games.
James is “trending in the right direction,” coach JJ Redick said before Tuesday's game, which will mark the beginning of James' NBA-record 23rd season. The 40-year-old missed the beginning of a season for the first time in his NBA career after starting to feel discomfort in his right side this summer.
James missed all of training camp and the preseason. The Lakers put together a 10-4 record despite playing without their biggest star. In his place, Luka Doncic has emerged as the NBA's leading scorer and guard Austin Reaves is off to a career season.
He's here. LeBron James onto the court for his pregame warmup. pic.twitter.com/nrCe5uwxsM
— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) November 19, 2025
The star trio played together for several months last year after Doncic joined the Lakers in a blockbuster trade, helping the team grab the third seed in the Western Conference. Redick expects the experience to help James integrate smoothly this year.
“He's smart enough and [there's] enough carry over from last year, both with personnel and with our schemes, that I think it'll be easy for him to be integrated right away,” Redick said.
James said after practice Monday he was not yet pain-free, but he has been able to manage the nerve injury enough to progress through practices with the G League team, the full NBA squad and then Tuesday's shootaround. James said dealing with sciatica came with unexpected challenges. He often could only hope he wouldn't feel pain when he woke up in the morning or when he went to sleep.
Read more:LeBron James knows there will be a 'feel-out' process when he returns to Lakers
Redick said the team and James are approaching “uncharted territory” when it comes to managing the superstar's health. Conversations have been consistent and will be ongoing as the season progresses.
“We'll figure out ways to get him rest when he needs rest,” Redick said.
Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Oklahoma, Tulane, Alabama headline CFP rankings release winners and losers
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the season had some winners and some losers. We break down the impact of the latest release.
Shilo Sanders hit with lawsuit over alleged unpaid legal bills
Former Colorado football safety Shilo Sanders faces more legal trouble after a law firm sued him for allegedly not paying his bills
Michigan is No. 18 in new College Football Playoff rankings
Michigan football's 24-22 win over Northwestern saw them drop one spot by the College Football Playoff committee. Here are new CFP rankings.
College Football Playoff rankings: Alabama drops to No. 10, Oklahoma moves up to No. 8 after Sooners’ win over Tide
Alabama fell six spots.
CFP rankings release after Week 12 push Oklahoma higher, see Alabama, Texas fall
The third College Football Playoff rankings release had some significant changes after the results of Week 12.
Red Wings Rookie Breaks Through With Two-Point Night Against Kraken
Detroit Red Wings rookie Nate Danielson delivered the most memorable performance of his young career Tuesday night, scoring his first NHL goal, seeing his second waved off, and later adding a smooth power play assist to former Griffins linemate Emmitt Finnie for a two point night against the Seattle Kraken.
Danielson officially got on the board by giving Detroit a 2-1 lead early in the second period. Fellow rookie Axel Sandin Pellikka sent a low shot from the point that changed direction twice.
Milestone: Red Wings Rookie Nate Danielson Scores First NHL Goal (VIDEO) Detroit Red Wings rookie forward Nate Danielson has scored his first National Hockey League goal, netting the milestone on Tuesday evening. It first deflected off Seattle forward Mason Appleton and then off Danielson’s knee pad as he battled for position in front of the crease. The redirected puck slipped past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord and shifted the momentum in Detroit’s favor.
Minutes later it looked as though Danielson had scored again. He pressured a Kraken defenseman into a turnover at the blue line, collected the puck and skated in alone.
He pulled the puck through his legs and beat Daccord with a quick forehand move for what appeared to be a highlight reel tap in.
Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) on XNate Danielson with a beautiful play to score his 2nd career goal (under 3 minutes after his 1st), but sadly it was called back after offside review.
Cruel. #LGRWThe celebration was short lived when officials reviewed the play and ruled it offside because rookie winger Emmitt Finnie had entered the zone ahead of the puck.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Danielson quickly shook off the disappointment. On a Detroit power play later in the period he delivered a sharp cross crease pass to Finnie, who converted for the Red Wings. The play reunited the chemistry the pair displayed with the Grand Rapids Griffins and added another milestone to Danielson’s night.
Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XBeauty.His path to this moment has been steady as Detroit drafted Danielson ninth overall in 2023 after an impressive junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. In his final season he led the team with 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points in 68 games.
The year before he produced 57 points and he finished his WHL career with 150 points overall. In his first full professional season with Grand Rapids the previous year he recorded 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points in 71 games.
Detroit signed him to an entry level contract in July 2023. He impressed again in the 2024 preseason with a goal and two assists in three games before an upper body injury sidelined him. Once cleared he returned to Grand Rapids and immediately contributed one goal and four assists in his first four AHL games.
"Fun To Get In There": Alex DeBrincat Reflects On Wild Finish To Victory Over Rangers The Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers engaged in an on-ice melee in the moments following Detroit's 2-1 victory, an experience that forward Alex DeBrincat enjoyed. The Red Wings recalled him November 9 and he made his NHL debut that same day against the Chicago Blackhawks. After going scoreless in his first four NHL outings he broke through on Tuesday with a performance that showcased the skill, confidence and poise Detroit has envisioned since drafting him.
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Flyers Trade for Senators Prospect is a Clear Home Run
The Philadelphia Flyers are impressively continuing to find ways to turn water into wine with what has been a rather quiet NHL trade market thus far.
On Monday, the Flyers traded veteran defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the Ottawa Senators for unsigned prospect Maxence Guenette, which was yet another example of a rebuilding team doing exactly what they should be doing.
But, what does that mean?
Gilbert, 29, is a career tweener and journeyman who has played a total of just 111 NHL games across seven seasons. He finished training camp well behind Flyers teammates Noah Juulsen, Egor Zamula, and Adam Ginning, and, while Emil Andrae failed to make the cut initially for whatever reason, he, too, bypassed Gilbert with time.
Gilbert played four games for the Senators last season, so he returns to a team that has a use for him and knows what he can bring. At 29, the former third-round pick is what he is, and the competition the Flyers felt they needed to bring with Gilbert's signing in free agency no longer exists.
On the other side of the fence, the Flyers got five years younger with Guenette, 24, a former seventh-round pick with eight games of NHL experience and 236 games of AHL experience.
Flyers Star's Olympic Chances Just Received a Major BoostWith Jack Hughes injured, Philadelphia Flyers star Trevor Zegras can seize a golden opportunity to make Team USA's roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.Guenette is on the older side for a prospect, but he has at least shown some promise in the past. In the 2022-23 season, the 6-foot-2 blueliner racked up five goals, 35 assists, and 40 points in 72 games with the Belleville Senators.
With Andrae presumably staying for the Flyers for the foreseeable future, Guenette can and should help bring further offense to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' back end.
This is not the first time the Flyers have made a move like this, either.
On Oct. 29, the Flyers traded Samu Tuomaala to Dallas for defenseman Christian Kyrou, who, like Guenette, is a right-shot defender.
Kyrou, 22, has already managed a goal, eight assists, and nine points in seven games with the Phantoms and is pacing well to smash his career-high of 23 points in 57 games, set back in the 2023-24 season with the Texas Stars.
How Guenette fits in the Phantoms' lineup remains unclear; the Flyers added Kyrou, still have Helge Grans, and just got Ethan Samson back from injury. Oliver Bonk could soon return from an injury of his own, which makes four right-shots for three lineup spots.
It would be unrealistic to expect Bonk to come back and hop right into contention for an NHL roster spot, but anything is possible.
At the end of the day, though, even if the Flyers turned nothing into nothing, they got a younger player in Guenette, provided he clears waivers, who has an outside chance of growing beyond his previous circumstances.
That's a smart play from GM Danny Briere and Co., regardless of the outcome.
Milestone: Red Wings Rookie Nate Danielson Scores First NHL Goal (VIDEO)
It's been a season of milestones for the Detroit Red Wings during their centennial campaign, as multiple rookies have not only made the team but also tallied their first of hopefully many goals at the NHL level.
And now, Nate Danielson can add his name to the list. Danielson, whom the Red Wings made their opening round selection (ninth overall) in 2023, scored the first goal of his NHL career on Tuesday evening against the Seattle Kraken.
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Danielson redirected a shot from fellow rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord for the historic tally. Immediately, rookie Emmitt Finnie retrieved the puck for a keepsake souvenir:
Just minutes later, Danielson would score what appeared to be a highlight-reel goal, only to have it ultimately waived off after Finnie was ruled to have entered the offensive zone an instant too early.
While the Kraken would knot the score at 2-2 just minutes afterward, Danielson then collected an assist on a goal from Finnie, his first goal since Oct. 25.
The Red Wings now have eight total goals scored by rookies so far this season, which is good for a three-way tie with the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders for the second most in the NHL.
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