Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James is back in the lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers for their game against the New York Knicks, his first game at Madison Square Garden in three years. James moved well during a pregame workout Tuesday and the Lakers upgraded him from questionable to available. James sat out Monday

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Chelsea has already spent more in the January transfer window than every club in the top leagues in Spain, Italy, Germany and France combined and the London team might not finished. The final day of the window was another busy one for Chelsea and its new American ownership. The

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer Paris Saint-Germain’s attempt to sign Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech apparently hit a late snag Wednesday as the January transfer window came to a close without an official announcement from the clubs. Soon after the midnight deadline, PSG said it loaned goalkeeper Keylor Navas to Nottingham Forest until the end

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Forget about signing new players. Barcelona had to work hard just to register the ones it already had. It was a slow day for Spanish clubs at the end of the winter transfer window and Barcelona was unable to significantly boost its squad and instead had

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Winning a batting title put Jeff McNeil in the driver’s seat — for a big-money contract and a new car. Mets teammate Francisco Lindor told McNeil early last season he would gift him the vehicle if McNeil won a batting championship. McNeil led the major

By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Kevin Behrens and Robin Knoche put Union Berlin into the quarterfinals of the German Cup with a 2-1 win over Wolfsburg. But the team celebrated another player who didn’t score. Jerome Roussillon failed to put away the game’s best chance with the final kick of the

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Andy Reid was an unknown assistant in Green Bay when Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie took a chance on hiring Brett Favre’s position coach to revive a struggling franchise in Philadelphia. A newspaper headline greeted Reid’s arrival with a headline that said: “Andy Who?” Everybody knows his name now.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith has continued to reshape his defensive staff by hiring Jerry Gray as the assistant head coach for defense. The 60-year-old Gray had been Green Bay’s defensive backs coach. Gray and Smith previously worked together as assistants on Washington’s staff in 2007-08 and on Tennessee’s staff

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Newcastle is a club reborn after its Saudi-backed takeover and is headed to a first cup final this century in a season that could also end in Champions League qualification. Newcastle beat Southampton 2-1 despite a late red card for star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to seal a 3-1 aggregate

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the pact tells The Associated Press that the Denver Broncos have agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Saints to hire Sean Payton as their head coach. The person says the Broncos will send a first-round pick in

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan warmed up for its upcoming Serie A derby with a 1-0 victory over Atalanta in the Italian Cup quarterfinals. Defending champion Inter will face either Juventus or Lazio in a two-legged semifinal in April. Matteo Darmian scored the only goal of the game in the 57th minute. Hakan Çalhanoğlu also

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — DeMeco Ryans has been hired as coach of the Houston Texans, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on the condition on anonymity since the hiring had not been announced. The move gives him his first head

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays infielder Yandy Díaz agreed to a $24 million, three-year contract on that avoided a salary arbitration hearing. Díaz’s agreement could be worth $36 million over four seasons. The 31-year old will receive $6 million this season, $8 million in 2024 and $10 million for 2025. The 2026

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has released its long-anticipated 14-team football schedule. It includes its four new members for 2023 along with Oklahoma and Texas before their eventual departures to the Southeastern Conference. Houston will be the first of the new teams to play a conference game, on September 16 when the Cougars

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Max Homa is good at golf. He won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines for his sixth career victory. Homa also is good at communication, whether that’s on social media or walking down the fairway. It proved to be the perfect marriage during

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has dismissed a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by nine former University of Minnesota football players who were accused of sexual assault in a case that roiled the university. The players, who were not identified in their lawsuit against the school, alleged that they suffered emotional distress and financial damage after

By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Union Berlin’s attempt to sign former Real Madrid star Isco Alarcón has fallen apart, with the German club saying the deal has been called off. The 30-year-old Isco had looked set to sign for Union as a free agent after undergoing a medical in Berlin on

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer NASCAR has banned the “Hail Melon” move Ross Chastain used last year at Martinsville to earn a spot in the championship race. Chastain last October mashed the gas and deliberately smashed into the wall so that the energy would speed his car past his rivals. NASCAR said Tuesday the

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — IndyCar begins preseason testing this week without its reigning champion from the ladder system. Linus Lundqvist won five races last season in Indy Lights to win the title and the $500,000 bonus that’s meant to be spent on a promotion to IndyCar. But