DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is set for season-ending surgery on his ailing right foot.
The team said Wednesday the surgery will be performed by Dr. James Calder in London. The Mavericks previously said Lively was seeking multiple medical opinions as discomfort in the foot lingered.
He had a procedure on the same foot in the offseason.
Lively’s final game of the season was a 118-115 victory over New Orleans on Nov. 21. He then sat the second night of a back-to-back after missing 10 of the previous 14 games because of a knee injury. The foot issue arose after his return.
The 21-year-old Lively, a former Westtown School standout, will have missed 148 of a possible 246 games by the end of his third season.
Lively missed 27 games as a rookie but was healthy for the postseason as the Mavericks made their first trip to the NBA Finals since winning the franchise’s only championship in 2011. Dallas lost to Boston in five games.
Injuries sidelined Lively for 46 games last season. The former Duke star and 2023 first-round pick ended up missing 75 games in 2024-25.
When he’s healthy, Lively has been productive. At 7-foot-1, he was a strong pick-and-roll partner with Luka Dončić before the Mavericks traded their young superstar last season.
Lively has barely had a chance to play with fellow big man Anthony Davis, former general manager Nico Harrison’s target in the Dončić trade. Harrison was fired last month with the Mavericks off to a slow start in their first full season without Dončić, and the oft-injured Davis was sidelined at the time.
Lively also didn’t get to share much of fellow Duke alum Cooper Flagg’s rookie season after the Mavericks won the draft lottery and the right to take Flagg No. 1 overall.
Lively has averaged 8.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in 98 games.
ORLANDO — Closer Edwin Díaz has agreed to a $69 million, three-year contract with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press during baseball’s winter meetings.
The person spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Díaz’s agreement includes deferred payments by the Dodgers, who already owed $1.051 billion in deferred pay to eight players from 2028-46.
A three-time All-Star who turns 32 on March 22, Díaz joins a Dodgers bullpen that struggled last season, causing the team to shift rookie starter Roki Sasaki to closer in the postseason. Los Angeles relievers had a 4.27 ERA, 21st among the 30 teams,
A three-time All-Star, reliever Edwin Díaz will turn 32 in March.
Díaz joins a Dodgers bullpen that includes left-hander Tanner Scott, who was bothered by elbow inflammation in his first season after signing a $72 million, four-year contract. Jack Dreyer, Anthony Banda, and Alex Vesia also are in the bullpen.
He has 253 saves in 294 chances over nine seasons with Seattle (2016-18) and the Mets, who acquired him along with second baseman Robinson Canó for five players, including Jarred Kelenic and Anthony Swarzak. Díaz missed the 2023 season after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee during a postgame celebration with Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic.
Díaz agreed to a $102 million, five-year contract with the Mets after the 2022 season, a deal that included deferred money payable through 2042. He had the right to opt out after three years and $64 million to become a free agent again. Of that $64 million, $15.5 million is deferred and payable through July 1, 2039.
“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” Notre Dame wrote in a statement posted to its official X account. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”
Although it might be the exact reaction that many Notre Dame fans wanted, it’s far from ideal for the long-term viability of non-playoff bowl games.
The decision also denies Notre Dame’s seniors a chance for one final game, denies underclassmen from a few extra weeks of practice and denies a legion of fans — is there a bigger brand in college football? — from watching this team play again.
Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman looks at the scoreboard during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
Unlike Iowa State and Kansas State, which each got fined $500,000 by the Big 12 for opting out of a bowl game because of coaching changes, Notre Dame won’t get punished because it’s not a full-fledged member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Despite winning every game for nearly three months, Notre Dame dropped behind Miami in the final CFP rankings and was left out of the 12-team bracket entirely.
The Fighting Irish, who won their last 10 games by an average of nearly 30 points, watched championship weekend from afar, idle as an independent with no options to impress the selection committee one last time in a league title game.
Athletic director Pete Bevacqua and coach Marcus Freeman had taken the high road in recent weeks, avoiding too much lobbying and believing their winning streak would be enough to earn a berth over Alabama.
Miami (10-2) ended up knocking the Irish (10-2) out.
With BYU losing to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, the committee ranked Miami and Notre Dame next to each other and turned to the head-to-head metric to determine which one would get the No. 10 seed.
It was Miami, which beat Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1 of the regular season.
Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee, said members rewatched the game and were struck by Miami’s shutting down of a Notre Dame running game in a way nobody else did this season.
“Then there was observation from the coaches in the room where Notre Dame did a lot of chasing of some of the athletic receivers, especially on the Miami side,” Yurachek said. “And it just felt like there was a little bit more athleticism on the side of Miami versus Notre Dame.”
The Hurricanes will play at Texas A&M in the opening round of the playoff.
No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Vanderbilt and No. 14 Texas — and, to a lesser extent, Atlantic Coast Conference champion Duke — are sure to have issues with the final CFP standings, too.
“We are not entitled to anything and we’re not victimized by any process or any committee,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said. ”This is about ownership over what we’ve created, and the opportunity we created for ourselves is to go and know exactly when our season is going to be finished.”
But no one has a bigger gripe than Notre Dame, which dropped one spot after beating Stanford 49-20 and then fell another while not playing.
Fans online had demanded the Irish boycott their bowl game, cancel their scheduling agreement with the ACC and reassess future slates. Some called for Bevacqua to be fired.
Notre Dame lost consecutive games to open the season against teams that made the playoff — Miami and Texas A&M, by a combined four points — and has been as good as anyone in the country since.
Alabama, meanwhile, became the first three-loss team to make the CFP field. Yurachek explained the logic after the Crimson Tide lost 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC championship game.
“Their strength of schedule was the highest in the top 11, and (it) felt like in spite of their performance yesterday in the conference championship, they deserve to stay within that nine spot,” Yurachek said.
MILWAUKEE — Quentin Grimes scored 22 points to lead a productive performance from Philadelphia’s bench as the 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 116-101 on Friday night.
Paul George added 20 points and Jabari Walker had a season-high 18 off the bench as the 76ers won for a second straight night after beating the Golden State Warriors 99-98 on Thursday.
Philadelphia’s reserves scored 61 points to make up for the fact Milwaukee limited Tyrese Maxey to a season-low 12 points.
Neither team had its former league MVP on the floor.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was out after straining his right calf in the first few minutes of a 113-109 victory over Detroit on Wednesday. With the 76ers playing for a second straight night, Philadelphia rested Joel Embiid.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before Friday’s game that he anticipates Antetokounmpo will miss about four weeks.
Milwaukee’s AJ Green left with a bruised shoulder in the second quarter.
Bobby Portis scored 22 points, Kevin Porter Jr. 20 and Myles Turner 19 for the Bucks.
It was tied until the 76ers began a 15-2 run that started about seven minutes into the game and put Philadelphia ahead 28-15. Jared McCain sank a pair of 3-pointers during that spurt.
Philadelphia stayed ahead the rest of the way and led by as many as 26 in the second quarter.
Milwaukee got the margin down to single digits for the first time since the first quarter when Portis hit a corner 3-pointer to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 103-94 with 4:16 left.
After Ryan Rollins got a steal on Philadelphia’s ensuing possession, the ball went back to Portis, who drove to the basket but couldn’t finish. Maxey made a basket with 3:45 remaining, and the 76ers maintained a double-figure edge the rest of the way.
Up next
76ers: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
Maxey scored 35 points but missed a jumper with the Sixers trailing by one. Edgecombe tipped it in, but the Warriors quickly fired an inbounds pass to De’Anthony Melton, who had broke downcourt. Maxey got back to block the shot off the backboard just before time expired.
Joel Embiid had 12 points in his return to the 76ers lineup.
Pat Spencer scored 16 points for the Warriors, who erased a 24-point deficit despite playing with their two leading scorers, Stephen Curry (left quad contusion) and Jimmy Butler (left knee soreness), then losing Draymond Green to an injured right foot late in the second quarter.
Sixers’ Joel Embiid (left), Tyrese Maxey and Adem Bona celebrate after they beat the Warriors by one.
Maxey’s three-pointer made it 67-43 with 8 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third quarter. But the Warriors used a 15-0 run early in the fourth quarter to get back in the contest, then had a late lead before Edgecome stole an inbounds pass with 8.2 seconds to play.
Paul George (left knee injury recovery) was out for the Sixers, who play the second game of a back-to-back on Friday night in Milwaukee (8 p.m., NBCSP).
Curry didn’t even make the trip to Philadelphia, missing his third in a row and seventh game this season. Butler couldn’t play after getting injured in the Warriors’ 124-112 home loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Golden State did get some good news on the injury front with the return of Melton, who had 14 points in his season debut while coming back from a torn ACL.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert did not practice Wednesday, two days after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his nonthrowing hand.
Coach Jim Harbaugh said the Chargers (8-4) are preparing as if Herbert will start against the Eagles on Monday, though he repeatedly stressed a formal determination on Herbert’s status would be made later in the week.
“Not gonna practice, but he hasn’t missed a beat,” Harbaugh said. “Already back today in meetings and out on the field for walk-through.”
Herbert said he had a plate and screws placed in his left hand Monday afternoon. He kept his hand out of sight in the pocket of his sweatshirt during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
“The doctors were happy with how they performed, so I guess that’s always a good thing,” Herbert said. “It’s just the next couple days of seeing how the swelling handles and what goes on from there.”
Herbert, who was injured in the first quarter of a 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, is treating this week as if he will play. He has only missed four games because of injury in six seasons with the Chargers, having been sidelined for the last four games in 2023 because of a broken finger on his right hand.
“It’s obviously a situation where you’ll see how it goes throughout the week, and you’d love as much time as possible,” Herbert said. “I think having an extra day doesn’t hurt, so see how it goes and adjust from there, I guess.”
Backup Trey Lance worked with the starting offense in practice. Harbaugh had previously said Lance, who was drafted third overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, would see additional snaps in case he needed to play in situations where the Chargers might need to operate from under center, such as at the goal line or in short yardage.
“Better to be prepared and not have your opportunity come than have your opportunity come and not be prepared,” Harbaugh said.
The Chargers played exclusively out of the shotgun and pistol for the final three quarters after Herbert returned to the game with his hand in a hard cast and wearing a glove for additional protection.
“We’ll be preparing the same exact game plan for both quarterbacks,” Harbaugh said.
Herbert does expect to be able to try taking snaps from under center later this week. Herbert also believes he would be able to start even if he cannot practice, while admitting it would not be an ideal situation.
“It’s definitely difficult in this league, but if that’s the case and Coach (Harbaugh) feels like I’ll give the best shot for the team, you know that I trust his decision,” Herbert said.
Tyrese Maxey scored 20 of his 35 points in the third quarter, Andre Drummond had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and the 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 121-102 on Tuesday night.
Maxey, who was coming off a 44-point performance, was 13 of 26 from the field to score 20-plus for the 20th straight game this season. He also had six assists and four steals in 29 minutes.
The Sixers (11-9) had their 66-54 halftime lead trimmed to five after Washington scored the first seven points of the third quarter. But the Sixers scored 11 of the next 13 points to rebuild a double-digit lead at 77-63 with 6 minutes, 30 seconds left in the frame.
Jabari Walker had 10 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Sixers in their 121-102 win over Washington.
Maxey scored 20 points in the third quarter, while the Wizards had just 23 after going 7 of 22 from the floor. Maxey did not play in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia hit 100 points with 32.1 seconds left in the third on a free throw by Maxey. The 76ers extended the lead to 115-79 after starting the fourth on a 14-2 run.
Washington (3-17) dropped to 1-11 on the road this season.
Jared McCain added 14 points for the Sixers and fellow reserve Jabari Walker had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Paul George scored 11.
Washington had seven players score in double figures, led by Tristan Vukcevic with 16 points. Marvin Bagley III, Justin Champagnie, and Will Riley each had 13 points.
Maxey scored 15 points in the first half, McCain added 11 and the Sixers went 9 of 21 behind the arc, while the Wizards shot 38% overall by halftime.
Philadelphia was without Quentin Grimes, who is third on the team with 17 points per game, for the first time this season.
The Sixers will host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).
LAS VEGAS — Goalie Carter Hart, one of five 2018 Canada World Junior hockey players acquitted of sexual assault in July, will make his first NHL appearance in nearly two years when he starts in goal Tuesday night for the Vegas Golden Knights, who host Chicago.
The former Flyers goaltender was the first of those five players to agree to an NHL contract. The league ruled those players were eligible to sign deals beginning Oct. 15 and to play beginning Dec. 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract and has been working with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nev.
After he agreed to sign, Hart read a statement to reporters that, in part, said he wanted “to show the community my true character and who I am and what I’m about.”
Hart was asked Monday what steps he has taken to fulfill that pledge.
“There’s been a few things we’ve talked about,” Hart said. “We did a thing there in Henderson helping out the homeless. There’s some things we’ve talked about throughout the season. Whatever I can do to help, I’m happy to help.”
Giving Hart his first start at home could help ease him into what could be a rocky reception around the league. How welcoming Golden Knights fans will be remains to be seen, but after facing the Blackhawks, Vegas goes on a five-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams, including a Dec. 11 visit to the Flyers.
He worked in Henderson on getting back into NHL game shape. Hart appeared in three games and went 1-2.
“I’ve worked by [butt] off to get back to this point,” Hart said. “For me, the key is preparation and I’ve done everything I can to be prepared.”
The 27-year-old last played in an NHL game on Jan. 20, 2024, for the Flyers. Hart played six seasons for the team, going 96-93-29 with a .906 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average.
“The purpose of Henderson was to get him back into live reps,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He can practice with us with NHL shooters, but traffic around the net, screens, all that stuff is sometimes hard to replicate, especially when you haven’t played that often. We’re less worried about the results, more getting reps, getting used to that stuff.”
The Golden Knights could use the help in net, especially with starting goalie Adin Hill on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and his return possibly weeks away. Akira Schmid has received the majority of the work with Hill out and is 9-2-4 with a .896 save percentage and 2.51 GAA.
Cassidy said the upcoming schedule works in the Golden Knights’ favor in terms of not overloading the goalies.
“Akira’s played well, too, so we have to keep mindful he has to stay sharp,” Cassidy said. “So I’m sure you’ll see a lot of both goalies, but Carter’s waited a long time to play, so he’s definitely going to get his share of starts.”
PITTSBURGH — Adam Thielen didn’t stay out of work long.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed the veteran wide receiver to their practice squad on Tuesday, a day after the 35-year-old was released by the Minnesota Vikings so he could pursue more playing time elsewhere.
Thielen had just eight catches for 69 yards in his return to Minnesota, where he starred from 2014-22 before a two-year stint with Carolina.
It might not take Thielen long to find his way onto the field in Pittsburgh. The Steelers (6-6) have struggled to do much in the pass game of late with neither Roman Wilson nor Calvin Austin III becoming consistent contributors alongside DK Metcalf.
Thielen is the second experienced wideout to join Pittsburgh’s practice squad in recent weeks. The Steelers signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling last month, though he has yet to find his way onto the 53-man roster on gamedays.
Pittsburgh also promoted Asante Samuel Jr. from the practice squad and released six-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay, who had been a healthy scratch in recent weeks.
Samuel made his first appearance with the Steelers in Sunday’s loss to Buffalo, finishing with three tackles in his return to action after undergoing neck surgery last spring. Tomlin saw enough of Slay to sign him to the active roster rather than risk someone poaching Slay from the practice squad late in the season.
“We certainly wanted to have an opportunity to see him in stadium before we maybe had to make a decision on him, before someone else forced our hand regarding decisions,” Tomlin said, later adding, “we liked some of the things we saw.”
Slay, signed to a one-year deal in March, had essentially been benched by Tomlin in favor of less experienced players, including James Pierre.
NEW YORK — Free agent reliever Devin Williams has agreed to a contract with the New York Mets, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday night.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced.
Multiple media reports indicated the sides agreed to a three-year contract.
Williams spent last season across town with the New York Yankees, going 4-6 with a career-worst 4.79 ERA and 18 saves in 22 chances. He lost the closer’s job, regained it and then lost it again before finishing the year with four scoreless outings during the American League playoffs.
The 31-year-old right-hander is a two-time All-Star who twice won the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award with the Milwaukee Brewers while Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was running that team. Williams also was voted the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year.
Milwaukee traded Williams to the Yankees for pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin last December.
With the Mets, Williams could replace free agent closer Edwin Díaz or complement him in a rebuilt bullpen.
Williams was pitching for the Brewers when he gave up a go-ahead homer to Mets slugger Pete Alonso in the deciding Game 3 of their 2024 NL wild-card series. The three-run shot put New York ahead in the ninth inning, and the Mets won the series.
Known for a changeup so deceptive it’s called The Airbender, Williams struck out 90 batters and walked 25 in 62 innings over 67 appearances during his lone season in pinstripes. He made $8.6 million in 2025.
“At first it was a challenge, but I’ve grown to love being here,” the reliever said in October following a 5-2 loss to Toronto in Game 4 of their AL Division Series. “I love this city. I love taking the train to the field every day. Yeah, I really enjoyed my experience here.”
