Football: Joe Flacco leads the Cleveland Browns into the NFL playoffs
The Cleveland Browns qualified for the playoffs of the North American football league NFL after a 37:20 (34:17) home win over the New York Jets. On Thursday (local time), Cleveland’s quarterback Joe Flacco excelled in Cleveland’s eleventh win of the season – against his team from last year.
Flacco threw three touchdown passes and passed for a total of 309 yards. The 38-year-old is the first quarterback in Cleveland team history to throw for at least 300 yards in four consecutive games. In the first half, Flacco set up Jerome Ford twice, and the Browns started at the 50-yard line for the touchdown to give them a 34:14 lead shortly before halftime.
The New York Jets decided against extending Flacco’s contract before this season – even after star quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon. Flacco initially remained without a contract before he signed with the Browns a month ago, who responded in this way to the injury to their original starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson.
After beating the Jets, the Browns are safely in the playoffs and still have a chance of winning their division, the ACF North. For the team from Cleveland, it is only the second finals appearance in the NFL since 2002.
Ice hockey: Leon Draisaitl scores in Edmonton’s sweep of the NHL
The Edmonton Oilers’ outward trend around German ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl in the NHL continues. On Thursday (local time), the team from Canada won 5-0 (4-0, 1-0, 0-0) at the San Jose Sharks, achieved their third win in a row and has eleven of their last 14 games in North American ice hockey league won. For the second time this season, the Oilers won a game without conceding a goal.
Draisaitl was also successful: Shortly before the end of the first third, the Cologne native scored to give Edmonton a 4-0 lead and scored his 15th goal of the season. After the second-highest win of the season, the Oilers are only in fifth place in the Pacific Division, but are only five points behind the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, which is currently occupied by the Nashville Predators. For the Sharks, Nico Sturm missed the seventh game in a row due to injury, and the Sharks lost all seven games.
The Vegas Golden Knights won the top game against the Los Angeles Kings 3:2 (1:0, 2:1, 0:1). The NHL defending champion benefited from the Vancouver Canucks’ 1:4 (0:0, 0:3, 1:1) defeat against the Philadelphia Flyers and, like the Pacific Division leaders, now has 49 points.
Football: NFL star Von Miller denies allegations of domestic violence
Football star Von Miller from the NFL club Buffalo Bills has denied allegations of domestic violence. The two-time Super Bowl champion said the allegations against him were “one hundred percent false”: “I can’t talk about everything. But all the things that have been reported are completely false. Everything was completely exaggerated.”
Miller turned himself in to police at the beginning of December following an arrest warrant. Miller was then released on bail. The Bills linebacker is said to have assaulted his pregnant girlfriend. According to police, the woman did not need to be taken to hospital but suffered minor injuries.
The Dallas Police Department confirmed that officers arrived on scene following a disturbance call. Investigations revealed that an argument had probably escalated. Miller was no longer there when the police arrived. The 34-year-old won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos in 2016 and Super Bowl 56 with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
Basketball: Not a single missed throw – Nikola Jokic shines in the NBA
Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 142:105 (64:48) home win over the Memphis Grizzlies with his next brilliant performance in the NBA. On Thursday (local time), the Serbian superstar scored 26 points, 14 rebounds and ten assists, marking his eleventh triple-double of the season. The two-time most valuable player in the North American Basketball League hit each of his eleven shot attempts from the field and each of his three free throws.
The Nuggets won all four periods and took a 23-point lead after three quarters. The NBA defending champions were able to rest Jokic in the final section of the game. With their sixth win in a row, the Nuggets are currently the hottest team in the NBA and are in second place in the Western Conference behind the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For the Detroit Pistons, however, the series of defeats continues: The team from Michigan lost the 28th game in a row, no team in NBA history has lost more games in a row. Against the Boston Celtics, leaders in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons showed themselves to be on equal terms, led by 19 points at the break and ultimately had to admit defeat in overtime 122:128 (66:47, 108:108).
Tyrese Haliburton achieved a special feat in his Indiana Pacers’ 120:104 (63:52) away win against the Chicago Bulls: The playmaker scored 21 points, distributed 20 assists and never lost the ball once. This makes Haliburton only the second player to do so NBA history, who scored at least 20 points and 20 assists in a game and did not lose the ball at the same time.
Horror series continues: Detroit sets negative record
Despite fierce opposition, the Detroit Pistons’ record-breaking series of horrors in the NBA professional basketball league continues. The team from Michigan lost 122:128 to record champions and title contenders Boston Celtics after overtime on Friday night. With the 28th defeat in a row, Detroit equaled the Philadelphia 76ers’ negative record.
Philadelphia also suffered 28 bankruptcies in a row at the end of the 2014/15 season and at the beginning of the 2015/16 season. Detroit had previously set the negative record within a season with 27 defeats in a row. “It hurts like hell,” said Detroit coach Monty Williams: “But the boys give their all in training every day.”
2023-12-30 00:55:51
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