NEWS » idually, and kicking out.Koufos didnt play inning back Mar

Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Thursday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:- CHICAGO -- Baseballs MVP winners are announced. Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Jose Altuve are the AL finalists. In the NL, its Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy and Corey Seager. AL about 6:15 p.m., NL about 6:45 p.m.- CHICAGO -- Major League Baseball concludes two days of owners meetings. The top item on the agenda is the collective bargaining agreement, which expires Dec. 1.- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Saints and Panthers look to put rough losses behind them when they meet in an NFC South game. Drew Brees pounded Carolina last month for 465 yards and four touchdowns. Game starts 8:25 p.m.- INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joins Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke for the groundbreaking on the teams new stadium and entertainment district.- FRISCO, Texas -- Dez Bryant says he couldnt have played a day after his fathers death without his teammates support. Team chemistry is part of the reason this is becoming a special season for the Dallas Cowboys.- GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The ACC, SEC and Pac-12 are experimenting with collaborative instant replay in which officials at league headquarters assist stadium crews with reviews during games.- Its tempting for playoff contenders to run up lopsided victories to impress the College Football Playoff committee. But the committee insists it doesnt take margin of victory into consideration when compiling rankings.- HOUSTON -- No. 3 Louisville (9-1) and Heisman Trophy favorite Lamar Jackson try to improve their playoff chances with a victory over Houston. Game starts 8 p.m.- PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State coach Mike Leach gets called a lot of things: inquisitive, outspoken, ingenious, odd. Leachs quirks often mask his ability to build a program that is now ranked No. 20.- STORRS, Conn. -- The third-ranked UConn put their 76-game winning streak on the line when they host No. 2 Baylor in an early showdown in womens college basketball. Game starts 7:30 p.m.- LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The No. 7 Xavier men open play in the Tire Pros Invitational against Missouri at Disney World. The Muskeeters won this tournament last year. Game starts 1:30 p.m.- HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Carl Edwards is no fan of social media, but hell jump aboard if he wins his first NASCAR championship Sunday. Edwards lost the 2011 title on a tiebreaker and has a shot in the season finale at redemption.- LONDON -- Novak Djokovic beats David Goffin at the ATP finals to finish group play undefeated. The Serb is eyeing a record-tying sixth title at this season-ending tournament and looking to regain the No. 1 ranking from Andy Murray.- BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Much like last spring, the Lightning will have to make do without Steven Stamkos. The Tampa Bay captain is sidelined indefinitely after tearing a ligament in his right knee.- ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- The final PGA Tour event of the year begins at Sea Island, with defending champion Kevin Kisner and tournament host Davis Love III in the field at the RSM Classic.- NAPLES, Fla. -- Top-ranked Lydia Ko needs to win the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship to secure player of the year honors. Otherwise, that prize goes to budding star Ariya Jutanugarn. They open play Thursday. David Nwaba Jersey . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Brooklyn Nets Jerseys . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Henry-Ellenson-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Drazen Petrovic Jersey .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Kenneth Faried Nets Jersey .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. With his teams season already in a dangerous downhill spiral, coach Dave Joerger is ready to make changes designed to get the Sacramento Kings steadily flying again.Hell see if they have any effect Sunday when Sacramento welcomes the Toronto Raptors, one of the few teams theyve beaten this season.A new starting lineup is expected on the floor for the Kings at Golden 1 Center. Joerger pointed to the switch Friday after the Kings (4-9) lost their fourth straight contest, a 121-115 decision to the Los Angeles Clippers that wasnt all that close. Sacramento trailed by as many as 26 points in the first half and 20 early in the fourth quarter.Ive seen enough. Joerger said after it was over. Were going to small.The Kings small lineup, featuring Ty Lawson and Darren Collision on the court at the same time as dual two point guards, nearly stole a win against the Clippers. They spurred a 29-11 blitz in the final quarter that put Sacramento only two down with two minutes to left.Forwards DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Matt Barnes and guard Aaron Afflalo also were out on the floor as part of the small lineups the Kings used to make their run.DeMarcus is going to play center, Joerger said. I dont know who else will play with him. It just gives us more zip, more life, more experience. Thats not a detriment to anyone else of what theyve done.It does appear to be a reaction to the slow starts that have plagued the Kings during their longest losing streak since a five-game skid in March. The Kings allowed 40 points in the opening 12 minutes against Los Angeles, their worst defensive quarter of the season, and were down 16-6 almost immediately in a 110-105 loss Wednesday against San Antonio.I dont think were coming out with uurgency, Cousins said after the loss to the Clippers.ddddddddddddOnce again, were waiting until the last minute to play with energy, a sense of urgency. ... If we dont play with urgency and energy at the beginning of the game, it wont matter what lineup we put out there.The Kings have used Cousins, Gay, Lawson, Afflalo and Kosta Koufos in the starting lineup in 11 of their 13 games, including in all four victories. But the presence of Cousins and Koufos in the middle has crowded the key and kept Lawson and Collison from having a lot of success driving the ball and kicking out.Koufos didnt play in the second half against the Clippers, and Lawson and Collison played with a faster pace.Toronto (7-5) also would prefer to get moving quickly and give its guards a chance to score. DeMar DeRozan, the NBAs leading scorer at 33 points per game, and Kyle Lowry (18.8 points, 7.3 assists) usually get Torontos offense started with drives to the key, and the Raptors are 5-2 when they combine for at least 50 points.DeRozan tallied 30 in Torontos 113-111 overtime victory in Denver on Friday, the 10th time in 12 contests he scored at least that many.Ive had a lot of help, DeRozan told reporters after the win. People have looked for me within the offense. Tonight it was JV (center Jonas Valanciunas) setting screens for me. When the defense packed it in on him, he got me the ball for shots.The Kings havent won since beating the Raptors 96-91 in Toronto on Nov. 6, and have defeated them three straight times. Gay had 23 against his former team in the first meeting. DeRozan scored only 23 in that one. ' ' '