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Pelé’s family gathers at hospital in Sao Paulo

SAO PAULO (AP) — Family members of Brazilian soccer great Pelé are gathering at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo where the 82-year-old global icon has been since the end of November. Doctors said earlier this week that Pelé’s cancer had advanced, adding the three-time World Cup winner is under “elevated care” related to “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.” No other hospital statements have been published since. Pelé led Brazil to victory in the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups and remains one of the team’s all-time leading scorers with 77 goals. Neymar tied Pelé’s record during the latest World Cup.

Singletary, Cook lead way as Bills beat Bears for AFC East

CHICAGO (AP) — Devin Singletary and James Cook ran for long touchdowns in the third quarter and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC East title by beating the Bears 35-13 on Saturday in one of the coldest games in Chicago. Josh Allen ran for a TD and threw for another in the game’s closing minutes to cap an otherwise subpar outing to help the Bills secure their third straight division title with their sixth win in a row. Buffalo remained on track for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. It’s tied with West leader Kansas City but has the head-to-head tiebreaker. Chicago matched a franchise record with its eighth straight loss.

Chiefs dump Seahawks 24-10, stay tied for AFC’s best record

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and Kansas City shut down Geno Smith and the slumping Seattle offense as the Chiefs rolled to a 24-10 victory over the Seahawks. Travis Kelce had six catches for 113 yards,and Kadarius Toney and Jerick McKinnon had touchdown catches for the AFC West champions. They remained tied with Buffalo at 12-3 for the conference’s best record. The Seahawks were stopped twice on fourth down and Geno Smith threw a pick in the end zone as they lost for the fifth time in six games.

Huntley, Ravens beat Falcons 17-9, secure playoff spot

BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler Huntley threw a first-half touchdown pass, and the Baltimore defense kept the Atlanta Falcons out of the end zone in a 17-9 victory that ended up assuring a playoff spot for the Ravens. About a half-hour after Baltimore took care of the Falcons, New England lost to Cincinnati to put the Ravens in the playoffs. The Ravens won for the second time in three games without quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has been out with a knee injury. Gus Edwards ran for 99 yards and J.K. Dobbins rushed for 59 for Baltimore. Atlanta has lost four straight, including rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder’s first two starts.

Ovechkin moves to 2nd in NHL goals with 802, passing Howe

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin has passed Gordie Howe for second on the NHL career goals list. Ovechkin scored his 802nd goal into an empty net with a minute left in the third period of the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Ovechkin scored his 801st goal earlier to end a four-game drought and match Howe. He’s now 92 away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record that long seemed unapproachable.

A record NBA outburst: 5 games of 43 or more on the same day

The NBA went into Christmas with a night like none other. For the first time in NBA history, five players scored at least 43 points on the same day. It happened Friday, with Dallas’ Luka Doncic leading the way with 50 points against Houston. Also, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored 44 against the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career-high 44 against New Orleans, New York’s RJ Barrett had 44 against Chicago and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton scored a career-best 43 against Miami.

Texas coach Beard’s fiancée says he didn’t strangle her

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The woman who called police to report a family violence assault by Texas basketball coach Chris Beard said Friday that Beard did not strangle her and she never wanted him arrested or prosecuted. Beard was suspended indefinitely without pay after his Dec. 12 arrest on a felony charge of strangling his fiancée, Randi Trew. In a statement sent to The Associated Press by her attorney, Trew said she is “deeply saddened” by the incident and said Beard was acting in self-defense from her. The university said in a statement that officials are reviewing Trew’s statement.

Texans at Titans game kicks off after hour delay due to cold

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The game between the Houston Texans at the Tennessee Titans kicked off Saturday after an hourlong delay because of extreme cold and power outages in the region. The temperature was 20 degrees when the Texans kicked off with the wind chill making it feel like 6. That made it the coldest home game in Titans’ history. The Titans issued a statement saying the decision was made with the NFL, the local Office of Emergency Management, the Nashville Electric Service and the Mayor’s Office. The decision came from “an abundance of caution” to avoid impacting the community. The team also said they are working to cut all non-essential power around Nissan Stadium.

Jets WRs coach Miles Austin suspended by NFL for gambling

New York Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin has been suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s gambling policy. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed the suspension, which Austin is appealing. McCarthy added the league would have no further comment until the appeal is resolved. Austin could be forced to sit out for a minimum of a year, pending the results of the appeal. The former NFL wide receiver did not coach in the Jets’ 19-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. Austin’s attorney and agent William P. Deni Jr. said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that Austin did not gamble on football.

The NBA on Christmas: Things to know about the 5 matchups

Christmas comes with traditions. Like the New York Knicks playing at Madison Square Garden. Or LeBron James lacing up his sneakers and going to work. And the defending NBA champions in action. All those things are happening this year. And this holiday features a new twist: Memphis, welcome to the Christmas stage. The NBA’s Christmas quintupleheader is Sunday, with the Grizzlies and Ja Morant set to play on Dec. 25 for the first time in that franchise’s history. They get the distinction of going to Golden State and facing the reigning champions in a rematch from last season’s Western Conference semifinals.

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