Monday's Results
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National Football League
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Having  already wrapped up the AFC East the previous week, a big win on Monday
has the Patriots' sights set on the top spot in the conference. Thanks to four
touchdown passes from Tom Brady, New England took a 42-14 win over the Houston
Texans  on Monday  night. New England (10-3),  which is now 21-0 in the second
half  of the season  since 2010, has ripped off seven straight wins and is now
tied  with  Denver and just  a game behind Houston  (11-2) for the coveted top
spot  in  the AFC.  Brady was  21-for-35 with 296  yards while Aaron Hernandez
posted eight catches for 58 yards and two scores. Brandon Lloyd caught a score
and  also  recovered  a fumble  in  the  end  zone  for a  score  while  Donte
Stallworth,  who re-signed  with the team last Monday, had the other touchdown
reception.  Stevan Ridley  carried the  ball  18 times  for 72  yards and  his
touchdown  in the  fourth quarter put the  emphasis on the rout as New England
eclipsed  the  40- point  mark for  the fifth time  this season, including the
third time in the past four weeks.

National Basketball Association
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Tony  Parker recorded the first triple-double of his career with 27 points, 12
rebounds  and 12 assists, as the San Antonio Spurs needed overtime to beat the
Houston  Rockets, 134-126.  Gary Neal  made seven  3-pointers en  route to  29
points  for  the Spurs, who have  won five in  a row. Manu Ginobili tallied 22
points  and six assists.  Tim Duncan had a double-double with 10 points and 13
boards  for San Antonio, which improved to 11-2 on the road this season. Danny
Green  donated 14 points  and six rebounds. Jeremy Lin tied a career high with
38  points  while dishing out seven  assists for the Rockets, who have dropped
three  straight.  Omer Asik  added 21  points and  10 boards. Chandler Parsons
finished  with  20 points and  seven boards  for Houston, which played without
guard James Harden due to a right ankle injury.

Elsewhere in the NBA:
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Golden State Warriors 104, Charlotte Bobcats 96
Philadelphia 76ers 104, Detroit Pistons 97
Miami Heat 101, Atlanta Hawks 92
Dallas Mavericks 119, Sacramento Kings 96
Portland Trail Blazers 92, Toronto Raptors 74

Top-25 College Basketball
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Otto  Porter had  22 points to lead No.  15 Georgetown to an 89-53 rout of the
Longwood  Lancers. Markel  Starks hit four 3-pointers and had 17 points, while
Nate  Lubick  gave six  points to  go along  with seven  assists for the Hoyas
(8-1),  who have  won five straight since  an overtime loss to Indiana on Nov.
20.  Jeylani  Dublin gave  11 points  and six  rebounds, while Michael Kessens
added  10 points  for the Lancers (2-7),  who have dropped three of their last
four.

=== As of 12:30 a.m. (et) ===

=== NFL ===

Having  already wrapped up the AFC East the previous week, a big win on Monday
has the Patriots' sights set on the top spot in the conference. Thanks to four
touchdown passes from Tom Brady, New England took a 42-14 win over the Houston
Texans  on Monday  night. New England (10-3),  which is now 21-0 in the second
half  of the season  since 2010, has ripped off seven straight wins and is now
tied  with  Denver and just  a game behind Houston  (11-2) for the coveted top
spot  in  the AFC.  Brady was  21-for-35 with 296  yards while Aaron Hernandez
posted eight catches for 58 yards and two scores. Brandon Lloyd caught a score
and  also  recovered  a fumble  in  the  end  zone  for a  score  while  Donte
Stallworth,  who re-signed  with the team last Monday, had the other touchdown
reception.  Stevan Ridley  carried the  ball  18 times  for 72  yards and  his
touchdown  in the  fourth quarter put the  emphasis on the rout as New England
eclipsed  the  40- point  mark for  the fifth time  this season, including the
third time in the past four weeks.

===

Washington  Redskins coach  Mike Shanahan  updated the  status of  quarterback
Robert  Griffin III on  Monday and said the rookie has a Grade I sprain of the
lateral  collateral  ligament. Griffin  was hurt during  the fourth quarter of
Sunday's  game  against Baltimore  and tests  later in  the evening revealed a
right  knee  sprain. Shanahan  gave further details  during a press conference
Monday  and said he won't know Griffin's status for next Sunday's game against
Cleveland  until  later in the  week. Fellow  rookie Kirk Cousins finished the
Baltimore  game and would  be the starter if Griffin is unable to play against
the Browns. Cousins threw a TD pass and ran for the tying two-point conversion
in  regulation against  the Ravens. Griffin has started every game this season
for  Washington, which  has vaulted back into playoff contention in the NFC by
ripping  off  four consecutive  victories. The  22-year-old has completed 68.5
percent  of  his throws with 10  touchdowns and just one interception over the
course of the Redskins' current unbeaten run.

===

The Baltimore Ravens have fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and elevated
quarterbacks  coach Jim  Caldwell to  the position.  Head coach  John Harbaugh
called  it "the hardest  thing I've ever had to do as a coach," but added that
it's  "what's best" for  the team. The decision comes one day after the Ravens
lost  their second  straight game, coming up short in a 31-28 overtime setback
at  Washington  after dropping a  23-20 decision  to Pittsburgh last week. The
Ravens are 9-4 and still own a two-game lead over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in
the  AFC North with three weeks remaining. Baltimore has been in the middle of
the pack in total offense for much of Cameron's five-year tenure. Caldwell was
hired  by the  Ravens this past January  after three-year run as head coach of
the Indianapolis Colts.

===

The  remainder of  Dez Bryant's season could  be in jeopardy due to an injured
finger  the  Dallas Cowboys  wide  receiver  sustained in  Sunday's  emotional
victory  at Cincinnati.  The Cowboys'  official site  reported on  Monday that
Bryant  is  scheduled to visit  a hand specialist  to determine whether or not
he  will require  surgery  that would  end  his season.  His  status for  this
Sunday's  game  against Pittsburgh  has yet  to be  determined as well. Bryant
was  hurt his  finger during  the fourth  quarter of  Sunday's 20-19  win over
the  Bengals,  which came one  day after practice-squad linebacker Jerry Brown
was killed in an   automobile  accident  in  which  teammate  Josh  Brent  was
arrested  on  intoxication  manslaughter  charges.  The  talented  24-year-old
leads  the  team with  75 catches,  1,028 receiving  yards and nine touchdowns
this  season, and  he's averaged  7.5 catches  and 109.5  yards while  scoring
six times over the Cowboys' last four contests.

===

Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson could miss the remainder of the season
with  a  knee injury. Jackson was  hurt during Sunday's game against St. Louis
and  Bills  coach Chan  Gailey, during  his weekly radio  spot on WGR-AM, said
Monday  Jackson's injury would likely keep him sidelined for a "minimum of two
to  three weeks."  The Bills  are  5-8 and  have just  three games  remaining.
Jackson  has  437 yards  and three touchdowns  on the ground  and has added 34
catches for 217 yards with a score in 10 games this season. He also suffered a
knee  injury in the season-opener and missed two games, then sat out a Week 11
contest against Miami because of a concussion.

===

Brandon Jacobs' disappointing season with the San Francisco 49ers will have an
early  ending,  with the team  announcing on Monday  that it has suspended the
disgruntled  running  back for  the final  three games. The  49ers have yet to
publicly  disclose  their reasoning  for  the  move,  though Jacobs  has  been
grumbling  over his  limited role this season and recently engaged in a social
media  spat with  several San  Francisco fans  that were  displeased with  the
offseason addition having posted pictures on his Instagram account of him with
his  former team,  the New York Giants. Jacobs, who signed a one-year contract
with  the Niners in  March after being released by the Giants, has been active
in  only two  games this season and  had a mere five rushing attempts totaling
seven  yards. The  eight-year pro put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons
with  the  Giants in 2007  and 2008, ranking among  the league leaders with 15
rushing  touchdowns as  well  during  the last  of  those  campaigns, but  his
production  has declined  in each of the past four seasons since. Jacobs would
be eligible to return if the NFC West-leading 49ers reach the playoffs, though
it  appears  unlikely he'd be  active given how  sparingly he's been used this
season.

=== COLLEGE FOOTBALL ===

Bobby  Petrino will  have an  opportunity to  rebuild his  tarnished image  at
Western  Kentucky,  with the school  announcing it has hired the controversial
football  coach  as the  new architect  of its  program on  Monday. It will be
Petrino's  first  job since being  relieved of his  duties at Arkansas back in
April following revelations of an extramarital affair with a former Razorbacks
volleyball player whom he had hired as a staff member. Arkansas went 34-17 and
went  to  two major bowls (2011  Sugar and 2012 Cotton) during Petrino's four-
year  tenure  there, and  the 51-year-old owns  a 75-26 career  mark as a head
coach  at  the collegiate level  that includes  a four-year stop at Louisville
from  2003-06. He replaces Willie Taggart, who was named the new head coach at
South Florida on Saturday.

===

Colorado  has  hired San Jose  State's Mike MacIntyre  to fill its vacant head
football  coaching position,  the  university announced  on Monday.  MacIntyre
comes  to the  Buffaloes after  spending the  last three  seasons at  San Jose
State,  where  he engineered a  dramatic turnaround  of the program during his
tenure.  The Spartans were  1-12 in his first season and 5-7 in 2011, but this
year's  squad finished  10-2 and  earned the  school's first  postseason berth
since 2006 with an invitation to the upcoming Military Bowl in Washington, DC.
The  47-year-old will  now attempt to rebuild a Colorado program that's fallen
on  hard times in recent years and hit rock bottom with a 1-11 finish in 2012,
which  triggered  the dismissal of  Jon Embree  last month. The Buffaloes went
just  4-21  in two seasons under  Embree and haven't registered a winning mark
since 2005 under Gary Barnett.

=== MLB ===

The  Los  Angeles  Dodgers  have  added the  top  available  pitcher  on  this
offseason's  free-agent  market to  their  recent spending  splurge,  with the
team  officially announcing  the signing  of former  American League  Cy Young
Award  winner Zack Greinke to a six-year, $147 million contract on Monday. The
deal  ranks  as  the  highest  annual  salary ever  given  to  a  pitcher  and
rates  behind only  CC Sabathia's  7-year, $161 million pact with the New York
Yankees  as the largest  given to a hurler. Greinke captured the AL's Cy Young
Award  while with  the  Kansas City  Royals  in 2009  after  compiling a  16-8
record  and  an MLB-best  2.16 earned  run average  along with 205 strikeouts,
and  has  been one  of the game's  most consistent pitchers  over the past few
seasons.  The  right-hander posted  a 15-5 mark  with a 3.48  ERA in 34 starts
between  Milwaukee  and the  Los Angeles  Angels of Anaheim  in 2012, one year
after  going  16-6 with  a  3.83  ERA and  racking  up  201 strikeouts  in  28
outings  with  the Brewers.  The  29-year-old  owns  a splendid  70-43  record
while  pitching  to a  3.39 ERA  since 2008,  and has  thrown over 200 innings
four times during that five-year stretch.

===

The  Chicago  White  Sox  officially  signed infielder  Jeff  Keppinger  to  a
three-year  contract on  Monday, presumably ending the team's search for a new
third  baseman for  the upcoming  season. According  to MLB.com,  the pact  is
worth  a  total  of  $12  million.  Keppinger is  coming  off  a  career  year
with  the  Tampa Bay  Rays in which  he batted .325  with a personal-best nine
homers  along  with 40  RBI  over  115 games.  The  32-year-old  is slated  to
replace   current  free  agent  Kevin  Youkilis  as  Chicago's  primary  third
baseman.  Keppinger  is a  .288  hitter  with  41  homers over  an  eight-year
major  league  career spent  with six  different teams. He  broke into the big
leagues  with the  New York Mets in  2004 and has also played for Kansas City,
Cincinnati, Houston and San Francisco in addition to Tampa Bay.

=== NBA ===

Cleveland  Cavaliers guard  Kyrie Irving  has been  cleared to  practice after
recovering  from a  broken finger  and will  likely return  to game  action on
Tuesday when the Los Angeles Lakers visit Quicken Loans Arena. Irving was hurt
during  a Nov. 17 game against the Dallas Mavericks, suffering a non-displaced
fracture  of his  left  index  finger. He  played  the  following day  against
Philadelphia  before undergoing  tests  that determined  the  severity of  the
problem.  The 2011-12 Rookie of the Year is averaging 22.9 points, 5.6 assists
and 3.7 rebounds in 10 games this season.

=== NHL ===

The  National  Hockey League  has eliminated  another block  of games from the
schedule  with  the lockout  nearing a  full three months.  Games from Dec. 15
through  Dec.  30 were the latest  to be wiped  out, bringing the total to 526
lost  to the  lockout that started Sept.  16. The Winter Classic on New Year's
Day was also canceled, as was the All-Star Weekend in late January. Three days
of lengthy negotiations last week between owners and players gave a glimmer of
hope, but again ended without a collective bargaining agreement.


Illini Jump In Rankings; Host Norfolk State Tonight

(Champaign, IL)  --  Illinois moved up four spots in the latest "USA Today" Top-25 Rankings released on Monday.  The Illini are now 10th in the country following their 10-and-0 start to the season.  They are back in action tonight as they host Norfolk State at Assembly Hall.


Brady, Patriots Toast Texans

(Foxboro, MA)  --  New England scored on its first three possessions and never looked back, cruising to a 42-14 win over Houston on "Monday Night Football."  Tom Brady threw for 296 yards with four touchdowns, including two to Aaron Herndandez.  Herndandez had eight catches for 58 yards while Brandon Lloyd added seven grabs for 89 yards with a receiving touchdown and a fumble recovery for a TD.  Stevan Ridley finished with 72 yards and a touchdown on the ground as the Patriots improved to 10-and-3.  Matt Schaub tossed for 232 yards and an interception for the Texans while Andre Johnson made eight catches for 95 yards.  Arian Foster had 46 yards and a TD on the ground for Houston, which still holds the AFC's best record at 11-and-2.


Ravens Fire Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron

(Owings Mills, MD)  --  The Baltimore Ravens have fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, replacing him with quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell.  Yesterday, head coach John Harbaugh said a number of factors led to the decision to let Cameron go.

The firing comes after the Ravens lost their second consecutive game with Sunday's overtime defeat at Washington.  The Ravens are 9-and-4 on the season and still hold a two-game lead over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the AFC North.  Baltimore has been in the middle of the pack in total offense for much of Cameron's five-year tenure.