(Champaign, IL) — Nate Reuvers scored a game-high 22 points in Wisconsin’s 72-60 win at Illinois. Giorgi Bezhanishvili led the Illini with 20 points and Aaron Jordan added 10. The Badgers have now won 14 straight against Illinois, which dropped to 5-and-14 overall and 1-and-7 in the Big Ten. The Illini travel to New York to play number-16 Maryland Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
(Chicago, IL) — John Collins scored a game-high 35 points as the Hawks cruised to 121-101 victory over the Bulls at the United Center. Zach LaVine [[ luh-VEEN ]] led Chicago with 23 points and Lauri Markkanen added 22. The Bulls dropped to 11-and-37 with their 11th loss in 12 games. They host the LA Clippers tomorrow night.
(Indianapolis, IN) — Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo [[ oh-lah-DEE-poh ]] is likely out for the season after a serious knee injury. He went down in the first half last night against Toronto and had to be stretchered off the court. Oladipo had tears in his eyes, but gave the crowd a thumb up as he was taken to the locker room. He’s scheduled to have an MRI today.
>>LeBron Ruled Out For Tonight
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Lakers will again be without superstar LeBron James when they host the Timberwolves tonight. Head coach Luke Walton says James will miss his 15th straight game after straining his groin on Christmas Day. LeBron did some drills yesterday, but has yet to practice with contact. He has not been ruled out for Sunday against the Suns.
>>NHL All-Star Break Begins
(Undated) — The NHL All-Star break is now underway. The final six games of the unofficial first half of the season were played last night. The Lighting and Flames lead their respective conferences at the break. The league will resume play with two games on Monday. The All-Star Game is Saturday in San Jose, with the Skills Competition taking place tomorrow.
>>Halladay HoF Plaque To Be Sans Logo
(Cooperstown, NY) — When the late Roy Halladay is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, it will be without a team designation. His family has requested the former Blue Jays and Phillies pitcher simply enter the Hall as a former player. The cap on his plaque will be blank. Halladay died in a solo plane crash in 2017 at the age of 40.
>>Ichiro Agrees To Minor-League Deal With Mariners
(Seattle, WA) — Ichiro Suzuki may play in a few more major league games. The 45-year-old outfielder has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners and could play when Seattle opens the season with two games against Oakland in Japan. Ichiro’s agent says the deal becomes a major-league contract if he’s added to the expanded roster for those games.
(Anaheim, CA) — Jordan Binnington needed to make just 12 saves in the Blues 5-1 victory over the Ducks in Anaheim. Zach Sanford, Vladimir Tarasenko, Oskar Sundqvist, Tyler Bozak and Sammy Blais had goals for St. Louis. The Blues limited Anaheim to 13 shots, the fewest in a game by any team this season. St. Louis is now off for All-Star Weekend. The Blues’ next game is February 2nd against Columbus.
>>Rams Sign Off On $24M Payout In PSL Lawsuit
(St. Louis, MO) — The Rams are agreeing to shell out 24-million dollars to personal seat license-holders in St. Louis left high and dry after the team relocated to Los Angeles in 2016. The team’s COO has signed off on the settlement, which needs to be approved by a federal judge. Lawyers for team owners says PSL owners will be notified several weeks after the payout is approved. The money is part of a lawsuit filed shortly after the NFL approved the Rams’ relocation.
(Chicago, IL) — A Bears superfan is up for the Hall of Fame. Don Wachter has been attending games as Bearman for more than 20 years. He is now one of six NFL fans competing for a chance to be the first inductee into the Ford Hall of Fans, which is housed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Along with the Bears, the remaining finalists represent the Broncos, Cowboys, Dolphins, Lions and Steelers.
