Quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a “little” lateral ankle sprain in the Rams’ victory over the New Orleans Saints , but the injury is not expected to affect his preparation for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, coach Sean McVay said Monday. “Nothing that’s going to change his weekly rhythm as far as practice,” McVay said during a video conference, adding that Stafford ran Monday as part of the team’s day-after lifting program. “Got it banged up a little bit. He’s tough. He pushes through and he should be good to go.” Stafford was injured during the second quarter of Sunday’s 21-14 victory in New Orleans when he was taken to the ground while throwing an incomplete pass. Stafford limped immediately after the play but stayed in the game and passed for two second-half touchdowns. “I need to be faster,” he joked afterward, “and get away from those guys.” Receiver Demarcus Robinson , who caught a touchdown pass, suffered a hand avulsion, but with a protective pad he should be ready to play against the Bills, McVay said. Also on Monday, the Rams moved to bolster their secondary by claiming cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. off waivers from the Washington Commanders. Forbes, 23, was the 16th player chosen in the 2023 draft out of Mississippi State. As a rookie under former coach Ron Rivera, Forbes started six games and intercepted one pass. This season, under new coach Dan Quinn, Forbes played in six games and intercepted one pass. The Rams were familiar with Forbes from pre-draft evaluations and NFL game tape, McVay said. Forbes, 6 feet and 180 pounds, showed versatility, competitive toughness and ball skills, McVay said. To make room for Forbes, the Rams waived cornerback Charles Woods. Forbes is now part of a cornerback group that includes Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon and Josh Wallace.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Trae Young might be the NBA's biggest enigma. Young's fans can point to numbers and say he's an elite player. His detractors can point to numbers and say he's overrated. Both arguments have validity. To some, his cocky ways are endearing. To others, they're infuriating. This can't be argued: He's helping Atlanta author one of the season's surprise stories. The Hawks are in the NBA Cup semifinals, set to play Milwaukee on Saturday before the other semifinal between Oklahoma City and Houston. The title game is Tuesday night. “When we talk about Trae, the word I like to use is evolution,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “And every player evolves. They just evolve in different ways. He's been an important part of our young guys' growth and being able to elevate them.” The Hawks haven't had a ton of big moments in Young's seven seasons. But he has shown a propensity for rising to the occasion: ousting New York in the 2021 playoffs, ousting the Knicks from the quarterfinals of this tournament to get to Las Vegas — and now comes another chance on national TV on Saturday, facing the Bucks with a chance to play for a trophy. “I feel like this team has been embracing the challenge each and every night from the beginning of the season,” Young said. “We haven’t looked too far ahead in any moment. We’re just taking it day by day. Even though early on in the season we may have had some struggles and some bumps in the road and some guys out, we stuck with the process and focus on each day." Here's part of the pro-Young argument: He's averaging 21 points and 12 assists something that only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have done over a full season, and he's on pace to lead the league in assist average for the first time. Here's part of the anti-Young argument: Among the 220 players with at least 50 3-point attempts this season he ranks 189th at 30.8%, and of the 248 players with at least 100 field goal attempts this season he ranks 231st at 38.4%. Choose your side. They're both valid. But it's clear that Young — who made no secret that he was upset over not being picked for the team that won gold for USA Basketball at the Paris Olympics this past summer — is growing and maturing. “He’s doing a better job on both ends of the floor,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Defensively he’s figured out a way of keeping himself out of actions. I know that sounds easy. That’s hard to do, and he’s brilliant at it, he really is. ... He must be really studying the game on both ends of the floor, and you can see that in his play. And he’s earned the trust of his players. This team likes playing with him, that’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson doesn't deny that point. “He’s so good, man,” Johnson said. "It’s crazy, like just seeing it in person and on TV prior to me playing with the Hawks and getting drafted by the Hawks, it was crazy just watching it. A guy that’s undersized, being able to score at will, being able to make any pass at will. And then next thing you know you’re his teammate and you’re on the receiving end of those passes. “Watching those clutch late game buckets, it’s a joy to watch. It’s a gift that he has that’s very special and not many people have had it at that elite of a level. It’s been great being his teammate. It’s been a blessing.” Saturday is an opportunity. The semifinals are the only games on the NBA calendar for that day; the title game Tuesday — which doesn't count in the standings — is the only game on the NBA slate that night as well. Young will have tons of eyeballs on him Saturday and would have tons more on him Tuesday if the Hawks find a way to win another big game against the Bucks. They're 3-1 against Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland and Boston already this season, 1-0 against Milwaukee. The potential is clear for the Hawks. The potential for Young has always been clear as well. Only now, it's starting to be realized. “The narrative about me not being able to do certain things or being too mad or frustrated about certain things is — I mean, just aren’t true,” Young said. "I think you’re just now being able to see like with the young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve been doing this year, I think just now you’re starting to kind of see it because the results are showing and we’re winning now. We’re here in this final four of the Cup, and it’s a big deal.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBANone
The American Athletic Conference is the only league whose championship game matchup is set: Army vs. Tulane. The final week of the regular season will determine pairings for the other eight conferences. Here's a look at the possible matchups in the Power Four and Group of Five. All championship games are Dec. 7 except in the AAC, Conference USA and Mountain West, which will be played Dec. 6. ACC at Charlotte, North Carolina SMU vs. Miami or Clemson. Miami is in if it beats Syracuse. Clemson is in if Miami loses. Big Ten at Indianapolis Oregon vs. Ohio State, Penn State or Indiana. Ohio State is in if it beats Michigan or if Penn State and Indiana lose this week. Penn State is in if it beats Maryland and Ohio State loses. Indiana is in if it beats Purdue and Ohio State and Penn State lose. Big 12 at Arlington, Texas Arizona State vs. Iowa State if both win this week. Multiple scenarios including BYU, Colorado and other teams exist otherwise. SEC at Atlanta Georgia vs. winner of Texas-Texas A&M game. American Athletic at TBD Army vs. Tulane. Conference USA at Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville State vs. Liberty, Western Kentucky or Sam Houston. Liberty is in with a win over Sam Houston. WKU is in with a win over Jacksonville State and a Liberty loss. Sam Houston is in with a win over Liberty and a Jacksonville State win. Mid-American at Detroit Miami, Bowling Green and Ohio are tied for first place and control their destinies. Miami-Bowling Green winner is in, as is Ohio if it beats Ball State. Other scenarios exist that include those teams and Buffalo. Mountain West at Boise, Idaho Boise State vs. UNLV or Colorado State. If UNLV and CSU both win or lose their final regular-season games, the tie would be broken by either College Football Playoff rankings or results-based computer metrics. Sun Belt at TBD Louisiana-Lafayette at Marshall if both win their games this week. Other scenarios exist if one or both lose. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college football: and The Associated PressThese Steeply Discounted D&D Book Collections Are Perfect Gifts For New Players
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Colorado Springs area wellness events starting Dec. 24Let's say you found yourself broke and had nothing to tide you over for the next few week. If you were in desperate need of 200 dollars, today, do you have a friend you could call who would give it to you? This was one of the questions posed in a recent study on friendship that I found so arresting. Because of all the people asked that question, a significant proportion answered in the negative. The study revealed the gradual widening of the spaces between us with some staggering numbers about the poor state of social connection and community, including this: 17 per cent of Americans in 2024 said they didn't have a single close friend. That's nearly one in five people. Perhaps even more alarming is how quickly this has unfolded. Since 2021, the share of Americans without...