Sports
Ranking the Top 10 Biggest Sporting Events in December 2024
Sep 7, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown against the Western Michigan Broncos during the second half at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-Imagn Images Congratulations! You’ve endured another year—one with a Leap Day, a Summer Olympics and a good old-fashioned U.S. presidential election. 2024 has been a long one.
December rewards us with Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve and a slew of meaningful sporting events to go with it. Without wasting time, let’s get into our ranking of the 10 biggest events of the month. Football—NFL plus college—makes up half this list, but there’s room for basketball and some other novelties.
10. “The Showdown” LIV vs. PGA match, Dec. 17
Brooks Koepka poses with the Wanamaker Trophy on the 18th green following his victory at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club Sunday, May 21, 2023. PHOTO USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES. This can’t go higher than 10th because it’s an exhibition, and because you have to care about golf’s ongoing civil war to see its meaning. I, personally, am here for it. We get to see ex-rivals and current LIV golfers Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau team up against Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy representing the PGA Tour. They’ll play an 18-hole match at Shadow Creek, a legitimately tough course. This is nothing like the hit-and-giggle shows in cozy environments that “The Match” series has turned into.
9. Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers, Dec. 16
Nov 14, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) celebrates after scoring a goal during the second period, his 1000th NHL point against the Nashville Predators at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images December is so jam-packed with football that hockey gets the squeeze, and the New Year’s Eve “Winter Classic” between the Blues and Blackhawks just missed the cut for this list. But if you get NHL Network, they’ll be carrying this Stanley Cup Final rematch nationally. The Panthers are very good once again, and the Oilers… well, the Oilers still have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
8. Army vs. Navy Game, Dec. 14
Nov 9, 2024; Denton, Texas, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily (13) carries the ball during warmups before a game against the North Texas Mean Green at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images This game is an institution. It’s on my personal bucket list. That doesn’t mean it’s always good football. Some years, neither offense can move the ball. This is not one of those years. The quarterback matchup of Navy’s Blake Horvath vs. Army’s Bryson Daily (who have 36 rushing touchdowns between them) is the zenith of a great year for the service academies.
7. Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors, Dec. 25
Oct 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and forward LeBron James (23) walks to the bench during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images This year’s Christmas Day schedule looked much better on paper in the preseason than it does now. (Philadelphia at Boston? The Sixers will be basted like a holiday turkey.) But the Warriors and Lakers are both playing well entering the month, and you never know—this could be the last Christmas game LeBron James plays.
6. Auburn at Duke basketball, Dec. 4
Nov 22, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates a three pointer made during the second half against the Arizona Wildcat at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images Not much room for college hoops on this list, but make time for this one on Wednesday. Auburn has a claim as the best team in college basketball—ranked No. 1 on KenPom, with wins over Houston, Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis, the latter three coming as the Tigers won the Maui Invitational. Next, they go to Cameron Indoor and tangle with Cooper Flagg and the Dukies. Must-see.
5. NBA Cup Championship game, Dec. 17
Dec 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) hoists the NBA Cup and celebrates with teammates after winning the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship game against the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images The point of the NBA Cup is for basketball to try to stand out in a football-heavy December landscape, and last year’s inaugural tourney had the draw of the Lakers making the final. Group play isn’t finished yet, but some teams that could make it to Vegas include the Knicks, Bucks and Warriors. Still, everyone has their own opinion of whether the NBA Cup matters or not, so I can’t put this any higher than fifth.
Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington is hoisted into the air after kicking the game winning field goal as the Oregon Ducks host the Boise State Broncos Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. PHOTO USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES It just means more in the SEC, except this year, when every interesting team they have owns three league losses. This has been the Big Ten’s year, from Oregon’s dominance to Indiana’s fairytale run.
3. Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers, Dec. 25
Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The NFL has invaded the NBA’s holiday—I’ll never fully be on board with football on a Wednesday. But I can’t pretend I won’t be watching this game. Kansas City and Pittsburgh will be jostling for AFC playoff positioning, and might it be a white Christmas in Western Pennsylvania? On top of that, we all have to tune in to see if Netflix can handle a high-traffic livestream after their Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fiasco.
2. Buffalo Bills at Detriot Lions, Dec. 15
Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Super Bowl preview? Sure feels like it. December appears to have far more interesting NFL matchups in store than November did, and Week 15 alone will also bring us Steelers-Eagles and Packers-Seahawks. They don’t hold a candle to these two red-hot, well-rounded teams. I only wish the game were in freezing Buffalo instead of indoors in the Motor City.
I don’t have enough space here to debate the finer points of the new 12-team playoff format.
What I know is that a few Fridays from now, history will be made with the first FBS-level playoff game held on a college campus, likely somewhere cold like Columbus, Ohio, or State College, Pa. A tripleheader will follow on Saturday. There’s no promise this particular game will be good, but you’ll be watching, and our brave new world of college football will feel realer than ever.
Sports
Knicks and Nuggets Blow Big Leads: What Went Wrong in Game 2?
Roughly 5,000 feet of elevation separate Denver and New York City.
Still, gravity works the same regardless of where one stands. Just ask the NBA teams in both towns.
“You get too high, and you get, I don’t want to say cocky, but feeling yourself,” Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said.
That sensation went south on either side of the country Monday night.
After squandering sizable leads that would have cemented commanding 2-0 advantages in their respective first-round playoff series, the Nuggets and Knicks now find themselves bracing for a fight.
Should their opponents ultimately have their number, Denver and New York will look back with disdain on 19 and 14. Those were the Game 2 cushions the teams coughed up as the No. 3 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conference.
“It’s a game we should’ve won,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said. “In the playoffs, we can’t give away games.”
Be that as it may, the Knicks did just that against the Atlanta Hawks. They controlled the outcome for much of the night and took a 12-point edge into the fourth quarter after leading by as many as 14.
Then New York shot 5-for-22 from the floor in the final 12 minutes compared to 10-for-15 for Atlanta. Fighting through vulgar chants from the Madison Square Garden faithful, Hawks star CJ McCullom scored six straight points down the stretch during one key sequence on the way to a game-high 32.
“In that fourth quarter, you could tell [the Hawks] were playing with a level of desperation,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “There were four 50-50 balls, and they got three of the four. We always use that stat to gauge the level of aggression in a game. In that fourth quarter, their aggression stepped up.”
New York’s melted at the same time. How many late possessions saw the Knicks pass or hold the ball around the perimeter before settling for subpar looks from 3-point range? The Knicks went 3-for-11 from deep as part of their flop.
Denver led the Minnesota Timberwolves by 19 points early in the second quarter before crumbling. The Nuggets still were ahead by three points to start the fourth quarter but a combined 2-for-12 shooting effort from pillars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the final 12 minutes took a toll.
“I feel like we had the game in hand, and then we just didn’t make our shots,” Murray said.
As with the Knicks and Hawks, the reversal of fortunes stemmed both from the hosts’ miscues and an outstanding effort from a visiting player, as Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards had 30 points.
“Great leadership, positive,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “He recognized he needed to get into attack mode and get downhill a little bit more. He did that.”
The Knicks and Nuggets no doubt sensed the need to amp up their own urgency as things started slipping away Monday.
That neither could act upon it didn’t signal the end for either New York or Denver, of course. But now there’s unnecessary added weight for the climb back to the top.
Sports
Pistons seek return to identity vs. Magic after Game 1 shocker
Apr 19, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) is defended by Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) in the second half during the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images After an exceptional regular season, this wasn’t the start to the NBA playoffs that the Detroit Pistons envisioned.
Reeling from a stunning Game 1 loss in which only two players reached double figures, the Eastern Conference’s top seed heads into Game 2 Wednesday against the visiting Orlando Magic facing early pressure to reset the best-of-seven series.
The eighth-seeded Magic controlled the opener from the start, never trailing and leaning on a balanced offensive attack. Paolo Banchero led the way with 23 points while Franz Wagner scored 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter to help close out the 112-101 win.
For Detroit, the issue wasn’t just the loss — it was how it happened. The Pistons never established their defensive identity and struggled to find consistent offense beyond star guard Cade Cunningham, two areas that will be central entering Game 2.
“It starts, always, with us defensively,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “When you go back and watch the film of that (game), we weren’t ourselves defensively. The telling tale is typically when we play them, they go to the free-throw line a ton.
“… We went 38 (times) but they went 19. So that means we weren’t playing our brand of basketball, being physical, being handsy, being aggressive. That kind of sets the tone for us.”
Offensively, the Pistons leaned on Cunningham, who scored 39 points, but got little other support — scoring their fewest points in nearly three months, since a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 29. Detroit will need more help from All-Star center Jalen Duren, who was held to just eight points and seven rebounds in Game 1.
“They came out ready from the jump,” Duren said. “We didn’t really meet their intensity. They’ve been playing with their backs against the walls the last few weeks, so they were already kind of already rolling. I think we just got to do a better job meeting that intensity.”
Duren said the Pistons remain confident despite the loss, which extended their home playoff losing streak to 11 games, the longest in NBA history.
“We know the type of team we are,” Duren said. “We feel like we’re the better team. We know that we’ve just got to make adjustments and come out smarter, come out playing harder.”
Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said he has talked to his team about not becoming too overconfident coming off Sunday’s win.
“It’s one game at a time,” Mosley said of his message to the team. “It’s the reality that, yeah, you did get the Game 1 win, but now you have to go and figure out how to get a Game 2 (win). There’s going to be, obviously, the positive talk about what you’ve done, and thinking there’s reasons to celebrate, but at the end of the day, it’s one game, and that’s the most important piece that we’ve talked about: just taking it one game at a time.”
Banchero said the team has received the message, and he believes the key for the Magic is to play defense like they did in the opener.
“I thought we were on a string, just communicating, talking out coverages,” Banchero said. “I think it’s just going to continue to take that, being aggressive, being the aggressors on defense and just not trying to give them much. Obviously they’re going to make shots, but just not trying to give them any free looks.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lynx star Napheesa Collier (ankle) targets June for on-court work
Mar 2, 2026; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Unrivaled Co-founder Napheesa Collier at Barclay’s Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images The Minnesota Lynx said Tuesday that star forward Napheesa Collier’s rehab from left ankle surgery is “progressing as expected,” and she could resume on-court activities in early June.
The team plans to release updates on Collier’s progress when available.
The timeline means Collier will miss, at minimum, the first month of the WNBA season, which begins May 10 for the Lynx.
Collier underwent surgery on her ankle on March 24 after sustaining a severe injury during the 2025 playoffs. Per reports at the time, she sustained a Grade 2 tear of three ligaments in the ankle and a muscle in her left shin on a collision during Game 3 of the playoff semifinal series vs. Phoenix.
Collier, 29, averaged a career-high 22.9 points and shot 40.3% from 3-point range to go with 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game last year. The back-to-back WNBA Most Valuable Player runner-up, Collier is a five-time All-Star and earned MVP honors in the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup final and the 2025 All-Star Game.
–Field Level Media
NASAs incredible new telescope will offer an atlas of the universe
400K MagSafe power banks recalled after fatal fire, the 10th power bank recall in a year
