Friday Sports in Brief

NBA

NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Knicks have made another coaching change, firing David Fizdale after barely 100 games on the job.

The Knicks cut ties with Fizdale on Friday after two straight blowout losses dropped them to 4-18 and promoted assistant Mike Miller to interim head coach.

Fizdale ran practice earlier in the day but was then fired along with assistant Keith Smart. The Knicks made no comment on the decision to release Fizdale after he went 21-83.

The Knicks have lost eight straight games, with the last two by scores of 132-88 to Milwaukee on Monday night and 129-92 to Denver on Thursday night. They have the worst record in the Eastern Conference after finishing with the worst record in the NBA last season in Fizdale’s first season.

The Knicks went 17-65 last season to match the worst record in franchise history and they are on pace to be even worse this season.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Portland Trail Blazers have given forward Carmelo Anthony a fully guaranteed contract for the remainder of the season.

The team had signed Anthony to a non-guaranteed contract last month and had until a January deadline to guarantee the deal.

Anthony, who hadn’t played for more than a year before he was formally signed on Nov. 19, has meshed well with the Blazers, averaging 16.9 points and 5.9 rebounds since joining the team.

The 10-time NBA All-Star was named Western Conference Player of the Week after he averaged 22.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists over Portland’s three-game winning streak last week.

Anthony, 35, played seven-plus seasons for the Nuggets before being traded in 2011 to the New York Knicks, where he spent six-plus seasons. He also has played one season each with Oklahoma City and Houston. The Rockets traded him to Chicago in January but the Bulls cut him before he played a game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - CJ Verdell ran for 208 yards and broke open the game with two long touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, and No. 13 Oregon spoiled No. 5 Utah’s playoff hopes with a 37-15 victory in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night.

The Utes (11-2, No. 5 CFP) came into the game hoping to make a case for one of the four playoff spots with a conference title but instead got overmatched by Oregon (11-2, No. 13 CFP) and lost their second straight Pac-12 championship game.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Fresno State football coach Jeff Tedford is stepping down from the job after three seasons at his alma mater.

The program tweeted a message from Tedford on Friday that read: “It is with a heavy heart that, today, I am announcing that I am stepping down as the head coach here at Fresno State.”

The Athletic first reported that Tedford was leaving, saying it was for health reasons.

The 58-year-old Tedford was hired by Fresno State following the 2016 season and he had a 26-14 record during his tenure. He took over a one-win team and quickly rebuilt the program.

The Bulldogs went 10-4 in his first season and played in the Mountain West title game. Fresno State then set a school record for wins the following year with a 12-2 mark that included a conference title game win over longtime nemesis Boise State and then a win over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Fresno State finished that season ranked 18th in the nation.

The Bulldogs slumped to a 4-8 finish this year, losing their final four games.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Howard University football coach Ron Prince resigned after less than a season on the job, according to multiple reports Friday night.

The Washington Post and ESPN reported on their websites that Howard athletic director Kery Davis said the school and Prince agreed to mutually part ways.

Prince was placed on administrative leave in November.

Director of football operations Aaron Kelton will oversee the team on an interim basis while a search for Prince’s replacement begins.

Prince was hired by Howard in December 2018.

His previous work includes stints at Kansas State, Michigan and Rutgers in college football, and the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts in the NFL.

NEW YORK (AP) - A person familiar with the negotiations says Mississippi is working to hire FAU’s Lane Kiffin to be its next head football coach.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday night because negotiations were ongoing and Kiffin still has a game to coach.

Florida Atlantic faces UAB in the Conference USA championship game at home Saturday in Boca Raton, Florida. The Owls are looking for their second C-USA title in three years under the 44-year-old Kiffin.

Ole Miss fired coach Matt Luke on Sunday after three seasons. Mississippi would be Kiffin’s fifth head coaching job, fourth in college, during a tumultuous career.

-By AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo.

NFL

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Daniel Jones missed his third straight practice Friday because of a sprained right ankle, making it likely Eli Manning will return as the New York Giants starting quarterback on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jones was hurt Sunday in a loss to the Green Bay Packers. The sixth pick overall in the draft finished the game but his injury prevented him from working out this week.

The 38-year-old Manning has taken the majority of snaps in practice with Alex Tanney getting the leftovers. Jones has worn a boot on his ankle most of the week.

Manning started the opening two games of the regular season, losses to Dallas and Buffalo.

MLB

WASHINGTON (AP) - Postseason star Howie Kendrick and the World Series champion Washington Nationals agreed to a $6.25 million, one-year contract, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations.

Speaking on condition of anonymity Friday because the deal was still pending a successful physical exam, the people confirmed to The Associated Press that an agreement was in place for Kendrick to return to Washington for what will be his 15th season in the majors.

One of the people said the contract includes a mutual option for 2021.

The 36-year-old Kendrick, who was a free agent, provides Washington with a middle-of-the-order bat and some flexibility in the field. He primarily plays at first base now, but started games at every infield position except shortstop in 2019.

The righty batter hit .344 with 17 homers and 62 RBIs in 121 regular-season games before all of his postseason contributions provided some real pop in the postseason.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Texas Rangers have completed a $28 million, three-year contract with right-hander Kyle Gibson, adding another veteran in the middle of their starting rotation.

Texas announced Gibson’s addition on Friday. He spent the first seven years of his big league career with the Minnesota Twins.

Gibson got a $2 million signing bonus, half payable on Jan. 3 and the other half by the following January. His 2020 salary with the Rangers will be $10 million, followed by $9 million in 2021 and then $7 million in the final year of the deal.

The pitcher could also make up to an extra $4 million in performance and roster bonuses. He could get a $500,000 bonus in both 2021 and 2022 for pitching 180 innings, and a $1 million bonus in each season he is on the active roster for 150 days.

Gibson was 13-7 with a 4.84 ERA in 34 games last season for the Twins, making 29 starts and five relief appearances.

SOCCER

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - Chelsea won its appeal against a second FIFA transfer ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday, allowing the English club to sign new players in January.

FIFA imposed a one-year ban on Chelsea registering new signings for breaking rules that protect youth players. The club already served one half of the FIFA ban when it was unable to register new players in the off-season.

CAS published its verdict two weeks after an appeal hearing in Lausanne. The ruling was needed before the next European player trading window opens on Jan. 1.

A FIFA investigation ruled the Premier League club violated 150 rules protecting minors involving about 70 players. Chelsea also broke rules prohibiting third-party influence on players.

TENNIS

Former No. 1 and 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki will retire from professional tennis after competing in Melbourne next year.

The 29-year-old from Denmark wrote in an Instagram post on Friday that “she realized that there is a lot more in life that I’d like to accomplish off the court.”

Wozniacki said her decision to stop playing “has nothing to do with my health.” She announced in October 2018 that she has rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition that can cause pain and swelling in the wrist and other joints.

She is currently ranked No. 37 after going 20-15 without a singles title in 2019.

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