Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Thursday, December 5th.

NFL

Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions aren’t afraid of anything. The rival Green Bay Packers came to town, and gave it everything they got, but the home team pulled out a victory. Here’s what happened:

• The Packer offense started slow, but finished with a pretty strong showing. Josh Jacobs led the way with three rushing touchdowns.

• Of all the great Lions offensive weapons, who would have guessed Tim Patrick would be the difference maker? The veteran wideout caught two touchdowns in the second half.

• In the end, this back-and-forth game came down to a gutsy 4th down decision. Detroit was already 3-4 on fourth downs in the game when they faced a 4th-and-1 on the 21-yard line and 43 seconds remaining in a tie ballgame. Instead of kicking a 39-yard field goal to take a lead, the Lions went for the first down to ensure the Packers couldn’t get the ball back. And wouldn’t you know it, the gamble paid off. Jake Bates kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired, and Detroit beat Green Bay 34-31. The Lions clinched a playoff spot with the victory:

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Penn State upset (8) Purdue 81-70 last night, controlling this Big Ten battle from start to finish. The real drama last night, however, came on the women’s side of college hoops:

• In the game of the night, (1) Notre Dame took down (4) Texas 80-70 in overtime. Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 30 points for the Fighting Irish. Elsewhere in ranked matchups, (3) South Carolina beat (8) Duke 81-70. The win was the 62nd consecutive home victory for the defending national champs.

• It was quite a night for the state of North Carolina. (16) UNC took down (14) Kentucky 72-53, while NC State upset (18) Ole Miss 68-61.

• And the biggest upset of the night was out west, where the Cal Golden Bears surprised (19) Alabama 69-65, handing the Crimson Tide their first loss of the year.

NBA

More basketball? More basketball:

• Nothing has gone right this season for the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans. Last night, however, they were the best versions of themselves. Thanks to some clutch defense by Herb Jones and 29 points from Brandon Ingram, the Pels took down the Phoenix Suns 126-124.

• With Steph Curry out due to a knee injury, Golden State were the underdogs last night against the Houston Rockets. But Jonathan Kuminga dropped a career-high 33 points, leading the Warriors to a 99-93 victory. Just two games separate these teams in the Western Conference standings, yet Houston is the two-seed and Golden State is fifth. The playoff competition is fierce.

• Nikola Jokic passed Magic Johnson on the all-time triple-doubles list, registering the 139th of his career. Even with Jokic’s 27 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists, the Nuggets lost 126-114 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The difference in this one? The Cavs made an astounding 22 threes, while Denver knocked down just six.

NHL

And of course, we finish with some hockey.

• I don’t use this word lightly, but the Tampa Bay Lightning walloped the San Jose Sharks last night. The final score was 8-1.

• After a four-game losing streak, the Winnipeg Jets are back to their winning ways. Adam Lowry scored the game-winning goal in OT to beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.

• Where to begin with one of the craziest games of the year? Florida led 3-0 in Philadelphia midway through the second period. The teams traded goals, and suddenly, after Owen Tippett scored twice in thirty seconds, the game was tied 4-4. For a while in the third period, Philadelphia led 5-4! But Sam Reinhart and the defending champs got the last laugh, scoring a power play goal with two minutes remaining in regulation to regain the lead. Matthew Tkachuck had a five-point night as the Panthers won a wild one 7-5:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Apparently Bill Belichick has spoken to the University of North Carolina about their open head coach position. I don’t think legendary Super Bowl winning football coach Bill Belichick will ever coach the Tar Heels on Saturdays. But I suppose there’s a reason this is a headline.

Speaking of coaches, the Chicago Blackhawks have fired head coach Luke Richardson. Chicago currently has the worst record in the NHL.

And speaking of firing coaches, UCLA has parted ways with offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy. The Bruins are set to replace him with Indiana quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri. It’s expected that Bienemy will return to coaching in the NFL.

But as one person leaves their job in California, another arrives. The Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics signed starting pitcher Luis Severino to a surprising three-year, $67 million deal. A solid starter, the 30-year old Severino has started 20+ games just one time in the last six seasons. This is the largest contract in A’s franchise history.

Finally, the WNBA announced the name of their 14th team, which will begin play in 2026… introducing the Toronto Tempo! You can judge for yourself if that is a good team name or a not good team name. I’ve already made my personal decision.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NBA:

• Bucks @ Celtics, 7:30 PM on ESPN

• Timberwolves @ Warriors, 10 PM on ESPN

• Grizzlies @ Celtics, 8 PM (Saturday)

• Cavaliers @ Heat, 6 PM (Sunday)

• Rockets @ Clippers, 9 PM (Sunday)

NHL:

• Capitals @ Maple Leafs, 7 PM

• Stars @ Golden Knights, 10 PM

• Wild @ Kings, 8 PM (Saturday)

• Blues @ Oilers, 10 PM (Saturday)

• Kraken @ Rangers, 1 PM on NHL Network (Sunday)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

• (20) UNLV vs (10) Boise State, 8 PM on Fox

• Tulane @ (24) Army, 8 PM on ABC

SATURDAY’S BIG GAMES

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• Tennessee vs (17) Iowa, 7 PM on Fox

• (22) Louisville vs (2) UConn, 9 PM on Fox

• (21) Illinois @ (12) Ohio State, 4 PM on Big Ten Network (Sunday)

• (3) South Carolina @ (9) TCU, 7 PM on ESPN2 (Sunday)

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• (11) Wisconsin @ (5) Marquette, 1:30 PM on Fox

• (4) Kentucky vs (7) Gonzaga, 10 PM on ESPN2

• (1) Kansas @ Missouri, 1 PM on ESPN2 (Sunday)

• (25) UConn @ Texas, 5 PM on ESPN (Sunday)

• UCLA @ (12) Oregon, 6 PM on Big Ten Network (Sunday)

MLS FINALS:

• New York Red Bulls @ LA Galaxy, 4 PM on Fox

COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

• (16) Iowa State vs (15) Arizona State, Noon on ABC

• (5) Georgia vs (2) Texas, 4 PM on ABC

• (3) Penn State vs (1) Oregon, 5 PM on CBS

• (17) Clemson vs (8) SMU, 8 PM on ABC

SUNDAY’S BIG GAMES

NFL:

• Falcons @ Vikings, 1 PM on Fox

• Seahawks @ Cardinals, 4:05 PM on CBS

• Bills @ Rams, 4:25 PM on Fox

• Chargers @ Chiefs, 8:20 PM on NBC

“It’s Week 14. Win or go home for many. May the fantasy gods be forever in your favor” -Matthew Berry