BOSTON (AP) — Jamal Murray registró 22 puntos y 17 asistencias, mientras que Peyton Watson sumó 30 unidades por los Nuggets de Denver, quienes lograron una racha de 14-0 para remontar en el último periodo y vencieron el miércoles 114-110 a los Celtics de Boston.

Cada equipo careció de su astro principal. El serbio Nikola Jokic, tres veces Jugador Más Valioso de la NBA, se ausentó por Denver, mientras que Boston careció de Jayson Tatum, elegido al Juego de Estrellas.

La ventaja en el marcador cambió de manos 26 veces y hubo nueve empates antes de que Denver convirtiera un déficit de tres puntos a mitad del cuarto periodo en una ventaja de 101-90.

Boston iba perdiendo por 107-95 y redujo la diferencia a tres puntos en los segundos finales, pero fue demasiado tarde.

Jaylen Brown anotó 33 puntos y Neemias Queta capturó un récord personal de 20 rebotes por Boston, que había ganado cinco encuentros seguidos.

Denver había perdido seis de sus últimos diez compromisos desde que comenzó la temporada 20-6, perdiendo terreno frente al campeón defensor Thunder en la carrera de la Conferencia Oeste. Tiene un registro de 3-2 desde que Jokic salió con una hiperextensión en la rodilla izquierda.

_____

Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/murray-suma-22-puntos-y-17-asistencias-nuggets-rompen-racha-de-5-victorias-de-celtics/ 

Zelensky Calls On Trump To Topple Chechen Leader After Maduro

Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/07/2026 – 22:45

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-calls-trump-topple-chechen-leader-after-maduro 

DETROIT — The advertising screens lining the scorer’s table at Little Caesars Arena still bear the memory of Nikola Vučević’s frustration.

Vučević held it in for two quarters. But as he headed into the locker room after shooting 4-for-11 in the first half, the center aimed a single kick at the sideline table. One panel of the lengthy screen positioned in front of CHSN broadcasters Stacey King and Adam Amin carried the brunt of the damage, remaining black for the rest of the game.

The veteran center has been known to whip a towel at the bench or flip a middle finger at an opponent or growl at his teammates to go away during walk-off interviews. But Wednesday’s 108-93 loss poked at an exposed nerve of dissatisfaction that has been slowly peeled back throughout this 17-20 season.

“It was just some of the mistakes I was making,” Vučević said. “Just me personally. I wasn’t doing a good job matching up with the physicality. Some of the shots and mistakes that I made — it was just frustrating.”

Vučević is frustrated. At age 35, he’s being asked to shoulder one of the heftiest workloads of his entire career to pick up the slack for injured teammates Jalen Smith and Zach Collins. And he’s tired — of losing, of getting left on an island on the low block as his teammates struggle to help off the ball. But the center can’t funnel that frustration into productivity. He’s not fast enough to contest on the perimeter, not strong enough to body up on younger centers down low. His 2-point shot isn’t falling.

Wednesday’s game embodied the dichotomy of Vučević’s role on the Bulls. The center supplied a quarter of Chicago’s points and rebounds against Detroit. He also fumbled against the physicality supplied at scale by the Pistons.

Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, left, drives against Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević during the first half on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

The Bulls can’t survive without Vučević. He represents one of only four or five viable playmakers on the roster currently healthy enough to play every night. But the Bulls also can’t win with his current rim protection — a brutal futility that hangs over the veteran throughout every game.

The Pistons were designed to vex Vučević — particularly Isaiah Stewart. A stocky 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, Stewart gobbles up matchups against lengthier bigs like Vučević who rely on their touch and mobility in the paint. The center entered the game with a clear aim to bowl Vučević over — and he succeeded, scoring 31 points while missing only two shots from inside the arc.

The final box score didn’t reflect the fitfulness of Wednesday’s loss — after all, Vučević finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds as the second-highest scorer on the Bulls roster.

But for long stretches of the loss, Vučević couldn’t engage on defense. He bickered with teammates like Dalen Terry when the Pistons carved wide-open drives to the rim. The center didn’t even come off his feet when the Pistons began to lob passes over the top to Stewart, who was eager to launch himself out of the dunker spot for the easy finish. And Detroit ultimately outlasted the Bulls due to their ability to overpower in the paint.

This was an underpowered outing for both teams. Cade Cunningham (right wrist contusion) and Jalen Duren (right ankle sprain) missed the game for the Pistons. In addition to Josh Giddey, Collins and Smith, Coby White was sidelined for Wednesday’s game, which is the first night of a back-to-back that will conclude with a home game Thursday against the Miami Heat.

Although the guard said he felt strong after a workout Tuesday, the medical team opted to hold White out for an additional day of rest with the aim of playing in Chicago. He missed three games prior to Monday with a flare-up of a lingering calf injury that has sidelined him for 19 total games this season.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

1. Ayo Dosunmu racks up the points.

Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, left, is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

As the Bulls seek new outlets of production amid their injuries, Ayo Dosunmu has been a rare source of stability off the bench. He continued that buoyant support in Wednesday’s loss, scoring 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting against the Pistons.

The Bulls offense stagnated with the loss of White and Giddey, a fact clearly reflected in the team’s struggles to break 100 points for the last three games. For the foreseeable future, Dosunmu’s versatility will be key for the Bulls to sustain playmaking. He lifted the tempo in the open court, went 4-for-6 from behind the arc and forced the issue at the rim.

2. Offensive boards and turnovers.

Despite their lack of success this season, the Bulls can stay competitive in almost any matchups by limiting two statistics: turnovers and opponent offensive rebounds.

The Bulls kept pace with the Pistons in the first three quarters by matching Detroit in points off turnovers (11) and second-chance points. The Pistons strive to operate as a hive mind on defense, swarming after the ball with prolific pressure that results in turnovers. Detroit ranks third in the league in steals per game (10.2) and second in opponent turnovers (17.2).

Maintaining possession under this pressure reflected a crucial victory for Chicago in the opening 36 minutes of the game. But the Bulls allowed seven points off five unanswered turnovers in the fourth quarter while also giving up five second-chance points, a quick succession of mistakes that helped the Pistons carve out a double-digit lead.

3. Matas Buzelis has a block party.

Although it wasn’t enough to fully deter the Pistons offense, Matas Buzelis showed off his defensive timing with an onslaught of four blocks. On his final block, Buzelis knocked a shot by Paul Reed deep into the backcourt in the third quarter, then sprinted after the loose ball to knock down a 3-pointer before a single Pistons player could make it across half court.

Buzelis entered Wednesday’s game ranked 12th in the NBA in total blocked shots (48) this season. His four blocks against the Pistons moved him into the top 10 in the league.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/chicago-bulls-detroit-pistons-nikola-vucevic-matas-buzelis/ 

St. Laurence senior Xavier Bitner tears apart the classic profile of an elite upper-weight wrestler.

A two-time state qualifier at 215 pounds, Bitner goes against the grain with an unimposing form that’s marked by wide, almost soft features. It also belies the beast that lies within him.

“Some people see my build as a disadvantage, but it’s actually an advantage,” he said. “I have a low center of gravity. It’s harder to get under me and score because I’m so low to the ground.

“People look at me, smile and think I’m not very good but that works for me.”

Bitner got back to work Wednesday night for the host Vikings, posting victories by technical fall and fall, respectively, in dual meets against both DePaul Prep and Hinsdale South in Burbank.

The unassuming Bitner — ranked No. 5 at 215 in Class 3A by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association website — improved his record to 16-2.

Daniel Gilbert, who’s in his first year as St. Laurence’s coach after coming over from St. Rita, has known about Bitner a long time.

“He’s always been phenomenal,” Gilbert said. “He’s not the most intimidating-looking guy, but he might be the most talented wrestler in any room he walks into, skill-wise and technique-wise.

“He went from being the kid everyone wanted to wrestle to the kid everyone avoids. He tricks people. He’s not your prototypical wrestler, but he’s incredibly polished.”

Senior 195-pounder Maciej Zalinski, his workout partner, pointed out that Bitner’s combination of technique, IQ and feel for the sport makes him elite.

Senior 215-pounder Xavier Bitner improved his record to 16-2 for St. Laurence during a match in Burbank on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Patrick Z. McGavin / Daily Southtown)

“He has a mentality where he just goes for it, no matter who he’s wrestling,” Zalinski said. “It’s almost impossible to score on him. You think you’re in on a leg, you think you have it — and suddenly he’s behind you, you’re on your back or you’re in a front headlock.”

Most importantly, Bitner learns from the past, soaking up knowledge from each experience. After coming up short at state as a sophomore, he returned last season to the highest stage.

And he did so with a vengeance.

“Getting there was special, but my first time in the quarterfinals, it was 0-0 and I got pinned,” Bitner said. “I told myself before I left I’m not losing again. I came back and won two overtime matches.”

Last season, Bitner finished sixth in the state in Class 2A at 215. He’s the youngest from an athletic family of four kids. His father, Mark, was part of a dual team state title at Joliet Central.

His brothers, Marcel and Anthony, wrestled at both Reavis and Oak Lawn. His sister, Alyssa, was a swimmer and theater performer at the same two schools.

“My dad said we all had to wrestle for three years and we could quit after that if we wanted,” Xavier Bitner said. “None of us did. Wrestlers are just different.

“I’ve been doing this for 12 years now. I just try to stay calm and not let the moment get too big.”

Bitner, who has an active and intuitive mind, loves to work in graphic art and computer design. Quiet and self-contained off the mat, Bitner is efficient and effective when he wrestles.

“I’m defensive, but I sting you,” he said. “I force you into bad situations. That’s where I’m best. And I’m very fast, so when I use my offense, I can get to it quickly.”

The elevation of the Vikings to Class 3A competition is the next hurdle for Bitner and Co.

“I really wanted to help build something here,” he said. “We were Class 1A when I first got here and then 2A. When we moved up to 3A, people started talking again, saying I couldn’t win.

“So now it’s about proving people wrong all over again.”

Looking past him will be a fool’s errand.

“Wrestlers are just different and it makes you physically and mentally tough,” Bitner said. “I enjoy the chaos of the sport. It’s made me who I am.”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/xavier-bitner-st-laurence-ihsa-boys-wrestling/ 

The nickname said it all: “Mr. Goalie.”

Glenn Hall, who backstopped the Chicago Blackhawks to the 1961 Stanley Cup and was one of the most dominant — and innovative — goaltenders in NHL history, has died. He was 94.

A league historian in touch with Hall’s son, Pat, said Hall died at a hospital Wednesday in Stony Plain, Alberta.

Born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Oct. 3, 1931, Hall captured just about every award a player can achieve during a Hall of Fame career that ran from 1952-1971. He holds the record for consecutive games started in goal at 502 — all without wearing a mask.

Counting the postseason, Hall started 552 games in a row.

“Glenn Hall was the very definition of what all hockey goaltenders aspire to be,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Glenn was sturdy, dependable, and a spectacular talent in net. That record, set from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, probably always will, and is almost unfathomable.”

Named in 2017 to the league’s 100 Greatest NHL Players list, Hall was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975 after an 18-season career for the Detroit Red Wings (1952-57), Blackhawks (1957-67) and St. Louis Blues (1967-71).

Hawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall “one of the greatest and most influential goaltenders in our sport and a cornerstone of our franchise.”

“Glenn’s legacy is monumental,” Wirtz said in a statement. “His recognitions are befitting of a career defined by excellence and invention. But it was his consistency and leadership for which he was most revered.

“Glenn’s No. 1 jersey hangs proudly in the United Center rafters, a permanent tribute to this enduring impact on the Blackhawks and the game.”

A jersey worn by goaltender Glenn Hall in the late 1950s sits on display at the Blackhawks Convention on July 16, 2016 at the Hilton Chicago. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune)

The Hawks retired Hall’s number in November 1988 in a pregame ceremony at Chicago Stadium.

The Hawks paid tribute to Hall and former coach and general manager Bob Pulford with a moment of silence before Wednesday night’s game against the Blues at the United Center. Pulford died Monday.

A Hall highlight video was shown on the center-ice videoboard. The lights were turned off for the moment of silence, except for a spotlight on the No. 1 banner for Hall in the rafters.

Hall captured the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 1956, was an 11-time All-Star and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 1968 postseason despite being on a Blues team that lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the finals.

He also is regarded as one of the inventors of the butterfly style of goaltending, later adopted by some of the greatest ever to play the position.

It is for those reasons that Hall was often called “Mr. Goalie,” a moniker he embraced.

“It’s very complimentary,” Hall told the Tribune in 2016. “I do like it.”

Of his legendary work ethic, Hall said: “I worked hard to play well — playing well is not an accident. You have to prepare, you have to be ready, you have to know the opposition and you have to know how your own people are going to play.”

Throughout his career, it was rumored that Hall threw up from nerves before each game, a fact late Hawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz supported, having witnessed it while attending games during his youth at Chicago Stadium.

“At the time, our seats were right behind the bench and there was no glass, it was just a railing,” Rocky Wirtz once told the Tribune. “You’d see him come over and the trainer would bring over an aluminum pail and Hall would come over and lean over and get sick and then go back to the net. He’d do that every game.”

Goaltender Glenn Hall, top left, protects the net against the Red Wings during the Stanley Cup Final on April 16, 1961, in Detroit. (Chicago Tribune)Successful at each stop of his career, Hall was on top of his game with the Hawks after arriving via a trade with the Red Wings following the 1956-57 season. Hall was voted a first-team All-Star five times and a second-team All-Star three times during his decade with the organization. He posted a 276-229-107 record and 2.60 goals-against average in 618 regular-season games with the Hawks.

“Glenn Hall was one of the greatest goalies in the history of the game and played a major role in our winning the Stanley Cup (in ’61),” former Hawks President John McDonough said in 2017. “He is a world-class gentleman, very respectful of the game and really isn’t much for accolades whatsoever. But he is a big, big part of this franchise. A great Hall of Famer.”

Despite winning the Vezina Trophy, which at the time was awarded to the goalies on the team that allowed the fewest goals, for the third time in 1966-67, the Hawks left Hall unprotected in the NHL expansion draft, and the Blues pounced.

“He put us on the map there,” Scotty Bowman, Hall’s coach with the Blues, told NHL.com in 2017. “Glenn was a breed apart. Not only for what he did on the ice, but for how he was in the locker room and with fans. In a class by himself.”

Hall was in net when Boston’s Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Cup for the Bruins in 1970, a goal that’s among the most famous in hockey history because of the flying through the air celebration that followed.

Hall finished with a 407-326-164 record and 2.50 goals-against average in 906 career games.

Fellow Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, the league’s all-time leader in wins with 691 and games played with 1,266, posted a photo of the last time he saw Hall along with a remembrance of him.

“Glenn Hall was a legend, and I was a big fan of his,” Brodeur wrote on X. “He set the standard for every goaltender who followed. His toughness and consistency defined what it meant to play.”

Chris Kuc is a former Chicago Tribune sports reporter. Associated Press contributed. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/glenn-hall-chicago-blackhawks-dies/ 

Silver Will Remind Us: We Are Deeply Dependent On The Earth

Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/07/2026 – 22:10

https://www.zerohedge.com/precious-metals/silver-will-remind-us-we-are-deeply-dependent-earth 

FILADELFIA (AP) — Joel Embiid anotó 28 puntos, Paul George añadió 23 y todos los titulares de Filadelfia anotaron en doble dígito mientras los 76ers vencieron 131-110 a los Wizards de Washington el miércoles por la noche.

Tyrese Maxey contribuyó con 22 unidades y ocho asistencias para los 76ers, quienes han ganado cuatro de cinco.

Tre Johnson tuvo un máximo de equipo con 20 tantos para Washington, que jugó sin varios jugadores clave en la segunda noche de partidos consecutivos. CJ McCollum (molestias en el cuádriceps derecho) y Khris Middleton (lesión en la rodilla derecha) estuvieron entre los jugadores de los Wizards que no jugaron.

Embiid jugó en su quinto partido consecutivo desde que se vio afectado por lesiones al inicio de la temporada. El Jugador Más Valioso de la liga en 2023 lanzó diez de 14 desde el campo y siete de ocho desde la línea, y añadió siete rebotes.

Filadelfia tomó el control temprano gracias a los 16 puntos de Embiid en el primer cuarto. Los 76ers estaban arriba 92-80 al entrar al cuarto antes de abrir el período final con una racha de 11-0, culminada por una clavada de Quentin Grimes para tomar una ventaja de 23. Grimes terminó con 16 puntos.

Kelly Oubre Jr. regresó a la alineación de Filadelfia tras una lesión en la rodilla izquierda y anotó dos puntos en su primer juego desde el 14 de noviembre. Trendon Watford (esguince en el abductor izquierdo) también volvió para los 76ers, quienes tuvieron a todos sus jugadores disponibles por primera vez esta temporada. Watford jugó por última vez el 25 de noviembre.

Washington había ganado cinco de siete juegos antes del miércoles después de comenzar la temporada 3-20. Sin embargo, estaban con bajas contra los 76ers, sin Corey Kispert (isquiotibiales) y Keyshawn George (cadera izquierda) además de Middleton y McCollum. Bub Carrington y Bilal Coulibaly anotaron 18 cada uno para los Wizards.

___

Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/embiid-y-george-lideran-a-los-76ers-en-victoria-131-110-sobre-los-wizards/ 

DETROIT (AP) — Isaiah Stewart anotó un récord personal de 31 puntos para ayudar a que los diezmados Pistons de Detroit derrotaran el miércoles 108-93 a los Bulls de Chicago.

Detroit ganó por cuarta vez en cinco partidos a pesar de jugar sin su astro Cade Cunningham (lesión de muñeca) y sin sus compañeros titulares Tobias Harris (cadera) y Jalen Duren (tobillo).

Stewart, quien había logrado su mejor marca anterior de 26 puntos contra Memphis el 3 de noviembre, anotó 11 en el primer cuarto. Daniss Jenkins añadió seis rebotes y un récord personal de 15 asistencias.

Ayo Dosunmu sumó 24 puntos por Chicago, que ha perdido tres partidos consecutivos. Nikola Vucevic contabilizó 20 unidades y 16 rebotes, y Matas Buzelis también anotó 20 tantos.

Chicago ganaba por 77-76 al final del tercer periodo, pero Detroit anotó los primeros siete puntos del cuarto para ponerse arriba 83-77.

Los Bulls no lograron hacer nada ofensivamente en el último cuarto. Fallaron 12 de sus primeros 16 tiros, incluidos ocho de diez triples, y perdieron el balón tres veces.

Eso, y una ventaja de 14-4 en puntos en la pintura, permitió a Detroit construir una ventaja de 101-87 con dos minutos por jugar.

_____

Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/stewart-anota-31-puntos-un-rcord-personal-y-pistons-derrotan-108-93-a-bulls/ 

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, saying they had exchanged a friendly phone call and he’d even invited the leader of the South American country to the White House.

“It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump posted on his social media site. “I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future.”

He wrote that the upcoming meeting would take place at the White House.

That came mere days after Trump said in the wake of the U.S. operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend that “Colombia is very sick too” and accused Petro of ”making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

In comments to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump added of Petro, “He’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you.” Asked whether U.S. intervention was possible, Trump responded, ”Sounds good to me.”

Trump spurs speculation about his plans for Greenland, Cuba and Colombia after capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

Later Wednesday, addressing thousands of protesters that he had mobilized to rally against U.S. military threats, Petro said he had spoken with Trump for roughly one hour.

“I talked about two things: Venezuela and the issue of drug trafficking,” he told the crowd in downtown Bogotá, where demonstrators had just minutes earlier chanted slogans against the United States at Petro’s behest.

Petro explained to the audience that Colombian politicians allegedly linked to narco-trafficking misled the U.S. president about Petro’s record to turn Trump against him.

“Those (people) are responsible for this crisis — let’s call it diplomatic for now, verbal for now — that has erupted between the U.S. and Colombia,” he said.

Trump now suddenly warming to Petro is especially surprising since Colombia’s president called the U.S. operation in Venezuela an “abhorrent” violation of Latin American sovereignty. He also suggested it was committed by “enslavers” and constituted a “spectacle of death” comparable to Nazi Germany’s 1937 carpet bombing of Guernica, Spain.

Colombia has long been among America’s staunchest Latin American allies, a pillar of Washington’s counternarcotics strategy abroad. For three decades, the U.S. has worked closely with Colombia, the world’s largest producer of cocaine, to arrest drug traffickers, fend off rebel groups and boost economic development in rural areas.

Still, before Trump’s conciliatory post, tensions had been rising between the U.S. and Colombia for months.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade. Colombia is considered the epicenter of the world’s cocaine trade.

Trump began his monthslong pressure campaign on Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats launched from Venezuela in the Caribbean. He eventually expanded the operations to also target suspected vessels in the eastern Pacific that came from Colombia.

The U.S. in September added Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of U.S. assistance to the country.

“He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories,” Trump said of Petro on Sunday. “He’s not going to be doing it.”

Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/trump-colombia-strike-threat/