(Portland, OR)  --  The Blazers are back at it tonight.  The Philadelphia 76ers are coming to Portland for a 7 o'clock game tonight at the Moda Center.  After a short holiday break, the Trail Blazers will look to add to their big lead in the Northwest Division.  As for the 76ers, they've won only four games all year.
 

(Renton, WA)  --  Linebacker K.J. Wright will be a Seattle Seahawk for four more years.  The team has signed Wright to a contract extension that reportedly will pay him 27-million dollars.  Wright, who was a first-round draft pick out of Mississippi State in 2011, is leading the Hawks this season with 95 combined tackles.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are on a three-game winning streak, following last night's 104-97 victory over Milwaukee at the Moda Center.  Damian Lillard had 29 points and seven assists, while LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.  Thomas Robinson added 15 points and 15 boards.  The Blazers will visit the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow night. 

(New York, NY)  --  Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner.  Mariota has thrown for 3,783 yards, 38 touchdowns and only two interceptions for the second-ranked Ducks this season.  The junior has also rushed for 669 yards and 14 TDs.  He is the first Oregon player to ever win the award.  Mariota and the 12-and-1 Ducks will face last year's Heisman winner Jameis Winston and third-ranked Florida State as part of the first-ever College Football Playoff on January 1st.

(Indianapolis, IN)  --  LaMarcus Aldridge collected 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Trail Blazers turned back the Pacers 95-85 in Indiana.  Damian Lillard added 18 points for Portland, which put the brakes on a two-game skid.  C.J. Watson led all scorers with 23 points for Indiana, which has dropped eight in-row.  Rodney Stuckey finished with 14 points and 14 boards in the setback.
 

(Corvallis, OR)  --  Wisconsin head football coach Gary Andersen will be the next head coach at Oregon State.  Andersen is set to be officially introduced tomorrow as the man who will lead the Beavers.  He'll replace longtime OSU coach Mike Riley, who's headed to Nebraska.  Andersen led Wisconsin to a 19-7 record over the past two seasons.

(Minneapolis, MN)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers' winning streak is over, following a 90-82 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  The Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to overcome a sluggish start to the game.  Damian Lillard led Portland with 23 points and five assists.  The Blazers will continue their road trip tomorrow night in Chicago.

(Eugene, OR)  --  Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is officially a Heisman Trophy finalist.  The junior has been one of the front-runners all season for the prestigious award for college football's best player.  Mariota also became the school's first Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner earlier yesterday.  He leads the Ducks into the Rose Bowl against Florida State on New Year's Day with a chance to play in the  national championship game on the line.

(Corvallis, OR)  --  Eastern Washington football coach Beau Baldwin is a top candidate to replace Mike Riley at Oregon State.  The "Oregonian" reports OSU has Baldwin high on its list to take over for Riley after his departure for Nebraska.  Baldwin has directed Eastern Washington into this weekend's Football Championship Subdivision semifinals and led the Eagles to the 2010 FCS national championship.

(New York, NY)  --  The Trail Blazers are now on a four-game winning streak.  Portland made it four in a row last night at Madison Square Garden in New York with a 103-to-99 win over the Knicks.  LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 24 points and eleven rebounds for the Blazers.  Portland blew a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter but clawed back for the four-point win.

(Philadelphia, PA)  --  The Seattle Seahawks are making a statement that they're not going to give up their Super Bowl trophy easily.  Seattle fired a warning shot to the rest of the NFL yesterday with a 24-to-14 win at Philadelphia. The Seahawks held the high-powered Eagles offense to just 139 total yards.  Seattle improved to 9-and-4 on the season, just a game behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.

(Corvallis, OR)  --  Oregon State head football coach Mike Riley will be the next coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Riley coached at OSU for 14 seasons, where he compiled a 93-and-80 record and a 6-and-2 record in bowl games.  The Huskers were in the market for a new coach, following the firing of Bo Pellini.  Nebraska will reportedly pay Riley's 500-thousand-dollar buyout.

(Portland, OR)  --  LaMarcus Aldridge says it was a win, even though it was ugly.  The Portland Trail Blazers held off the Indiana Pacers last night, 88-82, with Aldridge scoring 18 points and collecting 13 rebounds.  Damian Lillard led all scorers with 23 points and Nicolas Batum added 13.  The Blazers will visit the New York Knicks Sunday night.

(Seattle, WA)  --  The contract between free-agent slugger Nelson Cruz and the Seattle Mariners is official.  The team has confirmed the four-year deal, reportedly worth 58-million dollars.  The Mariners tried to sign Cruz last year, but he opted instead to sign with Baltimore.  He slammed 40 home runs and drove in 108 runs last season for the Orioles.

(Seattle, WA)  --  Seattle Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders is headed to Toronto.  The Mariners have traded Saunders to the Blue Jays for veteran left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ.  In six major-league seasons with Seattle, Saunders batted .231 with a .301 on-base percentage and a .384 slugging percentage.  Last season, Happ had an 11-and-11 record with Toronto, with an ERA of 4.22.

(Denver, CO)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are on a two-game winning streak, after outscoring the Nuggets in Denver, 105-103.  LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 39 points and eleven rebounds.  Damian Lillard added 17 points and Wesley Matthews tallied 15 for the Blazers, who improved to 14-and-4 on the season.  Portland will host the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night.  
 

(Seattle, WA)  --  Kyle Seager's contract extension with the Seattle Mariners is officially a done deal.  The team says the All-Star third baseman will be signed with the Mariners through 2021, with an option for 2022.  The club has not confirmed the reported 100-million figure.  Seager led Seattle last season with 25 home runs and 96 RBI, and a batting average of .268, which was second only to Robinson Cano's .314.
 

The NFL Network is reporting that Seattle Seahawks star running back Marshawn Lynch might retire after the 2014 season.  The network's Ian Rappaort quotes "sources with direct knowledge of Lynch's thinking" that the 28-year-old is considering leaving football on his own terms.  Rappaport says while Lynch has missed only one game in the past four years, health may be a concern as he's suffered back pain throughout.  Lynch is third in the NFL in rushing so far this season with 956 yards, with nine touchdowns on the ground and three receiving.

(Seattle, WA)  --  Multiple outlets are reporting that the Seattle Mariners and free-agent outfielder Nelson Cruz have come to terms on a four-year, 57-million-dollar deal.  Cruz, who's 34-years-old, led the major leagues with 40 home runs and finished third in the American League with 108 RBI last season with the Baltimore Orioles.  Cruz rejected a qualifying offer by Baltimore of 15-point-three-million dollars per year, meaning the Orioles will receive draft-pick compensation.