Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry limped back to the locker early during a 104-100 NBA Cup loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Curry suffered a right quad contusion, according to the Warriors, and is set to get an MRI.

‘When I heard it was a quad, I was actually relieved. Better than an ankle or a knee,’ Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game.

The four-time champion guard was noticeably impacted by a collision with Amen Thompson, who drove his shoulder into Curry’s chest while he was driving toward the basket. A collision on a screen by Alperen Şengün also left Curry hobbling.

Curry was in clear discomfort during the latter stages of the contest and he left the bench and headed back to the locker room with 35 seconds left to play. Curry had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Warriors in 33 minutes.

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Former San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease is signing a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale reports.

Cease, 29, joins a Blue Jays squad hungry for a title after falling short in the 2025 Fall Classic in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Blue Jays do have some key departures from their AL pennant-winning team, including starters Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer. The addition of Cease fills what could have been a massive hole in the middle of the Blue Jays’ rotation and turns it into a strength.

Dylan Cease stats

Cease had a breakthrough in 2022, finishing second in AL Cy Young voting as a member of the Chicago White Sox. He joined the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2024 season and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting his first year with the Friars.

In 2025, Cease struggled a bit, posting a 4.55 ERA across 168 innings pitched, but his 3.56 FIP indicates that Cease was rather unlucky last season.

Cease boasts remarkable strikeout potential, leading all of MLB in strikeout rate, whiffing 11.5 hitters per nine innings. Cease has maintained a strikeout rate over 10.0 in each of the last five seasons.

Blue Jays free agent targets

With the addition of Cease, the Blue Jays have filled a sizable hole in their rotation with both Bassitt and Scherzer potentially leaving the team. The two pitchers accounted for 255.1 innings pitched during the regular season and 23 innings pitched during the 2025 postseason. Cease has pitched at least 165 innings each of the last five years.

Next on the Blue Jays’ agenda is likely bringing back shortstop Bo Bichette. Bichette is widely considered the biggest middle infield free agent of the offseason, and will command a hefty price in free agency.

Other targets may include closers Robert Suarez or Edwin Diaz. Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman struggled his first season north of the border. While he did record 33 saves, he posted a 4.37 ERA and had big trouble with the long ball, giving up two home runs per nine innings pitched, his worst mark since 2019 when he played in Colorado. Furthermore, the Blue Jays could use additional bullpen help with 2025 midseason acquisition Seranthony Dominguez still unsigned.

The NBA Cup group play continued with several games on the slate coming down to the wire on Wednesday.

The Boston Celtics hosted the opening game of the day, providing the home crowd with a hard-fought victory that put an end to the Detroit Pistons’ win streak.

The Pistons fell short of their 14th consecutive victory, which would’ve set a new franchise record.

The Pistons move to 2-1 in Gold Cup play while the Celtics improve to 2-2.

The Houston Rockets improve to 2-2 in group play after a road victory over Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

While the Warriors fall to 1-3 in the tournament, the health of Curry for the remainder of the season might be of bigger concern.

Here’s where things stand in the NBA Gold Cup ahead of Friday’s game.

NBA Cup schedule, Nov. 25-28

*All times listed are Eastern

Tuesday, Nov. 25

Wizards 132, Hawks 113
Magic 144, 76ers 103
Lakers 135, Clippers 118

Wednesday, Nov. 26

Celtics 117, Pistons 114
Knicks 129, Hornets 101
Heat 106, Bucks 103
Raptors 97, Pacers 95
Thunder 113, Timberwolves 105
Grizzlies 133, Pelicans 128 (OT)
Rockets 104, Warriors 100
Spurs 115, Trail Blazers 102
Suns 112, Kings 100

Friday, Nov. 28

Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets, 7:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets, 9:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz, 9:30 p.m. on NBA League Pass
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers, 10 p.m. on NBA League Pass

NBA Cup Standings

East Group A

Toronto Raptors (4-0)
Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1)
Washington Wizards (1-2)
Atlanta Hawks (1-2)
Indiana Pacers (0-3)

East Group B

Orlando Magic (3-0)
Detroit Pistons (2-1)
Boston Celtics (2-2)
Brooklyn Nets (1-2)
Philadelphia 76ers (0-3)

East Group C

Miami Heat (3-1)
New York Knicks (2-1)
Milwaukee Bucks (2-1)
Chicago Bulls (1-2)
Charlotte Hornets (0-3)

West Group A

Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0)
Phoenix Suns (3-0)
Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)
Sacramento Kings (0-3)
Utah Jazz (0-3)

West Group B

Los Angeles Lakers (3-0)
Memphis Grizzlies (2-1)
Los Angeles Clippers (2-1)
Dallas Mavericks (1-2)
New Orleans Pelicans (0-4)

West Group C

Denver Nuggets (2-1)
San Antonio Spurs (2-1)
Houston Rockets (2-2)
Portland Trail Blazers (2-2)
Golden State Warriors (1-3)

NBA Cup knockout stage schedule

The knockout stage quarterfinals run from Dec. 9-10 with two games on each day. The semifinals will commence three days later on Saturday, Dec. 13 and the Finals will be on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Times for each of these games have yet to be determined, but all knockout stage contests will air on Prime Video.

A junior college men’s basketball player in Oklahoma died after suffering an injury during a game, school officials announced.

Ethan Dietz, a sophomore forward at Connors State College in eastern Oklahoma, died Tuesday, Nov. 25 after he suffered an injury in the Cowboys’ game on Saturday, Nov. 22 against Grayson College. It is unclear how Dietz was injured, but Shannon Rigsby, a spokesperson for the college, told USA TODAY Sports initial reports indicated he suffered a head injury in the game.

The school said in a statement Dietz ‘exemplified what it means to be a Cowboy, to value hard work and being part of a team.’

From Conway, Arkansas, Dietz was in his second season with the Cowboys after he played in 36 games in 2024-25 — 29 of which he started — and averaged 7.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. This season, he started in all eight games and averaged 11 points with a team-high 9.4 rebounds per game.

“Ethan Dietz was the kind of player a coach always hopes for’ Connors State athletic director and men’s basketball coach Bill Muse said in a statement. ‘He was talented athletically and academically and he understood the importance of hard work. If you ever saw him smile, you knew he was all heart. He was a person of character as well as a great teammate. Our hearts and prayers continue to be with Ethan’s family, friends and our team as we process this heartbreaking loss.’

In wake of Dietz’s death, Connors State canceled its games against Southern Arkansas University Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 26 and against Grayson College on Monday, Dec. 1. The women’s basketball team also canceled two contests.

Connors State announced it will hold a candlelight vigil for Dietz on Dec. 1.

It’s a Thanksgiving tradition: the Detroit Lions in action for the NFL’s holiday slate of games.

The league leaned even more into tradition with its matchup choice, the Green Bay Packers. These teams have played each other 190 times – the third-most of any two-team matchup in the NFL. The only two matchups to see more games in NFL history are between these two teams and NFC North rival Chicago.

These teams last played each other on Thanksgiving in 2023, with the Packers earning a 29-22 win on the holiday that year to deny Lions coach Dan Campbell his first Thanksgiving win.

These two teams faced off to open the regular season. In Week 1, the Packers’ defense featuring recent trade acquisition Micah Parsons held the Lions’ offense in check to earn a 27-13 win. Twelve weeks later, the teams are even with seven wins each. Both franchises figure to be prominently featured in the NFC playoff race.

During the halftime break in play between these two playoff contenders, football fans can enjoy some entertainment from Ford Field by a Detroit native.

Who did the Lions pick for their halftime show? Here’s what to know about the halftime performer for the Thanksgiving matchup between the Lions and Packers.

Who is the Lions’ Thanksgiving halftime show performer?

Jack White will provide the halftime entertainment during the Lions’ Thanksgiving game against the Packers.

Detroit announced that the Grammy Award-winning musician would headline the show on Nov. 16. The franchise touted White, a Detroit native, and his ‘innovative guitar work and raw vocal style’ that have brought him international fame. White is one half of the rock duo The White Stripes and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 8.

Who is Jack White?

White is a 50-year-old musician who rose to prominence with his then-wife Meg White in the late 1990s as The White Stripes. The duo released a self-titled album in 1999 and followed that with ‘De Stijl’ a year later. They divorced in 2000 but continued to make music together.

The White Stripes’ following two albums, ‘White Blood Cells’ and ‘Elephant,’ brought the band to international prominence. Those albums featured some of the most popular songs in the band’s discography, including ‘Seven Nation Army,’ ‘We’re Going to Be Friends’ and ‘Fell in Love With a Girl.’

The duo won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for ‘Elephant’ in 2004 and ‘Icky Thump’ in 2008.

‘Elephant’ is the band’s most successful album, reaching double platinum status with more than 2 million copies sold as of March 2023, per the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). ‘Icky Thump’ and ‘White Blood Cells’ both went platinum in October 2011 and January 2011, respectively.

The White Stripes broke up in 2011 but White continued to make music.

In 2005, White founded The Raconteurs with more Detroit-based musicians. White and Brendan Benson wrote the band’s most successful song ‘Steady, As She Goes’ and then created a band with Jack Lawrence on bass guitar and Patrick Keeler on drums. White and Lawrence then formed The Dead Weather in 2009. The Raconteurs disbanded from 2014 to 2018 and The Dead Weather have been on hiatus since 2015.

White’s also released six studio albums as a solo artist:

Blunderbuss (2012)
Lazaretto (2014)
Boarding House Reach (2018)
Fear of the Dawn (2022)
Entering Heaven Alive (2022)
No Name (2024)

Is Jack White a Lions fan?

White hasn’t spoken publicly about his Lions fandom. He’s an avid Detroit Tigers fan and his brother worked in concessions at Tiger Stadium for years. In May, White joined the broadcast for a Tigers’ game against the Colorado Rockies following the announcement that The White Stripes would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

White went viral for his clips talking about the Tigers’ players and his earliest memories at Tigers Stadium.

He threw out a first pitch for the Tigers in July 2014.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is a candidate for the head football coach position at Southern University.
Faulk is currently the running backs coach at Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders.
If hired, Faulk would join a trend of former NFL stars with limited coaching experience leading HBCU football programs.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is on track to become the new head football coach at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a news conference to announce his hiring set for Monday, Dec. 1.

A university official confirmed to USA TODAY Sports Wednesday that Faulk was a candidate for the job and that a news conference was being scheduled for Monday. The same university official said late Wednesday the parties are in final negotiations, though nothing has been signed as of yet. A local TV station in Baton Rouge, WAFB, confirmed the hiring, citing an unnamed source.

Faulk, 52, currently is the running backs coach at Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders. He was in his first year as a college coach after not having coached previously. The Buffaloes are 3-8 and conclude the season Saturday at Kansas State.

Faulk has personal ties to Louisiana. He is from New Orleans and attended high school there before moving on to play at San Diego State.

His hiring would be the latest in the line of Deion Sanders-style hires at Historically Black Colleges and Universities — former pro football stars with limited or no coaching experience who are given a chance and also bring attention to their new jobs because of their NFL fame. Sanders was hired at Jackson State in 2020 before moving to Colorado in December 2022.

The list includes:

∎ Former NFL running back Eddie George was hired at Tennessee State in 2021 before moving to Bowling Green earlier this year. His team is 4-8 this season. His record at Tennessee State was 24-22.

∎ Former NFL receiver DeSean Jackson, who was hired at Delaware State last year. His team is 8-4 this season.

∎ Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who was hired at Norfolk State last year. His team is 1-11 this season.

∎ Former NFL safety Ed Reed, who was hired at Bethune-Cookman in late December 2022 before parting ways with the school shortly afterward.

Sanders is 16-20 at Colorado in three seasons after compiling a 27-6 record at Jackson State.

Southern has been looking to replace coach Terrence Graves, who was fired in October after a 1-6 start to the season.

Faulk played for the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams in an NFL career that stretched from 1994 to 2005.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

LSU football has officially closed the book on the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge… Again.

According to multiple outlets, including ESPN’s Pete Thamel, LSU put in writing on Wednesday, Nov. 26 to Kelly that the university terminated his contract without cause, which means he’ll receive his full buyout pay of approximately $54 million as long as he continues to search for a new job.

The 64-year-old coach was dismissed by the Tigers Sunday, Oct. 26.

The decision by the Tigers to solidify that Kelly was fired without cause comes after Kelly filed a lawsuit against LSU on Nov. 11, claiming the school was trying to fire him for cause to avoid paying him his approximate $54 million buyout fee, which is according to his contract obtained by the USA TODAY Network. 

Kelly’s approximate $54 million buyout is second second-most-expensive buyout in college football history, only behind Jimbo Fisher’s $76.8 million at Texas A&M in 2023.

He was relieved from his duties by former LSU athletic director Scott Woodward on Oct. 26, one day after the Tigers dropped their third-straight top-25 ranked game of the season, a lopsided 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M at home.

It marked the first time that Kelly had been fired in his coaching career, which has included stops at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.

There are currently seven Power Four conference jobs other than LSU still open for Kelly this coaching carousel in Florida, Arkansas, Penn State, Auburn, UCLA, Stanford and Cal. Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State have already filled their openings with James Franklin and Eric Morris, respectively.

‘Moving to Baton Rouge four years ago, my family and I were clear. There would be no halfway. We would be all-in for LSU and for Louisiana. This journey began with great expectations with my own vision of how to get there. Sometimes the journey does not end the way we hope,’ Kelly said in his first public statement since his firing on Nov. 6. ‘… The losses will always hurt, but I will always remember all of the wins.’

In four seasons at LSU, Kelly finished with a 34-14 overall record and missed out on the College Football Playoffs in each season. He led the Tigers to one SEC championship game appearance, which came in his first season.

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Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons have been one of the NBA’s biggest stories in the early going.

But the Pistons’ winning streak finally came to an end Wednesday, the team falling just short of setting a new franchise record with 14 consecutive wins.

The Boston Celtics held off the Pistons 117-114 in a back-and-forth contest at TD Garden. The Pistons hadn’t lost since Oct. 27, a 116-95 home defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons are now 15-3 after a 2-2 start to the season.

The game was tied at 97 with 5:48 left in the game. The Celtics led the Pistons 111-110 with 12.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter, when Cunningham had the ball stolen by Derrick White. The two teams would go on to exchange free throws, with both Cunningham and White making their respective free throws.

After a shooting foul, Cunningham was back at the line with 4.4 seconds left and his team down three. He made just two of his three free throw attempts, though, giving the game away.

The Pistons tied a franchise record on Monday with their 13th consecutive win, tying their highest mark from the 1990 and 2004 championship seasons. In 2023, Cunningham and the Pistons suffered through a historic 28-game losing streak.

Pistons winning streak

Oct. 29: vs. Magic, 135-116
Nov. 1: vs. Mavericks, 122-110
Nov. 3: at Grizzlies, 114-106
Nov. 5: vs. Jazz, 114-103
Nov. 7: at Nets, 125-107
Nov. 9: at 76ers, 111-108
Nov. 10: vs. Wizards, 137-135 (OT)
Nov. 12: vs. Bulls, 124-113
Nov. 14: vs. 76ers, 114-105
Nov. 17: vs. Pacers, 127-112
Nov. 18: at Hawks, 120-112
Nov. 22: at Bucks, 129-116
Nov. 24: at Pacers, 122-117

Five matchups will take place between teams ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25.
Key rivalry games include Ohio State at Michigan and Texas A&M at Texas.
Only one of the top 10 ranked teams, Oklahoma, will be playing at home.

Fittingly for this holiday weekend, the college football schedule offers a fully laden buffet table. Every team in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 is in action, with five ranked matchups highlighting the menu that will impact the College Football Playoff. That means there are 20 games for our panel of pigskin prognosticators to ponder.

As is usually the case, the final weekend features a number of the sport’s most intense rivalries. Topping the list are No. 1 Ohio State heading up north to meet No. 15 Michigan, and No. 3 Texas A&M putting its unblemished record on the line at No. 16 Texas. In other ranked matchups, No. 4 Georgia heads to Atlanta to meet No. 19 Georgia Tech, No. 18 Tennessee hosts No. 12 Vanderbilt, and No. 13 Miami (Fla.) heads to No. 24 Pittsburgh.

Oh yeah, there are a few other notable neighborhood contests. No. 6 Mississippi braves the cowbells for the ‘Egg Bowl’ showdown with Mississippi State, No. 10 Alabama looks to avoid an upset at nemesis Auburn, and No. 5 Oregon travels to Seattle to face Washington.

In a curious quirk of the calendar, only one of the top 10 squads will conclude the regular season at home as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts LSU. Does that mean there’s a greater potential for surprises? Read on to see if our staffers think so.

College football predictions for Week 14