DENVER (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Evan Mobley had 26 points and the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 149-135 on Friday night for their sixth straight win.

Cleveland set a season high in points and improved to 10-1 since dropping two in a row to Atlanta last month.

Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists for his league-leading 12th triple-double of the season, and Jamal Murray also had 27 with 10 assists for Denver, which has dropped two in a row.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 of the Nuggets’ first 25 points to help keep pace with the Cavaliers but only scored five the rest of the way.

Cleveland led by as many as 19 to improve its NBA-best record to 27-4.

Takeaways

Cavaliers: Passed the first test in what is the start of their toughest road trip of the season. All five starters made more than half of their field goal attempts and all but Dean Wade scored 20 or more points.

Nuggets: Their porous defense was hurt by the absence of Aaron Gordon, who is out with a right calf strain. They allowed season highs in points and points in the first half (80).

Key moment

With Denver leading 53-50 early in the second quarter, Darius Garland sparked a 16-0 run with six of his 25 points that allowed the Cavaliers to take control of the game. Their lead never dipped below double digits the rest of the way.

Key stat

Mitchell was 6 of 12 from 3-point range.

Up next

The Cavaliers continue their four-game trip out west at Golden State on Monday night, while the Nuggets host Detroit on Saturday night.

Avalanche reward newly acquired goalie Blackwood with 5-year, $26.25 million contract extension

It didn’t take goalie Mackenzie Blackwood long to establish himself as the Colorado Avalanche’s starter for the present and future after signing a five-year $26.25 million contract extension on Friday.

The Avalanche announced the signing, and a person with direct knowledge of the contract confirmed its value to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team did not reveal the monetary figure first reported by Sportsnet.ca.

The new contract runs though the 2029-30 season, and validates what the Avalanche expected out of Blackwood in solidifying their goaltending upon acquiring the 28-year-old in a trade with San Jose on Dec. 9. Blackwood has gone 3-1 since the trade with a 2.03 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.

“When we acquired Mackenzie a few weeks ago, we wanted to let him get to Denver, get acclimated to his new team, new city and then in due time we’d reach out to him and his representatives,” general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement released by the team. “As I said when we acquired him, we feel like Mackenzie has just gotten better and better every year and he has come in and done a great job with us in his first few starts. He’s a big body, athletic goaltender who is still young and still growing as a goaltender.”

Blackwood shined in his Avalanche debut with 37 saves in a 5-2 win over Nashville, in becoming just fourth NHL goalie to stop at least that many shots in his first game with a franchise. He’s yet to allow more than two goals in each of his four starts with Colorado, and improved his season record to 9-10-3.

Blackwood is completing the second year of a two-year contract, and is on his third NHL team after spending his first five seasons in New Jersey. The Devils' second-round pick in 2015, he was the second goalie chosen in that year's draft.

Overall, Blackwood has an 84-92-25 record with 11 shutouts and a 3.05 goals-against average in 219 career games.

The Avalanche have completely reshuffled their goaltending tandem by also acquiring Scott Wedgewood in a trade with Nashville on Nov. 30.

The two newcomers have provided stability in net for a team that was allowing 3.71 goals per outing through its first 24 games in opening the season with goalies Alexandar Georgiev and rookie Justus Annunen.

Georgiev was dealt to San Jose along with a 2026 second-round pick and rookie forward Nikolai Kovalenko in the trade to acquire Blackwood. Annunen was swapped in the trade with Nashville.

The Avalanche (21-15), who play at Utah on Friday, are 8-3 and allowing an average 2.45 goals in the month of December while making the jump from ninth to sixth in the Western Conference standings.

What Snoop wants: Arizona Bowl gives NIL opportunities to players for Colorado State, Miami (Ohio)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Snoop Dogg has nearly as many ties to football as he does to rap music.

The entertainer coached youth football for years and created the Snoop League, an after-school program for inner city Los Angeles youths. Snoop has been a guest analyst on football broadcasts and his son, Cordell Broadus, played Division I football.

When Snoop took his latest step, becoming the sponsor of a bowl game, he had a demand: Find a way for all players in the game to receive name, image and likeness (NIL) money.

“This was Snoop's idea,” said Kym Adair, executive director of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice. “He was having conversations with people he knows in the college football world and I got a call that said he wants us to be the first bowl to make this commitment and that's what we did.”

The beneficiaries are Colorado State and Miami (Ohio), who will conclude their seasons Saturday at Arizona Stadium in the Arizona Bowl. The bowl is classified as a 501(c)(3), so all revenue goes to charity. And, being one of the few bowls not tied to ESPN, it opens the door for unique sponsorship opportunities.

The bowl was previously sponsored by Barstool Sports and the digital media company used its own cast of characters on the broadcast, which was streamed on its digital platforms.

Snoop Dogg takes over this year. The rapper/entertainer is the latest celebrity to sponsor a bowl, following the footsteps of Jimmy Kimmel and Rob Gronkowski at the LA Bowl.

And, Snoop being Snoop, he wanted to put his own spin on his own bowl.

“College football fans are exhausted by the constant talk around NIL, conference realignment, coach movement, transfer portal and super conferences,” Snoop said in a video posted on social media. “So it’s time that we get back to the roots of college football — when it was focused on the colleges, the players and the competition, the community, the fan experience and the pageantry.”

With that will be an NIL component.

The bowl can't pay players just for playing in the bowl, but both teams participated in football clinics on Friday and will get paid for their services. Other bowls have given single players NIL opportunities, but this is believed to be the first to offer it to every player on both teams.

“I love the fact that the Arizona Bowl is unique and tries new things, and obviously having Snoop here is unique,” Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said. “The NIL component, it’s the future. It’s what football has become now. We think it’s fantastic for our kids and then the interaction with the kids is the hidden gem of the whole thing.”

The NIL component of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl comes a month after a similar effort in The Players Era Festival basketball tournament in Las Vegas. The eight-team tournament said it paid out $9 million in NIL money to participating players for activities outside the competition. It also offered $50 million in NIL opportunities over the next three years for services and activities compliant with NCAA regulations.

Are the Players Era Festival and Arizona Bowl the start of a new future? It is not out of the question in big-time college athletics, where schools are already preparing for the era of revenue sharing with players next year.

“Revenue sharing between the players and the athletic departments is already on the horizon, so whether that takes the place of these types of arrangements or they're completely separate has yet to be determined," Adair said. "We're just trying to be flexible, ahead of the curve and make an impact any way we can.”

Just the way Snoop wants it.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Snoop Dogg has nearly as many ties to football as he does to rap music.

The entertainer coached youth football for years and created the Snoop League, an after-school program for inner city Los Angeles youths. Snoop has been a guest analyst on football broadcasts and his son, Cordell Broadus, played Division I football.

When Snoop took his latest step, becoming the sponsor of a bowl game, he had a demand: Find a way for all players in the game to receive name, image and likeness (NIL) money.

“This was Snoop's idea,” said Kym Adair, executive director of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice. “He was having conversations with people he knows in the college football world and I got a call that said he wants us to be the first bowl to make this commitment and that's what we did.”

The beneficiaries are Colorado State and Miami (Ohio), who will conclude their seasons Saturday at Arizona Stadium in the Arizona Bowl. The bowl is classified as a 501(c)(3), so all revenue goes to charity. And, being one of the few bowls not tied to ESPN, it opens the door for unique sponsorship opportunities.

The bowl was previously sponsored by Barstool Sports and the digital media company used its own cast of characters on the broadcast, which was streamed on its digital platforms.

Snoop Dogg takes over this year. The rapper/entertainer is the latest celebrity to sponsor a bowl, following the footsteps of Jimmy Kimmel and Rob Gronkowski at the LA Bowl.

And, Snoop being Snoop, he wanted to put his own spin on his own bowl.

“College football fans are exhausted by the constant talk around NIL, conference realignment, coach movement, transfer portal and super conferences,” Snoop said in a video posted on social media. “So it’s time that we get back to the roots of college football — when it was focused on the colleges, the players and the competition, the community, the fan experience and the pageantry.”

With that will be an NIL component.

The bowl can't pay players just for playing in the bowl, but both teams participated in football clinics on Friday and will get paid for their services. Other bowls have given single players NIL opportunities, but this is believed to be the first to offer it to every player on both teams.

“I love the fact that the Arizona Bowl is unique and tries new things, and obviously having Snoop here is unique,” Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said. “The NIL component, it’s the future. It’s what football has become now. We think it’s fantastic for our kids and then the interaction with the kids is the hidden gem of the whole thing.”

The NIL component of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl comes a month after a similar effort in The Players Era Festival basketball tournament in Las Vegas. The eight-team tournament said it paid out $9 million in NIL money to participating players for activities outside the competition. It also offered $50 million in NIL opportunities over the next three years for services and activities compliant with NCAA regulations.

Are the Players Era Festival and Arizona Bowl the start of a new future? It is not out of the question in big-time college athletics, where schools are already preparing for the era of revenue sharing with players next year.

“Revenue sharing between the players and the athletic departments is already on the horizon, so whether that takes the place of these types of arrangements or they're completely separate has yet to be determined," Adair said. "We're just trying to be flexible, ahead of the curve and make an impact any way we can.”

Just the way Snoop wants it.

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Denver Broncos could have clinched a playoff spot last week, but let the opportunity slip away when they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Broncos (9-6) will have another chance to lock up their first postseason appearance since 2015 when they go on the road to play the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.

Again, if the Broncos win, they're in.

“We know we’re playing a good football team, a team that’s been in the playoffs and kind of been where we’ve aspired to go," Denver coach Sean Payton said. "All the details (matter). We’re going to have to play — not a perfect game — but we’re going to have to play one of our best games. I think our players understand that.”

Is there extra pressure to win this one after blowing a lead against the Chargers?

“There’s definitely pressure, but I think that’s something guys at this level will thrive on as well, the pressure and competition," Broncos tight end Adam Trautman said. “There’s a lot of pressure. We have to get in, first. And we know that. So yeah, there’s definitely pressure. But we welcome it."

The Bengals (7-8) have a chance to make the playoffs, too, although they'll need a lot more help from other teams.

Cincinnati will have to start by beating the Broncos on Saturday and then finish with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Broncos will be a test for the Bengals, whose seven wins this season have come against teams that currently have sub-.500 records.

Every game is one-and-done for Cincinnati now.

“It feels good to play in big games," quarterback Joe Burrow said.

On a roll

Burrow and receiver Ja'Marr Chase are in the midst of one of their best seasons. Burrow set an NFL record last week with seven consecutive games throwing for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns. That broke the 2007 mark set by former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during their 16-0 regular season.

The fifth-year quarterback is among the NFL leaders in most passing categories. Meanwhile, Chase has a chance to win the receiver's triple crown — most catches, yards and touchdowns.

Chase said he has his priorities in order.

“I gotta worry about winning the game to be in the playoffs,” the fourth-year pro said. “Me running a triple crown is not putting money in my pocket. Me making playoffs, that’ll put some money in my pocket.”

Chase vs. Surtain

The game features one of the best matchups of the NFL season with Chase facing Broncos superstar cornerback Patrick Surtain II.

Surtain got the better of Chase the only other time they squared off in the NFL, back in 2021 when Surtain held Chase to a single catch for 3 yards. But the Bengals won 15-10, a springboard to their Super Bowl run.

“That was early in my career. Rookie year? Yeah, it was a good game,” Surtain said. “They came in with a high-striking offense and we knew that we had to eliminate the explosives, eliminate their top threat. Ja’Marr, he’s a great player, one of, if not the best, receivers in the league.”

Both Chase and Surtain are having career years.

Surtain has allowed just 234 receiving yards. That’s the fewest allowed by any cornerback through 16 weeks in a season since at least 2016. He’s tied his career high with four interceptions and has only been targeted an average of 3.4 times a game while giving up an average of two catches per game.

Chase Brown rising

Chase Brown is staking his claim to be the Bengals No. 1 running back of the future. The second-year back took over as the featured runner after Zack Moss, who was signed as a free agent to replace Joe Mixon, went on injured reserve on Nov. 5 with a neck injury. Brown has a combined 188 yards and a touchdown in the past two games. He's averaging 4.4 yards per carry and is just 77 yards away from a 1,000-yard season.

Sack masters

Entering Week 17, Denver leads the NFL with 51 sacks this season, including seven players with three or more sacks, five of which have at least five sacks this season. They're led by linebacker Nik Bonitto with 11 1/2 sacks and linebacker Jonathan Cooper with eight. Meanwhile, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson leads the NFL with 13 1/2 sacks.

Lehkonen has hat trick, Blackwood stops 34 shots as Avalanche beat Utah 4-1

SALT LAKE CTIY (AP) — Artturi Lehkonen scored three goals, Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 34 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-1 on Friday night.

Mikko Rantanen also scored and Nathan MacKinnon had three assists for Colorado, which has won four straight.

Blackwood has four wins in five starts since being acquired from San Jose on December 9th. He signed a five-year, $26.5 million contract extension with the Avalanche earlier Friday.

Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah, which has lost eight of its last nine at home. Karel Vejmelka finished with 33 saves.

Following a scoreless first period, Colorado struck first when a wide-open Lehkonen tapped in the puck off a feed from MacKinnon with 8:08 left in the second.

Utah finally got on the board when Schmaltz tapped in a power play equalizer with at 3:42 ofthe third off Mikhail Sergachev’s blast down the middle.

Lehkonen answered with 5:16 left when he tapped in the puck around Vejmelka’s outstretched skate. Mikko Rantanen and Lehkonen capped the scoring with a pair of empty-netters in the final two minutes.

Takeaways

Avalanche: Aggressive attacking from Colorado kept Utah’s defense on its heels for the bulk of the game.

Utah: An inability to generate early scoring chances offset Utah’s strong defensive play early in the game. In the second period alone, Utah totaled only seven shots on goal.

Key moment

Schmaltz gave Utah a chance to take its first lead after scoring on a power play but Lehkonen helped Colorado pull away with his second tap-in goal from close range.

Key stat

Colorado improved to 16-0 this season when leading at the start of the third period.

Up Next

Avalanche host Winnipeg on Tuesday while Utah visits Seattle on Monday.