NBA

Thunder’s Chet Holmgren out at least 2 months

Chet Holmgren will miss about two months because of a right knee injury, continuing the Oklahoma City Thunder’s run of bad injury news early in the season.

Already potentially without Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the rest of the regular season, the Thunder said Holmgren began experiencing discomfort in his knee last Sunday. The team said that after a series of consultations with specialists, Holmgren underwent a biological treatment Friday to address a small patellar tendon tear.

The Thunder said Holmgren was expected to return in eight to 10 weeks.

Meanwhile, Ja Morant could miss at least a month after the Portland guard injured his left hamstring in a game against his former team.

COLLEGES

Commissioner Brett Yormark is leaving Big 12

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is leaving the conference after four years that included transformational change in the league and college sports.

The decision announced Friday comes about a year and a half after Yormark signed a three-year contract extension that was to run through 2030. Yormark will stay in the job until Jan. 31.

“When I accepted this job, my goal was to put this conference on an upward trajectory and truly believe that the future of the conference could not be in better shape,” said Yormark, the fifth commissioner in the league’s 32-year history. “The next commissioner of this league will inherit a conference that is ‘16 Strong.’ There has never been a better time to be a member of the Big 12 than right now.”

MLB

Marlins keep Alcantara, King leaves Padres

Sandy Alcantara was blocked from becoming a free agent by the Miami Marlins, while Michael King went on the market Friday and Bo Bichette decided to keep his contract with the New York Mets.

Starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Nick Martinez also will become free agents after their teams declined mutual options.

Miami exercised its $21 million option on Alcantara rather than pay a $2 million buyout, a decision that guarantees the pitcher $75 million over six years as part of the deal he agreed to in November 2021.

A 31-year-old right-hander, Alcantara was 13-11 with a 3.87 ERA in 33 starts and three relief appearances this year, his second season following Tommy John surgery.

King is a free agent for the second straight offseason after declining a $28 million player option in favor of a $5 million buyout.

Bichette agreed in January to a $126 million, three-year contract with the Mets that included a $40 million signing bonus, a $2 million salary for 2026 and $42 million player options for both 2027 and 2028.

PGA

Novak makes late run of birdies to build lead

VALLARTA, Mexico — Andrew Novak caught up to the lead with an eagle and pulled away with three birdies on his last four holes Friday to match his low score on the PGA Tour, a 10-under 61 that gave him a three-shot lead in the Mexico Open.

Novak drove the reachable par-4 13th and holed a 12-foot eagle putt and it looked to be a two-man race to the finish line of the second round between him and Ben Griffin.

HORSE RACING

Unbeaten Hughes wins Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Unbeaten favorite Hughes established himself as an early Kentucky Derby favorite by taking control through the far turn and pulling away for a 2 1/4-length victory over American History in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Friday at Keeneland.

Named for U.S. Olympic men’s hockey hero Jack Hughes, the bay colt trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert seized the moment on his biggest stage to date and didn’t look back.

— The Associated Press