The Los Angeles Chargers will take on the Detroit Lions in the annual Hall of Fame game as part of enshrinement week.

The Hall announced the matchup for July 31 with the Chargers playing just days before longtime tight end Antonio Gates will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gates will be joined by three other modern era candidates with Eric Allen, Jared Allen and Sterling Sharpe also getting inducted on Aug. 2.

The Lions will be designated as the home team for the game after going 15-2 last season before losing in the divisional round to Washington. The Chargers went 11-6 and made the playoffs as a wild-card team in coach Jim Harbaugh’s first season.

This will be the fourth trip to Canton for the Lions and the third for the Chargers.

NBA

Knicks’ Brunson wins clutch player of the year >> Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks won the NBA’s clutch player of the year award.

Brunson got 70 of the 100 first-place votes. Denver’s Nikola Jokic was second and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards was third.

Brunson averaged 5.6 points on 51.5% shooting in clutch time this season, with the Knicks going 17-11 in the games he played that met the criteria for the “clutch” designation.

Nuggets coach optimistic Porter Jr. will play Thursday >> Michael Porter Jr. participated in the Denver Nuggets’ practice and interim coach David Adelman said he was hopeful Porter would play in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

Adelman also said a stomach bug that had swept through the team earlier in the week, one that had him doubting if Jamal Murray would even play Monday night, was abating.

Porter sprained his left shoulder late in the Nuggets’ 105-102 loss in Game 2 and wasn’t on the floor when Denver missed desperation 3-pointers in the final seconds. He got hurt when Kris Dunn fell on him while the two scrambled for a loose ball.Judge drops lawsuit against Grizzlies’ Morant >> A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a teenager who accused two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant of punching him during a pickup game at the home of the Memphis Grizzlies guard’s parents in 2022.

Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney issued an order dismissing the lawsuit, saying in her ruling that Morant acted in self-defense and was immune from civil liability in the suit filed by Joshua Holloway, who plays basketball for Samford University and just completed his sophomore season.

Holloway was 17 and in high school when he was invited to play pickup basketball with other people at the home of Morant’s parents in July 2022. The daylong series of games ended when Morant punched Holloway once in the face. Holloway then sued Morant, alleging the NBA player had assaulted him.

Jimmer Fredette retires >> Jimmer Fredette, the 2011 Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year at BYU who went on to become an NBA lottery pick and then played for the U.S. in 3x3 at last year’s Paris Olympics, announced his retirement.

Fredette, 36, was the No. 10 pick by Milwaukee in that 2011 draft. He spent parts of six seasons in the NBA with Sacramento, New Orleans, Chicago, Phoenix and New York. He also played professionally in China and Greece, winning the MVP award in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2017.

The native of Glens Falls, New York, had games of 70 and 75 points during his career in China, including one where he scored 60 points after halftime. He averaged 28.9 points per game for BYU in the 2010-11 college season, leading the country on his way to the AP player of the year award. And in 2023, he was USA Basketball’s 3x3 male athlete of the year.

NHL

rangers extend GM >> The New York Rangers agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension with general manager Chris Drury, keeping him in charge of their hockey operations moving forward after underachieving this season and missing the playoffs.

Drury, who took over as GM and president of hockey operations in 2021 when Dolan abruptly fired John Davidson and Jeff Gorton and directed the former captain-turned-executive to speed up the rebuilding process. New York reached the playoffs in each of his first three seasons in charge, winning four series over that time.

Clutterbuck announces retirement >> Cal Clutterbuck, the NHL’s all-time leader in hits, announced he is retiring from hockey after playing more than 1,100 games over 17 seasons, including more than a decade as a fourth-line staple for the New York Islanders.

Clutterbuck’s 4,029 hits are the most since the league started tracking them in 2005. He posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday along with a message thanking longtime linemates Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas and fans who made Long Island his home.

Clutterbuck did not play in the league this season after his contract was not renewed last summer, something he referenced in making the announcement.

Women’s hockey

Vancouver gets PWHL expansion team >> The PWHL is heading west by selecting Vancouver as its first expansion franchise as part of the six-team league’s objective to broaden its reach across North America.

“This is a significant milestone for the PWHL and for the growth of women’s hockey,” vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said.