Ravens hand over jackpot to QB Flacco
NFL: Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens reached a tentative agreement Friday on a new contract that would make the Super Bowl MVP the highest-paid player in NFL history.
If the deal is finalized, the veteran quarterback would receive in excess of $120 million over six years, according to a person close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not yet been signed.
Flacco would earn more than the $20 million average salary Drew Brees receives with the New Orleans Saints.
Last season, Flacco played out the contract he signed as a rookie that was worth $6.76 million and led Baltimore to the NFL championship.
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said the sides have settled on the parameters of the deal, but still have some language and details to work out.
Fox Sports first reported the deal.
Chandler, Lawson spark Nuggets
NBA: Wilson Chandler tied his career high with 35 points and Ty Lawson’s jumper with 0.2 seconds left lifted the Denver Nuggets to a 105-103 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Guarded tightly by Thabo Sefolosha, Lawson swished his jumper from just inside the 3-point arc on the right wing. With no time to catch and shoot, the Thunder failed to get off a final tip attempt after their timeout.
• Spurs roll after Parker turns ankle: DeJuan Blair scored 16 points off the bench to pace eight players in double figures, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame the loss of Tony Parker to beat the Sacramento Kings 130-102 in San Antonio.
Parker, the Spurs’ leading scorer, went down with a left ankle sprain with 4:40 left in the third quarter. He was helped off the court and straight to the locker room. He did not return. Manu Ginobili set a team record with 15 assists off the bench.
• Heat streak reaches 13: Dwyane Wade scored 22 points, LeBron James shook off his worst shooting night of the season (4 of 14) to hit a key 3-pointer, and the Miami Heat extended their winning streak to 13 games by beating Memphis 98-91 in Miami.
Blackhawks add on to points streak
NHL: Brent Seabrook scored on a 2-on-1 break at 3:23 of overtime and the Chicago Blackhawks extended their NHL-record, season-opening point streak to 21 games with a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Chicago (18-0-3) won its eighth straight overall and has earned 39 out of a possible 42 points this season.
Martin to start up front at Phoenix
Auto racing: Mark Martin will be on the pole at Phoenix International Raceway for the second straight year after becoming the second-oldest pole-sitter in NASCAR history.
Martin went around PIR’s mile oval at a speed of 138.075 mph to earn his 56th career pole a week after finishing third in the Daytona 500.
Kasey Kahne will start on the front row with Martin for Sunday’s 312-mile race.
Rookie Guthrie leads Honda Classic by one
Golf: Luke Guthrie showed off his potential in a big way at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with a 7-under 63 to take a one-shot lead going into the weekend at PGA National.
Guthrie, pegged by many of his peers as a rookie worth watching going into the year, was at 9-under 131 and had a one-shot lead over Michael Thompson.
Tiger Woods was on the cusp of missing the cut but made great par-saving plays on the last three holes. He wound up with another 70 to make the cut on the number, nine shots out.
• Lewis leads by two in Singapore: Stacy Lewis made six birdies to shoot a 6-under 66 and take a two-stroke lead through the second round of the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.
The reigning LPGA Player of the Year was at 11-under 133 overall.
Weirather outshines the stars in super-G
Skiing: Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein won a super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, for her first World Cup title.
Weirather edged Julia Mancuso of the United States and Tina Maze of Slovenia, the overall World Cup winner, who tied for second. Maze became the first skier to make 19 podiums in one season.
109th-ranked Russian upsets V. Williams
Miscellany: Top-seeded Venus Williams was upset by Olga Puchkova 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 at the Brazil Tennis Cup in Florianopolis.
The 109th-ranked Russian will play in the final of the hard-court tournament in southern Brazil against Monica Niculescu of Romania, who defeated seventh-seeded Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-0, 6-2.
• Berdych stops Federer: Tomas Berdych saved three match points and upset defending champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 to earn a place in the Dubai Championships final against Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic rallied past fourth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-6 (4).
• Juve holds six-point lead: Giorgio Chiellini’s early goal helped first-place Juventus gain a 1-1 tie at second-place Napoli in Naples, leaving the defending champion six points ahead in the race for its 28th Italian league title.