LOS ANGELES -- Lakers guard Avery Bradley left Sunday's game against the Detroit Pistons late in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and did not return.

Bradley fell to the floor after rolling his ankle on a fastbreak opportunity and had to be helped to the locker room. He underwent X-rays on the ankle, which came back negative, per the Lakers.

Bradley, who has been the Lakers' starting shooting guard for most of the season, previously missed 13 straight games from mid-November until early December with a hairline fracture on the fibular head of his right leg.

Signed to a two-year, $9.8 million deal in the offseason, Bradley is averaging 8.1 points on 45.1% shooting (23.2% from 3), 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game for L.A.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who had a left ankle injury of his own against the Pistons that required him to have his ankle retaped, started the second half in Bradley's place.

The Lakers won 106-99.

TULSA, Okla. – Officials from the 34th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire have announced a new format for the annual #BCForever Pole Dash.

The two-two finishers from each qualifying night will earn positions in the Pole Dash. Unlike previous years, drivers will no longer go out in pairs. Drawing for their respective place in the Pole Dash, preliminary night winners will draw one through five, with the remainder drawing six through 10.

RELATED: Chili Bowl Qualifying Night Rosters Released

The first race will be drivers who draw seventh through tenth lined up in that order. The two-two will advance. In the second race, the front row will be drivers who draw fifth and sixth, with the two drivers moving on from the first race in row two (winner inside, second outside).

Third race front row will be drivers who draw third and fourth, with the two drivers moving on from the second race in row two (winner inside, second outside).

Fourth race front row will be drivers who draw first and second, with the two drivers moving on from the third race in row two (winner inside, second outside) with the winner of the final dash earning the pole in Saturday’s feature.

SPEED SPORT’s Chili Bowl coverage is presented by MyRacePass, the official timing and scoring app of the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. Fans can download the MyRacePass app on their phones to follow all the action during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. For more information on MyRacePass, visit www.myracepass.com and use the hashtag #GetTheApp on Twitter!

TULSA, Okla. – Qualifying night rosters for the 34th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire have been announced.

While each night’s lineup of talent is subject to change, the five nights leading up to Saturday’s run of Alphabet Soup will see the top-two from each feature locking themselves into Saturday’s 55-lap championship and earning a place in the #BCForever Pole Dash, which will feature a new format this year.

Monday’s Cummins Qualifying Night will feature several marquee names, including NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Chase Briscoe, New Zealand ace Michael Pickens, reigning USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series champion Tyler Courtney, USAC star Kevin Thomas Jr., NTT IndyCar Series racer Santino Ferrucci, 1990 Chili Bowl champion John Heydenreich, multi-time USAC sprint car champion Brady Bacon and rising star Giovanni Scelzi.

Tuesday’s Warren CAT Qualifying Night is headlined by Kyle Larson, who will be driving his own No. 01 midget for the first time at the Chili Bowl. Additional Tuesday competitors include NASCAR Cup Series regular Alex Bowman, Keith Kunz Motorsports driver Zeb Wise and 2008 Chili Bowl champion Damion Gardner.

Marquee names are all over Wednesday’s Hard Rock Casino Qualifying Night entry list, including five-time Chili Bowl champion Sammy Swindell, World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Brad Sweet, USAC Triple Crown winner J.J. Yeley, 2006 Chili Bowl winner Tim McCreadie, two-time All Star Circuit of Champions champion Aaron Reutzel, two-time Chili Bowl champion Rico Abreu and World of Outlaws star David Gravel.

Three-time and defending Chili Bowl champion Christopher Bell will begin his pursuit of a fourth-straight victory on Thursday during John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night. He’ll be joined by USAC ace Dave Darland, NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Justin Allgaier, 2018 USAC National Midget champion Logan Seavey, USAC National Sprint Car champion C.J. Leary and rising stars Buddy Kofoid and Jason McDougal.

Ten-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz returns to the Chili Bowl on Friday during Vacuworx Global Qualifying Night. He’ll be joined during the final qualifying night by USAC competitor Justin Grant, NASCAR Cup Series regular Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2006 USAC National Midget champion Tanner Thorson, NTT IndyCar Series competitors Conor Daly and James Davison, 2013 World of Outlaws champion Daryn Pittman, multi-time IRA sprint car champion Bill Balog and USAC Silver Crown and National Sprint Car champion Chris Windom.

The daily entry lists are subject to change prior to each night of racing. Click below to see the full entry lists for each night of racing.

SPEED SPORT’s Chili Bowl coverage is presented by MyRacePass, the official timing and scoring app of the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. Fans can download the MyRacePass app on their phones to follow all the action during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. For more information on MyRacePass, visit www.myracepass.com and use the hashtag #GetTheApp on Twitter!

The Dallas Cowboys are intensely focused on candidates who have extensive NFL head-coaching experience with a track record of success, which is why former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy and former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis were interviewed this weekend, according to a source familiar with the search for Jason Garrett's replacement.

That profile would eliminate NFL coordinators with little or no head-coaching experience and any of the much speculated college coaches such as Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley, Baylor's Matt Rhule and Florida's Dan Mullen.

The Cowboys released a statement Sunday afternoon announcing that Garrett will not be offered an extension on his contract that expires Jan. 14. A handful of league executives, coaches and agents volunteered beliefs to ESPN that the statement was a sign that owner Jerry Jones is prepared to move quickly in his search for a new coach.

A team source did confirm the Cowboys had a recent telephone conversation with former NFL coach Jeff Fisher, who took the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV and whose regular-season record is 173-165-1, with a 5-6 playoff record. Fisher is highly regarded by Jones and and team vice president Stephen Jones, but Fisher's three-year hiatus since being fired by the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 was a detriment to scheduling a formal interview.

McCarthy coached for 13 seasons with the Packers before he was fired in 2018. His career regular-season record is 125-77-2 with a 10-8 record in the playoffs, including a Super Bowl XLV championship in 2010 played at the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.

Lewis was coach of the Bengals for 16 seasons and has a career record of 131-122-3, but was 0-7 in the playoffs. His stock as a head coach took a hit with the winless playoff record, but the Bengals went 2-14 in 2019 after parting ways with Lewis.

Lewis also was the defensive coordinator for the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

Neither Jerry nor Stephen Jones have spoken publicly about the candidates they have interviewed.

PHILADELPHIA -- Teammates of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz took issue with the hit by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney that knocked Wentz out of Sunday's wild-card game in the first quarter.

Left tackle Jason Peters confronted Clowney on the field after seeing a replay of the hit in which Clowney made contact with Wentz's helmet and upper back as they slammed into the turf. Wentz left with a head injury a short time later and did not return, playing only eight snaps in Philadelphia's 17-9 playoff loss to Seattle.

"I checked Clowney about it," Peters said. "He was mouthing, I was mouthing back at him. ... I just told him, 'Man, that's a dirty play. And he's like, 'My bad,' and we just kept playing.

"I just kept reminding him, 'Man, stay off my quarterback.'

"I'm a left tackle. I've got his back. I'm the blindside. And I just take it personal when somebody is taking a late hit or trying to rough up the quarterback."

Clowney said he was not attempting to injure Wentz.

"It was a bang-bang play. I don't intend to hurt anybody in this league, let me just put that out there. I've been down the injury road; it's not fun. My intention was not to hurt him. I was just playing fast."

Clowney was not penalized for the hit. Referee Shawn Smith explained the decision after the game.

"[Wentz] was a runner and he did not give himself up," he said. "We saw incidental helmet contact, and in our judgment, we didn't rule that to be a foul."

That was not the view inside the Eagles' locker room.

"I thought it was late," said Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, who revealed after the game he played through two rib fractures, a rib cartilage fracture and an injured kidney. "I kinda knew something was wrong right away -- just the way he got up. Devastated for my guy. Really tough."

"I mean, it's a quarterback hit to the head. But it is what it is. I'm sure there was somebody in the way or something. They're doing everything they can to protect players, and I'm sure there's a reason they didn't call it."

Josh McCown replaced Wentz and ended 18 of 24 for 178 yards.

Joaquin Niemann developed a reputation as an amateur for hitting low, piercing drives. And with winds consistently blowing in the 20s and gusting up to 40 mph Sunday at Kapalua, Niemann's preferred ball flight served him well.

No drive was more impressive than the worm burner that Niemann struck at the par-4 13th. 

Golf Channel analyst Paul Azinger summed the drive up well.

“Not a lot of guys are able to do what he did right here,” Azinger said. “But this is a confident effort. One of his strengths is he can really manipulate his trajectory off the tee, but to be able to do this you kind of have to hood the [club]face down at the bottom, which he was able to do. Almost looked like he topped it, but I can assure you he hit the sweet spot dead center.”

Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat in Sydney

Our XI: Usman Khawaja, Chris Lynn, Matt Renshaw, Callum Ferguson, Max Bryant, Mathew Gilkes, Ben Cutting, Arjun Nair, Daniel Sams, Chris Morris, Ben Laughlin

Captain: Callum Ferguson

Many options for captaincy here, but we'll bank on consistency. With three fifties to his name in the competition, and on a pitch with an average total of 160, Ferguson is the best - and safest - option.

Vice-captain: Daniel Sams

Safe with the captain, but a bit left-field for vice-captain. The top wicket-taker of the BBL season gets the nod over many explosive batsmen because of the pitch at Sydney Showground Stadium. Seamers have a healthy average of 21 and a strike rate of 17 at this ground, so Sams could be in business.

Hot picks

Chris Lynn

Didn't you see the last game?

Usman Khawaja

Sometimes you have to spot a trend. Khawaja has been hot and cold this season, boom or bust - he was below par in the last game, so we'll gamble on boom. Not to forget, he has two half-centuries this season already.

Matt Renshaw

The most consistent performer for the Heat could easily be your captain on a pitch suited to his game. Renshaw is not to be missed.

Value picks

Max Bryant: Bryant finally came to the party against the Hobart Hurricanes with an explosive 36-ball 65. He would love to carry that momentum forward.

Chris Morris: With two wickets in every BBL game so far, Morris is the main allrounder pick. The assistance that pacers get here should help his death bowling in a big way.

Point to note

The Melbourne Stars chased down the Thunder's 142 for 7 with three wickets in hand in the last BBL game played at the venue. The best strategy might well be to mix batmen and bowlers, with Ben Cutting and Morris as allrounders.

Lunch Australia 454 and 1 for 172 (Warner 89*, Burns 40) lead New Zealand 251 by 375 runs

David Warner maintained his latter-day dominance of SCG Tests as Australia hustled towards a third-innings declaration against a bedraggled New Zealand on day four of the New Year's Test.

Under overcast skies, the hosts piled up 132 runs in the morning session, with Warner scooting from 23 overnight to the outskirts of a century. His eight most recent Test innings at the SCG now read 89 not out, 45, 56, 55, 113, 122 not out, 4 and 101.

They were aided by a New Zealand side that seemed mainly to be waiting for the inevitable declaration although Todd Astle bowled nicely to deceive Joe Burns, and should have dismissed Marnus Labuschagne caught-and-bowled for the second time in the match, only to drop a simpler chance than in the first innings.

The Australians showed their intent to score very early on as Warner worked the ball around and ran with intent in between regular boundaries, while Burns danced down the wicket to loft William Somerville nonchalantly over the boundary in front of the SCG's venerable Members Stand.

Astle had more success when introduced, beating Burns with a big legbreak off the last ball of his first over of the day and then pinning him lbw with a googly on the front foot with the first delivery of his second - albeit only after Tom Latham reviewed Aleem Dar's not-out verdict.

Labuschagne was fortunate to survive the return catch he offered Astle soon after, but he was quickly into stride alongside Warner as Australia pushed their lead close to 400 by the time of the interval.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears right guard Kyle Long announced on Sunday that he was retiring after seven NFL seasons.

"Some Chicagoans are probably happy to hear I'm finally stepping away and getting my body right," Long wrote on his official Twitter account. "Some Chicagoans may be sad to hear this. Either way [you] feel about it, I want [you] to know how lucky I am to have spent time in your city. I became a man while playing in Chicago. Thank you."

Drafted No. 20 overall by the Bears in 2013, Long missed just one game over his first three seasons but appeared in just 30 regular-season contests over the past four years.

Long, 31, suffered a gruesome ankle injury in 2016 that cost him the final eight games that year and the first two games of the 2017 season. Long ended up missing six games in 2017 with a variety of ailments, undergoing neck, shoulder and elbow surgeries in the offseason. He returned in time to start the Bears' first seven games the 2018 season before Chicago once again shut him down before his return in Week 17.

Long opened the regular season in good shape but suffered a hip injury during practice leading up to the game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 29. He was inactive for that game but returned to the starting lineup against the Oakland Raiders in London on Oct. 6.

Following the loss to the Raiders -- a game that Long played all 56 possible snaps on offense -- the Bears decided they would be better off on offense without Long and promptly placed the veteran on injured reserve, yet again.

Long took a massive pay cut last offseason and had an option year left on his current restructured deal.

General manager Ryan Pace was noncommittal about Long's future during the club's recent end of the year news conference.

"We think the world of [Long]," Pace said on Tuesday. "It's unfortunate he's had a handful of injuries. He's tried to battle through all of them. Kyle does have an option in his contract that we got to look at. That will be one of the decisions, one of the many decisions, we have to make on him. But I feel bad for all the injuries he's tried to overcome. That was a decision we made at the time. Then we'll have to make another decision this offseason with his option."

Long was named to three Pro Bowls and played three different positions (right guard, right tackle, left guard) over the course of his Bears career.

LOS ANGELES -- Doc Rivers' greatest success has come with quarterback-like point guards in Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul. Now, the LA Clippers coach is beginning to put some exclusive trust in a third point guard -- Patrick Beverley.

After the Clippers made franchise history with three players scoring 30 or more in the same game and outlasting the New York Knicks, 135-132, Rivers revealed he has begun the process of handing over more of the team's offensive playcalling to Beverley. Rivers has been giving Beverley his play sheet, something he has only done with two other point guards in his 20-plus seasons as head coach.

"We're doing a lot of things. We're giving him a play sheet before, and we leave it out so he can stare at them during every timeout," Rivers said. "You can see him grabbing it, and he's really trying to do this and be good at it. I've done it to two guards where I've actually given them my play sheet, you know Chris and Rondo. Other than that, I don't give anybody else that sheet because they can't handle it, you know.

"And we're starting to slowly add things to that sheet for Pat, and he's getting better and better at it," Rivers continued. "It's been very good for him."

Beverley, who is in his eighth season and third with Rivers and the Clippers, returned Sunday from a three-game absence with a sprained right wrist and had six points, six assists and five rebounds with no turnovers. With Beverley back on the court, Montrezl Harrell (34 points), Paul George (32 points) and Lou Williams (32 points) became the first trio of Clippers players to score 30 or more in the same game.

While the Clippers struggled badly on defense, allowing a total of 272 points in back-to-back home games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Knicks, Rivers liked what he saw offensively Sunday. The coach credited Beverley for calling a good game like a catcher in baseball. Rivers said it's something that hasn't happened and something that is needed.

Beverley -- who signed a three-year, $40-million contract in free agency -- has made a name in the league for his stingy defense and dogged rebounding. He provided the game-clinching block on a LeBron James 3-point attempt to help the Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers for a second time this season on Christmas Day. But now Beverley is trying to be an extension of Rivers, who can be demanding, especially with how his offense is run.

"He used to yell at me the last three years," Beverley said. "... I see him smiling a lot more than yelling at me all the time [now]. But you know me, everything I do is for the team, to try to win as many basketball games as we possibly can. I go out there and try to do all the right things. I don't care if I score 40 points or four points, I just try to impact the game in a lot of other ways. So far this year, I have been successful, but I still got a lot of work to do."

Rivers went 53-39 in the postseason with Rajon Rondo at point in Boston, and they won a title together in 2008. The Celtics went 338-219 with Rivers and Rondo from 2006 to '13. Rivers and the Clippers were 328-217 from 2013 to '17, when Paul was there, and the two were 17-19 together in the playoffs.

Rivers said he would like to have it so he isn't barking plays out and slowing the Clippers down on offense as they try to quickly get into sets this season. That is why he and the coaching staff approached Beverley, who was part of the Paul trade between the Clippers and Rockets in 2017, with the added responsibility of having the play sheet for games.

This week is a vital week for the Clippers, who have four days off to not only get healthier but get some rare practice time in because their schedule has been so packed.

It gives Beverley more time as well to master Rivers' playbook and learn what works best with which lineups.

"Pat does a lot of great things," George said. "A lot of great things that again, he doesn't get credit for when you look at stats, but he just does so much great stuff. His willingness to give himself up every possession whether it's screening, whether it's cutting or just making the right plays, he just gives himself up."

"Prime example: he had a corner 3 where he was wide open, but he swung it to another person who was wide open," George added. "You can't say enough about what he brings and his value toward this team."