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LOS ANGELES (4-9) at SEATTLE (8-4-1)

Despite that ugly loss at Green Bay last weekend, the Seattle Seahawks are in strong position to secure the NFC West crown Thursday night.

(STATS) - Abilene Christian has scheduled a news conference for Monday to introduce a new coach.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) Adrian Peterson is returning to practice this week for the Minnesota Vikings for the first time since tearing the meniscus in his right knee in September.

DENVER (AP) As a longtime shortstop, Ian Desmond knows all too well the value of a good first baseman.

Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Wednesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) LSU has hired Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada away from the Panthers in hopes he can make the Tigers' run-heavy offense more dynamic and productive against some of the nation's better defenses.

"Every lap I've made in the car has been helpful."

No matter who you are, Jeff Gordon will always have the spotlight.

After a stellar 14-2 start, the Los Angeles Clippers have come back down to earth.

Richard Petty scored his fifth Daytona 500 victory in 1974, but the race was a weird one.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant apparently has no hard feelings toward Oklahoma City, despite the backlash he received after leaving the Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA offseason.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Even with many key players missing large swaths of games because of injuries, the Utah Jazz were able to stay on a winning track. Now that some of those players are starting to get healthy again, the Jazz could take the step forward everyone expected before the season began.

PRO FOOTBALL

First off it is literally impossible to answer this question without someone getting offended, but I am going to try and take an objective approach.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Damian Lillard had 17 points and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 114-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

CLEVELAND (AP) Kevin Love scored 29 points, J.R. Smith found his aim - for one half - and LeBron James added 23 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fifth straight, 103-86 on Tuesday night over the Memphis Grizzlies.

PHOENIX (AP) Eric Bledsoe scored the go-ahead points on a driving, left-handed layup with 30 seconds to play and the Phoenix Suns beat New York 113-111 in overtime on Tuesday night, only the Knicks' second loss in eight games.

NEW YORK (AP) Huston Street believes in some of baseball's oldest, tried-and-true traditions, and the reliever knows team building can be a real benefit, so he considers the elimination of rookie dress up in the new labor deal the loss of ''a healthy ritual.''

I'll make this clear before anyone begins to get too upset: Bullying and hazing have no place in organized sports, or in civil society for that matter.