THURSDAY SPORTS: Gameday for Tigers; Clemson men go to 2-0; Bobcats snap Celtics streak

It’s gameday for the 8th-ranked Clemson Tigers as Dabo Swinney’s club welcomes Paul Johnson and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets into Death Valley for a Thursday night showdown on ESPN. Kick-off is set for 7:31 PM. It’s the first Thursday night home game at Memorial Stadium since 2002. Clemson is a 13.5 point favorite.

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Clemson held Delaware State to just 14 second half points and matched its best scoring defense output under Head Coach Brad Brownell in a 58-37 victory Wednesday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers moved to 2-0 with the win, while the Hornets fell to 1-2 after the loss. Clemson’s defense stole the show Wednesday, limiting Delaware State to 27 percent shooting overall – including a 4-for-24 effort in the second half

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The Clemson men have signed two to National Letters of Intent. They are Donte Grantham, a 6-8 forward from Martinsburg, West Virginia and Gabe DeVoe, a 6-4 guard from Shelby, North Carolina.

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In the NBA Wednesday, Al Jefferson had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to an 89-83 win over Boston that snapped the Celtics’ four-game winning streak. Elsewhere, Carmelo Anthony continued his success against Atlanta by scoring 25 points and the New York Knicks regroups after blowing a 17 point lead to beat the Hawks 96-91.

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Florida State freshman quarterback Jameis Winston, who’s considered a Heisman Trophy candidate, is part of an ongoing investigation into a December 2012 sexual assault complaint in Tallahassee. Winston’s attorney said police contacted him in February, but no charges were filed and Winston never has been interviewed by police. The attorned said Wednesday, “It was closed in February and it was then handed over to the state attorney today. We’ve been cooperating with them and we’ve supplied them with witness affidavits. We hope this case will be resolved quickly in Mr. Winston’s favor.” Florida State released a statement Wednesday saying Winston’s status with the team hadn’t changed. The Seminoles face Syracuse this Saturday.

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The Detroit Tigers’ Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers were named the winners Wednesday of Major League Baseball’s Cy Young Award, given to each league’s best pitcher of the season. Both won by a wide margin. Scherzer led the majors in wins, going 21-3, and had a 2.90 ERA and 240 strikeouts to win the American League Cy Young. Kershaw won in the National League, going 16-9 with a 1.83 ERA — the lowest in the majors in 13 years — and 232 strikeouts. Kershaw also won the Cy Young in 2011, and came in second last year behind R. A. Dickey.