Update on the latest sports - KVIA El Paso

NFL PLAYOFFS

Packers dominate Rams

UNDATED (AP) — Aaron Rodgers made sure he’d get the opportunity to play an NFC championship game at home for the first time in his Hall of Fame-caliber career. Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and also ran for a score as the top-seeded Green Bay Packers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 32-18 in an NFC divisional playoff game Saturday.

Green Bay’s potent offense overpowered the Rams’ vaunted defense for much of the day. The Packers didn’t allow any sacks despite playing without injured All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari. Green Bay sacked Jared Goff four times.

In other playoff action:

— The Buffalo Bills advanced to their first AFC championship game in 27 years after Taron Johnson scored on a 101-yard interception return to seal a 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The interception return came with Baltimore facing third-and-goal from Buffalo’s 9 where Johnson stepped in front of Lamar Jackson’s pass intended for tight end Mark Andrews with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.

Jackson did not return after sustaining a head injury on the final play of the third quarter when he was sacked while chasing down an errant snap. Buffalo limited the NFL’s top running offense to 150 yards on 32 carries.

— The divisional round continues Sunday with two more games. The Cleveland Browns visit the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who had last week off after earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. Later Sunday, New Orleans hosts Tampa Bay in a matchup of two of the NFL’s oldest and most accomplished quarterbacks, 42-year-old Drew Brees and 43-year-old Tom Brady.

NFL-FALCONS-SMITH

Arthur Smith signs deal to be Falcons coach

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons say Arthur Smith has signed a contract to be their next coach. Smith, a former Tennessee Titans assistant, agreed to terms Friday. Smith heads to Atlanta after two years as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator. He takes over a franchise that’s 28-36 since losing the Super Bowl four years ago under predecessor Dan Quinn. The Falcons haven’t reached the playoffs since 2017.

NBA-SCHEDULE-ROCKETS-SPURS

Harden doesn’t miss a beat with Nets

UNDATED (AP) — James Harden delivered 32 points and a triple-double in his Brooklyn debut, Kevin Durant scored a season-high 42 points in his first game back with his former teammate, and the Nets showed off their potent potential in a 122-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Harden had 14 assists and 12 rebounds after being cleared to play earlier in the afternoon after all the players in the blockbuster trade that brought him from Houston had completed their physicals. He had no practice time with the Nets and sure didn’t need it, becoming the first player in franchise history to have a triple-double in his debut with them.

In other NBA action:

— Chris Boucher, Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Fleet made eight straight free throws in the final two minutes, helping Toronto beat the Charlotte Hornets 116-113 for the Raptors’ first two-game win streak of the season. Norman Powell led the Raptors with 24 points and Boucher added 20 points and nine rebounds. Gordon Heyward scored 25 points and Terry Rozier added 24 for the Hornets, losers of three straight.

— Damian Lillard scored 36 points and the Portland Trail Blazers rebounded from a first-half deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 112-106. Enes Kanter added 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers, who have won five of their last six. But Portland got some bad news when guard CJ McCollum left the game at halftime because of a left foot sprain. Trae Young had 26 points and 11 assists, while Clint Capela added 25 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta.

— DeMar DeRozan had 24 points, Dejounte Murray added 18 points and the San Antonio Spurs rallied to beat the undermanned Houston Rockets 103-91 on Saturday to snap a four-game skid at home. Rockets center Christian Wood had 24 points and 17 rebounds and Mason Jones had a season-high 24 points. Ben McLemore had a season-high 21 points, going 4 for 7 on 3-pointers. Houston was on the brink of not having eight players available as required by the league but met the minimum in the final hour.

— Ja Morant returned to the Memphis lineup after missing eight games with an ankle injury and scored 17 points, leading the Grizzlies to a 106-104 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Morant, who sprained his left ankle Dec. 28 at Brooklyn, added six assists. Rookie Xavier Tillman added 15 points, and Grayson Allen had 12 as the Grizzlies won their fourth straight. Shake Milton helped rally Philadelphia from a 13-point deficit with a burst in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 28 points in the period.

T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE

No. 1 Gonzaga overcomes slow start, beats Saint Mary’s 73-59

UNDATED (AP) — Corey Kispert had 17 points and five rebounds and No. 1 Gonzaga overcame a slow start with a surge to end the first half, pulling away late to beat rival Saint Mary’s 73-59 for its 18th straight victory spanning the past two seasons. Joel Ayayi scored 16 points to help the Bulldogs improve to 14-0 overall and 5-0 in the West Coast Conference. A 4.5-magnitude earthquake in the South Bay shook the gym early in the second half. Play continued with no disruption at what typically would be an imposing visiting arena at McKeon Pavilion but had a far different feel devoid of fans.

In other T25 action:

— Davion Mitchell had 19 points and Jared Butler finally scored late as No. 2 Baylor overcame No. 15 Texas Tech 68-60. The Bears stayed undefeated after their closest game this season. Butler was a preseason AP All-American and coming off a season-high 28 points in the last game. But he was 0-for-9 shooting with six turnovers before hitting consecutive 3-pointers for the Bears in the final five minutes. Mac McClung had 24 points for 11-4 Texas Tech.

— Kamaka Hepa scored 15 points and No. 4 Texas rebounded from its first Big 12 loss of the season by thumping Kansas State 82-67. The Longhorns broke the game open with an 18-0 run midway through the first half keyed by a burst of 3-pointers and a defensive press that rattled the Wildcats. Kansas state has lost four in a row.

— Aaron Thompson scored 17 points and he found Bryce Nze (EN’-zee) for the go-ahead layup with 68 seconds left in overtime, leading Butler back from a 13-point deficit to upset No. 8 Creighton 70-66 in overtime. The Bulldogs scored the final eight points of the game to win their fourth straight home game in the series. Creighton squandered a 58-45 lead over the final 7 1/2 minutes and a a 66-62 lead in overtime as its six-game winning streak came to an end.

— Keon Johnson scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half, leading No. 10 Tennessee to a 81-61 victory over Vanderbilt. Johnson was one of three double-digit scorers for the Volunteers. John Fulkerson had 15 points, and Victor Bailey scored 11. Vanderbilt was led by Dylan Disu’s 19 points. Scotty Pippen, Jr. scored 18.

— Isaiah Wong had 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Miami beat No. 16 Louisville 78-72 to end an 18-game skid against ranked opponents. Matt Cross scored 16 points and Elijah Olaniyi had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Miami. Louisville rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit and got within 68-64 on Matt Slazinski’s three free throws with 2:21 remaining. Cross’ 3-pointer with 1:29 left gave Miami another seven-point margin.

— Sam Hauser and Tomas Woldetensae had 14 points and four 3-pointers apiece as No. 18 Virginia won its 11th straight over 12th-ranked Clemson with an 85-50 victory. The Cavaliers moved to 5-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, their best start to league play since opening 12-0 in 2017-18. Virginia won its fifth straight since losing to No. 1 Gonzaga last month.

— E.J. Liddell scored 26 points as No. 21 Ohio State beat No. 14 Illinois 87-81 in a very physical Big Ten matchup. One technical was called, on Ohio State’s Duane Washington Jr., and the officials had to step in many times to avoid fights. Washington, Justin Ahrens and Seth Towns each added 11 as the visiting Buckeyes improved to 11-3. Ohio State was missing injured guards C.J. Walker and Jimmy Sotos. Ayo Dosunmu led Illinois with 22 points. The Illini (ih-LY’-ny) fell to 9-5.

— Liam Robbins had 22 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes to lead No. 23 Minnesota to a 75-57 victory over No. 7 Michigan. This was the first loss for the Wolverines. Marcus Carr scored 17 points and Gabe Kalscheur added 10 points. The Gophers are 11-4 overall, 4-4 in the Big Ten. They played their seventh straight game against an opponent ranked in the Associated Press poll. Minnesota held the best shooting team in the conference to a season-low score and a season-high 20 turnovers. Michigan fell to 11-1 and 6-1.

— Dru Smith scored 15 points and No. 17 Missouri shook off rust from an 11-day layoff due to COVID-19 protocols to beat Texas A&M 68-52. Jeremiah Tilmon added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers. Andre Gordon paced the Aggies with 19 points. The Tigers led 27-24 at the half and used a 21-5 run midway through the second half to take control of the game.

NHL-BRUINS/DEVILS

Shrangovich’s OT goal gives Devils 2-1 win over Bruins

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Egor Sharangovich scored his first NHL goal in the final seconds of overtime to propel the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins.

MacKenzie Blackwood made 27 saves and picked up his first victory of the season. Miles Wood also scored for the second consecutive game for New Jersey. Boston’s Patrice Bergeron scored and Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves, including two critical stops in the final minutes of the third period to force the extra session. Devils defenseman Damon Severson made a nifty backhand pass at the edge of the offensive zone to set up the 22-year-old Sharangovich with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime.

In other rink action:

— William Karlsson tied the game with 1:22 left in regulation, and Max Pacioretty scored just 7 seconds into overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced. Max Comtois scored for Anaheim and John Gibson stopped 31 shots. Vegas swept the two-game series.

— Sean Monahan, Dillon Dube and Matthew Tkachuk scored power-play goals and Jacob Markstrom’ made 32 saves and shut out his former team as the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-0. Calgary’s home-opener was the first NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome since March 8, 2020, a span of 10 months and eight days. Vancouver goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 32 of 35 shots in the loss.

— Joe Thornton scored his first goal for Toronto, linemates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner also connected for the first time this season, and the Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Saturday night. Marner had two assists and Thornton and Matthews one each to help the Maple Leafs rebound from a 5-3 loss to the Senators on Friday night at Canadian Tire Centre. The 41-year-old Thornton signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs in the offseason.

— Robby Fabbri scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:42 left in the third period, Dylan Larkin got his second goal into an empty net and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Fabbri fluttered the puck past Petr Mrazek from the front of the crease off a pass from Filip Zadina behind the net. Zadina also set up Bobby Ryan to score in his Red Wings debut, breaking a scoreless tie early in the second period, after the veteran forward missed the opener with an injury. Larkin scored a tiebreaking goal early in the third just 18 seconds after Carolina went ahead. Detroit’s Jonathan Bernier finished with 29 saves in his season debut.

— Marcus Johansson scored with 11 seconds remaining in overtime Saturday night and the Minnesota Wild defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 for the second straight game after trailing by two goals after two periods. Johansson’s wrist shot went near the top of the net and beat Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick on his stick side. Ryan Suter sent it to overtime with 2 seconds remaining with a snapshot near the blue line that Quick was unable to get his glove on.

— Phil Kessel scored two goals, Antti Raanta stopped 31 shots and the Arizona Coyotes bounced back from an opening loss to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-3. The Coyotes pressured the Sharks from the start, scoring four goals in the opening two periods. Kessel scored the tying goal in the closing seconds of the opener and had goals in each of the first two periods Saturday. Timo Meier had two goals and an assist, and Ryan Donato also scored for the Sharks.

— Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin each scored twice and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 23 shots for his fifth career shutout, leading the New York Rangers to a 5-0 win over the Islanders. Kaapo Kakko also scored as the Rangers bounced back for their first victory two nights after being blanked 4-0 by the Islanders in the season opener. Ilya Sorokin had 27 saves in his NHL debut for the Islanders, getting the start after Semyon Varlamov was hit near the throat by a shot from Cal Clutterbuck in warmups.

— Brad Richardson scored the go-ahead goal with 9 minutes left, and the Nashville Predators beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 for their second straight win to open the season. Colton Sissons, Luke Kunin and Filip Forsberg also scored in the third period, and Rocco Grimaldi had a goal for Nashville. Goalie Juuse Saros made 42 saves for the victory.

— Jeff Petry and Tomas Tatar each scored twice, Carey Price made 34 saves and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Saturday night. Jake Evans also scored, and Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher each had two assists to help Montreal rebound from an opening overtime loss in Toronto.

NHL-NEWS

Winnipeg Jets scrap practice over possible virus exposure

UNDATED (AP) — The Winnipeg Jets canceled practice Saturday because of potential exposure to COVID-19.

The NHL team did not provide details and said information regarding plans for Sunday will come later. The Jets are scheduled to play at Toronto on Monday.

Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers was held out of practice Wednesday while in COVID-19 protocol but played in Winnipeg’s season opener, a 4-3 overtime loss to visiting Calgary on Thursday.

The NHL started its season Wednesday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in both Canada and the United States. The Dallas Stars’ first four games were postponed after 17 players tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In other NHL news:

—Chris Driedger will be Florida’s starting goaltender when the Panthers play their delayed season opener Sunday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Driedger becomes the 11th opening-night starter in Panthers history. Regular starter Sergei Bobrovsky, who missed most of Panthers’ training camp, is in line to start Florida’s second game against Chicago on Tuesday. The Panthers were supposed to open Thursday at home against Dallas, but the Stars couldn’t play after a COVID-19 outbreak among players and coaches.

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