Shedeur Sanders' long wait ends when Browns take him in the 5th round of the NFL draft
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders’ wait finally has ended. The Cleveland Browns selected the Colorado quarterback and son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick in the NFL draft. That ended a stunning fall for Sanders, the most recognizable player in this draft class after his attention-getting college career. Draft forecasts generally rated Sanders behind only Miami’s Cam Ward — who went first overall to the Tennessee Titans — among quarterbacks in this class. Five quarterbacks were taken before him instead, with one of them going to Cleveland when the Browns picked Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
Shedeur Sanders will be part of the competition for Browns' QB spot despite drop in NFL draft
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Cleveland Browns shocked many observers around the NFL when they didn’t take Shedeur Sanders during the first two days of the draft. The Browns eventually ended the draft’s biggest drama by taking Sanders with the 144th overall pick. Sanders was the second quarterback drafted by Cleveland this weekend and the 14th since the Browns returned to the league in 1999. Cleveland began the draft by trading out of the second-overall spot and passing on a chance to take Sanders’ teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
Stephen Curry heats up with Jimmy Butler out, scores 36 as Warriors beat Rockets 104-93 for 2-1 lead
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry eventually found his shooting groove and got hot while Houston tried everything to stop him, finishing with 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Rockets 104-93 for a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. The Warriors won without Jimmy Butler, who sat out with a pelvic injury. Buddy Hield scored 17 points off the bench with five 3-pointers as the Warriors won their sixth straight Game 3 in the opening round. Gary Payton II scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Aaron Gordon's historic dunk at buzzer lifts Nuggets over Clippers 101-99 and ties series 2-2
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Gordon slammed down Nikola Jokic’s miss as time expired to lift the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers 101-99 on Saturday to tie their playoff series 2-2. Video review confirmed the ball left Gordon’s hands above the rim just before the buzzer sounded after the Nuggets had blown a 22-point lead. Jokic had 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun had 17 points apiece. Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points for the Clippers. Norman Powell added 22 and Ivica Zubac had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Arizona's Eugenio Suárez becomes 19th player in MLB history to hit 4 HRs in game
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez homered in his first four at-bats against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night. Suárez’s fourth homer tied it 7 in the ninth inning off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. He’s the 19th player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game and first since J.D. Martinez accomplished the feat — also for the D-backs — in 2017. The 33-year-old third baseman hit a solo shot in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth, and two more solo drives in the sixth and ninth. The first three came off Braves starter Grant Holmes. The right-hander was taken out of the game following Suarez’s third homer, which traveled 443 feet to center. Suárez has 10 homers this season.
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog scores 1st goal in nearly 3 years in Game 4 against Stars
DENVER (AP) — Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog scored his first NHL goal in nearly three years in the second period of Game 4 against Dallas on Saturday night. The crowd erupted soon after Landeskog’s snap shot went into the net. He was quickly greeted by teammates along the boards and hugged by Nathan MacKinnon after he made his way over to the bench. Landeskog’s goal gave the Avalanche a 3-0 lead. It was Landeskog’s first score since June 20, 2022, against Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Finals. He helped the Avalanche hoist the Cup six days later. Landeskog was sidelined for three regular seasons because of a chronically injured right knee. He made his return in Game 3.
Sanderson scores in OT as Senators beat Maple Leafs 4-3 to avoid sweep
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Defenseman Jake Sanderson scored on a long wrist shot from the left boards at 17:42 of overtime and the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Saturday night to force a fifth game in the first-round series. Sanderson kept the puck in at the blue line and fired the wrist shot that sailed through traffic and past goalie Anthony Stolarz into the top, right corner. The teams needed extra time for the third straight game, with Ottawa finally breaking though after 3-2 overtime losses in Games 2 and 3. Toronto missed a chance for its first sweep since beating Ottawa in the 2001 first round. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Toronto.
Haeran Ryu and Mao Saigo share the 3rd-round lead in the Chevron Championship
THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Haeran Ryu capped a front-nine run in the Chevron Championship with a chip-in birdie on the ninth hole, then held on in tricky wind conditions Saturday for a share of the third-round lead with Mao Saigo. On a gusty, sunny day at The Club at Carlton Woods in the first women’s major tournament of the year, Ryu parred the final nine holes for a 4-under 68. Saigo followed with 69 to match Ryu at 9-under 207. Ryu opened with a 65 on Thursday for share of the lead with Yan Liu, then shot a 74 to fall two strokes back. Lindy Duncan was a stroke back after a 70.
Novak and Griffin shoot 61 in Zurich Classic better-ball play to take 3-shot lead
AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin shot an 11-under 61 in better-ball play Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Zurich Classic, the PGA Tour’s only team event. Each chasing their first PGA Tour title, Novak and Griffin took a 27-under 189 total into the alternate-shot finale Sunday at TPC of Louisiana. Novak is coming off a playoff loss last week to Justin Thomas in the RBC Heritage. Masters champion Rory McIlroy and fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, the defending champions, were five strokes back after a 61. McIlroy returned from a weather delay of about 90 minutes to make a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th.
Thunder complete sweep of Grizzlies, reach Western Conference semifinals with 117-115 victory
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference semifinals Saturday by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 to complete a four-game sweep. Jalen Williams added 23 points for the top-seeded Thunder, who led the NBA with a 68-14 record this season and became the first team to reach the second round. They will await the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets or No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers in the next round. The Grizzlies played without star guard Ja Morant, who bruised his left hip in a hard fall in Game 3.
