Luka Doncic makes his Lakers debut and quickly gets in the flow with LeBron James
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 11 points in the first half of his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, joining their starting lineup alongside LeBron James and immediately getting into the flow. Doncic got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and No. 77 while the Lakers streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead on the Utah Jazz. The Slovenian superstar’s first bucket was a 3-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot for the Lakers. Doncic added three rebounds and three assists — none prettier than a three-quarter-court strike to James for a layup late in the first half.
Fox projects the Super Bowl averaged a record 126 million U.S. viewers
Fox Sports is projecting a Super Bowl record average audience of 126 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms for Philadelphia’s 40-22 victory over Kansas City. Sunday night’s game was televised by Fox, Fox Deportes and Telemundo and streamed on Tubi as well as the NFL’s digital platforms. Fox’s projections include Nielsen’s early numbers and streaming data from Tubi and the NFL. Updated and more complete numbers are expected on Tuesday. It would be the second straight year the Super Bowl has reached a record audience. The Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over San Francisco last year averaged 123.7 million on CBS, Nickelodeon, Univision and streaming platforms.
Tiger Woods withdraws from his signature event as he processes death of his mother
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Genesis Invitational. He says he planned to play and tried to get ready but is still processing the death of his mother. Kultida Woods died unexpectedly last Tuesday at the age of 80. Woods says he hopes to be at Torrey Pines later in the week. He is the tournament host of this $20 million signature event that benefits his foundation. The tournament is held annually at Riviera. But it had to relocated to Torrey Pines because of the deadly LA wildfires. Woods has won eight times as a pro at Torrey Pines, including the U.S. Open.
LaMelo Ball misses second half of Hornets’ game against Brooklyn with right ankle soreness
NEW YORK (AP) — LaMelo Ball missed the second half of Charlotte’s game against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night because of right ankle soreness. Ball, who has battled frequent ankle problems and only recently returned from a sprained left one, played 10 minutes in the first half and the Hornets announced at halftime that he would not return. The Hornets dropped all five games Ball missed from Jan. 29-Feb. 5. He came back to score 24 points in a victory over San Antonio on Friday but sat out Sunday at Detroit with what the Hornets said was left ankle soreness. Ball had five points and three assists Monday.
NFL offseason priorities include health and safety, kickoff evaluation and expanding replay assist
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The NFL offseason won’t last long. By the time the Philadelphia Eagles complete their victory parade Friday, it’ll be less than two weeks until the scouting combine kicks off in Indianapolis. Free agency follows on March 10 with the two-day negotiating period. The annual league meeting starts March 30. The seven teams with new head coaches may open offseason workout programs on April 7 and the remaining 25 teams can follow two weeks later. Then, it’s time for the NFL draft on April 24 in Green Bay. Some of the league’s offseason priorities include player health and safety and conversations about potential new rules, including reviewing kickoffs following a one-year experiment with dynamic changes.
Timberwolves sale to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez back on track after arbitration ruling
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The ownership transfer of the Minnesota Timberwolves must continue as originally planned. An arbitration panel has ruled that controlling owner Glen Taylor must cede control of the NBA club to partners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez in the disputed final phase of the sale. The $1.5 billion transaction was uniquely arranged three years ago to give Lore and Rodriguez the majority stake. Lore and Rodriguez, the former baseball star, announced that their timeline for obtaining league approval of the acquisition has not expired. Taylor bought the team for $88 million to keep it from moving to New Orleans in 1994.
Sidney Crosby says he’s good to go for Canada at 4 Nations after missing Penguins games with injury
BROSSARD, Quebec (AP) — Sidney Crosby says he’s good to go for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off after getting injured in one of Pittsburgh’s final games before the break in the NHL season. Crosby skated between reigning league MVP Nathan MacKinnon and 2023 Stanley Cup winner Mark Stone at practice. Coach Jon Cooper stopped short of saying Crosby was definitely playing in Canada’s tournament opener against Sweden on Wednesday, but all indications are the 37-year-old will be on the ice. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who’s behind the bench for the United States, said for obvious reasons he was not a central figure in the decision-making process.
Jalen Hurts’ rocky road leads to a Super Bowl MVP award
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jalen Hurts smiled as he held the Lombardi Trophy in his right hand and the Super Bowl MVP trophy in his left hand, reflecting on all he has gone through to reach the pinnacle of success. The hurdles he faced along the way helped lead to where he stood Monday morning as a Super Bowl champion and MVP. Hurts says he is always focused on the journey more than the results, but his performance in the win over the Kansas City Chiefs should quiet his critics.
Auburn edges Alabama atop AP Top 25 despite loss, Duke and Florida tied at No. 3; UConn drops out
Auburn is still No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll despite a loss to Florida. The Tigers received 34 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel. No. 2 Alabama moved up a spot and received 23 first-place votes. Florida and Duke are tied at No. 3 and Tennessee rounds out the top five. No. 9 St. John’s has moved into the top 10 for the first time since finishing the 1999-2000 season at No. 9. UConn, the two-time defending national champion, has dropped out of the poll after being ranked at 53 weeks.
No. 2 Notre Dame women have best ranking in 6 years behind UCLA, South Carolina drops to 4th
Notre Dame has moved up to No. 2 in the Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 for its best ranking since 2019. The Fighting Irish replaced South Carolina in the second spot behind UCLA after the Gamecocks lost 66-62 to Texas. The Longhorns climbed to third with the victory. South Carolina dropped to fourth. This is Notre Dame’s best ranking since the Irish were No. 1 on Jan. 21, 2019. The Bruins remained the unanimous No. 1 choice. LSU and USC followed the Gamecocks, each moving up one spot while UConn fell two places to seventh.