Associated Press

The Mets made it official, hiring Luis Rojas as their manager to replace Carlos Beltrán. New York announced the move Thursday, a week after Beltrán departed without managing a game. Rojas, who had been the Mets quality control coach, was given a multiyear contract. Rojas became New York's fourth manager in the past 2 1/2 years — and third in four months. 

The Celtics cruised to a 119-95 rout of the Grizzlies but finished without Jayson Tatum, who scored 23 points before leaving the game in the third quarter with a groin injury. Daniel Theis had 14 points and Enes Kanter provided 13 with eight rebounds to help Boston win its second straight since a season-worst three-game losing streak.

Derek Jeter and Larry Walker will be giving speeches in Cooperstown, New York, this summer. Jeter was a near-unanimous selection for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The former Yankees shortstop and longtime team captain appeared on all-but one of the 397 ballots cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Ex-teammate Mariano Rivera is the Hall's only unanimous first-ballot selection.

The Boston Celtics did a nice job shaking their losing streak, but the Houston Rockets' struggles continue. The Celtics had dropped three in a row before Jayson Tatum delivered 27 points in just 29 minutes of a 139-107 thrashing of the Western Conference-leading Lakers. 

The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have earned trips to Miami for Super Bowl 54 on Feb. 2. The Niners are heading to the game for the first time since 2013, while the Chiefs are ending a half-century Super Bowl drought. 

Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal with 25 seconds left to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 win over the rival New York Islanders. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist and Tony DeAngelo also scored as the Rangers beat the Islanders for the fourth time in the last five meetings — and second time in four days.

Tobias Harris scored 34 points, including two big baskets in the final two minutes as the 76ers beat the Nets 117-106. Ben Simmons had 20 points and 11 assists to help the 76ers improve to 19-2 at home.

The fallout from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing evidence has reached the Boston Red Sox. The Bosox have fired manager Alex Cora a day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred implicated him in the sport's sign-stealing scandal. 

Joe Burrow's latest virtuoso performance has turned the LSU Tigers into CFP champions. The Heisman Trophy winner threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns as the boys from Baton Rouge whipped the defending-champion Clemson Tigers, 42-25. 

The Green Bay Packers were able to stay ahead after building a sizeable lead. The Houston Texans weren't as fortunate. The Packers forged a 21-3 halftime lead before holding off the Seattle Seahawks, 28-23 to advance to the NFC championship game against San Francisco.

The Philadelphia 76ers announced bad news concerning their roster before creating good news for themselves in the NBA standings. Josh Richardson scored 29 points and Ben Simmons had 19 as the Sixers downed the sputtering Celtics, 109-98. But All-Star Joel Embiid sat out as he prepares to have surgery Friday for a torn ligament in his left ring finger. 

DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points and the Spurs opened on a 22-3 run before holding off the Celtics, 129-114. Boston pulled within 76-69 before Kemba Walker was hit with technical fouls and an automatic ejection in the third quarter, allowing LaMarcus Aldridge to hit two free throws. Gordon Hayward had 18 points for the Celtics, who have dropped two straight for just the third time this season.

The Rangers were 5-3 winners against the Avalanche as Artemi Panarin provided a goal and two assists. Mika Zibanejad and Ryan Strome each had a goal and an assist to back Igor Shesterkin, who stopped 29 shots to win his NHL debut.

Missing Kemba Walker, the Boston Celtics became the latest NBA contender to surprisingly come up short against one of the league's worst teams, losing 99-94 to the Washington Wizards, who got 27 points from Ish Smith to lead a depleted lineup Monday night. Walker sat out his third game in a row with the flu, and while the Celtics won the previous two -- against also-rans Atlanta and Chicago -- they couldn't overcome poor shooting, a slow start and a whole lot of Smith.

The road team went 2-0 in the NFC wild-card playoffs on Sunday. The Seattle Seahawks shut down the Philadelphia Eagles' short-handed passing attack and the Minnesota Vikings extended their season by defeating the New Orleans Saints in overtime. Russell Wilson threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf and Marshawn Lynch had a rushing score as the Seahawks beat the Eagles, 17-9 in Philadelphia.

Jack Eichel scored on a penalty shot 1:09 into overtime to complete the Sabres' comeback in a 3-2 victory over the Oilers. Sam Reinhart and Curtis Lazar also scored for Buffalo, which fell behind 2-0 just seven minutes in before ending a four-game losing streak.

David Stern was a giant in a game of giants. The former NBA commissioner has died at age 77, less than three weeks after undergoing emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage. Stern had been involved with the NBA for nearly two decades before he became its fourth commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984. By the time he left his position exactly 30 years later, the league had grown to a more than $5 billion a year industry and made NBA basketball perhaps the world's most popular sport after soccer.

Shabazz Napier scored a season-high 24 points and Jarrett Culver added 21 points as the Timberwolves won for just the second time in 14 games, 122-115 over the Nets in overtime. Gorgui Dieng had 11 points and 20 rebounds in place of injured Karl-Anthony Towns to help Minnesota earn its first home win since Nov. 13.

It took the final game of the NFL regular season to determine the playoff pairings for the wild-card round. There was good news for fans of the 49ers, Eagles, Packers, Chiefs and Titans, while the Seahawks, Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers and Raiders either lost out on first-round byes or missed the postseason altogether. 

The Nets shot an NBA season-low 26.9% in a 94-82 loss to the lowly Knicks. Julius Randle had 33 points and eight rebounds as the Knicks ended a three-game losing streak. Marcus Morris added 22 points and eight rebounds in New York's first win in three meetings with the Nets this season. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points but was only 5 for 15 for Brooklyn.

In Toronto, the Boston Celtics have ended the Raptors' string of 34 straight home wins versus Atlantic Division teams, a league record for a single division. Jaylen Brown delivered 30 points and Kemba Walker added 22 as the Celtics dumped the Raptors, 118-102.

Former Steeler Le'Veon Bell damaged his old team's playoff hopes by running for 72 yards on 25 carries in the Jets' 16-10 victory against Pittsburgh. Sam Darnold was 16 of 26 for 183 yards and a touchdown to Robby Anderson as the 6-9 Jets dropped the Steelers to 8-7. 

The Miami Heat won an NBA battle of Eastern Conference division leaders while dealing the Philadelphia 76ers their first loss of the season. Kendrick Nunn scored 26 points and Bama Adebayo added 23 as the Heat downed the Sixers, 108-104.

Rookie RJ Barrett poured in a season-high 27 points and Mitchell Robinson added a career-best 22 points with 13 rebounds as the Knicks crushed the Hawks, 143-120. Marcus Morris also scored 22 to help New York win for the third time in four games since a 10-game losing streak.

Drew Brees has added his name to one more NFL record. Brees is the league's all-time leader in touchdown passes after tossing four more in the Saints' 34-7 thrashing of the Colts in New Orleans. The scoring strike that broke Peyton Manning's record of 539 career touchdown passes came in the third quarter, when Brees hit tight end Josh Hill for a 5-yard score.

The Bills secured an AFC playoff berth as Josh Allen threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kroft with 7:55 to play in their 17-10 victory at Pittsburgh.

The AFC North title belongs to the Baltimore Ravens, and the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs isn't far behind. Lamar Jackson made his case for the MVP award by completing 15 of 23 passes for 212 yards and five touchdowns as the Ravens coasted to their 10th consecutive win, 42-21 over the Jets.