The NBA bubble has burst for the Miami Heat as the Los Angeles Lakers finished off their 17th championship. The Lakers wrapped up the NBA Finals in six games by building a 64-36 halftime lead in a 106-93 rout of the Heat. L.A. turned it into a laugher by outscoring Miami 36-16 in the second quarter.
LeBron James capped his fourth NBA title with a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. James has won championships with three teams, including the Cavaliers and Heat. Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo each added 19 points, two more than Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Miami center Bam Adebayo had his best game of the series, finishing with 25 points and 10 boards. But the Lakers put a muzzle on Jimmy Butler, who had a triple-doubles in Miami's two victories. Butler took just 10 shots and finished with 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
NFL
Week 5 of the NFL season began with a great comeback story, but it later included another gruesome injury. Washington quarterback Alex Smith returned to action for the first time in 693 days, when he fractured his right tibia and fibula. Seventeen surgeries later, Smith replaced Kyle Allen in the second quarter and went 9-for-17 for 37 yards while absorbing punishment from the Los Angeles Rams' defense. L.A. recorded eight sacks while Jared Goff went 21 of 30 for 309 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win over Washington. Darrell Henderson ran for a touchdown and grabbed a scoring pass as the Rams improved to 4-1. Aaron Donald recorded four sacks and Troy Reeder had three after entering the game without one this season. Allen had a touchdown run for Washington before leaving a game with an arm injury.
Smith's comeback began hours before Dak Prescott's season ended. The Cowboys quarterback suffered a dislocation and compound fracture of his right ankle during a 37-34 win over the Giants. Prescott has never missed a start in four-plus seasons with the Cowboys and was on track to have a career year. Backup Andy Dalton led a drive that ended with Greg Zuerlein's 34-yard field goal as time expired. Dalton entered the game when Prescott sustained his gruesome injury not long after his first career touchdown catch. Prescott was injured while being taken down by defensive back Logan Ryan at the end of a 9-yard run in the third quarter.
In other Week 5 NFL action:
Kyler Murray ran for a touchdown and threw another to DeAndre Hopkins as the Cardinals beat the winless Jets, 30-10 to snap a two-game losing streak. Murray had a 2-yard TD run and hit Hopkins on a 37-yard strike on a day the 3-2 Cardinals had 496 yards in total offense. Arizona scored touchdowns on drives of 96, 89, 75 and 70 yards.
Rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool scored four touchdowns, including the clincher with 2:59 remaining in the Steelers' 38-29 win over the Eagles. Claypool became the first Canadian-born NFL player with three receiving TDs in a game since Joe Rooney did it for the Duluth Eskimos on Oct. 23, 1927. Ben Roethlisberger completed 27 of 34 passes for 239 yards and the three scores to Claypool, helping Pittsburgh improve to 4-0.
Russell Wilson capped a 94-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf on fourth-and-goal with 15 seconds left to give the Seahawks a 27-26 triumph over the Vikings. Wilson finished 20 of 32 for 217 yards and three touchdowns as Seattle improved to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history. Alexander Mattison rushed for a career-high 112 yards but was stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Seattle 6 with 1:57 left, setting the stage for yet another Wilson comeback.
The Chiefs' 13-game winning streak is over after the Raiders nearly shut down the potent Kansas City offense in the second half to rally for a 40-32 victory. Derek Carr threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns while outplaying Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. Josh Jacobs scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter as Las Vegas improved to 3-2 and dropped the Chiefs to 4-1.
Joe Burrow was sacked seven times and had two turnovers in the Bengals' 27-3 loss in Baltimore. Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown caught touchdown passes for the Ravens, who matched the best start in franchise history at 4-1. Ravens quarterback Lama Jackson was unspectacular while completing 19 of his 37 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Baker Mayfield passed for a season-high 247 yards and two touchdowns against the NFL's No. 1 defense, leading the Browns to a 32-23 victory against the Colts. The Browns seemed to be in total control when safety Ronnie Harrison picked off Philip Rivers and returned it 47 yards for a TD in the third quarter to give Cleveland a 27-10 lead. Myles Garrett forced a crucial safety in the fourth quarter as Cleveland improved to 4-1 for the first time since 1994, the year before the franchise was suspended.
The 49ers are 0-3 at home after Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns in the Dolphins' 43-17 pounding of San Francisco. The Dolphins dominated on both sides of the ball with five sacks, three takeaways and a nearly perfect performance from Fitzpatrick. Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was pulled at halftime after completing just seven of his 17 throws for 77 yards and two interceptions.
The Texans got their first win as Deshaun Watson threw for a season-high 359 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-14 decision over the Jaguars. Houston entered the game allowing an NFL-worst 181.8 yards rushing a game before limiting Jacksonville to 75. Brandin Cooks had a season-high 161 yards receiving and David Johnson also had his best game of the year with 96 yards rushing against the 1-4 Jags.
Teddy Bridgewater threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers' 23-16 win over the Falcons, which drops Atlanta to 0-5 for the first time in 23 years. Juston Burris made a huge fourth-quarter interception in the end zone to preserve Carolina's seven-point lead. Mike Davis was a huge weapon for the 3-2 Panthers, rushing for 89 yards and hauling in nine catches for another 60 yards and a TD. The Falcons responded to the loss by firing head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Tomas Dimitroff after the game.
In NFL news, the coronavirus continues to alter this season's schedule. Denver's game at New England is now slated for next Sunday. It was originally scheduled for this Sunday and then moved back a day when the Patriots had more positive COVID-19 tests. Kansas City's game at Buffalo has been moved back to Monday, Oct. 19. The game had been scheduled for Thursday but had to be moved since the Bills-Titans game had to be moved to this Tuesday due to positive COVID-19 tests among 23 Titans players and staff.
In other scheduling alterations:
The Jets game against the Chargers at Los Angeles moves from Week 6 to Week 11.
The Chargers' home game against the Jaguars moves from Week 8 to Week 7.
The Chargers-Broncos game in Denver will be played during Week 8 instead of Week 11.
Miami's game against the visiting Chargers is switched from Week 7 to Week 10.
The Dolphins-Broncos game in Denver moves from Week 6 to Week 11.
MLB
The Tampa Bay Rays have taken Game 1 of the American League Championship Series by shutting down a ballclub that scored 33 runs in a four-game division series. Winning pitcher Blake Snell combined with four relievers on a nine-hitter as the Rays downed the Astros, 2-1. Snell allowed six hits over five innings, blanking Houston after Jose Altuve homered two batters into the game. Diego Castillo picked up a five-out save, one game after working two scoreless frames to close out Tampa Bay's ALDS win over the Yankees. He entered with the bases loaded in the eighth before getting Yuli Gurriel to ground into a double play. It took the Rays one turn around the batting order before getting the offense going, beginning with Randy Arozarena's solo blast in the fourth. Mike Zunino singled home the tiebreaking run an inning later off Astros starter and loser Framber Valdez, who struck out eight over six innings. Game 2 is Monday.
TENNIS
Rafael Nadal has tied Roger Federer's record for men's major championships. Nadal claimed his 20th Grand Slam title by breezing through a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win over Novak Djokovic in the French Open final. Nadal won his 13th trophy at Roland Garros and improved his career mark at the clay-court tournament to 100-2. That includes a combined 26-0 in semifinals and finals. This was Djokovic's first loss in 2020 in a match played to its conclusion. He came into Sunday with a 37-1 record this year, with the lone setback coming in a disqualification at the U.S. Open last month.
NASCAR
NASCAR will crown a new champion this year following Kyle Busch's elimination in the second round of the playoffs. Chase Elliott won Sunday's race on the hybrid road course-oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He won for the second consecutive year at "The Roval" and extended his winning streak on road courses to four straight dating to last season. It was Elliott's third win of this season and second at Charlotte. Busch became the first reigning champion knocked out of contention after two rounds since the playoff format began in 2014. Austin Dillon and teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola also were eliminated.
NHL
Taylor Hall is hoping short-term success will lead to long-term riches. A person with knowledge of the team says the 2018 Hart Trophy winner has accepted a one-year, $8 million package with the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are Hall's third team in two years since the Devils traded him to the Coyotes in the middle of last season. He was regarded to be the top forward available on the free agent market once it opened Friday. He has topped 20 goals five times, including posting career bests with 39 goals and 93 points with New Jersey in 2017-18.
Also, the Adirondack Thunder will return to the ice in January. The ECHL announced its plan for a split start to the 2020-21 season on Friday. Thirteen teams would begin December 11th, twelve teams, including the Thunder, would start on January 15th. One team would voluntarily suspend play for the entirety of the season. Thunder President Jeff Mead says a safety plan is being prepared for the Glens Falls team to bring fans back to the Cool Insuring Arena.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
LSU has become the first defending national champion in nine years to fall from the AP college football poll. The Tigers' second loss in three games dropped them out of the poll for the first time since 2017. The top three remain the same, with Clemson followed by Alabama and Georgia. Notre Dame climbed one notch to fourth, one spot ahead of North Carolina.
GOLF
Sei Young Kim shot a sensational 7-under 63 in the final round to seal her first major title at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. The 27-year-old South Korean finished at 14-under 266. Kim had 10 wins entering the tournament, which made her the winningest active player without a major championship. Her 63 was the best round of the tournament. She finished five shots ahead of runner-up Inbee Park, who closed with a solid 65.
Also Sunday:
Martin Laird survived a wild finish to earn his first PGA Tour victory in seven years, capturing the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Laird bogeyed the final hole of regulation to fall into a three-way tie with Matthew Wolff and Austin Cook, but he redeemed himself by sinking a 20-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Laird closed with a 3-under 68 to fall into a playoff at 23-under with Wolff and Cook, who each closed with a 66.
Tyrrell Hatton held off a final-round challenge by Victor Perez to win the BMW PGA Championship by four strokes. Hatton shot 5-under 67 to finish on 19-under 269 overall and capped a week when he shot in the 60s every round around Wentworth's storied West Course.
Ernie Els birdied the final two holes, including a 30-footer in the rain on 18, for a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke victory over Colin Montgomerie in the SAS Championship. Els won for second time in his first 10 starts on the 50-and-over tour. The four-time major champion with 19 PGA Tour titles finished at 12-under. Jim Furyk missed a chance to become the first player to win his first three PGA Tour Champions events, closing with a 70 to tie for ninth at 8 under.
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