Stafford Earns First Playoff Win as Rams Roll
 | Matthew Stafford's 13-year NFL career finally includes a playoff win, that's because he threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the Los Angeles Rams' 34-11 rout of the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card Round on Monday night. The win was his first in the postseason in four career tries, as he connected with Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. in the NFC West Champions' home win. The Rams' defense surrounded Kyler Murray the entire night, including David Long returning an interception three yards after Murray tossed the ball up wildly while almost getting sacked in the end zone. Stafford threw a season-low 17 pass attempts, but completed 13 of them, and also ran in for his first playoff rushing touchdown since January 2012. The Rams now move on to the road for a matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom the Rams beat in SoFi Stadium earlier this season. Los Angeles is looking to become the second straight team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, following the footsteps of the Bucs from last season. |
Cavs Take Down Nets; Grizzlies Handle Shorthanded Bulls
  | The Brooklyn Nets played their first game without Kevin Durant on Monday afternoon and it did not go to plan, as they fell on the road, 114-107, to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Darius Garland remained red hot with 22 points and 12 assists, while Isaac Okoro added 15 points and Jarrett Allen had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. The win moves the Cavs in to fourth place in the East, as they won their fifth straight contest, this after going 5-1 on their recent six-game road trip. The Nets were without Durant for the first time since he suffered a knee injury in Saturday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, as Kyrie Irving and James Harden were unable to hold down the fort on this day. Irving had 27 points to lead Brooklyn, while Harden added 22 points, as they were playing without Durant for the first time for what is expected to be about four to six weeks. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies took advantage of a shorthanded Chicago Bulls team, as they cruised on their home floor for a 119-106 victory. Desmond Bane and Ja Morant had 25 points apiece, while Brandon Clarke added 15 points and seven rebounds, as they have now won 12 of their past 13 games. The win helps overcome the loss to the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend, which snapped their 11-game winning streak. The Bulls were led by DeMar DeRozan's 24 points and five assists, as they continue to struggle following blowout losses to the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors. They were playing without Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso on this day, but still hang on to a half-game lead atop the East. Other key scores saw Kyle Kuzma post another double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Washington Wizards blew past the Philadelphia 76ers, 117-98. Jimmy Butler posted his second triple-double of the year in the Miami Heat's 104-99 victory against the Toronto Raptors. Miles Bridges' 38 points powered the Charlotte Hornets over the New York Knicks, 97-87. Trae Young's 30 points helped the Atlanta Hawks get past the Milwaukee Bucks, 121-114. And the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game skid with a 101-95 win over the Utah Jazz behind LeBron James' 25 points. |
Warriors' Green to Miss Two More Weeks
 | The Golden State Warriors' recent inconsistent play could be caused by the shorthandedness with Draymond Green sidelined, and that will be the case for at least two more weeks. Green is expected to miss that amount of time more as he undergoes more evaluations for the soreness in his left calf, which the team says is in connection with a "disc in his lower back." The news was announced before their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, this after Green left last Sunday's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers with the sore calf. He underwent an MRI that night and has been evaluated by multiple specialists, as they seek the severity of this injury. The 31-year-old is averaging 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists, while shooting a career-high 53.7% from the field, making him that much more important for a Warriors team that is right back in the title picture. |
Purdue Takes Double OT Thriller From Illinois
 | The Purdue Boilermakers found themselves back in the top four of the AP Polls after some upsets last week, but they also found themselves in a tough road contest on MLK Day. It was Sasha Stefanovic that stepped up with 22 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer as the Boilermakers got past the 17th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, 96-88, in double overtime on Monday afternoon. The Boilermakers made four straight shots in the final minute of double overtime to seal the game, holding off the home team, who forced both overtime periods with late shots in regulation and the first overtime period. Stefanovic was able to respond with clutch shots of his own, going 5-for-8 from three-point range and adding eight rebounds. The loss for Illinois was their first in seven conference games this season, as Alfonso Plummer led the way with 24 points in their fourth loss. Andre Curbelo added 20 points, six rebounds, and three assists after missing 11 games for the Illini, but that was not enough against a 15-2 Purdue team that was once the top-ranked team in the country this season. |
Meier Scores Five in Sharks' Win; Avs Extend Home Win Streak
  | Timo Meier spent MLK Day on Monday afternoon setting franchise records in the San Jose Sharks' 6-2 rout of the Los Angeles Kings. Meier set a team record with five goals in the game, and added another record of the fastest hat trick in team history in the first period. The first-time All-Star this season added a fourth tally two minutes in to the second period, and got his fifth with just 27 seconds left in the second. The historic day falls short of the NHL record held by Joe Malone, who got seven goals in 1920 for the Quebec Bulldogs. Seven players have reached six goals in a single contest, and Meier was the first player since Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers in March of 2020 to score five in a game. The hat trick in the opening 20 minutes was the 11th single period hat trick in team history, as Tomas Hertl added four assists for a team that scored just one goal over the past two games combined. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche added to their home win streak by getting past the Minnesota Wild, 4-3, in a shootout. Pavel Fracouz made 25 saves in regulation and then added all three stops in the shootout, helping the Avs to their 14th straight home win after taking over for an injured Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper went down in the second period after Wild forward Jordan Greenway ran in to him in the crease. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist for the Avs, as well as the only goal in the shootout, while Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist for the first place team. The Wild's 47 points has them hanging on to a Wild Card playoff spot in the West. Other key scores saw Brayden Schenn and Ivan Barbashev score two goals apiece in the St. Louis Blues' 5-3 home win over the Nashville Predators. The Pittsburgh Penguins used five unanswered goals to rally past the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 5-3. And Dylan Larkin tied the game in the third and then won it in overtime for a 3-2 Detroit Red Wings victory against the Buffalo Sabres. |
