KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs addressed their three biggest needs on the first two days of their hometown NFL draft, then spent Saturday adding some much-needed depth at other positions. The haul began with the selection of local boy Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a pass rusher from Kansas State, in Thursday night's opening round. SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice and Oklahoma offensive tackle Wanya Morris filled two more needs on Friday. The final day saw the Chiefs add Virginia Tech safety Chamarri Conner to help replace Juan Thornhill along with some other pieces that provide depth across the board.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Texans got two of the best players in the NFL draft in the first three picks. The Eagles added three more defensive standouts from Georgia. While it takes two or three years to judge whether players panned out, it’s easy to identify the potential winners of the 2023 NFL draft. Houston selected quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 and traded up to get Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the third pick. In a 10-minute span, the Texans added two players who could dramatically change the future of the franchise. Defending NFC champion Philadelphia needed to replenish the defense so it looked toward the two-time national champion Bulldogs.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have turned the NFL draft into a family affair by taking Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn in the sixth round. Vaughn is the son of Cowboys assistant director of college scouting Chris Vaughn. The younger Vaughn was a dynamic playmaker for the Wildcats, but size is an issue. He's listed at 5-foot-5. The size draws immediate comparison to Darren Sproles, another former Kansas State star. Sproles had a long NFL career as an elite kick returner. Vaughn was one of five picks on the final day of the draft for Dallas.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stetson Bennett will get a chance to deliver for the Los Angeles Rams. Georgia’s two-time national championship-winning quarterback was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the NFL draft. That unites him with coach Sean McVay and fellow former Georgia signal-caller Matthew Stafford on the West Coast. The 25-year-old Bennett’s unlikely route from junior college to the heights of collegiate success has been well documented, but the NFL worthiness of the quirky quarterback known as “The Mailman” has been hotly debated for years.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jhoan Duran’s wild pitch allowed Edward Olivares to score the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning, and the Kansas City Royals ended a nine-game losing streak at Target Field with a 3-2 win on over the Minnesota Twins. Olivares doubled twice and walked on four pitches from Duran (0-1) leading off the ninth. Oliveras stole second and Michael Massey walked for the first time in 81 plate appearances this season when Duran committed a pitch-clock violation with a full count. Nicky Lopez sacrificed and Olivares bounced a 1-0 curveball off the mitt of catcher Ryan Jeffers.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw continued his dominant start to the season with seven sharp innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the struggling St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. Kershaw didn’t allow a baserunner until Dylan Carlson’s one-out single in the fifth. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner gave up two hits, struck out nine and walked none, throwing 88 pitches. The 35-year-old Kershaw won his fourth consecutive start. Austin Barnes hit an RBI single in the second inning for Los Angeles. Jordan Montgomery took the hard-luck loss, allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings.
DENVER (AP) — Geraldo Perdomo homered among his three hits and drove in four runs, Christian Walker also homered among his three hits and the Arizona Diamondbacks sent the Colorado Rockies to a seventh consecutive home loss, 11-4 on Saturday night. Corbin Carroll had an RBI single in the first to extend his career-best hitting streak to eight games, but was forced to leave the game in the bottom of the sixth with a left leg injury after hitting the left field wall and falling awkwardly to the ground in an attempt to catch Ryan McMahon’s RBI double. He walked off the field gingerly under his own power and was replaced by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 34 points, hitting six of Denver’s 16 3-pointers, and the Nuggets sprinted past the Phoenix Suns 125-107 in Game 1 of their second-round series. Reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 19 rebounds, while Aaron Gordon finished with 23 points. But this was the Murray Show, where he went 6 of 10 from 3-point land and frequently exhorted for more noise from the already raucous crowd. Kevin Durant scored 29 points for the Suns, with Devin Booker adding 27 and Chris Paul 11. Booker averaged 37.2 points in a first-round series win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors are going to a winner-take-all Game 7 in their first-round playoff series. With spectacular performances on both ends against Stephen Curry and the defending champions, Sacramento gets a chance to extend this special season back home at Golden 1 Center on Sunday. The Warriors must quickly regroup and try to rediscover the energy and efficiency they had in a 123-116 win Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. Curry says it will start with smart basketball despite the challenging atmosphere. Kings coach Mike Brown says he doesn't have “magic dust” to help his team handle the Warriors.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs are eager to leave nearly two decades of playoff futility behind them. Seizing an opportunity to prove they’re no longer a team that falls short at the most important time of the year, the Leafs ended an 11-game losing streak in elimination games and beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night. The victory gave Toronto its first postseason series win since 2004 and sends the Maple Leafs into the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston or Florida. The Bruins and Panthers are tied 3-3 in their best-of-seven, first round series. Game 3 is Sunday in Boston.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kailer Yamamoto scored his first playoff goal with 3:02 remaining, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Klim Kostin had two goals and an assist as the Oilers eliminated the Kings for the second straight season. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl also scored in Game 6, and Stuart Skinner stopped 40 shots. Next up for Edmonton is the Vegas Golden Knights in the next round. Kevin Fiala had a goal and two assists for Los Angeles. The Kings have been eliminated in their last four first-round series.
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Kreider had another power-play goal and two assists as the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 to force a deciding Game 7 in their first-round series. Mika Zibanejad and Vladimir Tarasenko each had a goal and an assist for New York, which had totaled just two goals while losing the previous three games. Barclay Goodrow and Braden Schneider also scored, and Adam Fox added two assists. Igor Shesterkin stopped 34 shots. Curtis Lazar and Dawson Mercer scored for New Jersey. Akira Schmid, who had stopped 80 of 82 shots over the previous three games, was pulled after giving up five goals on 29 shots.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Larry “Gator” Rivers, who helped integrate high school basketball in Georgia before playing for the Harlem Globetrotters and becoming a county commissioner in his native Savannah has died. Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis says 73-year-old Rivers died Saturday from cancer. Rivers was a sophomore on the all-Black Beach High School team that won the first Georgia High School Association basketball tournament to include Black and white players in 1967. Beach blossomed into an all-state player and went on to play and coach for 16 years with the Harlem Globetrotters. Rivers came home to Savannah and became a community volunteer before being elected to the Chatham County Commission in 2020.
SATURDAY SCORES
INTERLEAGUE
Final Cincinnati 3 Oakland 2
Final Philadelphia 6 Houston 1
Final Milwaukee 7 L.A. Angels 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Detroit 7 Baltimore 4
Final Kansas City 3 Minnesota 2
Final Toronto 1 Seattle 0
Final Boston 8 Cleveland 7
Final Baltimore 6 Detroit 4
Final Texas 2 N.Y. Yankees 0
Final Tampa Bay 12 Chicago White Sox 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta at N-Y Mets 1:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Pittsburgh 6 Washington 3
Final Miami 7 Chicago Cubs 6
Final Pittsburgh 16 Washington 1
Final San Diego 16 San Francisco 11
Final Arizona 11 Colorado 4
Final L.A. Dodgers 1 St. Louis 0
NBA PLAYOFFS
Saturday, April 29
Denver 125, Phoenix 107, Denver leads series 1 - 0
Sunday, April 30
Game 1 - Miami at New York, 1 p.m.
Golden State at Sacramento, 3:30 p.m. Series tied 3-3
NHL PLAYOFFS
Saturday, April 29
Toronto 2, Tampa Bay 1, OT, Toronto wins series 4 - 2
N.Y. Rangers 5, New Jersey 2, series tied 3 - 3
Edmonton 5, Los Angeles 4, Edmonton wins series 4 - 2
Sunday, April 30
Florida at Boston, 6:30 p.m. Series tied 3-3
Seattle at Colorado, 9:30 p.m. Series tied 3-3