Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Atlanta Braves are ready for another crack at Philadelphia. They won't need to wait long: opening day, first pitch. The reigning NL MVP and his Braves teammates begin their 2024 schedule right back at Citizens Bank Park, where last season ended with a painful playoff loss in Game 4 of a Division Series.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons signed receiver Ray-Ray McCloud to a two-year contract on Monday. McCloud is a return specialist who also provides new Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins with another potential target on offense.

Twelve Protestant and Catholic schools — three of which have historic Baptist ties — are among the 68 represented in the 2024 NCAA basketball tournament. Ready for “March Madness” — the frenzy of championship playoff games taking place all over the country starting this week and leading into the championship game on April 8 — fans anxiously tuned into the selection announcement show Sunday to learn the seeding and schedule of their teams.

The Atlanta Braves optioned All-Star pitcher Bryce Elder to the minors on Monday, deciding to open the season with Reynaldo López as their fifth starter. López, who signed a $30 million, three-year deal with the Braves in November, earned the rotation spot by allowing just four earned runs over 16 2/3 innings in five spring appearances. He surrendered 10 hits, walked six and struck out 13.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dejounte Murray scored 21 points, De’Andre Hunter added 20 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-93 on Sunday night to snap a three-game losing streak. Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Clint Capela added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps for his fourth victory at the famed short track. Hamlin also won at NASCAR’s bullring last September.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Keyonte George scored 25 points and Collin Sexton added 21 to lead the Utah Jazz to a 124-122 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. George and Sexton combined for 11 assists to help the Jazz snap a three-game losing streak. Both players have had four 20-point games in March and this one helped Utah survive another game without Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson in the lineup.

ATLANTA (AP) — Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Walter Clayton Jr. scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, Tyrese Samuel added 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds and No. 6 seed Florida beat Georgia 85-80 Thursday night in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. returned to the Atlanta Braves' spring training lineup on Thursday, two weeks before opening day. Acuña batted leadoff and filled the designated hitter spot against the Tampa Bay Rays. He went hitless in three at-bats, with two strikeouts, before he was lifted for a pinch hitter.

The NFL is reviewing whether the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles violated tampering policies during the legal tampering window, a league spokesman said Thursday. The Falcons agreed to a contract with four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins shortly after teams were permitted to start negotiating with unrestricted free agents on Monday.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons quickly moved on from Desmond Ridder, trading their former starting quarterback to the Arizona Cardinals for receiver Rondale Moore on Thursday. The dumping of Ridder was no surprise after the Falcons made a big splash in free agency by signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract that includes $100 million in guaranteed money.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anfernee Simons scored 36 points and the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Atlanta Hawks for a 106-102 victory on Wednesday night. DeAndre Ayton added a season-high 33 points and 19 rebounds for Portland, which had lost four of its last five games. It was Ayton's sixth straight double-double.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blue Cain had 19 points, Justin Hill scored 17 off the bench and 11th-seeded Georgia finished the game on a 12-0 run to beat No. 14 seed Missouri 64-59 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Kirk Cousins has a single playoff victory in his long career. Even so, the Atlanta Falcons are betting at least $100 million that he's the quarterback who can lead this star-crossed franchise to its first Super Bowl championship. Cousins was introduced Wednesday evening by the Falcons, who made a huge financial commitment to land one of the biggest prizes of NFL free agency.

The Atlanta Falcons and wide receiver Darnell Mooney have agreed on a three-year, $39 million contract with $26 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract can’t become official until the new league year begins Wednesday.

Kirk Cousins is leaving Minnesota for Atlanta, landing another big contract with a well-timed foray into free agency. Cousins agreed Monday to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed with the Falcons, according to a person with knowledge of the terms, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the deal can't be signed until Wednesday when the new league year begins.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks forward Saddiq Bey will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee, another major blow to the injury-plagued team. The Hawks already have been playing without two starters — top scorer Trae Young and Jalen Johnson — as well as backup center Onyeka Okongwu.

ATLANTA (AP) — Trey Murphy III had 28 points off the bench to help the New Orleans Pelicans complete a perfect three-game road trip with a 116-103 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. Zion Williamson had 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Pelicans, who have won four straight overall and snapped the Hawks' three-game winning streak.

Denver Jones scored a season-high 21 points, making 7 of 9 3-pointers, and No. 13 Auburn closed the regular season with a 92-78 victory over Georgia on Saturday night.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — David Thomas had 27 points in eighth-seeded Mercer's 84-76 victory over nine-seed The Citadel on Friday in the Southern Conference Tournament. Mercer will face top seed Samford in Saturday's quarterfinals.

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Kamdyn Curfman's 30 points led No. 10 seed Marshall over seventh-seeded Georgia State 86-74 on Thursday night in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

ATLANTA (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks recovered after losing a 21-point lead to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-101 on Wednesday night. Bogdan Bogdanovic also scored 23 points for the Hawks, who prevented the Cavaliers from sweeping the four-game season series.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Johnson scored 26 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 116-100 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. De’Andre Hunter had 22 points off the bench and Dejounte Murray finished with 21.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Miles Kelly scored 19 points, Baye Ndongo made a game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left and Georgia Tech held off Wake Forest for a 70-69 victory on Tuesday night.

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