SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Andre Hunter and John Collins each scored 22 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Sacramento Kings 120-117 on Wednesday night to end a four-game slide. “Feels great,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “That’s what we have been talking about. We have to close out games and make plays down the stretch.” Collins also grabbed 12 rebounds as Atlanta bounced back after losing 143-141 in double overtime at Golden State on Monday night. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray each scored 21 points.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s proud defense has allowed a combined 71 points in its two postseason games, including the 42-41 last-minute win over Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Even against stiff competition in the postseason, when higher-scoring games can be expected, that's a humbling and somewhat shocking development for No. 1 Georgia (14-0) as it heads into Monday night's national championship game against No. 3 Texas Christian University (13-1).

ATHENS, Ga (AP) — No. 22 Auburn's first Southeastern Conference road game provided a somber reality check for coach Bruce Pearl, who said it's time to get back to work on his backcourt. Terry Roberts overcame early foul trouble to match his career high with 26 points and Georgia made first-year coach Mike White’s Southeastern Conference debut with the Bulldogs memorable by beating Auburn 76-64 on Wednesday night.

ATLANTA (AP) — Lance Terry scored a season-high 24 points, Miles Kelly added 20 and Georgia Tech snapped No. 12 Miami’s nine-game winning streak with a 76-70 win on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets (8-6, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) closed the game on a 12-0 run that ended with a pair of free throws by Kelly with 16.5 seconds remaining. That ended the scoring as Georgia Tech registered its first win over a ranked team since it beat Florida State in the 2021 ACC title game.

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Jackson Paveletzke hit a jump shot in the paint with 0.7 seconds remaining and Wofford beat Mercer 53-52 on Wednesday night. Paveletzke had 12 points and five rebounds for the Terriers (9-7, 1-2 Southern). Corey Tripp was 5 of 9 shooting o add 11 points. Messiah Jones recorded nine points.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Tech coach Brent Key is making a couple of more changes to his staff, announcing Wednesday that a pair of defensive assistants are leaving the program. David Turner, an assistant head coach and defensive run game coordinator, and defensive line coach Larry Knight will not be retained, Key said in a brief statement.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Damar Hamlin’s recovery is moving in “a positive direction” two days after the Buffalo Bills safety collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a game against Cincinnati, the player’s marketing representative said Wednesday. “We all remain optimistic,” Jordon Rooney, a family spokesman who described himself as a good friend of the player, told The Associated Press by phone. He said he was unable to go into further detail on Hamlin’s status at the request of his family not to provide specifics.

With tears beginning to well, Tennessee Titans linebacker Rashad Weaver shook his head and lowered it to his knees, his body swaying as he tried to express what it was like watching friend and former college teammate Damar Hamlin having to be resuscitated back to life on the football field. “I don’t know, man,” Weaver said Tuesday after sobbing uncontrollably at his locker. “I missed exactly what happened but like five seconds later, seeing the first replay of it, just kind of like everybody else sitting there and holding your breath and figure out what happened.”

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Devin Butts' 16 points helped North Carolina Central defeat Toccoa Falls 98-52 on Tuesday night. Butts was 5 of 9 shooting (4 for 8 from distance) for the Eagles (7-7). Daniel Oladapo scored 14 points while going 6 of 8 and 2 of 4 from the free throw line, and added 13 rebounds and three steals. Justin Wright was 4 of 7 shooting and went 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 13 points.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Big right guard Wes Harris and his Texas Christian University teammates are hearing again just how big and physical their next opponent is and how much of an underdog they are against Georgia in the national championship game. They heard a lot of the same things going into their College Football Playoff semifinal against Big Ten champion Michigan, which is sitting at home while the Horned Frogs (13-1) get ready to play the defending national champions Monday night.

Georgia's Stetson Bennett and TCU's Max Duggan share similar stories as quarterbacks who needed to disprove doubters before finding starring roles for next Monday's national championship game. It's no surprise Bennett says he immediately liked Duggan when the two spent time together at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York last month. “Max is an awesome dude,” Bennett said Tuesday.

The NFL pushed ahead Tuesday with a difficult balancing act, navigating players' emotions after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin's shocking cardiac arrest with a tight playoff schedule and emphasizing Hamlin’s health was its main focus. The league informed the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals that their game, suspended Monday night, would not be resumed this week while the Week 18 schedule remained unchanged, for now.

ATLANTA (AP) — A big part of Georgia's offense — big in every way — could be hampered in the national championship game against Texas Christian University. Georgia's two-tight end formation is uncertain due to an ankle injury suffered by Darnell Washington in Saturday night's College Football Playoff semifinal win over Ohio State. That could mean changes for Stetson Bennett's passing game when the top-ranked Bulldogs try to win a second consecutive title on Monday night in Inglewood, California, against the third-ranked Horned Frogs.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin was in critical condition early Tuesday after the Bills say his heart stopped following a tackle during the Monday Night Football game, which was indefinitely postponed. Hamlin collapsed on the field during the first quarter of the nationally televised game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was given medical treatment for nearly 20 minutes before being taken to a hospital.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kevon Looney tipped in the game-winner on his own offensive rebound as the final buzzer sounded in the second overtime after missing moments before, Klay Thompson scored a season-best 54 points, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Atlanta Hawks 143-141 on Monday night.

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Scott Stallings received an invitation to the Masters, and the Georgia resident most likely will be there — as a guest of the PGA Tour player by the same name for whom the coveted invitation was intended. Stallings, who qualified for the Masters by reaching the Tour Championship last year, didn't realize what had happened until the other Scott Stallings sent him a series of messages on Instagram alerting him to the mail mix-up.

ATLANTA (AP) — Desmond Ridder may not be the Falcons’ starting quarterback for 2023, but the rookie from Cincinnati at least will head into the offseason with a win to his credit. Ridder led Atlanta past Arizona 20-19 on Sunday, directing the winning drive in the closing seconds. Younghoe Koo kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Zia Cooke scored a career-high 31 points and No. 1 South Carolina recovered after trailing throughout the first half to beat Georgia 68-51 on Monday night. Aliyah Boston, the reigning AP Player of the Year, scored a season-low four points, her second consecutive game in single figures. Boston made only one of six shots from the field and had five rebounds. Cooke, who has scored 14 or more points in six consecutive games, helped fill the scoring void for the Gamecocks. Cooke made four of 12 3-pointers and 11 of 13 free throws.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and was administered CPR before being driven away in an ambulance during Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which was suspended after the injury. Hamlin collided with Bengals receiver Tee Higgins after a completion. He got to his feet, appeared to adjust his face mask with his right hand, and then fell backward about three seconds later and lay motionless.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — No. 1 Georgia is far from satisfied, despite being unbeaten and one win away from back-to-back national championships. Coach Kirby Smart and quarterback Stetson Bennett said Saturday night's 42-41 College Football Playoff semifinal win over Ohio State showed flaws the Bulldogs must fix in practice this week. That need to improve provides extra motivation for the national championship game against quarterback Max Duggan and No. 3 Texas Christian University on Jan. 9 in Inglewood, California.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons released receiver Cameron Batson from the practice squad on Monday, two days after an altercation with police led to his arrest. Batson had been on the Falcons' practice squad all season but didn't play in a game. He spent the previous four seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

The most competitive pair of semifinals in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff drew the largest non-New Year's Day viewership for those games on ESPN, the network said Monday. Dramatic and entertaining victories by Texas Christian University over Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl and Georgia over Ohio State in the Peach Bowl on Saturday drew an average of 21.7 million viewers for ESPN.

After the best semifinal day in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, the title game will match the defending national champion against the closest thing the sport has had in years to a Cinderella team. It will be No. 1 Georgia (14-0) looking for its second straight championship against upstart and No. 3 Texas Christian University on Jan. 9 in Inglewood, California. The four-team playoff has been littered with lopsided semifinal games, but Saturday — and into early Sunday and the new year — delivered two thrillers and a combined 179 points.

ATLANTA (AP) — Younghoe Koo made a 21-yard field goal on the final play, lifting the Atlanta Falcons over the Arizona Cardinals 20-19 on Sunday to end a four-game skid. In a matchup of teams eliminated from playoff contention, Atlanta rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder got his first career victory. He was 19 of 26 for 169 yards and no interceptions in his third start as he auditions for a starting job next season.

ATLANTA (AP) — Stetson Bennett capped No. 1 Georgia’s comeback from a two-touchdown, fourth-quarter deficit with a 10-yard, last-minute scoring pass to Adonai Mitchell in a 42-41 victory over No. 4 Ohio State for a shot at its second straight national title. The comeback in the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal held just after midnight Sunday when Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard field goal attempt for Ohio State with three seconds remaining sailed wide left, setting off a celebration on the Georgia sideline.