ATLANTA — This was a game the Atlanta Braves absolutely had to win.

LOS ANGELES — Not many tabbed the San Diego Padres to beat the Mets in New York in the wild-card round. Even fewer picked them against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have dominated the Padres in recent years and were baseball’s best team during the regular season.

LOS ANGELES — Darvin Ham was still a fringe NBA player during the first two seasons of LeBron James’ career. While James went on to forge the glittery path that’s likely to make him the top scorer in league history this winter, Ham carved out a coaching career that has brought them together with the Los Angeles Lakers just in time for James’ 20th season.

Obinna Eze discovered football just seven years ago, not long after the goodbye to his parents in Nigeria that is still the last time he saw them in person.

HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez wrecked all of Seattle’s carefully crafted strategy with one colossal swing.

LOS ANGELES — Trea Turner homered and doubled as the Los Angeles Dodgers started fast and held off the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Tuesday night in their NL Division Series opener.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of a preseason 116-107 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday night when his foot was stepped on while he was driving to the basket.

Joe Sakic adopted a very practical approach to the task of molding the Colorado Avalanche roster that will attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said he ran out of patience with Matt Rhule’s inability to get the franchise “over the hump.”

LOS ANGELES — The San Diego Padres knocked off the 101-win New York Mets in the National League wild-card series.

Georgia took back the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press college football poll from Alabama on Sunday after being bumped out last week by the Crimson Tide, who slid to No. 3.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs headed off to the locker room facing a big hole against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night, everything from the big plays to the officiating calls going the way of their longtime AFC West rivals.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jalen Milroe threw for three touchdowns in his first start and No. 1 Alabama made a final goal-line stand to escape with a 24-20 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday night in a battle of backup quarterbacks.

TORONTO — Adam Frazier hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth inning, and the Seattle Mariners erased a seven-run deficit while topping the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 on Saturday for a sweep of their AL wild-card series.

There’s a new No. 1 in college football, with Alabama and Georgia swapping places again.

LAS VEGAS — Mito Pereira of Chile led a parade of players from the International team at the Presidents Cup in the Shriners Children’s Open on Friday, making birdie on half of his holes for an 8-under 63 that gave him a one-shot lead.

NEW YORK — Josh Bell and Manny Machado smashed two of San Diego’s four home runs off Max Scherzer, and the Padres romped past the New York Mets 7-1 on Friday night in their playoff opener.

TORONTO — The Seattle Mariners gave Luis Castillo a three-run lead before he threw his first pitch in Friday’s wild-card opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.