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Cam Ward goes No. 1, Travis Hunter 2nd and Shedeur Sanders not picked in 1st round of NFL draft

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Cam Ward went from zero-star recruit to No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Travis Hunter cost Jacksonville a premium. Jaxson Dart was selected before Shedeur Sanders. While Ward, Hunter and Abdul Carter went 1-2-3 as expected, Sanders wasn’t picked at all in the first round. Sanders was passed over by every team that had a need for a potential franchise quarterback, even though some draft analysts had him rated higher than Ward. The New York Giants had two chances to take Sanders and went with Penn State edge rusher Carter with the No. 3 pick, bolstering an already strong pass rush. The Giants then moved back into the first round and selected Dart, a quarterback from Ole Miss, at No. 25.

Shedeur Sanders snubbed in NFL draft’s Round 1 but leads list of top available players for Day 2

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is still waiting to hear his name called in the NFL draft after getting snubbed in Round 1. The son of Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders says he’s surprised but says this will only fuel him to succeed in the pros for whichever team takes a chance on him Friday. Sanders leads the list of best available players heading into the second day of the draft.

A stunner in Jacksonville: Jaguars trade up to land 2-way star Travis Hunter in the NFL draft

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up three spots to select Heisman Trophy winner and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft. The Jaguars gave up four picks to land one of the most intriguing NFL prospects in draft history and set the tone for a new regime that features first-time general manager James Gladstone, first-time head coach Liam Coen and first-time executive vice president Tony Boselli. Now, they have the first two-way player in franchise lore.

Thunder rally from 29 points down after Morant leaves with injury, top Grizzlies for 3-0 series lead

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Chet Holmgren scored all but one of his 24 points in the second half as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 29-point deficit after Ja Morant left the game with a hip injury and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-108 for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series. Morant was hurt with just over three minutes left in the first half and Memphis leading 67-40. They got the next basket after he exited and still led by 26 points at halftime. The 29-point comeback was the second-largest in an NBA postseason game since play-by-play data began being recorded in the 1996-97 season.

Towns scores 31, Brunson has 30 and Knicks beat Pistons 118-116 for a 2-1 lead in series

DETROIT (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points, Jalen Brunson had 30 and the New York Knicks held on for a 118-116 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. OG Anunoby added 22 points for New York. Game 4 is on Sunday in Detroit. The Pistons have lost eight straight home playoff games since 2008, pulling within one of an NBA record set by Philadelphia from 1968 to 1971. When Detroit won at New York in Game 2, the franchise ended a league-record, 15-playoff game losing streak to take home-court advantage, but the Knicks snatched it back.

Wrexham has another promotion in sight and Ryan Reynolds can hardly stand the tension

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Another promotion is within touching distance for Wrexham. The Welsh soccer team has been propelled to worldwide fame by co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. It has also been propelled up the league in double-quick time, having been a down-on-its-luck minor league team when the Hollywood pair completed their unlikely buyout in 2021. At this rate, Wrexham could be playing in the Premier League by 2026. One step at a time but if results go its way on Saturday, Wrexham will seal promotion to the Championship, the second tier of English soccer.

Schmidt scores again, Bobrovsky has 19 saves as Panthers beat Lightning 2-0 for 2-0 series lead

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nate Schmidt scored his third goal in two games, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Sam Bennett added an empty-netter with 4 seconds left. Bobrovsky got his fourth career playoff shutout, and his first since Game 1 of last year’s Stanley Cup final against Edmonton. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves for Tampa Bay. Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be Saturday at Sunrise.

Kaprizov scores 2 power-play goals to help the Wild beat Vegas 5-2 for a 2-1 series lead

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov had two power-play goals and the Minnesota Wild beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. Matt Boldy scored for the third straight game, Marco Rossi had his first career postseason goal and Marcus Foligno added an empty-netter. Filip Gustavsson’s glove stayed sharp in the net on a 30-save night as the Wild carried the momentum of their 5-2 road victory in Game 2 into the raucous Xcel Energy Center and kept it going throughout the night. Game 4 is in Minnesota on Saturday.

Ryu, Liu share Chevron Championship lead as defending champion Korda struggles

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Haeran Ryu and Yan Liu each shot 7-under 65 to share the lead during the suspended first round of the Chevron Championship as top-ranked Nelly Korda struggled to a 77 on Thursday in her title defense. The round was suspended as a storm approached The Club at Carlton Woods, with 24 players unable to finish. Korda won the last year for the last of her five straight LPGA Tour victories and had hoped to rediscover that dominant form in the season’s first major. Instead, she bogeyed four straight holes and was 4 over after six holes. Korda added two more bogeys on the back nine and was 12 shots behind the leaders and needing a big second round simply to make the cut.

Masters champion Rory McIlory and teammate Shane Lowry 6 back in Zurich Classic title defense

AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since winning the Masters, teamed with Shane Lowry to shoot an 8-under 64 in better-play Thursday in the Zurich Classic, leaving the Irish defending champions six shots behind leaders Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Vetlo. PGA Tour rookies Salinda and Velo opened with a tournament-record 58 in the tour’s only team event. Danish identical twins Nicolai and Rasmus Holgaard were a shot back. The teams will play alternate shot Friday, better ball Saturday and alternate shot Sunday. A large gallery gathered on the 10th tee at TPC of Louisiana before 8 a.m. to see McIlroy’s return to the PGA Tour. Shaking off an early-week illness, he provided a few highlights after a relatively slow start.