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Warriors put 38-game home win streak on line vs. Spurs

Even with that NBA-record 24-0 start, Stephen Curry and Co. can't shake the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, the defending champion Golden State Warriors finally get to face the team chasing them in the Western Conference in a Monday night showdown anticipated for months pitting the past two NBA title teams.
"That's going to be one of the fun things about this game is that we haven't played them yet. It's already almost February. It's a strange schedule," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said after practice Sunday. "Win or lose, both teams will really benefit from playing against each other."
Pals Kerr and Gregg Popovich spoke by phone Thursday night once Kerr's return from a lengthy leave of absence following back surgery had been set, and just in time to face mentor Popovich and red-hot San Antonio.

NBA All-Star 2016 Complete Schedule of Events

Verizon Slam Dunk

What: Verizon Slam Dunk
When: Feb. 13 | All-Star Saturday Night | 8:30 p.m. ET | (4th Event)
Where: Air Canada Centre
TV: TNT
Participants: TBD
The Verizon Slam Dunk is the centerpiece of All-Star Saturday Night and one of the most anticipated events of the season. Which high-flyer will take the crown at NBA All-Star 2016?
This year's participants will be announced soon.

Broncos smother Patriots, advance to Super Bowl 50

The Broncos are going to Super Bowl 50. Bradley Roby intercepted Tom Brady's two-point conversion attempt, thwarting the New England Patriots' bid for overtime in Denver's 20-18 AFC Championship Game victory. Here's what you need to know:

1. The quarterbacking might not have lived up to the pre-game hype, but Brady vs. Manning XVII proved to be an instant classic. After taking more hits (20) than any quarterback in a single game all season, Tom Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski on a 40-yard strike to convert one fourth-and-10, and followed that up with an improvised touchdown to convert fourth-and-goal, giving the Patriots a chance to tie with 12 seconds remaining. Aqib Talib tipped Brady's rushed pass intended for Julian Edelman, catapulting Peyton Manning into his fourth Super Bowl.

2. The Broncos' front seven overwhelmed the Patriots' porous offensive line and destroyed Brady's timing, forcing him to see ghosts in the pocket. Brady's first-half passer rating of 18.1 was the lowest by any postseason quarterback in the past five years. He was off target most of the afternoon, with more than a half-dozen passes underthrown and several more overthrown.

Panthers stomp Cardinals, advance to Super Bowl 50

This was Cam Newton's season. And it's about to become Cam Newton's world after the Carolina Panthers dismantled the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 in the NFC Championship Sunday. Here's what we learned:

1. This was billed as a matchup of the best two teams in the NFL all season. But this was a one-sided affair that showed the depth of the entire Panthers' roster. Carolina's offensive line dominated. Cam Newton made anyone who made a case for Carson Palmer to win MVP look foolish. Ted Ginn, Corey Brown and Greg Olsen all made big catches. The secondary held up despite injuries, and the Panthers' pass rush forced decisive mistakes. Luke Kuechly added a defensive touchdown.

Cam deserves all the credit for his dominant performance and season. But this Panthers squad has been special from top to bottom. We're just annoyed the Falcons picked them off in Week 16 to ruin a potential undefeated storyline for the Super Bowl.

Thunder claim inaugural WBBL title in tense finish

Sydney Thunder beat their crosstown rivals Sydney Sixers by three wickets to win the inaugural WBBL title, in a tense and scrappy game which came down to the last over.

Sixers' innings was messy. Thunder fielded poorly, missing a plethora of run outs and catches, with each of the top four let off. The bowlers continued to create chances, and no mistake was horribly costly, but while seven wickets were taken and the total was underpar, Thunder could have been more clinical.

Sydney Thunder maiden title of BBL 2015-16

Fifth BBL final was a tale of two innings, and two collapses. Kevin Pietersen, who is in marvellous form, scored 74, before Usman Khawaja, who is in simply superhuman touch, made 70 which, as wickets tumbled, proved enough to hand Sydney Thunder their first title.

Thunder had never finished outside the bottom two for the first four seasons and 2015-16 has been a topsy-turvy one too. They lost four consecutive games after winning their first three and only crept into the finals when their fate was beyond their control. Since then, however, Thunder have been clinical.

Khawaja had considered quitting the western Sydney (the area he grew up in) franchise, but opted to stay after a chat two years ago with Michael Hussey, whom the club pursued desperately to mastermind a rebuild. Thunder have won only 11 out of 41 matches since the Big Bash's inception and Hussey has been at the helm of nine of them, including a final on the same day Thunder won the inaugural Women's BBL too.

Khawaja near certainty for World T20 squad

Usman Khawaja is a near certainty to be chosen in Australia's squad for the World T20 in India despite being overlooked for both the upcoming T20s against India and the ODI squad to tour New Zealand. Australia's national selector Rod Marsh said Khawaja would be better off playing a Sheffield Shield match to prepare for the Tests against New Zealand, though, rather than potentially being only a backup in the ODI group.

Australia chose 17 men for the three T20s against India, starting in Adelaide on Tuesday, but Marsh said it was likely that several of those players would not make the final 15 for the World T20, a squad that will be named after the ODIs in New Zealand. Khawaja scored 345 runs in the Big Bash League at the phenomenal average of 172.50, and was Man of the Match in the final for his 70 in the Sydney Thunder triumph.

We didn't use our brains in death overs - Grant Flower

In a frank post-mortem after the 70-run loss, Pakistan's batting coach Grant Flower has said the visitors "didn't use [their] brains" towards the end of New Zealand's innings, in which 71 runs were plundered off the final five overs. Those runs had largely come from New Zealand's No. 9 and 10 batsmen, Mithcell McClenaghan and Matt Henry, who put on 73 together, before No. 11 Trent Boult edged the final ball of the innings through the vacant slip region.

Pakistan had used the short ball well, to have New Zealand 99 for 6 by the 23rd over, but Flower said the death overs required a different approach.

"We didn't use our brains at all towards the end," he said. "Bowling yorkers is skill execution, and we didn't do that. They played well at the end. The short ball worked to a certain extent, but we overdid it, and we didn't learn and we just didn't bowl enough yorkers.

"If we're going to be honest we should have got them out for 200-odd, seeing the start we had."

Pakistan's seamers were guilty of bowling lengths that allowed New Zealand's tailenders get under the ball. Matt Henry and Mitchell McClenaghan struck six sixes and seven fours in what was a record 73-run ninth-wicket stand for New Zealand against Pakistan.

Sam Groth 21-01-16

Q. Looked like the court was going to swallow you up there in some stages of that match. Did you get something out of it for yourself in the end?
SAM GROTH: I thought I managed to fight back in the second set. Not ideal conditions for me. Had a bad serving day against the No. 2 player in the world. Probably not going to cut it.

Q. I think it was noted that it was your first time on Rod Laver. How was it before the match and obviously early on?
SAM GROTH: Felt all right going out there until I started hitting a lot, and then I was pretty nervous. My serve was sort of out. You know, like I said, if I don't serve well against a guy -- I know I have to have probably one of my best serving days against -- you know, I'm in a bit of trouble.