When both of the Carolina Hurricanes goaltenders left Saturday's game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs with injuries, 42-year-old Dave Ayres came in as the emergency backup goaltender -- and stopped eight of 10 shots he faced to seal a 6-3 win for the Canes.

Ayres allowed goals on the first two shots he faced before stopping the final eight in succession.

Ayres, a Zamboni driver and arena maintenance worker for the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, has been the regular practice goaltender for the Marlies and has appeared at Maple Leafs practices and skills sessions this season.

"It was awesome, I had the time of my life out there," Ayres told the Sportsnet broadcast after the game. After he was named the No. 1 star, the crowd in Toronto gave him a loud ovation.

Per NHL rules, Ayers was paid $500 for the game, and was allowed to keep his game-worn jersey.

Carolina had a 3-1 lead when Ayres took over. James Reimer started in goal, but left 6:10 into the first period with a lower body injury. Petr Mrazek left in the second period after he collided with Toronto forward Kyle Clifford.

Ayres, a Whitby, Ontario, native, came into the game with a No. 90 Hurricanes jersey, but was wearing a helmet featuring Toronto Marlies decals. Several Toronto players came to give him stick taps after the second period.

Ayers' own hockey career was derailed by a kidney transplant in 2004. Ayres' mother, Mary, was his kidney donor. Ayres' last competitive action was an eight-game stint with the Norwood Vipers of the Allan Cup Hockey League. He allowed 58 goals, had a .777 save percentage and a 0-8 record.

The Canes mobbed Ayres after he made a save at the final buzzer. Ayres is the second backup goaltender to gain notoriety over the past three years. In March 2018, Chicago-area accountant Scott Foster was called on in a Blackhawks game and made seven saves over 14 minutes to seal the win -- and achieve viral fame.

The health status of both of Carolina's goaltenders is unclear. The NHL's trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET Monday.

SAN DIEGO -- Elijah Mitrou-Long scored 19 points, including two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, and UNLV handed No. 4 San Diego State its first loss of the season, 66-63 on Saturday night, to end the Aztecs' 26-game winning streak.

San Diego State, which had been the nation's only undefeated team since Jan. 15, erased most of a 14-point deficit when it pulled to 64-63 on Malachi Flynn's 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds left. Mitrou-Long was fouled by Matt Mitchell with 11.5 seconds left and made both free throws.

Flynn missed a contested 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left and the ball went to the Rebels. After a long pass down the court, Mitchell ended up with the ball, and his desperation shot at the buzzer fell short.

SDSU (26-1, 15-1 Mountain West) unveiled the regular-season conference banner before the game and then looked nothing like the team that raced to the best start in school history. The Aztecs trailed by 14 midway through the second half and were down 11 with 4:32 to go.

They were uncharacteristically porous on defense and sloppy on offense, missing easy shots and committing careless turnovers.

SDSU had been projected as the No. 1 seed in the East in the NCAA tournament. Providing the Aztecs don't stumble again, the loss could keep the Aztecs in the West as the No. 2 seed. Gonzaga is the projected No. 1 seed in the West, where the regionals will be at Staples Center up the freeway in Los Angeles.

Amauri Hardy scored 17 points and Bryce Hamilton added 11 points and 10 rebounds for UNLV (15-14, 10-6).

Flynn scored 24, Mitchell 13 and Jordan Schakel 10 for SDSU.

SDSU pulled to 62-60 with 25.6 seconds left after Flynn's two free throws and Aguek Arop's layup.

Mitrou-Long then made two free throws with 19.9 seconds left for a four-point lead.

Hardy's jumper gave UNLV a 44-30 lead three minutes into the second half, before SDSU pulled within seven, thanks to Flynn's layup and Schakel's 3-pointer. But Hardy then made a jumper from the free throw line and a layup to put the Rebels back up by double digits.

UNLV took advantage of numerous SDSU breakdowns to take a double-digit lead midway through the first half and pushed it to 37-25 at halftime on a steal and slam dunk by Mitrou-Long.

SDSU had the lead just once, at 14-13 after Flynn's 3-pointer, then allowed UNLV to go on a 10-0 run. Mitrou-Long started it by converting a 4-point play when he hit a 3-pointer and was fouled by Flynn. UNLV's Cheikh Mbacke Diong scored inside, then Hardy hit a floater and Mitrou-Long made a layup.

SDSU's only points in a four-minute span were two free throws apiece by Mitchell and Flynn. UNLV kept connecting, though, getting a bank shot by Hamilton and a 3-pointer by Mitrou-Long to take its first double-digit lead, 28-18, with 7:12 before halftime.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Aztecs will drop from their No. 4 spot in the Top 25, which matched the highest ranking in school history.

BIG PICTURE

UNLV: The Rebels lost at home to SDSU by just four points on Jan. 26. They came out strong on the road and let SDSU have the lead just once in the first half, at 14-13 after Flynn's 3-pointer.

SDSU: Mitchell was recognized before the game for reaching the 1,000-point plateau, which he accomplished in the previous home game, on Feb. 11 against New Mexico.

UP NEXT

UNLV hosts Boise State in its home finale on Wednesday night. SDSU hosts Colorado State in its home finale on Tuesday night.

February 23: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United, Lahore

Our XI: Fakhar Zaman, Chris Lynn, Ben Dunk, Colin Ingram, Dawid Malan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Shinwari, Seekkuge Prasanna, Hussain Talat, Haris Rauf

Captain: Fakhar Zaman

Zaman is a dasher who is difficult to stop when he gets going. He was the highest run-scorer for his side in PSL 2019 with 285 runs at a strike rate of 137.68. In T20s, 63% of his runs come in boundaries and in PSL 2019, 67% of his runs came in boundaries. Once he gets his eye in, he could get you loads of points.

Vice-captain: Shadab Khan

On a pitch that is expected to be a bit tacky, a wicket-taking legspinner as your vice-captain is a good choice. Shadab has picked up seven wickets in his last five T20 games (domestic and international) and also scored a 64 not out.

Hot Picks

Usman Shinwari: Shinwari picked up 13 wickets at a strike rate of 14.3 for Karachi Kings last season. His career strike rate is 16.4, which suggests he had an above-par tournament the last time. He also picked up five-for in the last T20 game he played.

Haris Rauf: Rauf has picked up 35 wickets in wins and six wickets in losses in T20s, which clearly suggests that if he picks up wickets, his team wins. His 20 wickets in the recent BBL is the most by an Asian bowler in a single season of the competition.

Value Picks:

Hussain Talat: Talat is a genuine allrounder with 1696 runs and 31 wickets in T20s. He has a strike rate of 122 with the bat and 18.6 with the ball, so he can get you points in either half.

Seekkuge Prasanna: The Sri Lankan has been a regular in the BPL and CPL over the years, but this will be his maiden PSL stint. He started off as a legspinner who could bat a bit but has developed into a proper power-hitter. Prasanna has a batting strike rate of 161.35 in the format to go with his 115 wickets at a strike rate of 7.11.

Point to note

• The average Powerplay score in all T20s since 2018 at the Gaddafi Stadium is 49 in the first innings and 40 in the second innings.

MILWAUKEE -- Ben Simmons was ruled out of the remainder of the Philadelphia 76ers' game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night because of lower back tightness, the team said.

Simmons, who started for Philadelphia, played less than five minutes before exiting the game with 7 minutes, 16 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Simmons had five points on 2-for-2 shooting and two rebounds against the Bucks.

The Bucks were able to build a double-digit, first-quarter lead.

Simmons missed the Sixers' game against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday with the same lower back injury.

Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists. The Sixers are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

LOS ANGELES -- Following the LA Clippers' third straight loss, Kawhi Leonard said he felt the team didn't come out ready to play and that "the time is now" for the Clippers to start coming together and getting healthier.

The Clippers returned from a nine-day All-Star break Saturday afternoon looking like they were still on a beach. They missed 20 of 24 shots and scored just 13 points in the first quarter before dropping a 112-103 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center. The three-game slide is the Clippers' longest of the season.

"You never know what could happen," Leonard said when asked if the Clippers need to see things start to come together before concern sets in. "But I mean, now. The time is now. Just got to keep getting better.

"But it doesn't matter what seed you are. Just got to keep fighting. It is about the right team peaking at the right time. I don't think we have even got there yet. It feels like we are getting close, but we just need guys to get healthy."

While the Clippers (37-19) played without Paul George (hamstring) and Patrick Beverley (groin) and are still incorporating recent additions Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris, Leonard knows the team has only 26 games left to get healthy and head into the postseason with championship chemistry.

The Clippers started their 28th different lineup on Saturday -- tied with Detroit for the most used this season -- as Doc Rivers started Jackson in his Clippers debut with Beverley out. Jackson scored eight points and shot 3-for-9 in his first game with the Clippers.

With injuries to key players such as Leonard, George and Beverley, among others, and with new additions being shuffled in, the Clippers' season has been disjointed.

"We didn't have rhythm before, so when you're bringing in new guys with other guys who probably don't have great continuity, as well, [there's no rhythm]," Rivers said. "I told [Jackson] before the game, 'Try to do as much as you know and just play, and we'll figure it out.' Tough spot for him being the point guard. He's trying to run sets that he doesn't know. I think that's very difficult."

Even though the Clippers were shorthanded, Saturday's loss was another example of how inconsistent they have been this season. On one hand, they were capable of locking in and beating the Los Angeles Lakers in each of their two meetings. But on the other, they can look defenseless at times and lose to the Kings (23-33) twice at home in just over three weeks.

The Clippers trailed 81-67 in the third-quarter but erased the deficit and led 97-94 with 7:51 remaining. Then, they finished the game almost in the same futile manner in which they started it, missing 10 of their last 11 shots and scoring just two points in the final six minutes. The Clippers had 19 turnovers in the game, with Lou Williams committing eight of them.

"Definitely not a concern," Williams said of the Clippers' season-long losing streak. "I think we just continue to build. We've lost three games in a row before -- not this particular group, but everybody in this locker room has experienced it.

"And as far as the standings go, I think we're still in a good space, we're still working out some kinks as far as everything, and so it's nothing to be concerned about. But we gotta get the next one."

LOS ANGELES -- If Markieff Morris joins the Los Angeles Lakers as expected, Marcus Morris says he can see the twin brothers not only living together but carpooling to Staples Center if the LA Clippers and Lakers face each other in a seven-game playoff series.

"We're two competitive guys, that's gonna be like really fun," Marcus Morris said on Saturday when asked about the possibility of the twins being on opposite contending sides in Los Angeles. "... Probably gonna ride to the game together. That don't bother us, to have to go out there and compete -- we're pros, and both of us gonna go hard and both are gonna do the best we can do for our team."

Sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne that the Lakers intend to waive DeMarcus Cousins to clear a roster spot for Markieff Morris if he clears waivers on Sunday. The power forward negotiated a buyout with the Detroit Pistons on Friday, leaving $4.3 million in remaining salary for this season and next on the table according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

The Lakers (42-12) are in first place in the Western Conference and the Clippers (37-19) are in third place. Before the trade deadline, the Clippers acquired Marcus Morris in a deal with the New York Knicks, adding a veteran who can shoot 3's and bolster their defense while keeping the forward away from the Lakers as well.

But now the Lakers are on the verge of adding Markieff Morris, which would pit the siblings against each other in the middle of an LA turf war that could decide the West.

The brothers, who grew up playing together, might have to get used to something new -- living and commuting together to the same arena to play each other with a title possibly at stake.

Marcus Morris sees it as a win-win situation.

"It doesn't bother us," the Clippers forward said. "We think at the end of the day, we're both very competitive, we both spend a lot of time on the game.

"For us to be together, it's just icing on the cake."

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Fans hoping to heckle the sign-stealing Houston Astros at their spring opener were met with quite the coincidence.

They got their signs taken.

In the Astros' first spring training game since their sign-stealing scandal rocked baseball, some fans brought signs jeering Houston, and ballpark personnel confiscated them before the Grapefruit League opener against the World Series champion Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

In a Series rematch, the Nats got hearty cheers, while everyone in an Astros jersey -- including the mascot, Orbit -- was booed. Houston did not use any players implicated in MLB's probe.

Two men in Nationals gear sitting behind the Astros dugout briefly held up crudely drawn signs just before first pitch. One read: "You see my hate?" in large block letters. And another said: "Houston" with an asterisk below it, suggesting the Astros' 2017 World Series title should be permanently blemished because of the cheating.

This fan was holding this sign as the Astros players walked off the field after the National anthem. A few seconds later stadium security confiscated it. pic.twitter.com/58eMHuJ7K5

— Stefano Fusaro (@FusaroESPN) February 22, 2020

The men didn't get to show off their signs for long. A woman who worked for the ballpark quickly approached to take the signs. The men didn't argue with the woman, but they did look confused as she walked away with the signs folded in her arms.

The Astros and Nationals share a spring training complex. Houston was designated the home team Saturday.

Matthew Silliman, who held one of the signs, said he didn't know they were forbidden. He drove to the game from Tampa Bay and said he has been waiting to let the Astros know what he thinks of them.

"I'm a big Nats fan and it's wrong," he said. "They're cheaters."

Commissioner Rob Manfred concluded last month the Astros violated rules by using a television camera to steal catchers' signs during their run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season. Manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one season and then fired by the team, but players were not disciplined.

Fans booed loudly every time the public address announcer said "Astros," and fans behind Houston's dugout heckled Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers Jr. as they stood on the dugout steps before the game. A few fans banged on their metal seats, attempting to mimic the banging on a trash can the Astros used to relay stolen signs to hitters.

One fan in a Nationals jersey yelled: "Hey Altuve, are you scared to play tonight?" Others screamed "You suck!" and "Cheaters!"

About a half-dozen fans wore shirts that read "bang foul poles, not trash cans" in reference to Howie Kendrick's decisive home run for Washington in Game 7 of last year's World Series.

First-year Houston manager Dusty Baker said he didn't think the reception was "too bad" and said his team will have to get used to it.

"You'll probably get the same reception most places you go, especially the first go-round," he said. "So, you've just got to put your big-boy pants on and then just try to shut it out and just play baseball and realize this too shall pass."

Washington ace Max Scherzer, who started Game 7 to help the Nationals to their first title, also started Saturday and pitched two scoreless innings. He was asked if he thought Saturday night's game would be more dramatic considering what's going on with the Astros.

"Maybe, I don't know," he said. "We won the World Series, so it wasn't like I have a vendetta to hold. So, for me over here we're just trying to move forward and get ready for our season."

Scherzer was a bit disappointed that none of Houston's starters played Saturday when he allowed one hit and struck out two.

"You want to face the best," Scherzer said. "They're a great lineup, but I get it, it's early in the spring, you're not going to see them."

And while Silliman didn't get to keep his signs, he said it wouldn't stop him from heckling the Astros with his voice.

"Oh yeah," he said. "They're going to get it all."

He didn't have long. The game was delayed because of rain after two innings and canceled about 90 minutes later when rain continued.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Nashville Predators have acquired defenseman Ben Harpur from Toronto in exchange for forward Miikka Salomaki.

The Predators announced the trade Saturday night, less than 30 minutes before their game against Columbus.

Nashville needed help on defense, and the 25-year-old Harpur has played 103 career NHL games, all with Ottawa, after being the 108th pick overall in the fourth round in 2013. He made his NHL debut on March, 31, 2016, but hasn't played in the NHL since the 2018-19 season, when he had five points in 51 games for the Senators.

The 6-foot-6, 223-pound Harpur has played 33 games this season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies and has one goal and 10 assists. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Harpur played 225 games in the Ontario Hockey League before turning pro.

Salomaki of Raahe, Finland, was Nashville's 52nd pick overall in the second round in 2011. He played five games with Nashville this season, his last Oct. 29, and he has 12 goals and 15 assists in 167 career NHL games all with the Predators.

MEXICO CITY – Experience is always celebrated as a key quality for a golfer, but in this instance, painful association might have backfired.

Patrick Reed was cruising along at 2 under par through seven holes Saturday at the WGC-Mexico Championship when he pulled his tee shot into the trees left of the eighth fairway. For his second shot, he tried to punch a 6-iron under the trees toward the green but clipped a branch on his way to a momentum-stalling bogey.

Reed was in a similar position at No. 8 during the final round of last year’s World Golf Championships event at Chapultepec Golf Club.

“I was in the right trees and I had a similar window and I chipped out kind of at an angle where I had a full sand wedge,” recalled Reed, who ended up making a double bogey-7 at No. 8 last year en route to a T-14 finish. “So, my thought process there was, all you have to do is get the ball low, it's a pretty big gap. It's not that wide of a tree, and I just clipped the left side of it.”

Reed recovered with a perfect closing nine that included five birdies for a share of second place, just a stroke behind third-round front-runner Justin Thomas.

Despite what Reed called “mental errors,” he has the opportunity on Sunday to post his first top-10 finish since the event moved to Mexico in 2017.

“It was a little sloppy today. The good thing is I was able to get it around the golf course, get it in the right spots to give myself a chance for birdie,” he said. “The great thing is I'm in good position going into tomorrow, and that's all I can ask for.”