LOS ANGELES -- Two words came to mind for Dwight Howard when he was asked to compare Anthony Davis' first game against his former team five weeks ago to Davis' performance Friday in the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

"No stress," Howard said.

It's a phrase Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd coined in a film session earlier in the season, using clips to illustrate how making the simple play will often lead to spectacular results.

"If we play with no stress, move the ball, share it, get open shots, [then] you don't have to stress and feel like, 'I got to make this shot,' because you know it's going to come [around] and you're going to get another one," Howard said. "So no stress is good for everybody."

It was great for Davis, as he scored 46 points to go with 13 rebounds and 3 blocks as he helped L.A. race to a 24-point lead in what became a relatively easy win. The Lakers improved their Western Conference-best record to 28-7.

When Davis scored 41 points in late November in the Lakers' 114-110 win in New Orleans in his return game, he needed 30 shots to get there, and the Lakers had to overcome a 16-point second-half deficit. Friday's 46 -- Davis' fourth 40-plus-point effort of the season -- required only 21 shots, and the Lakers never trailed after the first quarter.

"Even though we won the game [in New Orleans], I didn't like playing that way where they were just forcing the ball," Davis said. "I knew the situation, obviously, and my teammates wanted me to play well against my former team the first time."

Davis did play well -- setting a record for points scored by a player facing his former team for the first time -- but on Friday he played even better. It was the kind of night that Kobe Bryant used to refer to as a "clean game" -- when he would take what the night presented, rather than mucking things up by going against the grain.

"It was an emotional game for me [in November]. I just wanted to play as good as possible," Davis said. "Tonight, I didn't have that many emotions because I got that out of the way the first game. It was just another game. We just come out and play and did whatever I can to get the win."

What he did was continue to show how he's expanding on what he's capable of since he joined this collection of talent in L.A.

"He's the recipient of our flow on offense because he's just as fast as anybody on the floor, more dynamic than anybody that's on the floor, does it better playing in the interior, playing in the exterior," LeBron James said. "He can do so many things."

Consider Davis' mixed bag against the Pelicans -- 13-of-13 from the free throw line, 3-of-5 from 3, 2-of-2 in throwing down momentum-changing lobs -- to know just how much he's bringing at this stage of the season.

And one of those lobs from Danny Green had no business being converted.

"I thought it was a solid pass, but when I threw and the way he caught it, I was like, 'Damn, I don't know if he's going to catch this.' But he catches everything. He makes everything," Green said. "It's a lot of fun to watch, it's a lot of fun to be a part of, and it makes life really easy."

Indeed, it's easy going for the Lakers these days. And Davis looks completely at ease in his new home.

"Too blessed to be stressed, man," Howard said.

Top-30 ranked pair Benoit Paire and Gael Monfils won their singles matches to ensure France opened their ATP Cup campaign with victory over Chile.

On day two of the inaugural tournament in Brisbane, Paire opened with a 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-3 win over Nicolas Jarry.

Monfils sealed the Group A win by beating Cristian Garin 6-3 7-5.

Japan, without Kei Nishikori, won all three matches against Uruguay in Group B in Perth, while Argentina beat Poland 2-1 in Group E in Sydney.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem all play later on Saturday as Serbia, Spain and Austria start their campaigns against South Africa, Georgia and Croatia respectively.

The 24-nation event is spread across three Australian cities - Brisbane, Perth and Sydney - and features six groups of four teams, who each play three round-robin ties.

The six group winners, plus the best two runners-up, will progress to the quarter-finals.

Great Britain, who are without Andy Murray after he pulled out through injury, lost their opening tie against Bulgaria on Friday.

Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury were beaten in a thrilling deciding doubles match which ended at 02:47 local time in Sydney.

Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts would be open to the idea of staging a charity match to raise funds for the bushfire appeal as the natural disaster continues to ravage large areas of the country.

Australia is in the midst of one of its worst ever bushfire seasons which has led to fatalities, mass evacuations and significant loss of property. The Christmas and New Year period has been especially severe in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

There have already been a number of initiatives put in place across cricket, including players in the Big Bash League pledging donations for sixes hit and wickets taken and the Australia team auctioning off signed shirts from the Boxing Day Test which had raised close to AUD$35,000. On the opening day of the Sydney Test players from both sides wore black armbands in memory of those who have died in the fires while there was a one-minute applause to honour the emergency services.

CA has also announced that the ODIs between Australia and New Zealand in March will be used to raise money for the Red Cross bushfire appeal, but if the pieces could be put into place Roberts said the potential is there for a standalone fixture.

"I'd love to think we could do something along those lines, we've all got great memories that the role those sort of events have played in disaster and tragedy in the past and would like to think we can make the most of those ODIs in March," he told SEN radio. "We are very open to other initiatives that could include celebrity matches, we've got a very crowded cricket calendar, we have to make sure what we do has maximum impact. If there's time, space and availability of the right people nothing is off the table."

In the past there have been matches staged to raise money after severe bushfires. In 1994, South Africa played an extra game against a New South Wales XI following bad fires in Sydney early in the year. Further back in 1967, after devastating fires in Tasmania, a fundraising match was staged at the MCG and in 1983, Australia played New Zealand in a one-off match at the SCG.

In January 2005, the MCG staged the tsunami appeal match between an ICC World XI and an Asia XI to raise money following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Years later, James Sutherland, who was CA chief executive at the time, recalled the impact of that match and how boards and player associations had worked to bring it together.

"Between Tim May [former head of the ACA and FICA] and I, there was always something to fight about, but when that happened we said, 'We're going to do something special' and he was able to get through his FICA the players to commit to come here and play," he said in 2018. "Together we put on an event that was extraordinary and raised more than A$15 million for a huge tragedy. It was a reminder of the power of what cricket can achieve when it galvanises all its forces."

The opening week of the NFL playoffs has arrived, and we're previewing every game on the wild-card round slate. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and final score predictions.

Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a stat to know for each game, and the Football Power Index (FPI) goes inside the numbers with a matchup rating (on a scale of 1 to 100) and a game projection. NFL analyst Matt Bowen identifies a key matchup to watch, ESPN Chalk's Mackenzie Kraemer hands out helpful nuggets and national NFL writer Kevin Seifert focuses in on each game's officiating crew. It's all here to help get you ready for a loaded weekend of NFL football.

Jump to a matchup:
BUF-HOU | TEN-NE
MIN-NO | SEA-PHI

Bye: BAL, KC, SF, GB

(5) Buffalo Bills at (4) Houston Texans

Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET | ESPN/ABC/ESPN App
Matchup rating: 55.4 | Spread: HOU -2.5 (43.5)

What to watch for: Which quarterback will have success running the ball? The Bills' Josh Allen (third) and the Texans' Deshaun Watson (fourth) were among the top QBs in rushing yards this season. But according to research from ESPN Stats & Information, the Texans have allowed the second-most yards per rush to opposing quarterbacks this season (5.6), while the Bills allowed the fewest (2.8). -- Sarah Barshop

Bold prediction: Allen has yet to throw for 300 yards in his career; he will again fall short of that mark but will manage to complete two passes of 40 or more yards against a vulnerable Texans secondary. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Stat to know: Houston defensive end J.J. Watt (torn pectoral) will return Saturday, and it will be welcomed by the Texans' defense. Without Watt this season, the Texans' pass rush win rate -- an ESPN statistic powered by NFL Next Gen Stats determining how often a pass rush beats its blocks within 2.5 seconds -- is just 27%, well off the league-average pace of 42%. With Watt? That number rises to 45%. Watt has 5.0 sacks in six career playoff games.

Key matchup: Watson vs. the Bills' zone coverage. Buffalo has a zone-heavy defense (54% of defensive snaps). Look for the Texans to influence underneath defenders on leveled routes to create intermediate coverage voids for Watson. That leads to open-window throws to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on deep, in-breaking routes to the middle of the field. Read more.

Betting nugget: Allen is 10-6-1 against the spread (ATS) in his career as an underdog, with one of the non-covers coming last week when he was pulled in the first quarter. Fourteen of those 17 games went under the total. As for Houston, it is 1-5-1 ATS as a favorite this season. Read more.

Officiating nugget: Referee Tony Corrente's regular-season crew threw an average of 17.1 flags per game, fifth most in the NFL. But Corrente threw the second-fewest number of flags for roughing the passer (four).

Louis-Jacques' pick: Bills 17, Texans 7
Barshop's pick: Texans 20, Bills 17
FPI prediction: HOU, 69.3% (by an average of 6.7 points)

Matchup must-reads: Texans takeaways earn spirited response from veteran Mike Adams ... Why Will Fuller's status against Buffalo is a big deal for Texans ... Next test for Bills' Tre'Davious White? Texans All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins

(6) Tennessee Titans at (3) New England Patriots

Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 74.8 | Spread: NE -5 (44)

What to watch for: The Patriots were plus-21 in turnover differential during the regular season, which led the NFL and is a point that Titans coach Mike Vrabel has been stressing this week to his team. New England's defense and special teams haven't created a turnover in each of the past two games, and they are determined to reverse that trend. -- Mike Reiss

Bold prediction: Titans running back Derrick Henry will rush for more than 100 yards and score two touchdowns -- one of which will be on a big play via the screen game. The Patriots utilize a lot of blitzes, which set up perfectly for a well-timed screen pass. Henry will be a major factor in the second half as the Titans milk the clock to protect a late fourth-quarter lead. -- Turron Davenport

Stat to know: Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill averaged 9.6 yards per pass attempt this season, the fifth-highest rate in a season in NFL history (minimum 250 attempts). According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Tannehill also had the highest completion percentage above expectation in the NFL. But the Patriots' defense forced the lowest completion percentage below expectation in coverage in the NFL.

Key matchup: Henry vs. the Patriots' defensive front seven. This has to be a heavy-volume game for the NFL's rushing champ. Force the Patriots to defend zone schemes and clog cutback lanes versus a back who led the NFL with 2.3 yards after first contact. In short, make New England tackle Henry for four quarters, while setting up Tannehill in the play-action passing game. Read more.

Betting nugget: New England is 18-1 to win the Super Bowl and was as long as 20-1 earlier in the week. Those are the longest odds New England has had to win at any point this decade, and the longest odds entering the playoffs that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have ever had. However, Belichick and Brady are 6-0 ATS at Gillette Stadium against Tannehill, winning each game by at least seven points. Read more.

Officiating nugget: Referee John Hussey's regular-season crew threw the second-fewest flags for defensive pass interference (14) but the third most for offensive pass interference (11). Hussey's crew also called the second-fewest offensive holding penalties (38).

Davenport's pick: Titans 24, Patriots 20
Reiss' pick: Patriots 20, Titans 17
FPI prediction: NE, 73.0% (by an average of 8.1 points)

Matchup must-reads: Titans' Mike Vrabel faces teacher-turned-competitor in playoff debut ... Inside Bill Belichick's resignation as the Jets' coach 20 years ago ... Ranking Tom Brady's top 10 playoff performances ... Patriots players quickly shift mindset with idea of 'Revenge Tour' ... Rare wild-card game a blow to Patriots' Super Bowl hopes ... Lessons taught by his grandmother still push Derrick Henry today

(6) Minnesota Vikings at (3) New Orleans Saints

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating: 88.2 | Spread: NO -8 (50)

What to watch for: Saints quarterback Drew Brees is playing some of the best football of his career at age 40. He threw 15 touchdown passes and zero interceptions in December and finished the regular season with a career-best passer rating of 116.3 despite missing five games earlier in the season because of thumb surgery. On the flip side, the Saints have quietly had the NFL's No. 1 run defense over the past two seasons but will face a formidable matchup against a healthy Dalvin Cook. -- Mike Triplett

Bold prediction: Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins will shatter the notion that he can't play well in big-time games. With his full core of offensive starters available and healthy, Cousins will have his best game of the season, passing for 300 yards and three touchdowns. But it won't be enough to outduel Brees and the NFL's highest-scoring offense (36.3 points per game since Week 10). -- Courtney Cronin

Stat to know: Using ESPN's coverage metrics powered by NFL Next Gen Stats, Brees is the only qualified quarterback since Week 11 to complete at least 70% of his passes when facing both zone and man coverage. And he's also the only QB in that time to post at least an 80 QBR against both coverage schemes.

Key matchup: Saints running back Alvin Kamara in the passing game vs. the Vikings' linebackers. With the Vikings leaning on split-safety zone schemes, New Orleans coach Sean Payton can create favorable matchups for Kamara out of the backfield. This will allow the Saints to isolate underneath zone defenders in coverage to create one-on-ones with Kamara in space. Read more.

Betting nugget: In his career, Cousins is 0-15 outright and 1-13-1 ATS against teams that finished with at least 12 wins in a season (the Saints won 13 games this season). The outright winning percentage is the worst by any quarterback in the Super Bowl era. Meanwhile, New Orleans is 11-3 ATS since Week 3, the best mark in the NFL. Read more.

Officiating nugget: Referee Carl Cheffers' regular-season crew called the league's second-most total flags for offensive holding (68), more than twice the number called by the crew with the lowest total (Bill Vinovich, 32).

Cronin's pick: Saints 33, Vikings 24
Triplett's pick: Saints 30, Vikings 23
FPI prediction: NO, 63.2% (by an average of 4.5 points)

Matchup must-reads: Saints have had their fill of playoff miracles over the past decade ... Friends Sean Payton, Mike Zimmer are 'same guy' in different packages ... Why Saints' Drew Brees decided to embrace his football mortality ... Perceived slights fueling Vikings going into playoff matchup with Saints ... Vikings RB Dalvin Cook says he'll be at full strength for Saints game

(5) Seattle Seahawks at (4) Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET | NBC
Matchup rating: 64.9 | Spread: SEA -1.5 (45)

What to watch for: Eagles guard Brandon Brooks is out with a shoulder injury and tackle Lane Johnson (ankle) is questionable for Sunday, meaning the right side of the line might be manned by backups Matt Pryor and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. The Seahawks are second to last in sacks this season (28), but defensive end Jadeveon Clowney & Co. will have some opportunities this week. -- Tim McManus

Bold prediction: The Seahawks will force at least two turnovers. They won the first meeting in Philadelphia thanks to five takeaways, and that was without Clowney. But he's back (albeit it at much less than 100%), and Quandre Diggs might be as well. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is playing his first playoff game and might not have his No. 1 target in Zach Ertz. -- Brady Henderson

Stat to know: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 2019 Eagles are the sixth division winner since the 1970 merger to have zero wide receivers gain 500 yards through the air. The Eagles started nine different wide receivers during the regular season, and during their current four-game win streak, they had four different wideouts catch a pass: Greg Ward Jr., J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Deontay Burnett and Robert Davis. That quartet had 11 career receptions combined entering the season. It shouldn't surprise then that Wentz completed 242 passes to his running backs and tight ends this season, the most by a quarterback since Drew Brees' 251 in 2014.

Key matchup: Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett vs. the Eagles' man coverage. With the Eagles leaning on single-high man coverage, Lockett will have opportunities to win in the slot. Look for quarterback Russell Wilson to target Lockett on vertical shot plays and deep crossers to test the Eagles' cornerbacks. Read more.

Betting nugget: Under the current playoff format (since 1990), a 9-7 or worse team has hosted an 11-5 or better team eight times in the wild-card round. The home team went 6-2 in those games (6-1-1 ATS) despite being the underdog in six of those games. Philadelphia is also 5-0 outright as a playoff home underdog in the Super Bowl era, winning all but one game by at least 13 points. Read more.

Officiating nugget: Referee Shawn Smith's regular-season crew threw the league's most flags for unnecessary roughness (23), more than three times the lowest crew total (Walt Anderson/Alex Kemp, 7). Smith's crew also called the second-most roughing the passer fouls (12).

Henderson's pick: Seahawks 23, Eagles 21
McManus' pick: Seahawks 28, Eagles 26
FPI prediction: PHI, 60.3% (by an average of 3.4 points)

Matchup must-reads: Road warriors: Seahawks hoping away success continues in the postseason ... Two things Carson Wentz hasn't done? Beat Seattle, win a playoff game ... Will Jadeveon Clowney's postseason determine his Seahawks future?

LOS ANGELES -- In their first game back in Los Angeles against their old team, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart were welcomed by the Lakers with a highlight video Friday night.

The New Orleans Pelicans had played at Staples Center earlier this season against the LA Clippers, but this was the first time Lakers fans had a chance to see Ingram, Ball and Hart since the trio was traded for Anthony Davis in July.

Ingram and Ball received a warm round of applause from the Staples Center crowd when the Pelicans' starting lineup was introduced. However, the Lakers weren't as welcoming on the court, sending the Pelicans to a 123-113 loss.

Ball and Ingram led New Orleans with 23 and 22 points, respectively, while Hart contributed five points and four rebounds off the bench.

"Brought back some memories," Ingram told reporters during the Pelicans' morning shootaround of seeing purple and gold at Staples Center again. "That's the team that drafted me, made my dreams come true."

The Lakers selected Ingram second overall in 2016 and then took Ball with the second pick in the 2017 draft. Kyle Kuzma and Hart also were taken late in the first round in 2017 as then-Lakers president Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka looked to rebuild their foundation around young lottery talent like Ingram and Ball.

Pelinka, though, traded Ingram, Ball, Hart and three first-round picks to New Orleans for Davis. The Lakers faced the Pelicans in New Orleans and won there 114-110 on Nov. 27, when Davis had 41 points and nine rebounds in his return.

During the first break in action Friday, the Lakers played a video welcoming back their former first-round picks, and the crowd buzzed a couple of times when Ball guarded LeBron James one-on-one or when Kuzma and Ingram were matched up one-on-one.

LaVar Ball, Lonzo's father, also returned for the occasion, sitting in courtside seats next to Klutch Sports' Rich Paul.

HOUSTON -- Coach Brett Brown attempted to take a positive approach after the Philadelphia 76ers' 118-108 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

It was the 76ers' fourth consecutive loss, their longest losing streak since December 2017, but Brown said he liked the way his team competed by pulling within five points in the fourth quarter.

"I like the spirit of our group," Brown said.

It was a stark contrast to his comments after the Dec. 27 loss to the Orlando Magic that started the long road trip and losing streak. That day, Brown dismissed a comment about the Sixers' late rally, saying it was "hollow praise to go there."

Brown's praise Friday night rang hollow in the 76ers' locker room, where players acknowledged the frustration that was often evident by bad body language displayed on the floor during their loss to the Rockets.

"Losing four in a row sucks, and it doesn't feel like we're getting better," perennial All-Star center Joel Embiid said. "So it is frustrating. ... I care about winning. It's taking a toll on me. All I care about is winning. It sucks. We've got to find a way. I guess we've got to keep fighting."

The Sixers have sunk to sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 23-14 record after losing seven of their past 10 games. They haven't won since a convincing victory over the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day, matching the injury-ravaged Brooklyn Nets for the league's longest active losing streak.

"We've just got to stay locked in," said point guard Ben Simmons, who stuffed the box score with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals in the loss. "We can't be too distant from each other. We've got to be a team."

Brown acknowledged that Philadelphia recently has lacked a sense of urgency. He said he reminded his team after a practice this week that "you don't just click your heels" when the playoffs begin.

The Sixers started Friday's game with energetic, stifling defense, holding the high-powered Rockets to 20 points in the first quarter and leading by as many as 10 points during the frame.

Then Houston superstar James Harden heated up, scoring 14 of the Rockets' 40 points in the second quarter. The Rockets never relinquished the lead after going up on a Clint Capela dunk with 7 minutes, 43 seconds remaining in the second quarter, when Houston's big man beat Embiid down the floor after a made free throw. It was a play that illustrated the Sixers' inconsistent effort.

Harden ended up recording his first triple-double of the season with 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He delivered seven dimes to Capela, who outplayed Embiid, scoring a season-high 30 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.

Asked about the Sixers' poor body language, Brown blamed it on the offensive brilliance of Harden, the NBA scoring leader who was 13-of-24 from the floor, 6-of-12 from 3-point range and 12-of-12 on free throws.

"Probably they were discouraged," Brown said. "It's hard guarding James Harden. You can ask them about it."

The Sixers players, however, pointed to their disjointed offense. The Sixers have averaged only 104 points per 100 possessions during the losing streak, a figure that would rank in the bottom five of the league for the season.

The Sixers' poor spacing is of particular concern, especially for Embiid. Sources say that the Sixers will search the trade market for perimeter shooting threats with playmaking ability, a need that was apparent as Philadelphia went 6-of-27 from 3-point range Friday night.

"The way I'm being guarded, I'm being doubled every time I have the ball and everybody crowds the paint, so it's kind of hard to just move the ball and just keep it moving and find ways to score," said Embiid, who scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting.

Small forward Tobias Harris, who had 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting, said the Sixers' offense is too often stagnant.

"We have to figure out a balance of how to [combine] all of our talents together on the floor," Harris said. "I just think what helps that is if we continue to move more on the floor, continue to make plays for one another and do the little things for our teammate. That's something that we have to get better at, and that's something we have to fight through. We have a lot of talent, but at the same time, we've got to all figure out how to mesh our talents together and make it work for the better good."

Brown insisted that he wasn't concerned about the morale of the Sixers, who have fallen five spots in the East standings over the past three weeks.

"Because I think they're smart enough to know that we have talent in that room and that it's a good league," Brown said. "Losing in Houston is no disgrace. Good days will add up. I think the character will prevail."

The Sixers sounded like a desperate team as they prepared to head back to Philadelphia, where they will have two off days before facing an Oklahoma City team that has won eight of its past nine games.

"We're frustrated, but we know we've got to get better," Simmons said. "I think everybody, I believe everybody is on the same page with that. So we look forward to OKC. We've got to get that win."

TULSA, Okla. – After a five-year absence from the world’s biggest midget event, Virginia’s Ryan Ellis will make his return to the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals later this month.

Ellis, 30, will pilot the No. 17d Tranter Gaerte-powered Spike for car owner Michael Koontz as he makes his first appearance since 2015 at Tulsa Expo Raceway, as well as a rare racing appearance on dirt.

Kansasland Tire – Kansas’ headquarters for tires and wheels, automotive services and commercial and farm services – will serve as Ellis’ primary backer for his Chili Bowl effort, with additional support from Audio Video Specialists, Merry Maids, Superlite Cars and Crossfit 926.

“Being able to run in this event is very special to me and my family,” Ellis said. “My grandfather, Vic Ellis, raced dirt in the 1950s before ultimately losing his life while racing in a tragic accident. I obviously went a different route with my own racing, focusing on road courses and asphalt ovals, so this is a very different experience for me, but one that I look forward to tackling for the second time.”

The Ashburn, Va., native is the public relations representative for Go Fas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, as well as a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver in his own right. He’s also driven in the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and in road racing in his career.

Ellis’ most-recent Xfinity Series appearance was at Wisconsin’s Road America road course in August, where he finished 21st driving the No. 78 Toyota Supra for B.J. McLeod Motorsports.

But none of that, he said, translates over to the dirt side, where he’s been an infrequent dabbler through the years.

“I can promise you, what I’m doing here is definitely not normal,” Ellis joked. “The first time I went to the Chili Bowl, I really just wanted to try something different, and I’ve always been open to any type of racing. I grew up racing quarter midgets, and then transitioned to Legend cars and road racing, and then came back to NASCAR … so I feel like I’ve always at least halfway understood every type of racing. Anytime you drive something a bit different, it’s going to help you in every other aspect of the sport.

“Above all else, though, what I found is that the Chili Bowl was just really a fun event, to go to or to compete in. It doesn’t matter which way you go about it,” he added. “So I was looking for an excuse to get back on track and put a Tweet out asking for some help finding sponsorship, and it all came together. I’ve actually done that in the past couple of years; I just really didn’t have much luck putting stuff together. It came together pretty easily this year, though.”

Why pick now for a return to the Chili Bowl? Ellis noted it had to do with the thinner schedule of events where he gets behind the wheel nowadays, compared to what he’s worked with in years past.

“In the past, I didn’t really want to do it because I was afraid I’d get hurt or something. When I was doing the Cup stuff and driving more regularly, I was like, ‘it’s not worth it,’ but now I can do it and not worry about it much. Now, if I break my leg or something, it doesn’t really matter,” he said with a chuckle. “I can still Tweet with a broken leg.”

Ellis drove for Koontz the last time he was at the Chili Bowl, making this year’s pairing a reunion of sorts.

Luckily, however, there’s a lot less that Ellis has to learn this time compared to his initial run in 2015.

“Man, last time he had to teach me how to start the thing and everything. And that was what I was most nervous about,” Ellis admitted. “I had never even started one up and I had a list of things I had to write down just to remember how to get the thing to fire up.

“I remember being a little bit more comfortable than I thought I would be, but slower than I thought it’d be, if that makes any sense,” Ellis added. “I knew it’d be a very competitive event, but I was definitely out to lunch as far as really understanding how to drive one of those things. But I will say it was so cool to take in how efficient that event was. I had never seen any event put cars on track, shove them off, get them started and get them back off track and move on to the next thing as quickly as they did.”

Knowing that this Chili Bowl will only be his second or third start ever on dirt, Ellis is aiming for the fun factor, more so than results on paper when he gauges his goals for the week.

“I think it’ll be a learning experience, just like the first one,” Ellis said. “When I did the one in 2015, we didn’t have iRacing for the Chili Bowl yet. Now that we do, I’ve probably spent 10 hours in the last week running lap after lap after lap on that virtual Chili Bowl track, so I feel a hundred times more confident. Just knowing what I need to do has helped my confidence a lot.

“Now I can lean on these guys through the week and get tips from them,” he added. “I want to finish in the front half of my heat. I feel like that’s a lofty goal, and it might sound funny, but everybody else there does this every week … so if I can beat some regulars, I think that’d be pretty cool.”

SPEED SPORT’s Chili Bowl coverage is presented by MyRacePass, the official timing and scoring app of the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. Fans can download the MyRacePass app on their phones to follow all the action during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. For more information on MyRacePass, visit www.myracepass.com and use the hashtag #GetTheApp on Twitter!

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Usually race fans have to wait until February to see the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion take to high banks of Daytona Int’l Speedway.

Kyle Busch is providing a sweet treat to race fans this year as he joins Lexus for the 2020 Rolex 24 in the GTD class.

He’s in Daytona this weekend to turn laps in the No. 14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 alongside his co-drivers Jack Hawksworth, Parker Chase and Michael De Quesada.

It took a little persuading to get him behind the wheel of the sports car, but he didn’t want to lose the opportunity to try out the road course for the marquee event of the WeatherTech Championship season.

“I’ve been asked the last couple years by the folks at Toyota/Lexus to come out here and run their car, and I politely declined them the first couple times,” Busch told media Friday. “I felt like if I didn’t say yes eventually, then I would probably never be asked again.”

Busch has turned laps on the Daytona road course before – over a decade ago in a Daytona Prototype with Scott Speed in the summer sprint race in 2008. And he hopes this time he fares better.

“It was a thousand degrees inside the car, we had the NASCAR race that night, I remember just being flushed after that race was over, it was so hot,” he said. “We didn’t fare too well. I was slow. The car was slow. We were slow. So, I’m looking forward to being a bit faster this time around.”

He’s relying heavily on his teammate Hawksworth for advice as he gets used to the lighter weight and overall different feel of the Lexus compared to the Toyota Camry he pilots in NASCAR. Hawksworth traveled to the Charlotte area to spend a day on the simulator with Busch at TRD. Without Hawksworth’s guidance at the session, “I probably would have been completely lost,” said Busch.

After this first practice session, Busch admitted that he still has his “NASCAR driving techniques just embedded in (his) brain” and he has to shed them as he learns the differences in the car.

He also acquiesces that his biggest adjustment is to the braking.

“I’m used to our big heavy stock cars where you have to start the slowdown process early, the braking zone is forever, and then by the time you turn in you have to be off the brakes otherwise the inside wheels will lock up,” he said. “You also have to take care of our brakes on the Cup cars because they’re so heavy…you can really overheat them.

“Completely different techniques. On these cars, you can drive the snot out of them.”

The car Busch is driving was fast in the opening practice session. In fact, his co-driver Hawksworth put up the fastest time of the day for the GTD class. Busch’s speed was middle of the pack as he learned the car, with his fastest lap clocking in at 1:48.544 (118.066 mph).

But for all the differences, one thing remains the same. Busch wants to make his way to victory lane at the end of the race.

“I didn’t come here to completely have fun, of course I want to have fun,” he said. “But more importantly I want to be able to go out there and win for Lexus and for AIM Vasser Sullivan racing.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Olivier Pla placed the No. 77 Mazda Team Joest machine atop the time charts Friday during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

Pla posted a best lap of one minute, 35.794 seconds (133.780 mph) to lead a 1-2 sweep of top speeds for the team.

“Well, it was a good session and a nice way to rebound after we missed some time in the first practice,” said Pla, who joins Jarvis and Tristan Nunez as co-drivers of the No. 77 Mazda after sharing the team’s No. 55 entry in 2019. “We still have a long way to go and the team is working very hard to continue to improve the car, but obviously the Mazda RT-24P is working very well.

“This is a good first day of working with my new co-drivers, Olly and Tristan. We worked together a lot last year even though we were in different cars, but I am enjoying being in the No. 77.”

Last year, Jarvis ended the Roar weekend with an unofficial track record in the No. 77 machine, before officially breaking P.J. Jones’ 26-year-old track record three weeks later en route to the Motul Pole Award for the 57th Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Jarvis was .080 seconds quicker than teammate Jonathan Bomarito in the No. 55 Mazda. Bomarito’s best lap was a 1:35.874 (133.669 mph) in the car he is sharing with Harry Tincknell – who led the day’s first practice session – and former IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Simon Trummer led the way in the LMP2 class, posting a best lap of 1:38.315 (130.350 mph) in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07. Trummer’s co-drivers are Nick Boulle, Gabriel Aubry and Ben Keating.

Defending Rolex 24 GT Le Mans class winner Colton Herta was quickest in class aboard the No. 25 BMW Team RLL M8 GTE. His best lap in the car he is co-driving with Connor De Phillippi, Philipp Eng and Bruno Spengler was 1:44.239 (122.942 mph).

Whereas the fastest laps of the day in DPi, LMP2 and GTLM all came in the second session, the quickest lap in GT Daytona was achieved in the first session by Jack Hawksworth in the No. 14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Hawksworth, who is sharing the ride with Parker Chase, Michael De Quesada and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, posted a best lap of 1:47.031 (119.735 mph).

LOS ANGELES -- Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Friday for an illegal check to the head during the second period of Los Angeles' win over Philadelphia.

The league's player safety department ruled that MacDermid delivered a forceful check to the head of Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov on Tuesday when it was avoidable. This is MacDermid's first suspension. He will lose $7,258.06, with the money going to the league's players' emergency assistance fund.

MacDermid has two goals and two assists in 26 games this season.