SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Though the Ohio State-Clemson College Football Playoff semifinal at the Playstation Fiesta Bowl looked like it might be a blowout early, the two teams ended up providing the epic showdown many expected going into Saturday. Here is a quick look at the key plays that shaped Clemson's wild 29-23 win.

J.K. Dobbins' wild first half
Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins owned the early part of the game, and it appeared as if he would run unchecked. Dobbins had 141 yards rushing in the first quarter, the most in a single quarter in a playoff semifinal or final. His 68-yard touchdown run was a thing of beauty, racing right up the middle and turning on the super speed for the score. Dobbins broke Eddie George's school record for most rushing yards in a season. George rushed for 1,927 yards in 1995.

Missed opportunities
Ohio State jumped out to a 16-0 lead, but it could have been much larger if not for several missed red zone opportunities. The Buckeyes completely dominated Clemson in the first quarter and a half, outcoaching and outplaying the Tigers. But the Clemson defense came up big on three drives inside the 20, holding Ohio State to field goals all three times. On two of those drives, Ohio State got inside the 10 but failed to score touchdowns.

Turning point No. 1 -- the targeting call
Clemson had nothing going offensively, but that all changed after a controversial targeting call against Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade. On third-and-5 at the Ohio State 45, Wade lowered his head and led with the crown of his helmet to sack Trevor Lawrence. The targeting call was made upon review by the replay booth, and Wade was ejected. Clemson running back Travis Etienne ended up scoring on an 8-yard run to get Clemson back in the game.

Was that Lamar Jackson or Trevor Lawrence?
The play that really galvanized Clemson was what happened on its next possession. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has spoken at length about Lawrence's ability to make game-changing plays with his legs. We all saw why when Lawrence tucked the ball and got through the defense, outrunning everyone for a 67-yard touchdown. Believe it or not, that was longer than any quarterback run in a playoff semifinal or final. Longer than any run Deshaun Watson had at Clemson. Longer than Lawrence's best rushing performance in an entire game.

Etienne has the moves
Ohio State gave Clemson an opportunity to take the lead after a roughing the kicker call in the third quarter at the Clemson 15. Etienne took a short pass from Lawrence and ran 53 yards for the score. At this point, Clemson had outscored Ohio State 21-0 since the targeting penalty.

Ohio State fumble return for a touchdown -- until it's not
Lawrence threw a third-down pass to Justyn Ross with 4:53 to go in the third quarter. Cornerback Jeff Okudah stripped the ball, and Jordan Fuller picked it up and returned it for an apparent touchdown to give the Buckeyes the lead. But replay review overturned the fumble call on the field, ruling the pass incomplete.

Fourth-down gamble pays off
Trailing 21-16 early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State coach Ryan Day faced a crucial decision: Go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Clemson 23 or kick a field goal to inch closer? Day decided to go for it, and he made a call for the ages. Justin Fields lofted a beautiful pass for receiver Chris Olave, wide open in the end zone on a clear mismatch against Clemson safety Nolan Turner. Olave easily brought in the ball for the go-ahead 23-yard touchdown.

Etienne strikes again
Just when it appeared Ohio State would shut the door on Clemson, Lawrence and Etienne decided they would have something to say about that. With 2:55 left in the game, Lawrence coolly delivered one completion after another, driving the Tigers down to the Ohio State 34 (thanks in large part to a great run after catch by Amari Rodgers on the previous play). That is when Lawrence once again found Etienne with a short pass. Etienne outraced the Ohio State defense for the 34-yard score with 1:49 remaining.

One final Ohio State mistake
The Buckeyes were clearly not deterred when they got the ball back, marching straight down to the Clemson 23 with 43 seconds left. On second-and-7, Fields dropped back to pass and threw into the end zone in what appeared to be a miscommunication with receiver Chris Olave, who cut back to the opposite side Fields threw the ball to. Clemson's Turner was waiting alone in the end zone for the interception to seal the game.

BOSTON -- Three days ago, the Toronto Raptors were soundly beaten at home on Christmas Day by the Boston Celtics.

Saturday night, however, the Raptors turned the tables, and beat the Celtics 113-97 here at TD Garden, in a game Toronto led wire-to-wire. So, what changed?

"We've got pros," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry told ESPN. "We've got guys who don't care what people say. We've got guys that kind of just don't give a f--- and just go out there and work.

"Like tonight, Oshae Brissett, no one knows who the hell he is and he comes in and steps up. Chris [Boucher] has been playing great. Freddy [VanVleet] had a rough start but finished strong.

"We have guys that just don't care. We are going to go play. No matter what, where, how, we're going to go play."

The Raptors have had no choice but to adapt that mentality, as they have been dealing with one injury after another all season long. Toronto is currently without emerging star Pascal Siakam, starting center Marc Gasol and key reserve Norman Powell -- three of the team's top seven players -- due to injuries that have them all out indefinitely.

The top eight players in Toronto's rotation -- those three, plus Lowry, VanVleet, McCaw, Serge Ibaka and OG Anunoby -- have all missed at least one game, and all but Anunoby have missed at least five.

In total, the Raptors entered Saturday having lost 103 games to injury this season -- tied for fourth-most in the NBA. The three teams above them -- the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers -- all have losing records. The Raptors, on the other hand, sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Celtics in third and two behind the Miami Heat in second.

"We have a lot of talent," said VanVleet. "We have a lot of unselfish guys with a lot of talent that play hard and play together and we have great coaching to put us in good positions ... if you go out there and play as hard as you can, you have a chance on any given night."

For the most part, Toronto has done that. It has allowed the Raptors to survive the injuries, and also has led them to have several memorable comebacks -- most notably Sunday's recovery from a 30-point deficit late in the third quarter to win at home against the Dallas Mavericks. On this night, though, it actually was the opposite, as the Celtics repeatedly cut their game-long deficit to three or four points -- only for the Raptors to respond with a run to push their lead back out to double-digits again every single time.

They were able to do so thanks to contributions from across the board, and from unlikely contributors -- including McCaw having his best game as a pro, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 43 minutes, while rookie Brissett had four points and six rebounds in 15 minutes.

"They just came out the gate and we weren't ready," said Marcus Smart, who had seven points in 23 minutes off the bench in his return from an 8-game absence because of a double eye infection. "We were playing catch-up the whole game, and when you're playing catch-up like that against a really good team, it's tough.

"They made every right play out there and you've got to give credit to Toronto. We came into their house on Christmas Day, a big game and won, and we knew coming into this game they weren't going to take that lightly. We just weren't prepared."

The Raptors were able to break the game back open multiple times in the second half by repeatedly attacking Enes Kanter in the pick-and-roll. Kanter -- one of the league's premiere offensive rebounders but who struggles against good pick-and-roll operators -- kept dropping into the paint, and both Lowry (who finished with 30 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 5-for-10 from 3-point range) and VanVleet (who had 18 points and went 4-for-9 from deep) took advantage. Celtics rookie Grant Williams had a rough night defensively, as well.

"We were just going at the matchups and kind of going with what was working," Lowry said with a smile.

"They were great in the pick-and-roll all night," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "They destroyed us ... we have to be much better defending that."

That won't be of concern to the Raptors, though, who simply are trying to survive until they can get Siakam, Powell and Gasol back and judge what, exactly, their team looks like before the NBA's trade deadline in early February.

In the meantime, though, the Raptors will just keep on trying to grind out victories -- and will wait to see where they sit in the bigger picture in the competitive Eastern Conference until they can get healthy.

"We don't know," Lowry told ESPN, when asked how good the Raptors can be. "We'll figure it out I think as the year goes on. It's too early to even kind of ... I think we learned last year to stay in that even-keeled and whatever happens, happens, and we'll figure it out.

"I think April, May and June, that's when we really want to be our best team."

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – POWRi officials have announced the creation of the POWRi Quarter Midget Racing League.

“We are very excited to grow our organization in a unique way,” said POWRi League owner Kenny Brown. “The direction we are heading with the quarter midget community is to allow them to run as a member-controlled organization, but with the support of POWRi Racing behind them. Our number one goal is to allow these young drivers to enjoy the sport of racing, time with their families and make memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.”

The POWRi Quarter Midget League is the latest tour to join POWRi’s growing list of series. POWRi sanctions multiple midget racing and sprint car racing leagues.

POWRi has reached agreements with American, Baylands, Capitol, Good Times, I-70, Orange Show and Tri Valley to take part in the POWRi Quarter Midget League.

Lunch New Zealand 148 and 3 for 38 need 450 more runs to beat Australia 467 and 5 for 168 dec

James Pattinson left New Zealand in tatters and heading for a crushing four-day defeat at the MCG after bursting through the top order including the key duo of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor for a combined tally of two runs between them.

After being set 488, New Zealand plummeted to lunch on 3 for 38 with the chance of taking the match into the fifth a distant prospect.

Pattinson, who returned to the side as Josh Hazlewood's replacement, struck with his fourth delivery when he drew Tom Latham into driving at a wide delivery, the edge well taken by Tim Paine diving to his left. It broke an opening stand that had shown small signs of promise, but even bigger prize followed a few moments later after a switch of ends following the successful first over.

Williamson, who played a poor shot in the first innings to fall for 9, was given lbw when a delivery nipped back to catch him on the crease. The captain called for the DRS, as he had to do, and the replays showed it was clipped leg stump by, dare it be said, the barest of margins. It was the type of decision that can often go against the side under the pump.

While there may have been an element of bad fortune in Williamson's dismissal, Taylor's downfall was self-inflicted as he dragged on an under edge as he attempted to cut Pattinson to give the quick his third wicket in nine deliveries

Australia could have had their first opening in the opening over when Mitchell Starc swung one back into Tom Blundell which would have taken leg stump and been overturned on DRS had Paine reviewed. A freshly-shaven Blundell made a punchy start to his innings, launching a pull over wide mid-on against Pat Cummins, and working Starc off his pads when he strayed a touch too straight

Australia batted on for 10 overs without every really getting out of second gear, the declaration coming when Travis Head was bowled round his legs by Neil Wagner for his seventh wicket of the match. That was all a prelude to the contest really starting again and it remained one-way traffic.

Marlo Jones, the youngest son of Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones and his wife, Jazmyn, died Friday.

Marlo was six months old.

"It is hard to believe that our little angel, our fighter from day one, our son 'Marlito' has unfortunately passed away and is no longer here with us," Marvin Jones wrote in an Instagram post. "Marlo, the joy that you brought to us everyday, with that smile, and that energy was like heaven on Earth.

"You will always be in our hearts. We will always remember you."

View this post on Instagram

Yesterday the Lord called home a piece of my family's heart, Marlo. It is hard to believe that our little angel, our fighter from day one, our son "Marlito" has unfortunately passed away and is no longer here with us. Marlo, the joy that you brought to us everyday, with that smile, and that energy was like heaven on earth. You will always be in our hearts. We will always remember you. We did not get the chance to hear your first words (It would've been in Spanish too) ☺️. We didn't get to see you run with your brothers and sister, you ran with them with your eyes everyday. We know that everything that We do from here on out will be with you. Every step we take, you will be with us. Whenever we have a bad day, We will think of your smile. We miss you already buddy and will forever love you. Rest peacefully our sweet baby boy. You have gained your wings ????

A post shared by Marvin Jones Jr (@marvinjonesjr) on Dec 28, 2019 at 3:41pm PST

Marlo is the youngest of five Jones children. Jones spends a ton of time with his children, often posting videos of them on social media and helps coach his oldest son in football during the offseason.

The Jones family split their time between San Diego and Detroit.

"Marvin and Jazmyn embody the true meaning of family, and the example they set has made them an inspiration to so many in our community," the Lions said in a statement released Saturday. "We thank everyone for the outpouring of support."

Through the Lions, the Jones family has asked for privacy as they grieve. Jones, on injured reserve, will not play in the season finale Sunday against Green Bay.

Many former and current Lions players and their wives reached out with support on Instagram as well.

"We did not get the chance to hear your first words (it would've been in Spanish too)," Jones wrote. "We didn't get to see you run with your brothers and sister, you ran with them with your eyes everyday. We know that everything that we do from here on out will be with you.

"Every step we take, you will be with us. Whenever we have a bad day, we will think of your smile. We miss you already buddy and will forever love you."

ATLANTA -- THE PARTY started weeks ago. In Louisiana, this was all a foregone conclusion. A national championship game is to be played, in New Orleans of all places, and so of course LSU would be there. This was destiny.

The Tigers players knew it, too. They spent the past two weeks watching film of an undersized, undermanned, overmatched Oklahoma, and they knew how this would end.

"It's conversations we had all week," tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire said. "We knew we'd put up 40 or 50."

Turns out, that was just the start.

By the third quarter Saturday, a sizable portion of the party had already spilled out onto the streets of Atlanta. There was no drama to be found inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Joe Burrow and LSU's electric offense utterly embarrassed Oklahoma during a first-half onslaught, and rounded out a 63-28 win in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. It all came so easily.

What remained of the LSU crowd at the end, a few thousand revelers in masks and makeup, stood and chanted, a call and response. Joe. Burrow. Joe. Burrow.

A sheet, spray painted in purple and gold, hung in the far end zone, a rudimentary drawing of the state of Louisiana, captioned: "N'awlins, we're coming."

A Louisiana party is always a movable feast, and for the second time in a month, scores of LSU faithful invaded Atlanta, overwhelming the streets and hotels and bars and restaurants with chants of "Geaux Tigers." But this was a warm-up act for the great homecoming.

On Saturday, that date with destiny was officially accepted in as emphatic a statement as any team has delivered this season, and now, the Tigers are headed home for one final showstopper.

"The state of Louisiana is going to be on fire," said head coach Ed Orgeron, a Louisiana native whose raspy Creole-tinged voice has become the soundtrack to a dream season.

Funny thing is, a year ago, this was little more than a collection of misfits. Burrow, the cast-off from Ohio State. Orgeron, the coach no one else wanted. LSU, the seemingly typecast second-fiddle to big, bad Alabama.

And now here they are, poised for a national title, headed back to New Orleans.

A FEW DAYS before he accepted the Heisman Trophy, Burrow was contemplating this strange journey from Ohio to the bayou, from cast-off QB to the best player in the country.

Could he have ever seen this coming?

"I really did," Burrow said. "I knew the work I put in. I knew the kind of team we could be."

Even in a place like Louisiana, where swagger is a birthright, Burrow brings a little something more. It's part chip-on-the-shoulder, part confidence that comes with immense talent, but also it's partly an ability to see the dream so clearly that he can simply will it into being.

Burrow's teammates at LSU have gotten used to that. They're sold now, too. There's nothing their QB can't do, so why doubt even the boldest prognostications?

Friday night, Burrow found lineman Saahdiq Charles in the team hotel and offered a prediction for the game.

"I've got seven for you," Burrow said.

Charles grinned. Seven TDs in a game sounded about right.

"I didn't know he meant seven in the first half," Charles said.

But that's what Burrow delivered Saturday in an absolute dismantling of Oklahoma's defense. Burrow threw touchdown passes on seven of LSU's first nine drives, finishing the first half with more than 400 yards passing, etching his name into postseason history.

Afterward, Burrow shrugged off the performance. It wasn't his best, he said. Some decent throws, some great plays from his receivers. There's more in the tank. That's terrifying.

"We go into every game thinking nobody can stop us," Burrow said. "We think we need to score on every drive. That's just the way we think."

LSU'S OFFENSE has created problems for Dave Aranda, too. He calls it a type of psychological experiment, a battle of wills with the uproarious offensive attack and his desire to stay angry.

"The offense comes out and is excited because they just scored again," Aranda said, "and we're like, 'No, don't smile. Be pissed off.'"

The Tigers played angry through much of Saturday's game, even if Aranda isn't satisfied. Aside from a big-play to CeeDee Lamb that set up an early TD for Oklahoma, the once-dominant Sooners' offense looked utterly perplexed. LSU was up 35-7 before Oklahoma crossed the 100-yard mark for the game, and Jalen Hurts, playing in his fifth College Football Playoff game, was overwhelmed. He completed just two of his first 11 passes and tossed an interception that led to another LSU touchdown.

Aranda said he was surprised by Oklahoma's lack of offensive identity early. The Sooners threw a handful of gadgets at the LSU defense, but the Tigers were prepared. By the time Oklahoma found any sense of rhythm, there was no hope for a comeback.

And all of that should've been yet another check mark in defense of this unit, a group that spent too much of this season shouldering the criticism that used to go to the offense. Not for Aranda, though. LSU allowed 28. Back to work.

"You look at the scoreboard," he said, "and I have to do better."

LSU RECEIVER Ja'Marr Chase stooped in front of his locker, pulled off his jersey and held it up, marveling.

Sure, he knew LSU would win this game, knew his offense was electric. It was only now though that the magnitude of it all began to sink in.

"This one's going on the wall," he said.

Chase, the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver, finished his day with just two catches and 61 yards. That's what was so crazy, he said. Shut down the nation's best receiver and LSU will still hang 63 points on you.

Truth be told, Chase said, he was thinking 45. Seemed like a good number. It'd be an impressive performance against the No. 4 team in the country. Instead, LSU had 49 at the half.

That number stopped Chase in his tracks.

"Really?" he said. "We had 49 points in the half? I didn't even look at the score until the third quarter."

Why bother watching the scoreboard? LSU knew the outcome when it got off the bus. Chase said the receivers joked before the game, looking at Oklahoma's corners and remarking on the diminutive stature of the group.

"It was just a bigger and better scenario," WR Justin Jefferson said.

Watch Burrow scramble to the sideline midway through the first quarter, heave a pass down the sideline into traffic, and see Terrace Marshall Jr. come down with it for a huge gain, then ask how any DB is supposed to stop that. Or see Marshall, just a handful of plays later, secure a touchdown grab while falling backward with a defender draped across him. Oklahoma had no chance.

"I don't see how a defense can stop us," Jefferson said. "It's just a blessing to be in this situation."

Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III has a sprained left foot and will be out "the next few games," the team announced on social media Saturday.

Bagley's sprain is in the middle of his foot, the team said. He left Thursday's overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the injury.

Bagley missed time earlier this season because of a broken thumb.

In his second season, Bagley is averaging 13.7 points in nine games. Last year, the former No. 2 overall pick averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 62 games.

PORTLAND -- LeBron James started Saturday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

James, who aggravated a right groin contusion in the Los Angeles Lakers' Christmas Day loss to the LA Clippers, was listed as questionable coming into the game.

The 17-year veteran reported feeling improvement with the injury at the team's shootaround Saturday morning.

"It's a pretty good couple days after the Christmas Day game," James said.

L.A. plays the second leg of a back-to-back Sunday at home against the Dallas Mavericks. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James' availability Saturday would be an independent decision from Sunday's game.

"When you have a back-to-back, you just treat it like this is the only game you're playing and then figure out tomorrow tomorrow," Vogel said.

L.A. comes into the game riding a season-long four-game losing streak.

Anthony Davis all but guaranteed that will end at Saturday's shootaround.

"You want that competitive spirit back, and I think we've found that," Davis said. "So I'm pretty sure we'll come out victorious in this game because of the way film session went yesterday and practice. It was a good one."

Vogel was asked to detail the film session during his pregame remarks Saturday.

"I started the film session telling them I'm angry and edgy, so just forgive me, but that's just how I am," he said. "That's how I was feeling yesterday. I think that's how everyone is feeling, following up with our guys. That was just sort of the pulse of the group. We're not happy losing that Christmas Day game, and we're certainly not happy losing four in a row.

"We've got a lot of habits to kind of tighten the screw on all at once. And just because we're a little edgy and angry doesn't necessarily mean it's going to translate to a win. We've got to go out and perform and execute and make shots. Hopefully we do that."

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – It was déjà vu on Saturday during national midget qualifying for the Rumble in Fort Wayne finale, as Tony Stewart topped time trials again inside the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

Stewart ripped off a lap of 7.606 seconds (78.885 mph) with his No. 2 Our Gang Poker VW-powered Munchkin to do the job, the fastest qualifying time in 12 years on the sixth-mile concrete oval.

It was Stewart’s third fast time at the Rumble in his last four tries and the 14th of his career, extending his own record in that category.

Past Rumble winners Nick Hamilton, Derek Bischak and Kyle Hamilton trailed Stewart on the time sheets, qualifying second, third and fourth, respectively.

The Hamilton brothers meant that two of Mel and Don Kenyon’s three cars landed in the top five, one of the best qualifying performances in the legendary team’s Rumble tenure.

Joe Liguori, the driver with the most Rumble feature starts who has yet to make the main event, completed the top five.

Liguori was followed by teammate Cap Henry, Matt Westfall, Bryan Nuckles, the third Kenyon-owned entry of Trey Osborne and three-time Rumble feature winner Justin Peck, who completed the top 10.

Friday non-winged 600 micro winner Larry Joe Sroufe topped that division’s time trials, posting a best lap of 8.139 seconds in his neon orange No. 21.

Sroufe’s teammate Blane Culp was second quick, followed by Dillon Nusbaum, Jason Ormsby and Justin Harper.

Meanwhile, Henry posted the top time in winged 600 micro qualifying, rolling around the sixth-mile of concrete in 8.135 seconds to lead Nate Franklin, Bill Dunham, Drew Dorsett and Rod Henning.

Opening ceremonies for the Rumble in Fort Wayne finale are set for 7 p.m.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho lamented his side's defensive miscues after a 2-2 draw on Saturday at Norwich.

Harry Kane struck a late penalty to salvage a draw against Norwich, who were controversially denied a goal by a VAR review, in an entertaining Premier League clash on Saturday.

Kane was brought down in the area and stepped up to secure a point in his 200th Premier League match after Serge Aurier's own goal had given battling Norwich the lead for the second time.

A first-half strike by the home side's Mario Vrancic was cancelled out by Christian Eriksen's free kick after the break.

"I think we made the same mistakes in the second half as we made in the first half," Mourinho told Sky Sports after the match. "This has been a little bit our story."

Vrancic's goal came after Spurs defender Juan Foyth was dispossessed by Emiliano Buendia.

"We started very, very well. I think we had three or four big chances in the beginning of the first half, but we conceded two very bad goals -- the first one and the one that was offside.

"Then, in the second half, we were very, very good with the ball. We created, we dominated, but again the goal is a very bad one. You cannot concede as many goals as we do. But our defensive mistakes are match after match.

"I have lots of work to do but it's difficult. I always say we have to try to hide our fragilities. That is an important thing in football. If you have fragilities, you have to try to hide them."

Spurs were lucky enough to not go down 2-0 after Pukki's goal was harshly ruled out for a wafer-thin offside decision following a VAR review that left the home fans singing, "It's not football anymore."

Mourinho did praise his side for scraping out a point against a side who finds itself at the bottom of the table.

"A normal team with a normal soul would lose the game but the boys kept playing," Mourinho said in his post-match news conference. "We scored the second goal, we could have scored a third. We created chances from minute one to minute 90."

Reuters contributed to this report.