ATLANTA – The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team has confirmed that reigning Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450 champion Cooper Webb will compete on Saturday inside Georgia’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Webb was involved in a violent crash last Saturday in Arlington, Texas, that saw him flip off his bike and land back and head first on a section of concrete flooring next to the race track.

The crash took Webb out of the remainder of the event and he was taken to a local hospital to be checked out. In a statement Monday evening, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team confirmed Webb had suffered a severe bone bruise on his left pelvis/hip and a hematoma on his sacrum/tailbone.

However, those injuries are not enough to keep Webb from lining up to compete this weekend in Atlanta, Ga.

“Cooper is extremely lucky to have only sustained minor injuries from his crash on Saturday and he will be taking it easy this week to allow the swelling to subside,” said Team Manager Ian Harrison. “As we all know, Cooper is a very tough and determined rider so we know that he will do everything in his power to line up this Saturday in Atlanta.”

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins suffered an injury in the second period of Monday night's game when Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair ran into him on a breakaway.

The injury occurred with 8:44 remaining in the period and the Senators leading 2-1.

Merzlikins remained on the ice for some time before getting to his feet as trainers rushed to his assistance. He eventually put on his mask and skated to the locker room on his own.

The team later announced that Merzlikins and center Riley Nash would not return due to injury.

Merzlikins has been playing well for the Blue Jackets this season. Even despite a seven-game winless skid (0-3-4) heading into the Ottawa game, he has a 12-9-8 record with a 2.37 GAA and .922 save percentage in 31 appearances.

He was replaced by Joonas Korpisalo.

Neil Wagner is almost certain to be back in New Zealand's bowling attack for the second Test against India, which begins in Christchurch on Saturday. Wagner missed the first Test in Wellington on paternity leave, but he will return to the squad on Wednesday, replacing Matt Henry.

The debut performance of Kyle Jamieson, who stood in for Wagner in Wellington and shone with both ball and bat, has left New Zealand in a bit of a dilemma over who to play and who to leave out in Christchurch, but coach Gary Stead indicated Wagner would feature.

"Yeah, that's always good selection dilemmas to have," Stead said on Tuesday. "Neil Wagner will come back and he's been a force in our team for a long time, and obviously Kyle Jamieson made the most of his debut, and the way he played, I thought, was outstanding as well, did a really good job for us."

Then Stead was asked if there was any thought to continuing with Jamieson and giving Wagner more time to spend with his wife and baby daughter.

"You always think about those things, but I think Neil Wagner, it was pretty hard missing one Test let alone two Tests, so no, he'll be back with us without a doubt."

Hagley Oval is a venue that has traditionally favoured seam bowlers, so there is a chance New Zealand might go in with both Wagner and Jamieson in a four-man pace attack alongside the new-ball pair of Trent Boult and Tim Southee.

"I think we always consider those things," Stead said. "We'll go down there, look at the wicket, we're still three or four days out at this stage, so don't want to make any assumptions before we get down there, but generally the wicket we play on at Hagley has a wee bit in it as well.

"We've seen in the past, guys like Colin de Grandhomme can be very very useful in those conditions as well - think back to his debut against Pakistan, then it was useful conditions for him - but whoever we go with, we know we need to put in a performance like we did in this game, because, as I said, India will get better."

Another factor that could make New Zealand think of four quicks was the limited role played by the left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel in Wellington, where he bowled only six overs across India's two innings. But Stead said Patel may have played a bigger role if the match - New Zealand wrapped up their 10-wicket win inside the first session of day four - had stretched on for longer.

"You look at it, and again, if the Test went the full distance, or even deep into the fourth day, you'd think that Ajaz would have taken a much bigger part than what he did, but it wasn't to be because our seam bowlers were so good in this Test match, and again, that's a really pleasing thing."

Former heavyweight world titlist Deontay Wilder told ESPN on Monday that he will "definitely" exercise his right to an immediate third fight with Tyson Fury.

Fury, the lineal champion who took Wilder's WBC belt, knocked Wilder down twice and stopped him when Wilder's co-trainer, Mark Breland, threw in the towel as Fury was pounding Wilder in a corner during the seventh round of their mega rematch on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

"We're definitely going to exercise it," said Wilder, who fought to a disputed draw with Fury 14 months ago. "We're looking forward to it. I'm a warrior and a true champion, and I fight like that every bit of the way. We're definitely going on with it. That's for sure. By the summer time."

Under terms of the deal for the rematch, both sides had the right to invoke an immediate third fight, regardless of the result.

Wilder suffered his first defeat in an utterly one-sided fight. He said he knew as soon as he got into the ring that there was a problem with his legs, which he believes was the result of his miscalculating the weight of the costume he wore into the ring.

"There were a lot of things that went wrong leading up to the fight, in the last minutes before the fight, but I accept full responsibility," Wilder said. "I paid a severe price because my legs were how they were because of my uniform. My uniform was way too heavy. It was 40-plus pounds. We had it on 10 or 15 minutes before we even walked out and then put the helmet on. That was extra weight, then the ring walk, then going up the stairs. It was like a real workout for my legs. When I took it off, I knew immediately that game has changed."

Wilder had an all-black costume, which also lit up, designed as a tribute for Black History Month.

"I really let the designers freelance with it. It was really their idea," Wilder said. "By the third round, I had no legs. I was completely done. My legs were gone. I had to step into survival mode very early. But you know me -- I'm going out on my shield. I'm a fighter. I'm a warrior. That's what I do."

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Fury's co-promoter, said he was surprised that Wilder would wear such heavy gear going to the ring, and he pointed out the potential effects of the outfit's full mask.

"Well, I don't know about the legs affecting his performance, but he had to be very, very negligent coming in with that head covering because that choked off his oxygen, and I'm sure that had an effect," Arum said. "Coach [Jon] Gruden [of the Las Vegas Raiders, who was at the fight] said that: 'What is he, crazy?' And it wasn't covering him for two seconds. That was a long [ring] walk."

England's Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) knocked Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) down with a right hand to the head in the third round and with a body shot in the fifth.

Wilder, who needed seven stitches to close a cut inside his left ear, said he thought the first knockdown was from an illegal punch behind the head and that Fury hit him illegally several times. Wilder said he was ticked off that Kenny Bayless, among the most experienced championship referees in boxing, did not adequately protect him, though he did dock one point from Fury in the fifth round.

"I don't understand certain things that Bayless was doing because he came in the back room [for the final instructions], and he looked me in my eyes, and he said that he would disqualify me or take two points from me if I threw rabbit punches or punched after the break," Wilder said. "But I guess that rule only applies to me because my opponent did it all night long. I got knots all on the back of my head down to my neck. [Fury] was elbowing. [Bayless] took a point, but it was too late. At that point, Fury didn't care about that point being taken. I don't know what was going on with Bayless. I'm at a loss for words. I thought he was there to protect us."

Wilder, however, made it a point to not detract from Fury's victory.

"I congratulate Fury on his accomplishment," Wilder said. "I'm very excited for him, and I am not bitter toward no one."

Wilder also said he was extremely upset that Breland, who won an Olympic gold medal and was a two-time professional world titlist before becoming a trainer, threw in the towel.

"For Mark to do it, I was very heartbroken," Wilder said. "If I say statements like I want to kill a man [in the ring], then I have to abide by those same principles in the ring of him doing the same thing to me. I'd rather die than go out with someone throwing the towel in.

"He knows these things. It's been premeditated. I've said this for many years. I told all my trainers, no matter how it may look on the outside, no matter how you may love me or have that emotional feeling, don't make an emotional decision, and do not ever throw that towel in because my pride is everything. I understand what it looks like, but when you have power like me, I am never out of a fight, no matter what the circumstances. I'm never out of a fight."

Wilder said that even though he was clearly losing the fight and had been knocked down twice, he still had his faculties in the seventh round.

"I still had my thoughts in my mind. I had to lean against the ropes to get support because of my legs. It really hurt me," Wilder said of Breland's decision to throw in the towel.

At the postfight news conference, Wilder's co-trainer Jay Deas said he did not agree with Breland's decision to end the fight.

"Mark threw the towel. I didn't think he should have," Deas said. "Deontay is the kind of the guy that goes out on his shield. He will tell you straight-up: Don't throw the towel in."

Whether Breland will be back in Wilder's corner for his next fight is unknown.

"We haven't decided yet. I'm about ready to go to Africa. Once I come home from Africa, we gonna get a group decision on what changes that should or need to be done as far as my camp is concerned," Wilder said. "No matter what the decision is, I love Mark. The whole team loves Mark dearly. He's been with me from the start. We haven't made any type of decision of what we are going to do.

"I'm in great spirits, man. Things happen, and you can always correct them and move forward. I'm an optimistic person. I can correct things, be optimistic and move forward."

Arum said that technically Wilder has 25 days -- not the widely reported 30 days -- from the night of the fight to formally exercise his right to another fight with Fury.

"Let's see how this all plays out, and just know that whatever decision the Wilder camp makes, Top Rank and Tyson Fury will respect it," Arum said. "There's no hurry. If they say yes, then we're off to the races. But again, I want to be clear about it, that the ball's in their court, and they don't have to decide this right away. They probably should check on his physical condition and so forth."

Even though the fight would have to take place by July 18, per the contractual agreement between Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions, Arum said it could be delayed until the fall.

"We may all decide to punt it to the fall, September or October," Arum said, adding that the third fight would be in the United States, per their agreement, with the new stadium being built in Las Vegas for the NFL's Raiders a possibility to host.

"We would certainly pick the right date, even if it wasn't in the window that we have in the contract," Arum said. "We would look for the best possible date in 2020. Even though we have the champion, we have a partner in PBC, and we would consult with them. We've been so collegial. I'm not going to upset the apple cart and shoot off my mouth. I want to hear what PBC has to say before I talk to you about dates and sites. We'll sit and talk and come to an understanding just like we did when we made [Saturday's] fight."

-- ESPN's Steve Kim contributed to this report.

Wisconsin Herd coach Chase Buford has been suspended two games without pay following his rant at officials after the Herd's 126-117 loss to the Grand Rapids Drive on Sunday.

The Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, had just blown a big fourth-quarter lead, and Buford was not happy with the officiating down the stretch.

"That was as unprofessional as an officiating performance ... I hope you tweet this out and tag the league, because that was embarrassing. [Referee] Matt Rafferty is a f---ing clown," Buford said. "That being said, we have to be so much better at the end of games. We can't blow a 21-point lead with 12 minutes to go.

"However bad and biased and unfair and illegal and cheating the referees are, we have to be better closing games. So that's the way I feel."

Buford, 31, apologized for the tirade later that evening, saying in a statement that "it was unprofessional and I'm embarrassed."

"It's a tough learning experience as a first-year head coach and I am truly sorry, and will grow from this," the statement read.

The G League said Buford had specifically been suspended for a "direct and extended public attack on the integrity and credibility of the game officials." He will begin serving that suspension on Tuesday when the Herd host the Delaware Blue Coats.

Like their NBA affiliate, the Herd are owners of the best record in their league, at 28-9 heading into Monday's games.

Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, who is nursing a sore left thumb, will miss Monday's home game against the New York Knicks.

Westbrook attended the memorial service for Kobe Bryant earlier in the day in Los Angeles, but he made it back to the arena in Houston about an hour before tip time. He was scratched from the lineup about 15 minutes before the game.

Eric Gordon started in place of Westbrook vs. the Knicks, who have lost three in a row. The Rockets, at 36-20, begin the night in the No. 4 playoff spot in the Western Conference. Gordon joined James Harden, Danuel House Jr., Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker in the starting lineup.

Westbrook is averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season (47 games).

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers rookie left-hander Brock Burke will miss the 2020 season because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

The Rangers said Monday that Burke, 23, is scheduled to have surgery Friday that will be performed by team physician Keith Meister. The recovery period is expected to be about a year.

Burke made his big league debut with the Rangers last August when he threw six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels. He went 0-2 with a 7.43 ERA in six starts after allowing at least six runs in each of his last three appearances.

Burke spent nearly two months on the injured list in the minor leagues early last season because of shoulder issues. General manager Jon Daniels said Burke has been through a series of treatments since the end of last season, including two injections

TAMPA, Fla. -- Gerrit Cole struck out two and walked one over a hitless inning in his spring training debut for the New York Yankees against Pittsburgh on Monday night.

Cole's first pitch to Adam Frazier was a 97 mph fastball. After Frazier popped out and Bryan Reynolds struck out, Cole Tucker drew a walk. The right-hander then fanned Josh Bell to finish up.

Cole signed a $324 million, nine-year contract as a free agent after going 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts last season for the AL champion Houston Astros. He has an overall career record of 94-52.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Jose Altuve insisted he tuned out the hecklers. He couldn't avoid a pitch that grazed him.

"He was hit in the foot. That ain't nothing, you know what I mean?'' Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday after an 11-1 win over the Detroit Tigers at half-empty Joker Marchant Stadium. "It wasn't intentional.''

Altuve was loudly booed when he was introduced for his spring training debut, cheered when he struck out and called a cheater by several fans. Quite a difference from past years, when the diminutive All-Star second baseman was among the most popular players in the majors.

But that was before Altuve and his Houston teammates were implicated in the sign-stealing scandal that has rocked baseball.

"We just heard a lot of noise, and that's it,'' Altuve said.

Altuve and fellow starters Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel all played for the first time in the exhibition season. After Houston opened the Grapefruit League in the stadium it shares with the World Series champion Washington Nationals, this was the first time the Astros were away from their complex -- providing a taste of the reaction they might receive on the road this year.

"We were focused on playing baseball. We know that we need to go on the field and get ready and prepared for the coming season,'' Altuve said. "That's what we're thinking about right now.''

Actually, the reception during the visit to Tigertown USA was fairly tame compared to what it figures to be during the regular season.

"What reaction?'' Correa said.

Early arrivals in the announced crowd of 4,891 were discouraged by ushers from gathering near the Astros dugout unless they had box seats along the third-base line.

Hecklers aired their voices after batting practice, booing during lineup introductions and each time Altuve, Bregman, Correa and Gurriel stepped to the plate. Altuve got some cheers, too, when he was charged with an error for dropping a throw by Bregman from third base on a force play.

The quartet was treated to one more round of boos when they left the game and made the long walk up the first-base line to the visiting clubhouse.

"There's frustration in the fan base and they have a right to voice their opinion. ... The Astros are going to have to wear it for a while, and eventually it'll move on. But fans are going to voice their opinions and they have a right to,'' Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Those guys understand it over there, and they're going about their business of getting ready for the season.''

Altuve took a called third strike to a round of cheers in his first at-bat, then lined a crowd-quieting RBI double into the left-field corner his next time up.

Altuve showed no signs of being upset when he was grazed with a pitch by Tigers reliever Nick Ramirez after the batter before him, Myles Straw, homered in the fifth inning. The 2017 AL MVP was replaced by a pinch runner.

Baker planned to play Altuve, Bregman, Correa and Gurriel no more than five innings in Houston's first true road exhibition since a Major League Baseball investigation found the Astros broke rules by illegally stealing signs during their championship season in 2017.

While most of the team made the three-hour trip from West Palm Beach by bus early Monday, Baker said the team's starting infield traveled the previous day and spent the night in Orlando. Established players rarely make such long road trips in spring training camp.

"That made it easier for them to show up here, and it makes it easier for me to say: 'Hey, man, do you want to come,'" Baker said before the game, adding he had not tried to prepare Altuve, Bregman, Correa and Gurriel about what to expect Monday.

"No, I don't tell 'em anything. There might not be any noise,'' Baker said. "Everybody keeps anticipating noise, and there might not be noise. It's hard to warn somebody that something's coming and it never comes because you'll be looking out for it instead of playing the game. If it comes, you deal with it. If not, you go ahead and live your life.''

Two other Astros were hit by pitches in the late innings, though Gardenhire stressed it wasn't on purpose.

Earlier, Detroit starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, who fanned Altuve in the first inning, said it wasn't difficult to block out the booing and heckling and remained focused on playing the game.

"It's spring training. Honestly, let's let it die. What's done is done. I know how everybody feels, but no one is going to change anything now,'' Boyd said. "The punishment's been handed out, the line's been drawn in the sand. Hopefully that shuts it down, and it's just best for everyone to move forward. They've got to live with it. That's more than enough punishment."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The two-car JDC-Miller MotorSports team took those words to heart at last month’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and made the most of the opportunity.

“This is the first time for me in six years of doing this that we’ve started the season with a whole new group of drivers, and we rolled out at the Roar [Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona on the first weekend of January] for the first time,” said team CEO and Managing Partner, John Church. “There was a lot of learning for us during the race – especially for me, learning what each of them needs to know or wants to know during the race. We all executed, did our jobs and had a pretty good result.”

Two pretty good results, actually.

The team’s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R co-driven by Joao Barbosa, Sebastien Bourdais and Loic Duval battled for the lead and wound up third. The No. 85 JDC-Miller Cadillac shared by Juan Piedrahita, Matheus Leist, Chris Miller and Tristan Vautier finished fifth.

“I think the goal of the team was to score a podium this year,” said Bourdais. “We scored in our Super Bowl, the first race out, so that’s checked.”

Perhaps even more importantly, the double top-five performance gives the team two valuable commodities in motorsports: confidence and momentum.

“I think when you can start the season with both cars in the top five, it’s a fantastic start,” Church said. “It gives you a little bit of momentum, makes everybody feel good about what they’re doing and gives us something to build on as the season goes on.”

The next stop on the WeatherTech Championship schedule is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts on March 21. The last time Barbosa and Bourdais raced together at that event back in 2015, they dominated in what was then a No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DP to win.

That fact wasn’t lost on them when they were testing the No. 5 Cadillac DPi last week at Sebring.

“We have great history together,” Barbosa said. “We won a race here in a big way, so we’re looking forward to coming back for the Sebring 12-hour race and have a great race. We started good at Daytona, so we’re looking forward to continuing that momentum.”

“Obviously, 2015 was a bit of a highlight,” Bourdais added. “It was a pretty amazing race when we managed to lap the field and come out on top. I’ve got a bunch of really, really good memories with a bunch of the guys that are revolving around that program. I’m looking forward to a great season and more races.”

Bourdais has nine more WeatherTech Championship races on his schedule. The four-time IndyCar champion is running the entire season alongside Barbosa in the No. 5 Cadillac for the first time in addition to selected IndyCar starts.

“It’s going to be different for me this year, for sure, doing the whole 10 races in IMSA,” he said. “So far, it feels like the same, except I’ve got more responsibilities because I’m one of the two drivers that are going to be relied on. It’s strange because I’m still doing some IndyCar testing, I’m still doing some IMSA testing, and I always do Daytona and Sebring.

“So, I guess it’s going to start to kind of hit me a little bit when we get to Long Beach, but even then, I’ll still be racing IndyCar, so I don’t know when it actually is going to sink in that I’m going to do this full time this year. But it’s a great feeling, and it’s a really cool program.”

In addition to driving the full WeatherTech Championship schedule, Bourdais is scheduled to drive the No. 14 Chevrolet IndyCar for A.J. Foyt Racing in St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, Long Beach and Portland.

“He’ll be really busy,” Barbosa said. “But he’s a great driver. He has a lot of experience, and it’s really good to have his experience and help the team develop the car as well.”

In addition to helping the development of the No. 5 Cadillac, Bourdais is also helping his new teammate, Leist – who also is transitioning from IndyCars to sports cars – to get acclimated to the DPi.

“The first time I was at Daytona testing the car at the Roar, I did my first six laps, and I got out of the car and I was like, ‘Man, this thing is hard,’” Leist recalled. “I jumped out of the car, and I saw Sebastien and I went and talked to him. I was like, ‘Hey Sebastien, what do you think about the car?’

“He was like, ‘Man, this thing is so hard to drive. It turns in so quick.’ I had exactly the same feeling because, in IndyCar, we don’t have power steering. So, I feel like the same issues that I have with the car, he has the same. So, it was the same thing when we got to Sebring. We went out and the first outing that I did, I was like, ‘Man, this car is hard.’

“But then you start to get used to it, and it’s actually a pretty nice and fun car to drive. It’s nice to have him in the team. Of course, we shared the track in IndyCar, and now we’re sharing the track here in IMSA and we are having fun together.”

They’ll continue to have fun together – at least for the four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races. Church noted that while the No. 5 team is set for full-time duty, the No. 85 is only committed for the four endurance events with an eye toward expanding the program if possible as the season continues.

That’s another reason why the top-five at Daytona was so important.

“Yeah, having a top-five at Daytona is a great start to the season and momentum-booster,” Church said. “Once you get another result or two or whatnot, then that makes the whole program go a little further.”