The UFC has a new undisputed champion. And maybe a new superstar on its hands, too.

Israel Adesanya knocked out Robert Whittaker with a right hook-left hook combination at 3:33 of the second round Saturday in the main event of UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia before 57,127. Adesanya unified the middleweight title with the stoppage victory. He came in as the interim champion, and Whittaker was the lineal champion.

The knockout was reminiscent of Anderson Silva, the legendary former UFC middleweight champion and Adesanya's idol. Whittaker blitzed in with punches, Adesanya evaded and then landed two quick hooks in rapid succession. Whittaker crashed to the ground, and Adesanya followed with punches on the ground to make it academic.

"He caught me with a nice one, but I returned," Adesanya said. "I eat it, but give it back two times. That's a two-piece right there. I can take it and give it back. He's right, I hate to get hit. It's stupid to get hit. I'm tough and smart. At the end of the day, my team and I were smart."

Adesanya dropped Whittaker right at the first-round bell. The crowd erupted at the sequence, and no one could hear the bell that ended the round. But referee Marc Goddard was on top of the action and stopped it before Adesanya could follow up.

Whittaker had moments blitzing in with punches against the taller, longer Adesanya in the first round and a bit in the second round, as well. But by the end of the first, Adesanya seemingly had Whittaker figured out and looked loose on the feet.

"He threw everything we expected," Adesanya said. "We had everything planned for plan A to Z. it's unreal. They said I have no knockout power."

The bout was one of the biggest in UFC middleweight history and took place at Marvel Stadium in front of more than 57,000, a UFC attendance record. It was billed as an inter-country Oceania rivalry. Whittaker was born in New Zealand but has spent most of his life in Australia. Adesanya is Nigerian-born but has lived in New Zealand since he was 13 years old.

Whittaker and Adesanya came in ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, among middleweights in ESPN's MMA rankings. Whittaker was tied for No. 8 on ESPN's pound-for-pound list.

The last time the UFC was at Marvel Stadium, it was UFC 193 in 2015, when Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey. Adesanya sat far away as a fan during that card, and now he has won a UFC title in the same setting.

"I was in the nosebleeds, and now I made his nose bleed," Adesanya said.

Adesanya (18-0) has won all seven of his fights in the UFC and is considered one of the hottest up-and-coming MMA athletes in the world because of his charisma and ability to promote fights. The "Last Style Bender" was coming off a Fight of the Year-candidate victory over Kelvin Gastelum for the interim title at UFC 236 in April.

Adesanya, 30, is behind only Khabib Nurmagomedov for most victories for a fighter with an undefeated record. Of Adesanya's 18 career victories, 14 have come by knockout or TKO.

Whittaker (20-5) had won nine straight coming in and had not lost since 2014, when he was a welterweight. "The Reaper" was coming off back-to-back victories over Yoel Romero in 2017 and 2018.

Whittaker, 28, had not fought since June 2018 and oddly didn't have a single title defense until Saturday because of injuries, illnesses and Romero's weight miss. He held the middleweight title since late 2017.

Before leaving the Octagon, Adesanya and Paulo Costa, his likely next contender, had an exchange of words and profane gestures. In the post-fight interview, Adesanya referred to Costa as an "overly inflated balloon animal."

"You know who's next," Adesanya said. "I have a heavy, Ricky Martin wannabe next. 'Borrachinha.' This is my Octagon. I'm going to smash him. I want to rearrange his face."

Week 6 of the college football season provided a challenge.

Each week during the season, our college football writers are picking the four teams they think belong in the College Football Playoff right now.

But this week, both No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson were off. How would the Crimson Tide and Tigers do in this week's voting?

The other top teams had impressive victories.

No. 3 Georgia rolled past Tennessee 43-14, as quarterback Jake Fromm threw two touchdown passes and the Bulldogs' defense blanked the Volunteers in the second half.

No. 4 Ohio State overcame a slow start to beat No. 25 Michigan State 34-10. Justin Fields threw two touchdown passes for the Buckeyes and ran for another, and J.K. Dobbins rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown.

No. 5 LSU took care of Utah State 42-6, as Joe Burrow threw for five touchdowns and became the first LSU quarterback to eclipse 300 yards passing in four consecutive games.

No. 6 Oklahoma pulled away from Kansas in the second and third quarters to beat the Jayhawks 45-20. Jalen Hurts threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns for the Sooners and ran for two more, while Rhamondre Stevenson added 109 yards rushing and a score on only five carries.

Here's how our writers see the playoff field after Week 6. (Note: These are not their projections for how the season will end.)

Andrea Adelson: 1. Alabama; 2. Clemson; 3. LSU; 4. Ohio State
Edward Aschoff: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Alabama; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Ohio State; 4. Clemson
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Clemson
Heather Dinich: 1 Alabama; 2. LSU; 3. Georgia; 4. Ohio State
David M. Hale: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Georgia
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. Ohio State; 2. LSU; 3. Alabama; 4. Georgia
Chris Low: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. LSU; 4. Georgia
Ivan Maisel: 1. Ohio State; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Clemson; 4. Georgia
Ryan McGee: 1. LSU; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Clemson
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Ohio State; 2. LSU; 3. Alabama; 4. Georgia
Alex Scarborough: 1. Clemson; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Alabama 4. Ohio State
Mark Schlabach: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. LSU
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Clemson; 4. Oklahoma

Take a step back, soak in all that Week 6 had to offer, commit it to memory. It's important to truly absorb every detail, every flubbed SMU kick return and every grooving Kansas cymbal player and every horrifying ECU mascot trick during a blackout.

Remember all of this, all the indignities of Week 6, because three months from now, when the collective groans about yet another Clemson-Alabama playoff matchup becomes the coolest of hot takes, we can point back to this moment and say, no, this is what college football looks like without its two best teams.

This marked the first time since 2015 that the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams were off in the same week, and they clearly were missed. College football without Clemson and Bama is like a boy band without dancing. OK, we've seen the commercial too many times. But compared to what we were left with on the field, the commercial almost felt like a nice change of pace.

We had SMU, flubbing its way to a 21-point deficit, then partying like it's the mid-'80s again, showing Pitt and Miami how to properly finish off a ridiculous second-half comeback.

We had Florida and Auburn, with Bo Nix finally looking like a freshman. It was a stunning 24-13 win for the Gators, who move to 6-0 and, despite playing without their starting quarterback, now appear squarely in the conversation for the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately, we finished with just eight total turnovers in the game -- two shy of filling our punch card and getting a free sub at any Gainesville-area Blimpie.

We had Michigan and Iowa, punting their way into our hearts. The offensive struggles certainly did little to help Wolverines fans forget what happened against Wisconsin, but it does at least buy Jim Harbaugh another week as a Big Ten contender. We haven't checked with our ESPN Stats & Information group on this, but we're also fairly certain this marked the 23rd time in the past two years Iowa has been involved in a game in which the final score was 10-3.

We had a shared moment of collective bliss as Kansas scored on a touchdown pass from Carter Stanley to take a 7-0 lead over Oklahoma. For just a brief moment, anything seemed possible -- life on Mars, a Pac-12 playoff berth, Snoop Dogg being invited back to Lawrence for an encore performance. Six plays later, however, order was restored, and the Sooners won by 25. But we'll always have 7-0.

We had Notre Dame, welcoming home its prodigal son, Brian VanGorder. The Fighting Irish were less than hospitable, beating Bowling Green 52-0.

We had Georgia doing its civic duty by demolishing Tennessee. We had Wisconsin's defense quashing yet another terrible offense. We had LSU and Penn State and Ohio State all winning with ease yet again. We had UTEP and UTSA setting football back a decade, and we had Rice and UAB waiting a decade -- or something that at least felt that long -- for the rain to clear up to start the second half.

No, it was not an epic Saturday of football. Aside from the party at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, we probably didn't learn much of anything about this year's playoff contenders, and we only waved goodbye to a few teams that had been hanging on the fringes of the conversation (we'll miss you, UCF).

But it was a Saturday, and it was football, and at the very least, we had D'Andre Swift's dad. Without Clemson and Bama, life can get dull. Mr. Swift wasn't the hero we deserved, but he was the hero we needed.

D'Andre Swift's dad will play The Hulk in the next Avengers movie ���� pic.twitter.com/fZw8UWt95Q

- SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 6, 2019

Who's coming for Bama and Clemson?

With the Tide and Tigers off in Week 6, it was an opportunity to take a closer look at the teams vying to crack their stranglehold on the top of the rankings. So, who's looking the part?

The real contenders: Teams that actually have the firepower to win it all

1. Ohio State: J.K. Dobbins had a huge game against Michigan State, and Justin Fields' mobility opens some running lanes that the Buckeyes just didn't have last year. With a terrific receiving corps and one of the nation's best defensive fronts, Ohio State has all the pieces to get the job done.

2. Oklahoma: The Jalen Hurts redemption story is so good it almost has to happen, and we've certainly seen some real strides from Alex Grinch's defense. If Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray couldn't get the Sooners over the hump, it's hard to predict Hurts will, but this might be a better overall Oklahoma team than either of the previous two QBs had to work with.

3. LSU: Joe Burrow has the offense humming, and while the defense has been shaky at times, the Tigers still have two of the top defensive backs in the country -- a skill set primed to corral Tua Tagovailoa or Trevor Lawrence on a big stage.

4. Georgia: The Bulldogs have taken Alabama to the brink twice now, so it's far from a stretch to think they could finally get over the top in 2019. The concern is that the downfield passing game has been inconsistent thus far, and it's going to be hard to run the ball against either Alabama or Clemson if Georgia can't stretch the field.

The "might get lucky" group: They're playing to an inside straight, but crazier things have happened

5. Penn State: Perhaps the quietest undefeated team in the country right now, the Nittany Lions have a stellar defense, as much blue-chip talent on the roster as Clemson and an offense that's just scratching the surface. Whether James Franklin's team can progress at a pace to keep up with the elite teams remains a big question, though.

6. Florida: It's hard to get too excited about the Gators' title hopes even with Saturday's huge win over Auburn. On the one hand, the defense probably is good enough to win it all. On the other hand, "Kyle Trask, national championship-winning QB" just doesn't sound quite right.

7. Oregon: Simply getting to the playoff might be the tough task, but the Ducks' defense is really good, and Justin Herbert is good enough to pull off an upset or two. Does Oregon have the supporting cast on offense to make it happen, though? Probably not today, but there's a lot of season left.

8. Wisconsin: We love Jonathan Taylor, and the defense looks elite, but the competition -- Michigan aside -- hasn't exactly offered proof that this is a team capable of winning it all.

Mustangs keep running

SMU already faced down the death penalty in college football once, so perhaps entering the fourth quarter trailing by 21 wasn't so intimidating. Still, according to ESPN Stats & Info data, teams facing that kind of a deficit were a combined 9-3,000.

Sonny Dykes likes those odds.

The Mustangs engineered a 21-point comeback in the final quarter to tie the game and send it to overtime, finally taking the victory in the third OT period and winning for the first time as a ranked team since 1986 against Houston. This one might be a little more memorable.

According to ESPN's win probability, SMU entered the fourth quarter with a 1.7% chance to win, but Shane Buechele led touchdown drives of 19 plays, 10 plays and 14 plays on consecutive drives, going 12-of-17 passing for 135 yards in the process.

Heisman Five

There's still not much room to think outside the box this week, as the big names continue to chug along. Week 7, however, should be a nice point of demarcation, with Jalen Hurts going against Texas, Tua Tagovailoa getting Texas A&M and Joe Burrow being tested by that terrific Florida secondary. So enjoy this order for now. What seems clear in Week 6 rarely looks so obvious by the end of October.

1. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

The ho-hum schedule certainly hasn't helped turn heads, and in part, Tagovailoa is a victim of his own success. It's tough for him to do something we're not expecting. But look at the stat line: 76% completions, 23 passing TDs, 0 interceptions. That's pretty wild.

2. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Let's give the running backs a little love. Taylor had another big day against Kent State, rushing for 186 yards and four touchdowns. He now has hit 100 rushing yards with a touchdown in six straight games, and he has 19 such games in his career. More impressive, he has added pass catching to his résumé this season, with three grabs and another touchdown against Kent State, already eclipsing his career high for catches in a season.

3. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

There's no arguing with Hurts' numbers, but let's also be clear. He has put up his gaudy stat line against Houston, South Dakota, UCLA, Texas Tech and Kansas. Given the defenses aren't going to get vastly more intimidating the rest of the way though, Hurts is probably the safest bet to be atop the rankings at year's end.

4. Justin Fields, Ohio State

Saturday's effort wasn't Fields' finest -- he threw a pick for the first time in more than two years -- but he was solid once again, this time against a stout Michigan State defense. And as our ESPN Stats & Info group noted, Fields became the first Big Ten player in more than 20 years to have a passing and rushing touchdown in six straight games.

5. Joe Burrow, LSU

No, Utah State isn't going to be the team that flashes across Burrow's Heisman highlight reel, but the LSU signal-caller threw another five touchdowns on Saturday -- his fourth game this season with four or more TD passes. Burrow's overall outing was mediocre by his standards, however, with his season completions rate dropping below (gasp!) 80%.

Maybe Mullen?

Dan Mullen's early attempts at a signature win didn't go well. His first 10 games against AP top-10 teams as a head coach ended with 10 losses.

Since then though, Mullen is coaching like a legitimate national title contender.

According to ESPN Stats & Info research, Mullen, Florida's head coach, has won seven of his past 13 games against AP top-10 opponents, dating back to 2014, including Saturday's victory over Auburn. That's more wins than any other coach in that span, save Nick Saban (15), Urban Meyer (13) and Dabo Swinney (9) -- the three coaches responsible for every national championship over that span.

If Mullen is to crash the title party in 2019, however, he likely will need at least five more wins over top-10 teams, including LSU next week and Georgia on Nov. 2, along with potential dates in the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff.

Fun facts from ESPN Stats & Info

• N'Kosi Perry came in off the bench in hopes of rescuing Miami from a horrendous start against Virginia Tech. The comeback attempt came up just short, but Perry finished with 422 passing yards in the game, the most by a Miami QB since Stephen Morris threw for 566 against NC State in 2012.

• Wisconsin's defense has allowed just 29 points this season, which is the fewest surrendered by an FBS team through five games since ... Wisconsin in 2004! The Badgers allowed just 26 through their first five games that year. That Wisconsin team won its first nine games, never allowing more than two touchdowns; but things fell apart after that, with the Badgers dropping three straight while allowing 103 points in the three losses.

• Tennessee QB Brian Maurer got his first career start on Saturday and tossed a 73-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. For comparison, Peyton Manning had just 79 total passing yards -- and no TDs -- in his first start for the Vols. Perhaps this is what Kirby Smart meant when he said Tennessee was on the verge of something special.

• Jerrion Ealy enjoyed a 78-yard touchdown run and Snoop Conner had an 84-yarder for Ole Miss on Saturday. It's the first time in school history the Rebels have had two rushing TDs of 75 yards or more in the same game, and they came just more than three minutes apart. Add in a 33-yard TD run by John Rhys Plumlee and Ole Miss is the first team with three TD runs of 30-plus yards versus an SEC opponent since Georgia did it to Florida in 2017. Plumlee also had a 54-yard scamper in the game, making the Rebels the first SEC team with three runs of 50 yards or more in a game against the SEC since LSU did it to Ole Miss in 2016.

Look who's still standing

At what point do we start taking Baylor seriously in the Big 12? Or how about Minnesota in the Big Ten? Both teams entered play unranked, but both are now 5-0.

Baylor went on the road and dominated a strong Kansas State team, while Minnesota finally snapped its streak of narrow wins by thumping Illinois. So, is it time to trust either or both teams?

In 2018, 11 Power 5 teams also started 5-0, and eight of them went on to win 10 games, including all four playoff teams. On the flip side, Colorado was 5-0 at this point last year too and didn't win another game the rest of the way.

Still, history suggests there's little reason to doubt either the Golden Gophers or Bears at this point. Last year's Buffs were the rare exception, and since 2010, just seven of the 106 BCS/Power 5 teams to start 5-0 won seven or fewer games, while 79 of them won 10 tilts or more.

So, get your bets in for Minnesota, Baylor and Wake Forest (5-0 but off in Week 6) as your dark horse picks for the playoff.

Randy Edsall bonus of the week

After Week 3, UConn coach Randy Edsall earned bonuses of $6,000 in a loss to Illinois because the Huskies scored first, forced two turnovers and had a higher scoring rate in the red zone. Last week, UConn celebrated a big 56-21 loss to UCF on Twitter, which we can only assume earned Edsall another bonus. So, how'd this Saturday go? The Huskies converted 3 of 4 fourth-down tries, didn't throw an interception and averaged better than 2 yards per carry in a dizzying 48-22 non-win against woeful USF. Someone get Edsall's accountant on the phone. There's a bonus in there somewhere.

Week 6 big bets and bad beats

• There's nothing quite like a battle between the service academies, especially if you're a fan of the under. In the past 16 matchups involving Air Force, Navy and Army, only one had gone over the total, and Saturday's Air Force-Navy showdown was on track to add to the trend. Navy led 21-19 with less than four minutes to play, when Air Force found the end zone. Luckily for under bettors, the Falcons missed a 2-point try, putting the score at 25-21 -- a point away from the total. Deep breaths. Only problem? Navy wasn't done. The Midshipmen scored twice in the final 22 seconds of play to win 34-25 -- covering the spread as a one-point dog and pushing well over the total.

• Penn State closed as a 28.5-point favorite against Purdue, which seemed like an easy win when the Nittany Lions jumped out to a 28-0 lead less than a minute into second quarter. Turns out, that half-point mattered a whole lot. Penn State scored just once more in the game, a late fourth-quarter TD, and won 35-7. Despite the huge early lead, James Franklin's crew never actually had the spread covered at any point during the game.

• Entering Saturday's action, teams scoring 10 points or less were just 53-1,607 since 2010 -- a woeful .032 win percentage. Against the spread, things were even worse, including a 2-58 mark by FBS teams for which there was a line so far this season. It stands to reason then, if you had Michigan -4 against Iowa, you probably were sweating through your khakis as the Wolverines' offense continued to stall again and again. No worries though. This one worked out just fine, with Michigan holding on for the 10-3 win, covering easily and reminding the world that Big Ten betting is not for the faint of heart.

• We're not sure why anyone would want to spend their afternoon with money riding on Tennessee, but hey, some folks are gluttons for punishment. And oh did Tennessee deliver some punishment on Saturday. Georgia closed as a 24-point favorite and was leading by 22 with less than five minutes to play, when a devastating hit on Vols QB Brian Maurer led to a UGA scoop-and-score. Still, Tennessee had a shot at the cover, with backup QB Jarrett Guarantano leading the offense down the field to set up a first-and-goal with less than two minutes to go. The next four plays were all incompletions.

Under the radar game of the week

Most college football fans were fixated by Florida's upset of Auburn, but the Gators weren't the only Division I team with a drama-filled push to get to 6-0. Villanova QB Daniel Smith capped a 75-yard drive with a 1-yard TD pass to DeeWil Barlee with 1:59 to play to pull ahead of William & Mary for the win. The Wildcats are the first FCS team to 6-0 and along with North Dakota State and a trio of 3-0 Ivy Leaguers are the last remaining undefeated teams at the FCS level.

Under the radar plays of the week

• The 2019 season has had a remarkable dearth of big man touchdowns, but Saturday finally gave us the hefty athleticism we all crave, as Texas' Tom Herman designed a perfect trick play (because all trick plays should involve O-linemen). QB Sam Ehlinger rolled out to his right, then threw backward to left tackle Samuel Cosmi, who used his 6-foot-7, 300-pound frame to rumble into the end zone. Let the "Cosmi for Piesman" chants begin.

  play

  Texas offensive lineman scores TD

  Sam Ehlinger gives to offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi, who works his way into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

• Ashland stunned No. 9 Grand Valley State in Division II action, with QB Austin Brenner heaving a Hail Mary after time expired into the end zone and finding receiver Justin Davis amid four Lakers defenders to win it 20-17.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry knew exactly how he wanted to christen Chase Center on Saturday night.

After moving out of Oracle Arena in Oakland after 47 years and moving across the Bay to San Francisco, Curry made it clear to his teammates that he wanted to take the Warriors' first shot in the building's history. So after just 22 seconds ran off the clock in Saturday's 123-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry unleashed a heave from over 30 feet that fell well short of the rim and went out of bounds.

On a night full of new experiences, Curry was happy to have gotten the initial attempt for his team.

"That was choreographed since like yesterday," Curry said. "I was just gonna shoot it up -- christen Chase in the right way. Obviously I didn't wanna airball, but it was fitting that -- take a wild shot like that and get everybody excited."

Curry's wild shot was a harbinger of things to come for the Warriors on Saturday as they struggled to find a rhythm against a new-look Lakers team that looked much improved with new center Anthony Davis running alongside Lakers star LeBron James. Despite the loss, the Warriors were happy to get into their new billion dollar home and look forward to better days ahead.

"I thought it was great," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. "Really good energy. Packed house. Crowd was fantastic. It seemed like everybody was, including the players and coaches and officials, everybody was sort of looking around. We're all so used to Oracle, and we have so many memories, great memories of Oracle. And so the first night here just felt strange. It still feels strange. It feels weird being up here instead of our cozy little [media] room across the hall at Oracle."

The Warriors come into the new year with a roster in transition. Superstar forward Kevin Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets while veteran Andre Iguodala was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies to clear cap space and former guard Shaun Livingston retired. New guard D'Angelo Russell, who was acquired from the Nets in the sign-and-trade that sent Durant to Brooklyn, finished just 2-for-9 from the field, but he remains confident he will get on track with all his new teammates soon.

Like many in the house on Saturday night, Russell was impressed with the energy in the building.

"You can tell it's a brand new arena," Russell said. "You've got that brand new smell. The rims kind of felt like they were that brand new. ... It was rocking in there, though. The vibe felt like -- it was a completely different vibe than what I'm used to."

When asked what stood out in getting adjusted to the team's new digs, Warriors forward Draymond Green took the opening in stride.

"Nothing," Green said, before adding. "It's a nice arena; It's a basketball court, though. But it's a great arena, it's really nice ... having everything here. Being able to go back there and go in the cold tub, getting some steam room time if you want to, getting a lift in, having a great weight room, just everything being right here is really nice for us."

Several players and coaches have noted in recent days how much of an adjustment it has been to move from the East Bay to San Francisco -- along with moving from an arena, in Oracle, that they had grown to love over time.

"It's still weird," Curry said. "You're used to certain sights and sounds and just routine from pulling up to the parking deck and to our locker room and all that type of stuff. You get out to the floor and you want to feel like it's normal, but it's not. We got two more preseason games to get a little bit more familiar before the 24th. But it's beautiful. It's got a lot of potential to create an amazing environment, amazing home court advantage. Excited about the possibilities. Again, just getting used to it. We need some reps. Tonight was a good step."

Kerr echoed similar sentiments regarding the team's new home.

"I know before the game I didn't know where my assistant coaches were," Kerr said. "I didn't know where to find them. Literally. We got this facility down here and there's all these different rooms, I went to get something to eat, nobody was there. I went up to my office, couldn't find anybody. So we haven't found our rhythm yet and our routine, and that's going to take some time."

Curry said last season that he would have to figure out a way to end his familiar pregame routine this year in San Francisco -- an adjustment he is still working on. At Oracle, Curry famously tried knocking down a shot from the Warriors' tunnel to the floor before each game. At Chase, the All-Star guard is still finding the right way to end his pregame activities.

"There's nothing really changing," Curry said. "Again, you have a certain flow to everything and you kind of just got to go through the reps a couple times. The only thing for me is that tunnel shot, which was fun. We'll figure that out. But other than that, from a basketball perspective, we have everything we need here in terms of pregame kind of prep and obviously we practice here. We have all the bells and whistles we need to get ready for games. And I think as fans you even get used to Chase Center, the energy, the noise and whatnot compares to Oracle, if not louder. So, [I'm] excited about that."

On Saturday, Warriors fans, and Curry's teammates, were excited to see him get the first shot up, even though it didn't fall.

"I'm saying what's up to all the broadcasters or whatever; and he's like, 'Yo, I might shoot that thing right away,'" Russell said of Curry's message right before tip-off. "I was like, 'S---, I might shoot it too!' I'm joking! And he was completely serious. So it's fun; it's enjoying the game."

HOUSTON -- Note to future playoff pitchers: If it's Oct. 5, don't pitch to Alex Bregman. Especially if you're an All-Star.

The Houston Astros' third baseman and MVP candidate hit a go-ahead home run against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night, marking the third consecutive Oct. 5 on which he has given the Astros the lead with a home run in a postseason game.

Bregman's fourth-inning home run to left field off Rays starter Blake Snell staked the Astros a 1-0 lead in an American League Division Series they lead one game to none. The 25-year-old Bregman worked his way back from down two strikes to force a full count before depositing a Snell fastball in Minute Maid Park's Crawford Boxes and sending the crowd of 43,378 into a tizzy.

It also continued another incredible streak: All seven of Bregman's postseason home runs have come off former All-Stars. His first, on Oct. 5, 2017, broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the first in ALDS Game 1 against Boston's Chris Sale. His next came off Sale four days later -- it tied the game -- and his third that postseason tied Game 1 of the World Series against Los Angeles' Clayton Kershaw. Bregman also homered in Game 4 of the World Series against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.

Last season, he snapped a scoreless tie in the fourth inning of a division series game with a home run against Cleveland's Corey Kluber. One day later, he took the Indians' Trevor Bauer deep.

Bregman emerged as a strong threat to MVP favorite Mike Trout following his season-ending injury in September. Bregman closed out the year with a flourish, batting .333/.486/.753 in September to cap a season in which he slashed .296/.423/.592 with 41 home runs, 112 RBIs, 122 runs and a league-leading 119 walks against only 83 strikeouts.

HOUSTON -- Houston Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole continued the game of "anything you can do, I can do at least as well" he's played with teammate Justin Verlander this season on Saturday. Cole overpowered the Tampa Bay Rays over 7⅔ shutout innings, striking out 15 in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

Reliever Will Harris got the final two outs as the Astros held on for a 3-1 victory. Harris bailed out closer Roberto Osuna, who departed with the bases loaded and one out, but Harris made sure the spotlight remained on Cole's dazzling performance.

Cole's strikeout total is tied for third on the all-time postseason list and fell just two short of the record set by St. Louis Cardinals legend Bob Gibson, who fanned 17 Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. It broke Houston's franchise mark for a playoff game (14), established by Mike Scott in Game 1 of the 1986 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.

"That's an easy one to brag about, because he was incredible," manager A.J. Hinch gushed. "He had complete command of the entire game; he lasted very deep into the game. He was strong at the end. He got punch-outs on virtually every pitch."

Houston led 2-0 when Cole departed after throwing 118 pitches. He held the Rays to just four hits and walked one batter -- Willy Adames, the final one he faced. Cole's strikeout total surpassed the 12 K's he piled up in Game 2 of Houston's 2018 ALDS matchup with Cleveland, his previous postseason best. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Cole now has two of the top five strikeout games in Astros postseason history.

The Rays scraped together three singles off Cole, one each in the first, fifth and sixth, and got a double from Kevin Kiermaier in the eighth. They otherwise did not advance a runner past first base while the right-hander was on the mound. With the walk to Adames, Cole just missed breaking the MLB playoff mark for strikeouts without a walk in a playoff game, a record set by Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, who had 13 K's without a walk for the Mets against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the 1973 NLCS.

Cole deflected praise after the game, but did acknowledge the thrill over the thunderous ovation he received as he left the mound at Minute Maid Park during the eighth inning.

"It's the reason why we played 162 [games] and tried to win as many as we could, because we wanted to play in front of these fans," Cole said. "The ovation was pretty special. They were standing at the first strikeout of the game, like three hours before that."

Cole's gem followed a similarly dominant outing from Verlander in Game 1 during a 6-2 Houston win. Verlander struck out eight and held the Rays to one hit and zero runs over seven innings and passed Roger Clemens for third on the all-time postseason strikeout list.

During two games with Houston's co-Cy Young Award front-runners on the mound, the Rays have managed just five hits over 14⅔ scoreless innings with 23 strikeouts.

Cole, 29, went 20-5 during the regular season with an AL-best 2.50 ERA. His 326 strikeouts also led the league and were the most by a pitcher in a season since Randy Johnson struck out 334 in 2002.

Things won't get much easier for Tampa Bay in Game 3 on Monday, when the series moves to the Tropicana Field. Houston will send former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke to the mound. The Rays will counter with former Astro Charlie Morton.

When asked what his message would be to his team as it departs Houston, Rays manager Kevin Cash suggested that this time of year, the message is pretty simple, especially when your team is facing a third straight ace in a win-or-go-home game.

"Get some sleep, first and foremost," Cash said. "Get on the plane and get home. These guys do a good job of controlling the situation. I don't think there's a real message. They know what's at stake."

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – After expressing optimism throughout the day, Taylor Gray’s first ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway ended in another first: his first time getting upside down in a race car.

Gray was running 16th with 68 laps to go Saturday night when he and the No. 12s of Sammy Smith made contact off the second corner, sending Gray’s No. 17 Toyota Camry up and over down the backstretch.

Smith slowed up coming off the exit of the corner with a flat left-rear tire, and when his car drifted down to the inside, Gray had nowhere to go and ramped over the front of Smith’s machine before flipping.

The car skidded part of the way down the straightaway before coming to a halt, with Gray stuck head-down for several minutes before safety crews could successfully extricate him from his vehicle.

The good news, however, was that Gray walked to a waiting ambulance under his own power before being checked and released from the infield medical center.

After being medically cleared, Gray told reporters that he “knew it was coming” before the crash began.

“I had a feeling, for sure,” noted Gray. “We just clipped the 12 car’s left front and then momentum just took me and I started rolling. Luckily, we finally stopped, but for a second I was like, ‘Man, when is this thing gonna stop rolling over?’ But it finally stopped; unfortunately, I just stopped on my roof.”

Gray went on to laud the Martinsville Speedway safety crew for their quick response and efforts.

“They safety guys did a really good job rolling me back over. I know it’s their job to take things seriously, but I think they thought it was more serious than it actually was. I was perfectly fine. So that’s all that really matters. I’m OK. My DGR-Crosley guys, though; I really feel bad for them because they prepared a really good race car for Martinsville this weekend. We were just saving our stuff and waiting to hit the buttom.

“I’m bummed, man; I guess we’ll have to wait until next year to get our clock.”

Gray confirmed that Saturday night was the first time he’s been wrong side up in his short career.

“It’s new, it was different, but it’s definitely not a fun feeling,” he said with a wry smile. “I had my hands crossed and my feet crossed. It’s a hopeless feeling, really. You’re kind of just bracing for dear life. You can’t really do anything about the situation at that point. It’s just hang on and ride it out.”

Prior to the incident, even though he was running outside the top 10, Gray was confident he could have run among the top five and contended for the winner’s share if he had been able to survive.

“Man, we had a really good race car,” Gray said. “It’s just really unfortunate that that had to happen, because I do think we definitely had a car that could have been contention to win or even finish in the top three, whatever. We were kind of just playing the race out and letting everybody wreck, but unfortunately, we were one of the ones that wrecked.

“I guess we’ll just have to race another day, and thankfully we’re able to do that.”

CLERMONT, Ind. – After setting the fastest time in practice, Chandler Smith closed the night by celebrating in victory lane after scoring his fifth ARCA Menards Series victory of the season in Saturday night’s rain-shortened Herr’s Potato Chips 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Smith took the lead from his Venturini Motorsports teammate Christian Eckes on lap 161. The next time around, a heavy sprinkle turned into a rain shower necessitating a caution flag. The field circulated behind the pace car for five laps before ARCA officials put out the red flag. The rains persisted and officials were forced to end the race 37 laps before its scheduled conclusion.

“It was meant to be,” Smith said in a makeshift victory lane celebration. “We couldn’t have timed that pass out any better than we did.”

Eckes was disappointed with second, but was able to lock up the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge championship.

“We’re obviously disappointed with second,” Eckes said, “but it’s our sixth top-two finish in a row. We really have things turned around after a tough stretch in the summer. We’d have liked to have had that caution for rain a few laps earlier though.”

Ty Gibbs started from the General Tire Pole and was the dominant driver throughout the first half of the race. Gibbs led the first 143 laps before contact with Joe Graf Jr. while battling for the lead resulted in Gibbs sliding into the wall and damaging the right rear corner of his car.

The damage led to a flat right rear tire that put Gibbs into the wall again four laps later. The damage was too severe for Gibbs to continue leaving him 15th at the finish.

“I don’t even know who that guy is or what happened out there,” Gibbs said. “We had a really great car. I am pretty bummed. Most of all I am sorry for my guys, the deserved a win here tonight.”

Graf had rejoined the lead lap after receiving the free pass under the second caution of the night. He pitted for tires under the yellow and knifed his way through the field racing against other lead lap cars that had not yet pitted. The resulting caution from Gibbs’ crash allowed the remaining lead lap cars to pit, ending Graf’s chances to win. He finished tenth.

Sam Mayer finished third a day after locking up the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship with a win at Dover Int’l Speedway. Corey Heim and Hailie Deegan rounded out the top five finishers.

Combined with a sixth-place finish by teammate Michael Self, Eckes assumes the ARCA Menards Series championship lead by 20 points with the season finale at Kansas Speedway remaining.

The finish:

Chandler Smith, Christian Eckes, Sam Mayer, Corey Heim, Hailie Deegan, Michael Self, Travis Braden, Bret Holmes, Carson Hocevar, Joe Graf Jr., Bobby Gerhart, Tommy Vigh Jr., Mike Basham, Scott Melton, Ty Gibbs, Howie DiSavino III, Tim Richmond, Dick Doheny, Brad Smith, Eric Caudell, Darrell Basham.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin left Saturday's 7-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period and did not return after suffering an undisclosed injury.

Malkin suffered the injury when he collided with Penguins defenseman Kris Letang near center ice and awkwardly fell into the boards.

Malkin, the 2012 NHL MVP, scored a power-play goal in Pittsburgh's season-opening loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

Malkin had 21 goals and 51 assists for the Pens last season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LAS VEGAS – Kevin Na has been so brilliant on the greens the last two days that he actually had to justify why he only made 177 feet worth of putts Saturday.

You know, compared to Friday’s 202 and an inch.

“I hit it closer,” he said. “That's probably why.”

Good answer.

After rounds of 68-62-61, Na leads the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open by two at TPC Summerlin, where he just set a new 54-hole tournament scoring record of 191.

On Sunday, he’ll take a shot at winning is fourth PGA Tour title and at rewriting the circuit’s record book. With 445 feet worth of putts made so far this week, he needs 107 more to set a new record and pass Ben Martin’s 551 feet from the 2015 Charles Schwab Challenge, the highest total since the Tour began keeping track in 2003.

Na’s weapon of choice since the Masters has been an Odyssey Toulon Madison model with a graphite shaft. It’s the same putter he won with earlier this year at Colonial. So, why graphite?

“It's a very stiff shaft,” he explained. It's stiffer than steel, and it's helped me and given me the consistency of good speed. … When you hit good putts at a good speed, you're using the whole hole.”

Asked back-to-back questions about the putter, he had to interject:

“How about giving me some credit?” he implored.

Of course, when it came to his short miss for birdie at the par-5 16th, he took a different tact.

“[Caddie Kenny Harms] had a bad read,” he joked.

Na is now 18 holes from his fourth win, his third in the last three seasons and his second in 2019. He similarly took the 54-hole lead back in 2011, when he broke through for the first time. He also converted earlier this year at Colonial. But in total, he’s 2-for-7 closing. And with the scores TPC Summerlin is yielding – the third-round scoring average was 67.75 Saturday – he’s not going to have the luxury of playing defense.

Not with another past Shriners champ like Patrick Cantlay giving chase.

Two back, Cantlay won this event in a playoff two years ago and was runner-up last year to Bryson DeChambeau. Las Vegas has become his personal playground, although he says he doesn’t go out much – just to dinner, really.

While Na has been torching the greens, Cantlay has been leading the field on the way there. He’s first in strokes gained: off the tee, second tee-to-green, and first in driving distance.

“I just didn't make any of those 15-, 20-, 25-footers,” he acknowledged.

If those start dropping on Sunday, and Na cools off even a little, then it might be Cantlay who walks away a two-time Shriners champ.

It’s tempting to think of this as a two-man race, but six players shot 63 or better Saturday. Na and Cantlay will have a nice head start, but that’s about it.

“I’ve still got to keep the pedal to the metal,” Na said “A lot of low scores out here. Anybody can shoot 8 or 9 under.”

You saw today … 8-, 9-, 10-under is totally possible around here,” Cantlay echoed. “The lead is at 22. It will probably take around 26-27 under par, I would imagine. Get to a number like that, and you’ll probably be in a good spot.”

As comfortable as Cantlay has proven himself here in Vegas, it’s Na who is the local resident. He’s been leaving tickets for friends all week and will play tomorrow in front of his family, which includes a recent addition.

“It would mean a lot, especially with having a newborn, my son Leo,” Na said. “I won in front of [my daughter] Sophia, so it would be nice if I could get another W in front of both of them.”