American Football: Chiefs continue to defy the cold – including Houston
The Kansas City Chiefs braved the bitter cold at Arrowhead Stadium to start the NFL playoffs and reach the Divisional Round. The defending champion led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes defeated the Miami Dolphins 26:7 in -21 degrees Celsius and reached the quarterfinals of the US Football League for the sixth time in a row.
Mahomes threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in the fourth coldest game in NFL history; the match winner was kicker Harrison Butker with four converted field goals. The Chiefs are aiming for their third Super Bowl title in the past five years.
Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud had previously led the Houston Texans into the next round. The 22-year-old, one of the great discoveries of the current season, threw three touchdowns in the convincing 45:14 win against the Cleveland Browns, clearly outdoing oldie Joe Flacco. “I’m blessed to be playing at a high level right now. We just have to keep going,” Stroud said.
Basketball: Hartenstein dominates – bankruptcies for Wagner and Kleber
The German-American Isaiah Hartenstein has once again caused a stir with his next outstanding appearance in the NBA. The in-form center grabbed 20 rebounds in a 106:94 (53:57) win for his New York Knicks in the professional basketball league against the Memphis Grizzlies, the only time he had ever managed that many rebounds once in his career. The 25-year-old also contributed twelve points and two assists to the victory.
“It wasn’t a good game for us in general,” said Hartenstein after the game: “The second half was better, but we have to play better. In fact, I think the first half was embarrassing.”
Hartenstein is currently particularly impressive in the NBA on the board. Shortly after New Year's Day he had recorded 20 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls, and a little later he had 19 against the Washington Wizards. The Knicks are in a good position in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and making it into the play-offs is quite realistic this season.
Two places behind the team from the Big Apple is the Orlando Magic, which lost 100:112 (40:49) to the Oklahoma City Thunder without Franz Wagner, who still had an ankle injury. Franz's brother Moritz had four points, four rebounds and two assists.
Meanwhile, Maximilian Kleber made his comeback for the Dallas Mavericks after a two-month injury break. At 108:118 (54:49) the Würzburger came off the bench, but with two points, two rebounds and one assist he couldn't prevent the Texans from losing. Superstar Luka Doncic was once again missing from Dallas due to an ankle injury.
The Boston Celtics remain a home power. The 145:113 (69:58) at the TD Garden against the Houston Rockets was the 19th win in the 19th game. This means the Celtics are still at the top in the East.
Ice hockey: Draisaitl's Oilers with record series – Stützle shines
German ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl clinched his tenth consecutive win in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, setting a franchise record. The Cologne native made a decisive contribution to the success of the 2-1 (0-1, 0-0, 1-0, 1-0) after overtime at the Montreal Canadiens with his 20th goal of the season and an assist.
Draisaitl equalized the Canadiens' lead 38 seconds into the final period, then, together with his congenial strike partner Connor McDavid, he set up Evan Bouchard's winning goal in overtime. After a miserable start to the season, the Oilers are now in eighth place in the play-offs in the Western Conference.
“No one can take that away from us,” said Draisaitl about the winning streak: “We want to keep going. We play very adult hockey. The teams play very hard against us. Compliments to the group for fighting through it and achieving victories.”
Tim Stützle also caused a stir. Two days before his 22nd birthday, the Viersen native scored four assists in his Ottawa Senators' 5:4 (2:1, 2:2, 1:1) win against the San Jose Sharks. The Sens still remain last in the East.
“I believe in myself. I think I'm a really good player,” said Stützle, who had previously gone pointless in four games in a row: “I worked hard in training to get the momentum back.”
Defenseman Moritz Seider achieved an important victory in the fight for the play-offs with the Detroit Red Wings in a 5:3 (1:1, 4:0, 0:2) win against the Los Angeles Kings thanks to a strong middle third.
John-Jason Peterka's Buffalo Sabers lost 0-1 (0-0, 0-1, 0-0) against the Vancouver Canucks, who are at the top of the NHL with 61 points. Lukas Reichel and the Chicago Blackhawks lost 1:3 (0:0, 1:0, 0:3) to the Dallas Stars without super talent Connor Bedard (broken jaw).
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