DENVER -- Rookie Bo Nix set a franchise record by completing his first 18 passes, and the Denver Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought Sunday with a 38-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs' bevy of backups.

The Broncos (10-7) snapped a two-game skid and buried nearly a decade's worth of futility and frustrations by returning to the postseason party for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

They'll visit Buffalo (13-4) in the wild-card round next weekend after handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (15-2) their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2012, at Oakland.

Having already secured the AFC's No. 1 seed and sole first-round bye in their quest for an unprecedented three-peat, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters.

Carson Wentz got the start at quarterback and fizzled in his first extended action since Week 18 with the Rams last season. He was 10 of 17 for 98 yards and was sacked four times by the league's best pass rush (62 sacks).

Nix threw for four touchdowns, giving him 29 for the season, second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert's 31 in 2020.

He finished 26 of 29 for 321 yards, and his 18 consecutive completions also were the most ever by a Broncos QB. Nix hit Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele for scores.

Vele's TD was intended for Adam Trautman but ricocheted off cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson (twice) and Keith Taylor before Vele cradled the catch just before tumbling out of the back of the end zone, giving Nix 17 consecutive completions at that point and extending Denver's lead to 21-0.

That wild conclusion capped an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes, keeping Wentz cooling his cleats on the sideline next to Mahomes, who was decked out in a white hoodie.

After Harrison Butker was wide left on a 51-yard field goal -- his first miss in 18 tries at Empower Field at Mile High -- Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead by nailing a 33-yarder with 3 seconds left.

The Broncos made it 31-0 on Mims' second TD catch late in the third quarter and Audric Estime punched it in from the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs won't play again until Jan. 18 or 19, meaning Mahomes, who last played on Christmas Day, and other stars who sat this one out will have at least 24 days between games.

The Broncos are back in the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season. That's the longest playoff drought for a team after raising the Lombardi Trophy.

The Broncos' clincher came 3,255 days after Von Miller led them to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Feb. 7, 2016, and their reward as the AFC's seventh and final seed is a trip to Buffalo next weekend to face Miller in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bills were the only other team to beat Kansas City this season, 30-21 in Week 11.

The Chiefs' loss ended their six-game win streak but eliminated the prospect of them having to possibly face Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow at some point in the playoffs. The Bengals, who won their fifth consecutive game Saturday night at Pittsburgh, needed Denver to lose to have a chance to sneak into the playoffs at 9-8.

The Chiefs, who had won 17 of their previous 18 games against the Broncos, were planning on staying in Denver for the night because of a winter storm that also delayed their flight into Colorado for several hours Saturday.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Baker Mayfield used his legs and arm to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinch their fourth straight NFC South title while putting Mike Evans over 1,000 yards receiving yet again.

Mayfield fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan for the go-ahead score and then scrambled 28 yards for a crucial first down on the next drive, leading the Buccaneers to a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Evans caught a 9-yard pass on the final play of the game to surpass 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season, tying Jerry Rice for the most in NFL history.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, after Mayfield's long scramble on third-and-14 from the Tampa Bay 12, the Buccaneers drove to the Saints' 11. Mayfield looked for Evans but then flipped the ball backward to Bucky Irving, who ran 11 yards for the TD that made it 27-19.

The Saints turned the ball over on downs and the Buccaneers got one more chance to help Evans to the milestone. Mayfield tossed a short pass to Evans, who ran upfield for a 9-yard gain. He got up, spiked the ball and was mobbed by teammates in a wild celebration.

Evans received a $3 million escalator for reaching 1,000 yards again.

"No turnovers and get the ball to 13," Mayfield said on the Fox telecast of the final play to Evans. "Get him his record because he deserves that.

"The most important thing is winning, but for that guy, it's important for everybody, not just for me. We love him, we're lucky to have him, and I can't say how proud I am of him."

The Buccaneers will be the NFC's No. 3 seed in the playoffs and will host the Commanders in the opening round.

Mayfield threw for 212 yards and two TDs and had a career-high 68 yards rushing as the Buccaneers (10-7) rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit and made sure they didn't need Atlanta to lose to Carolina to win the division.

Tampa Bay became the first team to overcome a double-digit deficit in its final game to clinch a playoff spot since 2013, when the Chargers trailed by 10 before beating the Kansas City Chiefs.

Rookie Spencer Rattler had 240 yards passing and one TD for the Saints (5-12).

The Buccaneers trailed most of the game and were down 16-6 at halftime. They went ahead when Mayfield connected with McMillan for a score in the fourth quarter. McMillan was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct after making a 33-yard catch that extended the drive on fourth-and-8. The rookie receiver signaled first down in a gesture that was interpreted as mimicking shooting a gun. That pushed the Buccaneers back from the 9 to the 24.

But McMillan made up for it with a toe-tapping catch in the end zone for his seventh TD in the past five games.

The Saints scored on their first four possessions, including Rattler's 5-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis.

Facing a depleted secondary missing three starters, Rattler carved up Tampa Bay's defense in the first half. He completed 21 of 28 passes for 151 yards while building a 10-point lead.

Evans caught two passes on third-and-long to extend a Tampa Bay drive that stopped at the 7, forcing the Buccaneers to settle for Chase McLaughlin's 25-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 13-6.

But Rattler quickly moved the Saints into scoring position, completing seven straight passes, and Blake Grupe's 39-yard field goal made it 16-6 at halftime.

With Tom Brady watching from the television booth, the Buccaneers secured their fifth straight playoff appearance. The streak began in 2020, when Brady left the Patriots to join Tampa Bay and led the Buccaneers that season to the franchise's second Super Bowl title.

After Brady retired, Mayfield stepped in last season, reviving his career and helping the Buccaneers advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.

Mayfield had a career year this season, throwing 41 touchdown passes.

The Saints finished a disappointing season that began with plenty of promise. New Orleans opened 2-0, outscoring the Panthers and Cowboys 91-29. But the Saints fell apart, coach Dennis Allen lost his job and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi took over on an interim basis.

The Buccaneers had been 0-6 this season when they didn't score first. Grupe kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Saints a 3-0 lead on the opening drive.

McLaughlin answered with a 52-yard field goal after a running-into-the-kicker penalty on a punt allowed Tampa Bay to move up 5 yards.

Grupe made a 39-yarder for a 6-3 lead on New Orleans' ensuing drive.

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' season came to an end with a 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders Sunday, and now comes the challenging part.

Does owner and general manager Jerry Jones retain Mike McCarthy, whose contract expires Wednesday, or does he begin a search for his ninth head coach since he purchased the team in 1989?

For more than 40 minutes, Jones spoke to the media outside the locker room, speaking glowingly about McCarthy but never fully committing to him for 2025 and beyond.

"I don't know that I am considering making a change is really what I'm trying to say," Jones said.

McCarthy has posted a 49-35 regular-season record with the Cowboys, but he is 1-3 in the playoffs, has not advanced past the divisional round and suffered two of the more painful home postseason defeats in franchise history.

The Cowboys' Super Bowl drought is now at 29 seasons.

"Mike's one of the best coaches that I think there is," Jones said. "He was made the coach here because I thought that, and he's done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach."

McCarthy removed any doubt about his wishes. He wants to return to the Cowboys, despite a number of jobs that are currently open and others that could come open soon.

"Absolutely. I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me," McCarthy said. "And then there's a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. I think anytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have, the relationships that are in place here, the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do, those are all positive attributes that you take into account.

"But, you know, absolutely, I'm a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning, and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here."

McCarthy's 174 wins are 13th all time in NFL history.

"I don't like to talk about myself that way, but I'll just be clear: I'm a winner. I know how to win," he said. "I've won a championship. I won a championship in this building, and that's who I am. We'll see where it goes."

Jones offered no timeline for a decision, other than to say to follow the past when he has made coaching changes. McCarthy was picked as Jason Garrett's successor 10 days after the 2019 season ended.

The Cowboys hold exclusive negotiating rights to McCarthy through Jan. 14. However, Jones seemed to indicate he would grant permission for McCarthy to speak to other teams if requests are made.

McCarthy expects to meet with Jerry and Stephen Jones, the executive vice president, this week. Typically, he holds an exit meeting with all of the players, beginning on Monday.

To date, there have not been any discussions with McCarthy's agent, Don Yee, regarding an extension.

"It's a given that I've decided if we're sitting down talking about a deal," Jerry Jones said.

After directing the Cowboys to the playoffs from 2021 to 2023 with three straight 12-5 finishes, McCarthy and his entire coaching staff entered 2024 on the final years of their contracts. The Cowboys struggled offensively and defensively early in the season, then were hit by injuries that led to a five-game losing streak.

The Cowboys ended the season with players on injured reserve accounting for nearly $90 million in salary cap space, in quarterback Dak Prescott, guard Zack Martin, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Trevon Diggs and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Jones said the coaching decision would not be based solely on the results of this season but a five-year view. And he took blame for the composition of the roster that fell short this season.

"That's very fair. I always provide the roster for the coaches. And so if you don't get there, then you've always got some second-guessing," Jones said. "We make a lot of decisions. Some of them don't work out as good as others."

Jones was impressed with how the Cowboys played after all of the injuries. They won four of five games to remain in playoff contention until Week 16. Key players like Prescott and Micah Parsons have backed McCarthy's return, which Jones said was important.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Jones said, "but certainly we're all looking for ways to get better."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In a surprising turn, Jerod Mayo is out after one year as head coach of the New England Patriots, the team announced Sunday.

The Patriots finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record. Mayo's one-year tenure matches Rod Rust, who went 1-15 in 1990, for the shortest in franchise history.

"For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made," owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "I have known Jerod for 17 years. He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie in 2008 and throughout his career for his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room and the way he conducted himself in our community. When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, as I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. Winning our season-opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team's performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped."

"Since buying the team, I have always considered myself and my family as custodians of a public asset. We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years. I apologize for that. I have given much thought and consideration as to what actions I can take to expedite our return to championship contention and determined this move was the best option at this time."

"I am grateful for Jerod's many contributions to the New England Patriots throughout his career and will always be rooting for his success. I appreciate all his hard work and hope the experiences gained will help him in the future, as I still believe he will be a successful head coach in this league. I wish Jerod and his family nothing but success in the future."

The Patriots won Mayo's last game as coach, a 23-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills that dropped New England from picking No. 1 in the 2025 draft to No. 4.

Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft will now begin a search for the Patriots' 16th head coach, with former New England linebacker and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel among the candidates they are expected to interview.

Robert Kraft expected "growing pains" in Mayo's debut season, in part because Mayo inherited a depleted roster. The Patriots entered the year tied with the Carolina Panthers for the lowest projected win total -- 4.5 -- so the decision to move on from Mayo reflects how Kraft viewed the team's struggles as more than a result of lack of talent.

Firing a head coach after one season is rare but not unprecedented.

Over the past decade, Mayo joins Frank Reich (Panthers, 2023), Nathaniel Hackett (Denver Broncos, 2022), Lovie Smith (Houston Texans, 2022), David Culley (Texans, 2021), Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars, 2021), Freddie Kitchens (Cleveland Browns, 2019), Steve Wilks (Arizona Cardinals, 2018), Chip Kelly (San Francisco 49ers, 2016) and Jim Tomsula (49ers, 2015) as non-interim head coaches who didn't make it to their second season.

The 38-year-old Mayo had been handpicked by Robert Kraft as the successor to Bill Belichick, with Kraft citing Mayo's knack for connecting with a younger generation of players. Mayo played linebacker for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015, served as an executive in finance at a healthcare company upon his retirement and worked in media before joining Belichick's staff as a linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023.

In the years leading up to being named Patriots head coach on Jan. 17, 2024, he had interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders. Kraft had been concerned he might lose Mayo, so in 2023, he inserted language into his contract that made him Belichick's successor. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell later called the succession clause "smart management."

One of the top disappointments of Mayo's one-year tenure was the defense, considering that was his expertise as a player and assistant.

The defense regressed in several areas, entering the season finale with just 12 takeaways and last in the NFL in quarterback contacts, according to ESPN Research.

He also walked back multiple comments over the year, acknowledging he made a "rookie mistake" when saying shortly after being hired that the Patriots would "burn some cash" in free agency. He later amended his remarks to say the Patriots would spend wisely. Mayo also made headlines by calling the Patriots "a soft football team across the board" following a sixth straight loss in October, which he clarified the next day to say the team was "playing soft."

Mayo, who was more talkative with the media than Belichick, acknowledged several times over the year that he would make mistakes as a first-year coach and planned to learn from them. He described his coaching style as rooted in "developing people" while noting "my calling is to be a teacher and help them see what they don't want to see but need to see."

The Patriots haven't won a playoff game since their 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.

More than three decades have passed since an NFL regular-season game carried the stakes of Sunday night's matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions at Ford Field (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).

The winner will clinch the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs, while the loser will be the best team in league history (by winning percentage) to have failed to win a division. Not since 1993, when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants in overtime, has the No. 1 seed been determined by a single game in the final week of a season.

"This is what you're in it for, man. Ultimately, this is it," Lions coach Dan Campbell said earlier this week. "I mean, you couldn't write a better scenario."

The Lions won the first clash this season, holding on for a 31-29 victory in Week 7 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings lost the following week to the Rams but built a nine-game winning streak from that point forward, allowing them to match the Lions' 14-2 record. The teams' combined .875 winning percentage is the highest in an NFL season finale since 1977 (12-1 Broncos vs. 11-2 Cowboys, .885), according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and it's the first regular-season game in NFL history between teams with 13 or more wins.

The Lions have lost only once since Week 2, but a steady stream of injuries to key defensive players sets up the likelihood of a high-scoring game Sunday night. The over/under of 57.5 is the NFL's highest since 2021 and its second highest in the past five seasons, according to ESPN BET.

ESPN Lions reporter Eric Woodyard and Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert set the table for Sunday's epic matchup:

Dan Campbell is 4-1 against Kevin O'Connell; what has been the difference?

Woodyard: It's simple: Campbell's offense has been better than O'Connell's defense.

The Lions have scored 30-plus points in four straight games against the Vikings, including in their win against Minnesota in Week 7. The 31 points Detroit put up were the most the Vikings have allowed in any game this season. Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has shined against Minnesota, with a receiving touchdown and at least 100 receiving yards in their past three matchups.

While the Vikings are 1-4 against the Lions since the start of the 2022 season, they are 33-12 against the rest of the NFL. The Vikings have allowed 29.8 points per game against the Lions and 20.9 points per game against the rest of the NFL over that span.

Seifert: The Vikings haven't always been at full personnel capacity for these games. Most notably, backup quarterback Nick Mullens started both 2023 contests, each won by the Lions. But probably the single biggest factor has been the nine turnovers the Vikings committed in those four losses, and the subsequent minus-7 turnover margin.

"Any self-inflicted things you do against good football teams is going to [make it] hard to win," O'Connell said. "We've had chances to win against those guys."

The Vikings also have a minus-10 sack differential in those games, largely a demonstration of their defense's inability to get consistent pressure on Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

Who is the most important player in Sunday's game?

Woodyard: Goff anchors the offense, and when he's on his A-game, the Lions are tough to beat -- particularly against Minnesota. In five games against the Vikings since the start of the 2022 season, Goff has a completion percentage of 71.8 with nine passing touchdowns and one interception. He also has 250-plus passing yards in each of those games.

Goff feels he's peaking as the Lions eye the No. 1 seed.

"I'm in year nine right now, and I think I said last year and the year before, I'm kind of entering my prime then. I'm probably right in my prime now and feeling pretty good and hope my prime lasts quite some time," Goff said Wednesday.

Seifert: Quarterback Sam Darnold has answered every challenge he has faced so far in resuscitating his career this season, and now he'll face another: Can he maintain his performance in the most pressure-packed scene of his NFL life?

In his past seven games, Darnold has averaged 287 yards passing while throwing 18 touchdown passes and two interceptions.

He has an enormous opportunity to keep it going -- the Lions' injury-depleted defense has allowed the NFL's second-most passing yards (1,808) and the highest QBR to opposing quarterbacks (73.0) since Week 11 -- but Darnold holds the keys to the Vikings' ability to keep pace with the Lions' own explosive offense.

What's a sneaky important matchup?

Woodyard: It'll be interesting to see how Detroit's secondary defends Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, who has torched them. Jefferson has averaged 182.5 receiving yards per game on the road against the Lions. And it was a wild December for Detroit, as it both scored and allowed 30-plus points in three different games. That is tied with the 2018 Rams for the most by any team in a calendar month in NFL history, per ESPN Research.

In the matchups against Jefferson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn called him a "special one," but they're committed to stopping him.

"Great players are going to end up making plays at some point in the game. It's hard to hold those guys down, but we're going to do everything we can to do it," Glenn said Thursday.

Seifert: Let's look at two here. The first adds to the already difficult challenge facing the Lions' pass defense. The Lions have committed 18 defensive pass interference penalties, tied for most in the NFL, and will face a Vikings offense that has gained more yards (328) on flags for defensive pass interference than any other NFL team.

And this won't help matters for the Lions: Referee Brad Rogers' crew has thrown more flags for defensive pass interference (26) than any of the NFL's other 17 officiating crews.

Second, the Lions' aggressive fourth-down offense will match up against the best fourth-down defense -- by a long shot -- in the NFL. Vikings opponents have converted 35.5% of fourth-down conversions this season, despite an NFL-high 31 attempts. The league average is 57.3%. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has put a major emphasis on preparing for the down, as teams across the league utilize it more often.

How worse off would the loser be heading into the playoffs?

Woodyard: This could be the difference in a legitimate Super Bowl path for the Lions. Lose, and Detroit would drop to the fifth seed, where it could face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons or the Los Angeles Rams on the road.

For a team that has been gutted by injuries, particularly on defense, that wouldn't be an ideal situation -- especially during the postseason, when the Lions' recent defensive deficiencies would be heightened.

Win, and Detroit would not only secure the bye week and home-field advantage, but also give themselves a chance at returning some of those key players, such as running back David Montgomery, with a solid week of rest.

Seifert: It's hard to quantify the difference between winning and losing for the Vikings.

With a win, they get a week off after what promises to be a physical and intense game, followed by a home playoff schedule at U.S. Bank Stadium -- where they were 7-1 during the regular season.

With a loss, they would be the first 14-win team in NFL history to play a road wild-card game, possibly on a short week if the NFL schedules them for a Saturday game. That seems especially relevant for the Vikings, who are 7-1 on the road this season but have the NFL's oldest roster based on snap-weighted age.

MIAMI -- As Jimmy Butler served out the first game of his team-issued suspension Saturday against the Utah Jazz, the Miami Heat are looking to move forward, with team captain Bam Adebayo saying the group is "focused on who's with us now."

Butler was suspended seven games over what the Heat called conduct detrimental to the team; Miami has said it is listening to trade offers.

"It's disappointing when you see the organization and a player going head-to-head like that," Adebayo said Saturday after the team's shootaround practice. "But the rest of us got to figure out how to win games."

Butler has not commented publicly on the suspension. The National Basketball Players Association spoke out on Butler's behalf hours after the Heat announced the suspension Friday, saying it believes the team's actions are "excessive and inappropriate." The suspension could cost Butler about $2.4 million of his $48.8 million salary this season.

"It's none of our business," Adebayo said. "It's for Jimmy and for the management to handle."

How it gets handled from here, and on what time frame, is anyone's guess.

"We're just going to focus on tonight," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Saturday's 136-100 loss to the Jazz. "I want to quiet all the distractions. Enough has been said. We have clarity. We're just going to focus on this group in the locker room. That's what I want them to focus on and quiet the noise as much as possible. I'm not a clickbait type of coach, so you're not going to get anything else really from me. We have a task to do."

Trading Butler will be a challenge in this new NBA world, with the rules of the collective bargaining agreement limiting the ways teams can acquire players. It's possible, but it's far from certain. And the Heat simply letting Butler leave as a free agent this summer -- Butler has a player option for next season -- also remains a possibility, as it could open up some other avenues for Miami to acquire new players.

"It sucks to see that he won't be around," Heat guard Terry Rozier said.

Butler averaged 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 380 games with the Heat, including playoffs. Entering Saturday, since Butler joined the Heat, they've won 59.7% of their games when he played (227-153); they've won 49.2% of their games when he hasn't (58-60).

He became eligible last summer for a two-year, $113 million extension. The deal was never offered by the Heat, in part because Butler has missed about one-quarter of the team's games during his Miami tenure.

It was only natural that such a big sum of money not being offered was going to lead to problems. And the tension boiled over this week. Butler didn't play in the fourth quarters of Miami games on Wednesday and Thursday; he spent some offensive possessions simply standing in the corner, almost as if he had no role.

"I feel like he came to work, he tried to perform, and it just didn't go his way," Adebayo said. "I feel like he didn't want to be in the corner. But like I said, we develop a system where we play around everybody, and we just had to figure out how to incorporate him. But after what happened yesterday, we're focused on who's with us now."

After the second of those games earlier in the week, Butler said "probably not" when asked if he thought he could find on-court joy again in Miami.

Saying those two words might have been his last official act as a member of the Heat. Earlier this season, Miami said it had no interest in trading Butler. Hearing him say he doesn't want to be on the team anymore evidently changes things.

"It's hard to not see him around," Heat forward Nikola Jovic said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- After 253 days between games, Kawhi Leonard returned to action Saturday -- and that, he said afterward, was the easy part.

"[There] was nothing hard about playing tonight," the LA Clippers star said after making his long-awaited season debut in his team's 131-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks at the Intuit Dome. "We did the right steps to get me to this point, and playing basketball was the easy part of it. This is what I love to do. The hard part is not playing and having to rehab and not competing with my teammates."

Leonard scored 12 points in 19 minutes against Atlanta in what marked his first game since Game 3 of the Clippers' first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks in April.

Since then, Leonard, 33, has been battling inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, keeping him sidelined for training camp, preseason and his team's first 34 regular-season games.

Making his first appearance at the team's new $2 billion arena, Leonard was greeted with a strong ovation from fans during the starting lineup announcements, and he made his first shot, a 3-pointer, on the left wing with 9:57 remaining in the opening quarter.

His overall game was quiet. He finished 4-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while adding three rebounds, an assist and a steal.

"I took the shots that I got," Leonard said. "We're still easing me into the game. We're on nobody's, I guess, timetable. Anybody watching that wants me to score 20, 30 points or be aggressive, we are not on no one's time frame. We know what's ahead of us, and we have to keep building in the right direction. So we're facing it like it was a preseason game tonight, and we'll keep moving the same way until I'm able to build up my minutes."

Leonard played just 3 minutes, 36 seconds in the second half, all of them in the third quarter, as the Clippers sought to keep him at a minutes restriction of 20.

"You see with his presence on the floor, it makes it a lot easier for everybody else," Clippers coach Ty Lue said. "And so it was good to have him. Now he's got to continue to keep building off of it."

Lue added: "He's cleared to play. Just like I said, we're treating this as a preseason for him so he gets his legs up under him. Make sure to come out of the game tonight, feeling good. And our goal is just to keep progressing every game, and so tonight was a good start."

The Clippers dominated the Hawks, who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and eight Clippers scored in double figures, led by 20 from guard Norman Powell.

"I've been talking to him, telling him I can't wait for him to come back," Powell said of Leonard. "The attention that's been on me and James [Harden] to start the year ... [but] with Kawhi on the floor, he draws so much attention, double-teams, I'm able to finally get some catch-and-shoot 3s."

Powell added: "I'm really excited. First game, he looked really good. So we'll just continue to try and build on that."

Harden had 15 assists to go along with 10 points, and center Ivica Zubac scored 18 points and grabbed as many rebounds.

The Clippers upgraded Leonard to questionable Friday night, setting the stage for his return.

Previously, Leonard hinted at his impending season debut in a short Dec. 27 video posted to X that promoted his signature apparel from New Balance, one of his main sponsors. The video showed him fishing. "There's been good days," Leonard said in the video. "There's been bad days. But I keep coming back. It's the nature of the game."

On Saturday morning, Leonard posted a follow-up New Balance video on X, again showing him fishing while birds flew overhead. "You hear them? They like to come and watch the fun and chirp," Leonard said. "But when I show up, they always quiet."

Asked about the videos, Leonard said Saturday, "Just getting creative. I've been talking to a few producers, directors, and just wanted to tell my story, and it's a little teaser for a movie, so hopefully y'all see it down the road."

Leonard was asked what would signal to him about how his knees are feeling, whether after games or practices. He said he wasn't sure and that he woke up recently and "it was flared up and I couldn't move, so now I'm just keeping it moving and I don't know, it's just day to day."

He said his goal was simple: "Just keep playing, not [be] worried about it. Keep doing the things I was doing that we've been doing that [are] getting me to this point, and that's it. That's all I can ask for and do. It's out of my control, and we'll see what happens."

Injuries have plagued his career with the Clippers. In April 2023, he tore his right meniscus in the first round of a playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. In June 2021, he partially tore the ACL in his right knee in Game 4 of Clippers' Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz.

Since joining the Clippers in the summer of 2019, Leonard has played in 257 total games, including the playoffs, and has missed 210, according to ESPN Research.

The Detroit Pistons overcame Anthony Edwards' career-high 53 points to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-105 on Saturday night.

Edwards' previous career high was 51 points against the Washington Wizards on April 9 last season. His 3-pointer with 9:25 remaining tied his career best, but he didn't score again until 22 seconds remained.

Edwards made 10 3-pointers and was 16-for-31 shooting from the field.

Cade Cunningham scored a season-high 40 points as the Pistons won their third straight and sixth in their past seven games.

Edwards had been held to 20 or fewer points in eight of the previous 14 games. His previous season high was 37 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 8.

He became the second player in Timberwolves history with multiple 50-point games, joining Karl-Anthony Towns, who had three, according to ESPN Research. Edwards' 53 points are the second most in a loss in Timberwolves history.

Edwards became the first player in Timberwolves history to score 50% of the team's points in a game. He is the second player in the NBA to do it this season (Hornets' LaMelo Ball, on Nov. 25 vs. Magic).

A Western Conference finalist last season, the Timberwolves appeared to be heating up with three straight victories late last month. They have now lost three in a row to drop back to the .500 mark (17-17).

Edwards declined to speak to reporters after the game.

In response to a question about his starting lineup, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch replied, "You guys ask me this question all the time. If I felt that the magic bullet was changing the starting lineup, I would've done that already."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga will be reevaluated in three weeks after an MRI confirmed he suffered a significant lateral right ankle sprain, the team said Sunday.

Kuminga sustained the injury late in the second quarter of Saturday's 121-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies when he landed awkwardly in the paint and rolled his right ankle. He left the game immediately after and left Chase Center on crutches following the win. He underwent an MRI on Sunday.

Kuminga had been in the midst of the best stretch of his career, receiving more opportunity and being used as a primary scorer at times. He averaged 20.5 points over the past 14 games, including scoring 20 or more points in three of his previous four games and a career-high 34 points in consecutive games. But now the Warriors will be without their most explosive athlete for at least three weeks. He will miss at least 11 games.

"Brutal," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said before facing the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. "JK has been playing so well and obviously such a big part of what we are doing. He is our more athletic scorer and finisher and has been playing so well.

"We do feel good about our depth and ability to withstand his loss. Kyle [Anderson], Moses [Moody] will get more of an opportunity."

The 22-year-old Kuminga is averaging a career-high 16.8 points and 5 rebounds per game this season. Last month, he became the first Warriors player with 30 points or more in consecutive games off the bench since Cazzie Russell in 1974.

The Warriors are also without Brandin Podziemski (abdominal strain) and Gary Payton II (calf). Podziemski could be nearing a return, as Kerr said the team was initially hopeful the guard could have returned Sunday before needing a little more time to recover.