OMAHA, Neb. -- Big East Conference preseason player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 49 points, and 15th-ranked Creighton needed just about every one of them in a season-opening 99-86 win over UT-Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday night.

The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner, a fifth-year center, was 20-of-22 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers, and he made 7 of 8 free throws. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.

"We kind of went into the game with a plan to establish me in the post and we went with that," he said. "I kept working and wasn't really thinking about what happened the previous play. I was just trying to make the next one."

The eye-opening stat line put him at or toward the top of a number of records, including:

It was the fifth-most points in a game in Big East history

It was the second-most points in Creighton history behind Bob Portman's 51 against UW-Milwaukee in 1967

It was the second-most points by a player in a season opener in the past 25 years (Arkansas' Rotnei Clarke had 51 in a win over Alcorn State in 2009)

The 20 made field goals tied the single-game Big East record (Providence's MarShon Brooks against Notre Dame in 2011)

The 91% shooting from the field was the highest field goal percentage in a 45-point game by any Division I player in the past 25 seasons and the highest by a player to attempt 20 or more shots in a game over the past 25 years

"To go to work like he did in the offseason and then the first time you're under the lights for real to do something superhuman, it's pretty special," Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. "And he deserves it. There's not a person on the planet that deserves success more than Ryan Kalkbrenner because of the way he's approached everything on a daily basis."

The crowd began chanting encouragement late in the game, imploring Kalkbrenner to shoot so he could hit the 50-point mark. Kalkbrenner, not knowing he was one point away, decided to pass the ball to a guard and let the clock run down.

"Having a good first game is awesome," Kalkbrenner said, "but we have thirty-something games left, and hopefully games that mean a lot more."

As he walked off the court and through the tunnel after the buzzer, fans nearby chanted "MVP! MVP!"

Even with Kalkbrenner's effort, Creighton, a Sweet 16 team three of the past four seasons, couldn't shake off the Vaqueros of the Southland Conference until the final two minutes.

Hasan Abdul Hakim had 24 points and Cliff Davis and DK Thorn added 17 apiece for the Vaqueros (0-2), who were within 87-82 when Howie Fleming Jr. made a fifth-chance basket with 2:37 left.

Kalkbrenner, who averages 14 points per game for his career, considered leaving Creighton after last season to enter the NBA draft. He decided to return to the school for a fifth season so he could polish his game.

"This is my 15th year and five are with him," McDermott said. "It's been a blessing to coach him and watch him. He's as hungry to learn as he was when he walked on campus as a freshman. He approaches film and his work the exact same way. He decided to come back because he thought he could make strides and prepare himself for the next level. Tonight's a good first step in that direction."

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

ATLANTA -- When asked what it has been like to play four NBA games in six days, rookie Zaccharie Risacher had a succinct response:

"I'm tired."

Risacher should have been fatigued after enjoying the biggest night of his young career during the Atlanta Hawks' 121-116 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. He filled up the box score with 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. The 33 points is the most by a rookie this season and easily bested his season high of 17 points.

According to ESPN Research, Risacher, 19, also joined Victor Wembanyama, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Lamar Odom as the only players to have 30 points and multiple blocks and steals in a game before they turned 20. Risacher is the only one of those players to also have had five 3-pointers.

Risacher, who was this year's No. 1 draft pick, has started the past seven games after De'Andre Hunter's knee injury and has had mixed results to date. He entered the game shooting 21.1% from 3-point range and 32.9% from the floor. Hawks coach Quin Snyder has encouraged Risacher to keep shooting through his ups and downs.

"He basically tells me to shoot the f---ing ball," Risacher said. "That's not just from him. That's from everybody on the coaching staff and my teammates. It helps with my confidence."

Risacher drained 6 of 10 3-pointers and was 11-of-18 from the field. He was 5-of-7 from deep in the first half alone. Risacher also showed his driving ability, at one point finishing an attack from the corner with a left-handed floater in the lane.

Risacher made a key basket late, tying the score at 110-110 with 1:31 to play. With Trae Young being double-teamed, Risacher cut to the foul line, caught a pass from Young and hit the clutch shot in the lane.

"We've practiced that," Young said. "He went to the middle. I knew where to find him, and he knew to turn around and score if [Karl-Anthony Towns] didn't step up. And if he did, Clint [Capela] was behind him to catch the lob. Zac made a hell of a play. That was a big possession for us."

After the game, Snyder said the players were thrilled for Risacher in the locker room because they understand how difficult the opening weeks and months can be when starting an NBA career.

"It made me super happy to see how people reacted to me being good," Risacher said.

Risacher is now leading all rookies with 12 points per game, and he boosted his 3-point shooting to 27%.

"His progress isn't going to be linear," Snyder said. "He's got to stay at it. We have confidence in him if he makes shots or he doesn't. Today, he was really good on the defensive glass, as well."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW ORLEANS -- Taking their cues from Jarrett Allen, the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated the first 9-0 start to a season in franchise history by pouring water bottles over coach Kenny Atkinson's head in the locker room.

There will be much bigger games, with higher stakes, than the Cavs' 131-122 victory in New Orleans on Wednesday night.

But Atkinson didn't mind taking a moment to enjoy something no other Cavs team had done in the 55 years since Cleveland joined the NBA for the 1970-71 season.

"You have to," said Atkinson, who also became the first NBA coach to win his first nine games with a new team. "This season's so long. It's so hard to win in this league. So, when you do have moments like this, you have to celebrate a little."

Kenny Atkinson has just become the first coach in @NBA history to start 9-0 in his first year with a new team! #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/GX7RfnGyQW

Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 7, 2024

After hitting 54.2% of their shots in the Big Easy -- including 48.6% (17 of 35) from 3-point range -- the Cavs are shooting an NBA-best 52.6% on the season from the field.

"We're playing good basketball," said All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who had a team-high 29 points in New Orleans, while five other teammates scored 11 or more. "We've done it in so many different ways. We've had blowouts, close games, come-from-behind wins.

"It's just the habits that really get me excited about what we're doing. My biggest thing is just being consistent. Let's continually be this team."

Cleveland next plays at home Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, who set the NBA record for the best start to a season by winning their first 24 games during the 2015-16 campaign.

Against the Pelicans, the Cavs got 50 points from reserves while four of five starters scored 14 or more. They are the second team to start 9-0 while scoring 110-or-more points in each game in NBA history, joining the 1960-61 Warriors.

"Again, everyone contributes," Atkinson said. "It's what good teams do. We're in a good place physically. We're in a good place mentally.

"When you win nine in a row, it's not one or two guys; it's the whole roster."

In his four previous seasons as a head coach with Brooklyn, Atkinson had just one winning record, going 42-40 in 2018-19.

He spent the past four seasons as an assistant -- the first with the LA Clippers and the last three with Golden State.

Now, he's off to a rather auspicious start in his second head-coaching stint, albeit with a team that won a playoff series a season ago and was expected to be in the Eastern Conference postseason picture again this season.

"The vibes are great, energy's great, he's done a phenomenal job with us and we've also bought in," Mitchell said. "He's given us input but also allowed us to give input ourselves and I think that's what's special."

Atkinson, meanwhile, sounds gratified by the synergy he's sensed not only among his players, but between them and himself.

"What I think about is this team and the camaraderie they have, and the chemistry we have going and how connected they are," said Atkinson, who replaced the fired J.B. Bickerstaff. "I've been fortunate to land with a really good group, a group that's been really successful in the past and I'm happy for them -- and I think they're happy for me in the locker room.

"There's a bond between the head coach and a team. You've got to celebrate those moments and it's pretty cool."

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

MEMPHIS -- After the Memphis Grizzlies' 131-114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Desmond Bane crashed Scotty Pippen Jr.'s on-court interview to praise him for stealing the ball from LeBron James, as he closed the game out at point after Ja Morant exited with a right hamstring injury.

"See the way he snatched that ball from that old man over there?" Bane said while grabbing Pippen by the shoulders.

Over in losing locker room, Lakers coach JJ Redick used that "old man" as an example of how the rest of the roster should play.

"I think LeBron was fantastic tonight," Redick said after James scored a season-high 39 points on 15-for-24 shooting with L.A. missing two starters in Anthony Davis (left heel contusion) and Rui Hachimura (illness). "Biggest thing that stood out. ... He played hard. Almost 40 years old and played the hardest on our team. It says a lot about him."

And it said a lot about the rest of L.A.'s team that ended their five-game road trip with another loss to go 1-4 overall and fall to 4-4 on the season.

During Redick's postgame remarks, the first-year coach was asked how he would address the perceived lack of effort with his team.

"I just did," Redick said, plopping the microphone on the table in front of him to end the news conference.

As Redick made his way out of the room, he shouted back at reporters, "First thing I said to them."

Redick began delivering the message by the way he distributed playing time.

He doled out just six minutes in the second half to D'Angelo Russell -- and a season-low 22 minutes total -- as he mixed up his rotation to try to find a spark.

"Just level of compete, attention to detail, some of the things we've talked with him about for a couple of weeks," Redick said when asked why he limited Russell's role in Memphis. "And at times he's been really good with that stuff. And other times, it's just reverting back to certain habits. But it wasn't like a punishment. It just felt for us to have a chance to win this game, that was the route we wanted to take."

Russell finished with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting (2-for-9 from 3), but he was hardly the only L.A. player to struggle against the Grizzlies. Dalton Knecht, making his first career start in place of Hachimura, shot 1-for-7, with all of his takes coming beyond the 3-point arc. Austin Reaves scored 19 but was just 2-for-9 from 3. Gabe Vincent, who was the beneficiary of Russell's minutes, was 2-for-8 overall (1-for-6 from 3).

James, who became just the sixth player in league history to reach 1,500 career games on Wednesday, was asked about Redick's claim about effort.

"At the end of the day, especially when you lose bodies, you got to compete," said James, who was matched up defensively with Memphis' 6-foot-10 power forward, Jaren Jackson Jr., for much of the night. "You got to compete even harder. You got to be out there giving it everything that you got and on both ends. I think there were times that we did that, but the majority of the time, I don't think we sustained energy and effort."

It was the second loss on the trip when L.A. allowed 130-plus points by its opponents as the Lakers have plummeted to 28th in defensive efficiency in the NBA, allowing 118.8 points per 100 possessions.

"We got to compete and we got to defend. We gave up 50% shooting and they shot the 3 ball well. They got into the paint. They got offensive rebounds. They got second-chance points. And they had some transition points as well," James said. "So, it wasn't too much of the offense, even though we didn't shot the ball well. We got to do a better job of that, but defense, we got to hang our hat on that too."

The woman involved in an altercation that led to the arrest and suspension of Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young last month has retracted her statement to police and requested that all criminal charges against him be dropped, according to an affidavit provided to ESPN on Wednesday by Young's attorney.

Young was arrested on Oct. 8 on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault of an unborn child, according to Athens-Clarke County Jail records.

According to an Athens-Clarke County Police incident report obtained by ESPN, a 20-year-old woman, who described herself as Young's ex-girlfriend, told police that she went to his apartment to discuss their relationship.

When the conversation became heated after she discovered he was on the phone with another woman, the complainant said Young "grabbed her left arm near her biceps and triceps and physically pulled her out of his room." The woman said Young was "using derogatory terms and being demeaning of her." She said Young went back to his room and locked the door.

The woman told police she started to collect her belongings when a friend called her phone. When she answered, the woman told police, "Mr. Young came out and grabbed her from behind. She said that he picked her up and began to squeeze her torso and abdomen very hard. She said she felt like [Young] was trying to harm her."

The police officer noted in the report that he observed a bruise and discoloration on the bottom of the woman's chest where it meets the abdomen, and redness on her right side. The police officer transported the woman to an Athens hospital for treatment.

In an affidavit released Wednesday by Young's attorney, Kim Stephens, the woman said the police report was "slanted and does not accurately portray what occurred on Oct. 8."

"I did go to Colbie's apartment late at night to talk to him about our relationship and my pregnancy," the woman said in the affidavit. "Colbie asked me to leave more than once while I was there. I did not leave until I became upset with him and did not think our conversation was productive.

"Colbie did not place his hands on me in any way during the conversation and argument that was inappropriate or unwanted. He did not hit me. He did not push me. He did not cause any bruising or marks on me. He did not injure me in any way."

According to the affidavit, the woman asked the Athens-Clarke County Solicitor General's Office on Oct. 14 to dismiss the charges against Young. The woman said she made several subsequent requests to prosecutors since then.

"As evident by the affidavit, Colbie Young did not commit any crime in this matter and all charges against him should be dismissed immediately," Stephens said in a statement to ESPN on Wednesday. "Likewise, because the affidavit fully exonerates Mr. Young, the University of Georgia should allow Mr. Young to return to all team activities including participation in games."

The solicitor's office did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment late Wednesday.

Stephens said he provided the woman's statement to the university and prosecutors.

When reached by ESPN for comment Wednesday, Georgia athletic department spokesman Steven Drummond reiterated that the case is a legal matter and the school would have no further comment.

Young was suspended from the team by Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart the day after the incident.

"He's been suspended indefinitely until this legal matter is resolved," Smart said at the time. "We can't really comment any further on the specifics of it, but I had a good meeting with him this morning. We're committed to continuing to educate our players and do the best job we can of making sure they understand the serious nature of these incidents.

"It's very unfortunate, but we want to be responsible in decision-making on and off the field. This is obviously a really tough situation."

Young, who played two seasons at Miami before transferring to Georgia, had 11 catches for 149 yards with two touchdowns in the first five games. He has sat out the team's past three games.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren left Wednesday night's 108-107 loss to the Charlotte Hornets with a left ankle injury and did not return.

Duren appeared to slip on the floor in the early moments of the game and went down.

He seemed fine at the time and jogged off the court. Duren remained in the game for a few more minutes before leaving for good later in the first quarter after playing eight minutes and contributing three rebounds and one assist.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SAN ANTONIO -- Eight-time All-Star Mookie Betts is likely to move back to the infield, manning second base or shortstop for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025, general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday.

"It could be second, it could be short. We don't really know yet," Gomes said from the annual GM meetings. "We need to continue to have those conversations. But I think it's much more like, 'Hey, Mookie's looking to get back in the infield' than anything else.

"I know the toll on the body is less in the infield for him. So you can make arguments on both sides of it. But the beauty of Mookie is it's the most selfless superstar we've ever been around. And that permeates through the team."

Betts, 32, spent the first 72 games of the 2024 season as the Dodgers' shortstop after splitting time between second base and right field the previous season. With an acute need for outfield production this season, Los Angeles moved Betts back to right when he returned from a broken hand Aug. 12 after sitting out nearly two months.

Los Angeles could re-sign free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who spent 2024 as its left fielder but is a natural right fielder, or it could pursue free agent star Juan Soto, though the team is likely to balk at a price tag expected to approach, if not exceed, $600 million.

Betts' versatility aligns well with the Dodgers' roster, which also includes Tommy Edman (who plays shortstop and center field), Gavin Lux (a second baseman who has also played shortstop and outfield) and utilityman Chris Taylor. The Dodgers also could venture into the free agent market for former Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames.

"For Mookie, winning is always No. 1," Gomes said, "so I just wouldn't be surprised if he's like, 'Hey, this is the best thing. I'll play wherever.' I think catching is probably out of the realm of possibility, although I'm sure he would be good at that, as well.

"We're always looking to improve the team, and the flexibility is something that's helpful as we're going out and looking for options on how to make the team better. I don't think it's a pressing need, but ... if there's an ability to add good players and that's the best way to do it, certainly open to it."

The timetable for the return of star two-way player Shohei Ohtani, who underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing left arm, is unclear, and Gomes said he was not certain Ohtani would be available to pitch on Opening Day in Tokyo on March 18. Ohtani, 30, is recovering from reconstructive right elbow surgery -- the second time he has needed such a procedure -- and did not pitch in 2024.

Ohtani tore his labrum and partially dislocated his shoulder sliding into second base on a stolen-base attempt during Game 2 of the World Series. Though he continued to play through the injury, Ohtani struggled in the series against the New York Yankees. He is expected to be ready for spring training, Gomes said, though his rehabilitation could affect the buildup to his offseason pitching plan.

"We'll see how he gets through this phase and then take it each step by step because it's complicated with somebody who's also hitting," Gomes said. "So we're just going to make sure that we're checking every box to make sure he's in the best possible position health-wise, and whatever falls out of that smart, methodical process will be what it is."

The Dodgers are expected to turn to a six-man rotation, with right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, a pair of other pitchers coming off injuries -- right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May -- and left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a free agent who intends to play for Los Angeles in 2025.

"As always," Gomes said, "Kersh is of the highest priority for us."

Another top priority, Gomes said: signing manager Dave Roberts, whose contract expires after the 2025 season, to a long-term extension "as long as we can see out."

Bayern Munich are mourning the death of a fan who attended the team's 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Bavarian club said early Thursday morning that they received the news that the fan had died while being transported to the hospital.

Bayern fans did not sing or chant during the game out of respect for the person. The atmosphere in Bayern's stadium was noticeably muted some minutes after kickoff when it became apparent there was a medical emergency requiring the attention of paramedics and police officers.

The Bayern supporters' group Club Nr. 12 said its members would "not be supporting as usual today because of an emergency medical intervention. Life comes before sport. We wish the family and friends lots of strength."

The Bayern supporters did not resume chanting after the person was carried out of the block on a stretcher after about half an hour.

"A medical emergency in the stands of the Allianz Arena cast a shadow over the game right from the start," Bayern said in a statement. "Out of consideration, the Südkurve refrained from its usual vociferous support for their team, and the club also reduced its coverage of the match.

"Around an hour after the final whistle, the German record champions received the sad news that the fan had died on the way to hospital. FC Bayern is in mourning side by side with the fan's relatives."

Jamal Musiala's 67th-minute header -- set up by Harry Kane -- was enough for Bayern to end its two-game losing run and claim its second win of the league phase.

The Bayern fans cheered and celebrated the goal, but the atmosphere remained muted for the rest of the match.

"We didn't know of it during the game, just after it," Bayern midfielder Konrad Laimer said of the medical emergency. "We wish the family strength and best wishes, we're thinking of all involved."

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.