COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Rookies Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil scored first-half goals, Riqui Puig scored twice during second-half stoppage time, and the Los Angeles Galaxy polished off a first-round sweep of the Colorado Rapids with a 4-1 victory in MLS Cup action on Friday night.

Pec, who had 16 goals during the regular season, scored his first postseason goal just eight minutes into the match when he deflected a clearing attempt by Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen into the net.

The Rapids answered with an unassisted goal by Oliver Larraz - his first in his first postseason - to even the score in the 19th minute of the best-of-three series.

The second-seeded Galaxy took a 2-1 lead into halftime when Paintsil took a pass from Maya Yoshida in the third minute of stoppage time and scored his first postseason goal. Yoshida's assist was his first in two career playoff starts.

Puig, who scored twice in the Galaxy's 5-0 victory in the opening match, put the finishing touch on the victory with goals in the first and third minutes of stoppage time. He did not have a goal or an assist in two playoff starts for LA in 2022.

Diego Fagúndez notched his second career assist in his ninth postseason appearance on Puig's first goal. Pec made it two straight postseason matches with an assist with one on his second.

John McCarthy saved three shots in his second playoff start for the Galaxy after posting a clean sheet in his first. His only other postseason start came in 2020 with Inter Miami.

Steffen totaled four saves in his 10th career postseason start and second with the seventh-seeded Rapids.

The Galaxy outscored Colorado 15-4 in four matchups this season. LA improves to 9-2-0 all time against the Rapids in the postseason, including 4-2-0 on the road.

LA will face the winner of the series between No. 3 seed Real Salt Lake and No. 6 seed Minnesota United in the next round.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was placed in the NBA's concussion protocol after exiting Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter.

Murray was cutting through the lane with Anthony Edwards guarding him, when Julius Randle backed up to chase Aaron Gordon and inadvertently banged his shoulder into Murray's nose.

Murray's head jerked back into Edwards from the impact, and he doubled over in pain while the play continued before subbing out four possessions later during a timeout and heading to the locker room for further examination.

Murray had six points on 2-of-7 shooting in 22 minutes.

That continued a relatively slow start to the season for Murray, who signed a four-year, $208 million maximum contract extension in September. He averaged 18.8 points on 37.9% shooting in the Nuggets' first four games entering Friday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jaylen Brown had 25 points in the Boston Celtics' 124-109 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, but he saved his biggest shots for after the game.

The star guard took issue with former teammate Grant Williams, who plowed into Jayson Tatum from the side as Tatum was dribbling near half court late in the fourth quarter. Tatum spilled to the ground. Brown then came in and jawed at Williams and the Hornets bench.

Tatum appeared upset as he got to his feet, but simply walked toward the foul line as officials reviewed the play. Williams was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 and could face a league suspension.

Asked if he thought Williams' foul was unintentional, Brown didn't hesitate with an answer.

"Like, what are we talking about? Y'all see the same play that I was seeing?" Brown told reporters in Charlotte. "He hit him like it was a football play. Like, Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant know better than that."

Brown said there's no place in the NBA for a foul like that and questioned why Williams, who was teammates with him and Tatum in Boston from 2019 to 2023, would commit it.

"I thought JT and Grant was friends. ... I guess not," Brown said.

Williams acknowledged it was a hard foul but said it wasn't an intentional one.

"Not trying to hurt anybody. We all know that's one of my closest friends in the league," Williams told NBC Sports Boston.

"JB kind of escalated it, but I understand he's trying to protect his teammate. But that's (Tatum) my dog. No matter what I got his back. ... No malice or any issue with that."

Tatum, who scored a game-high 32 points, declined to speak to the media afterward.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla refused to place any blame directly on Williams.

"I'm glad that (Tatum) is fine," he said. "What I liked the most is that he jumped right up and didn't lay around. It didn't faze him. He got right up, went to the free throw and did his business."

The game didn't calm down after the foul on Tatum, either. Moments later, LaMelo Ball fouled the Celtics star on a 3-point attempt and was assessed a flagrant for a dangerous foul. Then in the closing seconds, Hornets forward Miles Bridges was ejected.

"Teams like to send messages and try to set the tone and do all different type of stuff to try to either get us out of character or mess with our mind or make us feel like we solved or whatever the case is," Brown said. "We're not going for none of that. We're not -- that's it. We're just not going."

The teams won't have to wait long to see each other. They play again Saturday night, this time in Boston.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

BOSTON -- The NHLPA will form an advisory committee to help hockey players better understand chronic traumatic encephalopathy and the damage that concussions can do to the brain.

NHLPA president Marty Walsh said on Friday night that the CTE committee was unanimously approved at a union board meeting this summer. The former Boston mayor made the announcement after receiving an award at the annual gala for the Concussion Legacy Foundation, which supports patients and families struggling with the symptoms of traumatic brain injuries.

"The long-term health of NHL players is of paramount importance to our membership," the union said in a statement. "To this end, the NHLPA is in the process of forming a player committee that will be focused on learning more about chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The committee will be guided by leading medical experts in this field to help players better understand CTE."

A degenerative brain disease, CTE has been identified in athletes and military combat veterans who sustained concussions or repeated blows to the head. It can be diagnosed only posthumously through an examination of the brain.

All-American Michigan cornerback Will Johnson is out against No. 1 Oregon on Saturday, sources confirmed to ESPN, leaving the Wolverines without their top defensive player.

Johnson left the Illinois game on Oct. 19 with a lower-body injury and missed the Michigan State game last week. He's still recovering from that lower-body injury, and his timeline to return is uncertain.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said this week that Johnson is expected back at some point this season "for sure" but didn't specify when.

Johnson is considered the top cornerback prospect for the upcoming NFL draft. He has delivered two pick-sixes this year for the Wolverines, returning interceptions 86 yards against Fresno State and 42 yards against USC.

Last season, he snagged four interceptions for the Wolverines and earned defensive MVP honors for the 2023 national championship game.

247 Sports first reported Johnson's expected absence.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly was helped off the ice midway through Friday night's game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Reilly took a big hit from Sabres forward Jordan Greenway and appeared to hit his head on the ice. Greenway was initially given a five-minute penalty, but it was rescinded following video review.

Reilly was on the ice for several minutes before he was helped to the locker room by his teammates.

Rúben Amorim has said he wanted to delay his move to Manchester United from Sporting CP until the end of the season but was told by the Premier League club that it was "now or never."

Man United confirmed the appointment of Amorim as their new manager on Friday, with Sporting announcing in a statement to Portugal's financial regulator, the CMVM, that the Red Devils had paid a fee of 11 million for his transfer.

Amorim, 39, will work a notice period with Sporting before officially starting work at United on Nov. 11.

"I had three days to decide one option that radically changes my life," Amorim told reporters after Sporting's 5-1 win against Estrela Amadora on Friday.

"The only request I made was for it [transfer] to be at the end of the season, and they [United] told me that it wasn't possible; that it was now or never. I knew if I rejected it that in six months I wouldn't have it. And I knew that in six months I would know that I wouldn't be at Sporting."

Amorim, who won two Portuguese league titles with Sporting -- including their first in 19 years -- since joining in 2020, said he had already decided to leave the club at the end of the season before United's offer.

"At the start of the season I had a conversation with the [Sporting] president and I told him that regardless of what happened this was going to be my last season at Sporting," he said. "This situation of Man United emerged, they have paid above the release clause."

Amorim, who was a target of Liverpool and West Ham earlier this year, said it is the right time to leave Sporting.

"I've had other offers in the past, it's not the first or second time that my release clause was going to be met," the Portuguese said. "I've come to a stage in my life where I had to make a decision."

Amorim signed a contract at Old Trafford until 2027 with the option of an additional year held by the club.

He will be taking his own staff.

"I'm going to take my staff, but we will have time to talk about it," he said. "It was always one of the conditions."

Amorim will remain in charge of Sporting for the Champions League home game against Manchester City on Nov. 5 and the league game at Braga on Nov. 10.

His first game in charge of Man United will be the Premier League game against Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Nov. 24.

Amorim refused to address questions about his next chapter at United on Friday.

"I haven't spoken to any Manchester United players as I'm focused on the task at hand," he said. "I'm happy to be staying for the next two games. I will talk about Man United on Nov. 11."

Amorim, who described his time at Sporting "as the best phase of my life," said he understands how the club's fans feel about him leaving with the club having begun the season with a perfect 10 wins from 10 league games.

"Everyone at Sporting knows how important [the club] is for me," he said. "I understand the fans' disappointment, leaving in the middle of a season that could be historic ... But today is not a farewell, we still have two important games with City and Braga, to maintain the lead."

Amid reports that United could sign Swedish forward Viktor Gyökeres, who scored four goals on Friday, Amorim said: "I'm not going to get any player from Sporting in January."

Top-ranked shooting guard Darryn Peterson announced his commitment to Kansas on Friday, giving Bill Self and the Jayhawks their highest-ranked recruit since 2016.

Peterson picked Kansas over a final four that also included Ohio State, Kansas State and USC. The Jayhawks have been the presumed favorite for months, but he took official visits to each of his other finalists and the gap to Kansas was closed down the stretch of his recruitment.

"This was a very hard decision," Peterson told ESPN. "Ultimately, it was the coaching of Bill Self and the culture of their program. My heart and gut were with Kansas.

"I will have the opportunity to play right away as a freshman, prepare for the draft and be dialed into winning. I won't look back or ahead. I will be dialed in when I am there."

A 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Ohio who attends Prolific Prep (California), Peterson is ranked No. 3 overall in the ESPN 100 for 2025. He's the No. 1-ranked shooting guard in the country.

Peterson becomes Kansas' highest-ranked recruit since Josh Jackson in 2016 and the highest-ranked guard to join Self's program since Xavier Henry -- who was also No. 3 overall -- in 2009.

"Bill Self is a legendary coach, and he believes in me," Peterson said. "He told me he will hold me accountable every day and make practices hard so the games will be easy. As a person, he is a high-energy guy who gives positive vibes. A guy you want to be around. He is relatable."

Peterson is one of the most talented scorers in the country, consistently putting up huge offensive output on the Adidas 3SSB circuit with the Phenom United program. Over the spring and summer, Peterson averaged 23.8 points and 7.4 rebounds, including three games of at least 30 points. In July, he had 38 points and 11 rebounds against Indiana Elite and 33 points on just 15 shots against Compton Magic. He got to the free throw line at an incredibly high rate, taking over eight per game and attempting 53 over a three-game stretch in July.

He also helped lead USA Basketball to a gold medal at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship in the summer of 2023. He started all six games, averaging 16.8 points and 3.7 assists, shooting nearly 43% from 3-point range.

Aggressive attacking the basket and finding gaps with power, speed and a change of pace, Peterson is astute at creating fouls due to his college-ready frame and ability to finish through contact. His motor and athletic ability are not in question. He manipulates defenders in ball-screen actions with the threat to turn the corner and score on his own or create for a teammate. He can prevent defenders from going under a screen by making 3s with consistency. Defensively, he averaged nearly three steals and two blocks and is impactful with his ability to grab rebounds and lead the break and put pressure on the defense in transition.

Peterson is Kansas' first commitment in the 2025 class, but the Jayhawks are also in a good position for top-30 big man Bryson Tiller. Frontcourt prospects Samis Calderon and Mouhamed Sylla are also on Kansas' target list for 2025.