Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George suffered a hyperextended left knee in the second quarter of Monday's preseason win in Atlanta and didn't return.

"Hopefully it'll be OK, so he's back with us right away," 76ers coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the game.

George, playing in his second preseason game with the 76ers after signing a four-year max contract as a free agent this offseason, was defending Hawks forward Jalen Johnson on a drive with a little over eight minutes to go in the second quarter when his left leg planted awkwardly and bent at an odd angle.

He quickly exited the game and didn't return, with the team ruling George out for the remainder of the evening in the second half.

"I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately it was, all right, I need to get taken out and (looked at), but if you ask me, I'm not too concerned about it," George told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia had already ruled out Joel Embiid for the rest of the preseason Sunday, as the star center continues to ramp up his conditioning and activity levels to be ready for next week's regular-season opener at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 23. Embiid suffered a left knee injury last season that limited him to 39 games.

The 76ers were already planning to be cautious with the health of both George and Embiid this season, with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey telling ESPN that both stars will "probably not play many back-to-backs, if any."

And for all of the attention on Embiid's injury history -- he has missed 204 games over the past eight seasons and sat out his first two years in the NBA with foot injuries -- the 74 games George played last season in his final year with the Clippers were his most since 2019 and came after he'd played no more than 56 games in each of his prior four seasons in Los Angeles.

Notre Dame landed a commitment from four-star quarterback Blake Hebert on Monday, flipping the longtime Clemson pledge and securing a quarterback for the Irish's 2025 class less than two weeks after Deuce Knight's seismic flip to Auburn.

Hebert, ESPN's No. 6 dual-threat passer in 2025, announced his decommitment from Clemson via X before giving his pledge to Notre Dame minutes later Monday evening.

Hebert, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback from Greenwich, Connecticut, had been committed to Dabo Swinney and the Tigers since June 16, 2023. With his recruitment closed, Hebert took a pair of trips to Clemson earlier this year, most recently on an official visit in May.

Yet the quarterback landscape in the 2025 cycle shifted when Knight, ESPN's No. 2 dual-threat quarterback, pulled his pledge from Notre Dame on Oct. 2 and committed to Auburn, ending a lengthy recruiting saga that began in the summer. The Irish were aggressive in their pursuit to land another 2025 quarterback following Knight's departure, and Marcus Freeman & Co. found one in Hebert, now bound for South Bend, Indiana, through a late-cycle recruitment led by Notre Dame quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator Gino Guidugli.

"I'd like to start by thanking the Clemson coaching staff as well as the program itself for all they have done for me," Hebert wrote on X minutes before announcing his pledge to the Irish. "With that being said, I have chosen to withdraw my commitment and will spend my next 4 years at another institution."

Hebert spent the first three seasons of his high school career at Massachusetts' Central Catholic High School. He missed nearly all of his junior season after suffering an ankle fracture in the program's season opener last fall. As first-year starter in his sophomore season in 2022, Hebert completed 58.3% of his passes for 1,748 yards with 24 touchdowns to one interception. Hebert transferred to Connecticut's Brunswick School prior to his senior season.

Hebert now joins a Notre Dame recruiting class that has lost several commitments in recent months. Before Knight, four-star safety Ivan Taylor marked a key departure when he flipped to Michigan in July, and the Irish lost a pledge from three-star running back Daniel Anderson earlier this month. However, Notre Dame still holds commitments from nine ESPN 300 pledges in 2025, led by four-star offensive tackle Will Black (No. 99 in 2025 ESPN 300), and Hebert will arrive on campus alongside four-star tight end James Flanigan (No. 144), running back Justin Thurman (No. 300) and wide receiver Elijah Burress (No. 44 wide receiver in 2025).

The Irish's incoming class sits at No. 14 in ESPN's latest team rankings for the 2025 cycle.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah quarterback Cam Rising is out for the season with a lower leg injury and coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday true freshman Isaac Wilson will be the Utes' starter until further notice.

Rising was injured in Utah's 27-19 loss to Arizona State on Friday. His leg was bent backward at an awkward angle following a hit on the Utes' first drive. The seventh-year senior finished out the contest but struggled with his mobility and accuracy. He completed only 43% of his passes and threw three interceptions against the Sun Devils.

Rising has already missed three games this season because of an injury to his throwing hand. He sat out all the 2023 season after suffering a major knee injury in the 2023 Rose Bowl.

Utah released a statement from Whittingham on Monday evening confirming that Rising will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.

"During his time at Utah, Cam has been both a great player and leader for our program, and he will obviously be missed," Whittingham said in the statement. "Any future developments concerning his collegiate eligibility will be addressed at a later date."

Wilson, the younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, filled in for Rising during his earlier absence. He posted a 2-1 record as a starter while throwing for 726 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions.

"We feel like the quarterback position is stable. We just don't have Cam," Whittingham said at his weekly press conference earlier on Monday.

Whittingham also said an eighth season for Rising may be considered if he decides to seek a medical waiver after this season.

United States men's coach Mauricio Pochettino said the door is open for new players to feature against Mexico on Tuesday night at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara after the departure of five players.

Marlon Fossey, Zack Steffen, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi left U.S. camp after a 2-0 victory over Panama on Saturday due to injuries, while Christian Pulisic returned to AC Milan to avoid work overload.

Now, Pochettino will use the upcoming friendly as the last chance to observe other players before the next international window in November.

"It's really important for the players because I think we all want to have the opportunity to play, to show quality," said Pochettino on Monday ahead of the Mexico game. "It's true, it's a problem because I think we cannot have five players that can be involved in all of our quality. Some players that cannot be involved in the last game, against Panama and now in Mexico.

"It's a little bit sad because these guys that work here want to help and play for the team. But at the same time when one door is closed, another can be opened, there will be a possibility for another player to play."

The United States will face El Tri in a friendly on Mexican soil for the first time in 12 years, winning the last meeting 1-0 at the Estadio Azteca on Aug. 15, 2012. The new manager noted that playing abroad will give the coaching staff and players a chance to learn from the difficult atmosphere expected in Guadalajara, especially in the lead up to the 2026 World Cup.

"For us it's another game to learn, to learn like a group to feel adversity, to feel that we are going to compete," said Pochettino. "And that is how to increase our experience and then to develop the experience to be better and better and better.

"For me it's always a massive opportunity to challenge ourselves and to challenge the players."

The Argentine manager expects a difficult game against Javier Aguirre's side, complimenting the Mexico coach for his competitive edge before warning players to anticipate a tough night.

"Of course it's going to be tough. Mexico is a magnificent team with a great and very good coach, but a very good team and very good coach, very good person," said Pochettino. "And of course it's going to be tough, but we will enjoy it.

"There are not many coaches who compete like him, the capacity, the emotional intelligence and the intelligence of managing the group and after the game for me he is one of the best, for me he is a great gentleman, he is a man with a lot of experience.

"I repeat again without wanting to, not wanting to, maybe it seems like I don't want to analyze Mexico, but I think that when we can compete next month in the Nations Cup and Concacaf, I think the approach is 'how are we going to compete tomorrow?'"

Following the friendly against Mexico, the United States will prepare to face a yet to be determined opponent in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- After leaving Sunday's game against the Broncos with an irregular heartbeat, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that he will wear a heart monitor for the next two weeks and take a blood thinner and another medication to keep his heart from spiking.

Harbaugh on Monday saw a cardiologist whom he said did not recommend a medical procedure but said he could have one in the future. In 1999 and 2012 Harbaugh had an ablation, which is a procedure that uses heat or cold to destroy heart tissue that is causing an irregular heartbeat.

Harbaugh said he is not considering stepping away from football.

"It would take my heart stopping for me not to be out there on the sideline," Harbaugh said.

He said he will continue to follow doctors' directives and that he learned more about managing his heart.

"I'm pretty confident on this one that I know what it is and how to deal with it," Harbaugh said. "But as always, we'll address the doctors and they'll tell me what to do."

Harbaugh briefly left in the first quarter of the Chargers' 23-16 win over the Broncos Sunday after a flare-up with atrial flutter, a type of arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat at an abnormally high rate.

Harbaugh went to the locker room, where paramedics treated him. He had an electrocardiogram scan and, eventually, they got his heart back to a normal rhythm. Harbaugh returned in the first quarter and coached the remainder of the game. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was the interim head coach while Harbaugh was out.

Harbaugh said he has had a flare-up in a game before. In 2012, when he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers in a game against the Chicago Bears on "Monday Night Football," he felt an irregular heartbeat but finished coaching the game and saw doctors afterward.

Harbaugh said the altitude in Denver didn't affect his irregular heartbeat. He felt discomfort before the Chargers boarded their flight to Denver and even mentioned it to quarterback Justin Herbert.

"I was like, 'I don't know if I'm really fired up for the game or this is my arrhythmia kicking back in,'" Harbaugh deadpanned.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- If there's one thing that Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell says he has learned about Aidan Hutchinson, it's not to bet against him.

Campbell anticipates a four- to six-month recovery process for the Lions' star edge rusher after he underwent surgery to repair his fractured tibia and fibula, but the coach refuses to call it a season-ending injury.

"I would never count Hutch out. Ever," Campbell said. "So, probably a long road, but I would never count him out and I would say if anybody can make it back, it'd be him."

Campbell said Hutchinson's surgery went great Sunday night at Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas.

During Sunday's 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, Hutchinson injured his left leg on a play in which he was sacking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

While pulling down Prescott, Hutchinson's leg appeared to snap above the ankle when it hit the left leg of teammate Alim McNeill. He was carted off the field. Throughout the recovery process, Campbell said it might help that Hutchinson has faith in returning this season.

"Just knowing Hutch -- he's got one of those rare ... once he believes in it, he can will himself to find a way to get back," Campbell said. "He's one of those guys -- the mind can heal the body, and he'll find the next best thing and do whatever it takes to get back."

"So, who knows? But yeah, I think it's huge," he continued. "You know it's just sitting right out there, 'I can do this, I can get back. We'll be in a position to where I'll be able to come back and help.' And I do, I think it's huge."

Without Hutchinson, Campbell is confident the Lions are still capable of winning a Super Bowl with the players they have. Moving forward, he has faith in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and his ability to get the most production out of the players on the roster, such as defensive linemen McNeill, Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, DJ Reader and Isaac Ukwu.

McNeill said he told Hutchinson that he has his back, despite seeing the gruesome injury up close.

"That's a huge piece that went down so we're just going to have to step up and make plays and make up for it," McNeill said after Sunday's win. "So, we've just got to do that. There's no blueprint to it, we've just got to step up and make plays."

Lions general manager Brad Holmes could also consider making an outside addition for more help. Campbell said they're not in a hurry, though, because of his faith in the defensive line, although they are currently looking and evaluating talent.

"My job is to coach what's here and I'm going to coach the hell out of them and we are as a staff and so yeah, I do," Campbell said. "And if we get somebody, great, and if we don't, these are our guys, and the coaches know that. This is what we came into camp with, this is why we develop talent and it's next man up. They've got to be ready to go."

Teammates, such as rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold, continue to support Hutchinson. Arnold wrote on X that "the rest of this season is for you bro we got you... Heal up fast #97."

The rest of this season is for you bro we got you... Heal up fast #97 pic.twitter.com/w2hngWEdl9

Terrion Arnold (@ArnoldTerrion) October 14, 2024

Hutchinson's injury was a huge blow to the locker room, even after handing Dallas one of its worst home losses in team history.

"It's tough, but what are you going to do?" Onwuzurike said. "Your boy just went out and now you've got to play for him so in a way that gives us motivation."

Hutchinson was one of the early favorites to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award before his injury. Entering Week 6, he also led the NFL in sacks, pressures and pass rush win rate, even with the Lions coming off their bye week to play in Dallas.

Campbell said he won't allow his team to think negatively as their team goal -- to with the Super Bowl -- is still in place.

"Everything's on the table, but man, we're not panicked," Campbell said. "Brad and I are not panicked. And this team's not panicked. It's next man up and if we have an area, we need some help then we've [got] to help each other out a little bit here and we may have to play a little bit different and that's OK."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- More than a decade ago, Alex Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP during his first season playing right wing instead of his usual left. The next year, playing in the same spot, he scored a league-best 51 goals.

"I'll take it right now," Ovechkin said.

So would the Washington Capitals, who might get a spark from Ovechkin shifting to the right side for their second game of the season Tuesday against Vegas. Coach Spencer Carbery downplayed the move as an adjustment to balance out the lineup, but it could have a major impact as Ovechkin at age 39 chases Wayne Gretzky's career goals record.

"I think it's a small change," Carbery said. "I find him on both sides of the ice a lot, and so left, right, it's not a huge deal to me."

Ovechkin joked, "Maybe I'm going to play goalie." No, that will be Logan Thompson against his former team, the Golden Knights, who traded him in the offseason following a difference of opinion on his role with the organization.

After a 5-3 loss to New Jersey in the opener, Carbery moved Aliaksei Protas to top-line left wing -- Ovechkin's spot for the better part of his 20-year career in North America -- alongside center Dylan Strome.

"We just mix it up," Ovechkin said. "We still have options to find out combinations. It's the beginning of the year, new faces on the team, so we have to find the right combinations, right chemistry, so that's what we're trying to do right now."

Ovechkin played right wing in the lockout-shortened 2013 season and then again in 2013-14 when Adam Oates coached the team. Oates thought the right-handed-shooting Ovechkin had been on the wrong side all along.

Five goals in his first 16 games was a rough start, then Ovechkin scored 27 in his final 32 to get Washington into the playoffs.

"I have experience to play there, but it was a long time [ago]," Ovechkin said. "You start on the left or right, it doesn't matter because in the game you're coming from offensive zone to [the defensive] zone and you stay on the right side. So, play basically most of the time there -- left or right."

The schedule worked out for Thompson to get the net against Vegas following Charlie Lindgren starting against the Devils, with Carbery and goalie coach Scott Murray wanting to split the first two games of the season.

It also gets a potentially emotional night out of the way early on, after Thompson wanted more playing time and got a change of scenery with the trade at the draft in June.

"I think we were just at two different points," Thompson said. "Me being still younger in my career, I just wanted a different opportunity."

Thompson in training camp made a pointed comment about the Golden Knights taking credit for goaltending and jokingly wondered if he could even play in the league elsewhere. The Capitals expect the way things ended for Thompson to be a source of motivation this season.

"I will caution him to channel that," Carbery said. "If you want something so bad, sometimes it goes the other way. But he's the type of guy that he's a fiery guy and loves to compete, and so this will be no different for him."

Washington brought in a handful of new players during the offseason, including Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy to revamp the defense. One game in, Roy is already out after being injured Saturday and leaving early in the second period.

"Definitely not ideal to lose him in the first game, for the game itself and then for the foreseeable future," Carbery said. "I don't think it'll be crazy long, but he's going to miss a decent amount of time."

Dylan McIlrath gets the first chance to fill in, so the Capitals can keep their balance of three left and three right shots on the blue line. Roy's absence will also mean more ice time for Trevor van Riemsdyk and No. 1 defenseman John Carlson, who played more than anyone else in the NHL last season.

Up front, Jakub Vrana, who made the team after attending camp on a tryout, is expected to replace Sonny Milano as part of a shakeup of the top three lines.

DENVER -- New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy stepped onto the ice at Ball Arena and briefly glanced toward the rafters.

Yep, his familiar No. 33 was still up there with all the other banners representing retired Colorado Avalanche numbers.

Being back in town for Roy brought back memories of helping Colorado win two Stanley Cup titles as a goaltender. It also made him reflect on the bitter end, when he abruptly resigned as Avalanche coach two months before the start of the NHL 2016-17 regular season.

"A lot of good memories," Roy said Monday after practice and hours before his first game against his former team as coach of the Islanders. "That's the way I want to look at it."

Roy has no regrets over how he handled the situation even as it took more than seven years to land another NHL head coaching job. It just made him more appreciative returning to the bench last January when he took over for Lane Lambert.

"I'm in a much better place today than I was then, more respect for the position, more appreciation for being back in the league," said Roy, who went 20-12-5 last season to guide the Islanders into the playoffs. "At the same time, things went well for the Avs."

Especially for Jared Bednar, who was hired as coach after Roy's departure. It was a rough first season under Bednar as the Avalanche went 22-56-4 in '16-17. Five years later, the Avalanche were hoisting the Stanley Cup.

"I probably owe him a big hug and a steak dinner," Bednar said of Roy. "Everyone does what's right for them personally, but for me, it just opened a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

After the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, Roy texted longtime teammate and Avalanche president Joe Sakic to tell him how proud he was.

"I was happy for them," Roy said. "When you play here for those years, and the connection with the fans and the opportunity to wear that jersey night after night, it's something that we put a lot of pride in."

Being back in the Mile High City, Roy couldn't help but think about Colorado general manager Pierre Lacroix, who died in 2020. Lacroix was once Roy's agent and after Lacroix arrived in Denver helped orchestrate a trade with Montreal that brought Roy to town.

"He's the one that gave me my chance," Roy said. "So obviously, I'm always going to have a thought for him."

Roy won 551 games over his Hall of Fame goaltending career with Montreal and Colorado. He captured three Vezina trophies and was part of four Stanley Cup teams between the Canadiens (1986, 1993) and Avalanche (1996, 2001).

The 59-year-old Roy was hired as coach by Colorado in 2013 to turn around the team. He propelled the Avalanche into the playoffs his first season and with a rookie named Nathan MacKinnon. After two more seasons, Roy suddenly stepped down. At the time, Sakic contended the team's lack of success played into Roy's decision to leave.

"In the past, I would take things for granted," Roy explained Monday. "Sometimes it's nice to put your ego aside and understand that it's a privilege coaching in this league. Every day you need to put the work (in), you try to learn new things. I think that's what I've been doing a lot better than I was doing then."

He's treating this as just another game. Same approach as last season against Montreal.

"I always have the Avs in my heart. Same thing with Montreal," Roy said. "I had great memories over those 11 years that I was involved with the (Avalanche) organization. I'm thankful for it."

The Columbus Blue Jackets now have what they call a "Johnny skate" at the end of practice. It's a shot someone takes from the far end of the ice toward the opposite goal. Make it, players skate one lap. Miss it, players skate three laps.

That's as in 1 and 3. 13. Johnny Gaudreau's jersey number.

And the shooter on Monday missed it on purpose. Nobody minded, since it was Johnny Gaudreau's father.

Guy Gaudreau -- the father of the late brothers John and Matthew Gaudreau -- was a guest at the Blue Jackets' practice in Columbus, a day before the team's home opener against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. He skated around with a few players, tapped his stick on the ice to encourage players as they skated past and had a fist-bump for everybody before the session ended

"He loves the game, loves hockey," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. "It was a joy to have him out there."

Guy Gaudreau is former hockey coach at Hollydell Ice Arena and Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey. John Gaudreau -- a star who would have been entering his third season with the Blue Jackets and 11th full NHL season -- and Matthew Gaudreau were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding their bicycles on a rural road in South Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie's wedding.

"It's great to have Guy here," Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly said. "Just reminds you of the exact same stuff John would do."

Monday wasn't Guy Gaudreau's first time on the ice this season; he was a guest of the Philadelphia Flyers last month. Evason said the team got the idea to have Guy Gaudreau at practice from the gesture that Flyers coach John Tortorella made.

Tuesday night will be emotional for the Blue Jackets -- for the whole NHL, really. The tributes to the Gaudreau brothers have poured in from around the hockey world for the past several weeks. In Calgary, where "Johnny Hockey" started his NHL career, goaltender Dustin Wolf's mask is now a memorial of sorts to the Gaudreau brothers, featuring both their jersey numbers and Johnny Gaudreau in a Flames uniform. It even includes purple Gatorade and Skittles, two of his go-to treats.

Guy Gaudreau was asked if he wanted to address the team Monday and initially declined, but eventually had a bit of a chat with players. And in case there was any doubt about whether he enjoyed being on the ice with Johnny's club on Monday, he had a question for Evason after practice.

The question: Are you having a morning skate on Tuesday?

When told that the Blue Jackets are, Guy Gaudreau said he'd be there for that as well.

"He just wants to be around," Evason said. "It's fantastic."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.