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“The Chiefs are still the Chiefs,” insisted Travis Kelce. What does ‘still the Chiefs’ mean?

It means Kelce licking his lips at the sight of a toe-to-toe match-up with Baltimore Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, and winning a defining duel that few, if anybody, can say they have won this season. It means L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie going toe-to-toe with Tyreek Hill, and twice containing the NFL’s cheat code field-flipper in a way few, if anybody, can say they have this season.

It means Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid raising their levels in Tom Brady-Bill Belichick fashion upon the first sign of playoff football. It means Steve Spagnuolo tormenting Lamar Jackson and one of the league’s most explosive offenses with a bombardment of shape-shifting coverages and disguised pressures.

Baltimore called in the greats; Ray Lewis turned out, Ed Reed turned out, Terrell Suggs turned out. All in aid of forming a Chiefs-repellent fortress in which the Ravens would overpower their AFC rivals as their next inferior hurdle on the way to Las Vegas as favourites to win Super Bowl LVIII. Lamar Jackson would get his long-awaited ring as the league’s probable MVP, the Ravens would cap their commanding season in a Sin City shower of Lombardi riches. Or not.

The Chiefs did what no team had come close to doing to the Ravens this season. They out-thought them and out-fought them. Reid and Spagnuolo brought the game-plan; Mahomes, Kelce and their defensive cohort brought the fire and obsession-driven intensity customary to any playoff triumph.

For a team built on their trend-setting innovations and play designs, the Chiefs have mastered the winning trait of controlled postseason lunacy. They want it more than the rest. They are better than the rest. Their reward is a return to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, with a chance to go back-to-back after last season’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona.

“You don’t take it for granted,” said Mahomes. “You never know how many you’re going to get to or if you’re going to get to any. So it truly is special just to do it with these guys after what we’ve been through all season long. Guys coming together, it really is special. But I told them, ‘The job’s not done’. Our job now is to prepare ourselves to play a good football team in the Super Bowl and try to get that ring.”

The Chiefs’ young mistake-ridden receivers could not catch a pass this season, until they could. Kelce was washed, until he wasn’t. Mahomes was succumbing to frustration, until he channelled it. The Chiefs had fallen behind the pack amid a run of four defeats in six games over November and December, until they were back out in front. Order restored, Super Bowl-bound, dynasty team doing dynasty things.

Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken second-guessed himself into neglecting a run-game focus that had given the Buffalo Bills their best route to success against the Chiefs’ defense during the Divisional Round, for the first time this season Jackson – for all his phenomenal work in scramble drills and out-of-structure creation in the first half – was lured into poise-lacking decisions amounting to misfires and a costly late interception, and the Ravens as a whole were sucked into foolish penalties amid the live-on-the-edge environment Kansas City had sought to create.

Mahomes and Kelce had manoeuvred Justin Tucker’s kicking equipment during pre-game warm-ups without fear of a meme-able backfire, the Chiefs let it be known of their displeasure at the sight of Arthur Maulet entering their half before the game, Reid’s side – as they had against Buffalo at Orchard Park – quashed any notion of homefield advantage. This is still their league.

“I thought our guys played hard, aggressive football. It always starts with the offensive defensive line. They came out with a purpose here and played their hearts out,” said head coach Reid. “Pat Mahomes did a great job, again, as he normally does. But starting the game off with 11 completions, straight completions. That’s something, something special.

“And then to manage the game, things that get kind of thrown by the side is him taking a sack there at the end. So, as opposed to trying to fit the ball in. He took the sack, kept the clock running, good things happen there at that particular time, and then our defense was outstanding. We were able to get a lead, and we were able to maintain that lead and did it with great personality there.”

Mahomes was on hand to deliver the killer flashpoints. His approach to an early fourth-and-two was to sell the hitch route to his right with his body angle and eyes, before swivelling his hips and floating a dangerous strike to a leaping Kelce on a crossing route for 13 yards; nobody tries that. He later extended a third down for nine seconds in the backfield, before finally slaloming away from pressure and flipping a dangling carrot underneath, where Kelce was there to make a diving catch on Hamilton; nobody does that.

With Hamilton swarming Kelce on a corner route, Mahomes delivered the perfect back-shoulder pass for the touchdown to leave the Ravens’ star helpless. With the game on line, Mahomes inflicted the final blow as he lobbed up a strike to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 32 yards to move the chains on third-and-nine. Here was playoff Mahomes.

A fired-up Kelce himself saved his best performance of the season for the biggest stage, surpassing the legendary Jerry Rice for most postseason receptions in NFL history as he made 11 catches for 116 yards and one touchdown, among his most telling contributions, though, being the evil villain laugh that followed as he baited Kyle Van Noy into a heated exchange that would see the Ravens linebacker penalised. He and the Chiefs were under their skin.

But the story of Sunday was the story of the Chiefs’ season in its entirety, Spagnuolo and his Kansas City defense draining Baltimore of the oomph that had steamrollered the best of the league since September. Spags dared to dial up the blitz against the NFL’s best tuck-and-take rushing quarterback, crucially swerving escape acts with pocket containment and drive-stalling finishers in the backfield, while nullifying Jackson’s play-extension mastery with suffocating coverages downfield.

“Spags did an amazing job,” said Chiefs head coach Reid. “Spags, that defense, man. They were dirty tough today.”

Sneed has exemplified the Spagnuolo defense all season long, the latest instalment of his poster boy campaign coming with a game-changing forced fumble to dispossess Zay Flowers during the Ravens rookie’s heroic dive for the end zone. Moments earlier Flowers had conceded a 15-yard penalty for taunting Sneed on a 54-yard catch; the Chiefs man would have the last laugh, the Chiefs would have the last laugh.

Kansas City allowed just three of 11 attempts on third down, while recording four sacks, three takeaways and five pass defenses, as well as limiting the NFL’s best rushing attack to 81 yards. It was another Spags masterclass, the kind that raised glaring questions over why he continues to be omitted from head coaching conversations at this time of year. The Chiefs won’t care.

“It’s special because that’s a great team and a great quarterback,” Mahomes said. “Spags, it seems like when the games get bigger, when the challenges get higher, he performs even better.”

The Miami Dolphins entered a freezing cold Arrowhead Stadium on Wild Card weekend to be met by a Chiefs team reinvigorated by the doubts they had faced during the regular season; the Bills had plans for their own frosty welcome for the champions at Orchard Park, only to sink in the face of Chiefs inevitability. A loaded Ravens machine was deemed one step too far for the Chiefs and their fightback; nope.

They have had their way with three of the NFL’s most feared contenders while operating on limited resources in comparison. But with the league’s best quarterback, with an unflappable Reid, with the league’s best tight end, with Spagnuolo and his crack team of game-wreckers, the playoff Chiefs are an entirely different proposition. The great teams know how to navigate this time of year; this is one of the great teams.

Next? Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy and a San Francisco 49ers team with, as their head coach suggested, ‘unfinished business’ after coming up shy to Mahomes and co at Super Bowl LIV.

Watch Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas live on Sky Sports NFL, with coverage from 10pm on Sunday February 11

SANTA CLARA, California — Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers were on the brink, needing a spark to overcome a big deficit and avoid a third straight loss in the conference title game.

Brandon Aiyuk delivered with an improbable catch that helped save San Francisco’s season.

Purdy’s 51-yard pass that deflected off a defender’s facemask into Aiyuk’s hands helped the Niners rally from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 on Sunday and reach the Super Bowl.

AIYUK UNBELIEVABLE!

📺: #DETvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/gm8L5xwa9D

— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024

The 49ers (14-5) scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the third quarter to tie the NFC championship game and then pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a rematch against Kansas City after losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl four years ago.

“No one was rah-rah,” Purdy said. “No one was freaking out. It’s football. There’s a lot of experienced guys on this team, veteran guys who have been in crazy situations. We were just like, ‘We have to do our job.’”

San Francisco mounted the fourth comeback ever from 17 points down or more in a conference title game thanks to some big plays by Purdy and bad mistakes from the Lions (14-6), including two failed fourth downs in field-goal range. Detroit fell short of reaching the first Super Bowl in franchise history.

“We’re not going out like this,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of the mindset at halftime. “Guys didn’t want today to be the last day. We put ourselves in a hole. They played like it in the second half and we were able to get the ball to bounce the right way and we made up for what we did in the first half.”

The 49ers are going to #SBLVIII! #FTTB pic.twitter.com/iCz0Fo5OSQ

— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024

After being questioned about whether he could lead a comeback, Purdy has now done it twice in as many weeks. He engineered a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter to beat Green Bay last week and then had an even bigger comeback against the Lions.

He finished with 267 yards passing and a touchdown, along with 48 yards rushing thanks to a pair of 21-yard scrambles. Now the last pick of the 2022 draft will be starting in the Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

“All he’s done since he’s been here is play at an elite level,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “Everything starts with him. We’re lucky he’s our quarterback. He takes a lot of heat for absolutely no reason.”

McCaffrey had two TD runs and little-used backup Elijah Mitchell scored on a 3-yard run to make it 34-24 with 3:02 to play as the Niners got over the conference title game hump after losing the past two seasons.

“There’s been unfinished business for a while, man. Our team was set out for this for a long time,” Shanahan said. “It’s been a long year to get to this point, and we got it done today. It was hard at the beginning, but the character we have in our team, the type of guys we have, we can’t wait to get to Vegas, man.”

The Niners blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams two years ago and then were forced to play much of last year’s title game loss at Philadelphia without a functioning quarterback after Purdy injured his elbow on the opening drive and fourth-stringer Josh Johnson left with a concussion early in the third quarter.

But San Francisco managed to make the long journey back to this stage and now is in position to deliver the franchise its record-tying sixth Super Bowl title and first since the 1994 season.

A magical season for the Lions ended in heartbreak. Detroit remains the only team to play every season of the Super Bowl era without reaching the ultimate game. This looked like it could be the year to end that drought when Detroit won back-to-back playoff games after winning just one in the previous 56 seasons.

But the Lions couldn’t finish the job despite holding a 24-7 halftime lead.

“When you lose that way, it’s hard,” coach Dan Campbell said. “You feel like you get your heart ripped out. But I’m proud of that group and I’ll go anywhere with that group.”

San Francisco settled for a field goal on the opening drive of the second half before the game completely flipped in a four-minute span.

Campbell opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the San Francisco 28, but Josh Reynolds couldn’t hold onto a pass from Jared Goff, leading to a turnover on downs.

The Lions then seemed to have a potential interception when Purdy’s deep pass bit Kindle Vildor in the face mask, but the ball popped up and was caught for a spectacular 51-yard gain by Aiyuk.

“When I saw him catch that, I was like that’s insane,” Purdy said.

Purdy found Aiyuk three plays later for a 6-yard score.

“Before the game, a ladybug landed on my shoe. And you all know what that means,” Aiyuk said. “That’s all I can say. Other than that, I don’t know.”

Jahmyr Gibbs then fumbled on the next play from scrimmage, setting up a 1-yard run by McCaffrey to tie the game at 24.

It only got worse from there for the Lions with Reynolds dropping another pass on third down, leading to a punt that Detroit had a chance to down at the 1 but botched.

Purdy then drove the Niners to a 33-yard field goal by Jake Moody and their first lead of the game.

“Momentum certainly changed pretty quickly,” Goff said. “They scored, we didn’t convert the fourth down, they scored again, we turned the ball over. That little sequence right there makes it tough.”

Campbell bypassed a chance at a game-tying field goal on fourth-and-3 from the Niners 30 midway through the fourth quarter. Goff threw an incomplete pass and the Niners drove to the insurance touchdown.

Goff added a TD pass to Jameson Williams with 56 seconds to play, but the 49ers recovered the onside kick to seal the win. Goff finished 25 for 41 for 273 yards and a touchdown.

San Francisco’s heralded front seven had no answer in the first half for Detroit’s offensive line, which repeatedly opened up big holes, giving the backs several yards even before first contact.

The Lions ran for 148 yards in the first half, getting TD runs from Williams, David Montgomery and Gibbs.

Michael Badgley added a late field goal to give Detroit a 24-7 lead at the half, tied for the second-biggest scoring output for a road team in the first half of a conference title game since the NFL-AFL merger.

He did it again. They did it again. They were doubted; they cared not for doubts. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in the last five years after shattering the dreams of Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens with a 17-10 victory in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Jackson threw an end zone interception while chasing the game in the fourth quarter and Zay Flowers lost a fumble at the Chiefs goalline as a battle of the league’s elite quarterbacks evolved into a battle between the Ravens’ play-caller and Steve Spagnuolo’s phenomenal Kansas City defense.

Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco each scored first-half touchdowns as the defending Super Bowl champions built a defining 17-7 advantage at the break on their way to booking a spot in Las Vegas, where they will face the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV.

Mahomes finished 30 of 39 passing for 241 yards and a score as he and the Chiefs now look to become the first team since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004 to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

Kelce meanwhile continued to make a name for himself in the record books with 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, surpassing the great Jerry Rice for most postseason receptions in NFL history.

Trailing 17-7 with seven minutes remaining, Jackson was intercepted by Deon Bush while forcing a dangerous throw to his tight end Isaiah Likely at the back of the end zone, prompting Baltimore’s quarterback to slam his helmet in frustration amid a game of costly mistakes from the hosts.

The Ravens were inches away from making it a one-score game in the third quarter when L’Jarius Sneed continued his sparkling campaign by punching the ball out of the hands of Flowers as the rookie attempted to dive for the goalline, with the Chiefs recovering in the end zone for a touchback.

It capped a turbulent drive for the first-round pick, who had cost his team 15 yards after being flagged for taunting Sneed following a 54-yard catch that would have set the Ravens up at the 10-yard line.

Baltimore’s messy day continued on the Chiefs’ ensuing drive as Jadeveon Clowney’s roughing the passer penalty extended a drive that eventually chewed four valuable minutes off the clock.

Justin Tucker’s 43-yard field goal with 2.34 remaining kept the Ravens alive, until Mahomes delivered one final sucker-punch with a 32-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling to ice the game on third-and-nine.

What had been billed by Jackson as a heavyweight bout wasted little time in delivering its first wave of jabs as Kelce out-wrestled All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton in the corner of the end zone to haul in a 19-yard touchdown strike that would cap the Chiefs’ 10-play 86-yard opening drive.

The makings of an epic had been teased earlier in the possession when Mahomes dared to float a pass towards his star tight end on a crossing route on fourth-and-one, Kelce leaping to make the 13-yard grab on Hamilton as the pair ignited their fascinating game-long duel.

Back came Baltimore. Back came Lamar. The Ravens were level on the very next drive when their probable MVP quarterback extended the play amid a chaotic backfield before heaving a 30-yard end zone strike to Zay Flowers, having moments earlier converted on fourth-and-one with a 21-yard burst that had threatened to become a house call were it not for L’Jarius Sneed.

The Chiefs reverted to the run in a bid to restore control of the clock, a 16-play 75-yard marathon march lasting nine minutes and culminating in Pacheco’s two-yard rushing score.

Kansas City had the opportunity to extend their advantage when they recovered a fumble from Jackson, only to turn it over on downs after Pacheco was stuffed on fourth-and-one from the Ravens’ 13-yard line.

Jackson magic followed as he scurried to catch and carry his own deflected pass for 13 yards in a drive that would come up empty, before Harrison Butker tacked on a 52-yard field goal to make it 17-7 at the break.

For Jackson and the Ravens it would serve as yet another painful playoff exit after they had entered the postseason as the AFC’s No 1 seed and the consensus Super Bowl favourites.

For the Chiefs, it was the extension of a drastic turn in form since the start of the playoffs after a season of struggles on offense that had contributed to them losing four of six games in a stretch from the end of November to Christmas Day. Playing in their sixth straight AFC Championship Game, they found a way yet again.

Stats leaders:

Kansas City Chiefs

• Passing: Patrick Mahomes, 30/39, 241 yards, 1 TD
• Rushing: Isiah Pacheco, 24 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD
• Receiving: Travis Kelce, 11 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD

Baltimore Ravens

• Passing: Lamar Jackson, 20/37, 272 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Rushing: Lamar Jackson, 8 carries, 54 yards
• Receiving: Zay Flowers, 5 catches, 115 yards, 1 TD

Score summary

What was said?

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes: “It’s been a heck of a year, we’re not done yet, but this is the way to get there. We’ve been underdogs for the last few games, but we never feel like underdogs and we’ve got a lot of guys who know how to win.”

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce: “The Chiefs are still the Chiefs. And believe it – you’ve got to fight for your right to party! Believe it, baby, we’re going to Las Vegas.”

Sky Sports NFL’s Ndamukong Suh: “They showed the reason they should be in the Super Bowl because they were calm, collected, and their composure was right there when they needed plays.”

Sky Sports NFL’s Jason Bell: “They’ve got the best quarterback in the league and that’s what’s important. They had to change, they had to evolve, and they’re playing their best football at the moment.”

What’s next?

The Chiefs move on to face the 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Sunday February 11. Build-up begins at 10pm live on Sky Sports NFL ahead of kickoff at 11.30pm from Allegiant Stadium.

Mall of Asia Arena

3 p.m. Magnolia Hotshots vs Phoenix Fuel Masters
6:30 p.m. San Miguel Beermen vs Ginebra Gin Kings

MANILA, Philippines—Multi-titled coach Tim Cone gave credit where credit is due after Ginebra was given the boot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup by San Miguel.

After the Gin Kings’ Game 3 94-91 loss to the Beermen that ended their Commissioner’s Cup reign, Cone made sure to laud the opposing side for a dominant string of games.

“They’re playing at a high level, [they’re a] tough team, they’re very deep as well. First night it was CJ (Perez), second it was (Marcio) Lassiter and he had a great night again but (Jericho) Cruz stepped up tonight. They have someone every night that can step up and enhance what (Bennie) Boatwright and June Mar (Fajardo) are doing,” said the veteran tactician.

Photos: Ginebra vs San Miguel PBA semis Game 3

Video: Ginebra import Tony Bishop after the Gin Kings’ PBA semifinals exit

WATCH: Tony Bishop responds to criticisms he’s received in his first conference as an import for Ginebra. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/wrPs4DLyUs

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

San Miguel Beermen’s Jericho Cruz delivers in Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals against Ginebra. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—In a game where the stakes are at their highest, San Miguel’s Jericho Cruz blocked out the noise.

In front of 15,126 electric fans—with the majority supporting the Gin Kings—Cruz locked in and silenced “Ginebra” chants with thunderous buckets that sucked the life out of Mall of Asia Arena.

Playing against one of the biggest fan bases in the PBA, Cruz scattered 17 points on a blistering 63 percent field goal shooting clip to help the Beermen sweep the Gin Kings and reach the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

Video: Ginebra coach Tim Cone after PBA semis loss

WATCH: Coach Tim Cone tips his hat to San Miguel after being eliminated in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/RUYDQSWqsk

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

Video: San Miguel Beermen celebrate sweep of Ginebra Gin Kings

WATCH: San Miguel Beer players are in euphoria after sweeping Barangay Ginebra to reach the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/tZ2skrgK4g

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

Bennie Boatwright San Miguel Beermen celebrate booking a seat in the PBA Commissioner’s Finals, eliminating Ginebra in three games. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel kept it together down the stretch on Sunday night to weather Barangay Ginebra, 94-91, and claim the first finals berth in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Import Bennie Boatwright Jr. was big once again for the Beermen, finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks—including the one that sealed the three-game sweep of the erstwhile defending champions at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Video: Jericho Cruz, coach Jorge Gallent after entering PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals

WATCH: San Miguel’s Jericho Cruz and coach Jorge Gallent after punching their ticket to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/UKhidJ3tYD

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

PBA semis Game 3: Ginebra Gin Kings vs San Miguel Beermen

FINAL: San Miguel Beer heads to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals after a 94-91 win over Barangay Ginebra. The Beermen sweep the semifinal series in three games. | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/LC8nEQMKqQ

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

A total of 15,126 fans are watching tonight’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup doubleheader at Mall of Asia Arena. | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/VQ2Tn61ShK

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

WATCH: Jamie Malonzo grimaces in pain after apparently tweaking something in his left leg. He was helped off the floor. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/32DWYuW1gE

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

San Miguel Beer with a 43-42 halftime lead over Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series. The Beermen are eyeing a sweep of the best-of-five affair and a spot in the Finals @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/sDPzvgpAd1

— Jonas Terrado (@jonasterradoINQ) January 28, 2024

Jeron makes it a 25-20 SMB edge #PBAAngatAngLaban pic.twitter.com/GHdxdvrTCg

— PBA (@pbaconnect) January 28, 2024

LOOK: The crowd inside the Mall of Asia Arena for Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals between San Miguel and Ginebra.

It’s end or extend time for both squads as one win would push the Beermen to the Finals. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/q05MSKxLSx

— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) January 28, 2024

Mark Barocca and the Magnolia Hotshots in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Phoenix didn’t beat Magnolia. Magnolia beat Magnolia.

That was the mindset that Mark Barroca had upon leaving the Mall of Asia Arena with after the Hotshots’ 103-85 loss at the hands of the Fuel Masters on Sunday.

With a PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals ticket on the line, Magnolia failed to close out Phoenix which extended the best-of-five series to a fourth game, much to the dismay of Barroca.

Phoenix Fuel Masters’ RJ Jazul in the PBA semifinals series against Magnolia Hotshots. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—RJ Jazul heated up at the right moment to keep Phoenix alive in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

After scoring just three points in the opening half where the Fuel Masters trailed big, 51-38, Jazul woke up in the latter part of the game to remind the PBA spectators why he’s the captain of Phoenix.

The sweet shooter finished with 17 points built on five triples to give the Fuel Masters another day to live for Game 4 after their 103-85 win over Magnolia.

Phoenix Fuel Masters’ Jayvee Mocon and Johnathan Williams in the PBA semifinals series against Magnolia Hotshots. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Phoenix Super LPG used a blistering second half on Sunday to hack out a 103-85 win over top-ranked Magnolia in Game 3 and fan the flames of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign.

Six Fuel Masters delivered at least 13 points to come back from 21 points down and log their first victory after dropping the first two games of this best-of-five semifinal series.

Video: Phoenix Fuel Masters’ Kenneth Tuffin

“Came out and talk about Finals but not today,” says rookie Kenneth Tuffin after Phoenix came back from 21 down to beat Magnolia, 103-85, preventing a sweep of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/VgC5Vo2uRB

— Jonas Terrado (@jonasterradoINQ) January 28, 2024

Video: Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin and RJ Jazul

WATCH: Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin and RJ Jazul after the victory over Magnolia. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/2OKTtNd8Nz

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

PBA semis Game 3: Phoenix Fuel Masters vs Magnolia Hotshots

There will be a Game 4 after Phoenix denies Magnolia a sweep in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series. | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/60eoOIbKPd

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 28, 2024

Calvin Abueva has fouled out of the game with 5:27 to go after a loose ball foul on Johnathan Williams III.

Phoenix leads, 92-78, in the fourth quarter. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/xkf62ir2XX

— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) January 28, 2024

Magnolia leans on big start to lead Phoenix, 51-38, at the half in Game 3 of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. The Hotshots are going for the sweep and advance to the Finals against either San Miguel Beer or Barangay Ginebra @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/5oW7RcBPf1

— Jonas Terrado (@jonasterradoINQ) January 28, 2024

HALFTIME IN PASAY

A dominant Magnolia heads to the dugout after establishing a 51-38 lead over Phoenix at the half.

Are the Hotshots 24 minutes away from the Finals? @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/rtAhayrdI3

— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) January 28, 2024

From Paul Lee range!!!

46-26 Magnolia lead #PBAAngatAngLaban pic.twitter.com/hximGDprIm

— PBA (@pbaconnect) January 28, 2024

Tyler Tio connects!

After 1

3️⃣1️⃣ Magnolia
1️⃣7️⃣ Phoenix #PBAAngatAngLaban pic.twitter.com/Colr1GkePt

— PBA (@pbaconnect) January 28, 2024

#PBASemis Game 3!

PHOENIX (0)
Manganti
Williams
Tuffin
Perkins
Jazul

MAGNOLIA (2)
Bey
Tratter
Laput
Lee
Jalalon

Stats https://t.co/nO8OdLB89a

Live on
PBA Rush
CNN Philippines
Pilipinas live app#PBAAngatAngLaban

— PBA (@pbaconnect) January 28, 2024

Tyler Bay (with ball) will help provide the spark in the Hotshots’ bid to shut-out the Fuel Masters. —MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Magnolia feels the manner of how it won the first two games of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals is no reason for the Hotshots to feel that sweeping Phoenix is going to be moot and academic.

“I think we will see a different Phoenix team this time,” Paul Lee said after the Hotshots moved on the cusp of a Finals berth after recovering in the final frame to pull out an 82-78 win on Friday at SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Their bid to put away the Fuel Masters starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the same venue as they aim to get back to the big league’s grandest stage for the first time since the 2021 Philippine Cup.

Chris Ross ) and the rest of the Beermen guard against complacency. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

San Miguel reached for the door of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup championship series on Friday night following its 106-96 dismantling of Barangay Ginebra in Game 2 of the semifinals.

The Beermen will have a chance to turn the knob this Sunday, but skipper Chris Ross has been playing the game long enough to know that doing so is easier said than done.

“We know firsthand how it is to be on that side,” he told the Inquirer while shaking his head.

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Jannik Sinner won a first Grand Slam title in epic fashion, coming back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 in a remarkable men’s singles final in Melbourne.

Medvedev, beaten twice before in the final on Rod Laver Arena – including a five-setter to Rafa Nadal in 2022 – became the first men’s player in history to lose two Grand Slam finals when two sets up.

It’s his fifth defeat in six major finals, while it also means Medvedev’s record at a hard court slam is now 50-2 after winning the opening set, with his only losses those two five-set defeats in the final.

Medvedev said following the defeat: “It’s three finals in a row, but congratulations Jannik, you deserved it.

“I’m gonna try to make it next time. I just want to thank everyone.”

Sinner, meanwhile, paid credit to his opponent, saying: “Daniil, congrats to you and your team. You always make me a much, much better player. I hope you can also lift this trophy and I wish you the best for the rest of the season.”

In the first Australian Open final not to feature on of Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer since 2005, Sinner had no answer for Medvedev’s aggression early on as, despite his gruelling 20 hours and 33 minutes spent on court in reaching the final, the Russian showed zero signs of fatigue.

Sinner, who, by contrast, had dropped only one set all tournament, swiftly lost his second as Medvedev took the opener, managing to do what Djokovic could not achieve in his semi-final defeat to the 22-year-old Italian.

The record 24-time Grand Slam winner failed to forge a single break point opportunity against Sinner’s serve in their clash, while Medvedev earned three of them in just his second service game, with a double-break clinching the opening set for the 2021 US Open champion.

Sinner nearly lost his serve again to start the second set, but battled through to save four break points in what appeared to be a crucial hold for the Italian – only for him to cede his next two service games anyway to fall behind 5-1.

He would lose the set, but a late rally by the world No 4 – immediately breaking Medvedev back, holding to 15 and then earning another break opportunity ultimately saved by the Russian.

Sinner would take the next two sets in identical fashion against an increasingly fatigued Medvedev, the world No 3’s gruelling hours spent on court beginning to tell, as the Italian would break from 5-4 up in both.

It was now very much Sinner forcing the pace, although a saved break point at 3-3 in the fourth set was a hugely pivotal moment for the eventual champion.

In the fifth, Sinner broke free of his opponent in the sixth game, going on to become the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam since Adriano Panatta in 1976 and the youngest to win the Australian Open since Djokovic in 2008.

Serving for the match, Sinner built a 30-0 advantage before being dragged back to 30-30 by Medvedev, but far from being unnerved, he belted back-to-back forehand winners to first earn championship point and then clinch a maiden slam in his first final.

Sinner added following his victory: “I’m so proud. It was a very tough match.

“He started off really well, he moved me around the court and I couldn’t make my game plan work. I was looking for small chances and, at some point, the match changed. I’m really happy with how I reacted.”

Sinner could prove ‘unstoppable’ after winning first Slam

Nick Kyrgios on Eurosport:

“I wouldn’t say I was full of belief that he [Sinner] was going to come back because Medvedev made some serious adjustments for the first two sets and was playing such aggressive tennis.

“But Medvedev was out there for more than a day [across the tournament]. That’s ridiculous how many hours he spent on court.

“What an effort from Sinner, it was incredible how much he raised his level in the third, fourth and fifth sets.

“I’ve seen the improvement on his serve and the maturity he has shown at such a young age – that’s something I never had.

“I did predict he was going to be the new Slam winner in 2024. And I think we’re going to see him win plenty more slams in the next couple years.

“Now he’s got this one, I think he’s going to be unstoppable.”

Former British No 1 Tim Henman on Eurosport:

“I felt he could win a major in 2024 because Sinner had been in such impressive form and there were so many aspects of his game improving all the time.

“Wind the clock back in 2023 and you felt it was [Carlos] Alcaraz that had raised the bar and he was the youngster that was going to dominate. But at the end of last year he didn’t play quite as well and it was Sinner who was the talk of the town.

“The first opportunity in 2024, he’s stepped up and produced the goods when he was really up against it in this final. He thoroughly deserves it.”

Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports. Stream tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership

VANCOUVER – We were going to tell you about the bad luck in the first period, and then the bad plays in the second.

We were going to explain that even with what has been a magical mystery tour this season for the Vancouver Canucks, who have two regulation losses since Dec. 5 and are on a 9-0-2 run, there are nights when it’s not going to go your way.

But then, after being down three goals in the third period, it still went the Canucks’ way. So we’re telling you now about another Vancouver win, its 33^rd in 49 games heading into the National Hockey League All-Star Break.

And to do that, we’re going to start with Brock Boeser, who scored a hat trick Saturday and then set up Elias Pettersson’s overtime winner in a 5-4 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Because Boeser embodies everything that used to be wrong with the Canucks that now seems inexorably right.

Nearly six years after serious back and wrist injuries halted his rookie season at 29 goals, the 26-year-old from Minnesota finally became the 30-goal scorer in the NHL he promised to be when his rebound tap-in at 6:28 of the third period tied the game 4-4, barely five minutes after the Canucks had trailed 4-1.

In the intervening years, Boeser visited hell and back, dealing with other injuries, the anguish of his father’s illnesses and death, his own guilt and anger, even what he admitted last spring became a resentment of the game that led to an unfulfilled trade request.

“I’m building towards what I can be out there,” Boeser told us in November. “I think I’m just starting to figure it out.”

Saturday he became a 30-goal scorer, although Boeser’s all-around game has raised his ceiling far beyond that simplistic threshold. Next week, after a few days off in Florida, he’ll be one of five Canuck players joining coach Rick Tocchet at the All-Star Game in Toronto.

He scored 18 goals all of last season.

“I don’t know if it’s hit me yet,” Boeser told reporters late Saturday. “I think more so just that we won that game; I think that’s really exciting for me right now — the fact that we came back from 4-1. We still had the mindset after the second period that, you know, if we get one on the power play, we can go from there and come back.”

Pettersson scored at 1:11 of the final period when Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlinkins stumbled and the Blue Jackets began to collapse. Boeser tipped in Quinn Hughes’ point shot at 3:24, before scoring about the easiest goal he has had this season at 6:28.

After getting nothing out of a first period when shots were 11-4 and scoring chances 13-3 for the Canucks, Vancouver surrendered four goals in the second, including a couple on giveaways by Pettersson and J.T. Miller. And yet, with the Canucks starting the third period on a power play, Boeser said everyone believed they could still win the game.

It helps that they had won 32 of them already, 30 of them in regulation time, and were 16-2-4 the previous eight weeks.

“I think we all felt that in the locker room,” Boeser said. “I think just having that mindset of going out there and really trying to get a goal on the power play, which we did, really kind of got the guys into it and gave us a little momentum there. Next thing you know, we draw another couple of penalties and make it count. I think it’s just big for our team that we have that belief.”

First-year Canuck defenceman Ian Cole, the two-time Stanley Cup winner who has been to the playoffs nine straight seasons with six different teams, said the feeling he has now in Vancouver is a familiar one.

“Being able to win games different ways,” he explained. “You find yourself, you know, in different situations in every game, right? Ideally, everything’s perfect all the time, but it’s never going to be, so you need to have a little bit — certainly resiliency — but you need to be able to kind of roll with the punches and kind of figure out the game as it transpires.

“Being able to. . . move forward and win the hockey game shows the level of resiliency that you need. And our level of confidence and maturity, being able to say (when it was 4-1), ‘It doesn’t really matter how we got here, we need to win the game, and this is what we have to do to win it,’ I think that mentality is very beneficial to play for a while into the spring and summer.”

On the winning goal, Boeser came off the bench and on to the puck, walked around leaden Blue Jacket Kent Johnson, then banked a goalmouth pass off Pettersson’s skate with 58.7 seconds remaining at three-on-three.

The second most important five-minute chunk for the Canucks began with 8:05 remaining in regulation time when referees Corey Syvret and Michael Markovic seemed to bend review-protocol guidelines to make the correct call on Vancouver defenceman Tyler Myers: a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing, albeit inadvertently, Sean Kuraly in the face.

It led to Canuck penalty killing’s finest moment. A shorthanded unit that for much of last season was on pace to be the worst in NHL history, allowed just two shots while killing the five-minute disadvantage to get to overtime.

“Better sticks,” penalty-killer Pius Suter explained of the shorthanded unit’s massive uptick the last two months. “Today in that five minutes, I think we kind of denied them the entries. They never really got set up much. It’s just kind of good sticks and being connected. When one guy goes, all other guys are ready to jump. It’s not just one guy working on his own. Just kind of keep your head down and keep playing. Make sure you don’t get overhyped, don’t overstay shifts or do anything crazy. Just kind of keep it simple, and I think that’s what we did.”

“I guess it shows character that we can come back and we just keep going,” Pettersson said. “We got the goal and we got some momentum, got another power play and we scored again. Everybody was just into it. The fans gave us good energy. It shows what we can do when everybody’s feeding off each other.”

The Baltimore Ravens are on a mission in 2024, with only one acceptable destination: lifting a third Vince Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas at Super Bowl LVIII on February 11.

The Ravens have been victorious on their two previous trips to the Super Bowl – to cap the 2000 season and, most recently, the 2012 campaign under current head coach John Harbaugh – but further success has eluded them in the decade plus since, and that’s despite six trips to the postseason and three AFC North titles in that time.

Five of those playoff visits (and all three division wins) have come with this year’s likely-league-MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback, but until beating the Houston Texans 34-10 last weekend, their star quarterback’s playoff return was a paltry 1-4 record.

Since Jackson was drafted in 2018, Baltimore’s 66 regular season wins are second only to the Kansas City Chiefs’ 75, but where Patrick Mahomes and their AFC Championship opponents this Sunday have differed is success in the postseason – with Mahomes already having been to three Super Bowls, winning two of them, equivalent to Jackson’s playoff win total.

Prior to this season, the Ravens were averaging just 13 points per game through Jackson’s playoff career, the second-lowest mark by any quarterback with at least four playoff starts in the past 30 seasons, ahead of only Andy Dalton’s 0-4 playoff record containing only one touchdown pass and six interceptions.

Jackson, by comparison, had four total touchdowns, seven turnovers and a 68.3 passer rating in the postseason prior to the Texans game – a passer rating drop off nearly 30 points from his regular-season career.

Baltimore’s playoff struggles of course can’t all be laid at Jackson’s door. It’s a team sport after all, and it hasn’t been all bad for the dual-threat QB, with him running for 136 yards, including a stunning 48-yard TD, in his first career playoff win versus the Tennessee Titans in the 2020 wild card round.

He followed that up with another 100-yard rushing effort in his latest postseason success story against Houston in last week’s divisional round, willing his team over the line with three second-half scores (four for the match) after the game was all tied up at 10-10 at half-time.

The team’s turnaround and dominance in the second half was supposedly triggered by a passionate, expletive laden half-time team talk from Jackson.

“It would be inappropriate if I said it,” he said of his speech when addressing reporters after the game. “A lot of cursing,” he added.

“We wasn’t really doing anything to that defense… they was playing great. And their offense was playing great as well.

“But we wasn’t doing our job with our unit until the second half. We went to put up points on the board, started moving the ball, moving the chains, and started looking like ourselves.”

That is indeed how the Ravens began to look after the break against Houston, the offense which ranked fourth in scoring during the regular season putting up 24 points.

It was a performance more reminiscent of that which we’d grown to expect from the Ravens as they secured an NFL-best record of 13-4 in 2023, with Jackson returning career-best marks in completion percentage (67.2), passing yards (3,678) and yards per attempt (8.0) that seems certain to secure him a second league MVP award.

Ahead of winning the award for the first time in 2019, though, Jackson said: “It’s okay, but I’m trying to win the Super Bowl… that’s a team award and that’s what I want. I’m not worried about MVP.”

And that’s still very much the case for Jackson. But, to even make the Super Bowl, let alone win it, first he and the Ravens have to find a way past Mahomes and the Chiefs, who are making their sixth-straight AFC Championship Game appearance.

“I don’t like competing with him at all,” Jackson said ahead of his latest clash with Mahomes.

And you can see why: the pair have squared off four times previously, with the Chiefs going 3-1 in those contests – prompting Jackson to call the team “his kryptonite” after losing their first three meetings, prior to a wild, 36-35 win in Week Two of the 2021 season.

The defending champions overcame the harsh conditions of Buffalo last weekend – Mahomes victorious in his first career road playoff game – and they certainly won’t be fazed by going into Baltimore as they look to end their Super Bowl dreams this Sunday too.

“If you’re down to the (Philadelphia) Eagles in the Super Bowl, down to the (San Francisco) 49ers too by 10 points with six minutes left to go, and you come back to win those types of games, there’s no more pressure with anything anymore,” former NFL quarterback Chris Simms said on Pro Football Talk this week. “That’s as pressure packed as it gets.

“The Chiefs show up in these moments, while the Ravens are still knocking down barriers to show that they don’t collapse in the situations – last week (against Houston) went a long way to dispelling that.

“The Ravens are probably the best team in football when you look at the whole year… but it’s the Chiefs and Mahomes.”

Jackson may not ‘like’ competing against Mahomes, but he knows that seeing the back of him and the Chiefs is essential for him to reach his ultimate goal.

“To be a champion, you’ve got to go through a champion,” he said. Vegas and the Vince Lombardi awaits.

Watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game this Sunday, with kickoff at 8pm live on Sky Sports NFL; the San Francisco 49ers then host the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game from 11.30pm; watch Super Bowl LVIII live on Sunday, February 11