After the Hawks defeated the Magic in the Eastern Conference playoffs last spring, much of the analysis centered on all the shots Orlando missed. Before the teams met Friday for the first time since that series, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy lauded how the Hawks played defense then.

On a day when sunshine gave way to a light rain, two things stayed the same Friday at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Charlie Wi was still atop the leaderboard, and Tiger Woods didn't hole enough putts to make up ground. Wi escaped most of the rain at Pebble Beach, where he holed a wedge from the 13th fairway for eagle and limited the damage to a bogey on his final hole for a 3-under 69 that allowed him to open a three-shot lead.

If Georgia football player Sanders Commings faces any disciplinary action over the incident that resulted in his arrest last month, it likely will come from the school before he goes before a Clarke County judge. Commings, a rising senior and starting cornerback, was arrested Jan.

This time Joe Johnson will go to the NBA’s All-Star game without a Hawks teammate. Eastern Conference coaches voted Johnson to his sixth consecutive All-Star team. But the other Hawks candidate, power forward Josh Smith, wasn’t among the seven reserves selected for the Feb.

The Hawks no longer will have to make do using forwards at center. The team signed veteran free agent Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract Thursday. He joins Zaza Pachulia as the only healthy centers on the roster after injuries sidelined Al Horford and Jason Collins.

Kennesaw State athletic director Vaughn Williams finds himself singing a new tune as he walks around his house. It's so catchy, his youngest daughter will chime in at the important part: "K-S-U, K-S-U." The Owls will unveil their first fight song before Friday's basketball game against Mercer.

You can call it the Highlight Factory again. The Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak — all at Philips Arena — with a 97-87 victory over the Pacers on Wednesday night. Josh Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead the much-needed effort for the Hawks (17-9).

Two teams on divergent paths met at Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday night. But it was the one supposedly heading downward that came out on top. Georgia, which won one of its eight games during the first half of the SEC schedule, started the second by doubling its conference total with a 81-59 victory over Arkansas.

Just when it seemed as if Georgia State had blown its chance to keep pace in the Colonial Athletic Association race, the Panthers rallied to defeat Northeastern 61-59 on Wednesday at the GSU Sports Arena. Victory wasn’t secured until Joel Smith’s shot bounced off the rim, ending a frantic final few minutes that saw Georgia State’s weakness, free-throw shooting, almost cost it the win.

University of Georgia president Michael Adams expects a college football playoff to be a reality within two years. “My best guess is we’re going to end up with either a four- or eight-team playoff by the time we get to ’14,” he told the executive committee of the UGA Athletic Association’s board of directors Wednesday.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Wednesday that Hawks ownership has committed to pay the luxury tax should they exceed the league’s salary cap. Stern said he remains confident in the Atlanta Spirit following the group’s attempt to sell the Hawks and the operating rights to Philips Arena that fell through last year.

Former Falcons linebacker Buddy Curry and current kicker Matt Bryant spoke to the Health and Human Services committee of the Georgia legislature in support of the “Georgia Return to Play Act of 2012” on Wednesday at the State Capitol. “I remember coming off the field in a daze,” said Curry, who played for the Falcons from 1980-87.

This could be the year that Hawks forward Josh Smith is officially recognized as ranking among the star players in the NBA. Then again, Smith thought the same thing when the All-Star teams were announced during the 2010-11 season — and the year before that.

The Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, where Marietta tennis sensation Melanie Oudin trained before competing in the U.S. Open and at Wimbledon, has been sold to Life Time Fitness, the company announced this week. The Racquet Club has eight indoor and 28 outdoor tennis courts at its complex on Courtside Drive.

Georgia Tech’s game against N.C. State on Thursday night gave coach Brian Gregory reason to review the Yellow Jackets’ first game against the Wolfpack, an 82-71 upset win in Raleigh. Given that Tech lost the next six games after that win, the replay left Gregory encouraged for an unexpected reason.

Former Braves all-star Dale Murphy is a well-known Twitter fanatic, sharing his insights into the Braves, art and his favorite band, the alt-country outfit Wilco. But Murphy lately has used the social media tool to share his thoughts on the Republican presidential primary.

Prosecutors asked Tuesday to have Jerry Sandusky kept indoors as part of his bail conditions, citing complaints that the former Penn State assistant football coach was seen outside and watching children in a schoolyard from the back porch of his home, where he remains under house arrest while awaiting trial on child molestation charges.

For the second consecutive year, the Falcons will be represented at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. A year after defensive back Deion Sanders was enshrined, former defensive stalwart Chris Doleman will join him Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

Eli Manning hoisted the Lombardi Trophy from a glittering blue-and-white float, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg joked that New York City should now be nicknamed the "Big Blue Apple," as thousands of fans crowded lower Manhattan on Tuesday to celebrate the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory amid tons of confetti.

An hour before a recent Hawks practice, Willie Green already had sweated through half his T-shirt. The guard put up shot after shot in an otherwise empty NBA arena. Sixty minutes later, when Green’s teammates arrived, the shirt was completely soaked. After a change to a fresh practice jersey, Green went through another hour of practice.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has had no trouble getting his players’ attention this week. He questioned the Blue Devils’ attention to detail and energy at times this season, but he has made sure they know they’re playing at rival and fifth-ranked North Carolina (20-3, 7-1 ACC) at 9 p.

Apparently, there is no place like the road for the Hawks these days. After a recently-completed 4-1 road trip, the Hawks dropped their third straight home game Monday night, this one a 99-90 defeat at the hands of the Suns. The Hawks (16-7, 8-4 home) have now lost to the Grizzlies (by 19), 76ers (11) and Suns (nine).

Former University of Georgia star running back Knowshon Moreno was arrested by Denver police Wednesday  on a drunken driving charge, KDVR-TV reported. The 24-year-old, who now plays for the Denver Broncos, was pulled over in a Bentley convertible for allegedly going as fast as 70 mph in a construction zone with a posted speed limit of 45, the report said.

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton gained a backup point guard and lost another one last summer via the NCAA's rule permitting athletes who have earned their undergraduate degrees to transfer and gain immediate eligibility. His thoughts on the rule are not surprising.

ATHENS -- Lost in all the craziness of last week’s national signing day drama and shocking player dismissals was the introduction of Georgia’s three early enrollees -- quarterback Faton Bauta, offensive lineman Mark Beard and tailback Keith Marshall The trio had been shielded from interviews by UGA since arriving in early January to get acclimated to their new class schedules and join in the Bulldogs' off-season conditioning program.