The top-seeded Atlanta Hawks romped past the Brooklyn Nets 111-87 on Friday to punch their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The Hawks used a strong start to the second half to turn a slim lead at the interval into a blow-out, completing a four-games-to-two triumph over the Nets in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.

Scandal-tainted college football star Jameis Winston was handed the daunting task of reviving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being chosen as the top pick in the NFL draft on Thursday.

The Heisman Trophy-winning Florida State quarterback was widely expected to be chosen by the Buccaneers, who are desperate to halt a slide in fortunes that has seen them fail to reach the playoffs for the past seven seasons.

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather will put boxing back on the cultural map for at least one glittering night on Saturday with a welterweight title showdown dubbed the Fight of the Century.

Prize-fighting has seen plenty of those, but in a sport that once made regular front-page news it has been years since a bout so captured the imagination of non-fight fans.

Canada's Andrew Wiggins was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year on Thursday, the first Minnesota Timberwolves player to scoop the honor.

Last year's number one overall draft pick won by a comfortable margin over Nikola Mirotic of the Chicago Bulls.

World champion Marc Marquez will be fit to ride on home soil as the MotoGP championship returns to Europe at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez despite breaking a finger in a training accident last weekend.

The Honda rider has had an up and down start to the season and suffered a further setback when he had to have surgery on the little finger of his left hand after a fall whilst dirt track racing in Barcelona.

Six-time Olympic gold track medalist Usain Bolt will face a showdown against American arch-rival Justin Gatlin at this weekend's IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas.

Bolt, who has anchored Jamaica to two Olympic titles and three world golds in the 4x100m relay, missed last year's inaugural competition in Nassau in an injury-ravaged season. Gatlin was also an absentee.

The 24-year-old Belgian footballer Gregory Mertens has died three days after suffering a heart attack while playing for Lokeren's reserves, hospital sources told the Belga news agency on Friday.

The defender had been in a critical state after collapsing on the field 20 minutes into a reserve game against Genk on Monday.

Borussia Dortmund announced Thursday that Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will not renew his contract which expires next year, sparking speculation he will be sold at the end of the season.

The 24-year-old has been linked to both Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and Premier League giants Manchester United and Dortmund will want to sell him when the season ends next month or risk losing him on a free transfer.

Jerome Boateng says Bayern Munich must improve for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final, first-leg, at Barcelona or not bother traveling to Spain following their "careless" German Cup exit.

Bayern's dreams of repeating their 2013 treble of European, league and cup titles this season were ended when they were knocked out of the German Cup semi-finals on Tuesday by Borussia Dortmund on penalties.

The Memphis Grizzlies secured a berth in the NBA Western Conference semifinals by beating Portland 99-93 on Wednesday, completing a 4-1 series victory over the Trail Blazers.

Five of the final eight teams in the playoffs have now been decided, while Atlanta took a 3-2 lead over Brooklyn in one of the three first-round series which are yet to be settled.