Professional Sports

The Gwinnett Gladiators got two goals and an assist from Guillaume Desbiens while Jeff Mason added two goals of his own as the Gwinnett Gladiators defeated the South Carolina Stingrays 4-1 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman has been reinstated by the NFL after being suspended for the last seasons.

The Falcons hold eleven total picks in this weekend's draft, and the planning continues for which players to pick and possible trades that could be made.

SAVANNAH -- Ivan Dominguez of Cuba has won the first stage of the Tour de Georgia, sprinting across the finish line a tenth of a second ahead of a crowded peloton.

Ray Allen scored 18 points and Kevin Garnett had 16 as the two newcomers who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA's best record sparked them to a 104-81 win tonight in their playoff opener against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jair Jurrjens pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Mark Teixeira homered and the Atlanta Braves beat Los Angeles 6-1 Sunday for their first sweep of the Dodgers in eight years.

Mike Hampton is still a bit timid about his long-delayed comeback. The Braves left-hander, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005, had another stint in the bullpen prior to Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hampton threw about 50 pitches, with no pain in the pectoral muscle that sent him to the disabled list.

The Atlanta Hawks are in the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Their stay may very well be short. The Celtics' 66-16 record was the best in the NBA. They had 29 more wins than the Hawks, the biggest difference between first-round opponents since Chicago was 30 games better than Miami and swept the Heat in a best-of-five series in 1996.

Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps.

Steve Piper in open-wheeled and Paul Kelly in Pro Late Model both got wins after some wild racing Saturday night at Lanier National Speedway.