The Rams announced Thursday that their headquarters for the 2025 NFL draft will be hosted by the Los Angeles Fire Department Air Operations.

A room within the Van Nuys fire station will serve as General Manager Les Snead’s base of operations during the three-day draft next week, while an adjacent hangar will host team personnel and media during the event.

Rams personnel were among the many Los Angeles residents affected by the January wildfires. Players and coaches evacuated their homes during the Kenneth fire in West Hills, with some team employees losing their homes and the team relocating to Phoenix for their home playoff game due to the collective impacts of the fires.

The organization will partner with Zillow and Bob’s Discount Furniture to renovate the LAFD Air Operation’s recreation room with recliners and other amenities. And on next Friday prior to the second day of the draft, Rams head coach Sean McVay, team president Kevin Demoff and other team personnel will meet with first responders from throughout the region.

“Drafting from LAFD Air Operations is a powerful reminder of what it means to represent Los Angeles,” Demoff said in a statement. “We are humbled to partner with LAFD during one of the NFL’s biggest moments to express gratitude for those who risk their lives daily to protect our city.”

— Adam Grosbard

NHL

Mark Scheifele scored at 1:11 of overtime to give the Jets a 2-1 victory over the Ducks in the regular-season finale on Wednesday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Jets (56-22-4) set a franchise record with 116 points. Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for Winnipeg in his 47th victory, the most in franchise history.

Neal Pionk scored for Winnipeg in the second period. Troy Terry tied it at 5:45 of the third. Ville Husso stopped 42 shots for the Ducks (35-37-9).

Kaiden Guhle scored twice and the Montreal Canadiens wrapped up the last Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night in their regular-season finale.

The Canadiens needed at least a point to eliminate Columbus from playoff contention. They will face Washington in the first round.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Auburn senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara he’s entering the transfer portal after starting 34 games during the Tigers’ run to the Final Four this past season.

Baker-Mazara, who turned 25 in January, has one year of eligibility left because of the temporary waiver giving student-athletes who previously competed at a non-NCAA school a fourth season at an NCAA school in 2025-26.

Baker-Mazara played at Auburn the last two seasons after spending one season at Northwest Florida State. He played his sophomore year at San Diego State and as a freshman at Duquesne. That freshman season did not count toward his eligibility because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver for 2020-21.

With All-American and leading scorer Johni Broome, Denver Jones, Dylan Cardwell and Miles Kelly all using up their college eligibility, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has lost his entire starting five from last season’s No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

NBA

Tyler Herro scored 38 points, and the Miami Heat dominated the Chicago Bulls 109-90 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament.

The Heat, who eliminated the Bulls in the Play-In for the third year in a row, play at Atlanta today for a chance to meet top-seeded Cleveland in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Klay Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points in a dominant second quarter to get redemption for his dud in Sacramento a year ago, helping the Dallas Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106 on Wednesday night in Sacramento to advance in the Play-In Tournament.

One year to the day when Thompson missed all 10 shots in his final game for Golden State in a play-in loss in Sacramento, Thompson fueled the win with four 3-pointers in Dallas’ 44-point second quarter. That turned the game into a laugher and the Mavericks advanced to play at Memphis today for the chance to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West. The winner of that game will open the playoffs on Sunday at top-seeded Oklahoma City.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel gave final approval to a rule designed to discourage football players from faking injuries to stop the game clock, the NCAA announced Thursday.

Beginning this season, if medical personnel go onto the field to evaluate a player with an apparent injury after the ball is spotted for the next play, that player’s team will be charged a timeout. If the team does not have timeouts remaining, a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty will be assessed.

Feigning injuries, sometimes at the coach’s instruction, had become a tactic defenses use to slow down tempo offenses or as a way for an offense to avoid a delay-of-game penalty or get an extra timeout.

GOLF

Justin Thomas had a round to match the immaculate weather Thursday at Harbour Town with 11 birdies that allowed him to tie the course record with a 10-under 61 to lead the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

The best shot he hit all day was an 8-iron that dropped near the pin and settled 5 feet away. He missed that birdie putt, one of the few chances he didn’t convert.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler shot 64. A handful of players, including San Dimas High product J.J. Spaun, where tied for fifth at 5-under.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy is not playing this signature event.

TENNIS

Third-ranked Jessica Pegula cruised into the quarterfinals of the Porsche Grand Prix with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Magdalena Frech on Thursday.

Pegula, who won the Charleston Open title this month, needed just 59 minutes to oust her Polish opponent at the indoor clay-court tournament.

The third-seeded American will next face Ekaterina Alexandrova in a rematch of their Charleston semifinal. Alexandrova advanced by beating sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Coco Gauff also won 6-1, 6-1, eliminating Ella Seidel in 57 minutes to set up a quarterfinal match against fifth-seeded Jasmine Paolini, who advanced with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Jule Niemeier.

No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, had a walkover to the quarterfinals after Anastasia Potapova withdrew because of injury. Sabalenka will face Elise Mertens.