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2B Daily News – Friday, January 13, 2012 New Orleans San Francisco 49ers NEW ORLEANS (14-3) At SAN FRANCISCO (13-3) OPENING LINE — Saints by 3 RECORD VS. SPREAD — New Orleans 13-4; San Francisco 11-4-1 SERIES RECORD — 49ers lead 45-24-2 LAST MEETING — Saints beat 49ers 25-22, Sept. 10, 2010 bye PASS (1) (12), PASS (30) PASS (29) PASS (16) LAST WEEK — Saints beat Lions 45-28; 49ers had SAINTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (1), RUSH (6), SAINTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (24), RUSH 49ERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (26), RUSH (8), 49ERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (4), RUSH (1), STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Saints have won six straight against 49ers since losing 2001 season finale in final game before leaving NFC West. ... Saints set NFL record by converting league-best 56.7 percent of third-down conversions, including 41.3 percent when needing at least 10 yards. Niners second to last, convert- ing 29.4 percent of third downs. ... New Orleans has topped 600 yards past two weeks, including playoff- record 626 against Detroit. New England is only other team to gain 600 yards in game this season. ... Saints 9- 0 at home this season, averaging 41.6 points and 507.4 yards per game, compared to 5-3 on road with 27.3 points and 441.6 yards per game. ... New Orleans has lost all four road playoff games in franchise history. ... Saints QB Drew Brees has thrown for 5,942 yards, including his one postseason game, second to Dan Mari- no's 6,085 in the 1984 regular and postseason. ... San Francisco playing first playoff game since after 2002 season. Only long snapper Brian Jennings remains from that team. ... 49ers had plus-28 turnover margin, leading league in both takeaways with 28 and fewest giveaways with 10. ... San Francisco had best average starting spot for drives on offense and defense this season, starting own drives on average at the 33.5 and opponents at the 24.3. ... 49ers allowed three rushing TDs — all in final two games — the fewest ever in 16-game season. ... San Francisco QB Alex Smith completed just 40 percent of his passes in red zone, the lowest figure among 24 QBs with at least 40 throws inside opponent's 20. ... 49ers had 22 TDs in 54 red-zone trips this season, third low- est rate in NFL. ... San Francisco K David Akers set NFL record with 44 field goals this season, including seven from at least 50 yards. Broncos Denver New England Patriots DENVER (9-8) At NEW ENGLAND (13-3) OPENING LINE — Patriots by 13 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Denver 8-9; New Eng- land 9-7 SERIES RECORD — Broncos lead 27-17 LAST MEETING — Patriots beat Broncos 41-23, Dec. 18, 2011 LAST WEEK — Broncos beat Steelers 29-23, OT; Patriots had bye BRONCOS OFFENSE — OVERALL (23), RUSH (1), PASS (31) BRONCOS DEFENSE — OVERALL (20), RUSH (22), PASS (18) PATRIOTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (2), RUSH (20), PASS (2) PATRIOTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (31), RUSH (17), PASS (31) STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — In first meet- ing this season, Broncos rushed for 167 yards in first quarter but committed three turnovers in second that enabled Patriots to recover from 16-7 deficit. ... Coach- es Bill Belichick of Patriots and John Fox of Broncos faced each other in Super Bowl of 2003 season when Fox was coaching Carolina Panthers. Patriots won 32- 29. ... Broncos 2-0 against Patriots in playoff games. In last one Jan. 14, 2006, Denver forced five turnovers — including Champ Bailey's 100-yard interception return on which he was tackled at New England 1 — won 27- 13 and advanced to AFC championship game. ... Tim Tebow 8-4 as starter this season after posting franchise playoff high 125.6 passer rating last Sunday. ... Broncos led NFL with 2,632 yards rushing (164.5 per game), led by Willis McGahee's 1,199. ... Demaryius Thomas' 80- yard touchdown on Tebow's pass on first play of over- time last Sunday was longest OT TD in NFL postseason history. ... Against Steelers, rookie LB Von Miller got only second sack in five games he's played with cast to protect torn ligament on right thumb. He had 11 1/2 in regular season. ... Broncos 4-0 in overtime this season. ... Loss to Patriots began regular-season ending three- game losing streak for Broncos. ...Tom Brady's 14-5 postseason record tied with Terry Bradshaw for best by NFL quarterback with at least 15 starts. Brady threw for 5,235 yards, second in league history to Drew Brees' total of 5,476 this season. ... Belichick needs one win to tie Chuck Noll's postseason total of 16, fourth most by a coach in league history. ... WR Wes Welker led NFL with 122 catches and 1,569 yards receiving. TE Rob Gronkowski was second with 1,327, a single-season record for tight ends. His 17 touchdown catches also were most by tight end in NFL history. ... Patriots allowed second most yards of any team this season, 411.1 per game, but only 18th most points, 21.4. They also led AFC in scoring with an average of 32.1 points ...Their turnover differential of plus-17 was tops in AF C, while Broncos were tied for next to last at minus-12. ... Mark Anderson and Andre Carter led Patriots with 10 sacks each. Carter out for season with left quadriceps injury sustained against Broncos. Saturday 5 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ryan Vogelsong suddenly has job security he's not used to as a journeyman pitch- er — and right where he feels he belongs, in the Bay Area. Vogelsong and the San Francisco Giants agreed Wednesday to an $8.3 million, two-year contract after he became one of the team's most reliable starters and an unlikely All-Star last season. A year ago, Vogelsong had one guarantee — an invite to big league camp with the reigning World Series champion Giants — and was dealing with the illness of his late father-in-law. His new deal shows just how far he has come. "At this point last year, to be quite honest, baseball was far from my mind," Vogelsong said late Wednesday after landing on the East Coast follow- ing a trip to San Francisco for his phys- ical. "To get a two-year deal with an option had a lot to do with not only job security of a multiyear deal but being in a place I love to play, with a team I love to play for and in a city I love." The 34-year-old right-hander, who had been eligible for arbitration, made a remarkable comeback in 2011. He set a career high for wins while going 13- 7 with a 2.71 ERA in 30 games and 28 starts. Vogelsong gets $3 million this year and $5 million in 2013, and the Giants have a $6.5 million option for 2014 Saints Saturday 1:30 p.m. Giants give Vogelsong 2-year deal with a $300,000 buyout. He can make $300,000 a season in performance bonuses in each of the first two years. He toiled through three seasons in the Japanese League before Triple-A stints in 2010 for the Phillies and Angels. In the Bay Area with the team that originally drafted him in the fifth round in 1998, Vogelsong became a front-line starter at last. And he did so at first by filling in for injured Barry Zito. "It's such a great story when a play- er perseveres the way Ryan has in baseball," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's had to go through the ups and downs and then has a breakout season and he gets rewarded. This is well-earned. He's got the game. He's got great stuff with command and he does all the little things. We're excited about what he did for us last year and now to tie him up, we're excited and happy for him. It truly is an amazing story." Invited to spring training on a minor league deal, Vogelsong became a feel- good story and won the team's "Willie Mac" Award. The honor is named for Hall of Famer Willie McCovey and is voted on by players, coaches and train- ing staff for the most inspirational Giants player on the field and in the clubhouse. Even Vogelsong didn't see all this success coming in his comeback with his first club. He has said, "From Day 1, I've been a Giant at heart." Now, he can reflect a bit. His wife, Nicole, and 2-year-old son, Ryder, have rooted him on the whole way. "The more I get inside of it, the more I really can't believe that it hap- pened," Vogelsong said. "I can't point to my game changing this drastically until after I went to winter ball. To see how far my game has come is still unbelievable." Vogelsong joined the Giants in mid- April, starting 3-0 and winning six straight decisions during one stretch spanning the All-Star break. He won his final three starts after a five-start losing streak, a rare bump along the way during his breakout year. "He had a tremendous year last year and he's the consummate pro," said Bobby Evans, the team's vice president of baseball operations. "We're proud to have him back in a Giants uniform. Last year, to see his success and to see him get to take that beyond one year, is great. I think he was one of the biggest surprises in baseball." Bochy said Vogelsong will be his projected fourth starter behind Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner. Zito is the fifth starter heading into spring training next month. Also on the to-do list for general manager Brian Sabean is locking up Lincecum and Cain for the long haul — at least that's the hope. "No update at this time. All discus- sions are in progress," Evans said. NOTES: In 2012 and 2013, Vogelsong would get $50,000 each for 180, 185 and 190 innings, and $75,000 apiece for 195 and 200 innings. Kwame Brown out at least 3 months OAKLAND (AP) — Kwame Brown's season with the Golden State War- riors is all but over. The Warriors announced Thursday that the former No. 1 overall pick is expect- ed to miss at least three months because of a chest injury, putting the much- maligned center's season in serious jeopardy. He will have surgery in the next few days to repair a tear in his pectoralis major, the large chest muscle that attaches to his right shoul- der. Brown could return in 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) slow down Brees, whose versatile offense produced a playoff-record 626 yards in Saturday night's 45-28 win over the Lions. Brees threw for 466 yards and completed 33 of 43 passes — and no doubt will provide the tough- est test yet for San Francis- co's deep and talented defense. Darren Sproles ran for two touchdowns against Detroit and Pierre Thomas also rushed for a score. The 49ers realize the challenge — and plan to stick with what got them this far. They have lost the last six meetings with New Orleans. ''I haven't been to the postseason in my life,'' safe- ty Dashon Goldson said. ''I won a championship in high school. But other than that, no. ... We've got a good chance.'' Brees knows playoff experience won't mean much. New Orleans was set to arrive in San Francisco on Thursday evening, then hold a walk-through practice at Candlestick on Friday. ''I think that can be bene- ficial at times, your guys are used to playing in big games, they're used to being in play- off situations, that kind of thing,'' Brees said. ''But to be honest with you each team is different. I would say San Francisco is a 13-win team just like we're a 13-win team and we've all played in a lot of big games this year and we've all had to win down the stretch.'' The 49ers, who won their division to end an eight-year playoff drought, have been planning for New Orleans NFL Divisional Playoffs Saturday's games New Orleans at San Francisco, 1:30 p.m. Denver at New England, 5 p.m. Sunday's games Houston at Baltimore, 10 a.m. N.Y. Giants at Green Bay, 1:30 p.m. April if the team is in playoff contention. ''It's a blow,'' Warriors general manager Larry Riley said. ''I've struggled since I've been here to try to get us a player with some size and a physical presence in the middle. And I was quite hopeful that with Andris Biedrins and Kwame Brown's presence in the middle, that we had our- selves in a good situation and that would be produc- tive for us. But that's all kind of water under the dam now.'' Brown's injury is only the latest for a team still searching for its place under new coach Mark Jackson. Point guard Stephen for a week now. San Francis- co took a 24-3 beating in the Big Easy back in August during the teams' exhibition opener. ''My advice so far is pret- ty much, when it all comes down to it, it's still football,'' Goodwin said. ''You might have a little anxiety that first series. After that, it's some- thing that you've done for plenty of years of your life.'' Akers, the oldest player on the team at 37 and in his 14th year, has the most play- off experience of the bunch after spending his last 12 NFL seasons with the Eagles. Smith, not about to reflect on his comeback year, and the rest of the first-timers are looking to make their own memorable mark on these playoffs. ''Had a great season up to this point. Got ourselves the bye,'' Smith said. ''Put our- selves in a good situation. It doesn't guarantee you any- thing beyond that, we all understand that. So much of the playoffs is the hot team and the team that's peaking and continuing to get better here at the end of the season. That's really our focus, is just NCAA Top 25 Schedule Thursday's results Minnesota 77, No. 7 Indiana 74 No. 8 Duke 61, No. 16 Virginia 58 No. 15 Murray St. 66, Jacksonville St. 55 No. 20 Miss. St. 62, Tennessee 58 No. 21 Gonzaga at Saint Mary's, late Friday's games No. 24 Seton Hall at South Florida, 4 p.m. Saturday's games No. 1 Syracuse vs. Providence, 3 p.m. No. 2 Kentucky at Tennessee, 9 a.m. No. 3 N. Carolina at Florida St., 11 a.m. No. 4 Baylor vs. Oklahoma State, Noon No. 6 Michigan St. at Northwestern, Noon No. 9 Missouri vs. Texas, 10 a.m. No. 10 Kansas vs. Iowa State, 1 p.m. No. 12 UNLV at No. 22 S. Diego St., 1 p.m. No. 13 Michigan at Iowa, 10 a.m. No. 14 Louisville vs. DePaul, 1 p.m. No. 15 Murray St. vs. Tenn. Tech, 3 p.m. No. 17 Connecticut at Notre Dame, 8 a.m. No. 18 Kansas St. at Oklahoma, 10:30 a.m. No. 19 Florida at South Carolina, 4 p.m. No. 20 Mississippi St. vs. Alabama, 1 p.m. No.21 Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount, 5 p.m. No. 25 Marquette vs. Pittsburgh, 11 a.m. Sunday's games No. 5 Ohio St. vs. No. 7 Indiana, 1:30 p.m. No. 8 Duke at Clemson, 3 p.m. No. 11 Georgetown vs. St. John's at Madison Square Garden, 9 a.m. No. 23 Creighton vs. S. Illinois, 4:05 p.m. Curry is back in Charlotte, N.C., rehabbing his troubled right ankle — which he had surgery on May 25 only to sprain it at least three times already this season. He will rejoin Golden State when they play at Charlotte on Saturday, when the team hopes to have a clearer time frame for his return. Biedrins had missed the last three games with a sprained right ankle before returning against the Orlan- do Magic on Thursday night. But starting small for- ward Dorell Wright missed the game with a bruised right knee. ''We're a no-excuse bas- ketball team,'' said Jackson, echoing his season-long to continue to get better.'' Saints coach Sean Payton isn't counting on an advan- tage based on past postsea- son success — like that title two years ago. ''Our game, it's three hours long, so it's going to be 12 to 14 series each, it's going to be some plays in the kicking game,'' Payton said. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Lakers Clippers Phoenix KINGS WL Pct GB 8 4 .667 — 5 3 .625 1 4 6 .400 3 47 .364 3.5 WARRIORS 36 .333 3.5 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 7 4 .636 — Dallas Memphis Houston 6 5 .545 1 4 6 .400 2.5 3 7 .300 3.5 New Orleans 3 7 .300 3.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 10 2 .833 — Portland Denver Utah Minnesota 7 3 .700 2 7 4 .636 2.5 6 4 .600 3 3 7 .300 6 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 7 3 .700 — New York Boston Toronto Miami WL Pct GB 6 5 .545 1.5 4 5 .444 2.5 4 7 .364 3.5 New Jersey 2 9 .182 5.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 8 3 .727 — 7 3 .700 .5 8 4 .667 .5 2 9 .182 6 Orlando Atlanta Charlotte Washington 1 9 .100 6.5 Central Division Chicago Indiana Cleveland WL Pct GB 10 2 .833 — 7 3 .700 2 5 5 .500 4 Milwaukee 4 6 .400 5 Detroit Orlando at Golden State, late Atlanta 111, Charlotte 81 Cleveland 101, Phoenix 90 Memphis 94, New York 83 Milwaukee 102, Detroit 93 Friday's games Sacramento at Houston, 5 p.m. Detroit at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Indiana at Toronto, 4 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Chicago at Boston, 5 p.m. Minnesota at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Milwaukee at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Portland at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. New Jersey at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Cleveland at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Miami at Denver, 7:30 p.m. Saturday's games Golden State at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Sacramento at Dallas, 6 p.m. Boston at Indiana, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 4 p.m. New Orleans at Memphis, 5 p.m. New York at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Portland at Houston, 5 p.m. Toronto at Chicago, 5 p.m. New Jersey at Utah, 6 p.m. L.A. Lakers at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. 2 9 .182 7.5 —————————————————— Thursday's results mantra. Brown's injury popped up in the fourth quarter of Golden State's 111-106 overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night reaching in to foul Udonis Haslem. Brown had started the past three games, averaging 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds and was among Golden State's best interior defenders. The Washington Wiz- ards selected Brown with the top pick in 2001, never becoming the force inside so many had projected. He played for the Lakers, Mem- phis, Charlotte and Detroit before signing a $7 million, one-year deal with the War- riors in December. ''Last week the same ques- tion was asked before we played Detroit. We've got a number of guys who are playing without it. I don't think it hurts, but it certainly doesn't entitle you or guaran- tee anything.'' NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 24 11 5 53 118 94 Kings 21 15 7 49 93 95 Dallas 23 17 1 47 114 119 Phoenix 20 17 7 47 111 114 Ducks 13 22 6 32 104 135 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 26 13 5 57 144 127 St. Louis 25 12 6 56 112 92 Detroit 27 15 1 55 138 101 Nashville 24 15 4 52 118 117 Columbus 11 26 5 27 101 142 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 28 14 3 59 147 110 Minnesota 22 16 6 50 103 110 Colorado 23 20 2 48 117 127 Calgary 20 19 5 45 109 127 Edmonton 16 22 4 36 112 121 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 27 10 4 58 118 86 Philadelphia26 12 4 56 142 124 New Jersey 24 17 2 50 119 124 Pittsburgh 21 17 4 46 124 112 N.Y. Islanders15 20 6 36 98 129 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 28 11 1 57 148 77 Ottawa 24 15 6 54 143 144 Toronto 22 15 5 49 135 131 Buffalo 18 19 5 41 107 123 Montreal 16 20 7 39 110 119 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 21 13 8 50 109 116 Washington 22 17 2 46 119 120 Winnipeg 20 18 5 45 112 126 Tampa Bay 17 21 4 38 115 146 Carolina 15 23 7 37 118 150 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Thursday's results San Jose 2, Winnipeg 0 Boston 2, Montreal 1 Carolina 5, Tampa Bay 2 Chicago 5, Minnesota 2 Detroit 3, Phoenix 2, SO Nashville 3, Colorado 2, OT Ottawa 3, N.Y. Rangers 0 Philadelphia 3, N.Y. Islanders 2 Vancouver 3, St. Louis 2, OT Anaheim at Calgary, late Dallas at Los Angeles, late Friday's games Phoenix at Columbus, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Washington, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Toronto at Buffalo, 4:30 p.m. Anaheim at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Saturday's games San Jose at Columbus, 4 p.m. Chicago at Detroit, 9:30 a.m. Colorado at Dallas, Noon New Jersey at Winnipeg, Noon Boston at Carolina, 4 p.m. Buffalo at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 4 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal, 4 p.m. Minnesota at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Philadelphia at Nashville, 5 p.m. Los Angeles at Calgary, 7 p.m. F O X C B S