Rahm surges late for lead at Arnold Palmer Invitational

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jon Rahm started his round strong and ended it even better Thursday, closing eagle-birdie-birdie for a 7-under 65 and a two-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“Amazing round of golf,” he said. “I wish all of them were as enjoyable as this one.”

Rahm’s big burst at the end allowed him to zoom past Honda Classic winner Chris Kirk and Cameron Young.

The group at 68 included defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, all among the top 20 in the world.

ELSEWHERE Carter posts bail, returns to combine

Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter has returned to the NFL scouting combine after turning himself in to Athens police Wednesday night and posting a combined bail of $4,000 on charges of reckless driving and racing in relation to a fatal crash that killed a teammate and team staffer.

Carter, projected as one of the top players in next month’s NFL draft, left the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis after being informed of the arrest warrant issued in conjunction with the Jan. 15 crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member. Carter says he expects to be “fully exonerated.”

NBA: Luka Doncic scored 42 points, Kyrie Irving added 40, and the new All-Star pairing sparkled throughout the Dallas Mavericks’ 133-126 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

Doncic won a matchup of the NBA’s top two scorers as Joel Embiid finished with 35 points for the 76ers.

Tennis: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday and will face former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals at the Dubai Championships.

The five-time Dubai champion’s 20th straight victory set the stage for a match against Medvedev, who defeated Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in the nightcap at the hard-court tournament.

Defending Dubai champion Andrey Rublev will face Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal match. Rublev advanced by defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 7-6 (3). Zverev topped Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 6-4.

College basketball: Jamal Shead scored a career-high 25 points, Marcus Sasser added 24, and No. 1 Houston defeated Wichita State 83-66 on Thursday night.

Sasser tied the school career record for most 3-pointers set by Robert McKiver with 261.

Jarace Walker had 11 points and nine rebounds for Houston (28-2, 16-1 American Athletic Conference).

Hockey: Boston signed All-Star forward David Pastrnak to an eight-year contract extension on Thursday that will pay $90 million — the sixth-richest deal in NHL history.

The deal locks up one of the league’s MVP candidates through the 2030-31 season for $11.25 million per year.

Pastrnak, 26, is second in the league to Edmonton’s Connor McDavid this season with 42 goals.

He also has recorded 38 assists while leading Boston to the best record in the NHL.