ns 3-pointer sent the Thunder into the fourth leading 85-73. T

SAN FRANCISCO -- On a night they cheered "The Catch" and all the San Francisco greats of old, the current 49ers looked ready to move that success right into the future at a flashy new stadium. In one emphatic finish, NaVorro Bowman, Colin Kaepernick and the Niners sealed their post-season berth in a ceremonious regular-season farewell for Candlestick Park. Bowman returned an interception 89 yards for a touchdown with 1:10 remaining, and the 49ers clinched a playoff spot with a wild 34-24 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in the likely final game at The Stick. "Thats been the best thing Ive ever seen happen in a football game," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Mightve been close to The Catch." Tramaine Brock broke up a pass intended for Harry Douglas and Bowman got his hands on the ball and took off. He was joined in the end zone by his teammates for a jubilant dog pile. "I always say a lot of plays are made when you run to the ball," Bowman said. "Thats all I was doing was just running to the ball, trying to make a tackle, and it popped up and I was able to make a play for my team." Matt Ryan threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White with 8:34 remaining and a 2-yard score to Tony Gonzalez with 2:09 left as the Falcons (4-11) made things interesting until the end. Atlantas Jason Snelling recovered the ensuing onside kick as the Falcons got the ball back and were driving for a potential go-ahead score when San Francisco (11-4) capitalized with one of its biggest takeaways yet. "When we got the onside kick at the end, we had a great opportunity to win but it wasnt meant to be," Ryan said. "Sometimes the ball bounces in the other direction. Thats been the case for us." Kaepernick ran for a 4-yard touchdown and threw a 10-yard TD pass to Anquan Boldin, and Frank Gore scored on a 1-yard touchdown run as the 49ers used a big second half to clinch a third straight playoff season and fifth consecutive victory. They put up 169 yards in the third quarter after managing just 113 in the first half as the sellout crowd fell momentarily quiet. San Francisco still has a slim chance at winning a third consecutive NFC West crown and earning a first-round bye if St. Louis wins at Seattle and the 49ers beat Arizona on the road. They can win the NFCs top seed with the same scenario, plus a Carolina loss at Atlanta. During an evening of fanfare and famous faces for Candlesticks ceremonious farewell, Kaepernick took charge as his team made good on Harbaughs mantra for the week: "We dont want to be the guys who screw up the final game in Candlestick." "Best birthday present Ive ever gotten, second only to being born," quipped Harbaugh on his 50th birthday. "That was awesome." Boldin had a 10-yard touchdown catch that tied it at 10 with 12:03 left in the third, and Kaepernick ran for a score early in the fourth. This rematch of the NFC championship game featuring teams headed in opposite directions was another thriller. The 49ers won 28-24 last January in Atlanta to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years. Boldin caught six passes for 72 yards and went over 1,000 yards receiving for the sixth time in his career and first since 2009. Kaepernick was 13 for 21 for 197 yards. With the future of the 49ers on display, there were plenty of glimpses to the past -- and five Super Bowl titles. "Theres a lot of history in this stadium," Bowman said. "For this to be the last game, we cannot leave it with an L. So Im glad we got the W." Joe Montanas winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark -- dubbed "The Catch" -- was celebrated at halftime as the No. 1 moment during a top-10 countdown during each home game this year. The special spot in the right corner of the north end zone was marked with a gold dot. That victory in the NFC championship game after the 1981 season sent San Francisco to its first Super Bowl title. The 49ers are set to move into $1.2 billion Levis Stadium at team headquarters in Santa Clara while Candlestick waits out its implosion day. White had 12 catches for 141 yards and retiring Falcons tight end Gonzalez eight for 63 yards in his final game back in the Bay Area, where he starred collegiately at California. Ryan wound up 37 for 48 for 348 yards but his late mistakes were costly as has been the case in a 1-7 road showing. Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice played catch on the field before the game, and two baseball greats with their own Hall of Fame distinction -- Willie Mays and Willie McCovey -- were on hand and waved to cheering fans. San Franciscos 31 second-half points were its most since scoring 35 against Atlanta on Sept. 15, 1985, according to STATs. NOTES: Atlantas 24 losses at Candlestick are the most of any 49ers opponent. ... The Falcons lost defensive tackle Corey Peters in the second quarter to an Achilles injury. Atlanta RB Jacquizz Rodgers sustained a concussion. ... 49ers TE Vernon Davis didnt have a reception for the first time all season. Glenn Hubbard Jersey .During the week, McCoy told reporters he respected Hoyer for his intelligence, athleticism and how he conducts himself on and off the field. This wasnt an act, some attempt at psyching out Hoyer. Atlanta Braves Shirts . Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defence, Messis best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . However, the 38-year-old is in no hurry to sign with another team. "Im not in a rush. This will be my last contract, so I want to do it right," said Burris on Thursday. Ronald Acuna Jr. Jersey . I wondered how NHL coaches would feel about a playoff schedule that allowed them to open a best-of-seven series on the road, which many claim to favour, yet still gave them the precious home-ice edge for a seventh game. Cheap Braves Jerseys . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then.LOS ANGELES -- Russell Westbrook scored 30 points in his return to the lineup, Kevin Durant added 27, and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Los Angeles Clippers 107-101 Wednesday night in a possible playoff preview. Serge Ibaka added 15 points for the Thunder, who had their starting five together for just the second time since Christmas Day. Westbrook had sat out two of the previous three games and has missed 34 games this season with a variety of injuries. Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 25 points and eight assists for the Clippers, who could have owned the tiebreaker over the Thunder if they had won. Instead, the teams split their season series 2-2. Los Angeles rallied from a 15-point deficit in the fourth to twice get within a point, but the Clippers only lead was by one point in the first quarter. The Clippers big run had them trailing 94-93, with Paul sandwiching 3-pointers around Griffins free throw and DeAndre Jordan dunking off Darren Collisons miss to cap a 14-0 run with 5:03 to play. Jordan finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Griffin missed two free throws that would have tied the game at 97. Westbrooks putback dunk off Durants miss kept the Thunder ahead 99-95. Durants 3-pointer pushed their lead to 102-97 before Collison answered with a 3 to get the Clippers within two. Matt Barnes fouled Durant, who made both for a 104-100 lead. Paul missed the first and made the second free throw with 38 seconds left to keep the Clippers down by three. The final 38 seconds were a free throw contest, with the Thunder making 3 of 4 to close out the win. The Thunder are second in the West sstandings with four games remaining in the regular season; the Clippers are third with three to play.ddddddddddddThey could potentially meet in the second round of the playoffs. Oklahoma City opened the third on a 14-4 run, with four different players scoring in extending the lead to 73-58. Durant scored four in a row to push the Thunders lead to 81-64. Defensively, the Thunder forced the Clippers into a mistake-prone, eight-minute stretch that included four turnovers -- two each by Griffin and Paul -- and a series of missed shots. Led by five points from Paul and three by Griffin, the Clippers ran off nine in a row to get within eight before Reggie Jacksons 3-pointer sent the Thunder into the fourth leading 85-73. The Thunder led by 15 points when the Clippers offence put together a 20-10 run to trail 59-54 at halftime. Jordan starred in his own highlight reel, dunking three times, twice off alley-oop passes. Griffin got in a slam of his own and Hedo Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer that beat the shot clock and helped bring the Clippers back within single digits. Notes: The Thunder improved to 8-6 in the second game of a back-to-back. They were playing their 14th such set this season. ... Theres still no timetable for the return of Clippers G Jamal Crawford (sore left Achilles tendon) and F Danny Granger (strained left hamstring). Crawford has missed five straight games and Granger six. ... The Clippers are one win away from tying the franchise record of 56 wins in the regular season, set on the last day of the season a year ago. ... Rapper Drake and singer Rihanna, sitting separately, and former NBA guard Baron Davis attended the game. ' ' '