Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford made it clear on Monday that he understands the franchise must begin winning soon or risk losing young star LaMelo Ball.

Ball, 21, was the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he was named the 2021 Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game.

He went up a level in his sophomore season, raising his averages to 20.1 points, 7.6 assists and 6.7 rebounds, and despite the Hornets struggling to the fourth-worst record in the league this time around, Ball again showed significant improvement.

In year three, Ball became one of the league's most aggressive three-point shooters, with his 4.0 made threes per game trailing only Damian Lillard (4.2), Klay Thompson (4.4) and Stephen Curry (4.9), while shooting a very respectable 37.1 per cent on 10.6 attempts per contest.

He also finished this season sixth in assists per game (8.4), and top-30 in both points per game (23.3) and steals per game (1.3), although his 36 games played was by far the lowest total of his career.

Ball is unquestionably the brightest prospect in the Hornets' organisation, and Clifford told reporters it is crucial that the team holds up their end of the bargain to convince him to stick around long-term.

"He badly wants to win," Clifford said. "When you're at his level, there are certain expectations. You're going to be compared to the other point guards his age that have had – not incredible playoff success – but have had some.

"It's important to his career."

When asked Monday about his long-term future in Charlotte, Ball said he "plays it by the day."

"I love it here," Ball said. "I can't really tell the future. We'll just see how it goes and go from there."

As for Clifford's comments about it being critical for the Hornets to start winning to keep him here, Ball replied: "For sure. The main thing is winning. Life is better when you win."

The Hornets will be encouraged by comments from starting wing P.J. Washington, who was a lottery pick in 2019, and enjoyed a career-best season at age 24.

Washington showed he is perhaps more capable than the supporting role he has been cast in, highlighted by a stunning 43-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder in late March.

"This is really where I want to be, and I haven't thought about being anywhere else," Washington said. "Everybody is here. My family is here, my kids are here. This is home for me now."

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Monday that shortstop Oneil Cruz underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured left ankle and is expected to miss around four months.

Cruz, who hit 17 home runs in just 87 games during a highly promising rookie season in 2022, was injured sliding into home plate during the Pirates’ 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

The 24-year-old was later taken to Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Hospital for a procedure that stabilized his fibula and addressed an injury to the syndesmosis, a fibrous joint located near the ankle.

The six-foot-seven Cruz, who has had his throws across the diamond clocked at around 100mp/h, has served as the Pirates' leadoff hitter this season and had posted a .375 on-base percentage with seven runs scored during the team’s surprising 6-3 start.

"My solace is in the fact he's OK," Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters Monday. "We’re talking about a 24-year-old kid here. My concern is more about the kid than worrying about a timetable or what’s going on."

Shelton said Rodolfo Castro will see the majority of time at shortstop until Cruz comes back, likely sometime in August. Castro, a switch-hitter, had been splitting time with the left-handed hitting Bae Ji-hwan at second base, but made 17 starts at shortstop in 2022.

"Obviously, losing Oneil is a blow because he’s a big part of what we do on both sides of the ball," Shelton said after Sunday’s game. "The flip side of that, because of the depth we’ve created over the last couple of years, we're probably in a better spot to handle it than we have been previously."

Cruz added 54 RBIs and 10 stolen bases while batting .233 last season, and hit .250 with one home run, four RBIs and three steals through the first nine games of 2023

Xavi acknowledged Barcelona are in a "very good situation" at the LaLiga summit but was left to rue a missed opportunity at home to Girona on Monday.

The Blaugrana could have moved 15 points clear with victory, after Real Madrid fell to a 3-2 defeat against Villarreal on Sunday, but had to settle for a 13-point lead following a goalless draw at Camp Nou.

It marked Barca's second draw without scoring at Camp Nou in LaLiga this term, as many as in their previous four league campaigns combined, after Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga impressed.

Barca head coach Xavi says failing to win at home will always be a missed chance, though refused to criticise his side for their efforts.

Asked on DAZN whether it was an opportunity squandered, Xavi said: "We can't be positive with a point at home, but we are 13 points clear of second with 10 games to go.

"We are in a very good situation. We have tried, we have played a correct game, we have had many chances to score and win the game against a very good team.

"We just missed getting the first goal. I think we deserved to win."

Barca continued their unbeaten run at home in LaLiga this campaign (14 games), with only Union Berlin and Bayern Munich boasting a season-long such record across Europe's top five leagues this term.

The stalemate also marked a rare feat for Girona, who kept a clean sheet in a Spanish top-flight away game for the first time since March 2019 (2-0 win at Leganes).

Girona have not beaten their Catalan rivals Barca in six league meetings (L4 D2) but Xavi was quick to credit Miguel Angel Sanchez's impressive visitors.

The former midfielder added: "We are going to play teams like this, who are risking their lives. They told us that this point is massive.

"Next week we are going to Getafe, who are risking their lives. This team drew at the Bernabeu, it's a great team.

"We have to give credit to this league, people want to see it differently but we deserve praise to be where we are [at the top]."

A misfiring Barca frontline failed to breach the resolute Girona backline, with Robert Lewandowski and Ansu Fati largely passengers in a contest where Raphinha shone by creating a game-leading four chances.

The Brazil international's performance was in stark contrast to Fati, who has been involved in just one LaLiga goal in his last 16 outings after being involved in eight (5G 3A) in that amount of previous matches.

Blaugrana captain Busquets acknowledged it was difficult to overcome an industrious Girona as the Spain international outlined his intentions to wrap up the league title as soon as possible.

He told DAZN: "It was hard for us to hurt them, especially in the first half when they had a little more possession of the ball. They put a lot of balls inside and we weren't pressing well. 

"Even so, I think we have had them, but today we have seen how the minutes went by, they gradually established themselves more and more in defence and we could not get the goal. 

"Our main objective is to win the league as soon as possible. If Madrid drop points then good, but our objective remains the same."

Leicester City have confirmed Dean Smith as the club's new manager on a short-term deal through to the end of the season.

The Englishman, who was previously in charge of Aston Villa and Norwich City, arrives at the King Power Stadium as an interim successor to Brendan Rodgers.

With the Foxes mired in a Premier League relegation battle, his job will be to ensure their top-flight survival with just eight games left to play.

Smith will be joined by his former Villa assistant John Terry and fellow ex-Canaries coach Craig Shakespeare, who previously served as manager himself with Leicester following Claudio Ranieri's exit in 2017.

"I'm really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season," Smith told the club's website.

"The challenge in front of us is clear, but it's one myself and my coaching team have experienced before and, with the quality in this squad and the number of games remaining, it's very much achievable."

Leicester parted ways with Rodgers, their second-longest serving manager of the Premier League era, after he failed to turn around results, leaving them one place from bottom in the Premier League.

The Northern Irishman led the club to FA Cup and Community Shield success during his time in charge, as well as consecutive European finishes in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Smith, meanwhile, was sacked at Norwich last December following a disappointing start to their first season back in the Championship.

The Foxes next play title-chasing Manchester City on Saturday, before they return home to host Wolves in what is likely to be a crucial game for their survival a week later.

City have 25 points from 30 matches, but just five points separate themselves and West Ham in 14th in a congested bottom half.

Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena hit out at the "irreparable" and "unjustifiable" threats after he was allegedly assaulted by Real Madrid's Federico Valverde following Saturday's LaLiga match.

Baena played a full part in the contest at the Santiago Bernabeu and assisted Samuel Chukwueze's late goal as Villarreal beat Madrid 3-2.

According to sports newspaper AS and widespread reports, Baena was punched while looking at his phone when making his way to the Villarreal team bus.

It is alleged that Valverde assaulted Baena in retaliation to derogatory remarks the latter made about his unborn child in a previous encounter between the sides, claims the Villarreal man strongly denies.

Valverde was not referenced by name as Villarreal confirmed Baena had filed a police complaint in a statement on Sunday, in which the club expressed their support for the Spain youth international.

Baena took to social media on Monday to confirm he has lodged an official police complaint, while hitting out at the tirade of abuse that has followed towards him and his family.

A statement from Baena read: "Last Saturday I was attacked by a fellow colleague after the match against Real Madrid.

"After the event, various declarations came to light, presumably made by his entourage, in which it was said that I had wished pain for one of his family members.

"Since then, as it cannot be any other way, there has been no evidence that proves the facts that I am accused of.

"A misfortune was used to justify the aggression and there are lies that hurt more than blows.

"The damage that is being done to my family is irreparable and unjustifiable: threats, insults and even private messages wishing my family death.

"Yesterday I reported the case to the police. Let justice do its job. Now my only goal is to focus on my profession and help my club achieve its goals."

Valverde and Los Blancos have yet to comment on Saturday's alleged incident.

Rudy Gobert has been suspended by the Minnesota Timberwolves for Tuesday's play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers for throwing a punch at team-mate Kyle Anderson during an argument in a team huddle during a timeout.

The Timberwolves announced the one-game suspension of the 10-year veteran on Monday.

The incident occurred in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, when Gobert got into a heated exchange with Anderson and hit him in the upper chest.

Gobert was escorted off the court and sent home by the team at half-time.

Trailing by 12 points at the time of the altercation, Minnesota ended up rallying for a 113-108 win to secure eighth place in the Western Conference.

As the No. 8 seed, the Timberwolves will have two opportunities to win a play-in game and earn a playoff berth.

If Minnesota win at Los Angeles, they will clinch the No. 7 seed and face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

If they lose, however, the Timberwolves will return home Friday to host the winner of the Pelicans-Oklahoma City Thunder game for a chance at the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets.

In addition to facing the Lakers without their top rim protector in Gobert, Minnesota will also be without Jaden McDaniels after he sustained a broken wrist from punching a wall in the tunnel that leads to the locker room on Sunday.

Acquired from the Utah Jazz in blockbuster trade last summer, the 30-year-old Gobert averaged 13.4 points, a team-leading 11.6 rebounds and 1.36 blocks (the 12th-most in the NBA) in 70 games in his first season with the Timberwolves.

Barcelona missed the chance to move 15 points clear at the LaLiga summit after being held to a goalless draw at home to Girona on Monday.

Real Madrid succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to Villarreal on Saturday but Xavi's Blaugrana failed to fire two days later, leaving Barca 13 points clear of the second-placed Los Blancos.

A fine Paulo Gazzaniga display kept the energetic hosts at bay, while Valentin Castellanos wasted the best chance of the game when curling wide in the second half at Camp Nou.

The stalemate ended a four-match winning league run for Barca, but Xavi's side remain unbeaten at home in LaLiga this season as the Blaugrana march towards the title.

Viktor Tsygankov sliced a presentable chance on the volley wide as Girona started positively, although Barca should have twice broke the deadlock in the opening 10 minutes.

Robert Lewandowski curled narrowly over after an Ansu Fati offload, while a despairing Gazzaniga dive saved Santiago Bueno from inexplicably passing into his own goal.

Another smart Gazzaniga stop denied Raphinha before the Girona goalkeeper – almost inside his own net – somehow clawed away Ronald Araujo's flick from the resulting corner.

Eric Garcia headed over from close range immediately after the interval but Girona should have struck first shortly after.

Castellanos evaded Barca's offside trap but placed wide with just Marc-Andre ter Stegen to beat, with Girona left to rue a missed chance that could have grabbed a memorable victory against their Catalan rivals, who themselves squandered some promising opportunities late on.

What does it mean? Xavi warning not heeded

Xavi warned his Barca players in his pre-match press conference to not get sloppy in search of a 15-point lead at the top of LaLiga, though the Blaugrana stars failed to heed that warning.

Girona were good value for a hard-fought point, albeit the visitors may look back with regret after Castellanos spurned a brilliant chance to secure their first league win over Barca since September 2017.

Barca remain firmly on course for the title but profligate performances such as this show there is still much to work on for Xavi's young Blaugrana.

Rampant Raphinha efforts in vain

Raphinha appeared to be everywhere as Barca tried and failed to breach an impressive Girona defence that was led by Gazzaniga, who made a trio of brilliant saves.

The Brazil international carved out a game-leading four big chances, including two brilliant set-piece deliveries, but his hard-working showing ended without deserved reward.

Careless Castellanos

Castellanos had time and space to think how to beat Ter Stegen with a massive second-half chance, though somehow failed to hit the target after racing through one-on-one.

That capped a frustrating showing for the Girona striker, who completed just five passes, won a meagre two duels and recorded only 14 touches before his 60th-minute withdrawal.

What's next?

Barca visit Getafe on Sunday, when Girona host Elche.

Rory McIlroy has pulled out of the RBC Heritage later this week on the back of his disappointing Masters showing.

McIlroy endured a torrid time at Augusta National last week, missing the cut after carding a five-over second round.

The world number three will not have the opportunity to get over that with a solid display at the RBC Heritage, which gets under way in South Carolina on Thursday.

No explanation was given for his decision to pull out of the tournament, which only players ranked in the top 20 of the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program are eligible to take part in.

This is McIlroy's second withdrawal of the season, with only one allowed for personal or professional reasons, meaning he may now miss out on his bonus money from the Player Impact Program.

Jon Rahm is expected to participate in the tournament after winning his first Masters title with a superb final-round display.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City offer the highest level of football in Europe, according to Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel.

The Bavarian side travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to face an in-form City side in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Guardiola's men have won their last seven in all competitions to leave their fans dreaming of a potential treble, hot on the tails of Premier League leaders Arsenal, while they have reached the latter stages of both the Champions League and FA Cup.

Tuesday's game will only be Tuchel's fourth game in charge of Bayern since replacing the sacked Julian Nagelsmann, and his side head into the match as underdogs to progress through the tie despite lifting the famous trophy as recently as the 2019-20 season.

Tuchel lauded Guardiola's influence on City and ranked them as one of the finest teams in Europe, though he also feels that makes the opportunity to dump them out of Europe even more enticing having beat the Citizens in the 2020-21 final while he was Chelsea boss.

"I think you can clearly see that there's six or seven years of Pep in this team, very offensive with and without the ball, extreme high pressing," Tuchel told reporters at his pre-match news conference. 

"I think that Pep proves everywhere that he gives his teams his own touch. I can learn about football by playing against his teams, it makes me a better coach. It's unique what he's doing there. They play much more fluently than in recent years. 

"It's the highest level that European football has to offer. They're showing that in the league too. That makes the task appealing. We have to solve it as a team. Maybe we'll be a bit of the underdog tomorrow, but we have to have confidence in our abilities."

City have been spearheaded by striker Erling Haaland, who has netted 44 goals in all competitions this season in just his first campaign in England since joining from Borussia Dortmund.

Tuchel is wary of the threat Haaland, and the rest of City's forwards, will pose on Tuesday, saying: "The numbers, the athleticism, the hunger for goals is incredibly impressive.

"It's not just him. The game speed is high, they create a lot of chances for Haaland and he has the ambition to score a lot of goals. We will only solve this together."

Defender Matthijs de Ligt will be one of those tasked with trying to keep Haaland quiet at the Etihad, and he feels it will need a complete team effort to do so.

"I think Manchester City is the strongest team of all," the Netherlands international said. "They've won the Premier League four times in the last five years, and now they've also got a striker like Erling Haaland.

"It's important that we organise the defence well, also with the midfielders. We have to put in a top performance to stop a striker like Haaland."

Bayern will be without one of their own strikers as a knee issue means Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has scored four Champions League goals this term, will miss out.

Serge Gnabry could be the player Tuchel opts to play up front, with the 49-year-old explaining: "I don't think there's anything wrong with Serge playing on the nine for us. He has a good finish with both feet, good speed and is good at dribbling."

Simone Inzaghi knows Inter must use their "heads and our hearts" against Benfica when the pair meet in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Serie A heavyweights travel to Lisbon on Tuesday for the first leg of their last-eight clash against the Primeira Liga leaders.

Roger Schmidt's hosts are unbeaten in Europe this season and have lost just three times in all competitions, though they come into the game on the back of a domestic defeat to Porto.

The task in hand for Inter looks a difficult one, particularly amid their own mixed domestic form, but Inzaghi believes they can prevail if they play intelligently.

"We know the importance of this match," he said at Monday's pre-match press conference. "We have had a great, difficult journey [to get here]. They are a quality opponent. It won't be easy.

"It will be a game in which we alternate between attack and defence. Benfica are not obsessed with pressing. We will have to use our heads and our hearts.

"They are a quality team, with technically gifted players. They occupy the spaces well, and they run a lot. We'll have to be good at playing our game.

"They have lost two games this season. They are a team with absolute value. But up against them, there will be an Inter team who know what they want and what they have to do."

Inter arrive looking to break a six-match winless run that includes the second leg of their last-16 win over Porto in the Champions League.

Their indifferent form, including a draw with Salernitana on Friday, has seen them slip to fifth in Serie A and leaves them at risk of missing out on top-tier European competition next season.

Carlo Ancelotti will not entertain links with a move to either Chelsea or Brazil while he is Real Madrid head coach out of "respect" to the LaLiga club.

The Italian has another year to run on his Madrid contract, but that has not stopped him being touted as a potential candidate to fill the vacancies at both the Blues and the Selecao in recent weeks.

Ancelotti, who previously spent two years with Chelsea and guided them to a Premier League and FA Cup double in the 2009-10 campaign, faces his old club in the Champions League this week.

But ahead of his quarter-final reunion, he has adamantly played down speculation of an exit from Santiago Bernabeu to take up the reins elsewhere.

"There's a nice saying which is just right," he told Radio Rai 1. "[It is] the wind carries away the chatter.

"That is it. I have a contract until June 30, 2024, and I would like to respect it."

Ancelotti returned to Madrid in 2021 and guided the club to LaLiga glory in his first season, completing a clean sweep of all five major European league titles in his career.

The defence of an additional Champions League triumph has become the club's main aim this season amid a widening domestic battle to catch Barcelona.

Chelsea are searching for a permanent successor to Graham Potter, having turned to another former boss in Frank Lampard to guide them through the end of the season.

Brazil, meanwhile, are yet to name Tite's replacement following a disappointing quarter-final exit at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with under-20 coach Ramon Menezes in charge on a temporary basis.

Stan Wawrinka mounted an impressive comeback victory on his return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters, but Andy Murray went out in straight sets.

The pair, both three-time grand slam winners, enjoyed contrasting fortunes in their first-round matches against Tallon Griekspoor and Alex de Minaur.

Wawrinka, who has not played since Indian Wells last month, saw off the Dutchman in a 5-7 6-3 6-4 triumph, but Murray was routed by the Australian in a 6-1 6-3 loss.

"It was really important to stay calm with myself," Wawrinka said. "In the first round you need to find your game. I am happy to get through. It was important to fight until the end."

Roberto Bautista Agut saved a match point in the second-set tie-break as he fought back to overcome Filip Krajinovic to prevail 5-7 7-6 (12-10) 6-1.

Dominic Thiem is also through following a 6-1 6-4 win over Richard Gasquet but 11th seed Cameron Norrie is out after suffering a 6-3 6-4 loss to Francisco Cerundolo.