Brendan Powell is backing JPR One to make amends for a final-fence blunder last time out when he returns for the Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park on Saturday.

The Joe Tizzard-trained gelding looked to be en route to Grade Two success in the Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last month but made an error at the last and unseated his rider.

Connections will regroup at the weekend for the Henry VIII, success in which would be a first at the Grade One level for Powell after multiple placings throughout his career.

“I’m really looking forward to riding JPR One again as he looked like he was going to be an impressive winner at Cheltenham before making a mistake and getting rid of me at the last fence,” he said.

“This is a race that will take a bit of winning, but I wouldn’t want to be on any other horse and hopefully I can make up for what happened at Cheltenham on Saturday.

“I think I’ve been second in seven or eight Grade Ones, but I don’t think I’ve ridden in a Grade One where I’ve had a proper live chance, but this weekend I do and that makes it even more exciting.

“It is something I want to get on my CV, and it is something I want to achieve before I finish my career.

“To win a Grade One for Joe would mean just as much to me as winning a Grade One for myself. I think Joe was a big influence on me riding for the Tizzard team again.

“I’ll always be grateful to him for that and to repay him with a Grade One win would be amazing.”

Though the Cheltenham mishap was costly, the six-year-old otherwise ran a pleasing race and has taken to chasing well after a successful hurdling career.

“That was the frustrating thing as he didn’t put a foot wrong the whole way around at Cheltenham,” Powell said.

“He jumped and travelled and quickened well turning in. He has got all the attributes to be a good horse.

“He gave me a good spin at Newton Abbot on his debut over fences and I was quite surprised the price he was that day as well. He was seriously well handicapped that day if he came back to form over fences.

“The most important thing for our novice chasers is that they have a nice time and a good experience first time over fences. He did that and managed to win as well, which was a bonus.

“Hopefully on Saturday he should be good enough to be there, or thereabouts, at the back end of the race, then I suppose it will be then when we find out if he is good enough.”

Golf’s governing bodies have announced a change to the way golf balls are tested in order to reduce the distance they travel.

The revision to the Rules of Golf will apply at the elite level from 2028 and for recreational players in 2030, resulting in a 14-15 yard reduction for the former and less than five yards for the latter.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how advancements in equipment have led to this point.

The earliest clubs were often carved by the players themselves and made of wood, while King James IV of Scotland is recorded as buying clubs from a bow-maker in Perth in 1502. Balls were initially also made of wood before the “featherie” – made of cow or horsehide and stuffed with feathers – was introduced early in the 17th century. Around 1750, the first club heads made of iron began to emerge, while hickory and persimmon imported from America became the standard wood of choice for club makers.

Improvements in forging techniques late in the 19th century had allowed iron club heads to be mass produced, with steel shafts becoming more popular around 1925 and eventually legalised in 1929. With no limit in place, some players carried large numbers of both steel-shafted and hickory clubs until the 14-club rule was introduced in 1939.

The first shaft made from fibreglass was released in 1954 and, although it never truly caught on, graphite shafts – which were stronger and lighter than steel – soon followed. The introduction of cavity-backed irons, rather than traditional “blades”, also had a major impact, as Ping founder Karsten Solheim predicted: “The thought I had was if you put perimeter weighting around the club it would give you a chance to mishit it and still make a good shot.”

The launch of the first metal TaylorMade driver in 1979 kickstarted the next stage in club development, although it took more than a decade before persimmon clubs became fully obsolete. TaylorMade later offered the first driver with easily adjustable weights to help promote a fade or draw, while the use of lightweight titanium allows manufacturers to create much larger club heads with thinner walls to maximise the sweet spot for greater forgiveness. The ball also developed with the advent of a Surlyn resin cover, and later Urethane, while Nike’s solid construction ball was hugely popular after Tiger Woods used it to win the 2000 Open at St Andrews. Three months later, the launch of Titleist’s ProV1 in Las Vegas prompted numerous players to switch to the new three-piece multilayer ball.

Golf’s governing bodies insist a new rule change to reduce the distance balls travel is “proportionate” and will have “minimal” impact on recreational players.

The R&A and USGA had previously proposed a Model Local Rule (MLR) to give elite tournaments the option to require the use of balls which would travel around 15 yards less.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers and USGA counterpart Mike Whan confirmed that the MLR would apply in their own events, most notably the Open Championship and US Open, respectively.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods supported the proposal but it was opposed by the PGA Tour and PGA of America and strongly criticised by top equipment manufacturing company Acushnet and the likes of Justin Thomas, who plays their market-leading Titleist balls.

In response to what Slumbers termed “pretty much no support” for the MLR, the R&A and USGA are now revising the speed at which balls are tested, which will effectively make current versions non-conforming.

The change will apply at the elite level from 2028, but also for recreational players from 2030.

Keegan Bradley said during last week’s Hero World Challenge that he had already tested a potential version of the new ball and claimed it was 40 to 50 yards shorter with his driver, labelling it “monstrous” that amateur players would be impacted by the new rule.

However, Slumbers told the PA news agency that such “emotional numbers” were completely inaccurate as he outlined the rationale behind the change.

“Having had pretty much no support for an MLR, we thought how can we best achieve our objectives, which is bringing back a little bit more skill in the game, slowing down hitting distance and our environmental sustainability concerns, without a tremendous impact on the recreational game,” Slumbers said.

“We can do nothing, we can bifurcate the game – which was the MLR – or change the game for everybody. We always said that doing nothing was not an option.”

The clubhead speed at which balls are tested will rise from 120mph, which was implemented in 2004, to 125mph, while the distance limit remains at 317 yards, plus three yards of tolerance.

“Over the last six months we’ve had quite a lot of golf balls sent to us that could have conformed with the MLR so we’ve been able to test and understand how a ball at the fastest clubhead speeds would perform with the different rule,” Slumbers added.

“The impact on the game is as follows: For the fastest swing speeds it will be 13-15 yards, for the average Tour speed nine to 11 yards and for the average recreational player less than five yards.

“We also know that as the clubs get shorter, the impact will tend towards zero because the clubhead speed drops.

“We do think it is proportionate and it is targeted and the impact to the recreational game is minimal and certainly not the emotional numbers that have been discussed in recent days.”

Reaction to the change is certain to be mixed, but Slumbers gave short shrift to any suggestion of further “notice and comment” periods.

“This is a rule change, a change to the rules of golf equipment standards,” added Slumbers, who conceded that the PGA Tour and PGA of America would have preferred the status quo.

“There is a process that we agreed with all the industry and we followed that diligently.

“It’s taken five years to get to this point and we have listened, but we feel we’ve got to the end of that process and the reality is that the rule change doesn’t come into effect into January 2028.

“This is a significant period of time and we have given more, as we were previously talking about 2026.

“Governance is not easy, but our responsibility is to look to the future and make sure the game is appropriately structured for the long term and we believe this rule change is part of that.

“I think it’s an important moment for the game and it’s a positive moment for the game.”

In addition, the governing bodies will monitor how drivers can become non-confirming through regular use and research how the clubs perform with off-centre hits.

The PGA Tour and PGA of America both gave a qualified welcome to the news while also expressing opposition to the increase in test clubhead speed.

“Throughout the process we have provided feedback to the USGA and The R&A and are pleased to see a number of our recommendations reflected in this most recent announcement,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.

“However, we believe the proposed increase in test clubhead speed to 125mph is disproportional to the rate of increase we see when analysing PGA Tour radar data.

“In conjunction with guidance from the Player Advisory Council, Player Directors and Policy Board, we will continue to share our feedback with the USGA and The R&A.”

Connections of Impaire Et Passe insist there were “a lot of positives” to take from his comeback defeat in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

The Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old was one of the star novices of last season, carrying the ‘double green’ colours of owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede to four victories, including Grade One triumphs at the Cheltenham and Punchestown festivals.

With some bookmakers rating him as the biggest threat to Constitution Hill for the Champion Hurdle this term, Impaire Et Passe was odds-on to pick up where he left off on Sunday, but after travelling strongly in the hands of Paul Townend, he was mowed down by the defending champion Teahupoo.

While disappointed to suffer defeat, the owners’ racing manager Anthony Bromley is keeping the faith.

“I was perfectly happy with Impaire’s return, he took a good blow and just got done close home. I think he showed plenty and we’ll look forward to the season ahead,” he said.

“It was his first step outside of novice company and I think he performed with a lot of credit. He’s such a lovely horse and there were a lot of positives to take from the run.”

What route Impaire Et Passe takes to the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham remains undecided, with Mullins also responsible for another major player in the form of State Man.

The latter won the Morgiana Hurdle, the Matheson Hurdle, the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Punchestown Champion Hurdle last term, with his only defeat coming at the hands of Constitution Hill when runner-up at Prestbury Park.

State Man made a successful reappearance when registering back-to-back wins in the Morgiana last month, and Bromley believes there is every chance Impaire Et Passe will meet his stablemate at some stage before Cheltenham in March.

He added: “Whether he comes out again at Christmas or waits for the Dublin Racing Festival (Irish Champion Hurdle), we’ll just wait and see what Willie wants to do.

“I’d imagine he’s going to come back to two miles now because there’s isn’t a two-and-a-half-mile race at Christmas in Ireland – it’s either two miles or three miles.

“Whether or not he does run in the Matheson Hurdle will be Willie’s decision as he’d obviously be taking on State Man, but if he doesn’t take him on at Christmas he’d be taking him on at the Dublin Festival and that will tell us more as to where we are with the horse.

“There aren’t the races in Ireland to split them up, the only time you could was for their reappearance runs as one could go Morgiana and one could go Hatton’s Grace.

“From now on they’ll have to meet and then, come March, there’s another one for us to meet (Constitution Hill)!”

A possible alternative to locking horns with State Man over the festive period would be to make the trip to Britain for an early clash with Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day, but that appears highly unlikely, with Bromley saying a trip to Kempton was of “no interest at all”.

Scotland fans have suffered more frustration in the process of buying Euro 2024 tickets after a blunder delayed the much-awaited start of the sale.

The Tartan Army were still reeling from the sobering impact of the ticket prices for the opening match with Germany following the high of Saturday’s draw, when the sale was called off less than an hour before it was due to start at noon on Wednesday.

Scotland Supporters Club members with 12 or more loyalty points were due to be sent codes to use on UEFA’s ticket portal on the morning of the sale but too many received it.

An email to fans read: “Due to a technical error, UEFA EURO 2024 codes have been sent out to Scotland Supporters Club members who are not eligible to buy tickets at this stage.

“As a result of this error, the sale scheduled for 12 noon will be delayed until further notice while we liaise with UEFA to resolve the issue.

“The Scottish FA would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to supporters at this time. We will communicate further information on the sales schedule as soon it is available.”

Members with 12 points were due to get a 24-hour period to purchase tickets before the offer is extended to those on 11 points but fans had been gearing up to apply at noon in a bid to get the less expensive tickets.

UEFA has allocated 10,000 tickets to fans of each nation for each game in the tournament.

However, the tickets vary in price and the opening match against Germany in Munich on June 14 comes at a huge premium.

Tickets range from 50  to 600 euros for the game, which makes them significantly more expensive than all the other group stage matches.

Only about 3,000 tickets are available to Scotland fans at the lower rate, with 3,435 tickets costing 195 euros. The next 2,541 fans will have to pay 400 euros and more than 1,000 supporters face paying 600 euros (about £514) to get in.

Sunday’s Peterborough Chase meeting at Huntingdon is under threat due to waterlogging.

While conditions at the Cambridgeshire track have improved since Tuesday, when parts of the home straight were submerged in water, another band of heavy rain is due on Thursday.

As a result clerk of the course Roderick Duncan and his team will inspect the track at 2pm on Thursday to assess conditions.

“It’s a lot better than it was, there is still standing water in a few places, including the start of the Peterborough Chase,” said Duncan.

“The water levels are starting to drop now, but unfortunately looking at the forecast they are just going to get topped up again tomorrow.

“It is not just the rain we’ll get that is the issue, the rain they get in the Northampton area will put us in trouble.

“As we’ve only just called the inspection no discussions have yet taken place about the possibility of rescheduling the Peterborough Chase.”

Prospects for the rest of the week are difficult to gauge at this stage with almost everywhere forecast heavy rain on Thursday.

Market Rasen on Thursday is currently described as soft, heavy in places with some standing water but not on the racing line.

On the same day Wincanton are inspecting at 8am and while the course is currently raceable, a yellow weather warning for rain is in place putting the meeting in grave danger.

Leicester on Thursday had already been abandoned.

Exeter’s meeting on Friday is subject to a 7.30am precautionary inspection on raceday due to the same weather warning affecting Wincanton.

At Sedgefield ahead of Friday the going is already heavy with rain forecast all day Thursday.

Wetherby are scheduled to race on Saturday but the course was waterlogged in places on the back straight on Tuesday. Wednesday is due to be dry but 15mm is forecast on Thursday.

There are currently no reported problems at Sandown, Chepstow or Aintree for their weekend meetings.

Wednesday’s meeting at Haydock was cancelled due to frost but Ludlow staged the first British jumps action since Sunday after passing a 7.30am inspection.

Saturday’s high-profile Tingle Creek meeting at Sandown will see Racing With Pride given a welcome platform to champion inclusion within the sport for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

In celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Rainbow Laces campaign, a wide range of activities aimed at encouraging the LGBT+ community’s involvement in racing will be on show at the Esher track.

There will also be a race specifically sponsored with this initiative in mind; the Betfair Supports Racing With Pride Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.

RWP committee member and British Horseracing Authority diversity and inclusion project manager Di Farrell-Thomas said: “There’s lots of activities going on there, which Great British Racing have led on setting up specifically for the Rainbow Laces campaign and celebrations.

“That campaign has been going now for 10 years and in racing, we want to mark that as well and keep up the progress towards LGBT+ inclusion.

“There’ll be plenty going on; in the fan zone, there will be the exerciser with Racing With Pride silks to wear, so people can come along and learn about the organisation.

“From Racing to School, there will be some jockey masterclasses as well. Racing With Pride members have been invited along to enjoy the day, ask questions and talk about LGBT+ inclusion.

“We’ve been very lucky with Betfair allowing the sponsorship races to have rainbow-coloured numbers and also the BHA staff on course will be wearing our badge as well, in support of inclusion.

“So, there will be plenty of stuff going on – with branding across the course, plus merchandise and prizes and so on, with people able to get involved in competitions.”

The Stonewall Rainbow Laces campaign began in 2013 and has been embraced by a number of sporting bodies, notably the Premier League, and Farrell-Thomas is determined to put racing at the forefront as well.

She added: “Other sports have done this for 10 years, particularly people see it in football, but I think it’s become recognisable across other sports as well. It’s pride, it’s inclusion, it’s celebrating diversity and who people are.

“I think we’ve made a lot of progress, for sure. Initially, Sir David Letts, who is the chair of Racing With Pride, did some research to fully understand that picture of how inclusive racing is in terms of LGBT+.

“We’ve definitely made a lot of progress, many organisations certainly engage with the network, which helps it grow.

“We’ve held educational events as well, so people are willing to learn and actually having that experience that our members can now go and feel that confidence, with thanks to all the partners who have been so helpful in welcoming us. Having visible signs of support as well makes a huge difference.”

Farrell-Thomas has welcomed the support given to Racing With Pride from those working within the sport.

She said: “Jockeys have been wearing the Racing With Pride silks and we have had trainers speak explicitly about the wider support and diversity, so attitudes are definitely changing.

“People within the sport are more used to gaining different experiences and I do feel we have made progress within that space.”

Receiving the backing of Betfair this weekend and other organisations within the industry is another big plus – and racing is also feeling the benefit.

“We’re very grateful to them, it’s really supportive to have wider partners looking to link in and see the importance of diversity,” stated Farrell-Thomas.

“It also helps bring new people into racing, in terms of filling the workforce, people buying horses and just getting involved in the breeding of horses, which is an area we need to expand to help grow the sport of racing.

“Any help from wider partners is always grateful.

“There are people who come racing who have never been racing before, so just to have that confidence to come along and experience something that is different is fantastic.

“Some people who have attended have actually become owners on the back of that, so it’s that kind of experience that breeds the next stage of involvement in racing. That side of things is really important to highlight.”

Eddie Howe has backed Martin Dubravka to plug the sizeable gap left by Nick Pope as Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper faces up to four months on the sidelines.

Magpies head coach Howe’s worst fears over the shoulder injury which Pope suffered during Saturday night’s 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester United have been confirmed, with the 31-year-old due to undergo surgery which will sideline him for four months and leave him in a race against time to make England’s Euro 2024 squad.

However, the £10million man’s misfortune – he dislocated his left shoulder as he dived in an attempt to save a Sergio Reguilon shot – will open the door for his deputies Dubravka, Loris Karius and Mark Gillespie with the Slovakia international, who came off the bench at the weekend, the man first in line to replace him starting at Everton on Thursday evening.

Howe said: “We really believe in Martin and I’ve always had that high opinion of him.

“Yes, we brought in Nick – we wanted to build competition for places, we wanted to build a squad that we felt could really carry us to great success – but Martin is a high-class goalkeeper.

“He’s a brilliant shot-stopper himself, he’s very good with his feet and his distribution, so no hesitation about bringing Martin into the team and I hope he does really well.”

Newcastle have been linked with a move for former Manchester United keeper David de Gea in recent days, but Howe insisted no approaches have been made.

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He said: “We have not made any inquiries or any decisions about our recruitment leading into January.

“This is a chance for the goalkeepers we have at the football club to consolidate their positions, and that will be the same for every other position at the club.”

Howe had earlier confirmed that Pope is awaiting a final decision on the way forward, but that surgery was inevitable.

He said: “We anticipate he’ll be operated on – there’s no doubt he needs an operation – so he will be out for a period of time.

“The operation hasn’t happened yet, but we’re thinking roughly around four months, so it’s a big blow to us, but one that we expected after the game.

“He’s naturally down because at this stage of the season where we have so many games, huge games coming up – he’s got, obviously, the Euros ahead of him as well, which he was determined to try to be involved in, and there’s still chance of that for him.

“But I think his main determination is to come back for us, and you never know what situation we’ll be in at that stage of the season, so it could be a lot worse for him.”

Aidan O’Brien is looking forward to taking on home favourite Romantic Warrior in Sunday’s Hong Kong Cup.

Luxembourg has not been seen since almost upsetting stablemate Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes.

That form looks red-hot, with Auguste Rodin having won the Derby at Epsom and the Irish equivalent before subsequently triumphing in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

However, in Romantic Warrior, who travelled to Australia to win the Cox Plate recently, he faces a stern rival.

“He was second in the Irish Champion Stakes and then he had a foot bruise, this was a race we had our eye on with him,” said O’Brien.

“It’s going to be great, hopefully we have him right and well and hopefully we’ll be able to gauge those mile-and-a-quarter races all over the world. We’re looking forward to it.

Asked about taking on last year’s winner Romantic Warrior, O’Brien said: “He’s obviously a very good horse, Romantic Warrior, we totally respect every horse and he is very good.

“It’ll be interesting. I think it’ll be a nice race to watch and it’ll be an even-run mile and a quarter I’d imagine. Hopefully he’ll run well.”

The Ballydoyle handler will have four runners on the card with Aesop’s Fables in the Sprint and Cairo in the Mile, while Warm Heart holds very strong claims in the Vase.

She did not win her maiden until May 7 but went on to land the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot, the Yorkshire Oaks, the Prix Vermeille and went down narrowly at the Breeders’ Cup to Inspiral over 10 furlongs.

Due to the sex allowance, Ryan Moore will get down to 117lb (less than 8st 4lb) to ride her.

“He always got on very well with her and I think he’s looking forward to it,” said O’Brien.

“She has a nice weight pull, she’s well in and is a very consistent filly. It looks like she’s a little bit better maybe at a mile and a half, Rachel (Richardson) rides her out and she’s very happy with her. She looks very well.”

Former champion Caroline Wozniacki has been awarded a wild card for the Australian Open but Emma Raducanu has missed out on the initial batch.

Raducanu has a protected ranking of 103 due to her lengthy absence from the tour following operations on both wrists and one ankle but that is not currently high enough to secure entry to next month’s grand slam tournament.

The 21-year-old’s status as a former slam champion and one of the most high-profile female players in the sport counts in her favour but most wild cards usually go to home players.

If Raducanu is not given a wild card, and there are not sufficient withdrawals among higher-ranked players to secure her place, she will have to go through qualifying – the avenue by which she sensationally triumphed at the US Open in 2021.

The good news is, after doubts about the pace of her recovery, she has stepped up training in recent weeks and appears on track to return at the start of next season.

Raducanu has not played a tournament since the WTA event in Stuttgart in April and her actual ranking has fallen to 296.

That is 54 places lower than former world number one Wozniacki, who came out of retirement last summer following a three-and-a-half-year hiatus in which she had two children.

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The Dane impressed, reaching the fourth round of the US Open, and she told The AO Show: “I have so many wonderful memories of Melbourne, and of course winning the Australian Open is an all-time career highlight.

“Melbourne’s one of my most favourite cities in the world, and I can’t wait to share it with my family and my kids.”

Wozniacki won her only slam title at Melbourne Park in 2018 before retiring at the same venue two years later.

The other initial wild cards for the tournament, which begins on January 14, have gone to Australian trio Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki and Taylah Preston.

Kevin Durant did not look to use a contentious timeout call as an excuse after the Phoenix Suns slipped to a 106-103 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Suns were left furious after the referee elected to call a timeout following LeBron James' call, when the ball appeared to be loose, late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's in-season tournament quarter-final.

With 15 seconds remaining, Davin Booker dispossessed Austin Reaves, with James swiftly requesting a timeout, which was granted.

Suns coach Frank Vogel fumed: "It's a loose ball, and you can't call a timeout on a loose ball.

"The whistle blows. I don't know why. Everything in the league is reviewable. I don't know why that can't be reviewable.

"We've got the trap, we've got the turnover, [and the] damn whistle blows. It's just frustrating."

Durant, though, did not share his coach's anger.

"That's not the ballgame," said Durant, who led the Suns with 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

"That's one play. It's a 48-minute game. I don't like to complain about calls.

"Sometimes the ref isn't going to get it right all the time. Sometimes it's on us to play through all that stuff and not worry about putting the game in the ref's hands."

Reaves added: "There was no call, and LeBron made a high-IQ play he's made a million times.

Vogel did, however, echo Durant's sentiment that the Suns did not do enough to win the tie and progress to Las Vegas.

"We didn't do enough early in the game," Vogel said. "The turnovers and on the glass, if we do a better job, we're not talking about a close game like that."

The Lakers will now face the New Orleans Pelicans for a place in the final of the inaugural in-season tournament, with the winner taking home the NBA Cup.

"You've got some of the most alpha male competitors in the world, and if you give us an opportunity to play for something meaningful or an incentive, then you get what you're getting," said James, who finished with 31 points and 11 assists.

"The in-season tournament is what it is, and we have an opportunity to play on a big stage, be on national television, represent our families, our communities, where we come from."

The Milwaukee Bucks will not always hit the height of their potential, but Damian Lillard suggested Tuesday's big win over the New York Knicks can be a sign of what is to come.

The Bucks ran out 146-122 winners over the Knicks in their NBA in-season tournament quarter-final.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Lillard contributed 28 points, as the Bucks, who are second in the Eastern Conference, teed up a semi-final against the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas.

Lillard warned it was too much to expect the Bucks to perform like that in every game, but he said the team have laid down a marker.

"I thought this was probably our best offensive game," said Lillard.

"That doesn't mean we're going to turn into a team that does that every night, but I do think we have that type of explosiveness.

"We can't depend on having these types of nights every time, but it's definitely a look at the kind of nights we can have offensively.

"It's been some bumps in that process where we don't play so great some nights but we're still able to win those games.

"I think now is just starting to get a little smoother, knowing where we should be on the floor, knowing how to give each other outlets, knowing how to help each other be who we are.

"It's not perfect, but I just like that we're showing improvement and it's carrying over and you can see it on the floor."

Lillard added that winning the in-season tournament would be a statement of intent.

"You come out of this thing on top, the last team standing, I think it's a pretty strong statement," he said. "It's something that everybody around the league has to respect."

"Tonight was a huge step. We wanted to get to Vegas," Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said.

"But when we get to Vegas, we've got to take care of business. We still got two games to win there."

Declan Rice believes Arsenal’s “never-say-die” attitude can lead them to Premier League glory this season.

The England midfielder headed home a last-gasp winner as Mikel Arteta’s side came from behind to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory at Luton on Tuesday night.

Rice nodded in Martin Odegaard’s cross to spark scenes of wild celebration in the away end after Kai Havertz had earlier drawn them level at Kenilworth Road.

The visitors had led 2-1 at half-time as Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus scored either side of Gabriel Osho’s equaliser but two errors from goalkeeper David Raya gifted Luton the lead.

Elijah Adebayo headed in a corner with Raya stranded as the Spain international came off his line and got nowhere near the ball before Ross Barkley’s shot squirmed under his body to take the roof off Luton’s famous old stadium.

Arsenal, though, proved their title-winning credentials by battling back to go five points clear before Wednesday night’s games, and Rice believes their knack of scoring late can galvanise the Gunners this season.

“I think last year they were eight points clear and obviously lost the title,” the £105million summer signing said.

“This year there definitely seems to be a different feel around the place in terms of being stern, being steady, being composed in big moments.

“Luton Town caused us a massive threat and it looked like we were going to drop points. But this season, it’s that never-say-die attitude that we’ve got that we keep pushing, keep fighting to the end and I think that’s our fifth goal in added time.

“I think we should start scoring some a bit earlier! But to score in added time, it shows what we are made of and we will never stop believing.”

Rice’s header was the ninth league goal Arsenal have scored in the 84th minute or beyond this campaign, with their late shows earning them an additional nine points.

Arteta was booked for his over-zealous celebrations following Rice’s winner and will now be banned from the dugout for Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.

For Luton, it was a tale of what might have been on a night when they went toe-to-toe with a team that spent 248 days at the top of the table last season before losing out to Manchester City.

“Proud. Devastated – the two words are proud and devastated,” experienced winger Andros Townsend said when asked to describe his feelings.

“Proud because it was an amazing performance against one of Europe’s best clubs, score three goals, press higher to not give them any time on the ball, to have chances.

“To still lose it, devastating, but on Sunday we’ve got Man City, so we have to drown our sorrows and then we have to take the positives and look forward to another tough game.”