Damian Lillard conceded his ambitious streak took over when he sunk a sensational buzzer-beater to snatch victory for the Portland Trail Blazers over the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls were leading 122-117 when Lillard hit a 37-foot three pointer with 8.9 seconds left before Gary Trent Jr won a jump ball that ended up in the star point guard's hands.
From there, Lillard drilled a superb step-back three, his eighth successful attempt from range to conclude a 44-point haul – the 35th 40-point game of his career.
"I knew they were going to try and deny me and be real physical so I just popped back towards half court," Lillard said.
"I just wanted to get a clean look. If I missed it, that probably would have been game, but it had been feeling good coming off my hands all night and I made that one.
"In these situations I usually look up at the clock and I get real ambitious - how can I help our team get out of this situation?
"A lot of times it doesn't work out but today it worked out."
Trent certainly feels Lillard is playing down his vaunted capacity to make clutch shots.
"This is what he does. Nobody is surprised in a sense," he said.
"He makes big-time shits. He's done this time after time after time.
"So at this point… it's just I know it was going in when he shot it."
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Blazers coach Terry Stotts insisted there was little credit he could share with man-of-the-moment Lillard.
"It's innate. It's God-given," he said. "He's born with it, and you can't teach it."
Lionel Messi's Barcelona contract is the biggest in the history of sport, landing the superstar forward more than €555million over four years.
That is the astonishing claim made by El Mundo, with the Spanish newspaper reporting on Sunday that it had obtained details of the deal signed by the 33-year-old in 2017.
The mega-money agreement, which expires in June this year, would see Messi receive up to €555,237,619 across four seasons, providing a number of conditions are met.
Messi was at the centre of a major transfer storm when he attempted to force a move away from Camp Nou last August, but was left frustrated when Barca refused to sanction an exit.
Amid a fraught presidential election campaign, it has remained apparent that all is not well at the Catalan club, whose financial worries are cast in a fresh light after El Mundo's stunning front-page revelations, with the outlet claiming to have laid hands on a copy of "the most sought-after document".
In addition to annual earnings in excess of €138m – dependent on some variables – the report says Messi received a renewal fee of over €115m, and a loyalty bonus just shy of €78m.
The Argentina international, who also rakes in millions in image rights, is said to have earned more than €500m from the eye-watering deal so far.
Barca's accounts for the 2019-20 season showed gross debt had reached €820m, with the coronavirus pandemic having further dented their outlook.
Against the backdrop of those financial woes, Messi's desire to leave, and with a fractious presidential election not due to be concluded until March, Barca are still off the pace in LaLiga despite a run of four consecutive top-flight wins.
Ronald Koeman's side are 10 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid ahead of Sunday's visit of Athletic Bilbao.
Messi, who was red carded for the first time in his career earlier this month, has contributed 15 goals in all competitions.
Rafael Nadal wants to play at the Olympics but the star said fitting more quarantining into the ATP Tour calendar looked "difficult".
After being postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Games are scheduled to start in Tokyo on July 23.
Naomi Osaka said she would be willing to quarantine ahead of the Olympics, with players having gone through similar in preparation for the Australian Open.
Nadal, an Olympic gold medallist in singles and doubles in 2008 and 2016 respectively, said he would listen to the experts, but acknowledged quarantining could be tough.
"It's the same as always. I am nobody to have a clear opinion on that. I am just a tennis player, a human person that doesn't have enough knowledge about all the situation," the Spanish star told a news conference on Sunday.
"What we have to do is just follow the instructions of what the people who really have the right knowledge of all this stuff give to us. What's going to happen in Tokyo for the Olympics, if the Olympics are going to happen or not, or if we have to do quarantine before Olympics for 15 days or not, seems like a sports perspective very difficult because it's difficult for us, I don't know, combining our Tour with another 15 days of quarantine to play Olympics. It looks difficult to fix it in our calendar.
"But, as I said, we're going to do what the people who know about virus and who know about protecting the people in every single country, [we] are going to just follow their instructions."
Asked if his intention was to go, Nadal said: "I think everybody wants to play in Olympic Games, then let's see what's going on."
Nadal and Spain will begin their ATP Cup campaign against Australia on Tuesday.
Naomi Osaka would be prepared to spend another two weeks in quarantine to be able to play at a "very special" Olympics in Tokyo.
Postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Games are scheduled to begin on July 23 this year.
This year's Australian Open will begin on February 8 after players quarantined ahead of the first grand slam of the year.
Osaka said she would be prepared to do it all again if it meant she got the chance to play at the Olympics.
"Honestly, my concern isn't the athletes. The way that I feel is I will stay in my room for two weeks to play the Olympics. I missed out on the last one," the Japanese star told a news conference on Sunday.
"Playing in Tokyo would be very special to me. My concern would be the general safety of everyone else because you're opening the country. Everyone is flying in from different places. I would just want the public to feel safe.
"I feel like the athletes definitely would want to play, but I would want the public to feel safe."
Doubts have also been cast over the Olympics going ahead this year due to COVID-19.
Osaka, a three-time major champion, said while people she had spoken to were excited, some were worried.
"For me the people that I've spoken to, they're really excited about it, but they're concerned because, I don't know, there's just like so many different people entering. I don't know," she said.
"For the people I've talked to, they said as long as everyone is safe, as long as Japan is getting better and not worse, then it should be okay.
"But for me, hmm, don't quote me on that."
Ahead of the Australian Open, Osaka is playing the Gippsland Trophy, where she will face either Alize Cornet or Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round.
The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back in the NBA, while Damian Lillard produced a moment of magic for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
After back-to-back defeats, the Lakers edged the Boston Celtics 96-95 to return to winning ways.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers (15-6) with a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds.
LeBron James had 21 points and moved up to 13th on the list for all-time three-pointers made.
He also passed Derek Fisher for eighth on the NBA's all-time wins list.
The Celtics (10-8) forced a turnover with seconds remaining, but Kemba Walker missed a jumper and Daniel Theis a lay-up.
Jayson Tatum (30 points) and Jaylen Brown (28) combined for 58 points for Boston.
Lillard produced a spectacular buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Trail Blazers past the Chicago Bulls 123-122.
The guard was 15-of-26 from the field and eight-of-17 from three-point range for a game-high 44 points.
The Bulls led by five with less than 10 seconds remaining before Lillard hit a long-range three and his buzzer-beater.
Butler stars on return as LaMelo shines
After missing 10 games, Jimmy Butler returned with 30 points to help the Miami Heat edge the Sacramento Kings 105-104.
LaMelo Ball (27 points, nine assists and five rebounds) guided the Charlotte Hornets to a 126-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo fell just short of a triple-double with 34 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.
The Houston Rockets made it five straight wins as Christian Wood (27 points and nine rebounds) continued to impress in a 126-112 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Luka Doncic had 29 points, but the Dallas Mavericks fell to Chris Paul (29 points and 12 assists) and the Phoenix Suns 111-105.
Walker woes
Walker went one-of-12 from the field and 0-of-five from three-point range in the Celtics' loss, finishing with just four points in 28 minutes.
Lillard magic
Lillard delivered two huge late threes to lift the Trail Blazers to an incredible win.
Saturday's results
Portland Trail Blazers 123-122 Chicago Bulls
Charlotte Hornets 126-114 Milwaukee Bucks
Houston Rockets 126-112 New Orleans Pelicans
Miami Heat 105-104 Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Lakers 96-95 Boston Celtics
Memphis Grizzlies 129-112 San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns 111-105 Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors 118-91 Detroit Pistons
Jazz at Nuggets
The Utah Jazz (15-4) are riding an 11-game winning streak ahead of facing Nikola Jokic (averaging 25.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game this season) and the Denver Nuggets (11-8) on Sunday.
Anthony Davis said the Los Angeles Lakers got a "little revenge" with their 96-95 win over the Boston Celtics in the NBA on Saturday.
Davis had a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers responded after back-to-back losses.
The Lakers seemingly had not forgotten their most recent visit to TD Garden, where they were thrashed by the Celtics 139-107 in January last year.
Davis said while the Lakers (15-6) wanted to return to winning ways, some revenge was also on their minds.
"Just trying to get back in the win column. We're a team that takes pride in not losing two in a row and we lost two in a row and we for damn sure wasn't losing three in a row," he told ESPN.
"We've got a little revenge with this team. They came in last year and beat us by 30 last time we were in this building so we're still replaying all the moments in our head.
"But we just want to be a team that don't get comfortable with losing and I think everybody had a great effort and we were able to get the win."
LeBron James finished with 21 points for the Lakers, who almost slumped to a third straight defeat.
The Celtics forced a turnover with seconds remaining, but Kemba Walker missed a jumper and Daniel Theis a lay-up on the buzzer.
Davis led the way for the Lakers despite going four-of-seven from the free-throw line.
"Come out and be aggressive. My team looked for me to be aggressive on both ends of the floor, on the glass, and that's what I tried to do," he said.
"Just going back to the old AD, playing with a lot of energy, letting the team feed off of me and just playing great basketball, making shots, still struggling from the line but I'm going to keep going, get fouled, going to the line.
"I just wanted to come out and be aggressive, I was able to do that and help us get the win."
David Bettoni insisted Real Madrid would continue pushing for the LaLiga title despite a "painful" loss to Levante on Saturday.
Madrid suffered their third loss in four games in all competitions, beaten 2-1 by Levante after Roger Marti's 78th-minute winner.
Marco Asensio had given Madrid the lead despite Eder Militao's early red card, but Jose Luis Morales Nogales equalised and Marti – who missed a penalty – secured three points for Levante.
While Madrid are seven points behind rivals Atletico, who also have two games in hand, Bettoni – who took charge as Zinedine Zidane recovers from coronavirus – said the LaLiga giants would keep fighting.
"Real Madrid fans keep believing in their team because they know we're a side that will always fight until the end for all of the titles that we want to win," the assistant coach told a news conference.
"Especially in the second half where we were playing with 10 men against a very good Levante side, we were still playing well. We were pressing well despite being one man down. I think we could have won but we weren't able to.
"I can take nothing away from the attitude of the players. That's what we're sticking with today after the result. I think all Real Madrid fans would have seen the performance and can be pleased, but not with the result.
"It's obviously painful for us all but nothing can be questioned about the attitude of the team. We saw a team that fought until the end."
Before giving Levante the lead, Marti missed a penalty, meaning he has netted just one of his past three spot-kicks in LaLiga.
It was Militao's red card that proved costly, though, as the defender suffered the fastest sending off of a Madrid outfield player in LaLiga since at least the 2003-04 season.
With Madrid behind, star forward Karim Benzema was substituted with eight minutes remaining, and Bettoni said he wanted fresh legs.
"We made the change because we wanted to bring on Mariano [Diaz]. We wanted to make that change and we don't look at who the top scorer of the team is," he said.
"We have a very good squad, we have a very good second striker in Mariano. We wanted to bring him on to try and bring on fresh legs up front.
"He's very good in the air and he likes to fight for the ball, so we just wanted to change one striker for another, nothing more."
Andrea Pirlo believes Juventus are starting to see the best of Federico Chiesa after he overcame his initial shyness following a loan move from Fiorentina.
Italy international Chiesa scored his sixth Serie A goal of the season (one coming for Fiorentina) on Saturday as Juve defeated Sampdoria 2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Aaron Ramsey added the second in stoppage time as Juve made it three consecutive wins against Claudio Ranieri's side without conceding a goal.
Pirlo is impressed with the impact Chiesa is starting to have on the defending champions but has urged the 23-year-old to add to his goal tally.
"Chiesa is a young player who joined a big club, facing international matches for the first time, and it was a big step up for him, so he was a little shy at first," Pirlo told Sky Sport Italia.
"He's settled now, gained in confidence and has improved a great deal.
"It's good that he is finishing off the moves that we attack, and he ought to do it more often, making the most of his runs from deep."
Cristiano Ronaldo did not enjoy similar success in front of goal, the game marking the first time he has gone three Serie A matches without finding the back of the net since April 2019.
Pirlo, though, was not too critical of his star man and praised him for his contribution to both goals, the Portuguese star teeing up Alvaro Morata and Juan Cuadrado's assists.
"Ronaldo gave his contribution again today with his passes for both goals, so the important thing is that the team wins," he added.
Juve have won six of their seven matches across all competitions in 2021 and Pirlo believes his players are starting to hit their stride as they bid to eat into Milan's seven-point lead over them at the Serie A summit.
"When the defence keeps a clean sheet, it also means the midfield and attack have started the press," he said. "We're improving, but can do even better.
"We are starting to find our form and making the movements more automatic, because in the first few games they were practically test runs, as we didn't really have a pre-season training camp.
"It took a little longer than usual, but we're finding our feet now and will keep improving."
Juve face Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday before hosting Roma in Serie A on Saturday.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Inter kept the pressure up on Serie A leaders Milan with a confident 4-0 home victory over Benevento on Saturday.
Antonio Conte's side took the lead through a Riccardo Improta own goal in the seventh minute and were never really troubled at San Siro.
Lautaro Martinez ended a run of four Serie A games without a goal with a fine finish for Inter's second as he took his tally against newly promoted teams to eight in 14 appearances.
Lukaku then wrapped up the points for Inter when he scored twice with clinical finishes after smart assists from Martinez and Alexis Sanchez.
Federico Chiesa and Aaron Ramsey were on target as Juventus sealed a 2-0 Serie A win over Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Saturday.
Italy international Chiesa put Andrea Pirlo's side on their way midway through the first half with his sixth top-flight goal of the season, while Cristiano Ronaldo missed opportunities to extend their advantage.
Fabio Quagliarella twice went close for Claudio Ranieri's side after the break, but Juve wrapped up a third consecutive win over Sampdoria without conceding a goal when Ramsey scored in stoppage time.
The result means Juve leapfrog Roma into third - seven points behind leaders Milan - although Paulo Fonseca's side will usurp them if they beat Hellas Verona on Sunday.
After a sluggish start, Juve went ahead with their first shot on target in the 20th minute.
Ronaldo fed Alvaro Morata down the right and the Spain international's low cross was tucked away by Chiesa from six yards.
Ronaldo twice came close to extending Juve's lead before the interval, but Emil Audero tipped over his fierce long-range strike and the Portuguese superstar later missed the target after rounding the Sampdoria goalkeeper.
The hosts, who failed to register a shot on target in the first half, improved after the break, with only a superb block from Giorgio Chiellini denying Quagliarella an equaliser.
Wojciech Szczesny thwarted the veteran striker from a tight angle soon after as Sampdoria threatened to draw level.
That threat soon disappeared, though, and substitute Ramsey made sure of a vital three points when he slid home from Juan Cuadrado's pass following a swift counter-attack.
Thibaut Courtois insists Real Madrid will fight until the end in this season's LaLiga title race but acknowledges Atletico Madrid's outstanding form will make it tough.
The defending champions lost 2-1 at home to Levante on Saturday, meaning they remain seven points behind the league leaders, who now have two games in hand.
Madrid led through Marco Asensio after 13 minutes but were already down to 10 men by that stage, Eder Militao dismissed following a two-minute VAR delay.
Timed at eight minutes and 12 seconds, it was the quickest red card received by a Madrid outfield player in LaLiga since at least the 2003-04 season.
Los Blancos could not withstand the Levante pressure and were pegged back before half-time by Jose Luis Morales.
Courtois saved a penalty – his second such stop for the club – after the break, but Roger Marti, the man denied from 12 yards, struck the winner late on.
The setback represented a big blow to Madrid, who had been enjoying their best home run of a tricky season with four straight wins.
Meanwhile, Atletico, who visit Cadiz on Sunday, have won seven in a row in LaLiga.
"We have to fight. LaLiga lasts until May," Courtois said. "We have to react and hope Atletico lose, but they keep winning.
"Today we cannot consider it a bad game or a good game – we had to play with one less."
Courtois was not convinced by the red card for Militao, one of just two first-half Madrid fouls.
The defender was initially shown a yellow card as he tangled with Sergio Leon, but the referee headed to the pitchside monitor and considered the retreating Raphael Varane to have been taken out of the game by the forward's touch.
"I don't think he means to knock down the player," Courtois said. "And Varane is close. Although [Leon] has a chance, I don't think it's a red."
Courtois added Madrid "missed something" in attack, failing to aim a single shot on target in the second half while their goalkeeper made six saves across the 90 minutes – his most in a single game for the club.
"I want to highlight our game, which was difficult after we were left with 10," Bettoni said. "We showed character and a lot of pride.
"The fans have to continue believing in their team. We will fight to the end for the remaining titles.
"The effort of the players has been great and that is what matters to us, although obviously we are disappointed by this defeat."
Bayern Munich's display in their 4-1 rout of Hoffenheim set the standard for the rest of the season, according to Hansi Flick.
Jerome Boateng, Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry struck as Bayern cruised to a fourth straight Bundesliga victory – their second-longest winning run of the season after they won five games on the spin between matchweeks three and seven.
Munich have now scored 57 goals in the league this term, a club record after 19 games, while the only other side to have scored more after the same amount of fixtures was Hamburg in 1981-82 (58).
It lifted Bayern, briefly at least, 10 points clear at the top of the table, with the signs looking ominous for the rest of the league as the Bavarian giants chase down a ninth successive title.
"You are used to the fact that both teams want to play football. Hoffenheim has also shown that and created opportunities, especially in the first half," Flick told Bayern's official website.
"It is a very good result. We have now won four games in a row – 12 points. We played a good game, that is our benchmark.
"Certainly not everything was great, but I'm satisfied. We wanted to get back on track after the two defeats. That's what makes big teams. This is a good thing and gives you confidence."
Lewandowski was typically integral to Bayern's win, setting up Muller for his 10th Bundesliga goal of the season before the Poland star helped himself to a 24th top-flight strike of 2020-21 early in the second half, the most of any Bundesliga player in history after 19 games.
His strike partner Muller was also at his industrious best, with the 31-year-old having hit double figures in the league for the first time since 2015-16, when he scored 20.
"After four wins from four games you can say that we are on the right track," Muller said.
"In large phases of the game, we repeatedly showed serious actions both in the front and in the back. If we pick up the pace, we often end up in good situations.
"Of course we would have liked to not concede a goal. It was good and creative up front. We would have deserved one more goal."
One player to miss Saturday's win was Corentin Tolisso, who has been fined by Bayern after breaching the club's coronavirus protocols in order to get a tattoo.
"We're grateful that games can currently take place in the Bundesliga despite the ongoing coronavirus situation. A condition of that is that players, coaches and staff must adhere to the DFL's hygiene concept in an exemplary manner," said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
"Corentin Tolisso has now contravened these guidelines, although our sporting and medical leadership continuously and clearly communicate them. We won't tolerate violations like this. We will therefore hand Corentin Tolisso a heavy fine, which will be donated to charity."
Tolisso's omission from the squad came after Leon Goretzka and Javi Martinez tested positive for COVID-19.
Marseille's Ligue 1 match with Rennes has been postponed after violent protests from supporters at the club's training ground.
A mob of Marseille fans breached the club's facilities on Saturday, seemingly in protest over the club's poor form and the leadership of president Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
Andre Villas-Boas admitted on Friday that he expects to leave at the end of the season, with Marseille sitting way off the pace in Ligue 1.
Marseille have lost their last four matches in all competitions, and are without a win in as many league games.
Videos and images shared on social media of fans storming the club's training ground - where the players had gathered before they were due to face Rennes - also showed fires had been started, while L'Equipe also claimed that defender Alvaro Gonzalez was hit by a projectile.
Fans also left graffiti around the entrance, stating: "Eyraud out... Eyraud leave."
Marseille subsequently requested the postponement of their match with Rennes, which was scheduled to kick-off at 21:00 local time (20:00 GMT).
The LFP, with the agreement of Rennes, approved the request, and it remains to be seen when the match will be played.
A statement on Ligue 1's official website read: "The match of the 22nd day of Ligue 1 Uber Eats between Olympique de Marseille and Stade Rennais FC has been postponed.
"Given the incidents that occurred this afternoon at the Olympique de Marseille training center, the OM – Stade Rennais FC match has been postponed to a later date."
Stefano Pioli was delighted to end a difficult week for Milan with what he felt was a deserved win over Bologna - but opposite number Sinisa Mihajlovic begged to differ.
The Rossoneri went into Saturday's game off the back of two successive defeats. After going down 3-0 at home to Atalanta in Serie A, they were knocked out of the Coppa Italia in midweek by rivals Inter.
Having been sent off against Inter and forced to deny suggestions he made a racist comment towards Romelu Lukaku during the quarter-final tie, Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a penalty as he failed to reach 500 goals in his club career.
However, Ante Rebic tucked home the rebound to give Milan a half-time lead and Franck Kessie made no mistake from the spot in the second half.
Substitute Andrea Poli halved the deficit in the 81st minute but Bologna were unable to find an equaliser, Milan becoming just the third team to win nine of their first 10 Serie A away matches in a season.
"Without committing the naive error for the Bologna goal, we had an excellent match," Pioli told Milan TV.
"I'm happy with the performance and it's a victory which gives us confidence at the end a difficult week. It's deserved.
"The last two training sessions we've done this week are the best in a long time. We have seen the return of important players and the team has managed to maintain a balanced attitude.
"We were not happy with the performance against Atalanta, the only team that has put us in difficulty this season. We played it out against all the others."
However, Mihajlovic felt Bologna were the better team in open play, insisting that Ibrahimovic's presence in his line-up would have led to a comfortable home victory.
"We created three or four chances and didn't score. It was an undeserved defeat and I think we played better," Mihajlovic told Sky Sport Italia.
"Fine, Milan are a better team, but we created our chances from open play. They scored from penalties and their only chances were from long balls.
"If we had Ibrahimovic on our side, we would have won 3-0. My players should be proud of their performance, they fought to the end, but as usual against bigger teams, we play well and don't win."
As well as the penalty, Ibrahimovic was also denied by a fabulous double save by Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski in the first half.
The talismanic striker was on target with three of his four attempts in total but will have to wait to reach the personal milestone. He has now missed three of his six penalties taken in Serie A this term, one more than in his previous 17 spot-kick attempts for Milan in the top flight.
Ibrahimovic will hope to make it to 500 goals when the league leaders host struggling Crotone at San Siro next weekend.
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