Officials at Newcastle have not given up hope that Saturday’s high-profile fixture will beat the cold snap, after calling a precautionary inspection for 2.30pm on Friday afternoon.
Gosforth Park is due the biggest meeting of its jumps season this weekend, with Constitution Hill set to be the star of the show in his bid for back-to-back victories in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
And having deployed frost sheets across the entirity of the track on Tuesday, the course underneath the covers was reported to be raceable on Friday morning by clerk of the course Eloise Quayle.
However, snowfall in the north east is the initial concern, and Quayle is keen to see what happens in the coming hours.
“The ground itself under the frost sheets is completely raceable, but obviously you can’t say you’re completely raceable at this stage as we’ve got frost sheets all over the track that are covered in snow, which will be difficult to get off,” she said.
“We’ve called a precautionary inspection for 2.30pm this afternoon, that is to allow for the potential snow showers to pass through before reassessing the situation.
“We’re also going to try to have a practice run of taking a sheet off the track, just to make sure that we think it’s going to be doable tomorrow morning, should it not improve much further in terms of the amount of snow that is lying on the fleece.”
Even if the course is deemed raceable on Friday afternoon, a forecast for further freezing temperatures overnight means a second inspection for raceday morning is almost certain to be called.
Quayle added: “The snow is very slowly melting very slowly in the sunshine, but temperatures-wise today we’re not looking at getting much over 3C and it will be getting sub-zero from around 4pm.
“If you were here now you’d think we were mad to even think there might be a possibility of racing going ahead, but once you actually examine the ground you’d understand why we’re going to try our best to go ahead.
“Unless we get a significant amount more snow or the removal of the sheet proves to be much more complicated than we’re hoping, I’d imagine that we’ll be reinspecting in the morning, just to double check that no frost has got into the ground overnight.
“We’ll be looking at temperatures of around minus 4C tonight and temperatures are slow to rise tomorrow, so if we’re frozen at 7.30am tomorrow there will be very little prospect of improvement. If we’re frozen at that stage, then it will be a call to be off.
“We can’t cross that bridge until we get to it and the snow could save us from the frost a bit, we’re just going to have to wait and see.
“I don’t like being stupidly optimistic, but I really wouldn’t be confident in calling it either way at this stage and we’re going to give it every chance.”
Friday’s meeting at Newbury was given the go-ahead, but a precautionary inspection has been called for 7.30am ahead of Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup card.
Covers were put down earlier in the week and they will be reapplied at the end of Friday’s meeting ahead of overnight temperatures which could dip as low as minus 4C overnight.
Newbury will fly the flag for racing in Britain on Friday, with fixtures at Doncaster and Musselburgh both called off following morning inspections.
Fairyhouse is due to stage a classy two-day fixture on Saturday and Sunday, although the opening card is subject to a 7.30am inspection.
Brendan Sheridan, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board clerk of the course at Fairyhouse, said: “We had a slight grass frost at Fairyhouse this morning following a cold night, but the track is currently fit for racing.
“Having spoken with Met Eireann this morning, the forecast for tonight is for temperatures to get down to minus 3C and not much higher than 2C tomorrow.
“In light of that forecast, we will have an inspection at 7.30am on Saturday morning to assess the situation for day one of our Winter Festival.”
Bangor’s Saturday National Hunt meeting is subject to a precautionary inspection at 8am, while Sunday’s meetings at Leicester and Carlisle will have to pass 11.30am and 12pm checks respectively on Saturday, with Carlisle currently unraceable due to frozen patches of ground.
LeBron James will skip a Los Angeles Lakers game if it falls on the same day that his son Bronny makes his USC debut.
Bronny, 19, suffered a cardiac arrest during a team workout in July and underwent successful surgery to repair what the James family referred to as a likely congenital heart defect.
However, the teenager has now been cleared to make a return to basketball, meaning he is soon set to make his USC bow.
And a Lakers game will not stop James being there to see his son's big moment.
"Whenever he's cleared and ready to have his first game, I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we're playing, I'm going to have to catch them the next game," James said after the Lakers lost 133-110 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Family over everything. I've definitely got to see Bronny's first game whenever he's cleared and ready to go.
"Just a proud moment. Big-time excitement from our family for Bronny. And for USC, as well.
"It's something that he's been working towards for the last 12 weeks. And for him to get the clearance to do what he loves to do and go back to being with his teammates and put on a uniform and things of that nature, it's pretty gratifying for sure."
While Lakers coach Darvin Ham finds it difficult to assess his team's season so far, he is nevertheless thrilled to see Bronny back on the court.
"It's amazing, man," Ham said. "I'm so happy for him and their family."
Luxembourg is set to lead a four-strong team for Aidan O’Brien into battle in this year’s Longines Hong Kong International races at Sha Tin.
The son of Camelot notched a third victory at Group One level in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in the spring and was last seen going down narrowly to his dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup-winning stablemate Auguste Rodin when bidding for back-to-back triumphs in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
With a minor setback subsequently ruling Luxembourg out of an intended tilt at the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot, he has made the trip to the Far East to contest the Hong Kong Cup on December 10.
O’Brien said: “We were training him for the Champion Stakes in England and he got a foot bruise. It just held him up for a couple of weeks, so that’s why didn’t go there.
“Obviously it was a great run in the Irish Champion Stakes over a mile and a quarter, he’s versatile we think and he likes nice ground. We’re looking forward to him.”
While the Hong Kong Cup is one of the few major international prizes to so far elude the master of Ballydoyle, he has a far better record in the Hong Kong Vase, with Highland Reel striking gold in both 2015 and 2017 and Mogul providing him with a third success in 2020.
This year’s representative in the mile-and-a-half event is Warm Heart, winner of the Yorkshire Oaks and the Prix Vermeille at the highest level earlier this year before going down by a neck to Inspiral in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
“We were debating what we’d do, I suppose either of them could have gone either way, but we just felt it was a very good run in the Irish Champion Stakes from Luxembourg,” O’Brien told the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“Warm Heart ran over 10 furlongs in America, but she’d won her two Group Ones over a mile and a half.
“She’s been very progressive, she’s thrived physically, loves nicer ground, she’s tactically quick and she doesn’t surrender. She’s been unbelievable really.”
The O’Brien raiding party is completed by the Hong Kong Mile-bound Cairo, who was second to prolific stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas earlier in the year, and Aesop’s Fables, who would not be winning out of turn if plundering the Hong Kong Sprint, having finished third in the Prix de l’Abbaye and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on his two most recent starts.
“We were hopeful Cairo would get into Hong Kong, but he had to have a run and we were delighted with him (when third in a Listed race at Leopardstown in October),” O’Brien said.
“He obviously got a bit tired, the ground was very soft and wasn’t ideal, but his run before when he was second to Paddington was on nice ground and we’ve been very happy with his work since.
“He think he’s progressed plenty. We always thought and hoped he could be a horse that could go on to a lot of those races all over the world.
“Aesop’s Fables has been progressive all the time. We put the blinkers on before France, we were delighted there and then he ran a stormer in America.
“He’s a big horse, maybe he just took a bit of time to get the hang of it. His best two runs were over five furlongs, but he looks like he’s been coming home well in both runs. There’s every chance he should be OK over six, but we’ll learn a lot more about him.”
Darren Anderton has "loved" Tottenham's start to the season under Ange Postecoglou, particularly praising the "entertaining" style of play.
Spurs and Postecoglou have received widespread plaudits for their start to the season, with a more attacking mindset well received as the team looks to move on from Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich prior to this campaign.
Tottenham sit fifth in the Premier League with 26 points from their 13 matches, and Anderton is excited about how Postecoglou's tenure has started since joining from Celtic in June, comparing it to Ossie Ardiles' time as Spurs head coach between 1993 and 1994.
"I have loved it," Anderton told Stats Perform. "I have really enjoyed the transformation that's going on. As a Spurs fan and an ex-Spurs player, to watch them has been a breath of fresh air.
"It's been a joy to watch them this year. I'd have to say over the last couple of years I would not be rushing to turn the TV on at some points. But I think that the style of football is so entertaining. Spurs fans want to see that. And if you can do that and be successful as well, then it's great.
"I feel we're always going to create opportunities with the style of football and the quality of the players.
"I obviously remember from my time and how we used to attack under Ossie [Ardiles]. I feel like there's that excitement here but with that little bit more emphasis on obviously being difficult to beat as well when it needs to be done.
"Whereas Ozzy, when we asked him what we do when we lose the ball and what shape, he said, 'Hey, you're good players, you should never lose the ball'. So this is exciting, but I think with a stronger squad and with better defensive players."
Spurs were leading the Premier League heading into November, but three losses on the spin have seen them lose touch on the summit, currently four points and four places behind leaders and bitter rivals Arsenal.
Anderton feels Spurs have been unlucky across those defeats, saying: "Yes, in the last three games they've got beat.
"But I thought the Wolves game, they didn't play particularly well, but probably still should have won the game. I think in the Chelsea game, if Son's goal had been allowed to stand and we went 2-1 up, I think we might have gone on and won four or five.
"And then the Villa game, I think the Villa game is just a good game. I think, obviously, there are some VAR decisions that probably didn't go our way, but that's just sometimes in football how things go."
Injuries and suspensions have been a huge factor in Spurs dropping off after their initial red-hot start, with James Maddison and Micky van de Ven both in the physio room, while Cristian Romero has been missing with a ban after a straight red card against Chelsea.
Anderton believes injuries could derail Spurs' season, explaining: "Obviously, it's going to be difficult to sustain it with the injuries that they've got.
"They're just going through a little bit of a spell. James Maddison started so well. He's going to be a huge miss. I don't think the team has had a player like that since Christian Eriksen. The way that he gets the team to play and the way to still keeps playing on the front foot is refreshing to see.
"Unfortunately, I think that Romero and Van de Ven being out at the moment has left us a little bit thin at the back and teams have been able to take advantage of that."
Joao Felix could finally fulfil his potential in Barcelona's possession-based style, says former Atletico Madrid team-mate Hector Herrera.
The Portugal international arrived at Atleti at the age of 19 ahead of the 2019-20 campaign for a club-record fee of €126million (£109m), but never quite lived up to his massive price tag, scoring just 34 goals in 131 games.
He had an unremarkable spell on loan at Chelsea last season, before Barcelona brought him in until the end of the campaign just before the most recent transfer deadline.
Joao Felix will look to come back and haunt his former side this weekend, with his loan agreement stating the forward is allowed to play as Barca host Atleti in LaLiga on Sunday.
While Atleti are happy to allow the opposition to have the majority of the ball, Xavi's Barca are predominantly a possession-first side, with the Blaugrana having 66.72 per cent of the ball in LaLiga this season, significantly higher than the 50.67 per cent Atletico have averaged since the start of the 2019-20 season.
However, the change in tactics has seemingly done little to improve Joao Felix's form, with the 24-year-old averaging 0.12 goals, 0.25 assists and 0.37 big chances created per 90 minutes for Barca, ranking fifth, fourth and fourth respectively among his five LaLiga seasons so far.
Despite those numbers, Herrera feels Joao Felix could still flourish under Xavi, telling Stats Perform: "Beyond having been colleagues, we have a great relationship.
"It seemed that at Atletico he couldn't adapt, but now at Barcelona with a more associative game with the ball, I hope he has success and can stand out as he wants.
"He is a good player and he has a lot of future. He is able to exploit all his potential."
Diego Simeone's passion and defence-first tactics make him an ideal fit at Atletico Madrid, according to Hector Herrera.
Herrera played under Simeone at Atleti for three years between 2019 and 2022, winning the 2020-21 LaLiga title with the club before heading to MLS with Houston Dynamo.
Simeone has enjoyed great success since he was appointed at Atleti in 2011, leading them to a pair of league titles, two Europa League trophies as well as two Champions League finals, albeit losing both to city rivals Real Madrid.
The 53-year-old took charge of his 100th Champions League game with Atleti as they won 3-1 away at Feyenoord on Tuesday to clinch a last-16 place. Simeone is one of just three coaches to manage 100 or more Champions League games with the same team, joining Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who managed the feat with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.
Simeone has often been described as a defensive coach, though Herrera believes his former boss, known by many as 'Cholo', instead uses his conservative tactics to give his team more license to go and attack.
"The people outside think that the game is defensive, but Cholo's idea is clear," Herrera told Stats Perform. "First you have to defend to be able to attack later.
"He always said that you start by being good defensively, and then you can create danger. They believe that the best way to attack is to defend and I think that works well for them.
"It is a way of playing that has given him a lot of success and when I was there too. He works and makes it very clear to you what you have to do on the pitch."
Simeone will enter his 13th year as Atleti head coach in December, having signed a new contract in November that will keep him with the club until 2027.
Herrera believes the views of Simeone and the club align and that is why he chose to stay on, saying: "They are one for another. Atletico is for Cholo and Cholo is for Atletico.
"They have the same passion for the club and for football, that's why it's gone so well. He is a coach who feels a lot about football and his profession. He has a very clear idea of himself and the identity of the club.
"All of this is why he has done so well and has earned to continue being the team's coach."
Jeff Stelling will return to the screens in a new presenting role as host of Prime Video’s Every Game Every Goal show, the on-demand streaming service has announced.
Stelling, 68, who stood down as anchor of Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday show in May after almost 30 years in the role, has joined Prime Video’s broadcast team for 20 live and exclusive Premier League matches in December.
Former Football Focus and BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker, 45, will also host some of Prime Video’s new shows, which will exclusively cover two rounds of Premier League fixtures.
Prime Video said Every Game Every Goal on December 6 will show “all the goals and key moments from every game as soon as they go in across all six of the evening’s fixtures, including Sheffield United v Liverpool, Aston Villa v Manchester City and Manchester United v Chelsea.
“In addition, Dan Walker will make his presenting debut on live Premier League football for the very first time across a number of Prime Video matches in December, including Wolves v Burnley, Spurs v West Ham and Burnley v Liverpool.”
Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Patrice Evra will return to Prime Video’s coverage as pundits alongside Michael Owen, Eni Aluko, Roberto Martinez, Jermain Defoe and Stuart Pearce.
The show’s presenting and commentary team will also see the return of Gabby Logan, Ally McCoist, Jon Champion, Clive Tyldesley, Robyn Cowen, Jim Rosenthal and Guy Mowbray, Prime Video said.
Stelling will be supported by the likes of Dion Dublin, Tim Sherwood, Siobhan Chamberlain and Nedum Onuoha on analysis duties.
Friday’s meeting at Newbury will go ahead as planned, but a precautionary inspection has already been called ahead of Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup card.
The opening afternoon features two Grade Two contests, the Long Distance Hurdle and John Francome Novices’ Chase, and following a morning inspection, the venue is fit for action with the going described as good to soft, good in places on the chase course and good to soft on the hurdles track.
Covers were put down earlier in the week and they will be reapplied at the end of Friday’s card ahead of overnight temperatures which could dip as low as minus 4C overnight.
With another cold day forecast on Saturday, clerk of the course George Hill has called a 7.30am check to assess conditions.
An inspection will also take place at Newcastle on Friday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
Champion Hurdle hero Constitution Hill is set to make his seasonal bow in the Grade One feature, with fellow Nicky Henderson inmate Shishkin starring in the line up for the supporting Rehearsal Chase.
Covers were also deployed at Gosforth Park, but a precautionary inspection has been called for 2.30pm on Friday, with the track reported to be raceable despite just over a centimetre of snow.
Leicester’s Sunday card will have to pass an 11.30am check on Saturday with a hard frost anticipated on Friday night.
Unai Emery takes Aston Villa to Bournemouth on Sunday looking to extend their equal best start to a Premier League season.
With 28 points from 13 games, the PA news agency looks at Villa’s form so far.
Champions League challenge
Villa’s 2-1 win over Tottenham last weekend lifted them into the top four, ahead of their opponents’ own impressive total of 26 points.
Their form means the Premier League has five teams averaging at least two points per game at this stage of the season for only the second time, following 2018-19 when Manchester City led the way with 35 points from a possible 39 and Arsenal sat fifth with 27.
Villa have only once previously had this many points from their first 13 Premier League games, in 1998-99.
John Gregory’s side were unbeaten in their first 12 games, winning eight and drawing four to top the table, before losing 4-2 to Liverpool. They went on to finish sixth in the table.
Emery’s Villa have bounced back impressively from their opening 5-1 loss to Newcastle and now have nine wins and three defeats to their name, scoring 31 goals and conceding 18 – the 1998-99 side had scored 20 at the same stage but let in only 10, even after the Liverpool match.
Emery renaissance
Villa’s resurgence under Emery dates back to last season, when he took over a team sitting a point above the relegation zone after three wins in 13 games under predecessor Steven Gerrard and lifted them to seventh place and qualification for the Europa Conference League.
He has won 30 of his 48 games in charge in all competitions, 62.5 per cent, with 13 losses and only five draws. His team have scored 94 goals and conceded 58.
Since Emery’s first game on November 1 last year, Villa rank fourth in the Premier League points table with 77 from 38 games – one match fewer than the other teams in the top five, and only two points behind third-ranked Liverpool. They are third for this calendar year, when their 22 Premier League wins are a club record.
Villa Park has become a fortress, with 13 consecutive home league wins marking their longest run of the Premier League era – they last won 13 straight home top-flight games back in 1983. They are also the league’s top scorers at home this season with 23 goals in six matches.
A high defensive line has played a role in Emery’s success, with Villa catching opponents offside 166 times since he took over. That is a remarkable 75 more than any other Premier League team, with Liverpool at 93 in that time, and more than double Fulham’s third-placed total of 82.
While seven goals are enough to make Ollie Watkins their top league goalscorer this season, Douglas Luiz is just behind with five and of their nine different scorers, all bar Jacob Ramsey have netted more than once.
What the papers say
Portuguese winger Jota is reportedly looking to reunite with his former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, the Sun reports. However Postecoglou is unsure if the club will make a move for the 24-year-old. Jota currently plays for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.
The Daily Express reports Manchester United have joined the ever-growing race to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are also interested in the 27-year-old.
The Manchester Evening News says Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi has ruled out a mid-season move to Manchester United as he does not want to dampen his chances of being selected in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Lucas Paqueta: Manchester City could reportedly lose interest in the West Ham midfielder if there is no resolution found over the gambling investigation into the midfielder, Football Transfers says.
Estevao Willian: Teamtalk reports the 16-year-old Brazilian is being chased by a plethora of clubs including Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns as his side downed the Seattle Seahawks at home in a high-scoring 41-35 win.
The 30-year-old completed the winning play for the Cowboys, finding Jake Ferguson with just minutes left to win their fourth game in a row.
Prescott threw for just 299 yards, while his opposing quarterback Geno Smith threw for 334 yards, matching Prescott with three touchdowns.
The Seahawks led at halftime 21-20, thanks to two touchdowns from DK Metcalf and one from Zach Charbonnet, with Smith grabbing his own touchdown just two minutes into the second half.
But the Cowboys refused to go away, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter through Tony Pollard to stay within touching distance.
In the final quarter, Metcalf ran over for his third touchdown for the Seahawks, giving his side an eight-point lead with less than 15 minutes left.
But the Cowboys rallied again with two field goals and the Ferguson touchdown pushing them to nine wins on the season.
Former British number one Johanna Konta announced her retirement from tennis on this day in 2021.
Konta, then 30, had struggled with a persistent knee problem and slipped to 113th in the rankings.
She made the announcement on social media with a post headed ‘Grateful’.
She wrote: “This is the word that I’ve probably used the most during my career and is the word that I feel explains it best in the end.
“My playing career has come to an end, and I am so incredibly grateful for the career that it turned out to be. All the evidence pointed towards me not ‘making’ it in this profession.
“However my luck materialised in the people that came into my life and impacted my existence in ways that transcended tennis.
“I am so incredibly grateful for these people. You know who you are. Through my own resilience and through the guidance of others, I got to live my dreams. I got to become what I wanted and said as a child.
“How incredibly fortunate I count myself to be. How grateful I am.”
Born in Australia to Hungarian parents, Konta moved to Europe to pursue her tennis career as a teenager, settling with her family in Eastbourne and becoming a British citizen in 2012.
A relatively late developer, Konta’s emergence at the top of the game began in 2015, and the following year she reached her first grand slam semi-final at the Australian Open and climbed into the top 10.
Her best season was arguably in 2017, when she became the first British player since Virginia Wade to make the semi-finals at Wimbledon, won the biggest of her four career titles at the Miami Open, and peaked at fourth in the rankings.
Konta slipped down the rankings in 2018 but was resurgent the following year, making another grand slam semi-final at the French Open as well as quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Her final match was a three-set loss to Karolina Muchova at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
She made no secret of her desire to start a family – something she did not want to do alongside her career – and gave birth to daughter Emmeline the following September.
Tristan Jarry scored into an empty net and stopped 39 shots to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-2 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
With the Penguins protecting a 3-2 lead, Jarry stopped a dump-in and sent the puck end-to-end with 68 seconds remaining.
Jarry is the fourth goalie to score in the past 10 years, and 14th overall in the regular season. He is the first Penguins netminder to score a goal.
Jeff Carter scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Sidney Crosby and Drew O’Connor also found the back of the net for Pittsburgh, which is 2-0-1 in its last three games.
Steven Stamkos and Tanner Jeannot had first-period goals as Tampa Bay dropped its third straight following a 4-0-1 surge.
Dewar has hat trick in Wild’s win
Connor Dewar recorded his first career hat trick and added an assist as the Minnesota Wild rolled to a 6-1 rout, ending the Nashville Predators’ six-game winning streak.
Dewar appeared to score a fourth goal with just over four minutes remaining but was taken away after the Wild were ruled to be offside after a video review.
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who have won both games under new coach John Hynes.
Hynes served as Nashville’s coach for parts of four seasons before being relieved of his duties this past offseason by new general manager Barry Trotz.
Marner carries Maple Leafs to shootout win
Mitch Marner scored three times in regulation and added the shootout winner to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Marner ended an eight-game drought with his second career hat trick, also accomplished in a four-goal game against Detroit on Feb. 26, 2022.
Auston Matthews also scored in the shootout and had two assists to help the Leafs improve to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Jared McCann scored twice as Seattle lost its third in a row (0-2-1).
Trae Young scored 45 points and drew a charge with 2.7 seconds left to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 137-135 win Thursday over the San Antonio Spurs, who lost their 13th straight game.
Dejounte Murray had 24 points and five steals against his former team as Atlanta avoided a third straight loss.
Jeremy Sochan tied his career high with 33 points on 11-of-13 shooting and Victor Wembanyama had 21 with 12 rebounds and four blocks, but the Spurs have remained winless since Nov. 2.
Young scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, going 3 for 5 from the field and 7 for 8 on free throws.
Sochan stole the ball from Saddiq Bey and was driving for the potential tying basket but was called for charging to seal San Antonio’s latest defeat.
The Spurs dominated early, leading by as many as 15 points in the first half.
Butler, Heat overcome Haliburton, Pacers
Jimmy Butler scored 36 points and the Miami Heat used a huge fourth quarter to overcome a career-high 44 points from Tyrese Haliburton in a 142-132 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Miami trailed by 13 early and took its first lead early in the fourth quarter, using a 28-6 run to take control in the opener of a two-game series.
The Heat’s 45 fourth-quarter points were the second-most in team history, topped by only a 48-point fourth against New York on March 2, 1989.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 24 points and Josh Richardson added 19 to help the Heat snap a three-game skid.
Haliburton scored 28 points in the first half and had 10 assists, giving him the NBA’s first game of at least 44 points and that many assists since Donovan Mitchell’s 71-point, 11-assist game for Cleveland on Jan. 2.
Brunson, Knicks send Pistons to 16th straight loss
Jalen Brunson scored 42 points and Julius Randle had 29 points with 10 rebounds as the New York Knicks extended the Detroit Pistons’ franchise-record losing streak to 16 with a 118-112 victory.
RJ Barrett had 15 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 12, hitting a pair of key 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Knicks win their third in four games.
Cade Cunningham scored 31 points and Killian Hayes contributed 23 as Detroit completed a winless November and lost their 13th straight against New York.
The Pistons haven’t won since a victory over Chicago on Oct. 28 left them 2-1.
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