The Golden State Warriors snapped a run of 11 consecutive road losses by defeating the Houston Rockets 121-108 on Monday.
Entering the game with the third-worst road record in the league (7-29), the Warriors had not won away from home since January 30 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After a back-and-forth first three quarters, the Warriors called on the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, to close the show, igniting a 37-28 final period to pull away.
The duo combined for 21 points in the fourth quarter, and they finished with remarkably similar games.
Curry top scored with 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting, hitting five-of-15 from deep with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Meanwhile, Thompson posted 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting, hitting five-of-13 from deep with seven rebounds, a steal and a block.
With promising young Rockets center Alperen Sengun out, it was an opportunity for first-round rookie Tari Eason to earn his fourth start of the season, and he capitalised with 21 points (nine-of-16), 12 rebounds and four steals. Third overall pick Jabari Smith Jr added 17 points (seven-of-15) and 11 rebounds.
With the win, the Warriors pulled above .500 at 37-36, and combined with the Dallas Mavericks' 112-108 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, they have climbed out of the play-in tournament placings and up into the sixth seed in the West.
Knicks waste Randle's career night
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle scored a career-high 57 points as his side went down in a 140-134 shoot-out against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Randle had never previously scored more than 47 in a game, but he shot 19-of-29 from the field, eight-of-14 from three-point range and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line to set a new benchmark.
Unfortunately for him, the Timberwolves also could not miss, shooting 14-of-24 (58.3 per cent) from three-point range as a team, as they were buoyed by an outrageously efficient night from veteran wing Taurean Prince.
Prince shot 12-of-13 from the field and a perfect eight-of-eight from three for 35 points, while veteran point guard Mike Conley ran the show with 24 points (six-of-11) and 11 assists.
The Timberwolves (36-37) sit eighth in the West, just a game behind the Warriors.
Embiid fouls out in double-overtime loss
Joel Embiid led both teams in scoring and rebounding but crucially fouled out in double-overtime as his Philadelphia 76ers fell 109-105 against the Chicago Bulls.
Embiid, now the favourite to win his first MVP, scored a game-high 37 points (11-of-22 shooting), grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds, and blocked a game-high three shots before picking up his sixth foul early in the second extra period.
Zach LaVine top scored for Chicago with 26 points (eight-of-20), seven assists and three steals, while DeMar DeRozan was just as good with 25 points (10-of-22), eight rebounds and three steals.
The win gives the Bulls (34-37) a two-game buffer on the Washington Wizards (32-39) in the race for the East's final play-in spot.
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan called Lonzo Ball's road to recovery an "uphill battle" as the 25-year-old went under the knife on Monday for the third procedure on his troublesome left knee.
Ball last played in an NBA game on January 13 last year. The latest update on his situation was that he was failing to make any significant progress, and that this extra procedure – a cartilage transplant – could rule him out until the middle of 2024.
One of the best guard defenders in the league, Ball has a career average of 1.6 steals per game. This season there are only five players – O.G. Anunoby (2.0), Jimmy Butler (1.9), Fred VanVleet (1.7), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (1.7) and Herbert Jones (1.7) – averaging a higher figure.
Speaking ahead of Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Donovan said while it is a long road ahead, he is confident in Ball's work ethic and motivation to get back to full strength.
"I know he's going to work really hard [on his rehab]," he said. "[The doctors] felt like the surgery went well.
"I do know that Lonzo, just based on the information he was able to gather from different sets of doctors, [was] making the decision that he felt like this was the best chance to be able to get him back on the court.
"We all understand that that is going to be an uphill battle for him, but I know he's going to do everything possible in his rehab to get himself back on the court.
"He's certainly got a long road to recovery, a long road to get himself at a place where he can get back on the court and playing again.
"But I am hopeful with his work ethic and his commitment and drive and just how eager he is to play, that he's gonna exhaust every opportunity to do that."
The Carolina Panthers are taking their time to evaluate their options after trading up for the NFL Draft's number one pick but new head coach Frank Reich says height will not play a major role.
Reich was officially unveiled by the Panthers on Monday having been appointed in late January, after Matt Ruhle was fired five games into the 2022 season which ended with a 7-10 campaign.
The Panthers since traded up for the number one pick, giving up several picks including their first and second-rounders in this year's draft along with wide receiver D.J. Moore as they look to access the best available quarterback to help resolve their offensive issues.
Alabama's Bryce Young is viewed as the best quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, along with Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis.
But Young's height, at 5-foot-10, is seen as his biggest drawback and Reich has a history with taller quarterbacks.
"Don't read anything into it,'' Reich told reporters. "I'm just saying that because all these people are putting this label on me that I only look at big quarterbacks.
"We're, first and foremost, just looking for playmakers. You look at everything. Every trait that a guy has, and you weigh it. Right? You weigh it.
"The thing is – if there’s 10 categories that you look at in a quarterback, or any player for that matter, the real question is not how to evaluate each of those categories. A big part of the question is how much are you going to weigh each of those categories.
"So, everything’s a factor. But, ultimately, it really comes down to being a playmaker. Being a guy who can make plays all over the field and that happens a lot of different ways."
When asked about which categories he viewed most importantly, Reich laughed: "That'd be like giving the proprietary formula for Kentucky Fried Chicken."
Reich added that the evaluation process was ongoing, with the Panthers having nothing to hide given their position in the draft, scheduled for April 27.
"When you have the number one pick you don't have to play games, right?" Reich said. "It's not like we're trying to fool anybody. What we're trying to do is take all the time we can on the evaluation.
"There's a lot of conviction, as [general manager] Scott [Fitterer] said, on some of these top quarterbacks. The old adage, 'don't make a decision before you have to' – we're going to take every second every day, or every hour every day, to make this decision. And we've still got plenty of time left."
Reich hailed Fitterer for trading up to get the top pick, stating their previous first pick at nine was a "hard spot" given their resolution to solve their QB issues of the past few years.
"Is there more pressure with that? I guess so," Reich said. "But I don't feel it like that. I feel more freedom. We can actually get the guy that we want. We can take the time. We're in the driver's seat."
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is "hopeful" All-NBA point guard Ja Morant will make his return on Wednesday after completing an eight-game suspension.
Morant, 23, was suspended after a March 3 road game against the Denver Nuggets for "conduct detrimental to the league".
The NBA was forced to investigate after Morant appeared to brandish a gun on social media while at a nightclub.
Morant was "holding a firearm in an intoxicated state", the NBA said, but it did not prove the gun was owned by the Grizzlies star, or that he took it on the team flight or into any league facility.
When asked prior to Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks, Jenkins said Morant had "a good first day back" with the team, which included addressing his team-mates and coaches after spending a brief stint in counselling.
Despite missing Morant's 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game, the Grizzlies have gone 5-3 during his eight-game absence.
It was a similar story last season when they went 20-5 in the 25 games their star spent on the sidelines.
"What the group's done in his absence has been phenomenal from a defensive standpoint, offensive standpoint, execution standpoint, togetherness standpoint," Jenkins said.
"That's obviously our expectation with Ja reintegrating with the team. He's been connected with us player-wise, staff-wise, he knows what we're doing.
"He's excited to be a part of the group and get back and help his team [reach] our ultimate goal.
"I think it's going to be a seamless reintegration. We know how important he is to us. We know how important he is, he knows how important his team-mates are to him."
At 43-27, Memphis are tied for the second seed in the Western Conference, and they have 12 games remaining to overtake the Sacramento Kings, or even make a run at the top-seeded Nuggets (48-24).
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe insists he will not pay "stupid prices" for Manchester United as the latest bid deadline looms.
Incumbent owners, the Glazer family, tentatively put United up for sale in November and Ratcliffe was the first suitor to formally register an interest through his London-based chemicals company INEOS.
He was subsequently among the parties to submit initial bids ahead of a 'soft deadline' in February, with Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani thought to be the two frontrunners.
While the exact value of the bids is unclear, the Glazers are reportedly looking for at least $7.2billion (£5.9billion) if they are to sell, which would be a new world-record fee for a sports team. The club was valued at $4.8billion (£4billion) by Forbes last year.
Recent reports suggested the bidders are increasingly confident the Glazers will approve a sale, with Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim expected to submit formal offers this week.
But Ratcliffe has given the clearest indication yet that he will not pay over the odds.
Speaking about the process to the Wall Street Journal, Ratcliffe said: "How do you decide the price of a painting? How do you decide the price of a house?
"It's not related to how much it cost to build or how much it cost to paint.
"What you don't want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently."
The second deadline for offers is apparently set for Wednesday, with Sky Sports claiming there could be as many as eight official bids.
Ratcliffe, a life-long United fan, was spotted at Old Trafford last Friday following a meeting with club officials.
Associates of Sheikh Jassim are said to have been in Manchester the day before, though he himself was not in attendance.
The Houston Texans are still over a month away from picking their quarterback of the future, but they are continuing to build around him.
On Monday, the Texans added a starting tight end to their roster, signing Dalton Schultz to a one-year deal worth up to $9million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Schultz did not have the market he might have anticipated after his contract with the Dallas Cowboys expired, but he will have the chance to cash in next offseason if he can thrive in Houston playing with the quarterback whom the Texans will almost certainly select with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Last season, Schultz finished with 577 receiving yards and five touchdowns, having racked up 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021.
His 13 receiving touchdowns over the last two seasons rank fifth among tight ends.
Houston also added to their backfield, signing former Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary.
Singletary is unlikely to be the starter following the emergence of Dameon Pierce, who had 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground as a rookie.
Also arriving on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports, Singletary gives the Texans versatile depth at running back.
He has produced over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons. In 2022, he finished with 819 yards rushing and five touchdowns, as well as 280 yards receiving and a further touchdown through the air.
Singletary has 2,197 scrimmage yards since 2021, putting him 20th among running backs across that span.
Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has been hired by St. John's to revitalise a storied programme that has not won an NCAA Tournament game in more than two decades.
The school announced the hiring on Monday, and the deal is reportedly for six years.
"Coach Pitino is one of the most brilliant minds in the history of the game and has won at the highest levels everywhere he has coached," St. John's athletic director Mike Cragg said in a statement.
"There is no doubt in my mind he will restore a championship-level programme and culture for St. John's Basketball."
Pitino spent the last three years coaching at nearby Iona – leading the mid-major to a pair of NCAA berths – and this will be the 70-year-old's third coaching job in the Big East after stints at Providence and Louisville.
He guided Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013) to national titles, has been to seven Final Fours and has coached five schools to the NCAA Tournament, beginning with Boston University in 1983.
Pitino went 64-22 during his three seasons with Iona and takes the St. John's job three days after the 13th-seeded Gaels lost to UConn 87-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Now he is tasked with turning around a St. John's programme that has appeared in only three NCAA Tournaments over the last two decades – most recently in 2019 – and has not won a tournament game since 2000.
The Red Storm went 18-15 in 2022-23 and finished eighth in the Big East, leading to the firing of Mike Anderson on March 10.
In 34 seasons as a head coach, Pitino has an unofficial record of 834-293 (.740) – but 123 wins at Louisville have been vacated by the NCAA, including the 2013 national title, for recruiting violations.
Pitino was dismissed at Louisville in 2017 over corruption and allegations of NCAA violations.
William Knibbs battled the weather and a tough field to emerge champion of the two-day Constant Spring Golf Classic that concluded on Sunday at the Constant Spring Golf Club in Kingston.
Knibbs had a two-day score of 152 to end up five shots ahead of Zandre Roye after both had scored 78s on Saturday’s opening day.
"It felt great to win today (Sunday). I was tied for the lead coming into today. (I) didn't get off to a hot start, doubled the first hole. (The) first swing went out of bounds so after the first hole today (Sunday) I gave myself a three-shot deficit to overcome, which at times extended to a four-shot deficit between me and Zandre (Roye) but I was able to hold it down towards the end. I played really well on the back-nine. That helped me to narrow the gap," Knibbs said afterwards.
Dr. Mark Newnhan with scores of 83 and 79 (162) was the third spot edging last year's winner Sean Morris who scored 164 after posting 89 and 75 over the two rounds.
Jodi Munn-Barrow was the only woman in the field and gave a good account of herself with scores of 77 and 76 for a combined total of 153.
The top performers in the various categories were:
Men & Men Senior 7-12 - Bruce Levy 159 (77, 82), Bruce Lopez 173 (88, 85) and Christopher Carvalho 174 (88, 86).
The Men and Men Senior 13-24 category went to Mitchell Watson - 185 with scores of 86 and 99.
Mike Gleichman 159 won the Men Super Senior 0-12 section over Metry Seaga 164. Ronald Ross 166 copped third place.
Linval Freeman 194, George Wright 197 and Paul Chai Chong 199 were the top three in the Men Super Senior 13 -24.
The Masters category went to Vivian Monteith who posted 183 over the two rounds.
The only junior in the field was Jerone Thomas who competed in the Boys Under 18 category. He posted 184 for his two rounds.
Roger Goodell is expected to agree a contract extension at the upcoming NFL owners meetings.
The NFL commissioner is set for a "multi-year" new deal, according to ESPN.
Goodell, who has been in his post since 2006, has previously signed extensions in 2009, 2012 and 2017.
The 64-year-old's most recent deal was said to be worth $200million over five years.
ESPN's report said no length of time had yet been agreed for Goodell's upcoming deal, although "the sides have discussed a three-year extension".
Reported by Adam Schefter, it added: "The coming years also are expected to bring an increasing emphasis on identifying potential candidates to be Goodell's successor."
The two commissioners before Goodell, Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue, retired at 63 and 65 respectively.
PSV have handed the man who attacked Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic during their Europa League meeting a 40-year stadium ban.
The Eredivisie club were eliminated from the competition despite a 2-0 second-leg victory in their knockout round play-off tie last month at Philips Stadion, having lost 3-0 in Spain.
Ugly scenes marred the final moments of clash in Eindhoven, however, when a 20-year-old supporter entered the pitch and attacked Dmitrovic, who subsequently pinned the man before security escorted him away.
The man in question was given an initial two-month prison stint on March 8, and sentenced to an additional one-month inside if he re-offends.
PSV have now confirmed he will face further long-term punishment for his actions, with a stadium ban stretching until 2063.
"PSV [have] imposed a 40-year-long ban on the individual who invaded the pitch during the Europa League match against Sevilla," the club said in a statement.
"The 40-year-long ban comes on top of a possible fine imposed by UEFA. The pitch invader is currently serving a three-month sentence with one month suspended imposed by the East Brabant District Court.
"He is also barred from the area around the stadium for two years."
PSV also revealed the individual had already been serving a ban from the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB).
Sevilla secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League last week following a 2-1 aggregate victory over Fenerbahce.
They will face Manchester United in the last eight in April, after the international break.
Jack Draper has pulled out of the Miami Open due to an abdominal injury that forced him to retire from his match against Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells.
The Briton suffered a tear to his oblique muscle during his fourth round encounter with the Spaniard, forcing him to bring the match to a premature end in the second set.
While Alcaraz went on to win the tournament and reclaim his position as world number one, Draper is now set for a spell on the sidelines.
The 21-year-old has decided to withdraw from Miami, in order to focus on making a full recovery rather than risk aggravating the issue.
The world number 43 struggled for fitness during the 2021 season, but played 22 events last year and reached the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open.
Alcaraz won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami last year by beating Casper Ruud in the final.
After being awarded a bye into the second round, he will face either Facundo Bagnis or a qualifier and could take on Andy Murray in round three as he eyes a Sunshine Double.
On September 6, 2022, US Virgin Islands born fighter Karl Williams competed on Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, a platform where fighters do battle to earn a UFC contract.
The 33-year-old heavyweight was able to secure a unanimous decision win over American Jimmy Lawson and secure a contract with the world’s biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion.
On March 11, Williams won his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 221-Yan vs Dvalishvili.
He was able to dominate 30-year-old Polish fighter Lukasz Brzeski on the way to a unanimous decision win.
“Have fun and see where it goes,” was the game plan for the fight according to Williams.
“I wanted to come up with a game plan but I decided to just go out there and have fun. I prepared for everything so I just saw what he gave me and enjoyed,” he added.
Williams, who now boasts an 8-1 record in professional MMA, was born in the US Virgin Islands and now lives and trains in Atlanta.
With regards to his UFC debut, Williams says he was in awe.
“It was everything and more. I’m sitting in front of all these cameras. People aren’t going to see what I’m seeing, but this is amazing. The crowd, the people backstage, everything in the UFC leading up to this was just wonderful.”
Williams, who has competed at light-heavyweight (205 pounds) in the past, signaled his intentions to remain at heavyweight and return to the octagon as soon as possible.
“Not at all,” was his response to the media’s questions about a possible return to light heavyweight.
“The best thing about the UFC is having the performance institute (P.I.). Right after my fight on the Contender Series, I was staying here (in Las Vegas) to corner Chris Barnett and I went to the P.I. for a week and did all these tests. I was 237 thinking I was fat and out of shape. Then, when I went there and did a DEXA scan (scan to test bone density), they told me I had a lot of muscle so it would be hard for me to get down to 205. So, I took the easy way out and said I’ll just stay at heavyweight.”
Roberto Mancini believes Italy's rivalry with England has become a "classic" as they prepare to do battle in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier on Thursday.
The Azzurri won the last European Championship by beating Gareth Southgate's side on penalties in the final at Wembley in 2021.
Italy and the Three Lions then played out a goalless draw in the Nations League last June, before Giacomo Raspadori secured a 1-0 victory for Mancini's men in their last meeting three months later.
England will get another chance to gain a measure of revenge in a Group C clash at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this week and Mancini is expecting an almighty challenge in Naples.
He said: "For me, it's become a classic. England and Italy seem to meet a lot, a bit like Italy and Germany in the past.
"For a long time now they've become a fantastic team, full of talented players, with strength and technique. It'll be a tough game just like all the others have been.
"They have more choice than us for many reasons, but in Naples we want to play a good match, play well and start these qualifiers well."
Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar last year and head coach Mancini says they are in a rebuilding process.
"Unfortunately there was the difficult interlude of the World Cup, but apart from a few games, the team has always done well," Mancini continued.
"We arrived twice in the Nations League finals [they face Spain in a semi-final in June], this means that there is value [in the team]. We have to rebuild something important because to win there must be solid foundations. There have been some good things in the Nations League."
Mancini expects his players to do Gianluca Vialli – who was Italy's head of delegation when they won the rearranged Euro 2020 two years ago – proud after he died at the age of 58 in January.
He added: "I've already talked about it with the boys, it will be important for us to remember him, as if he were here with us. He had his space and it's not easy for us, we have to try to do well for him."
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury until April 1 to agree to a heavyweight unification bout, the World Boxing Association (WBA) has said.
The pair are seeking to come to terms on a fight that would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Though discussions have appeared close to producing a resolution on several occasions, changes in demands from both camps have prolonged the process.
With time running out to meet the provisional April 29 fight date pencilled in for Wembley Stadium, the WBA has now issued a final deadline.
"March 10 was the deadline for the initial negotiations granted by the WBA," a WBA statement read.
"After the WBA announced the situation, Usyk and Fury’s teams contacted each other to inform that the pact was on its way and that the fight was going to take place.
"Now, the WBA has given them this new deadline that expires on April 1 and hopes that the fight can take place, since it is what the fans are asking for and what the whole boxing world is waiting for."
The WBA has held off on issuing Usyk with a mandatory fight against Daniel Dubois. Usyk holds the 'super' champion belt while Dubois is the 'regular' champion.
Usyk and Fury's potential fight has dominated the sport across the first few months of 2023, with the pair trading barbs as they seek to hammer out a deal.
The Ukrainian last fought in August, when he defended his titles against Anthony Joshua in their rematch, while Briton Fury completed his trilogy with Derek Chisora in December, winning with a 10th-round knockout.
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