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• Netherlands 3-0 Gibraltar: Ake nets twice as Koeman gets first win of second spell

  Ronald Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge of the Netherlands as the Oranje dispatched 10-man Gibraltar 3-0.

  Nathan Ake scored twice in a game that saw the Netherlands have 50 attempts without allowing one at the other end, as Koeman's team got up and running in Euro 2024 qualifying following last week's heavy defeat to France.

  Ake's second-half double came after Memphis Depay had put the Dutch ahead against the Group B minnows in Rotterdam on Monday.

  It marked a 19th straight defeat in Euro qualifying for Gibraltar, who had Liam Walker sent off for a rash challenge on Dutch debutant Mats Wieffer.

  In need of a response following their hammering in Paris, the Netherlands had control from the off, and the lead came in the 23rd minute.

  Following a patient move, Denzel Dumfries – back from suspension – supplied an inviting cross that Depay glanced in.

  Georginio Wijnaldum volleyed just over while Wout Weghorst twice went close – spurning a great chance when he shot wide from eight yards out before Dayle Coleing produced a smart reflex save to deny the Manchester United striker.

  The Dutch doubled their lead five minutes after the break, Dumfries helping a deep cross back into the centre for Ake to head home.

  Gibraltar were reduced to 10 men less than 60 seconds later. Walker caught Wieffer with a dangerous challenge, leaving referee Morten Krogh with little choice but to brandish a straight red.

  Coleing denied Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo while Roy Chipolina blocked Weghorst on the line, but Ake's deflected strike eight minutes from time added gloss to an easy victory.

• Woods and Trout team up to build exclusive golf club in New Jersey

  Tiger Woods has teamed up with Mike Trout to build a private golf club in New Jersey.

  Trout, a 10-time MLB All-Star, still lives in New Jersey, when not on the west coast for his day job with the Los Angeles Angels.

  Woods and his design company – TGR Design – will plan the 18-hole course in Vineland. 

  Trout National-The Reserve will also feature a practice range, short-game area, clubhouse, lodging and a wedding chapel, and is scheduled to open in 2025.

  "I've always enjoyed watching Mike on the diamond so when the opportunity arose to work with him on Trout National-The Reserve, I couldn't pass it up," Woods said.

  "It's a great site for golf and our team's looking forward to creating a special course."

  Trout added: "I could put down roots anywhere in the country, but Jessica and I make south Jersey our offseason home and always cherish the time we get to spend there.

  "I love south Jersey and I love golf, so creating Trout National-The Reserve is a dream come true. And then to add to that we'll have a golf course designed by Tiger?

  "It's just incredible to think that this project has grown to where we're going to be working with someone many consider the greatest and most influential golfer of all time."

• Second Jokic-Embiid battle set to have big say in 'nasty' MVP race

  It will be interesting to see whether a passionate Denver Nuggets crowd follows coach Michael Malone's lead on Monday when Joel Embiid comes into town.

  Embiid is Nikola Jokic's rival in an NBA MVP race that Malone believes has taken "a really ugly, nasty turn".

  "It's like when I was a college coach, all the negative recruiting," Malone said last week, having described Embiid as "a great candidate".

  "It's not promoting my guy. It's ripping down every other guy. And that's just ridiculous.

  "Celebrate them; don't criticise, don't tear them down. Build them all up. And whoever wins it, good for them."

  The Nuggets and Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers have been fighting for position in their respective conferences, but debate around the top individual award has continued to rage.

  For his part, Jokic has tried to set it aside. "I don't think about it anymore," he said.

  But it is easy for the two-time reigning MVP to take that stance. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the periphery of the conversation – albeit perhaps less so after losing to the Nuggets at the weekend – and he won the two before Jokic.

  Embiid has been a finalist the past two years but has never been named the MVP. He might have a different view of things.

  For that reason, the 76ers superstar should relish the opportunity to go into Denver and upset the top seed in the West.

  Embiid has already landed a big blow in one game against the Nuggets this season, finishing with 47 points and 18 rebounds in the Sixers' win back in January.

  That was only the 15th instance of such a performance in the regular season since the NBA/ABA merger, with others to achieve that feat including Antetokounmpo, Michael Jordan and, on three occasions, Shaquille O'Neal.

  Yet for all Embiid's dominance, that game also illustrated how he and Jokic are so different.

  That is no secret, with Jokic a center like Embiid but possessing the playmaking skills of an elite point guard, but it has only become clearer this year.

  Embiid has a usage rate of 37.4 per cent, nudging above last year's mark for a career high. It is little wonder then when he has games, as against the Nuggets, in which he attempts 31 field goals. He has twice attempted 32 field goals this season.

  It is that volume shooting that allows Embiid to lead the league in scoring (33.3 points) despite ranking 'only' 23rd in field goal percentage (54.5). It also helps that he is the only player making more than 10 free throws per game (10.2) – albeit he made just seven of 10 against the Nuggets.

  Meanwhile, Jokic is averaging 24.9 points, down on the previous two seasons. He scored 24 against the 76ers.

  But this is in line with his usage rate shrinking considerably to 27.3 per cent after peaking at 31.8 per cent in 2021-22 – and Jokic could scarcely be more efficient with those possessions.

  He leads the Nuggets in both points and assists (9.9), as well as rebounds (11.8), just as he did in the 76ers game (nine assists, eight rebounds). His turnover percentage is up slightly (16.6) – there were seven against Philly – but so is his assist rate (45.5 per cent) and his shooting from the field (63.3 per cent), three-point range (39.0 per cent) and the foul line (82.3 per cent).

  Jokic is right there for a season averaging a triple-double. That has only been done – four times – by one player in the modern NBA. In those seasons, Russell Westbrook's usage rate never dipped below 30 per cent. He also averaged at least 4.5 turnovers per game in each year, with Jokic back on 3.5.

  Embiid, who likewise has 3.5 turnovers, carries the 76ers' burden in scoring and rebounding, but James Harden is the team's creative force. He had 13 assists against the Nuggets.

  What the 76ers big man lacks in eye-catching passes, however, he makes up for on the defensive end. Defensive metrics do not really do justice to the gap between Embiid and Jokic.

  But that is not to denigrate Jokic. In truth, given their extraordinary seasons, there are no shortage of numbers that would support the case for one man or the other – perhaps contributing to the nastiness Malone bemoaned.

  Maybe it is best then that it comes down to a matchup on the court, two weeks out from the end of the regular season.

  Might we see another 40-point Embiid night to clinch a first MVP? Or Jokic's latest triple-double that pushes him towards three in a row? Whoever wins it, as the Nuggets coach said, good for them.