Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone described Nikola Jokic as a "generational talent" after the Serbian produced numbers only previously seen from the great Wilt Chamberlain.

Jokic's performance in the 119-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday saw him score 40 points and make 27 rebounds, as well as recording 10 assists.

It was his fifth triple-double of the season and 81st of his career, and Malone reserved high praise for the back-to-back league MVP.

"I didn't know it was a 40-27-10 night but I knew he was having another Nikola Jokic stellar performance, efficient,'' he said. "And it's not just about Nikola. It's about his ability to make every one of his team-mates better. Yeah, Nikola is a generational talent.''

LaMelo Ball, who recently returned from injury, scored 31 for the Hornets but could not stop them from losing an eighth consecutive game, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (20 points), Aaron Gordon (19 points) and Bruce Brown (16 points) helped Jokic lead the charge for the Nuggets.

Despite his incredible showing, Jokic was able to show humility after the game and credited his team-mates for allowing him the chance to put up such numbers.

"To be honest, I think it's because of our defense and I was just in the right spot to rebound the ball,'' Jokic said of making a career-high 27 rebounds. "It's not that I was grabbing for them or whatever, chasing for them. It just happened, you know? I wish it could be every night, to be honest.''

Quarterback Jared Goff was happy to "win ugly" after the Detroit Lions beat the New York Jets 20-17 on Sunday for a sixth victory in seven games.

The win improves the Lions' record to an improbable 7-7 after beginning the season 1-6, and they are now even in the win column with the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) and New York Giants (7-5-1) in the NFC Wild Card race.

Against the Jets – who also fell to 7-7 with their loss – the Lions scored the winning touchdown with under two minutes remaining when Brock Wright found himself wide open for a 51-yard catch-and-run.

It was the sixth game in a row without an interception for Goff, who tossed his 23rd touchdown of the season in the win for his best return since his 32 in 2018. He also boasts the second-best QBR of his career, with his 62.8 figure also only trailing his 2018 mark of 63.6.

Speaking to the media after the game, Goff said the Lions have turned a corner and now have complete faith in their ability to win close games.

"A lot of these close games are starting to lean more towards us than they are towards them," he said. "And that hasn't always been the case around here.

"We fully believe in each other, we just know someone is going to make a play and do something right and that's half the battle.

"They're [the Jets] really good – they're one of the top five or six defenses in the league for a reason. They're really good at creating pressure with just four guys, really good at mixing up coverages, really aggressive. Both corners are really good, both safeties are really good – it's a good group.

"They challenged us for most of that game, and we're happy to be able to come away with it."

He went on to talk about the optics of the result, Goff insisting he is only concerned with the final score.

"You'd rather win ugly than lose pretty," he said. "There were times earlier in the year where we were winning pretty in certain situations, and then kind of let it fall away from us at the end.

"I think that's totally flipped to where we're at now. We've won some games recently pretty handily, but we've also won some close games, and some games on the road that we had to pull out.

"Things had to go our way – is it going our way, or are we making a play? I lean towards making a play… we're starting to learn how to win, and how to win consistently. This is a good, mature team now."

Head coach Dan Campbell made sure to point out the efforts of pass rusher Romeo Okwara, who finished with two sacks after returning from a torn Achilles last week.

"It means a lot to have Romeo back," he said. "Just to have him in the fold with us. 

"He's an unbelievable locker room guy, hard worker and then on top of that to have his length. He plays the run well and he can rush the passer. He was better than he was last week... and I'd anticipate him even better next week."

The Lions will have a chance to continue their terrific form when they travel to take on the 5-9 Carolina Panthers next week.

The New York Giants have taken the advantage in the NFC Wild Card race with a stubborn 20-12 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

The Commanders pushed hard in the final quarter, getting inside the Giants' 10 with their last two drives but failed to score on either, with the visitors' defense repelling quarterback Taylor Heinicke's best efforts at FedExField.

The Giants scored both of their touchdowns in the second quarter, with Kayvon Thibodeaux stripping Heinicke and scoring on a fumble recovery, before Daniel Jones linked up with Richie James on a drive, setting up Saquon Barkley's rushing TD.

Washington rallied from the 14-3 half-time deficit, with Heinicke lifting his output, finding rookie Jahan Dotson for his sixth touchdown of the season. Dotson had four receptions for 105 yards, including a brilliant fourth-quarter 61-yard catch.

Brian Robinson, who gained 89 yards from 12 carries, ran Washington into the redzone on the next play, but Heinicke turned the ball over when sacked by Dexter Lawrence, with Leonard Williams making the recovery.

Graham Gano extended the Giants' lead to eight points with a 50-yard field goal, before Heinicke drove Washington forward again, coming closest when Robinson's touchdown was erased due to a penalty for an illegal formation. Heinicke followed that up with two incomplete passes.

Heinicke completed 17 of 29 passes for 249 yards with one touchdown with 33 rushing yards, while Giants counterpart Jones threw 21 of 32 passes for 160 yards and 35 rushing yards. Barkley gained 87 yards on 18 carries.

The win means the Giants improve their record to 8-5-1 ahead of the Commanders (7-6-1) in the NFC East, with a tiebreak victory too. The result means the Dallas Cowboys have qualified for the playoffs.

Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic became just the third player in NBA history with 40 points, 25 rebounds and 10 assists in a game in the Denver Nuggets' 119-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

Jokic finished with 40 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists for his 81st career triple-double, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only players to achieve the aforementioned stat line.

The Serbian is the first player to reach that mark since Chamberlain in 1968. Chamberlain managed that milestone four times in his decorated career.

The Nuggets center pulled down 20 rebounds before half-time in a dominant display in the paint, leading Denver to an 18-11 overall record. Jokic's 27 rebounds were a career-high, and it was his fifth triple-double of the season.

Jokic received strong support from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 20 points, four rebounds and five assists while Jamal Murray dished off 11 assists. Aaron Gordon chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hornets fall to a 7-23 record, with LaMelo Ball scoring 31 points including four triples on 100 per cent three-point shooting in his third game back from injury.

Banchero stars as Magic topple Celtics

This season's top overall NBA Draft pick Paolo Banchero scored 31 points as the Orlando Magic claimed their sixth straight win and toppled the Boston Celtics 95-92.

Banchero produced his third 30-point game, shooting six-of-seven from beyond the arc, while Admiral Schofield contributed 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.

The win means the Magic completed a sweep of consecutive games in Bolton and extended their win streak to their longest since March 2019.

KD leads Nets rally for sixth straight win

Kevin Durant scored 26 of his 43 points in the third quarter to carry a 17-point comeback for the Brooklyn Nets in a 124-121 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Kyrie Irving added 38 points as the Nets secured their sixth straight win.

The Minnesota Timberwolves broke their franchise single-game scoring record in a 150-126 rout over the Chicago Bulls led by Anthony Edwards' season-high 37 points and 11 assists.

The Golden State Warriors won for the first time this season without the injured Stephen Curry (shoulder), with Jordan Poole scoring a career-high 43 points in a 126-110 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Tennis icon Venus Williams will compete in her 22nd Australian Open in January after it was announced on Sunday she had been awarded a wildcard entry.

Williams, 42, is a seven-time grand slam singles champion, but she only played four competitive matches in 2022, losing all four.

A five-time Wimbledon winner with two US Open titles on the singles side, Williams is also one of the sport's most decorated doubles players, collecting another 14 grand slam doubles titles, including four in Australia.

She won the Australian Open doubles in 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2010, while making the singles final in both 2003 and 2017.

In the press release announcing her wildcard, Williams confirmed her plans to compete once again in Melbourne.

"I am very excited to be returning to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open in January," she said.

"I've been competing in the country for over 20 years now and the Australian community has always supported me wholeheartedly.

"It will be an honour to play for the fans again and I'm looking forward to making more memories at the tournament this year."

It remains to be seen if she will be joined by her sister, Serena, who is a seven-time singles champion at the event and Venus' partner for her four doubles successes.

After her exit from the US Open, Serena heavily implied she was weighing up another go down under, saying "I always did love Australia".

Jakobi Meyers took full responsibility for the New England Patriots' astonishing last-gasp defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders after his lateral was intercepted and returned for a touchdown on the final play.

With the score tied 24-24 in the dying seconds, the Week 15 encounter looked destined for overtime.

The Patriots ran a draw play to running back Rhamondre Stevenson with the intention of running out the remaining time. However, after Stevenson broke into the secondary, he pitched the ball to Meyers, who then tossed it back to midfield in the direction of quarterback Mac Jones, only for former Patriot Chandler Jones to pick it off. 

Jones subsequently stiff-armed Jones and surged into the endzone to clinch a remarkable 30-24 win for the Raiders, with the defeat a damaging blow to the now 7-7 Patriots' playoff hopes.

Explaining his role in an inexplicable finish, Meyers said: "[I was] trying to do too much, trying to be the hero.

"I ain’t see the dude back there, tried to throw the ball, I was just doing too much, should have just went down with the ball."

Absolving Stevenson of blame, Meyers added: "That ain't his fault, he gave me the ball, I've got to be smarter. 

"I thought I saw Mac open, I didn't see Chandler Jones at the time. Thought he was open, tried to get it to him, let him try to make a play with it. Score was tied, so I should have just gone down."

Stevenson, though, put the blame on his shoulders.

"The play call was just a draw play. Nothing more, nothing less than that," he said. "I take full responsibility."

While Jones seemed to have been put in an impossible situation, he too admitted fault.

"I've got to tackle the guy," said Jones. "It's on me, and it's my fault. … I've got to tackle the guy, and we play for overtime."

The Jacksonville Jaguars are gaining ground on the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South and, according to head coach Doug Pederson, they are gaining something even more important — belief.

A pick-six from Rayshawn Jenkins clinched a thrilling 40-34 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, with the Jaguars fighting back from a 27-10 deficit in the third quarter.

The win moved Jacksonville to 6-8, just a win behind the Titans in the AFC South, boosting their hopes of featuring in the postseason for the first time since 2017 and making what would only be a fourth playoff appearance since the turn of the millennium.

Four of the Jaguars six wins this season have come since Week 9, when a five-game losing streak came to an end against the Las Vegas Raiders, and Pederson attributed the turnaround in fortunes to Jacksonville's resilience.

"I'm just happy for the guys. They never gave up, we talked about it at the hotel and again today," he told his post-match press conference.

"We kept chipping away against a good football team. They're a well coached unit, they're one of the top teams in the league. This win today just gives our guys confidence in who they are as a team.

"The belief has always been there. Trevor [Lawrence] has done a great job of just running the show, running the team, doing what he is capable of doing.

"I'm just so happy for him but really for the whole team. The guys are starting to believe too and that's important down the stretch. It was a tremendous win, everybody in all three phases had a part in it."

Quarterback Lawrence echoed those views, praising the team's mentality in fighting back from difficult positions.

"This is a newer group, a lot of us haven't played together before. We've got a lot of new guys, you build that trust together over time. I think we've built that pretty fast but it takes time," said Lawrence.

"Early in the year we had to prove to each other we can win no matter what the situation is. I think we got more and more confident as the season has gone on.

"No matter what hole were in, we can get ourselves out of it. We've just got to keep playing.

"I think we've done that three or four times this season, when something bad happens, no one is looking around, were staying calm, we've just got to make the next play. We've been able to make plays in those big moments where you have to have them.

"Obviously you don't want to be in that situation every week but sometimes it's going to happen. To be able to fight through that, it says a lot about this team, how much we trust each other."

The Cincinnati Bengals ran roughshod over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half of Sunday's 34-17 victory – the Bengals' sixth win in a row, and eighth from their past nine games.

Despite the final score, it was all Bucs early as Tom Brady appeared to be getting his side back to their winning ways.

He had Tampa Bay leading 17-0 late in the second quarter after touchdown passes to Chris Godwin and Russell Gage, heading into half-time with 17 completions from 23 attempts for 194 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they would not score again until the final minute, while the Bengals rattled off 34 unanswered points as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense took flight.

Burrow tossed four touchdown passes in the second half, with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Mitchell Wilcox snagging one each on the receiving end.

They were buoyed by four consecutive Buccaneers drives ending in turnovers, allowing Burrow, who only had 200 passing yards, to continually work with a short field.

To call it a rare collapse from a Brady-led side would be an understatement. Entering the game, Brady was 89-0 when gaining a 17-point lead at home, but they could not get out of their own way.

The win improves the Bengals' record to a commanding 10-4, with the reigning AFC Champions leading the AFC North and poised for another playoff run.

Raiders steal unbelievable win on final play

The Las Vegas Raiders were the beneficiaries of one of the most incredible gaffes of the NFL season as they emerged 30-24 winners after a last-second New England Patriots lateral went horribly wrong.

New England took a 24-17 lead with under four minutes remaining after Rhamondre Stevenson's 34-yard rushing touchdown, but the game looked destined for overtime when Raiders receiver Keelan Cole dragged his toes in the back corner of the endzone with 32 seconds on the clock.

What happened next had to be seen to be believed, as the Patriots called one final run play to take the last seconds off the clock, but after breaking through the first line of defenders, Stevenson pitched a lateral to Jakobi Meyers to keep the play alive.

Meyers then inexplicably attempted to heave it back to Mac Jones, his throw landing in the waiting arms of defender Chandler Jones, who was able to fend off the tackle from the Patriots quarterback and run in the game-winning defensive touchdown.

Quarterback Jared Goff was happy to "win ugly" after the Detroit Lions beat the New York Jets 20-17 on Sunday for a sixth victory in seven games.

The win improves the Lions' record to an improbable 7-7 after beginning the season 1-6, and they are now even in the win column with the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) and New York Giants (7-5-1) in the NFC Wild Card race.

Against the Jets – who also fell to 7-7 with their loss – the Lions scored the winning touchdown with under two minutes remaining when Brock Wright found himself wide open for a 51-yard catch-and-run.

It was the sixth game in a row without an interception for Goff, who tossed his 23rd touchdown of the season in the win for his best return since his 32 in 2018. He also boasts the second-best QBR of his career, with his 62.8 figure also only trailing his 2018 mark of 63.6.

Speaking to the media after the game, Goff said the Lions have turned a corner and now have complete faith in their ability to win close games.

"A lot of these close games are starting to lean more towards us than they are towards them," he said. "And that hasn't always been the case around here.

"We fully believe in each other, we just know someone is going to make a play and do something right and that's half the battle.

"They're [the Jets] really good – they're one of the top five or six defenses in the league for a reason. They're really good at creating pressure with just four guys, really good at mixing up coverages, really aggressive. Both corners are really good, both safeties are really good – it's a good group.

"They challenged us for most of that game, and we're happy to be able to come away with it."

He went on to talk about the optics of the result, Goff insisting he is only concerned with the final score.

"You'd rather win ugly than lose pretty," he said. "There were times earlier in the year where we were winning pretty in certain situations, and then kind of let it fall away from us at the end.

"I think that's totally flipped to where we're at now. We've won some games recently pretty handily, but we've also won some close games, and some games on the road that we had to pull out.

"Things had to go our way – is it going our way, or are we making a play? I lean towards making a play… we're starting to learn how to win, and how to win consistently. This is a good, mature team now."

Head coach Dan Campbell made sure to point out the efforts of pass rusher Romeo Okwara, who finished with two sacks after returning from a torn Achilles last week.

"It means a lot to have Romeo back," he said. "Just to have him in the fold with us. 

"He's an unbelievable locker room guy, hard worker and then on top of that to have his length. He plays the run well and he can rush the passer. He was better than he was last week... and I'd anticipate him even better next week."

The Lions will have a chance to continue their terrific form when they travel to take on the 5-9 Carolina Panthers next week.

The home run ball hit by New York Yankees star Aaron Judge to set the new American League record this season sold for $1.5million on Saturday via collectables marketplace Goldin.

Judge hit his 62nd home run on October 4 at Texas to break a tie with former Yankee Roger Maris, who hit 61 homers in 1961.

Cory Youmans caught Judge’s 62nd home run in the left field seats at Globe Life Field in Arlington, and turned down a $3million offer before deciding to put the ball up for auction.

The ball is the second-most expensive sold at auction behind the $3.05million paid by comic book artist Todd McFarlane for Mark McGwire’s 70th homer in 1998 when he was with the St Louis Cardinals.

"Multiple players have hit more home runs in a season, but in many people's eyes, Aaron Judge is the true record-holder," Ken Goldin, the executive chairman and founder of Goldin, told ESPN.

"The fact that this is the second-highest total ever paid for a baseball speaks to the respect that fans and collectors have for Aaron.

"That's the magic of sports – this ball didn't only change Aaron's life, it changed the life of the fan who was in the stadium that night, too.

"We're so proud to have been trusted by Cory to present this piece of history for public auction."

Judge was named the American League Most Valuable Player after batting .311 with 62 homers and 131 RBIs in 157 games.

He agreed to a nine-year, $360million contract with the Yankees earlier this month, making Judge the highest-paid position player in Major League Baseball history at $40million per season.

The Dallas Cowboys missed the chance to clinch a playoff berth as they suffered a stunning overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who claimed a thrilling 40-34 win on a pick-six from Rayshawn Jenkins.

Dallas led 27-10 in the third quarter with a postseason place within their grasp, and had the chance to punch their ticket late in regulation despite 2021 first overall pick Trevor Lawrence leading a Jaguars turnaround with touchdown passes of 59 yards and three yards to Zay Jones, which were sandwiched by a 10-yard toss to Marvin Jones Jr.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott spun out of the pocket and found a diving Noah Brown for a 13-yard connection that marked Brown's second touchdown catch of the day and restored the Cowboys' lead with just over three minutes remaining.

Lawrence then fumbled on an 11-yard scramble as the Jaguars tried to respond to seemingly gift the game to Dallas, only for the Cowboys to quickly go three and out and hand the Jags a final chance to tie the game.

They did just that as Lawrence hit Zay Jones again for 19 yards with five seconds remaining to set up a 48-yard Riley Patterson field goal, which levelled matters at 34-34.

An engrossing quarterback duel between one of the NFL's best and one of its future stars was settled by an interception as Prescott's short third-down pass bounced off Brown's hands and into the grasp of Jenkins, who sprinted 52 yards the other way to seal a remarkable win.

The Jags improve to 6-8, just a game back in the win column of the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans, while the 10-4 Cowboys are still likely to make the playoffs but have a mountain to climb to win the NFC East, where they trail the Philadelphia Eagles by three games.

Chiefs, Eagles survive scares

The Kansas City Chiefs stunningly struggled to put away the one-win Houston Texans with the chance to clinch a seventh successive AFC West title.

It looked as if they may fall victim to the biggest upset of the season when Harrison Butker missed a game-winning 51-yard field goal to force overtime and Patrick Mahomes was sacked to give Houston the ball. However, Davis Mills fumbled the ball back to Kansas City on Houston's first offensive snap of the extra period, setting up Jerick McKinnon to seal a 30-24 win with a 26-yard walk-off touchdown run.

The Eagles were not pushed quite as far by the Chicago Bears, but another impressive dual-threat showing from Justin Fields meant the NFC's number one seed had to work hard for a 25-20 win, their 13th of a spectacular campaign, which was secured when A.J. Brown made his ninth catch of 181-yard display to convert on third down and allow Philadelphia to kill the clock.

Lions' surge continues as Jets let time run out

The Detroit Lions' hopes of an unlikely playoff berth were boosted once again as they claimed a dramatic sixth win in seven games to improve to 7-7.

Detroit dented the New York Jets' postseason prospects with a 20-17 win at MetLife Stadium, Jared Goff's 51-yard touchdown pass to Brock Wright on fourth down with 109 seconds remaining proving decisive.

The Jets, starting Zach Wilson once more in place of the injured Mike White, were left to rue poor clock management on the final drive, with Wilson's improvised 20-yard cross-field completion to Elijah Moore only progressing them to Detroit's 40-yard line with one second remaining. Greg Zuerlein's 58-yard field goal attempt drifted well wide, dropping the Jets to 7-7 after a 6-3 start.

The Los Angeles Lakers will have to stay afloat without franchise centrepiece Anthony Davis for at least the next few weeks after scans revealed a foot injury that will keep him out indefinitely.

Davis, 28, has been plagued by injuries in recent years, but was enjoying arguably the best season of his career prior to Friday's win against the Denver Nuggets.

Averaging 27.4 points and a career-high 12.1 rebounds per game while playing in 25 of the Lakers' 28 fixtures up to this point, Davis had seemingly rediscovered his best form after only playing a combined 76 games in the past two seasons.

But against the Nuggets, Davis ended up hopping off the floor after a lay-up attempt, briefly returning in the second quarter before sitting out the entire second half.

While the Lakers were hopeful it would only be a minor injury, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Sunday it will likely cost the eight-time All-Star "at least one month" and that the "Lakers are bracing for an indefinite absence".

With Davis out of the line-up, it remains to be seen if Russell Westbrook returns to the starting group or remains as the designated sixth-man, while backup center Thomas Bryant will undoubtedly see his role expand after impressing with 21 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes after Davis' injury.

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees has been taken to hospital ahead of the clash against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday after being involved in an on-field collision.

The 73-year-old's neck was stabilised by medical staff on the 35-yard line before he was placed on a stretcher and carried off the field.

In a statement, the Falcons said: "Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees was involved in an on-field pre-game collision.

"He was stable, alert and responsive and has been transported to University Medical Center New Orleans for medical testing.

"Frank Bush will serve as interim defensive play caller for today's game."

Pees has been with the Falcons for the past two seasons, having come out of retirement following the hiring of Arthur Smith.