After Joel Embiid's calf injury robbed the NBA of a matchup between him and MVP rival Nikola Jokic on Monday, his Philadelphia 76ers turn their attention to another superstar opponent in Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Embiid was accused by some of "ducking" the Denver Nuggets' two-time MVP Jokic, who inspired Denver to a 116-111 victory over the Sixers with his 29th triple-double of the season.
The Sixers were also without James Harden because of a sore left Achilles.
Whether Embiid and Harden will be back in the fold for the visit of the Mavs remains to be seen, but what is beyond doubt is that the Sixers will be facing a man on a mission in Doncic.
Doncic is aiming to drag the Mavericks into the playoffs and, having seen his 16th technical foul and a one-game suspension rescinded prior to Monday's game with the Indiana Pacers, the Slovenian subsequently starred with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists to end Dallas' four-game losing streak.
He has averaged 31.1 points per game in March, a month he began by putting up 42 in a home win over the Sixers.
Despite his best efforts, the Mavs are still on the outside looking in as they seek a place in the Western Conference play-in tournament. With a 37-39 record, they are the 11th seed, but are just games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are in position to enter the playoffs as the sixth seed.
The Mavs have six games with which to claw their way in to either the play-in or the playoffs outright. Ending the month how they began it against the current third seed in the East would be a big step towards securing a spot in the postseason.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Philadelphia 76ers - Joel Embiid
With Embiid on the court, the Sixers average 118.2 points per 100 possessions compared to 111.5 without. Defensively, they concede 108 points per 100 possessions with Embiid and 112.3 without. That's a point differential of plus 10.2 when they have their MVP contender compared to minus 0.8 when he is absent.
In other words, he is worth 11 points per 100 possessions. It's obvious to say the Sixers need Embiid out there, but the numbers illustrate just how important he is.
Dallas Mavericks - Luka Doncic
Were the Mavs in a better position in the standings, Doncic might have his own compelling case for MVP. He is averaging a combined 49.7 points, assists and rebounds per game, the most in the NBA.
KEY BATTLE - Can Mavs limit Sixers' three-point prowess?
A strength for Dallas this season has been defending the three-ball. They have allowed opponents to shoot just 35 per cent from beyond the arc, with only six teams faring better than the Mavs in that regard. The Sixers, meanwhile, boast the second-best three-point shooting percentage in the NBA at 38.6.
In that area of the game, it's a true strength-on-strength matchup that figures to go a long way to deciding if the Mavs can complete a season sweep.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Mavericks prevailed 133-126 in March in Dallas, but have not won in Philadelphia since December 2019.
Kevin Durant could make his long-awaited Phoenix Suns home debut on Wednesday, with reports suggesting he will face the Minnesota Timberwolves after recovering from an ankle injury.
Durant suffered a sprained ankle when he slipped during a warm-up ahead of the Suns' win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 8.
That injury means Durant has only played three games for Phoenix – all on the road – since leaving the Brooklyn Nets in February, with the 13-time NBA All-Star missing the Suns' last 10 contests.
However, reports from both The Athletic and ESPN on Tuesday said he should return against the Timberwolves, with the Suns looking to post a third successive victory.
Phoenix head coach Monty Williams refused to confirm Durant's return when speaking to reporters on Tuesday, saying the team would provide an official update on his condition soon.
Asked about Durant's recovery, Williams said: "I always use the term checking the boxes. You have to get the pain and swelling out and all of that, and then you progress onto the floor with shots.
"I've seen him go from cardio to shooting, to being able to get up and down a little bit and get himself prepared to go to the next level."
The Suns are 4-6 since Durant's injury, having previously won all three of their games with the 34-year-old, who averaged 26.7 points during that stretch.
Kyle Shanahan remains unsure when Brock Purdy will return despite San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch expressing optimism the quarterback could be ready for training camp.
Purdy emerged as one of the stories of the 2022 season, the final pick of last year's draft stepping in after both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered season-ending injury and winning five successive starts to help the Niners to a 13-4 record and the NFC's second seed.
He then won two playoff games before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow on the first offensive series of San Francisco's NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Purdy underwent successful surgery to repair the injury on March 10, with his projected timeline one that would see him resume throwing in three months.
On Monday, Lynch said he was hopeful Purdy would be back for training camp and described him as the "leader in the clubhouse" in a prospective quarterback competition with 2021 third overall pick Lance.
Head coach Shanahan painted a more uncertain picture, but appeared relaxed about the Niners' quarterback situation.
"He won't be able to do anything on the field, for who knows? It could go anywhere from six months to eight months," Shanahan said.
"So, it's all open like that, and we'll have a better idea … at three months out of surgery, they have a better idea of whether it's going to be six months or eight months. … That's all I know, and I'm pretty good with that.
"We'll see at three months if he'll be ready for camp, or if not, then perhaps we say it's gonna go slow. It might be Week 1 and, at the latest, Week 4. It's just all estimations, and we'll see what happens."
Lance, who has started just four games since the 49ers traded three first-round picks to move up and to select him owing in part to the ankle injury he suffered last September, is set to split first-team reps in OTAs and minicamp with another former third overall selection, Sam Darnold. The 49ers signed Darnold to a one-year contract this month.
"With Brock being hurt, it does open [the job] up, and it does give [Lance] a chance," Shanahan added.
"I don't know how Brock's going to come back. I don't know exactly when he's going to come back, so I don't have the exact answer for that.
"But right now, because he is hurt, it is nice to focus on Trey, it is nice to focus on Sam, and see how they do in OTAs and most likely see how they're playing leading us into training camp because I think it will take some time for Brock."
The Green Bay Packers are prepared to be patient as Jordan Love attempts to replace "generational talent" Aaron Rodgers.
That was the message from Packers coach Matt LaFleur on Tuesday as Rodgers seems set to join the New York Jets.
The veteran quarterback's trade still needs finalisation from Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, but LaFleur has already started to envisage life without Rodgers.
Love, a first-round pick in 2020, has waited three years for his chance and LaFleur acknowledged it will take time for the 24-year-old to develop.
"[Rodgers' impending trade] is what it is, and at the same time, we're excited about Jordan and how he's been able to progress as a quarterback, how he's matured as a man," LaFleur at the NFL's Annual League Meeting in Phoenix. "It's going to be a different role for him, certainly, and I think we all have to kind of temper our expectations for him.
"It's different when you're going into a game versus when you're starting a game. It's going to be a process, but it's going to be exciting for him, for us.
"I don't think any quarterback can truly do it on their own in this league. So it's going to be everybody rallying around him and trying to be at the best of their ability so that he can go out there and perform as good as he possibly can."
Love has just one career start to his name, for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021, along with two appearances as a replacement.
Despite calling for the Packers to be patient with Love, LaFleur sees progress in the young quarterback who has had to wait in the wings behind superstar Rodgers.
"He's come a long way, quite frankly," LaFleur added. "I know there were some times where early on, it's just, you don't know. I still think you have to go out there and you have got to do it consistently.
"It's one thing to do it in practice. It's another thing to take it to the game field and do it but certainly have seen his performance in practice, his mechanics, his decisions, his timing within the pass game and just his accuracy. I think he's come a long way."
As for Rodgers' impending trade to the Jets, LaFleur will leave that in the hands of Gutekunst and New York's general manager Joe Douglas as he prepares to work with whatever roster the Packers provide.
"That's all between Joe and Gutey," he continued. "I'm going to leave that one to them. We'll coach whoever's on our roster.
"We'll coach them to the best of our ability and we are always going to put the best players out there that are going to give us an opportunity to win football games."
Bianca Andreescu said the ankle injury she suffered at the Miami Open caused "the worst pain I've ever felt" as the former US Open winner waited to learn the extent of the damage sustained.
The Canadian 22-year-old was enjoying an excellent run in the tournament, knocking out Emma Raducanu, Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin en route to the last-16 stage.
She dropped the first set against Ekaterina Alexandrova but was an early break to the good in the second when injury struck, forcing her to abandon that fourth-round match.
Andreescu was so badly hurt she needed to be taken off court in a wheelchair, bringing an early end to Monday's match.
It remains to be seen how serious Andreescu's injury proves to be, and whether she faces a long lay-off.
She indicated on Tuesday that early tests had taken place and managed to make light of the situation.
In a post on Twitter, she wrote: "Woke up with a brace on my foot… anyone know what happened?"
"On a serious note tho… that was the worst pain I've ever felt… praying for nothing serious.
"Still waiting on official results. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and kind words, doesn't go unnoticed."
Andreescu won the US Open in 2019 and has suffered a string of injuries since, hampering her progress. She sits 31st in the WTA rankings, having been as high as number four in October 2019.
Ben Simmons will not return this season, Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn confirmed on Tuesday.
Simmons did not play a single game in the 2021-22 campaign, in which he was traded by the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets, and has again had a limited role this year.
The one-time Rookie of the Year has played only 42 games, with 33 of those starts, and averaged career lows in points (6.9), assists (6.1), rebounds (6.3), blocks (0.6) and steals (1.3).
Simmons last played on February 15, since when he has been absent with an unspecified issue.
As recently as March 16, coach Vaughn said the Nets were "definitely operating under that belief" that Simmons would return before the end of the season.
Yet less than two weeks on, he told reporters the point guard would "not be joining us the rest of the year".
Simmons is expected to make a full recovery, Vaughn added, although details about the nature of his absence remain scarce.
The Nets are sixth in the Eastern Conference and set for the playoffs despite trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving midseason.
Anthony Joshua will retire from boxing if he loses to Jermaine Franklin on Saturday.
Former WBO world champion Johnny Nelson had suggested Joshua should call time on his career if he loses for the fourth time, having already been defeated by Andy Ruiz Jr. and Oleksandr Usyk (twice).
And the 33-year-old confirmed he does intend to hang up his gloves if he is beaten by his American opponent at the O2 Arena in London.
"I will. I will retire if I lose. I'm not here to battle people. If people want me to retire I will retire," Joshua said to MailOnline.
"I'm not going to fight if people don't want me too. It's not even about the money. It's about the competitor in you. That's what's important."
Joshua said he would like to face Tyson Fury if the Gypsy King is unable to revive negotiations on a unification fight with Usyk, but also sounded as if he is looking forward to retirement and getting away from the pressure of elite boxing.
"It [pressure] comes with the business and it comes with the territory, I know that," he said. "I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling. I'm gonna be thinking f*** everyone. I am done.
"You lot put so much pressure on me so when I am done, the chains are going to be gone. I am going to be laughing and loving life."
Anthony Joshua has challenged Tyson Fury to face him in order to redeem himself from the "letdown" of his heavyweight unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk falling through.
Talks between Fury and Usyk recently broke down after it had appeared the two would agree to fight later this year, as negotiations between Fury and Joshua had done prior to that.
However, ahead of his clash with American Jermaine Franklin on Saturday, Joshua offered Fury the opportunity to renegotiate as he believes the Gypsy King "needs" him.
"There's no better time to get Fury in the ring than now because he needs me to redeem himself from this circus. This letdown," Joshua said.
"He needs me so there's no better time than for him to call my name out and I'm someone that will take on any challenge."
Two-time heavyweight champion Joshua lost back-to-back fights to Usyk and is looking to get back on track with a win against Franklin at London's O2 Arena, which will be his first fight since 2015 that has not been contested with a world title on the line.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn recently said: "If the Usyk fight doesn't get made, our message to team Fury is that we'll make the fight now, for straight after the Franklin fight," though AJ did concede he believes Fury and Usyk will eventually come to an agreement.
"It's not my position to slate or slag anyone off. I'm pretty sure [Fury v Usyk] will happen because I feel like there could potentially be a method to the madness," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"If, number one, I was in that position [and] didn't take that fight, how would people treat me?
"And number two, if I didn't take that fight what would Fury have to say about me? So I'm not going to stoop to that level.
"I respect everyone that steps into the ring. But I just sometimes think some people should watch their mouths a bit."
Nikola Jokic believes his main rival for a third-straight NBA MVP award, Joel Embiid, will "be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league."
The clash between the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers had been billed as the league's two leading players facing off, only for the Sixers to rest Embiid due to a calf injury.
Jokic led Denver to a 116-111 victory on Monday, scoring 25 points with 17 rebounds and 12 assists, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season.
With James Harden also out, Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 29 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, but the main talking point after the game remained Embiid, with Jokic reserving words of praise for his rival.
"I think he's a great player," he said. "I think he's gonna be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league. The guy's a beast, and he's so talented.
"He can affect [the game] many ways on the floor. He can post up, he can face up, he can shoot threes. He can defend really well. He can, in some situations, guard one through five. So he's a really, really good player."
Embiid leads the league for points-per-game this season (33.3), ahead of Luka Doncic (32.9), Damian Lillard (32.2), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.1).
Sixers coach Doc Rivers said prior to the game he was tired of the animosity brought about by the debate around this year's MVP award, with Jokic having won it the last two seasons and having had another stellar year for the Nuggets.
"It's like we can't celebrate people," Rivers said. "The league is in a great place. It's in an amazing place.
"You've got Joel Embiid and Joker, two centers, in a non-center league, dominating the league. You've got Giannis, and I always put him as a whatever, because we don't know what [position] Giannis is, but he's one of the best players in the league. Jayson Tatum is playing unbelievable. Kevin Durant, if he wasn't hurt. You can just keep going.
"You can like them all, and you can actually not like one because you love the other one. But you don't have to hate on anybody. I think we just need to get back to judging whatever your flavour is, and I don't think you have to hate the other one, for sure."
Rafael Nadal has cast doubt on a possible return at next month's Monte Carlo Masters after revealing he is still unsure when he will be ready to make his comeback.
The 22-time grand slam champion has been struggling with a left hip issue that contributed to his second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.
Nadal pulled out of hard-court contests at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open as he continued to recover from the problem.
Speaking two weeks ago, Monte Carlo Masters director David Massey said Nadal was the first player to register for this year's Masters 1000 event, which begins on April 8.
The tournament's official Twitter account more recently suggested Nadal will "definitely" take part.
However, Nadal – who has slipped out of the world's top 10 men's tennis rankings for the first time in almost 18 years – denied that is the case.
"I don't know who gets this information," he is quoted as saying by Spanish publication Marca.
"Obviously if it were true, I would confirm it, but unfortunately I can't. I'm following my course and I don't know when I'll play again, that's the truth.
"I'm in a phase of increasing work. If I knew when I was going to return, I would say so, but I don't know.
"I can't confirm that I will play in Monte Carlo. Things are seen day by day. I prefer to say things when I really know them."
The Monte Carlo Masters kicks off the clay-court season ahead of events in Madrid and Rome, with the French Open – Nadal's favourite event – now just two months away.
Nadal has won the Monte Carlo Masters a record 11 times, though his most recent triumph came in 2018 with victory over Kei Nishikori in the final.
Rudy Gobert says the Minnesota Timberwolves will continue treating "every game like it is our last" after strengthening their playoff hopes with a fourth victory in a row.
The Wolves beat the Sacramento Kings 119-115 on Monday to add to recent wins over the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Haws and the Golden State Warriors.
They are now 39-27 for the season and climbed above the Warriors into the Western Conference's sixth seed with their latest triumph.
After turning their season around over the past week or so, Gobert is eager for his side to keep their winning streak alive.
"We have the talent and personnel to be able to beat anybody on any given night," said Gobert, who controlled the paint with 16 points (five-of-nine), 16 rebounds and two blocks.
"It's really out of urgency and consistency. We play every game like it's our last and we play every game like there's no tomorrow. That's the mindset that we need."
Minnesota were without Karl-Anthony Towns but had seven players score at least 14 points each in a well-rounded effort at Golden 1 Center.
Jaden McDaniels led the Wolves in scoring with 20 points (eight-of-15 shooting), while Kyle Anderson had a game-high 11 assists.
"These guys really like each other and love playing with each other," coach Chris Finch said. "They have lifted their game with the games being so big."
The defeat for Sacramento meant they were unable to officially end the longest playoff drought in NBA history in front of their success-starved fans.
Having missed the chance to clinch a first playoff berth since 2006 on their own patch, the Kings will now look to do so when they travel to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sacramento guard De'Aaron Fox said: "The guys wanted to clinch a playoff spot at home and wanted to share it with our fans.
"But at the end of the day, regardless of where we do it, I think people are going to be appreciative and people are going to love it."
The Timberwolves are back in action of Wednesday at the Phoenix Suns.
Jason Kidd praised the performance of Luka Doncic after the point guard led the Dallas Mavericks to a much-needed away win against the Indiana Pacers.
Doncic was cleared to play against the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after his one-game suspension for a 16th technical of the season was rescinded earlier on Monday.
The four-time NBA All-Star starred with 25 points (eight-of-17 shooting), seven rebounds and six assists to guide the Mavs to a 127-104 victory, snapping their four-game losing streak.
"That's what he does," coach Kidd said. "He's one of the best players in the league at finding guys and then he's able to catch and shoot – not just once but multiple times."
The Mavericks' season had been hanging by a thread following defeats to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors, and the Charlotte Hornets back-to-back.
But with Doncic stepping up and Kyrie Irving chipping in with 16 points (seven-of-11), six assists, three blocks and two steals, Dallas are now 37-39 for the season.
Kidd's side are a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers (37-38) and Oklahoma City Thunder (37-38) as they battle it out for the last play-in spot.
The 33-43 Pacers have now lost three straight and six of eight, meanwhile, and former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle accepts his side had little chance with Doncic clearly in the mood.
"It's tough," Carlisle said. "Luka makes a couple of passes that were unbelievable, that only one player in the world can make."
Doncic's dazzling display proved the difference, but Carlisle – who has a league-leading 11 technicals this season – was not surprised the league allowed him to play.
"I don't know how many I have myself, I just know I've surpassed the five the team can pay for," he said.
"They're not cheap, so if you're going to get them, you better get your money's worth."
The Mavs have another road trip at the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, while the Pacers host Eastern Conference leaders Milwaukee Bucks on the same day.
Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic joined elite company on Monday as he put together another spectacular performance in the Denver Nuggets' 116-111 home win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jokic put up a team-high 25 points on eight-of-11 shooting, while adding 17 rebounds and 12 assists. In the process, he joined Hall-of-Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season.
The contest was meant to be a battle of the two top MVP candidates, but 76ers center and award favourite Joel Embiid was ruled out with calf soreness after suiting up for all 13 games this month.
With James Harden also out, Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, while Paul Reed excelled off the bench with 16 points (seven-of-seven), nine rebounds, two steals and a block in just 17 minutes.
The win extends the Nuggets' lead atop the Western Conference to 3.5 games, while their 51-24 record trails only the Milwaukee Bucks (54-21) and the Boston Celtics (52-23) for the league's best. Their 32-6 record at home is the second-best in the league, behind the 32-5 Memphis Grizzlies.
Timberwolves win fourth straight in potential first-round preview
The Minnesota Timberwolves are getting hot at the right time, collecting their fourth win in a row by defeating the Sacramento Kings 119-115 away from home.
Karl-Anthony Towns was sitting out the second leg of the back-to-back after returning from a long-term injury on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, but the Wolves had seven players score at least 14 points each in a well-rounded effort.
Elite young defender Jaden McDaniels led Minnesota in scoring with 20 points (eight-of-15 shooting), Kyle Anderson dished a game-high 11 assists and Rudy Gobert controlled the paint with 16 points (five-of-nine), 16 rebounds and two blocks.
The win means the Timberwolves leapfrogged the Warriors into the Western Conference's sixth seed, and if the season ended today, they would have a first-round series against the Kings.
Mavericks keep postseason hopes alive
With the Dallas Mavericks' season hanging on by a thread, they took advantage of Luka Doncic's rescinded technical and rode him to a 127-104 away win against the Indiana Pacers.
Doncic was given his 16th technical of the season in Sunday's surprise loss to the Hornets, which would have resulted in a one-game suspension if the league did not overturn it.
But it did, and Doncic went on to lead the Mavericks with 25 points (eight-of-17), seven rebounds and six assists, while Kyrie Irving chipped in 16 points (seven-of-11), six assists, three blocks and two steals.
The result leaves Dallas (37-39) a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers (37-38) and Oklahoma City Thunder (37-38) as they battle it out for the last play-in spots.
Reigning Wimbledon and Indian Wells Open champion Elena Rybakina extended her winning streak to 11 matches with Monday's 6-4 6-3 victory over Elise Mertens in the Miami Open fourth round.
Rybakina, 23, has been one of the most in-form talents in the sport this year, with her only two losses since the start of the Australian Open coming in three-setters against Aryna Sabalenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia.
The Kazakhstan representative produced 10 aces against Mertens on her way into the quarter-finals, becoming the first player this WTA season to finish with at least 10 aces in three consecutive matches.
She will look to keep her sparkling form alive when she meets Martina Trevisan for a spot in the semi-finals, after the Italian got the better of Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3.
Sabalenka showed why she is the top remaining seed after Iga Swiatek's withdrawal, beating 16th seed Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 6-2. Krejcikova was one of two players this season to beat Sabalenka – with Rybakina the other – and by avenging that defeat the Belarusian improved her record in 2023 to 20-2.
America's top hope Jessica Pegula needed only 79 minutes to eliminate Magda Linette 6-1 7-5, winning the first five games of the match to set the tone early, and she will now meet Russia's Anastasia Potapova in the quarters.
Potapova finished with just one ace compared to Qinwen Zheng's nine, but she showed enough guile to overcome the Chinese international's power advantage.
Romania's Sorana Cirstea kept her great run going with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 triumph over Marketa Vondrousova, making it eight wins from her past nine matches, and Bianca Andreescu was forced to retire through injury while down a set 7-6 (7-0) 0-2 against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Three of the top seeds in the Miami Open field were eliminated on Monday as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz and Frances Tiafoe were all sent packing.
Fifth seed Auger-Aliassime was taken out 6-2 7-5 in one of the biggest wins of Francisco Cerundolo's career, with the Argentine avenging recent losses to the Canadian at both the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open.
Adrian Mannarino's 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-0) victory over eighth seed Hurkacz was arguably an even bigger upset, as it snapped his streak of nine consecutive losses against top-10 opponents at Masters 1000 events.
The 34-year-old Frenchman absorbed 20 aces from Hurkacz and still came out on top, limiting his own unforced errors to 13 for the match.
A third upset of the day saw unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego play a near faultless match to eliminate 12th seed Tiafoe, finishing the contest with 22 winners and only two unforced errors, while not facing a single break point in the brief 68-minute battle.
There was no drama for Daniil Medvedev as the fourth seed received a walkover against Alex Molcan, and he will face France's Quentin Halys in the fourth round after his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 triumph over Mackenzie McDonald.
Two seed Stefanos Tsitsipas almost joined the long list of seeded victims, but he prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-4 against Christian Garin in the day's only three-setter.
The Greek star will meet Russian 14th seed Karen Khachanov in the fourth round after his comfortable 6-2 6-4 result over Jiri Lehecka, while unseeded American Christopher Eubanks finished the day's play with a 6-3 7-6 (9-7) defeat of Gregoire Barrere.
After years of patchwork quarterback play, the Indianapolis Colts are considering acquiring Lamar Jackson to solve their woes under center.
Just hours after Jackson announced that he had asked the Baltimore Ravens to trade him, the Colts became the first franchise to declare their intentions to look into acquiring the former league MVP.
"Anytime a special player is available, which [Jackson] is, you've got to do the work," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Monday at the NFL's annual league meeting in Phoenix.
"I'm not going to get into deep discussions on where it's at or what we're doing or what we might do," Ballard said. "But what I'll tell you is he's a really good player, really special player. But you never know how any of this will work out.
"I think anytime at that position we have a chance to acquire a guy, you've got to do your work on it to see if it's doable," Ballard said. "Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not.
"If you don't feel like you have one that can absolutely change the franchise in terms of leading you every year, I think you're always going to feel some pressure to get that player right."
Since Andrew Luck’s surprising retirement in 2019, the Colts have shuffled through a list of stop-gap options at quarterback, including Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan.
Jackson confirmed suspicions that his relationship with the Ravens has been fractured Monday when he announced in a statement on Twitter that he had requested a trade on March 2.
On March 7, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, meaning that other teams could sign Jackson to an offer sheet in exchange for two first-round draft picks.
Teams could offer more than two first-rounders to the Ravens as a part of any potential blockbuster trade.
Ballard said his team will do their "due diligence" to bring an answer at quarterback to the Colts – who own the fourth overall selection in next month’s draft – and had previously said the team would consider trading up for the right quarterback.
On Monday, Ballard made the case for drafting a quarterback outside the first round.
"What I would tell you is that there's good players in this draft at every level," Ballard said. "Everybody just talks about the top four [quarterbacks], but there's some more guys out there that are pretty good players.
"And I think history's shown – especially in the last few years with [Philadelphia Eagles quarterback] Jalen [Hurts] being one and [San Francisco 49ers’] Brock Purdy coming in and playing really well – they come at every level. So, we'll do our work on every one of them."
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said the team plans on engaging in extension discussions with quarterback Jalen Hurts in the near future and is confident an agreement can be reached before the 2022 NFL MVP runner-up hits free agency.
Speaking at the NFL annual league meeting in Phoenix on Monday, Roseman confirmed that extending Hurts will be the Eagles' highest priority in the coming months.
"It's no secret that sometime relatively soon we want to extend our quarterback," Roseman stated. "We want him here long-term. It's going to be a priority for us to extend him.
"You have to navigate the offseason understanding that we're not going to lose our franchise quarterback with one year left on his deal."
Hurts, who led the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII by throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns during a breakout 2022 campaign, is entering the final season on the four-year contract he signed as a rookie in 2020.
The second team All-Pro added 760 rushing yards and led all quarterbacks with 13 rushing touchdowns while finishing second to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes in MVP voting.
Hurts will be due for a substantial raise from the $4.2million he is set to make this season, and Roseman acknowledged a new deal will have a profound impact on the Eagles' roster in 2024 and beyond.
"Our whole kind of roster-building is going to turn a little bit here, from a quarterback on a rookie deal towards hopefully a quarterback on a long-term deal," Roseman said.
"It's going to mean 2024 is going to look different, we're not going to have a quarterback on a rookie deal. Not that we're talking about [franchise] tags or anything like that, that's not our goal here, but we're going into it with our eyes open and understanding that we've got to kind of flip [the roster]."
An extension for Hurts is expected to command an average annual value of at least $40m while making him among the top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. And with two other premier quarterbacks from the 2020 draft – Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert – in line to receive lucrative new deals relatively soon, the Eagles have significant incentive to work something out as soon as possible.
A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Hurts took over as Philadelphia's starting quarterback in 2021 and has gone 22-8 since over the past two seasons. Only Mahomes (26-8) has a higher winning percentage among quarterbacks who made at least 15 starts during that span.
The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Detroit Pistons on Monday without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and fellow All-Star Jrue Holiday.
Sitting only 1.5 games clear of the Boston Celtics (52-23) in the race for the top seed in the East, and the best record in the league, the Bucks (53-21) will also welcome back veteran point guard Goran Dragic on a minutes restriction after six weeks on the sidelines because of a left-knee problem.
As well as the top seed, Milwaukee also have a chance to match or beat their best record in the Antetokounmpo era, but they will need to go undefeated in their last eight games to eclipse the 60-22 mark from the 2018-19 campaign. They can tie it by going 7-1.
Antetokounmpo is viewed as an outside chance to swoop in and claim the MVP award ahead of reigning back-to-back winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, and he is not the only Bucks player trending towards some silverware.
Holiday will almost assuredly be selected to his fifth NBA All-Defensive team, where he will be joined by team-mate and Defensive Player of the Year favourite Brook Lopez, who is averaging a career-high 2.5 blocks per game in his 15th season.
New York Jets coach Robert Saleh is confident the team will sign Aaron Rodgers.
The veteran quarterback confirmed earlier in March that he wished to leave the Green Bay Packers to join the Jets.
However, the teams have so far been unable to reach an agreement.
Saleh, however, is not concerned.
"I'm not hitting the panic button," Saleh said while in attendance at the NFL's annual league meeting.
"I'm confident that things are going to work out.
"You guys know me. I'm a very positive person and optimistic, so I'm confident that things will go the way we're hoping. But at the same time, it's not going to eat at me."
Indeed, Saleh says the Jets are willing to play the long game when it comes to Rodgers.
"If there's a great rapport with the coordinator, there's really no urgency," Saleh said.
"The quarterback, if he understands the system, if the quarterback knows it, it's just a matter of just refining skills and doing all that stuff. So, there's no hurry."
Saleh also confirmed that Odell Beckham Jr, who remains a free agent, is a target.
"He's been a fantastic receiver in this league," Saleh said of Beckham Jr.
"Everything you hear about him, he's a phenomenal person. That's something you're always going to look over, turn over every stone, cross your t's, dot your i's, just make sure you're not missing an opportunity to add a great player, and there's no guarantee anything will happen."
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