The Los Angeles Clippers have opted to rest All-NBA duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the second leg of their back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
It is a curious decision after neither player eclipsed 18 minutes in Thursday's 122-91 blowout loss against the Denver Nuggets, where they both sat out the entire second half.
Leonard has officially been listed out due to "injury management", while George may have picked up a niggling injury as he is listed out due to his hamstring.
Their absence leaves the Clippers in a difficult situation as they head to Minnesota undermanned and on a four-game losing streak, although they remain in the thick of the playoff picture at 21-19 – currently sixth in the Western Conference.
Leonard has only played in 17 of the Clippers' 40 games so far, but after easing his way back into things in October and November, he began to look like himself in December.
In his 11 games this past month, Leonard averaged 20.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest while shooting 49.1 per cent from the field.
Meanwhile, George has made 30 appearances this campaign, averaging 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists, and remains on track for what would be his eighth All-Star selection.
The Cleveland Browns' franchise player Myles Garrett declared his side is looking for "volunteers, not hostages" after fellow pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney took to the media to complain about his role this week.
In an interview with Cleveland.com on Thursday, Clowney stated he felt the Browns are more concerned about getting Garrett "into the Hall of Fame instead of winning games".
He referenced the roles each of the two former number one overall draft picks were being asked to play, implying Garrett is being placed into the more favourable matchups in order to boost his statistics.
Since entering the league in 2017, Garrett has been one of the top talents at one of the sport's most valuable positions.
He finished with seven sacks as a rookie before rattling off season totals of 13.5, 10, 12, 16 and another 15 this year to bring his career tally to 73.5 – already surpassing the Browns' franchise record (62) at the age of 27.
He is fourth in the league in sacks this season, while Clowney, who has never reached double-digit sacks in any of his nine seasons, has just two in 12 games this campaign.
Speaking to reporters on Friday about Clowney's comments, Garrett said he was disappointed.
"I knew he was frustrated," he said. "We've all been frustrated – we're not winning.
"I wish we could've talked about this man-to-man... I wish he would have handled it a little bit differently."
He also broke down why he believes Clowney's narrative is false, pointing out he receives the most double-team blocks (31.3 per cent of the time) in the entire league.
"If I'm the most double-teamed guy, it's hard to say I'm getting the most favourable matchups," he said. "What I've done speaks for itself.
"Of course they're going to put me in positions to make plays. But they're also going to be positions where I'm going to get double-teamed.
"I move all over the line. [Clowney] has moved, as well. We're both moved to be put in favourable matchups. He's getting those same looks, at least that's what I see, and I wish we could have talked about it."
Garrett said the Browns are looking for "volunteers, not hostages" when asked if he would welcome Clowney back for a third consecutive season.
"If you feel like no one believes in you here, then go where you feel like you're wanted and loved and appreciated," he said.
Clowney, who turns 30 in February, will be a free agent this offseason.
The NFL's one-season rule change could have complicating factors for the Kansas City Chiefs further down the line, but their task for Week 18 is simple: beat the Las Vegas Raiders and earn a bye to the divisional round.
With the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals – both rivals for the first seed in the AFC – to finish the year having played only 16 games, neither will be able to catch the Chiefs should they defeat the Raiders.
That will not necessarily mean an AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium, with a neutral venue potentially coming into play, but it does assure them of a week off and a favourable route through the postseason.
Fans in Buffalo and Cincinnati could reasonably be frustrated, and their hopes of the Chiefs being halted rest with an unlikely Raiders victory.
The Chiefs are 9-1 in their past 10 games against the Raiders, and their most recent nine meetings – including a high-scoring defeat in 2020 – have seen Kansas City score at least 28 points.
Only the Los Angeles Rams against the Green Bay Packers, between 1949 and 1953, have ever scored 28 or more points in 10 straight encounters.
Even in Las Vegas, there is little reason to believe that sequence will end this week, given the Chiefs' dominant road form this year.
They have scored 264 points across eight games away from Arrowhead, meaning the Chiefs will have scored the third-most road points in a season in NFL history if they hit their average of 33.0 again.
MVP frontrunner Patrick Mahomes loves playing the Raiders, too, having thrown more touchdowns in this matchup (26) than in any other.
In 2022, he has passed 5,000 passing yards (5,048) and 250 rushing yards (329) in a season for the second time in his career; only two other quarterbacks in NFL history have ever enjoyed one such campaign (Jameis Winston in 2019 and Justin Herbert in 2021).
Yet the Raiders improbably have their own in-form QB, with former New England Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham last week impressing in his first career start.
Stidham threw for 365 yards and three TDs against the San Francisco 49ers, joining Mike White last season as the second QB in the Super Bowl era to mark his first start with 350 passing yards and three passing TDs.
Repeating that performance against the highly motivated Chiefs is a tough ask, though.
Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Australian Open after suffering a leg muscle injury in training.
The 19-year-old world number one won the US Open last September and would have been among the favourites at Melbourne Park and one of the players capable of challenging nine-time champion Novak Djokovic.
However, Alcaraz announced he would not be fit enough in time to feature, with a problem with a hamstring leaving him sidelined for the tennis season's opening grand slam.
He wrote on Instagram: "When I was at my best in preseason, I picked up an injury through a chance, unnatural movement in training.
"This time it's the semimembranosus muscle in my right leg. I'd worked so hard to get to my best level for Australia but unfortunately I won't be able to play the Care A2+ Kooyong or the Australian Open.
"It's tough, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look forward. See you in 2024 @australianopen."
The Kooyong event is an exhibition tournament ahead of the major, and it is the Australian Open where his presence will be most sorely felt.
Alcaraz has emerged as the pick of the new generation of players, with his high-intensity game winning him a legion of supporters and bringing him a host of titles already.
He earned $7.6million and picked up five singles titles last season, including the first grand slam crown of his career in New York, ending the year with a 57-13 win-loss record and the ATP top ranking.
Alcaraz's compatriot Rafael Nadal is the defending champion in Melbourne, while Djokovic returns this year after being deported from Australia 12 months ago amid a vaccination saga.
Skylar Thompson will start for the Miami Dolphins in a must-win Week 18 game against the New York Jets that could be decided by his ability to produce explosive plays.
The Dolphins are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them from 8-3 to 8-8 and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
Yet Miami will qualify for the postseason if the Dolphins beat the Jets – who were eliminated with last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks – and the New England Patriots lose to the Buffalo Bills.
The task of achieving that feat has been complicated by the Dolphins' quarterback situation.
Tua Tagovailoa remains out of action having been placed in the concussion protocol following the Dolphins' Christmas Day loss to the Green Bay Packers, and his backup Teddy Bridgewater suffered a finger injury in the defeat to the Patriots last week.
Thompson was subsequently thrown into the fire and never came close to rallying the Dolphins to a key victory, having also looked ill-equipped to lead the attack in a 40-17 loss to the Jets in Week 5, in which Bridgewater was injured on the first offensive play for Miami while filling in for Tagovailoa after he was concussed against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But the Dolphins have no choice but to look to him to thrive throwing the ball for a passing attack that has racked up 60 passing plays of 20 yards or more, a tally that trails only the Philadelphia Eagles (61) and Kansas City Chiefs (71).
The problem is that the Dolphins are facing a defense that has excelled at taking away the big play.
Indeed, the only team to allow fewer 20-yard pass plays than the Jets (36) are the New Orleans Saints (33).
With the Jets coaching staff perhaps coaching for their jobs, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will expect his opponents, led by his former San Francisco 49ers colleague Robert Saleh, to offer another stern test.
If Thompson and the Dolphins cannot find a way to come through it and miss out on the playoffs, there will be plenty of questions about what went wrong in a season that once looked so promising.
NFL owners voted on Friday to approve a possible change to this year’s playoff format, allowing for a neutral-site AFC championship game if the participants were affected by Monday's cancelled game betweeen the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
The ruling comes a day after the proposed changes were approved by the league's competition committee.
Monday's game between the Bills and Bengals was suspended after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field and needed to be resuscitated, shocking the sporting world and leaving the NFL with questions about how to proceed.
On Thursday, the NFL said it would not finish the game and officially ruled it as a no contest, leaving the Bills and Bengals – both AFC contenders – with one fewer game played than the rest of the league.
If Cincinnati or Buffalo qualify for the AFC Championship game as the road team and could have been the home team with one more win, this new provision would move the game to a neutral site.
The rule also allows for a coin flip to decide the host of a potential Wild Card round game between the Bengals (11-4) and Baltimore Ravens (10-6) if the Ravens win the matchup between the teams in the regular-season finale on Sunday.
The new procedures are not without controversy and have already received some criticism from fans of the Kansas City Chiefs (13-3), who can secure the AFC's top seed and first-round bye with a Week 18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. There are scenarios, however, in which the Chiefs would lose the right to host an AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium against the Bills (12-3).
The league's policy manual says that "a team's standing in its division or in its conference” is to be decided by winning percentage in the case of a disparity in games played, but the league deemed Monday's cancellation extraordinary enough to warrant a new ruling.
It is the first time since 1935 that NFL teams will have played different numbers of games in a season, leaving no modern precedent on which the league could lean.
While the NFL has been tweaking its playoff format, Hamlin has gradually made progress during his four days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Hamlin, whose heart was re-started twice Monday, is now able to breathe on his own and had his breathing tube removed overnight. The 24-year-old even joined his team-mates briefly on a video call Friday with a simple message: “Love you boys.”
In a Friday statement, the Bills said Hamlin's "neurologic function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team."
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is unhappy with the NFL's alterations to the playoffs, which could cost his team home-field advantage.
On Friday, NFL owners voted to approve proposed changes after the Bengals' game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday, in which Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, was cancelled.
Those changes would include a coin toss to decide who would host a Wild Card round clash between the Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens if Cincinnati lost to their AFC North rivals in their final regular season game this week.
Meanwhile, a neutral venue will be used for the AFC Championship Game if it is contested between two teams who have played different numbers of regular season games and the lower-seeded team could have been the number one seed by playing a full 17-game season.
Taylor, who preferred the Bengals to be judged simply by their winning percentage, believes the outcome is unfair as Cincy are dealt "only negatives" by the decision.
"What's in front of us is to win this weekend and reclaim the opportunity to have a home-field Wild Card game. That's the task that's at hand in front of the team," the Bengals coach told reporters on Friday.
"As far as I'm concerned, we just want the rules to be followed and when a game is cancelled that you just turn to winning percentage to clarify everything, so we don't have to just make up the rules.
"There's several instances this season where the club is fined or people in our building are fined and we are being told to follow the rules. It's black and white in the rulebook.
"Now, when we point out the rules, you are told we are going to change that. I don't want to hear about fair and equitable when that is the case.
"What this team will do is all we can control, going into a game this weekend and doing our best to win. We are going to channel our energy into that.
"Opportunities are lost for us that we had a chance to control; now we don't. It seems like there are positives for a lot of teams and just negatives for us.
"We have the opportunity to play for a coin flip that can only negatively impact us; we don't have the opportunity to play for a coin flip that positively impacts us.
"Let's just follow the rules; we accept that. We just have to turn our focus to getting ready for Baltimore and doing everything we can to control what we can control at that point."
The New York Mets are considering ending their pursuit of Carlos Correa as an impasse continues in contract talks between the team and the star shortstop’s camp, according to a report from New York sports television network SNY.
Correa and the Mets had agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract on December 21, shortly after the San Francisco Giants pulled out of a 13-year, $350m agreement with the two-time All-Star over concerns about a previous ankle injury.
The Mets also raised issues about Correa’s surgically repaired ankle following a physical exam which has since held up that deal as well, and Friday’s report stated the team remains 'frustrated' in its attempts to revise contract language to the point it’s contemplating walking away altogether.
The New York Post reported Thursday that Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, has restarted discussions with other teams while remaining in contact with the Mets. Sirius XM MLB Radio Network analyst Jim Bowden announced on Friday that Correa’s former team, the Minnesota Twins, have re-entered talks with the 28-year-old still unsigned.
According to the New York Post report, a source within the Mets organisation said the team was still optimistic it could reach an agreement.
Correa signed a three-year, $105m contract with the Twins shortly after last offseason’s lockout ended in March, with the deal containing an opt-out clause after one year that was ultimately exercised.
The 2015 American League Rookie of the Year hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 136 games for Minnesota last season.
Correa spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Houston Astros, who selected the Puerto Rico native first overall in the 2012 draft, and was a core part of that team’s run to the 2017 World Series title. He is a career .279 hitter with 155 home runs and 553 RBIs in 888 games.
The Dallas Mavericks are waiving Kemba Walker, who has played only nine games for the team since signing in November 2022.
ESPN reported the Mavs would cut their ties with Walker on Friday ahead of his salary for the remainder of the season becoming guaranteed this weekend.
Walker moved to Dallas last year after he was waived by the Detroit Pistons, for whom he did not play a game.
The four-time All-Star was brought in to boost a then struggling Mavs team who are increasingly reliant on superstar Luka Doncic after Jalen Brunson left for the New York Knicks at the end of last season.
Dallas have since improved considerably, climbing to fourth in the Western Conference at 22-17, but their ascent has owed more to Doncic's form than Walker's contributions.
While Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring 34.0 points per game, including 41.7 in the team's seven-game winning run across Christmas and New Year, Walker has played only 144 minutes for the Mavs.
Over nine games, the point guard averaged 8.0 points and 2.1 assists in 16 minutes, starting just once.
That sole start was in an overtime defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie were absent as Walker scored 32 points.
News of Walker's imminent departure from Dallas was greeted with a message from Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, hinting at his interest in a return for a former team-mate.
Walker spent two years in Boston between 2019 and 2021, although he played only 99 times for the Celtics.
England head coach Steve Borthwick has made former All Black Nick Evans his new attack coach ahead of the Six Nations.
With Kevin Sinfield already installed as defence coach, Borthwick believes he has found another ideal candidate to galvanise the Red Rose at the start of a Rugby World Cup year.
Evans will take time out from his coaching duties at Harlequins to join the England set-up.
It is unclear for now what involvement Martin Gleeson will have, having been attack coach under Borthwick's predecessor, Eddie Jones.
Evans, who won 16 caps for New Zealand before signing for Harlequins in 2008, retired from playing in April 2017 but remains an influential figure at the Premiership club.
Borthwick said: "I am delighted that Nick is joining our team ahead of the Six Nations. Nick brings with him a wealth of different experiences as a player and coach, which will be incredibly valuable to the growth of our team.
"I know that Nick understands the pride and responsibility that comes with representing your country. We aim to build an England team that our nation can be proud of, and I know that our supporters will be very excited by what Nick can bring to our side."
Former Leicester Tigers head coach Borthwick took over from Jones after the Australian was sacked in December, and it remains to be seen whether he may want Evans to stay involved leading up to the World Cup if the Six Nations brings positive results.
Harlequins, who were thanked by Borthwick on Friday, have said Evans will return to them on a full-time basis after the Six Nations.
The appointment of Evans comes during a week that saw Matt Proudfoot's tenure as England forwards coach come to an end.
England launch their Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4, having won just two of their five matches in each of the past two championships.
Damar Hamlin can breathe without assistance and is improving "remarkably" after his cardiac arrest, with the Buffalo Bills revealing he has already spoken to his team-mates.
The latest uplifting development arrived on Friday as Hamlin continues his recovery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC), where he was taken on Monday after collapsing mid-game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hamlin joined the Bills' Friday team meeting on FaceTime and told the group: "Love you boys."
UCMC's Dr Timothy Pritts spoke on Thursday of how Hamlin had "won the game of life" by surviving, after it was revealed the safety wanted to know whether the Bills had won against the Bengals.
As it happens, that game was abandoned and will not resume, with the NFL recognising its outcome would not impact any team's qualification or elimination from the postseason.
Hamlin's future in the NFL is unclear for now, with doctors saying on Thursday it was too soon to talk about the prospect of him playing again, but the 24-year-old is making significant day-by-day progress in hospital.
The Bills said in a statement: "Per the physicians at UCMC, Damar's breathing tube was removed overnight. He continues to progress remarkably in his recovery.
"His neurologic function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team.
"Damar Hamlin FaceTimed into our team meeting today to talk to players and coaches.
"What he said to the team: 'Love you boys.'"
Reports said Hamlin has also spoken individually to a number of team-mates, yet another encouraging sign.
It had been revealed on Thursday he was able to communicate by writing notes, and to be speaking and breathing without a tube a day later is another major step towards being discharged.
Hamlin collapsed after a collision with wide receiver Tee Higgins and had to be resuscitated on the field.
He received "textbook" medical attention at the stadium, Pritts' colleague Dr William A. Knight said.
Iga Swiatek was in tears after losing to Jessica Pegula as the United States took a 2-0 United Cup semi-final lead over Poland, while Italy moved into command against Greece on Friday.
World number one Swiatek was beaten 6-2 6-2 by the impressive Pegula in just 71 minutes at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Swiatek got the better of Pegula three times last year, but the American made light work of seeing off the three-time grand slam champion this time around to put USA in front.
Pegula struck 21 winners, attacking the Swiatek serve in a commanding display just over a week before the Australian Open gets under way.
Swiatek's emotions came out after she was emphatically defeated by the world number three in Sydney.
Pegula said: "I played her today, conditions are totally different than anywhere else I played her. Obviously maybe I had a little bit of an advantage, they just flew in yesterday.
"Definitely the fastest conditions I have played her [in]. Every other place I've played her has been pretty slow. I think that favoured me a lot, and I was able to use that to my advantage and play a really super clean match.
"I think I just was able to execute my game plan probably better than I have previous times."
Frances Tiafoe backed up Pegula's win by beating Kacper Zuk, who replaced the unwell Daniel Michalski, 6-3 6-3.
That ensures Taylor Fritz has a chance to put the United States into the final if he beats Hubert Hurkacz on Saturday.
Italy are in control of the other semi-final following victories for Martina Trevisan and Lorenzo Musetti.
Trevisan upset Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 before Musetti outclassed Stefanos Sakellaridis, winning 6-1 6-1.
Novak Djokovic set up a semi-final clash with Daniil Medvedev at the Adelaide International with a straight-sets win over Denis Shapovalov.
Shapovalov wilted under pressure on his serve at the end of both sets as Djokovic claimed a 6-3 6-4 victory, though he felt the encounter was closer than the score suggested.
"The scoreline doesn't give you the right idea of what happened in the match, almost two hours for two sets, it was such a close match," Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
"I just managed to stay mentally composed in the right moments and play my best tennis."
He wrapped up the win with a backhand volley after a Shapovalov double fault handed Djokovic the key break, teeing up a meeting with Medvedev, whom he beat in the 2021 Australian Open final before losing to the Russian in the US Open showpiece later that year.
Fellow former world number one Medvedev cruised to a 6-3 6-3 win over compatriot Karen Khachanov.
Medvedev trailed 3-1 in the second set but reeled off five straight games to surge into the last four.
"We didn't play since 2019, that's pretty long," Medvedev said of his reunion with Khachanov.
"Hopefully we can play more matches at later stages of tournaments. It's never easy, I'm happy that I managed to really raise my level, especially at the end of both sets, and I'm really happy to be through to the semis."
Sebastian Korda continued his superb run with a straight-sets win over Jannik Sinner, who was bothered by a hip issue that later forced him to pull out of his doubles match.
Korda pulled away in the second set after a tight first to win 7-5 6-1 and has won 11 of his 14 matches since the start of October.
He will take on Yoshihito Nishioka, who overcame home hope Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (8-10) 6-2, for a place in the final.
Former world number one Ash Barty has revealed she is pregnant with her first child.
Barty surprisingly announced her retirement from tennis last March, just two months after she ended a 44-year wait for a home triumph at the Australian Open.
The 26-year-old, who won three grand slam singles titles during her career, revealed her pregnancy via an Instagram post on Friday.
"2023 set to be the best year yet. We are so excited for our new adventure. Origi already the protective big sister," Barty wrote, alongside an image of her dog Origi next to a pair of baby shoes.
Barty's partner Garry Kissick also took to social media to share the news, posting a similar image featuring a baby-sized Liverpool kit with the caption: "Little Red, 2023".
Barty married professional golfer Kissick last July, six years after the pair met at the Brookwater Golf Club in 2016.
In addition to last year's Australian Open, Barty enjoyed singles success at Wimbledon in 2021 and the French Open in 2019, as well as winning the women's doubles title at the 2018 US Open alongside CoCo Vandeweghe.
Teenage Czech qualifier Linda Noskova upset former world number one Victoria Azarenka to set up a semi-final showdown with Ons Jabeur at the Adelaide International.
In a match lasting almost three hours, Noskova triumphed 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (8-6) to continue a dream run in Australia.
Noskova has already beaten third seed Daria Kasatkina in Adelaide and, on only her sixth appearance in a WTA main draw, has won five straight matches.
Further progress will be no easy feat, with top seed Jabeur – a losing finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2022 – grinding out a 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 win over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk.
On the other side of the draw, second seed Aryna Sabalenka held off a resurgent Marketa Vondrousova to win 6-3 7-5. The Belarusian had led 4-1 in the second set before losing four of the next five games and failing on match point prior to finally seeing it out.
Irina-Camelia Begu defeated fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova 7-5 6-4 to set up a last-four clash with Sabalenka.
At the ASB Classic in Auckland, top seed Coco Gauff outclassed Zhu Lin 6-3 6-2, winning 90 per cent of first-serve points, firing down eight aces, and not giving up a single break point.
Seventh seed Danka Kovinic also won 6-3 6-2 against Viktoria Kuzmova to set up a semi-final clash with Gauff, while world number 95 Ysaline Bonaventure ousted third seed Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2 to reach a first Tour-level semi-final where Rebeka Masarova awaits.
Joe Mazzulla called for the Boston Celtics to put on a show "over and over again" after they swept the Dallas Mavericks aside on Thursday.
The Celtics dished out a 124-95 defeat to the Mavericks at American Airlines Center on a great night for Jayson Tatum.
Tatum came up with his first triple-double of the NBA season; scoring 29 points, providing 10 assists and taking 14 rebounds in a brilliant all-round display.
It was only the second triple-double of his career and took Boston to 27-12, upstaging Luka Doncic as the Mavericks' seven-game winning streak ground to a halt.
Interim coach Mazzulla wants to see consistency from the Eastern Conference leaders Celtics, who got back on track after suffering back-to-back losses.
He said: "They showed me they can do it one time. They have to do it over and over again."
Jaylen Brown put up 19 points and seven claimed rebounds, while Mavericks superstar Doncic finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and three assists before being left on the bench for the final quarter.
Mazzulla added: "When we're at our best, we play really good basketball on both ends of the floor with high effort for a long period of time.
"And then we go through a couple of games where we lose that. What I love about tonight was we did bounce back."
Michael Malone will always allow his Denver Nuggets team to enjoy the wins but said "I'm not going to party and celebrate" after a rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Jamal Murray top scored with 18 points as the high-flying Nuggets ran out 122-91 winners at Ball Arena to improve to 25-13 on the season and 15-3 on home court.
It was another statement victory in a season full of excellent performance and leaves the Nuggets top of the Western Conference, with an identical record to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Head coach Malone encouraged his players to enjoy the moment, while also emphasising there is plenty of work still to be done.
"I've been around people who would not allow themselves to enjoy the wins, to enjoy the moment. I'm not that guy," Malone said.
"But I'm also not going to party and celebrate.
"That was a hell of a win for us. A convincing win, from beginning to end. Everybody contributed.
"We're in first place in the Western Conference. We're not there yet. But we're on our way. I like where we're at and, more importantly, I like who I'm going there with."
Murray scored 13 of his 18 points in a blistering first quarter and it was a welcome performance considering his hit-and-miss form since returning from an ACL injury that ruled him out of last season.
Following a 124-111 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves last time out, Malone said with Murray on the plan ride home for a heart-to-heart.
"He takes ownership. He has to help himself as well," Malone said of Murray.
Murray added that the win shows the level the Nuggets have to aspire to on a consistent performance.
He said: "Wins like this give us a lot of confidence and build a lot of chemistry. Sets a standard for us."
The NFL has confirmed the suspended Cincinnati Bengals-Buffalo Bills' Week 17 game will not resume, with teams to consider a neutral side for the AFC Championship game.
The Bengals-Bills game was suspended after Damar Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter due to a cardiac arrest. Hamlin was resuscitated on the field, then rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he has remained in intensive care, but encouragingly has made "substantial progress" in the past 24 hours.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell explained the decision had "no perfect solution", which comes ahead of the final regular season round of fixtures with significant playoff implications, and was based on three key factors.
Goodell stressed that the game's cancellation would not impact any team's qualification or elimination from the postseason, while he was eager to have the playoff scenario clarified for all sides ahead of Week 18. He added that delaying the playoffs one week to play the game was unfair on all other clubs, which guided their decision-making.
The statement revealed that NFL team owners will attend a Special League Meeting on Friday to consider a resolution recommended by the Competition Committee to have the AFC Championship game played at a neutral site if the participating teams could both have mathematically been the No.1 seed if they had played an equal number of games.
That decision affects the Bills (12-3) and Bengals (11-4) along with the Kansas City Chiefs (13-3). The NFL stated three scenarios whereby the AFC Championship game being played on a neutral site would come into effect.
- If Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie, a Bills-Chiefs championship game will be at a neutral site.
- If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties, a Bills-Chiefs championship game will be at a neutral site.
- If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins, a Bills or Bengals v Chiefs championship game will be at a neutral site.
The Baltimore Ravens (10-6) may also be impacted if they win against the Bengals in Week 18, leading to a match-up in an AFC Wild Card game, with the site to be determined by coin flip.
"As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimise competitive inequities," Goodell said in the statement.
He added: "This has been a very difficult week. We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country.
"We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them."
Jayson Tatum registered his second career triple-double as the Boston Celtics ended the Dallas Mavericks' seven-game winning streak with a 124-95 victory on Thursday.
Tatum finished the game with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists plus one steal and two blocks. The MVP candidate shot eight-of-22 from the field and two-of-eight from beyond the arc, scoring 11-of-12 from the stripe.
The Celtics improved to 27-12 with their merciless display, which comes amid a tough stretch for the Eastern Conference leaders, who had dropped seven of their past 12 games, including giving up 150 points last game to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Luka Doncic was kept to only 23 points for the Mavs, after a five-game run averaging 44.5 points. Doncic, who shot none-of-six from three-point range, was benched in the fourth quarter amid the blowout.
Tatum also struggled from beyond the arc, but Marcus Smart made up for it with four-of-nine triples in his 15 points, while Malcolm Brogdon hit three-of-five three-pointers in his 15 points off the bench.
Jaylen Brown scored 19 points with two three-pointers with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Nuggets rout Clippers despite Jokic being quiet
The Denver Nuggets re-claimed top spot in the Western Conference with a 122-91 domination of the Los Angeles Clippers, who slumped to their fourth straight defeat.
The Nuggets, who secured their 10th straight home win, prevailed without a great contribution from MVP Nikola Jokic, who managed 12 points with six rebounds and nine assists.
Jamal Murray top scored with 18 points, including four three-pointers for Denver, who led by as much as 43 points. The Clippers shuffled their deck ahead of a back-to-back with Kawhi Leonard scoring six points in 18 minutes.
The Nuggets lead the west with a 25-13 record ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, also 25-13, who won 123-115 over the Orlando Magic with Ja Morant scoring 32 points.
Lauri's career-high ends Jazz's five-game skid
Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points as the Utah Jazz snapped their five-game skid with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Markkanen posted 18 points in the first quarter on his way to the equal 15th highest single-game scoring performance this season.
The Finnish forward sparked a 14-0 fourth-quarter run which put the game to bed. Jalen Green scored 30 points for Houston, while Kevin Porter Jr added 23.
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