The Atlanta Falcons made a splash by bolstering their defensive secondary on the first day of NFL free agency.
After spending his first five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, safety Jessie Bates III is signing with the Falcons for four years and $64million, according to multiple reports.
According to NFL Network, the contract will pay Bates $23m in its first year. With an average annual salary of $16m, Bates becomes among the top five highest-paid safeties in the league.
Bates, who was a second-round draft pick in 2018, was expected to leave Cincinnati after playing under the franchise tag last season.
The Falcons' defense allowed 3,942 passing yards last season, 25th in the NFL.
While Bates will immediately be expected to make an impact and provide veteran leadership with the Falcons, the void he leaves in the Bengals' secondary is likely to be filled by 2022 first-round draft pick Daxton Hill.
Earlier on Monday, the Falcons announced a five-year, $105m contract extension for guard Chris Lindstrom.
After a 7-10 campaign last year, Atlanta are likely to continue spending in free agency. The Falcons also have the number eight pick in April's draft.
The San Francisco 49ers have their insurance policy at quarterback, having agreed a one-year deal with Sam Darnold.
San Francisco last season saw their Super Bowl hopes derailed by injuries at the game's most important position, literally running out of healthy players at quarterback in their NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
That game saw Brock Purdy suffer a torn elbow ligament on the first offensive series for the 49ers. Josh Johnson was then concussed in the second half.
Purdy, the final pick in last year's draft, had previously improbably led the 49ers to the Conference Championship.
He won all five of his starts in the regular season after taking over from an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 to lift them to a 13-4 record and the second seed in the NFC, and he then helped San Francisco to playoff victories over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.
Purdy last week had surgery to repair his torn ligament, giving 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, whose season-ending ankle injury suffered in Week 2 forced the Niners to turn to Garoppolo, a chance to stake his claim for the starting job during the offseason programme.
Yet with Garoppolo departing in free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders, the 49ers needed an experienced third-stringer, and they have turned to 2018 third overall pick Darnold.
Darnold has failed to live up to his draft slot in spells with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, though he did go 4-2 as a starter for the latter in 2022.
That relative success came with Steve Wilks serving as interim head coach. Wilks has since replaced new Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans as San Francisco's defensive coordinator.
In 2022, Darnold delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 83.2 per cent of his pass attempts, 13th among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts, according to Stats Perform data.
Those are encouraging numbers, but the 49ers will hope Purdy and Lance can display the durability to ensure Darnold is not asked to replicate that level of accuracy in 2023.
The Kansas City Chiefs moved quickly to find their new left tackle on the first day of the NFL's free agent negotiating window.
Having elected not to place the franchise tag on Orlando Brown Jr., the Chiefs agreed a four-year, $80million deal with Jawaan Taylor, according to multiple reports.
Taylor was the right tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars and, with the Chiefs also losing Andrew Wylie in free agency, would be a natural fit to play the same position for Kansas City.
But he will reportedly shift sides and take the spot vacated by Brown for the Super Bowl champions.
A second-round pick of Jacksonville in 2019, Taylor is coming off the best season of his career, one in which he helped the Jags to the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs, where they lost to the Chiefs.
Taylor allowed a pressure rate of 5.8 per cent in 2022, ranking seventh among right tackles with at least 100 pass protection snaps.
He now faces the challenge of replicating that form on the left side. That is no easy feat for any offensive lineman, but playing for Andy Reid and in front of the reigning MVP in Patrick Mahomes, Taylor could not ask for a better situation in which to make the switch.
Ireland will be without Garry Ringrose and Iain Henderson for Saturday's Grand Slam decider against England in the Six Nations after the duo suffered injuries in Sunday's win in Scotland.
Andy Farrell's side are on the brink of a first Grand Slam since 2018 after following up wins over Wales, France and Italy with a 22-7 triumph over Scotland at Murrayfield.
However, Ireland's latest win was marred by a serious-looking head injury sustained by Ringrose, with the centre requiring an oxygen mask as he left the field on a stretcher.
Henderson, meanwhile, will also miss the final game of Ireland's campaign as he undergoes surgery on a forearm fracture, a medical update revealed on Monday.
"Garry Ringrose is doing well today and has returned to Dublin," the update read. "He will take no further part in this year's Championship.
"Iain Henderson is due to undergo surgery today on a fractured forearm sustained in the first half of yesterday's game.
"The uncapped Ross Molony is added to the squad to provide additional second row cover."
Ireland said Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher will be monitored ahead of Saturday's contest at the Aviva Stadium after both men sustained shoulder injuries, with Ulster’s Tom Stewart called up to the squad as cover.
Ireland's victory over Scotland was their seventh in succession in the Six Nations – their joint-best run in the Championship alongside a seven-game winning sequence between 2004 and 2005.
France still retain an outside chance of defending their title, however, and will be hoping to pile the pressure on Ireland with a bonus-point victory over Wales before Farrell's men meet England.
Full Ireland squad:
Forwards: Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes, Tadhg Furlong, Caelan Doris, Cian Healy, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Ross Molony, Peter O'Mahony, Tom O'Toole, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Roman Salanoa, Dan Sheehan, Tom Stewart, Josh van der Flier.
Backs: Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jimmy O'Brien, Johnny Sexton, Jacob Stockdale, Nick Timoney, Kieran Treadwell.
Jamaican netball player Gezelle Allison is planning for a life after sport and she is banking on bags to help her make that transition.
The 27-year-old Allison, who has represented Jamaica’s national team and Wasps in the Vitality Netball League in the United Kingdom, has come to realize that there isn’t much money in the sport and wanted to find a means of supplementing her income.
In the summer of 2022, a friend, a beautician, planted a seed in her mind that began to grow.
“It's my best friend, Suneak Rhoden, who had mentioned it to me and I decided to try,” said Allison, a six-footer who has also represented Jamaica at basketball. “Being a professional playing and still not earning a lot, plus paying for your own tuition fee, it only gives you the drive to try something else and have faith that it works.”
Allison, who is pregnant with her first child, has plans to play for another four years after she gives birth, said so far her gamble has been paying off.
“I didn't own a business before so obviously I was hesitant on the decision if I should. Eventually, I give it a try and It has been great,” she said gleefully.
“It has been great. I even start selling authentic bags and I still have the support like when I was selling the cheaper bags. So business has been fantastic!
“The only challenge I had was with myself. I didn't have the faith to start the business. My friend constantly asked when I'm going to open the business and I followed her advice and now I have no regrets.”
One of the top free agents at right tackle is off the board.
Mike McGlinchey agreed to a five-year, $87.5million contract with the Denver Broncos on Monday, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
The deal includes over $50m in guaranteed money.
The 28-year-old McGlinchey had spent the last five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and has established himself at being one of the best at his position in the NFL after being selected ninth overall in the 2018 draft.
He started all 16 games at right tackle as a rookie in 2018 and all 20 contests the 49ers played this past season en route to a berth in the NFC championship game.
In 2022, McGlinchey helped bolster an offensive line that allowed the sixth-fewest sacks in the NFL (31) and open up holes for Christian McCaffrey and a ground attack that ranked eighth in the league in average rushing yards (138.8).
He now joins a Broncos team looking to shore up its offensive line after struggling to protect quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022.
Denver surrendered an NFL-worst 63 sacks last season and scuffled in the ground game as well, ranking 21st in average rushing yards (113.8).
Jimmy Garoppolo will join the Las Vegas Raiders as a free agent and reunite with Josh McDaniels.
Garoppolo's move was reported on Monday after the legal tampering period began, with ESPN's Adam Schefter suggesting the quarterback has agreed to a three-year, $67.5million deal, including $34m guaranteed.
He is set to replace Derek Carr, who had already left the Raiders to find a new home with the New Orleans Saints.
Garoppolo leaves the San Francisco 49ers after five and a half seasons, in which time he was part of the team that went to Super Bowl LIV and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
He was hampered by injuries in San Francisco, however, and lost his place as the 49ers' starter ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Trey Lance was named QB1, although Garoppolo returned to the team on a one-year deal to serve as backup.
Lance soon went down injured, but so too did Garoppolo, giving Brock Purdy the opportunity to establish himself at QB.
With Lance and Purdy set to compete for the starting role in 2023, there was never any possibility of Garoppolo again returning to the 49ers.
Instead, he will team up again with McDaniels, who was his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the New England Patriots ahead of joining the Niners.
Garoppolo only made two starts for the Patriots behind Tom Brady, but he is now in line to be the main man in Vegas, where McDaniels is the head coach.
The San Francisco 49ers have added yet more firepower to the NFL's premier defense by agreeing a deal to sign defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
According to multiple reports, Hargave has come to terms on a four-year, $84million deal that includes $40m guaranteed at signing.
Hargrave was viewed as the top defender on the market after a stellar season with the Philadelphia Eagles in which he helped them reach Super Bowl LVII.
He finished the regular season with a career-high 11 sacks and, according to Stats Perform data, had a pass rush win rate of 43.79 per cent, well above the league average of 29.16 for interior defensive linemen.
Hargrave's addition fills a need for a San Francisco defense that allowed 300.6 yards per game, the fewest in the NFL.
The 49ers have long since won on defense through their depth on the defensive line.
However, though edge rusher Nick Bosa won Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 for an 18.5-sack season, the middle of the D-line was a patchwork operation for much of the year, with former first-round picks Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw both missing time through injury.
Even with both Armstead and Kinlaw available, the interior of the D-line was comfortably second-best in the 49ers' NFC Championship Game defeat to the Eagles, with Philadelphia's offensive line dominating that matchup.
Having lost that contest 31-7 in a game that saw the Niners run out of healthy quarterbacks, San Francisco may now switch focus to the offensive line, having seen starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey depart for the Denver Broncos on a five-year, $87.5m deal.
Jason Kelce still has more he wants to accomplish with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The star center announced on Monday he will return for the 2023 season.
"I have put much thought into whether it makes sense to play another season," Kelce wrote on Twitter.
"After talking it over with my wife and many other friends and family, I have decided to return for another year.
"Thank you to all my supporters and detractors for fuelling me, I ain't f***ing done yet!"
Considered one of the best centers in the NFL, the 35-year-old Kelce has anchored Philadelphia's offensive line since being drafted by the franchise in 2011, starting every game for them since the start of the 2015 season.
A 12-year veteran, Kelce was named to his sixth Pro Bowl this past season while also earning a first-team All-Pro selection for the fifth time.
He won the Super Bowl with Philadelphia during the 2017 season and helped the Eagles reach this past season's Super Bowl, where they lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs and his brother – star tight end Travis.
Tyson Fury is "scared" to face Oleksandr Usyk after challenging the Ukrainian to "up the ante", promoter Alexander Krassyuk has claimed.
A late turnaround in the past week saw talks reignite between the two heavyweight champions, sparking fresh hope for a fiercely anticipated unification bout.
Usyk took to social media to accept a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury, with the WBA stating on Friday it had been informed of an agreement.
Wembley is expected to be the venue for the bout, with April 29 a proposed date, and Fury has now urged his rival to make the fight a one-off event.
Posting a video on social media, he said: "I've been speaking to the lawyers, and Usyk's people have been talking about rematch clauses and all that.
"Here's one to up the ante – how about there is no rematch clause for both of us? Let's up the ante completely.
"Never worry about what's in the future or how many more dollars you can get after you've been defeated. Worry about the fight.
"No rematch clause. Winner takes the glory, the loser goes home. How about that? Agree to that."
However, Usyk's promoter Krassyuk accused Fury of being "scared" with his latest demand and suggested the 'Gypsy King' is looking for a way to pull out of a fight.
"As Usyk said, the greedy belly is still hoping to find a way to pull out. We knew before and know it now," he told talkSPORT. "As soon as Usyk accepts a no-rematch clause, there will still be searching for another thing to find and pull out the fight.
"I tell you why. He bluffed and Usyk called his bluff. This is 100 per cent. He didn't expect Usyk to accept [a 70-30 split].
"He was not in a training camp, and we saw the next morning the theatrical performance that he was pretending to jog and fight someone in the ring.
"It's all about nothing. He's not prepared and scared to fight. He will try to find a way to avoid Usyk for as long as possible.
"We don't trust him, we don't believe him. One more thing to know, when we started the negotiations, Fury's side was the first to ask for the rematch. Fury were the first to ask for the rematch, and we supported this."
Ollie Lawrence has been left out of England's final squad of this year's Six Nations after sustaining a hamstring injury in Saturday's thrashing by France.
Lawrence had started his country's last three Tests, but the centre has been replaced by Guy Porter as Steve Borthwick named his 36-man training camp squad for the trip to Ireland next weekend.
There are returns for George Ford, Jonny Hill and Ollie Hassell-Collins, while Will Collier is also called up and Manu Tuilagi returns from suspension.
Borthwick's men will be hoping to put in a vastly improved performance at the Aviva Stadium after they were on the end of their record home defeat at the hands of France, going down 53-10 at Twickenham.
England hooker Jamie George apologised to fans after the game, with many leaving early after seeing their team concede seven tries to Les Bleus.
"I want to apologise because I'm one of [the fans] really," he said. "I would be gutted if I'd turned up to Twickenham to see an England team play like that.
"We are sorry and we need to make sure that we get better and learn from this experience because it's clear we have a long way to go."
Ireland are on course for a Grand Slam after they beat Scotland 22-7 at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Full England squad:
Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Will Collier, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Jonny Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.
Backs: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, George Ford, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Max Malins Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Guy Porter, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs.
March Madness has arrived and the NCAA Tournament field is set, with some exciting NBA prospects and a seven-foot-four behemoth expected to make waves.
With the conference tournaments officially in the books, reigning champions the Kansas Jayhawks have been joined by the Purdue Boilermakers, the Houston Cougars and the Alabama Crimson Tide as the four one-seeds in the 68-team field.
Purdue are led by National Player of the Year favourite Zach Edey, who has emerged as one of this generation's most dominant bigs during his third season in Indiana, while the other top seeds have relied on stellar play from first-year freshmen.
Dozens of NBA scouts will be in attendance at the 'big dance', and while new faces always emerge under the bright lights, here are the headliners from this year's tournament favourites.
Gradey Dick, Kansas
NBA comparison: Kyle Kuzma
Jalen Wilson is the defending champions' best player but it is his wing partner Gradey Dick, over three years younger, who is the X-factor and Kansas' top NBA prospect.
Dick, 19, was a highly regarded high school recruit who instantly earned a starting role on one of college basketball's perennial powerhouses.
Having played in all 34 of Kansas' games this season, helping them go 27-7, the six-foot-eight, sweet-shooting wing looked right at home from the jump. He scored 23 points on his debut – one of his seven 20-point games for the season – while displaying a professional offensive game.
With ideal size for an NBA wing, Dick's money-maker will be his jump shot, boasting a 39.9 per cent clip from three-point range on an aggressive 5.8 attempts per game.
His free throw percentage of 85.1 shows that his touch is real, and he has delivered in off-the-dribble situations as well movement threes off hard cuts, illustrating his upside as more than a stagnant corner spacer.
While he lacks some foot speed and explosive bounce, he has the size and competitiveness to compete against big wings at the next level, and his 1.4 steals per game show quick hands that will add to his value on that end.
Dick's three-point heavy game, combined with his versatility and playmaking flashes at his size point to an NBA role similar to Kyle Kuzma with the Washington Wizards, where he can excel as a complimentary piece while also shouldering some of the creation workload.
Kansas, ranked third in the country, have four wins over teams ranked in the top-10 at the time of their meetings, and will hope the addition of Dick to last year's National Championship team will be enough to go back-to-back.
Zach Edey, Purdue
NBA comparison: Jonas Valanciunas with less shooting
The most dominant player in college basketball this season, the seven-foot-four Canadian took a monumental leap on both ends of the floor coming into his junior year.
Known as a per-minute monster through his first two seasons at Purdue, Edey went from an interesting bench piece playing 14.7 minutes per game as a freshman, to a role-playing starter with 19.0 minutes per game as a sophomore, before exploding as their star player this campaign, averaging 31.7 minutes.
Incredibly, he has been able to sustain almost all of his per-minute dominance in an expanded role. After averaging 30.3 points, 16.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per 40 minutes last season, he has proven he can continue to produce as a focal point with 27.9 points, 16.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per 40.
It has translated to averages of 22.1 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, all while leading all of college basketball – including all 352 division one teams – in a number of advanced stats.
Edey leads the country in total rebounding percentage, grabbing down 24.5 per cent of all misses while he is on the floor, buoyed by his number one ranking in the offensive rebound category as well (21.8 per cent).
Purdue became one of the best teams in the country last season when Edey was injected into the starting line-up, and have stayed near the top of the rankings this whole year, peaking at number one before settling at number five with a 29-5 record after winning their conference tournament.
Edey will almost certainly be who decides how far Purdue go in the big dance, and as a reward for his incredible year, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. The past 13 players to win the award have all been selected in the NBA Draft, and he is a favourite to take home National Player of the Year honours.
Brandon Miller, Alabama
NBA comparison: Lauri Markkanen with more defense
There is no archetype more in-demand in the NBA than tall, long-armed wings with the ability to both shoot and defend – and Alabama's Brandon Miller is the best of this year's class.
Standing at six-foot-nine with a plus wingspan, Miller has flashed a professional scoring game, averaging 19.5 points while shooting 45.9 per cent from the field, an impressive 40.7 per cent from long range on an eye-opening 7.4 three-point attempts per game, and a rock-solid 85.3 per cent from the free throw line.
Add into the equation that he is a willing defender who can realistically guard three positions at a high level, while also grabbing over eight rebounds per game, and you have a modern wing who ticks just about every box.
Profiling as the most 'sure thing' prospect in college basketball this season, Miller's main knocks come from a lack of physicality, which has resulted in a disappointing success rate on attempts near the basket as he struggles to deal with contact.
As a big, finesse wing, Miller projects to fill a similar role to Lauri Markkanen since his emergence with the Utah Jazz, as one of the league's only players at that size to average at least three makes from both the three-point line and free throw line per game.
Miller is not the first skinny 20-year-old to enter the draft, he will not be the last, and he has shown unequivocally that he can be the best player on a good team.
He is the only player on the fourth-ranked, 29-5 Alabama team averaging more than 13 points and the only one averaging at least eight rebounds, while leading them in three-point makes (99), free throw makes (128) and being second in total steals (29).
Jarace Walker, Houston
NBA comparison: Jimmy Butler
An arguably unique prospect projected to be a lottery pick in this year's NBA Draft, Houston's Jarace Walker is a game-wrecker on the defensive end.
At six-foot-eight with a seven-foot-two wingspan, Walker will begin his career as a four who can play some small-ball center, but has shown enough playmaking, shooting and feel for the game to project well in a more on-ball role moving forward.
His primary value will come on the defensive end, with his quick feet defying his football-player's frame at 240lb, and that combination of size, length and quickness will have him on the short list of players who can defend the NBA's top big wings.
A versatile player on the offensive end, Walker has yet to truly figure out how he can take over games on a consistent basis, with nine performances of at least 15 points, and seven games with five points or fewer.
He evokes visions of a young Jimmy Butler, who came into the league as a position-less forward, but was able to refine his ball-handling to a level that allowed him to take advantage of his clear passing and playmaking ability.
Walker flashes some similar tantalising skills off the dribble, showing off some nifty passes in traffic, but the title-hungry Cougars have no time to waste trying out new looks with their freshman wing, with 22-year-old point guard Marcus Sasser running the show.
The top-ranked team in the country at 31-3, Houston will enter the tournament as arguably the favourite, with 19-year-old Walker the only teenager in the starting line-up.
Tyson Fury deserves credit for not "ducking" any opponent and agreeing to face off against the best fighters, according to his promoter Frank Warren.
An eleventh-hour agreement is reported to have been reached for a fiercely anticipated unification bout between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
It seemed a deal would not be agreed, with figures from both camps hinting at an imminent collapse in talks last week, before Usyk publicly offered a 70-30 purse split in Fury's favour.
That got the wheels moving again, with the WBA confirming it had been assured of a deal, before Warren confirmed over the weekend the fight was on – and hailed Fury for going toe-to-toe with the best in his era.
"Everyone wants to see the fight. Everybody should take their hat off to Tyson Fury because he's the only heavyweight since going back to those great glory days of Ali, Foreman and Frazier that has fought the best around of the generations he's been in," he told talkSPORT.
"He's fought against [Wladimir] Klitschko, who was the best of his generation, went to his backyard and beat him. The longest reigning heavyweight in Deontay Wilder – went to the states not once but three times and beat him.
"Now he's stepping up to the guy who has had two wins over Joshua and has three belts.
"You have to take your hat off to Tyson, we talk about Lennox Lewis, but he never fought Riddick Bowe, never fought Mike Tyson until he was well past his best. I'd not taking anything away from Lennox, he was a great fighter. Tyson has fought all these guys at their best.
"Once we get it all finalised… it's great. It's the first time four belts have been on the line. It's the biggest heavyweight fight in goodness knows how many years.
"Both are undefeated and both in their prime. It will be a fantastic event and the highest grossing event ever to take place at Wembley, beating the previous one. I'm not talking about boxing but a one-off event. The previous one was last April again with Tyson.
"He's a megastar and I'm delighted for him. People should acknowledge in him, we've got a fighter who doesn't duck anybody."
Anthony Davis labelled his own performance "terrible" as he blamed himself for the Los Angeles Lakers' 112-108 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday.
The Lakers missed the chance to get back .500, with the narrow defeat leaving them 33-35 in the battle for playoffs spot in the West.
In LeBron James' absence, Davis was critical of his own ability to lead the side, managing 17 points and 16 rebounds but shooting one-of-five from the free-throw line.
Davis also had four assists, two steals and a block, but his eight-of-18 field shooting left a lot to be desired, with the power forward stating "my play" was the reason for the loss.
"I played terrible," Davis told reporters. "Couldn't find my shot: free throws, layups, everything. The guys did their job. I didn't do my job."
Davis had little impact down the stretch with the game up for grabs, shooting one-of-four from the field.
"I just missed a lot of shots," he said. "I don't think they did anything special. A lot of times one-on-one, they doubled a couple of times."
The Lakers' three-game winning streak may have been halted, but there was some good news with James, who was out of a walking boot and rejoined the team.
The four-time MVP has not played since February 26 and will be re-evaluated next week, potentially offering the Lakers a major boost in their push for the playoffs if they can stay in contention in the meantime.
"It's also good for him to unplug a little bit," Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said about James' break. "Not be detached necessarily, but just mentally get a little bit of a calming to everything that's transpired over the year.
"It's not just about him getting healthy, it's about him being in a good place mentally and spiritually, so we get the best version of him when he returns."
The Lakers (33-35) are 11th in the Western Conference, which is tightly contested from the fourth-placed Phoenix Suns (37-30) down to the 12th-placed New Orleans Pelicans (33-35).
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says his side have been in "cruise control" after Sunday's 122-120 loss to the Brooklyn Nets marked three straight defeats.
The Nuggets remain clear atop the West with a 46-22 record, with the second-placed Sacramento Kings back at 40-26, inviting a level of complacency.
Denver were unable to win despite reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic managing a 35-point triple-double with 20 rebounds and 11 assists.
"We've been on cruise control for a really long time, making it look easy," Malone told reporters. "We've spoilt a lot of people, like we're going to win our last 15 games, we're great. It doesn’t work like that.
"What do you think [2022 NBA champions] Golden State's record was after the All-Star break last year. It was 11-12. It happens.
"Is it ideal? Hell, no. We don’t want to lose three in a row and now we're going one a very demanding and difficult five-game road trip.
"I think the most important for me as head coach is the delicate balance of coaching, holding guys accountable, teaching but also not panicking.
"Losing sucks, we all realise that, but let's stay together, stay poised and find a way to put 48 minutes together."
Denver have blown double-digit leads in all of their past three defeats, with Malone lamenting their inability to play a full four quarters.
The Nets took control of Sunday's game on the back of a 37-18 third quarter, with Malone pointing to similar periods in their previous two games.
"Everybody in that third quarter played poorly," Malone said. "Looking at the last game and looking at tonight, one quarter has cost us the game.
"San Antonio, it was the second quarter, we gave up 42 points. Tonight it was the third quarter, 37-18. In this league, against a team that's fifth in the East, you can't play three quarters and expect to win."
The Nuggets were not helped by Jamal Murray's poor shooting night, finishing five-of-19 from the field for his 16 points. Murray sat out the fourth quarter with left knee soreness.
"I haven’t had a chance to speak with Jamal or our trainers yet," Malone said. "We'll see how it is."
Third seed Jessica Pegula rallied back from a set down for the second straight match to advance into the final 16 with a 3-6 6-4 7-5 victory over 26th seed Anastasia Potapova.
Potapova won the first set in 39 minutes, claiming the only break of the frame in the sixth game, but Pegula responded by breaking immediately in the second.
Despite squaring the match up, the American trailed 3-1 in the third set, only to fight back again and triumph in two hours and 17 minutes.
Pegula will face 15th seed Petra Kvitova after she won a seesawing three-set contest over 24th seed Jelena Ostapenko, 0-6 6-0 6-4.
Ostapenko won the first six games, before Kvitova won the next 10, only for the Latvian to hit back and claim the next four, squaring up the deciding set at 4-4. But two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova held her nerve and won the final two games for victory.
World number two Aryna Sabalenka progressed to the final 16 via walkover after her third-round opponent Lesia Tsurenko withdrew.
The 2023 Australian Open champion will take on 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova after she toppled Wang Xin 6-2 6-7 (1-7) 6-2.
Seventh seed Maria Sakkari secured victory in a two-and-a-half-hour third-round clash with Anhelina Kalinina, winning 3-6 6-2 6-4.
Two-time major runner-up Karolina Pliskova won 6-1 7-5 over Veronika Kudermetova, progressing into the last eight to face Sakkari.
Sixth seed Coco Gauff, who turns 19 on Monday, eased past 54th-ranked fellow teenager Linda Noskova 6-4 6-3 in one hour and 19 minutes.
Sweden's Rebecca Peterson continued her resurgent form with a 3-6 6-3 6-1 win over Jil Teichman, setting up a clash with Gauff.
Two of the Indian Wells Masters' top-three seeds have failed to reach the final 16 after Casper Ruud fell 6-4 7-6 (7-2) at the hands of Cristian Garin on Sunday.
Ruud, the third seed, joined second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas with an early exit after a timid display, with just 17 winners to go with 17 unforced errors against Chile's Garin.
Meanwhile, Garin took his opportunity against the world number four with both hands, rattling off 39 winners with 24 unforced errors as he made the decision to take the match on and not die wondering.
Garin, who already defeated 29th seed Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round, will meet his third seeded opponent in a row in the quarter-final when he takes on Spain's 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Davidovich Fokina eliminated 13th seed Karen Khachanov 6-3 1-6 6-4, but it was still a strong day for the Russians as top hopefuls Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev advanced.
Medvedev, the fifth seed, was tested in his 6-2 3-6 6-1 victory over Belarus' Ilya Ivashka, while sixth seed Rublev saw off France's Ugo Humbert 7-5 6-3 without much issue.
Waiting for Rublev in the quarter-final is Briton Cameron Norrie after his 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-2 battle against Taro Daniel, while Alexander Zverev beat Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5 1-6 7-5 to book a tantalising clash with Medvedev.
In a poor day for the Australians, Jason Kubler went down 6-3 6-2 against 14th seed Frances Tiafoe, and Jordan Thompson could not follow up his incredible upset against Tsitsipas, falling 6-3 7-6 (8-6) to Chile's Alejandro Tabilo.
Mikal Bridges' incredible start to his career as a Brooklyn Net continued on Sunday as he led his team to a 122-120 road upset against the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets despite Nikola Jokic's massive triple-double.
Bridges, 26, arrived from Phoenix as the central piece heading to Brooklyn in the Kevin Durant trade, and he has lived up to even the most lofty expectations about what he could produce as the focal point of an offense.
Playing in a supporting role during his time with the Suns, Bridges was averaging a career-high 17.2 points per game this season. It is the fifth season in a row he has improved his points per game, all with career shooting splits of 49.9 per cent from the field, 37.6 per cent from deep and 85.2 per cent from the free throw line.
In his 12 games since joining the Nets, Bridges has shown he is indeed capable of filling a featured role, averaging 25.8 points while maintaining elite efficiency at 51.4 per cent from the field, 49.2 per cent from deep and 90 per cent at the line.
Against the Nuggets, Bridges again led his team in scoring with 25 points on seven-of-16 shooting, while fellow trade deadline acquisition Spencer Dinwiddie posted a career-high 16 assists to go with his 15 points (five-of-15) and six rebounds.
After starting the season a perfect 25-0 in games when reigning back-to-back MVP Jokic has tallied a triple-double, Denver have now dropped two in a row, with his 35 points (14-of-23), 20 rebounds and 11 assists proving not enough to make up for Jamal Murray's ice-cold five-of-19 shooting night.
The Nets have now won five of their past six to improve to 39-29, sitting 3.5 games clear of the play-in tournament placings, while the 46-22 Nuggets are still five games clear atop the West.
Murphy's big night carries the Pelicans
Second-year wing Trey Murphy III dropped a career-high 41 points as the New Orleans Pelicans defended their home court 127-110 against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.
With Damian Lillard out of action for Portland, they did not have a single player exceed 17 points, while Murphy caught fire.
The 22-year-old hit 13-of-20 shots and nine-of-14 three-pointers, eclipsing his previous high score by nine points as he reached the 30-point mark for the third time.
Much like Bridges, Murphy has excelled when given an expanded opportunity, providing a silver lining to the absences of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
Embiid too big, too strong for the Wizards
Philadelphia 76ers MVP candidate Joel Embiid was once again the most dominant player on the floor during Sunday's 112-93 manhandling of the Washington Wizards.
Embiid, who leads the race for the scoring title at 33.4 points per game, raised his average ever so slightly with 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting, adding eight rebounds, four assists, four blocks and a steal.
James Harden, who is leading the league in assists at 10.8 per game, made his center's life easier with another 14 dimes to go with 18 points (six-of-11).
The win is the 76ers' fifth in a row, and they are now only 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics (47-21) as they both try to chase down the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks (48-19).
Scottie Scheffler says it is "very special" to join golf greats Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to hold the Masters and Players Championship titles at the same time.
Scheffler won the Players' Championship at Sawgrass on Sunday by five strokes, re-claiming the world number one ranking in the process.
The 26-year-old American's dominant victory comes after winning last month's Phoenix Open, along with last season's PGA Player of the Year after collecting his first four tour titles.
Scheffler has won six of his past 27 events, but joining Woods and Nicklaus in a rare group meant a lot to him.
"It's quite a special group of people," Scheffler told reporters, before joking: "We could add all our majors and Players together and I have two now and they have a lot more than that.
"But any time you can get mentioned in the same breath as Tiger and Jack it's very special. I'm very grateful for that."
Scheffler's career-best form comes with his Masters' defence a month away, and he described how his game has matured over the past 18 months.
"I'm just comfortable with where my game is," Scheffler said. "I feel like I'm improving. I'm definitely learning more and the more you can get into contention and be in the moments. I would say that's probably the most valuable thing is knowing what you feel like and being able to prepare for it.
"I am a bit more comfortable knowing what I need to do. I think before Phoenix [in 2022] I had this idea that I had to play perfect on Sundays and hit nothing but good shots and that's not necessarily how golf is played. Very rarely do I hit it exactly how I want to and maybe only a couple times a tournament. Most of it is just managing your way around a golf course.
"Going into the Masters, it's going to be a fun week… but by the time we tee it up Thursday everybody starts at even par so it probably doesn't have much of an effect."
The American went on a run of five birdies around the turn at Sawgrass, picking up shots at each hole from eight to 12, on the way to a 69 that took him to 17 under, finishing five shots clear of Tyrrell Hatton. Scheffler broke 70 in all four of his rounds.
"I played really well the whole week, really solid," Scheffler said. "I had some times throughout week where I didn't feel like I was swinging my best or playing at a 100 per cent, and then I would just kind of wait and pick my moments, and fortunately, I got kind of hot in spurts in each of my rounds, whether it was the back nine on the first round or eight-through-12 this afternoon.
"I just found a way to choose my moments and get hot here and there and had four just really solid rounds."
Scheffler's dominance at the notoriously challenging Sawgrass was an ominous sign for the Masters at Augusta National.
"I get excited for a good hard test," he said. "I feel like that I can find a way to make pars and hang in there.
"This week I think I had five bogeys for the whole week. Around this place that's really, really hard to do and that's probably what I'm most proud of is just playing so solid. I think I just like the challenge of kind of harder golf courses."
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