Jhaniele Fowler’s West Coast Fever are Suncorp Team Girls Cup champions after defeating the Adelaide Thunderbirds 49-41 in the final at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre on Sunday.
The two teams couldn’t be separated in the first half and entered the bread tied at 22. The Fever then won the third period 13-12 before pulling away in the final quarter 14-7 for an overall 49-41 win.
Sasha Glasgow was player of the match, shooting 21/24 while Fowler shot 12/13.
Courtney Bruce and Kim Jenner were both stand outs in defence. Bruce had four gains while Jenner had two to her name.
Jamaicans Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson had two gains, each, for the Thunderbirds.
Elsewhere, Romelda Aiken-George shot 15/16 to help NSW Swifts defeat Giants Netball 44-38 to finish fifth.
The Team Girls Cup acts as a pre-season tournament ahead of the Suncorp Super Netball League in which the Fever are the defending Champions. In last year's final, Fowler scored 58 goals as the Fever beat the Melbourne Vixens 70-59. She was also named player of the year for the fifth year in a row.
Jayson Tatum revealed he was ejected for describing the Boston Celtics' tussle with the New York Knicks as "the best-officiated game I've been a part of".
The seemingly sarcastic comment towards the game officials cost Tatum his place on the court with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden.
By then, the Knicks were almost home and hosed, and they saw out a 109-94 victory to extend their streak to six games and improve to 36-27 overall.
It was the 24-year-old Tatum's first ejection of his NBA career, and defeat means the Celtics (44-18) no longer have the best record in the league, dropping below the Milwaukee Bucks (43-17).
Tatum managed just 14 points on six-of-18 shooting from the field, with seven rebounds and nine assists.
Asked what was the cause of his ejection, Tatum said: "I don't know, but all the great players get thrown out a few times in their career, so, it's good for my rep."
Tatum did know the reason, though. He felt the officials missed a foul on a three-point shot and he made his feelings known.
He had already seen a technical foul given against him, for raising a grievance over no foul being called on a dunk late in the third quarter.
"That one was the tough one. The first one, no call. If you look, it was clearly a foul," Tatum said. "Those are the ones that are tough. You get a tech for something that you probably was right about.
"The second one, I just told him this was probably the best-officiated game I've been a part of. I tried to give him a compliment. It didn't go over so well."
Although obviously a jibe rather than praise, Tatum repeated his message: "I said it was the best-officiated game I've been a part of. I meant it."
Taylor Fritz was forced to come from behind to claim a three-set victory over John Isner in the opening round of the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Monday.
Fritz was among the seeds to progress, alongside Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Francis Tiafoe and Tommy Paul.
The third seed lost the opening set in 29 minutes but rallied back to win 3-6 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 49 minutes over the big-serving world number 38 Isner.
Fritz claimed his first break of the match in the 17th game before levelling things up at one set each, before breaking Isner at 4-4 in the third and serving out for victory.
The win means Fritz will take on Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the second round after he beat Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets, with the American looking to go one better after being runner-up in Acapulco in 2020.
Second seed Ruud found himself in an almighty battle with Argentina's Guido Andreozzi and eventually prevailed 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-2).
World number four Ruud, ranked 338 places above his opponent, was broken in the first game of each set but dug deep to get the job done in a little under three hours.
Fourth seed Rune got past 2023 Australian Open quarter-finalist Ben Shelton 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-2.
Sixth seed Tiafoe overcame Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 while 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Paul beat Emilio Gomez 6-1 7-6 (7-4).
Defending champion Pedro Martinez was bundled out of the Chile Open in the first round after losing 6-2 6-0 to German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.
Jaume Munar progressed to set up a second-round clash with top seed Lorenzo Musetti after winning 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) against Alejandro Tabilo.
Second seed Marie Bouzkova suffered a shock first-round exit at the Monterrey Open losing in straight sets to world number 100 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Monday.
The Slovakian triumphed 6-4 6-2 in one hour and 46 minutes over the Czech who was a runner-up at this event in 2020.
Schmiedlova will take on American qualifier Caroline Dolehide in the second round after she knocked off Jule Niemeier 6-1 6-0.
Dolehide's dominance was impressive given she is ranked 206th in the world compared to 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Niemeier at 69th.
Fifth seed Zhu Lin got past Hungary's Anna Bondar 6-4 7-6 (7-4), setting up a second-round clash with Canada's Rebecca Marino after she beat local wildcard Fernanda Contreras Gomez 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4).
Belgium's Ysaline Bonaventure triumphed in two hours and 20 minutes over Greek qualifier Despina Papamichail 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-1.
British qualifier Heather Watson toppled Danka Kovinic 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in the first round of the ATX Open in Austin.
Seventh seed Alycia Parks was eliminated 6-4 4-6 6-4 by Swedish wild card Mirjam Bjorklund.
The Charlotte Hornets have confirmed point guard LaMelo Ball fractured his right ankle during Monday's 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Ball went down awkwardly with the ball in the third quarter, before being subbed out of the game.
The Hornets revealed the severity of the injury for the 2020 NBA Draft third overall selection after the game.
"Ball suffered a fracture in his right ankle in tonight’s home game vs. Detroit," the Hornets update said.
"Ball left the game in the third quarter and an x-ray taken at the arena revealed the fracture. Ball will be listed as out for the Hornets’ next game vs. Phoenix on March 1 and updates regarding his status will be provided as appropriate."
The 2022 NBA All-Star has struggled with his left ankle throughout the season, forcing him to miss multiple stretches of games.
The Hornets are 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 20-43 record and are not in playoff contention with 19 games remaining, although Hornets head coach Steve Clifford did not say how long Ball is expected to be out.
"It's just a basketball ankle and there is nothing that you can do about that," Clifford said.
Jayson Tatum was ejected for the first time in his NBA career as the New York Knicks extended their win streak to six games with a 109-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday.
Tatum was tossed after remonstrating with the referees with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter with the Celtics destined for a defeat, which sees them drop below the Milwaukee Bucks atop the NBA standings.
The Bucks (43-17) are ahead of the Celtics (44-18) on percentage, marking the first time Boston have not been top of the league since December 22.
The Celtics were not helped by two-of-19 three-point shooting in the first half, the worst of any half this season.
Tatum played his part in that, finishing the game with 14 points on six-of-18 shooting from the field, with seven rebounds and nine assists. Marcus Smart added 19 points while Jaylen Brown was out for personal reasons.
The Knicks were led by Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley who both scored 23 points, while Jalen Brunson added 17.
New York are 8-1 since February 5, marking the second-best record in the NBA during that period, while they have a point differential per game of 10.2 during that stretch, also second best in the league.
Butler acrobatics in Heat triumph
Jimmy Butler led the way as five Miami Heat players hit double figures in their 101-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Butler produced a go-ahead acrobatic reverse layup scoop with 1:28 remaining, finishing the game with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
James Harden's game-winning three-point attempt bounced off the rim, meaning he scored 20 points with 12 assists. Joel Embiid top scored with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey had 23 points off the bench.
The Heat have now won 13 games this season in one-score games, which is comfortably the most in the NBA.
Clutch Banchero leads Magic past Pels
Last year's NBA Draft top overall selection Paolo Banchero came up clutch in the dying minutes to lead the Orlando Magic past the New Orleans Pelicans 101-93.
Banchero finished with 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field with eight rebounds and four assists. The talent landed three clutch mid-range jumpers in the final few minutes.
Brandon Ingram top scored for the Pels, who continue to struggle without their former top NBA Draft pick Zion Williamson, with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists.
LeBron James is missing the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies after appearing to sustain an injury in his last outing.
James was clearly limping by the end of Sunday's win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The 38-year-old went down in some pain late in the third quarter of that game, although replays showed there was no contact with a Mavericks player.
Now, the Lakers have confirmed James will not play any part against the Grizzlies on Tuesday, listing his right foot soreness on their injury report.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported James is feared to be out for several weeks, although he is still undergoing further testing.
James said after Sunday's game his foot had "been better".
The team have increasingly limited options, with D'Angelo Russell already doubtful due to the right ankle sprain that kept him out of the Mavericks game.
Anthony Davis was probable to play despite what the Lakers described as a right foot stress injury.
The 29-32 Lakers are a game back from the play-in places in the Western Conference.
New Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder is hopeful of going on a run this season while also building a culture within the franchise.
The Hawks confirmed the appointment of Snyder on Sunday, replacing Nate McMillan, who was fired last week.
Snyder has been out of a job since leaving the Jazz at the end of last season, having led them to six straight playoff appearances.
Atlanta are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-30 record but the appointment of ex-Utah Jazz head coach Snyder offers instant hope, although he said the decision to take over now rather than at the end of the season was not simple given the expectation of immediate results.
"As I thought about it, I think the opportunity to come in now, although maybe challenging, is also an opportunity to hopefully go on a run," Snyder told reporters.
"Also, and I think these things are not mutually exclusive, to begin to build a foundation, a culture. It's always a challenge, but those challenges are often most rewarding and the best opportunity."
The Hawks boast a strong roster featuring All-Stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and Snyder was bullish about getting the best out of them.
"I think players want to get better, and they want to be coached," Snyder said. "I think the relationships are what allows you to coach them effectively.
"In those things again, it's part of the reason I wanted to start now, and I think that our group here needs to just decide to trust each other. it's incumbent upon all of us – myself, first and foremost – to not violate that trust."
Hawks general manager Landry Fields said Snyder was their first choice and that he ticked all the boxes.
"Everything we were looking for, it was check, check, check," he said.
Dak Prescott’s seventh season with the Dallas Cowboys was an up-and-down affair.
Prescott helped lead Dallas to a 12-5 regular-season record and a Wild Card Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - just the Cowboys’ fifth playoff victory since 1996.
But Prescott also threw 15 interceptions last season - tied for the most in the NFL - in just 12 games, and backup Cooper Rush was 4-1 while Prescott was out with a broken thumb.
Despite Prescott’s inconsistent year, executive vice president Stephen Jones believes the Cowboys have the right quarterback to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the 1995 season.
“I've got all the faith in the world we can win this thing with Dak,” Jones told reporters Monday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.
"Because we know him. We know what he's about. His leadership skills are undeniable. Impeccable work ethic. Other than he hadn't won some key playoff games, he's everything you want in a quarterback.
"From the day he walked in the door, he's won a lot of games. We just got to get over the hump."
Prescott is signed through 2024, and his contract carries a cap hit of over $49 million in the 2023 season.
Assuming Dallas is as confident in him as Jones’ comments indicate, the Cowboys could sign Prescott to a contract extension to create extra salary cap space over the next few seasons.
“We've got to have a plan to ultimately extend Dak,” Jones said.
The Cowboys’ offense is poised to undergo a transformation after the departure of Kellen Moore, who served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022.
Brian Schottenheimer takes over as OC in 2023, but veteran head coach Mike McCarthy will assume offensive play-calling duties.
“Obviously he's the head coach of this football team, and he made a compelling argument that making him the playcaller was going to help us,” Jones said. “I mean that's part of the coaching, be one click better. He feels good about it. He's had a lot of success as a playcaller.
“And he's observed for three years. I think he's been a super leader in that aspect in terms of having the respect for Kellen and the offensive group working with Dak, that that was the better way of doing it.”
Despite the continuity of McCarthy and Prescott remaining in place, Jones thinks that the Cowboys’ offense could evolve in 2023.
“I think [McCarthy] believes now, although they believe in a lot of things the same, there's that 15-20% that they don't. And I think that Mike just thinks that they'll do more with the way he wants to do it [and] that we'll be a better offensive football team.
“I just think it's some of it's the fundamentals, how you block it, how you coordinate and marry the run game to the pass game, what your pass game is philosophically, what your run game is philosophically.”
LeBron James is missing the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies after appearing to sustain an injury in his last outing.
James was clearly limping by the end of Sunday's win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The 38-year-old went down in some pain late in the third quarter of that game, although replays showed there was no contact with a Mavericks player.
Now, the Lakers have confirmed James will not play any part against the Grizzlies on Tuesday, listing his right foot soreness on their injury report.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported James is feared to be out for several weeks although he is still undergoing further testing.
James said after Sunday's game his foot had "been better".
The team have increasingly limited options, with D'Angelo Russell already doubtful due to the right ankle sprain that kept him out of the Mavericks game.
Anthony Davis was probable to play despite what the Lakers described as a right foot stress injury.
The 29-32 Lakers are a game back from the play-in places in the Western Conference.
All-Star Draymond Green's MRI on his bruised right knee has come back clean with the Golden State Warriors listing him as probable for Tuesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr offered the positive update, having revealed on Monday that Green had suffered a "setback" after the injury "flared up" again.
Green has missed the Warriors' past two games, wins over the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, due to the knee issue.
"[Green] practised today, so seems to be on the right track, but we'll see tomorrow," Kerr told reporters, having said Green was questionable before the side later updated him as probable for Tuesday.
The four-time NBA champion suffered the injury in Thursday's 124-111 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers when he clashed knees with Jarred Vanderbilt.
The reigning NBA champions are already without two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry due to a leg injury and Andrew Wiggins for personal reasons.
Golden State are seventh in the Western Conference with a 31-30 record.
Carson Wentz has been released by the Washington Commanders a year after the team traded for the quarterback.
The Commanders moved for Wentz ahead of the 2022 season, sending two third-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts and swapping their second-round pick last year.
But it was another injury-wrecked year for Wentz, whose departure from the team was confirmed in a statement on Monday.
The statement read: "The Commanders believed that Wentz could use his veteran experience to push Washington to the playoffs, but after missing over half the season with his injury, those hopes ultimately did not pan out."
Wentz has never rediscovered the form that earned him an All-Pro selection in the 2017 season before he missed the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl win through injury.
There were promising signs at the start of his year in Washington as he threw for 650 yards and seven touchdowns across the first two games.
But Wentz's performances had fallen away even before he broke his right ring finger in Week 6, ruling him out until the fourth quarter of the Week 16 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Wentz becomes a free agent ahead of the 2023 campaign, with his release saving the Commanders around $26million in salary cap space.
Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from next month's Indian Wells Open as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up has not been in action this season, having been forced to pull out of the Australian Open in January due to a small lateral meniscus tear.
Kyrgios underwent surgery soon after and was targeting the opening Masters 1000 event of the season at Indian Wells for his first tournament back.
However, event organisers confirmed on Monday the 27-year-old is still not ready to return.
"Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open due to an ongoing knee injury," a statement read.
Indian Wells gets under way on March 6 and is followed by the Miami Open at the end of the month.
Kyrgios' last competitive singles match came in October at the Japan Open, which he withdrew from ahead of the quarter-finals.
The Australian, a two-time quarter-finalist on the hard courts at Indian Wells, has slipped down to 19th in the ATP Rankings.
The Chicago Bears are seriously considering trading their number one pick ahead of this year's NFL draft.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears are "leaning towards" accepting a trade from one of the many teams looking to bring in a top quarterback prospect, believing their priorities to lie elsewhere.
The Bears have the top pick heading into the draft after a disappointing 3-14 season in 2022.
General manager Ryan Poles has already given his support to Justin Fields as Chicago's starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season, recently saying that a QB prospect would have to amaze him for the Bears to draft one with their top pick.
"We're going to do the same as we've always done," Poles said last month. "We're going to evaluate the draft class, and I would say this: I would have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision."
Fields was one of the few positives in a Bears campaign that concluded with a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak.
The number 11 pick in the 2021 draft claimed 1,143 rushing yards overall, averaging a league-leading 7.14 yards per rush and had an NFL-best four rushing touchdowns of 50-plus yards.
In terms of his throwing, though, among the 32 quarterbacks with a minimum of 250 pass attempts, Fields ranked 25th in passer rating (85.2), 31st in completion percentage (60.4) and 32nd in yards per game (149.5).
Of teams in the top 10 picks of the draft, at least five could be looking to select a quarterback first, including the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.
Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are three quarterbacks all projected to be drafted in the top 10 in late April.
Defending champion Andrey Rublev was able to find another gear to get through his first-round match at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday, beating Filip Krajinovic 7-5 6-2.
The number two seed got off to a rocky start, finding himself 5-2 down in the first set before dramatically turning the tide, winning five straight games.
Rublev's first serve percentage improved from 49 to 58 in the second set as he stepped up his game against his Serbian opponent.
"Filip is one of my good friends, and we always have tough battles," Rublev said after his win. "So, today I was going on court thinking that it was going to be a really tough match, and when he started the way he did, I didn't know what to do because he was playing so good.
"Somehow I calmed myself and said 'OK, restart at the bottom and raise my level', and I started to play much, much better. I was able to turn the match around and finish the match in a good way."
He will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round after the Spaniard took just 52 minutes to beat Malek Jaziri 6-2 6-0, converting all five of his break points as he strolled to victory.
Seventh seed Alexander Zverev had to come from behind to beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6 6-3 6-4, while Tallon Griekspoor set up a second-round clash with top seed Novak Djokovic after the Dutchman beat Constant Lestienne 6-4 3-6 6-2.
Finlay Bealham has been ruled out of Ireland's remaining two Six Nations games with a knee injury.
The 31-year-old prop started Ireland's wins over Wales, France and Italy, but he twisted his knee during Saturday's 34-20 victory in Rome.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) confirmed on Monday that Bealham will play no further part in the 2023 tournament.
However, Bealham's lay-off coincides with Tadhg Furlong's return to the Ireland squad for this week's mini-camp.
Furlong has recovered from a calf injury that has ruled him out of his side's opening three games, while scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Parker is back from a hamstring problem.
Skipper Johnny Sexton and centres Robbie Henshaw and Gary Ringrose are also part of Andy Farrell's 27-man training squad.
Ireland top the Six Nations standings and are on course for a first Grand Slam since 2018 ahead of facing Scotland at Murrayfield on March 12.
The world's top-ranked side conclude their campaign against England at the Aviva Stadium six days later.
KSI is actively pursuing a fight against Jake Paul four years on from defeating his brother Logan, the Briton's promoter has confirmed.
YouTube star Olajide Olatunji, known as KSI, faced fellow streamer Logan Paul in his first and so far only professional boxing match in November 2019.
He won by split decision and now wants to face Jake Paul, who lost to Tommy Fury by the same close margin on Sunday.
Kalle Sauerland, KSI's promoter, revealed talks had already taken place ahead of the Fury fight, with the 29-year-old's camp confident the bout will soon be agreed.
"Regardless of [the Fury fight], it's still the blockbuster fight of crossover boxing," Sauerland told Sky Sports.
"It's a fight I expect to take place. We've been in discussions before Sunday, and we'll see what happens now with the situation of the [Fury v Paul] rematch.
"But KSI and our side have made it very clear we want that fight and I have no reason to believe that Jake Paul and his team don't want that fight either.
"It's a fight that will fill any stadium in the world, and a fight that I do believe will happen this year."
Novak Djokovic remains set on more success after surpassing Steffi Graf's record for weeks spent at world number one.
On Monday, Djokovic celebrated a 378th week as the best player in men's tennis, which overtook the all-time record (for men or women) set by Graf.
Like Graf, Djokovic has won 22 grand slam titles, though the 35-year-old remains in the hunt for more glory.
After his Australian Open triumph earlier this season, Djokovic will be hoping a 94th ATP Tour-level title comes his way at this week's Dubai Tennis Championships.
"I still want more achievements," Djokovic said ahead of breaking Graf's record.
"I could not have imagined this, I was dreaming as a kid to be Wimbledon champion, to be number one in the world. I achieved those dreams in 2011.
"After that, I wanted more. Of course, I'm driven by the goals. I'm as dedicated to the sport really as anybody else.
"It's surreal in a way to be that many weeks at world number one, to match Steffi Graf, who is one of the all-time greats of our sport. Just being among these legendary names is flattering. I'm very proud."
Djokovic's campaign in Dubai starts against Tomas Machac on Tuesday.
Tommy Haas says Carlos Alcaraz is already primed to succeed Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the very top of tennis.
Alcaraz became the youngest men's world number one when he won his maiden grand slam title at the US Open last year.
The Spaniard missed this year's Australian Open due to an injury, allowing Djokovic to reclaim his place at the summit of the rankings with his 10th triumph in Melbourne.
Djokovic celebrated a record-breaking 378th week at number one on Monday, the day after Alcaraz had fallen short against Cameron Norrie in the Rio Open final.
Alcaraz, who has already won seven singles titles, battled through pain in Brazil but ultimately slipped to a 5-7 6-4 7-5 defeat against the opponent he beat in the Argentina Open final a week earlier.
With the 19-year-old having already reached 10 tour-level finals, though, former world number two Haas has no doubt Alcaraz is in line to enjoy success close to that of Djokovic and Nadal.
"Yes, you have to say that he already is [ready]," Haas told Stats Perform.
"He had an unbelievable year last year, right. I think he won a title down there in Rio, on clay then he came to Indian Wells playing extremely good tennis, losing a tough battle match against Rafa in the quarters.
"They played some incredible tennis and you could just tell the way he moves on the court, his mental toughness and the shot selection that he has, the repertoire there is, there's nothing really missing.
"Being that young sometimes can be like the only hindrance in my mind because maybe you want it too much, or you overthink things. Or maybe in this case, you clearly don't overthink things, and you just go out and play your best and fight and give it everything you have.
"A lot of respect obviously goes to his team, his family, his coach. He just kind of went on that run, winning [in] Madrid, in his home country. And then winning his first slam, the US Open and being the youngest world number one, so what a quick rise. Just unreal, I can't even imagine how his life has been turned upside down in many ways."
The only concern, as far as Haas sees it, is Alcaraz's injury worries.
"He's a guy that wants to stick around, and remain up there at the top for a very, very long time," Haas added.
"With his game, and his potential, if he stays healthy... that's the thing, he's been already a little bit injured at a young age. So, that's a little bit of a warning sign.
"If he can remain healthy, I think that's where the team is obviously very smart. I think they're trying to build up his body still, to sustain the crazy amount of travel and the stress on the body that tennis creates on you to make sure that he has a long career, because that's what everybody hopes and dreams for."
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