Julius Randle had 39 points and nine rebounds, OG Anunoby made a strong debut with his new team and the New York Knicks earned a 112-106 win over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday to end a three-game losing streak.
Anunoby was traded to the Knicks from the Toronto Raptors on Saturday and met his new teammates for the first time on Sunday.
Despite needing some occasional help to navigate coach Tom Thibodeau’s system, Anunoby finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and pulled down six rebounds.
Randle finished 14 for 24 from the field and made nine of 13 free throws for New York, which trailed by nine points after one quarter before outscoring Minnesota by a 38-17 margin in the second to build a 61-49 half-time lead.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves, who had a two-game winning streak halted, with 35 points. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 29 for Minnesota, while Rudy Gobert grabbed 15 rebounds to go along with 10 points.
Bench propels Pacers as Bucks' home winning streak ends
Tyrese Haliburton finished just short of a triple-double as the Indiana Pacers put an end to the Milwaukee Bucks' 15-game home winning streak with a 122-113 victory over their Central Division rival.
Haliburton compiled 26 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to lead Indiana, which trailed by 15 points late in the third quarter to tie the game at 101-101 with under six minutes left.
The Pacers then embarked on an 8-0 run, with T.J. McConnell scoring six points during the spurt, to take the lead for good.
McConnell had 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers to a fourth straight win. He finished with 16 points off the bench, while Bennedict Mathurin had 25 along with a career-high 13 rebounds.
With Mathurin and McConnell leading the way, Indiana's bench outscored Milwaukee's reserves by a 70-16 margin.
The Central-leading Bucks were dealt their first defeat at Fiserv Forum since Oct. 29 despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's 30-point, 18-rebound, 11-assist triple-double.
Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton had 21 points each for Milwaukee, though Bucks star guard Damian Lillard struggled with a 3-of-16 shooting night while being held to 13 points.
Leonard returns to help Clippers top Heat
Kawhi Leonard returned from a four-game absence to score 24 points and help the Los Angeles Clippers stay hot with a 121-104 win over the Miami Heat.
Paul George added 23 points and Norman Powell had 22 on 9-of-11 shooting to aid in the Clippers' third straight victory and 12th in 14 games.
Miami, playing without six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and a few other key contributors due to injuries, held a 35-23 lead after one quarter and was up by as much as 14 points in the second before the Clippers began battling back.
Los Angeles outscored the Heat by a 32-17 margin over the final 9 1/2 minutes of the first half to take a 59-58 edge at the break. Leonard, who had been sidelined by a hip contusion, had 13 second-quarter points to spark the comeback.
George then scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Clippers extended their lead to 95-85 entering the fourth.
Bam Adebayo paced Miami with 21 points and 15 rebounds. The Heat have now dropped two straight following a four-game winning streak.
What the papers say
Paris St Germain and Newcastle are believed to be leading the chase for Kalvin Phillips. According to The Telegraph, the Manchester City midfielder is likely to leave the club this month in search of regular football, having made just two starts for City since his £45million move from Leeds 18 months ago.
The Hull Daily Mail reports Burnley winger Manuel Benson has entered talks with Hull City. The paper says the development comes after the two sides verbally agreed on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Manchester City are reportedly among a wealth of teams interested in 18-year-old Lille defender Leny Yoro. Le 10 Sport, via the Manchester Evening News, says Liverpool and Paris St Germain are also tracking Yoro, but Lille are unlikely to entertain any offers under £78m.
And the Liverpool Echo reports Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Genoa midfielder Morten Frendrup, but are not expected to make a move this month.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Kylian Mbappe: Le Parisian says Real Madrid and Liverpool both want the Paris St Germain striker, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Joshua Kimmich: Manchester United and Liverpool are the frontrunners to nab the Bayern Munich midfielder, according to AS.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed Cardiff manager on this day in 2014.
The former Manchester United striker had been Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman’s first choice candidate, despite his relatively limited managerial experience with Norwegian club Molde.
He replaced the sacked Malky Mackay, who was was dismissed six days earlier after a series of disputes with club owner Vincent Tan.
Solskjaer, then aged 40, denied he had reservations about working with Tan, or that his former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had advised him to turn down the job.
“I have had good contact with the gaffer (Ferguson),” he said. “He has wished me all the best and given me some good advice as he always does.
“When you worked for him you could ask him for advice and I had a good conversation with him.
“It is absolute nonsense (that he told me to turn down Cardiff). I go into this with my eyes open and I want the fans to be proud of us when we go on the pitch.”
Solskjaer took over a Cardiff side sitting a single point above the Premier League drop zone.
The Bluebirds suffered relegation at the end of the season after finishing bottom of the table following just just three wins from 18 top-flight fixtures under the Norwegian.
Solskjaer was sacked in September 2014 – less than nine months after his appointment – with the club 17th in the Championship.
David Warner has pleaded for the return of his baggy green Australian cricket cap after it went missing from his bag on the eve of his final Test match.
In a video on Instagram, the veteran batsman said the cap was taken from his backpack during transit to Sydney ahead of Australia’s third Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“This is my last resort to do this,” Warner said.
View this post on Instagram
“A couple of days ago, our bags got freighted via Qantas. We’ve gone through CCTV footage, they’ve got some blind spots apparently, we spoke to the Quay West Hotel who we absolutely trust and have gone through their cameras, no one’s come into our rooms.
“But unfortunately, someone has taken my backpack out of my actual luggage, which had my backpack and my girls’ presents in there, inside this backpack was my baggy green.
“It’s sentimental to me, it’s something I would love to have back in my hands walking out there come this week. If it is the backpack you really wanted, I have a spare one here, you won’t get into trouble.
“Please reach out to Cricket Australia or myself via my social media and I’m happy to give this to you if you return my baggy greens.”
The Sydney Test, which starts on Wednesday, marks the 37-year-old’s final red ball appearance for his country after more than a decade as Australia’s linchpin opener.
At a press conference on Monday, Warner announced he was also retiring from one-day cricket, but would still be available for the T20 format.
He said Australia’s upset victory over India in the World Cup final in November was his last 50-over match on the international stage.
He told reporters: “That was something that I had said through the World Cup, get through that, and winning it in India, I think that’s a massive achievement.
“So I’ll make that decision today, to retire from those forms, which does allow me to go and play some other leagues around the world and sort of get the one-day team moving forward a little bit.”
Luke Littler will aim to move a step closer to World Darts Championship glory on Tuesday night and his path became clearer after tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen crashed out.
The 16-year-old has taken Alexandra Palace by storm and became the youngest semi-finalist ever after he beat Brendan Dolan 5-1 in the quarter-final.
A semi-final against 2018 winner Rob Cross is next up, but he will no longer have to meet Van Gerwen in the final after the three-time champion suffered one of the biggest shocks in recent times, going out 5-3 to unseeded Scott Williams.
It was a new year, but the same old brilliance from the precocious Littler, who is on the cusp of producing one of the greatest sporting stories of all time.
And the teenager believes it is going to “take a lot” to stop his juggernaut.
“It feels unbelievable. I would never have thought I would have got to the semis on my debut year,” he said. “Brendan was just another opponent in my way and I have brushed him aside and now I am into the semi-final.
“It’s going to take a lot to stop me, based on my performances so far. But it is about whatever Luke Littler turns up.
“I have got the ability to go all the way, if it’s not to be tomorrow night, it’s not to be.
“I know I have got a good chance and I have got a good feeling I could go all the way tomorrow.”
Cross has enjoyed watching Littler’s emergence, but says there will be no room for sentiment.
“Everyone loves an underdog story,” he said. “As the public and people looking at the game, everyone loves an underdog story.
“I am not being rude, I am on Luke’s side, I love an underdog story.
“It took a bit of pressure off me winning it first time as well.
“He’s fantastic and he deserves all the luck in the world, he is a nice, young boy. Tomorrow we play darts, though, and I have to go down to business.”
It has been quite a tournament for Williams, who had to apologise for insensitive comments about the war after beating Germany’s Martin Schindler earlier in the tournament, but he let his darts do the talking in a career-best performance, outscoring his illustrious opponent.
He will now meet pre-tournament favourite Luke Humphries, who breezed past Dave Chisnall in the other quarter-final.
Joey Daccord stopped 35 shots for his second career shutout as the surging Seattle Kraken registered a 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday to win the NHL’s Winter Classic.
Daccord recorded the first shutout in Winter Classic history and was supported by goals from Eeli Tolvanen, Will Borgen and Yanni Gourde as the Kraken delighted a crowd of 47,313 at T-Mobile Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners.
Tolvanen added an assist to help Seattle to its fifth straight win. The Kraken also set a franchise record by earning a point in their ninth consecutive game (7-0-2).
Seattle jumped out to a 1–0 lead less than five minutes in when Tolvanen redirected teammate Vince Dunn’s shot past Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson.
Borgen extended the margin 2:19 into the second period with his first goal of the season, a drive off a loose puck that beat Thompson to the stick side.
Despite the Golden Knights owning a 15-6 shot advantage in the third period, the Kraken got the lone goal when Gourde forced a Vegas turnover and scored with 17:50 left to play.
Thompson finished with 24 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights, who had their recent slump extended with a fifth loss in six games.
This was the first appearance for both teams in the Winter Classic, the NHL’s annual New Year’s Day outdoor event which was being held for the 15th time.
David Warner has pleaded for the return of his baggy green Australian cricket caps after they went missing from his bag on the eve of his final Test match.
In a video on Instagram, the veteran batsman said the caps were taken from his backpack during transit to Sydney ahead of Australia’s third Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“This is my last resort to do this,” Warner said.
View this post on Instagram
“A couple of days ago, our bags got freighted via Qantas. We’ve gone through CCTV footage, they’ve got some blind spots apparently, we spoke to the Quay West Hotel who we absolutely trust and have gone through their cameras, no one’s come into our rooms.
“But unfortunately, someone has taken my backpack out of my actual luggage, which had my backpack and my girls’ presents in there, inside this backpack was my baggy greens.
“It’s sentimental to me, it’s something I would love to have back in my hands walking out there come this week. If it is the backpack you really wanted, I have a spare one here, you won’t get into trouble.
“Please reach out to Cricket Australia or myself via my social media and I’m happy to give this to you if you return my baggy greens.”
The Sydney Test, which starts on Wednesday, marks the 37-year-old’s final red ball appearance for his country after more than a decade as Australia’s linchpin opener.
At a press conference on Monday, Warner announced he was also retiring from one-day cricket, but would still be available for the T20 format.
Mohamed Salah believes Liverpool can win the Premier League after his inspirational display fired the Reds to a crucial yet hard-fought win over Newcastle.
Salah recovered from a first-half penalty miss to score twice and set up another as Jurgen Klopp’s side won a New Year’s Day thriller 4-2 at Anfield to move three points clear at the top.
It was his final game before joining up with Egypt ahead of the upcoming African Cup of Nations.
Salah told Sky Sports: “It’s a great result for us. The game was very intense and we managed to pick up three points and now we are top of the table. We need to stay calm and win every game.”
Asked about his side’s title chances, he added: “We believe a lot. We need to work hard and express ourselves on the field. If we manage to do that and work hard then we can keep winning.”
Salah was pleased not to be signing off from club duty on a low note after seeing a spot-kick – the first of two he had during the game – beaten away by impressive Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
He said: “I missed the pen – I didn’t want to leave with national team with that performance.
“The first one I was confused because the goalkeeper moved, but the second one I did like I did in training.”
Salah opened the scoring with a tap-in early in the second half. That effort was quickly cancelled out by Alexander Isak, but Liverpool took control through Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo.
Sven Botman pulled another back, but Salah wrapped up the win the hosts – who racked up 34 shots – deserved after a foul by Dubravka on Diogo Jota.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “Nobody should be really surprised that Mo can change a game. The more goals you have, the more you are used to missing chances and understand what you have to do to keep going and improving, and that was what Mo did.
“It was a super game from start to finish, super high intensity. I loved so many aspects of the game except the goals we conceded.
“It was an unbelievable game with and unbelievable atmosphere.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted his side were fortunate to get in goalless at half-time, but he had issues with both spot-kicks given against them.
“I’m still confused over the penalties we conceded. The second one especially didn’t look like a penalty,” he said.
“There are two ways to look at it: the challenge on Sean Longstaff (in the second half) was a pen for me and that changes the game massively and then they go up the other end and it wasn’t (a penalty).”
A fifth defeat in six league matches, and one win in 12 away games, has left Newcastle struggling to stay in reach of the top four.
“We have to do everything we can to protect that confidence so that is why I think we need not to over dramatise things,” Howe added.
“It was a really good performance from Liverpool, they made it very difficult for us – we did well to come in 0-0.
“Take away the penalty moments, the goals we conceded were disappointing.”
Craig Halkett has challenged Hearts to round off a productive festive period by ensuring they head into the winter break in third place in the cinch Premiership.
The Jambos have taken 10 points from their last four matches and have won seven of their last 10 league fixtures to get themselves into a strong position in the battle for a European place.
A victory at bottom-of-the-table Livingston on Tuesday would keep Steven Naismith’s side clear of Kilmarnock and St Mirren in third place.
“We were disappointed not to beat Ross County on Saturday, but the draw has kept the momentum going,” said defender Halkett.
“We want to finish this tough run of games on a high, so it’s a crucial one.
“December’s a really tough month for everyone. We have done brilliantly to get into third and then just to finish off this block with a win would be good.”
Halkett recently returned to action following almost a year out with a knee injury and he admits the break is probably coming at a good time in order for him to get fully fit.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “It has been a long year and myself, the manager and the sports scientists all know it’s going to take a few games to get back up to 100 per cent.
“But right now I am feeling as good as I can be.
“It was always important for me to come back in and play a couple of games before the break. I didn’t want to go into the break not having featured, so it was good to get some minutes under my belt.
“We have another game at Livingston and then I can work hard during the break to come back.”
Halkett joined Hearts from Livingston four and a half years ago and he is surprised to see his former side adrift at the foot of the table.
“Livingston have been in the top league for five or six years now and it was a great achievement every single year they did it,” said Halkett.
“So to see where they are is a bit of a surprise but I still think they’ll have enough to get out of it.
“We’ve spoken about the break for us and the break is probably coming at a good time for them as well.
“They can go away, rest, recover and reset before they come back and I’m sure they’ll do everything they can to stay up.”
David Moyes may have had the best year of his managerial career but he has yet to agree a new contract at West Ham.
Moyes led the Hammers to a first trophy in 43 years in June when they won the Europa Conference League, and they ended 2023 lying sixth in the Premier League.
“If I look back on things to win a trophy would mean that I would say ‘yes’, it would have to be my best year,” said the former Everton and Manchester United boss.
“To win a trophy in 2023… you have to say it was difficult for the first part of last season, we couldn’t get a result, we didn’t start well, we had a few new players coming in.
“But once we got to the World Cup, that was my thing. I think we improved in the second half of the season. Somebody said to me it’s been my best start to a season, but I think probably the second half of last season was my best finish because of winning the trophy.”
The Hammers hierarchy are understood to be about to open talks with Moyes about a new contract, with his current deal set to expire this summer.
Asked whether the uncertainty surrounding his future could affect West Ham’s ability to sign players in January, the 60-year-old Scot added: “Yes, of course.
“But I also hope players will also talk about a guy who has managed over 1000 games, and I’m comfortable with it.
“I can go and discuss it tomorrow because I’ve got a great relationship with the board so I can do it at the right time, and there seems to be more talk from other people whereas we’re quite cool about it.”
Moyes will check on the fitness of centre-halves Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd and midfielder Lucas Paqueta ahead of Tuesday night’s visit of Brighton.
Zouma and Aguerd missed Thursday’s 2-0 win at Arsenal while Paqueta limped off with a calf problem.
Mohamed Salah registered a 150th Premier League goal for Liverpool after scoring and missing a penalty in his last involvement before the African Cup of Nations as Jurgen Klopp’s side extended their advantage at the top of the table.
The Egypt international did eventually end the night well in credit as he also provided the assist for substitute Cody Gakpo’s crucial third and also had a hand in Curtis Jones goal which restored their lead.
It moved Liverpool three points clear of second-placed Aston Villa and, more importantly, out of the reach of Manchester City, who are now five behind with a match in hand.
How they cope in Salah’s absence will be crucial to their title aspirations, but the sharpness of Gakpo and Diogo Jota, who won the 86th-minute penalty from which Salah scored his 151st Premier League goal, provides plenty of optimism.
Salah should have put his side in front in the first half when Luis Diaz was brought down by Sven Botman, who added to Alexander Isak’s equaliser to briefly make it 3-2, but his fourth miss in his last 10 spot-kicks provided the determination to put things right after the break.
Newcastle were without Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson through injury and their 4-5-1 formation suggested they were not looking to be too ambitious in trying to break a near-30-year winless run at Anfield.
That the game was not beyond their reach by half-time owed much to the profligacy of Nunez and the premature desperation shown by Klopp’s side as shots rained in from all angles.
Best of those saw Trent Alexander-Arnold hit the top of the far post from an acute angle from the right wing.
Liverpool wasted numerous first-half opportunities, none more so than Salah’s failure from 12 yards when he fired straight down the middle at Martin Dubravka.
Newcastle’s goalkeeper, in the side due to Nick Pope’s long-term injury, had one of those nights where he looked like stopping almost everything.
He was helped by Nunez in particular, who was guilty of one big miss from Alexander-Arnold’s long pass from inside his own penalty area, shooting straight at Dubravka with Salah charging up in support on his right.
Dubravka saved the Uruguayan’s follow-up effort, with chances also falling to Alexander-Arnold and Jones, in addition to Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal for Nunez’s offside.
Dan Burn also had a goal ruled out for offisde, but it was a rare attack for the visitors.
Nunez looked a different player after half-time. He was picked out by Diaz when Dominik Szoboszlai launched a counter-attack, this time chose the right option in squaring for Salah.
Dubravka denied Nunez from point-blank range and a volley on the run, and even Isak’s well-taken breakaway goal with their first effort since the eighth minute failed to halt the onslaught.
Nunez flicked a header wide, Jones had a shot blocked by Tino Livramento and Dubravka repelled Gakpo.
But Jones was not to be denied, tapping home after Jota had squared from Salah’s pass.
Gakpo bundled home Salah’s cross, Botman headed in from a corner but when the returning Alexis Mac Allister sent Jota racing through, he was brought down by Dubravka and Salah was able to sign off in style.
However, the top-four hopes of Newcastle, with one win in six and and just a solitary victory in their last 12 away league games, look increasingly remote with an 11-point deficit to make up.
Luke Littler became the youngest player ever to reach the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship when he defeated Brendan Dolan on Monday.
The 16-year-old now has a shot at claiming an historic place in the sport as he takes aim at the title over the next two days at Alexandra Palace.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of sport’s other teenage prodigies in recent years.
Wayne Rooney – 16 years old
Though his breakthrough moment undoubtedly came when he scored past David Seaman from 30 yards in October 2002 to end champions Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten Premier League run, Rooney had actually made his senior Everton debut two months earlier against Tottenham, setting up a goal for Mark Pembridge in a 2-2 draw.
England’s Euro 2004 opener against France in Portugal shot him to international stardom before he signed for Manchester United later that summer, going on to become all-time top scorer for both United (253) and for England (53), though his international tally has since been surpassed by Harry Kane.
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 17
O’Sullivan became the youngest-ever winner of a ranking event when, aged 17, he beat Stephen Hendry to claim the 1993 UK Snooker Championship. Two years later, he was victorious in the 1995 Masters to add another record to his CV by the age of 19, both accolades that he still holds.
Victory in the 2022 Snooker World Championship was his eighth, drawing him level with Hendry for most wins, as he has lived up to the excitement that accompanied his arrival onto the scene more than 30 years ago to become one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Sky Brown – 13
The skateboarder became the UK’s youngest-ever Olympian when she competed at the Tokyo games aged just 13 and followed it up by becoming the country’s youngest medal winner when she took bronze in the women’s park skateboarding event.
She has continued to set records in the years since, most recently by becoming the first British winner at the skateboarding World Championships in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates in February 2023.
Cesc Fabregas – 16
Fabregas became Arsenal’s youngest-ever player when he made his first-team debut in a League Cup tie against Rotherham at Highbury in September 2003 and clocked another club record when he scored his first goal in the next round in a 5-1 win over Wolves.
It was the following season though that his true breakthrough arrived, taking up a regular place in the team’s midfield aged 17 at the start of the 2003/04 season as they sought to defend the title won the previous campaign. He went on to win two league titles with Chelsea as well as the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships with Spain.
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 16
AC Milan were in the midst of their decade-long barren spell when Donnarumma was thrust into the first team at the age of 16 in 2015, preferred to the veteran club legend Christian Abbiati and former number one Diego Lopez.
Standing at a height of 6ft 5in, he took up the mantel of first-choice goalkeeper with a stature that defied his young years, and the following year became Italy’s second-youngest ever goalkeeper when he made his international debut in a friendly against France. He has since helped the team to win Euro 2020 where he saved two penalties in the final shootout against England.
Sheffield Wednesday’s upturn in form continued as they recorded a 3-1 Championship victory over 10-man Hull at Hillsborough on New Year’s Day.
Three second-half goals from Marvin Johnson, Djeidi Gassama and Josh Windass saw the Owls past their Yorkshire rivals, who had Tyler Morton dismissed in the first half.
The result sees the Owls move up to 22nd and three points from safety, whilst the Tigers slip to seventh in the table.
Wednesday manager Danny Rohl made two changes to the team that beat Preston 1-0 at Deepdale, with Liam Palmer and Windass coming in.
Hull boss Liam Rosenior also made two switches to the side that won 3-2 at home to Blackburn, with Sean McLoughlin and Jason Lokilo joining the starting XI.
In the first chances of the game, Wednesday skipper Barry Bannan had a go from range but his effort went comfortably wide.
Next, Johnson’s terrific cross from a short corner was headed narrowly wide by Michael Ihiekwe.
The home side’s pressure continued as Bannan’s corner found the head of Windass but goalkeeper Matt Ingram saved well.
It was an action-packed first half and it was only some brilliant last-ditch defending from both sides that stopped the opener from going in.
The contest became a much tougher one for the away side when they were reduced to 10 men in the 35th minute after Morton was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Gassama.
Striker Bailey Cadamarteri blazed a shot over the crossbar in Wednesday’s last chance of the half.
The Owls made a lightning quick start to the second half and took the lead in the 49th minute. Johnson crashed the ball into the roof of the net to get his second as in many matches.
Wednesday doubled their advantage with a Gassama wonder goal, 55 minutes in. The youngster cut in from the left before curling a beautiful effort from range past goalkeeper Ingram.
Substitute Ashley Fletcher’s header went just over the crossbar as his search for a first goal in Wednesday colours continued.
Windass added a third in the 72nd minute with a superb half-volley from the edge of the box which arrowed into the bottom corner and put the game beyond any doubt.
The Tigers pulled one back in the 76th minute when Ihiekwe was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area and substitute Scott Twine stepped up to convert the penalty.
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