Lando Norris is a "franchise driver" and is as good as Formula One icon Fernando Alonso, McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes.

The 23-year-old is set for his fifth year with McLaren and has a new teammate for 2023 in Oscar Piastri, resulting in an exciting youthful pairing in F1.

McLaren have high hopes for their future in F1, with Brown recently outlining his objective of competing for the title by 2025, and Norris is an integral part of those plans.

The team have managed to keep Norris out of the clutches of Red Bull, whom he has spoken to in the past, with the young driver tied down until 2025 and seen as a figure McLaren can build around.

Though there is still plenty for Norris to achieve in F1, Brown suggests he is comparable to two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso.

"Lando's a franchise driver. Lando's one of those guys if we put everyone in a dirt buggy and we put all the F1 drivers in a race, he'd be at the front because he's got that kind of natural talent," Brown told ESPN.

"I think he is as good as anyone on the grid, and I've felt that from day one when I put him against Fernando in the 24 Hours of Daytona, foreign car, foreign track.

"I think Fernando is as good as any F1 driver there's ever been, and Lando matches him, and depending on what time of day it was, maybe he even got him a little bit, and vice versa.

"You see that natural talent. You do get some drivers who are a one-make discipline and you throw them in a unique situation and they don't get up to speed as quickly."

Norris is still waiting for a maiden victory in F1 but he did see Mercedes' George Russell – someone he raced alongside during their junior careers – secure a win last season.

Brown feels that will provide encouragement for the forthcoming campaign.

"He wants to be winning races, I'm sure he knows he can beat George and he has beaten George before... and he goes out and wins," Brown added.

"He's going to be anxious people he's raced with don't get too many more wins before he starts getting his."

Luka Doncic revealed "chirping" with Detroit Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen gave him extra fuel as he inspired the Dallas Mavericks to victory on Monday.

Doncic exchanged words with Allen during a 111-105 win in which he scored a phenomenal 53 points for the Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

The Slovenian star approached Allen on the bench in the closing stages of the game and suggested he made a mistake by being a little too vocal.

"Since the first quarter, he was chirping," Doncic said. "You know I'll chirp back.

"From the first quarter, he was chirping. I don't want to say the words. I have no problem with that. It's basketball. It gets me going for sure."

Pistons head coach Dwane Casey had no problem with Allen and Doncic engaging in the verbals.

He said: "It's a bunch of nothing, a bunch of nothing. We've seen worse. Remember I coached Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett, so that tonight was zero as far as chirping.

"I liked it. I thought it really got us going, and that's the way it should be with competitive guys. Doncic is competitive as heck. I love the way he plays, the way he carries himself, and I love the way our guys responded.

"They weren't intimidated. So it's all good. It was clean, nothing dirty about it.

"It's good if that's what he needs to get himself going and tell himself. But he doesn't need any help. He's a great player without all the other stuff, but it is what it is."

It is the fourth time this season the prolific Doncic had racked up 50 points in a game and his 53-point haul was the joint-second highest for Dallas, matching Dirk Nowitzki's total against the Houston Rockets on in 2004.

Doncic set the record with 60 against the New York Knicks last month.

The Club World Cup begins on Wednesday as seven teams compete to become world champions.

Representatives from each confederation will take part over 11 days in Morocco, with Real Madrid favourites to end up lifting the trophy.

That is not to disrespect any of the other participants, but Europe's stranglehold on the competition simply cannot be denied.

Although South American teams won the first three editions in its current format, the only occasion in the last 15 where the Champions League winners have not triumphed was in 2012 when Corinthians defeated Chelsea in the final, the last time Europe's best did not succeed.

With four-time Club World Cup winners Madrid present, can anyone realistically stop Carlo Ancelotti's men? Stats Perform has taken a look at the other participants.

CONMEBOL – Flamengo

It would be fair to assume that, as the only other confederation to claim the prize, the South American representatives will always be seen as the biggest challengers to Europe.

Flamengo have participated in the Club World Cup before, having reached the final in 2019 only to lose 1-0 to Liverpool after extra time.

The Mengao have faced some recent upheaval with head coach Dorival Junior leaving despite winning the Copa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores, just the third time they had prevailed in South America's premier competition.

Former Fenerbahce and Corinthians boss Vitor Pereira arrived in December and will be relying on star striker Gabriel Barbosa to fire his team to glory, as the ex-Inter man did when he scored the only goal of the Libertadores final against Athletico Paranaense in October.

Despite promising young midfielder Joao Gomes leaving for Premier League side Wolves, Pereira will hope his new team can at least make their way to the February 11 final when they face either hosts Wydad Casablanca or Al Hilal in the final four.

CONCACAF – Seattle Sounders

The Sounders are carrying the hopes not only of Seattle but of MLS as a whole. Due to a series of CONCACAF Champions League heartbreaks for American and Canadian clubs prior to Seattle's triumph last May, the league has had a long, long wait for representation on the world stage.

It is fitting then that the Sounders should be the team to do it, having broken so many barriers since arriving in MLS in 2009, selling out stadiums, enjoying instant success and signing big-name stars from European clubs.

Although the 2022 season saw the Sounders' ever-present record in the MLS playoffs ended, that was no reflection of the quality of this squad; injuries badly hampered Brian Schmetzer's side after their early-season focus on that successful Champions League campaign.

Joao Paulo is back fit again, Raul Ruidiaz provides a goal threat, Jordan Morris' pace causes problems for any defence, and captain Nicolas Lodeiro – a veteran of two World Cups – knits it all together.

The Sounders – and those watching back home – will be desperate to get through the second round and have a crack at heavyweights Madrid.

CAF – Wydad Casablanca

Otherwise known as Wydad AC, the Moroccans would have sealed their place regardless of being hosts after lifting the CAF Champions League in May.

Under the guidance of Walid Regragui before he left to lead the Morocco national team to the semi-finals of the World Cup, Zouhair El Moutaraji's two goals in the final against Al Ahly brought Wydad their third Champions League title.

Their record in this competition is less impressive, with their only previous involvement coming in 2017 when they were beaten by Mexico's Pachuca in the second round, before going down 3-2 to Japan's Urawa Reds in the fifth-place playoff.

Former Racing Santander and Birmingham City player Mehdi Nafti took over from Regragui after leaving LaLiga side Levante late last year, and Regragui thinks they can improve on their 2017 showing at least.

"I think the trap game is Al Hilal [second round]. If they manage to pass Al Hilal, they can go to the final against Real Madrid. Everything is possible," the Morocco coach told FIFA.com.

AFC – Al Hilal

The four-time AFC Champions League winners will compete with Wydad in the second round, with the winner going on to face Flamengo in the final four.

Ramon Diaz returned for a second spell in charge, and like several other head coaches at the Club World Cup, was not actually the one who lifted the trophy that got his team here in the first place.

Former Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim was in charge when Al Hilal beat Korea's Pohang Steelers in November 2021, before leaving by mutual consent to be replaced by Diaz.

Diaz is unsurprisingly the only former Oxford United manager at the Club World Cup, but the 63-year-old has plenty of talent to call upon in his quest for glory in Morocco.

Odion Ighalo and Luciano Vietto will be accompanied by a number of players from Saudi Arabia's impressive World Cup campaign, with Al Hilal looking to improve on their last CWC campaign when they were beaten by Chelsea in the semi-finals and Al Ahly in the third-place playoff in 2022.

CAF – Al Ahly

Al Ahly are also back again, somewhat fortuitously as they inherit Wydad's assigned host spot following the Moroccans beating them in the CAF Champions League final.

This will be the Egyptian side's eighth appearance at the Club World Cup, with their most impressive previous campaign seeing them finish third after beating Brazilian's Palmeiras on penalties in 2021.

Head coach Marcel Koller also played no part in his team's qualification for this competition, with the former Austria boss only arriving in September.

With a number of Egypt's national team players to call on, they will be hoping to repeat their previous meeting with Auckland City in the first round when they beat the New Zealanders 2-0 in 2006. 

OFC – Auckland City

This will be the 10th appearance for the Navy Blues, but they are back again after their 3-0 win against Tahiti's Venus in the 2022 OFC Champions League final.

That was overseen by head coach Albert Riera, not to be confused with the former Liverpool and Galatasaray winger, who took charge in December 2021.

Riera will be hoping to at least match his team's best ever performance at the CWC, when they came third in 2014 after winning on penalties against Mexico's Cruz Azul. 

It would take a momentous effort for anyone to stop Madrid, who somehow overcame Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool on their way to Europe's Champions League title last season.

Never say never, though.

Damian Lillard's red-hot scoring form continued on Monday as he posted his eighth 40-point game of the season.

Lillard was the star of the show in the Portland Trail Blazers' 129-125 home win against the Atlanta Hawks, scoring 42 points on 10-of-21 shooting after finishing a perfect 17-of-17 from the free throw line. Only Joel Embiid (nine), Giannis Antetokounmpo (10) and Luka Doncic (11) have scored 40 more often this season.

He outdueled Dejounte Murray of the Hawks, who was terrific in his own right, collecting a career-high 40 points (13-of-26 shooting), eight rebounds and seven assists.

Having already claimed the record as the Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer earlier this season, Lillard is showing no signs of slowing down, and is on pace for arguably the best statistical season of his career.

He is averaging a career-high 30.4 points per game, while also tying his career-best field goal percentage of 46.3. Lillard has never averaged more than the 4.1 three-pointers he is making each game, while he is also on track for his fourth season with at least seven assists per game, and his fourth season shooting at least 90 per cent from the line.

He started the season in fine fashion as he posted back-to-back 41 point games in the opening week, but after his scoring average dipped to 22.3 in November, Lillard has hit a rich vein of form since the beginning of the new year.

The six-time All-NBA selection is averaging 34.5 points per game in January – trailing only Philadelphia 76ers powerhouse Embiid with 34.9 – and nobody in the league is averaging better than Lillard's 38.8 points across their past 10 contests.

Portland are 19-19 in the 38 games their star point guard has suited up for this season, and are 5-7 without him, but that does not accurately portray how valuable Lillard is for his franchise.

Lillard's overall plus/minus this season of plus 129 is the best figure on the team, while Josh Hart (plus 110) is the only other player with a mark better than Jusuf Nurkic's plus 52.

His impact on the Trail Blazers' offense is massive, as the team boasts an offensive rating of 118.7 while he is on the floor, but it drops to 112.4 when he is on the bench or not available. For reference, that 118.7 mark is higher than the league-leading Denver Nuggets (117.4), while 112.4 would tie them with the 23rd-ranked Los Angeles Clippers.

Lillard will likely not receive any MVP consideration unless the Blazers make a late push into the Western Conference's top-six, but since the calendar flipped over to 2023 there has arguably not been a better player in the sport.

Luka Doncic produced yet another spectacular performance on Monday as he carried the Dallas Mavericks with 53 points in a 111-105 home win against the Detroit Pistons.

The 23-year-old Slovenian returned to the lineup after missing the Mavericks' loss against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, and he looked on track for a big one from the jump.

Doncic scored 24 of Dallas' 30 points in the first quarter, but the team found themselves trailing at half-time as the rest of the Mavericks struggled on the offensive end.

By the end of the third frame, Dallas trailed by one as Doncic had 45 points and none of his team-mates had more than eight, but the Mavericks were able to hold the Pistons to 21 points in the final period to pull out the narrow victory.

Doncic shot 17-of-24 from the field for his 53 points – the second-most he has ever scored in an NBA game – while adding eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. He had 41 points more than his closest team-mate, Spencer Dinwiddie with 12.

It was the fifth time in his career Doncic has reached 50 points, and the fourth since December 23, after posting games of 50, 51 and 60 points in the last nine days of 2022.

With the win, the Mavericks improved their record to 27-25, sitting sixth in the Western Conference, while the Pistons are dead last in the East at 13-39.

Curry brings the thunder to OKC

Stephen Curry was at his best in the Golden State Warriors' 128-120 road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, leading both teams in points and assists.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP finished with 38 points on 12-of-20 shooting, while also dishing 12 assists and snatching eight rebounds in a masterful display.

He was supported well by 'Splash Brother' Klay Thompson, who chipped in 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, as the duo combined to hit 14-of-28 from three-point range.

They locked horns with the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who maintained the fifth-best scoring average in the league (30.9 per game) by scoring 31 on 10-of-24 shooting with seven assists and three blocks.

Banchero shines in Fultz's return to Philly

Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz posted his first double-double of the season as the former number one overall pick made a winning return to Philadelphia.

In his first road game against the Philadelphia 76ers since being traded from the franchise in 2019, Fultz finished with 12 points and 10 assists, helping to ignite a 77-47 second-half demolition on the way to a 119-109 upset win.

The star for the Magic was their other top overall pick, as rookie Paolo Banchero scored a team-high 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting while adding nine rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.

Joel Embiid was terrific for the 76ers, dropping 30 points (11-of-20), 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, but his scoring average for the season dropped to 33.6. He still leads the league, but Doncic (33.4) is hot on his tail.

Interim head coach Joe Mazzulla and the rest of the Boston Celtics coaching staff have earned the right to coach Team Giannis at this year's All-Star Game.

It was announced on Monday that the 36-15 Celtics had clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through February 5, meaning Mazzulla and his staff will get the honour of coaching the team captained by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Celtics MVP candidate Jayson Tatum was also named a starter on Team Giannis, along with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and the Brooklyn Nets duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

It continues a remarkable rise from obscurity for Mazzulla, who prior to the 2019-20 season had never coached in the NBA. He was recruited as an assistant for the Celtics after spending two years in his first head coaching role with division two college Fairmont State.

Mazzula spent two of his first three seasons on the Celtics bench under former head coach and current president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, before retaining his role when Stevens was promoted and Ime Udoka was brought in as the new head coach.

Udoka enjoyed a spectacular debut season as head coach, guiding the Celtics to the second seed in the East and taking them all the way through to the NBA Finals. But he was suspended indefinitely in the offseason after it was revealed he was involved in what was described as an "inappropriate, consensual relationship" with a staff member.

The Celtics have not missed a beat under Mazzulla's watch, sitting top-five in both offensive and defensive efficiency as they build a championship-level profile for the second season in a row.

Mazzulla is the third rookie head coach in the past 24 seasons to earn All-Star Game coaching honours.

After hearing his name frequently mentioned in trade rumours the past few years, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner finally has some long-sought piece of mind after he and the team agreed to a contract extension that was officially announced Monday.

"Definitely there’s a sense of relief knowing there’s some security and you can just play the game," Turner said at Monday’s press conference confirming the new deal, which ESPN reported to be for two years and $60million.

"It [the trade rumours] is something I’ve been through my entire career. But I wanted to be here in Indy."

Turner’s future in Indiana had been in question with the Pacers expected to be in a rebuild and the 26-year-old in the final year of his current contract. The Pacers seemed ready to move on this past summer when they signed Phoenix center Deandre Ayton to a four-year, $133m offer sheet that the Suns ultimately matched to keep the restricted free agent.

Despite continued interest from teams leading up to the February 9 trade deadline, the Pacers instead affirmed their commitment to the eight-year veteran and the team’s longest-tenured player as one of its core members.

"As a staff, we were hoping this day would come very desperately," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Over the last year and a half, since he transitioned back to his natural position, the five, we've seen tremendous things."

Carlisle was referring to last February’s trade of All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings, freeing up Turner as the primary interior presence while also landing standout point guard Tyrese Haliburton and long-range shooter Buddy Hield in return.

Turner has indeed thrived from both the switch and from playing with Haliburton, as he’s averaging career-highs of 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season while remaining one of the NBA’s top rim protectors.

His 2.4 blocks per game places him fourth in the league, and if he can maintain that, it will be his seventh consecutive season in the top-five for blocks per game, having led the league in the 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

"I think it made it easy, when given the full-time position at the five. That’s something I was definitely looking for," he said. "Given the situation I’m in now where I do get to see expanded minutes at the five, that was one of the main things I was looking for."

The new deal, which added over $17m to Turner’s 2022-23 salary to help the Pacers climb above the salary cap floor, also provides Indiana more flexibility going into the offseason with all five starters now under contract for next season.

The Toronto Raptors will be without terrific two-way wing O.G. Anunoby for at least the last four games of their current road trip after suffering a wrist injury.

Anunoby, 25, leads the NBA in total steals this season with 93 heading into Monday's action, while also averaging a career-high 0.8 blocks per game. He is joined by Oklahoma City Thunder breakout star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only players averaging at least 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks this campaign.

His injury occurred during Friday's loss to the Golden State Warriors when Anunoby landed awkwardly on his left arm following a shooting foul. He exited the game after his free throws and then missed Saturday's second leg of Toronto's back-to-back.

The Raptors announced an update on Monday, stating Anunoby would miss the remaining four games of their seven-game road trip as they travel to take on the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets before wrapping up next Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Toronto currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-28, and it remains to be seen if they continue to push for a playoff spot, or decide to kickstart a rebuild and make some trades.

Matias Vina has joined Bournemouth on an initial loan deal, which contains an option to make a permanent move from Roma.

The Uruguay left-back signed for Roma from Palmeiras in 2021 and has appeared 29 times in Serie A.

But Vina has been limited to just 54 league minutes under Jose Mourinho this season and has left for Bournemouth at least until the end of the campaign.

The 25-year-old is reportedly set to be joined at his new club by Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore and Dynamo Kyiv defender Ilya Zabarnyi on Tuesday's transfer deadline day.

Bournemouth appear to have failed in a bid for Nicolo Zaniolo had have already brought in Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo.

Meanwhile, Roma are said to be close to signing Diego Llorente from Leeds United.

The injury Brock Purdy sustained in the San Francisco 49ers' NFC Championship Game defeat is set to sideline him for six months, according to reports.

Breakout rookie star Purdy – the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft – was injured on the 49ers' first drive of their big 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

A strip sack from Haason Reddick saw Purdy's right throwing elbow injured, significantly damaging the 49ers' chances of advancing in Philadelphia.

Backup Josh Johnson then suffered a concussion, meaning Purdy eventually returned to the game but was reluctant to throw the ball.

NFL Network reported on Monday that Purdy's UCL in his elbow had been completely torn and he would undergo surgery, potentially for a repair, rather than a reconstruction.

ESPN said no decision had yet been made on surgery ahead of Purdy receiving second opinions, but the team were recommending the procedure.

The injury will see Purdy out for around six months, although that could mean he returns in time for training camp ahead of the 2023 season.

The 49ers lost Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to injuries before Purdy was thrown in and led the team to the brink of the Super Bowl.

The severity of this setback suggests the team will face another offseason of uncertainty at the sport's most important position.

Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie has joined Leeds United on an initial loan deal.

The versatile United States international signed for Juve in 2020, again making a temporary move from Schalke prior to the switch becoming permanent.

McKennie played 70 Serie A matches for the Bianconeri, including 15 this season, but the embattled giants had appeared open to letting him depart even before Paul Pogba returned to fitness, appearing on the bench on Sunday.

That stunning 2-0 home defeat to Monza played out without McKennie, who was expected to join Leeds.

The Elland Road club are coached by fellow American Jesse Marsch and feature McKennie's international team-mates Tyler Adams – the USMNT captain – and Brenden Aaronson.

McKennie's transfer was completed on Monday, with the loan agreement including "a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season".

Garbine Muguruza and Alize Cornet both fell at the first hurdle at the Lyon Open on Monday, going down to Linda Noskova and Camila Osorio respectively.

Having gone out in the first round at the Australian Open earlier this month, former world number one Muguruza did the same in France, suffering a resounding 6-1 6-4 defeat to 18-year-old Czech qualifier Noskova.

Third seed Cornet did not fare much better on home soil, capitulating after drawing level with Osorio as the Colombian triumphed 6-4 4-6 6-1.

The other seeds in action on day one at the WTA 250 event avoided the same fate, with fifth seed Anastasia Potapova beating Marina Bassols Ribera 4-6 6-1 6-2 and fourth seed Petra Martic fighting back to edge her two-hour battle with Kristina Mladenovic 3-6 6-3 7-5.

At the Thailand Open in Hua Hin, third seed Wang Xiyu was beaten in an all-Chinese meeting with Zhu Lin, while Wang Xinyu triumphed in straight sets against Joanne Zuger and Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko eliminated Ysaline Bonaventure.

Kellen Moore did not stay unemployed for long.

Less than 24 hours after Moore and the Dallas Cowboys agreed to part ways, the 34-year-old reportedly agreed on Monday to join the Los Angeles Chargers to run their offence.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Moore, who had served as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator since 2019, is expected to take over for the recently fired Joe Lombardi.

Under Lombardi, the Chargers were ranked 13th in scoring offence (23.0 points per game) and ninth in total offence (359.3 yards per game) this season and finished 10-7 to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

The team suffered a massive collapse in the playoffs, however, blowing a 20-point half-time lead while gaining just 84 second-half yards in suffering a 31-30 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round, leading to Lombardi's firing.

Similarly, Moore's time with the Cowboys ended after Dallas struggled offensively in a playoff clunker, managing just 282 total yards and one touchdown in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in their Divisional round game.

That showing came a week after the Cowboys racked up 425 total yards in their 31-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round and after they finished the 2022 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring (27.5 points per game) and 11th in total offense (354.9 yards per game).

Since Moore took over Dallas' offence four years ago, the Cowboys led the NFL in total yards in 2019 and 2021 and also had the league's top-ranked scoring offense last season at 31.2 points per game.

In Los Angeles, Moore will direct an offence led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Justin Herbert.

The 24-year-old, who just completed his third pro season, finished second in the NFL in passing in 2022 with 4,739 yards to go with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.