Ryan Jack insists the decision to sign a one-year extension to his contract at Rangers was a “no-brainer”.

The 31-year-old midfielder joined the Govan club from Aberdeen in 2017 and his new deal will see him into his seventh season at Ibrox.

Jack told the club’s official website: “I am obviously delighted with it, it has been in the background for a little while.

“I am delighted to get it done before the summer and I can go and focus over the off-season.

“I have played for the club for a number of years now, I love playing for the club and I love being here.

“I’m settled and my family are settled so when I initially spoke to the manager and he said he wanted me to stay it was a no brainer.”

Manager Michael Beale said: “I am delighted Ryan has signed a contract extension with the club as we continue to work behind the scenes in preparation for next season.

“I have worked with Ryan for a number of years, both in my previous time with the club and more recently since I returned, and he is a fantastic midfielder and an important member of our squad.

“The quality and experience he has is invaluable for this group as we all look forward to an exciting summer and 2023-24 campaign.”

LeBron James insists there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Los Angeles Lakers despite falling 2-0 down to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers were beaten 108-103 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, even though they were leading by 11 points in the third quarter and started the fourth still up by three.

Jamal Murray powered a decisive 15-1 Denver run in the fourth quarter, finishing with 37 points, while Nikola Jokic (23-17-12) made it five triple-doubles in the space of six games.

James, meanwhile, was unable to connect with any of his six three-point attempts in a frustrating night that saw him finish with 22 points.

But the 38-year-old did have 10 assists, nine rebounds and four steals and feels there is enough room for optimism ahead of Game 3 on home court, where the Lakers have won every game this postseason.

"I think we improved from Game 1 to Game 2," James said, per ESPN. 

"And if we can do the same thing from Game 2 to Game 3, we put ourselves in a position to win.

"This is not the NCAA tournament. It's the first to four wins. Until a team beats you four times, then you always have an opportunity to come out of it. That is the confidence we need to have.

"We can't go into any postseason game with comfort just because you either haven't lost at home or you're going back home. We have still got to play with the same desperation as we did [in Game 2].

"We came out with an L. The three-point line is what killed us in the fourth.

"[Murray] made shots at the end of the clock. We guard for 24 seconds and he made two big-time shots, one over [Anthony Davis] and one over me. 

"He had his 3-point shot going in the fourth. It’s no surprise to me, he’s done it before. Sometimes it’s a never-miss league."

James said what he called "a little ankle injury" would not stop him suiting up for Game 3 on Saturday.

Austin Reaves tied James for a team-high 22 points and had no concerns about his star teammate’s shooting woes from deep.

"I mean, he can shoot all he wants – it's LeBron James," said Reaves. "I don't think anybody bats an eye when he shoots a shot or questions his shot. 

"We want him taking whatever he feels comfortable with, just because he's a winning basketball player for his whole career and that's all he wants to do, he wants to win."

Coach Darvin Ham had similar views on James' long-range shooting after Thursday's loss.

Ham said: "He [James] was open, they're playing off of him. He's a highly capable three-point shooter, he let it fly.

"Proud of our guys, they bounced back and we addressed a lot of the things that we said we were going to try to do better.

"Still got to be better in transition D. But overall the energy was there, the effort was there, the urgency was there, we just caught a bad stretch."

The Lakers have now lost consecutive games for the first time since the middle of March. After beating the odds to make the playoffs following a woeful start to the regular season, Ham was quick to remind observers the Lakers should not be counted out. 

"I've been down 2-10, 0-5," Ham said. "You're never as good as they say you are and you're never as bad as they say you are.

"You've just got to treat each day like its own entity. Each day, each game an opportunity to go out and get better. Never get too high and never get too low."

Davis also vowed to improve in Game 3. He had 14 rebounds and four blocks but was restricted to 18 points on 4-of-15 shooting after scoring 40 points in Game 1.

The eight-time All-Star said: "I'm going to continue to shoot those shots and I got to be better, more efficient, help the team win. So, I'll be better."

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is confident his players will be ready for a first European adventure if they manage to grasp the prize dangling before them.

The Seagulls suffered a setback on Thursday evening when they went down 4-1 at Newcastle in the battle of the Premier League’s top-six gatecrashers.

However, they return to action against relegated Southampton on Sunday knowing wins in two of their last three games – against the Saints, champions elect Manchester City and Aston Villa – will secure a place in the top six and the rewards that would bring.

Reflecting on a bruising evening on Tyneside, De Zerbi said: “We are not used to playing three games in a week and we suffered a lot.

“There are many players – for example Moises Caicedo, Pervis [Estupinan] in the first half – they didn’t play well, but I love them. They have to learn to play two games in four days.

“Next year we will be better, we will be ready to play every day.”

The defeat at St James’ Park came in Brighton’s fourth game in 15 days, a run which includes famous victories over Manchester United and Arsenal, but also a 5-1 home drubbing by Everton.

De Zerbi felt he had no option but to leave on-loan Chelsea defender Levi Colwill out of the matchday squad in the north east with Alexis Mac Allister, Julio Enciso and Evan Ferguson starting on the bench.

With injuries biting deep into his squad – he was also without Solly March, Adam Lallana, Adam Webster, Joel Veltman, Jakub Moder, Jeremy Sarmiento, Enock Mwepu and Tariq Lamptey – the Italian admitted he had been presented with a selection headache.

However, he added: “Yes, but we have to be strong in a difficult period, a tough period. I don’t like making any excuses, but we have eight, nine, I don’t know, I don’t remember how many injuries we have now.

“We are playing four games in 12 days. The first XI today, Colwill wasn’t available to play, Mac Allister can’t play 90 minutes today and 90 minutes on Sunday, Welbeck, Buonanotte, Gilmour and Undav the same.”

De Zerbi expects to have 20-year-old Colwill, who was rested at Newcastle as a result of fatigue, back in the fold for Sunday’s game.

Ralph Beckett’s Haskoy will bid to begin her season with a bang in the Al Rayyan Stakes at Newbury.

The Golden Horn filly was twice a winner as a three-year-old, taking a novice on debut and then the Listed Galtres Stakes at York in August.

Her next outing was the final Classic of the season, the St Leger at Doncaster, where she ran a fine race to cross the line in second place but was later demoted to fourth as she was deemed to have caused interference.

Her run at Newbury will be her first of the season in a career that seems to be following an upward trajectory.

Barry Mahon, general manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “She’s a star.

“To jump up from winning a maiden on the all-weather, to then win a stakes race at York days later and then be thrown in at the deep end into a St Leger and finish second past the post.

“She’s a good filly, but she’s just taken a bit of time to come to hand.”

Godolphin run a well-fancied duo, with multiple Group winner Yibir at the head of the market for Charlie Appleby.

The five-year-old has not been seen since winning the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket in July, prior to which he was internationally campaigned and only narrowly beaten in the Sheema Classic, the Jockey Club Stakes and the Man o’War Stakes at Belmont.

Appleby’s second runner is Kemari, another five-year-old gelding but a horse who was more recently seen when finishing fourth and second in the Nad Al Sheba Trophy and the Dubai City Of Gold respectively at Meydan.

The trainer told www.godolphin.com: “Yibir suffered a setback after winning in July but his preparation has gone well. He went for a racecourse gallop at Newmarket a couple of weeks ago and we were very pleased with how he went.

“If he can bring the level of form he showed as a three-year-old and what we saw last year, he is going to be the one they all have to beat.

“Kemari showed great consistency over the winter in Dubai and the ground should be lovely for him. He is a very straightforward horse in terms of his running style and will hopefully be very competitive if he can replicate his Meydan performances.”

William Haggas is represented by Gaassee, a four-time winner who returns to the track for the first time since August and since being gelded.

The trainer said: “That is a very strong race for what it is. It’s a Group Three race with lots of good horses in it.

“He has got talent – we’ve had a few issues with him, but he’s ready to go and he’ll enjoy some decent ground.

“We gelded him at the end of last season. I think he’s OK.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Israr, Andrew Balding’s Old Harrovian, Aidan O’Brien’s Bolshoi Ballet also feature.

Elsewhere there are two Listed races, the first of which is the opening BetVictor Carnarvon Stakes over six furlongs.

Godolphin and Appleby have a strong hand once again through Noble Style, winner of the Gimcrack last term and sixth in the 2000 Guineas when last seen.

Appleby said: “Noble Style goes into this in good order on the back of a pleasing run in the 2000 Guineas, when he was trying a mile for the first time on soft ground.

“We came out of that race with the mindset that sprinting was going to be the way forward.

“Working back from the Commonwealth Cup, we felt getting him back into a sprinting frame of mind here was the right thing to do. This looks a nice springboard onto Royal Ascot and we are very much looking forward to seeing him back over this trip.”

The other Listed contest is the Haras De Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial Stakes, a 10-furlong event for likely Oaks types.

Juddmonte and Beckett run Bluestocking, a daughter of Camelot who won on debut in September when taking a Salisbury novice by a length and a quarter.

“She won her maiden well. Unfortunately we missed Lingfield (last weekend), which was where we wanted to go, and she has taken time to come to herself like a lot of fillies this spring,” Mahon said of the bay.

“Lingfield was our initial plan and the filly was probably not ready to run there anyway, so the switch to the all-weather didn’t really matter to us.

“We’re just waiting for her to come and bloom and she’s coming.

“Everyone is happy with her, she’s not 100 per cent there yet, but she’s coming and just about ready to start.

“She’s a nice filly, full of potential but there is still the unknown until we see her on track and that is where we will find out what her level is.”

Leeds boss Sam Allardyce has urged Patrick Bamford to respond to threats made on social media by scoring the winner at West Ham on Sunday.

Allardyce also wants “the police to do a lot more” after Bamford’s penalty miss in last week’s home draw against Newcastle prompted online abuse directed at both the striker and his family.

Leeds issued a statement this week condemning the threats posted on Twitter and Allardyce said: “He’s been OK, he’s obviously extremely upset about the situation. It’s something which leaves a very, very bad taste indeed.

“I would like the police to do a lot more, but it appears when it’s social media, they rule and run the world and can say and do what they want unfortunately, which is why the world is in such a big mess, isn’t it?

“He’s handled it pretty well, I think the club gave him as much support as he needed, particularly security-wise.

“It wasn’t just about him, it was about his family. The best way to respond is to go out on the pitch on Sunday, perform to his highest level, try and score.

“And it would be even greater if he scored the winner. Hopefully it won’t affect his performance.”

Leeds are desperate for all three points at West Ham in their bid to climb out of the relegation zone and cling on to their top-flight status.

They sit third from bottom, one point from safety, with Sunday’s trip to the London Stadium followed by a home game against Tottenham on the final day.

West Ham reached the Europa Conference League final with victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday and Allardyce hopes his former club’s success could play to Leeds’ advantage.

He said: “They’ve got a final to think about, haven’t they? Subconsciously, you’ll never know whether that may affect the players in terms of when they go out and play.

“They’ll go out and play and try their best, (but) subconsciously, they won’t want to get injured.

“So they might be a little more tentative, who knows? But my job is about my team playing to the best they possibly can play.”

Leeds will be without suspended defender Junior Firpo on Sunday, but skipper Liam Cooper has returned to training and could be included in the squad.

Tyler Adams (hamstring), Luis Sinisterra (ankle) and Stuart Dallas (fractured femur) remain long-term absentees.

Stephen Robinson has promised St Mirren will have a go against Celtic on Saturday despite several heavy defeats against the Hoops this season.

The Buddies beat the cinch Premiership champions 2-0 at home in September but have lost 4-0 and 5-1 – the latter in the Scottish Cup – in Glasgow and 5-1 in Paisley, with the Saints reduced to 10 men in the last two meetings.

St Mirren, who secured a top-six spot for the first time in the current league format, were devastated to drop two points last week when Lawrence Shankland scored a stoppage-time penalty to complete Hearts’ comeback in a 2-2 draw and leave the Saints in sixth place, three points behind Hibernian and four behind the Jambos.

However, Robinson will stress positivity to his players against Celtic as they continue to battle for a European place.

“It was a huge blow for us last weekend but we felt sorry for ourselves for 48 hours, we came back in on Monday morning and it was back to work,” said the St Mirren boss, who revealed Alex Greive and Ryan Flynn are likely to miss the last three fixtures with injuries.

“You can’t change that, these things happen in football.

“I thought we deserved to win the game, we had enough chances. We were very good against a very good Hearts side, let’s make no mistake, and we made them look very average.

“There is a lot of positives but what stays in your mind is the last 20 seconds.

“But now we have to do it the hard way. We need to get points in the next two games and try to take it down to the last game against Rangers, that we still have a chance.

“We will go with a real positive attitude. We  went down to 10 men in two games against Celtic. It would be nice to finish with 11 and have a real go.

“It is another huge test but we go there to try and get a result.

“I am not going to sit back and get beat 1-0. If we go and have a right go at it and get beat 3-0 or 4-0 then so be it. We are going with positivity.”

Robinson, however, was dealt a double blow with the loss of striker Greive and midfielder Flynn.

The Northern Irishman said: “Alex Greive won’t be available – Curtis Main is our only fit senior striker – and neither will Ryan Flynn, both ankle ligament injuries.

“Both will be a struggle to play any more football this season.

“It is not major injuries but we are probably looking two to three weeks for both of them.

“It’s a blow because Tony (Watt) has already gone back to (parent club) Dundee United injured and Jonah (Ayunga) is injured so we are quite short up front. But we have two younger players, Lewis Jamieson and Kieran Offord, who will come into contention.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s miraculous comeback in the Sky Bet League One play-off semi-final against Peterborough, where they overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit, was a reminder that anything can happen in sport.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the best comebacks in sport.

Botham’s Ashes

England’s plight against Australia in the second Ashes Test in 1981 was so bad they had checked out of their hotel early ahead of an anticipated defeat. Enter Ian Botham. With his side 41 for four when following on, Botham played one of the great Test innings, smashing 149 to make Australia bat again and set an albeit modest target of 130. Enter Bob Willis. The fast bowler produced the spell of his lifetime, decimating the Australian batting order in taking eight wickets for 43 runs to seal a famous 18-run victory. Instead of being 2-0 down in the series, England went on to win 3-1.

Miracle of Medinah

It seemed impossible that the Ryder Cup would be returning home with Europe going into the final day of the bi-annual tournament in 2012. The United States had dominated the opening two days on their home soil of Medinah in Chicago, opening up a 10-4 lead in the race to 14.5 ahead of Sunday’s singles. But Spanish captain Jose Maria Olazabal channelled the spirit of his mentor Seve Ballesteros and Europe produced a sea of blue on the leaderboard, with Martin Kaymer sealing the most unlikely of victories when he rolled home a 10-foot putt to claim a 14.5-13.5 victory.

Fury’s unlikely resurrection

When Tyson Fury was on the end of a vicious left hook from Deontay Wilder in the 12th round of their WBC heavyweight clash in Las Vegas it looked like goodnight for the British fighter. Laying prone on the canvas he appeared out cold until midway through the referee’s count, when he came back to life, shot up and was somehow able to carry on. Fury thought he had earlier done enough to be awarded a points victory, but the judges controversially scored it a draw. However Fury dominated the two subsequent rematches and still retains the WBC belt.

Miracle of Instanbul

https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/113220969099215667
Liverpool’s first European Cup final in 21 years and first in the Champions League era looked like it was going to be a damp squib as AC Milan raced into a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Paolo Maldini and Hernan Crespo (2). But Steven Gerrard inspired the monumental second-half comeback, with Liverpool scoring three times in seven minutes as Vladimir Smicer and Xavi Alonso also bagged. Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek was the hero in the penalty shoot-out, saving from Andrea Pirlo and Andrei Shevchenko to claim a miraculous victory for Rafael Benitez’s side.

Brady’s Brunch

Even Tom Brady must have questioned whether his New England Patriots side had any chance of winning the 2017 Superbowl when they trailed the Atlanta Falcons 28-3 in the third quarter. But the NFL great cemented his position as the best quarterback of all time by inspiring his side to a miraculous 34-28 victory in overtime. It was the first Supervowl to be decided in an additional period and was also the largest comeback in the showpiece match.

Brecel back from the brink

Luca Brecel beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in this year’s World Snooker Championship quarter-final but the Belgian’s run looked like coming to an end in the semis against Si Jiahui when the Chinese debutant powered into a 14-5 lead in the race to 17. What happened next was the greatest comeback in Crucible history as Brecel won 11 successive frames, eventually claiming a remarkable 17-15 victory. He ensured that his fortnight in Sheffield ended in glory, beating Mark Selby in the final to win a first world title.

Eddie Howe has admitted Newcastle will need two XIs of equal quality to cope with the rigours of European football next season.

The Magpies secured a Europa League campaign at worst with Thursday night’s 4-1 Premier League victory over Brighton, and will play in the Champions League if they win one of their two remaining games of the current campaign, which continues with struggling Leicester’s trip to St James’ Park on Monday.

Asked what that would mean for the summer transfer window, Howe, who has been allowed to spend in excess of £250million to date, replied: “It’s a good question. We need to figure that out.

“If you have a strong squad, rotation will be important. Rotation is going to be important, utilising the whole squad is going to be important.

“We haven’t felt the necessity to necessarily do that on a consistent basis because we’ve been in one competition – of course, we had the cup run. We have rotated to a degree, but maybe not in the numbers that we might need to next year.

“If you’re going to do that, then the squad needs to be strong enough, so if you put out two XIs, they’re of equal strength.”

The strength of Howe’s current squad could be put to the test on Monday evening with his midfield resources stretched severely in the aftermath of an energy-sapping clash with the Seagulls.

Joe Willock was helped from the pitch in some discomfort with a hamstring injury which the Magpies fear will end his season with two games to go, while Bruno Guimaraes has been nursing a persistent ankle problem in recent months.

Howe said as he conducted his pre-match press conference: “Today I’ll be going straight to the physio room, to be honest, after this to see how everybody is. We’ve got a few concerns.

“The lads gave so much yesterday to the game, they’ve given a lot to the season physically and I just hope there’s no serious effects.

“It looks like Joe Willock may be in trouble with his hamstring – we might lose him for the season, but that’s unclear as I sit here now. Fingers crossed our team will still be strong.”

Even redoubtable Brazilian Joelinton is feeling the effects of a gruelling campaign after running himself into the ground in the club’s cause.

Howe, who is not anticipating having either Sean Longstaff or Jacob Murphy back available to face the Foxes, said: “He’s a machine. He’d literally – it’s a well-used phrase in football – run through a brick wall for the team, the club and I think he does every game.

“He succumbed to that brick wall last night, it seemed to hurt him, but we hope he’s okay. He’s just been incredible for us this year.”

Zander Clark is adamant Hearts still firmly believe that they can overhaul Aberdeen and reclaim third place in the cinch Premiership.

The Jambos were 10 points ahead of the Dons in February but the tables have turned since then, and Barry Robson’s resurgent team now lead the stuttering Edinburgh side by five points with just three games to play.

Crucially, the two teams meet at Tynecastle this Saturday, giving Hearts – who finished third last year – a chance to cut the gap to two points.

“Yes, of course,” said Jambos goalkeeper Clark, when asked if he believed it was still possible. “If you don’t believe you can do that there’s no point being at the club.

“The standards and demands we put on each other within the dressing-room are high, and outwith the demands are high. We’ve got to believe we can go into every game and take maximum points.”

If Celtic beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final, whoever finishes third will secure automatic European group-stage football next term and a significant financial boost. The stakes could hardly be higher for both clubs at Tynecastle this weekend.

“It will be a good game,” said Clark. “We’ll have the place packed. As players, we need to start the game well, give the fans something to cheer about and use that to our advantage.

“Every game you’re involved in when you’re a Hearts player is important, but we’ve slipped out of third place so Saturday’s game is a big one if we’ve got any aspirations of getting third place back.

“It’s a game we’re looking forward to and we’ll be ready for it.”

Aberdeen’s last visit to Tynecastle brought a 5-0 defeat under previous boss Jim Goodwin, but they have bounced back emphatically since Robson took the reins.

“Barry came in and they’ve had that new manager bounce so it will be a tough game, but we’re at home and we need to make that count by starting positively,” said Clark.

Hearts’ bid for third has been undermined by contentious red cards for Alex Cochrane and Peter Haring in their last two games against Celtic and St Mirren.

“It has been disappointing because we were very much in the Celtic game (until the red card) and last Saturday we had started to build momentum and then we went down to 10,” said Clark.

“But credit to the boys for not giving it up and going right to the final whistle to get a point (against St Mirren), which next week could hopefully prove to be a massive point for us.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has insisted discussions over the future of Granit Xhaka will wait until the end of the season.

Xhaka has been central to the Gunners’ title bid this campaign but is approaching the final 12 months of his deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Bayer Leverkusen are interested in taking the Switzerland international back to Germany, where the midfielder played for four years with Borussia Monchengladbach before he moved to England in 2016.

It has been a rollercoaster journey for Xhaka at Arsenal but his manager is eager to finish strongly in the final two games before he switches his attention to a number of contract scenarios.

Arteta said: “The clarity is there. He is a player that has played I think every minute since I have been the manager.

“He is an incredibly respected figure at the club. He has a great story around him with what he has achieved at the club in going through very tough moments and he is a key and very important part of us.

“Whatever happens is something we will discuss, certainly not now.”

Second-placed Arsenal have faced some criticism this week after their 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton left Manchester City on the brink of a fifth Premier League victory in six years.

Pep Guardiola’s side can defend their crown this weekend if the Gunners lose at Nottingham Forest on Saturday or if City can beat Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium a day later.

Arteta, in a thinly-veiled dig at their detractors, stated they have been up against one of the best teams ever.

“We have shown this season,” Arteta replied when asked if Arsenal can be title contenders again next season.

“We’re still there, with two games to go we can still be champions against probably the best team in Premier League history.

“For 10 months we’re still there. There’s two games still to go and we’re not going to bottle that for sure.

“What happens next season will depend on what we do, how we evolve and how we start. That prediction is very difficult to do today.”

Quizzed on the level of the squad, with Champions League football to come next term, Arteta conceded improvements will need to be made before Arsenal return to Europe’s top competition.

“At the level that we want? No. We didn’t have the capacity to do that as well with the Europa League so it’s part of that evolution,” he explained.

“We have made a lot of good steps and strong steps in that journey and we have to continue. That never ends.

“We want to be better and the rest will be better, then the margins will be higher and we have to start to live with those standards and improve and be smarter.”

Arsenal received positive news on Thursday when Aaron Ramsdale agreed a new long-term deal with the club.

It will keep Ramsdale contracted to the Gunners until the summer of 2026, the PA news agency understands.

Arteta is confident the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba will follow.

He added: “Delighted with the news for Aaron. He fully deserves that new contract, that extension and we want to keep our talent at the club and we want to build on that.

“There are a few more who are very relevant for us to continue with that relationship. We’re working on that.

“We are trying (with Saliba). We are having conversations and we are trying to maintain the talent we have at the club as I said before, but things take time.

“You have to agree it. There are different parties involved. I think everybody’s intention is the same and hopefully we’ll find the right solution.”

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) and Gabriel Martinelli (ankle) will not feature again this season.

“Gabi’s is a pretty nasty injury, we need to assess in the next week how long he’ll be out for,” Arteta said.

Jamal Murray and Michael Malone wanted to make sure people would be talking about the Denver Nuggets after Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

They achieved just that as the Nuggets moved 2-0 ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 108-103 win, led by Murray's 37 points.

Murray scored 23 points in a huge fourth quarter that Denver had started three points behind. The Canadian also recorded 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Nikola Jokic impressed again, registering his fifth triple-double in the space of six games with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

It was clear after Thursday's game that the Nuggets had been frustrated to see much of the coverage of their 132-126 win in Game 1 discussing the positives of the Lakers' performance.

Now, Denver are two wins away from a first NBA Finals appearance.

"You win Game 1 and all everybody talked about was the Lakers," said Malone, per ESPN.

"Let's be honest, the national narrative was, 'Hey, the Lakers are fine. They're down 1-0, but they figured something out'.

"No one talked about how Nikola just had an historic performance. He's got 13 playoff triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he's doing is just incredible on a nightly basis on the biggest stage in the world.

"But their narrative wasn't about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn't about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments. 

"So you know, you put that in your pipe and you smoke it, you come back and you know what, we're gonna go up 2-0."

Murray added: "We're the Denver Nuggets; we're used to that.

"Even when we win, they talk about the other team. We beat the Clippers in the bubble, they talk about the other team. 

"Same old, same old. It fuels us a little more and will be sweeter when we win the chip."

Murray, who is still battling an ear infection, had only made five of his first 17 shots before his decisive late surge.

"It would have been a lot easier if I had made them in the first half!" he said.

"Playing in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers and LeBron James, it's an amazing opportunity, and it's something you're going to look back in history and remember for the rest of your life."

James and Austin Reaves both scored 22 points for the Lakers, while Rui Hachimura added 21 off the bench.

Anthony Davis had 18 points and 14 rebounds but was held to a 4-of-15 shooting performance after scoring 40 points in Game 1.

Murray lifted Denver to a crucial 15-1 run that put them 96-84 ahead with just over five minutes left. He scored four of his six three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

"I love Jamal Murray," added Malone. "This is not just like I'm coaching him. We've been together seven years and been through a lot of ups and downs.

"To see him back playing at the level he's playing at, the first thought for me is just tremendous pride and just so happy for him. Because I saw the dark days coming back from that ACL injury.

"He needs to continue to do that. Obviously our goal is not done. We have to win this series. Our goal is to win a championship, and he's going to be a big part of that."

Jokic said about Murray: "He was special and he won us the game. He played 42 minutes, his energy was amazing. 

"Yes, maybe in the first half, he struggled to make shots. But when it mattered the most, he made shots and won us the game basically."

Game 3 takes place on Saturday in Los Angeles, with the Lakers unbeaten at home so far in the playoffs.

Phil Jones will look back fondly on 12 years at Manchester United despite admitting to “difficult days” in his battle with injuries after it was announced he will be leaving the club in the summer.

The 31-year-old will depart Old Trafford at the end of his contract, having been blighted by injuries for much of his stay.

The defender, who joined from Blackburn in 2011, played 229 times, scoring six goals for United and helping them win one Premier League title, an FA Cup and the Europa League.

Jones, who is yet to decide whether he will carry on playing, said in an open letter on Twitter: “It’s always tough to leave a club. I did so already with Blackburn Rovers, all those years ago aged only 19, but I could never imagine what was to follow.

“My time at United has been nothing short of incredible.

“It’s not a time to be sad. It’s a time to look back, for me and my family, and be happy that I managed to live a dream at United.

“I can always say to my family and friends that not many people get to play for this club, to always be in its history and to be able to look back with such happy memories.

“I wish Erik (ten Hag) and his staff, and all the players, the best of luck for the future. He’s building something here and I’ll be watching, supporting, and hoping, more than anyone, that he can continue the progress we can all see already.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me at Manchester United, where I’ve made friends for life.

“But, most of all, my family, who stuck by me through everything. The biggest one to my wife and two beautiful girls. I cannot put into words the support you’ve given me. We’ve stuck together and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Jones has not played in over a year and managed only 13 appearances since the start of the 2019/20 season and has revealed the turmoil injuries played on him.

“I wish I could have played more. I wish I could have given more to the many squads I played alongside,” he added.

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“I will say, from the bottom of my heart, I did everything I could. I did everything the medical team asked of me.

“I never left a stone unturned in the pursuit of living my dream and having the opportunity to represent Manchester United on the pitch. I spent some difficult days away from my family, rehabilitating and recovering away from everyone, recuperating away from the training pitch, which I was desperate to get back to.

“I’ve said before that I found it hard to even speak to my team-mates because I was hurt that I couldn’t help them. I was hurt that my family couldn’t see me on matchdays, and you feel like you’re letting people down.

“Sometimes, in life, things happen that we don’t like, but we have to learn to accept it and be at peace in our minds that we did everything we could to overcome the challenges. In your career, and life, that’s all we can really do.

“I lived a dream at the biggest club in the world. I played for England in major tournaments. At United, I won trophies, most notably the Premier League under Sir Alex, in his final season.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche insists he puts no significance on being outside the bottom three in the relegation battle until the final day of the season.

Rivals’ results meant even after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend the team did not drop into the relegation zone.

A Saturday 3pm kick-off at Wolves means Dyche’s side have the chance to crank up the pressure on Leeds and Leicester, in 18th and 19th place, who play on Sunday and Monday respectively.

Only a third away victory of the season would take the Toffees five points clear and ensure they kept their destiny in their own hands.

It would also leave the Foxes needing to win their final two games while Leeds would require at least four points to survive.

But Dyche is not interested in doing the maths even at this late stage.

“I don’t stare at the league. I stare at the performances, I stare at the group, I stare at the prep, I stare at the strategy, I stare at all these things, the tactics, these are the things I’m obsessing with,” he said.

“It’s not about the league table at this stage. I’ve said it for weeks, the one at the end of the season is the most important.

“Of course we all debate it and look at it during a season, of course we do, but the one at the end of the season, that’s the most important, the one we’re looking to be above the line on.

“I think we’ve just stayed very clear-minded, trying to take away the layers of noise around our group to make sure we’re focused on the game.

“That’s all we look to do, others can do however they wish.”

The Everton manager also tried to play down the significance of playing ahead of their rivals on the penultimate weekend of the season.

“You can look at it either way, I’ve been on either side of it,” he said.

“Last club, this club, whether you feel the game is on the right day or wrong day, that’s just the way it goes. The schedule is what it is, you have to deal with it.

“You have to play regardless of what the challenge is. I’ve always looked at it that way so therefore I can’t change the goalposts from someone else’s point of view.

“From my point of view, whenever the game is, it’s about taking it on.”

Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has returned to training after a groin problem forced him off against City and is in contention for Saturday’s squad.