The Los Angeles Lakers will be without star Anthony Davis against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to left knee soreness, the NBA franchise announced.

Davis, who woke up with a sore knee, was ruled out of the line-up approaching tip-off in Oklahoma City on Friday.

The NBA champion had 22 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 108-95 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies as the Lakers fell to 13-13 for the season.

Davis is averaging 24.0 points, 10.2 rebounds – his best since the 2018-19 season, and 3.0 assists per game in 2021-22.

The 28-year-old has been shooting 52.3 per cent from the field, his best mark since the 2017-18 campaign. Meanwhile, Davis is just 19.2 per cent from three-point range – not since 2014-15 has he fared worse from beyond the arc.

The Lakers have a 13-13 record this season after also being 2-2, 3-3, 5-5, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 11- 11 and 12-12. The nine times at .500 this season (excluding 0-0) are the most of any NBA team, per Stats Perform.

Oklahoma City have beaten the Lakers in both meetings this season, overcoming a 19-plus point deficit in each. In the last 39 games in which the Thunder have fallen behind by at least 19 points, they are 2-0 against the Lakers and 0-37 against everyone else.

Hobart will stage an Ashes Test for the first time after Blundstone Arena was confirmed as the venue for next month's series finale between Australia and England.

The fifth and final Ashes showdown was meant to be held in Perth from January 14-18 before it was relocated due to Western Australia's border restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Melbourne – the scene for the Boxing Day Test – and Sydney, which will host the fourth Test, were in the mix to stage further matches this series.

However, Ashes cricket will come to Hobart via a day-night Test – the second pink-ball fixture of the 2021-22 series following Adelaide, starting December 16.

"We considered a range of factors, including commercial, logistical and operational considerations," Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Nick Hockley said on Saturday.

"On the balance of these the CA board agreed on Blundstone Arena being the most appropriate venue to host the fifth Vodafone Men's Ashes Test match.

"We also acknowledge the postponement of the Australia and Afghanistan Test due to be played in Hobart earlier in the year played a part in the decision."

Hobart was due to host last month's Australia-Afghanistan Test before it was cancelled.

The upcoming clash will be the first Test match in Tasmania's capital city since Australia were thrashed by South Africa in November 2016.

Cricket Tasmania CEO Dominic Baker added: "This is a great day not just for Tasmanian cricket, but for Tasmania in general.

"This will be without a doubt the biggest sporting event Tasmania has ever hosted.

"While the circumstances that have led us to be able to have the opportunity to host this Test are undoubtedly unique, we are thrilled that Tasmanians will have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness an Ashes Test in their own backyard."

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is expecting Steven Gerrard to "fight with all he has" when Liverpool host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

Reds legend Gerrard was appointed manager of Villa last month following the dismissal of Dean Smith and has won three of his first four games in charge of the Midlands club.

The former England midfielder won a multitude of trophies during his playing days at Liverpool, including the Champions League in 2005 along with three EFL Cups, two FA Cups, the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

He started his coaching career leading Liverpool's Under-18s side before joining Rangers in 2018, and last season led the Gers to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade, ending Celtic's dominance.

Speaking ahead of their meeting at Anfield, Klopp was glowing in his praise of Gerrard as a person, saying: "To have this kind of relationship with people says a lot about Stevie.

"Honestly, since I've been here, I haven't heard one [bad] word... 'Stevie is a great player, great player, but…' there was not one 'but'. Everybody's only positive. 

"Then you meet him and you realise what a great guy he is actually. The talent he had could have led to a lot of strange characteristics, but obviously he's a really good guy. Which is nice.

"So everybody's happy for him that he's doing well. Now he's coming back to his club, it is his club. Not for 95 minutes I know, all fine. It will be strange for him, but he will fight with all he has."

Klopp was also asked about the future of Nat Phillips. The centre back started the 2-1 Champions League win against Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, but suffered a facial injury that his manager said is likely to keep him out of action for "four to five weeks". 

Phillips played 20 games for Liverpool last season, with 18 starts, after injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, but his start in Milan was his first in any competition this season, and the 24-year-old has been linked with a move away in the January transfer window.

"I'm very happy that Nat is here, to be honest," Klopp told reporters. "But we will not block anything – I think, at least, it's not the plan anymore. But who knows what happens until January, then we would talk completely new.

"It's of course not the luckiest moment for this, but by the end of January he will be completely fine, definitely – or probably in the middle of January, I don't know exactly.

"So we will see that it will be completely fine. It's not complicated, it's just not cool. We will see what that means exactly, but in the long-term, it's no problem. Everything will be fine for Nat, definitely."

Lewis Hamilton "feels great" at the end of the first day of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but is expecting a "super close" race regardless.

Hamilton goes into Sunday's final race tied with title rival Max Verstappen on 369.5 points, with a record eighth World Championship on the line for the Mercedes driver.

It is only the second time the top two have gone into the last grand prix of the season level on points after Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni in 1974.

Hamilton set the fastest time in FP2, going three-tenths clear after finishing third in FP1 behind Verstappen and team-mate Valtteri Bottas at Yas Marina Circuit.

"[The car] doesn't feel too bad," Hamilton said. "It started off good but got a bit worse in P1, then started off better in the second session with some changes we made.

"Now we just have to crank through the data and try to figure out how we can improve, where we home in. The target is always moving, but yes, otherwise, I feel good.

"I feel good, I feel great in my body and as I said, I think we made some positive steps set-up wise, so we'll try and perfect it tonight and come back hard tomorrow.

"It's obviously close between us all. We got through our sessions a bit unknown in terms of pace but I'm sure it's going to be super close like it has been in previous races."

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, however, was less upbeat about his team's chances of success, citing Mercedes' strength in the first two sectors.

"[Mercedes] look very competitive here, certainly in the first two sectors," Horner said. "I think Sector 3 we come back at them, but the damage is done in the first two sectors. We've still got 24 hours or 23 hours [before qualifying] to try and find a better set-up and a bit more pace.

"We've got plenty of data, we've got some areas of the car we need to tidy up overnight. It's going to be a long evening certainly here, back in Milton Keynes, trying to tidy up the car. I think the long run pace looked sensible; we just need to tidy up the pace for the short runs."

Verstappen echoed Horner's sentiments, finding some positives in the long runs, but admitting the short runs needed work.

"I mean, we're still learning and understanding a few things but of course clearly the short run didn't go to plan – lacking a bit of pace – but the long runs were quite a bit more competitive so of course, that's also a bit more important," Verstappen added.

The Eastern Conference clash between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls on Saturday would have been a fascinating contest regardless, but as we are all learning to live with, matters have been complicated by COVID-19.

The Bulls have seen their options depleted, with several players entering the NBA's health and safety protocols in recent days, including star man DeMar DeRozan.

Coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago will be determined to get back to winning ways in Miami, but it is unclear at this stage who will even be taking to the court for Billy Donovan's team.

The Bulls (17-9) are second in the Eastern Conference as they travel to Florida to face the fourth-placed Heat (15-11), but have seen DeRozan, Derrick Jones Jr, Coby White, Matt Thomas and Javonte Green all sidelined by the health and safety protocols.

The Bulls' form has been one of the stories of the season in the NBA, with those who delighted in the Netflix documentary 'The Last Dance' dreaming of a first championship for Chicago since 1998.

Miami have been impressing as well, though. Having disappointingly followed up their run to the NBA Finals in 2019-20 with a first round playoff exit in a whitewash 0-4 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks last season, they appeared to be back to previous levels after winning six of their first seven games of this campaign.

That form has evened out in recent times, but with a home record of 7-4, including an impressive win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, the Heat will be confident of taking advantage of a depleted Bulls team, who they beat only a couple of weeks ago in Chicago.

One key area could well be how often the Bulls get into the paint, with Miami highest in the league for field goal percentage allowed in the paint (59.9), while Chicago have the second lowest (52.1).

Expect a strong start from Chicago, who boast the second most points per game from starters in the league (82.5) compared to Miami who have fifth fewest (68.2), although things may well turn as the Heat have the fifth-highest average points from the bench (39.1) while the Bulls have the second fewest (26.4).

DeRozan would undoubtedly be a huge miss for the Bulls. The 32-year-old has found life a breeze in the Windy City, scoring at least 20 points in all but four of his 24 appearances so far, sitting fourth in the league for average points per game (26.4).

Another possible absentee in the game is former Bull Jimmy Butler, who is 16th in the league for average points per game (22.8) but has missed the last few outings for the Heat with a tailbone injury, while Bam Adebayo will definitely be out after requiring thumb surgery.

Caleb Martin posted career-highs in points (28) and triples (six) as the Heat beat the Bucks 113-104, and along with Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Tyler Herro, will be hoping to go big again and take advantage of the shorthanded Bulls.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Chicago Bulls – Zach LaVine

If DeRozan is unable to play, the onus will fall on Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball to carry the Bulls to victory in Miami, with LaVine in particular almost certainly required to post a big score.

That should not be too much of a problem for the top point scorer in the NBA right now (670) who has played all 26 games for the Bulls so far this season, only failing to score more than 20 points on three occasions.

The shooting guard is also third in the league for dunks on a fast break with 17, which could come in handy when up against one of the older rosters in the NBA. Miami has the third-oldest active roster (28 years and 291 days) compared to the tenth-youngest Chicago (25 years and 112 days).

Miami Heat – Tyler Herro

The man announced as the best dressed athlete at Sports Illustrated's SI Awards on Tuesday will be hoping to look as impressive on the court when the Bulls come to town.

Herro scored 20+ points in 12 of his first 17 games this season, but has managed it just twice in his last six outings, including only scoring nine in the win against the Bucks.

The 21-year-old in his third season is increasingly becoming the Heat's key player, averaging 20.8 points per game, the 23rd most in the league, and will hope to impress more than judges of his attire with a big showing on Saturday.

KEY BATTLE – Will Bulls be able to find their mid-range?

The topic of mid-range shots and their usefulness seems to divide basketball fans, but it is an area that the Bulls in particular like to utilise as the team with the third-highest field-goal percentage from mid-range this season (45.1), behind only the Brooklyn Nets (49.0) and Portland Trail Blazers (46.7).

However, the Heat tops the table for lowest percentage of field-goals allowed from mid-range (34.7).

With DeRozan – who has the most field-goals made from the elbow this season (79) – likely to be missing, it could be that Chicago has to adjust their method of attack in Miami.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Heat prevailed 107-104 when these two met in November, and have won five of the last six meetings between the teams.

Andy Murray has parted ways with his long-term coach Jamie Delgado ahead of the 2022 season.

Murray and Delgado joined forces during the 2016 season when the Scot won a second Wimbledon title and finished the year top of the world rankings.

Former professional player Delgado, 44, then stepped up as full-time coach when Ivan Lendl stopped working in the role the following year, though much of his time has been spent with Murray negotiating a hip injury.

Delgado will now move on to go work with Denis Shapovalov's team, while Murray will continue to trial with Jan de Witt at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.

The 34-year-old had previously been working Johanna Konta's former coach Esteban Carril at a Stockholm tournament in November, but the Spaniard will not be part of Murray's setup for the upcoming season.

Potential new coach De Witt counts Gilles Simon, Gaels Monfils and Viktor Troicki as former players he has worked with, and the German will be with Murray for his first match against Dominic Thiem at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.

Murray, who has dropped to 134th in the world rankings, will face Rafael Nadal if he can beat the Frenchman, while Emma Raducanu will also be in action in Abu Dhabi.

LaLiga has announced the agreement of an investment deal between private equity fund CVC Capital Partners and Spanish top-flight clubs.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and another unnamed club were among the teams to oppose the deal, which is worth €2.1billion and went ahead after 37 of the 42 combined clubs in Spain's Primera and Segunda divisions voted in favour - with 32 the minimum number of votes required for the deal to go through.

The agreement involves LaLiga giving up a percentage of the revenue it generates from TV rights for the next 50 years, while Spanish clubs are provided with an immediate financial boost.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas receives a seven-year contract with the joint venture, leading to criticism regarding a potential conflict of interest.

"We are facing a new milestone in the history of LaLiga and the clubs," Tebas said after the assembly on Friday that ratified LaLiga's deal with CVC. 

"We are proud to have reached this agreement with CVC, a project that will allow us to continue the transformation towards a global digital entertainment company, strengthening the competition and transforming the experience of the fans. 

"Despite all the obstacles that we have encountered along the way, we have carried out this project, which will be a before and after for LaLiga clubs, which will be able to improve their infrastructures, develop their brand internationally and take giant steps to continue strengthening sport and football around the world."

The Royal Spanish Football Federation, along with Barca, Madrid, Athletic and the unnamed club, remain opposed to the deal and may now pursue further legal action.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta previously described the deal as like "mortgaging the club's rights over the next half-century".

France scrum-half Antoine Dupont has been named World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year, becoming the first Frenchman to win the prestigious award since Thierry Dusautoir in 2011.

Dupont has starred for Les Bleus in an impressive 2021, culminating in a famous 40-25 victory against New Zealand in Paris last month in the final test of the Autumn Nations Series, their first win against the All Blacks since 2009.

The 25-year-old also impressed in the Six Nations, making five try assists – two more than anyone else in the competition – while adding three tries of his own and making the third most passes (261).

Dupont, who also helped Toulouse to a Heineken Champions Cup and French Top 14 double, was presented the award by France team-mate and long-term friend Anthony Jelonch.

On receiving the award, Dupont said: "It's hard to believe. Of course I have a lot of joy and pride. A lot of feelings and emotions that blend together.

"To be named alongside two French players, [former winners] Fabien Galthie and Thierry Dusautoir, you have players like [Richie] McCaw and [Dan] Carter, who have won three each I believe, they are legends of our sport so it's weird to see myself named in this list.

"You almost have the feeling of not deserving it. You have to do everything to be able to repeat it, and always keep performing, keep going and give more.

"I am very happy and proud to have been named 2021 Player of the Year. I can't wait to tell my loved ones and share it with them too."

England's  Zoe Aldcroft was named the World Rugby Women's 15s Player of the Year on Friday, meanwhile, having started all eight of her nation's matches in 2021 as they extended their unbeaten run to 18 tests.

Pep Guardiola has explained how Phil Foden is finding it difficult to move on from an ankle injury due to Manchester City's intense schedule.

Foden's start to the season was delayed after he returned from Euro 2020 with England, but the midfielder contributed three goals and an assist in his first four Premier League starts.

An ankle knock has since disrupted his momentum, however. Although Foden added another assist against Watford last time out in the league, he has been restricted to just 688 minutes – ranking 12th among City players.

Following the Watford game, the 21-year-old lasted only 45 minutes against RB Leipzig in the Champions League before he was substituted as a precaution.

Foden was set to be assessed again on Friday after Guardiola faced the media to acknowledge there was no opportunity for a break, with City in the middle of a December that will see them play eight times in all.

"When you have an injury in your ankle and two months of holiday, you will recover incredibly well – but when you have every three days games, you will have niggles," Guardiola said.

"He still has these niggles and has to live with that. But every time, he is better and better.

"I don't think [he would want a break]. He will dictate and say how he feels after games. At this moment, in December, with this amount of games, and knowing Phil, he will want to fight to be there.

"So we will see how he feels. We will see game by game."

Foden may not be City's only injury worry by the end of the month, but Guardiola acknowledges there is little prospect of a packed festive fixture list easing in years to come.

"It's good, it's historic," he said. "I like to play in winter time. My words are not going to change anything.

"When you play with just two days' rest between Christmas time and New Year's Eve, there is no time to recover for the players.

"But every season for the past 20, 30, 40 years, we are discussing but there is no change. So we just adapt, adjust, pray the players don't get injured and go forward."

City have already won 31 Premier League games in 2021, giving them every chance of beating Liverpool's top-flight calendar-year record of 33 in 1982.

Their next test is against Wolves, who did the double over City two seasons ago and pushed title rivals Liverpool close last time out.

While this fixture has the highest goals-per-game ratio among those played 60 times or more in English league football (3.83 – 437 goals in 114 meetings), Wolves matches have this season seen fewer goals than any other Premier League side (25 – 12 scored, 13 conceded).

"It's not just about the game against Liverpool," Guardiola said. "When you have played 15 games and you can take a look at goals scored, goals conceded - [Wolves'] balance is so stable, few on both sides.

"It's quite similar – we played against Wolves last year, always tight, tight games. We lost a few, when we won, always tight.

"It has always been a difficult, difficult game, for the quality they have, for the structure, the pace they up front, the set-pieces, the personality, the character, the players, good keepers.

"They are up there. They are doing an incredible season so far. We know it, but at the same time, we are in a good position to continue our run in the Premier League."

Arthur will not feature for Juventus against Venezia after the midfielder was dropped by Massimiliano Allegri for being late to training.

Juve have been underwhelming since Allegri's return for a second tenure and currently sit in fifth, nine points behind Serie A leaders Milan and seven behind Atalanta in the final Champions League qualification spot.

Allegri's team have, however, secured qualification for the next round of the Champions League by topping their group, while they were 2-0 victors over Genoa in their last league game.

As Juve prepare to visit Venezia, who have suffered 15 defeats against the Bianconeri in their last 17 Serie A meetings, Allegri confirmed Arthur will not be in the squad after the former Barcelona midfielder arrived late to training.

"It's simple, he arrived late the day before the game," Allegri told reporters at Friday's pre-match news conference. 

"So I don't think it's right and he won't be called up, but from Tuesday he'll be back with the team. These things happen."

Indeed, Arthur has only started twice for Juve this season across all competitions, making eight appearances in total for his 255 minutes with the likes of Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentancur preferred.

Arthur has only created four chances across those appearances, as he continues to form way below the standards he set at Camp Nou.

Aside from the Brazil international's misdemeanour, Allegri explained he is expecting a tough test from Venezia, who are just five points above the relegation zone.

"The next step is tomorrow's match, which I think is complicated," he added. "If I'm not mistaken, Venezia scored a lot at home: I think they didn't score a goal only with Inter. 

"However, Venezia plays and is a carefree team, then comes from a bad defeat against Verona. They had dominated the first half, tomorrow they play with Juventus and will try to make a historic feat. 

"We have to put ourselves on par with them, in terms of mentality and above all in terms of pace.

"Nobody has played on the pitch of this team, only Chiellini and I played in Venice. It's all strange because you arrive by ferry and then the field is narrower. 

"If you don't go there and play a certain game then you put yourself on a par with the others, you risk getting hurt. There are narrow fields where there are no spaces and the games become fast. 

"Just look at the results and goals scored by Venice who beat Rome and Fiorentina. Then they are a team that plays football well and creates a lot. I congratulate [Paolo] Zanetti. We have to play an important match."

Robert Lewandowski has continued with business as usual despite disappointment at the 2021 Ballon d'Or awards, according to Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Lewandowski had to settle for second place and an inaugural Striker of the Year accolade at the France Football award ceremony, with Lionel Messi collecting a record-extending seventh crown.

The Bayern striker may have felt hard done by, given he has scored 14 more times than any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2021, with 55 goals across all competitions to his name so far.

The Poland international also missed out last year due to the coronavirus-enforced cancellation of the 2020 Ballon d'Or, which he was favourite for after breaking Gerd Muller's long-standing Bundesliga record following 41 goals in 29 league games last term.

But Nagelsmann insisted that Lewandowski – who again leads Europe's top five leagues with 27 goals this term across all competitions, seven more than second-placed Mohamed Salah – has not let the Ballon d'Or snub impact his performances.

"I haven't noticed a big change in terms of hunger for goals, regardless of the Ballon d'Or decision or new records," Nagelsmann, whose side face Mainz on Saturday, told reporters at his pre-match news conference.

"I think he was in an incredibly good mood lately with very good body language. He also does his job defensively very neatly. I think he just wants to be successful with FC Bayern."

Bayern, inspired by the likes of Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry, sit four points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga as the reigning champions prepare to host Mainz.

Nagelsmann is also eyeing a landmark of his own, with a potential 100th Bundesliga win awaiting him in just his 199th game as a top-flight boss.

Should he do so, he will become the fastest to a century in the German top flight but the former RB Leipzig head coach claimed he did not even know he was approaching a milestone as he praised his team's recent efforts.

"Thanks for the memory, I didn't even know that," he added. "That's a nice number, I'm happy.

"The players are in a good mood, I think. The atmosphere is also good on the pitch and in the dressing room. 

"I think we have mastered the difficult autumn quite well so far, even with the many injuries and failures. We want to win the rest of the games and keep the gap to Dortmund in the league. We will drive ahead with full speed."

Nagelsmann, however, will be without Joshua Kimmich, who will miss the remainder of 2021 with a lung problem as he continues to recover from coronavirus.

But the Bayern head coach defended his player, who is yet to be vaccinated for COVID-19, after suggestions Kimmich was causing problems.

"Basically, it's always good if you ask him that yourself," he continued. "Of course, as a thoroughbred athlete, he always wants to be on the pitch, especially because he's always been fit. 

"You have to allow opinions here in Germany. He has made his decision, you have to accept it."

World number one Ash Barty will start her 2022 season at the Adelaide International along with eight of the other current 10 top players in the world.

Barty has held top spot in the women's rankings since September 2019 and collected five titles – including Wimbledon – in the 2021 season but missed the French Open with a hip injury.

She also opted to not play in the season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico due to coronavirus-enforced quarantine concerns that could disrupt her preparation for the following campaign.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) confirmed on Friday that Barty would begin her 2022 season in Adelaide on January 2, along with defending champion Iga Swiatek, WTA Finals victor Garbine Muguruza and Roland Garros winner Barbora Krejcikova, as the world's elite players prepare for the Australian Open.

The entry list for the WTA 500 tournaments also includes Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Barbara Bencic, who finished runner-up to Swiatek in 2021, former world number one Karolina Pliskova and US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez.

The field boasts 12 major trophies between them, but three grand slam winners will kick-start their seasons in Melbourne the day after.

Naomi Osaka, who is aiming to defend her title at the Australian Open, gets her preparations underway in the Melbourne Summer Set.

Two-time major winner Simona Halep and reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu will play in the Melbourne Summer Set.

The trio are among 20 of the top 50 ranked players in the world for the two WTA 250 tournaments starting on January 3, with the entry list split between the competitions the week before matches start.

Raducanu will feature in just her eighth Tour-level event, and her fourth tournament since winning her first major, while Osaka will be appearing for the first time since an early defeat in the third round of the US Open to Fernandez.