The Detroit Pistons have some positives to build off following their loss to the New York Knicks, but Monty Williams is not a fan of "moral victories".

Detroit went down 118-112 to the Knicks on Thursday, marking their 16th straight defeat. 

They are 2-17 for the season and the first team since the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015-16 to lose every game in a calendar month.

Williams saw some bright sparks from his team, though he is looking for actual wins rather than moral boosts.

"I saw the fight and resiliency that we can build on," Williams said. "That's a game that we can build on.

"I'm not into moral victories. I don't know where that came from. Doesn't make sense.

"But that was something - that game, that output, that energy, production from our group - [that] is something that I'm proud of.

"That's the kind of competitive edge that we have to play with every single night.

"When you lose this many games, you got to make changes. We're not going to leave any stone unturned. We're going to look at every lineup possible to give ourselves a chance to win games and grow as a team.

"And so there may be more changes. We're just going to do everything we can to put the guys in the position to win."

Cade Cunningham echoed Williams' thoughts, adding: "Yeah, I think it's something we could definitely build off of. That's got to be our baseline, our minimum, and we can build off of that."

Philippe Clement is looking for Rangers to get back to their best against St Mirren on Sunday following their Europa League struggle against Aris Limassol.

A 1-1 draw with the Cypriot side at Ibrox on Thursday night means Group C will go to the final round of fixtures, with the Light Blues taking on Real Betis in Spain on December 14 knowing that only a victory can guarantee progress in that tournament, with a Europa Conference League spot secured as an insurance policy.

Rangers turn their attention back to cinch Premiership duty with the visit of third-placed Saints, and Clement’s side will be looking to keep the pressure on leaders Celtic, who are eight points ahead at the top of the table having played a game more.

The Gers boss said: “It was the first time that I felt real disappointment in the dressing room, they were not happy with their performance.

“That is a good thing that they were not happy with their performance, but now we need to stand up on Sunday and show our best level, with what we are going to need to win that game.

“It is about making the mind-switch really fast every time and not to lose confidence for whatever reason, and go full out and get the three points from the first second the game starts.

“St Mirren will make a wall and make transitions and set-pieces like we have a lot of games in the Scottish league. So there will not be a big difference in that way and they are going to fight.

“For them, games against Rangers are maybe the biggest game of the season, so we know that.”

Defenders Leon Balogun and Ridvan Yilmaz are back in contention after missing the Aris Limassol match as they are not in the European squad.

Centre-back Connor Goldson returns from suspension and winger Scott Wright could be back from illness and a muscle problem, but Ryan Jack (unspecified injury) and fellow midfielder Nico Raskin (knee) are still out.

Clement is likely to make changes for the visit of the Buddies.

He said: “We have work to do but we are nine games together and we haven’t lost any.

“I can tell the fans that everyone is working hard to raise the level.

“With all the injuries, it was impossible for all the players to play at their best level. We play every three days and we can’t always have the same XI so we need to rotate players.”

Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt has been appointed to a first official role since he was jailed for spot-fixing.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has named Butt as one of three consultants to new chief selector Wahab Riaz.

In 2011, Butt was jailed for 30 months for his part in a conspiracy to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Test against England at Lord’s the previous summer.

Butt, 39, was also handed a 10-year ban by the International Cricket Council, with five years suspended, for his role in the controversy, which also involved team-mates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

Along with former Pakistan internationals Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar, Butt, who returned to play domestic cricket in 2016, will take up his role on the selection panel with immediate effect ahead of the T20 series against New Zealand in January, which follows the conclusion of the Test tour to Australia.

All three players were part of Pakistan’s successful T20 World Cup in 2009 and look set to bring some of their experience to the current squad.

The PCB added in a statement: “When not engaged in selection duties, the consultant members may be assigned additional tasks such as conducting skills camps.”

The move follows an overhaul of Pakistan’s set-up following an early exit from the 2023 World Cup in India.

As well as new chief selector, Mohammad Hafeez has come in as team director.

Babar Azam stepped down as captain, with Shan Masood confirmed as Pakistan’s new Test skipper and Shaheen Afridi set to lead the T20 side.

Baroness Harding is in line to become the first woman in the Jockey Club’s 273-year history to be appointed as senior steward.

The role is currently held by Sandy Dudgeon, but when his term expires in July, Harding is poised to take over the unpaid position chairing the Jockey Club’s main board, which sets the strategic direction of the organisation and oversees the executive functions.

Harding was appointed to the board of stewards in 2017 and it is understood she is the only name that will be put to a vote by Jockey Club members later this month.

A spokesperson for the Jockey Club – which owns high-profile racecourses such as Epsom, Newmarket, Cheltenham and Aintree – said: “Sandy Dudgeon’s term as senior steward runs until July 2024 and we will announce his successor in due course.”

Dido Harding, who is a former chief executive of TalkTalk and initially oversaw the Government’s test-and-trace programme during the coronavirus pandemic, rode more than 25 winners as an amateur jockey and owned 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Cool Dawn, the horse she had ridden the previous year to finish second in the Festival hunter chase.

She more recently won the Magnolia Cup in 2017, winning Goodwood’s charity race at the third attempt having previously finished second twice.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has warned more VAR would “ruin” football after finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial decision.

Football’s lawmakers are considering options to extend the system’s use at the same time as a debate over its effectiveness in its current form rages on.

The Magpies were denied a Champions League victory at Paris St Germain on Tuesday after Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was asked to review a decision not to award a penalty for handball against Tino Livramento by VAR official Thomas Kwiatkowski and changed his mind to allow Kylian Mbappe to level in stoppage time.

Asked if he would like to see more or less VAR, head coach Howe said: “I’d like to see less VAR.

“I don’t have an issue with offsides because that is as close as it can be to being right, whether you agree with the decision, the lines give you a black and white yes or no. The rest, I’m not in favour.

“I still think it’s just another person’s opinion against another person’s opinion. It’s very subjective. I’d like to see less. I definitely wouldn’t want to see more because I think it would ruin the game.”

Kwiatkowski had been due to oversee Wednesday night’s Real Sociedad versus Red Bull Salzburg game in the same competition, but was stood down, a decision which brought Howe, who revealed the club have contacted UEFA to seek clarity over the penalty award, little comfort.

He said: “That for me, with VAR is an issue – not enough power is given to the on-field decision, which in this case was correct.

“I still believe – I’m old-fashioned in this – that the on-field decision should be given a little bit more strength because the referee is there, he’s feeling the game, he’s managing the game in the middle and I think that is worth something.”

Howe’s comments came as he prepared his players for Saturday evening’s Premier League clash with Manchester United at St James’ Park still contemplating a lengthy injury list, but with no new additions after an attritional night at the Parc des Princes and with hopes high that midfielders Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff will be sidelined for weeks rather than months.

Newcastle have lost just one of their last five encounters in all competitions with the Red Devils, who also suffered Champions League disappointment 24 hours later when they squandered a 3-1 lead at Galatasaray to draw 3-3, although Erik ten Hag’s side have won five of their last six league games.

Asked if he and his players could use their burning sense of injustice from Paris as added motivation, Howe said: “I always want that sense that we are against everybody outside of Newcastle when we play. I think that helps us.

“That is a good mentality to have, that we are competing against everybody else. It’s certainly served us well to this point and if it helps any individual players, then great.”

The draw for the Euro 2024 finals takes place in Hamburg on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency provides the lowdown on what to expect.

Where and when is the draw taking place?

The finals draw will be staged in Hamburg, at the city’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall, starting at 5pm UK time. The full ceremony is slated to last for 50 minutes, with the draw itself expected to occupy 20 of those minutes.

How will the draw work?

Twenty-four countries will be divided into six groups of four. Countries have been split into four pots in accordance with their results in qualifying. Once drawn from their respective pots, a separate draw will allocate the team’s position number within their group. Hosts Germany have automatically been allocated to Group A, position 1.

Which pots are England, Scotland and Wales in?

England, who won qualifying Group C, are in the top pot as Gareth Southgate’s men aim to go one better than at the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 finals.

Scotland are in the third pot after they finished second behind Spain in Group A, while Wales will hope to be Play-Off Winner A in pot four. To do that, they must first beat Finland on March 21 and then either Poland or Estonia on March 26.

The positioning of the nations throws open the possibility of England, Scotland and Wales being drawn in the same group. England and Wales occupied the same group at the last World Cup in Qatar, while Scotland and England were grouped together at the Euro 2020 finals.

Who might those nations be seeking to avoid?

Scotland will be bracing for a tough assignment against whoever comes out of Pot One, but their qualification victory over Spain in March will give Steve Clarke’s men confidence should the draw set up a rematch next summer.

The Netherlands and Croatia are arguably the teams to avoid in Pot Three, while reigning European champions Italy are the ones to avoid in Pot Four.

How will the group stage work?

The Euros will again feature 24 teams, which has been the case since the 2016 finals in France. That means the top two in each group will progress to the last 16, with the four best third-placed teams also making it through.

When are the finals taking place?

The tournament kicks off at 8pm UK time in Munich on Friday, June 14 next year. Berlin hosts the final on July 14.

How many cities are hosting matches?

Ten cities are involved in staging finals matches – Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart.

Australia’s Min Woo Lee produced a spectacular finish to claim a three-shot lead in the ISPS Handa Australian Open as he pursues a memorable double on home soil.

Lee, who won the Australian PGA Championship last week, carded a superb 64 at The Australian Golf Club, covering his last eight holes in six under par to get to 12 under.

The 25-year-old birdied the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th before ending his round in style with an eagle on the last, hitting a 190-yard nine iron from the pine straw under a tree to within two feet of the pin.

“[I was] a bit lucky off the tee shot on 18,” Lee admitted. “I pulled it, but I smoked it, so I knew I had a chance of carrying that bunker.

“Ended up in the nice pine straw out there and had a really good number for a nine iron, like a really big nine iron and I’ve been hitting draws all week and it kind of sat up really nicely.

“I saw the coverage and it spun left towards the hole and nearly actually went in, so really happy with that finish. It’s always nice to make an eagle whenever, but on the last hole it’s even nicer.”

Scotland’s Connor Syme and American Patrick Rodgers are Lee’s nearest challengers on nine under par after both added rounds of 70 to their opening 64s.

The ISPS Handa Australian Open brings together three separate competitions, with the men’s and women’s events and the Australian All Abilities Championship being contested at the same time.

In the women’s event, 2013 champion Jiyai Shin holds a two-shot lead over defending champion Ashleigh Buhai, while Ireland’s Brendan Lawlor shares the lead with home favourites Cameron Pollard and Lachlan Wood in the All Abilities Championship on one over.

“To be honest, this is number one for me on my schedule,” Lawlor, who won the inaugural G4D Open at Woburn earlier this year, said.

“It’s a fully inclusive event. We’re playing at the very same times as the main guys. We have full access to player lounges, practice rounds and whatever we want.

“When the guys market all abilities, all inclusive, that’s exactly what it is and it’s a joy for me to come back here.”

Officials at Newcastle have not given up hope that Saturday’s high-profile fixture will beat the cold snap, after calling a precautionary inspection for 2.30pm on Friday afternoon.

Gosforth Park is due the biggest meeting of its jumps season this weekend, with Constitution Hill set to be the star of the show in his bid for back-to-back victories in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

And having deployed frost sheets across the entirity of the track on Tuesday, the course underneath the covers was reported to be raceable on Friday morning by clerk of the course Eloise Quayle.

However, snowfall in the north east is the initial concern, and Quayle is keen to see what happens in the coming hours.

“The ground itself under the frost sheets is completely raceable, but obviously you can’t say you’re completely raceable at this stage as we’ve got frost sheets all over the track that are covered in snow, which will be difficult to get off,” she said.

“We’ve called a precautionary inspection for 2.30pm this afternoon, that is to allow for the potential snow showers to pass through before reassessing the situation.

“We’re also going to try to have a practice run of taking a sheet off the track, just to make sure that we think it’s going to be doable tomorrow morning, should it not improve much further in terms of the amount of snow that is lying on the fleece.”

Even if the course is deemed raceable on Friday afternoon, a forecast for further freezing temperatures overnight means a second inspection for raceday morning is almost certain to be called.

Quayle added: “The snow is very slowly melting very slowly in the sunshine, but temperatures-wise today we’re not looking at getting much over 3C and it will be getting sub-zero from around 4pm.

“If you were here now you’d think we were mad to even think there might be a possibility of racing going ahead, but once you actually examine the ground you’d understand why we’re going to try our best to go ahead.

“Unless we get a significant amount more snow or the removal of the sheet proves to be much more complicated than we’re hoping, I’d imagine that we’ll be reinspecting in the morning, just to double check that no frost has got into the ground overnight.

“We’ll be looking at temperatures of around minus 4C tonight and temperatures are slow to rise tomorrow, so if we’re frozen at 7.30am tomorrow there will be very little prospect of improvement. If we’re frozen at that stage, then it will be a call to be off.

“We can’t cross that bridge until we get to it and the snow could save us from the frost a bit, we’re just going to have to wait and see.

“I don’t like being stupidly optimistic, but I really wouldn’t be confident in calling it either way at this stage and we’re going to give it every chance.”

Friday’s meeting at Newbury was given the go-ahead, but a precautionary inspection has been called for 7.30am ahead of Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup card.

Covers were put down earlier in the week and they will be reapplied at the end of Friday’s meeting ahead of overnight temperatures which could dip as low as minus 4C overnight.

Newbury will fly the flag for racing in Britain on Friday, with fixtures at Doncaster and Musselburgh both called off following morning inspections.

Fairyhouse is due to stage a classy two-day fixture on Saturday and Sunday, although the opening card is subject to a 7.30am inspection.

Brendan Sheridan, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board clerk of the course at Fairyhouse, said: “We had a slight grass frost at Fairyhouse this morning following a cold night, but the track is currently fit for racing.

“Having spoken with Met Eireann this morning, the forecast for tonight is for temperatures to get down to minus 3C and not much higher than 2C tomorrow.

“In light of that forecast, we will have an inspection at 7.30am on Saturday morning to assess the situation for day one of our Winter Festival.”

Bangor’s Saturday National Hunt meeting is subject to a precautionary inspection at 8am, while Sunday’s meetings at Leicester and Carlisle will have to pass 11.30am and 12pm checks respectively on Saturday, with Carlisle currently unraceable due to frozen patches of ground.

Luxembourg is set to lead a four-strong team for Aidan O’Brien into battle in this year’s Longines Hong Kong International races at Sha Tin.

The son of Camelot notched a third victory at Group One level in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in the spring and was last seen going down narrowly to his dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup-winning stablemate Auguste Rodin when bidding for back-to-back triumphs in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.

With a minor setback subsequently ruling Luxembourg out of an intended tilt at the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot, he has made the trip to the Far East to contest the Hong Kong Cup on December 10.

O’Brien said: “We were training him for the Champion Stakes in England and he got a foot bruise. It just held him up for a couple of weeks, so that’s why didn’t go there.

“Obviously it was a great run in the Irish Champion Stakes over a mile and a quarter, he’s versatile we think and he likes nice ground. We’re looking forward to him.”

While the Hong Kong Cup is one of the few major international prizes to so far elude the master of Ballydoyle, he has a far better record in the Hong Kong Vase, with Highland Reel striking gold in both 2015 and 2017 and Mogul providing him with a third success in 2020.

This year’s representative in the mile-and-a-half event is Warm Heart, winner of the Yorkshire Oaks and the Prix Vermeille at the highest level earlier this year before going down by a neck to Inspiral in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita.

“We were debating what we’d do, I suppose either of them could have gone either way, but we just felt it was a very good run in the Irish Champion Stakes from Luxembourg,” O’Brien told the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

“Warm Heart ran over 10 furlongs in America, but she’d won her two Group Ones over a mile and a half.

“She’s been very progressive, she’s thrived physically, loves nicer ground, she’s tactically quick and she doesn’t surrender. She’s been unbelievable really.”

The O’Brien raiding party is completed by the Hong Kong Mile-bound Cairo, who was second to prolific stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas earlier in the year, and Aesop’s Fables, who would not be winning out of turn if plundering the Hong Kong Sprint, having finished third in the Prix de l’Abbaye and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on his two most recent starts.

“We were hopeful Cairo would get into Hong Kong, but he had to have a run and we were delighted with him (when third in a Listed race at Leopardstown in October),” O’Brien said.

“He obviously got a bit tired, the ground was very soft and wasn’t ideal, but his run before when he was second to Paddington was on nice ground and we’ve been very happy with his work since.

“He think he’s progressed plenty. We always thought and hoped he could be a horse that could go on to a lot of those races all over the world.

“Aesop’s Fables has been progressive all the time. We put the blinkers on before France, we were delighted there and then he ran a stormer in America.

“He’s a big horse, maybe he just took a bit of time to get the hang of it. His best two runs were over five furlongs, but he looks like he’s been coming home well in both runs. There’s every chance he should be OK over six, but we’ll learn a lot more about him.”

Darren Anderton has "loved" Tottenham's start to the season under Ange Postecoglou, particularly praising the "entertaining" style of play.

Spurs and Postecoglou have received widespread plaudits for their start to the season, with a more attacking mindset well received as the team looks to move on from Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich prior to this campaign.

Tottenham sit fifth in the Premier League with 26 points from their 13 matches, and Anderton is excited about how Postecoglou's tenure has started since joining from Celtic in June, comparing it to Ossie Ardiles' time as Spurs head coach between 1993 and 1994.

"I have loved it," Anderton told Stats Perform. "I have really enjoyed the transformation that's going on. As a Spurs fan and an ex-Spurs player, to watch them has been a breath of fresh air.

"It's been a joy to watch them this year. I'd have to say over the last couple of years I would not be rushing to turn the TV on at some points. But I think that the style of football is so entertaining. Spurs fans want to see that. And if you can do that and be successful as well, then it's great.

"I feel we're always going to create opportunities with the style of football and the quality of the players.

"I obviously remember from my time and how we used to attack under Ossie [Ardiles]. I feel like there's that excitement here but with that little bit more emphasis on obviously being difficult to beat as well when it needs to be done.

"Whereas Ozzy, when we asked him what we do when we lose the ball and what shape, he said, 'Hey, you're good players, you should never lose the ball'. So this is exciting, but I think with a stronger squad and with better defensive players."

Spurs were leading the Premier League heading into November, but three losses on the spin have seen them lose touch on the summit, currently four points and four places behind leaders and bitter rivals Arsenal.

Anderton feels Spurs have been unlucky across those defeats, saying: "Yes, in the last three games they've got beat.

"But I thought the Wolves game, they didn't play particularly well, but probably still should have won the game. I think in the Chelsea game, if Son's goal had been allowed to stand and we went 2-1 up, I think we might have gone on and won four or five.

"And then the Villa game, I think the Villa game is just a good game. I think, obviously, there are some VAR decisions that probably didn't go our way, but that's just sometimes in football how things go."

Injuries and suspensions have been a huge factor in Spurs dropping off after their initial red-hot start, with James Maddison and Micky van de Ven both in the physio room, while Cristian Romero has been missing with a ban after a straight red card against Chelsea.

Anderton believes injuries could derail Spurs' season, explaining: "Obviously, it's going to be difficult to sustain it with the injuries that they've got.

"They're just going through a little bit of a spell. James Maddison started so well. He's going to be a huge miss. I don't think the team has had a player like that since Christian Eriksen. The way that he gets the team to play and the way to still keeps playing on the front foot is refreshing to see.

"Unfortunately, I think that Romero and Van de Ven being out at the moment has left us a little bit thin at the back and teams have been able to take advantage of that."