Ancient Wisdom, impressive winner of the Autumn Stakes at Newmarket last week, is to be supplemented for next Saturday’s Kameko Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, the Dubawi colt improved his record to three wins from four outings with a dominant display on the Rowley Mile.

His sole defeat came at the hands of Richard Hannon’s subsequent Prix Jean- Luc Lagadere winner Rosallion in an Ascot Listed race in July.

Following a workout on Saturday morning, he impressed Appleby sufficiently enough to book a ticket to the final Group One of the UK season.

A post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from Godolphin, read: “Ancient Wisdom, brilliant winner of the Group Three Autumn Stakes on Future Champions Day @NewmarketRace, worked well this morning and the intention is to supplement him for next weekends Group One Futurity Stakes @DoncasterRaces.”

Ange Postecoglou has hinted opportunities for his fringe players could be on the horizon ahead of a busy week for Tottenham.

Spurs return to action after the international break with a Monday night clash at home to Fulham and face a quick turnaround with a trip to Crystal Palace four days later.

Yves Bissouma is suspended for the visit of Fulham, which should see Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earn a first Premier League start this season, and Postecoglou has also urged fit-again Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil and Brennan Johnson to be ready if called upon.

“We’ve got a Monday night game and then we back it up with a Friday night game, so we’ll probably need a good deal of the squad to do those two games,” the Spurs boss explained.

“As good as we’ve been, there are still a few players like Brennan, (Rodrigo) Bentancur, Gil and Lo Celso who haven’t really played at all for us yet.

“Having them back, even in terms of training and raising the level, they are the things that will give us the focus to maintain and keep improving the performances.

“When there is competitiveness around the squad in training and playing, that guards against any complacency or anyone feeling comfortable about things.”

Bentancur is still “weeks” away from returning to first-team action after his anterior cruciate ligament injury in February, but Lo Celso will aim to make an impact over the next week.

Lo Celso was linked with a move away from Tottenham at the start of the summer before Postecoglou made clear his desire to keep the Argentinian, who then sustained a muscle issue in his only start of the campaign at Fulham in the Carabao Cup in August.

The midfielder is fit again now and made substitute appearances for Argentina against Paraguay and Peru during the international break.

Postecoglou said: “He is obviously very highly regarded within the Argentinian set-up because they always call him up and he played in both games.

“He didn’t play significant minutes but he played in both and played 15 to 20 in the second game. It is great for him and his confidence.

“Unfortunately he had a disrupted early part of the season but again another player we haven’t had a contribution from and that’s a pleasing thing for us.”

Postecoglou will hope to see Gil begin to contribute too following his return to full fitness after surgery on his groin in August.

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The Australian admitted Gil’s influence is even more critical with Ivan Perisic (ACL) and Manor Solomon (knee) out until 2024.

“Bryan can be really important for us,” Postecoglou insisted.

“It has been great to have him just working really hard at training. He’s missed all of this season so far and it’s well chronicled that we lost Ivan and Manor, who play in that left-wing position.

“Having Bryan fit and available again is great for us. He’s, I guess, in the same boat as everyone else because at some point he’ll be afforded an opportunity and then it’s up to him.

“He certainly has all the criteria and credentials to play in that position for us and, like I said, his training is getting stronger now, he’s part of the group and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity.”

Middlesbrough announced they had sacked Gareth Southgate as manager on this day in 2009.

Southgate was appointed as Steve McClaren’s successor just weeks after captaining Boro in their UEFA Cup final defeat to Sevilla in 2006, his final match as a player.

The former England defender kept the club in the Premier League with 12th and 13th-placed finishes but Boro slipped into the second tier in 2009.

Southgate’s dismissal came just hours after the Teessiders ended a run of three successive home defeats with a 2-0 victory against Derby, which left them one point off the top of the Championship table.

In a statement released on the club website, chairman Steve Gibson said: “This has been the most difficult decision I have had to make in all the time I have been in football.

“Gareth has given Middlesbrough magnificent service as a skipper and, in very difficult circumstances, as manager.

“I appointed Gareth in a situation that was greatly unfavourable to him. He is a good man and has all the qualities and integrity that we wanted in a manager. However, the time is right for change and that change has had to be made.

“Gareth will always be welcome at our football club. English football needs people of his stature and we feel certain that this experience will serve him well.

“Gareth deserves another opportunity once he has had the chance to rest and refresh himself.”

Southgate then moved to the England set-up, managing the Under-21s before taking charge of the senior team in 2016.

He led England to a fourth-placed finish in the 2018 World Cup and reached the final of Euro 2020 where they were beaten by Italy in a penalty shootout at Wembley.

For a second straight night, the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied late to stun the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series.

Arizona scored three times in the eighth inning, highlighted by Alek Thomas' pinch-hit, game-tying two-run homer, to earn a critical 6-5 win over the defending NL champions in Friday's Game 4 that evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

After losing Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia by a combined score of 15-3, the Diamondbacks got back into the series with Thursday's 2-1 comeback victory in Game 3, in which they trailed 1-0 in the seventh inning and won it on Ketel Marte's run-scoring single off Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth.

Kimbrel came on in the eighth of Game 4 to protect a 5-3 Phillies' lead and again faltered. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off Arizona's half of the inning with a double and two batters later, Thomas drove a pitch into Chase Field's swimming pool in right-centre field to tie the contest.

Marte later singled with two out and Kimbrel hit Corbin Carroll with a pitch to set the stage for Gabriel Moreno, who greeted reliever Jose Alvarado with a single to center that drove in Marte for a 6-5 Arizona edge.

Philadelphia got the tying run in scoring position in the ninth when Kyle Schwarber doubled with two out, but Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald struck out Trea Turner to end the game and keep the momentum in Arizona's favour.

In a series where the home team has won every time thus far, the Diamondbacks will host Game 5 on Saturday.

Arizona took a 2-0 lead on Emmanuel Rivera's RBI single in the second inning and Moreno's base hit in the third that also plated Marte, but the battle-tested Phillies responded with five runs over the next four innings to forge ahead.

Schwarber got them on the board in the fourth with his fourth home run of the series and Brandon Marsh doubled home J.T. Realmuto in the fifth to create a 2-2 tie. The Phillies then took advantage of wildness and a defensive miscue by the young Diamondbacks to score twice more in the sixth.

Andrew Saalfrank, one of eight Arizona pitchers used on the night, walked Schwarber, Turner and Bryce Harper in succession to load the bases for Alec Bohm, who delivered an infield single to send home Schwarber with the go-ahead run. Third baseman Rivera threw errantly to home plate on the play, allowing Turner to score as well and put Philadelphia ahead 4-2.

The Phillies tacked on another run when Johan Rojas tripled in the seventh and scored on Turner's sacrifice fly.

Both Schwarber and Bohm had two hits and an RBI for the Phillies. Moreno finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs for Arizona, while Marte had two hits and scored twice.

England are ready for scheming from South Africa at the Stade de France on Saturday but believe the World Cup will be decided in other areas.

Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus is accomplished at what Warren Gatland describes as “dark arts”, such as using mind games to give his side an edge, especially through the use of social media to “control the agenda”.

The most recent example is the suggestion that the Springboks used HIAs in their quarter-final victory over France last Sunday to give forwards Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Bongi Mbonambi a rest – a claim denied by Erasmus.

Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth insists England know they will be targeted in the last-four showdown in Paris and even believes that their media output is being monitored closely.

“I’m sure that, with the smarts of their coaching team, they will try to throw stuff at us, no doubt. Will that be the winning and losing of this game? Probably not,” Wigglesworth said.

“It will probably be the big bits of the game that decides that and then they’ll give those little nuances a chance.

“I wouldn’t like to guess what they are going to try and do because I know they will watch and hear everything we say. I wouldn’t like to try and give anyone a head start.”

South Africa are aiming to win their fourth World Cup and enter the second semi-final as overwhelming favourites, while few people are giving England a chance.

“If there is pressure on South Africa, then they’ve shown they can deal with it,” Wigglesworth said.

“They dealt with it at the last World Cup and dealt with it in numerous games. It’s not something that we’ve been clinging on to.

“I’m super-impressed with them as an outfit. They’ve evolved a little bit but without changing their DNA, which we know is incredibly physical with a good kicking game on the back of a rush defence.

“That’s stuff that we’re going to have to deal with, but we also need to make sure that we’re giving them some food for thought.”

Jose Altuve's go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth inning put the Houston Astros a win away from another World Series trip with a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers in Friday's pivotal and testy Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

Altuve's blast off Rangers closer Jose Leclerc highlighted a wild late-game sequence that also contained a benches-clearing incident between the two AL West rivals when Houston's Bryan Abreu hit Texas' Adolis Garcia with a pitch in the eighth inning.

Garcia had belted a three-run homer off Astros starter Justin Verlander in his previous plate appearance, with the sixth-inning shot giving the Rangers a 4-2 lead.

After tempers cooled and order restored following the altercation, which led to the ejections of Abreu, Garcia and Astros manager Dusty Baker, Houston put two on with none out in the ninth after Yainer Diaz singled and Leclerc walked pinch-hitter Jon Singleton.

Altuve then sent Leclerc's 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall for his 26th career post-season homer and a 5-4 Houston advantage.

The Rangers did threaten in the bottom of the ninth when Mitch Garver and Jonah Heim opened their half of the frame with singles. However, Astros closer Ryan Pressly retired Texas No. 1-3 hitters - Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Evan Carter - in succession to give the defending World Series champs their third straight win of the best-of-seven series after dropping the first two games.

Houston can capture a third straight AL pennant at home in Saturday's Game 6. The visiting team has won every game of the series thus far, however, and the Rangers are 6-0 on the road during this post-season.

The Astros controlled the early part of Game 5 behind Verlander, who allowed just three hits and one walk through the first five innings as Houston held a 2-1 lead. 

Texas' bats then came to life in the sixth, as Seager laced a one-out double and Carter singled in front of Garcia's towering homer that put the Rangers in front.

Alex Bregman's solo homer off Jordan Montgomery in the first gave Houston an early advantage they held until Nathaniel Lowe homered off Verlander in the fifth.

The Astros went back ahead in the sixth when Bregman walked, took third on Yordan Alvarez's single and scored on Jose Abreu's base hit to center.

Montgomery allowed two runs on five hits through 5 1/3 innings, while Verlander surrendered four runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings.

New Zealand boss Ian Foster plans to enjoy a bowl of popcorn while watching England’s blockbuster with South Africa after his side eased into the Rugby World Cup final by dispatching Argentina.

Foster can put his feet up for Saturday evening’s colossal semi-final clash between Steve Borthwick’s men and the Springboks thanks to a crushing 44-6 success over Los Pumas in Paris.

The 58-year-old expects an “interesting contrast of styles” in the other last-four fixture and is not bothered who the All Blacks face in next week’s showpiece match at Stade de France.

New Zealand barely broke sweat in booking an unprecedented fifth World Cup final appearance and now have the luxury of an extra day’s rest as they await the identity of their ultimate opponents.

“I’ll be watching it,” said Foster. “I’ll probably have some popcorn and sit there and watch it and I don’t care who wins. We’re very much in a focus-about-ourselves stage.

“One thing that extra day does give us, it gives us a bit of a chance to have a break mentally and not to spend too much juice worrying about if it’s them, if it’s them.

“They’re both good teams. South Africa have been playing some brilliant rugby the last few weeks and are clearly on top of their game.

“But we’ve also seen an English side that just build away quietly and are probably starting to understand how they want to play and they’re starting to get really good at how they want to play and believe in that.

“It will be an interesting contrast of styles.”

All Blacks wing Will Jordan ran in a hat-trick during the seven-try rout in Saint-Denis to lift him above France’s Damian Penaud as the World Cup’s leading try scorer on eight.

The treble also saw the 25-year-old equal the record for tries in a single tournament, putting him alongside Jonah Lomu, Bryan Habana and Julian Savea.

Foster was able to empty his bench long before the full-time whistle due to the emphatic scoreline and opted to keep the sin-binned Scott Barrett on the sidelines for around five minutes longer than required as the Kiwis finished with 14 men.

Asked if those situations could prove advantageous moving towards the final, Foster said: “I don’t think they’ll make a massive difference.

“Finals are finals and whoever we play, they’ll be a hundred per cent.

“It was an opportunity for us to make sure that we looked after our resources as best we could.

“We really didn’t see a need of putting Scooter (Barrett) back on, only from the perspective that if he had another little yellow card incident in the next five minutes, it might have made it a little bit niggly.”

Argentina were a shadow of the side who stunned Wales in the last eight.

A pair of first-half Emiliano Boffelli penalties was all they could muster.

Shannon Frizell’s double, plus further tries from Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith, added to their punishment.

Los Pumas head coach Michael Cheika felt New Zealand ruthlessly exploited each of his team’s errors and was unhappy with some of the refereeing, particularly during first-half rucks.

The Australian promised his players will respond to a difficult outing in the bronze-medal match.

“It’s not a sad moment; it’s a moment when I’m actually proud of my team,” he said.

“It’s not an easy path that we’ve been on. We’ve invested ourselves a lot in this. But we’ve lost on details. I’m sad for them.

“It’s hard but its a good thing it’s hard. On Friday, we will be there, have no doubt. We will not leave this way.

“We want to finish third. We’ve got things we want to show in the bronze final. Right now, we’re hurting.”

New Zealand boss Ian Foster plans to enjoy a bowl of popcorn while watching England’s blockbuster with South Africa after his side eased into the Rugby World Cup final by dispatching Argentina.

Foster can put his feet up for Saturday evening’s colossal semi-final clash between Steve Borthwick’s men and the Springboks thanks to a crushing 44-6 success over Los Pumas in Paris.

The 58-year-old expects an “interesting contrast of styles” in the other last-four fixture and is not bothered who the All Blacks face in next week’s showpiece match at Stade de France.

New Zealand barely broke sweat in booking an unprecedented fifth World Cup final appearance and now have the luxury of an extra day’s rest as they await the identity of their ultimate opponents.

“I’ll be watching it,” said Foster. “I’ll probably have some popcorn and sit there and watch it and I don’t care who wins. We’re very much in a focus-about-ourselves stage.

“One thing that extra day does give us, it gives us a bit of a chance to have a break mentally and not to spend too much juice worrying about if it’s them, if it’s them.

“They’re both good teams. South Africa have been playing some brilliant rugby the last few weeks and are clearly on top of their game.

“But we’ve also seen an English side that just build away quietly and are probably starting to understand how they want to play and they’re starting to get really good at how they want to play and believe in that.

“It will be an interesting contrast of styles.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole position for the United States Grand Prix after Max Verstappen’s lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Verstappen looked to have qualified first in his Red Bull at a sizzling Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, only to see his lap – five thousandths of a second quicker than Leclerc – chalked off by the stewards.

Verstappen dropped from first to sixth with Lando Norris taking second for McLaren ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz finished fourth with George Russell fifth for Mercedes.

Verstappen, who wrapped up his third world title in Qatar a fortnight ago, is bidding to join Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel by reaching 50 victories.

But the Dutchman’s quest will start from back down the grid after he put all four wheels off the track at Turn 18 following a rare mistake.

Verstappen headed into the final runs a quarter of a second down after he took aim at his team for putting him on track too close to Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull.

“Well f****** done there,” he yelled over the radio. “What the f*** was that in the last corner?!”

His subsequent error then allowed Leclerc to take the 21st pole of his career, 0.130 sec ahead of Norris, who finished nine thousandths clear of Hamilton.

Daniel Ricciardo is back in the saddle after missing five races with a broken hand sustained in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25.

The 34-year-old Australian progressed to Q2 before lining up in 15th, one second off the pace and four places behind Yuki Tsunoda in the other AlphaTauri.

Aston Martin have brought a number of upgrades across the pond, but both their drivers were sent for an early bath.

Fernando Alonso managed only 17th with team-mate Lance Stroll – on a torrid run of form – two places further back.

Meanwhile, American rookie Logan Sargeant, whose seat with Williams has not been confirmed for next season, will line up from last position at his home race.

New Zealand booked an unprecedented fifth World Cup final appearance after blowing away Argentina 44-6 at the Stade de France.

A week after successfully emerging from an thunderous quarter-final against Ireland, this resembled more of a training ground exercise for the All Blacks against opponents who were a shadow of the side that edged out Wales.

Instead, this was the Argentina that laboured through Pool D in a poor advert for the weaker half of the draw and the World Cup in general as a muted atmosphere watched New Zealand plunder seven tries.

Worryingly for either South Africa or England, who meet in Saturday’s second semi-final, they will face a side who barely broke sweat and whose bench had been emptied with 14 minutes to go.

Wing Will Jordan ran in a hat-trick to lift him above France’s Damian Penaud as the World Cup’s leading try scorer on eight, placing him level with Jonah Lomu’s record of tries scored in a single tournament.

It was an impressive feat that underlined New Zealand’s attacking genius, but they were assisted by willing victims who were mesmerised by the shapes unfolding in front of them.

Jordan struck from the All Blacks’ very first drive downfield when defenders sucked in by carries after a line-out maul presented an overlap that provided a simple run in.

It began to look grim for Argentina when Jordie Barrett went over, finishing a try that began deep inside New Zealand’s half with precise handling and clever running lines resulting in attackers pouring into space.

Emiliano Boffelli’s early penalty was already a distant memory as Argentina were repeatedly overrun at the breakdown with Sam Cane their chief destroyer, while any attack was met with an impregnable wall of black shirts.

A spell of battering away on the line produced only another Boffelli penalty when there was a sense far more would be needed to halt New Zealand’s march towards the final.

Patient All Blacks play paid off when they renewed their assault, methodically working their way into a threatening position and when the moment came they pulled the trigger, Mark Telea almost crossing before Shannon Frizell strolled over.

It was becoming a procession and while the favourites were being looked on favourably by referee Angus Gardner at times, there was no denying their ascendency in every facet of the game.

Aaron Smith was the next over via a brilliant step, exploiting a Pumas maul defence that was short on manpower, and then even Frizell muscled his way over despite the attention of three would-be tacklers.

Jordan moved past Penaud with New Zealand’s sixth try and his hat-trick score in the 74th minute was a thing of beauty as he slipped through a non-existent Argentina defence, gathered his own kick and scored.

When the final whistle blew the Pumas sank to their knees, aware they had not shown up on only their third semi-final appearance.

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich on Friday has been postponed due to Storm Babet.

The area has been hit with torrential rain over the last 24 hours and the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium has burst its banks.

That has left areas around the stadium flooded and after discussions with the Safety Advisory Group and the English Football League, the game has been called off.

There was no problem with the pitch at the stadium, with the game due to have been shown on Sky Sports.

A club statement read: “Rotherham United’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Ipswich Town has been postponed on the grounds of supporter safety following discussions with representatives from the Safety Advisory Group and the EFL which took place shortly after 4:30pm on Friday.

“After the River Don – which courses around the perimeter of AESSEAL New York Stadium – burst its banks, urgent discussions between representatives from the Safety Advisory Group/Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and club safety personnel and the EFL – were held with the conclusion deeming the weather conditions and their subsequent effect on the surrounding area a danger to supporters.

“This coupled with continued rainfall resulting in the flood waters rising and Don Street being closed to the public left the authorities with no choice but to postpone the game.

“Throughout the day the pitch at AESSEAL New York Stadium has remained playable but with the safety of everyone attending the match at the height of our priorities, the difficult decision to postpone the fixture has been taken.

“The decision was relayed to the EFL and our counterparts at Ipswich Town with all parties in agreement that postponing the fixture was the only possible way to ensure the safety of players, staff and supporters.

“It goes without saying that we are obviously disappointed for supporters due to attend and those set to watch at home given the game was being broadcast live on Sky Sports.”

Two cinch Premiership matches are among six Scottish league games which have been postponed amid severe weather warnings.

Aberdeen’s home match against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to face St Johnstone have fallen foul of the storm.

The news came after a second person died in Angus as a result of the storm, which has brought floods and high winds, and after warnings of a risk to life were extended to all day Saturday as more heavy rain is forecast.

The Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers, in the worst-hit area of Angus, has been called off.

Cove Rangers against Montrose has been postponed along with two games in League 2 – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead.

The games all involve teams in the north east of the country and Perth and were all due to take place on Saturday.

The Scottish Professional Football League called off the games on safety grounds following discussions with police, clubs and other authorities with people being advised not to travel in large areas of the country.

SPFL chief operating officer Calum Beattie said: “We have been in close contact with Police Scotland and our clubs and it’s clear that we continue to face very severe weather, particularly in the north east, in the coming days.

“We never postpone any matches lightly, but our discussions with the emergency services left us in no doubt that this was the correct decision.”

The SPFL added that it would continue to monitor the situation involving the remaining fixtures across the country.

St Johnstone had told supporters their game was going ahead as it stood less than three hours before the wider decision was taken.

A club statement early on Friday afternoon said: “Whilst heavy rain has affected the local area, our dedicated ground staff and officials have been working tirelessly to ensure the pitch is in optimal condition, and we’ve taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of both players and spectators.”

Altrincham’s home game against Dorking in the Vanarama National League on Saturday has also been postponed.

Friday’s jumps fixtures at Fakenham and Uttoxeter were called off as Storm Babet continues to bring heavy rain and strong winds across the country.

Both tracks had called inspections for 7.30am but neither venue held their respective cards due to the weather conditions.

Uttoxeter had 12mm of rain overnight, with clerk of the course Richard Fothergill anticipating a further 20mm at least over the day.

Saturday’s National Hunt card at Stratford has been cancelled due to a waterlogged track, with 31mm of rain overnight and more forecast, while Market Rasen have also called off their meeting.

Catterick, Newton Abbot and Leopardstown have all called precautionary morning checks to assess conditions.

The Chicago Bulls have "unfinished business" after missing out on the NBA Playoffs in five of the last six seasons, according to Andre Drummond.

The Bulls were expected to improve on a promising 2021-22 term this time last year, but they finished 40-42 for the regular season before missing out on the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago were beaten by the Miami Heat in April's play-in tournament, bringing a premature end to an inconsistent campaign in which they never once posted a four-game winning streak.

Their woes were compounded by seeing guard Lonzo Ball sit out the entire season with a knee injury which has now required multiple surgeries. Having last taken to the court in January 2022, Ball will also miss the 2023-24 campaign after being forced to undergo a cartilage transplant.

Despite Ball's absence, Drummond believes Chicago can look forward to a more positive time of things this season, having kept a familiar core intact. 

"It's definitely been one of my better offseasons, I feel like I got a lot done," Drummond told Stats Perform. "I got some good insight into what is expected of me, so that's what I worked on this summer.

"With the Bulls I feel like we have some unfinished business, which is one of the reasons why I ended up coming back here to Chicago, picking up my player option. 

"We started off really good at the beginning of last year, and I feel like we let a lot of things slip, some due to injuries and some due to just not really having any real chemistry yet.

"Losing Lonzo, a lot of our decision-making has been spread out throughout our team, for guys that aren't used to doing it.

"I think with a year under our belts now, we know how each other play and we know each other a little bit better, we will be able to really build that chemistry."

In June, two-time All Star Drummond exercised his $3.36million option to remain with the Bulls, who open their season at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

He will again be teaming up with Nikola Vucevic, who signed a three-year, $60m contract extension with Chicago in June, and Drummond is enjoying working with his fellow center.

"The relationship I have with Vuch is unique because he's somebody I've battled against for almost a decade, just playing against this guy year in, year out," Drummond said.

"Then being team-mates with him now and just seeing him on a day-to-day basis, I just really formed a new respect for him, watching how hard he works and how he prepares for each and every game. 

"Being here with him has been a lot of fun. We have two different games, which is why our games work together on the same team. 

"He's more of the outside shooter and I'm more of the brute force down low that gets all the rebounds and does all the dirty work, so our games clash very well."

Vucevic averaged 17.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 assists while playing in all 82 games throughout 2022-23, also shooting 52 per cent from the field, his highest rate since 2014-15.