Victor Wembanyama overcame a slow start to score 15 points in 21 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs posted a 117-103 preseason victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

The No. 1 draft pick missed all five of his shots from the field in the first half but made 7 of 8 from the free throw line. He hit 3 of 5 shots in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers, and finished with six rebounds and two blocks.

Devin Vassell scored 25 points with five 3s and Zach Collins had 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists for San Antonio.

Houston’s Amen Thompson, the fourth overall pick in June’s draft, was limited to five points in 21 minutes.

Curry's late 3 lifts Warriors

Stephen Curry drained a long 3-pointer – his eighth of the game - with 5.5 seconds remaining to cap the Golden State Warriors’ 116-115 comeback win over the Sacramento Kings.

Curry scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors erased an 18-point deficit.

Jonathan Kuminga had 18 points and Andrew Wiggins added 16 for Golden State, now 4-0 in the preseason.

De’Aaron led the Kings with 25 points and Keegan Murray had 24.

Poole scores 41 in Wizards' win

In New York, Jordan Poole poured in 41 points with six 3-pointers in the Washington Wizards’ 131-106 rout of the New York Knicks.

Poole, entering his first season with Washington after four with Golden State, hit 10 of 19 shots and sank 15 of 16 free throws – in three quarters – as the Wizards improved to 3-0 in the preseason.

Julius Randle led the Knicks with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado each had two-run singles and the Houston Astros roughed up Max Scherzer in an 8-5 victory on Wednesday to cut their deficit in the AL Championship Series to 2-1.

Jose Altuve homered and Maurico Dubon added three hits for Houston, which rebounded on the road after losing the first two games at home.

The defending World Series champion Astros will try to even the best-of-seven series in Game 4 on Thursday.

Josh Jung hit a pair of two-run homers, but Texas suffered its first postseason loss in eight games.

Scherzer, making his first start in more than a month, lasted only four innings after allowing five runs and five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Cristian Javier was far more effective, yielding two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.

He extended his postseason scoreless streak to 20 1/3 innings before it ended in the fifth on Jung’s first home run.

Hector Neris surrendered Jung’s second home run before Bryan Abreu gave up a run in the eighth on Adolis Garcia’s RBI single.

Ryan Pressly pitched the ninth and got Jung to hit into a game-ending double play for his third save this postseason.

The Las Vegas Aces have won back-to-back WNBA titles by beating New York Liberty in four games.

The Aces, the first team to defend the crown since 2002, took the fourth game in New York 70-69 to seal a 3-1 series victory.

With the sides level at 64-64, Jackie Young and Aja Wilson put the Aces six points up with one minute 26 seconds left on the clock.

New York cut that to a single point, but were unable to land the winning basket on the buzzer.

Wilson, who finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds, was named the MVP of the Finals series.

Only the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002 and Houston Comets, who took the title from 1997-2000, have previously managed back-to-back championships.

Ollie Chessum insists that while Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa leaves no margin for error, it is also “scary” how much England can improve.

Only England still possess an unbeaten record amongst the teams in the last four after they came through a tense encounter with dangerous Fiji to set-up a rematch of the 2019 final.

They face one of the great Springbok sides who are aiming to clinch successive world titles – an achievement only New Zealand have managed in the past – but Chessum believes the best is yet to come from Steve Borthwick’s men.

“It’s as simple as if you don’t turn up you haven’t got a shot – not against these big teams, teams in the semi-finals,” Chessum said.

“If you’re anything less than 100 per cent they’re going to walk all over you. For me I just know I’ve got a job to do and if I don’t do it I’m letting the team down.

“We know what is coming. There is an awareness of their ability, the threats that they pose.

“They play against top-class teams, they play against top players that will target them week-in, week-out and yet they are still able to do what they do. It’s our job to stop that.

“We are improving week-by-week as a group. We were in a strange place in the warm-up games in August.

“But we are starting to figure ourselves out and find our identity. We know what we bring as a team.

“The set-piece is a big part of England’s game and has been for years. And then working for each other.

“Steve has a thing of never stopping and that’s something we’re trying to do.

“We are growing as a team and I think that is a scary thing for any team. We are not the complete article yet but we are winning games.

“It’s been a real growing process and it’s not finished, but we feel like we’re more than capable of doing the job.”

Playing for a nation scarred by a history of racial division, the Springboks are driven by a powerful sense of purpose as revealed by their captain Siya Kolisi, who stated before the 2019 World Cup that “we represent something much bigger than we can imagine”.

England’s ‘why’ may be less profound, but for Chessum it is every bit as motivational heading into a match which South Africa are strong favourites to win.

“We’re doing it for ourselves. We owe it to each other. It has been a long campaign – June 12 was when the group started training. That’s a long time to be together,” Chessum said.

“We’ve seen what we’ve had to go through to get here, the hard work behind the scenes, the things that everyone does for us.

“We’re doing it for ourselves as a group, our families back home and we’re doing it for the country. We’re representing England and we take massive pride in doing that.

“The big motivating, rev-up factor for me is that I’m playing for England, I’m playing for my country at a World Cup, and we’re facing South Africa.

“Every time you’re playing for your country it shouldn’t be that hard to rev yourself up. You’ve got to rise to the challenge.”

Borthwick names his starting XV and bench at lunchtime on Thursday, with the duel between Marcus Smith and Freddie Steward at full-back the biggest talking point.

Connections have confirmed that Nashwa will run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

John and Thady Gosden’s multiple Group One winner is to be aimed at the mile contest, rather than the Qipco Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs.

Owner Imad Alsagar’s Blue Diamond Stud posted on Twitter, now known as X: “Confirmed: Nashwa will run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes @Ascot on Saturday.”

The five-year-old secured her latest elite-level success in the Falmouth Stakes over a mile at Newmarket in July.

She has since been placed in the Nassau Stakes, the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes, all over an extra two furlongs.

However, jockey Hollie Doyle has no fears about dropping back in distance.

She said this week: “I think she’s very versatile and very effective whatever the ground and whatever the trip.

“You need horses like her, she’s carried me now for the past two years and she always produces the goods.”

Doyle will also partner another old favourite in Trueshan in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, who has won that race for the past three years.

He heads to Ascot on the back of victories in the Doncaster Cup and the Prix Du Cadran at ParisLongchamp.

“It would be pretty remarkable to do it for the fourth time but he seems better than ever, so fingers crossed,” the rider told Sky Sports Racing.

“The way the year started out, it was a bit touch and go at one point with his performances early on, but they sorted him out, found the key to him again and he’s had a new lease of life.

“In the Cadran, we found another way of being able to ride him and that’s great. I think all of my rides won’t mind any cut in the ground and he’ll be happy even if it’s a deluge.

Doyle’s Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes mount Saint Lawrence is a longshot but reported to be in fine spirits.

She added: “He won the Wokingham very nicely and he was just touched off in a Group One in France which was heartbreaking, but that was on quite slow ground, so hopefully the soft ground won’t be too much of an issue for him.

“We know he’s got a good race in him and he just needs things to fall right. He’s in excellent form, his work’s been really solid and he looks a picture.”

The Philadelphia 76ers practiced at the team's facility on Wednesday.

James Harden, meanwhile, was reportedly in Houston.

Harden skipped the team's latest training session, and has been away from the 76ers since Sunday, according to ESPN.

He attended a team meeting in New York on Sunday, but was not at Philadelphia's shootaround the next day or at Monday's game against the Brooklyn Nets.

The disgruntled star has been frustrated with 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey for months and has demanded a trade since picking up his $35.6million player option for the 2023-24 season in late June.

Despite his bitterness, Harden has still been attending training camp and practices. He has yet to play in a preseason game, but said last week he could play in the 76ers' final exhibition game on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.

First-year Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said he didn't know why Harden was a no-show at practice, and was still expecting him to play in Friday's game.

"From the last discussions I've had with him and from everybody, yeah,” Nurse told reporters. "I'm still going on what he said the last time I talked him, that he was going to ramp up and get ready to play Friday. We'll see how it goes."

The 76ers open the regular season Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Harden's disdain for Morey all comes down to his belief that he wasn't offered a long-term max deal that he thought he deserved this past offseason.

The 2017-18 NBA MVP and three-time league scoring champion could have declined the option and become a free agent, but was hoping by exercising his option it would facilitate a trade.

Harden said last week there was no way his fractured relationship with Morey could be repaired.

While attending a promotional event in China in August, Harden eviscerated Morey, calling him a liar.

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organisation that he’s a part of," Harden said at the event. "Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organisation that he’s a part of."

Harden's comments were in response to the 76ers telling Harden's agent, Mike Silverman, that Morey was unable to find a trade for the 10-time All-Star and the franchise wouldn't deal him unless it could find a trade that would help the team contend for a championship.

Acquired in a trade with the Nets in February 2022, Harden averaged 21.0 points and a league-leading 10.7 assists in 58 games last season to help the 76ers to the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

For his career, the 34-year-old Harden has averaged 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, seven assists and 1.5 steals in exactly 1,000 regular-season games.

New Zealand boss Ian Foster has warned his players “not to get softened” by the acclaim which followed their thrilling World Cup win over Ireland ahead of a semi-final showdown with Argentina.

The All Blacks booked a last-four spot by upsetting Andy Farrell’s men with a pulsating 28-24 victory in Paris.

New Zealand return to Stade de France on Friday evening and are red-hot favourites to progress to a final against either England or reigning champions South Africa.

Head coach Foster feels “being patted on the back” following a statement last-eight victory over the Irish derailed the Kiwis in the 2019 tournament and is eager to avoid history repeating itself.

“The best way to recover is to refocus really quickly on what the next challenge is and not to listen too much to any praise you’re given as a group for a performance,” said Foster, who was assistant to Steve Hansen four years ago when New Zealand lost to England in the semi-finals.

“Not to go down that path, not to get softened because everyone’s patting you on the back saying you played well.

“That’s not a good place to be as a team.

“I love the way the team has buckled down, we’ve redefined the challenge for us as a group, we’re not satisfied with where we are now and when you’re clear about your goal for the week the recovery comes along pretty quickly.

“You know that if we’re not right on Friday night at Stade de France, it’s going to be a sad old night and we don’t want it to be like that.

“You get people talking to you about tomorrow and trying to take your eyes off today.

“In 2019 we probably didn’t stop being patted on the back after the quarter-final, hence some of my language today and we’re just trying to dial this back, keep things simple and let’s just worry about Friday.”

New Zealand’s starting XV shows two changes, with wing Mark Telea and lock Sam Whitelock in for Leicester Fainga’anuku and Brodie Retallick.

Telea was dropped for last weekend’s clash with Ireland due to a breach of team protocols.

Foster says the 26-year-old, who has scored three tries in the tournament, has served his punishment.

“That’s the team we think is best for this week,” he said.

“Mark’s done his time. He made a mistake, he accepted what was happening.

“But you don’t linger in that space. He’s been our form winger through this tournament and we really have a lot of faith in him and believe he’s in a good place to play this game.

“It’s a chance for us to get Mark back on the park and I know he’s excited.”

Underdogs Argentina have won two of the past seven meetings between the nations, including a landmark first success on New Zealand soil – 25-18 in Christchurch – in last year’s Rugby Championship.

Foster is braced for a “heck of a game”.

“You’ve never heard us say we’re favourites,” he said. “We know that these games are do-or-die.

“It’s the best team on the night that wins it. We know Argentina has done that to us. We’re not buying into anything about favouritism or underdogs.

“They are perhaps an underrated team worldwide that has got a really rich history of perhaps overachieving at World Cups.

“They have done a fantastic job to get here at the same level as we are. It’s going to be a heck of a game.”

Dual Champion Chase hero Energumene is likely to be out for the season, trainer Willie Mullins has revealed.

The nine-year-old, who has won 10 of his 12 appearances over fences, first tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022 and defended his Champion Chase title in imperious style earlier this year, registering a 10-length victory in the two-mile chasing feature.

He followed that up by also winning Punchestown’s version of the Champion Chase for the second year running and was widely expected to dominate the two-mile division once again over the winter.

However, Energumene – who is owned by Brighton and Hove Albion supremo Tony Bloom – is set for a spell on the sidelines having suffered an injury setback and is unlikely to get the chance to make it a hat-trick of Cheltenham Festival victories in the spring.

“Unfortunately Energumene has a hind leg injury and he will probably be out of action for the season,” Mullins told the Sporting Life.

Energumene’s absence opens up a vacancy at the top of the two-mile chasing division with Closutton stablemate and Arkle hero El Fabiolo installed as Paddy Power’s new even-money favourite for the Champion Chase next March.

Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon, second to El Fabiolo at Prestbury Park in the Arkle earlier in the year before winning at both Aintree and Sandown’s Celebration Chase, is next best at 5-1.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali could face a lengthy playing ban after it was reported he has admitted to breaching betting rules.

Tonali, signed by Newcastle from AC Milan for £55million in July, is being investigated by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation “in relation to illegal betting activity”.

The 23-year-old was one of several players named in an Italian football betting probe last week and on Wednesday Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was given a seven-month suspension by the FIGC on Tuesday for breaching betting rules.

Newcastle confirmed in a statement on Wednesday the player was being investigated.

The club said: “Newcastle United can confirm that Sandro Tonali is subject to investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in relation to illegal betting activity.

“Sandro is fully engaging with the investigation and will continue to cooperate with all relevant authorities.

“He and his family will continue to receive the club’s full support.

“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”

Tonali scored in the Magpies’ opening-day 5-1 home win against Aston Villa and has made six further Premier League appearances.

It has been reported that Tonali admitted at a hearing on Tuesday to betting on matches involving his former club Milan.

Tonali and Aston Villa forward Nicolo Zaniolo, on loan from Galatasaray, last week returned to their clubs from Italy’s training camp after it emerged they were being investigated.

Italy team-mate Fagioli was given a seven-month ban on Tuesday by the FIGC for breaching betting rules.

He had five months of a one-year ban suspended and was fined 12,500 euros (£10,848), while he agreed to a therapy plan of at least six months to tackle his gambling problem, the FIGC announced.

Ascot clerk of the course Chris Stickels feels it is “pretty likely” the races scheduled to be run on the round course at Ascot on Champions Day will take place on the inner track.

With Storm Babet set to batter the country in the coming days, the going is expected to turn testing.

Contingency plans are in place that allow officials to move the Long Distance Cup, Filly & Mares Stakes and the Champion Stakes to the inner hurdles track when situations like this arise, with switch last made in 2019.

“I walked it this afternoon with John Gosden at about 3pm when it had only just started raining and the current description is good to soft on the straight track and soft in places on the round course. We are describing the inner track as good, good to firm in places,” Stickels told Racing TV.

“If we have heavy ground on any part of the round course, we can move the round course races to the inner track and we have to decide that before 8am on Saturday.

“Looking at the forecast for Friday, I would say that is quite likely (for the races to move). I think the rain we will get overnight will turn us back to soft on the round course and maybe even if we get the top end, some heavy places on the round course.

“Thursday we might only get three to four millimetres, it is mainly a windy day but the forecast for Friday is a similar amount of rain as that we are due tonight again, so if we are not heavy in places by then, it would be highly likely to be by Friday.

“I think it would be pretty likely that we will end up on that inner track. If we can make a decision on that before 8am on Saturday that would be favourable, we’d like to make it Friday but we don’t want to be hasty and suggest that now before we have much rain.

“There is no ability to run the two races scheduled to be run over a mile and the sprint on the round course. There are no start positions and it isn’t wide enough to accommodate the scheduled 20 runners.

“It’s a shame we are a week later in the calendar this year and even today, John Gosden said if we were racing today the ground would have been perfect.”

Jonny Bairstow is relishing his role in a rare World Cup double as England and South Africa prepare for high-stakes battles on the cricket pitch and the rugby field within a matter of hours on Saturday.

Bairstow will be leading from the front in Mumbai, where his side look to put their creaking title defence back on track against the Proteas, before attention turns to events almost 4,500 miles away in Paris and the Rugby World Cup semi-final between England and the Springboks.

Bairstow is a huge rugby fan and was even invited to address the England squad ahead of last year’s autumn international against Argentina at Twickenham, chatting to the squad for over an hour before observing training.

Now he hopes to set the tone for a day of English celebrations by the time Steve Borthwick’s men kick off.

“I think it’s going to be a great spectacle, it’s going to be a great day for both nations,” he said.

“They’re two extremely proud nations, whether that’s on the rugby front or the cricketing front, two teams on both sides that are very passionate about playing for their countries and are excited about playing for their countries.

“You’ll have people in South Africa, I’m sure, having a few brandy and Cokes and a couple of braais (barbecues), and you’ll have a few in England popping down the pub and watching – any excuse for them to just pop down there!

“It will be great – and hopefully both results go our way.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by We Are England Cricket (@englandcricket)

Bairstow can only directly impact one of them, of course, and the importance of his role at the top of the batting order is shaping up to be a key one.

Defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan, either side of victory over Bangladesh, have put England firmly on the back foot and cranked up the stakes on their visit to the Wankhede Stadium.

Head coach Matthew Mott has called for more aggression in the first 15 overs of both innings and Bairstow has the track record and firepower to oblige.

But he is clear that swinging blindly for the fences is not on the cards, with conditions in India calling for more nuance.

“I don’t see anyone else in the world going out and scoring at nine runs an over. You look at India, they don’t go out and just go balls to the wall in the first 10 and they’re the host nation,” he said.

“They don’t just go out and go from ball one. So the importance of the first 10 is to yes score quickly, but also score in a way that’s sustainable over a long period of time, because we’re not playing a T20 game, we’re playing a 50-over game.

“Playing cricket in India compared to playing cricket in England is different. There’s different styles that work all around the world. I don’t think there’s one thing that fits all.”

While England are licking their wounds after being upset by the Afghans, South Africa are nursing a similar blow to their pride after defeat the Netherlands. That has added another layer of intrigue to the clash as both sets of players desperately try to reset the narrative.

“We know it’s a big game, we know they’re a strong nation and they’ve been playing well, but we also know now they’re coming off a loss as well,” Bairstow said.

“That was a great result to wake up to. But we’re actually just focusing on ourselves. That’s what we do.

“The confidence is there – it’s unwavering. There’s no lack of belief within this group. It isn’t something that’s been questioned one bit.”

Valvano followed in some illustrious hoofprints as he made an impressive start to his career in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at Nottingham.

The top-class King Of Steel made a successful debut in a division of the the extended one-mile contest 12 months ago, while his St Leger-winning stablemate Eldar Eldarov was in the winner’s circle in 2021.

And while Valvano has a long way to go to scale those heights, the son of Night Of Thunder looks certain to go on to better things judged on this facile success in the hands of Hector Crouch.

Plenty was expected of the Ralph Beckett-trained youngster as an 8-11 favourite, but those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns as after moving to the lead entering the final furlong, Valvano fairly sprinted clear in the testing conditions to pull six lengths clear of his toiling rivals.

Beckett, who won a division of the race with subsequent Derby participant Artistic Star last year, said of his latest victor: “He’s a nice horse who loved the ground and it was a good effort.”

On whether he could run again this season, the trainer added: “We’ll see what happens next, he could.”

Crouch was clearly impressed by the performance, telling Racing TV: “He’s very raw. He made it look straightforward because he’s got a lot of natural ability, but he took a bit of managing and organising and he’s keen to get on with things.

“He ran a little bit green, but once we straightened up he’s very talented. Amongst all the greenness he’s very responsive and he’s keen to learn.

“I think he’s got a bit of a fiery streak in him and is not short of speed, so I wouldn’t be in a rush to step him up to a mile and a quarter in his immediate future, but I’m sure he will stay that far.”

Beckett completed a quickfire double with another newcomer in the following EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes, with Treasure carrying the King and Queen’s colours to a clear-cut win under Ben Curtis.

“She was immaculately behaved and has a great mind. She was a little bit behind the bridle, it’s tough going out there, but she learnt as we went around,” said the jockey.

“She loved the ground and the further she went, the better she went.”

George Boughey’s Mr Alan (3-1 joint-favourite) landed the Watch Irish Racing On Racing TV Handicap for the second year in succession, pipping Belhaven by a nose under William Buick.

Hollie Doyle enjoyed a double on the card, booting home William Stone’s Tipsy Tiger (15-2) in the Join Racing TV Now Nursery and the Jack Channon-trained Desperate Hero in the Watch On Racing TV Handicap.