The New York Knicks stormed home with a 32-18 final period to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 108-97 on Sunday,
The Knicks were on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off a disappointing overtime loss at home against the Los Angeles Clippers, but they steadied the ship to avoid a fourth loss from their past five.
Point guard Jalen Brunson finished with 21 points on six-of-16 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds, while All-Star team-mate Julius Randle posted 24 points (eight-of-19), nine rebounds and seven assists.
They were solid, but inefficient, shooting a combined 40 per cent from the field while both finished with a plus/minus figure in the negatives.
What won the game for the Knicks was their production off the bench. Evan Fournier scored a season-high 17 points (six-of-11), Deuce McBride added 14 points (three-of-eight), and the pair combined to shoot eight-of-14 from long range, while both posting a plus/minus of plus 28 or better.
Backup center Isaiah Hartenstein was similarly impactful, snatching an equal season-high 14 rebounds in his fourth consecutive appearance with at least 10 boards.
MVP candidate Joel Embiid was respectable for the 76ers, finishing six-of-16 from the field, but he still produced 31 points and 14 rebounds after shooting 18-of-19 from the free throw line.
With the win, the Knicks improved their record to 29-26, and they now sit just a half-game back from the six seed in the Eastern Conference.
Balanced Raptors overcome Morant-less Grizzlies
With Ja Morant out injured, the Memphis Grizzlies were unable to protect their lead down the stretch, going down 106-103 at home against the Toronto Raptors.
The Grizzlies led by 15 points late in the third quarter, before the Raptors closed the show on a 40-22 run.
Seven of the eight Raptors to play finished with between 10 and 19 points, with Pascal Siakam's 19 points on seven-of-17 shooting leading the scoring, while Scottie Barnes was a menace defensively as he had two steals and two blocks to go with his 16 points and seven rebounds.
Desmond Bane (26 points and four steals) and Jaren Jackson Jr (18 points and four blocks) were the bright spots for the Grizzlies, who at 32-21 are now four-and-a-half games behind the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets.
Cavs starters light up the Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers' starting-five shot a blistering 58.7 per cent from the field as they blew out the Indiana Pacers 122-103 on the road.
Donovan Mitchell had 19 points on six-of-18 shooting, but he was the only Cleveland starter to hit less than half his shots as Darius Garland (eight-of-13), Evan Mobley (seven-of-12), Jarrett Allen (nine-of-11) and Isaac Okoro (seven-of-nine) combined to shoot 68.8 per cent.
Newly extended Pacers center Myles Turner had strong production in the losing effort, finishing with 27 points (nine-of-18), 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Justin Rose will resume play on Monday with a two-stroke lead after the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was halted due to darkness.
It was anticipated that players would not be able to finish their rounds on Sunday after Saturday's play was also called off early, as wind at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club course would not allow balls to sit still on the green.
Players came out early to finish their third round, before teeing off for their final 18 holes around noon.
Rose's third round was his best of the week, taking advantage of the easier Monterey Peninsula course to post a six-under 65 to begin his last round at 12 under.
He kept his momentum going at Pebble Beach Golf Links – the six-time U.S. Open venue which also hosts the final round – as he followed an eagle on the sixth with a birdie on the seventh, reaching the end of his front nine three under, and 15 under overall.
That is when he had to pack up for the day, leading by two strokes over Denny McCarthy (through 15 holes), Brendon Todd (through 12) and Peter Malnati (through nine).
One further back – and three off the lead – are the American trio of Beau Hossler (through 12), Keith Mitchell (through 10) and Brandon Wu (through 10), as well as Canada's Taylor Pendrith, who was one of the early starters and finished with an eight-under 64 for the day's best round.
Patrick Mahomes revealed as no surprise that he wanted to retain star wide receiver Tyreek Hill for this season, but he trusted the plan of Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach.
Hill, 28, was drafted by the Chiefs as a fifth-rounder in 2015, and he is likely on track to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame after becoming one of the most devastating offensive weapons in league history.
He made the Pro Bowl every year from 2016-2022, and this season earned his fourth First Team All-Pro selection after setting career-highs with 119 receptions and 1710 yards with the Miami Dolphins.
Veach said there were warning signs early in free agency that Hill would demand a record-breaking contract for a receiver, and he had to make the painful decision to prioritise the defensive side of the ball instead.
"It became obvious as free agency started, given the way wide receiver contracts were going up, that it was going to be tough to do both [extend Hill and address the defense]," he said.
The Chiefs knew some tough calls were on the horizon after Mahomes signed his NFL-record 10-year, $450million deal, as his salary jumped from $8m in 2021 to $35m this season.
Hill ended up signing a four-year, $120m deal – and in a salary-capped league, something had to give.
"Everyone knew what the next two or three years would look like and how many players we'd have to potentially cut and how difficult things would be,'' he said. "We would have had a lot of expensive players.
"It's hard to be successful in this league year after year. It's hard to win games year after year. There are going to be moments where we have to step out there and do something uncomfortable.
"No one wanted to lose Tyreek – he's a great player. But if you're going to do something, trust the process and trust how you do things and don't be afraid to commit to change a year sooner when you have more ability to potentially make those changes work better.''
Veach said his willingness to make such a franchise-defining call is attributed to his belief that the franchise can not waste any seasons with Mahomes at the helm.
"When you have Pat Mahomes, we're wired to go after it every year,'' he said.
Mahomes himself said it was no secret that he wanted to re-sign Hill and keep the band together after winning the Super Bowl in 2020, but he understood all the moving pieces.
"I wanted to keep him, for sure,'' he said. "They had a plan for it, though.
"They told me the plan and we were going to get these draft picks. We were going to go out there and bring in some free agent receivers, and I think they executed on that.
"We know that to keep having success in this league we have to keep evolving, keep getting better. I always want to be successful this year, but at the same time, I'm here for the long haul.
"If we're going to have a long time here, I want to have a chance to win Super Bowls every single year.''
The Chiefs' other offensive star, Travis Kelce, said he had concerns after the Hill trade, including how effective the Chiefs might be on offense and what it all might mean for him.
"Yes, that was a question,'' he said. "But once I saw how hard guys were working, paying attention to details, how Pat keeps progressing as a quarterback... Right now, we're in a good routine that we just keep getting better.
"You could feel that from the day we started from May until now."
Mahomes is in his fifth year as a starter, and after another spectacular season he is the favourite to add a second MVP to his resume, as well as a fourth All-Pro selection, while he prepares for a chance at his second championship.
The NFC emerged victorious to secure the first edition of the NFL's new Pro Bowl Games, defeating the AFC 35-33 in the final flag football contest.
In a new format, the NFL decided to scrap the traditional Pro Bowl game as the injury risk of a real football game led to a mediocre product in recent years, with players only going at half-speed.
Instead, they replaced it with a series of mini-games – including dodgeball, and a best catch contest utilising a trampoline – spread over multiple days.
The two teams competed in four events on Thursday, with the NFC only securing victory in the dodgeball event. For the AFC, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer's 320-yard bomb won the long drive competition, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr guided them to victory in the precision passing, and the team combined to win the three-event lightning round.
That gave the AFC the lead heading into Sunday's finale, although the NFC trimmed into the margin when Detroit Lions receiver Amon Ra St. Brown won the best catch contest.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith delivered the winning touchdown pass to Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb with 12 seconds remaining to take the first of the three flag football games for the NFC, before the AFC won the next to force a decider.
In the second, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs caught the game-winning touchdown, but not before he accidentally threw an earlier interception to his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was the hero in the final game, throwing passing touchdowns to team-mate Justin Jefferson as well as San Francisco 49ers pair George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk to secure the victory.
NFC players received $84,000 each for taking part and coming away with the win, while AFC players earned $42,000.
The NFC emerged victorious to secure the first edition of the NFL's new Pro Bowl Games, defeating the AFC 35-33 in the final flag football contest.
In a new format, the NFL decided to scrap the traditional Pro Bowl game as the injury risk of a real football game led to a mediocre product in recent years, with players only going at half-speed.
Instead, they replaced it with a series of mini-games – including dodgeball, and a best catch contest utilising a trampoline – spread over multiple days.
The two teams competed in four events on Thursday, with the NFC only securing victory in the dodgeball event. For the AFC, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer's 320-yard bomb won the long drive competition, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr guided them to victory in the precision passing, and the team combined to win the three-event lightning round.
That gave the AFC the lead heading into Sunday's finale, although the NFC trimmed into the margin when Detroit Lions receiver Amon Ra St. Brown won the best catch contest.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith delivered the winning touchdown pass to Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb with 12 seconds remaining to take the first of the three flag football games for the NFC, before the AFC won the next to force a decider.
In the second, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs caught the game-winning touchdown, but not before he accidentally threw an earlier interception to his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was the hero in the final game, throwing passing touchdowns to team-mate Justin Jefferson as well as San Francisco 49ers pair George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk to secure the victory.
NFC players received $84,000 each for taking part and coming away with the win, while AFC players earned $42,000.
Milan boss Stefano Pioli defended his decision to start with Rafael Leao on the bench after his struggling team went down 1-0 to Inter in Sunday's derby.
Last season's champions sit sixth in Serie A after 21 games, in danger of failing to qualify for next season's Champions League unless they buck up their ideas.
They have lost four games in a row, with losses to Inter in the Supercoppa and Serie A sandwiching a 4-0 drubbing by Lazio and a 5-2 mauling at home by Sassuolo.
It was league duty on Sunday, and Leao was only a substitute, despite being a two-goal hero in September when Milan took the derby spoils 3-2 to keep pace with early bolters Napoli.
While Napoli have kept up their early frantic pace, and now sit 13 points clear of second-placed Inter, Milan have lost all momentum.
Pioli began against Inter with former Liverpool fringe man Divock Origi alongside Olivier Giroud in attack, abandoning the partnership early in the second half when the ineffective Origi was hauled off and Leao made his entrance.
The skilful Portuguese forward almost teed up an equaliser for Giroud, but the French striker's control was awful and the chance was lost, but that moment of fast-paced dribbling excellence highlighted Leao's threat.
"He has enormous potential," said Pioli, "but I chose to play with two centre-forwards who are closer vertically to put Inter's defence in difficulty, even if we didn't succeed.
"I trust a lot in Leao, even if he didn't start from the beginning. The choices I made are the best for what I saw during the week, for what the preparation for the match was and for the positions I wanted to fill."
With the benefit of hindsight, Pioli said he would "do it again" when asked about Leao's omission.
In all, Milan have not won for seven games, and they face Torino on Friday before a Champions League tussle with Tottenham the following Tuesday.
Tottenham's former Inter boss Antonio Conte may be licking his lips at that prospect, with Milan's defending leaving plenty to be desired in recent weeks.
Lautaro Martinez headed in Hakan Calhanoglu's corner for the only goal of the derby, and Pioli accepted his players were found lacking.
"Unfortunately we found ourselves unprepared once again on a dead ball," he said. "Up to that moment, we were working well as a team. We did better in the second half."
Pioli knows the drastic slide in form has left many Milan supporters agog, and he said: "The fans have every right to criticise, the last few performances haven't been up to par."
Yet Pioli still has the support of the dressing room, according to midfielder Rade Krunic.
Krunic told DAZN: "If you lose such an important match there are few positive things. The only thing to take away is the reaction in the second half, where we did better than in the first half.
"We seemed to be doing better in training than today. We believe in Pioli."
Steve Borthwick claims the England team he inherited from Eddie Jones "weren’t good at anything" but says he has seen progress despite defeat to Scotland.
The former Leicester Tigers boss saw his side lose the first game of his tenure in their Six Nations opener, as they were beaten 29-23 at Twickenham.
In a World Cup year, it marked another damning result for England's prospects, with their dismal run during 2022 contributing to the exit of long-term boss Jones.
But now Borthwick, who worked as the Australian's assistant before leaving for Leicester, has given a withering appraisal of the squad left behind by him amid the Scotland post-mortem.
"I've been frank from day one in saying there's a lot of work to do," he told the Guardian. "When I looked at the team in the autumn, when I measured the team and got all the data for the team, we weren't good at anything.
"It was as frank as that. My job is to make sure we get some improvements next week. I have asked the players to play a new way.
"One thing I have got to do here is get the players to believe in themselves, and get the players to bring their strengths to the pitch.
"[I have to] get them to play to the best of themselves, which I don't think we have seen them do for a while. I think you saw an improvement in that regard."
England held a 20-12 lead at one point in London, before a collapse allowed Scotland to sweep to a historic victory against their rivals.
Having brought respected assistant Kevin Sinfield from Leicester to oversee defence, the soft nature of his side's concessions is a sticking point for Borthwick.
With that in mind, however, he felt the team showed spirit to their concessions, adding: "I'd seen a habit with the team of conceding points early and not being able to respond to it.
"We conceded points [against Scotland] and the biggest thing I was looking at was the response. I thought the response was magnificent."
Xavi praised his Barcelona players for remaining patient in their 3-0 victory over Sevilla as the LaLiga leaders moved eight points clear of Real Madrid.
Barca dominated Sunday's contest at Camp Nou before eventually finding the breakthrough via full-back Jordi Alba in the 58th minute.
Gavi added a second 12 minutes later and Raphinha, who assisted that goal, added his name to the scoresheet as Barca made it 10 wins in a row this year.
Sevilla focused almost entirely on defending, managing only three shots in total to Barca's 16, and Xavi is delighted his side were able to break down the visitors.
"This was a day to dare," he told DAZN. "We talked about it at half-time. It's always difficult to attack when the opponent has 11 players behind the ball.
"But we did it very well and I'm very satisfied with this result."
Barca took full advantage of Real Madrid's surprise 1-0 loss at Real Mallorca earlier in the day to extend their lead at the summit as they close in on a first title in four seasons.
"We've gone many games unbeaten and it's important we win like we did today," Xavi said. "Against a low block, we created many chances – that is a big positive.
"Things are working out for us. We're eight points ahead of Madrid, but there is still a lot of the season left."
With a goal and an assist against Sevilla, Raphinha has been involved in more goals (eight – four goals and four assists) than any other LaLiga player in all competitions in 2023.
Xavi hailed the Brazil international's performance and also reserved special praise for Alba, who himself scored and assisted in a single LaLiga game for the fourth time.
"I was already satisfied with Raphinha's performances," Xavi said. "He is good in high-pressure scenarios and has been giving us decisive assists. He's an extraordinary player.
"As for Jordi, he gives us a lot in attack and showed that again today. We knew there would be an opportunity to take advantage of some space that was left."
Alba was recalled to the starting line-up having been made to settle for substitute appearances of late and took full advantage of his opportunity to impress.
"I take advantage of the minutes when I play; when I don't, I dedicate myself to encouraging the youngsters so they know what it means to play for this club," Alba said.
"We are having a very good season, playing well, pressing well and getting our rivals to give us chances.
"There are eight points on Madrid and, although there is a lot of the league season left, it is a very good distance to have."
Barca's 53 points after 20 LaLiga matches has only been matched or bettered on five previous occasions, including themselves four times.
The only blemish for Xavi's side was captain Sergio Busquets limping off early following a challenge with Youssef En-Nesyri.
Busquets is reported to have sprained his right ankle and is facing two-to-three weeks out, potentially ruling him out of Barca's Europa League tie with Manchester United.
"Hopefully it's nothing serious," Xavi said. "First we'll do tests and then we'll know more."
Simone Inzaghi felt Inter were "perfect" as they beat struggling Milan 1-0 in the most dominant derby display he can remember.
Captain Lautaro Martinez's first-half header inflicted a fourth successive defeat on the Rossoneri at San Siro on Sunday.
Milan failed to register a shot on target and are down in sixth place in Serie A after their miserable winless run was extended to seven games.
The Nerazzurri, on the other hand, are second behind runaway leaders Napoli following a third win in a row after also seeing off their city rivals 3-0 in Supercoppa Italiana last month.
While Napoli look like they could be out of sight with a 13-point advantage at the summit, Inter head coach Inzaghi believes a commanding derby display shows they continue to make strides.
He said: "I'm very satisfied, I complimented the team because they were perfect, I don't remember a derby won and dominated in this way.
"We had a great derby, winning two in I think 20 days don't always happen. We don't look forward or backward in the standings, but only at us."
Under-pressure Milan boss Stefano Pioli went with a more defensive line-up in a bid to arrest the champions' slide, but Inzaghi's focus was on how his side approached the game.
He added: "There's been talk about it for days [Pioli's tactics]. I have to be honest that I was worried about mine, regardless of how Milan played.
"Every Sunday we meet three or four [man] defences. Tonight in the first half we bordered on perfection. In the second we did very well and conceded the first shot in the 75th minute. It's a great satisfaction."
Another big plus for Inzaghi was a substitute appearance for Marcelo Brozovic, the first time he has featured for Inter since November.
The Carolina Panthers are hiring Ejiro Evero as their new defensive coordinator following his exit from the Denver Broncos.
Earlier on Sunday, Evero was released from his post with the Broncos following Sean Payton's arrival as the franchise's head coach.
The 42-year-old has swiftly found his feet elsewhere, with Carolina confirming his appointment – where he previously interviewed for the head coaching job.
A Super Bowl winner as secondary and passing game coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams last year, Evero has impressed despite the Broncos' disappointing campaign in 2022.
The Broncos ranked seventh in the league for total defense and 14th in points allowed, an impressive feat for a franchise that finished the year with a 5-12 record.
Evero was heavily linked with a move to the Minnesota Vikings, who are also on the hunt for a defensive coordinator ahead of the 2023 season.
Aaron Rodgers was jubilant after claiming victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as speculation over the quarterback's Green Bay Packers future heats up.
The 39-year-old, alongside partner Ben Silverman, clung on for a one-shot victory in the pro-am portion of the PGA Tour event on Sunday, finishing 26-under for the weekend.
After a difficult season that saw the Packers miss the playoffs for just the fourth time during his tenure as their starter, Rodgers was happy to have his name on the Wall of Champions.
"It's really significant," Rodgers said of his victory in California. "It's always been on my bucket list."
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen came in four-under par behind Rodgers, and joked inclement weather had helped his rival to victory amid a truncated tournament.
However, Rodgers laughed off such suggestions, adding: "Josh Allen was telling me there's going to be an asterisk by this win because there were only three rounds.
"But I think our names are going to be up there for a long time."
Rodgers' victory comes amid turmoil over his future, with the 18-season veteran seemingly poised to bring his Packers career to a close.
With the recent retirement of Tom Brady, talk continues to swirl over a potential trade for the quarterback, with multiple teams likely to be interested in a move.
Rodgers sought to shut down speculation last month, suggesting all talk over any exit was merely conjecture.
The Packers came third in the NFC North division this season, with an 8-9 losing record.
Leading 2-0 from Day 1 of their Davis Cup Group II tie, Jamaica went on to win contest 3-2 at the Eric Bell National Tennis Centre in Kingston on Sunday.
After Rowland Phillips won his match over Krisjtian Tamm 6-1, 6-1 and Blaise Bicknell defeated Kenneth Raisma 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 on Saturday, the Estonian doubles team of Raisma and Jurgen Zopp pulled one back on Sunday when they defeated John Chin and Daniel Azar in straight sets 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday.
However, things took a turn for the worst for the visitors in match four when Blaise Bicknell defeated Tamm by default to hand Jamaica an unassailable lead.
Blaise Bicknell won his tie-breaker against Tamm, who hit the centre-line judge out of frustration and picking up a default as a result effectively handing the Jamaicans the match.
The visiting team won some consolation when Johannes Seaman defeated Jacob Bicknell 6-1, 6-0 to end the tie 3-2 in favour of the Jamaicans.
Erling Haaland may have picked the wrong club by choosing to join Manchester City, claims Jamie Carragher.
The Norway international leads the Premier League's scoring charts this season with 25 goals in 20 games, though City have often been a shadow of their former selves.
In Sunday's 1-0 defeat against Tottenham, Haaland did not have a single touch in the opposition box – the first time in his debut season in England when that has occurred.
City's defeat saw Pep Guardiola's side miss the opportunity to cut Arsenal's lead at the top of the table to just two points, and they sit only three points ahead of neighbours Manchester United.
It has been suggested City are a weaker team with Haaland in the side, but Carragher went further by claiming the former Borussia Dortmund player may have joined the wrong side for his needs.
"I think we've only seen 60 per cent of Erling Haaland. You think of the goal he got versus West Ham when there was space in behind and he gets in behind," Carragher told Sky Sports.
"I know that's not there every time due to the way City play. He's come from a counter-attacking league [the Bundesliga] where it's end to end.
"You saw his blistering pace there – we don't see it here. He might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him.
"We're not seeing everything of Haaland. City have scored the exact number of goals as last season. He's got 25 of them, but City overall have scored the same number overall.
"However, they've conceded more and are easier to counter-attack against now. They are a different – and lesser team – with Haaland in the team. That's not his fault.
"City won't play end-to-end football. That's not Pep Guardiola's way. His players don't have the energy or power to play that way – they build up slowly and push the opposition back to their box and play from there.
"When they lose it, they win it back quickly and keep the team pinned back. Haaland has scored 25 league goals and lots of them are ones that come into the box, and he puts them in.
"But we're not seeing the full package of what the player can do because of the team he's joined."
Barcelona capitalised on Real Madrid's latest slip-up by beating Sevilla 3-0 at Camp Nou to move eight points clear at the top of LaLiga.
Madrid's surprise 1-0 loss at Real Mallorca earlier on Sunday opened the door for Barca, who took full advantage with their 10th win in a row this calendar year.
After toiling for the best part of an hour, Jordi Alba deservedly opened the scoring for Xavi's side and they did not look back.
Gavi doubled the hosts' lead 12 minutes later after being assisted by Raphinha, who added the third himself to edge Barca ever closer to a first league title in four seasons.
Barca were forced to make a change inside the opening eight minutes after Sergio Busquets injured his ankle and they struggled to find their full flow in the first half.
Yassine Bounou produced a fine stop with his leg to deny Robert Lewandowski and pulled off an even better save soon after to tip the striker's long-range drive around the post.
Sevilla brought on Bryan Gil and Erik Lamela at half-time, but Barca continued to dominate the contest as Raphinha became the latest to test Bounou, this time from a header.
The breakthrough finally arrived just short of the hour mark as Franck Kessie, brought on for Busquets, brilliantly flicked the ball into the path of Alba to fire across Bounou.
A simple finish for Gavi in the 70th minute after being picked out by Raphinha gave Barca breathing space and the Brazil winger contributed to the scoring before full-time.
Alba played the ball into the middle and Raphinha was there to poke it past Bounou and cap a fine individual and team display.
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