Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball could make his return against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Ball has only played three games this season after suffering an ankle sprain in pre-season, before sustaining another in November's clash with the Indiana Pacers when he stepped on the foot of a fan sitting courtside.

The 21-year-old – who was named NBA rookie of the year in June 2021 – has missed 24 games in all this campaign with the two ankle injuries, averaging 19.3 points, 7.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds across the three games he was able to participate in.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Ball has been "upgraded to questionable" for the game with the Pistons and is "hopeful" of playing, with the intention being for him to warm-up pre-game to "see if he's ready".

Ball made 75 appearances for Charlotte last season, averaging 20.1 points per game as well as 7.6 assists and 6.7 rebounds.

Largely without Ball, it has been a poor 2022-23 for the Hornets so far, sitting on 7-20, though they host the only team with a worse win percentage than them on Wednesday when the 7-22 Pistons come to Spectrum Center.

Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is "among the best in the world," according to club legend Marek Hamsik.

The Georgia international, who arrived from Dinamo Batumi in July, has played an instrumental role in Napoli's impressive start to the season, with Luciano Spalletti's side eight points clear at the Serie A summit.

No player has been directly involved in more goals this term than Kvaratskhelia (11 - scored six, assisted five), with his tally only matched by team-mate Victor Osimhen, who is the leading marksman in the Italian top flight (nine).

Unbeaten after 15 games, Napoli's surge has been all the more impressive considering three key players left in the close season, with Kalidou Koulibaly joining Chelsea and all-time top scorer Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne departing on free transfers. 

But Hamsik - the club's record appearance maker (520) - is delighted at how the likes of Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen have stepped up to the plate, along with defender Kim Min-jae.

"Kvara has incredible dribbling ease and he is among the best in the world," the 35-year-old told DAZN. 

"It's incredible to see this Napoli team without the three most important players. 

"Everyone needs symbols, someone to represent the club. For the fans, it was a shame [when those players left].

"But I must say it's good how Napoli took players who play great, getting good results like Kim, Kvara, Osi, and also reduced the wage bill."

Now plying his trade with Turkish side Trabzonspor, Hamsik spent 12 seasons at Napoli and became the club's all-time leading scorer with 121 goals, though he has since been surpassed by Mertens (148) and Insigne (122).

The former Slovakia captain revealed he declined several offers to move away from Naples, but has no regrets over those decisions.

"There were teams that wanted me," he added. "The first was Milan with [Massimiliano] Allegri in 2012, then [Walter] Mazzarri at Inter.

"There was Juve - there were a few calls with [Pavel] Nedved, but I never thought about it.

"I never needed to change. I was happy and renewed five times in 12 years, which is quite a number. The club gave me what I wanted, I was happy, my family too, and the fans loved me more and more."

Pablo Mari has returned to training with Monza less than two months after being hospitalised following a stabbing attack.

The on-loan Arsenal defender was one of five people injured in the incident, which took place at a supermarket near Milan in late October, while a cashier named Luis Fernando Ruggieri died.

Monza initially said Mari was expected to be out of action for two months, and the 29-year-old appears on course to recover within that timeframe after returning to training.

On Wednesday, Monza took to social media to post images of Mari with the ball at his feet, alongside the caption: "Look who's back".

Mari was welcomed onto the pitch at Monza's home Serie A fixture against Verona last month, a game the Silvio Berlusconi-owned side won 2-0.

Monza sit 14th in the Serie A table after 15 games and will resume their campaign with a trip to Fiorentina on January 4.

France have replaced Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot in their starting XI for Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Morocco due to illness.

Reports began to circulate on Tuesday that the two players were suffering with flu, and as such they were deemed unable to line up at Al Bayt Stadium.

Juventus midfielder Rabiot was out of the squad entirely, remaining at the team's base, but Upamecano took a place among the substitutes.

Rabiot had played in all five of France's previous matches in the tournament, while Upamecano started all but their final group game, the defeat to Tunisia.

Drafted into their places were Youssouf Fofana and Ibrahima Konate, starting in midfield and centre-back, respectively.

Otherwise, there were no changes to Didier Deschamps' team from the side that beat England 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

Opponents Morocco also made changes, welcoming back key defensive pair Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui following injuries.

But Walid Regragui's line-up hinted at a change in system as Aguerd replaced midfielder Selim Amallah, rather than fellow centre-back Jawad El Yamiq.

France were looking to become the first reigning champions to reach the final of the World Cup since Brazil in 1998. The last European nation to do so were Italy in 1938.

If Les Bleus were to win, it would take Deschamps to 14 victories as a coach at the World Cup, a record bettered only by Helmut Schon (16).

Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey is expecting a "tough year" in the 2023 Formula One season due to punishments issued for the team's budget cap breach.

The constructors' championship winners were handed a $7million fine by the FIA and a reduction of aerodynamic testing time in the wind tunnel, which Newey says will cost the team.

Another dominant year for Red Bull is therefore unexpected, with the punishment opening the door to Ferrari and Mercedes to dethrone two-time drivers' champion Max Verstappen.

Newey has conceded that the team are set for a difficult period in the 2023 season, particularly with regulation changes that will result in "significant aerodynamic change".

"There's no testing, it's very difficult to put an answer to say that [the punishment] will cost us so many tenths of a second per lap," he said.

"But the reduction of internal testing means we can therefore evaluate less, less different components, less different ideas.

"If we're really smart and always puts on the right things on the model, then it doesn't make much difference. But that's not how it works; there are always some parts that you hope will work and don't and vice versa.

"So, it's difficult and it's a restriction for sure that will affect us.

"I think then there's a regulation, a small regulation change over the winter, which is lifting of the floor edge by 50 millimetres, which of course, sounds tiny, but in reality, it's quite a significant aerodynamic change.

"So, like all teams were working to reduce the deficit from that in addition to the normal development that goes on from year to year, I think we've obviously had a good year, particularly in the second half of the season. We do have the best car.

"But Ferrari won't be resting, and they will be kind of sorting out where the weak areas that they had a couple of reliability problems with, and they made a couple of pit wall mistakes. So, they'll be right back.

"And then, of course, Mercedes. They were quite a long way off the pace and evolving. But then they won the last race but one, so we know they will be right there. It's going to be a tough year for sure."

The 2023 Formula One season begins in Bahrain in March, with a record-breaking 24 races scheduled across the year.

Fikayo Tomori is aware "I have to do more" to avoid a repeat of the "disappointment" at being left out of England's World Cup squad.

Despite playing every match for Milan in Serie A this season, while missing just one of their six Champions League games through suspension, the defender was not included by Gareth Southgate, whose side were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals.

Tomori also played a key role as the Rossoneri last term, featuring 31 times as they ended their 11-year wait to claim the Scudetto, pipping rivals Inter to the title on the final day of the campaign.

But having only earned three senior England caps since making his debut against Kosovo in November 2019, the 24-year-old feels he must raise his game to force himself back into contention for the European Championship in 18 months' time, should the Three Lions qualify.

"I'm always motivated, obviously there is disappointment because I wanted to be there," he told DAZN. "But it didn't happen, and I know I have to do more to go to Euro 2024.

"There was disappointment, but I have to keep working and then let's see. Right now, I'm happy and content."

Tomori and Milan resume their Serie A title defence when they travel to Salernitana on January 4. Stefano Pioli's side are second after 15 matches, but already trailing unbeaten leaders Napoli by eight points.

The centre-half admits the reigning champions have had to adapt to different challenges from their opponents this season, but he is confident the campaign can culminate in a successful title defence.

"In my opinion, the most difficult thing is to win again," he added. "Last year, we know that there weren't many people who thought we could win. But now we have done it, and we have the Scudetto on our chest, whoever plays against us changes.

"So, we have to look for another way to win and another level - both in mentality and in play. We knew it would be difficult, but we can win again, and we will do everything for that."

Marc Cucurella says Chelsea's players will work to implement Graham Potter's ideas when the season restarts, backing the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss to succeed at Stamford Bridge.

The pair arrived at the club a month apart, with the Spaniard sold to the Blues before his coach followed him from the Amex Stadium following Thomas Tuchel's dismissal.

With only seven wins from his first 14 games, Potter is yet to deliver the turnaround in fortunes new owner Todd Boehly was likely hoping for, with the club eight points off the top four.

But Cucurella is confident they will make strides under the Englishman, tipping them to improve over the remainder of the campaign.

"We need to work and understand his ideas and the results will arrive," he told The Sun. "It is difficult because it is a new coach with different ideas.

"It is difficult to change without the time to train. This part of the season we have time, we meet more and know the ideas of the coach. This second part of the season, I am excited for."

Though several members of Chelsea's squad have been away on World Cup duty since mid-November, the Blues have continued to train, including a warm-weather camp in Abu Dhabi.

Cucurella, one of those who has remained with the club, says he has valued the chance to reconnect with Potter, and that the team are viewing the restart as a fresh campaign.

"This is maybe another season," he added. "It is good for us. The last games before the break, we didn't play too good or get results, but this is a new season.

"These weeks gave us time for training to prepare for the second half of the season. It is good training together because you understand the players.

"All the changes are difficult. We have a lot of players to come with a new manager, [and] not a lot of training time because we play a lot of games.

"We need to know his ideas and then play together. These weeks have been very good for us."

Chelsea's first game back will see them welcome Bournemouth on December 27.

LIV Golf has added three new events to the circuit's 2023 schedule, which will take place in Arizona, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

Last month, the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed tour announced stops in Mexico, Spain, Singapore and Australia would be included on the calendar next year.

Wednesday's addition of three competitions to take place in the United States means LIV Golf has now revealed half of its 14 planned events for 2023.

A statement from the circuit said: "LIV Golf today announced three new championship venues that will host tournaments as part of the 2023 LIV Golf League schedule. 

"The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona (March 17-19), Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma (May 12-14), and The Greenbrier in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia (August 4-6) will welcome many of the sport's biggest stars in the groundbreaking LIV Golf League teeing off in 2023."

LIV Golf chief executive and commissioner Greg Norman added: "LIV Golf's expansion to new US markets adds to the growing excitement for the league launch in 2023. 

"More fans across the country and around the globe will experience the LIV Golf energy and innovative competition that has reinvigorated the sport.

"These championship courses will contribute to the transformative season ahead for players, fans and the game of golf."

LIV added that final rosters for the rebranded LIV Golf League will be announced in 2023, with 12 team franchises set to compete across 14 events for a total of $405million in prize purses.

Grant Wahl died after an undetected aortic aneurysm ruptured, the American journalist's wife Dr. Celine Gounder has revealed.

The 49-year-old collapsed in his seat while reporting on last Friday's World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands at Lusail Stadium.

Wahl was attended by medics inside the ground and taken to hospital, but his death was later announced and an outpouring of tributes soon followed.

He was flown back to New York City on Monday, and an autopsy revealed the cause of his death, with wife Gounder ruling out any sort of foul play.

"Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium," Gounder posted on her husband's blog. 

"The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. 

"His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death."

Wahl, who was best known for his long career with Sports Illustrated, attended a medical clinic at Qatar 2022's Main Media Centre four days prior to his death after feeling unwell and was diagnosed with bronchitis.

The much-respected reporter was at the centre of controversy earlier in the World Cup when he sported a rainbow t-shirt in support of LGBT rights as he attempted to attend a match.

He was initially prevented from entering Ahmad bin Ali Stadium for the United States' group game against Wales, although he was later allowed inside.

Wahl's brother suggested he had been "killed" in the immediate aftermath of his death, but he later said he "regretted" those comments and no longer believed that to be true ahead of Wednesday's announcement.

Paying her own respects to her husband, Gounder said: "We will forever cherish the gift of his life; to share his company was our greatest love and source of joy.

"Grant was an incredibly empathetic, dedicated and loving husband, brother, uncle and son, who was our greatest team-mate and fan. 

"While the world knew Grant as a great journalist, we knew him as a man who approached the world with openness and love."

A World Cup security guard has died following a serious fall at Lusail Stadium during last Friday's quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands.

John Njau Kibue received emergency treatment inside the ground and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he passed away in intensive care on Tuesday.

The Qatar Supreme Committee confirmed Kibue's passing in a statement on Wednesday and announced an investigation will be held into the circumstances leading to his death.

"We send our sincere condolences to his family, colleagues and friends during this difficult time," the statement read.

"Organisers are investigating the circumstances leading to the fall as a matter of urgency and will provide further information pending the outcome of the investigation. 

"We will also ensure that his family receive all outstanding dues and monies owed."

Kibue is the second known migrant worker to have died since the tournament began, following the death of a Filipino man in the group stage at a resort used by Saudi Arabia.

Speaking last week, Qatar 2022 chief executive Nasser Al Khater said "death is a natural part of life" when he was questioned over the passing of the migrant worker.

The Lusail Stadium is to host Sunday's final between Argentina and either France or Morocco, who face off in the second semi-final on Wednesday.

Former world number one Jason Day will not be making an imminent defection to LIV Golf, but has not ruled out departing the PGA Tour in the future if his view changes.

The Australian, who won the 2015 PGA Championship for his only career major to date, is close friends with countryman Cameron Smith, who made the switch after winning The Open Championship earlier this year.

With several of the sport's leading stars having defected to the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway, a bitter civil war has been sparked between the two tours.

While stating he would not follow Smith to the Greg Norman-headed competition immediately, Day refused to completely chalk off a switch down the line, while adding he remains saddened by the split.

"I definitely would say no, I wouldn't go as of now," he told the Palm Beach Post.

"[But] who knows in a year's time, you might think differently.

"I don't blame some of the guys for going because there's quite a lot of money these guys are earning. I understand it.

"For me, it just depends on how you feel about major championships. I know that's all up in the air right now if they're going to play or not, and they don't have world ranking points out there.

"It's disappointing there's a divide on both sides. All those guys out there are my friends.

"Some of the friendships fractured between some of the guys who have been more outspoken [but] I don't mind the guys leaving."

Day suggested a potential way to harmony would be to stage the PGA Tour from January through August, and then have the LIV competition follow to complete the year.

"I honestly wish the tours could join somehow," he added. "That would be great. I think that could potentially work if you want to do it. That would be fun."