Joel Embiid's injury last week appeared to clear a path for LeBron James to collect his fifth NBA MVP award.

Philadelphia 76ers big man Embiid - averaging 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds, as well as 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals - had already missed seven games this season before he went down with a knee injury against the Washington Wizards.

But Los Angeles Lakers superstar James did not see his clear run at the league's top individual honour last long.

James, who has 25.9 points, 7.9 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game, has carried the Lakers in Anthony Davis' absence but faces his own spell on the sidelines after an ankle sprain on Saturday.

That setback, in a defeat to the Atlanta Hawks, means this year's two leading MVP contenders face an uphill task to remain in contention as they sit out a key stretch of the regular season.

Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets center, appears the man most likely to profit and has quickly been installed as the bookmakers' favourite.

But with several twists already in the race to succeed back-to-back winner Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jokic's standing is not yet safe.

With the help of Stats Perform data, we run through four potential winners ahead of Sunday's action - including Denver's 'Joker'.
 

NIKOLA JOKIC

The case against Jokic earlier in the season was his displays had not been able to lift the Nuggets into serious contention in the West. With 13 wins in their past 18 games to improve to 25-16, that is no longer the case.

While team-mate Jamal Murray has not been able to consistently perform at the standard he set in the 2019-20 playoffs - averaging 26.5 points in the 'bubble' but 21.1 this season - Jokic has taken his game to another level.

The Serbian's stat line for the year - 27.0 points, 8.6 assists, 11.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals - has never previously been achieved in league history, nor has any player in the past attempted at least 30 field goals across a season while shooting 56.6 per cent from the field, 41.6 per cent from three and 86.6 per cent of free throws.

This is an unprecedented campaign.

DAMIAN LILLARD

Tied with Denver at 25-16 in the West are the Portland Trail Blazers. Considering CJ McCollum has only played 16 games and Jusuf Nurkic 12, that is a quite remarkable achievement, led, of course, by Lillard.

Understandably, Lillard's usage rate is at a career-high 33 per cent, but he is making the most of those extra touches. Only Bradley Beal (32.5) has outperformed his 30.6 points per game - another career benchmark - and the Blazers star leads the league with 1,225 total points. Of those, 136 have come in 'clutch' situations, again putting Lillard at the top of the standings.

Taking a break from Portland's playoff push, Lillard even preserved enough energy to score 32 points in the All-Star Game, just ahead of Team LeBron team-mate and rival Stephen Curry (28). An MVP triumph would certainly see Portland's finest emerge from the shadow of the Golden State Warriors great.

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO

Antetokounmpo beat James Harden to this award in 2018-19 and then LA's James last season, so a case of voter fatigue was always set to make him an unlikely winner for a third straight year, regardless of performances.

But with Embiid and James both hit by injuries, the 'Greek Freak' surely has to come into consideration. Once again, his numbers are seriously impressive.

The only man to outscore Lillard at the All-Star Game, putting up 35, Antetokounmpo is slightly down on last year's points (29.0 versus 29.5) and rebounds per game (11.7 versus 13.6) but has improved in all of the other key metrics with 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks.

The Milwaukee Bucks forward should be in the picture to retain both his MVP and Defensive Player of the Year titles.

JAMES HARDEN

Surely voters will not reward Harden in the year he forced his way out of the Houston Rockets? On performances alone, though, he deserves to be in the conversation.

The 2017-18 winner is not contributing the same number of points for the Brooklyn Nets as he was in Houston, but then his usage is down to 28.7 per cent for the year (28.1 in Brooklyn), by far the lowest it has been since the statistic was first tracked in 2014-15.

And Harden, still scoring an impressive 25.4 points since joining the Nets, is more than making up for this slight decline elsewhere.

So far the most prominent member of the team's 'big three', with Kevin Durant too often injured and Kyrie Irving absent for a spell, Harden leads the league in 2020-21 for assists (11.2) and is second for triple-doubles (11), making him an unpopular but worthy candidate.

Arsenal fought back from three goals down to claim a 3-3 draw with West Ham in a thrilling London derby on Sunday.

David Moyes' side had carved out a three-goal lead with just over half an hour gone as Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek capped off a blistering start.

But a Soucek own goal late in the first half swung momentum toward the Gunners, who set up a thrilling finish by forcing Craig Dawson to put through his own net with 30 minutes remaining.

And Alexandre Lacazette completed the comeback late on as he headed home from close range to steal a share of the points.

Daria Kasatkina claimed the fourth title of her career after Margarita Gasparyan retired in the second set of the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy final with a back injury.

Kasatkina, who becomes the first player to win two WTA tournaments in 2021 having claimed the Phillip Island Trophy last month, was leading 6-3 2-1 when Gasparyan pulled out.

Gasparyan initially took a medical timeout after losing her first two service games of the match to trail 4-1 before eventually retiring after dropping her serve early in the second set.

Kasatkina's triumph meant she became the first player to win both WTA 500 events on Russian soil, previously claiming the 2018 Moscow title at this level.

The former top-10 player has endured a dip in recent seasons but will be back in the top 50 on Monday, while wildcard Gasparyan's maiden WTA 500 final means she returns to the top 100.

Kasatkina dropped the opening set in her quarter-final and semi-final matches but then swept through the next two sets emphatically on each occasion.

"I'm proud of how I was able to manage the pressure," Kasatkina said, quoted on the WTA website. "I felt differently during this tournament and I'm really proud of that."

Marcus Rashford will likely link up with the England squad next week despite a foot injury keeping him out of the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.

The forward was hurt during Manchester United's 1-0 win over Milan in the Europa League last-16 second leg at San Siro on Thursday.

Rashford struggled to walk on Saturday and United manager Solskjaer confirmed scans showed he has sustained damage, meaning he was unavailable for the clash with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Anthony Martial returned from a hip injury to take Rashford's place in attack, while Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek were also recalled to the starting line-up after only recently regaining full fitness.

Solskjaer said Rashford was never likely to feature against Leicester, but he will not stop the 23-year-old from joining up with Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad for this month's World Cup qualifiers.

"No, he wasn't close [to playing]," Solskjaer told BBC Sport. "We took him off [against Milan] and he thought he'd be ready but, yesterday, he had no chance of walking on his foot.

"The scans show there's an injury there but, of course, we've got players coming back – Anthony and Donny are back in, so there are positives as well.

"The doctor will speak to the English [national team] but I think he'll travel and report [for international duty]. Maybe he'll be fit for them."

England face San Marino next Thursday before further matches against Albania on March 28 and Poland on March 31.

Thomas Tuchel was not surprised Chelsea failed to keep control of their FA Cup tie with Sheffield United following a grueling run.

Chelsea were rather hanging on for much of the second half at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, though Hakim Ziyech's stoppage-time effort secured a 2-0 win, with Oliver Norwood's own goal having put the Blues ahead after 24 minutes.

The hosts have progressed to their 25th FA Cup semi-final, the third most of any club behind Everton (26), Manchester United and Arsenal (both 30), while they remain unbeaten in Tuchel's 14 matches in charge.

Chelsea have kept clean sheets in each of their last seven games – their best run since December 2005 (also seven) – while of sides within the 'big five' European leagues, only Manchester City (14) have won more games across all competitions than Chelsea (10) since Tuchel took over.

The Blues had fewer shots on target (three compared to four) than the Blades, with David McGoldrick squandering a golden chance to restore parity midway through the second half, but Tuchel revealed he was expecting a drop-off in his team's performance levels.

"It was a tough match, we had a good first half where we controlled everything but in the second we lost control, we were clearly tired," Tuchel told BBC Sport.

"I could see after the 14 matches, I could see us tire, a lack of concentration, many faults and strong opponents in the second half, so we were lucky to keep the clean sheet but I think it was the first time in 14 matches that we were lucky and allowed too many chances.

"It can happen, it's important in the end in the cup to go through. This was the target and we reached it.

"We let them come back, because we had full control in the first half, we had a big chance with Christian [Pulisic] in the second half to finish the game very early and after that we made too many easy mistakes, lost duels and lost a bit of concentration, momentum.

"Honestly I could feel it in training, some days we feel a bit tired and a lack of concentration, it's normal. It gets more problematic to keep the level up. I'm happy we got help from the bench."

It was a sentiment echoed by Pulisic, who turned in a bright performance up front for Chelsea, forcing Aaron Ramsdale into two impressive saves.

"They didn't make it easy on us," the United States international told BBC Sport.

"We knew that they had quality, we had to suffer a bit in the second half but in the end it's another clean sheet and a good performance.

"We definitely have a confident bunch of guys. Obviously, when you go on a streak like this you're feeling really good, we think we can beat anyone, it's a good feeling."

Adolfo Gaich inflicted the latest blow on Andrea Pirlo and Juventus as lowly Benevento snatched a stunning 1-0 win in Turin.

A wretched pass from Juventus midfielder Arthur was seized upon by striker Gaich, who drilled a powerful finish beyond Wojciech Szczesny for the 69th-minute winner.

Coach Pirlo looked askance on the touchline as his team suffered another defeat, with this one leaving them 10 points behind leaders Inter, their hopes of a 10th successive Serie A title in tatters.

They had chances in this game and a penalty decision overturned after a VAR review, but were left counting the cost of one careless mistake.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a low shot six inches wide of the left post in the third minute, in an early warning from Juventus.

Alvaro Morata, who scored but was also sent off after the final whistle when these sides draw 1-1 in November, was the next Juve player to have a significant sight of goal. The Spanish striker outsmarted the Benevento defence and ran through the centre before his low shot was blocked by goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo.

Juventus were awarded a penalty in the 35th minute when referee Rosario Abisso thought defender Daam Foulon handled a cross from Dejan Kulusevski, but the official changed his mind after reviewing on a pitchside monitor.

Matthijs de Ligt had a firm header well saved by Montipo, and moments later Ronaldo skilfully volleyed in a cross from Kulusevski but had strayed a yard offside. Ronaldo then tried his luck with a thumping drive from 25 yards, but again Montipo resisted as the half ended goalless.

A drab start to the second half was almost followed by an own goal, with Benevento's Federico Barba turning the latest cross from the right by Kulusevski towards his own goal, with Montipo making a smart reaction save.

Then came the shock of Benevento going ahead, with a terrible pass across the penalty area from Arthur, in the left-back position, intercepted by Gaich. The Argentine striker fended off a weak challenge from Danilo and rammed the ball into the bottom left corner.

Ronaldo failed to put away a late half-chance and Danilo fired over from close range as Juventus scrambled to get back in the game, but it was not their day.

Justin Harding shot a final-round 66 to win the Magical Kenya Open and get even with runner-up Kurt Kitayama.

The South African, who was tied second in this event two years ago, missed out to Kitayama at the 2019 Mauritius Open when the duo went head-to-head in the final pairing.

But it was Harding's turn to take the bragging rights as he signed a blemish-free scorecard to finish 21 under, two strokes ahead of playing partner Kitayama in Nairobi.

"Kurt's an unbelievable competitor," said Harding. "I got him back for Mauritius.

"It was hard work. I was happy with the way I played.

"I'm glad I shot one better than a couple of years ago, I was bummed about that, but I'm just happy with the way I managed my game."

Sunday proved a low-scoring day, with Connor Syme climbing into third after a closing 64, while Spain's Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez carded a 63 to round out the top four.

Chelsea's unbeaten start under Thomas Tuchel rolled on as Oliver Norwood's own goal and a late Hakim Ziyech strike sent the Blues into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United.

Appearing in their 15th FA Cup quarter-final since the turn of the century – the most of any side – Chelsea were not at their sharpest at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but, as they have done in many of their 14 matches under Tuchel so far, managed to grind out a result.

Norwood's own goal put Chelsea ahead, with David McGoldrick missing a golden chance to restore parity when he headed wide from five yards out.

Chelsea made their fortune count, holding firm in rather nervy fashion before hitting the Blades on the break and securing their progression thanks to Ziyech, reaching the semi-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.

Playing at the end of a difficult week personally following the death of his brother, Phil Jagielka might have put United ahead early on but failed to generate enough power on his header to trouble Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Yet United's bright start ultimately proved fruitless – Chelsea striking first when Norwood diverted Ben Chilwell's effort beyond Aaron Ramsdale.

Norwood was almost at fault for another goal before half-time when his stray pass was intercepted by Christian Pulisic, though Ramsdale rushed out to spare his team-mate's blushes.

Displaying some terrific footwork, Pulisic engineered another chance straight after the restart, but Ramsdale again stood firm.

McGoldrick should have built on Ramsdale's save, only to head wide of a gaping goal from point-blank range.

Kepa had work to do soon after – McGoldrick's strike partner Oli McBurnie forcing a smart save out of the Spaniard.

Rhian Brewster then saw a strike deflected into the side netting, yet for all United's pressure, Chelsea dealt the knockout blow when substitute Ziyech drilled in from close range at the end of a sweeping counter to ensure the Blues progressed.

England paceman Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the ODI series against India due to a worsening elbow injury.

After a 3-1 Test series defeat and a 3-2 setback in their T20I clashes with India, world champions England will look to end their tour on a high in three ODIs to be played in Pune over the next week.

Archer will be flying back home for checks on his injury, however, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said he must also miss the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

That deals a blow to Rajasthan Royals ahead of the tournament that begins on April 9, with Archer having impressed against India in the T20 games.

The ECB said on Sunday: "Jofra Archer is returning to the UK for further management and investigation of his right elbow injury.

"Archer's elbow issue has deteriorated over the course of the Twenty20 International series and made it increasingly challenging for him to maintain performance levels. He has been deemed unfit for selection for the ODI series that features matches on 23, 26 and 28 March.

"The ECB medical team will assess the player and, together with Jofra, develop a treatment plan and a return-to-play schedule in due course. As a consequence, Jofra will miss the start of this year’s Indian Premier League."

England's ODI squad, aside from the obvious loss of Archer, is comprised of players selected for the T20 series and the reserves for those games.

England squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

Also travelling with the squad: Jake Ball, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan.

Alfredo Morelos finally broke his Old Firm duck, netting to give freshly crowned Scottish Premiership champions Rangers a 1-1 draw at Celtic.

Steven Gerrard's side dropped points for only the fifth time this season after Mohamed Elyounoussi put Celtic ahead, but Rangers remain undefeated in their top-flight campaign.

The usual hostilities were put aside during a show of pre-match unity from both teams, in response to Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara being allegedly subjected to racist abuse during their midweek Europa League defeat to Slavia Prague.

However, Morelos customarily ensured some of the old devilment remained when he scored in the league derby at the 13th time of asking – holding up 10 fingers in celebration to mock Celtic failing to a win a record-breaking 10th consecutive title this season.

Celtic, playing under caretaker manager John Kennedy, deserved their 23rd-minute breakthrough.

Callum McGregor slid a pass in behind Rangers right-back Leon Balogun and Odsonne Edouard's superb left-footed cross was matched by Elyounoussi's full-length diving header.

Edouard tormented Balogun and the rest of the Rangers defence at times, although referee Willie Collum adjudged him to have dived under a sprawling challenge from Borna Barisic and dished out a yellow card before the half hour.

Rangers were level in the 38th minute – Balogun atoning for his part in the opener by rising highest to meet Barisic's corner and leaving Morelos with the formality of nodding home unmarked at the far post.

That sparked a flurry of activity at both ends before half-time as Allan McGregor recovered to retrieve an Edouard effort that squirmed through his legs, before opposite number Scott Bain in the Celtic goal kept out a sublime Ryan Kent volley.

The champions continued to look vulnerable to set-pieces, with Elyounoussi and Stephen Welsh going close either side of the interval.

McGregor was equal to an Edouard long-ranger and then thwarted David Turnbull in the 72nd minute after the midfielder was played in by Ryan Christie.

Unsurprisingly, Edouard reacted quicker than any Rangers player to the resulting corner, but Gerrard's men kept their unbeaten league record intact.

Hansi Flick will not be leaving his post at Bayern Munich any time soon, according to the Bundesliga giant's chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Flick, who won a remarkable sextuple in his first year as Bayern's head coach, has been mooted as the DFB's preferred successor to Joachim Low, who will end his tenure as Germany boss following this year's Euros.

The 56-year-old was Low's assistant coach for almost eight years, from August 2006 to July 2014, leaving his role after Germany's World Cup triumph.

Bayern have been the form side in Europe in Flick's time in charge, and despite a shock exit in the DFB-Pokal earlier this season, are still well in the hunt for a Bundesliga and Champions League double.

Robert Lewandowski scored a first-half hat-trick as Bayern made it six wins on the bounce on Saturday by thrashing Stuttgart 4-0, with a potentially decisive top-of-the-table clash with RB Leipzig up next after the international break, before the Bavarians take on Paris Saint-Germain – who they beat in last year's final – in the Champions League.

However, amid the speculation over who will take over from Low, Rummenigge has insisted Flick is going nowhere.

"I told him that we are very satisfied with him," Rummenigge told German publication Welt am Sonntag when asked about Flick's future.

"We are well advised to finish what we have agreed in the contract. I told Hansi that in no uncertain terms.

"[This has] nothing to do with probability. That is a fact."

On Saturday, Low hailed Flick as a potentially perfect candidate to replace him, though when asked for his thoughts on Low's praise, Bayern's coach replied: "It hasn't changed anything about the whole thing. There's nothing more to say about that."

Flick is under contract with Bayern until 2023, and Rummenigge also claimed that the DFB had confirmed they do not wish to appoint a coach that is already tied to a club.

If Rummenigge is to be believed, this would also rule out moves for Leipzig's Julian Nagelsmann and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Richie Mo'unga starred with 28 points as the Crusaders dominated the Blues 43-27 to remain unbeaten after four matches of Super Rugby Aotearoa.

The New Zealand fly-half scored a try and added 23 points with the boot as the dominant visitors made it 13 consecutive wins over the Blues dating back to 2014 at a packed-out Eden Park.

Jack Goodhue, Codie Taylor and Sevu Reece all dotted down for the Crusaders, with the Blues scoring four tries themselves in a match packed with All Black internationals – Kurt Eklund, Blake Gibson and Hoskins Sotutu all registering for the hosts.

It was Mo'unga's accuracy off the tee that proved the difference, though.

The number 10 nailed all four conversions and added five penalties as the Crusaders went nine points clear.

"It's great to win here at Eden Park," Crusaders captain Scott Barrett said. "The Blues played some great rugby and tested us up front, it was a real battle there.

"It was almost like a Test match and we had to turn pressure into points."

Adelaide United racked up a fifth successive A-League victory and jumped to third place as Carl Veart's team cruised to a 4-1 away win over Newcastle Jets.

Goals from Kusini Yengi, Stefan Mauk, Ben Halloran and Craig Goodwin put Adelaide 4-0 up at the break, with lowly Newcastle's reply coming from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos midway through the second half.

The pre-match omens were poor for Newcastle, with Adelaide having won five times and lost only once in their last eight A-League clashes with the Jets, including a 2-1 victory earlier in March.

Yengi dispossessed home captain Nigel Boogaard much too easily and was able to slot a simple fifth-minute opener, before Mauk scored his sixth goal of the season by turning in a cross on 11 minutes as the Newcastle defence stood and watched.

Head coach Veart watched admiringly as Halloran tucked in the third from a tight angle in the 40th minute, with a penalty from Goodwin stretching the lead three minutes later after Yengi was ruled to have been tripped.

Newcastle had won just one of their last five A-League games at McDonald Jones Stadium and this contest had effectively slipped beyond the Jets' reach after a dreadful first-half performance.

Former Adelaide forward Stamatelopoulos headed a consolation in the 69th minute, but Newcastle stay second-bottom of the 12-team league.

Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar split the points in a 1-1 draw earlier at the same stadium, as Newcastle staged a double-header.

Tomer Hemed fired Wellington ahead in the 42nd minute with a precise shot into the left corner from 15 yards after James McGarry's cross from the left was blocked.

Brisbane pushed hard for a leveller in the second half and substitute Golgol Mebrahtu found it in the 86th minute, diving in at the far post to nod in Macaulay Gillesphey's expert delivery from a deep position on the left flank.

Gillesphey was sent off in stoppage time for pulling down Jaushua Sotirio as he charged through in search of a winner for Wellington.