Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, including a jumper with three-tenths of a second left, and the Cleveland Cavaliers remained perfect with a 114-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
The 7-0 Cavaliers are one win away from matching their best start in franchise history. They won their first eight games in 1976-77.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks, who have lost five straight since winning their opener. Milwaukee wasted a brilliant performance from Damian Lillard, who had 41 points with nine assists and shot 10 of 15 from 3-point range.
Lillard had put Milwaukee ahead by hitting a step-back jumper with 9.8 seconds remaining.
After shooting a combined 17 of 73 on 3-point attempts in losses at Boston and Memphis, the Bucks were 18 of 39 from beyond the arc in this one. Their hot start from long range helped them build a 16-point first-quarter lead.
After Lillard put Milwaukee ahead, Cleveland called timeout. Evan Mobley inbounded a pass to Mitchell, who caught it while barely avoiding a backcourt violation. Mitchell briefly lost control of the ball, but regained possession in 3-point range, dribbled inside the arc and hit a 19-footer.
Thunder defeat Clippers to remain unbeaten
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their undefeated start to the season by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 105-92.
All five Thunder starters scored in double figures, and the six straight wins to begin the season marked the team's best start since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008.
Norman Powell scored 24 points and James Harden added 12 points and 13 rebounds, but the Clippers dropped to 0-4 in their new arena despite holding double-digit leads in each of those defeats.
The Clippers got off to a good start from 3-point range, making eight long balls in the first quarter, but went 3 for 16 the rest of the way.
Aaron Wiggins hit a 3 to end the third quarter for an 81-78 lead, and the Thunder followed that up by scoring the first seven points in the fourth to create separation.
Booker leads Suns to 4th straight win
Devin Booker had 28 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and the Phoenix Suns used a dominant third quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-97.
Kevin Durant scored 21 points for Phoenix, which won its fourth in a row.
The Suns led by as many as 26 points, but the Trail Blazers cut the deficit to 99-97 in the final minute. Booker and Tyus Jones each made two free throws in the final 21 seconds to seal the win.
Grayson Allen scored 18 off the bench, making a team-high four 3-pointers. Jones and Bradley Beal each finished with 15 points, while Jusuf Nurkic had a game-high 15 rebounds.
Trailing 47-43 at halftime, Phoenix scored 44 in the third quarter to take a 22-point lead by the end of the period. The Suns had zero turnovers in the third quarter after committing nine in the first half.
Booker and Allen each had 10 points in the third quarter, while Portland only managed 18 points in the period.
Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant led the Trail Blazers with 20 points apiece. Deni Avdija scored 13 points and former Sun Deandre Ayton had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Paulo Fonseca downplayed the significance of next week's Champions League clash with Real Madrid following Milan's gritty 1-0 away win over Monza.
Milan are seventh in Serie A following Saturday's win, which came courtesy of a Tijjani Reijnders header.
The Rossoneri, who have been crowned champions of Europe on seven occasions, are 25th in the new-look Champions League standings, having taken three points from their opening three matches.
But Fonseca did not think his team would be overawed at the prospect of facing 15-time European champions Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
"I am always fired up for every game and do not think that Real Madrid is any more important than what we played tonight," Fonseca told Sky Sports Italia.
"I strongly believe in teamwork. Nowadays, football is challenging; we need to function as a team at all times, and that’s what we’re striving to achieve."
Speaking to DAZN, Fonseca added: "On Tuesday, we face Real, but it doesn't matter if it's Real Madrid or any other team; we need points to improve our position in the standings. I hope it will be a great night for all of us."
While Monza dominated the first half, they could not find the margins to score. Milan rallied in the second half, with Fonseca acknowledging that the first-half performance was below par.
"I was concerned in the first half as we weren’t aggressive enough and didn’t win enough individual duels, but I don’t really remember Monza's chances in the second half," Fonseca said.
"We adjusted what we needed to do during the half-time break and it was a totally different game after that."
Substitute Rafael Leao entered the match late and came close to scoring twice in the closing stages.
"He came on well, it is important to have this reaction from Rafa and that's what I want to see. I think he is ready to play in Madrid," Fonseca said.
Steve Borthwick reckons England are "banging on the door" of the elite nations after their close loss to New Zealand.
England went down 24-22 to the All Blacks in Saturday's Test match at Twickenham.
Mark Tele'a scored the decisive try for New Zealand, who beat England twice in July, in the 76th minute.
England missed the chance to win it late on when George Ford missed a drop-goal attempt, after he had struck the post with a penalty.
But coach Borthwick, who was immensely proud of his team, feels England showed they are capable of mixing it with the best teams in the world, despite losing four of their last five Tests.
"It is a mixture of immense pride at the performance against a very tough New Zealand team and one of incredible disappointment," Borthwick told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"They are the emotions we balance and will work through over the next few days.
"When we started two years ago we wanted to get England right to the top of world rugby again. You can see the team banging on the door."
With the pre-match build-up having been dominated by Joe Marler's jibe at New Zealand's pre-match haka routine, tries from Tele'a and Will Jordan put New Zealand in control.
Marcus Smith's penalties kept England in contention, though, and he set up the hosts' only try when he intercepted a loose pass and teed up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Yet England ultimately failed to hold on to an eight-point advantage, with Ford having to be consoled by his team-mates after the match.
Next up for England are Australia, with fixtures against South Africa and Japan also in store.
"We really have to find a way of winning these close ones," said captain Jamie George. "We put ourselves in a really good position after 60 minutes.
"Eight points is a lot in Test match rugby but we probably went chasing the game a bit and gave away too many penalties. We have to be smarter in that respect."
England walked up to the halfway line to face the haka, something George explained was planned prior to Marler's comments.
"That was always our plan before Joe's comments but we did it in a respectful way," said George. "I saw a smile on Scott Barrett’s face, I was smiling, and it was done in good spirits."
Liam Livingstone hit a tremendous century as England beat West Indies by five wickets in Saturday’s one-day international, taking the three-match series to a decider.
Livingstone’s heroics ensured England got over the line with 15 balls to spare in Antigua despite being set a daunting target of 329 for victory.
Windies captain Shai Hope had earlier struck 117 runs from 127 balls after John Turner had Brandon King caught at backward point and Evin Lewis snared down the leg side.
Hope was finally caught by Livingstone off Jofra Archer’s delivery in the 47th over, before the stand-in England skipper took over with the bat to drive his team to victory.
He counted five fours and nine maximums in his haul as England recovered from the early losses of Will Jacks (12) and Jordan Cox (four) to complete their chase.
Phil Salt (59), Jacob Bethell (55) and Sam Curran (52) also hit half-centuries for the tourists, with Livingstone fittingly wrapping up the win by smashing 23 runs in a brilliant penultimate over.
Data Debrief: Livingstone picks up the pace
Midway through their innings, England knew they needed to up the pace in order to reach a total they had only managed when batting second 10 times in their ODI history.
Livingstone led the way. Following his first 50 balls faced, he slammed 82 runs off just 35 deliveries, the fastest acceleration by any England batter after 50 balls faced in the format's history.
Milan managed a 1-0 win at Monza thanks to a first-half header from Tijjani Reijnders on Saturday.
Midfielder Reijnders scored two minutes before half-time in the Serie A contest when he nodded home after Alvaro Morata's header was blocked.
Monza had wasted some decent openings before Milan went ahead, with Mike Maignan making a fine save to deny Pedro Pereira while Dany Mota had a goal disallowed.
Reijnders almost made it 2-0 after the break, but his deflected effort was kept out by Stefano Turati.
Monza goalkeeper Turati made another stop later on, this time to deny Rafael Leao, who scuffed his finish at the end of a mazy run.
Milan, who had 18 shots and accumulated 2.5 expected goals (xG), were not made to pay for that profligacy, though, as they got back on track after their defeat to Napoli, though the Rossoneri sit seventh, eight behind the Serie A leaders.
Data Debrief: Reijnders on a roll
After netting twice against Club Brugge in the Champions League, Reijnders, who did not play against Napoli on Tuesday, has now scored in two matches in a row for Milan for the first time.
It was the Dutch international's first league goal of the season, and capped a fine performance in which he also played two key passes and completed 44 of his 46 passes, with a team-leading 14 of those played in the final third.
England produced a brilliant batting performance to level their three-match ODI series against the West Indies at 1-1 with a five-wicket win in the second ODI at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.
The tourists won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that didn’t look the best in batting-friendly conditions in North Sound.
The West Indians made excellent use of these conditions, putting themselves in a good position to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead with 328-6 off their 50 overs.
Captain Shai Hope led the way with 117, his first ODI century of 2024 and 17th overall. His knock came off 127 deliveries and included eight fours and four sixes.
Keacy Carty and Sherfane Rutherford were the next highest scorers with 71 off 77 balls and 54 off 36 balls, respectively.
John Turner and Adil Rashid each took two wickets for England.
England stand-in captain Liam Livingstone then produced a magnificent effort to lift his side to victory and set up a deciding third ODI.
The all-rounder hit five fours and nine sixes on his way to 124* off just 85 balls, his maiden hundred in the format.
England also got 50+ scores from Barbados-born pair Phil Salt (59) and Jacob Bethell (55) as well as Sam Curran (52) as they needed only 47.3 overs to reach 329-5.
Matthew Forde took 3-48 from 8.3 overs for the West Indies.
Full Scores:
West Indies 328-6 off 50 overs (Shai Hope 117, Keacy Carty 71, Sherfane Rutherford 54, John Turner 2-42, Adil Rashid 2-62)
England 329-5 off 47.3 overs (Liam Livingstone 124*, Phil Salt 59, Jacob Bethell 55, Sam Curran 52, Matthew Forde 3-48)
The two teams will now turn their attention to the series-deciding third ODI in Bridgetown on Wednesday.
Thiago Motta hailed Juventus’ 2-0 triumph at Udinese as a real “team victory” as the Bianconeri snapped their three-match winless streak.
Following a Champions League defeat and two league draws, Juve moved up to third in the Serie A standings with a comfortable triumph at Bluenergy Stadium.
An own goal from goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and a strike from Nicolo Savona handed Juve victory, as they went unbeaten through their first 11 matches of a Serie A season for the first time since 2020-21.
"This is a team victory, because we interpreted the match in the best way," Juve coach Motta told DAZN.
"In the first half, we could have played a bit more because Udinese allowed us to build from the back, the initial build-up.
"We moved the ball around and sometimes found some very interesting situations, but we lacked some depth at that moment, especially with our wingers
"Udinese have great confidence at the moment, we were good at compacting and playing."
Juventus next play at Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting cross-city rivals Torino in next Saturday's Turin derby.
"Today we have to enjoy this important victory for us and recover in view of Tuesday when the Champions League returns," Motta added.
"It will be very interesting to play against Lille. They have an extra day of recovery because they played yesterday, we will have to rest well to face this match well."
Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance over Zheng Qinwen with victory in her first match of the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Sabalenka, who entered the tournament as the new world number one, emerged a 6-3 6-4 victor in just under an hour and a half in Saudi Arabia.
The Belarusian's triumph saw her claim a 10th win against a top 10 opponent in 2024, surpassing Iga Swiatek (nine), who is in action against Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday.
Sabalenka also improved her record to 5-0 against the Olympic champion, though acknowledged the difficulties she faced.
"I’m super happy with the win, especially against Qinwen," Sabalenka said.
“It’s always tough matches, tough battles against her, and I'm really, I’m really glad I was able to finish this match in straight sets.”
Having won the Australian Open and US Open this season, Sabalenka said it is her dream to claim a maiden WTA Finals crown.
"It would mean everything to me. I really worked hard the past years since the very beginning of my career," the 26-year-old said.
"I really hope I'll be able to hold this beautiful trophy one day."
In Saturday's other match, Jasmine Paolini marked her WTA Finals debut with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Elena Rybakina.
Paolini became the first Italian to register 40 wins during a single season at WTA events since Sara Errani, who managed 48 Tour-level victories in 2015.
Borussia Dortmund fought back to beat RB Leipzig 2-1 and claim a morale-boosting Bundesliga win for under-pressure boss Nuri Sahin.
Dortmund bounced back from a three-game losing streak in all competitions despite having nine players missing for Saturday's clash at Signal Iduna Park.
Leipzig took the lead when Benjamin Sesko lashed home from a tight angle in the 27th minute, though Dortmund had spurned several gilt-edged chances by that stage.
Dortmund responded within three minutes, though, with Maximilian Beier pouncing onto a loose ball to prod in.
The turnaround was completed when Serhou Guirassy headed in from close range in the 65th minute.
While Leipzig suffered their first league defeat of the campaign, Dortmund sit fifth.
Data Debrief: Sahin's home fortress
Dortmund's troubles this season, at least domestically, have come mainly on the road, but they have been excellent at home and this win continued that form.
Sahin has won each of his first five Bundesliga home games in charge of Dortmund, a feat previously only achieved by Marco Rose (seven wins), who of course was in the opposite dugout on Saturday.
Juventus ensured they returned to winning ways in Serie A after Maduka Okoye's own-goal and Nicolo Savona's strike earned them a 2-0 win over Udinese.
After back-to-back draws against Inter and Parma along with their Champions League defeat to Stuttgart, Thiago Motta's side put on a dominant display away from home.
Juventus took the lead in the 19th minute when Khephren Thuram's effort struck the post, but fortuitously bounced off the back of Okoye and into his own net.
Savona then doubled the visitors' advantage eight minutes before half-time, with the young Italian quickest to react to Kenan Yildiz's shot that rebounded off the post.
Udinese did, however, improve after the break, and almost halved the deficit through Lorenzo Lucca, but his effort struck the crossbar in the 83rd minute.
Juventus remain unbeaten in their first 11 Serie A matches this term, the first time they have reached this stage of the season without defeat since the 2020-21 campaign.
Data Debrief: The Young Lady?
Juventus maintained their impressive record against Udinese away from home, earning their third away win in a row without conceding a goal.
But they were helped by Savona, who is becoming a rising star at Juventus. The 21-year-old is the youngest Italian in the division to have scored at least twice this term.
Juventus are also the only team in Serie A this season to have more than one player born from 2003 onwards with two or more goals scored in the competition, in Savona (two goals, born in 2003) and Yildiz (two goals, 2005).
Wolves’ wait for a first win of the Premier League season continued as they were pegged back in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
Trevoh Chalobah put Palace ahead on the hour mark, drilling into an unguarded net after Jorgen Strand Larsen inadvertently headed Will Hughes’ cross away from his own goalkeeper Jose Sa.
However, Chalobah’s missed interception allowed Matheus Cunha to tee up Larsen’s 67th-minute equaliser, then Wolves went ahead within five further minutes.
Joao Gomes stroked home following good work from substitute Goncalo Guedes but Wolves – and their under-fire head coach Gary O’Neil – were denied a vital win by Palace skipper Marc Guehi.
He was alive to convert at the back post after Daniel Munoz flicked on a corner, keeping Palace four points clear of Wolves in 17th, and the Eagles could have won it in stoppage time, only for Jean-Phillipe Mateta’s strike to be disallowed for Munoz’s foul on Sa.
O’Neil’s side remain 20th after Southampton recorded their first win of 2024-25 against Everton, ahead of a huge clash between the division’s bottom two clubs next week.
Data Debrief: Wolves’ wait goes on
After Southampton beat Everton at St Mary’s earlier on Saturday, Wolves remain one of just two winless sides in the Premier League, alongside Ipswich Town.
This is just the third time in their history that they have gone 10 games without a win at the start of a league campaign, after 1926-27 (10 matches) and 1983-84 (14).
O’Neil’s men are now winless in 13 league games dating back to last season, their second-longest run in the competition’s history, behind only a streak of 17 between February 2012 and August 2018.
At the end of a week in which Manchester United made Erik ten Hag the season’s first managerial casualty, O’Neil remains under severe pressure.
Girona edged a seven-goal thriller to return to winning ways in LaLiga, downing Leganes 4-3 at the Estadi Montilivi on Saturday.
The enthralling encounter burst into life in the 21st minute when Miguel Gutierrez's volley found the back of the net with the aid of visiting goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.
But Girona joy was short-lived as Renato Tapia fired Leganes level four minutes later, only for Arnau Martinez's header to restore the hosts' advantage.
However, Juan Cruz levelled the game once again four minutes before half-time, ending a thrilling opening 45 minutes that saw 15 shots between either side.
Substitute Cristhian Stuani handed Girona the lead for a third time from the penalty spot, placing the ball past Dmitrovic after Matija Nastasic had fouled Bojan Miovski.
Sergio Gonzalez then converted Daley Blind's delivery beyond his own goalkeeper for Girona's fourth, though more drama was yet to unfold.
A fine effort from Munir El Haddadi handed Leganes a lifeline, but Girona were able to hold on to move up to 10th in the table ahead of their Champions League meeting with PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.
Data Debrief: Substitute Stuani the star
Girona maintained their unbeaten run against Leganes in LaLiga, earning a third win in their fifth top-flight meeting (D2), though the win was made possible by Stuani.
The 38-year-old continued to prove that age is just a number, with his 28-minute cameo seeing him record an expected goals tally (xG) of 0.92, more than any of his team-mates.
Fellow goalscorers Gutierrez and Martinez also played their part, with the defensive duo creating three chances apiece during the contest.
Vincent Kompany said he is not focused on the pressures of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League after Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Union Berlin.
Bayern moved temporarily top of the Bundesliga standings thanks to a brace from Harry Kane and Kingsley Coman's third goal in as many league games.
Kompany's side have now scored 32 goals in their first nine games this season, taking their tally to 50 goals under the Belgian's tenure in 14 games in all competitions.
But Bayern have failed to replicate that form in the Champions League, failing to win their last two games following an opening day mauling of Dinamo Zagreb.
They find themselves in 23rd place in the new league format in the competition, and are at risk of not making the knockout stages for the first time since 2002-03.
"Fact is that every Bayern game has pressure. But I am not focusing on pressure. Just on the next game," Kompany said.
"This format is eight teams qualify and 20-odd play in playoffs.
"For the top eight teams it is true (automatic qualification) but it is not about being in or out of the Champions League with this format."
Bayern host Benfica on Wednesday, and will be looking to turn their European fortunes around on home soil.
And Kompany believes the intensity shown in their latest Bundesliga triumph can be used as positive momentum ahead of their Champions League return.
"I think the team was working hard in the first and second half, but I was happy with our performance in the second half because we did not concede momentum," Kompany said.
"We did it really well. It was not an easy game, therefore it is a great result for us."
Paris Saint-Germain made it 10 games unbeaten to start the Ligue 1 season after they overcame 10-man Lens 1-0.
Ousmane Dembele scored four minutes into Saturday's clash at the Parc des Princes.
Bradley Barcola chased down a long ball and brilliantly flashed a cross into the box for Dembele to steer home.
That goal proved enough for PSG to get over the line, with Lens reduced to 10 in the second half when defender Abdukodir Khusanov was shown a straight red card for a dangerous lunge at Achraf Hakimi.
Following a shock 1-0 loss to Angers for second-placed Monaco on Friday, the win moved PSG six points clear at the top of the standings.
Data Debrief: Fast starters
Luis Enrique's side have now scored three goals in the first five minutes of their Ligue 1 games this season, more than any other team.
Each of these three goals (Lee Kang-in v Le Havre, Barcola v Montpellier, Dembele v Lens) came from the first shot of the match for PSG.
Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba kept PSG from adding more by making seven saves, as the hosts finished with 2.65 expected goals from their 18 shots.
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