Jayson Tatum scored a clutch three-pointer before Joel Embiid's full-court buzzer-beater was wiped off as the Boston Celtics clung on for a 110-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Tatum drained the go-ahead triple with 2.0 seconds left from Marcus Smart's clever assist after Derrick White's inbound.

Embiid launched a desperate long-range shot which he hit but replays showed he released the ball after time had elapsed meaning the Celtics secured the win.

Tatum did not shoot the ball well throughout the game, finishing with 18 points on seven-of-17 shooting, but came up big when it mattered. The MVP candidate also pulled down 13 rebounds with six assists.

Al Horford turned the game with four three-pointers in the third quarter as the Celtics rallied from a 15-point deficit to lead at the final change.

Horford finished with 15 points, while Jaylen Brown top scored for Boston with 26 points with three steals.

Embiid had 41 points for the game with 12 rebounds and five assists, while James Harden added21 points with eight assists.

The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics have won three straight, improving their record to 44-17, while the 76ers, third in the east, are 39-20.

Grizzlies rout Nuggets in best in the west battle

The Memphis Grizzlies blew away the Denver Nuggets 112-94 in a match-up between the Western Conference's top two as Ja Morant scored 23 points with seven rebounds.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 35 points, opening up a 66-42 half-time lead and keeping the Nuggets to a season-low team score. Denver are 42-19 while Memphis are 36-23.

Nikola Jokic scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and three assists, while Jamal Murray only managed eight points on three-of-13 shooting from the field.

Knicks rout Pelicans in front of championship team

The New York Knicks honoured their onlooking 1972-93 NBA championship team in style, with a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans making it five straight wins.

Julius Randle top scored with 28 points making five-of-10 three-point attempts along with seven rebounds and five assists, as five Knicks players reached double figures.

R.J. Barrett added 25 points with a season-high seven assists while Jalen Brunson scored 20 points. Zion Williamson was absent again for the Pels, for whom Brandon Ingram top scored with 19.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz fought back from a set down against Nicolas Jarry to keep alive his Rio Open title defence by booking a spot in Sunday's final.

The Spanish 19-year-old triumphed 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-0 to win in two hours and 43 minutes in Saturday's semi-final.

Alcaraz raced away with the match with a third-set bagel in 32 minutes after both of the first two sets lasted more than an hour each.

The 2022 US Open champion produced one of the shots of the season to go 2-0 up in the third set, producing a remarkable running pass down the line.

Alcaraz had undergone treatment on his upper left leg late in the second set at 5-5 but showed off his toughness to reel off eight straight games.

"I'm so proud of myself," Alcaraz said, having only just returned from injury in last week's Argentina Open which he won. "To be in a final again in my second tournament is a really special moment for me... I couldn't ask for a better start of 2023."

The Spaniard will take on second seed Cameron Norrie in the decider, after the Briton won 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-3) over Bernabe Zapata Miralles in Saturday's other semi-final.

Norrie needed two hours and 32 minutes to get the better of Zapata Miralles, meaning he has won 13 of his past 15 tour-level semi-finals.

Alcaraz and Norrie faced off in last week's Argentina Open final, which the Spaniard won in straight sets.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe wants his players to grow accustomed to playing for trophies in finals ahead of Sunday's EFL Cup decider against Manchester United.

The Magpies have not featured in a domestic final for 24 years, while they have not won a major trophy since lifting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.

Expectations have grown around Newcastle since the change of ownership in October 2021 enabling greater financial expenditure on the squad, with the side currently contending for a Champions League spot, sitting fifth in the Premier League.

Since Howe's appointment in November 2021, the Magpies improved from relegation battlers to finishing 11th in the 2021-22 campaign, with their 2022-23 league position and cup final appearance seen as another step forward which the boss wants to become the norm.

"We want the players to become accustomed to these days and expect them, not look at this final as a one-off and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Howe told reporters.

"In our position, that wouldn't be a healthy way to look at this game. We want to be very controlled in our emotions, use the energy of the crowd, but also have high expectations.

"This is the future we all want and we know only hard work and staying true to our principles will earn us the right to achieve it. We hope this is the start of an era where we compete for honours on a more regular basis."

Howe was hopeful his side could use the final as a springboard to bigger and better things but insisted that defeat would not be devastating for the club.

"Winning would help us accelerate the process, for sure, but it isn't the be-all and end-all for what lies ahead," he said.

"Regardless, the club is in a good place and can grow from here. Of course, we want to put pressure on ourselves to achieve. There is no part of me that's going to Wembley just to enjoy the day."

Erik ten Hag says the constant public commentary and criticism from former Manchester United players of the team in the media is "difficult" for his players.

Former United players Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes Rio Ferdinand and Peter Schmeichel all work in the media nowadays and regularly scrutinise the plight of the club.

This week, Ten Hag has won plaudits from some of those former players following their Europa League triumph over Barcelona, with Schmeichel calling it "vintage Sir Alex Ferguson", inviting comparisons to previous sides.

The Dutchman conceded that constant discussion and scrutiny weighed on the players but acknowledged they needed to be able to accept it as part of the job.

"Sometimes it's difficult for the players of today because there are so many references to the past, a big history which former players made and I can imagine those players [say it] because they love the club, it's part of their lives," Ten Hag said.

"What they most love is what they most criticise often, so I can understand, but sometimes it affects the players, it's clear, but I also think it's part of our job, you have to live with criticism and see it as a gift to do better.

"They want to help you and as a player for Manchester United, you know you have to perform, win games and trophies. That can only be possible with togetherness, you can't do it on your own, you need the team to perform."

Ten Hag added that the only way to handle United's trophy-laden past was to be part of a successful future. United can claim their first piece of silverware under Ten Hag when they face Newcastle United in Sunday's EFL Cup final.

"That's the point, you're a player for Manchester United and you have to create your own legacy, therefore you have to win trophies and we have that opportunity on Sunday," he said.

"After Sunday, we are still in three competitions and good opportunities to win something."

Chris Kirk will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Honda Classic after carding a 66 on Saturday to close in on his first PGA Tour title in eight years. 

The American, who claimed the last of his four top-tier triumphs back in 2015, leads a field that is devoid of any of the world's top-17 golfers.

His nearest rival is world number 330 Eric Cole, while playing partner and overnight leader Justin Suh is three strokes back after signing for an even-par 70.

Kirk, fresh from a stunning second-round 62, birdied the 17th and 18th to take charge at PGA National, although at least one household name is in the hunt.

World number 20 and 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry put himself firmly in the mix with a 65 that leaves him with a four-stroke deficit to overcome on Sunday. 

And the Irishman is playing with added motivation as he seeks to pay a fitting tribute to his uncle Jimmy Lowry, who died on Thursday.

"It's a very sad week for our family," he said. "To be honest, I wanted to go home on Thursday when I heard the news. A lot of people talked me out of it.

"I'm here now. I'm trying to play for him and play for his wife and his kids and my cousins and my uncles and my aunts and everyone at home because we're a very close family and very proud of our name and very proud of where we come from."

Jurgen Klopp acknowledged "something is not right" with Liverpool's performances after they laboured to a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Reds endured a frustrating outing in a drab encounter at Selhurst Park, missing the chance to record three Premier League wins in a row for just the second time this term.

Both Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah hit the woodwork for the visitors, who were without Darwin Nunez for the trip to London, which came on the heels of a 5-2 Champions League loss to Real Madrid. 

Despite dropping points once again, Klopp focused on taking a result back to Anfield, though he remains troubled by his side's hit-and-miss form.

"I liked the start to the game," he told Sky Sports. "The dynamic was good, the passes were good. In the end, because we didn't threaten them in behind enough, we had to play in between the lines.

"They had no shots on target. I think we had three or four. We hit the crossbar. Usually, we score one or two [of] the chances we had. We didn't do that tonight.

"I think we killed the atmosphere with the way we played. When football is predictable, it means it's easier to defend. You feel something is not right.

"But it's an away point and it's okay. It's not brilliant, but it's okay."

Having thrown away a two-goal lead against Madrid in midweek, questions of a European hangover could have been levelled at Liverpool following their performance at Palace, but Klopp argued his side did not suffer from their continental exploits.

"I didn't see a massive influence [from the Real Madrid game]," he added. "If we score, we go home and win 1-0."

Midfielder James Milner echoed his manager's comments and stressed Liverpool's destiny remains firmly of their own making this term.

"We have to keep going," he said. "We're our harshest critics. It's important we don't listen to the noise outside.

"It's down to us. We're the only ones who can change it. We've fallen short this year. We have to dig down."

Liverpool missed the chance to claim a third Premier League win in a row for only the second time this season as they drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah were both frustrated by the woodwork at Selhurst Park as Jurgen Klopp's Reds shared the spoils with Patrick Vieira's Eagles.

After a dramatic Champions League collapse resulted in a 5-2 loss to Real Madrid on Tuesday, the visitors failed to claim a victory that would have helped to salve those wounds.

And, amid a campaign that continues to see them underperform, the Merseyside outfit dropped further points in their pursuit of European football next term, with Cody Gakpo spurning an excellent chance late on.

Having made a blistering start to their exploits in midweek, Liverpool initially appeared to be feeling the effects of a continental hangover.

The away side struggled to pose much threat despite dominating possession, with Jota's woodwork-rattling header in the 23rd minute the closest they came to a breakthrough.

Palace almost made them pay when they hit the frame of the goal themselves four minutes from the break, with Jean-Philippe Mateta lashing a close-range attempt against the crossbar.

The bar proved to be Liverpool's nemesis shortly into the second half, with Salah crashing a looped effort against it.

Gakpo could have won it in the 81st minute but the Netherlands international fluffed his lines after seizing on Salah's throughball as Liverpool ultimately failed to find a way through. 

Victor Osimhen believes Napoli's success is the result of great leadership as Luciano Spalletti's team moved a step nearer to their first Serie A title for 33 years.

The Nigerian striker scored for an eighth consecutive league game, taking his goal tally in Serie A to 10 since the turn of the year, with Napoli winning 2-0 at Empoli on Saturday.

The last player to embark on a goal-getting streak so long in Italy's top flight was Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored in 11 consecutive games for Juventus during the 2019-20 campaign.

Napoli's latest away success – their fifth in a row without conceding – was a result that could be directly seen as a measure of the team's progress, given they lost the corresponding game 3-2 last season despite holding a two-goal lead at one point.

This time Napoli never looked like surrendering their advantage after getting ahead, with Ardian Ismajli's own goal followed by Osimhen tucking away a close-range chance.

Napoli were two goals clear inside half an hour, and even the sending-off of Mario Rui midway through the second half did not prove costly.

Spalletti made a tactical reshuffle, and it was Napoli who looked the likelier scorers of a third goal, even with their numerical disadvantage.

"Today we had last year's defeat in mind and we were very concentrated to be able to redeem ourselves and get the win," Osimhen said.

"I'm happy with the confidence the coach has given me, but credit goes to my team-mates because we are a group who are always proving to be competitive on the pitch. Winning here today was very complicated because Empoli are an excellent team."

Saluting the coach and driving force behind this Scudetto push, Osimhen said: "Spalletti always pushes me to give my best, he's a very good and very demanding coach.

"He wants every player to be able to express himself at his best and we follow him because we're doing an extraordinary job which can be seen in the game and in the results."

Osimhen, quoted on Napoli's website, added: "This is definitely the best season of my career, I feel great mentally and physically and I'm happy to be able to continue like this to achieve great goals."

He has 19 goals in 20 Serie A games this term, with Napoli pulling 18 points clear of second-placed Inter, who have a trip to Bologna on Sunday.

It is proving to be a rout of the field as Napoli close in on silverware, winning 21 of 24 games so far, a club record at this stage.

Spalletti said he sensed a "team that knew how to fight and win with a leader's mentality".

Considering Napoli were last champions of Italy in 1989-90, in the days of Diego Maradona and Careca, it is remarkable they have delivered such a spectacular show of dominance this term.

Napoli have lost just once in the league, to Inter on January 4, and they would have to collapse dramatically to not be champions.

"Today the concern was that our level of fighting might be lower than theirs," said Spalletti. "Instead the boys had an availability and a predisposition to sacrifice that deserves praise. I congratulate the team because they are performing excellently."

He said Napoli's midfield "put on a tough face and fought ball after ball with extraordinary dedication".

Using a colloquialism, Spalletti added: "This team is a lot of stuff.

"If we are at this point of the season it means that I have a squad that know how to interpret each match in an exemplary way, with the mentality and spirit which must a team that wants to impose itself must have."

Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged it will be "difficult" for Real Madrid to win LaLiga after Los Blancos were forced to fight back in a frustrating 1-1 draw with 10-man rivals Atletico Madrid.

Madrid would have fancied their chances of moving within five points of leaders Barcelona when Atleti substitute Angel Correa was controversially sent off with Saturday's derby poised at 0-0.

Atleti then looked set for a memorable win when Jose Gimenez headed them in front at the Santiago Bernabeu, only for 18-year-old forward Alvaro Rodriguez to spare Madrid's blushes late on.

With the stalemate handing Barcelona the chance to go 10 points clear when they visit Almeria on Sunday, Ancelotti is aware of the size of Madrid's task.

Asked about the title race by DAZN, Ancelotti said: "It was already very difficult before this match, now it's more. We are going to fight until the end, that's what I can say.

"We lacked a bit of freshness. But mentally more than physically. At 1-0, it took us 10 minutes to compose ourselves, to reposition ourselves.

"In the first half there was a lack of intensity and in the second, we reached it at the end, but we didn't fully take advantage of the numerical superiority."

However, Ancelotti did reserve praise for Alvaro, who became the youngest player to score in a Madrid derby in LaLiga this century (aged 18 years and 226 days).

"It was very important for him, a young man with an enormous dream of playing for Real Madrid," Ancelotti said of the Uruguayan forward. "This will be a special night in his life."

Alvaro's 85th-minute header denied Diego Simeone a famous victory on the day he matched Luis Aragones' record tally of 612 games in charge of Atleti, and the Colchoneros boss opted to focus on Correa's red card – issued for an innocuous push on Antonio Rudiger – in his post-match interview.

"Those who have played know that contact is not always a blow. Rudiger is 1.94 metres tall and such a brutal blow left him sitting down… then he immediately gets up," Simeone told DAZN.

"It may be a yellow, but taking out a player for that... there would be no players left on the field. 

"It repeats itself, it is becoming normal and that is not right, and it would be nice if we could all compete in the same way.

"I think that VAR exposes errors much more. Every time we come here, it is never our turn to be in favour."

The result saw Atleti halt a run of three successive league defeats at the home of their cross-city rivals, though Madrid have now lost just one of their last 14 matches against Los Colchoneros in LaLiga (W6 D7).

Pep Guardiola hailed Erling Haaland and Phil Foden after Manchester City's 4-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Both Haaland and Foden found the net at the Vitality Stadium in between Julian Alvarez's opener and a Chris Mepham own goal, with Jefferson Lerma hitting a late consolation for the hosts.

It was the fourth of five consecutive away games for City, and their first win in three after 1-1 draws at Nottingham Forest and RB Leipzig.

"Considering the amount of games and a lot of travel, we played incredibly aggressive," said Guardiola. "Our attack was more dynamic and we got a good result."

Haaland scored the second of the game from close range to record his 27th Premier League goal of the season, beating Sergio Aguero's club record for a single season in the competition, and giving the Norwegian the most league goals by a City player in a single top-flight campaign since Francis Lee's 33 in 1971-72.

"Erling Haaland, his impact has been incredible," Guardiola added. "We love him and he is helping us. Today we found him more and he is an incredible threat."

It was only Foden's 15th start in the league this season from his 22 appearances, and he was instrumental as he created seven chances in all, the most by a City player in a Premier League away game since James Milner's eight against Aston Villa in October 2014.

"We need Phil, his work ethic, his goals, his assists. Step by step he will be back," his manager said.

Guardiola also had words of praise for 18-year-old Rico Lewis, who impressed again at right-back, lauding his "quality and intelligence" and ability to "move in small spaces, to play in pockets that we need".

Lewis completed 67 of his 72 passes (93.1 per cent), and was also happy to have the backing of the Spanish coach.

"I love playing in this role. I have played as a midfielder before and then been a full-back, so I love it," he said. "I have played there all the way through the academy but with these players around you, it's 10 times easier.

"I got my rhythm quickly and did as well as I could. Pep just tells me to play my normal game but asks me to go inside alongside Rodri, to give us more control of the midfield. It's about winning the ball back on the transition.

"It's nice that he wants to play me and trusts me, it's up to me to perform. The players in the dressing room are very experienced and have had it every year, we know to focus on ourselves and that's the only way."

England boss Steve Borthwick has told his players they must "accelerate" their progress after a 20-10 victory over Wales in Cardiff.

In Borthwick's third game as head coach, his team followed up victory over Italy last time out by getting the better of a Wales side who endured a disrupted build-up to their week three Six Nations challenge.

A contract dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union meant there was doubt until midweek that Saturday's game would even go ahead, amid talk of possible strike action.

Borthwick was hugely impressed by how Wales contributed so much, but it was his England who triumphed thanks to tries from Anthony Watson, Kyle Sinckler and Ollie Lawrence.

Captain Owen Farrell struggled with his kicking again, but England did enough.

They have won eight of their last 10 meetings with Wales in the Six Nations, but this result ended a run of two consecutive losses on the road against the Welsh.

England's last six victories over Wales had come by margins of six points or fewer, so by those standards this was a relative drubbing. In reality, it was nip and tuck until the final minutes.

Borthwick told BBC One he was "really proud of the team and what they did".

"That was a tough Test match. There wasn't much in it really," he said. "I think you've got to give those Welsh players such enormous credit and incredible respect.

"We've got quite a number of young men in there. There were a number of guys who played well. Now we've got to push on. There were bits in that performance that we can really push on with in this rebuilding.

"We need to accelerate. We've got two big games to finish the championship. For now, we've got to make sure we enjoy that win."

England have France at home on March 11, followed by Ireland away seven days later, taking on the teams ranked second and first in the world rankings.

It will be a lot clearer after those games where England stand, as they continue to build towards the Rugby World Cup under their new coach, who replaced the sacked Eddie Jones in December.

Farrell described England's showing as "a step forward", accepting his repeatedly wayward kicking was to blame for the visitors not pulling away.

"But it was a good test for us," he added. "We stuck in there, and we fought to the end and took control of the last 20 minutes I thought.

"There's bits starting to show, but we're laying some foundations at the minute and we want to keep building on it all."

Lawrence's try in the 75th minute put the game out of Wales' reach, with it having been on a knife edge to that point.

It meant England scored three tries away to Wales in Cardiff for just the second time in 12 Six Nations matches and for the first time since 2001.

Wales coach Warren Gatland saw good reason to be positive about his team's performance, even though they suffered a third successive loss in the championship.

Gatland said: "I can't be critical of the effort. We spoke in the changing room about being tough on ourselves, about some of the errors we made, things we can fix up and be better at.

"If we look at the mistakes we made that shifted the momentum back to England, they were at pretty critical moments.

"The message at half-time was to just stay in this arm wrestle and we'll get opportunities. The unfortunate thing is we turned the ball back over on too many occasions, dropped a couple of high balls and that was pretty frustrating, and a couple of penalties as well.

"Still for us there's work to do, but I thought there was improvement in some areas."

Top seed Hubert Hurkacz saw off a spirited Alexander Bublik in straight sets to seal his place in the final of the Open 13 Provence with a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win.

The world number 11 wrapped up victory in his semi-final in Marseille without being taken to a deciding third set for the first time during his tournament run.

But he was still forced to fight for the result, after unseeded Kazakhstani Bublik pushed him hard in their encounter.

Hurkacz only broke serve once during the first set and had to hold his nerve in a second-set tie-break to finish the job.

He will face a homegrown opponent in Benjamin Bonzi in the final, after the latter won an all-French last-four encounter with wild card Arthur Fils.

The former saw off his fellow countryman 6-4 6-4 in a straight-sets triumph of his own.

Teenage forward Alvaro Rodriguez came off the bench to rescue Real Madrid in a dramatic 1-1 derby draw with 10-man Atletico Madrid, heading a late equaliser to cancel out Jose Gimenez's goal.

Despite half-time substitute Angel Correa controversially seeing red for a push on Antonio Rudiger, Atleti looked set for a famous win at Santiago Bernabeu when Gimenez headed them into the lead with 12 minutes left.

However, 18-year-old Rodriguez rose to nod Luka Modric's corner beyond Jan Oblak with five minutes remaining, scoring his first senior goal for Los Blancos in dramatic fashion. 

While Madrid will be relieved to have avoided a surprise defeat, they are now seven points adrift of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who could extend that gap to 10 points when they visit Almeria on Sunday.