Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh refused to criticise Tyler Huntley but says he failed to execute the play design leading to Sam Hubbard's game-winning fumble return TD on Sunday.

The Ravens were eliminated from the postseason 24-17 by the Cincinnati Bengals, with Hubbard's touchdown marking a 14-point swing with Baltimore pressing for a go-ahead score at the time.

The Bengals' defense held on, before Huntley tried a QB sneak on a third-and-goal, leaping into the air with both hands on the ball, but it was knocked out by Logan Wilson allowing defensive end Hubbard to recover it and race away for a 98-yard touchdown, which was the longest fumble return TD in NFL playoff history.

"We felt we had a good call," Harbaugh told reporters. "It's a push sneak play.

"It wasn’t executed. Tyler went over the top. It's a burrow play, he needs to go low on that. That's the way the play is designed. We felt like that was the best call, we just didn’t execute it right."

Huntley, starting in the absence of injured former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, kept the Ravens in the contest with a strong performance that was praised by Harbaugh. The Ravens lost four of six games this season that Jackson did not start.

The Ravens QB threw 17-of-29 passes for 226 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, along with 54 rushing yards having had injury concerns coming into the game. Huntley's career-best 35-yard run had got the Ravens within the goal line before Hubbard's TD.

"Tyler Huntley coming in and playing the way he played coming off the shoulder and wrist injuries and fighting his way back on to the field," Harbaugh said. "Just giving it everything he had, that kind of performance.

"We didn’t win the game, we're disappointed in that, but I've got nothing but admiration for our guys."

Cincinnati's win means Zac Taylor is 4-1 in playoff games as Bengals head coach. The Bengals scored 14 points off two Ravens' turnovers, with QB Joe Burrow held to 209 yards on 23-of-32 passing.

"That's why you just never give up on a drive," Taylor said. "Even when it's down there, inside the two, that's what our defense, the whole redzone really over the last couple of years has been awesome from our defense. Today was no different.

"For Logan to knock that ball out, Sam to finish that off 98 yards, it really changed the momentum of the game. You're looking at a 14-point swing there, going down seven, going up seven.

"It was a challenge on offense. It's one of the better defenses we faced all year. We knew that going in and our defense really carried us in the fourth quarter. We needed that."

LeBron James became the second player to 38,000 career NBA points before Russell Westbrook's failed final play as the Los Angeles Lakers lost 113-112 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

With the Sixers leading by one point, Westbrook rebounded after Joel Embiid missed a two-point shot with 16 seconds remaining, opting to advance the ball, rather than take a timeout, before failing to get a clean shot or pass away as the clock expired under defense from Embiid and Georges Niang.

The finish took some gloss off James' significant achievement, reaching the 38,000 career points mark in the first quarter, before finishing the game with 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Only one player in NBA history has more career points than James and that is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387. James is on track to surpass Abdul-Jabbar next month.

The game was tight throughout, with Embiid top scoring for the Sixers with 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field with two three-pointers. Embiid also had 11 rebounds and four assists. James Harden contributed 24 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists.

Westbrook played 34 minutes of the bench with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists but four turnovers. That marked Westbrook's 198th career triple-double.

Jokic sinks late three to clinch Nugs win

Back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic landed a step-back three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to secure the Denver Nuggets a 119-116 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Jokic finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists for his 12th triple-double of the season, with the Nugs clinching their 13th straight home win to remain top of the Western Conference.

Aaron Gordon added 25 points with eight rebounds and five assists, while Jamal Murray delivered 18 points with three three-pointers and seven assists.

Lillard leads Blazers past Mavs missing Doncic

Damian Lillard backed up with 40 points for the Portland Trail Blazers to complete a two-game back-to-back sweep of the Dallas Mavericks, 140-123.

Lillard shot 10-of-17 from the field and four-of-nine from three-point range with six assists for the Blazers, who had lost five in a row prior to the two games against Dallas.

The Mavs rested Luka Doncic after his season-low 15 points in Saturday's game, having starred in Thursday's double overtime win over the Lakers.

Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios has been left "devastated" by a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from his home grand slam, the Australian Open, on Monday.

The Australian 19th seed was due to face Roman Safiullin on Tuesday but opted out on Monday. He will be replaced by lucky loser Denis Kudla.

Kyrgios had undergone a routine MRI on his knee which revealed a cyst as a result of a small lateral meniscus tear, forcing him out of the opening major of the year. The 27-year-old will undergo an arthroscopic surgery to heal the knee injury.

"Bad timing. Injuries are part of the sport," Kyrgios told reporters. "I'm devastated obviously, it's my home slam.

"It's pretty brutal. One of the most important tournaments of my career, so it hasn’t been easy at all."

Kyrgios, who pulled out of the United Cup late last month citing exhaustion, had played Novak Djokovic in an exhibition match on Friday.

The Australian started to feel some discomfort in his knee during that match, before making the decision to pull out on Monday.

"I wanted to give myself hope, I thought I had a chance," he said.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist had been placed in the same section of the draw as nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic along with Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune.

Kyrgios was the highest-ranked local player in the men's and women's singles draws, with 22nd seed Alex de Minaur the next best Australian hope.

Reigning women's singles champion Ash Barty retired last year, while compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 35th in the world, withdrew due to an ongoing knee issue on the weekend.

Sam Hubbard scored a record-breaking go-ahead 98-yard fumble return touchdown to earn the Cincinnati Bengals a thrilling 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens in their AFC Wild Card Game on Sunday.

Defensive end Hubbard raced clear for the longest go-ahead TD in NFL postseason history as the Ravens pressed for the lead on a third-and-goal on Tyler Huntley's QB sneak, as he leapt up to break the plane of the goalline, only for Logan Wilson to knock it out.

Hubbard's go-ahead touchdown, scored with 11:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, was also the longest fumble return TD in NFL playoff history.

Baltimore had been mounting the pressure with scores locked 17-17 with Huntley's 35-yard run, the longest of his career, pushing them to the goalline, but the Bengals' defense held up, before the fumble return TD ignited Paul Brown Stadium.

Huntley threw a final-second pass on fourth-and-20, which James Proche got a hand on, but could not hold. The Ravens QB, starting in the absence of injured former MVP Lamar Jackson, had kept his side in the game on 17-of-29 passing for 226 yards with two TD passes and one interception, adding 54 rushing yards.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow completed 23-of-32 passes for 209 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, but was sacked four times. Ja'Marr Chase had nine receptions for 84 yards.

It was a seesawing encounter with the Bengals dominating the first quarter led by Chase, before Burrow connected with the wide receiver to cap a six-minute, 10-play drive.

The Ravens hit back in the second to lead 10-9 at halftime, with Huntley finding J.K. Dobbins to score, while Burrow was sacked three times in the first half.

The two sides traded touchdowns in the third, with Burrow slithering across after Hayden Hurst thought he had scored yet fell half a yard short, before Huntley threw a 41-yard TD pass for Demarcus Robinson.

Kim Si-woo secured the fourth PGA Tour win of his career after producing a remarkable finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

After beginning the week with back-to-back rounds of 67, Kim posted consecutive 64s on the weekend to finish at 18 under.

He trailed by one as he reached the 17th hole, and despite missing the green on the par-three, he pulled things even at 17 under with a chip-in. He then reached the green on the par-five final hole in two shots, two-putting for another birdie to take the outright lead.

Kim finished a few holes before Hayden Buckley in the final group, leaving Buckley with a chance to force a playoff if he could birdie either of the 17th or 18th, but he could only muster a pair of pars.

Buckley may have had the edge if he could have taken it to a playoff, with Kim winless in his three playoffs on the PGA Tour, but he finished at 17 under in outright second.

For Kim, the victory is just his second in the six years since bursting onto the scene when he won The Players Championship in 2017, with his only other title since then coming in January 2021 at The American Express.

Chris Kirk finished alone in third at 15 under, while England's Ben Taylor tied for fourth at 14 under with American duo Andrew Putnam and David Lipsky.

The New York Giants snapped a 10-season streak without a playoff win by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 in Sunday's Wild Card game.

New York had not won a playoff game since capping the 2011 season with the franchise's fourth Super Bowl, but they rode a pair of strong performances from their offensive centrepieces to upset the 13-4 Vikings on the road.

Quarterback Daniel Jones became the first player to ever tally 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 70 rushing yards in a playoff game, while star running back Saquon Barkley had 109 yards from scrimmage and scored two rushing touchdowns.

Incredibly, neither team committed a turnover, with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins also delivering an impressive 273 yards and two touchdowns, but he was unable to produce in the fourth quarter.

It was the Vikings who scored first through a Cousins quarterback sneak from the opening drive of the game, but their lead did not even last until quarter time as Barkley and receiver Isaiah Hodges found the endzone in response.

After trading scores in the second and third periods, the Vikings pulled things level at 24-24 early in the fourth with a field goal, but Jones answered with a defining 12-play, 75-yard drive, setting up Barkley for the game-winning touchdown.

The Vikings had two drives and seven minutes to try and tie things up, but the Giants' defense rose to the occasion and closed it out.

New York will try to continue their march to the Super Bowl next week in the Divisional round against the league-leading Philadelphia Eagles (14-3).

Christophe Galtier sucked up another painful Ligue 1 defeat for Paris Saint-Germain and told his World Cup stars they must find their focus again.

PSG began the year with a seven-point lead at the top of Ligue 1, but that has been clipped to three after defeats to Lens and now Rennes, who beat the Parisians 1-0 on Sunday.

Head coach Galtier will face scrutiny for such domestic losses, given the superstars at his disposal, and he knows he and the team must start to show their best again.

Galtier told Prime Video: "I'm mainly disappointed with our performance. We didn't create anything, we had very few favourable situations.

"We focused on having possession of the ball and we had far too many players who dropped back without having players high enough to secure the Rennes defensive line."

PSG had only eight attempts on goal, their lowest total in a league game this season, and only one went on target. The defeat was a third in their last four trips to Rennes in the league, with the Breton side firmly established as a bogey side for the capital giants.

Galtier pointed to issues with Lionel Messi and Neymar having no obvious targets when looking to move the ball forward, and that situation persisted when Kylian Mbappe came on as a substitute early in the second half, replacing the ineffective Hugo Etikike.

The former Lille, Saint-Etienne and Nice coach said there was an "urgent" need for PSG to get back on track.

"Obviously we're going to have to find a lot more play and connection between the lines," he said. "We knew we would have a difficult match, and we had it. The opposing goalkeeper was barely troubled. We need to find a lot more rhythm, intensity and technical relationship between one another.

"I'm not going to talk about worry, but there has to be awareness. We can find a thousand excuses, but the World Cup is over.

"Even if we have been dispersed for eight weeks, we need to find cohesion and rhythm in our game."

PSG will head to Saudi Arabia next to face a Riyadh Season Team, made up of players from Al Hilal and Al Nassr, in an exhibition game on Thursday.

Al Nassr's new signing Cristiano Ronaldo could be involved in that game, but Galtier wants intense focus from his players when they get a chance to train on the getaway.

They do not have another Ligue 1 game until Reims visit the Parc des Princes on January 29, although there is a Coupe de France tie against minnows Pays de Cassel on January 23.

"We will have 10 days to work," Galtier said.

Lens are their nearest challengers, but Marseille are only five points adrift of PSG.

"The championship is tight," Galtier said. "I'm not used to looking at the standings but I'm concentrating on performance and I have work to do."

Warren Zaire-Emery, at the age of 16 years and 313 days, became the youngest player in PSG's history to start a Ligue 1 match. He played 72 minutes before being replaced by Carlos Soler.

Galtier will gather his players to show them video comparisons with how the team are performing now and how they played prior to the World Cup.

Mbappe was the World Cup's top scorer, while Messi brilliantly captained Argentina to the trophy, being named player of the tournament. Such form has been mostly lacking since resuming PSG duties, but they are not the only ones culpable.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was absent from Qatar 2022 after Italy failed to qualify, said PSG's players are furious by their collective drop-off in performance.

"We are angry, and we have to bounce back immediately after this match, from this defeat, because we have no more time to lose," Donnarumma said, quoted on the club's website.

"It was an avoidable loss. They didn't have many chances but we should have done more. We have to learn from this game. We are upset, but now we have to focus on the next game."

Julius Randle enjoyed one of his best games of the season on Sunday in the New York Knicks' 117-104 road victory against the Detroit Pistons.

Randle became the first Knicks player to score at least 40 points and grab 15 rebounds or more in the same game since Patrick Ewing in 1996.

He finished with 42 points on 15-of-24 shooting to set a new season-high, while his 15 rebounds were par for the course during his red-hot start to 2023.

Since the new year began, Randle is averaging 24.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per contest, snatching at least 15 rebounds in five of the seven games to propel the Knicks to seven wins from their past eight outings.

Speaking after the game, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau heaped praise on the man seeking to make his second All-Star team this season.

"Just great – not just the scoring, it was all around, everything," he said. "I loved how we started the game, and I thought [Randle] set the tone for us.

"In watching [the Pistons] play, getting ready to play them, I knew how well they had been playing. Sometimes that's hard to get across, but I thought Julius helped set the tone for being ready.

"Getting that lead early – we needed all of it. Whenever we needed a big bucket, [Randle] stepped up and delivered. 

"His defense – there's so many things – his rebounding is just huge. He got every big rebound down the stretch. He had tough covers, he was all over the place, on the perimeter guarding guards and everything else. I thought he was terrific."

Fellow Knicks All-Star-hopeful Jalen Brunson has also started 2023 in fine fashion, averaging 33.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds in January, but he made it clear Randle is at the centre of New York's success.

"He played great, he played how Julius plays," he said. "He was aggressive, he was dominant on both sides of the ball.

"He was focused – he's been focused for a long time – and he's taken it up a notch. We just have to keep following his lead, he's doing a great job."

With the win, the Knicks moved to 25-19, and 14-8 on the road, which is tied for the second-best record away from home this season.

Thibodeau said that is no coincidence, and it all starts on the defensive end. New York boast the NBA's third-best defense (110.1 points per 100 possessions) during away games, but are 25th (113.3) at home.

"I just think it's about going in and understanding that it starts with defense, and that's what carries you," he said. "Your defense, your rebounding and taking care of the ball – so eliminate all the ways in which you beat yourself first.

"On offense, if you're willing to share and we help create rhythm for each other, we're going to be very good offensively.

"Tonight, we made it a power game. They went small, so we rebounded the ball, got to the line, and did the things we wanted to do to control the game."

The Knicks will try to make it eight wins from nine when they host the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

Eddie Jones has made a sensational return to rugby as head coach of Australia after Dave Rennie was sacked.

Dismissed as England boss in December, with Steve Borthwick brought in as his replacement ahead of the Rugby World Cup this year, Jones has taken the Wallabies job for a second time. 

Australia ditched Dave Rennie to create the vacancy, with Jones describing his return to the job he previously held from 2001 to 2005 as "a wonderful opportunity".

Rugby Australia said Jones has committed until 2027, meaning his contract covers two World Cups and the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour.

The 62-year-old, who was in charge of the Australia side that lost to England in the 2003 World Cup final, will formally start his second tenure on January 29.

Jones said: "It is a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to come home to Australia and lead my nation to a Rugby World Cup.

"It is going to be an immense period for Australian Rugby – as a proud Australian, it is a great honour to be able to come home and lead the national team during these years.

"The Wallabies squad is a really talented group of players with good depth – if we can have everyone fit and healthy going into the World Cup this year, I am confident that we can go to France and break the 24-year drought of winning the Rugby World Cup.

"I am really looking forward to getting back home and getting stuck in."

Defeats in November to France, Ireland and particularly Italy sealed Rennie's fate. His team also beat Wales and Scotland on their Northern Hemisphere tour, but those victories were not enough to save his job. 

New Zealander Rennie had three years as head coach, and Rugby Australia said there had been "positive steps" taken under his leadership.

It was decided, however, that with Jones available for hire, Australia could not afford to stand by and see someone else move for him.

Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan described the appointment as "a major coup", labelling Jones, who has also coached Japan, as "the best coach in the world".

"Eddie's deep understanding of our rugby system and knowledge of our player group and pathways will lift the team to the next level," McLennan said.

"Eddie instinctively understands the Australian way of playing rugby – this represents an opportunity to secure a coach of immense expertise and experience at the biggest competitions, and we did not want to miss it."

Jones will also oversee the development of Australia's women's programme, with the Wallaroos looking to build on a quarter-final appearance at last year's World Cup.

Carlo Ancelotti dismissed talk of Real Madrid being subjected to "sporting humiliation" by Barcelona in a 3-1 Supercopa de Espana final but accepts they are in a "difficult moment."

Barca dominated the El Clasico showdown in Riyadh on Sunday, claiming their first major trophy under head coach Xavi.

Teenage attacking midfielder Gavi was the star of the show, scoring the opening goal and laying one on for Robert Lewandowski just before half-time.

The 18-year-old Spain international also set up Gavi for the Blaugrana's third goal at the King Fahd Stadium, with Karim Benzema scoring a consolation in the closing stages.

Madrid were beaten by Villarreal in their last LaLiga game and trail leaders Barca by three points in the title race.

Although Xavi's side were much the better side, Los Blancos were the architects of their own downfall, making a mess of playing out for the back as they looked shaky at the back and were overrun in midfield by a vibrant Barca side.

Head coach Ancelotti said: "It's not a critical moment, it's a difficult and complicated moment. It usually happens over a season. It can be fixed with the usual commitment and the usual attitude.

"The players must realise that. These mistakes are easy to avoid."

The Italian added: "We gave away, it started even, there wasn't much rhythm and avoiding gifts is the first thing, but we have given two. We have to improve our physical condition and play as a team.

"The mistakes have been definitive. It wasn't a good match for anyone. Talking about sporting humiliation seems to me to be disrespectful. They were better, period."

Josh Allen thanked the Buffalo Bills defense for crucial turnovers against the Miami Dolphins that proved decisive in Sunday's 34-31 Wild Card victory.

The Bills quarterback threw two interceptions and saw a fumble recovered for a touchdown in a nervy encounter, having entered the game with just one playoff interception in 228 passing attempts.

Those turnovers allowed the Dolphins to build up steam, fighting back from a 17-point first-half deficit and then taking an early second half lead, with Allen acknowledging his mistakes after the game.

"At half time, we were just talking to ourselves, just settling down, trying to refocus," he told reporters. "The turnovers hurt us, we really let them back in the game.

"We were up 17-0 with chances and I gave them the ball two times, gave them a touchdown, they're things you can't do and you can't expect to win like that, so there's some stuff to clean up."

The Bills defense did their part though, intercepting rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson twice and making big stops to halt the Dolphins' recovery, and Allen vowed to be better for them in future games.

"Turnover margin, especially in the playoffs, is so big. It really helps us out and bails us out," he added.

"I can't praise our defense enough for playing the way they did. I put them in some tough situations today, so I've got to be better for them."

It was not just the defense who played their part in frustrating the Dolphins offense, however, with the atmosphere in Buffalo leading to errors – including a delay of game penalty that pushed Thompson's offense back to six yards instead of one in fourth down of their final drive.

Allen reserved praise for the home fans, encouraging them to be similarly effective in next week's Divisional round clash against either the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We're going to need the Bills mafia in the building being load and disruptive, I thought they did a good job tonight causing a couple false starts and delay of games, that is such a huge momentum shift for us," he said.

"When it's fourth and one, you cause a delay, then it's fourth and six, which changes the complexity of that call, so shout out to our fans."

Sergio Busquets hopes "competitive animal" Gavi can play a big part in a successful era for Barcelona after he starred in a 3-1 Supercopa de Espana final defeat of Real Madrid.

The 18-year-old attacking midfielder scored the opening goal in Riyadh on Sunday before setting up Robert Lewandowski for the second late in the first half.

Gavi also laid one on a plate for Pedri in the second half of the El Clasico showdown at the King Fahd Stadium, where Xavi celebrated winning his first major trophy as Barca head coach.

Teenager Gavi was outstanding in the Blaugrana's record-extending 14th Supercopa triumph, causing the lacklustre European and LaLiga champions all sorts of problems.

Barca captain Busquets hailed the young Spain international and thinks he can make a big impact for the Catalan giants for years to come.

Busquets told Movista: "He [Gavi] is a competitive animal, at that age the players are in the youth team or in the subsidiary and he has played at an incredible level, scoring goals and giving assists.

"I would tell him to keep learning and listening. Hopefully he will mark an era at Barca."

Barca lead Los Blancos by three points in the LaLiga title and laid down a marker by outclassing them to take the first domestic trophy of the season.

Busquets added: "We couldn't miss this opportunity to win a title after a period of changes in coaches and players.

"We had hope and ambition, but at Barca you always demand to win and Xavi has reminded us of that."

Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to find a way to get Erling Haaland more involved in their all-round play.

City went down 2-1 to local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, paving the way for Arsenal to take an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League thanks to their victory at Tottenham a day later.

Haaland, who has scored 21 league goals in 17 appearances for City, had two shots against United, with an accumulative expected goals (xG) of 0.16, and generally struggled to make an impact.

His tally of 20 touches was the fifth-lowest total he has managed in a Premier League match this season, while in only three games has he had fewer than the five touches he had in United's box.

Haaland has had 419 touches in the league this season, which ranks ahead of only Julian Alvarez (178) when it comes to City players to have featured at least 10 times in the competition, and while he has averaged a goal every 66 minutes, Guardiola knows City have to get the 22-year-old regularly involved.

"Yes," Guardiola told reporters when asked if City needed to get the ball to Haaland quicker.

"At the moment we have that process because when teams are sat in the 18-yard box it's more difficult but then we have to find him a little bit more.

"[Against United] he had enough touches but it's true that we go wide sometimes we have to look at him. But we will do it."

When asked whose responsibility it was to ensure Haaland is receiving the ball more regularly, Guardiola said: "Everyone.

"When you have the ball, everyone is allowed to attack and when you don't you have to defend."

City have been unable to hit their stride since the season restarted following the World Cup break.

A win over Leeds United was followed up by a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Everton on December 31. 

Successive wins over Chelsea, the latter of which was a 4-0 FA Cup thrashing, seemed to have got them back on track, though their derby defeat represented a second loss in the space of four days after their EFL Cup exit at the hands of Southampton. 

"I would say the inconsistency was in terms of some results but not in the performances," Guardiola said when it was put to him that incorporating an out-and-out striker was leading to the team's indifferent form.

"The inconsistency was against Southampton but in general, the consistency in our games was good, I think. But, of course, against Everton, we played much, much better. One shot on target and we draw. They punished us.

"Before we always found a way to get good results by playing good or bad. We always had the chance and I think I would say this is our strength and you have to improve but in terms of performance, we've been consistent in general.

"The margin is so minimal, but I want to recognise my team. I want to see that we do what we work [on], [what] we talk and plan and I saw it."