Damian Lillard had 37 points and 12 assists, and the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks squandered a 22-point second-half lead before beating the Miami Heat 106-103 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.
Brook Lopez scored 13 points and Bobby Portis had 11 for the Bucks, who have won five in a row and moved back to the .500 mark (9-9) for the first time since they were 1-1.
Milwaukee played without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, a late pregame scratch because of swelling in his left knee.
The Bucks (3-0 in Cup play) also moved a half-game ahead of Detroit (2-0) in the East Group B standings.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points for Miami, which got 18 from Tyler Herro, 17 from Terry Rozier and 16 from Bam Adebayo. The Heat tied the game at 96-96 on a layup by Butler and got within one point on three occasions later, but never led.
The Heat, who were outscored 60-30 from 3-point range, fell to 1-2 in Cup play.
AJ Green made back-to-back 3-pointers for Milwaukee in the final minutes, both coming immediately after Miami scored to get within one. His late 3s gave Milwaukee leads of 101-97 and 104-100.
Durant, Beal return as Suns cruise
Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant each scored 23 points and the Phoenix Suns celebrated the healthy return of both players with a 127-100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Devin Booker led the way with 26 points and had 10 assists as the Suns snapped a five-game losing streak.
Beal had missed the past five games while Durant had missed seven in a row - both players were sidelined by a strained left calf.
Beal made 10 of 15 shots, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range.
The Lakers were led by Anthony Davis, who scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. LeBron James added 18 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists as Los Angeles lost its third straight.
The Suns outscored the Lakers 36-18 in the third quarter, turning a tight game into a 98-78 advantage. Booker had 11 points during the run, while Jusuf Nurkic had 10.
Booker made three consecutive shots during the Suns' 14-2 run midway through the third quarter, helping push the lead to 86-72.
Phoenix is 9-1 when Durant is in the lineup and 1-6 when he's not.
Rockets outlast Wolves in OT
Alperen Sengun had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Fred VanVleet added 27 points and 11 assists, and the Houston Rockets pulled out a 117-111 overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in an NBA Cup game.
Dillon Brooks added 22 points for Houston, which improved to 3-0 in the competition and clinched West Group A and a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Anthony Edwards had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost three in a row. Julius Randle scored 21, while Naz Reid had 19 off the bench.
Rookie Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 pick in the draft out of Kentucky, had his best game of the season, helping to fill the void left by point guard Mike Conley, who missed his third straight game with a left great toe sprain. Dillingham had 12 points and season highs with seven assists and five rebounds.
With 15 seconds left in regulation, Sengun got a pass on a drive to the basket for a potential layup, but Rudy Gobert came across for the block to keep the score tied. Edwards’ jumper on the other end was off the mark and the game went to overtime.
Houston shot 15 of 37 from 3-point territory, including 10 of 18 in the first half to build its lead.
In the latest installment of the rich get richer, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and left-hander Blake Snell are in agreement on a five-year, $182 million contract, pending a physical, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
Snell, who turns 32 next month, is a two-time Cy Young Award winner who spent last season with the San Francisco Giants, going 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts.
He had a 6.31 ERA at the All-Star break after a limited spring training, but over his final 12 games, he posted a 1.45 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings, including a no-hitter at Cincinnati on Aug. 2.
Snell won the 2023 Cy Young while pitching for the San Diego Padres and entered free agency. He didn’t have a team by spring training, so he landed with the Giants on a two-year, $62 million contract with an opt-out after the first year, which he exercised.
Durability is a concern with Snell, who has thrown more than 129 1/3 innings just twice in nine major league seasons. He also has a lifetime 4.1 walks per nine innings average and rarely pitches deep into games with only one career complete game.
He becomes the latest addition to the star-studded Dodgers, who gave out the first mega deal of this offseason following Shohei Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year contract last winter.
Snell joins a rotation that already features Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani.
Aaron Rodgers has yet to decide if he will retire after this season, but if he does play in 2025, he would like to stay with the New York Jets.
Rodgers addressed his future during his regular appearance on the “The Pat McAfee Show,” after rumours had surfaced that he was feuding with the Jets’ front office amid a disappointing season.
“I don't even know if I want to play yet, but New York would be my first option,” Rodgers said of his plans for 2025.
The four-time MVP shot down reports by The Athletic that he hoped to play for another team next season.
“That's 100% false,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers, who turns 41 next week, is having an unimpressive statistical season while the much-hyped Jets have lost seven of their last eight games.
With disappointing results on the field, the Jets fired general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh midway through the season. Rodgers’ future may be determined more by New York’s new leadership than the future Hall of Famer himself.
“When you're 40, going on 41, you're obviously at the end of your career,” he said. “... Obviously, if it's New York, they have to want me to be here. And then the new GM, new staff all have to want me to be with the Jets.
“And then body-wise, I have to see how I'm feeling and if I want to sign up to go back to the grind and all that, but it feels good. I'm healthy now.
“It's not as much fun when you're dealing with rehab all the time. So, if I can stay healthy the rest of the year and play the way I want to play, and everybody feels good about bringing me back, then there's a decision there. And if not, then there's all the other options. I think, at this point, I'm open to everything and attached to nothing. So, it's a good place to be.”
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich told reporters on Monday that Rodgers is “absolutely” the Jets’ starter for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, denying rumours that New York could bench or release him.
Rodgers, who missed nearly all of last season due to a torn Achilles tendon, said that his two seasons in New York have been “frustrating and difficult” but maintained his positivity about his experience with the Jets.
“These have been two of the most important years of my life and two of the best years of my life,” Rodgers said.
Sheffield United went back to the top of the Championship following a 3-0 victory over Oxford United at home on Tuesday.
The result was a fifth victory in six matches for Chris Wilder's side, whose only dropped points in that sequence came in a 2-2 draw away to Coventry City last Saturday.
Callum O'Hare got things going for the Blades by scoring his first goal for the club on 10 minutes, before Tyrese Campbell doubled their lead with his fifth strike in six matches.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi added the third in the second half, and they have now won seven in a row at Bramall Lane without conceding. They lead second-placed Burnley by two points, while Oxford are 18th and two points above the relegation zone after picking up one win in 12.
Elsewhere, Norwich City got their play-off charge back on track with a 6-1 victory at home to Plymouth Argyle.
Borja Sainz helped them on their way with a hat-trick, taking his tally to 15 goals in 19 appearances in all competitions this season.
While the score was 2-1 at half-time, a second-half capitulation leaves Wayne Rooney's side just two places and two points above the relegation zone with teams below them to play on Wednesday.
Burnley got themselves back in second with a 2-0 victory over Coventry at Turf Moor.
Jeremy Sarmiento and CJ Egan-Riley both scored in the second half to give Scott Parker's side three points, while Coventry are 17th and two points off the relegation zone.
As a result of Burnley's result, Sunderland slipped to third in the table after missing the chance to maintain their lead at the top of the table.
Regis Le Bris' side were held to a goalless draw at home to West Brom in a game that had just two shots on target. As a result, the Baggies remain seventh in the table, level on points with sixth-placed Middlesbrough having played a game more.
Charles De Ketelaere was the driving force for Atalanta in their commanding 6-1 win over Young Boys in the Champions League.
De Ketelaere scored twice and provided three assists as Atalanta – last season's Europa League champions – moved into fourth place in the standings, two points behind leaders Inter.
Star of the show De Ketelaere teed up Mateo Retegui for a ninth-minute opener, though Silvere Ganvoula quickly responded for Young Boys.
It was the first goal conceded by the visitors in the competition this season, but the rest of the half was controlled by Atalanta.
De Ketelaere scored his first in the 28th minute when a corner was flicked to him, and he managed to squeeze in a low shot on the turn.
The Belgium international then set up Sead Kolasinac with a throughball from midfield, and the former Arsenal defender calmly slotted home.
De Ketelaere capped off a dominant first half with his third assist, setting up Retegui once more.
Atalanta's fifth, and De Ketelaere's second, arrived 11 minutes after the restart as he drilled in a low shot from the edge of the box, with some help from a deflection, and Lazar Samardzic made it six in stoppage time.
Data Debrief: King Charles
De Ketelaere became the eighth player to be directly involved in five goals in a single Champions League match.
He is the first Belgian to do so and the first for an Italian side.
De Ketelaere is just the third player to assist three goals in the first half of a Champions League game, after Ryan Giggs for Manchester United against Roma in April 2007 and Carlos Martins for Benfica against Lyon in November 2010.
This was, unsurprisingly, Atalanta's biggest margin of victory in a major European match, while the 6-1 defeat was Young Boys’ joint-biggest home defeat in such competitions, along with their 5-0 loss to Hamburger SV in November 1960.
Mikel Arteta revelled in a statement win in the Champions League after Arsenal's 5-1 defeat of Sporting CP.
Sporting, who are under new leadership following Ruben Amorim's departure to Manchester United, were in second place in the standings heading into matchday five, following their 4-1 demolition of Manchester City earlier in November.
Yet the Portuguese team were no match for City's Premier League rivals Arsenal on Tuesday, as the Gunners blew Sporting away in Lisbon.
Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes put Arsenal 3-0 up by half-time, and though Goncalo Inacio pulled one back for the hosts, Bukayo Saka's penalty and a late finish from Leandro Trossard completed the rout for Arteta's side.
"I'm very happy, it is a big result against a big opponent," Arteta said, having seen Arsenal accumulate 3.89 expected goals, their most on record for a match in the competition (since 2013-14).
"We wanted to make a statement. I felt a really good energy before the match, but you have to put it into practice.
"The first half was exceptional and gave us the platform to win the game. We were really clever and efficient in the way we attacked them. It is an important win for us.
"The atmosphere was changing [when Sporting scored], they had belief, but after that we showed our personality to get on the ball again, to defend deeper if we needed to and the fourth goal changed it again.
"We have to enjoy it, playing in this competition against these sorts of teams. I was pleased with how the performance flowed."
Arsenal had been in a mini-slump of three games without a win before a 3-0 victory over high-flying Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this past weekend.
Backing up that victory with another dominant display is something they will have to do all season long if they are to be successful, according to Arteta.
"We need the consistency, if you want to be going for championships then you have to win and win again. Today was a different type of game but we handled it well and let's move on now," he said.
Arsenal are next in action on Saturday when they travel to West Ham in the Premier League.
Julian Alvarez backed himself to score with the direct free-kick that opened up the floodgates in Atletico Madrid's 6-0 rout of Sparta Prague.
Atletico claimed their third Champions League win of the season in style on Tuesday, and Alvarez's brilliant free-kick opened the scoring after just 15 minutes.
The Argentine doubled his tally just before the hour, with Marcos Llorente and substitute Antoine Griezmann - on his 100th Champions League appearance - also scoring before Angel Correa got in on the act with a brace of his own late on.
The dominant performance, which saw Atletico rack up an expected goals (xG) total of 3.15, moved them up to 13th in the standings.
Alvarez was certainly happy with Atletico's biggest-ever away winning margin in a major European competition, surpassing a 5-0 win over Kayseri Erciyesspor in the UEFA Cup in October 2007.
"A great game, lots of goals, so I'm very happy. We needed it," Alvarez told Movistar Plus.
"I was confident that I was going to score with that free-kick, I think it was a great goal that opened the game and helped us to keep on winning.
"It was a matter of time and minutes to fit all the pieces together. Little by little the whole team is feeling better. We have to continue on this path and keep working. The group is doing very well so we're going for more."
Alvarez scored what was only the fourth direct free-kick goal by an Atletico player in the Champions League, and the first since Sergio Aguero netted against Chelsea in November 2009.
Having lost two of their previous four matches in the competition, the resounding victory also provided reason for coach Diego Simeone to celebrate.
"Anything that means winning makes me happy. If the team has the chance to keep playing like this and scoring goals, so much the better," he said.
"We kept taking the game where we wanted it to go, we accumulated chances and Julian's goal from a free kick was a great goal."
Alvarez made a slow start to life at Atletico following his move from Manchester City, but has picked up form since the end of September and is now on nine goals in all competitions.
"Julian is a player with the highest level, who has played for River Plate, Manchester City and Argentina," Simeone added.
"He is going from strength to strength since joining us, and we expect the best from him.
"He is young, there is good hope for the present and the future. Hopefully, we can accompany him so that he can continue to grow."
Manchester City let a three-goal lead slip at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday to cap another disastrous episode in a worrying spell.
Pep Guardiola's side came into the match having lost each of their last five matches in all competitions, although cruised into the lead.
Erling Haaland bagged a brace for the hosts either side of an Ilkay Gundogan goal, which had them on course to end their disappointing run before huge defensive mistakes saw them implode in the final 15 minutes.
Feyenoord's reply began through Anis Hadj Moussa, who made the most of a mistake from Josko Gvardiol in the 75th minute. Santiago Gimenez then got their second seven minutes later, cheating in Jordan Lotomba's cross after another wayward Gvardiol pass.
David Hancko completed the barely believable comeback in the 89th minute after Ederson was beaten by Igor Paixao, who crossed for the goal.
Following the draw, Manchester City dropped to 15th in the 36-team league, five places and one point above Feyenoord.
Data debrief: Sorry City slump to new low
While Manchester City ended their losing run here, that does not tell half the story for a previously all-conquering side that look devoid of confidence.
Guardiola's side have now gone six matches without a victory in all competitions.
They are also the first team in Champions League history to be leading a match by three goals at the 75-minute mark and fail to win.
Paulo Fonseca wants defensive improvement from Milan after they almost let their lead slip in a 3-2 Champions League win at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.
Milan secured a third consecutive Champions League win but had to hang on as the hosts pulled a goal back in the 88th minute and pushed for a leveller.
While Fonseca was delighted that his side moved on to nine points, the Portuguese coach pointed out his team's defensive errors that led to the late drama.
"We have won the last three games in the Champions League. We have scored nine goals. It is very positive. Today it was important to win, and that is what we did," Fonseca told reporters.
"I think we dominated during the match. We changed a lot of players. We did some positive things but also some things to improve, maybe because we changed a lot of players.
"We didn't do the defensive marking well, then after the break, we improved. We deserved to win."
Slovan only had six shots, yet accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), suggesting they created some high-quality chances.
Christian Pulisic put Milan ahead after 21 minutes, but Tigran Barseghyan swiftly dragged the home side level.
Rafael Leao became the first half-time substitute to score in the Champions League for Milan with his goal the 500th scored in the competition by Portuguese players, and Tammy Abraham netted what proved to be the winner three minutes later, with Nino Marcelli's late effort ultimately not enough for Slovan.
Fonseca added that he did not see a problem with his players' attitude, but rather in their reading and understanding of the game when defending.
"These things are difficult to explain. Maybe because these defenders haven't played much. It's a question of reading, not of attitude," he said.
"In the first half, when we allowed Slovan to come out, it was a question of defensive marking. We were too far away with the defenders, and they were always alone to come out. It's a problem of reading and understanding what was happening."
Milan moved up to 14th in the standings, with nine points from their five matches.
Paris Saint-Germain have work to do if they are to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League after a 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich.
Kim Min-jae's first-half header proved decisive at Allianz Arena on Tuesday, with Ousmane Dembele's red card after the break making the task even tougher for PSG.
Having won just once in the competition so far – back in their opening game against Girona – Luis Enrique's team were second-best for much of the contest.
Bayern dominated the first half, with Kingsley Coman particularly dangerous, and the Bundesliga leaders got the goal their performance merited when Kim headed home from a corner in the 38th minute, with PSG's stand-in goalkeeper Matvey Safonov in no man's land.
Dembele, who had seen a decent attempt saved by Manuel Neuer in the first half, received his marching orders for a lunge on his France team-mate Coman just before the hour, with the referee deeming it worthy of a second booking. It marked the first time Dembele has been sent off since 2019, when he saw red for Barcelona in a LaLiga clash with Sevilla.
Safonov made amends for his earlier mistake by tipping a Jamal Musiala shot onto the post but despite applying some late pressure, PSG could not prevent Bayern from claiming a seventh consecutive victory and seventh straight clean sheet in all competitions.
While Vincent Kompany's team are up to 11th in the standings, PSG are in 26th on just four points from their five matches, two places outside of the play-off spots with three games remaining.
Data Debrief: Kim off the mark for buoyant Bayern
Kim scored his first goal in the Champions League, in what was his 23rd appearance in the competition.
The scoreline ultimately flattered PSG, who finished with 0.88 expected goals (xG), while Bayern created 2.21 xG.
Bayern are now unbeaten in each of their last 33 home games in the Champions League group stage (W31 D2), the joint-longest such run in the competition's history, level with Barcelona between November 2009 and November 2020. They have gone on a run of seven wins without conceding for the first time since September 2011, too.
This is the eighth time in the Champions League that Bayern have defeated PSG, with only Real Madrid (11 vs Bayern) and Bayern themselves (10 vs Barcelona) winning more games against a single opponent in the competition's history.
Arsenal put on one of the best performances of the Champions League so far to thrash Portuguese side Sporting 5-1 away from home.
Gabriel Martinelli put Mikel Arteta's side ahead after just seven minutes and they hardly looked back from that point.
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes added a second and third respectively before half-time as the visitors did their best to kill the game as a contest.
Things got a little more competitive when Goncalo Inacio pulled one back for the hosts within two minutes of the restart, but a Bukayo Saka penalty in the 65th minute soon quelled any chance of a comeback.
Leandro Trossard got the fifth eight minutes from time after coming off the bench to help Arsenal move above Sporting into seventh place in the 36-team league. Sporting, meanwhile, are one place back on goal difference.
Data debrief: Arsenal wow in Lisbon
Arsenal's 5-1 victory away to Sporting was their biggest away win in the Champions League for 21 years.
The result matched that of the scoreline they managed against Inter Milan in 2003.
It is a result that is made more impressive given that it is Sporting's first defeat at their own ground in 14 matches in all competitions, and the only home game they have failed to win this season.
Bayer Leverkusen got their Champions League campaign back on track with a 5-0 home win over RB Salzburg on Tuesday, with Florian Wirtz scoring twice and the visitors having goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to thank for avoiding an even bigger defeat.
Leverkusen, beaten 4-0 at Liverpool in their last game, raced into an early lead with Wirtz scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute and Alejandro Grimaldo netting from a free kick three minutes later.
Wirtz scored again on the half-hour as Leverkusen threatened to run riot and Patrik Schick added a fourth goal 16 minutes after the break.
Substitute Aleix Garcia rounded off the win 18 minutes from time, just four minutes after entering the pitch.
Leverkusen return to winning ways, having failed to pick up three points in their last two matches in the competition.
It moves them up to 13th on 10 points, while Salzburg remain on three points in 30th after suffering their fourth defeat in five matches.
Data Debrief: Wirtz shows dazzling promise
Leverkusen’s Wirtz scored his 17th goal in major European football tonight (12 in UEFA Europa League, 5 in UEFA Champions League) – at the age of 21, only Erling Haaland (23), Kylian Mbappe (21) and Ronaldo (20) have scored more before their 22nd birthday, with Wirtz drawing level with Lionel Messi tonight.
He has scored five Champions League goals in his five appearances so far for Bayer Leverkusen, the most ever goals scored by a German player in their first five games in the competition.
He was integral to what was Leverkusen’s joint biggest win in their major European football history, also registering 5-0 victories in November 1994 against Budapest Honved and in December 2007 against Zurich, both in the UEFA Cup.
Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 victory over Brest on Tuesday as Robert Lewandowski surpassed 100 goals in the Champions League.
On his 125th Champions League appearance, Lewandowski netted his landmark goal from the penalty spot just 10 minutes in at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, after he was barged over by Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot.
Dani Olmo made matters more comfortable for Barca, who squandered several chances to add to their lead and looked vulnerable to counter-attacks at times, midway through the second half.
Olmo skilfully evaded a glut of defenders in the box and squeezed in a finish that deflected in off Bizot.
And Lewandowski fittingly added further gloss in stoppage time to move onto 101 goals in UEFA's flagship cup competition.
Barca moved up to second in the 36-team standings, with 12 points, one point behind leaders Inter.
Data Debrief: Ton up for in-form Lewy
Lewandowski is the third player to score 100 goals in the Champions League, after Lionel Messi (129) and Cristiano Ronaldo (140).
The Barca striker, however, took the fewest shots (451) to reach the milestone, with Messi needing 527 to get there, and Ronaldo 793. Lewandowski netted 17 times in the competition for Borussia Dortmund, 69 times for Bayern Munich and now 15 times for the Blaugrana. Meanwhile, 22 of his Champions League goals have come under Hansi Flick.
In all competitions this season, Lewandowski has now scored 22 goals in 19 appearances – nine more than any other LaLiga player. Indeed, he is only four goals shy of his total tally for last season (26 in 49 games).
Barca, meanwhile, are the fifth team to win four successive European Cup/Champions League matches by at least three goals, after Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 (five), Bayern in 2020 and 2021 (four on both occasions), Leeds United in 1969 (four) and Reims in 1958 (four).
Girona are looking to take their league form into the remainder of their Champions League campaign according to head coach Michel, ahead of their game away to Sturm Graz on Wednesday.
The Spanish side have won three successive matches in LaLiga, following their 4-1 victory over Espanyol on Saturday, which has helped them up to seventh in the table.
With his side currently outside the qualification places in the Champions League table and on just three points, Michel is keen to see his side replicate their domestic form ahead of more challenging matches against Liverpool, AC Milan and Arsenal.
"[This match] is not definitive, but it is very important," Michel told a press conference on Tuesday.
"Obviously, if you look at the fixtures ahead afterwards, getting the three points is key. We've only got three points, the feelings are good and we want to continue in the same way.
"We are prepared. We'll be at our best on a competitive level because having everyone available will allow us to move up a step. The internal competition is very strong and being able to choose between two players means that the players are 100% motivated."
Austrian side Sturm Graz are third-bottom of the entire table, having lost all four matches
But despite their poor run, Michel is not willing to underestimate his opposition and suggested that he did not even consider his team as favourites.
"We will try to show our idea of the game. I tried that in Paris, against PSV and at home. The word ‘favourite’ means nothing positive or negative to me at the start of matches," he said.
"I have to prepare for a match and there are tactical tools in defence and attack to be able to overcome the opposition. They haven't won, but you have to look at every game.
"They are a very competitive opponent and there is a lot of difficulty in one game. I see that we are capable of imposing our game style and if we do that we will be able to achieve a positive result." (Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City Editing by Toby Davis)
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