England captain Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich strengthen their grip on Group A in the Champions League as he scored in a 3-1 win at Galatasaray.

Kane scored his 11th goal in 13 games for the German side as he put them 2-1 up after Kingsley Coman’s early opener was cancelled out by Mauro Icardi’s penalty.

The 30-year-old tapped home from close range in the 73rd minute and then Jamal Musiala made the game safe six minutes later to all-but seal qualification for the knockout stages.

Manchester United gave themselves a lifeline with a 1-0 win over Copenhagen in their first home match since the death of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Harry Maguire’s second-half header put them in front, but goalkeeper Andre Onana was the hero as he saved Jordan Larsson’s injury-time penalty.

Jude Bellingham’s electric start to life at Real Madrid continued as he scored in a 2-1 Champions League win at Braga.

The precocious England international scored his 11th goal in 12 games for his new club as Madrid took control of Group C, making it three wins out of three.

Rodrygo put Madrid ahead in the first half before Bellingham doubled the lead on the hour, with Alvaro Djalo getting the Portuguese side back in it.

Giacomo Raspadori’s goal for Napoli kept them on course for qualification as they beat Union Berlin 1-0.

Inter Milan extended their unbeaten start in Champions League Group D with a 2-1 win over Red Bull Salzburg at San Siro.

Oscar Gloukh gave the Austrians hope when he cancelled out an opener from Alexis Sanchez but Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty extended the fine form of Simone Inzaghi’s side.

Brais Mendez’s 63rd-minute strike earned Real Sociedad a 1-0 win at Benfica.

Gabriel Jesus continued his love affair with the Champions League with a fine goal and assist as he led Arsenal to victory over Sevilla.

The Brazil forward may not boast the most prolific strike record but he has now scored an impressive 23 goals in 41 appearances in Europe’s elite club competition and he was the difference as the Gunners won 2-1.

A piece of magic from Jesus set up compatriot Gabriel Martinelli to open the scoring on the stroke of half-time before he doubled the lead with a fine, curling finish of his own – although he later limped off having moments earlier held his hamstring.

A thunderous Nemanja Gudelj header reduced the arrears on the hour but Mikel Arteta’s side saw out the closing stages to secure victory, moving top of Group B in the process.

Arsenal’s chances were improved by Lens and PSV drawing in the other Group B game.

West Brom climbed back into the Sky Bet Championship’s top six with a 2-0 win against 10-man latecomers QPR at the Hawthorns in a game Jimmy Dunne will want to forget.

Brandon Thomas-Asante netted a 59th-minute penalty before man-of-the-match Grady Diangana scored the second nine minutes later, after he had been tripped by Kenneth Paal for the spot-kick.

The penalty award led to the dismissal of QPR defender Dunne for a second bookable offence for dissent, just two minutes after he was shown a yellow card after being injured.

The result meant West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan could celebrate his one-year anniversary – in stark contrast to opposite number Gareth Ainsworth, who lost for the fifth time in a row.

Until the penalty it looked like West Brom were going to be left doubly frustrated by QPR – first by the Londoners’ late arrival, then by their defence.

The game, which was due to start at 8pm, kicked off 10 minutes late following the delayed arrival of the QPR squad due to traffic following an incident in Birmingham city centre.

Corberan, 40, who will have been in the Baggies hotseat for 12 months on Wednesday, saw his injury-hit side find chances hard to come by until the decisive penalty.

West Brom started the brighter but Thomas-Asante failed to control a beautifully-flighted ball over the top from Diangana which left him through on goal.

Darnell Furlong headed powerfully over the crossbar from eight yards from Erik Pieters’ up-and-under cross.

West Brom looked to find some much-needed inspiration after the break and Okay Yokuslu looped a header over from Matt Phillips’ free-kick.

But they had to be alert at the other end as only a vital block from Cedric Kipre denied Ilias Chair from Reggie Cannon’s cutback.

The breakthrough came when Paal clumsily tripped Diangana as the winger cut in from the right.

Thomas-Asante thumped home the resulting spot-kick into the top corner to end his seven-match drought in style with his fourth goal of the season.

Diangana hit a post with a superb curling effort before tapping home the second goal after Nathaniel Chalobah had beaten Osman Kakay and squared.

The goal – his first since February – came on his 100th league appearance for West Brom since his £20million permanent move from West Ham.

Substitute Jayson Molumby drove just wide in time added on.

Leicester recorded an eighth successive victory in the league to move eight points clear at the top of the table with a 1-0 win against Sunderland as James Justin’s first-half header proved decisive.

Justin rose highest to head home Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner after 12 minutes and secure the points as the full-back scored his first league goal for the club in over two years.

The Foxes hit a post twice in the first half and missed a number of chances to double their lead throughout but did enough to secure a 12th win from 13 league matches to continue their stunning start to the season.

Sunderland have now lost their last three league matches and should have equalised at the death only for Abdoullah Ba to fire over from close range as Tony Mowbray’s side struggled to penetrate the league’s meanest defence.

The Black Cats had the game’s first chance when a cross from the right ran through to Jack Clarke at the back past only for the midfielder to see his shot turned away by the legs of Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

However, Leicester broke the deadlock in the 12th minute with their first meaningful effort on goal as Justin leapt unmarked at the near post to head in Dewsbury-Hall’s excellent corner from the left.

The home side went close to a second goal soon after as Foxes winger Stephy Mavididi jinked his way into the box and saw a low shot superbly flicked onto a post by the boot of Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson.

Leicester hit the woodwork again towards the end of the first half as Kelechi Iheanacho blasted a shot against a post after Wout Faes clipped a delightful pass into Cesare Casadei who in turn nodded the ball into the path of the striker.

Chelsea loanee Casadei then spurned a couple of chances to double Leicester’s lead after the break, first shooting straight at Patterson after the ball fell kindly to him in the box before seeing a low shot tipped behind by the Sunderland keeper soon after.

Casadei turned provider a few minutes later, teeing up Iheanacho for a shot on goal only for the Nigerian to curl an effort a couple of yards wide when one-on-one with Patterson.

Sunderland enjoyed their best spell of the game in the final 20 minutes as Dan Neil curled wide after pouncing on an error from Harry Winks despite having time and space to pick his spot.

The visitors wasted another opening shortly after as Dennis Cirkin fired over from the left edge of the penalty area after some excellent build-up play to create a shooting chance.

However, the Black Cats’ best chance to draw level came in the final few minutes as substitute Ba somehow fired over the crossbar from inside the box with the goal at his mercy and Foxes goalkeeper Hermansen on the floor.

Giacomo Raspadori scored the only goal against the run of play as Napoli ground out a 1-0 Champions League win over Union Berlin.

Raspadori’s second-half strike gave his side a three-point cushion in second place in Group C ahead of Braga, who lost 2-1 to leaders Real Madrid.

Union gave a good account of themselves at a raucous Olympiastadion but remain pointless at the bottom of the group.

Diogo Leite headed over from an early Union corner and while the early action on the pitch was otherwise flat, the bouncing home fans were creating quite an atmosphere.

Janik Haberer was denied an opener for the hosts after David Datro Fofana, on loan from Chelsea, tricked his way through brilliantly and laid on a close-range tap-in but was then pulled back by a delayed offside flag.

Brenden Aaronson fired woefully over from Sheraldo Becker’s cutback while Napoli’s wing wizard Kvicha Kvaratskhelia was crowded out after some impressive trickery.

Fofana had a shot saved at the near post and then set up Rani Khedira to swing an effort wide.

Napoli attackers Raspadori and Matteo Politano were consistently too ponderous in cutting inside to shoot, allowing the Union defence to stand firm. Fofana headed wide at the other end in the one minute added to the first half.

The start of the second half was, if anything, even less inspiring but Napoli struck in the 65th minute with a goal created by key man Kvaratskhelia.

Mario Rui won the ball well and fed the Georgian on the left. His first cross was cleared back to him but he took on Christopher Trimmel and teed up Raspadori six yards out to finish decisively.

The Italy forward was soon replaced by Giovanni Simeone among a raft of substitutions by both teams – with Fofana looking aggrieved to be withdrawn – before Eljif Elmas, a half-time introduction, curled a shot high and wide with Napoli team-mates in better positions.

Robin Knoche headed Trimmel’s excellent cross just wide and though Union pushed desperately for a late equaliser, there was to be no way through.

New upcoming NBA star Victor Wembanyama must "remember to be a kid" as expectations grow on the San Antonio Spurs' 19-year-old, who has already been likened to LeBron James.

That was the message from the Chicago Bulls' Andre Drummond, who is well qualified to offer such advice given he has his eyes on a significant milestone of his own.

Drummond is just 37 boards away from reaching 10,000 rebounds in his impressive NBA career, having initially started at the Detroit Pistons with expectations on his shoulders, too.

The Bulls' 30-year-old has been in basketball long enough – and from a similar young age as well – to feel capable of offering advice to the exciting Wembanyama.

The Chicago center told Stats Perform: "For Victor, if I had to give him some advice, I would always tell him to just remember to be a kid.

"I feel like that is something that I didn't take advantage of coming in at 18 years old.

"I feel like I'd stepped into this realm of basketball and like, instantly became a man.

"I had to do everything as a man when I still had my mom and my sister, I still had a family base too, and I think that's the best thing I did do, was bring them out.

"I was so focused on, 'Alright, how do I fit in?' So, I will just tell him to always be himself."

Drummond was rated as the number-one pick of the 2011 class by ESPN after featuring in a gold-medal winning United States team at the Under-17 World Championship.

Having experienced similar pressures in his early career, Drummond sees aspects of his own challenges in Wembanyama.

"Similar to him, I came in and played right away," Drummond added. "I had to figure it out on the fly.

"I was going to a team that was rebuilding and a lot of pressure was on me too, along with him.

"He has a lot of pressure on his back too, because now they're looking at him to be the guy to bring the Spurs back to the calibre that they were.

"For me coming into Detroit, it was like 'well, you have to bring us back to the playoffs, you got to bring us to being a contending team' because all they know in Detroit is winning, they are a blue-collar city.

"So similar stories, different guys. We're all going on the same path at the end of the day, we want to win a championship and we want to be the best we can be."

While likening his experiences to what Wembanyama will face, over a decade on from his NBA introduction Drummond now has milestones in his sights.

"Being 37 away from 10,000 rebounds," he continued, "it puts a lot of perspective for myself and just for the public because I always tell everybody, I feel like I'm the best ever to do it, [regardless of] me having, or about to have 10,000 rebounds.

"I think just my body of work and my percentages and numbers help prove that and honestly, for me it just shows the amount of work I put in.

"Every year I set a goal to be the best rebounder each and every season and to have the honour of reaching 10,000, not too many people have the chance to do that. I am with a group of high-calibre guys."

While delighted to feature in a group that includes the likes of legends Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, which Drummond labelled as "truly an honour", the Bulls star wants to use his experience to help teammates now.

"For myself this year, it's just, I think it's everything away from basketball, I feel like it's just staying with it, controlling things that I could control," he said.

"Focusing on the things that matter, being a good team-mate, being there for the guys, playing hard each and every time I'm out there.

"In practice, pushing our starters to be better each and every day, being a vocal leader. I feel like that's something that I lacked last year, not using my voice for someone who's been around for 12 years now.

"I feel like I should have spoken more and said a lot more to our younger guys, so I think just being that vet that everybody sees me as I'm really showing it."

Gabriel Jesus continued his love affair with the Champions League with a fine goal and assist as he led Arsenal to victory over Sevilla.

The Brazil forward may not boast the most prolific strike record but he has now scored an impressive 23 goals in 41 appearances in Europe’s elite club competition and he was the difference here as the Gunners won 2-1.

A piece of magic from Jesus set up compatriot Gabriel Martinelli to open the scoring on the stroke of half-time before he doubled the lead with a fine, curling finish of his own – although he later limped off having moments earlier held his hamstring.

A thunderous Nemanja Gudelj header reduced the arrears on the hour but Mikel Arteta’s side saw out the closing stages to secure victory, moving top of Group B in the process.

Martinelli should have put Arsenal ahead inside eight minutes after being played through on goal by Jesus, only to shoot straight at the advancing Orjan Nyland.

Moments later Lucas Ocampos stabbed an effort just wide at the other end as both sides looked to strike early in an atmospheric Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

David Raya’s inclusion in the Arsenal goal at the continued expense of Aaron Ramsdale was again a talking point before the game and the Spaniard gifted possession to Sevilla at the midway point of the first half but the home side failed to take advantage.

Neither team created anything else of note until stoppage time when, firstly, Sevilla easily cut through the Arsenal defence but Youssef En-Nesyri failed to hit the target as he dragged a shot wide.

Arsenal then took the lead, having escaped another Sevilla attack they broke at pace and a fine touch and perfectly-weighted pass from Jesus set Martinelli in behind. This time the Brazilian made no mistake, calmly rounding Nyland before rolling the ball into an empty net.

The Gunners should have doubled their lead soon after the restart but captain Martin Odegaard blazed over when well-placed inside the box.

Jesus, though, was in confident mood and extended the advantage with a fine solo goal, moving in off the left to curl a finish past Nyland.

Sevilla responded well and got themselves back into the contest when Gudelj powered a header past Raya from Ivan Rakitic’s corner.

The Europa League holders came within inches of equalising soon after, as substitute Mariano Diaz’s strike was tipped onto the crossbar by Raya.

Jesus did not have chance to savour a memorable performance as he gingerly hobbled off to be replaced by Eddie Nketiah with 10 minutes left on the clock.

Arsenal, though, were able to navigate through the difficult closing stages, surviving a late onslaught to secure victory ahead of the return game at the Emirates Stadium in a fortnight’s time, where another three points will leave Arteta’s side sitting pretty.

Harry Maguire’s header and Andre Onana’s stoppage-time penalty save secured Manchester United a vital Champions League win against Copenhagen in their first home match since the death of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Tuesday’s Old Trafford encounter allowed the club to come together and pay tribute to the World Cup winner and all-round gentleman following his death at the age of 86 on Saturday.

Charlton starred for United and in 1968 led them to European Cup glory at Wembley, where Erik ten Hag’s men would love to return for June’s Champions League final.

First comes qualification from Group C, which misfiring United continued to make hard work of as they rode their luck to claim a 1-0 win against Copenhagen after losses to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

Maguire temporarily quietened his doubters with a second-half header against the impressive Danish champions, who pushed until the end and looked set to act as party poopers.

Scott McTominay brought down Mohamed Elyounoussi in the box in stoppage time, but goalkeeper Onana – so unsteady since joining from Inter Milan – saved Jordan Larsson’s penalty in a jaw-dropping ending.

Jude Bellingham’s electric start to life at Real Madrid continued as he scored in a 2-1 Champions League win at Braga.

The precocious England international scored his 11th goal in 12 games for his new club as Madrid took control of Group C, making it three wins out of three.

Rodrygo put Madrid ahead in the first half before Bellingham doubled the lead on the hour, with Alvaro Djalo getting the Portuguese side back in it.

Los Blancos had chances to kill the game off but were made to sweat, with victory putting them on the verge of qualification for the knockout stage.

The visitors were under the cosh in the opening exchanges as Braga started well.

But they weathered the storm and took a 16th-minute lead with a goal that saw them go from back to front in a flash.

Nacho’s long ball set Vinicius Junior free down the left, he beat his marker and squared for Rodrygo to slide home at the near post.

Braga still asked questions and Al-Musrati almost levelled when a corner fell to him at the far post but his shot was deflected over.

Madrid showed it only took a moment to cut their hosts open and Vinicius tested Lukas Hornicek’s handling with a shot, while the Brazilian also missed a good chance when Bellingham slipped him in.

Bellingham was involved early on in the second half and fired a warning shot as he controlled Vincius’ cross on his chest and sent in a fierce left-footed half-volley, but Hornicek was equal to it and tipped it over.

There was nothing he could do about the former Borussia Dortmund man’s effort in the 61st minute as Bellingham controlled Vinicius’s pass on the edge of the area and coolly stroked home into the bottom corner.

If Madrid thought the game was safe they were mistaken as just three minutes later Braga hit back.

Simon Banza played in Djalo, who was given too much space and fired into the roof of the net.

Vinicius thought he had killed the game as he raced clear and converted in the final 10 minutes but VAR ruled it out for a marginal offside.

It meant Carlo Ancellotti’s side faced a nervy few minutes, but they held on to continue their 100 per cent record.

Middlesbrough continued their rapid rise up the Championship table as they beat Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road to make it six league wins on the trot.

Michael Carrick’s rejuvenated side never looked back after Sam Greenwood opened the scoring in the first minute of the second half.

Substitute Sammy Silvera completed a deserved win by netting a second in stoppage time and although Jonathan Rowe pulled one back at the death, his eighth goal of the season was no more than a consolation for the struggling hosts.

It was a second home defeat in the space of four days for the Canaries, who have slumped alarmingly after a bright beginning to the season.

After a slow start Boro had the better of a scrappy first half and carved out a number of decent opportunities as the game passed the half-hour mark.

Josh Coburn sent a close-range header straight at George Long after the home goalkeeper had punched a Jonny Howson high into the night sky and then Lukas Engel fired just over after being set up by a glorious crossfield ball from Isaiah Jones.

The visitors went even closer a few minutes later as the hosts carelessly coughed up possession deep inside their own half, allowing Hayden Hackney to bear down on goal but, although his shot beat Long, defender Shane Duffy was behind him to block.

After the recalled Marcelino Nunez had got an early shot on target, Norwich barely threatened despite having plenty of the ball and were booed off by some fans at the break.

The mood of the home faithful hardly improved when Boro took the lead 33 seconds into the second period
following a woefully misplaced pass by defender Dimi Giannoulis.

Hackney nipped in to intercept and sent Coburn racing through and the youngster simply squared for an unmarked Greenwood to slide the ball home with ease.

Norwich responded in spirited fashion, with Nunez cracking a shot against the crossbar after being fed by Giannoulis and Ben Gibson sending a powerful header inches wide against his former club.

Boro seemed content to soak up the pressure and rely on the occasional counter-attack and as the half wore Norwich struggled to get a clear sight of goal themselves.

It was the visitors who wrapped up the points in the second minute of stoppage time when substitute Silvera picked up a loose ball and skipped into the area before guiding a low shot into the bottom corner.

Rowe produced a tremendous finish from a tight angle to reduce the arrears in the ninth minute of added time but there was no time for another Norwich response.

The San Francisco Giants didn't look too far to find their next manager.

Bob Melvin is reportedly leaving his job as the manager of the San Diego Padres to take the same position with the division rival Giants.

The Athletic was the first to report the hiring, which is expected to be made official Tuesday night.

The 61-year-old Melvin had one year remaining on his contract with the Padres, but reportedly had a frosty relationship with general manager A.J. Preller.

He managed San Diego for just two seasons, leading the team to a berth in the NL Championship Series in 2022 before underachieving this season by finishing in third place in the NL West with a disappointing 82-80 record despite having the third-highest payroll in MLB.

Prior to joining the Padres, Melvin managed the Oakland Athletics from 2011-2021. He led the A's to six playoffs trips in those 11 seasons, and was named the AL Manager of the Year in 2012 and 2018.

He won his first Manager of the Year Award in 2007, while leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to the NL West title and a trip to the NLCS. He spent five seasons in Arizona after beginning his managerial career in 2003 with the Seattle Mariners.

In 20 seasons as a manager in the majors, Melvin has compiled a 1,517-1,425 record with eight post-season appearances.

A native of the Bay Area, the former big league catcher played for the Giants from 1986-88.

Melvin replaces Gabe Kapler, who was fired with three days remaining in the season.

Kapler was 456-411 over four seasons as manager in San Francisco and helped the team win a franchise-record 107 games in 2021. However, the Giants missed the playoffs each of the last two years, finishing this season in fourth place in the NL West with a 79-83 record.

 

Chris Martin scored his first goal for Bristol Rovers as he chipped in from 35 yards to earn a point for the home side in a 1-1 draw with Stevenage.

The 34-year-old elegantly lobbed over stranded goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond with seven minutes remaining when John Marquis fed the ball to the Pirates’ September free transfer signing.

Stevenage striker Jamie Reid had netted his ninth goal of the League One season before that as the visitors took the lead in the 40th minute.

Kane Hemmings, Connor Taylor and goalkeeper Matthew Cox all collided in the area trying to meet Jordan Roberts’ looping cross, and while the home supporters awaited a whistle from referee Matthew Donohue, it never came. Instead Reid gathered the loose ball and calmly slotted into the open goal.

Rovers forward Jevani Brown saw a good effort blocked in the second half, while Carl Piergianni headed a Jake Forster-Caskey free-kick against the post with half an hour to play but Stevenage came no closer to scoring.

Callum Brittain’s first goal for Blackburn earned his side a third straight win in the Championship as they came from behind to defeat managerless Millwall 2-1 at The Den.

It certainly was not the finish of a man who had not previously struck since signing from Barnsley last year, but it enabled Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team to seal the points.

This was Millwall’s first home game since the departure of Gary Rowett six days ago, and his former charges are now winless in three.

They were, however, ahead in only the third minute when Jake Cooper kept alive Joe Bryan’s free-kick, allowing Wes Harding to get in a fairly tame header on goal.

It was one that Blackburn goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt somehow allowed to run in through his legs and give Harding his first Lions goal since his summer move from Rotherham.

Another goalkeeping clanger then gifted the visitors an equaliser after 22 minutes when Joe Rankin-Costello played a one-two with Brittain before his shot squirmed under Bartosz Bialkowski and trickled in.

Rovers almost completed the turnaround just after the half-hour when Dominic Hyam’s ball across was flicked goalwards by Harry Pickering, but Bialkowski this time got down to save.

Blackburn looked the more likely to move ahead in the remainder of the half, but the two teams went into the break level in the score and level when it came to errors by the men between the sticks.

Parity was broken six minutes into the second half when James Hill’s pass put Brittain into space and he was able to advance into the area before bending a superb finish into the top corner to put the visitors ahead.

Millwall responded well, however, and were almost level within three minutes as Tom Bradshaw’s header needed to be pushed over the bar by Wahlstedt.

Blackburn then should have moved further in front in the 59th minute when substitute Andrew Moran was put through by Rankin-Costello, only to be denied by Bialkowski, who then clawed away Sammie Szmodics’ header moments later.

Still in the hunt, the Lions again came close to equalising when Romain Esse’s chipped ball into the box was flicked wide by Cooper’s head.

Then from George Honeyman’s corner, Bradshaw flicked the ball on, but the sliding Harding was unable to turn it home at the back post.

Bialkowski then continued to keep the hosts alive, when he did brilliantly to tip Szmodics’ effort onto the bar after Blackburn’s top scorer had been teed up by Tyrhys Dolan, but Brittain’s super strike was enough to claim the points.

A defiant Andre Drummond suggested the Chicago Bulls can utilise an underdog mentality as his side prepare to face a host of "super teams" in the new NBA season.

The Bulls have missed out on the NBA Playoffs in five of the last six seasons, finishing 40-42 in their last campaign and failing to make the eight-seed position in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago's task in the upcoming season will be no easier, although Drummond believes the Bulls can mix with the best as numerous teams assemble impressive rosters.

"I'm looking to beat every team that we play," the 30-year-old center told Stats Perform.

"That's my mindset, but there are definitely some circles on my calendar for teams that I'm looking forward to playing. Phoenix being one of them. Denver, Boston, the Bucks, the Spurs.

"I'm really looking forward to [facing] these teams that are being formed, like these super teams everybody's talking about.

"I love when the underdog team beats them."

While the Bulls once again failed to make the postseason, Drummond took some comfort in seeing his former teammates win the championship with the Denver Nuggets.

"The Nuggets winning almost feels like I won because it's kind of personal for me," he continued.

"Four of my former teammates play for that team – Ish Smith, Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown – and the fact those guys have done it [makes it feel personal because of] how much work we all put into our games.

"We played for Detroit together, and to see them win it almost felt like I got a piece of that championship to see that success for them."

The Nuggets are tipped as a potential repeat champion, which has happened on just three occasions since 2010, with the talent of Nikola Jokic a key to their success.

In 20 postseason games, Jokic accumulated 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists. Never before in NBA history had a player reached those numbers over a 20-game span.

Jokic also became the first player in NBA history to have 25+ points and 15+ rebounds on 75 per cent shooting in a championship-clinching win after the Game 5 victory over the Miami Heat.

Those record-breaking numbers were no surprise to Drummond, who is preparing to face a new era of NBA stars.

"It is the new age of basketball now with guys like Jokic, Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and the new kid Victor [Wembanyama] who is taking the league by storm right now," he added.

"The game is changing and changes every year, something new happens and it becomes a wave, and everybody wants to follow that trend for that year until the next wave goes on.

"I always say history repeats itself at some point in time, the true center position is going to come back around, which it already kind of has due to everybody getting out-rebounded.

"I just think it's unique man, Jokic is a unique basketball player, the way he sees the floor, he thinks like a guard and plays like a guard, but is 6'11 and almost 300 pounds.

"He's just a really smart, a great decision maker, great basketball player overall and he's very, very fun to watch and play against."

Having started with the Detroit Pistons in 2012, Drummond believes the game has changed – and will continue to evolve – albeit perhaps not for the better.

He said: "I've been a part of a lot of good basketball, and to like where it is now, where it's a little bit softer, you can't touch anybody and everybody is free flowing.

"Everybody's there for the show instead of the game of basketball, I feel like it's a lot easier now because you can't touch anybody, so it makes the game a lot easier for both the offense and defense."

Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich to a 3-1 win at Galatasaray as they remained in firm control of Group A in the Champions League.

Bayern took an early lead through Kingsley Coman but after Mauro Icardi’s 30th-minute penalty brought the hosts level, they had to soak up considerable pressure in Istanbul before two goals in the last 20 minutes secured a 16th straight group-stage win.

Kane got the first in the 73rd minute and then teed up Jamal Musiala to add another soon after as Galatasaray’s 23-match unbeaten run was ended.

After Icardi spurned an early opportunity for the hosts, Coman silenced the home crowd eight minutes in when Bayern hit Galatasaray on the break.

Leroy Sane broke down the left, cut inside and spread the ball for Coman, who had space after Kazimcan Karatas over-committed and went to ground too early, to drill home.

Galatasaray responded well to the setback, pouring forward and creating chance after chance.

Sven Ulreich did well to turn Kerem Akturkoglu’s shot around the post but was then grateful to see the Turkey forward spurn a gift, firing over the crossbar after the Bayern goalkeeper cleared the ball straight to him.

Galatasaray were rewarded on the half-hour mark when Icardi was caught by a sliding Joshua Kimmich as he tried to connect with a low cross, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot.

Icardi, who missed from the spot against Manchester United, made no mistake this time with a cheeky chip down the middle once Ulreich had already committed.

The chances continued to come as Wilfried Zaha, Sacha Boey and Akturkoglu had shots blocked before half-time.

Just before the hour Lucas Torreira stooped to meet Dries Mertens’ free-kick at the front post but could only find the side-netting, and the former Arsenal midfielder then played in Icardi whose shot was again blocked.

Their failure to convert the chances they had created cost them as Bayern came forward late on.

Kane put them back in front with 17 minutes left. He tried to meet Musiala’s low cross from the right with a flick from his trailing leg but when that effort was blocked, the ball bounced up for him to prod home.

It was then Kane’s turn to set up Musiala, who rifled home a shot from the edge of the box.

Galatasaray seemed to know they were beaten and the intent they had shown for so much of the night was gone.

Instead it was Bayern who threatened to score again, with Fernando Muslera denying Sane before Eric Choupo-Moting headed narrowly over from a Kimmich corner.

The win extended Bayern’s perfect start to the campaign as they top the standings with nine points.

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