Stefano Pioli insists Milan are "focused" on domestic league objectives after Juventus' successful points deduction appeal saw the Rossoneri slip outside Serie A's top four.

The move to deduct Juventus 15 points in January due to alleged breaches in relation to historical transfers was reversed this week, lifting Massimiliano Allegri's side to third place in the Italian top flight.

Milan subsequently dropped to fifth – three points outside the Champions League qualifying places with eight matches remaining.

Fresh from reaching the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, Pioli's side return to Serie A action when they host Lecce on Sunday.

Last season's champions, Milan have won just once in their last six league matches, but their head coach is confident his players can address their recent struggles.

"The important thing is to stay focused on the things we can control," Pioli said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. "The sooner there is a definitive position, the better.

"The Champions League is locked away in a vault, now we're reopening the league vault. We have to push hard, we don't want this position in the standings.

"It's not all in our hands. We need to claim a lot of points and the calendar gives us the chance to do it.

"There are eight games left, five at San Siro. We can finish the season well thanks to the qualities we have.

"What we've done so far doesn't matter, the most important match is tomorrow."

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is urging his team to take advantage of their Serie A points deduction reprieve as they host leaders Napoli with second place in sight.

The Bianconeri were hit with a 15-point deduction in January after an investigation into a capital gains case, with the club found guilty of alleged breaches in relation to historical transfers.

Former chairman Andrea Agnelli, ex-director Pavel Nedved and one-time managing director Fabio Paratici, who joined Tottenham in 2021, were all suspended from football by the Italian Football Federation (FICG), along with eight other individuals.

Juve's initial appeal to have the deduction revoked proved successful, with the Collegio di Garanzia referring the case back to the FIGC following Thursday's announcement. Nedved and some other former directors have been cleared, although Agnelli and Paratici had their suspensions upheld.

The FIGC could yet punish Juve again after re-evaluating the case, but for the time being the 15 points they lost in January have been reinstated, hoisting them back up third in the table.

It is timely for the Bianconeri as they bid to qualify for the Champions League, and Allegri appreciates the magnitude of the boost.

"We did what was possible after the penalty. It's normal that there was some conditioning but there shouldn't be any excuses. What happened, happened. Now we have to think about what must happen from today until June 4," he said.

"It would be too easy to think about what if... It could be said that [the deduction] brought us together, but maybe we would've won 10 points more than we have without what happened, because maybe in terms of mental conditioning it's difficult to explain.

"I'm happy with what the boys have done, it's something important.

"We had to reset everything, make a mental effort to readjust to what the rankings were and try to get back on track.

"In the meantime we had the Europa League, the Coppa Italia. What we've done has been done well, now we have to do better from here to the end of the season. We have the possibility of going to the final of the Coppa Italia and the Europa League, and we try to go and get Lazio in second place."

They could usurp Lazio as early as Sunday if they do beat Napoli, though even after the Partenopei's Champions League disappointment in midweek, Luciano Spalletti's side represent a huge threat.

Serie A's runaway leaders crushed Juventus 5-1 earlier this season, meaning they are aiming to do the double over the Old Lady for only the fourth time in the top flight.

Napoli's form has become a little patchier in recent times, failing to win three of their previous six games in the league, as many as in their first 24 of the season.

But those disappointments have all been at home. On the road they have been irrepressible, winning each of their past seven away games in the league and 12 of 13, the exception being a 1-0 defeat at Inter in January.

While Napoli were knocked out of Europe by Milan this week, Allegri recognises Napoli's standing.

"There is no desire for revenge. There is just a desire to beat the league leaders who have won seven times in their last seven away games," he said.

"They are strong, they have shown it in Italy and in Europe. Sometimes you lose games that you don't deserve to lose, but in the end the results count.

"Napoli are doing very well. They killed the championship by keeping an impressive away record.

"This is a Napoli that's on its way to winning the Scudetto. They've had an extraordinary season and are deservedly winning [the title].

"It will be a difficult match against a strong team, who came out of the Champions League despite playing a good game and who will try to score as many points as possible to get to the Scudetto as soon as possible."

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Madrid Open, with the world number one struggling with an elbow injury just over a month before the start of the French Open.

The 22-time grand slam champion wore strapping on his right elbow at last week's Monte Carlo Masters, suffering a shock 6-4 5-7 4-6 defeat to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.

Djokovic was back in action at the Srpska Open in Banja Luka this week, losing to fellow Serbian Dusan Lajovic in the quarter-finals, but he sparked concerns regarding his injury on the eve of that tournament.

Djokovic described his elbow as "not in an ideal condition" on Tuesday, though he added it was "good enough" for him to continue his preparations for Roland Garros.

On Saturday, however, it was confirmed Djokovic would not compete at the upcoming Masters 1000 event in Madrid, which he has won on three previous occasions.

Djokovic's absence from the clay-court event, which finishes just three weeks before the French Open begins, leaves the 35-year-old facing a battle to be fit for the second grand slam of the year.

Djokovic will not be the only big-name absentee in Madrid, with Rafael Nadal withdrawing earlier this week as he continues to struggle with an injury to his left hip.

With Nadal's chances of participating at the French Open also in the balance, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said it was "hard to imagine" the event taking place without the 14-time winner.

Both Djokovic and Nadal will be targeting a record-breaking 23rd grand slam singles title if able to compete at the French Open, which will run from May 28 to June 11. 

Xavi welcomed the returns of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong as the Barcelona midfielders were passed fit to feature in Sunday's clash with Atletico Madrid.

Pedri has not played for Barca since he sustained a hamstring injury during February's 2-2 Europa League draw against Manchester United.

The Spain international initially looked set to return for last month's LaLiga meeting with Clasico rivals Real Madrid – a game Barca won 2-1 – only to suffer a setback in his recovery.  

While Pedri has missed a total of 11 games, Barca have also been without fellow midfielder De Jong for their last four matches after he sustained a similar injury.

Barca have struggled for creativity in back-to-back goalless draws against Girona and Getafe in LaLiga, but they will have both midfielders available when they host in-form Atleti.

"Pedri helps us, also Frenkie," Xavi said. "They are essential, vital players, however you want to say it, but we have played great games without them. 

"In the end, it is about the idea and the game model. We are in a privileged situation in LaLiga and the players have understood this well. We have played great games without some crucial players.

"Pedri is key in the last pass. He associates very well with Robert [Lewandowski], they get along very well. It's very good news to get him back, not only for Robert."

Having built an 11-point lead over second-placed Madrid with just nine games remaining, Xavi knows a first league title since 2019 is now Barca's to lose.

However, with Diego Simeone's visitors winning six successive league games ahead of their trip to Camp Nou, the Blaugrana boss expects a difficult challenge next time out.

"We have an important advantage and we have to make it good," Xavi said. "Losing the League would be anything but the fault of the other teams, it would be our fault. 

"Every game is a final from now on. If we beat Atletico, we would eliminate them as a rival. We are in a privileged situation but we cannot relax.

"Tomorrow will be a difficult game, Atleti are the best team in the league at the moment, they are the fittest team in LaLiga right now."

Diego Simeone is no stranger to defensive organisation, and the Atletico Madrid boss has been impressed by Xavi's work in making Barcelona difficult to break down this season.

Barca are closing in on their first league title since the 2018-19 campaign, sitting 11 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga with nine games of the season remaining.

While Xavi's side have been criticised at times for a perceived failure to employ an entertaining style, they have conceded just nine goals in 29 league games this term.  

The Blaugrana have kept a remarkable 22 clean sheets in LaLiga this season, at least four more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues (Lazio are second with 18).

At Saturday's pre-match press conference, Simeone was asked whether Atleti and Barca had become stylistically similar as a result of Xavi's work.

"I like this Barcelona," Simeone said. "It's a different Barcelona style. They have been growing and have had a great season. 

"They have improved in defence thanks to the characteristics of their players, and improving the defensive part has added more value to Xavi's work."

Atleti have won six successive league games to move within two points of second-placed Real Madrid, and Simeone believes their displays have not been met with the credit they deserve.

"When we started the season we were not in the best way. But if we go back a bit, to when we won LaLiga, we did it by playing very well," Simeone added.

"Sometimes a stigma is generated. Sometimes people don't watch the games and they give their opinion just to give their opinion. 

"Like Barca improving defensively, or Manchester City – who have given a very good defensive performance – we have improved, we have grown."

Simeone has overseen 15 trips to Camp Nou without winning as Atleti boss, more matches than he has taken charge of at any other venue since taking over Los Colchoneros in 2011. 

Opposing boss Xavi, meanwhile, has won both of his league games against Atleti since taking the reins at Camp Nou, and he could become just the second coach in Barca's history to win his first three meetings with Atleti in LaLiga (after Luis Enrique).

Julian Nagelsmann appeared to confirm reports he is not a candidate to become Chelsea's new head coach.

Nagelsmann was surprisingly sacked by Bayern Munich last month, with Thomas Tuchel replacing him as the Bavarian giants try to fend off Borussia Dortmund's challenge for their Bundesliga title. 

Having won plenty of admirers during successful spells with Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before leading Bayern to the Bundesliga title last season, Nagelsmann was immediately touted as a potential permanent successor to Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge.

Nagelsmann reportedly held talks with Chelsea over taking the job at the end of the campaign, but widespread reports on Friday suggested he had withdrawn from the running.

Asked about those reports by Sky Sports in Germany, Nagelsmann said: "To cancel something, you have to commit to something."

Chelsea sit 11th in the Premier League table after failing to win any of their past five games in the competition, their most recent league victory coming against Leicester City under Potter on March 11.

Since appointing Frank Lampard as caretaker manager until the end of the season, Chelsea have lost four successive games across all competitions, a run that saw them eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Nagelsmann could still be set for a move to the Premier League, however, with the 35-year-old being linked with Tottenham as they search for a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte.

He has also been suggested as a potential candidate to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, though the Italian recently said he has no intention of leaving Los Blancos at the end of the season despite links with Brazil.

Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder applauded Trae Young for finding his "rhythm" after a wretched run to inspire Friday's win over the Boston Celtics.

The Hawks won their Eastern Conference first-round Game 3 clash 130-122 to prevent Boston going 3-0 ahead, which would have left them needing just one more win for a series sweep.

Young had previously shot a combined of 14-of-40 (35 per cent) from the field across the first two games of the series.

But on Friday he scored a team-high 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting, adding nine assists, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while his All-Star backcourt teammate Dejounte Murray chipped in 25 points (11-of-21 shooting), six rebounds and five assists.

Although it was arguably the Hawks' bench who got them over the line – with Onyeka Okongwu, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic combining to shoot 16-of-22 (72.7 per cent) from the field for 44 points – much of the post-game focus was on Young and Murray, who finally seemed to flourish together.

Young in particular has had a difficult time of it, especially in the playoffs – for Snyder, there was an element of just sitting back and letting things unfold as the two-time All-Star and Murray took matters into their own hands.

"First of all, [it was] kind of figuring out what they were thinking together playing off each other," Snyder said when asked about Young and Murray's on-court chatter.

"At one point, I was like, I should just be quiet. Usually when that's happening, as a coach, if you feel that and you respect those guys and they are communicating like that and if they're on the same page, people will play off of them. That's what happened us.

"That's when we're going to be playing our best basketball."

That certainly seemed the case on Friday, with the hard work appearing to pay off for Young.

"Those two guys, over the course of the game, not just with the other guys on the team, but with one another, were connecting and pushing one another," Snyder added.

"You could tell [Young] found a rhythm, and it was good to see that because he's been working on it. He's been watching [film] and trying to figure out how he can attack somebody.

"The message, as much as anything for him and the whole group, is just to stay aggressive and trying to make the right play.

"[Young] got a little down when he turned it over one time and he was shaking his head, and I just said, 'Let’s get to the next play.' I don't want him thinking about what just happened. Every mistake can make you better if you just process it the right way. You can tell he found his rhythm tonight."

Murray was in no doubt about it being his and Young's best performance as a duo.

"Absolutely. I don't want to talk about Boston a lot but I look at Jayson [Tatum] and Jaylen [Brown] a lot, two guys who were going through it a lot, just to get to the level they're at. Great things don't happen overnight. Great things take time."

Young seemingly disagreed to an extent but acknowledged there being a timeliness to his and Murray's link-up.

"You don't want to live in the moment too much," he said. "I mean, we won a game in the playoffs, it's big, but we've had some really good games together.

"I don't consider this our best game together. It's definitely one of them, but it came at the right time and we needed it."

The Hawks can level the series with a win in Game 4 on Sunday.

The Denver Nuggets are focusing all of their efforts on completing a series sweep over the Minnesota Timberwolves after taking a 3-0 lead on Friday.

Nikola Jokic inspired Denver to a 120-111 win at Target Center in Minnesota to take a huge step towards the Western Conference semi-finals, where the Phoenix Suns or Los Angeles Clippers will await.

Reigning back-to-back MVP Jokic posted 20 points (nine-of-13), 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a comprehensive effort against three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

It was the seventh triple-double of Jokic's career and played a major role in the Nuggets opening a huge series lead, which they will now hope to turn into their first playoff sweep in franchise history.

That is certainly the aim, though coach Michael Malone accepts the Timberwolves are not going to make it easy on their return to Target Center in Game 4 on Sunday.

"Up 3-0, our mindset right now is – no disrespect to the T-Wolves because this is about us – but we don't want to go back to Denver," he said.

"We know to close out a series a lot of times can be the hardest game. I'm hoping that we can find a way.

"We don't have a mindset of, 'Hey, we can just go back and close it in Denver.' Our mindset should be to close it in Game 4."

It was put to Jokic afterwards that the Nuggets' performance was impressive in part because they did not "need to win", though this mindset clearly did not resonate with the center.

"That's a funny question. We needed to win, we didn't want to give them life, if that makes sense," Jokic said.

"We wanted to be the aggressor. We wanted to punch them first. They need to react to us. That was our plan. I think we did a good job.

"Of course, we expected them to be aggressive and play really good, they were attacking the paint, attacking, attacking. That was their plan, we kind of knew it."

Denver head into Game 4 3-0 up in a series for only the second time, with the first being the 2009 semi-finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

While they could not clinch the sweep on that occasion, they did manage to get the job done in Game 5.

Malone and Jokic will be hoping to go one better this time.

Trae Young answered his critics in the Atlanta Hawks' crucial 130-122 Game 3 victory at home against the Boston Celtics on Friday.

After shooting a combined 14-of-40 (35 per cent) from the field across the first two games of the series, Young scored a team-high 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting in Game 3, adding nine assists, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

His All-Star backcourt mate Dejounte Murray chipped in 25 points (11-of-21 shooting), six rebounds and five assists, but it was the Hawks' bench who really carried the home team over the line.

The combination of Onyeka Okongwu, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic combined to shoot 16-of-22 (72.7 per cent) from the field for 44 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and two steals.

Boston pulled the margin back to 100-99 early in the fourth quarter, but 15 points from Young in the period was enough to fend off the challenge.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 29 points (nine-of-22), 10 rebounds and five assists, and last year's Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart added 24 points (nine-of-19), eight assists and three steals.

Atlanta will have a chance to tie things up at home in Game 4, before the series heads back to Boston for Game 5.

Jokic toys with the Timberwolves defense

Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic was at his playmaking best, putting together a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-111 to take a 3-0 lead in the series.

Jokic – who set the single-season record for assists per game by a center (9.8) this season – posted 20 points (nine-of-13), 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a comprehensive effort against three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

After serious injuries in recent years prevented Michael Porter Jr from making an impact in the playoffs, the 24-year-old led the Nuggets in scoring with 25 points (10-of-17 shooting) and nine rebounds, playing a team-high 40 minutes in an indication that his troublesome back is finally at full strength.

Anthony Edwards tried his heart out for the Wolves, scoring a game-high 36 points (10-of-22 shooting) with seven rebounds, five assists and a game-high three steals.

Knicks defense shuts down the Cavs

The New York Knicks became the first team this season to hold their opponent under 80 points with their gritty 99-79 triumph at home over the Cleveland Cavaliers, taking a 2-1 series lead.

Incredibly, the Cavaliers could only score 32 points in the first half, as Darius Garland finished shooting four-of-21 from the field for his 10 points, while Caris LeVert was seven-of-17 for his 17 points.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring with 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while five different New York players finished with at least two steals each, headlined by Obi Toppin's four off the bench in just 15 minutes.

The Cavaliers ended up shooting 38.8 per cent from the field, 21.2 per cent from long range and 58.8 per cent at the free throw line in a forgettable outing.

The Tampa Bay Rays tied the record for the most consecutive games with a home run to start a season as they went deep three times in Friday's 8-7 home win against the Chicago White Sox.

With the win, the Rays improved their MLB-leading record to 17-3, having hit at least one homer in each game to tie the 2019 Seattle Mariners for the record.

Home fans did not have to wait long for the action to heat up, as Josh Lowe connected on a two-run double in the first inning, before Harold Ramirez followed him with a two-run homer as the very next batter to take a 4-0 lead.

The White Sox came storming back with three runs in the second inning – from three RBI singles – and another three runs in the third, courtesy of two bases-loaded walks and a wild pitch.

An Eloy Jimenez solo home run put Chicago up 7-4 in the fourth inning, and while the Rays got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, they left their comeback until the very end.

Christian Bethancourt's lead-off home run in the bottom of the ninth cut the margin to 7-6, and after a Yandy Diaz single, Brandon Lowe stepped up and hit a walk-off home run.

It was the second blown save of the season for Reynaldo Lopez, failing to get a single out in the ninth, while Diaz, Lowe, Ramirez and Bethancourt all finished with two hits each for the Rays.

Smyly finishes six outs from perfection

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Drew Smyly pitched seven perfect innings before allowing his first baserunner in a 13-0 domination of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Smyly dismissed the first 21 Dodgers batters in order, before his bid for a perfect game was broken up in the eighth inning when Smyly tried to field a ball dribbling down the third-base line, but his catcher Yan Gomes crashed into him in his own effort to field it.

He ended up striking out 10 in his seven-and-two-thirds innings, allowing one run and no walks, while Nico Hoerner starred at the plate with four RBIs to go with his four-for-five day. 

Patrick Wisdom was one of five Cubs with multiple hits, including his ninth home run of the season to draw level with New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso for the league's most.

Ohtani dominates the Royals

Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani put together his best pitching performance of the season as he struck out 11 batters in a 2-0 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals.

With three-time AL MVP Mike Trout not suiting up, the Angels knew they had to keep the Royals' scoring down, and the combination of Ohtani (seven innings, two hits, two walks), Carlos Estevez (one inning) and closer Jose Quijada (one inning) restricted Kansas City to three hits for the game.

The only runs of the contest were produced by veteran catcher Chad Wallach in his first game of the season, connecting on a two-run homer with his first at-bat of 2023.

The win pulls the Angels' record even at 10-10, while Ohtani lowered his ERA to 0.64 from his 28 innings, and the Royals fell to an equal MLB-worst 4-16.

LeBron James has done and seen it all during his 20-year NBA career, so the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was not about to be drawn into a war of words with Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks.

James refused to respond when asked about Brooks' comments after practice on Friday before the teams meet in Los Angles for Game 3 of their first-round series on Saturday.

"I’m not here for the bulls***," James said before cutting off his media availability after sidestepping Brooks-related questions for roughly five minutes. "I'm ready to play and that's it."

Brooks took a shot at James after the Grizzlies’ 103-93 victory in Game 2 evened the series, doubting the veteran’s effectiveness at this point in his career.

"I don’t care – he’s old. You know what I mean?" Brooks said Wednesday after staring down James on the floor when he hit a three in the fourth quarter. "I was waiting for that. I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He should have been saying that earlier on. But I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40."

James didn’t place any significance on the extracurricular activity.

"The game is won in between the four lines. Always has been and always will be," James said.

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura weighed in on Brooks’ comments.

"I heard about. I’m not really into social media, but I heard about it," he said. "Honestly, that’s all they can do. They’re a young team. They just want to talk. We just don’t really care. We’re going to play our game and we’re trying to win the games."