Ciro Immobile "feared for his daughters" and feels he had a lucky escape after the Lazio captain's car was hit by a tram on Sunday.

The Italy striker sustained a distortion trauma of the spine and a compound fracture of his rib when his vehicle was struck in Rome.

He was taken to the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital following the crash, which occurred while his two daughters were travelling with him.

Video footage showed substantial damage to the front of Immobile's car and the 33-year-old is relieved he was not driving a smaller vehicle.

He is quoting as saying in the Corriere dello Sport: "An incredible blow. I only thought about protecting my girls. A nightmare, I feared for them. Luckily both we and the tram driver are here to talk about it. With another car I don't know what would have happened."

Lazio president Claudio Lotito said: "Ciro is part of our family, he is a champion to whom I am particularly attached also from a human point of view. 

"We are with him and we hope he will return soon, but now he must have the utmost serenity to think about his health and to that of his daughters."

Immobile scored his 12th goal of the season from the penalty spot in second-placed Lazio's 3-0 win over Spezia last Friday.

Formula One is working "very hard" to bring a race back to Africa, F1 president Stefano Domenicali revealed.

The continent last held an F1 event in 1993 at South Africa's Kyalami circuit, a venue widely touted as the favourite to play host if the series returns to Africa, and there is a growing desire for that to happen.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is among those to call for an African Grand Prix, while critics point out that Africa is the only continent, Antarctica excluded, not to hold a race.

F1's plan is to add Africa to the schedule, however, with Domenicali revealing there is plenty of work going on behind the scenes.

"100 per cent, Africa is still a continent that we are working very hard," he told Sky Sports. "As I always said, we need to find the right partners, the right middle-term plan.

"What I want to avoid is that we go there one year and then forget it. We are working, trying to find a solution for the best of the sport, for the best of the country."

F1's rise in popularity has increased the desire from more locations to hold a race, with big-money reportedly being offered from America and the Far East, though that is not a decisive factor in the eyes of Domenicali.

Neither is the history of venues, with the focus instead on the long-term development of F1.

"Today, the money is huge, but we need to protect the quality of the events and the sport," he added.

"When 'historical' is only connected to looking behind, that is a problem. When 'historical' is a value, if you are focused on developing the sport for the future, it's a great value.

"That's our duty - to make sure that, for example Monza, it's an incredible place but they need to make sure [they invest in] the future infrastructure, in services for the fans."

Gabriel Jesus says Arsenal must raise their levels to remain on top of their Premier League title charge after dropping points for the second game in a row.

The Gunners blew a 2-0 lead against West Ham on Sunday, slipping to a 2-2 draw that has seen their gap at the summit shrink to just four points - the second game in a row a two-goal advantage was let slip.

Jesus and Martin Odegaard had put the visitors in cruise control at London Stadium inside 10 minutes, before Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen clawed back equilibrium.

With Manchester City, who have a game in hand, hot on their heels, Jesus has called upon his team-mates to ensure their standards do not slip again this term.

"Once again, the three points were in our hands," he told the club's website. "Obviously, the game is 90 minutes. It's not 20, [or] in this case 30 minutes.

"As a team, we have to raise the level and come back to our principles. We know our strength, we know what we can do.

"Where we want to attack the opponent, in the first 10 to 20 minutes we did so good. After that we dropped our level and that obviously cannot happen if you want to fight for the title.

"As a team, it's no time to blame [ourselves]. We have to raise the level again, come back to our principles and win the games. That's the only way we can fight for the title again."

Arsenal face City a week on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium, in what is shaping up to be the pivotal encounter in their title fight.

Before then though, they will hope to return to winning ways against rock-bottom Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Russell Westbrook delighted in his match-winning play after a mixed Los Angeles Clippers turn during victory against the Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs.

The point guard shot only 3-for-19 during Sunday's 115-110 Game 1 victory in the first round, and was involved in a fan confrontation at half-time.

But eight assists and 11 rebounds, coupled with the clinching defensive block on Devin Booker, saw him still register a vital contribution to start the postseason.

Speaking afterwards, Westbrook spoke of his glee at being able to showcase his all-around skills, particularly in his efforts to close down Booker.

"My whole career, I [have] prided myself every season on doing everything," he said. "Whatever is needed of me to win the game, I'll do it.

"You [have] just got to make sure [Booker] sees you, make sure he knows that you're there. He's a hell of a shot-maker, one of the elite scorers. [You have to] try to make it difficult for him."

With Westbrook posting single-figures with ball in hand, it fell to Kawhi Leonard to lead the way for the Clippers with an excellent 38-point performance.

His turn drew plaudits from his team-mates, with Westbrook adding: "His patience [and] his awareness throughout the game was amazing.

"He's been like that for us since I've been here. We had his back on the defensive end. We'll make sure we find ways to keep making the game easy for him."

The Clippers face the Suns on the road at Footprint Center again on Tuesday, and could take a 2-0 record home to California ahead of Game 3 if they claim victory.

Jamal Murray said the adrenaline of his first NBA playoff game since 2020 affected his early performance in the Denver Nuggets' win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Murray finished with a team-high 24 points in the 109-80 victory in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Timberwolves, though it was a slow start at Ball Arena.

Missing his first five shots, Murray attributed his early struggles to the adrenaline in what was his first playoff appearance since the NBA bubble in 2020 and first home playoff game since May 2019.

"I haven't felt that much excitement in a minute, probably since the beginning of the season," he said, per ESPN.

"You want to play so good, it's much anticipated. Sometimes that can affect you too much. Gotta slow down, get my legs back and just play basketball."

Murray's performance was recognised by his teammates, with Michael Porter Jr believing he is a better player than he was prior to his ACL injury.

"I told him the other day, I feel like he's better now than before his injury. I know he probably doesn't feel it, but just his all-around game, his awareness," he said.

"He had a year off where he just had to watch. So, I just feel like his awareness and just the right plays he's making -- the assists, being able to play a true point guard for our team and knowing the guys around him and how to get them open."

The Nuggets host the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Wednesday, then travelling to Minnesota as the series continues on Friday and Sunday.

Kylian Mbappe took sole ownership of another piece of Paris Saint-Germain history on Saturday when he scored against Lens.

Mbappe's goal was his 139th for the club in Ligue 1, moving beyond former team-mate Edinson Cavani for a PSG record.

As with the all-competitions record, which was Cavani's until Mbappe passed him at the start of last month, it is an honour that has changed hands with some regularity in recent seasons.

Before Zlatan Ibrahimovic, nobody had scored 100 top-flight goals for PSG, with Mustapha Dahleb's tally of 85 the benchmark prior to the QSI era.

But Ibrahimovic overtook Dahleb and was then himself overtaken by Cavani. Now, Mbappe is the history man, and it appears highly unlikely that will change any time soon.

Neymar – seven years Mbappe's senior and regularly plagued by injuries – is his nearest rival in the current squad, having scored 82 goals in 112 games.

Mbappe needed 169 Ligue 1 matches to pass Cavani's goals total of 138, which he amassed over exactly 200 league games for PSG. As a result, the France World Cup winner has averaged a goal every 98 minutes versus every 109 minutes for Cavani.

The game against Lens saw Mbappe net in a 98th different Ligue 1 match for PSG, and the 24-year-old will surely continue to score for as long as he remains in Paris.

While Cavani's 138 goals almost exactly matched his 137.8 expected goals, Mbappe has outperformed his xG in all seasons but his first at the club.

A player of such talent still at such a young age, there are no Ligue 1 high marks that look beyond Mbappe.

Marco Verratti has won a record eight titles, but his PSG colleague is not far behind on five. Delio Onnis' overall Ligue 1 goals record stands at 299, unbroken since the 1980s yet well within Mbappe's reach.

However, would either of those two impressive feats change a great deal for Mbappe? His remarkable rate of scoring since joining PSG has already proven there is nothing he cannot do in Ligue 1.

Mbappe's legacy will instead be forged outside of France, as it has been so far. He won Russia 2018 as a 19-year-old, by that stage a back-to-back Ligue 1 champion with two different clubs.

Subsequent frustrations have centred on PSG's failed Champions League exploits. In France, even when PSG have ceded the title, there have been no doubts about Mbappe's status at the top of the game.

At this stage, goals at World Cups – he already has 12 – and in Champions League finals will mean far more to this superstar striker than adding another to his record PSG tallies.

It is the reason why doubts remain around Mbappe's future after this season's latest limp European exit against Bayern Munich.

Surely already PSG's greatest ever player, Real Madrid and the rest will justifiably believe they can give a generational talent the platform he requires to tick off the rest of the items on his bucket list away from the French capital.

No doubt that means another close-season of speculation then – and even Mbappe might struggle to chase down Onnis before May.

LeBron James spoke about the trust he has in his supporting cast after Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura starred in the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 1 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

The Lakers put together a 69-47 second half to run away with a 128-112 victory, and Hachimura led the team in scoring with 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting off the bench. The trade deadline acquisition hit five of his six three-point attempts, while adding six rebounds in his 30 minutes of action. 

Meanwhile, breakout second-year talent Austin Reaves continued his strong form from the end of the regular season with 23 points (eight-of-13 shooting), four assists, a steal and a block, marking his fourth 20-point game from his past five outings.

Anthony Davis was an absolute game-changer on the defensive end, swatting seven shots to go with his three steals, 22 points (10-of-17) and 12 rebounds, but James made sure to credit the lesser-known Lakers for the decisive start to the series.

"It was our supporting cast that won us the game tonight," James said after putting up 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals of his own. "We trust [Reaves] with the ball in his hands – early in the game and late in the game. 

"We got something going in the fourth quarter, and after every stop… we went back to AR and put the ball in his hands.

"He was able to hit a pull-up two, able to hit a three when he had a soft switch, and then hit another pull-up two to put us up eight and close the game for us offensively.

"[Hachimura's performance] speaks for itself, he was huge, he hit timely shots. They made runs – in the third quarter he had two threes in a row – then they made another run in the fourth quarter, and he hit another three off an AR pump-fake, drive, behind-the-back pass.

"He was just on-time, on-target all night tonight, and we needed that. Especially coming off the bench, with how strong [Memphis'] bench is, but we were able to counter that with Rui's big game."

Reaves called playing playoff basketball for the Lakers a dream come true, saying: "You dream about being on a stage like this – I got hot late and I had fun."

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were not willing to read too much into Hachimura's heroics, with Desmond Bane sharing that the plan was to leave him open, and it may remain the plan.

"That was our game plan going in," he said. "Make him hit shots, and he did, tip your cap. It's probably the best game he's had in his career. It's a seven-game series – let's see if he can do it again Wednesday."

Hachimura understands that is the case, and said of his role: "The way they guard me, they're going to be in the paint, so I got to be ready to shoot those kind of shots."

Game 2 will remain in Memphis on Wednesday, before the series heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 and Game 4.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's X-ray on his lower back contusion came up clear but Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said they will monitor him ahead of Game 2.

Antetokounmpo exited Sunday's 130-117 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series after landing heavily on his back with 4:13 left in the first quarter.

The Greek forward was slow to get back up and attempted to play through the issue, but was hobbled and re-exited with 9:56 left in the second quarter, with the Bucks proceeding to rule him out for the game.

"He has a back contusion, there was an X-ray that was clear here," Budenholzer told reporters after the game. "So we'll monitor him and see how he wakes up. See how he feels the rest of tonight and tomorrow."

Budenholzer would not be drawn on the outlook for Antetokounmpo for the rest of the series, but was buoyed by his ability to overcome wrist and knee injuries this season.

"We have to wait and see what the doctors say, most importantly what Giannis says," he said.

"We've been blessed with him being incredibly resilient and quick to heal. You've just got to take it day by day, see how he's doing and how he feels."

Budenholzer clarified that the decision to rule Antetokounmpo out of the game, after initially trying to play on, came given his limited mobility in the second quarter.

"He just wasn't moving [well]," Budenholzer said. "Didn't look comfortable or confident, so it felt like the right thing."

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday remained bullish about the Eastern Conference top seed's prospects in the series, even if MVP candidate Antetokounmpo is unavailable for any or all games.

"We don't want him to be hurt, but it's still next man up mentality," Holiday said. "We have enough talent on this team to cover for him until he comes back, so again, I just don't want to see him hurt because I know what it feels like, especially Game 1 of the playoffs."

Jimmy Butler top scored for the Heat, who overcame the first-half loss of Tyler Herro with a broken right hand.

Butler scored 35 points on 15-of-27 shooting along with 11 assists, while center Bam Adebayo had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

"He's just a brilliant competitor," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He does it on both ends of the court. He has an innate feel for what's necessary during the course of a game.

"We needed obviously some offensive punch, some triggers, something to settle us all down, particularly when we found out Tyler was out. Jimmy was able to do it in a lot of different ways."

Heat veteran Kevin Love hailed Butler as the best closer in the league.

"It's unbelievable what he's able to do out there," Love said. "He's our leader. He sets the tone for us. I'm taking him pretty much over anybody in the league when it comes down to closing out a game."

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole delivered another terrific start as he shut out the Minnesota Twins in a 2-0 home victory on Sunday.

Cole, who came into the contest with a 3-0 record this season after giving up just three earned runs in his 19.1 innings pitched, banked another win with nine scoreless frames against the Twins.

He allowed two hits and one walk to go with 10 strikeouts, retiring the game's last 11 batters to finish the complete game in 109 pitches (73 strikes).

With the bat, it was veteran infielder D.J. LeMahieu who was the Yankees' hero. The 34-year-old three-time All-Star came through with a two-out RBI single to give New York a 1-0 lead in the third inning, before doubling their advantage with a solo home run in the sixth inning.

Exciting rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe continued to make an impact for the Yankees, showing off his speed by reaching on an infield single in the fifth inning, and then he made his way into scoring position with his seventh stolen base of the season. 

His seven steals lead all rookies and tie him for the second most in the majors, while only Volpe and Baltimore Orioles speedster Cedric Mullins (eight steals) have nabbed at least seven bases without being caught stealing.

With the win, the Yankees secured a series split with the Twins, with both teams now at 10-6.

Bellinger bombs one against his former side

Former NL MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers Cody Bellinger got revenge on his former side as his home run was the difference in the Chicago Cubs' 3-2 win.

Bellinger, who won Rookie of the Year in 2017 and NL MVP in 2019 as a member of the Dodgers, connected on the biggest hit of the game in his first series back in Los Angeles following an offseason move to the Cubs.

The 27-year-old blasted a 422-foot solo home run in the sixth inning to extend the Cubs' lead to 3-1, after team-mate Patrick Wisdom broke the tie with his own solo homer just three pitches earlier.

The victory secured the second impressive series win in a row for the Cubs after also taking their three-game set against the Seattle Mariners 2-1, and improved Chicago's record to 8-6.

Castillo flirts with perfect game

Luis Castillo showed why he is the top arm in the Mariners' rotation, not allowing a baserunner until the seventh inning as his side defeated the Colorado Rockies 1-0.

Castillo dismissed the first 18 Rockies batters in order, allowing no hits or walks through six innings, before his bid for a perfect game was broken up by back-to-back singles in the seventh frame.

The Mariners' offense needed all the help they could get, collecting only four hits as a team, but Jarred Kelenic came through with the crucial two-out RBI single in the sixth inning to get his team over the line.

Ja Morant was left in pain and said his Game 2 availability is "in jeopardy" after suffering a hand injury in the Memphis Grizzlies' 128-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their first round series.

Morant shouted in agony as he ran off the floor after his hand slammed into the court as Anthony Davis slid in front of him to draw a charge with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter. Morant's wrist appeared to bend upon landing in a nasty incident.

The All-Star guard writhed in pain on the floor initially before running past the Grizzlies' bench and straight into the locker room.

Morant underwent an X-ray on his right hand that Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins revealed were negative.

However, Morant said his status for Game 2 was "in jeopardy", adding: "I'm in a good bit of pain."

The Grizzlies were down by four points at the time and Morant did not return as they lost at FedEx Forum in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.

Jenkins was coy on detail, but added: "He's in some pain… taking it one day at a time."

Morant returned to the Grizzlies bench with 4:10 left, but Jenkins said medical staff had informed him that the guard was only available in an "emergency situation".

"Probably the smartest thing was just to hold him out as we continue to go through evaluation," Jenkins said.

Morant came into the game with wrapping on his right hand from an injury sustained in the final week of the regular season.

The Memphis guard scored 18 points with six rebounds in 30 minutes, while Rui Hachimura had a team-high 29 points for the Lakers. LeBron James put together 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Davis contributed 22 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and seven blocks.

The Miami Heat lost starting guard Tyler Herro in the second quarter of Sunday's Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks after he suffered a broken hand.

The injury occurred late in the second quarter after the reigning Sixth Man of the Year had put up 12 points (five-of-nine shooting) in 19 minutes, landing awkwardly on his hand while diving for a loose ball in the final minute of the half.

Herro immediately began wincing in pain, but the ball found him open in the corner 20 seconds later in a position where he had to shoot. He air-balled the shot and signalled to the bench that he needed to be taken out.

Miami quickly announced that X-rays confirmed he had broken his hand and would take no further part in the game.

The 23-year-old is enjoying a terrific first season as a full-time starter, averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists while draining a career-high 3.0 three-pointers per game, shooting 37.8 per cent from deep and leading the league with a free throw percentage of 93.4.

It came after Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo exited the contest earlier in the second quarter following a hard fall onto his back, and was also ruled out for the remainder of Game 1.

#MIAvsMIL INJURY UPDATE: Tyler Herro (broken right hand) will not return to tonight’s game vs the Bucks.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 16, 2023