Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic took another step towards a third consecutive MVP after dominating the Portland Trail Blazers in a 122-113 victory on Tuesday.

Jokic was unstoppable offensively, finishing with 36 points on 13-of-14 shooting while adding 12 rebounds and 10 assists. 

In doing so, he became the first player in NBA history to record multiple 35-point triple-doubles while shooting at least 90 per cent from the field. Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player with even one such game.

Jokic was supported well by Michael Porter Jr, who scored 23 points on nine-of-13 shooting, while Jamal Murray chipped in 17 points (six-of-15), seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.

For the Blazers, it was another spectacular showing from the franchise's all-time scoring leader as Damian Lillard had a game-high 44 points on 12-of-20 shooting with eight assists.

It continued a blistering run of form for Lillard, who is averaging a league-leading 39 points per game across his past six outings, although Portland have only been able to convert his stellar play into two wins from six.

With the victory, the Nuggets are now alone atop the Western Conference with a record of 31-13, which the Memphis Grizzlies can tie if they can secure their 11th consecutive win when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Holiday delivers for the Giannis-less Bucks

Jrue Holiday has set a new season-high points total in back-to-back games after putting up 37 in the Milwaukee Bucks' 130-122 triumph at home against the Toronto Raptors.

Holiday scored a season-high 35 on Monday against the Indiana Pacers in the first leg of the Bucks' back-to-back, and he followed it up with 37 against the Raptors.

He shot 16-of-26 from the field while adding seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block, and Fred VanVleet was just as good for Toronto.

VanVleet tied his season-high by scoring 39 points on 15-of-28 shooting, with nine rebounds and seven assists.

The Bucks are now 29-16 and occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Embiid bullies the Clippers

Joel Embiid was too big and too strong on his way to a game-high 41 points in the Philadelphia 76ers' 120-110 road win against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Embiid shot 12-of-22 from the field and 15-of-18 from the free throw line while adding nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a comprehensive performance.

Tobias Harris was sharp in a supporting role, snatching five steals in the first half while scoring 20 points on efficient eight-of-12 shooting.

For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard made it five consecutive games with at least 24 points and a steal as he begins to recapture his All-NBA form following a string of injuries.

World number one and tournament favourite Iga Swiatek feels second-round opponent Camila Osorio did not do much wrong despite going down 6-2 6-3 on Wednesday.

Swiatek is seeking her fourth career grand slam singles title, and the 21-year-old is yet to drop a set through two rounds at the Australian Open.

She was nearly flawless in her service game against Osorio, landing 80 per cent of her first serves fair while also committing zero double faults, and she was just as impressive when on the return.

Osorio was able to win just 31 per cent of her service points in the opening set (eight-of-26), and for the match she only held serve on two occasions from eight attempts.

Despite Swiatek's clear advantage in both phases, Osorio managed to break her serve three times, and the Polish superstar said she was made to earn every point.

"It was much tougher than this score says – it was really intense physically and Camila was really running to every ball," she said. "She didn’t give up. She didn’t give me many points for free. 

"So I needed to really work for each of them and it was tough, but I’m happy that I was proactive and trying to just play a little bit to put pressure [on her]. I’m pretty happy that I won and I can play next round."

Swiatek also shared a story about when the rain started pouring on Tuesday night in the midst of her walk, urging spectators in jest to come to her aid if a similar situation arises in the future.

"In Melbourne it’s usually sunny, except today and yesterday," she said. "So I need to change my plans. 

"Yesterday I actually went for a walk at 7[pm] and it started raining, and I was just hiding under the tree, waiting for like 30 minutes.

"So if there’s anybody who’s going to see me tonight walking in the rain, please save me, give me an umbrella or something."

Swiatek's march to what would be her first Australian Open final continues when she takes on the winner between Cristina Bucsa and Bianca Andreescu in the third round.

Kyrie Irving missed the Brooklyn Nets' 106-98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday due to tightness in his right calf.

Irving, who has now played in 32 of the Nets' 43 games this season, is averaging 25.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and he has already eclipsed the 29 games he managed in the 2021-22 campaign.

The Nets were already without superstar Kevin Durant due to his knee injury, and were left even more shorthanded when Irving was withdrawn in the hours before tip-off against the Spurs.

In his absence, Brooklyn suffered their third loss in a row as no Nets players were able to reach 20 points.

Ben Simmons collected a triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks, while T.J. Warren led the team in scoring with 19 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Nets center Nic Claxton became the youngest player since 22-year-old Rudy Gobert in 2015 to block at least three shots in nine consecutive games.

In comments before the game, head coach Jacque Vaughn called the injury "day to day".

"[Irving] just reported a little tightness," Vaughn said. "It's essentially just day to day. We'll check on him [Wednesday], and hopefully this is short-term."

The Nets are hopeful Irving will be able to return when they travel to take on the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

World number one Iga Swiatek had no problem dealing with Camila Osorio during Wednesday's second round, advancing with a 6-2 6-3 victory.

Swiatek, 21, is seeking her fourth grand slam title and her first at the Australian Open, having already won the French Open twice before claiming her first US Open crown this past season.

Against Osorio, it was Swiatek's ability to consistently return that was the difference, holding the Colombian to just a 31 per cent success rate on her service points in the opening set (eight-of-26).

It resulted in a lightning-quick start for the Polish superstar, winning the first four games of the match, and despite giving back a couple breaks of serve, Swiatek did not allow Osorio to hold serve a single time in the opening frame.

Osorio was able to finally hold serve to begin the second set, before Swiatek again rattled off four consecutive games to collect a double-break and a winning lead.

In a remarkably clean performance from the tournament favourite, Swiatek landed 80 per cent of her first serves fair while committing no double faults, and both players finished with more winners than unforced errors.

With the victory, Swiatek will now face the winner between Cristina Bucsa and Bianca Andreescu in the third round.

Data Slam: Swiatek in legendary company

Swiatek has now won 53 of her first 65 grand slam matches – the sixth-best total through 65 attempts in the Open Era.

She trails only Margaret Court (61), Monica Seles (60), Chris Evert (57), Martina Hingis (56), Billie Jean King (56) and Tracy Austin (54).

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Swiatek – 19/16

Osorio – 16/14

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Swiatek – 0/0

Osorio – 0/2

BREAK POINTS WON

Swiatek – 6/8

Osorio – 3/5

Serie A leaders Napoli lost to basement side Cremonese to exit the Coppa Italia and be left with "so much disappointment".

This looks like being a dream season for the Partenopei, who have established a nine-point advantage at the top of the table as they bid for a first Scudetto since 1990.

Luciano Spalletti's side are also through in the Champions League after an impressive group stage, but there will be no improbable treble.

That is because a seemingly straightforward Coppa tie against 10-man Cremonese saw Napoli eliminated on Tuesday.

Cremonese have not won a single game in Serie A all season but reached the round of 16 for just the third time in their history thanks to a penalty shoot-out success following a 2-2 draw.

Napoli, whose line-up showed 10 changes from their stunning 5-1 defeat of Juventus on Friday, looked to be heading through after Juan Jesus and Giovanni Simeone scored in quick succession in the first half to cancel out Charles Pickel's opener.

But Felix Afena-Gyan pulled Cremonese level three minutes from time, and the strugglers survived extra time even after Leonardo Sernicola was sent off.

In a shoot-out, only Napoli substitute Stanislav Lobotka missed – a costly error for a team who had also introduced Victor Osimhen from the bench by that point.

"We are sorry," coach Spalletti told Mediaset. "There is so much disappointment.

"We always have to go through the management of the game, of the ball, and we have not been as good as we usually are.

"But then the game was in complete safety because they, apart from a few balls to the attackers, could not do much. We conceded goals in a situation where we lost two balls that were going out.

"Then we scored two goals and wasted several chances, but unfortunately that's how it works. When you question a game that was under management then it becomes complicated."

Ran Carthon has landed his first general manager job with the Tennessee Titans.

News of Carthon's hire in Tennessee was reported by NFL Network on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old had been the San Francisco 49ers' director of player personnel, having previously held a similar role with the Los Angeles Rams.

He had also been a scout with the Atlanta Falcons.

Carthon is replacing Jon Robinson, who was fired in early December.

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement explaining that decision: "I am proud of what we have accomplished in my eight seasons of ownership, but I believe there is more to be done and higher aspirations to be met."

Robinson had been the GM since 2016, with the team reaching the playoffs in four of his seven seasons.

Jurgen Klopp welcomed the return of the "passion" Liverpool have been lacking as a much-changed side beat Wolves 1-0 in an FA Cup third-round replay at Molineux.

Reds manager Klopp made eight changes to his starting line-up following an alarming 3-0 Premier League defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

Harvey Elliott was among the players who came into the side and the teenager proved to be the match-winner, scoring the only goal with a stunning long-range strike in the 13th minute.

A first win in four matches gives the holders an opportunity to exact revenge on Brighton in a fourth-round tie at the Amex Stadium.

It was anything but a classic all-Premier League tie after a 2-2 draw at Anfield ensured the two sides had to do battle again, but Klopp was not concerned about entertainment value. 

He told BBC Sport: "It feels like ages ago we had a feeling of winning and playing well. We had to fight hard at the end, which we controlled for long periods. It is great and the reaction we wanted to see."

Klopp vowed he would not quit after the defeat to Brighton and urged his players to go "back to basics".

The German was impressed with the way they responded to a painful loss last weekend.

 "From the passion we showed, yes," he said. "It is my job to help the boys and find the formation where they feel good from the start. Stefan Bajcetic and the whole midfield was really compact, so it was difficult for Wolves to find the key players like Joao Moutinho. I liked the game a lot."

Elliott was named man of the match, but Klopp felt several of his players were candidates for the award.

He added: "It was good from Harvey Elliott, especially after an early knock to the ankle. He fought through, and the goal was exceptional.

"I had a few man of the match performances today. We played a really good first half, had good periods in the second, and in the end it was just passion to block the shots. A cup game, great."

Gregor Townsend knows the upcoming Six Nations could be his last in charge of Scotland as he revealed he has been contacted by France.

Townsend named his Six Nations squad on Tuesday with four uncapped players included in the 40-man selection.

That includes Ben Healy, who has qualified to play for Scotland through his mother, as well as Ruaridh McConnochie, who has previously played for England.

The 49-year-old has been in charge of Scotland since 2017, but his contract is up after this year's Rugby World Cup in France, which starts in September.

Townsend told reporters he would like clarity on his situation before the tournament begins but knows he might "have to wait and see".

"No discussions have been had, and I don't see them taking place until after the Six Nations," he added.

When asked if this could be his last Six Nations as Scotland coach, Townsend replied: "I'm not contracted beyond this year, so of course."

Meanwhile, Townsend confirmed reports he had been contacted over the possibility of joining France's set-up in the wake of the World Cup. 

"I did get a contact from France," he said. "It was just an initial enquiry and there was nothing further from that because we obviously play France in the Six Nations, so I didn't want to talk any further with them about that."

Scotland take on England at Twickenham in their opening Six Nations match on February 4.

Scotland's Six Nations squad

Forwards: Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Simon Berghan, Jamie Bhatti, Fraser Brown, Dave Cherry, Andy Christie, Luke Crosbie, Jack Dempsey, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Richie Gray, Cameron Henderson, WP Nel, Jamie Ritchie (captain), Pierre Schoeman, Javan Sebastian, Sam Skinner, Rory Sutherland, George Turner, Hamish Watson.

Backs: Chris Harris, Ben Healy, Stuart Hogg, George Horne, Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Sean Maitland, Ruaridh McConnochie, Stafford McDowell, Ali Price, Cameron Redpath, Finn Russell, Ollie Smith, Kyle Steyn, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White.

Tennis great Chris Evert has revealed she is cancer-free, just over a year after she began her fight against the illness.

Evert began chemotherapy in January 2022 after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Doctors caught Evert's cancer early after she had a preventative hysterectomy following the death of her sister, Jeanne, from the same disease.

The 68-year-old, who concluded her course of chemotherapy last May, confirmed the positive news on Tuesday, writing for ESPN: "A year ago, I started a journey to protect myself and my loved ones from the risks associated with the BRCA-related ovarian cancer that took my sister Jeanne's life. 

"It is only because of the genetic road map my sister left behind and the power of scientific progress that we caught my cancer early enough to do something about it.

"My doctor said if left undiscovered, in four months' time I would probably have been Stage Three like Jeanne, with very few options. Instead, I was diagnosed with Stage Three ovarian cancer, and I immediately began six rounds of chemotherapy.

"Today, I'm cancer-free, and there's a 90 per cent chance that the ovarian cancer will never come back."

However, Evert added her "story isn't over" and confirmed that on December 1, a year to the day since her hysterectomy, she underwent a double mastectomy in order to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

Evert said she is "well on the road to recovery".

She explained: "I have one more surgery left to complete reconstruction. They say this part is easy, but I can assure you, the last five years have not been.

"As relieved as I will be to get to the other side of this, I will always have a heavy heart. I will never heal from losing Jeanne, and I will never take for granted the gift she gave me in the process.

"My sister's journey saved my life, and I hope by sharing mine, I just might save somebody else's."

Evert won 18 grand slam titles across her illustrious career and enjoyed an on-court rivalry with Martina Navratilova.

When Navratilova confirmed her own cancer diagnosis earlier this year, Evert was among those to offer their support.

Evert posted on Twitter: "Thinking of @Martina today and supporting her journey, like she did mine, with love and prayers. This is a woman who takes on challenges with strength and resilience…You got this, Martina."

Harvey Elliott scored the only goal of the game with a stunning long-range strike as Liverpool lifted the gloom by beating Wolves to reach the FA Cup fourth round.

Elliott was one of eight players to come into the Reds side following a chastening 3-0 Premier League defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion, and the teenager made his mark with a sublime first-half finish.

Wolves felt aggrieved not to have won the third-round tie at Anfield after having what appeared to be a late winner ruled out for offside, but they did not pose a threat in the replay at Molineux on Tuesday.

Victory for Jurgen Klopp's side was their first in four games, setting up an opportunity to exact revenge on Brighton in the fourth round.

Liverpool quickly sparked into life after the floodlights briefly went off in the first minute, and Elliott put them in front with a stunning strike.

The teenage midfielder burst forward on the break and let fly with a left-footed strike from 25 yards that flashed past Jose Sa in the 13th minute.

Kostas Tsimikas fired over the crossbar and Cody Gapko was also off target, before Adama Traore showed a complete lack of composure when he drilled wide from a tight angle in a listless first-half display from Wolves.

Julen Lopetegui made a double substitution at the break, introducing Matheus Nunes and Nelson Semedo, but Wolves continued to look short of ideas going forward.

Mohamed Salah entered the fray with 25 minutes to go in a second half that was devoid of quality, with Wolves captain Ruben Neves sending a free-kick just over the bar from a promising position.

The hosts applied some pressure but were unable to fashion an equaliser as the Reds came out on top in a forgettable all-Premier League encounter.

Aaron Rodgers is yet to decide if he will play again in 2023 but will only do so in a team bidding to win the Super Bowl, whether with the Green Bay Packers or elsewhere.

Rodgers won his third and fourth MVP awards in the 2020 and 2021 seasons before becoming the subject of significant speculation heading into this year.

After suggestions the quarterback might look to either retire or leave Green Bay, he returned to the Packers for a disappointing campaign.

An 8-9 record in the NFC North saw the team narrowly miss the playoffs, prompting more debate around Rodgers' future as backup QB Jordan Love continues to wait in the wings.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers outlined his belief he can still be among the NFL's best, comparing his situation to after the 2019 season.

"A lot of people said I was washed, I couldn't play anymore, wasn't the same," the 39-year-old said. "Then I won two MVPs in a row – without really doing anything different.

"I'm sure there's a lot of the same sentiment this year. I have a lot of comments about a lot of that that I'd like to keep to myself.

"Do I still think I can play? Of course. Can I play at a high level? Yes. The highest. I think I can win MVP again in the right situation.

"Is the right situation in Green Bay or is that somewhere else? I'm not sure, but I don't think you should shut down any opportunity."

Rodgers detailed the lengthy talks he held with the Packers before heading away for the offseason, but those conversations are not done.

"I think there's still conversations to be had," he added. "I think no player wants to be part of any type of rebuild.

"Reloads are a lot of fun, because you feel like you're close, like you're only a couple of guys away."

Rodgers recognises Love would likely be the Packers' QB of choice if they were to rebuild, anyway.

"If there's a rebuild going on, I won't be a part of that," he said.

"It's a mindset. If they want to go younger and think Jordan's ready to go, that might be the way they want to go.

"If that's the case and I still want to play, there's no other option: I have to play somewhere else."

But Rodgers still does not know if he does want to play, adding: "I still need to mentally get to a point where I feel 100 per cent locked in to play a 19th season.

"If I do, we'll rock and roll and figure that out; if I don't, we'll head into the jungles for a while."

He is certainly not signing up for another season like 2022.

"It would have to be the right situation with the roster to feel like we can win it all," Rodgers said. "There's no point in coming back if you don't feel like you can win it all."

Pablo Sarabia has joined Wolves from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 30-year-old Spain international, who played for La Roja at the World Cup in Qatar, has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Wolves.

He becomes their third signing of the window under Julen Lopetegui

Mario Lemina signed from Nice last week, while forward Matheus Cunha has joined on loan from Atletico Madrid with an obligation to buy as Wolves aim to boost their chances of Premier League survival.

Sarabia, who spent last season on loan at Sporting CP, scoring 21 goals, will now help the cause, with Wolves reportedly paying £4.3million (€5m) for the winger.

The former Sevilla attacker has made 19 appearances for PSG this season.

Sarabia's debut could come against Manchester City on Sunday.

Fabien Galthie has included eight uncapped players in France's Six Nations squad.

Les Bleus ended a 12-year wait for both a Six Nations title and a Grand Slam last year.

The holders won all 10 matches they played in a glorious 2022 and must kick on as they gear up for a Rugby World Cup on home soil that starts in September.

Emilien Gailleton, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Leo Coly and Nolann Le Garrec are among the players who will be hoping to make their debuts in the Six Nations.

The same goes for Paul Boudehent, Julien Delbouis, Romain Buros and Ethan Dumortier.

Galthie will have to do without the injured Cameron Woki, Peato Mauvaka, Maxime Lucu, Baptiste Couilloud and centre Jonathan Danty.

He will be able to welcome, however, be able to welcome back Paul Willemse and Francois Cros.

France start their quest to retain the title with a trip to Rome to face Italy at Stadio Olimpico on February 5.

France Six Nations squad

Forwards: Gregory Alldritt, Uini Atonio, Cyril Baille, Gaetan Barlot, Teddy Baubigny, Alexandre Becognee, Paul Boudehent, Yacouba Camara, Bastien Chalureau, Dylan Cretin, Francois Cros, Sipili Falatea, Thibaud Flament, Mohamed Haouas, Anthony Jelonch, Thomas Jolmes, Thomas Lavault, Sekou Macalou, Julien Marchand, Charles Ollivon (captain), Dany Priso, Romain Taofifenua, Reda Wardi, Paul Willemse.

Backs: Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Romain Buros, Leo Coly, Julien Delbouis, Ethan Dumortier, Antoine Dupont ,Gael Fickou, Emilien Gailleton, Antoine Hastoy, Matthieu Jalibert, Melvyn Jaminet, Matthis Lebel, Nolann Le Garrec, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Yoram Moefana, Romain Ntamack, Damian Penaud, Thomas Ramos.