Philadelphia 76ers point guard James Harden did not deny the report that he is mulling a potential return to the Houston Rockets while addressing the comments after his side's 119-112 Christmas Day win against the New York Knicks.

The 76ers received terrific performances from both Harden, with 29 points (seven-of-16 shooting) and 13 assists, as well as back-to-back MVP runner-up Joel Embiid, who scored a team-high 35 points (12-of-22) with eight rebounds.

But despite improving their winning streak to eight games, the biggest news from the day was the report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski claiming Harden is seriously considering leaving Philadelphia at the end of this season to head back to his former team.

His contract includes a player-option for next season, meaning he can opt out and become an unrestricted free agent.

Harden reportedly has fond memories of his time with the Rockets – where he won three consecutive scoring titles and one league MVP – despite forcing his way out of the franchise just two seasons ago

When asked about the report during his post-game media appearance, Harden made no long-term commitment to the 76ers, simply saying he is "excited" to be in Philadelphia.

"I'm here," he said. "We're playing very well, and I don’t know where that report came from, but I’m excited to be here, and we're playing very well. We're continuing to get better."

Harden is currently leading the NBA in assists at 10.9 per game, and has looked back to his All-NBA level recently, including in Friday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers where his triple-double included a career-high 21 assists.

The Los Angeles Rams enjoyed their most dominant win of the season on Sunday as they pummelled the Denver Broncos 51-14.

It was a miserable game from beginning to end for the Broncos, conceding a field goal on the opening drive before quarterback Russell Wilson threw an interception from their third play, gifting the Rams the field position to score again and take a 10-0 lead.

Things went from bad to worse when the Broncos' second drive also ended in a Wilson interception, with Rams running back Cam Akers delivering a second touchdown in the first quarter to jump ahead by three scores.

The Rams went on to score touchdowns on both of their next two drives, with Akers and Tyler Higbee both collecting two by half-time to blow out the margin.

Akers put the exclamation point on the drubbing with his third touchdown run of the game to open the fourth quarter, before Wilson finally found a consolation score, firing a touchdown pass to Greg Dulcich.

Mayfield, in his third start since being picked up off the waiver wire, completed a superb 24 of his 28 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. Higbee was his top receiver, catching nine passes for 94 yards and both of Mayfield's touchdowns.

Wilson was 15-of-27 for 214 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, although Jerry Jeudy was excellent, bringing in six catches for 117 yards. For Wilson, it was his first game with three interceptions since October 2020.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Jude Bellingham will not come under too much pressure following his "absolutely exceptional" showing for England at the World Cup.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to a number of Europe's elite clubs – Liverpool among them – on the back of another impressive year.

Bellingham started all five of England's matches at Qatar 2022, which ended in quarter-final defeat to France, scoring and assisting one goal from central midfield.

He was reportedly valued in excess of €100million (£88.5m) by Dortmund prior to the World Cup, a valuation that is likely to have only risen since.

However, Klopp says that no matter how expensive the 19-year-old is, he should not be weighed down by growing expectations in his home country.

"I don't like to talk always about money," Klopp told reporters. "When you talk about a player like Jude, I think everybody agrees he's just exceptional for the age group. 

"Imagine somebody has no clue about football or whatever or knows about football but didn't watch it for a while and has no clue on Jude Bellingham...  

"'How old do you think he is?' I think nobody would get it. Or even get close to his age. It's like 28, 29, whatever, these kind of things, because he plays that maturely. 

"He played an exceptional World Cup, absolutely exceptional. And he's so good in so many things and has to improve and other things.

"But to describe him I'd say the things he can do already are difficult to learn. The things he has to improve are easy to learn and to improve so that makes a really good player. 

"What can I say? I don’t say anything new. I thought that already, since two or three years ago, since he had his breakthrough at Dortmund, everybody knows that already.

"But I have no idea what that means for the money side of it. I really think if we all if want to do him a favour, then we just don't talk too much about money. 

"And I mean, from an English point of view, don't throw any hurdles in his development. That would be really cool, wherever he will end up."

Bellingham (19 years, 145 days) is the third-youngest player to start for England at a World Cup after Michael Owen in 1998 (18y, 198d) and Luke Shaw in 2014 (18y, 347d).

The Birmingham City academy product became the second-youngest player to score for England in the competition behind only Owen with his goal against Iran.

The teenage midfielder will remain in high demand ahead of the January transfer window, which Liverpool will target as a chance to strengthen their squad.

Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League and face a challenge to qualify for the Champions League, which Klopp accepts that could impact what players his side try to sign.

"It's very important, very important," he said of finishing in the top four. "That's obviously our main target. I'm surprised that you don't ask me today 'can you be champions?' 

"I think we have a good chance to qualify for the Champions League. If it will happen this year, I don't know. But we're 100 per cent one of the contenders for the next few years. 

"If you ask a player and he's like, 'yeah, but next year you're not sure if you're in the Champions League; I'd prefer to go to a club who play in it now, but maybe not next year'. 

"I'm not sure I would want this player still to be honest. So it's like I understand it 100 per cent. I want to be part of the Champions League, to be honest, all the time.

"For now, we have pathways still to qualify for the Champions League next year. As long as that's the case, I see ourselves as a proper contender for qualification."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's faith in Eddie Nketiah is growing "every single day" as the striker prepares for what could be a lengthy spell leading the line.

The Premier League leaders return to action against West Ham on Boxing Day without Gabriel Jesus, who suffered a knee injury during Brazil's World Cup campaign and has undergone surgery – with reports he could face three months out.

Nketiah now stands as the only senior recognised striker within Arteta's ranks, with speculation that the Gunners could look to add recruits in the January window to increase their depth in this area.

A strong finish to last season saw Nketiah score five goals in seven Premier League matches, earning himself a new contract in the process, but he is yet to score in the league this season – though his 12 appearances have all been as a substitute.

A record of three goals in 19 appearances in all competitions leaves plenty of room for improvement, but Arteta is confident he can fill the void left by Jesus' injury.

"I have more faith in him every single day, because we see every day what he brings to the team, how he is as a human, how he's developing as a player," Arteta said in the pre-match press conference.

"We already got some great response last year when we needed him. He plays really well with the team. He's ready – that's why he signed that contract.

"He's a key player in our squad and he's going to have chances to play."

Having fallen shy of a return to Champions League football last term, Arsenal have come out of the blocks flying this season to lead the Premier League and have lost just one of 14 matches to hold a five-point lead ahead of the restart.

Arteta has made it clear there is still work to do, though, adding: "The hardest thing to do is to win, and then to win again, and then to win again. There's a lot still to do there, for sure."

Arsenal travel to Brighton and Hove Albion after the London derby against West Ham to finish 2022, then begin the new year at home to Newcastle United.

The Green Bay Packers' defense played a spectacular fourth quarter to deliver a 26-20 win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

It was the third consecutive win for the surging Packers, who were 4-8 before the streak, but now have a chance to make the playoffs if they can defeat the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions in a pair of January games at Lambeau Field to close the season.

Against the Dolphins, the Packers fell behind in the first quarter after Jaylen Waddle took a pass 84 yards for the longest offensive touchdown to ever occur in a Christmas Day game.

They tied things up with a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Marcedes Lewis, before a Jeff Wilson Jr goal-line touchdown run put the Dolphins up 20-13 at halftime.

The Green Bay defense was a completely different beast after the break, holding the Dolphins scoreless as they made quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's life miserable down the stretch.

Entering the fourth quarter tied at 20-20, all three of the Dolphins' possessions in the last period ended in interceptions, gifting the Packers the field position needed for a pair of field goals to take the lead and the win.

Rodgers completed 24 of his 38 passes for 238 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Tagovailoa was 16-of-25 for 310 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

The Dolphins have now lost four in a row, dropping to a murky 8-7 after appearing destined for the playoffs at 8-3.

Starting right tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals La'el Collins suffered a torn ACL and MCL during Saturday's win against the New England Patriots.

Collins, 29, was enjoying a strong first season with the Bengals after spending his first six years with the Dallas Cowboys.

He started all 15 games up to this point after being brought in to stabilise Joe Burrow's protection, and it has been the first of Burrow's three seasons where he has averaged fewer than three sacks per game.

The Bengals are currently one of the hottest teams in the NFL, riding a seven-game winning streak with nine victories from their past 10 outings, but the loss of Collins will undoubtedly be a massive blow.

According to Enquirer's Kelsey Conway, the team's initial on-field ACL exam appeared to indicate he had not suffered a tear, but an ensuing MRI produced much more dire results.

They finish their season with home games against the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens, but with a playoff berth already secured, the priority will now be to reach the postseason as healthy as possible.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is proud of his team's achievements in 2022, including reaching a Champions League final he acknowledged was not one to remember.

The Reds finished second behind Manchester City in the Premier League last season, with the title race coming down to the final day.

Liverpool also won both domestic cup competitions, beating Chelsea on penalties on each occasion at Wembley Stadium.

However, their season ended in disappointment when their league heartbreak was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in Paris.

That match was marred by an incident outside the Stade de France, where Liverpool fans were accused of using fake tickets to access the ground and subsequently caused a bottleneck that resulted in riot police firing tear gas at spectators attempting to gain entry.

Liverpool's fans have since been cleared of any wrongdoing, and Klopp wanted to signal out the day after the Champions League final, when the Reds paraded the FA Cup and EFL Cup through the city, as the highlight of the year.

"From a sports point of view, 2022 was a pretty successful year I would say. It started with the EFL Cup final. The FA Cup final was special, I enjoyed it so much," he said in a video posted to Liverpool's website.

"Then the league was pretty spectacular. We were close again, I know that's not that much appreciated, I get that, when you come close.

"But from a coach's point of view I am pretty proud of that.

"The Champions League final, [Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut] Courtois had a pretty good day. We did quite well but it didn't feel [right] that night, it didn't feel for different reasons which we didn't know exactly directly after the game when we were already down.

"But when we heard the stories from our families what happened around the stadium, it was a clear it was a special night for the wrong reasons. So it will not be a Champions League final we will remember for the rest of our lives.

"What we will remember for the rest of our lives was the day after the Champions League final. You give your absolutely everything and you get a lot but not everything.

"If that's not worth a celebration, it would be the worst sign you can give to the outside world.

"That's why we celebrated two cup competitions, two cup wins, two big, big campaigns and that we are together and we are alive and we love each other. 

“This club is so special and if anybody didn't know it before, this day was proof of that. It was outstanding, I have no words for it. Now when I am speaking about it I get goosebumps."

Liverpool restart their season with a trip to Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

There have been only 15 Premier League matchweeks since the start of the season, but plenty has changed.

Arsenal, rather than Liverpool, look the biggest threat to Manchester City's title defence, while Newcastle United are third ahead of the campaign resuming on Monday.

With the January transfer window also just around the corner, it is time to revisit Stats Perform's ranking of the top 20 most valuable Premier League players, first published back in July.

Inspired by Bill Simmons' NBA trade value list for The Ringer, this is not a ranking of the 20 best Premier League players but perhaps the 20 most difficult to sign.

The following factors have all been considered: how important these players are to their clubs, how replaceable they are, how proven they are, how likely they are to be sold now or in the near future, and how much they would cost if they were to move, influenced by ages and contract situations.

There have been some significant moves since the previous edition...

1. Phil Foden – Manchester City (July rank: 2)

Foden has gone from strength to strength at City this season, excelled for England at the World Cup and, in October, signed a new contract. There is no amount of money in the world that could convince City to sell the 22-year-old.

2. Reece James – Chelsea (12)

James is perhaps Chelsea's equivalent of Foden, their most talented academy graduate and still only 23. He was in excellent form to start the season before sustaining an injury that ruled him out of the World Cup. His big leap is more due to Chelsea's continued commitment to success under new owner Todd Boehly.

3. Erling Haaland – Manchester City (3)

There will always be speculation around Haaland's future, the existence or otherwise of any clauses in his contract and the suggestion he might hope to play for a Real Madrid. But he is not going anywhere just yet and is surely the form player in European football this season.

4. Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City (4)

De Bruyne is now 31, making him by some distance the oldest player in the top five, and endured a miserable World Cup. However, the signing of Haaland has allowed De Bruyne to again showcase just how good he can be, thriving playing alongside a dead-eyed finisher.

5. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (14)

The biggest star of Arsenal's resurgence has been Saka, who then also starred at the World Cup and was highly unfortunate to exit the tournament alongside his England team-mates. There will always be suspicions Arsenal will move on their best players eventually, but they are proving right now he does not need to leave to succeed.

6. Bruno Guimaraes – Newcastle United (15)

Another big jump takes Guimaraes up the rankings, having impressively built on his superb start to his Premier League career. Now an all-action number six, rather than a goal-getting box-to-box star, he has been linked to Real Madrid but appears committed to Newcastle, whose rapid progress should keep him happy.

7. Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United (7)

The Premier League's other big-name Bruno only narrowly trails Guimaraes, with Fernandes set to be United's undisputed main man following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. It would likely only be United's failure to secure Champions League football that would see Fernandes consider his future.

8. Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool (5)

Four of the five Liverpool players on this list have fallen, although Van Dijk remains the Premier League's most valuable centre-back. Whether he is still the division's best at his position could be up for debate, however, with the Reds far less steady in defence this season.

9. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool (6)

Van Dijk's Liverpool team-mate Salah is 30 now and has slipped below his lofty standards at least in league play, scoring only six times so far this season. Liverpool will not rush to move on the winger, but they will be in trouble if this proves to be a sustained decline.

10. Harry Kane – Tottenham (10)

Spurs have seemingly guarded off interest in Kane from elsewhere, with potential suitors City happy with Haaland, but the arrival of Richarlison might also make them less reliant on the England captain than in previous years. He has still scored 12 league goals this season.

11. Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool (1)

Alexander-Arnold has long had detractors outside of Anfield – including Gareth Southgate, who seemingly considers him England's fourth-best right-back. But this is the first time the 24-year-old's Liverpool performances have really been scrutinised. Regardless of Liverpool's stance, rival clubs would likely look elsewhere for a more complete full-back option.

12. Ederson – Manchester City (10)

Ederson slips only due to the number of top players on the rise. He is the most valuable goalkeeper in the Premier League, and City's playing style would have to alter considerably if the Brazil man was ever to depart.

13. Alisson – Liverpool (11)

Alisson is perhaps a better all-round goalkeeper than his Brazil team-mate, but he does not have the City star's same passing range, making him ever so slightly less valuable. In his 2022-23 form, Liverpool will not be looking for a change.

14. Darwin Nunez – Liverpool (17)

Nunez is one of the more difficult Premier League stars to gauge, missing some huge chances and sitting out matches through suspension but still netting at an impressive rate and showing signs of his enormous potential. He looks likely to be Liverpool's main man in years to come.

15. Son Heung-min – Tottenham (8)

Son has scored in only a single Premier League match this season, albeit he netted a hat-trick against Leicester City, and this first real dip in form could eventually see the forward lose his place at Tottenham given the competition for places.

16. William Saliba – Arsenal (new entry)

The first new entry is perhaps the Premier League's outstanding defender this season. Saliba has clearly benefited from three years away from Arsenal on loan, returning as a commanding centre-back, brilliant both on the ball and off it. His limited role for France at Qatar 2022 will take some explaining.

17. Martin Odegaard – Arsenal (new entry)

Another new entry and another key Arsenal man, Odegaard is Mikel Arteta's captain at Emirates Stadium and has started to show he might just fulfil the huge potential that was evident in his play as a teenager. Legendary status would be secured if he led the Gunners to the title.

18. Declan Rice – West Ham (16)

Rice has not quite been at his best for West Ham this season, but more importantly, his contract is winding down. It has been reported the Hammers have accepted their most prized asset will likely leave at the end of the season. Still, the fee should be huge.

19. Sven Botman – Newcastle United (new entry)

Botman, signed from Lille at the start of July, was not even in the Newcastle team when the season began. He is now a guaranteed starter in a side chasing Champions League football and perhaps more. Newcastle have no need to sell a centre-back who is yet to lose a match in black and white.

20. Mason Mount – Chelsea (13)

Committed to repeating the success of the Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea have no need to sell academy product Mount. But he still has not quite yet shown himself to be one of the Premier League's elite talents, netting only twice for a team down in eighth.

Scott Boland has kept his place in Australia's team for the Boxing Day Test, with Josh Hazlewood withdrawing from contention.

Boland has been in fine form since coming into Australia's Test team, taking 25 wickets in five appearances in the format at an average of 10.36.

The 33-year-old fast-medium pacer took 4-42 in Australia's six-wicket defeat of South Africa in Brisbane in the opening match of the series, but might well have lost his place to Hazlewood in Melbourne.

But Hazlewood, who has been recovering from a side strain, elected to withdraw from contention as he felt "underdone", earning the praise of captain Pat Cummins.

"We gave Joshy every chance,, it just got to a stage where he more than anyone else felt like he was a little bit underdone," Cummins said.

"It's a mark of the man really, he himself said 'don't feel quite right' so he kind of pulled himself out of selection.

"We talk a lot about how as a team we need a squad mentality and I think it's another great example."

Hazlewood trained well before the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but Cummins explained a decision between the veteran campaigner and Boland did not have to be made in the end.

"We didn't really get to the decision point, we gave it enough time and it played out," Cummins said.

"There would have been a part of everyone that would've felt a little bit aggrieved if Scott missed out."

Australia opener David Warner, meanwhile, is set to hit the landmark of 100 Tests after keeping his place at the top of the order.

South Africa captain Dean Elgar did not reveal his starting XI, as he urged his batters to step up as the Proteas aim to keep their chances in the series alive.

But he conceded their batters must improve with the series on the line.

"We've always been in a good space since we've been in Australia," Elgar told reporters.

"We've just been through a bit of a hurdle in the last week – but I think both batting units have been through that.

"We've started afresh and we know runs on the board is key.

"We've had a few good conversations but at the moment talk is cheap. Your best reference point is putting performances on the board."

Australia XI to face South Africa: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

The twelve Tottenham players who featured at the World Cup will not find rest easy to come by, to Antonio Conte's frustration.

Spurs return to action on Boxing Day against Brentford, just eight days after two of their players – France captain Hugo Lloris and Argentina defender Cristian Romero – played in the World Cup final.

Lloris will be on the bench against the Bees but Romero is unlikely to be in the squad. 

Spurs also have to contend with Richarlison's absence, with the Brazil forward having sustained a serious hamstring injury while playing in Qatar. Son Heung-min, Eric Dier and Harry Kane made it to the last 16 and quarter-finals of the competition with South Korea and England respectively, while Ivan Perisic went deep into the competition with Croatia.

"I am not really happy," Conte said. "On one hand, you are happy because for my club, Tottenham, to have 12 players at the World Cup it means that we are in the right way to try to be competitive and to try to win something.

"But it is normal that when you have so many players play a tournament like this, especially during the season, that now it is not easy because the physical condition is not at the top.

"It is impossible to give them a lot of rest and for sure with the players that didn't play the World Cup and we work for four weeks, now they are in a great physical condition.

"We worked a lot on the tactical aspect and physical aspect. Now they are at a level that is better than the players who finished the World Cup.

"For this reason I think I have to make the best decision for the game against Brentford.

"On one side I have players who I worked with for four weeks really well and on the other side, I have players who worked at the World Cup and are not at the top at the moment."

After taking on Brentford, Spurs host Aston Villa on New Year's Day before facing Crystal Palace on January 4.

It may sound bizarre in practically every way, but the Premier League resumes on Boxing Day following its mid-season World Cup break.

Barely eight days on from the World Cup final in Qatar, England's top flight returns with no one able to afford a sluggish resumption.

Of course, much has changed since Premier League teams were last in action in early November, and in one respect nowhere is that truer than at Arsenal.

Although top of the table, the Gunners are now without the man that many felt was key in transforming their fortunes this season, with Gabriel Jesus facing a significant spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Their season resumes at home to West Ham on Monday, with all eyes on how well they adapt without the Brazilian.

Boxing Day omens

The festive period is usually fairly unpredictable due to the sheer number of games teams have to play in December. The circumstances are obviously a little different this year.

With that in mind, most players should be fairly fresh, even considering those midweek EFL Cup exploits.

Perhaps then Arsenal will be even more confident of continuing their excellent record on Boxing Day, having last lost at home on December 26 in 1987. That is a run of 13 games without defeat – the last 10 of those were victories.

West Ham's recent record couldn't be much more different, having won just one of their past eight Boxing Day games – home or away – with a defeat of Swansea City in Wales six years ago the exception.

Does form matter?

If we rewind to early November, Arsenal were flying.

They won each of their previous nine Premier League home games before the season's break, with six of those wins coming this season.

Victory on Monday would equal their longest winning home run from the start of a top-flight campaign after also winning their first seven in 1934-35, 2005-06 and 2017-18.

Arsenal won their last three league matches, including at Chelsea and at Wolves, by an aggregate score of 8-0; they have not won four in a row without conceding since May 2014.

And to top it all off, West Ham lost each of their three most recent games to leave them with 11 away losses for the calendar year, last losing as many as 12 back in 2013.

But those respective runs and streaks were last added to roughly six weeks ago, so how much will they really count for? Certainly, for West Ham, the only way is up.

Gunned down

Hammers boss David Moyes has a generally dreadful record against the so-called top six.

It's become a bit of a feature in the Premier League, and Monday's trip to Arsenal puts his record back in the spotlight.

He has lost more away games against Arsenal in all competitions than he has any other opponent (17).

Further to that, he has only faced Chelsea (23 matches) on the road more often without ever winning than he has the Gunners (21).

Can Moyes finally end his Arsenal hoodoo?

Nketiah looks to answer the call

Jesus' absence for Arsenal is more than just about a goals output.

The Brazilian's haul of five in 14 Premier League games this term is hardly the stuff of legend, but he has offered so much to Arsenal's general play, bringing an ability to conjure something out of nothing and giving them a feisty edge in attack.

Eddie Nketiah will likely be the one to profit from Jesus' absence in terms of first-team minutes. The two players are significantly different, but the young Englishman might argue he will bring more of a goal threat.

In his previous 10 starts across all competitions at Emirates Stadium, Nketiah has scored 10 goals from just 15 shots on target.

Before this run, Nketiah netted only three goals in his first 10 home starts for Arsenal.

No one expects him to fully replace Jesus' influence, but helping the Gunners kick-start the season again with a positive impact against West Ham could be the reassurance some Arsenal fans need while awaiting the Brazil forward's return.