Future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul believes the Phoenix Suns will remain a contender this season if they remain positive, despite dropping their fifth straight game in Tuesday's 111-97 loss to the Houston Rockets.

The Suns dropped to a 16-12 record, having now lost six of their past seven games, with their injury troubles getting worse as Deandre Ayton (ankle) and Cameron Payne (foot) both exited and did not return after half-time.

Phoenix were without All-Star guard Devin Booker for a third straight game due to a hamstring injury, while Cameron Johnson has not played since meniscus surgery in early November.

The Suns' injury issues mean their five-game losing streak may potentially snowball, but 37-year-old Paul remained bullish that they can turn it around.

"Not really," Paul told reporters when asked if he was worried about the losing run snowballing out of control. "As long as the locker room stays positive and understands that it’s a long season.

"We went on an 18-game winning streak [last season] and lost in the second round. You know what I mean? In this league you can't get too high or too low."

The Suns' five-game losing streak is their longest since the 2019-20 season. All five losses have occurred since Chris Paul returned after a 14-game absence due to a heel injury.

In a touching moment after the game, Suns head coach Monty Williams embraced Rockets head coach Stephen Silas, who was back on the sidelines for the first time since his father, three-time NBA champion Paul Silas, passed away on the weekend.

"Everybody knows he's one of the best people in the world," Silas said about Williams. "It means a lot from him.

"He's been through so much and has so many little tidbits and so many experiences that he draws from that he has a great way of communicating.

"Tonight his way of communicating was through a hug, which I needed. I love him for that, he's a good man."

The Boston Celtics survived an almighty fourth-quarter collapse to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 122-118 in overtime on Tuesday.

Boston controlled the first half on the road, building a 65-50 advantage at the long break, but after reaching an 88-74 lead with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, everything began to fall apart for the visitors.

From that point on, the Lakers launched a 32-5 run to take a 106-93 lead with four minutes to play, but then it was the home side's turn to go into their shell, allowing the Celtics to storm back with a 17-4 run.

Anthony Davis had two free throws with 28 seconds on the clock, leading by two, but missed both. Jayson Tatum capitalised and tied the game with a contested mid-range jumper over LeBron James, before the four-time NBA MVP's potential game-winner was way off.

The Lakers had nothing to offer in overtime, scoring only four points in the first four minutes to allow the Celtics to build a game-winning lead.

It was a crucial win for the Celtics to snap a two-game losing skid, improving their league-best record to 22-7 and retaining bragging rights over their long-time rivals.

Tatum was the deciding factor, scoring a game-high 44 points on 15-of-29 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists, while running-mate Jaylen Brown chipped in 25 points (10-of-21) and 15 rebounds.

Both Lakers stars delivered, with Davis' 37 points and 12 rebounds continuing his MVP-calibre season, while James had 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Portis pulverises the Warriors

All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks duo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined for 50 points, but it was Bobby Portis off the bench producing the best performance in his side's 128-111 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Portis had his best game of the season with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting and 11 rebounds, while two-time MVP Antetokounmpo had 30 points on poor efficiency (nine-of-26 shooting), 12 rebounds and five assists.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 20 points (six-of-17), but it was not nearly enough to stop his side from taking their third loss from their past four outings, and dropping their road record to 2-12.

The Bucks have now won eight of their past 10 to improve their record to 20-7, and they are 13-3 at home.

Giant-killing Rockets take another scalp

After knocking off the Bucks in their last game, the Houston Rockets collected another big scalp with a 111-97 triumph over the Phoenix Suns.

The Rockets were led by second-year scoring sensation Jalen Green, who had 26 points on seven-of-17 shooting – hitting 11-of-12 free throws – to raise his team-high average to 21.8 per game.

Third overall draft pick Jabari Smith Jr continued to impress, only attempting five total shots, but finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, hitting all three of his three-pointers. The six-foot-11 wing is hitting a respectable 36.8 per cent of his threes on a healthy 5.8 attempts per game.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says his side needs to correct their defensive issues on the road after slumping to a 2-12 record away from home with Tuesday's 128-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The reigning champions, playing in the first leg of a six-game road trip, were brushed aside by the Bucks, who were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 30 points, 12 rebounds and five assists at the Fiserv Forum.

The defeat means the Warriors are ranked 29th in the NBA on the road this season and have an 0-8 record on the road to teams with plus-.500 records. 

Golden State has also given up at least 114 points in every road game this season, which Kerr was quick to point out.

"In the road losses, our defense has been bad," Kerr told reporters. "For whatever reason, the splits are pretty dramatic. Our defense is pretty good at home and bad on the road. We've got to turn that around."

Kerr also pointed to the free-throws as an issue, with the Bucks scoring 26-of-32 from the stripe compared to Golden State's 15-of-19.

"It's basically the difference in the game when we lose," he said. "It usually feels like that's the difference.

"At half-time it's a 10-point game and they had 10 more free-throws than us, despite the fact that we weren’t shooting the ball very well, we weren’t playing very well, it was a six-point game with a minute and half left in the second quarter. We were right there but the free-throws are a killer."

Kerr along with Stephen Curry both received technical fouls in the first quarter, after a play where last season's Finals MVP appeared to be fouled by Wes Matthews as he shot a three-pointer, yet no call was forthcoming as Bobby Portis scored down the other end, leaving the pair incensed.

"There were several non-calls in the paint," Kerr said. "I felt like we were on the bad end of things to start the game. Steph Curry gets hit on the head on a three-point shot, that needs to be called. That's what he does. That's Steph Curry. You can't miss that.

"We were getting frustrated with some no-calls and it led to a pretty choppy night."

Kerr and Curry's technical fouls were two of five for the game, including Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer.

"I have no comment about my technical," Budenholzer said. "The game just had a really poor flow for a while. Lots of free-throws, delays of game, technicals, everything, the flow tonight was poor."

The San Francisco Giants have secured their franchise shortstop with the signing of former Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins star Carlos Correa to a 13-year, $350million contract in free agency.

Correa, 28, spent the first seven years of his career with the Astros, earning Rookie of the Year, two All-Star selections, a Platinum Glove and the 2017 World Series title.

He became a free agent prior to the 2022 season, signing a three-year, $105m deal with the Minnesota Twins, but exercised his right to opt out after just one year following a 78-84 campaign, missing the playoffs.

Correa was not to blame for the Twins' struggles, posting the second-best batting average of his career (.291) while playing his third-most games in a season (136), resulting in the largest shortstop contract in MLB history.

The Giants were considered the only side other than the New York Yankees with a realistic chance of landing reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge in free agency, but with his decision to return to New York, they had some money set aside to spend.

Likely joining Correa in San Francisco's opening day line-up will be former Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger, who inked a three-year, $43.5m free agent deal earlier in the process.

The Philadelphia 76ers are beginning to figure things out on the offensive end, scoring at least 123 points for the fourth consecutive game to defeat the Sacramento Kings 123-103 on Tuesday.

Joel Embiid top-scored with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while James Harden set the table with 15 assists to go with his 21 points (seven-of-13 shooting), seven rebounds and five steals.

In fact, all five 76ers starters finished better than 50 per cent from the field, combining to shoot 33-of-56 (58.9 per cent) from the field for 94 points.

For the season, the 76ers own the 13th-best offense at 112.4 points per 100 possessions, but in these past four games they have raised that to 118.6 – the fourth-best figure over that span.

The key factor in the return of their offensive firepower is the return of James Harden – who returned from a five-week absence exactly four games ago, and has averaged 11.7 assists per contest since.

Embiid pointed to Harden's ability to generate open looks for his teammates when he spoke to reporters after the game.

"We're playing pretty well offensively," Embiid said. "James is doing a great job getting everyone easy shots. 

"My teammates are doing a fantastic job moving the ball and being in the right spots. That's what we've got to do.

"All we have to do is stay healthy – but we're not there yet. We have a long way to go."

Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers agreed that the offense has found its groove.

"Really the last two games," he said. "We're in the 120s, shooting over 50 per cent, the ball’s moving, the floor is wide open – that’s exactly what we’re talking about. 

"Tobias had nine assists tonight, James had 15. It just says that they’re moving the ball, they’re playing together, our spacing is correct, and it’s good to see."

Harden, who is averaging over 10 assists per game for the fourth consecutive season, expanded on exactly what constitutes an efficient offense.

"I think offensively, it’s just knowing what we’re trying to accomplish possession by possession," he said. "That’s the most important thing. 

"If we’re out here and everybody’s on different pages and have their own individual agendas, and that goes for any team, the offense isn’t gonna be successful. 

"It doesn’t matter how many great guys you have on the team, so I think just knowing what we’re trying to accomplish and just going out there and doing our best job to accomplish it on both ends of the ball.

“For me, individually, I just try to pick up the pace, get the ball up as fast as we can before Joel gets down there, and once he gets down there, we know what to do.

"Guys are doing a great job of just moving their bodies, finding open spots, and then I’m just trying to hit them on target."

The 76ers have now won three in a row to improve their record to 15-12, and sit fifth in the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Brandon Ingram suffered a setback during his recovery from a toe injury and has been ruled out for at least one more week.

The initial injury occurred on November 25 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and he has missed the eight games since.

Ingram, 25, was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 2019-20 season, earning his only All-Star selection in the process.

While his scoring this season is at its lowest since his last campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers (2018-19), his efficiency has reached a new career-high.

He is currently boasting a true shooting percentage – which accounts for and weights three-pointers and free throws – of 59 per cent, which has been buoyed by a scorching start to the season from beyond the arc.

Having never shot better than 39.1 per cent from three-point range, Ingram has hit 28 of his 60 attempts this season for a 46.7 per cent mark, albeit on a limited sample size.

Despite his effectiveness, the Western Conference-leading Pelicans (18-8) have actually had a worse record in games he has played this season (9-6) than in the games he has missed (9-2).

This is more an indication of the dominance of Zion Williamson when he has to assume a larger usage rate in Ingram's absence, as he is averaging exactly 30 points per game with 9.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in seven consecutive wins since the injury.

Williamson is shooting 79/118 over those seven games for a field goal percentage of 66.9 – only Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton, averaging 11.7 points per game, has a higher field goal percentage for the season (73.3 per cent).

Boston Red Sox president Sam Kennedy has leapt to the defence of his franchise amid fan backlash in response to their offseason activity.

The Red Sox failed to retain homegrown star Xander Bogaerts, who led the side for batting average (.307) and hits (171) in 2022, as he exited for the San Diego Padres last week on an 11-year, $280million contract in free agency.

Bogaerts' exit came after Boston, who were World Series champions in 2018, finished last in the AL East with a 78-84 record in the 2022 season.

Three years ago, the Red Sox traded away AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers with a view to financial flexibility, meaning Bogaerts' free agency departure has caused fan tumult.

"I would put our organisation and our track record up against anybody else's in Major League Baseball, period," Kennedy told reporters.

"We're going to continue to field a team, a complete roster that is going to be competitive in the American League East. That's our job.

"We have to do that and I know our fans will support us if we do that."

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom added that he was not surprised by the fans' reaction.

"Fully expected it. Fully expected it," he said. "That has not been a surprise. Honestly, I would have been surprised if that had not been the case."

Bloom also tried to explain the decision on Bogaerts, who they reportedly offered a six-year, $160m deal at the start of the season.

"Well first of all, good for Xander. He earned every bit of that," Bloom said. "Everybody here has seen it and it's just part of what free agency is about. He will be nothing but loved here forever. So that's number one.

"The rest of it, there's a lot of emotions. You can feel that you're making a sound baseball and business decision and still feel torn up by it. It's wonderful when those business decisions line up with things that are gonna make us happy and can make everybody happy. This one didn't.

"But we still have a responsibility to make those decisions. We know that this is going to leave a mark for everybody in this organization and everybody who loves this organization. We understand that and we've got to get back to going out there and winning."

Antoine Griezmann has been "a mix of Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini" in France's run to the World Cup semi-finals, according to Christophe Dugarry.

While the tournament's joint-top scorer Kylian Mbappe has grabbed most of the headlines, the likes of Olivier Giroud and Griezmann have also starred for France.

Griezmann has played in a roaming role for Les Blues in Qatar and has three assists to his name, a tally that only Bruno Fernandes, Harry Kane and Lionel Messi can match.

He is behind only Argentina's Messi in terms of chances created (17 compared to 18), having played a game less, and is joint-second for possession won in the final third.

The Atletico Madrid forward was named the third-best player of the 2018 World Cup when France lifted the trophy, and Dugarry believes he has played just as big a part this time.

"Griezmann, I find him simply exceptional since the start of the competition," Dugarry, who was part of France's 1998 World Cup-winning side, told RMC.

"I even find him, at times, 'Zidane-esque'. He always has the right tone, the right pass. I sincerely think that the France team would not be the same without him.

"We often lack rhythm in our game; there's not a lot of intensity. But, as soon as Antoine touches the ball, he puts rhythm on a pass, on a vision. He has a mix of Zizou and Platini. 

"Platini, he enlightened the game, he had a vision. He saw the game before the others. Griezmann, I find him breathtaking. I find him calm, I find him serene, I find him mature."

Griezmann drifted to the left to play in a delightful cross for Giroud's headed winner in the 2-1 quarter-final victory against England, having earlier assisted Aurelien Tchouameni.

The 31-year-old has been involved in eight goals in his last eight World Cup starts (three goals, five assists), with seven of those involvements coming in the knockout stages.

"The strength of Deschamps is to have put him in this position," Dugarry said of Griezmann's unorthodox positioning. 

"I think [Atletico boss] Diego Simeone will have to do it too. Griezmann must play as a midfielder. In addition, he runs, he gallops, he fills the gaps, he feels the opponents' play. 

"It's a bit like a tennis player: the guy always returns the ball to you because he knows where you're going to send the ball."

Didier Deschamps' side will now face Morocco on Wednesday for the right to play Argentina, who defeated Croatia 3-0 in the other semi-final.

France are playing in their seventh World Cup semi-final and have won each of their past three at this stage, whereas Morocco are the first African side to make it this far.

Luis Suarez has hailed "best in the world" Lionel Messi after his former Barcelona teammate helped Argentina qualify for the 2022 World Cup final.

Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 34th minute and set up Julian Alvarez's second goal in the 69th minute to round out an impressive 3-0 victory over Croatia on Tuesday.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner now has a shot at his first World Cup title, and Argentina's first since Diego Maradona led them to glory in 1986, with Messi having been a runner-up in 2014 when Germany edged La Albiceleste 1-0 in Rio de Janeiro.

"You never get tired of showing that you are the best in the world," Suarez, who spent six years with Messi at Barcelona from 2014 to 2020, wrote on Instagram.

"The whole world stops to applaud this guy and what he's given to football. Incredible my friend!"

Vanquished Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, who was a long-time adversary of Messi with Real Madrid in La Liga, said the Argentinian deserves to lift the World Cup.

"Hopefully [Messi] wins this World Cup, he is the best player in history and he deserves it," Modric told reporters after the game.

Argentina will play the final on Sunday against either reigning world champions France or Morocco, who will meet at Al Bayt Stadium in the second semi-final on Wednesday.

The Houston Texans will be without arguably their top offensive player for up to three weeks after rookie running back Dameon Pierce was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.

Pierce, a fourth-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, took over as the Texans' starting running back in Week 2, and has gone on to rack up 939 rushing yards in 13 games to lead all rookies.

He has also been strongly involved in his team's passing game, with his 30 receptions the second-most by any rookie running back, trailing only Rachaad White (40 catches) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Pierce awkwardly twisted his ankle in the fourth quarter of a narrow 27-23 loss – a game where the Texans entered the contest as 17-point underdogs.

ESPN reports he will miss "up to three weeks", which would not be season-ending, but he may very well be shut down during that period.

Despite Pierce's strong play, the Texans own the worst record in the league at 1-11-1 and are pencilled in for the number one pick in next year's draft – a position they would like to hold onto.

Pierce has already done enough to ensure his position as Week 1 starter next season, and with only four games remaining in the current campaign, it remains to be seen if the Texans will bring him back for the final fixture as the timeframe may allow.

Lionel Messi is the walking proof that you can't keep a good man down as he heads for another World Cup final, according to Argentina team-mate Cristian Romero.

Eight years since Messi and Argentina were left heartbroken by defeat to Germany at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, another shot at football's greatest prize awaits on Sunday.

The Albiceleste coasted to a 3-0 semi-final victory over Croatia on Tuesday, with Messi's penalty followed by a Julian Alvarez double.

Messi was typically excellent, setting up Alvarez's second goal by dancing past Josko Gvardiol, and it will be the captain to whom Argentina look for inspiration in the final against France or Morocco.

At the age of 35, the Paris Saint-Germain forward could be about to experience his career's crowning glory.

Defender Romero said: "Leo's of course a wonderful player, but more than that he's a reference and he's somebody who is a personality, who is always going for more.

"He's been hit so many times and every time he gets back up again and goes for more and he has the strength to do that. He won a Copa America, he's a benchmark like others, [Angel] Di María, Kun [Sergio Aguero], who is no longer here."

Messi has matched the record of the most appearances in World Cups, the 25 previously held alone by Lothar Matthaus.

He is also now Argentina's record World Cup scorer with 11 goals, one more than Gabriel Batistuta.

Having such a figure as the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner in the ranks is inevitably uplifting for Argentina, who are seeking their first World Cup triumph since 1986 when the similarly inspirational Diego Maradona was pulling the strings.

Romero added: "You put your life into this, to bring the trophy home. We're here to deliver. It was shown once again that we are lions. No matter what happens on Sunday, we are going to give all we've got to bring the cup home."

Zlatko Dalic conceded Lionel Messi had produced the performance Croatia "expected to see" after the Argentina great ended their World Cup dream.

Messi played a starring role in denying Dalic's side a second successive final appearance, scoring and providing an assist as the Albiceleste enjoyed a 3-0 victory in Tuesday's semi-final.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward's heroics did not come as a great surprise to the Croatia head coach, who plans to remain in charge of the team until his contract expires in 2024.

However, Dalic acknowledges several players from this generation will not be available by the 2026 finals, with his 37-year-old captain Luka Modric likely to be among them.

"Nothing much needs to be said about Messi's qualities," he said. "In the past 15 years, he's probably the best player in the world, and today again, he was very good and dangerous.

"He made the difference in quality for the Argentina team. He had this explosiveness and technique at a very high-level performance. It's the true Messi we expected to see.

"This is perhaps the end of this generation in World Cups, a couple of them have reached an age and the World Cup in 2026 – we have to wait and see what happens then.

"We've had great achievements for the Croatia national team, and a lot of players with a lot of potential.

"I believe this generation will finish their careers with Euro 2024. We have the Nations League finals, and it's an excellent generation that reached the semi-finals twice in a row. 

"It would have been great to have won the gold medal to crown this generation."

When asked if he would remain at the helm, Dalic added: "I will continue my contract until 2024 and the European Championships and, in six months, we have the Nations League [finals].

"Then, we have the qualification for the World Cup. My plan and objective is to take Croatia to Euro 2024."

Mateo Kovacic believes two "cardinal mistakes" from referee Daniele Orsato cost Croatia in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina.

Croatia's bid to reach a second consecutive World Cup final came to an end as Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez starred at Lusail Stadium, with the latter scoring twice in Argentina's 3-0 win.

Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Alvarez collided with goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, and Kovacic was booked for dissent as several Croatia players protested the decision.

Less than a minute before Livakovic's foul, Croatia were denied a corner when Ivan Perisic's deflected shot looped onto the roof of Emiliano Martinez's net, leaving Kovacic in disbelief. 

"I can't believe it's not a corner," the Chelsea midfielder told reporters after the game. "Then the penalty... 

"I have never commented on the referees nor is it my intention to do so, but these are two cardinal mistakes, and they cost you."

Kovacic's midfield partner Luka Modric concurred, insisting Croatia were in the ascendency before the penalty was awarded.

"The first goal, it was not a penalty, that's my opinion. It stressed us a little bit. Half a minute before that it was supposed to be a corner and we were not awarded one," he said.

"I think after the penalty, it changed the whole match. Before the penalty, we were the ones controlling the game. 

"Maybe we were not so dangerous in front of their goal, but we were the ones in possession, controlling the ball. 

"Unfortunately the penalty changed everything, a penalty I'd never have called in this match. I'm so upset they called this type of penalty against us."

However, Modric did acknowledge Argentina were deserved victors, adding: "We lost the game, that happens. We just have to congratulate Argentina. They were the better team today, they for sure deserved it more than us."

Meanwhile, Kovacic credited Messi for another outstanding performance as the 35-year-old became the first player to both score and assist in four separate World Cup games.

Messi teed up Alvarez for his second goal after beating Josko Gvardiol twice in the same move, while the Manchester City forward's first strike came at the end of his own impressive solo run.

"We knew they were aggressive and good and that they had Messi," Kovacic said. "He was phenomenal and should be congratulated.

"Those two situations are incredible, we conceded two ridiculous goals."