Jimmy Butler had "no idea" the Miami Heat had broken the NBA record for the most free throws in a game without a miss.

The Heat edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-111 on Tuesday, with Butler scoring a game-leading 35 points and going 23-of-23 from the free-throw line.

That means Butler was just one short of James Harden's league record of 24-of-24 free throws, set in December 2019, for the most in one game without a miss.

Butler was not the only Heat player on top form from the line, with the rest of the team shooting 17-of-17, breaking the team record of 39-for-39 made by the Utah Jazz against the Portland Trail Blazers in 1982.

Yet Butler had no clue the Heat were setting a record, with his sole focus on Miami's fightback - they trailed 111-106 heading into the final minute but came out on top in the closing seconds.

"I had no idea," Butler told reporters about the 40 free-throw feat. "I'm more excited that we won this game by one point."

"We won. A complete team effort. I'm proud of my guys. We always talk about finding a way to win. This is a good start to that. Whatever it takes to win."

It was a similar story for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who said: "We've been a very good free-throw shooting team all year, but that's crazy.

"I didn't realise we hadn't missed a free throw.

"It's just a normal Tuesday night for the Miami Heat. I think this is when we feel most alive, when everything just happens and when all of our competitive juices get out there.

"That's the team we all can relate to. That's the team I like."

Miami are now 22-20 for the season and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has no doubt Phil Foden has the capability to play at the heart of midfield.

Foden, used mostly on the wing for both club and country, has often been touted as a future central midfielder.

He has played in the role occasionally for City, including in Sunday's 4-0 hammering of Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Having struggled to get into the game when playing on the flank in City's 1-0 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge three days earlier, Foden looked sharp in a central role and capped off a sublime team move to put City 3-0 up.

Guardiola believes Foden is learning the role, as he compared the 22-year-old's ability to City great David Silva, who moved from the wing to midfield during his 10-year stint at the club.

"He can play inside, but inside you have more attributes to do more things and pay attention more because there are more people, it is not just 'I am going to press and run', it is when and where," said Guardiola ahead of City's EFL Cup tie with Southampton.

"The spaces are minor. Wider you have time but what is important is Phil has the quality to play in these small, small spaces, it is not easy to find.

"Bernardo [Silva] and David Silva can do it and Gundo goes close to the pockets of the central defenders – Phil has the quality and ability to do it.

"He is really good in small spaces, the goal he scored [against Chelsea], he is there. The action is good, the overlap from Kyle [Walker] and the right moment, the right tempo, the pass from Riyad [Mahrez], but in that moment he is there and to score a goal you have to be there.

"In that position, especially when they play five at the back it is important to have an extra player there. We maybe missed it a bit [in the draw] against Everton.

"Phil has these attributes. Of course he can play wider on both sides, he played top class in the last years playing wider but he can play in the middle."

What did the data say?

Foden had 45 touches against Chelsea, with 41 coming in open play.

That was the most he had managed in a City match since November 12, when he had 80 in a defeat to Brentford. Indeed, bar that game, the last time Foden had more touches was against Sevilla in the Champions League on November 2; he had 64 on that occasion, playing in central midfield.

Guardiola will want more creativity from the England international should he play in the role. Against Sevilla, Foden crafted three chances and had 10 touches in the opposition box – he only managed four in Sunday's game, albeit one of those was that fine finish to put the game to bed, and did not create a goalscoring opportunity.

Foden attempted 34 passes, more than only Julian Alvarez (18) of City's starters, completing 29 of those, while he won three of his six duels.

Donovan Mitchell was thankful for the "phenomenal" reception he received on his return to the Utah Jazz, though was left to rue Jordan Clarkson's form in a tight defeat.

Mitchell spent five seasons with the Jazz before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last year.

Lauri Markkanen was part of that trade and had a double-double of 25 points and 16 rebounds against his former team as he became the second-fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 points. Likewise, Mitchell showed just why the Cavs signed him with a game-leading 46-point haul.

Mitchell has broken the 40-point mark in a career-high five games this season, but it was not enough to down his old employers, who triumphed 116-114 after Clarkson came to the fore, netting nine of his 32 points in the final quarter.

The Jazz paid tribute to three-time All-Star Mitchell before Tuesday's game by showing a highlights reel of his time in Utah, while the home crowd gave him an ovation.

"I was really comfortable," Mitchell told the media.

"It wasn't weird. It was just like playing as I have here for the last five years. The reception was phenomenal, and I'm appreciative of it."

Mitchell was handed a rest in the third quarter, though that was when Clarkson began to swing the momentum Utah's way.

"He had that look in his eye, and I was just like, damn, it's going to be one of those back-and-forth nights," Mitchell said.

Clarkson explained: "I was just being aggressive in those moments. Throughout the game, I saw what they were doing defensively and just started being aggressive in the fourth."

Walker Kessler was tasked with marking Mitchell and had nothing but praise for his former team-mate.

"He's an unbelievable guy, man," said 21-year-old Kessler, who joined the Jazz three months before Mitchell left.

"I mean, obviously, I haven't known him too long, but even [when we played] at Cleveland, he came up to me and was super, super encouraging.

"It was really cool to see the Utah fan base get so excited for him. Great player, great guy."

The Cavs have lost two of their last three games but are still well placed in the Eastern Conference with a 26-15 record, while the Jazz are just above the play-in line in the West.

The Miami Heat broke the NBA record for most free throws in a game without a miss as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-111 at home on Tuesday.

With starters Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry all out due to various injuries, Jimmy Butler was tasked with leading the offense, and he was aggressive from the jump.

He scored only six of his 17 field goal attempts, but finished with a game-high 35 points after going a perfect 23-of-23 from the free throw line. In doing so, he finished one free throw behind James Harden (24-of-24 in December 2019) for the most in one game without a miss.

Butler was not alone in his marksmanship from the line, with his team-mates also combining to shoot 17-of-17, setting the new team record for 40 free throws without a miss.

The Heat star also added seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks in a spectacular two-way performance, while Victor Oladipo chipped in 19 points (seven-of-16 shooting) with four rebounds, four assists and two steals off the bench.

For the Thunder, Josh Giddey collected his second triple-double of the season with 18 points (eight-of-18), 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

Miami are now 22-20, and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Embiid and Harden dominate the Pistons

The stars of the Philadelphia 76ers made light work of the visiting Detroit Pistons, with Joel Embiid and James Harden both enjoying big nights in a 147-116 victory.

Embiid had 36 points (12-of-20 shooting), 11 rebounds and two blocks in just 24 minutes, while Harden posted a strong triple-double with 16 points (six-of-seven shooting), 15 assists and 12 rebounds.

The 76ers have won five of their past six outings to improve their record to 25-15, placing them fifth in the East, 3.5 games behind the league-leading Boston Celtics (29-12).

Mitchell heroics not enough for the Cavaliers

Donovan Mitchell was a man on a mission in his first road game against the Utah Jazz since being traded in the offseason, but the Cleveland Cavaliers ultimately went down 116-114.

Mitchell scored a game-high 46 points on 14-of-27 shooting with six assists, five rebounds and three steals, but his team could not stop the duo of Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen.

Clarkson top-scored for Utah with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting, while Markkanen continued to build a case for Most Improved Player as he put up 25 points (six-of-18) and 16 rebounds.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard knows his team is in desperate need of a stable quarterback and admitted to reporters Tuesday that he "failed" in recent seasons.

Ballard added that the Colts are willing to be aggressive in trying to acquire a franchise quarterback this offseason, even if that means trading up from the fourth overall pick in April’s draft.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he said. "If we thought there's a player that we're driven to get that makes the franchise and the team better, that's what we would do.

"We understand the importance of the position. To get one that you can win with and to be right is the most important thing -- not if we take one or not. It's being right."

The franchise once fortunate enough to replace Peyton Manning with Andrew Luck under center has been searching for answers ever since Luck retired following the 2018 season.

Over the past four seasons, Ballard has brought in four different opening-day starters at quarterback – Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan – all with disappointing results.

"Looking back on it, when you're changing quarterbacks every year, it's tough," Ballard said. "It's tough on everybody. It's tough on the team. Not getting that position settled has a little something to do with [the team's record].

"I failed. I'm not going to sit up here and make excuses. I failed a lot of people."

The Colts find themselves behind only the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals in April's draft order, with only the Texans having a glaring need at quarterback.

If division rivals Houston and Indianapolis were to get into a bidding war for the top pick, however, the Texans would appear to have the advantage, holding three extra picks in the 2023 draft as a result of trading away embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns.

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes told reporters on Tuesday he is confident in Jared Goff's ability to be the team's starting quarterback going forward.

Goff arrived in Detroit prior to the 2021 season as the Los Angeles Rams attached him to two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder to swap quarterbacks, bringing Matthew Stafford to the Rams where he guided them to a Super Bowl win in his first season.

The Rams were essentially dumping Goff – who has a Super Bowl appearance himself – but he has reinvigorated his career with a stunning bounceback campaign.

Starting all 17 games, Goff threw for 4,438 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions, setting new franchise-records for lowest interception rate (1.2 per cent) and highest touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.14).

League-wide, Goff finished fifth in QBR (61.2), fifth in touchdown passes, sixth in passing yards, tied for sixth in yards-per-completion, and 27th in sacks taken.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Holmes indicated the Lions will not look for a new starting quarterback in the offseason.

"I think it's a lot easier to get worse at quarterback than to get better in this league," he said. 

"So, I think what Jared has done this year, he captained the ship of a top-three offense, and he was top-10 statistically in most of the passing categories.

"Again, you know how we approach the draft, we're never going to turn down a good football player, so if it's a football player we love, we're going to make sure every stone is turned. But I do think that Jared has proven to everybody that he is the starting quarterback for us."

Lions head coach Dan Campbell provided similar commentary after defeating the Green Bay Packers in their season finale on Sunday.

"[Goff has] played great," he said. "He's really a perfect fit for what we do and what we ask.

"I think the true sign of a pro is somebody who can take the coaching. He can look at himself in the mirror, he knows where he needs to improve, he listens to what recommendations you have to get better, and he goes at it now. 

"He doesn't shy from it; he doesn't get sensitive. He just wants to be good. That's our quarterback."

On locker clean-out day Monday, Goff told reporters "I've loved my time here" and that while he has not been approached by the front office about his future with the franchise as he enters the final two years of his deal, he knows he is appreciated internally.

"It feels great, because I've been on the flip side of that," he said. "To be in a place where you are appreciated, it feels good. And again, these people here, it's just a special place and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Simone Inzaghi praised his Inter players who "play less" despite coming within minutes of being eliminated from the Coppa Italia on Tuesday.

The holders trailed Serie B side Parma 1-0 with just three minutes remaining at San Siro, before Lautaro Martinez equalised and Francesco Acerbi headed in the winner in extra time to save their blushes and send them through to the quarter-finals.

The irony of Acerbi heading in the winner was not lost on Inzaghi after the centre-back's effort against Monza in their previous game was ruled out by the referee, causing consternation among the Inter camp as his whistle meant that the VAR could not intervene on what appeared to be a questionable call.

Inzaghi was not in the mood to dwell on the weekend's 2-2 draw in Serie A, instead praising the players who came in for cup duty and, eventually, delivered.

"The whole world saw what happened in Monza, but we were only interested in this game," the Nerazzurri head coach said. "We were doing fairly well even if we had to move the ball better. Then with their goal it got complicated, but I had an excellent response from those who play less.

"I would have liked to avoid extra time, but last year too with Empoli [3-2 win after extra time] it was difficult."

Inter trailed to a superb strike from substitute Stanko Juric in the 38th minute, and did not have a shot on target until Martinez forced an equaliser in the 88th.

In the second half of extra time, Acerbi reacted to a punched clearance from veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to head the ball over the 44-year-old and into the net.

Parma were the equals of their hosts for large parts of the contest, but Inzaghi insisted he was impressed by his team's effort.

"Those who have played the least have given excellent answers, we must continue like this," he added. "In the Champions League we have gone beyond expectations, in the league we lost points at the start, but there are many games to go."

Romelu Lukaku did not feature, but his coach believes the Belgium striker will have plenty to offer once they can get him fit and playing regularly.

"He remains fundamental for us," Inzaghi said. "He had an injury and had problems managing it. Saturday [v Monza] he was limited by his inflammatory problem. Tomorrow he will continue to rest, then day-by-day we would like to bring him back to the top. If we could have done that before, it would have given us the extra points we are missing."

Former top-10 draft pick Jonathan Isaac is nearing his return for the Orlando Magic after two-and-a-half years on the sidelines.

Isaac, 25, last played a competitive game in August 2020, when he tore his ACL in the NBA 'bubble' and was ruled out for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

He went on to miss all of the 2020-21 campaign, and after complications with his recovery, he also missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season and now half of the current season.

The 6ft 10in defensive ace appeared on track for multiple NBA All-Defensive First Team honours, averaging 2.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in his most recent campaign. The only player this season averaging at least two blocks and one steal is Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Isaac will play for the Lakeland Magic – Orlando's G League affiliate – on Wednesday, as the first of two planned games before assessing his readiness to return to the NBA.

He is in the second year of a four-year, $70million contract, and will rejoin a Magic team in the tail-end of what looks to be a successful rebuild, with franchise building blocks Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in place following two terrific drafts from the Orlando front office.

The Washington Commanders have fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner.

Turner had been in the role since 2020, when Ron Rivera, whom he had worked under during two spells with the Carolina Panthers, was named head coach.

They helped Washington reach the playoffs in 2020, but did so with a losing record. The subsequent two seasons have also failed to produced winning records.

Washington went 8-8-1 in 2022, a season that could prove to be controversial owner Dan Snyder's last with the franchise. The Commanders announced in November that Dan and Tanya Snyder were exploring a sale of the team.

A potential change in ownership may buy Rivera more time for the sake of stability, but Turner has paid the price for a season in which Washington's offense struggled for efficiency.

The Commanders averaged 4.93 yards per play in 2022, putting them 28th in the NFL, as they were again hamstrung by a lack of a definitive answer at the quarterback position. Carson Wentz, Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell all started at least one game under center for Washington.

"I met with Coach Turner today and informed him that we will be moving in another direction going forward with the offensive coordinator position," Rivera said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, we did not live up to the expectations and standard that I expected to see from our offensive unit.

"I felt it was best for a fresh start at the coordinator position heading into next year.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Scott and thanked him for his three years of service to our organisation. I wish Scott and his family all the best in the future."

Australian heavyweight Demsey McKean claimed he could "retire" Anthony Joshua after confirming talks with the "biggest name in boxing".

Joshua has not triumphed in the ring since June 2020 when he defeated Kubrat Pulev, having since lost back-to-back world title fights with Oleksandr Usyk.

Tyson Fury looked set to be the opponent for Joshua before negotiations broke down, with the WBC champion turning his attention to a potential 2023 bout with Usyk.

Southpaw McKean has 14 knockouts on his unblemished 22-0 record and he fancies his chances against Brit Joshua, who is aiming to bounce back from the Usyk setbacks.

"We are one of the frontrunners for a possible opponent for Anthony Joshua," 32-year-old McKean told Sky Sports.

"I could be the man to retire Joshua and I am very confident I can do that. But don't get me wrong, there are still more fights for AJ. If he loses to me, a top-10 heavyweight as well, that shouldn't be the end.

"People probably don't give him the credit he deserves, what he has done for the heavyweight game. He has brought a lot of eyes and money into the heavyweight division.

"He is probably the biggest name in boxing, everyone is after him, including me. It is the name to have on your resume.

"There are still fights to be made and people are still going to pay to watch those fights. But three losses in a row, does he need to keep doing this, he is well set up now?

"He probably still has his doubts, he still doubts himself a lot, I know that. But who wouldn't when they are at the top, in the limelight and cop a lot of criticism.

"There are a lot of factors but I have the skills to do that [retire him] for sure."

McKean and Joshua are no strangers after the pair sparred in the build-up to the latter's first bout with Usyk, which saw him lose his WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

Queenslander McKean delivered a brutal third-round knockout of Patrick Korte in his last outing on October 15 and thinks he deserves a shot at a big-name fighter.

"I feel confident if that fight goes through," he said. "The only doubt I have is that he doesn't want to fight a southpaw.

"It would be a shame. I have been on the brink of some very big fights myself. I have come close to fighting Dillian Whyte as well. I think it is sad that some of the elite boxers in the world pick and choose who they fight. We would not have had this back in the old days.

"The world has gone mad, and all these so-called champion boxers don't want to fight a southpaw. Let's hope he [Joshua mans up] and fights this time.

"I have been sparing with him for years, I have been in his camp twice. He knows it is going to be a hard fight, by the rounds I give these guys.

"He is a smooth operator, there aren't too many who move like him. His size is an advantage and disadvantage for him."

Considering the Chicago Bears just wrapped up one of the worst years in franchise history, it is no surprise the team has plenty of needs it could fill with the number one pick in the draft.

Selecting a quarterback first overall, however, appears highly unlikely.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles supported Justin Fields as being Chicago's starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season and said a QB prospect would have to utterly amaze him for the Bears to draft him with the top pick.

"We're going to do the same as we've always done," Poles said on Tuesday. "We're going to evaluate the draft class, and I would say this: I would have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision."

Fields was one of the few bright spots on a Bears team that ended the 2022 season on a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak and secured the top pick by finishing 3-14.

The abysmal record was not a huge surprise, though, considering the team went through a midseason teardown by trading away defensive standouts Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn and lacked significant talent at the offensive skill positions while the o-line was deemed substandard.

Although Fields emerged as one of the most exciting players in the NFL, capable of springing off a highlight run on any given play, the second-year quarterback failed to make many game-changing plays with his arm.

There are also questions of how Poles evaluates his skillset given Fields was drafted by the previous regime.

With 1,143 rushing yards, Fields – the number 11 pick in the 2021 draft – averaged a league-leading 7.14 yards per rush and had an NFL-best four rushing touchdowns of 50-plus yards. He flirted with breaking the NFL single-season quarterback rushing record set by Baltimore's Lamar Jackson in his 2019 MVP season had he not missed Sunday's finale with a strained hip.

"I thought Justin did a good job," Poles said. "I thought we changed a lot, we adapted, we tried to put him in a position to be successful, he showed the ability to be a playmaker. Be impactful. He can change games quickly. Does he have room to grow? He does. He has to get better as a passer, and I'm excited to see him take those steps as we move forward."

Despite being one of the most dangerous runners in the league, Fields and the Bears had trouble moving the ball through the air.

Among the 32 quarterbacks with a minimum of 250 attempts, Fields ranked 25th in passer rating (85.2), 31st in completion percentage (60.4) and 32nd in yards per game (149.5).

An argument could be made he did not have enough support around him, and that is where owning the top pick works in the Bears’ favour.

Poles could decide to use the top pick to fill a need or trade down with a team looking to take a quarterback for more draft picks.

Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are the three quarterbacks all projected to be drafted in the top 10, with some combination of them possibly going 1-2.

The Bears also have about $118million in salary cap room to restock the roster.

'"I think we have really good flexibility to help this team, regardless if it's making the pick there or moving back a little bit or moving back a lot," Poles said. "We'll be open to everything."

Holders Inter are through to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia but had to survive a scare before eventually beating Serie B side Parma 2-1 after extra time at San Siro.

Stanko Juric's ferocious effort towards the end of the first half looked like it was going to be enough for Fabio Pecchia's team, before Lautaro Martinez found the equaliser with Inter's first shot on target in the 88th minute.

The Nerazzurri were holding on at times in extra time as well, before Francesco Acerbi won it with a fine header.

Simone Inzaghi made seven changes to the side that drew 2-2 at Monza on Saturday, with Danilo D'Ambrosio, Robin Gosens and Denzel Dumfries among those coming in, while Gianluigi Buffon started in goal for Parma, but the 44-year-old had very little to do for the first 87 minutes of the tie.

After a quiet opening, it was the Serie B side who took a surprise lead in the 38th minute when Adrian Bernabe's ball forward was flicked by Simon Sohm into the path of Juric, who had only been on the pitch for 12 minutes after replacing the injured Dennis Man, and he fired a rocket of a shot into the top right corner past the hopeful dive of Andre Onana.

As Inter continued to struggle to break Parma down in the second half, Inzaghi turned to his substitutes, including Edin Dzeko as he went for it with an attacking trio of the Bosnian alongside Martinez and Joaquin Correa, and it eventually paid off.

With just over two minutes of normal time remaining, a deep ball in from Kristjan Asllani was only cleared as far as Martinez, whose shot deflected off Yordan Osorio and past Buffon to the relief of the home fans and to force extra time, though not before the former Juventus keeper made a smart stop to deny Dzeko a late winner.

The impressive visitors took the game to Inter in the extra 30 minutes, with Antoine Hainaut firing just wide after intercepting a loose pass from Roberto Gagliardini, but Inter stepped it up in the second period and won it thanks to Acerbi after Buffon punched a Federico Dimarco cross straight to the waiting centre-back, who headed it back over him and into the net.