Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue says there is no timeframe for Kawhi Leonard's return to play as he continues to struggle with stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee.

Leonard has only played twice this season and not since October 24, having missed all of last season after rupturing his ACL during the 2021 playoffs.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP missed a seventh straight game on Sunday when the Clippers took on the Utah Jazz, with Lue offering an update prior to tip-off amid ongoing uncertainty about Leonard's return.

"There's really not a timeframe of when he is going to be back," Lue told reporters.

"The biggest thing is just the testing that he has to go through with the medical and the slow progression of just getting better every single day. So we're just taking it day by day right now, not really a timetable."

Lue insisted that five-time All-Star Leonard was making progress, having been managed with 21 minutes off the bench in each of his two games early in the season.

"He is progressing well," Lue said. "We knew coming off an ACL, it wasn't going to be a straight line. We talked about it before the season.

"The biggest thing is he's progressing well. We are going to follow the lead of our medical staff, we got to be smart about the situation, but he is progressing.

"He is in a good place, he is progressing and he is getting better so that is the most important thing."

Chicago Bears emerging star Justin Fields set an NFL single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback with a 178-yard performance in Sunday’s contest against the Miami Dolphins.

Fields eclipsed the previous high mark of 173 yards set by Atlanta’s Michael Vick in 2002. Former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick still has the most rushing yards by a quarterback in any NFL game when he ran for 181 in a playoff victory over Green Bay in January 2013.

The 2021 first-round pick also set a franchise record for the longest run by a quarterback when he eluded a rush and scrambled for a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter of Chicago’s 35-32 loss.

Fields' continued development as a passer was also on display, as he threw for a career-high three touchdowns and finished with a quarterback rating over 100 for a second straight game.

"I think I’m just growing and getting better each and every week," he said afterward. "My main goal is just to continue to do that, continue to trend up. Each and every day I practice, just keep getting better and better. That’s really all you can do."

After recording a 71.8 passer rating with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 9-to-13 through his first 14 NFL starts, the 23-year-old has posted a 99.7 rating with eight touchdown passes and just two interceptions over his last five outings.

"Obviously, start of the season [he’s] feeling his way, and now the last three games he’s really taken off," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. "We are excited about that as a group and we are excited about that for the Chicago Bears and the franchise."

Sunday’s effort gave Fields 602 rushing yards in 2022, making him the fifth quarterback since 1960 with 600 or more rushing yards through nine games in a season. The former Ohio State star joined a list that includes Vick, former Bear Bobby Douglass and two active players, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.

"He’s as fast as any skill position runner," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel remarked. "He is really, really fast and he can cut and break tackles.

"There are a lot of running quarterbacks. This one in particular I think is very elite and adept at that."

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi remains hopeful of a title charge despite Sunday's 2-0 loss to Juventus leaving them 11 points off the pace in Serie A.

The Nerazzurri were downed in the Derby d'Italia by second-half goals from Adrien Rabiot and Nicolo Fagioli, snapping their four-game winning run.

The Bianconeri climb above Inter into fifth, while Inzaghi's side slid down to seventh on 24 points from 13 games, well behind leaders Napoli.

"There are 25 games to go from now to the end," Inzaghi told reporters about their title prospects.

"This is a defeat that slows us down a lot with the progress of this championship but we must be good at putting this defeat behind us immediately.

"We have to improve in these matches, the performance has been there but we have to be better."

Inzaghi added to DAZN: "At this moment, Inter must focus on becoming more consistent. We were coming off four consecutive victories, we are back on the field in a couple of days and a defeat like this can leave some psychological scars, as it was an important match.

"We had been able to score in 24 consecutive Serie A matches, this time unfortunately we were unable to."

Scoring goals has not been an issue for Inter, but conceding them has, shipping 19 from 13 games this campaign, which is the equal sixth worst in Serie A.

The Nerazzurri have conceded 16 of those 19 goals away from home which is the leakiest record in Serie A, having managed only nine points from seven away league games this term.

"We played the most complicated games away," Inzaghi said, having travelled to Lecce, Lazio, Milan, Udinese, Sassuolo, Fiorentina and Juventus this Serie A season.

"Clearly we need to improve in the big matches and in the goals scored. Juve shot three times on goal and scored two goals and one hit the post. We shot eight, nine times, with clearer chances and we didn't score.

"This is a defeat that slows us down, that hurts and for what we have seen on the pitch it is not deserved. It's regret having ended the first half at 0-0."

Aryna Sabalenka eliminated world number one Iga Swiatek 6-2 2-6 6-1 on Sunday to advance to the decider of the WTA Finals.

Swiatek had not lost a set during her week in Fort Worth entering the contest, earning her spot in the semi-final after straight-sets wins against Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina.

Needing to start well to give herself a chance against the in-form Polish star, Sabalenka did just that, breaking Swiatek in her first service game.

Swiatek broke back instantly, but she had no response when the BelaruSsian secured two more breaks of serve in the opening frame to wrap it up in 40 minutes.

After winning only 43 per cent (12-of-28) of her service points in the first set, Swiatek seemed to figure things out in the second, raising that number to 61 per cent (17-of-28) to win the first four games and run away with it and send the match to a decider.

But Swiatek's uncharacteristic errors came back to bite her, committing two double faults in each of the three sets, and after posting a combined 21 winners with 17 unforced errors in the first two frames, she mustered only five winners with nine unforced errors in the last.

Sabalenka rattled off five consecutive games to close out the match, utilising her imposing serve to get the job done, serving 12 aces to Swiatek's one.

She will now face Caroline Garcia in the final after the Frenchwoman proved too strong for Maria Sakkari in a 6-3 6-2 victory earlier in the day.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Sabalenka - 12/9
Swiatek - 1/6

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Sabalenka - 23/19
Swiatek - 26/26

BREAK POINTS WON

Sabalenka - 6/13
Swiatek - 4/10

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill made history in his side's 35-32 road win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and gave plenty of credit to his quarterback.

Hill caught seven passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, and in doing so, broke Hall-of-Famer Calvin Johnson's record for the most receiving yards through a team's first nine games in a season.

It was the fifth time this campaign Hill has eclipsed 140 receiving yards in a game, and he now has 1104 yards for the season, surpassing Johnson's record of 1083 in his first nine games for the Detroit Lions in 2013.

Hill, who is a four-time All-Pro, is only 375 yards away from his career-high total of 1479 from his 16 games in the 2018 season.

Speaking to NFL Network before leaving the field, Hill was grateful for the position he is in.

"For me, man, just to touch the paint – I haven't scored since Week 2, I believe," he said. "To be able to get into the endzone, I just want to thank God for blessing me with this amazing opportunity.

"Blessing me with this chance to play with this special group of young guys – Tua [Tagovailoa] and Jaylen [Waddle] – and just the whole offense.

"Also, you add coach McDaniel and Wes Welker – they're legends – I'm extremely blessed and I'm looking forward to playing more football this season.

"I don't even know what to say [about breaking the record]... I tell people all the time, keep faith in whatever goals you've got, just believe in yourself and always put God first.

"You never know when it's your time, and I feel like this is my time."

When asked his thoughts on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Hill doubled-down on his preseason comments calling him the most accurate quarterback in the game.

"He's the best in the league," he said. "He's the most accurate quarterback in the league. Know that."

The Miami Dolphins are now 6-3 in the stacked AFC East, trailing the 6-2 Buffalo Bills and the 6-3 New York Jets, while the fourth-placed New England Patriots (5-4) are also above .500.

Donovan Mitchell's spectacular start to life with the Cleveland Cavaliers continued against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, scoring 33 points in a 114-100 win.

Mitchell's 33 points was a game-high, and he delivered his production efficiently, hitting 10-of-17 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line.

Through his first eight games with the Cavs since being acquired from the Utah Jazz in an offseason trade, Mitchell is averaging 31.1 points and 7.1 assists per game – both comfortably above his career-highs (26.4 points and 5.3 assists).

He was supported strongly by fellow All-Star Darius Garland, who chipped in 24 points (seven-of-18) and seven assists, while Kevin Love contributed a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) in 20 minutes off the bench.

For the Lakers, LeBron James was strong with 27 points on 13-of-23 shooting, adding seven rebounds and four assists, and Russell Westbrook posted 19 points (six-of-13) with 10 assists as he continues to produce well in a sixth-man role.

Cleveland are now 8-1, and are one of only two teams, along with the 9-0 Milwaukee Bucks, who are yet to record their second loss.

VanVleet steps up in Siakam's absence

With the Toronto Raptors' top option Pascal Siakam out for at least the next two weeks, Fred VanVleet stepped up and led his team to a 113-104 victory against the Chicago Bulls.

VanVleet finished with 30 points on nine-of-22 shooting, and also added 11 assists in an offensive masterclass from the diminutive point guard, posting a plus/minus of plus 27 in his 39 minutes. That means in the nine minutes VanVleet was on the bench, the Raptors were outscored by 18.

Starting in the place of Siakam was rookie Christian Koloko, and he made a big impression as he blocked six shots with his 11 points and seven rebounds.

Alex Caruso produced a noteworthy performance for the Bulls, finishing with an unconventional double-double as he collected 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while shooting one-of-11 for four points.

Bane, Morant carry the Grizzlies 

Desmond Bane and Ja Morant combined for nearly half of the Memphis Grizzlies' points in their 103-97 win against the Washington Wizards.

While Morant struggled with his efficiency, only hitting nine of his 27 shots on his way to 23 points, Bane was terrific, scoring 28 on nine-of-16 shooting. 

The Grizzlies are now 7-3, and Bane has been at the centre of their early success, elevating himself to potentially an All-Star level in his third season as he is averaging 24.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46 per cent from long-range.

Tom Brady showed once again why he is considered the greatest player in the history of the NFL after another miraculous game-winning drive to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

It was not a good offensive game from either team, with the only touchdown from the first 59 minutes of action coming from a 69-yard pass by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp in the second quarter.

But after a fourth-quarter field goal trimmed the margin to 13-9 with eight minutes on the clock, all eyes turned to Brady as he looked to break the all-time record for game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.

His first attempt saw Brady lead the Bucs 53 yards, before failing to convert a fourth-down at the seven-yard line. Luckily for Tampa Bay, they would get another chance after a quick stop forced the Rams to punt the ball with 50 seconds remaining.

In just 35 seconds, Brady completed four passes and drew a pass-interference penalty to take the ball to the one-yard line with 15 seconds to play.

Brady then swung a quick pass out to tight end Cade Otton, slipping past a potential tackler for the score with nine seconds on the clock.

It was Brady's 55th game-winning drive, breaking his tie with Peyton Manning to take sole possession of the all-time lead.

With the win, the Buccaneers move to 4-5, and now lead the NFC South as they own the tiebreaker against the 4-5 Atlanta Falcons.

Walker carries the Seahawks

Rookie running back Kenneth Walker III was the star of the show in the Seattle Seahawks' 31-21 road win against the Arizona Cardinals.

Walker carried the ball 26 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns, making it five consecutive games where he has found the endzone after also tallying 167 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Both of the Seahawks' starting receivers also scored, with quarterback Geno Smith completing a four-yard touchdown pass to D.K. Metcalf and a nine-yarder to Tyler Lockett.

Seattle are now 6-3, while Arizona fall to 3-6.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said the future of Italy's national team is bright after Nicolo Fagioli marked his first Serie A start with a goal in a crucial Derby d'Italia win over Inter.

Fagioli capped an outstanding Juventus counter-attack by beating Andre Onana with a deflected strike as the Bianconeri leapfrogged their rivals in the Serie A table with a 2-0 victory.

As well as making the points safe with his 84th-minute effort, Fagioli created two chances and completed a team-high 93 per cent of his passes, leaving Allegri enthused.

Asked whether Fagioli deserved an Italy call-up, Allegri hailed the 21-year-old and said Juventus' big-name absentees must compete with him and fellow youngster Fabio Miretti when they return.

"You have to ask [Roberto] Mancini," Allegri said. "One thing is certain, I believe that the national team has an important future with strong young players who need to grow, not only at Juve. 

"There is a good pool to face things in the best way in the coming years.

"Whoever is out will have to run, because these kids run. Fagioli and Miretti must be left alone. 

"Every now and then they will play less well, it is normal, but they must enjoy this moment in serenity."

At 21 years and 267 days old, Fagioli is the third-youngest midfielder to score for Juventus in a Derby d'Italia contest in Serie A, after Giacomo Neri in 1936 (20 years, 291 days) and Antonio Montico in 1955 (21 years, 115 days).

Meanwhile, Juventus have now won four consecutive league games without conceding, and Allegri hopes their improved run will breed additional confidence.

"Winning helps you win, especially because you create a team with values. You need to have important values to achieve your goals," Allegri said.

"Tonight, it was nice to see everyone participating in the match, those who played and those who didn't, with great enthusiasm. 

"We must enjoy the victory tonight but from tomorrow we must immediately think about Verona, otherwise on Thursday we risk throwing what we have done overboard. 

"We are two points from fourth place, let's see what happens in Verona."

Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to reach 100,000 passing yards during the first/second/third/fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was always likely to hit the landmark in the 2022 season, and the 45-year-old did exactly that against the Rams, achieving a feat that may never be matched.

Brady entered the Week 9 clash with 86,787 passing yards in the regular season, adding 13,049 yards in the postseason.

He stands more than 14,000 yards ahead of the second-placed quarterback all-time in that regard, Drew Brees.

Only once in the past 12 seasons has Brady failed to rack up more than 4,000 passing yards for the campaign, finishing with 3,554 in the 2016 season for the New England Patriots after missing the first four games due to his Deflategate suspension. Brady ended that season by leading the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

Despite the Bucs struggling mightily on offense in 2022, Brady is on pace to hit the 4,000 mark again this season, having entered Week 9 with 2,267 to his name.

Last season, Brady became the first player to throw 700 career touchdown passes, and when he does retire for good after swiftly reversing his decision to hang up the cleats this past offseason, he will undoubtedly do so as the greatest of all time.

Caroline Garcia produced a dominant performance to overcome Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-2 in the last four of the WTA Finals in Fort Worth on Sunday.

Garcia emerged as the victor of a topsy-turvy tussle with Daria Kasatkina on Saturday, but enjoyed a far more routine outing as she sealed her first final appearance at the competition.

Sakkari had cruised through the Nancy Richey Group with three straight-sets victories, but fell some way short of those lofty standards as she failed to force a single break-point in the opener.

Garcia took 80 per cent of points on her first serve in the opening set, breaking in the fourth game and dictating proceedings from the baseline in impressive fashion.

The match resembled something of a procession after Garcia claimed consecutive breaks to seize the initiative in the second set, and the French Open champion sealed the victory when Sakkari's weak return clipped the net. 

Garcia has now won seven matches against top-10 opponents in 2022, becoming the first French player to post seven such victories in a calendar year since Amelie Mauresmo in 2009.

The world number six is also the first player to reach the title match at the WTA Finals after turning 29 years old since Venus Williams did so in 2017, and will now bid to cap a tremendous year with victory over either Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Garcia – 21/17

Sakkari – 8/19

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Garcia – 6/1

Sakkari – 0/1

BREAK POINTS WON

Garcia – 4/5

Sakkari – 1/3 

One of the top free agents is no longer on the market on the first day of the offseason, with the New York Mets reportedly bringing back closer Edwin Diaz on a five-year, $102million contract, which was agreed to on Sunday.

The deal – which is pending a physical – includes an opt-out clause, a full no-trade clause and a sixth-year option.

It is being reported as the largest contract in baseball history for a reliever, making Diaz the first at his position ever with a nine-figure deal and first to make $20million annually.

The 28-year-old Diaz secured the massive contract after a phenomenal 2022 season, in which he posted a 1.31 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while converting 32 of 35 save opportunities – his second straight season with 32 saves.

Armed with a vicious slider and an overpowering fastball, the shutdown closer earned his second All-Star team selection while proving to be one of the most difficult pitchers to hit, racking up 118 strikeouts in just 62 innings. That rate of 17.13 strikeouts per nine innings is the second-best in MLB history among pitchers with a minimum of 50 innings, trailing only Aroldis Chapman’s rate of 17.67 for the Cincinnati Reds in 2014.

Diaz made his first All-Star team with the Seattle Mariners in 2018, when he compiled 57 saves – tied for second most in a season in baseball history. His 205 career saves are the sixth most by an active pitcher.

Jose Mourinho bemoaned Paulo Dybala's absence after Roma slipped to a 1-0 derby defeat against Lazio, but revealed his hope the Argentina international will return before the World Cup.

Felipe Anderson capitalised on an error from Roger Ibanez as Maurizio Sarri's team clinched a crucial win over their arch rivals on Sunday, moving to third in the Serie A table.

While Lazio were without influential duo Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ciro Immobile at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma only managed two shots on target as they toiled in the absence of Dybala – their top goalscorer with five league goals this season.

"We talked about Milinkovic-Savic and Immobile, we didn't talk about Dybala," Mourinho said at a post-match news conference.

"I think he is more important, because he's the one that assists us with goals. When certain players are missing, we go into difficulty."

Dybala has been absent since October 9 after sustaining a hamstring injury, but Mourinho hopes he will return against Torino next Sunday, in what would also be a boost for Argentina ahead of their trip to Qatar.

"Obviously he wants to go to the World Cup, it is difficult to say no to that," Mourinho told DAZN. "If there is a good evolution of his injury, we hope to have him back on Sunday against Torino."

Roma have suffered narrow defeats to several of Serie A's leading lights recently, but Mourinho believes they have not always got what they deserved.

Asked about the Giallorossi's poor record against top opponents, Mourinho added: "Roma lost those games, in my opinion, undeservedly. 

"Atalanta made one shot on goal and won 1-0, Napoli had difficulties like never before and won with a great goal from [Victor] Osimhen, and Lazio won with a half-goal. 

"I think the game they played was the consequence of being 1-0 up, in a low block, compact. In our cultures, it is said that this was a cynical, intelligent game. In England, people would go home after 20 minutes.

"The playing time was definitely very low, the intensity and continuity of the game was very low. We dominated, but there was a lack of creativity."

Russell Henley sealed a four-shot victory in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba as he cruised to a fourth PGA Tour title.

It was Henley's first win since the 2017 Shell Houston Open, and he tied the tournament low-scoring record – set by Viktor Hovland last season. Henley's final aggregate of 23 under was secured by rounds of 63, 63, 65 and a 70 on Sunday.

He finished four shots clear of the field, but after going bogey-free for his first 58 holes, Henley's first blemish for the week came with a six at the par-five fifth, adding another bogey on 16 to go with his three birdies.

Speaking to NBC after stepping off the final green at the event in Mexico, Henley said he was guided by experience of previous occasions where he has not been able to convert 54-hole leads into wins.

"Just tried to learn from my past, and my screw-ups," he said. "That's kind of what I took from the last two events this season – what am I doing wrong, and how can I get better with it.

"All those events that I haven't closed out [five times he has held the 54-hole lead and not won], they hurt. You don't know if you'll ever get to win another one, it's so hard out here.

"To come down 18 with a four-shot lead, it's really cool. I don't even know what to say. I felt very nervous this weekend, I slept on the lead both nights – I've never slept on a six-shot lead.

"You just don't feel the same as when you're practising at home, you can't create that environment that you get out here when you're leading at a PGA Tour event.

"I guess all the times I didn't get it done, I learned from it, and here we are."

Alone in second place at 19 under was Brian Harman, who posted rounds of 66, 66, 67 and 66 in an incredibly consistent week which included a hole-in-one on Friday.

Scottie Scheffler was two strokes better than anyone else in the final trip around El Camaleon Golf Club, shooting a nine-under 62 to fly up the leaderboard into a tie for third at 18 under.

Joining Scheffler at 18 under were fellow Americans Joel Dahmen, Troy Merritt and Will Gordon, as well as last week's winner of the Bermuda Championship, Ireland's Seamus Power.

Sweden's David Lingmerth joined Sam Ryder at 17 under in a tie for eighth, while defending back-to-back champion of this event Hovland was one further back, tied for 10th.

Collin Morikawa finished the week at 15 under, and former world number one Jason Day was joined by former Masters champion Danny Willett at 14 under.