Xabi Alonso says Real Madrid's ability to grind out results when not at their best has been key to their success this season, as Los Blancos eye a 35th LaLiga title.
Alonso, who now coaches Real Sociedad's B team, made 236 appearances during a five-year spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, helping Carlo Ancelotti's team lift the Champions League trophy in 2014.
With Ancelotti back at the helm, Madrid hold a 15-point lead over Barcelona at the top of LaLiga, and the Italian looks set to celebrate his first Spanish title triumph after already winning league titles in Italy, England, France, and Germany.
After beating Sevilla 3-2 with a late Karim Benzema goal last time out, Los Blancos have won 17 points from losing positions this season, the most in LaLiga, and Alonso believes that fighting spirit has been crucial.
"I think the team have found that stability, knowing that maybe they can struggle during one game, but they will have a chance to win and that they can win any game," he told FedEx.
"So far, in difficult moments, they have won games, and they are feeling comfortable playing great football and comfortable playing not the best football.
"Sometimes that's important as well, not to get nervous when you are not playing your best, to deal with those difficult times. I think that Madrid, they have dealt very well with those moments and that's why they are now in a great position.
"[There are] still many points [to play for], but yes, they are favourites [to win the league]. I think that they are the most consistent team. That's what gives you the best chance to win LaLiga at the moment.
"I think that Carlo is a wise man. He knows how to find and to put the pieces together. That's why he's been with so many clubs, and he's [done] so many great things. He's finding his team, and he's able to deal with them so well because he has those skills to deal with the players."
Madrid have won 23 of their 32 LaLiga games this season, their highest number of victories at this stage of a season since 2016-17, when they won the title after having an identical record at this stage.
Although 39-goal striker Karim Benzema has led the charge for LaLiga and Champions League trophies, Alonso heaped praise on Ancelotti's reliable engine-room trio.
The 40-year-old also highlighted the potential of Barcelona's young midfielders, but stressed that the Blaugrana are in a "different moment" to Madrid as Xavi rebuilds the Catalan giants.
"Year by year, the midfield of Madrid, they are getting older, but they are as good as always. I've seen that Casemiro, Luka [Modric] and Toni [Kroos], they are safe as houses for any manager," he added.
"I think that Carlo has found what he needs from them and for sure he will need to rotate them. [But] they are playing very, very good football, and they are showing composure.
"As always [with] Barca players, they have different kind of midfielders, [at a] different stage of their careers. For example, Nico, Gavi with the support of [Sergio] Busquets, it's a great prospect, but they are in a different moment right now."
Alonso picked out Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane as the one man he would have loved to play alongside..
"For sure, I would have loved to play with Zidane because I remember when I started playing in Sociedad, one of my first memories was playing against one of my idols. That was him," he added.
"To play against him, it was hard, but it was so enjoyable, and he was so elegant, things looked so easy for him, and he was such a good player. I would have loved to play with him, but I played against him."
Elina Svitolina has called for Russian and Belarusian players to be banned from all international tennis events unless they denounce the invasion in Ukraine.
The All England Club on Wednesday announced that players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete at Wimbledon due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka and Andrey Rublev are among the household names that will not be allowed to compete in the grass-court grand slam, "unless circumstances change materially between now and June".
Russian and Belarusian players will also be prevented from entering all other events organised by the Lawn Tennis Association.
Two-time major semi-finalist and former world number three Svitolina believes a global ban should be imposed on players from Russia and Belarus if they do not speak out.
The Ukrainian former world number three posted on Twitter and Instagram: "Dear Tennis Community.
"Ginetta Sagan once said: 'Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor.' This could not be any more true right now.
"On 24th February 2022, Russia, with the support of Belarus, attacked Ukraine. Now there is a war in our country, in our home. All Ukrainians are forced to leave their homes and fight for their lives. For over 50 days now, the Russian forces have been bombing our cities and killing civilians, as well as using the territory of Belarus to bomb Ukraine from the west and the north.
"Millions of people have been left homeless, millions of children now know what explosions, fear and death look like. It is all happening right now in the centre of Europe.
"As athletes we live a life in the public eye and therefore have an enormous responsibility. Some of our posts and opinions on social media reach an audience larger than those of regional television stations. In times of crisis, silence means agreeing with what is happening.
"We noticed that some Russian and Belarusian players at some point vaguely mentioned the war, but never clearly stating that Russia and Belarus started it on the territory of Ukraine. The very silence of those who choose to remain that way right now is unbearable as it leads to the continuation of murder in our homeland.
"We demand that the WTA, ATP and ITF make sure the players who represent Russia and Belarus answer the following questions:
"1. Do you support Russia's and Belarus invasion in Ukraine's territory and as a result of that the war started by those countries?
"2. Do you support Russia's and Belarus military activities in Ukraine?
"3. Do you support [Russian president Vladimir] Putin's and [Belarus president Alexander] Lukashenko's regime?
"If applicable, we demand to exclude and ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in any international event, as Wimbledon already [has] done. There come a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now."
Charles Leclerc will always receive huge support in Italy as long as he turns out in the red of Ferrari, but this week at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix might just be extra special.
Leclerc leads the Formula One drivers' championship after a stunning start to the new season, winning in Bahrain and Australia either side of a second-placed finish in Saudi Arabia.
The Monegasque is a massive 34 points clear of nearest challenger George Russell, but there are added points on offer this weekend with the return of the sprint race.
Leclerc should not be daunted, though, for this is a potentially record-breaking start to the year.
Having recorded the fastest lap at each of the first three grands prix, Leclerc could become the first ever driver to achieve four in a row from the start of an F1 season.
Kimi Raikkonen in 2008, then of Ferrari, was the last driver to set four fastest laps in four races at any stage of the year.
On this form, perhaps Leclerc will simply see the sprint race as something else he can conquer. Australia saw his first career Grand Slam, following up pole position with the fastest lap and a victory while leading from start to finish. Each of his four wins to date have come from pole.
Ferrari will be looking to move ahead of Williams for wins at Imola, with their joint-record eight so far contributing to a team-high 27 in Italy.
If Leclerc does not take the top step of the podium, the Scuderia will hope Carlos Sainz can get back on track, having retired in Melbourne following a team-record 24 consecutive finishes to start his Ferrari career.
Hamilton's time to shine?
At odds with Leclerc's joy, this has been a year to forget so far for perennial contender Lewis Hamilton, back in fifth with a single podium and no wins to his name.
But the sprint race is where he comes to life, having last year made up six places across the three Saturday events – level with Esteban Ocon for the most of any driver.
And even with Mercedes badly lacking the pace that put them on pole in the past two races at Imola, Hamilton has continued to show his class behind the wheel this year.
Only Yuki Tsunoda (six) has made up more places over the first laps of races this season than Hamilton's four.
Should he somehow manage to get a fastest lap out of his ailing Silver Arrow, Hamilton would become the first driver to have three in a row at Imola since Michael Schumacher between 2003 and 2005.
Frustration for Max
Defending champion Max Verstappen won at Imola in 2021 but could be forgiven for arriving in Italy in a downbeat mood having failed to finish two of three races so far this year, retiring in Australia.
With Sergio Perez also failing to finish once, Red Bull have had three such disappointing performances through three grands prix, having only had six cars fail to see the checkered flag in 22 races last season.
Should they finally get their act together, Red Bull could also make history with a fastest lap. They remain tied with Lotus on 76 for the most ever in F1.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 71
2. George Russell (Mercedes) 37
3. Carlo Sainz (Ferrari) 33
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 30
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 28
Constructors
1. Ferrari 104
2. Mercedes 65
3. Red Bull 55
4. McLaren 24
5. Alpine 22
Daniil Medvedev headlines the list of Russian and Belarusian players who will be banned from competing at Wimbledon this year.
In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was facilitated by Belarus, the four grand slams and the ATP and WTA Tours initially confirmed Russian and Belarusian players would be able to continue playing, albeit under neutral flags.
However, the All England Club has now decided athletes from the two nations will be unable to feature at the season's third grand slam.
That means reigning US Open champion Medvedev, ranked second in the world by the ATP behind Novak Djokovic, will not be involved.
With Medvedev a doubt for the French Open having undergone hernia surgery, he could miss two of this year's majors. He has never had much success at Wimbledon, with his best run ending in the fourth round in 2021.
WTA world number four Aryna Sabalenka, who hails from Belarus, is another big name to miss out, along with Russian ATP world number eight Andrey Rublev, who has won two titles so far in 2022.
Russian women's number one Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, compatriot and 2018 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Daria Kasatkina and Belarusian two-time All England Club semi-finalist Victoria Azarenka will all also be absent.
"We share in the universal condemnation of Russia's illegal actions and have carefully considered the situation in the context of our duties to the players, to our community and to the broader UK public as a British sporting institution," a statement on the official Wimbledon website read.
"We have also taken into account guidance set out by the UK Government specifically in relation to sporting bodies and events.
"In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships. It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022."
Chairman of the All England Club, Ian Hewitt, said: "We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime.
"We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships."
Wimbledon's statement confirmed that the ban would be "reconsidered" should circumstances change by June.
The move comes a month after UK sports minister Nigel Huddleston warned Medvedev and other Russian athletes they might be banned from Wimbledon unless they denounced president Vladimir Putin.
Medvedev and Rublev both called for peace in the immediate aftermath of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
The Indian Premier League clash between Delhi and Punjab Kings was cleared to go ahead as scheduled on Wednesday despite a sixth coronavirus case in the Capitals camp.
New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert became the latest Capitals player to return a positive test on the day of the match at Brabourne – CC.
Delhi had on Monday revealed that Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh had contracted COVID-19.
Tournament organisers gave the green light for the game against the Kings to be staged after the second round of tests all came back as negative.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also announced that the Capitals' showdown with Rajasthan Royals on Friday has been moved from MCA Stadium in Pune to Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
That decision was made as a precautionary measure following Seifert's positive test.
Mohamed Salah has denied criticising Manchester United's players after he scored twice in Liverpool's rampant 4-0 win over the Red Devils.
Having also scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 win at Old Trafford in October, Salah's double on Tuesday meant he became the first player in Premier League history to score five goals against United in a single season in the competition.
Liverpool's dominant display also saw them go top of the Premier League, ahead of rivals Manchester City's clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday.
After the match, Salah seemed to tell Sky Sports that United's players "make life easier" for the Reds, when answering a question about Liverpool's recent dominance in the rivalry.
However, the Premier League's leading scorer insisted this was not the case, and explained that he was referring to the quality of his own team-mates.
"I meant our midfield, and our defence, make it easy for us," Salah clarified in a tweet on Wednesday.
"I was not talking about the Manchester United players, whom I respect."
Having teed up Luis Diaz's opener at Anfield, Salah also became just the second player to both score and assist in home and away Premier League games against United in a single season, after Mesut Ozil did so in 2015-16.
Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last eight league games against United, winning five and drawing three.
It is the joint-longest run any team has ever managed against United in the competition (Chelsea also went eight unbeaten between 2013 and 2016).
Gareth Bale will miss Real Madrid's trip to Osasuna on Wednesday in LaLiga, the club have announced.
The 32-year-old has played just 290 minutes of football for Madrid in all competitions this season, scoring once in seven appearances, four of which have been starts.
In a brief statement on the club's website, the league leaders referred to Bale's absence as "a last-minute withdrawal from the squad".
A one-sentence announcement, declining to give a reason, then read: "He's not available for tonight's match against Osasuna."
The Wales winger will leave the Santiago Bernabeu when his contract expires in June, with national team manager Rob Page recently saying Bale would "definitely" continue his club career next season, as he eyes a potential World Cup appearance in Qatar.
Having opened up a 15-point lead over Barcelona at the top of LaLiga, Carlo Ancelotti's side would take another huge step towards the club's 35th league title by beating Osasuna, against whom they are unbeaten in 13 league matches.
Xavi has full confidence that Gerard Pique will not let off-field matters impact his performances, as he suggested the Barcelona defender will be motivated by the criticism coming his way.
Pique has had to defend himself in recent days after it emerged he had negotiated a €24million commission when the Supercopa de Espana was moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
The 35-year-old's sports entertainment company Kosmos was behind the deal, and leaked audio recordings led El Confidencial to report they would benefit to the tune of €4m per tournament over the six-year agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Luis Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), defended himself in a news conference on Wednesday, two days after Pique told a Twitch stream: "I have nothing to hide, everything we have done is legal."
Another leaked discussion between Pique and Rubiales surrounded the centre-back potentially going to the Tokyo Olympics as part of Spain's squad.
While Xavi conceded the situation is difficult, he insists he trusts Pique's intentions around the Supercopa, while claiming his former team-mate will be motivated to perform better by the controversy.
"He is outgoing and likes to be on people's lips," Xavi told a news conference ahead of Barca's LaLiga meeting with Real Sociedad.
"I am more diplomatic. I know him. If he wasn't focused, I would warn him, but it [attention] gives him fuel. It's adrenaline for him. It's like a drug, in a good sense of the word. He's focused.
"Pique's Twitch didn't bother me, it [would] bother me if he didn't give it his all or didn't follow the rules. It's Gerard and I know him. I know how to manage him and he needs it. He's doing well to compete, he needs this stimulus.
"It's very difficult, my opinion doesn't change anything. There are two people involved. I know Rubiales well, he's a noble guy.
"I trust his honesty. He must explain himself, and [so must] Pique. I think they looked for the good of the great majority. I want to think that. If it is ethical or not? There are opinions of all kinds."
Away from Pique, Xavi has his own problems to think about. Barca have lost their last two games, suffering successive home defeats across all competitions for the first time since April 2003 after reverses in the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt and LaLiga against Cadiz.
The latter defeat left Barca 15 points behind leaders Real Madrid, who can move 18 points clear with a win over Osasuna before the Blaugrana's meeting with La Real the following day.
"There was no anger, but I told them things clearly," Xavi said when asked what he told his players following the loss to Cadiz. "You have to be better, the game had to be won.
"I feel bad, I like to win, but I have to face reality. I will not change what I believe. In the league we had a good run until Cadiz."
Barca did have a good run, going unbeaten in 15 LaLiga matches before that 1-0 loss at Camp Nou on Monday.
They are level with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid on 60 points, but sit just five ahead of sixth-placed La Real.
Barca, though, are unbeaten in their last 11 league meetings with the Basque team and have not lost any of their last 12 LaLiga away games.
Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), has rejected claims of wrongdoing after reports that Gerard Pique asked him to intervene in the selection of Spain's squad for the Tokyo Olympics.
A series of conversations between Rubiales and Pique have been leaked by Spanish publication El Confidencial in recent days, focusing on Pique's involvement in moving the Supercopa de Espana to Saudi Arabia.
New leaks, however, appear to show Pique asking Rubiales to ensure he was picked for the delayed 2020 Olympic Games, at which he wished to make his Spain return after retiring from international football in 2018.
Pique is allegedly heard telling Rubiales in one audio message: "You have to do this for me Rubi, you have to get it for me," referencing a spot in the Olympic squad coached by Spain U21 boss Luis de la Fuente. The Barcelona centre-back is also have said to have hit out at Sergio Ramos' more public request to be involved.
At a news conference held on Wednesday, however, Rubiales denied the messages exposed any wrongdoing from himself or Pique, saying it was "normal" for players, with many of whom he is close, to make such requests.
"Maybe another one [player] appears who asked me to, and it's not Pique. I'm going to keep talking to them like that. I have a conversation with someone I've known for years and I speak as I speak," Rubiales said.
"There were more [players] who asked me. He [Pique] announced a long time ago that he did not want to return, and I spoke with Luis de la Fuente so that he would know who had called me.
"It is common when one is a great player and he wants to come back [to the national team]. Then Luis made a very different decision. We act with the utmost honesty. He is not the only footballer who has asked me to do so."
Pique, along with Ramos, was ultimately left out of the squad, with Spain earning the silver medal after a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Brazil in the final.
Meanwhile, attention has also been drawn to the new four-team format introduced for the Supercopa since it moved to Saudi Arabia, with Rubiales' federation accused of being motivated by a financial need for giants Real Madrid and Barca to remain involved.
Rubiales admitted that the likelihood of those two clubs being involved did result in greater revenue being generated through TV rights sales, but denied that this amounted to any sort of favouritism.
"We sell the TV rights to the final all over the world. There are some countries that wait to bid when they are the finalists," Rubiales added. "If there is a derby or Clasico, the offer multiplies a lot.
"That adds to the management and would affect the variable. [But] we have no idea who is going to play in the final."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hopes to have Roberto Firmino available for the Merseyside derby against Everton.
Brazil forward Firmino sat out due to a foot injury on Tuesday as Mohamed Salah's double, as well as goals from Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane, led the Reds to an emphatic 4-0 win over Manchester United, sending Liverpool top of the Premier League ahead of Manchester City facing Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday.
Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against United, winning five and drawing three, the joint-longest run any team has enjoyed against the Red Devils in the competition (also Chelsea between 2013 and 2016).
After the dominant victory, in which Mane started as a central striker with Diogo Jota named on the bench, Klopp revealed Firmino had suffered a knock in last Saturday's FA Cup win over City but was hopeful the 30-year-old would be fit to face relegation-threatened Everton.
"Bobby was not involved because in the very last situation of the City game he got something on his foot," Klopp told Sky Sports after the win. "It's not really bad."
Pressed on whether Firmino will be fit for Sunday's derby, the Reds boss added: "We hope so.
"Actually, we were a bit worried, but the scan was fine. But it's still very painful and that's why there was no chance [against United]."
Injuries and the form of Liverpool's other attackers has seen Firmino restricted to just 16 starts in all competitions this season, although the Brazilian has still managed 11 goals and four assists during his 31 total appearances.
Firmino has yet to score against Everton in 12 appearances, but has finished on the losing side just once against the Toffees since joining Liverpool in 2015, albeit that was in the corresponding fixture at Anfield last season when the visitors won 2-0 – their only derby victory since October 2010.
Liverpool hit four past Everton at Goodison Park earlier this season but despite having scored nine goals against United without reply after winning 5-0 at Old Trafford in October, Klopp insists his desire is not to "humiliate" opponents, acknowledging that superiority over their rivals "will not last forever".
"I'm not here to humiliate opponents or whatever," Klopp said during his post-match press conference. "That is absolutely not the reason. We did what we had to do, and we won the games, that's how it is.
"Whether it is a derby or not it is not easy to play against us. That's why the 9-0, I'm not interested. That's really something for the supporters, if they want to celebrate 9-0 then they can do that, but it's not for me.
"We wanted three points and if it had been 1-0 twice I would feel exactly the same, and I know it will not last forever. They will strike back, they will be there again, this club is too powerful, but in the moment we were too good, that's the truth."
Only once in United's history have they suffered a heavier combined defeat in reverse league fixtures against the same side, shipping 11 goals without reply against Sunderland in 1892-93.
Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), has refuted claims of wrongdoing amid controversy surrounding the Supercopa de Espana.
Messages and phone calls between Rubiales and Barcelona stalwart Gerard Pique have been leaked to the media.
The audio recordings revealed Pique helped negotiate a €24million commission when the Supercopa was expanded to four teams and moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
It was a deal reportedly worth €40m to the RFEF for every tournament played in the middle-eastern state.
Spanish publication El Confidencial, which released the audio on Monday, claimed Pique's Kosmos group, a sports entertainment company founded in 2017, would benefit to the tune of €4m per tournament over the six-year agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Pique insisted he had done no wrong, telling a Twitch stream: "I have nothing to hide, everything we have done is legal."
On Wednesday, Rubiales gave a news conference to address the issue and hit out at the people who hacked the RFEF communications, calling them "gangsters" and suggesting more than one person or group was involved in the hacking as he denied charging any commission.
"I qualify as a gangster whoever has used that information for a spurious interest. I know who benefits," Rubiales said.
"I do not charge commissions. How would you be if the information about your life was stolen, private conversations? I qualify this as a mafia. I don't think this can be achieved by one person."
Explaining how the switch to Saudi Arabia came about, Rubiales said: "Kosmos proposed a change of format for the Supercopa. They started to work on it.
"We spoke to Saudi Arabia, the US, China, countries in Africa and other countries. It was clear that their financial relationship would not be with the RFEF, but with Saudi Arabia."
Rubiales also insisted there was no conflict of interest "because there is no economic relationship with Kosmos".
He suggested the hackers could go as far as to plant evidence of wrongdoing against him and added: "There are several complaints. We have suffered several attacks. Here are some criminals who are trying to damage my image [and the] RFEF.
"We are going to collaborate with the police, and it is under investigation."
Peter Schmeichel is confident Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold is aware of the scale of the task ahead of him at Old Trafford.
Having watched United lose 4-0 to old rivals Liverpool on Tuesday, Schmeichel believes a new manager alone will not be enough to turn his former club's fortunes around.
Erik ten Hag is widely expected to be confirmed as United's next permanent boss, replacing interim appointment Ralf Rangnick, but he faces a daunting challenge.
United remain just three points outside the top four in the Premier League but offered little hint of a late-season fight for Champions League football in their meek Anfield reverse.
Various United legends bemoaned the state of the club following that awful defeat, but Schmeichel at least feels Arnold – appointed earlier this year – is the right man to take the club forward.
"Make no mistake, this is not a case of getting a new manager in and everything will be brilliant again and he will create this wonderful team," Schmeichel told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"This is about a rebuild of the club. We changed leadership at the beginning of February. Richard Arnold has started the job of CEO, and it's the first CEO we have had since David Gill.
"He has a bit of power now to do what he thinks is right for the job, and I welcome that.
"I have had lots of conversations with him about the future of Man United, and he understands it's not about the manager, it's about restructuring and modernising the club.
"We pride ourselves on our fantastic history, but at some point, we have to plan ahead. I have great faith in him and the direction he wants to take the club."
Jimmy Butler became only the third Miami Heat player to have three 40-point playoff games with a big performance in Tuesday's Game 2 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
The six-time All-Star finished with 45 in a 115-105 win to give the Heat a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
Only LeBron James (also three) and Dwyane Wade (seven) have previously had as many 40-point games for the Heat in the postseason as Butler.
Indeed, only James (26.9) and Wade (22.6) have averaged more points per game for the Heat in the postseason than Butler (21.9).
And coach Erik Spoelstra, who led a Heat team containing James and Wade to titles in 2012 and 2013, considers Butler worthy of comparison to the latter.
"It actually is a good comparison," Spoelstra said. "If you get in those pressure moments and the moments of truth, if you're on the other side, would you ever want to just give Dwyane Wade an open three?
"You would not, because he's a killer. He's going to seize that moment.
"And Jimmy has a lot of those same qualities. You can say whatever the percentage is – throw those all out when it becomes about winning. He'll find a way to kill you."
Butler's latest display was unlike anything previously seen by a Heat player, though.
At the start of the week, no player had finished with 40-plus points, five-plus rebounds, five-plus assists, no turnovers and no fouls in a playoff game since turnovers became an official statistic in 1977-78.
Butler became the second player to achieve such a stat line in two days, following in the footsteps of breakout Dallas Mavericks star Jalen Brunson.
The two previous 40-point playoff games from Butler had come in the 2020 run to the NBA Finals, which played out in the 'bubble' in Orlando.
But Butler, now paired with point guard Kyle Lowry, feels he is "a different player" in 2022.
"I am a different player now than I was then," he said. "I just always want to play basketball the right way and do whatever it takes to help this team, this organisation win. That's why they brought me here.
"I'm not as ball-dominant as I was in the bubble. We've got a point guard, and that's Kyle, and I love him being a point guard.
"I just get to go out there and try to score. And if I can't score, pass the ball. We're a different team; I'm a different player."
The Phoenix Suns are waiting to hear more on Devin Booker's hamstring injury, although coach Monty Williams insisted the NBA title favourites are ready for the "next man up".
After scoring 31 points in the first half of Tuesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, giving the Suns a 61-56 lead, Booker was held scoreless in the third quarter before going down injured.
The three-time All-Star, who has battled injury problems previously, left the floor and was unable to return.
"We'll have more information tomorrow," Williams told reporters. "We've played without Chris [Paul] and Book before. If we have to play without Book, next man up. We've done that all year long."
The Suns were 8-6 without Booker this year, 11-6 without Chris Paul and 3-3 when both were absent.
Paul continued on Tuesday to finish with 17 points and 14 assists but acknowledged the blow of Booker's injury.
"It is what it is, it's part of the game," he said. "He was killing, he was having a big-time game."
In Booker's absence, the Suns sensationally lost 125-114 as New Orleans levelled the first-round series at 1-1.
It was a historic win for the Pelicans, who became the first team in NBA history to beat 60-win opponents in the playoffs after themselves finishing the regular season at least 10 games under .500.
Brandon Ingram was the star of the show, with 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
"This was one of his best [games] and it was on the big stage," Pelicans coach Willie Green said of Ingram. "I'm proud of that young man. He works his tail off."
Ingram added: "Throughout this year I had confidence that we would be here.
"I didn't know what it would look like, but we continued to get better every single day with Willie being positive every single day and helping guys and teaching guys every single day."
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