Steve Nash joked Kyrie Irving produced more career highlights in the space of 12 minutes against the Orlando Magic than the Brooklyn Nets coach managed in his entire career.
Irving scored a career-high 60 points – the most for a Nets player in their NBA history – in Tuesday's 150-108 victory in Florida.
The seven-time NBA All-Star shot 20 for 31, which included eight of 12 on 3-pointers, and made 12 of 13 free throws in his 35 minutes on the court.
Forty-one of Irving's points came in the first half as he became the second Nets player over the past 25 years, after Deron Williams in March 2012, to have 40-plus points in a half.
It was an individual display that will long live in the memory, with Brooklyn coach Nash leading the tributes for the 29-year-old.
"He's just incredible. I felt like he had my career highlight reel in the first 12 minutes of the game," Nash said.
"It's special to watch him every night – but it's special to watch him on nights like this, where he's in total control, total command.
"He gets wherever he wants and is able to finish amongst the trees. It's just a pleasure to see it up close and to be a part of it."
Irving's 60-point display came a day after the Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns also hit that mark against the San Antonio Spurs.
It marks the first time that two players have scored 60 points on successive nights in NBA since 1962.
There have now been seven 50-point games in the NBA in March, which is tied for the most in a single month since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.
And Nets star Kevin Durant, who added 19 points in the win over Orlando, believes the division is now as strong as ever.
"The night after Karl Towns had an incredible performance, to then have Kyrie do it the next night, the league is in an incredible place right now," Durant said.
"I'm sure in the first quarter you saw it developing. Sixteen in the first and then midway through the second all of us on the bench are still looking.
"It's just like that every game for Ky, when you look up and, like, 'Damn, he got 10, 12, 14 points already'."
Durant scored 53 points in Sunday's win over the New York Knicks, making him and Irving the first team-mates in NBA history with 50+ points in back-to-back games.
"Making history, man. making history," Irving said when that stat was put to him. "Doing it with that guy is very special. But credit goes to our group.
"Our guys in our locker room, they really believe in us, they really rock with us, there's not a doubt in our mind that they really believe that we can do something special.
"And not just this year, but for years to come. We have a good group. And we're all sacrificing something that's bigger than ourselves."
He added: "When you're a kid scoring a bunch of points, it means something. When you're in the best league in the world doing it against the greatest, it means a little bit more."
The Nets have now won four games in a row to improve to 36-33 for the season, placing them eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Irving will not play against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday due to New York City's mandate requiring vaccination against COVID-19, though he intends to be in attendance.
"I'll probably wear a media pass," he joked. "It's a little awkwardness.
"But I'll show up there with my family and get a warm embrace from New York, Brooklyn, everybody that's there to support the Nets and support our organisation, support me."
Chelsea's Champions League match against Lille is set to take place as scheduled on Wednesday, UEFA has confirmed.
Last week, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom government in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
His assets have been frozen and restrictions have been placed on Chelsea, who cannot sell any new match tickets or merchandise and have caps on the amount they are able to spend to facilitate games being played both home and away.
Abramovich was subsequently sanctioned by the European Union (EU), which cast further doubt over the second leg of Chelsea's last-16 tie in Lille.
However, Thomas Tuchel's team have travelled to northern France and UEFA has confirmed that the match is set to go ahead.
"As it stands, the match is taking place as scheduled," UEFA told Stats Perform on Wednesday morning (GMT).
UEFA added that it "is fully committed to always implementing relevant EU and international sanctions".
A statement from European football's governing body explained: "Our understanding is that the present case is assessed in the context of the licence issued in the UK which allows Chelsea FC to continue minimum football activity whilst providing a safeguard that no financial gain will result for Mr Abramovich.
"We will work with the EU and relevant member states to ensure we have full clarity and remain in lockstep with all relevant and applicable measures in line with latest developments."
On Tuesday, Chelsea asked for their FA Cup match against Middlesbrough next weekend to be played behind closed doors in the interest of "sporting integrity", as the Blues are unable to sell tickets to any travelling away fans.
However, that request angered Middlesbrough and Chelsea subsequently withdrew it after widespread criticism.
Tuchel's side lead Lille 2-0 from the first leg thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic at Stamford Bridge three weeks ago.
Thomas Tuchel will expect Chelsea to mark his 50th Champions League game as a boss with a win at Lille and Juve will be favourites to knock Villarreal out on Wednesday.
There is huge uncertainty at Stamford Bridge after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale before having his assets frozen by the United Kingdom government, but the London club have won four consecutive games.
The holders travel to Lille for the second leg of the round-of-16 tie with a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from the in-form Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.
Juve and Villarreal will start their showdown at the Allianz Stadium locked at 1-1 after Dani Parejo equalised following Dusan Vlahovic's early strike.
Stats Perform picks out the standout Opta data ahead of the two games.
Lille v Chelsea
Havertz has become the Blues' main man, scoring four goals in his past three matches and six in seven.
Chelsea head coach Tuchel has won 31 of his 49 matches and can set a record for the most victories in his first 50 games as a boss in the competition with another success in Lille, as he is currently level with Zinedine Zidane's tally.
Lille's chances of forcing their way back into the tie appear to be slim, as not only do they trail by two goals, they have lost their past three Champions League games against the Premier League club.
They have also been eliminated from each of their three previous European knockout ties after losing the first leg.
The last side to progress against Champions League holders after failing to score in the opening leg was Arsenal versus Milan in 2007-08, with the first leg a goalless draw.
Each of Chelsea's past 11 wins in the Champions League have come with a clean sheet, 10 of which have come under Tuchel in just 14 matches.
Juventus v Villarreal
January signing Vlahovic set a record for the quickest goal by a Champions League debutant when he was on target after only 32 seconds of the first leg.
Juve are without a win in each of their past seven first-leg games in the Champions League (D3 L4), going on to be eliminated from four of their previous five knockout ties in the competition.
Villarreal have won their past two away games in the Champions League, the same number of victories as they managed across the 15 such matches beforehand.
Juve have only lost three of their previous 23 Champions League matches at home to Spanish sides in this competition, winning 12 and drawing eight.
This will be Villarreal’s first visit to Juventus in any competition as they scent a place in the quarter-finals.
Juan Cuadrado is in line to make his 50th appearance for Bianconeri in the Champions League. He has provided 11 assists for the Serie A giants in the competition, which is the most by any player in the period since he first joined the club in 2015.
Baker Mayfield has cast doubt over his future with the Cleveland Browns amid reports that Deshaun Watson might be about to join the team.
Watson requested a trade from the Houston Texans over a year ago and, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, was set to meet with the Browns on Tuesday.
The Atlanta Falcons are also said to be interested in Watson, who did not feature at all in 2021 due to disagreements with the front office in Houston and accusations of sexual misconduct.
Last week, a Texas court grand jury did not find enough evidence for Watson to be charged with a crime following these allegations, though the 26-year-old still faces 22 civil lawsuits and remains under NFL investigation.
However, the three-time Pro Bowler seems a viable target for the Browns, who failed to make the playoffs last season, and Mayfield could make way.
It was a particularly frustrating campaign for Mayfield, who threw for 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns, both career-lows.
His pass completion percentage dropped from 62.8 in 2020 to 60.5, as he also battled a lingering shoulder problem for which he eventually needed surgery, missing the final game of the season as a result.
On Tuesday, Mayfield revealed he was uncertain about what the immediate future would be, but despite his insistence to the contrary, his message to Cleveland fans felt like something of a farewell.
"Cleveland," read the statement, which was posted to Mayfield's official Twitter account.
"The past four years have been nothing short of truly life-changing since I heard my name called in the draft to go to Cleveland. This is not a message with hidden meaning. This is strictly to thank the city of Cleveland for embracing my family and me.
"We have made many memories and shared growing in this process through all the ups and downs. I have no clue what happens next, which is the meaning behind the silence I have had during the duration of this process. I can only control what I can, which is trusting in God's plan throughout this process.
"I have given the franchise everything I have. That is something I've always done at every stage, and at every level. And that will not change wherever I take my next snap.
"Whatever happens, I just want to say thank you to the fans who truly embraced who I am and the mentality that aligned so well with this city's hard-working people.
"Cleveland will always be a part of Emily's and my story. And we will always be thankful for the impact it has had and will have in our lives."
Mayfield enjoyed a brilliant maiden season in 2018, throwing a then-NFL rookie record of 27 touchdown passes, which he has not bettered since.
Paula Badosa went a step closer to defending her Indian Wells Open title as she ended Leylah Fernandez's run to reach the quarter-finals.
Badosa was calm under pressure against last year's US Open runner-up, saving five out of the six breakpoints she offered up in a 6-4 6-4 success.
Matters were less routine for third seed Iga Swiatek, who held her nerve to come back from a set down against three-time major champion Angelique Kerber.
Breakpoints were contested in six of the match's first eight games and Kerber made the big points count, but Swiatek went on to triumph 4-6 6-2 6-3.
Swiatek, 20, showed grit beyond her years as she broke Kerber's serve four times in the second set, cleaning up her first-serve percentage while the German was only able to win 31 per cent of her successful first-serves (4-13).
Both women hit over 70 per cent of their first-serves in the final set, with the difference coming down to the return game, where Swiatek won half of her return points (12-24), with Kerber struggling (5-22).
Swiatek will face American Madison Keys, who defeated Harriet Dart in a brisk 69 minutes, while Badosa goes up against Veronika Kudermetova, who overcame Naomi Osaka in contentious circumstances earlier in the tournament.
Jimmy Butler again sprained his ankle on Tuesday, during the Miami Heat's 105-98 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Max Strus scored 16 points off the bench in the fourth quarter as a result in the Heat's eventual win, earning extended minutes with Butler missing the entirety of the second half.
The 32-year-old All-Star has suffered a succession of injuries this season, and this new setback makes for his seventh ankle injury since 2020.
Though the Heat are due to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, there is as yet no diagnosis or schedule for Butler's return.
Matteo Berrettini survived a scare to eventually progress to the fourth round at the Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday.
The Italian sixth seed had to fight from 2-5 down in the second set and saved three set points, before powering through to triumph 6-4 7-5 over Lloyd Harris.
"I got a little bit nervous," Berrettini said post-match. “I didn’t like how I handled the start of the second set. I let the anger get out a little bit, which helped. I found the right balance in order to break him in the important moment and then I had the momentum.”
The world number six found another level in reeling off five straight games, and will now face unseeded Miomir Kecmanovic, who accounted for Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(6-3) 7-5.
Taylor Fritz was also pushed by Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar, taking a third-set tiebreaker to progress to the fourth round.
The 20th-seeded was made to work for it in a match that lasted just under three hours, but Munar feel short in the clutch, with two unforced forehand errors in the closing tiebreak to give Fritz a three-point gap.
In Tuesday's last game, Andrey Rublev showed rare composure to progress past Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4.
Neither got off to the best of starts, with Rublev and Tiafoe sharing service breaks in the opening four games of the first set. The characteristically volatile Rublev managed to regroup, though, and stayed calm even when Tiafoe got his home crowd on side.
Despite a low 67 percent on first serve, Rublev won 83 percent of those points, while Tiafoe did himself no favours with an even lower 58 percent first-serve rate.
Last-year’s semi-finalist will face 29th-seeded Alex de Minaur, who defeated Tommy Paul 7-6(6-2) 6-4.
The Australian world no. 31 faced immediate difficulty on service, with only his second service game going to eight consecutive deuces, after five saved break points. He eventually saw the match through, after breaking for 4-3 in the second set.
Fellow seeds Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov both went through relatively unscathed, with respective wins over Steve Johnson and Alexander Bublik.
Dimitrov will face John Isner, who saw past Diego Schwartzman 7-5 6-3 in Tuesday’s other result.
Another road game, and another virtuoso performance from Kyrie Irving in the Brooklyn Nets' 150-108 win over the Orlando Magic.
Unable to play in home games due to New York's vaccine mandate, Irving made the most of Brooklyn's trip to Orlando, scoring a ridiculous 41 points (14-19 from the field) in just the first half.
In an explosive team performance, the Nets scored 48 points in the first quarter, while Irving and Kevin Durant combined for 26. Irving went on to score another 25 of his side's 38 in the second period.
Irving eventually sat with more than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, with his team up by 37 and his personal tally at a career-best 60 points on 20-31 shooting, 8-12 from the perimeter and 12-13 from the free-throw line.
It also sets a new franchise record for the Nets, beating Deron Williams' 57 back in 2012.
Irving's previous high-scores were 57 points and 55 points, which he scored within two months of each other in the 2014-15 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The massive total ties the most points scored in an NBA game this season, matching Karl-Anthony Towns' mark which he set just yesterday.
After knocking Ajax out of the Champions League, Benfica’s Alex Grimaldo revealed Rui Costa provided timely pre-match motivation.
Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-0 win in Amsterdam put Benfica through 3-2 on aggregate, and the majority of the match saw Benfica defensively scrambling and scrapping.
It was only the club’s second win in the last 15 away matches in the Champions League, the other being a 3-2 win over AEK Athens in the 2018-19 group stage.
The influential Grimaldo embodied the team’s determination on an individual level, playing a full 90 minutes and seeing the result through despite multiple medical treatments.
The 26-year-old revealed the team received ample motivation beforehand from Rui Costa, the legendary former Benfica player and sporting director who is now president, following Luis Filipe Vieira's arrest in June.
"Before the game, he motivated the players, told us to dream and enjoy these types of games and in the end that’s what we did," Grimaldo told Eleven post-match.
"It was a game of great responsibility, because we know that in the league things are not going well, but we give everything for this club. We had the dream of reaching the quarter-finals and we did it."
Jurgen Klopp is astounded by how few free-kicks Mohamed Salah wins for Liverpool – claiming referees are not whistling often enough.
Liverpool boss Klopp spoke out on the eve of Liverpool's trip to face in-form Arsenal in the Premier League, hoping Salah will recover from a slight foot injury to feature.
The Egyptian is the league's top scorer with 20 goals, but he has won just 16 fouls this season, far fewer than many fellow forwards in the competition.
Among the seven leading scorers in the Premier League, only 12-goal Cristiano Ronaldo has been awarded fouls against him as rarely as Salah – the Manchester United man also earning 16 free-kicks.
Salah's Reds team-mates Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota are among that leading pack and have won 37 and 33 fouls respectively, while Brentford's 11-goal Ivan Toney has had 59 such decisions given in his favour.
The player with the most fouls awarded in the Premier League this season is Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, with 72.
"There's a statistic – I don't know exactly who did it – that Mo is the one player with the least fouls against him," Klopp said.
"But not that he didn't get fouled, it's just we don't whistle. If you compare it to other strikers, it's crazy.
"It's absolutely crazy how low his number of fouls is against him which the ref whistles. So it means he constantly has contact, going down and you have to go up again, and stuff like this."
Salah has been involved in 171 of Liverpool's 180 Premier League games since joining ahead of the 2017-18 season, starting 163 of those and scoring 115 goals.
Klopp knows he has a player who always wants to be involved.
"He's very professional and very desperate to play each game," said Klopp.
"So when you ask him [about] the nine games [that he has missed] and maybe I left him out once or twice so he didn't start the game, so these things are really hard for him. He tries to be on the pitch in training and in games if somehow possible."
Journeyman quarterback Tyrod Taylor is expected to sign a two-year, $17million deal as backup quarterback for the New York Giants.
In his 11th season in the NFL, Taylor will play for his fifth team after stints with the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills since being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.
According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the deal for the 32-year-old includes $8.5m in guaranteed money.
The Giants did not immediately confirm the deal, but Taylor changed his Twitter bio to identify himself as a "current New York Giant".
He also posted the tweet: "NYC!!!!!"
Taylor lost his starting role with the Chargers after an injection resulted in a punctured lung shortly before kick-off against the Chiefs in September 2020, with rookie first-round pick Justin Herbert getting the start and taking over as the franchise quarterback.
WTA chairman Steve Simon declared Russian tennis players must not be penalised for their country's "authoritarian leadership" amid concerns they could be frozen out of top tournaments.
The ATP and WTA tours decided Russian and Belarusian players should not be allowed to represent those nations while the crisis in Ukraine continues, with stars such as Daniil Medvedev currently playing under a neutral flag.
The respective tennis tours have also cancelled plans to visit Russia in the near future.
United Kingdom sports minister Nigel Huddleston suggested on Tuesday that US Open champion Medvedev and fellow Russians could be blocked from playing at Wimbledon unless they make a stand against president Vladimir Putin.
But WTA head Simon insisted Russian and Belarusian tennis players should be able to continue featuring on the tour, despite a number of other sports banning such athletes.
"I can tell you that we have never banned athletes from participating on our tour as the result of political positions their leadership may take," Simon told BBC Sport.
"So it would take something very, very significant for that to change, but again we don't know where this is going."
If national governments impose preventive measures on Russian and Belarusian stars, Simon acknowledged there is little he can do to combat such rulings.
"I feel very, very strongly that again these individual athletes should not be the ones that are being penalised by the decisions of an authoritarian leadership that is obviously doing terrible, reprehensible things," Simon said.
"We are hopeful that they will refrain from that because I think there are an awful lot of other issues that go with it. I'm hoping that we continue with the sanctions, we continue doing everything we can to get peace, but again these people are the innocent victims of that, and being isolated as a result of these decisions I don't think it's fair."
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could not even transform Manchester United’s fortunes, according to former Red Devil Rio Ferdinand.
United crashed out at the Champions League last-16 stage at the hands of Atletico Madrid, whose 1-0 victory at Old Trafford sealed a 2-1 aggregate win for Diego Simeone's side on Tuesday.
That meant United have failed to make a Champions League semi-final since 2011, when they eventually lost to Barcelona in the final at Wembley under Alex Ferguson.
The nature of the loss to Atleti brought the direction of the club into sharp focus, but Ferdinand believes more systemic change at the club is pertinent, as opposed to squad investment.
Ralf Rangnick remains in interim charge of United until the end of the season, and Ferdinand wants to see a manager brought in that can deliver success and drag the Red Devils out of an underwhelming period.
"What it [the loss] does show you is that it doesn't matter what players you get together, what talent you get together, you need someone to harness that," he told BT Sport post-match.
"You need someone to harness that. You need a manager to come in and put it all together.
"If you bring in Mbappe and Haaland this summer, United are not going to win the league. It doesn't matter who you bring in, it needs to be from the top down."
United are now out of contention for silverware once again, but they will look to make amends at home to Leicester City on April 2 as they pursue Champions League qualification in the Premier League.
Diego Simeone felt Atletico Madrid produced one of their best team performances of the season to get past Manchester United in the Champions League.
Atleti have struggled in the defence of their LaLiga title, with inconsistent form leaving them 15 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid and in a battle to secure a top-four spot with 10 games remaining.
However, after defeating United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, Atletico made it six unbeaten in all competitions for the first time since starting the campaign with a run of seven without defeat.
Renan Lodi's first-half goal ultimately clinched a 2-1 aggregate success over the Red Devils, but it was the team display as Atletico shut up shop in the second half that left Simeone elated.
"I'm happy. So many people work hard so we can have these moments," Simeone told Movistar Plus.
"We were competitive, not ashamed of playing defensively, and knowing when to attack.
"The goal came, which gave us the advantage, and in the second half there was a brilliant team effort – one of the best this season – which leaves me satisfied.
"We started with a 5-3-2 then changed to a 5-4-1 with Antoine Griezmann on the right of midfield and Renan Lodi growing more and more on the left.
"Lodi's doing really well. He had to wait a long time [to get in the side], but football is marvellous because when you train hard and are ready to go, there's always a chance for you.
"The defence were brilliant and Jan Oblak helped us remain calm throughout. It was a real team effort.
"The team has showed a different spirit since the Osasuna game [a 3-0 win on February 19]."
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