LeBron James says there is a sense of urgency that the Los Angeles Lakers need to play better now after slumping to their ninth defeat of the season on Friday.
James returned from an abdominal strain after eight games out but was unable to lift the Lakers who went down 130-108 to the Boston Celtics.
After 17 games in an 82-game season, the Lakers have an 8-9 record, having lost their past three games and seven of their past 10.
"We damn straight need to play better, no matter who's in the line-up," James said at a post-game news conference. "We have our system and we need to fast-track it and get better with it.
"It's never that we've got 65 games and we can figure it out. There's no level of panic but there should be some sense of urgency every time we hit the floor."
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said offensively his side needs to "get committed to playing as a team" while he labelled their rebounding (51-33) against the Celtics as "atrocious".
Russell Westbrook was among a host of new players added during the offseason at the Lakers and James said it was taking time for the side to develop cohesion.
The four-time NBA MVP also said patience was required having only just returned, along with starting forward Talen Horton-Tucker.
"As we continue to log more minutes, I continue to see where we're great at and not so good at," James said. "Things that we can improve on.
"Like I said, it's my first game in two and a half weeks. I believe it's Talen third or fourth game back. We're trying to figure out rotations and who to play when."
The Lakers led by eight points at quarter time and held the most slender advantage at the main break, before a 33-21 third quarter.
Vogel added: "We did not have a good third. We were stuck in mud. [But] it's about the whole game more than the third quarter.
"Our group has got to strike the balance of how we're going to play offensively. That's going to take some time. We have to get committed to playing as a team offensively.
"When we do, like we saw in the first quarter, it looks beautiful. You see the potential of what we can be."
James added that recovery from his first game back would be key to his short-term future as he rebuilds following his abdominal strain. The 36-year-old forward finished with 23 points and six rebounds on his return.
"Physically I felt okay. I know I can trust my body and play," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel when I wake up. That's the tell-tale sign if I'm moving in the right direction with my injury."
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says winning without Stephen Curry was "huge" but offered no update on the two-time MVP's return.
Curry missed Friday's 105-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons having admitted he was nursing a hip contusion after Thursday's 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers where he shot 40 points.
The 33-year-old point guard has been in MVP-like form this season, averaging 29.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
Curry has shot at 41.9 percent from three-point range and averaging a career-high 5.7 three-point attempts made per game.
Curry was joined by Draymond Green on the sidelines against the Pistons, with Andre Igoudala, Otto Porter, Klay Thompson and James Wiseman already unavailable, yet Golden State claimed the win to move to 14-2.
Guard Jordan Poole top scored in Curry's absence with 32 points including four triples, while center Andrew Wiggins contributed 27 points.
"It is a huge win," Kerr said at the post-game news conference. "To win without Steph, Draymond, Andre, Otto and obviously Klay and James are out, so many guys to come in here and really get contributions from everybody.
"I think we're 6-1 now on the road, it's a great sign. I think we've got guys who know how to step up when they need to.
"Wigs and Jordan, knowing they had to score some points for us tonight and be the focal point offensively, they both stepped up."
The Warriors return home for Sunday's game against the Toronto Raptors, although Kerr did not confirm if Curry or Green would play.
"We'll see. We'll see," Kerr said. "We have tomorrow off. The guys who are injured [will] come in and get treatment tomorrow and then we have a five o'clock game, so no shoot-around Sunday.
"We'll see how everyone is doing on Sunday."
LeBron James returned after a fortnight out with an abdominal strain as the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Boston Celtics on Friday.
James, 36, had not played for the Lakers since their 119-117 win over the Houston Rockets on November 1.
The four-time NBA MVP and NBA champion was averaging 24.8, 5.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists across six games this season.
James only played 45 games across the 2020-21 season as the Lakers' title defence ended in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Phoenix Suns.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic was ruled out of the Denver Nuggets' side for their game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday with a wrist sprain.
The Serbian center appeared to hurt his wrist in Thursday's 103-89 shock loss to the depleted Philadelphia 76ers.
Novak Djokovic has supported the notion of tennis events being pulled from China if Peng Shuai is not found safe.
Doubles grand slam winner Peng is said to have been missing since making sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, the ex-vice premier and member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee.
The veracity of subsequent messages from Peng – both on email and posted in her name on Weibo – has been questioned.
WTA chairman Steve Simon told the BBC his organisation still had not heard from Peng directly and warned it would have no issue backing out of events in China without proof the player was safe.
WTA icons Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have spoken of their concern for Peng, and men's world number one Djokovic weighed in on Friday, offering his support to Simon's stance.
"I support the statement of WTA as an organisation and also their president absolutely," Djokovic said.
"The whole tennis community needs to back her up and her family, make sure that she's safe and sound because if you would have tournaments on Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a little bit strange.
"I heard that the WTA is willing to pull out from China with all the tournaments unless this is resolved. I support it 100 per cent."
Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Muller vented their frustration at Bayern Munich's shock defeat to Augsburg by questioning the team's collective effectiveness in defensive situations.
Bayern were dominant for almost the entire match on Friday but still lost 2-1, with Mads Pedersen and Andre Hahn putting Augsburg 2-0 up before Robert Lewandowski pulled a goal back just before half-time.
While the second half was even more one-sided in Bayern's favour than the first, they did not exactly pepper Rafal Gikiewicz's goal, with the visitors' expected goals (xG) value only reaching a modest 1.4.
On the other hand, Augsburg scored twice from an xG value of just 0.6, highlighting just how clinical they were – though questions look set to be asked of the Bayern defence.
This was the fourth time in five matches – a run that includes a 5-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in the DFB-Pokal – Bayern have conceded at least twice in a match, while they have now let in 13 Bundesliga goals from 9.8 xG against.
Only Greuther Furth (8.6) and Hertha Berlin (6.6) have worse xG against differentials than Bayern (3.2) this season, and Opta's expected goals on target conceded (xGOT) data suggests Manuel Neuer is a big part of the problem, putting him at fault for roughly 3.4 goals – the fourth-worst in the division.
Neuer failed to keep out Hahn's header despite getting a hand to it on Friday, though Muller and Nagelsmann pointed the finger at the defence as a collective.
"The first half was bad, very bad and in the second half you could see that we wanted to turn it around, but maybe we didn't deserve that little bit of luck in front of goal," Muller told DAZN.
"This is a bitter setback for our confidence… [but] what wasn't good today should get better.
"I think when you have the feeling in every game that you can score three or four goals, you lose a bit of hunger defensively. We noticed that over and over again in the past few games."
Head coach Nagelsmann added: "We're conceding the goals the same way throughout the season.
"We discussed it yesterday, and today we conceded both goals the same way again. The opponent didn't really have any moments of brilliance and still scored two goals. It was the same against Frankfurt.
"I think the important thing is that if there's not much going on in attack in a game, you must be more stable at the back. One impacts the other.
"Overall we didn't create enough and didn't have enough shots on goal."
Novak Djokovic made it three wins from three at the ATP Finals as he eased past Cameron Norrie in just over an hour in Turin.
The Serbian had already won the Green Group before this dead rubber but maintained an exceptional level to beat Norrie 6-2 6-1 in the first ever meeting between the two.
It was already confirmed beforehand that Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Saturday, and he began as he meant to go on here by breaking the Brit in the first game of the match, before doing so again in the fifth as he strolled to the first set in just 28 minutes.
Norrie – who was an injury-replacement for Stefanos Tsitsipas – showed some of the grit and skill that earned him a spot as second replacement for the season-ending tournament but struggled to keep up with the world number one.
Djokovic broke immediately again in the second set, though was forced to save a break point in the next game as his opponent tried to revive the match.
Norrie only managed to get 57 per cent of first serves in, and only won 52 per cent of those, compared to Djokovic who won 81 per cent of his first-serve points.
The 26-year-old was broken again in the fifth game of the second set, before a third break in the seventh secured Djokovic his third straight-sets win in a row at the Finals.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 21/16
Norrie - 9/24
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic - 5/0
Norrie - 1/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic - 5/10
Norrie - 0/1
Bayern Munich suffered a shock 2-1 defeat away to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Friday, giving Borussia Dortmund the chance to close the gap at the top.
Heading into the weekend, Bayern were the team with the highest expected goals tally in the league this season (34.1), while Augsburg had the lowest (10.4), but the champions' finishing left a lot to be desired as they aimed just four shots on target.
Bayern had it all to do after falling 2-0 down to goals from Mads Pedersen and Andre Hahn, although Robert Lewandowski at least ensured they did not go into the break chasing a two-goal deficit.
The visitors enjoyed 80.7 per cent of the possession after half-time, but they struggled to convert that into meaningful opportunities that worked Rafal Gikiewicz in the Augsburg goal, with Julian Nagelsmann's side slipping to their second league defeat of the season.
Despite Bayern's domination, Augsburg went in front in the 23rd minute as Lucas Hernandez only partially intercepted Iago's cross and Pedersen reacted quickest to blast into the bottom-right corner.
Another Iago cross caused havoc soon after, with Hahn rising above Hernandez to nod in despite Manuel Neuer getting a hand to it.
Bayern's response was better this time, however, quickly pulling one back through Lewandowski's well-taken volley after Thomas Muller – making his 600th club appearance – flicked on Benjamin Pavard's cross.
But Lewandowski was not so ruthless just after the break, snatching at a close-range chance that he sliced inexplicably over the crossbar.
Lewandowski wasted another glorious opportunity inside the final 10 minutes, shooting straight at Gikiewicz from around eight yards in what proved to be Bayern's final opportunity.
Oscar Tabarez has been sacked as Uruguay coach, ending his 15-year reign at the helm of the national team.
The 74-year-old returned for his second spell in charge of Uruguay in 2006 – having also been in the role between 1988-1990 – after La Celeste's failure to reach the World Cup that year.
He led them to fourth place at the 2010 World Cup and presided over success in the 2011 Copa America.
However, after losing their past four games in World Cup 2022 qualifying, including a 3-0 defeat in Bolivia on Tuesday, Tabarez has been dismissed with Uruguay sitting in seventh place with four wins from their 14 games (D4 L6).
With four games remaining, they are just one point off Colombia in the fourth and final automatic qualification spot, but the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) has taken the decision to act now.
A statement released by the AUF on Friday said: "[This is] a difficult decision due to present circumstances, in a commitment to the future and the achievement of the results we all want.
"We express our respect and acknowledgment to [Tabarez's] professionalism and dedication for such a long process."
Tabarez boasts the records for most games (74, including play-offs) and most wins (31) as head coach in the history of South American World Cup qualifying.
During his first stint in charge of the national team, Tabarez took Uruguay to the 1990 World Cup, being eliminated in the round of 16 by hosts Italy.
After his re-appointment in 2006, the former Boca Juniors and Milan boss took his nation to a further three World Cups (2010, 2014 and 2018).
The Golden State Warriors have ruled Stephen Curry and Draymond Green out of Friday's game at the Detroit Pistons as they rest a number of players.
The Warriors lead the NBA after a stunning 13-2 start, in which Curry and Green have been influential.
Curry is leading the early race for the scoring title with 29.5 points per game, while Green has also started all 15 games.
But that sequence will end with the final stop on a four-game road trip at the Pistons, who are struggling at 4-10 despite having the first overall draft pick in Cade Cunningham.
Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter have also been rested, meaning Golden State will be without four of their eight most-used players in terms of minutes.
Since Green came into the league in 2012-13, the Warriors are 17-27 when both he and Curry are missing.
Klay Thompson is yet to return from consecutive major injuries, and the Warriors are 7-22 when all three of their stalwarts have sat out.
Thomas Muller has become the first outfield player to reach 600 appearances for Bayern Munich since the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 after featuring against Augsburg on Friday.
Muller came through Bayern's academy and was handed his Bundesliga debut by Jurgen Klinsmann in August 2008 but made only four appearances out of a possible 34 that season.
Louis van Gaal's arrival as coach prompted Muller's breakthrough, and he has missed just 29 Bundesliga matches since the start of 2009-10, while he is the only player to play in at least 28 matches in every campaign in that period.
Friday's match was his 395th Bundesliga outing, a tally bettered by no one since he made his debut. Despite his longevity, Muller's class and influence show no signs of depleting.
This season, he has already been involved in 17 open-play sequences leading to a goal in the Bundesliga, with only Mohamed Salah (20) bettering that total across Europe's big five leagues.
Similarly, Muller's open-play chances and secondary chances (the pass before the assist for a shot or goal) tally of 51 is eight more than anyone else in the big five leagues, with Bruno Fernandes second on 43.
At the age of 32, Muller may now have sights on Bayern's all-time appearance record of 700, set by goalkeeper Sepp Maier.
Diego Simeone believes Antoine Griezmann is starting to show the quality that Atletico Madrid re-signed him for.
Griezmann returned Atleti in a late loan deal from Barcelona at the end of August, just two years after the France forward swapped the Wanda Metropolitano for Camp Nou.
The World Cup winner scored 20 goals across all competitions for Barca last season, having initially struggled in his first campaign at the club.
Only Lionel Messi scored more for the Blaugrana in 2020-21, with Griezmann's tally just one short of Atleti's top scorer Luis Suarez (21).
Griezmann hardly hit the ground running on his return to Atleti, however. He had to wait until the end of September for his first goal, as he scored in a 2-1 win over Milan in the Champions League, with a double following against Liverpool in October before he was then sent off.
But he has now scored in two of his past three LaLiga appearances, with his shot conversion rate of 25 per cent close to Suarez's 25.81, the Uruguay forward having netted three goals more than his team-mate.
On Friday, Atleti received news Griezmann's two-game ban in the Champions League had been reduced to one match, meaning he will be able to feature against Milan next week.
First up for Atleti is Saturday's league meeting with Osasuna, however, and Simeone is thrilled with Griezmann's recent displays.
"Comparisons are always bad," Simeone told a news conference when asked how the Griezmann of 2021 matched up with the player who left Atleti in 2019.
"That one was younger, this one has more experience, more national team matches, with Barcelona, and little by little, he is finding the best version of himself.
"We need him the same as in the games against Real Betis and Valencia [before the international break]. That is the footballer we went to find, the one that the people want and the team needs."
Another player linked with a return to Atleti has been Diego Godin. The veteran centre-back is reportedly set to be out of contract with Serie A club Cagliari in January and Mundo Deportivo claims he wishes to move back to Atleti, where he became a club great between 2010 and 2019.
"I understand the question – you know what I love Godin for everything he has given us for all these years – but the only thing that interests me now is Osasuna," Simeone said when asked if Godin could be an option.
Kevin Durant will be absent for the first time this season when the Brooklyn Nets welcome the Orlando Magic on Friday.
The superstar forward leads the NBA with 457 points this year, albeit now just behind Stephen Curry (29.5 points per game) in the early stages of the race for the scoring title (28.6 points per game).
Durant's MVP-calibre form has helped the Nets make an 11-5 start. Only in 2020-21 has the two-time champion previously scored more points through his first 16 games of a season (495).
But Durant will be out of the lineup for Brooklyn's next game after appearing on Friday's injury report due to a shoulder sprain.
The Magic game will bring to an end a run of 36 consecutive starts for Durant across the regular season and playoffs, having put behind him the Achilles injury he had upon arriving as a free agent in 2019.
Since his signing, the Nets are 41-22 with Durant playing some part and 60-53 when he is absent.
India captain Rohit Sharma played a central role as his team clinched a T20I series win over World Cup finalists New Zealand with a clinical seven-wicket victory in Ranchi.
After making a valuable 48 when India won the first game in the three-match series by five wickets on Wednesday, Rohit – who took over from Virat Kohli as T20 captain for this series and seems set to be handed the role on a full-time basis – added a rapid 55 on this occasion as he and KL Rahul produced a century opening partnership.
Chasing New Zealand's 153-6, Rahul plundered 65 from 49 balls and Rohit's runs came from just 36 deliveries, before India withstood a slight stumble to get over the line with 16 balls to spare.
Rishabh Pant finished it off with two sixes at the start of the 18th over, with India getting the job done emphatically at JSCA International Stadium Complex.
New Zealand captain Tim Southee's inspired bowling had accounted for both openers and Suryakumar Yadav, but by that point India were almost home and hosed. Pant and Venkatesh Iyer both finished on 12 not out.
The visitors paid the price for being unable to build on a strong platform of their own, having been 79-1 in the ninth over. Martin Guptill thrashed 31 from 15 balls, perishing to a top edge off Deepak Chahar after striking the same bowler for six from the previous delivery.
Harshal Patel had a strong debut for India and his 2-25 included the wicket of middle-order dangerman Glenn Phillips, who hit three sixes, taking his total to 97 in T20 matches at all levels in 2021, making 34 in 21 balls.
The three-match series concludes in Kolkata on Sunday, with India eyeing a clean sweep.
Rohit and Rahul take game away from Kiwis
Trent Boult dropped Rohit on 29 after he sliced into the on side. A wicket at that point, in the 10th over, might have made a difference, but India's opening pair went on to put on 117 and such a foundation meant the outcome became a foregone conclusion. It means the India openers have equalled the most century partnerships in T20I matches, joining Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on five.
Super Southee efforts in vain
Southee's salvo came too late to majorly affect the outcome, but his bowling was terrific and figures of 3-16 from four overs matched his fifth-best T20I performance, in what was his 92nd appearance in the short format for the Black Caps.
Casper Ruud revealed his approach was to "fight fire with fire" in his huge win over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals and is already relishing getting a shot at Daniil Medvedev.
The Norwegian has enjoyed a fine 2021, winning five ATP Tour titles, and has now moved into the semi-finals in Turin on his debut appearance at the prestigious year-ending event.
Ruud appeared to be on the way out when he was trailing by a set and a break against Rublev, having lost all four of the previous meetings between the pair.
But he fought back to win 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) on Friday and extend his impressive season by at least one more match.
"The court is playing very fast and Andrey plays very fast," said Ruud, who triumphed despite only winning 98 of the 208 points played in an intense battle where his Russian opponent also impressed.
"He rips the ball harder than anyone on the tour and serves very well on his first serve.
"We all want to play under control and with initiative, but it is not easy against Rublev because he makes you run and play defensively all the time.
"I knew I had to fight fire with fire.
"On the big points, I think I played quite smartly."
Aside from Ruud, the other three semi-finalists (Medvedev, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev) are all former ATP Finals winners, making this event the first since 1994 where that has happened.
US Open champion Medvedev represents a daunting challenge in the last four for Ruud, who bounced back from an opening Green Group loss to Djokovic by beating alternate Cameron Norrie before his high-quality winner-takes-all clash with Rublev.
"I am looking forward to Saturday already – it is going to be another tough battle," said the 22-year-old after firing down 14 aces in his victory.
"Medvedev is a different kind of player to Rublev. He is one of the best in the world, and he has proven himself as one of the best over the past two or three years.
"I have played against him a couple of times and lost both, but I know a little bit about what I am going to face, and it is going to be a fun challenge.
"I am just enjoying the moment."
Two of the last three players to reach the last four on debut at the ATP Finals have gone on to win the tournament, Grigor Dimitrov (2017) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019).
Ruud will dream of replicating that duo, but Rublev must come to terms with a second consecutive group-stage exit in the ATP Finals.
"It is tough," Rublev said. "Hopefully I can get through it to get a good lesson, which will give me a huge improvement.
"In the moment, I got tight, which is normal. Casper played well. He has a great forehand – one of the best on tour."
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