Doc Rivers is unclear about the severity of Seth Curry's foot injury as the Philadelphia 76ers' availability concerns got worse with the guard withdrawn prior to Tuesday's 118-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 76ers went into the game leading the Eastern Conference at 8-3 despite being without Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle, Isaiah Joe and Tobias Harris due to COVID-19, with Ben Simmons also still unavailable.
Curry was pulled out of the 76ers side for the game shortly before tipoff with a left foot contusion.
"I don’t know," Rivers told reporters about Curry's injury after the game. "I literally thought he was gonna play and then late, you could hear the language, it didn’t sound like he was gonna play.
"We start adjusting pretty quickly after that. I’m not even sure what it is. I think it’s his toe, but I’m not sure."
Guard Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, with five rebounds and four assists, while center Andre Drummond had 17 points along with 20 rebounds, but the 76ers missed their stars.
Rivers had indicated pre-game that Harris may be the closest to returning of the quartet who had entered the league's health and safety protocol.
"All the other guys are still where they're at. I would say just talking to Tobias, he's the one guy who'll be back sooner than later," Rivers said.
Rivers was impressed that the decimated 76ers, who also lost to the New York Knicks on Monday, were in the hunt against the reigning champions before a 27-16 fourth quarter.
"We gave ourselves a chance to win the game in both and there’s something to be taken from that so we do learn a lot," Rivers said. "But we didn’t win the games. That’s a fact.
"We had chances. It’s an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to get better, I’m not down about the loss. You either do one of two things in a competition. You either win the game or you lose the game. Period.”
Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo says the Milwaukee Bucks will reap the benefits of rotating their roster amid injuries later in the championship race.
The reigning champions overcame the under-manned Eastern Conference leaders the Philadelphia 76ers 118-109 on Tuesday, snapping a run of five losses in six games.
Antetokounmpo starred with 31 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, but unheralded Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis impressed in the absence of small forward Khris Middleton (COVID-19) and center Brook Lopez (back).
Allen hit five three-pointers to finish with 25 points, while starting center Portis had 19 points and 10 rebounds across 35 minutes on court. Semi Ojeleye added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
"Obviously you always want to win, you play to win," Antetokounmpo said during his post-game news conference. "Grayson and Semi today were really good.
"Semi was shooting his open shots, he was being aggressive, diving for the ball. That's good. We're going to need that.
"We need these guys feeling comfortable playing with me and Jrue [Holiday]. We're going to need everybody to win a championship and play down the stretch in May and June."
Allen, who joined the Bucks from the Memphis Grizzlies in the off-season, went eight-for-13 from the field, including shooting at 56 per cent from beyond the arc.
"Grayson did a good job getting to the right spots," Antetokounmpo said.
The Bucks finished strong with a 27-16 fourth quarter to get over the 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid. The win improves Milwaukee's record to 5-6 on the season.
"It's always good to get a win," the Greek forward said. "Sometimes it's pretty, sometimes it's ugly, but a win is a win. We're trying to build some momentum here.
"With a stop or a block or a play or a pass, just do whatever it takes to get a win. That's what my team needs me to do. That's why I showed a bit of emotion... I just wanted us to get a win."
Holiday missed his three attempts from three-point range and shot four-for-14 from the field to finish with eight points in his third game back from an ankle injury.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said: "I thought he had some big plays defensively. His effort on the boards, he can put a body on a guy like Drummond, so Giannis and Bobby can clean stuff up. Jrue is working his way and really getting better."
Clayton Kershaw will "always have a spot" on the Dodgers if he wants to remain in Los Angeles next season, says team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
Drafted out of high school by the Dodgers in 2006, Kershaw has spent his entire career with the franchise but is a free agent this offseason after the team declined to issue him a qualifying offer for 2022.
That decision was not a surprise, as forearm problems caused Kershaw to miss more than two months during the regular season and the entire postseason.
But Friedman told reporters on Tuesday that move should not be seen as a sign that the door is closed.
"We've been very outspoken that we really want Kersh to come back, not only what he's meant to us looking back, but also what we think he will mean for us looking forward," Friedman said at the MLB general managers' meetings in California, via ESPN.
"That being said - just like every free agent, but Kersh even a little bit more so - he has earned the right to be in this position and figure out what's best for him and his family.
"So there's like a personal and a professional tug of war for me. Professionally I really hope he's back, personally I want them to do what makes the most sense for their family, and we'll figure out what that means."
Kershaw wrapped up a three-year, $93million contract this season, and the Dallas-area native's hometown Texas Rangers are expected to make a strong push to sign him.
The 33-year-old went 10-8 with a 3.55 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 121.2 innings this season, the ERA representing the second-worst of his career ahead of only a 4.26 as a rookie in 2008.
Kershaw has a 185-84 career record with 2,670 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA, winning three Cy Young Awards and eight All-Star selections along the way in addition to the 2014 National League MVP award.
The Milwaukee Bucks picked up a much-needed victory against a depleted opponent on Tuesday, outlasting the Philadelphia 76ers 118-109.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 16 rebounds for the reigning NBA champions, who had lost five of their previous six games.
Milwaukee (5-6) caught the 76ers at the right time, with Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris among four players sidelined by COVID-19 protocols and Seth Curry nursing a left foot contusion.
Despite those absences, Philadelphia (8-4) stayed in the game until the closing minutes, leading by as many as 13 in the second quarter and entering the fourth quarter up 93-91.
Tyrese Maxey had 39 points and Embiid's replacement, Andre Drummond, contributed 17 points and 20 rebounds for the 76ers, who have dropped six straight games to the Bucks.
George, Clippers keep Blazers winless on road
Paul George led a balanced Clippers attack with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as Los Angeles defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 117-109. The loss kept Portland (5-6) winless in five road games this season, with two of those losses coming at Staples Center.
Reggie Jackson added 23 points for the Clippers (6-4), while Nicolas Batum contributed 22 as he made six of eight shots from three-point range. Damian Lillard scored 27 to lead the Blazers.
Cold-shooting Hawks fall to Jazz
The Atlanta Hawks made an impressive 51.4 percent of their three-point attempts (18 of 35) against the Utah Jazz, but connected on just 19 of 50 (38 per cent) from two-point range as they fell 110-98.
The NBA has suspended Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic for one game for "forcefully shoving" the Miami Heat's Markieff Morris on Monday.
Morris was fined $50,000 for a Flagrant 2 foul that precipitated the incident, which saw both players ejected from the game. The Nuggets went on to win 113-96.
Miami's Jimmy Butler also was fined $30,000 for "attempting to escalate the altercation" and refusing to submit to an interview with NBA security as it investigated the matter.
Jokic reacted angrily when Morris came in with a hard foul at midcourt with 2:39 to play in the game, catching his opponent with a left elbow to the chest.
Last season's NBA MVP charged after Morris and responded with a right forearm shove to the back, sending the Heat player crashing heavily to the court.
Both teams' coaching staffs sprang from their benches to try and restore order along with the referees.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra called it a "very dangerous, dirty play" by Jokic, who expressed regret following the game.
"It's a stupid play. I feel bad. I am not supposed to react that way," Jokic told reporters. "... I just needed to protect myself. I felt bad. I am not supposed to react that way, but I need to protect myself."
Jokic will have to sit out Denver's game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
Arsenal youngster Emile Smith Rowe has revealed how kicking bad drinking and eating habits has helped his rapid rise following his maiden England call-up this week.
Smith Rowe earned his first-ever senior England call-up for World Cup qualifiers against Albania and San Marino after Marcus Rashford and James Ward-Prowse's withdrawal.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder burst onto the scene with Arsenal late last season and has scored in each of the Gunners' last three league games.
Smith Rowe told The Guardian that his recent rise came after abandoning bad habits around diet and hydration.
"I didn’t used to eat that well," Smith said. "I wasn’t drinking that well. Before games, I wasn’t really that hydrated. I’ve tried now to focus so much on it.
"Arsenal are strict but I didn’t really listen, to be honest. I think that’s where I went wrong. Now I’m listening all the time."
He added: "Chocolate … I like Nando’s a lot – maybe that’s killing me a little bit. I’ve tried to cut out chocolate and takeaways as much as I can.
"The club have sorted me out with a chef. His name is Chris and he comes to my house every day. I live with my mum and she normally cooks but she doesn’t have to any more. Chris cooks for me and her.
"With hydration, there’s loads of stuff we should be taking before a game and, yeah, before I was a bit too lazy."
Smith Rowe has made 11 Premier League appearances this season, netting four goals and providing two assists. He also scored in the EFL Cup against AFC Wimbledon in September.
Emma Raducanu has appointed Torben Beltz as her new coach almost seven weeks after parting company with Andrew Richardson.
The 18-year-old rose to international fame in September when she pulled off the incredible feat of clinching the US Open before ever even winning a single match on the WTA Tour.
Raducanu beat fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez to become the first qualifier in tennis history to win a grand slam and youngest winner of a women's major since 17-year-old Maria Sharapova took the Wimbledon title in 2004.
But she announced soon after that she and Richardson were no longer working together, with Raducanu continuing in the meantime without a coach as she scoured for someone with more WTA Tour experience.
Since the US Open, she has played just five matches and lost three of them, the latest coming on Tuesday as she suffered a 6-1 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 defeat to Wang Xinyu at the Linz Open, where Raducanu was the top seed.
But as she looks ahead to starting pre-season at the end of November, Raducanu will begin working with Beltz in the hope of building on her incredible breakthrough year.
The German was Angelique Kerber's coach during her US Open and Australian Open successes in 2016, and Raducanu is excited to get started.
Speaking after her defeat in Linz, Raducanu said: "You guys cracked it! It's obviously a great privilege to be working with such an experienced coach.
"I'm definitely very excited to work with him throughout the pre-season and into next year. I'm feeling excited about all the work that is to come.
"I think he brings a lot of experience. Obviously he's worked with Kerber, who's such a great player and has done extremely well, won three slams. I think that experience definitely helps with someone as inexperienced as me.
"He can help guide me through, which I feel really confident about, and also he's a really positive, cheerful guy who brings great energy to the team, so I think that's also important when you're travelling on the road for quite a long time on the tour."
Sebastian Korda produced an inspired turnaround from two sets down to defeat Hugo Gaston 3-4(2) 3-4(6) 4-0 4-3(3) 4-0 in his opening match at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
The American became only the second player in the history of this event to achieve the feat, after Borna Coric against Karen Khachanov in 2017.
Korda is the second seed in Milan this year following an impressive 2021 that saw him capture his first ATP title at the Emilia-Romagna Open, and reach the Miami Masters quarter-finals and Wimbledon fourth round.
The 21-year-old looked destined to begin Group B with a defeat after losing the opening two sets on tie-breaks, while he also saved match point at 3-2 down in the fourth.
Korda subsequently dominated the final set to complete a remarkable victory in just over two hours.
The world number 39 said: "[I] just stayed calm and kept thinking what I could do better.
"I did play very well tactically in the first two sets, but I figured a couple of things out during the tie-break and I think that helped me for the rest of the match."
Meanwhile, top seed Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed a straight-sets victory over Holger Rune, prevailing 4-3(6) 4-2 4-0.
The Spanish teenager has also enjoyed a fruitful year on the ATP circuit, triumphing in Umag while beating world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas on the way to reaching the US Open quarter-finals.
And he made the perfect start in Group A; enjoying an 88 per cent first-serve success rate in a commanding win.
"I think it was a great match, both of us played really well," the world number 32 said.
"I am trying to go to the net and play aggressively in the important moments and stay calm. I am trying to do this every match."
Elsewhere, Brandon Nakashima – champion in Brest last month – made it 10 wins from 11 matches as he beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 4-1 3-4(3) 4-1 4-0.
The 20-year-old, who became the youngest American to reach multiple tour-level finals since Andy Roddick earlier this year, was pegged back in the second set, but dominated the final two to seal victory in just over an hour-and-a-half.
However, there was no joy for home favourite Lorenzo Musetti, who was beaten in four sets by Sebastian Baez.
Though roared on by his home crowd, the world number 58 was unable to deliver in his opening match. Baez – a five-time Challenger Tour winner in 2021 – took full advantage to prevail 4-1 4-1 3-4(5) 4-3(5).
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price revealed he has received treatment for substance abuse.
The 34-year-old said he entered a residential facility last month after having reached "a very dark place" following years of "neglecting" his mental health.
Price had only just returned to the Canadiens following surgery on a knee injury during the off-season.
"Over the last few years I have let myself get to a very dark place and I didn't have the tools to cope with that struggle," he said via an Instagram post.
"Last month I made the decision to enter a residential treatment facility for substance use. Things had reached a point that I realized I needed to prioritize my health for both myself and for my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our kids to do, and it was what I needed to do.
"I am working through years of neglecting my own mental health which will take some time to repair; all I can do is take it day by day. With that comes some uncertainty with when I will return to play.
"I appreciate all of the overwhelming support and well wishes. I please ask that the media and our hockey community continue to respect our privacy at this time. Your support and respect of this so far has been a critical piece to my recovery."
Price, a seven-time NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medallist in 2014 with Canada, helped the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 28 years last season, where they lost 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He posted a .901 save percentage last season, a figure he improved to .924 during the Canadiens' playoff run.
Speaking on Monday, coach Dominique Ducharme said: "I haven't met him yet. I need to see him. I'll see him tomorrow.
"He wants to come back and play, but there's other things to manage. We talked about the injury that he was coming back from, getting back in shape, and playing shape too. There's many steps to be taken, but he wants to play. He wants to be part of our group. He wants to help out."
Yorkshire have suspended head coach Andrew Gale pending a disciplinary hearing into an historic tweet, while director of cricket Martyn Moxon has been signed off due to a stress-related illness.
Gale, who in 2014 led Yorkshire to County Championship success as captain, is reported to have used an anti-Semitic slur in a Twitter conversation.
Jewish News, who brought the comment to light, published a response from Gale in which he insisted he deleted the post as soon as he was informed of its offensive nature, with the 37-year-old concluding the publication had been sent a screenshot that "that someone took at the time and waited 11 years to release".
Yorkshire has told him to stay away from the team pending an investigation.
"We can confirm that Andrew Gale, Yorkshire First XI Coach, is currently suspended pending a disciplinary hearing following an historic tweet," read a statement.
"The club will make a further statement once this process has been completed."
Additionally, Moxon has been given time off work due to a stress-related problem.
He is set to appear at the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee hearing on November 16 following Yorkshire's handling of Azeem Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism during his time at the club.
An independent report into Rafiq's complaints upheld that the spinner had been a victim of "racial harassment and bullying".
The county side were punished, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspending Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches indefinitely, while sponsors such as Emerald and Nike have withdrawn from agreements.
Daniil Medvedev has confirmed he will play at the Australian Open next year, as the debate over vaccine mandates continues.
Medvedev was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the final of this year's tournament, though the Russian has gone on to enjoy a brilliant season.
He has won four titles, including his first grand slam, beating Djokovic at the US Open in September to end the latter's pursuit of a clean sweep of the four majors in 2021.
Djokovic and Medvedev met again on Sunday, with the world number one coming out on top to clinch his sixth Paris Masters title and a record 37th triumph at ATP 1000 events.
Medvedev had appeared non-committal about being vaccinated against COVID-19, which is likely to be a requirement for any player wishing to compete at the Australian Open, but he dispelled doubts around his involvement when he tweeted on Tuesday: "See you in January @AustralianOpen."
While Medvedev will be involved in Melbourne, the participation of Djokovic – who is a nine-time Australian Open champion – is not yet known.
The Serbian has previously appeared hesitant over the coronavirus vaccine mandate, though he has not revealed whether he has been vaccinated or not.
Australia has enforced strict measures throughout the pandemic, with Melbourne having been under lockdown on six occasions since March 2020. Indeed, the city only lifted its most recent restrictions towards the end of October.
Athletes arriving in Australia prior to last year's event had to go through a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine.
Despite Australia's vaccination programme gaining momentum, travellers who are not citizens must be able to provide proof of vaccination and a negative PCR test result, while quarantine regulations vary depending on state rules.
Tennis Australia is reportedly still hopeful of securing a deal for unvaccinated players to compete in the tournament, subject to a two-week quarantine, with prime minister Scott Morrison suggesting players could be granted an exemption.
On Tuesday, though, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews insisted players will have to be vaccinated.
"I'm not going to have people sitting in the grandstands having done the right thing, only to have millionaire players that ought [to] be vaccinated running around the place being essentially at such higher risk of spreading this – getting it and giving it," he said.
Speaking last month, Djokovic said: "I don't know if I'm going to Australia, I don't know what's going on. Currently, the situation is not good at all.
"Of course, I want to go, Australia is my most successful grand slam, I want to participate, I love this sport, I still have motivation."
England's T20 captain Eoin Morgan says the Yorkshire racism scandal is as "serious and relevant" to the squad as any of their playing achievements.
An independent report into Azeem Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire upheld that the spinner had been a victim of "racial harassment and bullying".
The county has been punished, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspending Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches, while sponsors such as Emerald and Nike have withdrawn from agreements.
Roger Hutton resigned as Yorkshire chairman, with his replacement – Lord Patel – offering Rafiq an unreserved apology on Monday.
Gary Ballance has also been indefinitely suspended from international selection after the batsman – who has not played for England since 2017 – admitted he was responsible for some of the offensive and inappropriate language Rafiq was subjected to when they were Yorkshire team-mates.
Morgan, whose side are preparing for a T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, revealed England's players have discussed the matter, and are committed to using their platform to end discrimination within the sport.
"We definitely don't shelter anything that's going on, particularly things as serious and as relevant to our squad as anything that we've ever done, really," Morgan told reporters.
"We talk about discrimination quite a lot because in our group there is a lot of diversity.
"After winning the 2019 World Cup and becoming a more formidable side with a bigger platform, that has allowed us to feel comfortable enough to continue to tell our different stories."
Morgan also outlined how important it is for his players to act as role models for future generations.
"We feel comfortable within our own skin to play great cricket on the field but also to be really strong role models," he added.
"With what's going on in Yorkshire, we've continued to chat about things and how it might affect younger generations.
"Being at the forefront of change both on and off the field for us is not always easy. Particularly at the beginning.
"We're at one of those stages right now for Yorkshire, and within the group we talk about seeing the bigger picture down the line and the huge benefits we will see coming into that county.
"We all want to be able to share our dream that we've dreamt about for so long as kids and have been so looking to live that dream. We want young kids to be able to picture that but also picture a pathway to be able to achieve it.
"So the things we do during this World Cup and beyond are very important."
Eoin Morgan says it would be a "hell of an achievement" for injury-hit England to beat New Zealand and reach the T20 World Cup final.
England and the Black Caps do battle at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday in a repeat of the 50-over World Cup final in 2019, when Morgan's side were crowned champions in the most dramatic fashion at Lord's.
Jason Roy has joined Tymal Mills on an injury list that already included Jofra Archer, Sam Curran and Ben Stokes.
England have won three of their past four T20 World Cup matches against New Zealand, one of those coming in a semi-final five years ago.
Captain Morgan says it would be a huge feat if they could defeat Kane Williamson's side once again in Abu Dhabi to set up a showdown with Pakistan or Australia.
The batsman said: "I wouldn't say [England are] strong favourites. New Zealand have a full-strength squad, we've obviously been hampered with a lot of injuries throughout this tournament.
"I think of all the things we've done well throughout this tournament, probably the strongest point has been the resilience within our squad to be able to find a way to move forward and forge on.
"We're playing really good cricket, the guys are extremely excited about the challenge against New Zealand and potentially the opportunity that might follow that.
"You might only get to the final and lose but getting to the final would be a hell of an achievement. We can't wait."
Morgan refused to be drawn on who will replace Roy at the top of the order to partner Jos Buttler, with another bowler coming into the side being one of the options.
"Within the group we’ve made a decision, I'm not willing to share that, unfortunately, but also the balance of the side will be determined on how the wicket looks and how we match-up against the Black Caps," Morgan added.
"Replacing him with another bowler would mean that you have 28 genuine overs on the field and a lot of options. If you were to go with a batter, it would mean a like-for-like replacement.
"Depending if it's a really good batting wicket, predicting if it's going to be a really good batting wicket, we might need the extra bit of bowling. If it's not, you might need the extra bit of batting.
"We're lucky, we have guys who queue up and want to bat in that top three, which is great because they want to go head-to-head with the big-name players in the tournament and big-name bowlers in the opposition."
Black Caps skipper Williamson knows England have the strength in depth to replace Roy.
He said: "I suppose whenever there's an injury, someone else comes in and you're not to know who they are until the toss. But you try and prepare and plan as best you can and then when you go out there, you're sort of competing in the moment.
"And that all matters then. But Jason's a big player for England and has been playing really nicely and getting the team off to good starts along with Jos.
"But as I mentioned, the depth on the England side is one of their strengths and we'll try and plan accordingly to the best of our ability.
"But largely [we] want to focus on the sort of cricket that we want to play as a group and keep developing on that as we've been doing throughout this tournament."
Rohit Sharma has been named captain for India's upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
The three-match home series, which begins on November 17, will be the first since Virat Kohli's decision to step down after the T20 World Cup.
Kohli, who will stay on as ODI and Test captain, led India in the short format for the final time on Monday, as the pre-tournament favourites bowed out of the World Cup with victory over Namibia.
The 33-year-old captained his nation in 50 T20Is – winning 30 and losing 16 – while scoring 1,570 runs, including 114 boundaries and 59 sixes.
Kohli is one of several notable absentees from the squad to face the Black Caps next week along with Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan are among the players to come into the squad.
Rohit will take over as skipper – with KL Rahul as his deputy – although it is yet to be confirmed whether he will be given the role on a permanent basis.
Following his knock of 56 against Namibia, Rohit became one of only three players – along with Kohli – to reach 3,000 T20I runs, while he has averaged 32.66 in 108 innings.
India T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj.
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