Dejounte Murray said the late Kobe Bryant would have been proud of his efforts after scoring a career-high 44 points to lead the Atalanta Hawks to another dramatic win over the Boston Celtics.

The Hawks recovered from 30 points down to clinch a memorable 120-118 win over the league-leading Celtics on Monday, and they made it a double with Thursday's last-gasp overtime success.

Murray sank 44 points, including the go-ahead jumper in the final second of overtime, to guide Atlanta to a 123-122 win – their fourth victory in as many games.

Murray's 44 points came off 44 shots, which led him to recall how Los Angeles Lakers legend Bryant scored 41 points with 47 attempts against the Celtics back in 2002.

The 27-year-old was not too concerned by his wastefulness after stepping up in the big moments, though.

"I still feel like I played awful," Murray told reporters after the game. "I don't want to take that many shots. But I know Kobe would be proud of me!

"I'm just built for those moments. I'm a confident guy."

Occupying the final Play-In spot in the Eastern Conference with a 34-39 record, the Hawks are now within one game of the ninth seed, the Chicago Bulls.

Murray knows the scale of the statement they have made by beating the Celtics twice in four days, adding: "That's the best team in the league, and we competed.

"We're not tanking, we're not trying to lose. We're trying to win games and see how high we can get."

While the Celtics will surely be sick of the sight of Atlanta, they could yet be reunited with them in the first round of the playoffs, should the Hawks make the Play-In Tournament and progress. 

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla knows his team won't be able to switch off if they face the Hawks again, saying: "That's a really good team."

What the papers say

Manchester United are the latest club to chase Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, 25, according to the Daily Mail. Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are also tracking the RB Leipzig player, who has a £52million release clause.

Newcastle took the chance to watch Brazil players against England last week. The Newcastle Chronicle reports Barcelona winger Raphinha and Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, also 27, are potential targets.

Crystal Palace face competition to sign Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, 19. The Evening Standard reports Atletico Madrid are also keen on the Spain Under-21 international.

Chelsea are planning the club’s long-term future off the pitch. The Daily Mail says Todd Boehly will be replaced as chairman in 2027.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Joselu: The Spain striker, 34, who is on loan at Real Madrid from Espanyol, is among Manchester United’s potential targets, according to Spanish outlet Relevo.

Jarrad Branthwaite: Manchester United face competition from Manchester City and Newcastle for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, 21, reports Football Transfers.

Stuart Lancaster was appointed head coach of England’s men’s rugby union team on this day in 2012.

The then 42-year-old was permanently appointed following a spell in interim charge during which England finished second in the Six Nations.

Lancaster replaced Martin Johnson in the role after the former England captain resigned in the wake of a disappointing World Cup campaign in 2011.

He was appointed on a four-year contract and would lead England into their home Rugby World Cup in 2015.

“Being head coach of your national team in any sport (is an honour), but to do it at a time when we’ve got a World Cup in our own country is a huge, huge honour,” Lancaster said following his appointment.

“It’s a very proud day for myself and my family, but it’s not about me, it’s about the team and the connection between the team and the English public.”

Lancaster resigned from his role in November 2015 following a dismal World Cup campaign.

His side became the first host nation to fail to get out of the pool stages following defeats to Wales and Australia.

He now coaches French Top 14 side Racing 92.

Rookie Logan Cooley had his first career hat trick and Clayton Keller had a goal and three assists as the Arizona Coyotes put an end to the Nashville Predators’ franchise-record 18-game point streak with an 8-4 victory on Thursday.

Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist and Nick Bjugstad, Jack McBain and Mattias Maccelli also scored for the Coyotes, who have won five of seven despite being already eliminated from playoff contention.

Arizona went 3-0-1 against Nashville this season.

Jason Zucker scored a pair of goals and Roman Josi had three assists for the Predators, but they had a six-game winning streak snapped and suffered their first regulation loss since Feb. 15.

Juuse Saros was pulled after two periods for allowing six goals. Kevin Lankinen stopped all 11 shots he faced.

Rangers top Avs in shootout

Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored in the shootout to lift the league-leading New York Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche in a matchup of two of the league's top teams.

Kaapo Kaako and Chris Kreider scored in regulation and Igor Shesterkin stopped 38 shots and was perfect in the shootout as the Rangers won their fourth straight.

New York leads the NHL with 102 points and is three points ahead of Carolina in the Metropolitan Division.

Casey Mittelstadt and Devon Toews had goals for the Avalanche, who lost their second in a row following a nine-game winning streak.

Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was held without a point, ending his 35-game home point streak and his overall 19-game run. His 35-game streak is second in NHL history to Wayne Gretzky’s 40-game run in 1988-89.

Streaking Stars beat Canucks

Jamie Benn snapped a tie late in the third period and Jake Oettinger made 27 saves to lead the Dallas Stars to their sixth straight win, 3-1 over the Vancouver Canucks.

Roope Hintz had the other goal and two assists for the Stars, who have won 11 of 13 to take over sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

J.T. Miller scored and Casey DeSmith stopped 31 shots for Vancouver, which has lost two straight after a 7-1-1 surge.

Dejounte Murray hit a go-ahead jumper in the final second of overtime and finished with 44 points in the Atlanta Hawks’ 123-122 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Murray scored all of Atlanta’s 11 points in the extra period, answering with his winning shot six seconds after Jaylen Brown’s jumper put the Celtics on top.

Atlanta defeated league-leading Boston for the second time in four days after it rallied from a 30-point deficit for a stunning 120-118 victory on Monday.

Bogdan Bogdanović scored 24 points and De’Andre Hunter added 21 with 13 rebounds to help the Hawks match a season high with their fourth straight win.

Jayson Tatum had 31 points and 13 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points for the Celtics, who have already clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Williamson, McCollum power Pelicans

Zion Williamson scored 28 points and CJ McCollum added 25 and the New Orleans Pelicans fended off the Milwaukee Bucks, 107-100.

Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Trey Murphy contributed 15 and 11 boards as the Pelicans won despite misfiring on 24 of 32 from 3-point range and shooting just 39.6 percent (36 of 91) overall.

Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 35 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who dropped their second straight following Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to the Lakers.

Gregor Dimitrov beat top seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to book a place in the Miami Open semi-final.

The Bulgarian, seeded 11th, won 6-2 6-4 to book a last-four meeting with Germany’s world number five Alexander Zverev.

Dimitrov made a fast start as he opened a 3-0 lead and Alcaraz, chasing back-to-back titles after winning in Indian Wells, was never able to get back on terms.

He fought back from 4-1 down in the second set, but Dimitrov broke again to seal his second successive win over the Spaniard.

“I think overall, to win against him, you have to play at your best; that’s just how it is,” said Dimitrov. “I came into the match very focused and extremely clear what I had to do.

“Sometimes simplicity is genius. It’s very, very hard to do it, especially when you play against an opponent like that, but I was really able to dictate the game, read the game a little bit better than last time.

“Overall, I think a very great match on my end and I’m just happy I finished in straight sets.”

Zverev ended unseeded Fabian Marozsan’s run with a 6-3 7-5 success.

The Hungarian had beaten top 10 pair Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur to reach the last eight, but could only muster two break points as Zverev won 80 per cent of points on his first serve.

“I’m happy to be back in these late stages of these tournaments, playing the best players in the world, I think there are only those left,” said Zverev, who reached the final in Miami in 2018.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev will meet Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final in a rematch of the Australian Open final.

Luke Littler saw off stablemate Nathan Aspinall to secure his first Premier League night win in Belfast.

Littler never looked back after edging out Luke Humphries in a last-leg decider of the opening quarter-final at the SSE Arena, which ended the world champion’s three-night winning Premier League run.

The 17-year-old – who has won titles at the Bahrain Masters, PDC Players Championship and Belgian Open in a breakout year – followed up with an impressive 6-3 win over Michael Van Gerwen, who had beaten him on night two in the Berlin final.

‘The Nuke’ landed a 136 checkout in first leg of the final, then just missed finishing off 170 in second before Aspinall broke throw as he built a 3-1 lead.

Littler, though, fought back to level with a showpiece bullseye-25-bullseye finish – which got a high-five from close-friend Aspinall – and then pushed on to within one leg of victory at 5-3.

Aspinall dug deep to break back in the next, but Littler eventually got the job done on double 10.

Overall victory on night nine moves Littler up to second in the table, four points behind Humphries, while Aspinall now sits in fourth, the last of the play-off places.

“I am just happy to win my first one,” Littler said on Sky Sports.

“People may have seen I have changed my throw to take that little bit of extra time then releasing the next two. I have put more practice in and it has paid off.

“I can’t wait for next week (in Manchester). I know I have got Michael (Van Gerwen) in the first round, but Nathan will obviously enjoy it also in his home town.”

Aspinall had reached his fourth final of this year’s Premier League campaign with a 6-2 win over Peter Wright, in which he produced 14 scores over 100.

Earlier in the other quarter-finals, Premier League title holder Van Gerwen came from 4-2 down against former world champion Michael Smith to win the last four legs, securing victory on a 150 checkout.

Aspinall had seen off Gerwyn Price, last year’s Belfast winner, in a last-leg decider to leave the Welshman further adrift of the play-offs, while Wright beat 2018 world champion Rob Cross 6-3.

Reported Liverpool managerial target Xabi Alonso is unlikely to jump ship from Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, according to Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness.

The 42-year-old, who lifted the Champions League trophy in 2005 during his debut season with the Reds, has been a widely touted as a likely replacement for Jurgen Klopp, who in January announced he will stand down at the end of the season after eight-and-a-half decorated years at Anfield.

Bayern are thought to be one of the other clubs courting the Spaniard’s services, but Hoeness was highly pessimistic about anyone’s chances of luring Alonso away from Leverkusen.

He told Das Erste: “We’ll have to see if we can do it this year.

“It will be difficult, if not probably impossible. (Alonso) is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind.

“Let’s say if he had two or three more years of success, it would probably be easier to bring him out of there.”

Alonso’s men are on course to secure the first Bundesliga title in the club’s history, sitting 10 points clear of Bayern Munich in second.

In February, their 2-1 victory over Mainz to make it 33 games unbeaten broke the German record for consecutive competitive matches without a loss,  surpassing Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich team of 2020 and 2021.

They have since extended that run to 38 fixtures, most recently with a 3-2 victory over Freiburg before the international break.

Luke Littler edged out Luke Humphries in a last-leg decider to end the world champion’s winning Premier League run on night nine in Belfast.

Following successive wins in Brighton, Nottingham and Dublin, world number one Humphries had opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

Littler, though, had already beaten Humphries in each of their last three meetings since the world final at Alexandra Palace.

The 17-year-old, who had dropped to fifth in the Premier League table, after last week’s quarter-final defeat to Michael Smith in Dublin, forced an early break to open up a 2-0 lead.

Humphries, however, soon recovered to level the opening quarter-final at the SSE Arena, and the match continued on throw through to the deciding leg.

The world champion sat on a 170 check-out, but missed the second treble 20 which allowed Littler the chance to take out 68 on double 10 and progress to the semi-finals.

Littler hit seven maximums with a match average of 102.02, and goes on to play the winner of Michael Smith against Michael Van Gerwen.

The Championship returns from the international break with, much like the Premier League, a three-horse tussle at the top.

Leicester City, having led the standings for the majority of the campaign, now find themselves in second place behind Leeds United, albeit with a game in hand on the in-form Whites.

The Foxes are grappling with off-pitch issues, and a return to form when they face Bristol City on Friday would go far to restoring some momentum.

Leeds, on the other hand, have won 12 of their last 13 Championship fixtures, dropping points just once in that run.

As for third-placed Ipswich Town, they are hot on the heels of their automatic-promotion rivals.

All of these sides have built their fine campaigns on some brilliant attacking play, scoring 224 goals between them. Using Opta data, we can look at just how these attacks stack up.

Ipswich Town

Of these three teams, Ipswich have scored the most goals, with Kieran McKenna's side netting 80 across their 38 matches - an average of 2.1 per game. That makes the Tractor Boys the leading scorers in the league, while they are also the leading team for non-penalty goals (78).

Ipswich have, however, greatly outperformed their expected goals (xG) of 64.2, while also greatly exceeding their non-penalty xG (61.8). When it comes to those metrics, they rank fourth and second in the second tier respectively. Their expected goals on target (xGOT) figure of 69.5 shows their finishing has been above the standard of what would be anticipated from the quality of chances, and they rank third in the league in this aspect.

Unsurprisingly, Ipswich lead the way for shots (590), while they rank second for shots on target (214). They are fourth in the Championship for shot conversion rate (13.5 per cent), big chances (94) and big chances scored (42). Their big-chance conversion rate, of 44.68, stands as the sixth best in the competition.

But how do Ipswich create their chances? Well, they aren't afraid to send crosses into the area, with their 114 successful open-play crosses ranking second. However, it's Ipswich's high press that really stands out.

They have forced 309 high turnovers (winning the ball back within 40 yards of the opponent's goal), at an average of 8.1 per match. They lead the league for shot-ending high turnovers, with 65, albeit they are tied for fifth when it comes to scoring goals from such scenarios (seven). McKenna's team are certainly able to go direct, too, given they rank down at 10th for sequences of 10+ passes. 

Don't bet against Ipswich if they go behind, meanwhile. They have gained 28 points from a losing position, topping the Championship.

And when they get the lead, Ipswich typically hold onto it, with only two teams dropping fewer points from a winning position.

Leicester City

Ranking behind Ipswich for goals scored are Leicester, with 74 to their name. The Foxes are also second in the Championship for xG (68) and for xGOT (73.5).

It is worth noting that Leicester have been more reliant on penalties, having scored 12 goals from the spot. 

Leicester have mustered the fifth-highest tally of shots (525), while their 189 shots on target ranks fourth in the division.

But in which metrics do Leicester top the Championship? Enzo Maresca's team lead the way for shot conversion (14.1 per cent), big chances (111) and big chances scored (50).

Leicester are hardly a pressing machine off the ball, having averaged just 7.4 high turnovers per game, but what the Foxes lack in quantity they make up for in quality – they have scored a joint league-leading eight goals from those situations.

Maresca's men do not particularly look to cross at a high volume, though when they do put deliveries in, they are often on point. Leicester are 19th out of 24 teams for total open-play crosses, yet they rank third for successful open-play deliveries.

If teams go ahead against Leicester, however, then the Foxes are not the best at coming from behind, having gained only 10 points from such positions this term.

Leeds United

So, what about Leeds, the league leaders heading into the Easter weekend?

Leeds have accumulated more xG than any other Championship team, at 68.4, while 62.9 of that total has come from non-penalty shots. However, they rank down in fourth for both goals (70) and non-penalty goals (65). Interestingly, the Whites' xGOT is 69.2, so they have been finishing slightly above what would be expected from chances they have crafted.

Daniel Farke's team are the Championship leaders for high turnovers, with 319, while their average of 11 passes allowed per defensive action (PPDA), which measures how often a team presses their opponent, is the second highest in the competition.

Leeds have been exceptionally effective from this high press, too. They have had the third-highest shots (61) and, along with Leicester, lead the Championship for goal-ending high turnovers, with eight.

The Whites may only have got 201 of their 586 shots on target, with an 11.9 per cent shot conversion rate, but they are excellent at creating quality chances, ranking second for big chances (102), which are defined by Opta as an opportunity from which a player would be reasonably expected to score.

Should Leeds take a lead, then they are excellent at holding onto it. They have dropped the fewest points (four) of any Championship team from winning positions, while they rank second for points gained from losing positions (21).

Unlike Leicester or Ipswich, there is no focus at all on crossing, or quality crossing, from Leeds. Farke's side actually rank 23rd for both open-play crosses and successful open-play deliveries. Perhaps forcing them wide will be the only way their opponents can keep them out in the run-in?

Zak Crawley insists England will not adopt a “negative” approach after their recent 4-1 series defeat in India but acknowledged they must learn when to absorb pressure.

India inflicted the first series loss of the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum era after they stormed back from going one down in Hyderabad to win the last four Tests in comprehensive fashion.

It sparked debate over England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ style following a string of batting collapses and head coach McCullum accepted they had to refine their style moving forward.

Crawley said: “We always talk about absorbing pressure and putting pressure back on.

“The last couple of years we’ve done the putting pressure back on pretty well and we’ve spoken about maybe picking those moments to absorb at the right times as well. We can certainly refine that.

“That’s not to say we’re going to get more negative. We will still try to play the way we have and try to score quickly but yeah, picking those moments where they’re on top and we need to absorb.

“Or even the other way where they’re on top and you feel like you need to put it back on. It is just getting it right.

“(Stokes) spoke about it after the series where we need a little bit of refinement. It is not big changes.

“We just need to make sure we stay positive and don’t let a tough result get in the way of what we’re done really well over the last couple of years.”

England’s strategy of moving the game forward quickly with higher run-rates and early declarations took the cricket world by storm as they won 10 of their first 11 Tests under Stokes and McCullum.

However, seven defeats have followed from the next 12 matches and a lack of a ruthless streak has cost England at times.

After England posted a first innings total of 353 in the fourth Test in Ranchi, they reduced India to 177 for seven but let the hosts off the hook and, instead of setting up a series decider, they crumbled to a crushing five-wicket defeat.

“We genuinely believed in ourselves and thought we could win the series,” Crawley, speaking at a sponsors event for Swiss watch brand Rado, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s official timing partner, admitted.

“We should have won in Ranchi, I think, to make it 2-2 and then you never know how the last one goes.

“When the series goes like that, it is always hard to wrestle the momentum back but we were in the series massively and we always believed.

“We certainly weren’t in the games when I was in India last time (in 2021), so we gave ourselves a good chance and we weren’t quite clinical enough like they were.

“Over five days, their skills are always going to come out and they are a phenomenal team. It was a really enjoyable tour though, we gave it a good crack and there is a lot to learn from.”

A beacon of light again for England was Crawley, who for the second series in a row led the scoring charts for his team.

The Kent batter was notably labelled as a player whose “skillset is not to be a consistent cricketer” by McCullum in 2022.

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A string of low scores increased the external noise around his position prior to last summer’s Ashes but the 26-year-old always retained the faith of England’s key decision-makers.

Now, 12 months on, Crawley has hit seven 50+ scores and averaged 46.7 against the two best attacks in the world, which included a sensational 189 at Old Trafford last July.

“I feel in a lot better place than I was,” Crawley added.

“I’m not trying to put too much pressure on any games to be honest. When I am playing for England or for Kent, I just try and turn up with the same process.

“I am trying to embrace failure more and accepting it is part of the game and sticking with what I do well.”

Derek Fox will not miss the ride on Corach Rambler in the Randox Grand National, despite potentially breaching the whip guidelines at Newcastle on Tuesday, the British Horseracing Authority has said.

Corach Rambler provided Fox and trainer Lucinda Russell with a second victory in the Aintree spectacular last season, with the pair having also successfully combined with One For Arthur in 2017.

Following an excellent effort in defeat when third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup two weeks ago, Corach Rambler is the clear favourite to successfully defend his crown on Merseyside on April 13 – and despite speculation to the contrary, Fox looks set to be in the plate once more.

Reports on Thursday suggested the Sligo-born jockey could be in trouble with the Whip Review Committee following his winning ride aboard the Russell-trained Clovis Boy at Newcastle on Tuesday.

However, while the BHA confirmed the ride was being reviewed, and a penalty may yet therefore follow, any potential suspension will not kick in until the week after the National.

The BHA does not normally comment regarding which riders may or may not have been referred, but has done so on this occasion, stating: “Given the speculation in the media in this instance, and the potential ramifications for the public betting on this race, we felt it would be helpful to clarify the situation.”

A BHA spokesperson said: “The WRC today considered a ride by Mr Fox at Newcastle on Tuesday. Upon reviewing the ride, the WRC had further questions for Mr Fox and have written to him today to seek his observations, as is outlined in the protocols and procedures around WRC meetings.

“As a result, Mr Fox’s case will be considered by the WRC on Tuesday, April 2. Any potential penalty arising from this ride, therefore, will not come into effect until Tuesday, April 16.”

Corach Rambler is currently the 4-1 favourite for National glory with William Hill, who report he has been incredibly popular with punters.

Spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “Corach Rambler’s run in the Gold Cup looked a perfect prep for his defence of the Grand National, and our customers agree as he has been absolutely hammered in the betting since the run at Cheltenham.

“He wasn’t a bad result prior to that, but the weight of money in the last couple of weeks has been so significant that he’d be the worst ante-post result this century. At this stage, we would take anything to beat him, but the way the money is going suggests he’s going to be incredibly hard to beat.”

Coral have also cut him to the same price from 5-1 after strong support, with David Stevens commenting: “Corach Rambler was 12-1 for a repeat National success prior to his Gold Cup run, and 8-1 immediately after that Cheltenham placing, so punters have plenty of confidence in the Lucinda Russell-trained star joining an elite group of dual Aintree winners next month.”