Related items

• Pedri: 'Everything going well' with Barcelona contract talks

  Pedri says "everything is going well" in the talks over a contract extension with Barcelona.

  The youngster has played in all 13 of Barcelona's LaLiga matches this season, helping them to sit top of the pile, with 11 wins so far.

  He has already proved key in their midfield, with none of his team-mates making more interceptions than him (eight, level with Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal), while he has also scored three times.

  Barcelona sporting director Deco has made no secret of his desire to sign the 21-year-old to a contract extension, and Pedri issued a promising update on the talks taking place.

  "I'm very calm, my agents are handling it, I haven't had any news, everything is going well," he told Sport.

  Pedri has suffered from hamstring injuries since 2021, after playing 73 matches for club and country in the 2020-21 season.

  He missed a total of 25 games for Barcelona and Spain last season, including the semi-final and final of Euro 2024, having been forced off in the early stages of La Roja's quarter-final win over Germany.

  However, his injury troubles look to be behind him this season, and he is hopeful he can stay settled in the Barcelona side.

  "Physically, I feel good. I have consistency, which makes me enjoy football," he said. "It's a great start to the season and I hope it will continue for a long time.

  "Both in the national team and in Barca, I feel comfortable. It is positional football.

  "It [his injury issues] was given more airtime, perhaps because I was playing in important tournaments [for Spain] and at Barcelona, I didn't have that continuity.

  "I'm working out my body. When you relapse, you look for solutions until you find the key. I have found what suits me well, and I have the continuity that I like."

• Harden goes second in all-time 3-pointers list, does not expect to catch Curry

  James Harden may consider himself one of the most confident players in the NBA, but he does not expect to overhaul Stephen Curry's all-time 3-pointer record after going second in the charts.

  Curry made a pair of 3-pointers as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Utah Jazz 116-105 on Sunday, finishing with 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

  His first 3-pointer of the evening, made with around six minutes to go in the first quarter, was the 2,794th of his NBA career, the second-most in league history.

  Having surpassed Ray Allen's total of 2,973, Harden only trails Curry – who has hit 3,782 3-pointers ahead of his Golden State Warriors facing the Clippers on Monday.

  Asked about his feat after Sunday's game, Harden said: "Unbelievable accomplishment. It's just a testament to the amount of work that I've been putting in. 

  "As I get older and just chip away at an unbelievable career, I start to accomplish things like that. So I don't ever want to take it for granted.

  "I just want to give motivation to the youth and every other person that's chasing a dream to play professional basketball or whatever it is, so it's an honour."

  But when asked if Curry's mark was now within his sights, Harden – who is just a year younger than the all-time record holder – said nobody will ever take that honour, adding: "I'm one of the most confident guys that we have in this league, but no, I probably won't catch Steph.

  "I don't think anybody will honestly. He can shoot the s*** out of the ball. Granted a lot of these guys are on that list for being catch-and-shoot players, so they came off pindowns, they were spot shots or whatnot. 

  "Now, where the game has evolved, guys like Steph are coming off pindowns, he's creating off isos, he's coming off pick-and-rolls. 

  "There's so many different variables to be able to shoot the 3, make shots and do it at an efficient high level.

  "Somebody has to have an unbelievable career, shoot the ball well and make a lot of 3s. If it happens, it's going to be when we're not here anymore. So that'll be in there for a minute."

• Cavs relishing Celtics test after extending perfect start

  The Cleveland Cavaliers are relishing the chance to test themselves against the Boston Celtics.

  Cleveland extended their perfect record as they became just the fourth team in NBA history to go 15-0 to start a season by beating the Charlotte Hornets 128-114 on Sunday.

  The Cavs are tied for the second-best start to a season, trailing only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who went 24-0.

  Cleveland, inspired by LeBron James, beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals that year. All three of the previous teams to go 15-0 to start a season have reached a championship series (2015-16 Warriors, 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols).

  Next up for the Cavs are the reigning NBA champions, and first-year coach Kenny Atkinson, who rested talisman Donovan Mitchell against the Hornets, cannot wait for the task of facing the Celtics, who beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.

  "Boston Garden," Atkinson said after becoming the first coach to win his first 15 games in charge of a team. "What's better than that?

  "It's great for the NBA, right? Everybody is going to be watching, and I know our guys are anxious. I know they remember last year. We're going well. They're going well. It's great for the league. Great for our franchise. We're excited.

  "It's going to be a great test for us. They obviously play a different style, five-out with five shooters, so it's going to be a really good test for us.

  "We're at that point right now, 15-0. Let's test ourselves against the best and see where we stand and see where we're going to make adjustments or not make adjustments.

  "It actually comes at the perfect time."

  Jarrett Allen had 21 points and 15 rebounds against Charlotte, and was one of four Cleveland players to finish with over 20 points, along with Darius Garland (25), Ty Jerome (24) and Evan Mobley (23).

  "It's a rematch," said Allen of facing the Celtics, though he missed last season's playoff series due to a rib injury.

  "I know they didn't have some players. And we didn't have me, so I want to try and beat them and test where we are with them.

  "Everyone is showing tons of energy, all over the city. It's incredible how Cleveland has adopted us. They come to every game, yelling for everything. The city of Cleveland has our backs."

  The Celtics, who will visit the White House later this week to celebrate last season's success, have gone 11-3 to start the campaign and are second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cavs.