Italian Camila Giorgi knocked out another seed on her way to clinching a spot in the Merida Open final where she will face Sweden's Rebecca Peterson.
Giorgi triumphed 7-5 7-6 (7-2) over fourth seed Katerina Siniakova in two hours and 12 minutes in Saturday's semi-final in Akron.
The Italian world number 68 had routed second seed Sloane Stephens 6-0 6-0 on Friday to earn her spot in the last four.
Swedish qualifier Peterson secured her final berth with a 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 over American Caty McNally.
The topsy-turvy match lasted almost three hours, with Peterson fighting back from 4-0 down in the third set by winning the final six games for victory.
Jayson Tatum scored a clutch three-pointer before Joel Embiid's full-court buzzer-beater was wiped off as the Boston Celtics clung on for a 110-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Tatum drained the go-ahead triple with 2.0 seconds left from Marcus Smart's clever assist after Derrick White's inbound.
Embiid launched a desperate long-range shot which he hit but replays showed he released the ball after time had elapsed meaning the Celtics secured the win.
Tatum did not shoot the ball well throughout the game, finishing with 18 points on seven-of-17 shooting, but came up big when it mattered. The MVP candidate also pulled down 13 rebounds with six assists.
Al Horford turned the game with four three-pointers in the third quarter as the Celtics rallied from a 15-point deficit to lead at the final change.
Horford finished with 15 points, while Jaylen Brown top scored for Boston with 26 points with three steals.
Embiid had 41 points for the game with 12 rebounds and five assists, while James Harden added21 points with eight assists.
The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics have won three straight, improving their record to 44-17, while the 76ers, third in the east, are 39-20.
Grizzlies rout Nuggets in best in the west battle
The Memphis Grizzlies blew away the Denver Nuggets 112-94 in a match-up between the Western Conference's top two as Ja Morant scored 23 points with seven rebounds.
The Grizzlies led by as many as 35 points, opening up a 66-42 half-time lead and keeping the Nuggets to a season-low team score. Denver are 42-19 while Memphis are 36-23.
Nikola Jokic scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and three assists, while Jamal Murray only managed eight points on three-of-13 shooting from the field.
Knicks rout Pelicans in front of championship team
The New York Knicks honoured their onlooking 1972-93 NBA championship team in style, with a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans making it five straight wins.
Julius Randle top scored with 28 points making five-of-10 three-point attempts along with seven rebounds and five assists, as five Knicks players reached double figures.
R.J. Barrett added 25 points with a season-high seven assists while Jalen Brunson scored 20 points. Zion Williamson was absent again for the Pels, for whom Brandon Ingram top scored with 19.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz fought back from a set down against Nicolas Jarry to keep alive his Rio Open title defence by booking a spot in Sunday's final.
The Spanish 19-year-old triumphed 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-0 to win in two hours and 43 minutes in Saturday's semi-final.
Alcaraz raced away with the match with a third-set bagel in 32 minutes after both of the first two sets lasted more than an hour each.
The 2022 US Open champion produced one of the shots of the season to go 2-0 up in the third set, producing a remarkable running pass down the line.
Alcaraz had undergone treatment on his upper left leg late in the second set at 5-5 but showed off his toughness to reel off eight straight games.
"I'm so proud of myself," Alcaraz said, having only just returned from injury in last week's Argentina Open which he won. "To be in a final again in my second tournament is a really special moment for me... I couldn't ask for a better start of 2023."
The Spaniard will take on second seed Cameron Norrie in the decider, after the Briton won 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-3) over Bernabe Zapata Miralles in Saturday's other semi-final.
Norrie needed two hours and 32 minutes to get the better of Zapata Miralles, meaning he has won 13 of his past 15 tour-level semi-finals.
Alcaraz and Norrie faced off in last week's Argentina Open final, which the Spaniard won in straight sets.
Chris Kirk will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Honda Classic after carding a 66 on Saturday to close in on his first PGA Tour title in eight years.
The American, who claimed the last of his four top-tier triumphs back in 2015, leads a field that is devoid of any of the world's top-17 golfers.
His nearest rival is world number 330 Eric Cole, while playing partner and overnight leader Justin Suh is three strokes back after signing for an even-par 70.
Kirk, fresh from a stunning second-round 62, birdied the 17th and 18th to take charge at PGA National, although at least one household name is in the hunt.
World number 20 and 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry put himself firmly in the mix with a 65 that leaves him with a four-stroke deficit to overcome on Sunday.
And the Irishman is playing with added motivation as he seeks to pay a fitting tribute to his uncle Jimmy Lowry, who died on Thursday.
"It's a very sad week for our family," he said. "To be honest, I wanted to go home on Thursday when I heard the news. A lot of people talked me out of it.
"I'm here now. I'm trying to play for him and play for his wife and his kids and my cousins and my uncles and my aunts and everyone at home because we're a very close family and very proud of our name and very proud of where we come from."
England boss Steve Borthwick has told his players they must "accelerate" their progress after a 20-10 victory over Wales in Cardiff.
In Borthwick's third game as head coach, his team followed up victory over Italy last time out by getting the better of a Wales side who endured a disrupted build-up to their week three Six Nations challenge.
A contract dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union meant there was doubt until midweek that Saturday's game would even go ahead, amid talk of possible strike action.
Borthwick was hugely impressed by how Wales contributed so much, but it was his England who triumphed thanks to tries from Anthony Watson, Kyle Sinckler and Ollie Lawrence.
Captain Owen Farrell struggled with his kicking again, but England did enough.
They have won eight of their last 10 meetings with Wales in the Six Nations, but this result ended a run of two consecutive losses on the road against the Welsh.
England's last six victories over Wales had come by margins of six points or fewer, so by those standards this was a relative drubbing. In reality, it was nip and tuck until the final minutes.
Borthwick told BBC One he was "really proud of the team and what they did".
"That was a tough Test match. There wasn't much in it really," he said. "I think you've got to give those Welsh players such enormous credit and incredible respect.
"We've got quite a number of young men in there. There were a number of guys who played well. Now we've got to push on. There were bits in that performance that we can really push on with in this rebuilding.
"We need to accelerate. We've got two big games to finish the championship. For now, we've got to make sure we enjoy that win."
England have France at home on March 11, followed by Ireland away seven days later, taking on the teams ranked second and first in the world rankings.
It will be a lot clearer after those games where England stand, as they continue to build towards the Rugby World Cup under their new coach, who replaced the sacked Eddie Jones in December.
Farrell described England's showing as "a step forward", accepting his repeatedly wayward kicking was to blame for the visitors not pulling away.
"But it was a good test for us," he added. "We stuck in there, and we fought to the end and took control of the last 20 minutes I thought.
"There's bits starting to show, but we're laying some foundations at the minute and we want to keep building on it all."
Lawrence's try in the 75th minute put the game out of Wales' reach, with it having been on a knife edge to that point.
It meant England scored three tries away to Wales in Cardiff for just the second time in 12 Six Nations matches and for the first time since 2001.
Wales coach Warren Gatland saw good reason to be positive about his team's performance, even though they suffered a third successive loss in the championship.
Gatland said: "I can't be critical of the effort. We spoke in the changing room about being tough on ourselves, about some of the errors we made, things we can fix up and be better at.
"If we look at the mistakes we made that shifted the momentum back to England, they were at pretty critical moments.
"The message at half-time was to just stay in this arm wrestle and we'll get opportunities. The unfortunate thing is we turned the ball back over on too many occasions, dropped a couple of high balls and that was pretty frustrating, and a couple of penalties as well.
"Still for us there's work to do, but I thought there was improvement in some areas."
Top seed Hubert Hurkacz saw off a spirited Alexander Bublik in straight sets to seal his place in the final of the Open 13 Provence with a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win.
The world number 11 wrapped up victory in his semi-final in Marseille without being taken to a deciding third set for the first time during his tournament run.
But he was still forced to fight for the result, after unseeded Kazakhstani Bublik pushed him hard in their encounter.
Hurkacz only broke serve once during the first set and had to hold his nerve in a second-set tie-break to finish the job.
He will face a homegrown opponent in Benjamin Bonzi in the final, after the latter won an all-French last-four encounter with wild card Arthur Fils.
The former saw off his fellow countryman 6-4 6-4 in a straight-sets triumph of his own.
England made it back-to-back Six Nations wins as they overcame a beleaguered Wales 20-10 at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Wales, whose preparations for the game were hampered after a dispute with the Professional Rugby Board and Welsh Rugby Union, have now suffered three straight defeats in this year's competition.
Captain Owen Farrell got England up and running with an early penalty from 45 metres, before winger Anthony Watson – making his first international start in almost two years – went over to cap a wonderful team move.
Farrell was unable to add the conversion from the touchline, which helped Wales reduce the deficit to five through Leigh Halfpenny's penalty.
Farrell squandered the chance to extend England's lead as he struck a penalty just wide of the posts, before Wales stunned the visitors within a minute of the second half when Louis Rees-Zammit intercepted a pass 40 metres out and raced over.
That try was converted by Halfpenny to put Wales ahead, yet England responded almost immediately as Kyle Sinckler powered over from close range, with Farrell adding the extra points.
Wales pushed hard to claw their way back into the game, but England's victory was sealed with five minutes remaining when Ollie Lawrence went over in the corner.
Wales fail to end tough week on a high
Wales boss Warren Gatland said the threat of strike action by his players had taken the team "to the brink of disaster" this week.
The worst case scenario was avoided, however, after an agreement was reached with the Welsh Rugby Players' Association on several key issues, including wages and changes to the 60-cap rule that governed international selection.
The saga evidently took a toll on Wales' players, who fought hard but just lacked the quality and energy required to overcome Steve Borthwick's side.
England maintain fine run over Wales
England have now won eight of their past 10 Six Nations meetings with Wales. Their six previous victories before this all came by margins of six points or fewer.
This latest win moves them onto 10 points in the Six Nations table, five adrift of leaders Ireland.
Key Opta Facts:
- Watson scored his first try for England since March 2021 (v France) - he has now scored five tries in his last five Six Nations starts and five in six matches against Wales.
- Sinckler has scored just his second ever Six Nations try in what is his 28th appearance in the competition - both of his tries have come away from home (also v Italy in Rome in 2022).
- Alun Wyn Jones played in his 16th Six Nations match against England; no other player has featured more than 13 times against England in the Championship.
- England have won a Six Nations game against Wales in Cardiff for the first time since 2017 (21-16), with their tally of just 10 points conceded being their lowest in the Welsh capital since 2003 (26-9).
What's next?
Wales face Italy in Rome's Stadio Olimpico in a fortnight – the same day England take on France at Twickenham.
Barbora Krejcikova stunned Iga Swiatek to win the Dubai Tennis Championships, cruising past the world number one in straight sets to clinch her first WTA 1000 title.
By following up victories over Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula with a ruthless 6-4 6-2 dismantling of Swiatek, Krejcikova became just the fifth woman to beat each of the world's top three players at a single tournament in the last 40 years.
Krejcikova entered Saturday's meeting as the only player to have beaten Swiatek in her eight hard-court finals at tour level, having done so at the Ostrava Open last October.
The Czech looked to be drawing on that experience as she made a flying start, breaking in the opening game through a well-struck backhand.
Though Swiatek responded with a break of her own in the sixth game, a rare double fault from the Pole saw the momentum swing Krejcikova's way.
Another excellent backhand return gave Krejcikova the opening set's decisive break, after which a visibly frustrated Swiatek was handed a time violation by the umpire.
Things did not get much better from there for the three-time grand slam winner, with a series of masterful returns helping Krejcikova seal two dominant breaks before wrapping things up.
Having clinched a highly impressive win within 91 minutes, Krejcikova told Amazon Prime Video: "It means a lot.
"It was a great week for me, I was improving with every single game and today, I think I showed my best.
"I really have to admire Iga for what she is doing. To me, she is a big inspiration and she motivates me every day. It was a great final and I'm definitely happy with the result."
Daniil Medvedev defied Andy Murray in the Qatar Open final to clinch a second title in seven days as the resurgent Russian won the battle of former world number ones.
In-form Medvedev scored a 6-4 6-4 victory on Saturday as he followed up last Sunday's title in Rotterdam with another trophy success.
Three-time grand slam winner Murray, set to jump 18 places to 52nd in the new rankings, had saved eight match points en route to the Doha final.
He pushed Medvedev hard but could not get the better of a player who will nudge up one spot to seventh in the rankings on Monday.
Murray came back from 0-40 in the opening game to force deuce, but he could not hold serve, and Medvedev soon broke again to lead 4-1.
But back came Murray, and the Briton had a break point to square up the opener at 4-4, only for Medvedev to cling on.
The second set also began with Murray dropping serve, but the 35-year-old levelled up at 3-3 with a backhand winner at the end of a terrific rally.
That raised his hopes of a full-scale fightback and a third title success at this event, plus a first tournament victory since 2019 in Antwerp, but Murray was broken from 40-0 in the ninth game, and that looked to end his hopes.
Murray saved a ninth match point of the week, albeit thanks to a double fault from his opponent, but the Scot could not do so for a 10th time, with a lob from Medvedev giving him a big win and the 17th tour-level title of his career.
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, told Amazon Prime Video in a courtside interview: "It was a very tough match. I'm happy to win, today was a big fight.
"Both of us sometimes were playing bad, then suddenly both of us were playing amazing, and I'm happy to win.
"It was tough for Andy to put the ball through me many times. Now it has to continue, so I'm going to try for as long as I can."
Andy Farrell was relieved Ireland "found a way" to overcome an impressive Italy side as his team stayed on course for a Grand Slam by winning 34-20 in Rome.
Mack Hansen crossed for two tries, including a late clincher to end Italian hopes, with James Ryan, Hugo Keenan and Bundee Aki also going over as the visitors picked up a bonus point.
It means Ireland are three-fifths of the way to a clean sweep in this season's Six Nations, with Scotland away in a fortnight's time followed by England coming to Dublin.
Head coach Farrell could not be sure his team would survive unscathed against Italy until the closing stages, and he gave the hosts plenty of credit for that.
Farrell said: "I suppose the positive is the chances we did create, but the negative is we didn't take them all.
"What was it, four or five tries we left out there? But all credit must go to Italy, that was a proper Test match, that was tough, they're a proper side.
"Everyone can see the progression, but when you're here and you're facing it... they were tough, they were resilient, and the forwards gave us absolutely nothing.
"Defending their own line they were very physical, and in attack they were cutting us open from time to time, so congratulations to them, I thought they were great.
"We let them into the game through lack of discipline at times and didn't control the game as well as we should do in that regard.
"But Test match rugby doesn't go your way the whole time, and we found a way, even though we threw away four or five tries. It's nice the bonus-point win away from home."
Scotland, who tackle France on Sunday in Paris, have also begun this championship with successive wins.
It could, depending on Scotland's performance this weekend, be a clash between two unbeaten sides in Edinburgh on March 12.
"Going to Murrayfield is a really tough place to go," said Farrell, "as is here in Rome."
Ireland kept their Six Nations Grand Slam charge on track after a 34-20 victory over a spirited Italy in Rome.
Mack Hansen crossed twice while stand-in captain James Ryan, Hugo Keenan and Bundee Aki also went over at Stadio Olimpico for Andy Farrell's side, who recorded their third straight bonus-point win in this year’s tournament.
Although without the injured Johnny Sexton, the visitors registered their 23rd Six Nations win over Italy in 24 attempts – and 10th on the bounce.
Despite a determined display, the hosts continued their dismal record on home soil, where they have now suffered 24 successive defeats since beating Ireland 10 years ago.
Ireland came flying out the blocks, and although TMO denied James Lowe the opening try after just 90 seconds, the Leinster wing soon turned provider for Ryan to cross.
Having pushed reigning champions France all the way in their Six Nations opener, Italy responded with Stephen Varney going over after a rapid burst from Lorenzo Cannone.
But the visitors soon established control. Keenan broke through and rode challenges to regain the lead, while a series of sharp offloads enabled Aki and Hansen to cross in the corners.
Italy gave themselves hope before the break as Pierre Bruno intercepted Aki's offload on halfway to dash for the line.
A tight second half ensued with the hosts drawing on all their defensive resolve to prevent Ireland from extending their advantage as Paolo Garbisi and Ross Byrne exchanged kicks.
But the visitors finally put the result beyond doubt nine minutes from time when a neat offload released Hansen, who made no mistake in claiming his second try.
More than 60 golfers teed-off at the Caymanas Golf Club in St Catherine for the first Jamaica Golf Association's (JGA) qualifier for 2023.
Tee-time was 7:30 am.
A special feature of this year's tournament is that the eight competitors in the Men & Men Senior 0-6 (WAGR) category will play 54 holes over the two days in a bid to gain world amateur golf ranking points.
The Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) got approval last year to play 54 holes over two days instead of the normal three days in order to gain ranking points from the R&A and the USGA (Royal & Ancient Golf Club, Unites States Golf Association).
This will allow them earn ranking points quickly and able to participate in more tournaments across the region and the world that are open to ranked golfers.
Two of the local golfers that have world golf ranking points are Justin Burrowes (347) and William Knibbs (741). Both were invited to play in this year's Latin America Amateur Golf Championships in January as the two highest ranked amateur golfers in Jamaica at the time.
In this weekend’s tournament Burrowes, who is the defending champion, expects to be tested by the format.
"I am looking forward to get going this weekend. I haven't played a 54-hole tournament in two days since this tournament last year so I am looking forward to the test,” he said.
“Expectation-wise I try to keep it very simple. I just want to go out and execute as best as possible and count the scores at the end. It’s going to be long but I think it provides a good test and it will show me where my game is at and where I need to improve on.
“I feel like I have worked on some of the areas where I have been weak on in the last six months so I am looking forward to put that to the test in a tournament and we will see how that goes."
The other six golfers who will compete in the Men & Men Senior category are Sean Morris, Zandre Roye, Trey Williams, Tenny Davis, Robert Sterling and Wayne Chai-Chong.
Roye and Knibbs placed second and third, respectively, in last year's tournament.
The remainder of the golfers on the course will play 36 holes over the two days.
The will play in several categories including Men & Men Senior 0-6, Men & Men Senior 7-12, Men & Men Senior 13-24, Men Super Senior 0-12, Men Super Senior 13-24, Masters, Junior Boys 18 and Under, Junior Boys 14-15 and Junior Boys 11-13.
Jodie Mun-Barrow is the defending Ladies champion.
Russell Westbrook relished a "great debut" for the Los Angeles Clippers, despite their narrow 176-175 defeat by the Sacramento Kings in an NBA classic.
Westbrook, who signed earlier this week after his departure from the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 17 points on his first Clippers start in a thrilling encounter at United Center, while his 14 assists were the joint-highest in a team debut in franchise history.
The nine-time All-Star and former MVP also registered a team-high seven turnovers before fouling out in the second overtime of what was the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.
Only the Detroit Pistons' 186-184 victory over the Denver Nuggets in 1983 had seen more points in a game, and Westbrook reflected on a chaotic bow.
"It's crazy," he said. "I don't know if I've ever been a part of a game with that many points.
"Overall, it's a great debut, but just didn't get the win. And that's the sad part about it, but taking that out of it, just being able to go out and compete, the support system around this was at an all-time high. So, I'm very appreciative of that.
"[I'm] just trying to find ways to be effective while I'm on the floor, whatever is asked of me - screening, rolling, handling, cutting. [I] just try to do different things to impact the game and using my IQ to be able to make plays for others."
The Clippers were in search of a point guard after trading away Reggie Jackson and John Wall on the deadline earlier this month, with Paul George campaigning for the franchise to secure Westbrook's services.
And the small forward was full of praise for the impact of his former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate, saying: "The reason why I was high on Russ being a part of this team was because of what he brings, and you saw the flashes of it tonight.
"We needed a point guard. We needed somebody that you saw tonight, somebody to get us in offense, somebody to get us easy baskets and a floor general. That was just a necessity that we needed."
Klay Thompson drained 12 threes to achieve an NBA first in the Golden State Warriors' win over the Houston Rockets, showing he is "still so hungry to be great".
It was the second time in Thompson's past six games he had made 12 threes, something no player had previously done multiple times in the same season.
Indeed, Thompson missed his only two two-point attempts, making his 42 points the most ever scored by a player without making a two-point attempt.
The Warriors guard, taking responsibility while Stephen Curry is out injured, was aware of that statistic as he met the media after a 116-101 victory.
"I did something that no one else has ever done before," Thompson said.
"I looked at Steph immediately when I did it, because that man's got all the records, so it's fun to push the game forward with him.
"I'm still so hungry to be great. I'll never be satisfied."
Thompson is averaging career highs in three-point shots attempted (4.4) and made (10.7), while only Buddy Hield (234) has made more than his 210 for the season.
This is in Thompson's first full season back after missing more than two years through injury.
Coach Steve Kerr suggested Thompson "can't just expect to be the same player that you were five years ago", but the 33-year-old is just enjoying himself.
"It's incredibly gratifying," he said. "I always reflect on the year I was not playing. I think about the time I was sidelined, watching.
"Now, it's easy to put everything in perspective and appreciate being able to move my body and play with great pace and flow and not even hesitate or think about anything."
Zach LaVine insists the Chicago Bulls will "throw everything at these last 22 games" after returning to winning ways with a 131-87 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
LaVine scored 32 points at United Center as the Bulls ended a six-match losing streak, inflicting their opponents' heaviest defeat and holding them to their lowest score of the season.
DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 17 points on his return from injury, as did Patrick Williams, while Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond each had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Patrick Beverley also made his start since signing with the Bulls, having negotiated a buyout with the Orlando Magic having been traded by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Bulls moved to within 1.5 games of a play-in place in the Eastern Conference, and LaVine urged his team-mates to replicate their performance levels against the Nets going forward.
"I think that's what we have to do from here on out and throw everything at these last 22 games, because we understand where we are," LaVine said. "We have to put that type of energy into it."
Coach Billy Donovan added: "I thought, collectively, the group was pretty connected on both ends with the way they played.
"I thought our effort to get out there and contest and challenge shots and try to make it difficult was good. I thought the group that started the game was really good."
De'Aaron Fox led the Sacramento Kings to victory in the second-highest scoring game of all time but had no interest in repeating the experience.
The Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in double overtime on Friday, with the two teams combining for 351 points.
Only the Detroit Pistons' 186-184 victory over the Denver Nuggets in 1983 had seen more points in a game.
Indeed, only those Pistons and Nuggets teams had previously reached 175 points as both the Kings and the Clippers did in this encounter.
It was the first game in NBA history to go to overtime after both teams had scored 150 points, with the game then tied at 153-153.
Three players across the two teams had 40-point games, but Fox was the undoubted star.
He had 42 points, along with 12 rebounds and, vitally, five steals – with many of those coming down the stretch as the Kings recovered from 11 points down with three minutes left in regulation.
Fox acknowledged it was the best regular season game he had been a part of but also called it a "grind" before adding to some laughter: "Obviously, we don't want to play in a game like this again.
"I think we have to be more consistent defensively, and we've talked about this, we've talked about this all year. But that is what it is, right there."
Fox, described as "unbelievable" by coach Mike Brown, recognised the standard of the offense, too, though.
"It was very high-level offensive play today from just about everybody who is out there," Fox said before explaining what he thought was the key.
"We were able to win this game because we lasted a bit longer, we're younger, and we just tried to keep the tempo up, even in the fourth, even in both overtimes," he said.
"We wanted to keep the tempo up, keep it up. I felt like we were able to get some easy buckets out of that.
"Once we started causing turnovers and just creating chaos in the game, that's where we were successful."
Russell Westbrook was making his debut for the Clippers, but that was of no concern to Fox, who said: "Is it about Westbrook, or is it about us?
"Because I don't give a f*** who's over there. It doesn't matter.
"You see the talent in this league, there are a lot of talented teams. Obviously we added talent to this team, but we come in and we worry about us."
Clippers coach Ty Lue was at least enthused by what he saw from Westbrook, who finished with 17 points and 14 assists.
"I thought he was great," Lue said. "He's still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball, running the plays and things like that. I thought he did a really good job."
The Sacramento Kings emerged victorious in the second-highest scoring game in NBA history as they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in double overtime on Friday.
With a grand total of 351 points, it eclipsed the previous second-highest score by 14 points, set back in 1982 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Milwaukee Bucks 171-166. Only the Detroit Pistons' 186-184 victory over the Denver Nuggets in 1983 had more.
In a wild back-and-forth affair, both teams had hit 110 points by three-quarter time, and after the Kings trailed by 11 with three minutes left, the visitors rallied back with a 17-6 run to close regulation and tie it up at 153-153.
All-Star Domantas Sabonis fouled out in the first overtime period with 20 points (eight-of-14 shooting), 10 rebounds and four assists to his name, leaving Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox to run the show.
A pair of clutch Monk free throws forced a second overtime, where Monk again rose to the occasion with a deep three to cut the Clippers' lead to one with a minute to play, setting up Fox for the go-ahead basket with 36 seconds on the clock.
Monk finished with a career-high 45 points on 15-of-24 shooting, while Fox finished two points shy of his career-high with 42 on 17-of-27 shooting with 12 assists.
Both the Kings and Clippers set new franchise-records for their most points in a single game.
Kawhi Leonard finished one point away from his career-high with 44 points (16-of-22 shooting), three steals and two blocks, and he also tied his career-high for minutes played with 46.
With the win, the Kings strengthened their position sitting third in the Western Conference at 34-25, while the Clippers (33-29) are 2.5 games back in fifth.
Randle ties career-high
New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle tied his career-high with 46 points during Friday's 115-109 road win against the Washington Wizards.
Randle shot 16-of-29 from the field, including seven-of-14 from deep, making up for an off shooting night by running-mate Jalen Brunson (six-of-20).
In his first game since returning from an injury he suffered on January 18, Mitchell Robinson returned to the Knicks' starting line-up and put together a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double, while finishing with a game-high plus/minus of plus 13.
Klay catches fire
Future Hall of Fame marksman Klay Thompson put on a shooting display against the Houston Rockets as he drilled 12 three-pointers in the Golden State Warriors' 116-101 victory.
All 12 of Thompson's field goals came from long range, finishing 12-of-19 from the field and 12-of-17 from deep for his game-high 42 points.
There have only been eight instances in NBA history of a player hitting 12 threes in a single game. Thompson has three of them – two of which have been this month – and he is the only player to make 14.
It will be third time lucky for followers of Jake Paul and Tommy Fury on Sunday as their twice-rescheduled bout finally takes place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and there are more than a few scores to settle.
Boxing has changed a lot recently, as demonstrated by the sheer interest generated by a fight between a YouTube personality and a Love Island runner-up.
While purists may sneer at Paul's lack of boxing clout and his stated ambition of becoming world champion, the fighters' rivalry has undeniably set tongues wagging.
Their feud can be traced back over two years and involves accusations of faking injuries, interventions from Tyson Fury and pledges from both men to end the other's career.
Here, Stats Perform takes a look back at the taunts, the postponements and the controversies that have marked their rivalry.
March 2021: Tyson throws down the gauntlet
Tommy Fury's all-conquering brother Tyson Fury is often good value on social media, and the Gypsy King got the ball rolling for one of boxing's most talked-about feuds.
After Tommy Fury dispatched Scott Williams, his older brother offered congratulations on Twitter, suggesting Paul – who was gearing up to face former mixed martial artist Ben Askren – as his next opponent.
Paul responded by claiming he didn't know the elder Fury had a brother, but the duo would quickly become familiar with one another.
May-November, 2021: Paul gets personal, bout gets made
After British fighter Fury pledged to face Paul "any time, any place", the American stepped up his taunts and insults.
"Tommy, no one gives a f*** about you if it wasn't for your older brother, who I respect, or your catfish girlfriend [Molly-Mae Hague, a fellow Love Island contestant]," he said. "We all made you famous. You didn't make yourself famous."
Paul then provoked Fury by sharing a message he alleged he had received from Hague, asking him to give her a tour of the United States, which she claimed to be fake.
Paul told Fury to "make the right choice" and sign a deal to face off before the end of 2021, with a bout agreed shortly thereafter.
December 6, 2021: Fury's fitness woes
It's fair to say the reaction to the bout – initially set for Tampa, Florida on December 18, 2021 – was mixed. The prospect of a 'genuine' boxer – even one whose previous victories had largely come against journeymen – stepping into the ring with a YouTuber drew extreme reactions.
While Fury acknowledged he only agreed to the fight for financial reasons, promoter Eddie Hearn said: "If Tommy loses, he should go to a desert island and stay there for life."
With less than a fortnight to go before the fight, a chest infection and a broken rib prompted a "heartbroken" Fury to withdraw, attracting Paul's ire.
"He was scared," Paul said, before knocking down Fury's late replacement Tyron Woodley in the sixth round.
June 2022: Madison Square mayhem
Fury returned to the ring to beat Daniel Bocianski in April 2022, but negotiations for a rearranged meeting with Paul rumbled on, with a breakthrough reached in June.
"It's official, I'm taking little Fury's head off," Paul wrote on Twitter as the fight was pencilled in for August 6 at Madison Square Garden.
While Fury avoided fitness issues, the Manchester-born fighter was denied boarding when attempting to travel Stateside, with visa problems causing another postponement.
Referring to Fury as "Tommy Fumbles", Paul accused his opponent of deliberately avoiding the fight. Paul then returned to action in October, recording his most impressive win yet against former UFC champion Anderson Silva.
January 27, 2023: Third time lucky?
"The moment of truth has finally arrived," Paul announced last month. "On February 26, I will get in the ring with a 'real boxer,' and show the world the truth."
With Paul now 6-0 in professional bouts, a deal was finally agreed for him to face Fury in Diriyah.
Englishman Fury was in bullish mood.
"Jake Paul's boxing career ends on February 26 and I can finally move on with mine," Fury declared. "The world is about to see what happens when a proper boxer faces a YouTuber."
Shortly before the bout was confirmed, Tyson Fury weighed in once more. "It's going to be fun, and I expect Tommy to chin him," he said. "If he doesn't, he can stay in Saudi Arabia!"
January 29-30, 2023: Paul's doubts and baby controversy
Despite an agreement being reached for the fight, Paul told BBC Sport he "definitely" harboured doubts as to Fury's willingness to appear.
Paul attracted heavy criticism in the immediate aftermath of the bout being made, after 'announcing' the birth of Fury and Hague's child on Twitter before the couple staged their own reveal.
When Hague posted an image of newborn daughter Bambi on social media, Paul commented: "Just in time to watch your dad get knocked out."
February 23, 2023: 'Double or nothing' deal as foes face off
Despite Paul's doubts, Fury hailed "the best camp of my life" on social media before jetting off to Saudi Arabia last week.
The duo finally came face-to-face at Thursday's press conference, shaking on a "double or nothing" offer from Paul, who suggested Fury should receive no payment if he loses.
Paul and Fury were separated amid a minor fracas as both taunted the other about their previous fights, with the latter sending out a warning.
"This is in my heart, blood and soul, and you're going to feel that," Fury said. "You should have stuck to easy money fighting old men."
For a fight two years in the making with the backdrop of a deeply personal rivalry, the stage is finally set.
The Milwaukee Bucks are waiting for an update on Giannis Antetokounmpo after their two-time MVP was forced to leave Friday's game early after a clash of knees.
Antetokounmpo played just six minutes before he signalled to the bench to take him out, but the Bucks did not miss a beat as they blew out the Miami Heat 128-99.
All-Star Jrue Holiday picked up the slack with a team-high 24 points on nine-of-14 shooting, adding seven assists and five rebounds, while Bobby Portis chipped in 18 points (seven-of-11 shooting) and 11 rebounds off the bench.
For the Heat, Kevin Love was given a spot in the starting line-up after being bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he finished with eight rebounds, four assists and zero points, missing all four of his three-point attempts.
Touching on the status of his star player after the win, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said he is still not sure of the severity.
"I haven’t gotten the full breakdown, but I’m pretty sure either on a drive or on a screen or something like that, he knocked knees with somebody and just wasn’t able to return," he said.
Antetokounmpo was only able to make a ceremonial start in the All-Star Game as he used the break to recover from a wrist injury, and Holiday said he would like to see the franchise exercise some caution with him, given their strong position.
"Sometimes you have to stop him from himself," he said. "Being able to calm down and maybe even not play a couple of games, knowing that we're the number two [seed], knowing that we're all right.
"I know he doesn't like it. He tries to play every single game, which I completely understand. I feel like I'm the same way."
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra agreed that the Bucks can survive without Antetokounmpo if necessary.
"It didn't slow them down one bit when Giannis went out," he said. "They just put it in overdrive."
The win improves the Bucks' record to 42-17, just one game behind the league-leading Boston Celtics (43-17), while the Heat sit seventh in the East at 32-28.
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