Rocco Lopez delivered three solid days of golf at the Caymanas Golf Club in St. Catherine to emerge atop a Boys 18 and Under group of eight players invited to the national trials for the upcoming Caribbean Junior Amateur Golf Championships scheduled for July 3-8 in the Cayman Islands.
In challenging conditions, Lopez carded two-over-par 74 on opening day, 72, and a one-over 73 on the final day of the trials, for a combined score of 219.
He was the only one to score par with Ryan Lue coming closest when he posted 73 in the second round. Notably, Aman Dhiman was the only golfer other than Lopez, to score in the 70s on all three days. He scored 74 to be joint leader with Lopez on the first day and went on to score 78 and 79 on the second and third day, respectively, to take the runner up spot in the trials.
"Conditions were tough. It was dry, windy, hot but I managed to make fun out of it and I had a good time," Lopez said after achieving victory.
Lue, who was two strokes behind Dhiman, placed third after ending the trials on 15 over par 231, with daily scores of 82, 73 and 76. Trey Williams was fourth spot with scores of 88, 78 and 79.
Noah Azan and Tenny Davis were joint fifth with identical three-day combined scores of 247 each.
According to Alison Reid, the convener for junior golf, the tournament is not the end of preparation. “Everybody goes on practicing. Now it’s even more important because now you have to sharpen up what you have been doing because we want to take the best team to the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship so they have to keep practicing," she said, adding that she was satisfied with the level of play.
“There was solid golf. Some of them were a little disappointed and thought they could have done better but all in all I think it was good."
The selection committee will meet to select three players plus one reserve player for national duties in July.
The trials for Girls 18 and Under and Girls and Boys 15 and Under and 13 and Under age groups are scheduled for March 24-26 at the Caymanas Golf Club.
Emma Raducanu conceded there is "a long way to go" until she is back to full fitness but remained "proud" of her week at Indian Wells despite her fourth-round defeat to Iga Swiatek.
Raducanu had been plagued by tonsillitis and a recurring wrist injury in the build-up to the tournament that forced her to pull out of a doubles exhibition with Cameron Norrie on the eve of the competition.
The 20-year-old was able to compete in the women's draw, however, and claimed victories over Australian Open semi-finalist Magda Linette and world number 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia before losing 6-3 6-1 to world number one Swiatek on Tuesday.
Raducanu started well but a fourth match in six days eventually caught up with the Brit, who lost the second set comprehensively.
Yet Raducanu is satisfied with her performances in her first tournament appearance since January.
"I'm very proud of myself," Raducanu said.
"I think I had a few good wins earlier against some great opponents. I did two good training weeks in London. They paid off to an extent but ultimately two weeks of training isn't going to cut it against the world number one right now.
"Now it's just about consistent work to physically get to where I want to be. I saw a taste of the level where number one is at physically and how she is at the corners, repetitive, relentless. Yeah, I just couldn't take that."
"I'm looking forward to playing her after I've got more time under my belt."
Raducanu will now return to training as she looks to build on her most impressive set of displays since her remarkable US Open victory in 2021, with the Miami Open next on the cards.
She added: "Physically I feel like that's going to be one of my biggest assets. I think that I'm going to be one of the best athletes on the tour, and that's going to be a big part of my game.
"I would say there is a very long way to go, but I'm definitely starting the right work now."
Reigning champion Swiatek will now face Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals.
"I'm always pretty good in defence. I knew that I can't rush it and I can't be not patient, so I just stayed solid and I wanted to choose the right directions," Swiatek said after becoming the sixth player to win 11 or more of her first 12 main draw matches at Indian Wells.
"I always want to finish points as fast as possible if I have a chance, but for sure I know that sometimes it's not going to be possible here."
Iga Swiatek has called for more to be done to help Ukrainian players following Lesia Tsurenko's withdrawal from the Indian Wells Open due to a panic attack.
Ukrainian Tsurenko had been due to face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the third round on Sunday, only to pull out for what had initially been put down to "personal reasons".
She later revealed her decision was down to a panic attack triggered by a chat with WTA chief executive Steve Simon about tennis's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Swiatek offered her full support to Tsurenko and wants more focus to be on Ukrainian players during a hugely challenging period, rather than on Russian and Belarusian players.
"I totally understand why she withdrew. I respect Ukrainian girls so much," said the world number one, speaking after her 6-3 6-1 win over Emma Raducanu in the last 16 on Tuesday.
"If a bomb landed in my country or if my home was destroyed, I don't know if I could handle that and compete.
"You have to really mentally be there to compete every week. So I get that she wasn't ready to do that.
"I feel more should be done to help Ukrainian players. Everything we discuss in tennis is about Belarusians and Russians, if they should be allowed, what's going on with them.
"I don't think that's right. We should focus more on helping Ukrainian players and providing them with everything they need.
"They basically have to take care of all their families, and there's a lot of baggage on their shoulders."
Swiatek, who wears a Ukrainian flag on her cap, called out Anastasia Potapova earlier this week after she wore a Russian football shirt on court at Indian wells.
Potapova, allowed to compete in events as a neutral athlete, sported a Spartak Moscow jersey ahead of her 6-3 4-6 5-7 defeat to Jessica Pegula on Monday.
"To be honest, I was surprised," Swiatek said. "I thought the player realised that she should not, even if she is a fan of the team, show her views in this way at such times."
Top seed Swiatek believes the situation could have been avoided had the WTA set out clear guidelines regarding the highly charged political situation.
"It's a tough situation. It's pretty emotional as I feel like these situations with people wearing Russian football shirts because we didn't have proper leadership," Swiatek said.
"There is a lot of tension in the locker room that is obviously going to be there, because there is a war.
"But maybe there would have been a little bit less [tension] if WTA put some action in place at the beginning to kind of explain to everybody what is right and what is not."
Swiatek resumes her Indian Wells title defence against Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo warned his team-mates not to get ahead of themselves after the Milwaukee Bucks became the first side to clinch a playoff spot.
The Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104 at Footprint Center on Tuesday to make it 20 wins from their past 22 games and reach 50 victories for the season.
Giannis backed up Monday's 46-point return against the Sacramento Kings with 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in another convincing victory.
Milwaukee are the favourites to land the NBA title, but Antetokounmpo believes there is room for improvement.
"We're in a good place," said Antetokounmpo, whose average of 31.5 points per game this term is the fourth-best in the division. "We've got to keep on learning, staying humble."
Antetokounmpo later added on Twitter: "One game at a time. You can't skip steps."
The Bucks let a 57-48 lead slip in the fourth quarter against the Suns, who were still missing Kevin Durant, but they responded well to make it back-to-back road wins.
"We just mentioned it in the coaches' locker room to appreciate this," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
"Making the playoffs in this league is hard. You should never take anything for granted."
The Bucks are back in action on Thursday with a home game against the Indiana Pacers, who are down in 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Darvin Ham confirmed the Los Angeles Lakers will not risk Anthony Davis against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Davis starred in a 123-108 win over his former team the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, scoring 35 points while adding 17 rebounds and one assist.
The 30-year-old is enjoying a strong season, with his 26.1 points per game his best average since the 2019-20 campaign – his first in Los Angeles.
Davis has also stepped up in LeBron James' absence. In the eight games Lakers' talisman has missed since February 26, Davis has played seven, scoring 30 or more points on four occasions.
The Lakers are above the play-in line in the Western Conference, but they will have to face the Rockets without Davis, who Ham explained will not be risked in back-to-back games.
"He's not going to play," Ham said of Davis, who missed a large chunk of this campaign due to a stress fracture in his right foot.
"He hasn't been cleared. Even though he's been playing pain-free, we made an organisational decision, starting with our team doctors, to hold him out of back-to-backs.
"It's just one of those things where even though he's playing pain-free, it's still an active injury.
"So we have to monitor it and stick to the plan, as we always have done. And just go out there with our other guys and try to get a W and finish the trip the right way."
With a comfortable 75-40 half-time lead over the Pelicans, Ham would have ideally liked to hand Davis a rest, yet New Orleans fought back to reduce the deficit to 13 in the final quarter.
"It definitely was a thought, but obviously, that's a hell of a ballclub over there that has a lot of pride and they made their push, so having to reinsert him into the game kind of nixed any delusions of grandeur," Ham said.
While frustrated that he will be watching on from the sidelines in Houston, Davis knows it is likely for the best.
He said: "It's tough, especially because each game you want to go out and play.
"But before I even came back, it's something the doctors and the organisation discussed that they thought it would be best for me not to play back-to-backs.
"It's still a stress reaction, and we're doing all the right things to make sure that I'm ready to go and I still need that day break. Obviously it sucks."
Despite their win, the Lakers dropped from ninth to 10th in the West, due to the Oklahoma City Thunder's win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz moved into the Indian Wells Open quarter-finals after Jack Draper retired down 6-2 2-0 due to an abdominal injury in their last-16 clash on Tuesday.
Alcaraz was in control, winning the first set in 36 minutes before racing to a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes before the Briton withdrew. Draper had battled the injury in the latter stages of Monday's win over Andy Murray.
Despite that, the Spaniard looked in good touch, setting up a quarter-final meeting with eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has a 3-0 head-to-head record against him.
"I felt the ball really well. I'm really happy with that part," Alcaraz said. "I would say I returned well, I hit great shots. I finished the match with confidence in my shots, to come into the next round with more confidence."
Auger-Aliassime saved six match points in a dramatic triumph over 17th seed Tommy Paul to reach the last eight, winning 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6) in two hours and 48 minutes.
The Canadian trailed 0-40 on serve at 5-6 in the deciding set before winning the next five points. He repeated that feat, down 3-6 in the tie-break, capitalising on his first match point. Auger-Aliassime hit 31 winners for the match, along with 51 unforced errors.
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev fought back from a set down and a rolled ankle to progress past Alexander Zverev 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 in three hours and 10 minutes.
Medvedev rolled his ankle in the sixth game of the second set, going down in pain but played on, in his longest-ever three-set match. The victory is the Russian's 17th in a row. Zverev committed 50 unforced errors across the match.
The Russian will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last eight, with the Spaniard winning 6-3 6-4 over Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin.
Jannik Sinner cruised past Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1 6-4 in one hour and 39 minutes to move into the last eight where he will face reigning champion Taylor Fritz. The American won 6-4 6-3 over Hungary's Martin Fucsovics in one hour and 41 minutes.
British 10th seed Cameron Norrie will play 14th seed Frances Tiafoe in the other quarter-final, with the former winning 6-2 6-4 over the higher-ranked Andrey Rublev. Tiafoe won 6-4 6-4 over Alejandro Tabilo in 83 minutes for his 150th career win.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won 75-71 victory over Southeast Missouri to advance to the NCAA tournament where they will face no.1 seed Alabama in the South Region.
The Islanders held off SEMA in the First Four matchup of no.16 seeds, having led 33-27 at half-time with Jalen Jackson top scoring with 22 points and six rebounds, while Isaac Mushila managed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The triumph was a first-ever NCAA tournament game win for Texas, who were without guard Terrion Murdix due to a left knee injury.
SEMA had squared the game up at 64-64 with 3:07 to play but could not maintain the rage. Chris Harris top scored for the Redhawks with 23 points.
Pittsburgh also advanced via their First Four game, claiming their first victory at an NCAA tournament since 2014, getting past Mississippi State 60-59 in a see-sawing contest.
Jamarius Burton came up with a go-ahead two-point pointer with 10 seconds remaining and Pitt held on to clinch a clash with no.6 seed Iowa State in the Midwest Regional.
Shakeel Moore missed an open three-pointer to win the game for Mississippi, with D.J. Jeffries unable to convert the tip-in attempt.
Nelly Cummings top scored for the Panthers with 15 points with three rebounds and four assists, while Dashawn Davis also had 15 points with five assists for the Bulldogs.
Top seed Iga Swiatek will be hard top stop in her title defence at the Indian Wells Open after a straight-sets thrashing over Emma Raducanu in Tuesday's last 16.
The Polish world number one eased to victory 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 25 minutes over the 2021 US Open champion, who has enjoyed an improved run this week in California.
Swiatek offered few weaknesses in a strong disciplined display, converting four of 10 break points, including three in a one-way second set.
The three-time major winner won 88 per cent on her first serve while she was impressive on return and able to win the longer rallies. Swiatek hit 22-9 winners while Raducanu made 22-14 unforced errors.
Swiatek will take on Romania's Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals, after she upset fifth seed Caroline Garcia 6-4 4-6 7-5 in two hours and 24 minutes.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also progressed in that part of the draw, setting up a last-eight clash with unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova.
Rybakina won 6-3 6-0 over qualifier Varvara Gracheva in a similarly strong performance, needing only one hour and 21 minutes. Muchova beat compatriot Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 in two hours and 37 minutes.
Third seed Jessica Pegula was the major casualty of the day's play, going down 6-2 3-6 7-6 (13-11) to 16th seed Petra Kvitova in a dramatic two-hour-and-16-minutes clash.
Pegula had opened up a 5-3 third-set lead and squandered a match point on serve, before two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova squared it up at 5-5. Kvitova, however, was broken immediately to offer Pegula another chance to serve out the match again, which she was unable to take.
The American generated another three match points in the tie-break but could not convert before the Czech eventually prevailed on her own fourth match point, with the deciding set lasting one hour and 12 minutes.
Kvitova will face seventh seed Maria Sakkari in the quarters after she triumphed in a lengthy clash 6-4 5-7 6-3 over Karolina Pliskova, lasting two hours and 43 minutes.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka also needed three sets to beat Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 2-6 6-4 in two hours and four minutes. Krejcikova had been responsible for Sabalenka's lone loss this season, in a 15-1 year.
Sabalenka, who won this year's Australian Open, will face sixth seed Coco Gauff who defeated Rebecca Peterson 6-3 1-6 6-4. Gauff won the last four games for victory, having trailed 4-2 in the deciding set.
The Milwaukee Bucks underlined their NBA title favouritism as they reached 50 wins for the season with a commanding 116-104 road victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo backed up Monday's 40-point return against the Sacramento Kings with 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists at the Footprint Center.
The Bucks have won 20 of their past 22 games, including a 15-game winning streak during that stretch, while the Suns have now lost three consecutive games.
Milwaukee's record is 50-19, pulling clear of the Boston Celtics (47-22) in second in the Eastern Conference, while the 37-31 Suns remain among the mayhem in the tight Western Conference playoffs race.
The Suns had rallied from a 57-48 half-time deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter but the Bucks steadied, with Antetokounmpo's block on Devin Booker's two-point attempt among the highlights.
Bucks center Brook Lopez added 21 points with 10 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Booker top scored for the Suns, still missing Kevin Durant due to an ankle injury, with 30 points on 13-of-27 shooting, while Chris Paul added 11 points with eight assists. Phoenix only made eight three-pointers for the game.
Nuggets fall to fourth straight defeat
The Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets slumped to their fourth straight defeat despite a third-quarter rally, going down 125-110 to the Toronto Raptors.
Fred VanVleet scored 36 points on 13-of-22 shooting including eight triples as the Raptors flew out of the blocks with a franchise-record 49-point first quarter, improving their record to 33-26.
The Nuggets fall to 46-23 amid their slump, with Nikola Jokic scoring 28 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Michael Porter Jr added 23 points with five three-pointers.
Lakers hit franchise record in key win over Pels
Anthony Davis produced a bounce-back display after his "terrible" showing two nights ago with 35 points and 17 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers won 123-108 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Malik Beasley added 24 points, shooting seven-of-12 from beyond the arc, as the Lakers moved closer to .500 with a 34-35 record to boost their playoffs hopes.
Beasley's three-point shooting helped the Lakers achieve a franchise record for threes made in a half, with 15 as a team before half-time.
All-Star Luka Doncic has been ruled out for a third straight game for the Dallas Mavericks as he continues to recover from a thigh injury sustained last week.
Doncic will miss the Mavs' game against the 17-50 San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday with a left thigh strain.
Fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is listed as questionable due to right foot soreness, having missed the past two games as well.
The Mavs have lost those past two games, both against the Memphis Grizzlies, without their star duo, putting pressure on their playoffs hopes.
Dallas have fallen below .500 with a 34-35 record, slipping down to eighth in the tight Western Conference, having lost six of their past eight games.
Christian Wood (foot) and Tim Hardaway Jr (calf) are also listed as questionable for Wednesday's game, potentially further depleting the Mavs' offensive options.
Doncic avoided serious injury after an MRI on his thigh came up clear last Thursday having exited Wednesday's defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans due to the injury.
It had been expected that the Slovenian would return to the court one the discomfort and pain subsided but his prolonged absence will not help their playoffs aspirations.
Doncic is ranked second in the NBA for points per game at 33.0, behind only Joel Embiid (33.4) this season.
The Carolina Panthers are set to draft their quarterback of the future next month, and they have identified the veteran who will serve as the placeholder for the number one overall pick.
Carolina agreed to a one-year, $10million deal with Andy Dalton, according to multiple reports.
While it remains to be seen whom the Panthers will select after trading up to the first overall pick, Dalton gives them an experienced and reliable signal-caller who can hold the fort if the quarterback they take is not ready to start as a rookie.
Dalton spent last season with the New Orleans Saints and was quietly impressive in a campaign that saw him start 14 games.
He completed 66.7 per cent of his passes for 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Those numbers do not reflect the accuracy he demonstrated. He delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 86.5 per cent of his passes, according to Stats Perform data, the second-best ratio among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.
The keys to the Panthers' offense will at some point be handed to one of C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis. Dalton provides Carolina a quarterback who can either keep the seat warm or serve as a high-floor backup if the new face of the franchise quickly ascends to the starting job.
The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly looking to trade one cornerback in Darius Slay, but they will hold on to their other starter at the position after agreeing a deal with James Bradberry.
According to multiple reports, the Eagles have agreed a three-year, $38million deal with Bradberry, who enjoyed a stellar first season in Philadelphia in 2022.
Bradberry tallied the third-most pass breakups in the NFL last season, registering 17, and also intercepted three passes as he helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII.
Per Stats Perform data, he finished 15th among all starting corners with a combined open percentage-allowed across man and zone coverage of 25.3.
His season ended in disappointment as the Eagles lost the Super Bowl 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Bradberry flagged for a key defensive holding penalty that allowed the Chiefs to kill the clock before kicking the game-winning field goal.
Bradberry will now attempt to help the Eagles go one better than last season, and, on the other side of the ball, they look to have improved their much-vaunted run game for their 2023 push.
The Eagles also agreed to a one-year deal with running back Rashaad Penny, seemingly spelling the end of free agent Miles Sanders' time with the team.
Last season, Penny led all running backs with at least 50 rush attempts with a yards per carry average of 6.1. Sanders averaged 4.8 yards per rush.
Penny was also the best in the NFL in yards per carry on runs where there was a disruption by a defender. He averaged 4.3 yards per rush on such attempts, while Sanders averaged just 2.7.
However, Penny has started only 11 games in his NFL career and has never finished a full season. For Penny to be an upgrade in the Philadelphia backfield, he'll need to show the kind of durability that has so far evaded him during his pro career.
The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to trade five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Dallas Cowboys.
Indianapolis will receive a fifth-round compensatory draft pick, according to multiple media reports.
The 32-year-old Gilmore will play for his fourth team in four years, joining a secondary that already features Trevon Diggs, whose 14 interceptions over the last two seasons are the most in the NFL.
Gilmore signed a two-year contract with the Colts last year, and unloading him clears an estimated $9million in salary cap room for Indianapolis.
The Cowboys add the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year to a unit that ranked fifth in points allowed per game last season at 20.1.
Reports of the trade came after Dallas announced that starting safety and 2022 leading tackler Donovan Wilson re-signed for three years and $24m.
Gilmore played his first five seasons with the Buffalo Bills before joining the New England Patriots in 2017. The former second-round pick enjoyed his best years with New England, being named to the All-Pro First Team in 2018 and 2019.
He started just three games for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 but had a bounce-back season last year with the Colts. In 2022, Gilmore started 16 games and tallied 66 total tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
Gilmore’s 29 career interceptions are tied for the fifth-most among active players.
Daniil Medvedev expects to have a scan on his right ankle to see if he can continue his Indian Wells Masters campaign after injuring it in defeating Alexander Zverev.
Medvedev progressed to the quarter-finals for the first time at Indian Wells by coming from behind to defeat Zverev in three sets.
The 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory looked unlikely in the second set, when Medvedev hit the deck in obvious pain after turning his ankle.
It was subsequently taped by a physio, with Medvedev then coming through in three hours and 16 minutes, marking the longest three-set match of his career.
Medvedev has now won 17 matches in a row and is scheduled to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last eight.
But it is not yet clear whether he will be fit to play that match.
Speaking after the win over Zverev, Medvedev said: "When I twisted it, I thought I was going to stand up fine, then the pain started going fast, so I thought, 'oh no, that's not a good sign'.
"So, I honestly thought maybe one of the ligaments is a little bit injured, so I thought I'm not going to be able to play.
"That's probably one of the first times in my life where a physio taped my ankle, so I decided to give it a try, and it was very surprising. It was much easier to move and to run than to walk. When I was walking, I was limping, and then I was running fine.
"I can understand how frustrating it is for the opponent, but I was not faking it. It was tougher for me to walk.
"When the adrenaline goes down, the body cools down, it's going to be pretty painful, and I'm going to probably do a scan, see what it is and if I can continue to play."
Aaron Rodgers' future remains up in the air, but the New York Jets know what they can do to convince the star quarterback to join their team.
Four-time NFL MVP Rodgers has held talks with the Jets as he ponders an exit from the Green Bay Packers, his only professional team to date.
And reports on Tuesday revealed Rodgers had given the Jets a wish list in free agency as he hopes to see the team build a roster he can lift into contention.
Rodgers wants the Jets to sign Odell Beckham Jr., ESPN said, as the Super Bowl LVI champion looks to return in 2023 after missing the entirety of last season with the injury he suffered in the previous year's title game.
Veteran Rodgers does not stop there, though, the report added.
He wants two more wide receivers in the form of Packers team-mates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, players he knows extremely well from Green Bay.
Lazard has spent his entire career to date playing with Rodgers, while Cobb has also been on the Packers for 10 of his 12 seasons in the NFL.
The Jets could soon resemble the NFC North giants as the report added detail of Rodgers' interest in linking up again with tight end Marcedes Lewis, who joined the Packers in 2018.
The Las Vegas Raiders have added to Jimmy Garoppolo's weapons by agreeing a deal to sign wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
News emerged on Monday that Garoppolo was signing with the Raiders following the departure of long-time quarterback Derek Carr, reuniting the former San Francisco 49er with his offensive coordinator from his time with the New England Patriots, Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, a former director of player personnel in New England, have brought another ex-Patriot into the fold in Meyers, who is signing on a three-year deal worth $33million with $21m guaranteed.
Meyers had the most prolific season of his career in 2022, scoring six receiving touchdowns, while his 804 receiving yards were only a little down on his tally of 866 from 2021.
According to Stats Perform data, Meyers ranked 15th in combined open percentage (46.2) across man and zone coverages among wide receivers with at least 100 matchups and got open on 59.0 per cent of his man matchups. Only four wideouts with a minimum of 25 man matchups won a higher percentage.
The low point of his season came in a Week 15 loss to the Raiders, costing the Patriots the game when he inexplicably threw the ball back across field in the final seconds on a needless lateral play with the score tied. Chandler Jones plucked the ball out of the air and returned it for the game-winning score for the Raiders.
Meyers will now look to create happier memories of Allegiant Stadium with the Raiders as they attempt to return to the postseason in McDaniels' second year.
The New York Giants are trading for star Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller.
The move was reported on Tuesday, with the Giants sending a third-round pick to Vegas in the deal.
That 100th overall pick was originally sent to the Giants by the Kansas City Chiefs when they traded for Kadarius Toney last year.
Waller, a Pro Bowler in 2020, had been on the Raiders since he was signed off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad in 2018.
The tight end established himself as a starter in 2019, the first of two consecutive 1,100-yard seasons.
He had the most catches among all tight ends in 2020 (107), ranked second for receiving yards (1,196) and third for receiving touchdowns (nine).
But Waller was limited to 17 starts over the next two seasons, restricted by knee, back and hamstring injuries.
With two years remaining on the contract that made him the best-paid tight end in the league last year, Waller will take his talents to New York.
He gives Daniel Jones – the quarterback who just signed a four-year, $160million extension – an established receiving target.
Darius Slayton had the most receiving yards among the Giants' pass catchers last year, but the wide receiver could move on in free agency.
Michael Thomas isn't going anywhere.
Thomas is returning to the New Orleans Saints in 2023, agreeing Tuesday to an incentive-laden one-year contract.
The 30-year-old Thomas was slated to be released by the Saints and become a free agent, but will stay with New Orleans after agreeing to a $10million deal that could be worth to up to $15million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The restructured deal helped give the Saints financial flexibility, resulting in last week's signing of Thomas' new quarterback, Derek Carr.
While Carr is a significant upgrade at quarterback for Thomas over the likes of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Trevor Siemian following the retirement of Drew Brees, the Saints also need Thomas to be healthy for their offense to be firing on all cylinders.
Thomas' 2022 season ended after three weeks because of a toe injury and injuries have limited him to a total of just 10 games since being named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.
A second-round draft pick in 2016, Thomas was one of the top playmakers at his position over his first four professional seasons, catching 470 passes for 5,512 yards with 32 TDs over 63 games, but in the three seasons since, he has 56 receptions for 609 yards with three TDs in 10 games.
The Golden State Warriors' NBA title defence has so far been beset by problems – primarily the absences of key personnel.
Even now, there remains no return date for Andrew Wiggins, who has played only 37 of 69 games this season and missed the past 12 for personal reasons.
Stephen Curry is back now but has sat for 26 games this year.
Although the Warriors' most-used lineup in the 2022 playoffs – including both Wiggins and Curry – has again been their most-used lineup in this regular season, it has started just a third of their games.
Yet that does not explain a quite remarkable trend that has developed across this campaign and now causes the Warriors real concern as they go on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Golden State have won their past eight home games, the longest active streak in the NBA, yet they have lost their past eight road games, also the league's longest active streak.
This form extends beyond the past month, too.
Ahead of Tuesday's games, the Warriors possess the fourth-best home record at 29-7, actually improving on last year's winning percentage after a 31-10 performance at Chase Center en route to taking the title.
However, on the road, only tanking duo the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets are worse off than the Warriors, who are an alarming 7-26.
Those contrasting records are still good enough to have the Warriors fifth in the Western Conference, but they are 1.5 games behind the fourth-placed Phoenix Suns, meaning Golden State are set to miss out on home advantage for every round of the playoffs. Clearly, that is an issue.
The Warriors' eight-game losing streak on the road has included each of their prior three games in Los Angeles this season, beaten by the Clippers on Valentine's Day ahead of defeats to the Lakers in consecutive road games. All of their eight straight losses have come against Western Conference rivals.
Now, this latest game at the Clippers – who are sixth in the West with an identical record to the Warriors – marks the start of a five-game road trip, with eight of Golden State's final 13 matchups away from San Francisco.
Their home record may have kept them competitive to this point, but hopes for success in the postseason will require vast improvement on the road moving forward.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Los Angeles Clippers – Kawhi Leonard
As for several Warriors stars, this has been another stop-start season for Leonard, yet he has started seven of the Clippers' eight games since the All-Star break and is finally building momentum again.
Leonard had averaged 22.1 points prior to the All-Star break but has scored 31.0 points per game since then. That is tied for the sixth-best mark in that time, along with Curry.
Golden State Warriors – Klay Thompson
Curry has actually averaged more points on the road this season (30.3) than at home (28.9), but he has lacked support in away games because the same has not been true of team-mate Thompson.
The 33-year-old has scored 24.8 points at home but just 19.0 on the road. However, he has still averaged 24.6 points in those rare road wins.
Golden State will need Curry and Thompson to turn up together to get their road form back on track.
KEY BATTLE – Fast start vital
As much as any Clipper, the Warriors will be battling themselves in the first quarter. Their slow starts in road games have been ever so costly.
Golden State have trailed through the first quarter of 17 games on the road this season. They are an incredible 0-17 in those games.
The Warriors must either make a rapid start or rediscover the sort of championship grit that would allow them to recover when they are up against it on their travels.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Warriors are 2-1 against the Clippers this season, although those two wins have of course come in San Francisco.
Since 2019, Golden State have won just one of five road games against the Clippers. They had won eight of nine such matchups prior to that in a series they have dominated 137-94 all-time.
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