Julius Randle enjoyed one of his best games of the season on Sunday in the New York Knicks' 117-104 road victory against the Detroit Pistons.
Randle became the first Knicks player to score at least 40 points and grab 15 rebounds or more in the same game since Patrick Ewing in 1996.
He finished with 42 points on 15-of-24 shooting to set a new season-high, while his 15 rebounds were par for the course during his red-hot start to 2023.
Since the new year began, Randle is averaging 24.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per contest, snatching at least 15 rebounds in five of the seven games to propel the Knicks to seven wins from their past eight outings.
Speaking after the game, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau heaped praise on the man seeking to make his second All-Star team this season.
"Just great – not just the scoring, it was all around, everything," he said. "I loved how we started the game, and I thought [Randle] set the tone for us.
"In watching [the Pistons] play, getting ready to play them, I knew how well they had been playing. Sometimes that's hard to get across, but I thought Julius helped set the tone for being ready.
"Getting that lead early – we needed all of it. Whenever we needed a big bucket, [Randle] stepped up and delivered.
"His defense – there's so many things – his rebounding is just huge. He got every big rebound down the stretch. He had tough covers, he was all over the place, on the perimeter guarding guards and everything else. I thought he was terrific."
Fellow Knicks All-Star-hopeful Jalen Brunson has also started 2023 in fine fashion, averaging 33.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds in January, but he made it clear Randle is at the centre of New York's success.
"He played great, he played how Julius plays," he said. "He was aggressive, he was dominant on both sides of the ball.
"He was focused – he's been focused for a long time – and he's taken it up a notch. We just have to keep following his lead, he's doing a great job."
With the win, the Knicks moved to 25-19, and 14-8 on the road, which is tied for the second-best record away from home this season.
Thibodeau said that is no coincidence, and it all starts on the defensive end. New York boast the NBA's third-best defense (110.1 points per 100 possessions) during away games, but are 25th (113.3) at home.
"I just think it's about going in and understanding that it starts with defense, and that's what carries you," he said. "Your defense, your rebounding and taking care of the ball – so eliminate all the ways in which you beat yourself first.
"On offense, if you're willing to share and we help create rhythm for each other, we're going to be very good offensively.
"Tonight, we made it a power game. They went small, so we rebounded the ball, got to the line, and did the things we wanted to do to control the game."
The Knicks will try to make it eight wins from nine when they host the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Eddie Jones has made a sensational return to rugby as head coach of Australia after Dave Rennie was sacked.
Dismissed as England boss in December, with Steve Borthwick brought in as his replacement ahead of the Rugby World Cup this year, Jones has taken the Wallabies job for a second time.
Australia ditched Dave Rennie to create the vacancy, with Jones describing his return to the job he previously held from 2001 to 2005 as "a wonderful opportunity".
Rugby Australia said Jones has committed until 2027, meaning his contract covers two World Cups and the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour.
The 62-year-old, who was in charge of the Australia side that lost to England in the 2003 World Cup final, will formally start his second tenure on January 29.
Jones said: "It is a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to come home to Australia and lead my nation to a Rugby World Cup.
"It is going to be an immense period for Australian Rugby – as a proud Australian, it is a great honour to be able to come home and lead the national team during these years.
"The Wallabies squad is a really talented group of players with good depth – if we can have everyone fit and healthy going into the World Cup this year, I am confident that we can go to France and break the 24-year drought of winning the Rugby World Cup.
"I am really looking forward to getting back home and getting stuck in."
Defeats in November to France, Ireland and particularly Italy sealed Rennie's fate. His team also beat Wales and Scotland on their Northern Hemisphere tour, but those victories were not enough to save his job.
New Zealander Rennie had three years as head coach, and Rugby Australia said there had been "positive steps" taken under his leadership.
It was decided, however, that with Jones available for hire, Australia could not afford to stand by and see someone else move for him.
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan described the appointment as "a major coup", labelling Jones, who has also coached Japan, as "the best coach in the world".
"Eddie's deep understanding of our rugby system and knowledge of our player group and pathways will lift the team to the next level," McLennan said.
"Eddie instinctively understands the Australian way of playing rugby – this represents an opportunity to secure a coach of immense expertise and experience at the biggest competitions, and we did not want to miss it."
Jones will also oversee the development of Australia's women's programme, with the Wallaroos looking to build on a quarter-final appearance at last year's World Cup.
Josh Allen thanked the Buffalo Bills defense for crucial turnovers against the Miami Dolphins that proved decisive in Sunday's 34-31 Wild Card victory.
The Bills quarterback threw two interceptions and saw a fumble recovered for a touchdown in a nervy encounter, having entered the game with just one playoff interception in 228 passing attempts.
Those turnovers allowed the Dolphins to build up steam, fighting back from a 17-point first-half deficit and then taking an early second half lead, with Allen acknowledging his mistakes after the game.
"At half time, we were just talking to ourselves, just settling down, trying to refocus," he told reporters. "The turnovers hurt us, we really let them back in the game.
"We were up 17-0 with chances and I gave them the ball two times, gave them a touchdown, they're things you can't do and you can't expect to win like that, so there's some stuff to clean up."
The Bills defense did their part though, intercepting rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson twice and making big stops to halt the Dolphins' recovery, and Allen vowed to be better for them in future games.
"Turnover margin, especially in the playoffs, is so big. It really helps us out and bails us out," he added.
"I can't praise our defense enough for playing the way they did. I put them in some tough situations today, so I've got to be better for them."
It was not just the defense who played their part in frustrating the Dolphins offense, however, with the atmosphere in Buffalo leading to errors – including a delay of game penalty that pushed Thompson's offense back to six yards instead of one in fourth down of their final drive.
Allen reserved praise for the home fans, encouraging them to be similarly effective in next week's Divisional round clash against either the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Cincinnati Bengals.
"We're going to need the Bills mafia in the building being load and disruptive, I thought they did a good job tonight causing a couple false starts and delay of games, that is such a huge momentum shift for us," he said.
"When it's fourth and one, you cause a delay, then it's fourth and six, which changes the complexity of that call, so shout out to our fans."
The Buffalo Bills booked their spot in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs after twice seeing off comebacks from the Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo raced to a 17-point lead in the second quarter before the Dolphins responded with 17 unanswered points of their own, though the Bills would then hit 14 points to put them back in the drivers' seat.
Miami were not done though, fighting back to within a field goal, but an inexperienced offense could not capitalise, struggling to get plays off before the play clock ran down, as the Bills held on for a 34-31 victory.
First quarter touchdowns for Dawson Knox and James Cook came either side of an interception from Skylar Thompson, with Miami having just 19 yards and a solitary first down in a slow start to the game.
The Bills extended their lead with a field goal before Miami sprung into life with two field goals of their own and two interceptions on Josh Allen in the second quarter – who had just one in 228 playoff passing attempts in the playoffs before the game – as Mike Gesicki then tied the game with a seven-yard reception.
While the hosts retook the lead with a field goal before the break, the Dolphins moved ahead 24-20 early in the third quarter when an Allen fumble was recovered by Zach Sieler for a five-yard TD, putting the momentum back in the hands of the visitors.
The Dolphins could not capitalise though as Thompson, leading the offense in the absence of Tua Tagovailoa, threw five consecutive incomplete passes before being intercepted by Kaiir Elam. The Bills turned that into a Cole Beasley TD, then extended the lead with Gabe Davis' 21-yard score.
Miami pulled within a field goal through Jeff Wilson's reception and then had a huge stop on the Buffalo offense, but could not find their rhythm, receiving a delay of game penalty on a crucial fourth and one that leaves them still without a playoff victory since 2000.
Veteran point guard John Wall has been ruled out of action by the Los Angeles Clippers for at least two weeks after suffering an abdominal injury.
The injury occurred during the Clippers' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday when Wall went up and finished an explosive dunk.
He went on to finish the game with a strong stat-line of 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but he told reporters his first highlight dunk in a while may have come at a price.
"I haven't jumped like that when somebody contested me in probably like three years to be honest," he said. "I think I just stretched it as much as I could when I dunked it."
Wall adds to an extended injury list for the Clippers that includes All-Star Paul George (hamstring), forward Marcus Morris (knee contusion) and guard Luke Kennard (calf).
In Wall's absence, Clippers head coach Ty Lue said he would turn to Reggie Jackson to takeover as point guard on the second unit.
Francesco Molinari would relish an "absolutely incredible" opportunity to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup on home soil after starring in the inaugural edition of the Hero Cup.
The 40-year-old Italian captained Continental Europe to a 14.5-10.5. victory over Tommy Fleetwood's Great Britain and Ireland team in the Hero Cup Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Molinari earned 3.5 points and finished this week unbeaten along with his compatriot Guido Migliozzi, Dane Nicolai Hojgaard and Frenchman Victor Perez.
Robert MacIntyre of Scotland was among the top performers for GB&I, beating Swede Alex Noren 5&3 in the singles to take his tally for the week to three points.
Molinari believes European golf is in good shape just over eight months before the Ryder Cup starts at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, near Rome.
The 2018 Open champion became the first European to win five points from as many matches at 2018 Ryder Cup and he would love the chance to face the United States in his homeland.
He said: "It's a great motivation for me. I need to be careful; it's a long way away and there's a lot of golf to be played in between and a lot of goals, intermediate goals to get there.
"So, I just need to focus on my game – it's definitely much better than it's been. So hopefully I can play some good golf and be in Rome. Being in Rome would be absolutely incredible."
He added: "I think we showed some great golf in the last few days – both teams.
"I think both teams showed a very competitive but fair spirit. Obviously to my guys – incredible job. I'm super proud of each one of you.
"I got to know some guys that I didn't know very well and I can say that European golf is in very safe hands."
Coco Gauff wants to prove she is more than simply a "teenage phenomenon" as she bids to become a grand slam champion at the Australian Open.
The 18-year-old faces Katerina Siniakova in the first round in Melbourne on Monday, ranked as the seventh seed for the first major of the year.
Gauff has enjoyed a remarkable start to her career, winning the first of three WTA Tour singles titles at the age of just 15 at the 2019 Linz Open.
She reached the last 16 at Wimbledon in the same year after defeating Venus Williams in the opening round, but Gauff is hungry to make her reputation more than just an age thing as she seeks a first major.
"Starting another season as an established pro feels pretty weird. I'm still only 18, but I don't feel like the new kid anymore," she said in a BBC Sport column on Sunday.
"I feel I'm ready to leave behind the tag of 'teenage phenomenon'. Now it is time to be known as a grand slam champion.
"I feel like all the players still call me a baby, and usually I'm still one of the youngest in the draw, but I've been around for a while. My main ambition for 2023 is winning a grand slam title. That's the biggest goal.
"It is something I have chased for my whole life and I came so close last year by reaching the French Open final. If winning a major doesn't happen this year, I will continue to chase this dream."
Gauff was a 6-1 6-3 loser to Iga Swiatek in the Roland Garros final last year, with the Pole dominating the WTA as she claimed eight titles, including the French Open and US Open.
Teenager Gauff was tearful after that match in Paris but has started this season by winning the Auckland Open, becoming the sixth American player to secure three or more WTA-level titles in the last 40 years before turning 19.
Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, Venus and Serena Williams were the others to achieve that feat and Gauff hopes she can learn from previous failures to succeed in Australia this month.
The world number seven added: "I know I can win a grand slam title. Now it is about making the final step. One of my other goals was to win a WTA Tour title – I didn't do that last year – and I have already that checked off by winning in Auckland last week.
"The signs are good and hopefully this success continues throughout the season."
If successful, Gauff could become the first teenage female player to reach the final at the Australian Open since Maria Sharapova in 2007 and the first to win the title since Martina Hingis in 1999.
Nick Kyrgios is delighted to see tennis "on the map again" following the launch of the 'Break Point' documentary.
The Australian is one of a number of ATP and WTA players to feature in the Netflix series, which was made available on Friday.
Kyrgios gets his Australian Open campaign underway this week against Roman Safiullin, and expressed his excitement about the future of the sport.
"[The documentary is a] massive opportunity for my brand to get out there," Kyrgios told the ATP Tour website. "It's just so important for tennis. I think we've got so many great personalities, so many young personalities, and so many colourful athletes.
"Frances [Tiafoe], [Carlos] Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, these guys are great tennis players and great people as well.
"I think when the big three settle down and end up retiring, it's so important that these guys are on showcase globally.
"Tennis is one of the most global sports in the world. We need it to be successful."
Kyrgios won the doubles at the Australian Open last year with Thanasi Kokkinakis, before reaching the singles final at Wimbledon in what was a productive season for the 27-year-old.
"I'm definitely a fun kid who grew up in a very quiet sort of town with my family. It's obviously pretty cool to see how far I've come," Kyrgios added.
"But I think the later episodes as well, following me around Wimbledon, that type of stuff, will be super exciting.
"I'm just glad that tennis is on the map again. I think it's one of the main talking points, one of the biggest sports right now, obviously with the Netflix documentary dropping."
Emma Raducanu is calling on the advice of England men's football captain Harry Kane as she seeks a deep run at the Australian Open.
Raducanu shot to stardom in 2021 when she became the youngest woman to win the US Open.
However, the 20-year-old heads to Melbourne ranked 77th in the world by the WTA, having only reached one semi-final – at the Korea Open in September – since her triumph at Flushing Meadows.
Raducanu has been nursing an ankle injury prior to the season's first grand slam, but that problem has now cleared up, and she revealed Tottenham star Kane has been offering his advice.
"Harry's obviously such a great role model and very professional and I think to be able to speak to him is really cool," Raducanu told the media.
"We haven't spoken so much but he's obviously an outstanding player, and it's just pretty cool isn't it?
"For someone of his achievements, it's pretty remarkable how he’s so humble. I respect him a lot.
"It's obviously really cool to speak to some other athletes. I think it's good because we all kind of understand what each other are thinking and going through at times.
"And at the end of the day they're just really cool people as well."
Raducanu will face Tamara Korpatsch in her first match in Melbourne on Monday.
Jon Jones will return to the octagon for the first time since February 2020 when he takes on Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285.
The fight for the March 4 event in Las Vegas was announced on Saturday by UFC President Dana White, who also confirmed that heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou – who many expected to be Jones' opponent – is leaving the organisation.
Ngannou has a 17-3-0 record, but White confirmed the Cameroonian wanted to seek other opportunities and the UFC has agreed to release him from his contract.
"We did everything we could to try and make this fight happen and try to give him a fight, but he has got it in his head that there are bigger opportunities outside of UFC with lesser opponents," White said, also confirming he had offered to make Ngannou the best-paid fighter in the history of the company.
"We're going to let him do that. We're going to release him from his contract. We're going to give up our right to match and he can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants."
Jones will now instead face Gane, whose only loss in an 11-1-0 career came by unanimous decision against Ngannou in a heavyweight title bout at UFC 270 last January.
It will be the 35-year-old Jones' debut at heavyweight, having gone 26-1-0 (1 no contest) at light-heavyweight, before he gave up his title at that weight following a dispute over pay.
Vasek Pospisil has backed Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open a year after the Serbian was unable to compete.
Djokovic was denied a place in last year's tournament when his refusal to have a COVID-19 vaccine led to him being detained in a Melbourne immigration centre and later deported.
With vaccination status no longer a condition of entry to the country, the nine-time Australian Open champion is back for this year's tournament, which begins on Monday.
Djokovic played doubles with Pospisil in his first match back in Australia earlier this month at the Adelaide International 1, and speaking to Stats Perform, the Canadian tipped his close friend to go all the way in Melbourne.
"I hope he wins it. I would consider him the favourite, absolutely," Pospisil said. "If you have to pick a favourite, it's hard to pick someone else.
"Having said that, obviously there are so many great players and incredible talents put together for one week, anything can happen, right? That's sport, but I would definitely put him as the favourite and if I had a choice if someone's winning other than myself, obviously, I would put him as the hopeful for the title.
"Also, given he had a tough, tough year obviously with what happened in the past."
Pospisil denied that the frustration of missing out last year would be a factor in Djokovic's motivation to do well this time, though.
"I think he's so motivated already with his ambitions in the sport and just in life in general," he added. "He's obviously a very driven individual, which is not something you need to hear from me to know, you can see that. I don't think it will necessarily be extra motivation.
"I feel like every time he's playing a grand slam, he's maximumly motivated. I do think he's going to have a great year and I don't think that anything that happened recently will affect him in a negative way.
"I think he showed that with how he played at Wimbledon last year [beating Nick Kyrgios in the final] just speaks volumes of his character and how strong he is an as an individual. It's very, very impressive that he was able to bounce back like that."
Pospisil, ranked 94th in the world, is also confident about his own prospects at the Australian Open, saying: "I'm actually feeling good. I had a really strong finish last year.
"The last couple of months, I took a bit [of time] coming back from an injury, so it took a bit to kind of get rolling, but I'm entering with confidence, getting my ranking back up slowly and had a really good preparation. [I am] training really hard, eating well and I feel like I'm ready to go."
The 32-year-old has been drawn against countryman Felix Auger Aliassime in the first round and appreciates the task at hand against the number six seed, who won three of his four ATP titles in 2022 in October before winning the Davis Cup alongside Pospisil in November.
"I would say arguably he was the most in-form player at the end of last year," Pospisil said. "Four or five tournaments in a row and beat the top players in the world. So obviously, extremely talented young player, very physical.
"I know his game quite well. I mean, I've known him for many years. He's a fellow Canadian and Davis Cup team-mate.
"I have a lot of confidence in my abilities, so I feel like if I'm playing well, then I can beat anybody on any given day. It's going to be a tough ask just because he's playing so well these days."
With a victory against the Indiana Pacers safely secured, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was able to gush over his stunning dunk during the contest.
The move, with just over four minutes left in the third quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, saw Morant cut in from the right before leaping over Jalen Smith and slamming in a spectacular dunk that had his team-mates and even opposition fans left in visible awe.
The Grizzlies went on to win 130-112 to make it nine victories in a row, and Morant – who ended with 23 points, 10 assists and three rebounds – agreed the dunk was the best of his career so far.
"Yeah, easy," he said. "It's what everybody has been waiting for. I finally made it."
Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett were among those to react on Twitter to Morant's effort, with the latter exclaiming: "When we look back on Ja's in game dunk highlights when it's all said and done it's gonna be up there with some of the greatest ever."
Desmond Bane, who top-scored for the visitors with 25 points, also acknowledged the effort of his team-mate, saying: "I ain't seen nothing like that one. That's probably going to go down as dunk of the year."
Memphis' win streak has taken them to 29-13 as they fight with the Denver Nuggets for superiority in the Western Conference, though coach Taylor Jenkins acknowledged his team is "not playing perfect basketball."
He was, though, happy to see the Grizzlies "finding different ways to win," adding: "Whether we're playing with a lead or playing from behind. Each game has presented a different challenge for us and our guys have stayed the course.''
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was clearly impressed by their performance, saying: "[The Grizzlies may] very well may be the best team on the planet right now.''
Welcome to the weird world of pandemic era men's tennis, where the world number five is unmistakably the man to beat.
Novak Djokovic sits head and shoulders above the rest for now, and those ranked higher would surely recognise that too, as the Australian Open arrives.
The 35-year-old Djokovic is playing the tennis of a 25-year-old, and being allowed his liberty after arriving in Australia is good news for him, auspicious for the rest of the Melbourne Park field.
Djokovic was being packed off on a flight out of the country around this time last year, after a saga that made minor international celebrities out of local journalists who could interpret the ins and outs of court proceedings.
He remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 as far as is known, but Australia has relaxed its border controls and rolled out the red carpet for Djokovic this time, rather than arrange for him to be detained.
Had he been allowed to play in Australia and North America last season, Djokovic would surely have remained on the top rung of the rankings ladder.
Over the coming fortnight, Djokovic will chase down a 10th Australian Open title and a record-equalling 22nd men's singles major.
What might stop him reaching those goals? Stats Perform has looked at areas where there might be a crumb of hope for his rivals.
Frosty reception?
There might be the odd jeer. He has never been universally popular and he has, through his vaccination choices, seemingly given those that disliked him anyway another stick to beat him with.
But look, if you think crowd pressure is going to get to Novak Djokovic, you haven't watched enough Novak Djokovic. Move on.
Besides, his 'Nole' army is sure to mobilise in Melbourne. He won't be found wanting for support.
Weight of expectation
The greats in sport rarely get flustered, but perhaps these are the moments, as history approaches, when even a model of focus such as Djokovic might miss a step.
You can look at the 2021 US Open final, when Djokovic was chasing a rare Grand Slam of all four majors in the calendar year, only to lose in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev in the Flushing Meadows final.
He would have gone to 21 slams with that win, too, edging ahead of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer with whom he was locked on 20 majors. Instead he was flat, out of gas. The greats do have bad days, but they're rare.
Nadal got the jump on both Djokovic and Federer by winning the Australian and French titles last year to unexpectedly surge to 22 slams, before Djokovic took Wimbledon to narrow the gap and Federer retired to make it a two-man race.
Djokovic has won four of his five finals since Wimbledon, with the exception being a surprising loss to Holger Rune at the Paris Masters.
If he loses, it might have to be early, while still relatively cold. Djokovic has a 100 per cent strike rate once he reaches the semi-finals in Melbourne, never failing to take the title once he reaches the final four.
The #NextGen stars
Who are we looking at here, now we know Carlos Alcaraz is going to be absent? The world number one's hamstring blow has only boosted Djokovic's title chances, while removing the tantalising prospect of a first grand slam match-up between the pair. To date, they have only played once, with Alcaraz winning a tight contest on clay in Madrid last season.
In fact, who even is #NextGen? Stefanos Tsitsipas has been around forever, it feels, but is just 24, the same age as Casper Ruud, who is very much on the rise after two slam finals last season. World number three Ruud is just about #NextGen, but fourth-ranked Tsitsipas probably isn't. His slam results have tailed off, and it would be a significant surprise if the Greek made it to the final from the top half of the draw. He has done well in Australia over the years though, with semi-final runs in three of the last four seasons.
Norwegian Ruud is a potential semi-final opponent for Djokovic, and that could deliver drama. Felix Auger-Aliassime is on the other side of the draw and won four titles last year, yet all were relative tiddlers, while it might be too soon for Rune to win over five sets against an all-time great, but he is a possible quarter-final foe for Djokovic.
So is a certain other player, who long left behind the #NextGen ranks...
Nicholas Hilmy Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios versus Rune in the third round is a lip-smacking prospect. And if that happens and Kyrgios comes through it, despite having not played on tour yet this year, the prospect of a quarter-final against Djokovic would likely loom large.
Tennis being tennis, strange things can happen, but given his kind draw it is hard to see anyone beating Djokovic before the quarter-final stage. Should it be Kyrgios waiting for him at that point, it will be popcorn at the ready.
Last year's Wimbledon final was decided by a fourth-set tie-break, rather than what would have been a dishy fifth set, and Djokovic would again fancy getting the better ot the bellicose but hyper-talented Australian.
Yet Kyrgios has beaten Djokovic twice in their three career meetings, so this is potentially the real landmine on the path to the final. If someone can defuse Kyrgios in the early rounds, Djokovic would have no complaints whatsoever.
Djokovic's own body might fail him
Djokovic abandoned a practice session in Melbourne out of caution over a hamstring issue, but by Friday he was fit enough to face Kyrgios in an exhibition on Rod Laver Arena.
Had he held any serious fitness worries, he surely would have given that a swerve. Showing up sent a message to the field.
This is not to say Djokovic's health will hold and his body will last the distance, but then the same is true of everyone in the draw. This is tennis at the highest level and Djokovic has fought his way to grand slam titles while carrying injury worries in the past, and you suspect he will again, probably as soon as Sunday, January 29.
Former NFL Draft number one pick Trevor Lawrence says "you couldn’t write a crazier script" after overcoming four first-half interceptions to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to the third biggest comeback in NFL playoffs history.
The Jags trailed the Los Angeles Chargers 27-0 late in the first half with Lawrence having thrown four picks, three to Asante Samuel Jr alone.
But the 23-year-old quarterback produced a champion's response, throwing touchdown passes on four consecutive drives to drag the Jags back to 30-28, before Riley Patterson's field goal clinched victory as time expired.
Lawrence finished the game with 28-of-47 passing for 288 yards, joining Ben Roethlisberger as the second player to have four touchdowns and four interceptions in a playoff game.
"You couldn't write a crazier script," Lawrence told NBC. "We said in the locker room, it's kind of how our season's gone. We're never out of the fight."
Jacksonville had trailed by nine points or more in five games this season before rallying for victory.
The 27-point rally was also the third largest in NFL postseason history, the largest being the Buffalo Bills' 32-point comeback against the Houston Oilers in 1992.
"I am kind of speechless, honestly, just to see what belief can do - to see when a team believes in each other what you can accomplish," Lawrence said.
"Playoff game, down 27-0 and we come back and win. We are always counted out of these games, and we don't care. We love it."
Wide receiver Zay Jones, who scored one of the Jags' four TDs, hailed the 2021 NFL Draft top overall pick for staying composed after his four first-half picks.
"I think from playing football, watching football, I know a lot of quarterbacks would’ve folded in that situation that he went through," Jones told reporters.
"For him just to be as poised and composed as he was, it showed another side of who we have on this team. I mean, that guy right there, standing right there, that's a special man."
The defeat ended the Chargers' season with head coach Brandon Staley lamenting their second-half fade where they only scored one field goal after leading 27-7 at halftime.
"Anytime you're up 27-7 at halftime and you've got four takeaways, and you end up winning the takeaway margin (5-0), you know, it's gonna be a killer," Staley said.
"I'm hurting for everybody in that locker room… We just didn't finish the game."
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel did not sense any nerves from rookie Brock Purdy in his playoff debut before throwing three touchdowns with a rushing score in Saturday's 41-23 Wild Card win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Purdy, dubbed Mr Irrelevant after being the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, stole the show at Levi's Stadium, becoming the first rookie QB to win a playoff game since Russell Wilson in 2012.
The 23-year-old quarterback finished 18-of-30 for 332 yards, becoming the youngest player in NFL history with 300-plus passing yards and three-plus touchdown passes in a postseason game, surpassing Dan Marino.
However, the game did not start so well for Purdy, whose first pass was almost intercepted in wet conditions, before starring in the second half after trailing 17-16 at halftime.
"I don't think there were any nerves at all," Samuel, who caught one of Purdy's three touchdown passes for a 74-yard score, told reporters.
"We kind of started off slow. We missed a couple here and there, but as the game slowed down and settled down for him, he knows the guys that he has around him to build him up.
"It started to slow down for him too in the second half and he went out there and played good ball."
Purdy, who had only been afforded his opportunity as the 49ers' starting QB due to injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, is now 6-0 as a starter.
"There was some emotion going into the game," Purdy said. "You could just feel it in the environment with the fans and our teammates like, this is win or go home.
"But once the game started, it was all, hey, it's 11-on-11, I've got to do my job. I've got to get it to the guys when they're in space and go from there. But we didn't make it more than what it was.
"You could feel it in the first half in terms of Seattle's playing really good football, it's playoff football, everyone plays their best football.
"I feel like that was just something that we had in the back of our minds too. But overall, it wasn't 'oh my gosh, we're in the playoffs, we got to get all tense or anything like that.' So we've just got to play our game and let everything else fall into place."
Purdy's 332 yards is the second most ever by a rookie in a postseason game, behind Wilson's 385 with the Seahawks against the Atlanta Falcons in 2013.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan added: "We just had to win the game and he's done a hell of a job. He's done it every time since. I have a lot of confidence in him."
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll remarked that Purdy's ability to keep plays alive made a major difference, finding Elijah Mitchell for a TD pass on a broken play in the fourth quarter.
"I don't know why we couldn't sack the guy," Carroll said. "We chased him all over the place. He's not noted for being the greatest scrambler, but he looked like Fran Tarkenton out there today."
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James also took to Twitter to hail Purdy, writing: "Purdy got game!!!!!!!".
When told about the tweet, Purdy replied: "LeBron said that. Oh, that's sweet. That's awesome, that's so cool."
Ja Morant scored 23 points including an incredible one-handed dunk of the year candidate to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to their ninth straight win, 130-112 over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
Morant drove forward, reached back with his right arm and launched a massive dunk with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter over Jalen Smith to open up a 20-point lead.
The Grizzlies guard finished the game with 23 points on seven-of-17 shooting from the field, with 10 assists and three rebounds.
Morant is averaging 28.7 points per game during the Grizzlies' nine-game win streak.
Desmond Bane was solid as always, going five-of-11 from three-point range in his team-high 25 points.
The victory means Memphis are tied with the Denver Nuggets at 29-13 for the best record in the Western Conference. The win was the Grizzlies' fourth straight on the road.
The Pacers, missing Tyrese Haliburton, were led by Chris Duarte with 25 points despite a hand concern.
Embiid seals Sixers victory over Jazz
Joel Embiid's jumper with 5.7 seconds remaining clinched a 118-117 victory for the Philadelphia 76ers over the Utah Jazz.
Embiid finished the game with 31 points on nine-of-18 shooting from the field with two three-pointers, seven rebounds and two blocks, while James Harden added 30 points and 11 assists.
Utah trailed for most of the game but hit the lead at 115-114 with 33 seconds left, with Jordan Clarkson scoring 38 points with nine rebounds.
Doncic kept to season low as Blazers fire
Luka Doncic was kept to a season-low 15 points as Damian Lillard led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 136-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic was benched with seven minutes to go by Mavs head coach Jason Kidd, in a game where the Blazers snapped a five-game losing run, having led 71-56 at half-time.
Lillard was exceptional with 36 points on 11-of-20 shooting with four three-pointers and 10 assists, while center Jusuf Nurkic added 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions in the first half of his playoff debut before spearheading the third biggest comeback in NFL postseason history as the Jacksonville Jaguars triumphed 31-30 over the Los Angeles Chargers in Saturday's AFC Wild Card Game.
The Jags, competing in the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, were left stunned in the first half with the TIAA Bank Field crowd silenced, trailing 27-0 after a Chargers' defensive and offensive masterclass.
Lawrence responded to his disastrous start with four touchdown passes, including two in a rousing third-quarter rally, before Riley Patterson's last-second 36-yard field goal to clinch the win.
The Jags QB became the second player in NFL history to have four TD passes and four interceptions in a playoff game, behind Pittsburgh Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger in 2020 against the Cleveland Browns.
Regular season leading touchdown scorer Austin Ekeler ran in two TDs, while Justin Herbert connected with Gerald Everett on a TD pass before the home side had even hit the scoreboard.
Asante Samuel Jr, who had two interceptions all season, claimed three in the first half, while the Jags gave up another first-half turnover when Chris Claybrooks muffed a catch from J.K. Scott's punt. Jacksonville became the first team with five turnovers in the first half of postseason game since 1999.
But Lawrence, who completed only 10-of-24 passes for 77 yards in the first half, linked up with Evan Engram (93 yards on seven receptions), Marvin Jones Jr (29 yards on three receptions), Zay Jones (74 yards on eight receptions) and Christian Kirk (78 yards on eight receptions) for TDs, finishing the game on 28-of-47 passing for 288 yards. Lawrence also completed a reach-over two-point play to make it 30-28.
The Jags still trailed 30-28 at the two-minute warning with possession, before Travis Etienne Jr's 25-yard on fourth-and-1 set up Patterson's chip shot with three seconds remaining.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla says point guard Derrick White is OK after suffering a worrying neck injury early in Saturday's 122-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
White exited the game in the first quarter when he inadvertently collided with teammate Marcus Smart as he bent over to pick up the ball after P.J. Washington attempted a steal.
The collision led to White falling to the ground, clutching his head and neck, with the Celtics later ruling him out of the game with a "neck sprain".
"He's good," Mazzulla told reporters. "I haven't gotten a report back but he's OK, I spoke with him in the locker room."
In White's absence, Malcolm Brogdon played 31 minutes off the bench, contributing 30 points on 11-of-17 field-goal shooting with three rebounds and three assists.
The former Indiana Pacers point guard, who joined the Celtics in July, has added good scoring output lately, averaging 20 points over the last five games.
"It obviously changed our rotation as we were a man down, but I thought Malcolm was great tonight," Mazzulla said.
"He's a guy that is adjusting to playing on our team. He shows tremendous humility and patience. Tonight was big for him. He really helped our team and was really selfless. I'm happy for him."
MVP candidate Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics, who recorded their sixth straight win to improve their NBA-best record to 32-12, with 33 points.
Tatum scored 17 points in the third quarter as the Celtics responded to a 66-62 half-time deficit, to lead by 10 at the final change.
The Celtics small forward shot 12-of-27 from the field with four triples along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Mazzulla praised Tatum, who is learning how different teams are guarding him to develop his consistency.
"He's done a really good of developing an awareness, because it changes night to night and quarter to quarter," Mazzulla said. "He's done a nice job of building an awareness to what the coverage is and having a solution for that."
Hayden Buckley finished the third day at the Sony Open in Hawaii with an eagle to claim a two-stroke lead from David Lipsky, Ben Taylor and Chris Kirk on Saturday.
Buckley carded a six-under-par round of 64 to be 15-under overall, managing two eagles on the third day along with three birdies and a bogey at Waialae Country Club.
The American sunk a 28-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole, before he moved into the lead buoyed by an excellent back nine where he nailed a 133-yard hole-out eagle on the 10th hole along with another on the 18th aided by a pinpoint approach.
Halfway leader Kirk slipped after a third-day 68 which started with a double bogey on the first hole, although he expertly produced a hole-out birdie from the bunker on the 14th to stay in contention.
Lipsky had an up-and-down round that included seven birdies and three bogeys, while Englishman Taylor birdied four of his final six holes to be tied for second at 13 under.
Andrew Putnam shared the round of the day with Nick Taylor, both carding eight-under-par rounds of 62, with the former moving to 12-under overall.
Putnam, who managed a career-high 10 birdies, is tied with Si Woo Kim, who had a strong third round with seven birdies in his 64.
Will Gordon and Nate Lashley are a further shot back at 11 under, while J.J. Spaun's third-round 71 saw him drop to well off the pace and nine under.
Two-time major winner Hideki Matsuyama enjoyed his best round at the Sony Open with a 65, leaving him at eight-under overall.
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