The Miami Heat's slide continued on Saturday night, with a disappointing 110-95 home defeat against the Brooklyn Nets making it four losses on the trot.
Miami entered the week multiple games clear of the chasing pack, but after the loss against the Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers usurped the Heat as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The race for home-court advantage throughout the Eastern playoffs is far from over, as the top four teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, are only separated by a half-game.
Things were ugly early for the Heat, with its once-feared defence giving up 40 points in just the second quarter to hand the Nets a 67-46 half-time lead, which was never threatened.
Kevin Durant led a balanced offensive performance from the Nets, finishing with a team-high 23 points on seven-of-14 shooting, while seven of his teammates scored at least eight points each.
The win was Brooklyn's seventh from their past nine games, with Kyrie Irving set to make his home debut the next time out against the Charlotte Hornets.
No Morant, no problem
The Memphis Grizzlies passed another real test when the Milwaukee Bucks came to town, sending the reigning champions home with their tails between their legs after a 127-102 result.
In one of the more unlikely storylines of this season, the Grizzlies are now 17-2 in games where their best player and MVP candidate Ja Morant has not played.
Emerging franchise centrepiece Desmond Bane rose to the occasion, scoring 20 points on nine-of-19 shooting to go with five assists, while Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr blocked two shots and snatched one steal to go with his 16 points and six rebounds.
Kings rookie continues to break out, Bulls finally beat a good team
With De'Aaron Fox missing yet again, Sacramento Kings rookie Davion Mitchell had his third consecutive game with at least 22 points and seven assists in his side's 114-110 overtime win against the Orlando Magic.
Mitchell's line of 22 points (10-of-23 from the field) with seven rebounds and nine assists comes after games of 25 points and seven assists against the Indiana Pacers, and 28 points with nine assists against the Phoenix Suns.
Meanwhile, after entering the game with a sputtering record of 3-10 in their past 13 games, the Chicago Bulls collected a much-needed 98-94 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since February 12, Chicago have only beaten two teams who currently occupy playoff spots – the Cavaliers, and the Toronto Raptors.
Daniil Medvedev comfortably saw off Andy Murray in their third-round match at the Miami Masters, winning 6-4 6-2 on Saturday.
Medvedev must reach the semi-finals in order to retake the top spot in the ATP rankings from Novak Djokovic in April, and he got off to a positive start in Miami, not facing a single break point in his 90-minute win.
"On the days when you serve good, your opponent doesn't have this freedom to return, it helps you," Medvedev said post-match.
"[In the] second set, the scoreline was easier, it was much tougher in the beginning, but when your opponent knows you're probably going to get some aces and it's not going to be easy for him to return, he gets pressure on his serve and many times that is what happens in close matches."
Medvedev will face Pedro Martinez, who defeated Cristian Garin 7-6 (6-2) 6-2.
Reigning Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz got his title defence off to a good start with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory over Arthur Rinderknech.
Following defeats for Murray and John Isner, the Polish world number 10 is the only former champion left in the draw.
A number of men's seeds were beaten in their second-round matches on Saturday, however, including Canadian duo Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov.
Miomir Kecmanovic continued his good run of recent form, defeating Auger-Aliassime in straight sets 6-4 6-2, while South African Lloyd Harris beat Shapovalov 6-4 6-3.
For his third consecutive ATP 1000 match, meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas was pushed to three sets by an unseeded American.
After some entertaining hitting, with both looking to finish points early, the Greek third seed claimed four straight breaks of serve to eventually defeat Jack Wolf 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-1.
The Toronto Raptors' game against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday was suspended in the second quarter after a speaker hanging over the stands caught fire.
Fans were ordered to leave the Scotiabank Arena with a little over four minutes left in the first half, with the Raptors leading 66-38 at that stage.
The Toronto Fire Department attended the scene and confirmed that nobody was injured, though the arena was cleared as a precautionary measure.
After a delay of more than an hour, play resumed without any spectators in attendance. Toronto issued an apology and vowed to refund those who had purchased tickets.
Josh Warrington is open to fighting in the United States in his next bout after knocking out Kiko Martinez to become a two-time IBF featherweight champion.
Martinez survived a first-round knockdown in Saturday's clash, but came under a barrage of punches in the seventh round, forcing the referee to stop the contest.
Warrington, feeding off a partisan home crowd at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, reclaimed the same IBF crown he lost 14 months ago.
Now back at the top of his weight division after his first victory since October 2019, Warrington has a number of potential opponents in the offing.
An all-British showdown with Leigh Wood has been mooted, while unification fights with WBC title-holder Mark Magsayo or WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete are other options.
Warrington will take time to weigh up his decision, but fighting Stateside later this year is something the 31-year-old is strongly considering.
"In an ideal world I'd love to go to the States," he said in his post-fight interview. "But Leigh Wood's just become champion.
"I'd like an away day. I love it here [in Leeds]. We've been talking about going to the States for so long. There's options.
"We can go States, go the City Ground [to fight Wood in Nottingham]. I'm sure these fans will travel with me. I'll sit down with Eddie Hearn and we'll see."
Promoter Hearn only fuelled the fire regarding a possible Stateside fight for Warrington next up.
"Josh has long wanted a trip to America and it would be Ricky Hatton-esque if we could do it," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "There's mandatory as well and loads of politics.
"It looked like his career might be over, but he came back and regained the belt. He's back in control with big nights ahead."
Warrington has now headlined the First Direct Arena 11 times and, despite having the potential to sell out bigger venues, he is more than happy to stay 'home' for his next fight.
"We might not do the same numbers as the big boys – like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – but I'd rather have an arena full of these lot than a 100,000 tourists any day," he said.
"There is no place like this in the world, never mind the country. When I'm on it and these supporters turn out, there's nothing like it in the world."
Eddie Jones' successor as England head coach will be appointed ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) targeting an Englishman for the job.
Australian boss Jones has spent six and a half years in charge of England and is under contract until after next year's showpiece event in France.
The 62-year-old had been under increasing pressure following another disappointing Six Nations showing for England, who finished with two wins from five matches.
However, the RFU this week assured Jones that his job is safe for now, though the former Japan coach was warned that nobody is "bulletproof".
Providing a further update on the position on Saturday, RFU performance director Conor O'Shea suggested a new coach could work alongside Jones at the World Cup before taking over.
"The plan for us will be to appoint that coach before summer 2023," O'Shea said. "Whether that's embedding them into the programme or taking a helicopter view, that's a discussion to be had.
"We would like to think we will be appointing them in the lead up to 2023. We have so many top English coaches who are in a great position.
"Eddie has worked with Steve [Borthwick], Neal [Hatley], Gussy [Paul Gustard]. You look across the Premiership and then you see the quality of people overseas. I want them to be English and I believe [they] should be."
He added: "The rationale is we need to appoint so we have got time to embed the new coaching team and allow them to hit the ground running. Eddie is fully aware and knows what we want to do.
"There will be some people who say that will disturb the World Cup prep because people will be looking over their shoulder.
"[Fabien] Galthie was appointed before the 2019 World Cup and it's the right thing to do because we need to get ready for the 2024 Six Nations."
The RFU's focus on a homegrown coach would rule the likes of Warren Gatland, Steve Hansen and Rassie Erasmus out of the running, but chief executive Bill Sweeney is confident the right approach is being taken.
"We believe we've got such a wealth of English coaches in the game," he said. "As a leading rugby nation we should be developing English coaches and an English style of play.
"That should be long-term and therefore the preference would be to have an English setup as far as I'm concerned.
"We've got a war room that's got every English coach you can imagine – based here and based internationally. We've got an advanced succession plan in place."
The Miami Heat were without coach Erik Spoelstra for their game with the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
Miami confirmed prior to tip-off that Spoelstra would not be in attendance at FTX Arena due to personal reasons.
Assistant coach Chris Quinn was handed the reins of the Heat, who sat top of the Eastern Conference with eight games to play.
Miami have lost their past three games, opening the door for the Philadelphia 76ers to displace them as the top seed in the closing stretch of the regular season.
The Nets sat eighth in the East and looked set to be heading for the play-in tournament.
Dustin Johnson got the best of Brooks Koepka in a heavyweight matchup to finish 2 up in their WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play quarter-final.
After Johnson got through Richard Bland and Koepka made it past Jon Rahm earlier on Saturday, the two former major champions went all 18 holes before Johnson won the last to turn 1 up into 2 up and avoid a playoff.
It was a great start for Koepka, winning two of the first three holes, but Johnson found his touch going into the seventh and went on to claim four holes and tie the rest from that point.
Scottie Scheffler passed his test against Seamus Power with flying colours, winning three and two with a strong back-nine.
Winning two holes apiece on the front nine, it was all Scheffler down the stretch, including winning the two par fives (holes 12 and 16) by two strokes to wrap things up with a couple holes to spare.
Sergio Perez expects to be even quicker in Sunday's race than he was during qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Red Bull driver Perez took pole position for the first time in his career by going two hundredths of a second faster than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in Q3.
Carlos Sainz was fastest in Q1, Q2 and after the first runs in the final session, but the Spaniard had to settle for third on the grid, ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen.
Perez, who looked set for a podium in the season-opening race in Bahrain until technical issues forced him to retire on the final lap, suggested there is more to come from the Red Bull duo.
"We've been focusing more on race pace than qualifying," Perez told a news conference.
"We've felt that we've given away some qualifying performance to gain it in the race, but obviously we're going to see [on Sunday].
"I expect these two [Leclerc and Sainz] are going to be very strong, but I really hope that we can have a strong race."
Leclerc took the win in Bahrain ahead of Sainz, and he feels is in a good position to make it back-to-back victories at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
"I think it's very strange because we're actually quicker with the used tyres than the new tyres, and we need to understand that as a team, just to be a bit better prepared for the next race with these new tyres, and to put them in the right window," said Leclerc.
"But overall, I think for the race, I'm quite confident. I think we were quick this morning during the race simulation. So yeah, pretty confident."
Ferrari's Sainz was looking forward to going wheel-to-wheel with the Red Bulls, with the stage set for the drama to begin from lights out.
He said: "I expect an exciting start. Honestly, Checo [Perez] in front, Max behind, Red Bulls on the dirty side, us on the clean side but at the same time here in this tarmac, there's so much grip, clean or dirty side I don't think makes much of a difference.
"I think it's just going to be an exciting race. And I look forward to it. I think it's great for Formula One to have all four drivers just battling it out there. And I think we all have good respect for each other."
Mick Schumacher will not contest the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following his terrifying crash during qualifying on Saturday.
Haas driver Schumacher hit the concrete barrier at Turn 12 at 170mph during Q2, resulting in a red flag that halted the session for almost an hour.
The 23-year-old was removed from the car and deemed to have no injuries following an assessment at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit's medical centre, though he was transferred to King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital for precautionary checks.
Haas later confirmed Schumacher would not take part in the race on Sunday and the team would only run Kevin Magnussen's car.
"Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that I'm ok," Schumacher posted on Twitter.
"Thank you for the kind messages. The car felt great ... we'll come back stronger."
Team principal Gunther Steiner said: "The best thing is that Mick has apparently no injuries. He's in the hospital right now and being evaluated by the doctors, so he is in good hands at the moment.
"There is a possibility that he'll have to stay for observation overnight at the hospital. Based on these facts and where we are, we have decided not to field his car tomorrow."
Magnussen will start in 10th after reaching Q3 for the second successive race.
Sergio Perez brought an end to his long wait for a first Formula One pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, cutting short Ferrari's early-season dominance.
The Scuderia had looked set to continue their outstanding form, potentially locking out the front row in a hectic qualifying session that was delayed for an extended period following a terrifying crash for Mick Schumacher, son of former Ferrari superstar Michael.
Schumacher hit the concrete barrier at Turn 12 at 170mph, although he showed no signs of injury when he was eventually pulled from his Haas, heading to hospital for precautionary scans.
That incident came in the middle of Q2, with Lewis Hamilton having sensationally bowed out in Q1, leaving Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to battle with Red Bull duo Perez and Max Verstappen.
Defending champion Verstappen struggled to stay in touch, and it had appeared as though Sainz might be the man celebrating a first pole when he set the benchmark in Q3.
But he was passed by team-mate Leclerc and then Perez in his 220th grand prix, marking the longest wait for a driver before qualifying fastest, with ex-Red Bull man Marc Webber (131) the previous record-holder.
With Sunday marking 11 years to the day since Perez's first entry, he said: "It took me a couple of races, no?
"What a lap, unbelievable. I could do 1,000 laps and I don't think I could beat that one. It was unbelievable.
"We were not expecting too much from qualifying, we were focusing mainly for the race, so hopefully we get [the win] tomorrow."
Earlier, there had also been a red flag in Q1 following a crash involving Nicholas Latifi, after which Hamilton could not recover from a slow start.
His third time was his fastest but enough only for P15, where he soon fell below Lance Stroll to bow out in Q1 for the first time since the 2017 Brazilian GP and the first time on pure pace since the 2009 British GP.
Mercedes struggled to explain the result, as George Russell ran fourth fastest in that initial session, and Hamilton would not use the distraction a day earlier – when practice was halted due to a missile attack near the track – as an excuse.
"I just struggled with the balance of the car," Hamilton told Sky Sports. "It's not where we want to be."
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 1:28.200
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.025s
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.202s
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.261s
5. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +0.868s
6. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.904s
7. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +0.947s
8. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +0.983s
9. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) +1.054s
10. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +1.388s
Brooks Koepka edged a battle of two heavyweights at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, needing a 19th hole to beat world number one Jon Rahm.
The two were paired in the pick of a round of 16 that delivered its fair share of thrills and spills early on Saturday.
Koepka was 2 up twice on the back nine, only to be reeled in by Rahm at the 16th and 17th, meaning an additional hole was required.
A birdie from Koepka was enough as they replayed the 10th, setting up another intriguing quarter-final clash with Dustin Johnson.
For a time, it appeared Johnson would be joining Rahm in making an early exit, as 49-year-old opponent Richard Bland was 2 up through five holes.
However, Bland double-bogeyed the sixth as he lost four of the next five holes, allowing Johnson to canter home 3 and 2.
The other standout match-up saw a replay of last year's final. Billy Horschel won the 2021 title, but he was beaten this time by Scottie Scheffler, who finished 1 up.
Scheffler's next task is against Seamus Power, who this time last year was finishing in a tie for 54th at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, leaving him ranked 463rd in the world.
On Saturday, Power routed Tyrrell Hatton 4 and 3 – albeit not the biggest win, as Abraham Ancer dominated Collin Morikawa 7 and 6 and will face Corey Conners, a 5 and 3 winner.
In the final section of the draw, Will Zalatoris required 22 holes to get the better of Kevin Na, with Kevin Kisner up next.
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton was surprisingly eliminated in Q1 during qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday.
It was the first time Hamilton was knocked out of the first session in a dry qualifying since Brazil in 2017, though on that occasion he crashed. The last time he exited in Q1 on pace alone was at the 2009 British Grand Prix.
The session was red flagged after Nicolas Latifi crashed but the Briton was twice too slow to break the top 15 and took on fuel for an additional lap.
Although Hamilton managed to improve upon his time, it was only enough for P15, with Lance Stroll subsequently knocking him down into the bottom five.
Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate George Russell advanced to Q2 in fourth.
The Kansas City Chiefs are signing running back Ronald Jones II in their latest move following Tyreek Hill's trade, according to reports.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said the Chiefs would look to give Jones a one-year contract worth up to $5million.
The Chiefs are overhauling their offense after failing to negotiate a new contract with Hill, who headed to the Miami Dolphins in return for five draft picks.
One of those picks is in the first round this year, giving the Chiefs the opportunity to potentially replace Hill with a top receiver prospect, but they have also been busy in free agency.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was followed to Kansas City by fellow wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, while Jones provides an alternative pass-catching option at running back.
Jones twice racked up 1,000 scrimmage yards in a four-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including in their title-winning 2020 season (1,143).
That year, Jones led the Bucs in carries (192), rushing yards (978) and rushing touchdowns (seven) but also had 28 catches for 165 receiving yards and a TD.
Jones took a back seat to Leonard Fournette both on the ground and through the air in the playoffs, although he still had 12 carries for 61 yards in the Super Bowl.
In Kansas City, leading rusher Darrel Williams is a free agent, meaning Jones is set to share touches with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a first-round pick in 2020 who is yet to truly establish himself in the NFL.
Edwards-Helaire had just 517 rushing yards in 10 games last year, when the Chiefs' run game ranked a middling 16th with 115.0 yards per game.
Robert Lewandowski joined skiing greats Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin in saluting Iga Swiatek for earning the number one ranking in women's tennis for the first time.
At the age of 20, Swiatek guaranteed she will top the WTA list after the Miami Open by beating Viktorija Golubic 6-2 6-0 in her opening match at the event.
Swiatek will replace Ash Barty, whose shock retirement will see the Australian drop off the ranking ladder entirely when it is next published on April 4.
Since a shock French Open victory in October 2020, when the unseeded Swiatek stormed through the draw without dropping a set, the Polish youngster has continued to make a major impact.
She reached at least the fourth round of all the grand slams last year and was a semi-finalist at the 2022 Australian Open, before victory at WTA 1000 events in Doha and Indian Wells propelled her to number two in the rankings.
Now she will climb a step higher, and that news has proven popular with Swiatek's supporters, who include a number of illustrious names.
Fellow Polish sporting star Lewandowski, who is rewriting goalscoring records in Germany with Bayern Munich, sent his compatriot a message on Instagram that read simply: "Congratulations Iga. Well done."
Swiatek is a huge admirer of Americans Vonn and Shiffrin, who have both landed World Championship and Olympic gold medals on the slopes, and the respect is mutual.
Vonn told Swiatek her achievement was "So deserved!!", and Shiffrin posted: "Congrats Iga!!"
Former WTA number one Kim Clijsters, who was also 20 when she first hit the top spot in 2003, felt it was a natural next step for Swiatek to move up a rung and become the 28th top-ranked player in the tour's history. Swiatek will also be the first Pole to sit at the summit.
Clijsters said: "To see Iga grow as a tennis player, it has been so beautiful for me. There's a certain type of focus that is on tennis, and tennis only. There's a drive there that I admire very much – a drive that I recognise."
Belgian Clijsters, quoted on the WTA website, added: "She's had great results in the past, but she still wants to improve. We've seen others that kind of take a step back and say, 'Oh, I've won a slam now, I've made it. There's sponsors coming in and I get treated like a princess wherever I go'.
"Just because you’re the number one player and have won slams, doesn't mean you should treat other people differently. I feel like Ash Barty did that amazingly, and I think Iga has that focus, too."
Formula One team principals have explained how they were reassured of their safety in extensive talks following a missile attack near the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The attack on an oil depot prompted an explosion that delayed FP2 in Jeddah on Friday.
F1 confirmed later on Friday and again early on Saturday the race would be going ahead, having met with the teams and heard their concerns before Saudi government authorities and security agencies offered "full and detailed assurances that the event is secure".
Facing the media ahead of FP3, team principals elaborated on these discussions, with Haas chief Gunther Steiner revealing: "For me, the assurance is if the authorities have got their own families here and they feel safe, I can be safe as well.
"They explained very credibly what [system] is in place. The technical details I am not in a position to explain that, because I'm not qualified enough. But there is stuff in place, which protects us, obviously. I'm not trained in that one.
"The credible explanation of what they do, and that their families are here with them, that gives me the assurance that I'm safe and that my team is safe."
Aston Martin's Mike Krack added: "We had quite a few high ranked authorities yesterday, and they explained to us the situation, they explained it to us in a very credible way.
"This made all of the 10 of us that were in the room confident that they take their responsibility very seriously."
Andreas Seidl of McLaren said: "In the end, we need to trust F1, and the authorities here, put safety always first for every single member of the paddock here.
"I have full trust that this is happening."
Emma Raducanu has hit back "unfair" criticism over her mounting sponsorship deals following her early exit from the Miami Open.
The US Open champion was beaten by Katerina Siniakova in her first match in Miami this week after being given a bye into the second round.
Raducanu has only won four WTA Tour matches since she was sensationally crowned champion at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier in New York last September.
The 19-year-old has been in demand off the court and last week revealed she will be a brand ambassador for Porsche.
Briton Raducanu insists she is still driving high standards in training as she strives to build on her maiden grand slam triumph.
"Maybe you just see, on the news or on social media, me signing this or that deal and I feel like it’s quite misleading because I’m doing five, six hours a day [in training], I’m at the club for 12 hours a day," the 19-year-old told reporters.
"But I throw out one post in the car on the way to practice and all of a sudden it’s 'I don't focus on tennis'. I think that it is unfair, but it's something I have learned to deal with and become a bit more insensitive to the outside noise.
"At the end of the day, I feel like my days [with sponsors] are pretty limited. I'm not doing crazy days. I'm doing three, four days every quarter, so it's really not that much."
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go ahead after "extensive discussion" and a drivers' meeting amid concerns over a missile attack an oil depot near the circuit.
Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem called an emergency meeting on Friday after a depot not far from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit was engulfed in flames.
The second practice session was delayed by 15 minutes as drivers and team principals met with officials.
They held another meeting that reportedly ran into the early hours on Saturday morning after F1 stated that the race would be staged.
F1 provided a further statement ahead of qualifying on Saturday, saying the event will still go ahead as planned.
"Formula One and the FIA can confirm that following discussions with all the teams and drivers, the 2022 FIA Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will continue as scheduled," the statement said.
"Following the widely reported incident that took place in Jeddah on Friday, there has been extensive discussion between all stakeholders, the Saudi government authorities and security agencies who have given full and detailed assurances that the event is secure.
"It has been agreed with all stakeholders to maintain a clear and open dialogue throughout the event and for the future."
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) said it was only natural the drivers should seek assurances over security.
"On seeing the smoke from the incident, it was difficult to remain a fully focused race driver and erase natural human concerns," a GPDA statement read.
"Consequently we went into long discussions between ourselves, with our team principals, and with the most senior people who run our sport.
"A large variety of opinions were shared and debated and, having listened not only to the F1 powers but also to the Saudi government ministers – who explained how security measures were being elevated to the maximum – the outcome was a resolution that we would practice and qualify today and race tomorrow.
"We therefore hope that the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be remembered as a good race rather than for the incident that took place yesterday."
MVP contender Joel Embiid insists the Philadelphia 76ers are not focusing on the race for top seed in the east after Friday's 122-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers moved them within one game of top spot.
Embiid scored 27 points with 10 rebounds, with team-mate James Harden adding 29 points with four three-pointers along with a season-high 15 rebounds and seven assists.
The victory improved the 76ers to a 46-27 record and second in the east, moving within one game of Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat (47-27) who lost 111-103 to the New York Knicks.
Reigning champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, are third in the Eastern Conference with a 46-27 record, with the Boston Celtics in fourth with a 46-28 record.
"Our focus is just on getting better every single day," Embiid told reporters after the win. "Whether it's offensively or defensively, we're not worried about the standings.
"We just want to get to the point where we know what we're doing at all the times on the court, especially on the offensive side.
"That's what we've been working on. That's what coach has been on to us about focusing on the details, so we can get there."
Harden joined the 76ers last month in a blockbuster trade that saw Ben Simmons headed the other way to the Brooklyn Nets.
Friday's win marked the first time since the move that the pair had both recorded double-doubles in the same game together.
The 76ers have improved with Harden playing alongside Embiid, but the duo's synergy remains a work in progress.
"We're getting better. The one-two has to be there first. It is. The rest will follow," Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said.
Harden, who is averaging 23 points and 7.6 rebounds since moving to the 76ers, added: "Things are headed in the right direction, but every single day we are focusing on execution and details.
"There are going to be different ways we are going to have to win in the playoffs, and we have to be prepared for that."
The 76ers' next two games are against last season's NBA Finals sides, the Phoenix Suns and the Bucks.
New world number one Iga Swiatek says taking the top rank is a "dream come true" and something she never strongly believed could happen.
Swiatek made history as the first Polish tennis player to reach the top ranking, taking over the mantle following Ashleigh Barty's shock decision to retire from the sport in midweek. She will officially become number one when the WTA rankings are updated on April 4.
The 20-year-old Pole, who won the 2020 French Open and made this year's Australian Open semi-finals, made the ascent to the summit after beating Viktorija Golubic 6-2 6-0 at the Miami Open on Friday.
"It's a dream come true, for sure," Swiatek told reporters. "It's that kind of thing that I wanted to happen someday, but I didn't really know that it's going to be possible for me.
"I never really imagined that moment, because truth to be told, I was working day by day and I was playing tennis well, but I never had that like that strong belief that it can actually happen, so it's even more surreal for me."
Swiatek has claimed WTA 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Doha this year, with her victory over Golubic extending her winning run to 12 matches.
She is the 28th woman to reach the summit in the WTA rankings, becoming the youngest player at the top since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.
"I think it's going to be a bit different and maybe the hype is going to be a bit bigger, but I'm ready for that," she said.
"Honestly, it's like part of the job, so I always knew if I'm going to succeed, it's going to be there. I really appreciate people being really enthusiastic and really pumped up because I think sometimes I'm even playing for them."
Barty was quick to congratulate Swiatek on claiming the number one ranking, saying there is "no better person" than the Pole.
"There is no better person," Barty said in a message. "The way that she's brought this fresh, fearless energy onto the court has been incredible.
"I hope she can take it and still be her, do it her own way, and really chase what she's after in her career and her dreams."
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