Frank Vogel led the praise for LeBron James after the four-time MVP scored 50 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-109 win over the Washington Wizards.

James reached the half-century mark for the 15th time in his illustrious career, and a second time in the space of three games, to inspire the Lakers' comeback victory.

The 37-year-old was 18 of 25 from the field and made six 3-points in the space of 36 minutes as Vogel's side rallied to snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 29-37.

He is the first Lakers player with 50-or-more points in back-to-back home games since Kobe Bryant in 2007 after hitting 56 against the Golden State Warriors last week.

Adding to his growing list of records, James is also the first player in NBA history to have a 50-point game followed by a triple-double followed by another 50-point game.

Nineteen years on from starting his career at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Vogel is amazed by James' longevity at the top of the sport.

"He's really good at basketball, that LeBron James," Vogel told reporters after the game. 

"I think what stands out to me is the league has never seen a player at his stage of his career do what he's doing. Just an incredible, unbelievable, epic performance."

With six rebounds against the Wizards, James moved past Dikembe Mutombo into 12th place on the NBA's career defensive rebounds list with 8,553.

He is just two assists away from becoming the first player ever to reach 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists in NBA history.

Reflecting on another standout display, James said: "We just needed to pick our energy up and get more detailed about how we wanted to attack the Wizards. 

"We did that, especially in the third quarter. I was able to hit a hot streak at one point. I just tried to stay in that zone as long as possible and hit a couple.

"For us to be able to come in in the third quarter, that's been one of our down quarters this year, held them to 23 points in that third and run off 37. It was big for us."

Malik Monk scored 21 points and Talen Horton-Tucker added 15 for the Lakers, helping to inflict a third defeat in four games on the 29-36 Wizards.

Kristap Porzingis's season-high 14 rebounds and 14 points looked as though it would be enough for the visitors until James took over.

"Bron was exceptional tonight, it's hard to stop him," Porzingis said. "Even at his age, he's still capable of doing incredible things like that.

"Once he got going, it was really hard to stop anything he was doing."

The Lakers return to action on Sunday when they face the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns, who have already booked a playoff spot, while the Wizards face the Portland Trail Blazers.

Angelique Kerber and Maddison Keys each required three sets to reach the third round of the Indian Wells Open, while Coco Gauff held off Claire Liu to advance on Friday.

Number 15 seed Kerber was handed a banana skin tie of sorts against Zheng Qinwen and was made to work hard for her 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory against the rising Chinese star.

Zheng battled back with three breaks of serve in the second set to level up and led 4-1 in the decider, but her opponent dug deep to prevail in a time of two hours and 18 minutes.

Daria Kasatkina awaits Kerber – who had not previously won this calendar year – after the Russian beat Katie Volynets 6-4 4-6 7-5 earlier in the day.

Keys was also pushed all the way in her clash with Misaki Doi before coming out on top 6-4 3-6 6-1 to set up a meeting with Alison Riske in round three.

The Australian Open semi-finalist struggled in the second set after holding her serve throughout the first, though she had enough quality to see off her Japanese opponent.

Gauff had less trouble against fellow American Liu, advancing in a little over an hour to reach the third round, the stage in which she was eliminated on her debut here last year.

She will take on former world number one Simona Halep on Sunday, the day she turns 18, in a rematch of their last-16 showdown from Wimbledon three years ago.

Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek are among the others already through to the last 32 in California.

France captain Antoine Dupont said his side are embracing the spotlight surrounding next Saturday's fixture against England to complete the Six Nations Grand Slam.

Les Blues have only completed the Grand Slam once since 2004 – in 2010 – while more recently Ireland achieved the feat in 2018, followed by Wales in 2019.
 
After beating Wales 13-9, Dupont spoke about the strength of the French defence and its ability to win tough contests, before looking forward to the big clash against England.
 
"We felt that we could count on our defense," he said. "They often came to our camp with our faults and their long kicking game. 
 
"We were able to cope, and it's something that has carried us for several matches – we have to continue on that. 

"It wasn't the most beautiful match we've had to watch, but you have to know how to win like that too. 
 
"We try to turn this pressure into motivation – we said we wanted to have the cards in hand for the last match, it's done. 
 
"We will be able to devote ourselves fully to it and we hope that it will work. The party tonight is going to be very light. We're going to wait a week and hope to be able to party.
 
"In the dressing room, there was a mix of emotions, joy and pride intertwined, but with the England game in the back of my mind. 
 
"We're going to enjoy tonight, but we're all looking forward to Saturday night [against England]. 
 
"The Grand Slam? From now on, we can talk about it. 
 
"It's going to be on everyone's lips and in the media this week. It's up to us to make sure we win this match, and we know what will come of it."

England are still in contention to win the Six Nations, but they must beat Ireland in Saturday's clash at Twickenham.

Alison Riske produced a breathtaking comeback to beat Garbine Muguruza at the Indian Wells Open, turning around an apparent lost cause after losing the first nine games of the match.

Muguruza, who won the WTA Finals title at the end of last season, was cruising at 6-0 3-0, but 31-year-old American Riske, despite tossing her racket in frustration, refused to give up. Incredibly, she won 12 of the next 13 games to reach the third round at the expense of the world number nine.

"After the first set, it literally could not get any worse," Riske said in her on-court interview following a 0-6 6-3 6-1 success.

"So if I could try to get two balls in the court we might get somewhere. I was just trying to hang in there. I've played Garbine many times before and it's always been a battle."

This was Riske's fifth match against Spanish star Muguruza, and despite losing the first two of those, she had since beaten the two-time grand slam winner twice, albeit most recently at the 2019 US Open.

"I felt if I could get in there a little bit, I was going to have my chances," Riske said. "I know I've beaten her before, and if I could just bring out some of my game, good things were going to happen."

It was world number 53 Riske's 10th career victory against a player ranked in the top 10.

British player Harriet Dart pulled off a shock win over Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, as the world number 122 snatched a 2-6 6-3 6-3 victory over the 12th seed.

Three of the biggest names in the draw took the long route through to the last-32 stage, with Emma Raducanu, Simona Halep and Iga Swiatek taken to a deciding set in their opening matches, having benefited from first-round byes 

Raducanu fended off Caroline Garcia 6-1 3-6 6-1, while Halep was a 6-2 4-6 6-2 winner against Ekaterina Alexandrova, the Russian who is playing under a neutral flag.

Polish third seed Swiatek put a slow start behind her to beat Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 5-7 6-0 6-1 and is looking to build on her recent Qatar Open triumph. She said: "I'm pretty happy I could turn my head on to fight mode and stay focused, because that was the key I guess."

Last year's Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova bowed out, the Czech seventh seed losing 2-6 7-5 6-4 to Danka Kovinic of Montenegro.

Three-time Cy Young award winner and former NL MVP Clayton Kershaw has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth $17million.

First reported by The Athletic, the deal means the future Hall of Famer – who turns 34 later this month – will return to the Dodgers for the 15th consecutive season, keeping Kershaw as a one-club player as he enters the tail-end of his prime years.

The deal is still pending a physical, which may play a factor if the elbow injury that forced Kershaw to miss the end of the 2021 season – including the postseason – remains an issue.

However, no team will have a better idea about the health of Kershaw than the Dodgers, suggesting it is exceedingly unlikely that anything would show up on the physical with the potential to torpedo the deal.

It was not a rushed decision from the Los Angeles ball club, as they opted not to tender Kershaw's $18.4m qualifying offer following the World Series, allowing more time to gather information and come to a decision.

Dan Biggar said Wales paid a high price for falling short at key moments after failing to halt mighty France in Cardiff.

A Six Nations Grand Slam is now within touching distance for Les Bleus after they overcame last year's champions 13-9 at the Principality Stadium, making it four wins from four.

Wales fought hard but rarely threatened a try, Jonathan Davies dropping the ball on the one occasion they looked like perhaps going over.

There was plenty to admire about the Welsh display, but Anthony Jelonch's early try was ultimately the difference between the sides.

In terms of metres carried, Wales edged France 353 to 284, and they were 156-96 ahead on the passes count, but France's defence was outstanding, and the hosts made too many errors.

Home captain Biggar told BBC One the outcome was "ultimately very, very disappointing".

He added: "This week I thought we were the better team for large periods of the game, and one or two big moments is what big Test matches hinge on, and we didn't quite nail those moments, and we paid the price.

"I'm so proud of the lads in terms of how well they stuck to it against probably the form team in world rugby at the minute, so we're really, really pleased with the effort.

"That's a bit more like us in terms of the attitude and probably something we didn't quite show in the first half against England and Ireland."

Wales have now lost three of their four games and wrap up their campaign against Italy next week, when they should get a second win of their campaign.

Biggar said the positivity behind his team's display made him "really, really pleased".

"But ultimately when you play against big teams and good teams in tight Test matches, one or two moments decide it," he said, "and we didn't quite come on the right side of them."

Emma Raducanu landed her first Indian Wells victory as the US Open champion said Andy Murray inspired her to see off Caroline Garcia.

There was a certain irony about that, given Garcia is the player Murray famously once tipped to become a world number one.

But seeing fellow Briton Murray battle past Taro Daniel prior to her own match fuelled Raducanu for her opening test at the WTA Indian Wells Open.

While it was not always comfortable for the 11th seed, Raducanu recovered from a shaky second set to win 6-1 3-6 6-1 against her French opponent.

Murray's pronouncement about Garcia's prospects came on Twitter in 2011 as he watched the then little-known player take on Maria Sharapova in the French Open.

Garcia reached as high as number four in 2018, and it is now Raducanu who looks the likelier future number one, having landed a breakthrough grand slam against all the odds in New York last year.

Raducanu was beaten on her Indian Wells debut by Aliaksandra Sasnovich last October, so to land a first win came as a relief.

She said in an on-court interview: "It's amazing to be back and I'm so happy to have got my first win in the desert here. I hope to come back for many more years.

"I thought the level of tennis was pretty high today, and it means a lot to have come through that because it could have gone either way."

Raducanu said Garcia "climbed on top" of her game in the second set, but, like Murray earlier, she kept enough back for a decider.

Speaking to Amazon Prime, she revealed how seeing Murray show his battling qualities against Daniel reminded her of what it takes in trying circumstances.

"I was watching pretty much the whole match until I had to go warm up," Raducanu said. "He was down, and it was a really tough one. To see him, I kind of wanted to follow him and learn from him and he kind of inspired me to dig in today when it got tough."

She added: "To get this win after a stop-start year that I've had at the beginning, it means a lot. I'm just really happy to have given myself another opportunity.

"For sure it's difficult after dropping a set. I knew I'd slipped up, and I'd missed too many first serves, and I was just thinking... 'Just think how bad you're gonna feel after the match if you let this one go'."

France lock Paul Willemse said the 13-9 win at Wales' Principality Stadium was the hard-fought slog that Les Bleus always expected.

The contest featured only three points in the second half, and a scoreless last half-hour after Melvin Jaminet's penalty in the 46th minute gave France their eventual winning margin.

The win moved France further clear atop the Six Nations standings, sporting a near two-to-one points ratio after scoring 116 and conceding 60 in the first four fixtures.

They have a 100 per cent record through four games, with a possible Grand Slam looming ahead of England's visit to the Stade de France next week.

Speaking to BBC One post-match, Willemse said: "We prepared during the week knowing this was going to be one of the toughest games in the season.

"We're really happy with the result even though it wasn't a clean match, but it's expected against a team like Wales.

"[We have to work on] the basic stuff. Discipline, being more secure getting out of our half, because they kept us in there for a long time.

"Definitely a lot of things to work on next week, and for sure we'll be doing that."

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While he acknowledged some of his side's shortcomings, the big Frenchman was full of praise for their character and chemistry.

"You see it on the field, you see it during the week's training, you see it after the games," Willemse said.

"This is a really amazing and incredible team to be a part of, and I'm really grateful to be a part of it because I think we can do big things."

France last completed a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2010, also the year of their last title in the competition.

The pre-tournament favourites are living up to their billing so far this year, and team manager Raphael Ibanez highlighted the rugged nature of the Wales clash, pinning the win on his side’s defensive efforts.

"I think it was a very tense game – it was a fierce battle, with many mistakes of course," Ibanez told BBC One.

"We were under pressure, especially in the second half. Wales had a great kicking game, but winning that game, it's a great opportunity for next week.

"Sometimes at the international stage you can't play fantastic rugby every weekend, you just have to be smart in the right areas, making sure your set-piece is working well and your discipline as well.

"I think our defence was outstanding, and that's what won us the game."

Deshaun Watson was not charged by a grand jury after it considered evidence of sexual assault and misconduct allegations on Friday.

The Houston Texans quarterback faces 22 civil lawsuits, but jurors did not find enough evidence for criminal proceedings.

Watson had strenuously denied the accusations since they emerged last year, overshadowing talk of a trade away from the Texans.

The 26-year-old did not play a single game in 2021, having led the NFL in passing yards in 2020.

"After a Harris County grand jury was presented all the evidence and had the opportunity to hear from all witnesses, grand jurors declined to indict Deshaun Watson," Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, said in a statement released to Stats Perform.

"Grand jury proceedings are secret by law, so no information related to their inquiry may be disclosed."

A widely released statement from Rusty Hardin, Watson's attorney, said: "We are delighted that the grand jury has looked at the matter thoroughly and reached the same conclusion we did.

"Deshaun Watson did not commit any crimes and is not guilty of any offences.

"Now that the criminal investigations have been completed, we are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions. We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce we have."

Watson has been the subject of an investigation from the NFL, and the league said: "We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy."

Andy Murray chalked up a 700th career win with a typically gutsy performance to see off Taro Daniel in round one of the Indian Wells Masters.

Murray, 34, began slowly but ground out a 1-6 6-2 6-4 win over a player he has faced three times in the early stages of this season.

The former rankings leader has bounced back into the ATP top 100 after career-threatening injury woes and is looking to push on from number 88, his current position.

He will play 31st seed Alexander Bublik next.

Murray was delighted to reach the 700-win mark, telling Amazon Prime: "It means a lot. It's a target I set myself towards the end of last year. With everything that's gone on in the last few years, it's not been easy to get there.

"It's a great achievement; not loads of guys have been able to do that, so I'm really happy about it."

The three-time grand slam winner becomes the fourth active men's player to reach 700 wins, after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Murray was beaten by Daniel in the second round of the Australian Open before avenging that in the Qatar Open.

The Scot has 14 titles to his name from Masters 1000 events but surprisingly has never triumphed at Indian Wells, and he was given a thorough workout by qualifier Daniel.

Daniel dashed into a 5-1 lead, striking the ball more cleanly and moving better than Murray, who has recently agreed to bring Ivan Lendl on to his team for a third time.

The Japanese star had no trouble seeing out that opening set, but the second was dominated by Murray.

Daniel then won the opening eight points of the decider to surge 2-0 ahead, but Murray broke back in the sixth game. Murray saved break point at 4-4 and made Daniel serve to stay in the contest. That proved beyond the 29-year-old, with Murray carving out three break points and taking the third of those when Daniel sent a forehand long.

Murray said he took pride from the match because he "figured it out" after being outplayed early on.

He said Lendl had wished him luck before going on court, with the pair to begin working together after Murray plays the next event in Miami.

France will go for Grand Slam glory next week after resisting a determined effort from Wales to snatch a huge 13-9 win in Cardiff.

Coach Fabien Galthie's team were pushed hard by last season's Six Nations champions, and it was their tenacity more than their flowing rugby that secured the French victory.

The only try of the contest came from Anthony Jelonch in the first half, with Wales unable to breach their opponents' line.

It means France will welcome England to the Stade de France in eight days' time for 'Le Crunch', with a first Grand Slam since 2010 in their sights.

France snatched a third-minute lead through Melvyn Jaminet's penalty after an infringement by Josh Navidi, but Wales were swiftly back on terms when captain Dan Biggar drilled a confident reply.

Jelonch's second international try arrived in the ninth minute as France's snappy running rugby brought early reward, with the flanker the man to dash in on the left wing.

Jaminet booted the extras, and Wales, who lost Tomos Williams to an early injury, struggled to contain the blue shirts for a spell, until a Biggar penalty closed the gap.

With 10 wins in their last 11 Six Nations games at the Principality Stadium, Wales were not giving this up early and began to impose pressure on the French try-line.

The hosts lost Gareth Thomas to a head blow and were twice penalised after getting close to the French posts.

But Wales' luck changed with the award of a penalty in front, which Biggar drove through the uprights to snip France's lead to one point at the break.

Jaminet nudged France into a four-point lead once more with another penalty, but the game remained in the balance, the vaunted visitors struggling to put it away.

Jonathan Davies fumbled as Wales looked to go for the line down the left, but still the home side kept pressing.

Jaminet missed a late chance to boost France's lead when his long-range kick drifted wide, but Wales could not take advantage of that let-off.