Ja Morant was almost unstoppable in the Memphis Grizzlies' 118-108 victory against the visiting Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Morant was the game's top-scorer with 35 points on 13-of-23 shooting, adding eight rebounds and five assists in an encouraging performance during what has been a relatively inefficient period for the Grizzlies star.
After posting a career-high field goal percentage of 49.3 this past season – earning a Most Improved Player trophy in the process – Morant's percentage has plummeted to 45.5 this campaign, while his true shooting percentage is also a mediocre 54.9 per cent.
Despite his dip in efficiency, Morant's 27.0 points per game has him 13th in the league, and he joins Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Nikola Jokic as the only players averaging at least 25 points and eight assists.
Morant was supported well by center Steven Adams, who tied his career-high with 23 rebounds. He has reached 23 rebounds once before – back in 2018 when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, also against the Kings.
Grizzlies big Jaren Jackson Jr blocked three shots, and his 3.2 blocks per game is the best figure in the league, although he does not currently qualify for the official league leaderboards due to only playing in 19 of his side's 36 games.
The win is the Grizzlies' third in a row, improving their record to 23-13 – only a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Nuggets retain top spot
The Nuggets had to defeat the Boston Celtics to hold onto the top spot in the West, and they did just that, defending home court with a 123-111 triumph.
It was another showcase for reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, leading his team in scoring (30), rebounds (12) and assists (12) for his ninth triple-double in 32 games this season.
Jokic has somehow managed to reach new heights in his quest to become the first MVP three-peat since Larry Bird (1984-86), posting career-highs in assists per game (9.5) and true shooting percentage (68.6).
Kuzma collects triple-double in Wizards win
Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura led the way in the Washington Wizards' 118-95 win against an undermanned Milwaukee Bucks team.
The Bucks were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, and did not have the firepower to keep up with a Wizards side that shot 53.2 per cent from the field.
Former top-10 draft pick Hachimura scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting off the bench, while Kuzma had his first triple-double of the season with 10 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
After losing 10 games in a row earlier in the season, the Wizards are now on a five-game winning streak to improve their record to 17-21.
The Green Bay Packers are a win away from what once looked an unlikely Wild Card berth after they crushed the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 at Lambeau Field.
A playoff place looked a faint possibility when the Packers lost seven of eight games after a 3-1 start to drop to 4-8.
They responded by reeling off three straight wins prior to the visit of division rivals and NFC North champions the Vikings, but still faced the prospect of being eliminated with a loss.
That prospect looked all the more likely when, after a blocked punt, the Vikings got the ball at Green Bay's one-yard line.
However, the Packers held the Vikings to a field goal from there, setting the tone for a nightmare game for Minnesota.
Keisean Nixon returned the subsequent kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown to give Green Bay the lead, which was extended when Darnell Savage returned an interception on a deflected Kirk Cousins pass 75 yards.
Cousins turnovers were a theme of the day, with an interception by Adrian Amos setting up a 21-yard touchdown throw from Rodgers to Robert Tonyan, and a lost fumble in the redzone allowed the Packers to regain possession and drive down the field for A.J. Dillon to make it 34-3.
Another Cousins interception, this time picked off by Rudy Ford, put the Packers in position to pile on further misery with a two-yard run from Rodgers, who now can lead the 8-8 Packers into the postseason with victory over the Detroit Lions next Sunday.
Defeat for the 12-4 Vikings sees them fall out of the second seed, meaning the chance to potentially host two home playoff games is out of their hands heading into Week 18.
NINERS SURVIVE HUGE SCARE
The San Francisco 49ers now occupy the two seed, having held off the Las Vegas Raiders in a remarkable game at Allegiant Stadium.
A San Francisco blowout was anticipated but did not materialise, with Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham leading them to 500 yards of offense in his first start after Derek Carr was benched.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers put up 454 yards of their own and, after a Robbie Gould missed field goal sent the game to overtime, Tashaun Gipson's interception of Stidham set up the San Francisco kicker to redeem himself and clinch a wild 37-34 win.
San Francisco's division rivals the Seattle Seahawks cruised to a 23-6 win over the New York Jets, whose playoff hopes look to be all but over. Seattle will qualify for the postseason with a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 and a Packers loss to the Lions.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is over the moon to be heading on the road next week to take on the Green Bay Packers with a spot in the playoffs potentially up for grabs.
The Lions bounced back from a loss last week to trounce the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday, making it seven wins from their past nine fixtures and improving their record to 8-8.
There was also some history made by the second overall selection from the 2022 NFL Draft, with Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson snagging his third interception to tie the record for the most by a defensive lineman in a season in the Super Bowl era.
Hutchinson also shared a sack with teammate Ifeatu Melifonwu, one of seven total sacks on Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Campbell pointed to a fully padded practice on Wednesday as the rallying point for his side facing a tricky quarterback matchup with their season on the line.
"We went full pads on Wednesday and said we were going to get our identity back, and we're going to recalibrate, and those guys did that," he said.
"They trusted us, and they came out and it looked like that. It looked like we were ready to go, it looked like we were more physical. I was proud of them.
"Here's the hard thing with playing a guy like [Justin] Fields, man. If you just come barrelling off the edge, and you're out of control, then he's gone.
"So you have to be able to bring a little bit of force and close the pocket in on him, but you can't commit one way or another because he'll break contain again.
"While all this is happening, our back-end is having to cover their rear off for five, six, seven seconds at a time. You give up a couple of holding calls, that's not an easy task there.
"But all-in-all, I thought we snapped back on defense. We were much more physical, we got takeaways, we got sacks, we were disruptive."
Detroit's win keeps their season alive for at least one more week, and Campbell said he feels blessed to get a chance to play a massive January game at the famous Lambeau Field.
"I think it means everything," he said. "I think it's just so special – it's as good as it can get, seriously.
"You get to go to Lambeau – historic Lambeau – where the top of this division has been Green Bay every year for years, with a chance to earn your right to potentially get in.
"Even if we do get the win, it doesn't mean we're guaranteed to get in. But I know this, we're guaranteed to get one more week, and so I just think this is as special as it gets. I don't think you'd want it any other way."
The Lions will be relying on another strong performance from quarterback Jared Goff, who Campbell said is "extremely hot" after his three-touchdown effort.
"He has a ton of confidence right now, and he's had that for a while," he said. "He's played pretty well all year.
"You can just tell he's in this mode right now where you feel like every time you dial up a pass, he's going to find somebody. He's going to find the throw, he's going to get it to the guy that's open.
"That's a great feeling, man. To feel your quarterback is in that mode, and he's been there, that's a great feeling."
Goff himself has played in playoff games and took the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl appearance, but he still acknowledged how meaningful it still is to just have a chance at making the postseason.
"It's huge," he said. "Not every team, players, young guys get an opportunity to play in games like this.
"There are a bunch of guys here who, for the first half of their careers, have not had a chance to play a game in January that means something, and we're going to get that chance next week.
"Whether it gets us in or not, that's not up to us, but we're going in there and trying to win, and see where everything falls at the end."
Tom Brady believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a knack for making life tough for themselves after coming from behind to beat the Carolina Panthers and claim the NFC South division on Sunday.
A 20-point fourth-quarter performance at Raymond James Stadium saw the Florida outfit storm home to take a 30-24 win, improving to 8-8 for the season.
It is a second straight division title for the Buccaneers, who will have the chance to finish the season with a winning record when they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18.
Brady, who threw for 432 yards and delivered three long touchdowns to Mike Evans, saw his side dig themselves out for the second week in a row, leaving him to ponder if they bring their struggles upon themselves.
"NFL games are tough to win, and we always figure out a way to keep them somehow exciting," he said afterwards. "I wish they wouldn't be as exciting as we made them.
"We've battled through a lot of tough things this year [but we are] happy to win the division. It's always tough to do it."
Head coach Todd Bowles concurred his team like to make things difficult, but acknowledged their success proved to be the ultimate prize, regardless of how they claimed it.
"Every year, you try to win the division, and we won the division," he added. "It doesn't matter how you win the division. My heart ain't got much left in it, but it feels great.
"We're in one spot we need to be. We can't get where we want to be unless we win the division. We won the division."
Cameron Jordan reached the top of the New Orleans Saints' all-time sack leaderboard after collecting three in Sunday's 20-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jordan, 33, entered the Week 17 contest with five-and-a-half sacks for the season, but he dominated the Eagles' offensive line and made life miserable for backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
He had two sacks in the first half – leaving him a half-sack away from Rickey Jackson's franchise record of 115 – before finding Minshew again and forcing a fumble on the Eagles' final drive to reach the summit.
Jordan reached the figure in 191 games, while Jackson played in 195 during his career from 1981-1993. The third-placed Saint, Wayne Martin, is well adrift on 82.5 sacks from 171 games.
His rise to the top is even more unlikely when taking into account that he only posted one sack in his rookie season, before putting together 11 consecutive campaigns of at least seven-and-a-half.
Speaking to the media after the win, Jordan reflected on that journey,
"If you look at the last 11 years of my career, after I earned the right to play on third down," he said. "You go from rookie year having one sack, starting 15 out of the 16 games, to where I'm at now – I just needed opportunity.
"I knew I was a pass rusher, I knew I was an edge rusher. I told them in my second year to give me a chance and you'll never have to worry about it. I told Sean Payton when I first got drafted 'let's do this'.
"I came with the mindset to be the best that I can be – I don't want to just be a pass rusher though.
"I'll let you guys label me however you want to, but just know if there's a first down, second down, third-and-one, I'm going to be on the field. I'm not jetting up the field, I'm not turning at 12, I'm fighting for each and every yard.
"They don't run to my side for a reason."
A three-time All-Pro selection, Jordan has also made the past five Pro Bowls, giving him seven for his career.
The Philadelphia Eagles again missed the chance to clinch the number one seed in the NFC as they were stunned 20-10 at home by the New Orleans Saints.
Philadelphia's offense was again without quarterback Jalen Hurts because of a shoulder injury and, after coming up short in a thriller with the Dallas Cowboys last week, the Eagles saw their attack sputter with backup Gardner Minshew under center.
The Saints, who went into the game still in the mix to win the NFC South, dominated time of possession in the first half and led 13-0 at the long break thanks a Taysom Hill one-yard touchdown run and a pair of Will Lutz field goals.
Philadelphia looked to have found the necessary spark when, after a Jake Elliott field goal got them on the board, Minshew and A.J. Brown connected for a 78-yard catch and run.
However, it proved a false dawn for the Eagles, whose defeat was essentially confirmed when Marshon Lattimore intercepted Minshew and returned the pick 11 yards for a touchdown as the four-time Pro Bowl corner returned from a 10-week injury absence.
The Saints' victory means the Eagles drop to 13-3, giving the Minnesota Vikings (12-3) and San Francisco 49ers (11-4) hope they could yet catch Philadelphia and win the race for the NFC's only first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
New Orleans can still reach the postseason, but the NFC South title is out of reach.
BUCS CLINCH SOUTH
The South is beyond the Saints because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched it with a 30-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Tampa Bay knew they would win the division with triumph, but trailed 21-10 after Sam Darnold's third touchdown pass of the game. However, having tossed a 63-yard touchdown to Mike Evans in the first half, Tom Brady hit on two further deep shots of 57 and 30 yards to complete a turnaround for the Bucs.
Evans' decisive hat-trick came after a run of 11 games without a touchdown, exploding for 207 yards from his 10 catches.
GIANTS BACK IN THE DANCE
The New York Giants will join NFC East rivals the Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs after they clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2016 by routing the Indianapolis Colts 38-10.
Their win leaves just one NFC playoff berth up for grabs, and the Detroit Lions will be confident of grabbing it following their 41-10 blowout of the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, Carson Wentz threw three interceptions as the Washington Commanders' hopes suffered a blow with a 24-10 home loss to the Cleveland Browns.
On the AFC side, the New England Patriots' held a Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins offense in check in a 23-21 win that kept their Wild Card hopes, as well as those of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders, alive.
Roger Federer saluted Iga Swiatek's miracle shot at the United Cup, declaring 'that was crazy' in response to a tweet from the world number one.
Swiatek - the winner of eight WTA titles in 2022 including the French Open and US Open - helped Poland to a commanding 4-1 victory over Kazakhstan in their opening match in Brisbane.
With the Poles' first win in the competition secure, the 21-year-old helped Hubert Hurkacz put the icing on the cake with a 6-3 6-4 success in their mixed doubles clash against Zhibek Kulambayeva and Grigoriy Lomakin.
Swiatek's moment of brilliance came at 30-15 in game six. Desperately chasing Lomakin's drop volley after a fiercely contested rally, she produced a wonderful backhand slice around the net post to the amazement of everyone inside the Pat Rafter Arena.
The shot was executed on several occasions by 20-time grand slam champion Federer, who retired last year, including in his third-round clash with Nick Kyrgios at the 2018 US Open.
Swiatek subsequently asked the Swiss in a light-hearted tweet: "Do you approve?" - to which he replied: "That was crazy."
The world number one is back in action on Monday when Poland ironically face Switzerland, who boast the likes of Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic and three-time grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka in Group B.
Mike Evans made history with his 63-yard touchdown reception in the first half of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' critical Week 17 clash with the Carolina Panthers.
The Bucs went into the half trailing 14-10, but knowing victory would clinch the NFC South and their spot in the playoffs.
It would have been much worse for the Bucs if not for Tom Brady's deep shot to Evans, which took the latter to the 1,000-yard mark for the ninth successive season.
That saw him tie Oakland Raiders great Tim Brown for the second-longest such streak in NFL history.
Only San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice has a longer streak (11).
Evans already owned the longest such streak to start a career, extending his own record with a reception that the Bucs hoped would be the catalyst for a comeback in a potentially decisive game.
The Philadelphia Eagles are without Jalen Hurts for a second straight week after the quarterback failed to recover from a shoulder injury in time to face the New Orleans Saints.
The NFL MVP contender was considered a doubt for Sunday's clash, after missing his team's pre-Christmas loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
It means Gardner Minshew will start for the second match in a row in the Eagles' first game of 2023.
Hurts returned to practice earlier this week on a limited basis, taking part in sessions on Thursday and Friday, but had been expected to miss the New Year's Day encounter.
The 13-2 Eagles can clinch the top seed in the NFC and home advantage in the playoffs with a victory over the Saints at Lincoln Financial Field.
Dan Evans helped Great Britain reach the last eight of the inaugural United Cup as his 6-3 1-6 6-3 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas decided the team's Group D tie against Spain.
Rafael Nadal's shock defeat to Cameron Norrie – coupled with Katie Swan's win against Nuria Parrizas-Diaz – put Spain 2-0 down in the best-of-five tie ahead of Sunday's action.
World number 13 Paula Badosa put them back into contention with a hard-fought 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 win against Harriet Dart, but Evans gave Britain an unassailable lead by battling past Ramos-Vinolas, recovering from a dismal second set.
Having topped Group D, Britain will face the Croup C winners – the United States, Germany or the Czech Republic – for a semi-final place on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Hubert Hurkacz doubled up to help Poland past Kazakhstan, teaming up with Iga Swiatek in the mixed doubles after beating Alexander Bublik.
Hurkacz beat Bublik 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-3 in just over two hours before Magda Linette overcame Zhibek Kulambayeva 6-2 6-1.
With Poland's first win in the competition secure, world number one Swiatek helped Hurkacz put the icing on the cake with a 6-3 6-4 victory against Kulambayeva and Grigoriy Lomakin.
The Czech Republic also enjoyed a fruitful day as two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova downed Laura Siegemund in straight sets to seal the team's win against Germany, but Casper Ruud was less fortunate, with Norway losing their tie against Brazil despite his success against Thiago Monteiro.
Iga Swiatek warned rivals "I'm getting stronger and stronger in my mind" as she targets another memorable season in 2023.
The world number one enjoyed a dominant 2022 as she landed eight titles, including the French Open and US Open, while also embarking on a 37-match winning streak – the longest this century on the WTA Tour – and registering 22 'bagel' sets.
Swiatek made a winning start to her 2023 campaign at the United Cup with Poland earlier in the week, beating Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-1 6-3 in Brisbane.
While acknowledging she must not become complacent this year and rely on past glories, the 21-year-old feels better prepared for the season with the Australian Open just a fortnight away.
"I feel more solid, and I feel more stability as well because last year, Adelaide was my first tournament with a new coach [Tomasz Wiktorowski], so that was my main focus," she said.
"This year, I have totally different challenges, so it's really hard to compare. But I feel like I had more time to actually work on some technical stuff at home, and hopefully I'm going to be able to use it in matches.
"I just think that it's going to be pretty easy for my head to compare everything to last year. And I feel like it's not really going to be helpful.
"Last year, it wasn't perfect, but sometimes when you win tournaments, all your head can remember is those good moments and that it went so smoothly.
"It wasn't like that, but I don't really want to go into those tournaments and be held back by my previous results. I want to treat it as new chapters, so I'm going to try to do that.
"But this is the biggest challenge I'd say, and we'll see how I'm going to go with that. Usually when I had goals like that, I had ups and downs, but I feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger in my mind, so maybe I'm going to be able to control that."
Floyd Mayweather has revealed plans for an exhibition bout in the United Kingdom in February.
Mayweather retired from professional boxing in 2017, but has since taken part in exhibition fights in places such as Japan, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The 45-year-old has never fought in the UK, but that should change within the coming weeks.
"A bout is planned in the UK for 2023," Mayweather told the Sunday Telegraph.
"In February we're looking forward to coming here and putting on an exhibition for the fans in the UK, because I've never had a chance to come over here and fight when I was actively boxing as a professional.
"So hopefully in February I'll come over and do an exhibition if it's possible."
Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather's long-time rival, also announced on Saturday he will be taking part in exhibitions in Japan in 2023.
"I have agreed with Rizin [promotional company] to fight next year," Pacquiao said during an in-ring presentation.
"The date will soon be announced and also my opponent that Rizin will choose. I'm open to and excited to fight a Japanese fighter."
Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players taking part last year was unjust and changed nothing regarding the war in Ukraine, believes Aryna Sabalenka.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) barred players from both countries appearing at SW19 – a decision that saw the organisation fined by the ATP last month.
World number five Sabalenka joined the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Victoria Azarenka in being excluded, and she believes the ban was both unfair and pointless.
"This is really terrible because no one supports war – no one," Sabalenka told The Age of the ban. "I'm just really disappointed sport is somehow in politics.
"We're just athletes playing their sport. That's it. We're not about politics. If all of us could do something [about the war], we would do it, but we have zero control.
"They banned us from Wimbledon, and what did it change? Nothing. [The Russian government] are still doing this, and this is the sad part of this situation."
The LTA is yet to say whether similar measures will be in place this year, and Sabalenka is hopeful of a return after missing the atmosphere at SW19 in 2022.
"I really missed the people because the atmosphere at Wimbledon is super amazing," she said. "You can feel these people really love tennis there, and I really miss them.
"I really hope that I'll play there, just because of the people, to feel this atmosphere. If they're going to ban us again... I don't care about Wimbledon's decision. The only thing I'll miss is the people."
Kevin Durant believes the trials and tribulations the Brooklyn Nets went through in 2022 have brought the team closer together.
The Nets finished the calendar year with an 11th straight win, with Durant putting up 23 points and Kyrie Irving 28 in a 123-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
It leaves the Nets heading in 2023 second in the Eastern Conference but the past year has been one of ups and downs for the franchise.
Irving endured a turbulent year, missing several games having opted not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, only returning full time when New York changed its protocols for playing.
Later in the year, Irving was also suspended for eight games when he posted on social media about a book and a movie with Antisemitic tropes.
Throw in James Harden forcing a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons' arrival the other way, a change in coach from Steve Nash to Jacque Vaughn in November, and Durant himself requesting a trade back in August, the Nets have been at the centre of blockbuster headlines.
But Durant feels the team can now look forward to establishing themselves as a major force.
"It was one of those years you reflect on and you see the turning points in the organisation," Durant said.
"We've seen different moments that brought us together as a group. You see, at this point now towards the end of the year, you start to see us come together and perform what we've been looking to do these last couple of years, which was a solid team that plays hard every night.
"So, we went through a lot in this calendar year, but we're looking for bigger and better things in 2023.
"When we came back for this season, the start of the season, there was a lot of talk in the summertime, but for us to bring the group back together and start the year was cool.
"And then once Jacque became the coach and we started to move forward then, obviously that was a turning point for us. Then we had some stuff that wasn't ideal.
"Guys out the lineup, Kyrie out the lineup, James Harden demanded a trade, there was a lot of stuff that we went through. How we started from an outside perspective, the noise around our team, it's good that we can be about ball going into this new year. We're playing a solid brand right now, so that's the most important thing."
It was a sentiment echoed by Simmons, who is still attempting to hit top form after well documented injury issues.
"A lot of ups and downs," Simmons said. "I don't know. I don't know how to even sum it up. Basketball-wise I think it's been great.
"Start of the year we had some different expectations, a lot of noise, a lot of different things going on, but I think we had a lot of poise with this season and with all the different things going on so it's been an eventful year."
The preseason uncertainty with the Nets centred on whether Irving would pick up the player option in his contract. When he eventually did so, Durant opted to stay put.
A disappointing start to the season, which followed a first-round sweep to the Boston Celtic's in the 2021-22 playoffs, signalled the end for Nash in November, though.
But Irving credits the arrival of Vaughn as the catalyst for the Nets hitting their stride.
"He gives you an ease. When you come into the locker room nothing's forced, he's not too high or too low," Irving said.
"He's just holding himself to a high standard, exemplifying what a leader should look like. So as our head coach, as our leader, I've been able to learn some things from him.
"And that's just being able to have relationships with everybody and being able to get the best out of everybody.
"And that's been a lesson for me; I felt like this year was just learning how to get the best out of everybody instead of trying to do it all yourself or trying to overthink the game.
"We've got good pieces in that locker room, a good coaching staff. The level of play should raise and it should get easier."
Jason Kidd hailed the "incredible" Luka Doncic for "bailing out" the Dallas Mavericks in their win over the San Antonio Spurs on New Year's Eve.
The Slovenian superstar had his third 50-point game of the season as the Mavericks held on for a 126-125 road win to close out 2022 on a high note.
Having led by 17 points, it was a frantic closing minute for Dallas with Doncic typically at the centre of the action.
Tre Jones intentionally missed the second of two free-throw attempts after being fouled by Mavs forward Davis Bertans, but Doncic himself purposely missed a couple with only 1.5 seconds remaining in order to prevent the Spurs from having an opportunity to make a game-winning play.
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was particularly impressed with that game management, saying: "Not easy to win here.
"But, again, Luka was incredible. He bails us out again by missing the free throws. As much as he wanted to make those free throws down the stretch, [it was] so that they didn't have time to set up a play."
The records continue to rack up for Doncic, who had 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists when the Mavs defeated the New York Knicks in overtime on Tuesday.
His average of 35.1 points in the month of December represented the highest scoring average in any month in Dallas' franchise history, while he also became the first NBA player to have 250 points, 50 rebounds and 50 assists in a five-game span.
"It's incredible," said teammate Christian Wood. "In my seven years in the league, I've never seen anybody do what he's able to do. He's on an incredible run.
"He's playing like an MVP. Clearly one of the best players in the league."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had, tongue-in-cheek, said Doncic would be kept under the 50-point mark.
With a smile on his face Doncic said that was not fuel for the fire, adding: "No, I just wanted to get a win."
Popovich himself talked up his team's performance despite narrowly falling short against Doncic.
"Yeah, we had a good team effort and individual effort on him, but he's an amazing player," Popovich said. "His IQ is off the charts.
"So, we would rather win than lose like everybody else in the world, but [I'm] really proud of their effort and the way they just kept going even after we got down whatever it was."
The Mavericks start 2023 fourth in the Western Conference with a 21-16 record and begin the new year against the lowly Houston Rockets on Monday.
By contrast, the Spurs (12-24) have the second-worst record in the conference. They face the Brooklyn Nets next time out.
The New Orleans Saints will receive a boost for Sunday's trip to take on the Philadelphia Eagles with the return of four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Lattimore, 26, last played in the Saints' Week 5 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, where he suffered an abdomen injury that cost him 10 weeks of action.
He will return to a Saints team who have struggled to a 6-9 record, but are riding a two-game winning streak and still have everything to play for, sitting only one game behind the 7-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the race for the NFC South with two fixtures remaining.
Lattimore will be joined by a second big inclusion for the Saints as first-round draft pick Chris Olave is also expected to make his way back from a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.
Olave, a 22-year-old receiver, has 940 receiving yards this season – 460 more than any other Saints player.
The Eagles are expected to be without starting quarterback and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts for the second week in a row, although he has now returned to the practice field.
The Georgia Bulldogs will face the TCU Horned Frogs in the CFP National Championship on January 9 after prevailing in a pair of close semi-finals on New Year's Eve.
In the first of the two semi-finals, third-ranked TCU took on the two-seed Michigan Wolverines and produced the second-highest scoring playoff game since the inception of the new format in 2014.
The Horned Frogs looked set to coast through for a chance at their first National Championship since 1938 after their second pick-six of the game gave them a 34-16 lead late in the third period, but there would be plenty of points still to come.
In fact, the 44 combined points in the third quarter was the most ever in one quarter of a playoff game, and two quick touchdowns from Michigan cut the margin to 41-38 early in the fourth period.
Michigan got the ball back with 45 seconds and no timeouts, needing a touchdown to produce an incredible comeback win, but the TCU defense rose to the occasion and got the turnover-on-downs to escape 51-45 winners.
The second game was somehow even more dramatic, with defending champions Georgia scoring the game-winning touchdown with under one minute remaining to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 42-41.
Ohio State quarterback and likely top-five NFL Draft pick C.J. Stroud was excellent, completing 23 of his 34 passes for 348 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers, but it was not enough.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett is now one game away from leading the Bulldogs to consecutive titles, matching Stroud stride-for-stride as he completed 23-of-34 for 398 yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, including the game-winning pass to Adonai Mitchell with 54 seconds on the clock.
San Francisco Giants executive Farhan Zaidi confirmed it was a "difference of opinion on the medical review" that caused the franchise's $350million free agent deal with Carlos Correa to fall apart.
Correa, 28, sent shockwaves through the league when he agreed to a 13-year free agent deal with the Giants, only for the signing to be called off three hours before the scheduled introductory press conference.
With San Francisco off the table, Correa and agent Scott Boras moved on to the New York Mets, agreeing to a 12-year, $315m contract – which has still not been finalised as they tackle the same medical issues that scared away the Giants.
In his first interview since the debacle, Zaidi made an effort to insist those risks are simply a part of the free agent game.
"I was on the phone with Scott Boras on the Monday that we did Carlos' physical right when his plane landed," he said. "So any suggestion that this was an 11th-hour thing is just not accurate.
"As soon as we had information, we shared it. We have a good working relationship with Scott Boras and his agency."
Zaidi confirmed the Giants and Correa's camp had "a difference of opinion on the medical review" – with ESPN's reporting adding that it is regarding an ankle injury and subsequent surgery on the issue back in 2014.
The Giants were also considered the favourites to land the top free agent on the market, but reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge shunned them to return to the New York Yankees on a nine-year, $360m deal.
As a result, Zaidi himself became a target online of disgruntled Giants fans, and he admitted that is hard to get use to.
"It's always a little jarring when you open up your Twitter app just to see what's happening in the world and your name is trending," he said. "That's generally not a good thing.
"At the end of the day I understand it comes with the territory. We have fans that really care, really are invested in this team and at the end of the day our job is to just put a compelling, fun team to watch on the field.
"This is baseball, I feel really fortunate to be in this job, I love it. I love the responsibility that comes with it, and part of my responsibility when things don't go your way is to support and lift other people up and not dwell on the negatives."
The Giants ended up addressing their outfield need with former Seattle Mariner Mitch Haniger on a three-year, $43.5m deal, as well as New York Mets left-handed bat Michael Conforto for two years and $36m.
Luka Doncic scored more than 50 points for the third time in his past five games to carry the Dallas Mavericks to a 126-125 victory against the San Antonio Spurs on New Year's Eve.
It was the sixth consecutive win for the Mavericks, which has coincided with a scintillating stretch of play from their Slovenian superstar.
Doncic scored 51 points against the Spurs on 18-of-29 shooting, adding nine assists, six rebounds and four steals. It came just four days after Doncic became the first player in NBA history to post a 60-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game in a dramatic comeback against the New York Knicks.
The 23-year-old, who has a Rookie of the Year and three All-NBA First Team selections from his first four seasons, is mounting a charge for his first MVP, and has put together arguably the best five-game stretch of his career.
In his past five games, Doncic is averaging 45.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists, and in the process he has overtaken Joel Embiid in the race for the scoring title, now at 34.2 points per game for the season.
Christian Wood was strong in a supporting role against the Spurs, scoring 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. In his eight appearances since finally being injected into the starting line-up, Wood is averaging 19.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 50.5 per cent from the field and 38.2 per cent from deep.
The Mavericks are now 21-16 and have jumped up to fourth place in the Western Conference.
Nets make it 11 in a row
The Brooklyn Nets remain the hottest team in the league after rattling off their 11th consecutive win, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 123-106.
Kyrie Irving led the way offensively with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, while Kevin Durant was similarly efficient for his 23 points (nine-of-15). Defensively, Nic Claxton was the anchor, blocking six shots while also hitting six of his seven field goal attempts.
After starting the season 1-5, the Nets are now 24-12, and trail only the Boston Celtics (26-10) in the Eastern Conference.
Morant takes bragging rights in 2019 Draft showdown
The New Orleans Pelicans selected Zion Williamson over Ja Morant in the 2019 NBA Draft, and they received a glimpse at what could have been as Morant guided the Memphis Grizzlies to a 116-101 triumph.
Morant scored a game-high 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting, adding eight assists and two steals, while Wiliamson could only muster 20 points on six-of-16 shooting and a career-high nine turnovers.
Having only played in 18 of the Grizzlies' 34 games, Jaren Jackson Jr does not qualify for the official league leaderboards, but his six blocks against the Pelicans raised his average to 3.0, comfortably clear of league-leader Brook Lopez (2.6).
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