For the first time in his illustrious career, an injury will prevent Los Angeles Rams seven-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald from taking the field.
Coach Sean McVay said on Wednesday that a high-ankle sprain suffered in the Rams' 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 will sideline Donald for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
This will be the first game the 31-year-old Donald will miss since Week 17 of the 2017 season, when the Rams rested a number of starters ahead of the playoffs. The only other game he missed in his nine-year career was Week 1 of the same season because of a contract holdout.
Despite missing those two games in 2017, he still won his first of three NFL Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
Donald, who has five sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 11 quarterback hits and a forced fumble in 11 games this season, is the latest Rams star to be saddled with an injury, joining quarterback Matthew Stafford (concussion protocol) and 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp (high-ankle sprain).
Unlike Kupp, whose high-ankle sprain required surgery, Donald won't need surgery, and is considered week to week, according to McVay.
Although the injury isn't thought to be season-ending, there is a possibility the team ultimately decides to shut him down seeing as the Rams are essentially playing out the string.
Last Sunday's loss was the fifth straight for Los Angeles, dropping the defending Super Bowl champions to 3-8 – alone in last place in the NFC West.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced defenseman Kris Letang will be out "indefinitely" after suffering a stroke on Monday, though his NHL career is not thought to be in doubt.
Letang was previously out of action for two months after suffering a stroke in 2014, with subsequent tests showing he was born with a small hole in the wall of his heart.
Speaking to the team's website, Pittsburgh's general manager Ron Hextall revealed the 35-year-old had suffered symptoms on Monday before undergoing testing, which will continue in the coming days.
"Kris reported symptoms to the training staff on Monday and was immediately taken to the hospital for testing," Hextall said.
"The test results were shocking to hear, but we are grateful that Kris is doing well. We are thankful to the medical staff and the physicians at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
"He is a warrior on the ice, but first and foremost, he is a son, father, husband and friend. His health is our number one priority."
Letang, meanwhile, is optimistic he will make a swift return to action.
"I am fortunate to know my body well enough to recognise when something isn't right," Letang added. "While it is difficult to navigate this issue publicly, I am hopeful it can raise awareness.
"It is important for me that my team-mates, family and the fans know that I am okay. I am optimistic that I will be back on the ice soon."
Letang has spent the entirety of his 17-year career with the Penguins, playing 962 regular-season games, 543 of which have come since he suffered his first stroke eight years ago.
It's officially Tony Finau's world. The rest of us are just living in it.
The 33-year-old continued his winning ways last month at the Cadence Bank Houston Open, steam rolling the competition en-route to a four-shot victory. It was his third PGA Tour victory over his last 30 starts after the Utah native won just once in his first 185 tournaments.
"This is definitely the most all parts of my game have been clicking, but I would say I've played a lot of good golf for a while," Finau said afterward. "I didn't have a lot of wins to show for it, but I've pieced together a game and that's what you have to do out here.
"I feel like I've been a very solid player for a long time, but it's exciting for me that I'm getting better and that's all I can ask of myself is try and get better in the areas that I really need to.
"And then remember why you are where you are. I think I don't go too far away from the DNA of my game and how I see the game and I think I'm kind of bearing the fruits of how I see the game now and I'm able to hit the shots that I can see, which is pretty cool."
The DNA of Finau's game has been easy to identify – putting and driving. Simple enough, right?
At the Houston Open, Finau finished with a 75 percent driving accuracy for the week, the fourth time in his five TOUR wins he's accomplished that feat.
Amazingly, it was the worst percentage among all his recent victories – he finished with a 76.8 percent accuracy at this year's 3M Open, a 78.6 percent accuracy at the 2021 FedEx St. Jude Championship, and a career-best 82.1 percent accuracy at the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this summer.
"Probably the best driving week I've had in my career, at least that's how I felt,” Finau said. "For the first time in my career I hit all 13 fairways, 100 percent of fairways in regulation. I've never done that in my career, so definitely drove the ball.
The schedule in Week 13 of the NFL season is undoubtedly one of the best of the campaign so far.
It features a host of compelling games between teams likely to be in the mix to go deep into the playoffs at the end of the year.
That also makes it one of the toughest weeks to predict, but there are several players in action who look to be locks for strong fantasy football performances.
Here Stats Perform dives into the data to pick out four offensive players and a defense in line to come up big this week.
Quarterback: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions
Lawrence looks to have officially arrived after leading a sensational comeback against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11.
Since Week 9, Lawrence leads the NFL with a completion percentage of 76.9 and this week faces a Lions defense allowing 7.15 yards per pass play, the third-most in the league. Need we say more?
Running Back: Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
With Aaron Rodgers banged up, though still seemingly likely to play, the Packers have all the more reason to lean on the run game in Chicago.
Jones is the Packers' best offensive weapon, with his 198 touches the 11th-most in the NFL, with 43 coming as a receiver. Going against a Bears defense shorn of its top talent and allowing the fourth-most yards per play in the league (5.92), Jones is a near-lock for fantasy success.
Wide Receiver: Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Chase is finally set to return from a hip injury in this rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game, and all the signs point to a high-scoring game.
The two meetings they had in the previous campaign in the regular season and the postseason produced a combined 116 points, and the Bengals' offense is firing on all cylinders once again.
Since Week 6, the Bengals are averaging 293.3 net passing yards per game, trailing only the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins. Given the rapport Chase enjoys with quarterback Joe Burrow, he figures to play an integral role in another explosive display in this matchup between AFC heavyweights.
Tight End: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins
Kittle may not be the primary weapon in the 49er passing game these days, but this week is one in which he looks primed to have a big say in a fascinating encounter between Super Bowl contenders.
With Elijah Mitchell out with a sprained MCL and Christian McCaffrey dealing with knee irritation, San Francisco may have lean more on the pass game than the rushing attack.
That should not be a problem for an offense that is third in pass yards per play (7.08) and the Niners should find joy targeting Kittle against a defense that has had difficulties containing tight ends. Kittle has four touchdowns in his last five games and that tally appears likely to increase in a battle between two efficient offenses.
Defense/Special Teams: Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans
All the attention around this matchup surrounds Deshaun Watson's controversial debut against his former team, but a much-maligned defense might be able to decide this game on its own.
The Browns are extremely vulnerable to the run, but limited Tom Brady and the Buccaneers to 17 points last week in a hugely impressive overtime win. The Texans' offense is averaging the fourth-fewest yards per play in the league and has allowed the fifth-most sacks for negative yardage (33). This matchup is an enticing one for Myles Garrett and Co. and fantasy owners in need of defensive help shouldn't hesitate to rely on what has been a largely unreliable unit in 2022.
Norman Powell's late rally came as no surprise to Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue, after he helped seal a 118-112 wn over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The shooting guard was traded from the Oregon outfit down the West Coast in February, just months after signing a mammoth new five-year deal to stay with them.
Facing off against his former side, Powell posted a 32-point performance off the bench, with 22 coming in the final quarter alone, to take the team to 13-9 for the season.
Lue acknowledged the 29-year-old was likely to be fired up by the chance to impress against the Trail Blazers, and was more than happy to reap the rewards.
"When you get traded from somewhere, you want to play well against them," Lue stated after Powell connected on four of his five three-point attempts.
"I thought he was a little too excited in the first half - we are always going to stay with our guys and he had 24 points in the second half, really attacking the basket.
"He was getting to the paint and getting to the free-throw line.
"He's been playing great for about the last three to four weeks."
Powell, a former NBA champion during his time with the Toronto Raptors, is looking to help the Clippers bounce back after the team missed the playoffs by coming up short in the play-in tournament last term.
The Clippers are fifth in the Western Conference, two places above Portland, who dropped to 11-10.
Tiger Woods has hailed Rory McIlroy's leadership on the PGA Tour, after a busy year that saw the Northern Irishman impress on and off the course.
McIlroy has led the fight against the LIV Golf breakaway across 2022, while he has also returned to number one in the world rankings.
Woods echoed McIlroy's calls for LIV chief Greg Norman to step down earlier this week, in order to help heal golf's bitter civil war.
Now though, the 15-time major winner has expressed his wholehearted admiration for his fellow tour favourite, highlighting the respect he commands among his fellow players.
"What Rory has said and done are what leaders do," Woods said.
"Rory is a true leader out here on tour.
"The fact he's able to get things in the public eye, be so clear-minded and eloquent with it, [and then] go out there and win tournaments on top of that, people have no idea how hard that is, to be able to separate those two things.
"He's been fantastic. He's a great leader in our calls we make, and he's a great leader with all the players out here.
"Everyone respects him, and they respect him because not just his ball-striking, his driving, but the person he is."
Woods also assuaged McIlroy's earlier fears that he had given him COVID-19 on the eve of the Open Championship earlier this year, after the latter made the disclosure in an interview.
"I got tested," he added. "I was always negative. I was feeling under the weather, yes, but I never got a positive test."
Woods and McIlroy are set to partner each other in The Match later this month, with the former hoping to be fit after his withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge this week with a foot problem.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll wants his team to relish the opportunity to end their playoff drought ahead of a crucial December, despite back-to-back losses.
The rookie boss has taken his unfancied side to a 7-4 record this term, winning six of his first seven matches in charge after arriving from the Buffalo Bills backroom to succeed Joe Judge.
However, consecutive defeats to the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have checked momentum to stall hopes of both a first regular-season winning record and a playoff spot since 2016.
But Daboll believes his side can turn things around ahead of a vital four-game run that will see them pitted against key rivals the Washington Commanders twice over the next month.
"When you play meaningful games in December, I think that's why we all do this," he said.
"I've been on teams that have played meaningful games in December, and I've been part of teams that haven't.
"It's not a lot of fun when you're not playing meaningful games. So, let's come to work with a great attitude, a positive mindset [and] keep getting better."
The Giants' sterling start to the campaign has been slowed in recent weeks, with Daboll's side off the pace of their earlier exploits, while a torn ACL looks to have ended wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson's season.
But their coach feels they are showing a steady approach, win or lose, adding: "I think the way they're handling winning [is how they handle losing]. They're consistent.
"We've all been in this league a long time. The last time that you haven't faced adversity will be the first time. You're going to face it. Week 1, Week 5, Week 10. The approach is to be consistent."
Luka Doncic's dazzling NBA feats are "getting boring", joked Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, after the point guard posted his third 40-point triple-double of the season.
The Slovenian scored 41 points alongside 12 rebounds and 12 assists to help his side snap a four-game losing run in spectacular style, as they edged a 116-113 win over the Golden State Warriors.
It takes Doncic to three for the number of 40-point triple-doubles in the NBA this season, while no other player has yet managed one.
Kidd jested that it was not enough for a player of his calibre and stressed the 23-year-old remains a generational talent.
"It's getting boring," he quipped. "I mean, let's see something different. Maybe [he can] do it with his left hand. I'm just joking.
"Look, he's one of the best in the world, and that's what he does. Some of us can take him for granted. The man is special."
Doncic, who leads the NBA scoring charts this season, was exhausted but delighted to help the Mavericks turn matters around after a tough end to November.
"I just participated, giving everything I got," he added. "I was really tired at the end, but we needed this game. I think we deserved this win, and we for sure needed this win."
The Warriors came close to forcing overtime, with Klay Thompson missing a late three-point opportunity after the ball rimmed out, to Doncic's relief.
"I was scared, I'm not going to lie," he added. "It's Klay. He's not going to miss many open shots. I was really happy when it didn't go in."
The NBA's leading scorer Luka Doncic increased his average with a stunning 42-point triple-double to defeat the Golden State Warriors 116-113 at home on Tuesday.
Averaging 33.1 points per game this season, Doncic eclipsed 40 points for the fifth time in 19 outings, hitting 14-of-27 from the field while adding 12 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals.
He finished with a plus/minus of plus 22 in 39 minutes, meaning his team was outscored by 19 in the nine minutes he was on the bench.
Doncic received strong support from Tim Hardaway Jr, hitting five-of-11 from long range for his 22 points, while their 2020 first-round draft pick Josh Green showed signs of life with three three-pointers and impressive defense off the bench.
For the Warriors, Stephen Curry continued his MVP-calibre season with another 32 points (11-of-24 shooting), five rebounds and five assists, while last year's seventh overall draft pick Jonathan Kuminga had 14 points (six-of-eight), 10 rebounds and two blocks.
The Mavericks came into the contest on a four-game losing streak, but pulled their record even at 10-10, while the Warriors are in the same boat at 11-11.
Powell shines in revenge game
Norman Powell enjoyed his most productive game of the season to deliver the Los Angeles Clippers a 118-112 comeback win on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Playing on the road against his former club, Powell scored a team-high 32 points off the bench in just 26 minutes, going 10-of-16 from the field, four-of-five from deep and eight-of-10 from the free throw line.
He had 22 of his points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 95-82 deficit at three-quarter time, with the Clippers winning the final period 36-17.
Anfernee Simons was at his sharpshooting best for the Blazers, finishing 13-of-24 from the field and nine-of-16 from three-point range for his 37 points, marking the fourth time in the 23-year-old's career that he has hit nine threes in a game.
Randle has a birthday to remember
Julius Randle turned 28 on Tuesday, and he celebrated with a season-high 36 points in a one-sided 140-110 New York Knicks blowout of the Detroit Pistons.
Randle shot 14-of-24 from the field and six-of-13 from deep, raising his true shooting percentage – which accounts for and weights three-pointers and free throws – to 58.4 per cent.
That figure is more efficient than his 2020-21 season (56.7 per cent true shooting), where he became an All-Star and second-team All-NBA selection, after struggling mightily this past campaign (50.9 per cent).
The Knicks are now one game below .500 at 10-11, and boast the league's 10th-best offense.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was unfazed by his side's narrow 113-116 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, instead choosing to focus on what he called Jonathan Kuminga's best game as a professional.
There were warning signs early that this was not going to be the Warriors' night as they quickly fell down 23-6 after eight minutes of action, and despite fighting back well, they were unable to overcome the brilliance of Luka Doncic.
The 23-year-old MVP favourite scored 41 points on 14-of-27 shooting with 12 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals – posting a game-high plus/minus of plus 22 in his 39 minutes.
That means in the nine minutes he was on the bench, the Mavericks were outscored by 19 points, and Kerr acknowledged after the game that there was nothing they could do about the Slovenian when he is playing like that.
"Luka is Luka, he is just a tremendous shot-creator and shot-maker, and we just couldn't get the ball to go down tonight," he said.
"I love the effort, and I told the guys we're in a really good spot. We have kind of rounded into form, our bench has an identity, and we very easily could've won that game – but the ball has to go in the hoop, and sometimes it doesn't.
"Just an off night, you could see right away we fell down 23-6. We had plenty of good looks, it's just part of the season. This happens, no big deal."
A big part of the Warriors' fightback was Kuminga's play when both teams had their second-units on the floor, with the former lottery pick hitting six-of-eight from the field for 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in his 26 minutes.
"It was the best game I've ever seen 'JK' play," he said. "Everything he did contributed towards making an impact on winning.
"His defense on Luka was fantastic, he was disciplined, he stayed down, he challenged shots, and I think he had a couple blocks.
"He stayed patient offensively, he took the shots that were there, he knocked down a big three. JK has been fantastic, he's really coming into his own and that's exciting.
"It's exciting, because it's not easy. It's not easy for him to be thrown into a high-pressure environment, and to have to be counted on to win.
"A lot of guys, a lot of his colleagues, guys who were drafted near him are being given 30 minutes every night and there's not nearly as much pressure to win, because they're not on championship teams.
"He's handled everything really well, I think the way he is playing is a direct reflection of his attitude and approach these last few weeks."
Kuminga's sophomore season has got off to a rocky start, with the 20-year-old's minutes, points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage and three-point percentage all lower than his marks as a rookie.
The seventh overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft is beginning to figure it out, now posting back-to-back games with at least 20 minutes played while shooting over 60 per cent from the floor, and his status as the Warriors' most athletic wing gives him the upside to be a factor as they attempt to defend their title.
Julius Randle celebrated his 28th birthday in style as he dropped 36 points on the New York Knicks' best shooting night of the season to hammer the Detroit Pistons 140-110.
Randle's 36 points sets a new season-high for the 2021 All-NBA selection, kicking off his night with the first quarter of his career with at least five three-pointers, before finishing 14-of-24 from the field and six-of-13 from deep.
Averaging 24.3 assists per game to sit 18th in the league, the Knicks dished 31 dimes en route to setting their new season-best mark of 45.7 per cent shooting from long-range, hitting 16 of their 35 total attempts.
The win on the first game of their road trip snaps a two-game losing streak for the Knicks, and Randle said he was determined to make his birthday a great night for the whole squad.
"The road is usually where teams come together," he said. "That's what we do, so I'm just trying to lead by example and play with energy, play with effort, and do whatever I can do help this team win.
"It was flowing. Anytime we get stops we can get out in transition and get easy buckets, and offensively we're starting to move without the ball. It's good.
"It's always what the defense gives me. Naturally, I'm going to be aggressive, but I was just locked in and taking the shots they were giving me."
When asked if he can sense a big game like this in the hours leading up to the contest, Randle admitted he had a feeling this one was going to go well.
"Sometimes [I can tell]," he said. "I could tell today a little bit. I was just locked in, felt good by myself and how my body was feeling. We've got to follow it up tomorrow."
After Randle's career-best 2020-21 campaign, there were concerns this past season that he had regressed and that perhaps his great year was an outlier, with his true shooting percentage dipping from 56.7 to 50.9 – his lowest figure since the 2015-16 season.
He started slow again this time around, but quickly figured things out, putting up 21.5 points per game with strong splits of 47.4 per cent from the field, 35.4 per cent from deep on 6.9 attempts per game, and 80.4 per cent from the free throw line during November.
It has resulted in his true shooting percentage – which weights three-pointers and free throws to produce one figure – jumping back up to a 58.4 per cent, and coach Tom Thibodeau said it is no surprise.
"He's been doing it for a while now," he said. "Offensively, we're scoring a ton of points, I think we're top-10 in scoring.
"We're scoring in the paint, guys are sharing it, making plays, getting to the line a lot. I like where we are offensively, and I thought our rebounding was really good tonight. We just have to keep building."
Veteran guard Derrick Rose added: "Of course, with it being his birthday, we knew when he first came out how the game was going to go.
"He forced his will on the team, and everybody else had to follow. That's normally what happens when leaders lead."
The Knicks are now 10-11, and if they can just figure out how to fix their 24th-ranked defense, their 10th-ranked offense is potent enough to flirt with the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills edge-rusher Von Miller did suffer some damage to his lateral meniscus, but is targeting a return against the New York Jets in Week 14.
Speaking publicly for the first time since he suffered the injury on November 24, Miller addressed the injury – which some Bills fans thought could be season-threatening at the time – on his podcast 'The VonCast'.
"I do have some lateral meniscus damage and it's going to have to be addressed," Miller said on the podcast. "But I do feel like I can, you know, play through that, so I'm just gonna wait a little bit, and let the swelling go down for about seven-to-10 days and, hopefully, right before the Jets game I will be back."
Miller, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, was initially ruled out indefinitely with what the team called a knee sprain after being carted off the field during Buffalo’s 28-25 Thanksgiving Day win in Detroit.
The 32-year-old pass-rusher will miss the Bills' (8-3) game against the New England Patriots (6-5) on Thursday.
Playing in his first season with the Bills, Miller has totalled eight sacks in 11 games after he helped the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl this past season.
Miller is the NFL’s active leader with 123-and-a-half career sacks, placing him 19th on the league’s all-time list of sacks leaders.
Tyson Fury conceded a fight with Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua in 2023 appears unlikely after detailing his plans for next year's schedule.
WBC champion Fury will defend his title at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday against Derek Chisora, who has lost twice already against the 34-year-old.
Chisora comes in as somewhat of a replacement clash for Fury after the 'Gypsy King' repeatedly declared his desire to face Usyk or Joshua.
While the unbeaten Fury still seeks an undisputed heavyweight bout with Usyk or an all-British showdown with Joshua, he conceded both fights remain a pipe dream at present.
"Probably not, because they are all bums, we will see," Fury told Sky Sports when asked about the two potential clashes.
"I am not going to count my chickens at all, but we will find out next year what will happen.
"If you see me in Antarctica doing a fight, you know I am on my bum-a-month campaign."
Instead, Fury – perhaps somewhat in jest – claimed he intends to fight around the globe in 2023 as he prepares to discuss his plans with promoter Frank Warren.
"I think I would like to do 12 fights next year, do like a bum-a-month campaign all over the world," he added.
"I am going to sit down with Frank Warren after this fight and see what we can do, see if we can do a bum-a-month campaign and go to random places and fight someone.
"Go to India, go to China, go to Australia, go to Indonesia, go to Africa, just fight local people. You have a heavyweight guy there? Yeah, let's fight him.
"Have a chance to fight for the World Championship like Rocky did in Apollo."
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan agreed a contract extension before the 2022-23 season began last month, the team's public relations staff have confirmed.
Donovan signed a four-year deal when he took charge of the Bulls in September 2020, and led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season.
The Bulls posted a 46-36 record in 2021-22, making it their first winning season since 2015-16, while they have won three of their last four games to improve to 9-11 following an inconsistent start to the new campaign.
Donovan's original contact with the six-time NBA champions was set to expire in 2024, but reports suggest the 57-year-old's new deal will run for several more seasons.
The Bulls led the Eastern Conference for much of last campaign and made the postseason despite guard Lonzo Ball suffering a serious knee injury – which has kept him out since January.
Donovan coached the Oklahoma City Thunder for five years before making the move to Chicago, leading the team to the Western Conference playoffs in each of his five seasons at the helm.
Aaron Rodgers expects to play when the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears on Sunday, having received positive news after undergoing a scan on his rib injury.
Rodgers exited last Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter after suffering from "intense pain" in his ribs, and he subsequently underwent an MRI on Monday.
The four-time NFL MVP was worried he had punctured a lung in the aftermath of the Packers' latest defeat, and head coach Matt LaFleur offered a vague response when asked about the quarterback's condition the day after their Week 12 clash.
However, Rodgers looks likely to be available against the Packers' NFC North rivals after using Tuesday's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show to offer a positive update on his fitness.
"I got good news with the scans yesterday, so I plan on playing this week," Rodgers said.
"There was an earlier shot in the game that kind of rattled the rib cage. I was trying to stretch some things out at half-time a little bit, and realised it probably wasn't some sort of muscle injury.
"Then I got hit again in the third quarter and was just having a hard time breathing.
"I pride myself on not coming out of games and I've played through a lot of different things over the years, some that got attention, some that haven't got attention.
"But I was in some considerable pain and I feel like I just couldn't move out there really much at all. I wanted to go in and make sure it wasn't something really, really serious."
Rodgers has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing arm for the last six weeks, and his latest injury setback sparked fears he could be ruled out for the remainder of 2022.
With the Packers struggling to a 4-8 record this season, Rodgers has recorded a 64.8 per cent completion rate, while his nine interceptions represent his highest total across a single campaign since 2010 (11).
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will only miss an estimated four-to-six weeks of action after suffering a right calf strain.
Towns' injury appeared to be serious when he went down in a non-contact situation in the third quarter of Monday's 142-127 loss to the Washington Wizards, needing to be helped back to the locker room.
However, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 27-year-old underwent imaging on Tuesday and is expected to return "sometime in January".
Towns was named 2016 Rookie of the Year and has made three All-Star games (2018, 2019 and 2022).
He is also the only center ever to win the Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
Towns is not having his best year, averaging 21.4 points per game this season – his lowest figure since 2017-18 – as well as a career-low 8.5 rebounds and a career-low 0.7 blocks.
But his absence is still likely to be felt keenly by a Minnesota team at 10-11, having lost their last three games.
Tiger Woods has become the latest major figure on the PGA Tour to say LIV Golf's Greg Norman must leave to allow peace to break out as the sport's civil war persists.
The 15-time major winner has backed up world number one Rory McIlroy's comments for the Australian to stand down in order to help heal the divide.
Norman, the CEO and face of the Saudi-funded breakaway tour, has been a prominent figure amid a bitter split in golf, with several of the world's leading players defecting to the rival series and with lawsuits between both parties.
McIlroy already said the chance of a compromise between both tours was unlikely as long as Norman remained in place, and now Woods has echoed his words.
"I see that there's an opportunity out there if both organisations put a stay on their litigation, but that's the problem, they've got to put a stay on it," Woods stated ahead of the Hero World Challenge.
"Whether or not they do that or not, there's no willingness to negotiate if you have a litigation against you.
"So if they both have a stay and then have a break, and then they can meet and figure something out, then maybe there is something to be had.
"But I think Greg has to go, first of all, and then obviously litigation against us and then our counter-suit against them, those would then have to be at a stay as well. Then we can talk, we can all talk freely."
Woods was set to play in the Hero World Challenge this week, but he withdrew after developing a foot problem.
He is still set to partner McIlroy at The Match later this month and then play with son Charlie at the PNC Championship.
Emma Raducanu felt "extremely grateful" after being made an MBE for her services to tennis.
The 20-year-old was presented with the honour by King Charles III in a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
It comes 14 months after Raducanu's fairytale triumph at the US Open, where she became the first British female grand slam champion since Virginia Wade's Wimbledon victory in 1977.
The then 18-year-old was also the first qualifier to land a major after her straight-sets her win over Leylah Fernandez in the championship match at Flushing Meadows.
In a statement released via her agent, Raducanu said: "It's been great to receive my honour today from his Majesty the King - I feel extremely grateful."
Raducanu did not enjoy a fruitful season in 2022, as she failed to win a trophy or progress beyond the second round in any of the grand slams.
Her deepest run in a tournament came in September, when she reached the semi-finals of the Korea Open, but she had to retire hurt from a semi-final tie with Jelena Ostapenko.
No journey to the Super Bowl is ever linear. Ever since the Miami Dolphins achieved football perfection in 1972, every team that has climbed the mountain has had to experience some kind of bump in the road, and any team that harbours ambitions of adding their name to the list must show an ability to win in different ways and prevail when one side of the ball misfires.
The 2022 San Francisco 49ers have hit several bumps in the road. From a Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears in a monsoon, to losing the anointed quarterback of the future, Trey Lance, to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 and suffering back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs, the latter of which saw them ship 44 points, there have been plenty of points this season where belief in the 49ers as the Super Bowl contenders has been tested.
But San Francisco's response to the blowout Week 7 loss to the Chiefs has been emphatic and has reaffirmed the 49ers' status as a heavyweight in the NFC.
The 49ers have reeled off four successive victories to surge to 7-4 and, if the season ended today, would win the NFC West and enter the playoffs as an extremely dangerous third seed.
Two of those four wins have been blowouts, San Francisco marrying devastating offense from a group overflowing with playmakers following the October trade for Christian McCaffrey with tremendous defensive fortitude to destroy a pair of NFC West rivals in the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals on the road.
Even with the level of star talent they have at their disposal, the 49ers' offense has not been consistent. A continuing theme of their recent dominance has been DeMeco Ryans' defense, which reached its 2022 zenith to this point on Sunday with a shutout 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints.
It was a performance that served as an encapsulation of why Ryans is likely to be the premier head coaching candidate this offseason and one that should serve to raise the question of whether his defense is one that could be among the select few that carries its team to Super Bowl glory.
The numbers point heavily to the 49er defense being of that standard.
San Francisco's shutout was the Niners' first since they beat Washington 9-0 in the 2019 season, and it was the first suffered by the Saints since Week 17 of the 2001 season. The 49ers were the team to dole out the shutout on that occasion in a 38-0 win.
While it was a 20-year low point for the Saints on offense, for the 49ers it was a continuation of an eye-opening run of defensive obduracy. The Niners have now pitched four consecutive shutouts in the second half, also keeping the Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Cardinals off the board in the final two quarters. Achieving the feat for four quarters against the Saints, they have now not conceded a point in over 94 minutes of game action.
The 49ers' refusal to let the Saints avoid drawing a blank was made more amazing by the fact New Orleans had six plays from inside San Francisco's five-yard line, and the season-long defensive numbers for the Niners paint the picture of the defiance shown by Ryans' group that could well come to define their season.
San Francisco's defense ranks first in points per game allowed, yards per game allowed, rush yards per game allowed, yards per rush allowed, first downs per game allowed and passing touchdowns allowed.
Simply put, this is a defense that can shut down anything an opposing offense does well, and it has multiple means by which it can do so.
The 49ers have the sixth-highest sack rate in the NFL at 7.9 per cent but have a blitz rate of 28.7 per cent that is below the league average of 30.8 per cent, those numbers speaking to San Francisco's long-established ability to get home by only sending four pass rushers from their exceptionally deep defensive line.
Nick Bosa, the star of that front, recorded the fourth-down sack that essentially ensured the Saints would not score in Week 12, taking his tally for the year to 11.5.
Bosa is the fifth player since 2000 to record at least one sack in nine of his first 10 games of a season, joining Hugh Douglas (2000), Everson Griffen (2017), Robert Mathis (2005) and Demarcus Ware (2008).
Yet the Niners have also made a habit of sending successful blitzes at the right time, with linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga – who each forced fumbles on Sunday – proving adept at generating pressure when rushing from the second level of the defense.
Hufanga's physicality jarred a fumble from Alvin Kamara at the one-yard line in the first of two fourth-quarter red zone stops against New Orleans, the former fifth-round pick emerging as a star in a secondary that has duplicity to frustrate teams with precise and disciplined zone coverage and facilitate blitzes by succeeding when it pivots to man coverage, with cornerback Charvarius Ward, the 49ers' headline free agency acquisition, excelling in both areas.
As with many defenses around the NFL, the 49ers rely heavily on two-high safety zone coverages; however, they have used Cover 1 man on 13.35 per cent of defensive snaps, well above the league average of 10.64 per cent. When using that coverage, they have given up 5.22 yards per play, over a yard fewer than the league average of 6.58.
In essence, the personnel Ryans has at his disposal allows him to easily switch between the staple of a four-man rush with zone coverage behind it and a more aggressive approach at any point and still have complete confidence his defense will deliver.
Though blitzes are not an overly common feature of the game plan, San Francisco's underpinning defensive philosophy is all about aggression, which is evident throughout when Ryans' players are on the field, their relentless pursuit of the football critical to the 49ers' incredible success against the run – opponents have gained only 3.1 yards per play on the ground versus San Francisco – and game-sealing turnovers such as Kamara's goal-line fumble.
That defensive violence ensured San Francisco did not follow the 49ers' offensive fireshow against the Cardinals in Mexico City with a letdown even as that attack sputtered in comparison to its efforts at Estadio Azteca.
Fast, physical, disciplined and diverse with the players at every level to consistently dominate, the 2022 49ers defense has all the ingredients of a championship unit and proved it can carry the load in ensuring San Francisco won in a very different way in Week 12 following the blowout of Week 11.
With Jimmy Garoppolo playing some of the best football of his career, after sticking around to back up Lance in a prescient move by both player and franchise, and blessed with a skill-position group that features McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, the hope will be the defense will not have to shoulder the burden on a regular basis. But this four-game stretch has proven unequivocally that it can do so, and that is an excellent insurance policy for the 49ers as they plot a path to a second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
