Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone says Nikola Jokic deserves to win the Most Valuable Player award this season, despite the team's playoff elimination at the hands of the Golden State Warriors.
The Nuggets' season ended following a 102-98 loss at Chase Center on Wednesday, handing the Warriors a 4-1 series victory.
Without the injured Jamal Murray, Jokic has had to take on a much heavier burden, and he finished Wednesday with 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting, 19 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks.
After the loss, Malone stood up for his All-Star big man and stated his case to retain the MVP award.
"Going into the game, his hamstring was a little tight," Malone said. "I'm sure he was fatigued mentally, physically and emotionally, but he fights through it.
"That guy is a warrior. I just don't understand the people that find a way to criticise Nikola Jokic. Is he perfect? No, I'm not saying he is.
"But the guy is the definition of a warrior. He's competitive, consistent, and he impacts the game in so many ways. Hell of a season, and hopefully he'll win the MVP again, because I think rightfully he deserves it."
It was always going to be a tough series against a Warriors side finding form heading into the playoffs, but the undermanned Nuggets managed to make it difficult.
Extending their season and taking out Game 4 when faced with a sweep, Malone's side held an eight-point lead after the third quarter in Wednesday night's game, but the Warriors simply found another gear.
How the Nuggets stayed competitive with the odds stacked against them provided some kind of solace for the 50-year-old coach.
"Incredibly proud, I really am," Malone said. "When you lose a series 4-1, it's hard to find that silver lining. We didn't win and that's what we came here for.
"As a head coach, I couldn't be more proud of a group that could have rolled over after the third game, fought at home to extend the series and put ourselves in a great position.
"No one gave us a chance to win the series, and there were a lot of people saying tonight was going to be a rout, that we were going to get blown out. That's not who we are."
It was a dominant showing by the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, closing out their series with a 116-100 win against the Chicago Bulls, taking the series 4-1.
The Bulls had their backs up against the wall, and their plight was made even tougher when star Zach LaVine and defensive ace Alex Caruso were ruled out due to health and safety protocols.
By the end of the first quarter, Milwaukee led 34-18, and they went on to also win the second and third quarters to hold a lead of at least 20 points throughou
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks, scoring 33 points on 11-of-15 shooting, also going 11-of-14 from the free throw line.
Jrue Holiday was solid in his point guard duties, dishing nine assists to go with his 10 points and five rebounds, while Bobby Portis was a force inside, scoring 14 points and snatching down 17 rebounds.
For the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan was disappointing in a must-win clash, finishing with just 10 points and seven assists, while only attempting 10 field goal attempts in 42 minutes.
Intriguing second-year forward Patrick Williams led Chicago in scoring with 23 points on nine-of-13 shooting, going four-of-seven from long range, while Nikola Vucevic had 19 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.
The Bucks will now take on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, with Game 1 set to take place this weekend.
Warriors roll past Nuggets with new starting-five
The Golden State Warriors had to fight back against the Denver Nuggets, closing out the series 4-1 with a 102-98 win while sporting a new-look starting five.
Stephen Curry made his first start since he was eased back from a foot injury, joined by both Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson.
The Dubs left it late though, cutting away at an eight-point deficit from the last change, before a Gary Payton II triple gave them the eventual lead with seven minutes remaining
Golden State will now take on the winner between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves, where the Grizzlies lead 3-2.
Tensions between the St Louis Cardinals and New York Mets boiled over on Wednesday as the benches cleared for a brawl, before the Cardinals won 10-5.
J.D. Davis had to leave at the top of the eighth inning after he was hit in the foot by a Genesis Cabrera pitch, making for the 19th time a Mets hitter has struck by a pitch this season, the most in MLB so far.
Mets reliever Yoan Lopez retaliated against Nolan Arenado later in the eighth inning, launching a fastball near the Cardinals DH's head. Arenado demanded he do it again, before the benches cleared, and he was ejected from the game.
The 31-year-old nine-time Gold Glove winner had an otherwise great day out for the Cardinals, claiming three hits and three RBIs in as many at-bats.
Mets starter Carlos Carrasco had one to forget, though, giving up eight hits and as many runs in 78 pitches, not making it past the fourth inning.
Stanton propels Pinstripes to victory
Giancarlo Stanton hit his 350th career home run, as well as the go-ahead sacrifice fly, with the New York Yankees defeating the Baltimore Orioles 5-2.
Stanton ended a 14-game drought with a two-run drive off Tyler Wells in the first inning, while Joey Gallo notched his third straight game with an RBI, and homered for the second consecutive game.
Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery gave up four hits and two runs over 71 pitches, before making way for Michael King in the sixth inning.
Gallen gives Diamondbacks a shock win
Zac Gallen pitched six scoreless innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks claimed an upset 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 26-year-old starter allowed only two hits and managed five strikeouts with 90 pitches in those six innings.
D-Backs short stop Nick Ahmed homered in the fifth inning, while Mark Melancon claimed his fourth save, not giving up a hit in the final frame.
Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is nearing his return from a hamstring injury, and could reportedly play in Game 6 against the New Orleans Pelicans, or Game 7 if it is required.
Booker, 25, will likely be named to the All-NBA First Team after averaging 26 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, with the Suns going 56-12 in the 68 games he suited up for in the regular season.
He played 41 minutes in Phoenix's Game 1 win against the Pelicans, but hurt his hamstring in the third quarter of Game 2 after scoring 31 points in the first half.
In his absence, the Suns lost Game 2 and Game 4, before recovering to win at home in Game 5, taking a 3-2 lead.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said Booker is "progressing toward a return soon, including the possibility as soon as Game 6 or Game 7".
Despite being a true game-time decision, it is reported that Booker will initially be listed as out of Game 6 until he proves his fitness.
Alexander Zverev is out of the BMW Open after a shock straight-sets defeat to Holger Rune in the last 16 in Munich.
The world number three and top seed had no answer to an impressive performance from Rune, with the young Dane ultimately easing to a 6-3 6-2 victory on Wednesday.
Rune set the tempo early on, moving Zverev around the court with plenty of drop shots and heading into a 4-2 lead, before saving two break points on his way to clinching the first set.
An early break in the second then seemed to give the 18-year-old the confidence to see out his first career victory against a top 10 opponent.
"It was a difficult match from the beginning," said Rune on-court after the win. "He's in the top three in the world and has been playing some unbelievable tennis, especially in the past year winning so many big titles.
"I have a lot of respect for him, and I obviously didn't expect to win in two sets, and with a score like this. But it was a really hard match, we played a lot of rallies and I'm really happy about my performance today."
Rune will play Emil Ruusuvuori in the quarter-finals after the Finn beat Maxime Cressy 6-3 6-3.
Elsewhere, fourth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili came from behind to overcome Ilya Ivashka 3-6 6-2 6-4, and will face Miomir Kecmanovic in the last eight after the seventh seed beat Daniel Altmaier 6-2 6-4.
There were also three round of 32 matches on Wednesday, with eighth seed Botic van de Zandschulp, Egor Gerasimov and Alejandro Tabilo all through to the last 16 in Munich.
Over at the Estoril Open, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will play Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals after both advanced in Portugal.
Fourth seed Davidovich Fokina beat fellow Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3 7-6 (7-5) while fifth seed Tiafoe got the better of Nuno Borges 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-0.
Fernando Verdasco is also through after a 6-2 6-3 win against Pablo Cuevas, and he will play fellow Spaniard and sixth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who came from a set down against Kwon Soon-woo, 5-7 6-1 6-2.
Donovan Mitchell said there is no danger of him missing the Utah Jazz's critical Game 6 playoff clash against the Dallas Mavericks despite his hamstring complaint.
Mitchell had to leave Game 5, a match in which he scored a playoff career-low nine points and the Jazz's total of 77 points was their lowest score since November 2018.
Trailing 3-2 in the series, with Game 6 headed back to Utah, the Jazz now face two win-or-go-home fixtures to keep their season alive.
Speaking to the Salt Lake Tribune after his MRI came back negative, Donovan Mitchell left no doubt about his status for the contest.
"I'm good to go," he said. "I'll be ready."
He later spoke to the Dallas Morning News and said "everybody knows and feels" the significance of their next game.
"We don't want this to be the end," he said.
"We've got to go out there and give energy. We have one of the best home court advantages for a reason – I'm pretty sure it will be rocking tomorrow night."
Tyson Fury declared "I'm done" and reaffirmed his intentions to retire from boxing after successfully defending his WBC heavyweight belt against Dillian Whyte.
The undefeated Fury delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Whyte at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, and either side of the fight suggested he will call it a day on his career following the all-British bout.
Fury, 33, speaking on Piers Morgan's show 'Uncensored' on Talk TV, reiterated his desire to retire from boxing, despite speculation surrounding potential clashes with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.
Beaten challenger Whyte, who did not feel the referee should have stopped the bout, is also hungry for another shot at Fury.
"This is the truth, the gospel truth, nothing but the truth – I'm done," Fury said.
"Every good dog has its day and like the great Roman leader said, 'there will always be somebody else to fight'.
"When is enough, enough? I'm happy, I'm healthy, I've still got my brains and I can still talk. I've got a beautiful wife, six kids, I've got umpteen belts, plenty of money, success, fame, glory – what more am I doing it for?
"Boxing is a very dangerous sport. You can be taken out with one punch as we've seen on Saturday and it's one unlucky blow and you may not get up off that canvas.
"I'm quitting while I'm ahead, I'm undefeated and only the second man in history to retire as undefeated heavyweight champion.
"I'm very, very happy, very content in my heart with what I've done and what I've achieved."
Fury, should his claims prove to be true, will join American great Rocky Marciano as the only heavyweight champions to retire with an unbeaten record.
Questions persist whether Fury will face UFC star Francis Ngannou in a boxing-mixed martial arts exhibition event or reappear in professional wrestling after his WWE appearances in 2019.
Yet even if offered the mouth-watering prospect of fighting fellow Brit Joshua or Ukrainian Usyk – who are set to face off in a rematch for the IBF, WBO and WBA-Super belts – Fury insists he will not return to professional boxing.
"It's not worth it," he said. "I've got four young kids to raise and two older ones, I've been away for the last 10 years all over the world travelling for boxing.
"When do I get time to be a father, a husband, a brother, a son? I need this personal time. The fans will always want more, they're always baying for more blood, but at the end of the day I don't have any more to give.
"I've given everything I've got, I've been a professional for 14 years and been boxing for over 20 years.
"Every good dog has its day in the sun and my time is to go out on a high. I always said I wanted to walk away on top of the sport and do it on my terms and didn't want to be the person who said I should have been retired two years ago or whatever.
"They will not forget 'The Gypsy King' in a hurry – and no amount of material assets or money will make me come back out of retirement because I'm very happy."
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers hit back at reporters on Wednesday, defending his playoff resume from the insinuation that he is responsible for some memorable collapses.
The 76ers are a team under pressure against the Toronto Raptors in their first round series, as they strive to avoid the dubious honour of becoming the first team to ever blow a 3-0 series lead.
After controlling the first three fixtures, the 76ers fell by eight points in Game 4, and 15 points in Game 5 as star Joel Embiid battles a thumb injury that will likely require surgery once Philadelphia's season is over.
Rivers, who won the 2008 NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics, pushed back when questioned about his reputation in the playoffs.
"Well, it's easy to use me as an example," he said "But I wish y'all would tell the whole story with me. All right?
"My Orlando team [in 2003] was the eighth seed. No one gives me credit for getting up against the [Detroit] Pistons, who won the title.
"That was an eighth seed. I want you to go back and look at that roster. I dare you to go back and look at that roster. And you would say, 'What a hell of a coaching job.' Really.
"I mean, the Clipper team [in 2015] that we lost 3-1, Chris Paul didn't play the first two games, and was playing on one leg, and we didn't have home court.
"And then the last one [when the Clippers lost to the Denver Nuggets in 2020], to me, is the one we blew. That's the one I took. We blew that.
"And that was in the bubble. And anything can happen in the bubble. There's no home court. Game 7 would have been in LA."
After highlighting his most famous playoff shortcomings, Rivers insisted it is not a theme, and sometimes it is just the way the cookie crumbles.
"But, it just happens," he said. "So I would say with me... some of it is, I gotta do better, always.
"I always take my own responsibility. And then some of it is, circumstances happen. This one, let's win it, and we don't have to talk about it.
"Being up 3-0, especially 3-0, I would say that [teams feel differently].
"A lot of teams don't win those games. The Celtics are the only one that won that game [in the first round of this year's playoffs]. Everyone else lost that game.
"From a coaching standpoint, you hate that, because you feel like, 'Let's just take care of it.' Then you get to Game 5 the other night, and [Toronto] played better.
"We didn't play well. We didn't play with a sense of urgency. So clearly now, I think both teams have kind of served notice and both teams have the other team's attention.
"If you don't have that, then we're all in trouble."
Emma Raducanu hailed Torben Beltz as "one of the nicest people I've met", despite deciding to split from the German coach.
The US Open champion parted company with Beltz on Tuesday after just five months together.
The duo began working together in November but have now split as the world number 11 plots the way forward ahead of the French Open and Wimbledon.
"Torben is a great guy. I really enjoyed my time with him on and off the court," Raducanu said while preparing for the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
"He is one of the nicest people I've met, so obviously it was a tough one to split with someone like that.
"But I feel like right now I'm very comfortable with my current training. I'm feeling very confident in what I'm doing and how I'm working.
"I feel like over the last few weeks it's definitely become more apparent and especially as I've spent more time on the tour playing more matches against these top opponents, that I kind of understand what I feel like I need more of.
"I think Torben has been great for me because when I wanted someone with tour experience, I think for my first six months on the tour, it was very valuable."
The 19-year-old has recently enjoyed her best week of the season, winning back-to-back matches at the Stuttgart Open, before putting in a respectable performance in defeat to world number one Iga Swiatek.
Beltz is the third coach to move on from working with Raducanu in the last 12 months. She swapped Nigel Sears for Andrew Richardson, who worked with her at the US Open, before deciding to bring in Beltz, who previously worked with Angelique Kerber and Donna Vekic.
Raducanu is scheduled to face Czech player Tereza Martincova on Friday in Madrid and will be assisted by Iain Bates at the tournament, the long-serving head of women's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association.
Orville Christie shot a three-over-par score of 75 to win the Easter Jamboree -WAGR tournament by seven strokes at the Caymanas Golf Club on the weekend.
In what was a relatively small field Christie’s final round score followed an opening round of 70 followed by a second-round score of 75 for an overall total of 220. Delroy McDonald with scores of 74, 72 and 81 finished second with a combined score of 227 while Martin Butt copped third place after posting scores of par 72, 79 and 79 for a combined score of 230.
"I am very happy with this win. I actually knew I had a great chance coming into this tournament. I have been practising a lot for the last few weeks and I have seen where my game has improved in certain areas, despite having to play in these hot and humid conditions and also having to play 27 holes each day which requires us to be out there more than seven hours,” Christie said afterwards.
“(It) wasn't very easy at all but this is how golf is. It tests your mental ability and your ability to focus for long periods so now I am just trying to keep this momentum going forward and just look towards the remaining tournaments coming up."
Dr Mark Newnham was the best of the amateurs shooting a combined score of 229 (74, 83, 72) to win by a single stroke ahead of Owen Samuda who shot 81, 74 and 75 over the three rounds.
Damion Spencer was a further stroke on 231 (77, 74, 80) while former national champion Sean Morris shot 241 (81, 83, 77).
Dr Newnham did well to recover from his second-round score of 11 over par 83, with an even-par 72 for the final round.
"(I am) proud most of all about the way I was able to bounce back from a five-hole stretch early on the second 27 holes when I shot 10 over par. At that point, I thought I was out of the tournament. I was able to play the next 22 holes one under par. Happy about that most of all. The win obviously was the icing on the cake.”
Among the professional seniors, Peter Horrobin shot a combined 216 (75, 73, 68) while Al Robinson was 10 strokes back in second place with scores of 76, 75, 75 for a total score of 226.
Newly installed president of the Jamaica Professional Golf Association Sebert Walker Sr. was third. He ended on 247 (80, 79, 88).
The Chicago Bulls will have to make do without Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso in their do-or-die Eastern Conference playoffs Game 5 showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Needing a victory to keep the series alive, the Bulls confirmed LaVine and Caruso will play no part at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday.
All-Star LaVine misses out a day after he entered the NBA's health and safety protocol, having revealed he was feeling unwell before a practice session.
Fellow guard Caruso took a blow to his face in the second quarter of an emphatic 119-95 Game 4 defeat on Sunday and is going through concussion protocols.
LaVine had led the Bulls with 24 points, 13 assists and five rebounds in a loss that left them trailing the series 3-1.
A depleted Chicago were already missing Lonzo Ball (knee) and Matt Thomas (leg).
Naomi Osaka believes teen tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has rejuvenated excitement around the ATP Tour, while she labelled Rafael Nadal as an inspiration ahead of the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz needed just 67 minutes to defeat Spanish compatriot Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-3 6-2 at the Barcelona Open last Sunday, claiming his third title of the season after wins in Rio de Janeiro and Miami.
The 18-year-old has surged to a career-high ninth in the world rankings, Alcaraz becoming the youngest player to crack the top 10 since fellow Spaniard Nadal achieved that feat at the same age in 2005.
Coincidentally, Nadal also broke into the top 10 after success on the same day (April 25) at the Barcelona Open and the pair will next compete in Madrid in the ATP 1000 Masters event, which starts on Sunday.
Former women's world number one Osaka revealed she is keen to cast an eye over the duo in the Spanish capital, where she faces a qualifier in the first round, as she hailed the impact Alcaraz has had.
"I feel like he's genuinely made everyone excited about the ATP and I haven't seen that in a very long time," Madrid Open wildcard Osaka said of Alcaraz, who boasts an impressive 23-3 record in the 2022 season.
"I'm not even really thinking about his age, like every time someone brings up his age, I'm like, 'Oh wow, I forget, that's so cool'.
"I think just his game style, just how pumped he is, how I feel like I'm watching him learn with every tournament.
"I don't know what his ranking was last year here, but I've watched almost every tournament that he's played, the US Open when he played [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and just to see the growth I think is really exciting for everyone."
Osaka has won all four of her grand slam titles on hard courts, but the 24-year-old will now search for clay-court success in Madrid.
Japanese Osaka has spent time preparing in Majorca, where she has used 13-time French Open winner Nadal as an inspiration, given his expertise on clay courts.
"I think I stole one of the things that he did and I've been practising it recently," she said of Nadal, who holds the record for most men's grand slam titles with 21 major triumphs to his name.
"It'll either go really good or really bad. There's like no in between. But I think as I've been doing it, it's been going pretty well.
"Honestly I've been wanting to watch the really good clay-court players practice because I feel like I'm the type of person that learns really fast if I see it up close and honestly it's a bit of a waste to have all these really good professional tennis players and not watch them."
Osaka suffered a second-round exit at the Indian Wells Masters in March, impacted by abuse from a heckler in the crowd, but rebounded by making the final in Miami, where she lost to world number one Iga Swiatek.
However, Osaka is looking to use the experience at Indian Wells, where she was reduced to tears by a spectator reportedly shouting "Naomi, you suck", as a learning curve to develop.
"I feel like there are a lot of moments in my career that are like extremely sad for me at the time but I kind of later look back on it and I think to myself, 'Well that really made me grow as a person, and even though I really hated the experience, I'm glad it happened to me'," she added.
"For me, that's one of those moments. I wish it didn't happen, but also I'm glad that it did.
"I feel like it prepared me for a lot of things that may or may not happen, but it's kind of like one of those things you have in your back pocket as experience."
Former England international and British and Irish Lion Tom Youngs has announced his retirement from rugby.
The hooker had not appeared for Leicester Tigers this season after taking an indefinite period of leave at the start of the campaign to care for his ill wife.
Now, Youngs – the brother of Ben, England's most capped player, and the son of Nick, another ex-international – is calling time on his career.
The 35-year-old appeared 28 times for his country and in three Lions Tests during the 2013 tour of Australia.
"I had always planned around this season being my last and I am comfortable with the timing of it now," Youngs said.
He added: "I want to thank my family for all that they have done to help me achieve what I have been able to do throughout my career.
"My mum, my dad, my brother and all of my extended family, I am so lucky to have them.
"Finally, to my wife Tiff and daughter Maisie, I am lucky to have you alongside me and would not be where I am without you. Thank you both."
Ronnie O'Sullivan declared he would "rather not be playing", claimed he does not "really identify myself as a snooker player anymore", and made the cheeky claim he is only competing for "a bit of quiet time".
Yet the potting game's biggest star is two steps away from matching one of the great records at the World Championship, sauntering through to the semi-finals at the Crucible in Sheffield to close in on a seventh title.
On Wednesday in the Yorkshire city that has hosted this tournament since 1977, O'Sullivan completed a 13-5 quarter-final win over Scotland's Stephen Maguire, with the Essex-based 46-year-old one of a number of cuemen who is showing that middle age is no barrier to success on the baize.
"I'm struggling to see anyone that can compete with Ronnie," Stephen Hendry said on the BBC immediately after the match wrapped up. "He's taken the game to a different level."
Scotsman Hendry, the only man to win seven world titles in Sheffield, said it "would be an honour" for O'Sullivan, with six triumphs so far, to move alongside him.
Already this fortnight, Rocket Ronnie has moved past Hendry on the list of players with the most Crucible wins, going beyond his 70 and reaching 72, and counting.
He has blasted all-comers out of the water with his career total of 1,155 centuries, yet O'Sullivan still defers to Hendry's own greatness, labelling him "our Tiger Woods of snooker".
O'Sullivan, who has been threatening to retire since his teenage years, has battled myriad problems away from snooker during his career. He had drug issues, drank heavily, and was a binge eater.
Just feet away from where he spoke to the media on Wednesday, he once assaulted a junior press officer.
Now he is a gym regular, lives cleanly, and recently returned to the world number one ranking. Many see this world title, and the £500,000 top prize, as his for the taking.
Asked about his training regime, O'Sullivan said: "I wouldn't be able to tell you what it's like to be unfit really. I probably overdo it a little bit. There’s no place I’d rather be, other than the gym or on a run. That’s probably the most important thing in my life, so I do it because I like it, and I enjoy all the friends I've found through running.
"The gym’s a nice place to hang out. Some people like going to the bar or restaurants, but I enjoy going to the gym. I do it for those reasons, not for my snooker."
O'Sullivan and fellow fortysomethings John Higgins and Mark Williams are recognised as snooker's 'Class of 92', a title borrowed from the Manchester United golden generation that featured the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
Snooker's kingpin trio made their tour debuts 30 years ago. All are now multiple world champions, and have shown in Sheffield this year they remain formidable competitors.
O'Sullivan plays a canny game on and off the table, taking the pressure off himself.
"I don’t really identify myself as a snooker player anymore," he said. "I just get my cue out because I can do it, and it's probably the easiest thing for me to do, because it’s a bit of quiet time. It just gets me out of the house and around the snooker circuit.
"I'm just here to have fun. If I win, great; if I don’t, I’ve had a fantastic tournament. I’m not motivated by playing anymore, those days have gone. I couldn't put all my eggs in one basket and just play snooker anymore.
"I'd rather not be playing here to be honest. It’s a hard tournament. This tournament and the Masters are my two worst tournaments, I probably enjoy them the least out of all the other ones."
Despite this, O'Sullivan has the six wins in Sheffield and a record seven at the Masters, a London-based tournament that is the second most prestigious on the circuit.
"I’d actually prefer going to Leicester and playing in the [low-profile] Championship League," O'Sullivan said. "I know you guys might think that sounds crazy, but it’d mean I don’t have to put up with any pressure, and I love it. But you’ve got to show up to this one and give it your best."
O'Sullivan has found he is often mobbed in Sheffield, as the biggest fish in the goldfish bowl of the 17-day tournament, bona fide British sporting royalty.
He complained last year of being troubled in a nearby cafe by a fan he reckoned to be drunk, but if it is privacy that O'Sullivan wants, then it is privacy he will get.
"It’s all right," he said. "The cafe give me my own room now upstairs, so when I go in there it’s really good. I’ve got a nice hotel and a good system going. I try to keep as much quiet time for myself as I can, because it's quite hectic round here."
The FIA is continuing to evaluate plans to double the number of Formula One sprint events to six next year.
Silverstone staged the inaugural sprint race last year and the first of three on the 2022 calendar was staged at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last weekend.
All 10 F1 teams are if favour of having six sprint events on the 2023 schedule.
F1's governing body is still considering whether to approve such an increase.
An FIA statement said: "With the first of three sprint events of the 2022 season popular with fans and stakeholders last weekend at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Formula One and the teams were supportive of an extension to six sprint events for the 2023 season, running with the same format as in 2022.
"While supporting the principle of an increased number of sprint events, the FIA is still evaluating the impact of this proposal on its trackside operations and personnel, and will provide its feedback to the commission."
Max Verstappen won the sprint at Imola to take pole position and duly converted that into a race victory on Sunday.
It has been five years since a defensive lineman was last taken first overall in the NFL Draft.
Back in 2017, Myles Garrett's name had been written in pen next to the number one slot for a long time before the Cleveland Browns officially gave him the distinction of being the first player off the board.
Garrett was seen as a can't-miss prospect, and he has lived up to that billing, with his 361 career quarterback pressures the fourth-most in the NFL since 2017.
All the signs are pointing to an edge rusher going first overall again in 2022. However, while Garrett was a sure thing, the Jacksonville Jaguars appear set to select a player who is anything but.
Talk of Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux going number one has given way to the belief Georgia's Travon Walker will be hearing his name called first in a class filled with more divisive prospects than clear-cut stars.
Walker has emerged as the favourite despite finishing his college career with Georgia, which ended with the Bulldogs winning the National Championship, with just 9.5 sacks.
His stock has risen sharply in the wake of stunning athletic performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, yet given his mediocre production compared to his contemporaries in the edge class and the role he played for Georgia, selecting Walker would represent a substantial gamble by the Jags.
A year on from selecting Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick, it is a gamble Jacksonville cannot afford to backfire.
Walker's production woes
Any conversation about Walker must begin by addressing the elephant in the room: the production, or lack thereof.
Walker had 3.5 sacks over his first two seasons before displaying a marked improvement in that regard as Georgia's dominant defense laid the foundation for their National title.
Indeed, he registered six sacks, 17th among all defenders in the SEC, yet his pressure numbers are illustrative of a player who failed to impact the quarterback on a consistent basis.
Walker registered 31 pressures on 259 pass-rush snaps for a pressure rate of just 12 per cent, which is in stark contrast to the player he appears to have usurped as the number one pick, Michigan star Hutchinson, who had a pressure rate of 30.8 per cent in 2021.
Only 16 of Walker's pressures involved him beating a pass blocker. Hutchinson beat a pass protector on 72 of his 85 quarterback pressures.
Yet the paucity of pass rush production is in part a reflection of how Walker was utilised by the Bulldogs.
Though Walker played 96 more snaps as a pass rusher than a run defender, his goal in attacking pass protectors was not always to get to the quarterback but to soak up attention from the offensive line and open rush lanes for second-level defenders.
As a result, teams evaluating Walker only saw flashes of his potential as a pass rusher, but it is the combination of those flashes and his astounding athletic profile that appears to have enticed the Jaguars into taking a significant risk.
Crushing the Combine
Though his Georgia defensive line mate Jordan Davis stole the show at the Combine with his remarkable performance in the 40-yard dash, Walker's pre-draft workout stands among the finest in NFL history.
Measuring at 6ft 5in and 272 pounds, Walker tore down the track in 4.51 seconds, putting him in the 98th percentile for defensive ends. His 10-yard split of 1.62 seconds was not quite as impressive but was still good enough for the 70th percentile.
Walker's arm length (35 and a half inches), hand size (10 and three-quarter inches) and wingspan of over seven feet (84 and a quarter inches) all measured in the 95th percentile for his position.
In the vertical jump and broad jump, which gauge lower-body explosiveness, Walker was in the 80th and 87th percentile respectively. In the three-cone drill, used for edge players as an assessment of their flexibility to turn the corner and beat an offensive tackle to the outside, Walker posted a time of 6.89 seconds that put him in the 93rd percentile.
Walker's testing suggests he has the physical skill set to blossom into an explosive and bendy pass rusher whose arm length should allow him to win hand fights with offensive linemen, with half the battle for pass rushers being the ability to make contact before the pass protector.
Evidence of his potential to develop into that player was sporadic during his college career, but the glimpses of that promise were undoubtedly tantalising.
A home-run swing
With Georgia frequently mixing up their defensive fronts, Walker played in a variety of roles. He was used as a defensive end in both 4-3 and 3-4 fronts and also played as a 3-technique defensive tackle lined up on the outside shoulder of the guard.
As such, it is difficult to know what Walker's best position is, though his versatility is undoubtedly part of his appeal.
Walker's athleticism clearly makes him a mismatch problem for guards when pass rushing from the inside. He had 13 pressures from the defensive tackle spot, with nine of those seeing him beat a pass protector, his quickness off the snap extremely tough for interior offensive linemen to react to and posing them significant issues when Walker was used in a stunt by the Georgia defensive line.
That same burst has facilitated his – albeit limited – success on edge. Though he needs to do a better job of translating his speed to power, when he does do so and gets his long arms into the pads of blockers, he can produce an impressive bull rush to help collapse the pocket.
On the top of that, Walker has fleetingly displayed the ability to get around the corner and flatten to the quarterback, with the acceleration he demonstrated on the 40 track showing up in the closing speed he displays when he has a path into the backfield and an opportunity to force a negative play.
Such closing speed can also be a substantial asset in the run game, in which Walker's arm length and power in his hands come into play in helping him disengage from blocks, freeing him to hunt the ball carrier.
Defending the run was certainly Walker's strength statistically last season, with only UAB's Alex Wright (18.7 per cent) and Hutchinson (17.9 per cent) recording a better run disruption rate among edge rushers than Walker's 12.9 per cent.
Of course, excelling as a run defender is a long way from being enough to justify a number one overall selection and, to make such a decision, the Jaguars must believe they can harness the untapped pass rush potential and refine a limited set of moves, with the rip move and the push-pull the only two with which Walker has enjoyed anything resembling consistent success.
The Jaguars do have a highly experienced defensive line coach who would be tasked with developing Walker. Brentson Buckner has worked with the likes of Chandler Jones and Jason Pierre-Paul during his career and was the defensive line coach for the then Oakland Raiders in 2019 when Maxx Crosby had 10 sacks as a rookie fourth-round pick.
Crosby, however, did not have the massive burden of expectation of being the number one overall pick.
Too often the Jaguars have seen top-five picks go to waste. Between 2012 and 2017 they picked in the top five for six consecutive drafts and only one of those selections, now Los Angeles Rams star Jalen Ramsey, even made a Pro Bowl.
In an era that will be defined by whether they take advantage of the gift of having Lawrence fall into their lap with the top overall pick last year, they cannot afford to miss on premium draft picks.
By likely taking Walker over Hutchinson, the Jags are going with the home-run swing over the prospect most believe to be a pro-ready day-one contributor. If they are to turn their fortunes around and contend with Lawrence, that swing must make contact.
World number one Iga Swiatek will not play the Madrid Open after suffering a shoulder injury.
The Pole is in stunning form, having won four titles in a row after prevailing in the Stuttgart Open last time out.
Before that, the 20-year-old – whose winning streak stands at 23 matches – had lifted the trophy at the Qatar Ladies Open, Indian Wells and Miami Open.
"After intense last weeks and winning four titles in a row, it's time to take care of my arm that has been fatigued since the Miami Open and I haven't had a chance to handle it properly," Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion, wrote in a statement posted to Twitter.
"I need a break from playing so intensively in order to treat my arm well and that's why, unfortunately, I have to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open.
"My body needs rest. I'm going to take some time to prepare for Rome and Paris. See you soon there.
"Hopefully, I will play in Madrid many times in the future – I'm looking forward to it."
Swiatek was due to be top seed in the Spanish capital.
Chris Paul was perplexed by a "ridiculous" technical foul he received in the Phoenix Suns' Game 5 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Paul described the officiating as "out of control" after he was hit with an eight-second violation when the Suns were leading 100-92 in the fourth quarter.
Phoenix went on to win 112-97 at Footprint Center on Tuesday, taking a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference playoffs first-round series.
Paul, who scored 22 points and contributed 11 assists, made his feelings clear when asked about his technical foul, revealing he merely said "C'mon'' at the scorer's table as he wanted a review.
He said: '"It's out of control, that's ridiculous. It is what it is. We try not to get fourth-quarter techs on our team. That's a big deal."
Mikal Bridges starred with 31 points as the Suns gave themselves the opportunity to wrap up the series in Game 6 in New Orleans on Thursday.
The 25-year-old small forward said: "I'm ready to play tomorrow. I'm energised, my team-mates keep me going. I'm itching my knee right now, talking about it.
"I'm ready, I love being out there with my team-mates. They're my best friends, it makes it way easier."
Paul said of Bridges' exploits: "He doesn't miss games, he guards the best players every night and then he has 31."
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram had fingers taped up following the game, but says he will play in Game 6.
"It's fine," Ingram said. "It got a little banged up during the game, but I'll be all right."
Victor Oladipo reflected on the difference a year can make as the injury-plagued star inspired the Miami Heat to the victory they needed to close out their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
It has been a luckless period for Oladipo, who has appeared in just 96 of a possible 309 regular-season NBA games over the past four years due to a combination of knee and quadriceps issues.
This season alone Oladipo has featured in only eight regular-season matches for the Heat but with Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and Jimmy Butler (inflammation in the right knee) both absent for Game 5, he stepped up to help the Heat to a 97-94 triumph and 4-1 series victory.
Oladipo had a game-high 23 points along with three assists and three steals. It was the first time he had contributed 20 points in a playoff game since playing against the Heat back in the NBA bubble in 2020 when featuring for the Indiana Pacers.
Speaking after the game, Oladipo reflected on his journey saying in quotes reported by ESPN: "A year ago today I was expecting and waiting for my next surgery.
"I remember a year ago today, around this time last year, I was sitting in a dark room by myself and just broke down.
"Not because I quit, but because I was at the lowest point I could be at. And now, God has put me in this position today so I just made the most of it.
"I could have done two things. I could have stopped. Or I could have ran right through it and I'm still running through it."
Speaking to NBA TV, Oladipo added his belief this is just the beginning for him.
"There's nothing I can't handle," he said. "At the end of the day, I feel like I can come back and get through anything.
"So, when they told me I needed to start tonight, I just stepped up to the plate and did everything I could to help my team win.
"I credit my coaching staff and my teammates for believing in me, my family, my God in heaven for getting me through. It's only the beginning."
It was a real team effort for the Heat with Max Strus putting up 15 points, including a special personal 10-0 streak from 2:29 in the second quarter to 1:22.
Bam Adebayo also had 20 points on the back of 7-for-11 shooting and pitched in with 11 rebounds.
"Everybody that played had their fingerprints on this. We clearly had some adversity in this game not having Kyle or Jimmy, and our group doesn't even blink," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
"That's not even something we have to address. We just pivot and put in the game plan and everybody gets ready and tapes their ankles and gets out there and competes."
The Heat can now look forward to an Eastern Conference semi-final match up against either the Philadelphia 76ers or the Toronto Raptors – the former leading the latter 3-2 in that series.
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