The Tampa Bay Buccaneers confirmed Bruce Arians will no longer be the team's head coach on Wednesday, with Todd Bowles set to take over.
Arians will not be leaving the Bucs however, taking on a new role of Senior Football Consultant, with the defensive coordinator Bowles taking on head coaching duties.
Arians' decision comes one season removed from leading Tampa Bay to their second Super Bowl triumph, in Tom Brady's first season with the club.
Having previously coached the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2017, Arians ends a three-year run with a 31-18 regular season and 5-1 playoff coaching record.
"I love football. I love the relationships, the strategy, the competition – everything," he said in a statement. "It has been one hell of a ride, but I know this is the right time for me to make this transition.
"So why now? The simple answer is that I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed I could during this incredible coaching journey.
"This team is in a much better place than it was three years ago due to Jason's [Licht] hard work and the Glazer family's commitment to winning."
Iga Swiatek progressed to her fourth WTA 1000 semi-final on Wednesday at the Miami Open, defeating Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-3.
After taking out tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells this year, the 20-year-old's undefeated streak now moves to 15 in a row.
Kvitova largely stayed in points in the opening exchanges and held a higher first-serve rate than Swiatek, but indicative of the form the Polish star is currently in, she played with clarity and did not hesitate when opportunities presented.
Along with winning six of eight points on Kvitova's second serve in the first set, the soon-to-be world number one converted on her sole chance at break point, claiming the crucial break in the sixth game before closing the opening set out.
After a tough service hold in the fourth game and four initial chances at break point in the second set, Swiatek made it count on her fifth attempt, spectacularly managing to move the 28th seed around the court and turn defence into attack.
Seeing the finish line, the Polish second seed grew increasingly assertive in both serve and shot selection to both secure the break and see out the match, even claiming a second break for a punctuation mark.
Swiatek will face Jessica Pegula, who is also through to the semi-finals after Paula Badosa retired from their matchup due to a viral illness.
Pegula was leading 4-1 after only 18 minutes of play when Badosa retired, having won four straight games after initially dropping her serve.
The 28-year-old has now won her last two matches in Miami via retirement after she advanced past Anhelina Kalinina in the fourth round, winning the first set 6-0.
If Pegula defeats Swiatek in the semi-final, it would make for her maiden WTA 1000 final appearance.
Lamar Jackson has flatly rejected any suggestion he wants to leave the Baltimore Ravens, describing such talk as a "false narrative".
Jackson is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, with no signs of an agreement with the Ravens on an extension.
But the 2019 MVP moved to put to bed the idea of him continuing his career elsewhere after the 2022 campaign.
He posted on Twitter: "I love my Ravens I don't know who the hell putting that false narrative out that I'm having thoughts about leaving stop tryna read my mind."
Jackson took the NFL by storm in his second year in the league in 2019, throwing for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He also ran for 1,206 yards and seven scores.
However, the Ravens suffered a shock Divisional Round loss to the Tennessee Titans to end that season, and were eliminated at the same stage of the 2020 campaign by the Buffalo Bills.
Jackson then endured an injury-hindered 2021 season, throwing 16 touchdowns to 13 interceptions and adding a career-low two touchdowns on the ground as the Ravens missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record.
No player in the NFL has a higher yards per carry average over the course of the last three seasons than Jackson's 6.36.
The Ravens will hope they can sign him to a new deal and then help Jackson recapture his 2019 magic throwing the ball, with Baltimore likely all too aware that a strong 2022 season played on the final year of his current contract would lead to a more difficult negotiation next offseason.
Rory McIlroy says it would be "phenomenal" if Tiger Woods can prove himself and others wrong by returning to action in next week's Masters at Augusta National.
Fifteen-time major winner Woods, who has triumphed five times at The Masters, has not played on the PGA Tour since November 2020.
The 46-year-old underwent back surgery the following month and was then sustained major injuries in a car accident in February last year.
Woods previously admitted he was lucky to survive and simply making a recovery was his top priority, rather than a return to golf.
However, 25 years on from his first triumph at Augusta, the American has been listed among the expected 91 participants for the 2022 Masters, which begins on April 7.
Woods only fuelled speculation of an audacious competitive comeback when playing a practice round with his son Charlie and friend Justin Thomas on Tuesday.
There is no official word as to whether Woods will tee off in a top-tier event for the first time in well over a year, but former world number one McIlroy welcomed the idea of one of the sport's greats taking part.
"I think for golf and the Masters tournament and everyone, to have Tiger there would be phenomenal," he said at a news conference ahead of this week's Texas Open.
"It just adds to the event. Anything Tiger Woods does in the game of golf is heightened whenever he is there, so it would be awesome for him to be there.
"He was there yesterday and he's trying to see what he can do so obviously nobody knows but him if he can make it around and if he believes he can compete."
Woods, who played in the unofficial PNC Championship with his son in December, famously won the 2019 Masters after returning from multiple knee and back surgeries.
"The sheer will and perseverance, it's incredible," McIlroy added. "If he comes back from this again... he likes to prove people wrong. He likes to prove himself wrong.
"Regardless of when he does come back, he's a wonderful addition to the game, and the game of golf is better when he's playing and when he's playing well."
Dominic Thiem's bad luck continued as the former world number three confirmed he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Thiem only made his return to action on Tuesday, having not featured on the ATP Tour since June last year.
The Austrian underwent surgery on a wrist injury that kept him out of Wimbledon and also prevented him from defending his US Open title, while he also missed this year's Australian Open.
Having opted to push back his comeback further by skipping Indian Wells and the Miami Open, Thiem instead decided to play at the Challenger Tour's Andalucia Open.
His return was short-lived, as Thiem went down 6-3 6-4 to Pedro Cachin.
And Thiem will now face another spell out, after revealing he has contracted coronavirus.
"Looks like lately the good news don't last long... last night after dinner, I started feeling unwell and didn't have a good night," Thiem wrote on his official Instagram account.
"After developing mild symptoms I decided to take a test this morning, which came back positive for COVID-19.
"Now I have to wait and see how it develops. I'll keep you posted. Thank you all in advance for your support!"
Two-time Super Bowl champion safety Malcolm Jenkins has announced his retirement after 13 seasons in the NFL.
Jenkins had a decorated career playing for the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles, winning Super Bowls with both.
The three-time Pro Bowler was a first-round draft pick by the Saints in 2009 out of Ohio State, spending five seasons in New Orleans before heading to Philadelphia.
Jenkins made 1,044 tackles across his career, in which he also recorded 21 interceptions and 110 pass breakups. He scored eight defensive touchdowns.
He took to Twitter on Wednesday to write: "Grateful. After 13 seasons, my time on the football field has come to an end. I'm just a boy from Piscataway, who through this game, became a champion in the sport and a champion for the people.
"My time on the field may be over, but I'll never stop fighting for the people."
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was keen to pay tribute to Jenkins, saying in a statement. "In so many ways, Malcolm Jenkins defined everything we want a Philadelphia Eagle to be.
"He was talented, intelligent, versatile, and reliable. He was physically and mentally tough. He led with his words, with his actions, with the emotion he took to the field, and with the professionalism he brought every single day to our building."
After six seasons with the Eagles, Jenkins returned to the Saints in 2020 for a second stint.
New Orleans coach Dennis Allen was also full of praise for the 34-year-old, saying: "I recall when we first drafted Malcolm in 2009, he made contributions to a Super Bowl Championship team in multiple positions in the secondary and then pretty quickly developed into an outstanding safety.
"The combination of skill, awareness and intelligence allowed Malcolm to be in position to make plays all over the field. To put up the numbers he did for as long as he did speaks both to his talent and his commitment to his craft.
"He was also a great leader in the locker room and important contributor to the community. I'm proud to say that I had the opportunity to coach Malcolm and congratulate him on an excellent career."
Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton has signed for the New Orleans Saints.
The 34-year-old had been a free agent after leaving the Chicago Bears at the end of the 2021 season and is expected to serve as back-up to Jameis Winston.
New Saints head coach Dennis Allen confirmed his team now primarily plans to use versatile QB Taysom Hill – who has previously competed with Winston for the starting job – as a tight end going forward.
"I think the role for Taysom really is going to be a lot more of the kind of F tight end, move tight end type of role - that's the direction that we need to move with him, because I think he can be one of the better players in the league in that role," Allen said.
"If Jameis is out there playing quarterback, I don't really like having Taysom next to me on the sideline. So I think you'll see him more in that type of role."
The Saints had been in the race to sign Deshaun Watson before he opted instead for the Cleveland Browns, leading New Orleans back to re-signing Winston to a two-year deal after his contract expired at the end of last season.
Reports indicate the deal for Winston is worth a base value of $28million, of which $21m is guaranteed.
Although the Saints have not released details of Dalton's deal, reports suggest it is a one-year contract worth up to $6m, with $3m guaranteed.
Dalton has spent the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted him in 2011 and where he played for nine seasons before moving to the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.
He led Cincinnati to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons and is the Bengals' all-time leader in passer rating (87.5), 300-yard passing games (28), winning percentage (53.3), completions (2,757), touchdowns (204) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.73).
Dalton made just six starts for the Bears in 2021, throwing for a total of 1,515 yards and passing for eight touchdowns. However, it was the worst season of his career for interception percentage (3.8).
John Harbaugh has signed a three-year contract extension to remain as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
Harbaugh had been about to enter the final year of the four-year deal he signed in 2019.
The Ravens failed to make the playoffs in the 2021 season, finishing bottom of the AFC North on 8-9, and losing all of their last six games of the regular season.
However, it was only their second losing season since winning the Super Bowl under Harbaugh in 2013, when he beat his brother Jim and the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans.
Harbaugh arrived in 2008 to replace Brian Billick, with the 59-year-old boasting an overall regular-season record of 137-88.
It was also acknowledged by many that the Ravens' poor end to 2021 – having been 8-3 after Week 12 – was heavily influenced by bad luck with injuries.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti revealed the news at the annual league meeting on Tuesday,
"I think John's grown and grown and grown," he said. "It's kind of interesting. I don't feel like I'm just signing up the same guy. I think that's really a compliment to him.
"I really feel like there's a rebirth in John as the years go on. Things that mattered to him don't matter as much anymore.
"I'm just thrilled as an owner to have a guy that's going to be going into his 15th year. So, I'm pretty pleased with it."
Harbaugh is now under contract through the 2025 NFL season.
Paul George called on the inspiration of his "idol" Kobe Bryant after returning from injury to score 34 points as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Utah Jazz at the Crypto.com Arena.
George had not played since a win at the Sacramento Kings just before Christmas, missing the last 43 games, but he became the first player in NBA history to score over 30 points on his return to action after having missed his team's previous 30 or more games.
The 31-year-old had suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, but showed no signs of rustiness as he top-scored for the Clippers in the 121-115 win on Tuesday.
After the game, George credited the late Bryant, who experienced numerous injury layoffs during a highly-decorated career.
"Just having an idol like Kobe Bryant," George said. "He played through stuff like this and I always hold myself to a high standard.
"At the end of the day, when I'm finished I want to look at my career, say I gave everything I had. I wanted to help my guys.
"I didn't want to leave them out here hanging for the rest of the season. I felt good. So you know, it was alright to come back.
"I feel good. There's no pain."
Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw was involved in George's rehab, giving him running drills that the player acknowledged helped his recovery and prepared him for his return.
"Unnecessary running, but it paid off," a smiling George said. "I trusted him. I've got to shout out to the get ready crew, I've got to shout out those guys for getting me ready to play. They battled. They tested me in practices. And it prepared me for this."
George sank six of his nine three-point attempts against the Jazz, as well as managing six assists and two rebounds.
Head coach Tyronn Lue was understandably pleased to see his star man back on the court, saying post-game: "I was like, 'OK, he's good, he's ready.'
"It's a big morale boost to have him back. Guys were getting worn down and tired. We needed that."
Kevin Durant was satisfied with his night's work after recording 41 points as the Brooklyn Nets eventually overcame a spirited Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at Barclays Center.
The Nets moved to 40-36 following the win, and sit in eight place in the Eastern Conference, while the Pistons have the joint-worst record in the east (20-56, along with the Orlando Magic).
Kyrie Irving added 24 in only his second home appearance of the season following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on unvaccinated athletes in New York.
Durant was the star of the show, though, also managing 11 rebounds and five assists, while sinking four of six attempts from beyond the arc.
"I want to get better shots sometimes, but like a couple of them are like, 'I'm hot, let me risk it,'" Durant said after the win.
"I was just trying to get the best shots that I can. Sometimes it might be over a guy in the lane, but I feel like that’s open and I have to keep knocking them down."
The Nets had been 12 points behind at one point, but were able to turn things around to eventually secure victory, and Durant was quick to praise Detroit despite their undesirable record.
"I know their record isn’t good, but they still have pros over there," he added. "They still made shots early and gained confidence as a team. This was a good test for us."
Andre Drummond put up 14 points and 13 rebounds, and expressed his belief that Brooklyn will need to be better against stronger opponents, with the playoffs not far away and the Nets hoping to sneak in.
"We can't hang our hat on the second half, we have to play a complete game," Drummond said.
"It's never going to be easy to make that turn against great teams. Not that the Pistons aren't a great team. They played a great game, but we just turned it up in the second half."
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel slammed his side's performance in Tuesday's 128-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks as they slipped out of the play-in spots.
The Lakers, who were without LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (foot), slumped to 11th spot in the Western Conference with a 31-44 record.
In the race for the final play-in spot in the west, the Lakers are behind the San Antonio Spurs, who have the same record but are ahead on the tie-breaker.
The Lakers trailed by as many as 37 points in the Mavs defeat where Luka Doncic (34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists) recorded a triple-double.
Vogel labelled the performance as "not good enough in any way" and refused to be drawn into discussing their slide outside the play-in positions.
"The standings are the results," Vogel told reporters. "We have to keep our focus on the process and the work and the things that are going to lead to our next win. That's the only place that our focus will be."
He added: "We always learn from every game. It won't be any different despite the huge deficit in this game."
James has been outstanding on an individual level this season, leading the NBA for points per game at 30.1 ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.9) and Joel Embiid (29.9).
The four-time MVP's absence was felt against the Mavericks, with the Lakers slipping to 4-13 since the All-Star Break.
"With those guys [James and Davis] out, we're at a talent deficit, so the focus and execution has to make up for it," Vogel said.
"This is just the latest dose of adversity that this year's team has faced. We've been playing some really good basketball of late.
"When you lose Bron, okay, you have to adjust yet again throughout a season of setbacks. We have to find footing. We didn’t find it in the second half the other night and we certainly didn't find it."
Giannis Antetokounmpo says his game-winning block was all about trusting his instincts as the Milwaukee Bucks claimed an important 118-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP made a crucial block to deny Joel Embiid a lay-up to tie the game up with under two seconds left on the clock after James Harden's three-point attempt rimmed out.
Antetokounmpo had already scored 40 points with 14 rebounds and six assists, with his third block proving a decisive intervention.
"Just let my instincts play," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "The ball went to Embiid and I just tried to jump as high as I can and try to make a play.
"I knew it was going to be a quick one. I felt it. When you get in that position and you're down one, with the clock running, you get it and go quick. I tried to time it.
"It worked out, sometimes it doesn’t work out. This time it worked out in our favour."
The play was reviewed after it was initially seen as a goal tend which was cleared, forcing a jump ball which allowed the clock to wind down.
Embiid said: "I thought it was close. I probably should’ve gone up harder. In that situation I didn’t know how much time was left.
"I was just trying to get the ball off quickly. I thought it was close. I didn’t know if it was a goal tend or not."
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said it was "just a special block", while 76ers counterpart Doc Rivers labelled it "spectacular".
The result means the Bucks move into second spot in the Eastern Conference with a 47-28 record, behind the Miami Heat (48-28), with the Boston Celtics (47-29) in third and the 76ers (46-29) in fourth.
The 76ers have suffered successive losses to last season's NBA Finalists, the Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, in a wake-up call to their title credentials.
"We've got to do a better job," Embiid said. "Against Phoenix we were right there. Tonight we had a lead, just like against Phoenix.
"It's a game of runs. Every team is going to make their runs. We just need to stay calm and know what we need to do. Last game showed why those two teams went to the finals."
Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem made his long-awaited return from a wrist injury on Tuesday, but lost 3-6 4-6 to Pedro Cachin at an ATP Challenger event in Marbella.
Thiem, the former world number three who hasn't played since 2021, started slowly and fell 5-0 behind in the first set against the world number 228.
He improved in the second set but was not able to recover from dropping serve in the first game.
"Obviously, the result today is the bitter part," Thiem posted on his Instagram. "I would have wanted to win, and I have to accept the defeat in a humble manner.
"This is only the beginning of a long way to the top of my game."
Giannis Antetokounmpo came up with a game-winning block on Joel Embiid after scoring 40 points in the Milwaukee Bucks' crucial 118-116 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
Antetokounmpo rose to block Embiid's attempt to level the scores with less than two seconds left on the clock, with head coach Mike Budenholzer labelling it "special".
The Greek superstar finished with 40 points on 66 per cent shooting with 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.
The Bucks win is significant in the race for Eastern Conference seeds, moving Milwaukee (47-28) into second behind the Miami Heat (48-28), while the 76ers (46-29) slip to fourth.
Khris Middleton added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Jrue Holiday contributed 18 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.
Embiid finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, while James Harden had 32 points making four-of-10 from beyond the arc, with five rebounds and nine assists.
George returns in Clippers comeback win
Paul George marked his first game since December 22 with 34 points including six three-pointers as the Los Angeles Clippers fought back from 25 points down to win 121-115 over the Utah Jazz who have lost five in a row. The Clippers finished the game on a 34-12 run.
Kevin Durant scored 41 points with 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks while Kyrie Irving managed 24 points in his second home appearance as the Brooklyn Nets won 130-123 over the Detroit Pistons.
The Chicago Bulls found some form after winning only four of their past 15 games with an important 107-94 win over the Washington Wizards led by DeMar DeRozan with 32 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Lakers slide continues
The Los Angeles Lakers' struggles continued with a heavy 128-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks as Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. The Mavs led by as much as 37 points. The Lakers, who were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, are 31-44 and slip to 11th out of the west's play-in spots.
Emerging Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz continued his rise with a 7-5 6-3 upset of third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Miami Masters quarter-finals on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old, who reached last year's US Open final eight after beating Tsitsipas in the third round, proved too good again for the Greek in one hour and 50 minutes.
Alcaraz reached last week's Indian Wells semi-finals and is now 15-2 on the season, with the win setting up a clash with Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic who upset last week's Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz 3-6 6-1 6-4.
Tsitsipas broke the Spaniard in the sixth game and led 5-2 before Alcaraz reeled off seven straight games to sensationally take the first set.
Alcaraz surged ahead in the second set, with his defence and speed leaving Tsitsipas short on answers.
The Spaniard, who saved seven of eight break points throughout the match, converted his fourth match point for victory.
"It was really, really tough. He was playing unbelievable," Alcaraz said after the match. "All I can say is I fought until the last ball in the first set [to] come back."
Ninth seed Jannik Sinner won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 over enigmatic Australian Nick Kyrgios, who had a furious outburst directed at umpire Carlos Bernardes.
The Australian was heard to label Bernardes "an absolute clown" and continued to berate the umpire late in the first set, leading to a code violation and two penalties.
Kyrgios completely lost his cool, demanding to speak to a tournament official before smashing his racquet early in the second set, leading to a game penalty as well.
Sinner will next take on Argentine Francisco Cerundolo after he defeated 28th seed Francis Tiafoe lost 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.
Top seed Daniil Medvedev made light work of Jenson Brooksby 7-5 6-1 to set up a quarter-final showdown with reigning champion Hubert Hurkacz who won 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 over Lloyd Harris. Medvedev will return to the top of the ATP rankings if he wins their quarter-final.
Second seed Alexander Zverev got past Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4 6-4 and will meet sixth seed Casper Ruud in the last eight, after the Norwegian won 6-3 6-4 over Briton Cameron Norrie.
Naomi Osaka will make her first Miami Open semi-final appearance after defeating Danielle Collins 6-2 6-1 on Tuesday.
The Florida native and the 2022 Australian Open finalist were worlds apart on serve, with Osaka putting up 13 aces, while Collins served seven double faults and had a meagre first-serve rate of 37.8 per cent.
While dropping only three games provides ample reflection, Osaka was in almost total control, winning 28 of 38 total points on serve and over half of the points on return with 26 out of 45. Her 25 winners to three unforced errors only reinforced the dominant nature of the win.
The Japanese former world number one has not dropped a set en route to the semi-final, and did not face a single break point against Collins, who called a medical time-out to address a neck issue after the first set.
"I'm glad I was able to get through quickly," Osaka said post-match. "I focused on trying to hit a lot of really good returns.
"This is actually my first night match too, so I didn't know what the conditions were going to be like."
Osaka will face reigning Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, who comfortably saw her way past Daria Saville with a 6-1 6-2 win.
The Tokyo gold medallist progressed to her first WTA 1000 semi-final since Madrid in 2019, needing just 69 minutes to defeat the unseeded Australian.
With Saville serving at 51 per cent for the match, Bencic was all over the second look, winning 18 of a total 23 points in those scenarios.
The critical element of the match was the Swiss 22nd seed's ruthlessness on break point, converting seven out of total eight times.
In what may be a preview of this year's Western Conference Finals, the top-seeded Phoenix Suns make the trip to San Francisco to take on the three seed Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
While these are undoubtedly two of the premier teams in the West, the real story is about how the Suns have been in a class of their own this season, eight games clear of the second-best record in the league.
In the 21st century, only two teams have finished the regular season with a top-two ranking in both offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency: the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, and the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors.
Both of those Warriors juggernauts went on to win the NBA Championship, and if the season were to end today, Phoenix would become the third team to achieve those marks.
Phoenix's net-rating – which illustrates how many more points a team is scoring than their opposition per 100 possessions – is plus 8.5, which is nearly two points clear of the second-placed Boston Celtics at plus 6.8.
The Suns have not just been the best team in basketball this season, they have been historically good in a way that compares the peak of the Warriors' run, and ranks better than any of LeBron James' Miami Heat teams, or the three-peat Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02.
The Warriors, on the other hand, have been sputtering since Stephen Curry was sidelined with an injury that is expected to keep him out of action until the playoffs.
After three consecutive losses, can the Warriors pose any real threat to such a great Suns team? Stylistically, they may have some factors working in their favour, and as the saying goes, styles make fights.
These are two teams that play in similar ways. Both teams are bottom-five in percentage of their total points coming from the free throw line, both teams are top-five in percentage of two-point baskets coming from assists, and both are top-three in fewest blocked shots.
What this means is when these teams go inside to score, they are playing a finesse game focused around passing, movement, and creating open shots, as opposed to a bully-ball style which focuses on creating contact and forcing a way to the free throw line.
For a team like the Warriors that gives up free throws at the fifth-highest rate in the league, having a team that is willing to match their style and be a willing dance partner will hide some deficiencies and allow the home side to lean into what it does well.
Golden State also attempts the second-highest percentage of three-pointers – nearly 46 per cent of all of their shots come from long range – while Phoenix is way down at 27th in the league, taking 65 per cent of their shots from two-point range.
Despite that stat implying Phoenix is dominant in the paint, they actually are 16th in paint scoring, but third in mid-range scoring thanks to the efforts of Devin Booker and Chris Paul.
It is well-established at this point that mid-range jump shots are the least efficient shots in all of basketball, while an open three-pointer is the best shot a team can take other than a dunk, layup or free throw.
Phoenix has been great on a diet of difficult shots this season, but if the Warriors can get hot from three-point range at the volume they get them up, the Suns may simply lose the math equation.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Phoenix Suns – Chris Paul
Of every player in the NBA this season averaging at least 20 minutes per appearance, only two – LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar Derozan – score a higher percentage of their points from the mid-range than Paul.
As discussed, Phoenix will need to score consistently and efficiently from the mid-range to counter how many three-pointers the Warriors will get up, and Paul is at the center of that.
Add into the equation that Paul leads the league in assists per game, while coming in at second in steals per game, and it's clear why he is so important at both ends of the floor.
Golden State Warriors – Klay Thompson
Simply put, the Warriors need to get hot from long range to win this game, and few players in the history of basketball can get hotter than Klay Thompson.
Thompson holds the NBA record for most threes in a single game, hitting 14 of them against the Chicago Bulls in 2018, and has made at least nine in a game on 10 different occasions.
While he is still working himself back into full form after returning from a two-year absence this season, over his past 10 games Thompson is averaging 24 points per game and is hitting a strong 40 per cent of his long range attempts.
KEY BATTLES – Can the Warriors compete with the Suns' size?
Golden State have only one player on their roster taller than six-foot-nine Kevon Looney, and it is James Wiseman, who will not play a single game this season due to lingering injuries.
Suns center Deandre Ayton measures in at seven-foot-one, and less than a week ago he physically dominated All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns en route to 35 points and 14 rebounds.
Towns is bigger than anyone Golden State can throw at Ayton, and while Looney is an above-average defender, basketball is a game where size matters, and the Warriors are small.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
These two sides met on three separate occasions in December, with Golden State winning twice.
Curry top-scored for the Warriors in both wins, while Ayton out-scored his season average in all three meetings.
Nick Kyrgios called on the ATP Tour to "get new people" after a furious outburst at the umpire in his defeat to Jannik Sinner at the Miami Open.
Kyrgios berated umpire Carlos Bernardes after his walkie-talkie went off mid-point during the first set.
The Australian was heard to label Bernardes "an absolute clown".
He subsequently added: "This is one of the biggest tournaments and you guys can't do your job. It's embarrassing.”
"You wonder why no one watches this sport. It's a laughing stock."
After receiving a code violation for an audible obscenity, Kyrgios was then handed a point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in the first set tie-break.
Kyrgios had been appearing to talk with a friend in attendance courtside, with that penalty further infuriating him.
"What's unsportsmanlike? What is unsportsmanlike?" Kyrgios asked of Bernardes.
He then demanded to see a tournament official before smashing his racquet during the opening game of the second set, an action that saw him cop a game penalty and drop his serve.
Sinner maintained the initiative from there, easing to a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win, with Kyrgios' mind clearly still focused on the performance of the official even after the dust had settled.
He posted on Twitter: "'You could do the job of the umpire' - what was said to my best friend that got me 'unsportsmanlike code violation' at 5-3 in the first set tie break.
"With 100 of thousands of dollars on the line that was the decision he made because the umpire's feelings got hurt. GET NEW PEOPLE"
LeBron James was ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday with an ankle injury.
The news was first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron had been listed as doubtful after rolling his left ankle in the 116-108 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
The 37-year-old did not practice on Monday and the decision was subsequently taken for him to sit out the matchup at the American Airlines Center.
Anthony Davis had also been listed as doubtful after he on Monday came through his first full practice session since suffering a foot injury on February 16.
The Lakers (31-43) went into the Mavs (46-29) game 10th in the Western Conference and hold a half-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the final play-in spot.
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