Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has insisted all players, including Novak Djokovic, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to compete at the January grand slam.
Djokovic's vaccination status is unclear, and he has so far refused to confirm whether he has been jabbed, which has led to doubts over whether he will be in Melbourne.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has made it clear that tennis stars arriving for the tournament must be prepared to show proof of having protection against the virus.
For Djokovic, who is competing this week at the ATP Finals in Turin, it remains to be seen whether he is willing to go through that process.
Tiley told Channel Nine: "It's been made very clear, when the Premier announced several weeks ago that in order to participate at the Australian Open, to come into Victoria, you'll need to be fully vaccinated.
"Immediately we communicated that to the playing group, it is the one direction that you take that is going to ensure everyone's safety. All the playing group understands it, our patrons will need to be vaccinated, all the staff working at the Australian Open will need to be vaccinated.
"But when we're in a state where there's more than 90 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, they've done a magnificent job with that, it's the right thing to do."
Tiley said organisers "would love to see Novak" make the trip to a tournament he has won a record nine times.
Djokovic sits on 20 grand slam titles, the same mark as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He needs one more to set the outright men's record, having lost to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final in September.
"We have been speaking to Novak Djokovic's team and Novak and the team understand clearly that in order to come and play the Australian Open they'll need to be fully vaccinated," Tiley said, according to ABC.
"I know that he wants to play it, he's clearly indicated that and he knows the conditions that he'd have to undergo in order to be eligible to play."
The tournament is due to get under way on January 17, with the player bubbles and quarantine measures that were in force at the 2021 edition no longer in place and Melbourne Park set to operate at full capacity.
Australian player Nick Kyrgios this week said he believes the vaccine mandate is "morally wrong".
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash believes the referees are to learn how to officiate the NBA's new rules on taking fouls after James Harden had 20 free-throws in Friday's 115-113 win over the Orlando Magic.
Harden starred in the absence of Kevin Durant for the Nets with 36 points including 19 from the line.
The 2018 NBA MVP's form has been down to start the season, with his inability to draw fouls under the new rules seen as partly responsible.
Harden only had 15 free-throws in his first five games this season, but has drawn 43 in the Nets' past three games.
Nash said the uplift in the numbers was a combination of Harden being more aggressive and the referees officiating differently.
"I think both. I think the referees are starting to figure out what's still a foul and what's not a basketball play," Nash said at the post-game news conference.
"I think early it was difficult for them to know what the line was. He's such a difficult guy to over with his size, quickness and ability to shoot over anyone from three.
"Guys have to get too close to him, he's so strong once he gets a slight angle on you or step on you, it's almost impossible not to foul him.
"That's what makes him brilliant, his ability to penetrate and take contact."
Nash was full of praise for Harden, who has scored 35 or more points in two of the Nets' past five games as begins to re-discover his top form.
Harden is averaging 20.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game this season, but he is also averaging 28.4 points from his past five games.
"Great competitiveness, playing for the team, spirit was great," Nash said. "Obviously he can do some playmaking out there. He can attack the basket with his quickness and size.
"He rebounded the ball for us. Huge effort for him everyone pitched in. It was not an easy game for us. we had to find a way to make it happen."
Durant missed the game with a shoulder sprain but Nash said it was not a major concern.
"We don't feel concerned that it'll linger or that he'd miss the next game," he said pre-game.
LeBron James returned from injury but could not prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from suffering their third straight defeat going down 130-108 to the Boston Celtics.
Jayson Tatum starred for the Celtics with 37 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, while Marcus Smart was excellent with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
James had 23 points, six rebounds and two assists on his return from an abdominal strain, while Anthony Davis top scored for the Lakers with 31 points.
The four-time MVP showed no signs of injury in the first quarter, helping the Lakers to a strong start, combining with Davis for 22 points, which was their second most in an opening period in the past two seasons.
The Lakers held the lead at half-time but the Celtics hit back in the third quarter with an 8-0 run, opening up an 11-point lead at the final change after a 33-21 period.
The defeat means the 2020 NBA champions have lost seven of their past 10 games and slip to an 8-9 record, while the Celtics improve to 8-8.
Suns' hot streak continues
Chris Paul had 18 points and 14 assists as the Phoenix Suns secured their 11th straight win, triumphing 112-104 over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without Luka Doncic due to knee and ankle injuries.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 19 rebounds in the Milwaukee Bucks' 96-89 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Khris Middleton passed Ray Allen for most three-pointers made in franchise history (1,052), hitting three triples in his 16 points.
The Golden State Warriors won without Stephen Curry (bruised hip) and Draymond Green (bruised thigh), with Jordan Poole stepping up with 32 points including four three-pointers in a 105-102 win over the Detroit Pistons.
James Harden shot seven of 25 from the field and had six turnovers but finished with 36 points,10 rebounds and eight assists in Kevin Durant's absence ot lead the Brooklyn Nets past the Orlando Magic 115-113.
Zach LaVine scored 36 points in the Chicago Bulls 114-108 win over the Denver Nuggets who were missing Nikola Jokic, while LaMelo Ball starred with 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Charlotte Hornets' 121-118 victory against the Indiana Pacers.
Pelicans clip wayward George
Paul George shot eight of 26 from the field as the Los Angeles Clippers went down to the New Orleans Pelicans 94-81.
LeBron James says there is a sense of urgency that the Los Angeles Lakers need to play better now after slumping to their ninth defeat of the season on Friday.
James returned from an abdominal strain after eight games out but was unable to lift the Lakers who went down 130-108 to the Boston Celtics.
After 17 games in an 82-game season, the Lakers have an 8-9 record, having lost their past three games and seven of their past 10.
"We damn straight need to play better, no matter who's in the line-up," James said at a post-game news conference. "We have our system and we need to fast-track it and get better with it.
"It's never that we've got 65 games and we can figure it out. There's no level of panic but there should be some sense of urgency every time we hit the floor."
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said offensively his side needs to "get committed to playing as a team" while he labelled their rebounding (51-33) against the Celtics as "atrocious".
Russell Westbrook was among a host of new players added during the offseason at the Lakers and James said it was taking time for the side to develop cohesion.
The four-time NBA MVP also said patience was required having only just returned, along with starting forward Talen Horton-Tucker.
"As we continue to log more minutes, I continue to see where we're great at and not so good at," James said. "Things that we can improve on.
"Like I said, it's my first game in two and a half weeks. I believe it's Talen third or fourth game back. We're trying to figure out rotations and who to play when."
The Lakers led by eight points at quarter time and held the most slender advantage at the main break, before a 33-21 third quarter.
Vogel added: "We did not have a good third. We were stuck in mud. [But] it's about the whole game more than the third quarter.
"Our group has got to strike the balance of how we're going to play offensively. That's going to take some time. We have to get committed to playing as a team offensively.
"When we do, like we saw in the first quarter, it looks beautiful. You see the potential of what we can be."
James added that recovery from his first game back would be key to his short-term future as he rebuilds following his abdominal strain. The 36-year-old forward finished with 23 points and six rebounds on his return.
"Physically I felt okay. I know I can trust my body and play," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel when I wake up. That's the tell-tale sign if I'm moving in the right direction with my injury."
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says winning without Stephen Curry was "huge" but offered no update on the two-time MVP's return.
Curry missed Friday's 105-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons having admitted he was nursing a hip contusion after Thursday's 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers where he shot 40 points.
The 33-year-old point guard has been in MVP-like form this season, averaging 29.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
Curry has shot at 41.9 percent from three-point range and averaging a career-high 5.7 three-point attempts made per game.
Curry was joined by Draymond Green on the sidelines against the Pistons, with Andre Igoudala, Otto Porter, Klay Thompson and James Wiseman already unavailable, yet Golden State claimed the win to move to 14-2.
Guard Jordan Poole top scored in Curry's absence with 32 points including four triples, while center Andrew Wiggins contributed 27 points.
"It is a huge win," Kerr said at the post-game news conference. "To win without Steph, Draymond, Andre, Otto and obviously Klay and James are out, so many guys to come in here and really get contributions from everybody.
"I think we're 6-1 now on the road, it's a great sign. I think we've got guys who know how to step up when they need to.
"Wigs and Jordan, knowing they had to score some points for us tonight and be the focal point offensively, they both stepped up."
The Warriors return home for Sunday's game against the Toronto Raptors, although Kerr did not confirm if Curry or Green would play.
"We'll see. We'll see," Kerr said. "We have tomorrow off. The guys who are injured [will] come in and get treatment tomorrow and then we have a five o'clock game, so no shoot-around Sunday.
"We'll see how everyone is doing on Sunday."
LeBron James returned after a fortnight out with an abdominal strain as the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Boston Celtics on Friday.
James, 36, had not played for the Lakers since their 119-117 win over the Houston Rockets on November 1.
The four-time NBA MVP and NBA champion was averaging 24.8, 5.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists across six games this season.
James only played 45 games across the 2020-21 season as the Lakers' title defence ended in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Phoenix Suns.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic was ruled out of the Denver Nuggets' side for their game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday with a wrist sprain.
The Serbian center appeared to hurt his wrist in Thursday's 103-89 shock loss to the depleted Philadelphia 76ers.
Novak Djokovic has supported the notion of tennis events being pulled from China if Peng Shuai is not found safe.
Doubles grand slam winner Peng is said to have been missing since making sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, the ex-vice premier and member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee.
The veracity of subsequent messages from Peng – both on email and posted in her name on Weibo – has been questioned.
WTA chairman Steve Simon told the BBC his organisation still had not heard from Peng directly and warned it would have no issue backing out of events in China without proof the player was safe.
WTA icons Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have spoken of their concern for Peng, and men's world number one Djokovic weighed in on Friday, offering his support to Simon's stance.
"I support the statement of WTA as an organisation and also their president absolutely," Djokovic said.
"The whole tennis community needs to back her up and her family, make sure that she's safe and sound because if you would have tournaments on Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a little bit strange.
"I heard that the WTA is willing to pull out from China with all the tournaments unless this is resolved. I support it 100 per cent."
Novak Djokovic made it three wins from three at the ATP Finals as he eased past Cameron Norrie in just over an hour in Turin.
The Serbian had already won the Green Group before this dead rubber but maintained an exceptional level to beat Norrie 6-2 6-1 in the first ever meeting between the two.
It was already confirmed beforehand that Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Saturday, and he began as he meant to go on here by breaking the Brit in the first game of the match, before doing so again in the fifth as he strolled to the first set in just 28 minutes.
Norrie – who was an injury-replacement for Stefanos Tsitsipas – showed some of the grit and skill that earned him a spot as second replacement for the season-ending tournament but struggled to keep up with the world number one.
Djokovic broke immediately again in the second set, though was forced to save a break point in the next game as his opponent tried to revive the match.
Norrie only managed to get 57 per cent of first serves in, and only won 52 per cent of those, compared to Djokovic who won 81 per cent of his first-serve points.
The 26-year-old was broken again in the fifth game of the second set, before a third break in the seventh secured Djokovic his third straight-sets win in a row at the Finals.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 21/16
Norrie - 9/24
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic - 5/0
Norrie - 1/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic - 5/10
Norrie - 0/1
The Golden State Warriors have ruled Stephen Curry and Draymond Green out of Friday's game at the Detroit Pistons as they rest a number of players.
The Warriors lead the NBA after a stunning 13-2 start, in which Curry and Green have been influential.
Curry is leading the early race for the scoring title with 29.5 points per game, while Green has also started all 15 games.
But that sequence will end with the final stop on a four-game road trip at the Pistons, who are struggling at 4-10 despite having the first overall draft pick in Cade Cunningham.
Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter have also been rested, meaning Golden State will be without four of their eight most-used players in terms of minutes.
Since Green came into the league in 2012-13, the Warriors are 17-27 when both he and Curry are missing.
Klay Thompson is yet to return from consecutive major injuries, and the Warriors are 7-22 when all three of their stalwarts have sat out.
Kevin Durant will be absent for the first time this season when the Brooklyn Nets welcome the Orlando Magic on Friday.
The superstar forward leads the NBA with 457 points this year, albeit now just behind Stephen Curry (29.5 points per game) in the early stages of the race for the scoring title (28.6 points per game).
Durant's MVP-calibre form has helped the Nets make an 11-5 start. Only in 2020-21 has the two-time champion previously scored more points through his first 16 games of a season (495).
But Durant will be out of the lineup for Brooklyn's next game after appearing on Friday's injury report due to a shoulder sprain.
The Magic game will bring to an end a run of 36 consecutive starts for Durant across the regular season and playoffs, having put behind him the Achilles injury he had upon arriving as a free agent in 2019.
Since his signing, the Nets are 41-22 with Durant playing some part and 60-53 when he is absent.
Casper Ruud revealed his approach was to "fight fire with fire" in his huge win over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals and is already relishing getting a shot at Daniil Medvedev.
The Norwegian has enjoyed a fine 2021, winning five ATP Tour titles, and has now moved into the semi-finals in Turin on his debut appearance at the prestigious year-ending event.
Ruud appeared to be on the way out when he was trailing by a set and a break against Rublev, having lost all four of the previous meetings between the pair.
But he fought back to win 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) on Friday and extend his impressive season by at least one more match.
"The court is playing very fast and Andrey plays very fast," said Ruud, who triumphed despite only winning 98 of the 208 points played in an intense battle where his Russian opponent also impressed.
"He rips the ball harder than anyone on the tour and serves very well on his first serve.
"We all want to play under control and with initiative, but it is not easy against Rublev because he makes you run and play defensively all the time.
"I knew I had to fight fire with fire.
"On the big points, I think I played quite smartly."
Aside from Ruud, the other three semi-finalists (Medvedev, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev) are all former ATP Finals winners, making this event the first since 1994 where that has happened.
US Open champion Medvedev represents a daunting challenge in the last four for Ruud, who bounced back from an opening Green Group loss to Djokovic by beating alternate Cameron Norrie before his high-quality winner-takes-all clash with Rublev.
"I am looking forward to Saturday already – it is going to be another tough battle," said the 22-year-old after firing down 14 aces in his victory.
"Medvedev is a different kind of player to Rublev. He is one of the best in the world, and he has proven himself as one of the best over the past two or three years.
"I have played against him a couple of times and lost both, but I know a little bit about what I am going to face, and it is going to be a fun challenge.
"I am just enjoying the moment."
Two of the last three players to reach the last four on debut at the ATP Finals have gone on to win the tournament, Grigor Dimitrov (2017) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019).
Ruud will dream of replicating that duo, but Rublev must come to terms with a second consecutive group-stage exit in the ATP Finals.
"It is tough," Rublev said. "Hopefully I can get through it to get a good lesson, which will give me a huge improvement.
"In the moment, I got tight, which is normal. Casper played well. He has a great forehand – one of the best on tour."
Casper Ruud came from behind to defeat Andrey Rublev and reach the last four of the ATP Finals on his debut appearance at the event.
The Norwegian will play defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals after a gruelling 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) victory over Rublev in Turin on Friday that lasted two hours and 26 minutes.
Ruud had lost all four of his previous meetings with Rublev, who promptly moved ahead by comfortably winning his ninth straight set in this head-to-head.
Rublev then looked poised for victory when he struck first in the second set but Ruud, who hit 39 winners, fought back with two breaks of his own to force the decider in a high-quality contest.
The 22-year-old again bounced back from being broken in the third set and ultimately prevailed in a tense tie-break, producing a big serve when it mattered most with his second match point.
Ruud therefore finishes second to Novak Djokovic in the Green Group, with Rublev exiting at the round-robin stage for a second straight year after narrowly losing the winner-takes-all clash.
With Alexander Zverev also through, this is the first time since 1994 that three of the four semi-finalists are former champions – with Ruud the exception.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Rublev - 33/22
Ruud - 39/31
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Rublev - 14/3
Ruud - 14/3
BREAK POINTS WON
Rublev - 4/11
Ruud - 3/5
Mercedes have failed with an appeal over an incident involving Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last weekend.
Verstappen forced Formula One title rival Hamilton off the track in Brazil last week in defending his position at the front of the race.
The race stewards "noted" the incident while the race was ongoing, but did not see any reason to penalise Red Bull's championship leader.
Hamilton went on to win the race, reducing the Dutchman's lead to 14 points with three races to go.
The Silver Arrows on Tuesday revealed they had asked for the stewards to take another look at the incident on the basis of "new evidence" from onboard camera footage.
It was confirmed on Friday Verstappen will not face any punishment after the stewards rejected the appeal.
The stewards explained: "There will always be some angles of video footage, because of limits in both technology and bandwidth, that are unavailable at the time.
"Whether or not stewards' decisions are considered to be right or wrong, and just as with referees' decisions in soccer, it does not seem desirable to be able to review any or all such in‐race discretionary decisions up to two weeks after the fact and the stewards therefore seriously doubt that the intent of the Right of Review in the ISC [International Sporting Code] is to enable competitors to seek a review of such discretionary decisions that do not follow on from a formal inquiry by the stewards and do not result in a published document."
Although the stewards agreed Mercedes had provided new and relevant evidence, they disagreed that it was "significant" in this case.
Their statement said: "The stewards often must make a decision quickly and on a limited set of information. At the time of the decision, the stewards felt they had sufficient information to make a decision, which subsequently broadly aligned with the immediate post‐race comments of both drivers involved.
"Had they felt that the forward‐facing camera video from Car 33 [Verstappen] was crucial in order to take a decision, they would simply have placed the incident under investigation – to be investigated after the race – and rendered a decision after this video was available. They saw no need to do so."
Both Verstappen and Hamilton were the subject of stewards' enquiries in Brazil, the latter handed his second penalty of the week due to a DRS issue.
The verdict was announced after Verstappen was fastest in the first practice session at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Two weeks after scoring what may have been the NHL's goal of the season, Connor McDavid turned in a near replica on Thursday.
Just 28 seconds after the Winnipeg Jets had taken the lead with the first goal of the game, the Edmonton Oilers' captain weaved through the Jets defence before flicking a shot past goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for the game-tying goal with 5:35 to play in the third period.
That tally was enough to send the game to overtime at 1-1, and Edmonton eventually prevailed in the shoot-out as McDavid put another shot past the man who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top net-minder two seasons ago.
Afterward, the Oilers were left to try and describe something that even players at the highest level of the sport could not quite wrap their minds around.
"It's surreal, right?" said centre Kyle Turris, who put home the clinching shot in the shoot-out. "It's the NHL -- everybody's a good player. I mean, you don't see that happen.
"He's just so fast and so quick in his movements and for him to pull things off like that in key, clutch times, that's what makes him the best in the world.
"It's a lot of fun to watch and you know it's always a possibility. So you're surprised but you're also not surprised because we see it everyday practice, too."
The rest of the world also saw it November 5 against the New York Rangers in an eerily similar situation, McDavid darting through the defence like a ghost to score the game-tying goal before Edmonton prevailed in overtime.
"He scores big goals in big times in the game and takes the game into his own hands. Not many people can do that," said Oilers winger Zach Hyman. "And it's great to score crazy goals like that, but I think it's more impressive to score them in the timely manner that he's been doing it to give our team a chance to win. Special player, obviously."
Special is one word. Team-mate Cody Ceci went with "phenomenal", while Turris called it "magic".
McDavid's 11th goal this season gave him a point in all 16 games as the Oilers sit atop the Western Conference with a 12-4-0 record.
"He can make something out of nothing," said Edmonton head coach Dave Tippett. "He's going through there and he's coming with such speed, and his agility is unbelievable. He's just hard to defend and if he can get a step on a guy he can get himself free and that's what he did today."
Stephen Curry is the "greatest three-point shooter of all time" according to his Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr following his latest domination in a 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Curry scored 40 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, as the Warriors went on a 17-0 run to reverse a 13-point deficit and claim the road win on Thursday.
The point guard made four three-pointers in the final quarter to finish the game with nine triples, which is the 10th time he has netted nine or more from the beyond the arc since April.
Curry has achieved that feat in a bit over six months, while James Harden is next best in the history of the league, with nine games with nine or more three-pointers across his career.
The two-time NBA MVP also brought up his 53rd career game where he has dropped 40 points or more, which he has done 15 times since turning 32 years old. Only Kobe Bryant (18) and Michael Jordan (38) have had more 40-point games at age 32 or older than Curry, who went past Alex English (14).
"He's one of the greatest players in the history of the game," Kerr said at the post-game news conference. "He's the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
"The way he moves off the ball, he's so strong and fluid. He understands the game on and off the ball. He's fearless.
"You throw all of that together, he's always capable of catching fire like that. As amazing as it was, it didn’t shock me because this is what he does."
Curry had gone into the game under an injury cloud with a left hip contusion but overcame that to play 35 minutes.
The 33-year-old admitted he was not sure if he would be able to play in Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons who are 4-10.
"I'll get an assessment," Curry said at the post-game news conference. "That [fourth quarter] charge really messed with me a little bit.
"I'm just trying to deal with that. We'll see how that feels when I wake up."
Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors' fourth-quarter charge and registered his fourth 40-point game of the season in a 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Curry had been listed as "questionable" for the game due to a hip complaint but overcame that to post 40 points including nine three-pointers for the Warriors who improve to 13-2.
Golden State had trailed by 13 points early in the final quarter, before going on a 17-0 initiated by three consecutive Curry triples.
Curry had 13 points during the 17-0 run and 20 for the final quarter, as the Warriors flicked the switch with a 36-8 last period.
Draymond Green played a strong deputy hand with 14 assists for the Warriors, while Darius Garland had 25 points for the Cavs.
Curry also broke his own record for the most triples made by a player in the first 15 games of season, overtaking his 2018-19 haul of 80 and moving his 2021-22 tally to 85.
Sixers snap five-game skid
Guards Seth Curry (20 points, six rebounds and five assists) and Tyrese Maxey (22 points, five rebounds and four assists) helped the Philadelphia 76ers end their five-game skid with a 103-89 win over the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 22 points in the first half but finished with 30 for the game, along with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Jimmy Butler had 32 points, five assists and four steals while Kyle Lowry dished off 12 assists as the Miami Heat downed the Washington Wizards 112-97, despite Bradley Beal's 30 points.
Ja Morant starred with 28 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Memphis Grizzlies in a 120-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, with Paul George managing 23 points, including five from beyond the arc.
Murray loses his radar
Dejounte Murray only managed seven points, shooting at 17 percent from the field, missing all four three-point attempts in the San Antonio Spurs' 115-90 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After a pair of frustrating seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani was finally healthy in 2021, and he answered every challenge put before him on the way to an MVP season.
The two-way sensation was a unanimous choice as the American League's Most Valuable Player on Thursday – early Friday in Japan – on the heels of a season that saw him perform feats that left fans and peers alike in awe.
Ohtani easily led MLB players in WAR (wins above replacement) at 9.1 as he finished third in the majors with 46 home runs while also striking out 156 batters in 130.1 innings in 23 starts as a pitcher.
The latter was especially impressive considering Ohtani pitched only 1.2 innings the previous two seasons combined as he recovered from elbow surgery, but the 27-year-old handled the workload with relative ease this season.
"It was definitely challenging, but at the same time I had a lot of fun with it,” Ohtani told reporters through an interpreter on a conference call.
"I felt like the expectations from the team were very high and I wanted to do my best to try to answer those expectations."
He added: "I’ve always dealt with a lot of doubters, especially from my days in Japan. I tried to not let that pressure get to me. I just wanted to have fun and see what kind of numbers I could put up, and what kind of performance I could put up."
After the voting results were announced Thursday, with Ohtani easily outdistancing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien to win, former MLB pitcher CC Sabathia tweeted that the two-way star is the "BEST PLAYER I'VE EVER SEEN".
Ohtani's Angels team-mate Mike Trout, the last unanimous AL MVP in 2014, also lauded his friend's performance.
"Shohei’s season was nothing short of electric," Trout said in a statement released by the team. "At times, I felt like I was back in Little League. To watch a player throw eight innings, hit a home run, steal a base and then go play right field was incredible.
"What impresses me the most about him though, is the way he carries himself both on and off the field. With so much on his plate daily, he still manages to do it with a smile. Congratulations Shohei!"
Angels manager Joe Maddon added in a statement: "Shohei came to the States to play among the best on both sides of the ball and he accomplished that mission on the highest level
"Knowing him, this award is going to serve as motivation to exceed his previous accomplishments. I cannot wait to watch how his game helps push us to our goal of playing in the last game of the season and winning it. Congratulations to Shohei and his entire family on this special honour."
The best news for Maddon and the Angels is that Ohtani is under team control for the next two seasons, and is set to play 2022 on a team-friendly salary of $5.5million.
Ohtani brushed off a question from reporters about a possible contract extension Thursday but made it clear how he feels about his team.
"This is not the time to talk about contract stuff, but I want to make it clear that I love the Angels organisation and am looking forward to being a big part of the team for a long time," he said. "Right now I want to focus on winning next season with the Angels."
Music echoes through State Farm Arena and the crowd cheers as Trae Young dribbles the ball up the court for the Atlanta Hawks.
Like so many possessions in the NBA, the action begins with a team-mate – in this case, John Collins or Clint Capela – screening the on-ball defender, the man guarding Young.
Young is a good three-point shooter, so his defender must go over the screen. Young has seen this kind of defence countless times before and immediately dashes towards the hoop on the opposite side of the screener of his defender.
This leaves Young’s man mostly behind him, sprinting to get back into a better guarding position. Feeling his advantage, Young stops suddenly – or even pounces backward a bit – creating contact with his defender and launching a shot while flailing his limbs to exaggerate the contact.
Only, this season, NBA officials aren’t blowing the whistle.
The league placed an emphasis this offseason on reducing “overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves” that are employed specifically used to draw fouls, commonly known as foul-baiting.
While drawing fouls has always been a skill in basketball, the NBA felt that certain players were warping their movements in unnatural ways to get to the free-throw line and making the game less enjoyable to watch for most fans.
The changes have been dramatic league-wide, with teams averaging 19.6 free throw attempts per game, on pace to be the lowest in league history. Each team is committing just 18.8 fouls per game, on pace to be an all-time low.
And while free throw attempts have been down in the last decade due to the three-point shooting boom, an NBA game this season averages 4.4 fewer free throw attempts than one last season.
Young, fairly or not, has become the poster child for foul-baiting and has struggled to adjust early in the 2021-22 season. In an October 30 press conference, Young said he thinks the rule changes have gone too far.
“I don’t want to get fined too much, but this is frustrating,” Young said after a loss.
“When guys are driving straight and getting knocked off balance, it’s still a foul. There are a lot of things that they took out that were necessary – veering back and jumping into guys – that’s different. There’s certain things I agree with in the rule changes and there are things that are still fouls.
“Guys are going to get hurt, especially a little guy like me who is going up against bigger and stronger defenders.”
This season, Young is getting to the line 3.1 fewer times per game, on average, compared to last season. The fourth-year guard has kept his scoring average steady, though, by shooting career highs from the field and from three-point range.
Other stars have fared not quite as well.
Among qualified players, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazer has seen his opportunities at the line drop the most in the NBA, a reduction of 3.8 attempts per game. Lillard has struggled in general this season, with his scoring average down more than eight points and with career-low shooting efficiency.
The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal has lost 3.7 free throw attempts from last season, the second most in the league, and has also seen his scoring drop eight points per game.
Only five of the league’s 30 teams have increased the number of free throw attempts per game over last season, led by the Chicago Bulls, who appear to be thriving under current rules with a new roster.
The Bulls are shooting an average of 2.5 more free throws per game than last season, thanks largely to the red-hot start of DeMar DeRozan, whose 7.9 free throw attempts per game are his highest since 2016-17 (8.7).
The Bulls as a whole rank eighth in the league in scoring defence this season, allowing 103.3 points per game after giving up 111.6 per game last season.
Largest improvement in points per game allowed Rank Team 2020-21 2021-22 Diff 1 Washington Wizards 118.5 103.0 -15.5 2 Denver Nuggets 110.1 98.9 -11.2 3 Golden State Warriors 112.7 101.6 -11.1 4 Cleveland Cavaliers 112.3 101.6 -10.7 5 Minnesota Timberwolves 117.7 107.4 -10.3 6 Brooklyn Nets 114.1 104.1 -10.0 7 Oklahoma City Thunder 115.6 105.9 -9.7 8 Indiana Pacers 115.3 106.8 -8.5 9 Chicago Bulls 111.6 103.3 -8.3 10 Sacramento Kings 117.4 110.5 -6.9
Teams are scoring 5.3 fewer points per game compared to 2020-21, and some of the league’s more defensive-minded players are finally feeling like they have a fair chance.
When asked about the officiating changes, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green couldn’t help but express his elation.
"Can I say how satisfying it is to watch the game without all those terrible calls? Guys cheating the game and grabbing guys and getting the foul," said the six-time All-Defensive Team honoree and 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year.
"I've been really enjoying watching basketball this year. I kind of had stopped watching the NBA a bit because it was just too flailing and flopping and guys cheating the game and getting free throws. So I think that's been great."
Former center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who built a 14-season NBA career as a defensive enforcer, has been among the media personalities who are most supportive of a more physical league.
“I love the rule change. I think it’s great for basketball. Now the older generation doesn’t have a reason to call us soft – the league is getting back to that point,” Perkins said on ESPN’s NBA Today.
“I’m a huge fan of Trae Young, but some of the calls are just not fouls, and he’s just going to have to fight through.”
Some players may already be adjusting to a different style of basketball, including infamous flailer James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets. Through his first 12 games of the season, Harden was averaging just 18.2 points and attempting 4.7 free throws per game.
Over his last four games, however, Harden is scoring a more typical 26.5 points per game and getting to the line an average of 10.8 times.
As the league starts to adjust, some in NBA circles are sceptical that scoring numbers will remain suppressed.
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins has commented that the league’s dip in scoring could be attributed to players “trying to find rhythm and chemistry” and added that over the course of 82 games, the scoring totals “will definitely change league-wide.”
While players may adjust, the NBA appears adamant about keeping the emphasis in place as-is. In fact, teams are averaging even fewer free throw attempts in November than they did in October.
One unintended consequence of the change could be less willingness to drive into traffic, leading to more three-point attempts. While teams are launching an all-time high 35.7 attempts from deep per game, that trend has long been established, with the league breaking the record for three-point attempts per game in 10 straight seasons.
Whether it’s with deep shooting or another tactic, offences are sure to counter with new ways to find good shots.
"The league is an efficient market and is going to make adjustments," said Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. "As offences boom, you figure out new ways to defend. It's a constant ping-pong game between both ends of the floor."
Daniil Medvedev withstood a superb fightback from home favourite Jannik Sinner to win a third straight match at the ATP Finals in Turin.
The world number two, who had already booked his semi-final slot with victory over Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, saved two match points on his way to a 6-0 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) win in two hours and 32 minutes.
Medvedev committed just three unforced errors in a sublime opening set, wrapping it up with the minimum of fuss in 26 minutes.
A shell-shocked Sinner soon found his composure, though, and after a bruising hour and five minutes took the second set in the tie-break.
The Italian powered into a 4-2 lead in the decider, yet Medvedev fought back and sealed victory in the tie-break with a backhand winner on his second match point.
Reigning champion Medvedev will face either Casper Ruud or Andrey Rublev in the last four, with the pair facing off on Friday in the Green Group.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Medvedev – 18/5
Sinner – 5/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Medvedev – 5/11
Sinner – 2/5
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
