Reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick moved into a one-shot lead from Patrick Cantlay at the RBC Heritage with a bogey-free eight-under 63.
Fitzpatrick surged up the leaderboard on the third day at Harbour Town Golf Links with a hole-out eagle from 149 yards out on the par-four third hole.
The 28-year-old Englishman's 63 was a new career-low score, highlighted by four birdies along with the eagle on his front nine 30.
Fitzpatrick leads at 14 under from Cantlay (13 under) and Jordan Spieth (12 under) who carded five-under 66s on the third day.
Cantlay enjoyed a bogey-free round of five under, managing three birdies in four holes on the back nine, while Spieth bogeyed on the par-three 17th, seeing him drop two strokes off the lead.
Halfway leader Jimmy Walker slipped down the leaderboard with a one-over 72, meaning he is tied for fourth at 11 under with Taylor Moore, Mark Hubbard, Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler.
Last week's Masters champion Jon Rahm was unable to build on his second-day 64, despite starting with three straight birdies.
Rahm's run stalled with a double bogey on the fourth, eventually carding a two-under 69 to be back at eight-under overall.
Keegan Bradley had the second-best round of the day behind Fitzpatrick, moving to nine-under overall and joint 16th with a bogey-free seven-under 64.
Andrey Rublev is hoping it will be third time lucky in a Masters 1000 final after setting up a title showdown with Holger Rune in Monte Carlo.
The 25-year-old Russian has 12 tournament wins to his name, but all have come at ATP 500 or ATP 250 level, respectable but lower rungs than this tier.
Rublev lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo in 2021 and to Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati in the same year, as he failed to capitalise on two chances to break his Masters 1000 duck.
Now comes another opportunity on the clay against teenager Rune on Sunday, after both men ground out tough semi-final comeback wins.
Rublev beat Taylor Fritz 5-7 6-1 6-3, while Rune fought back gallantly to overcome Jannik Sinner 1-6 7-5 7-5, with rain delays affected both matches on Saturday.
Rublev is full of appreciation for Rune's game. They met at the last-16 stage of the Australian Open in January, with Rublev winning a marathon clash in a dizzying final-set tie-break.
Their only other previous clash came indoors at the Paris Masters last November, with Rune taking that third-round match in straight sets and going on to win the title as an unseeded player, beating Novak Djokovic in the final.
Rublev said of Rune: "Holger is the guy who runs a lot, and he runs really well. He read the game really well. He's very talented.
"He has a good touch. He doesn't give you any rhythm, because as soon as he has a chance he tries to do drop shots, he tries to hit full power, goes to the net, returns and goes to the net, then serves to the net.
"He doesn't give you rhythm to put pressure on him to play your style."
Rune sees Rublev as a major threat to his prospects of a second title at this level, but the 19-year-old Dane is not short of self-belief.
"I expect for myself to push full. It's the last push, it's the last match of the tournament," Rune said. "Obviously he had three sets as well, so he must be feeling the legs a little bit, I hope.
"It's going to be great. We've played each other twice. It's one-all head to head, so it's going to be interesting, for sure.
"I've just got to stay in the moment, go for it against the best players in the world, and Andrey has been showing that for many years now, he's been top five, six for many years, so I've got to play my best. I've got to take it, because he's not going to give it to me."
Francesco Bagnaia made it a pole position and sprint race double as Ducati's reigning world champion set the standard ahead of Sunday's MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas.
The 26-year-old Italian crashed at the Argentine Grand Prix last time out in wet conditions but rebounded strongly in Austin with a reminder of the form that brought him last year's title.
He was thoroughly dominant in the sprint, pocketing the 12 points on offer to the winner and moving just one point behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi in the early season standings.
Honda's Alex Rins took nine points with second place, some 2.545 seconds behind the winner, while third went to Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin who rocketed through the field from 12th on the grid, with Aleix Espargaro taking fourth for Aprilia.
Espargaro had been running second at one stage, while Fabio Quartararo was also showing lively pace before crashing at the first corner with six laps remaining.
Brad Binder took fifth in the sprint, with Bezzecchi sixth as he conceded ground to Bagnaia in the championship, having been nine points ahead heading into this weekend after his maiden race win in Argentina.
Pole position earlier went to Bagnaia in a lap record of two minutes and 1.892 seconds, with Rins an impressive second, ahead of the Mooney VR46 of Luca Marini.
Marini's team-mate Bezzecchi could only take fifth on the grid, with Alex Marquez (Gresini) fourth and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) in sixth spot.
Grid classification
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 2:01.892
2. Alex Rins (Honda) +0.160 seconds
3. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) +0.289
4. Alex Marquez (Gresini) +0.350
5. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) +0.376
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.647
7. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.857
8. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +0.990
9. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +1.170
10. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) +1.192
Championship Standings
Riders
1. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) 54
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 53
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 35
4. Alex Marquez (Gresini) 33
5. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) 32
Teams
1. Mooney VR46 72
2. Pramac Racing 64
3. Ducati 53
4. Red Bull KTM 53
4. Aprilia 50
Animal rights campaigners succeeded in delaying the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday as police arrested 118 people amid scenes of chaos.
Corach Rambler won the 175th running of the famous steeplechase; however, the start was held up for 14 minutes after a large number of activists attempted to gain access to the course before the main event.
Merseyside Police said arrests had been made for "offences including causing public nuisance and criminal damages", with efforts to breach the perimeter fence and enter the track largely thwarted.
The Aintree spectacle is among the world's most famous races but also has many detractors, with concerns over the number of horses that suffer serious injuries or die from falls.
Two horses died at the Liverpool course in earlier races during this week's Grand National Festival, and a third passed away in the big race itself, with Hill Sixteen dying after falling early on.
Police and security had been on alert for a likely effort to interrupt the race.
Assistant chief constable Paul White said: "The perimeter of Aintree racecourse covers an extensive area of between 4-5km and obviously poses challenges for policing. However, we have been planning the policing of this event for a number of months and we had a robust plan in place to ensure that we had adequate staff to deal with it.
"Just after 5pm a large number of protesters attempted to gain entry onto Aintree racecourse. The majority were prevented from breaching the boundary fencing thanks to our planning and the work of my officers.
"I can confirm a total of 118 people have been arrested today. I would like to thank everyone for their patience whilst this matter was dealt with in a safe and appropriate manner."
After the protest drama, pre-race favourite Corach Rambler lived up to that billing by timing the finish to perfection, coming home ahead of Vanillier, with third place going to Gaillard Du Mesnil.
Reacting to the news of Hill Sixteen's death, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), indicated its concerns about horse safety at the meeting.
The RSPCA said on Twitter: "‘We are very distressed to hear of the deaths of Hill Sixteen, Dark Raven and Envoye Special at the Grand National Festival today. We will be discussing this incident with the British Horseracing Authority."
Corach Rambler won the 175th Grand National on Saturday after the race was delayed by a protest from animal welfare campaigners that resulted in 23 people being arrested.
The Aintree steeplechase is among the world's most famous races but also has many detractors, with concerns over the number of horses that suffer serious injuries or die from falls.
Two horses died at the Liverpool course in earlier races during this week's Grand National Festival. Two horses also died during the 2022 showpiece race.
Protests were expected this year, and they manifested in an attempt by a large number of activists to gain access to the course before the main event.
Police and security swiftly move to halt the progress of the protesters, and race was held up for less than 15 minutes.
Merseyside Police revealed that 23 arrests had been made, with more set to follow as the operation continues.
In a statement, the force said: "We are continuing to work with The Jockey Club and other partners to keep people safe during the Grand National Festival.
"We are aware of people who planned to protest at today's event. This has been factored into our plans. We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of views, but criminal behaviour and disorder will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly."
After the protest drama, pre-race favourite Corach Rambler lived up to that billing by timing the finish to perfection as the earlier leader Mister Coffey faltered.
Corach Rambler finished ahead of Vanillier, with third place going to Gaillard Du Mesnil, after a number of horses fell during the race.
Winning jockey Derek Fox, celebrating his second Grand National triumph after a 2017 victory on One For Arthur, told ITV after the race the credit had to go to Corach Rambler.
"He is just a phenomenal horse. I can't believe it," Fox said.
"He normally gets his head up a wee bit, but today he travelled everywhere. He is the cleverest horse. He is so intelligent."
Rudy Gobert believes the Minnesota Timberwolves can go on to beat anyone in the NBA playoffs after seeing off the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Timberwolves won 120-95 in their play-in matchup on Friday to secure the number eight seed in the Western Conference.
Minnesota must now take on the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round as they go into the postseason as heavy underdogs but Gobert, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Thunder, is not daunted.
"To be honest, I don't consider ourselves as an eight-seed," Gobert said, per ESPN.
"We are in the standings, but I don't consider us an eight-seed.
"Now, it's an amazing opportunity for us to keep getting better as a team. It's a huge challenge for us. It's an exciting opportunity.
"But we're not looking at the standings anymore. We're looking at who is in front of us.
"We believe if we play the right way, there's not a team in this league that we cannot beat."
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was praised for his performance guarding cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's fourth-highest scorer this season, after being handed a surprise start.
Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns, who top scored with 28 points and added 11 rebounds, was full of praise for his teammate, who helped to hold Gilgeous-Alexander to 5-of-19 from the field, a season-low shooting percentage (26.3).
"X-factor," Towns said about Alexander-Walker. "He's the reason we won.
"He went out there and had a very, very tough job to guard Shai, who's been fantastic this whole year and one of the best scorers in the league.
"And to go out there and do what he did is the reason we won. There's no other way to put it.
"We utilised our size. We did a great job of putting pressure on the paint and just doing what we do best."
Alexander-Walker added: "I was just so thankful for that opportunity to start and then have that assignment to guard him.
"It's a little different than any other game. This is someone I grew up with my whole life. As far as people, he knows me better than anybody and he knows me better than anybody I could say."
The Timberwolves have now made the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in almost two decades.
They previously had a run of eight straight postseason appearances came to an end in 2004.
Game 1 against Denver takes place on Sunday.
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker has reportedly requested a trade, as an offseason of turmoil continues for the franchise.
The five-time Pro Bowl safety, a team captain, has spent all six of his seasons in the NFL with the Cardinals but is now seeking an exit.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Baker informed the team in February that he wanted to be traded or receive a new deal to make him the highest-paid safety in the league.
A two-time first-team All Pro, Baker led the team with 111 tackles last season but finished the campaign on injured reserve having fractured his shoulder in a Week 16 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Baker's trade request means that the Cardinals could enter the 2023 season without two of their star names, with it widely reported that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has been granted ability to seek a trade due to his whopping $30.75 million cap hit.
The team have already lost J.J. Watt to retirement and franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is recovering from a serious knee injury after a dreadful 4-13 season in 2022 that led to the departure of head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
The Cardinals have also denied allegations of gross misconduct, including cheating, discrimination and harassment in an arbitration claim filed by former team executive Terry McDonough.
Additionally, Arizona received the second-lowest marks in the NFLPA player survey, receiving F grades for treatment of families, nutrition, the weight room, the training room and the locker room.
The Miami Heat are prepared for a war against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks after defeating the Chicago Bulls 102-91 in Friday's play-in tournament.
Max Strus got Miami off to a great start with 23 points in the first half, draining six triples, before Jimmy Butler led a 15-1 run to close out the game and earn the Heat's fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
Strus and Butler finished with 31 points each, and while starting center Bam Adebayo scored just eight points on one-of-nine shooting, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra credited his big man with the result.
Adebayo grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds – eight more than any other player – while also chipping in four assists, a block and a steal.
"None of this is happening if Bam wasn't so electric defensively," Spoelstra said. "He really was traffic-copping everything that they were doing, he seemed to be in three places at once at all times.
"He had 17 rebounds, and I thought it was fitting that he got the block at the end. Chicago are a tough team, they really defend. It's not like you're going to generate a bunch of easy opportunities at the rim to be able to get into good rhythm as a basketball team.
"They're well-schooled, well-drilled, well-coached, and they're committed on that side of the floor, so we had to win this one in the mud."
Adebayo felt he was doing everything he could outside of scoring the ball to help his side win.
"The game isn't only depending on shots falling," he said. "I feel like I had a big impact on that game even though my shots weren't falling."
Looking forward to a matchup against two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the top-seeded Bucks, Butler acknowledged they have a tall task waiting in the wings.
"You're talking about an MVP in [Antetokounmpo], all the shooting, how together they are, they've been together for a while," Butler said. "It's going to be tough; it is.
"Milwaukee have some great fans that are always showing up and showing out. So, we've got to play damn near perfect basketball, which we're capable of.
"Play hard, stick together through the good, through the bad. We are one and I think we're going to be okay. Let this season go, let the play-in go. 0-0 and get to work."
Spoelstra added: "We have great respect for them, but we feel like we're Navy SEALs. Just drop us off, we'll parachute in, and let's go compete."
Jimmy Butler once again rose to the occasion to lift the Miami Heat to a 102-91 win over the Chicago Bulls in Friday's play-in tournament.
The win means the Heat have earned the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round series against the top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks.
Against the Bulls, Miami led narrowly at half-time courtesy of a sharpshooting performance from Max Strus, scoring 23 points across the first two quarters on the back of six made three-pointers.
Strus went on to finish with an equal game-high 31 points, shooting eight-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from deep, providing some offensive firepower beside Butler.
Butler also scored 31, shooting 11-of-24 from the field while adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals in his 43 minutes of action, making up for the fact that starting trio Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent combined for just 20 points on six-of-23 shooting.
DeMar DeRozan was strong for Chicago, scoring a team-high 26 points on nine-of-19 shooting while adding nine assists, but top option Zach LaVine struggled, shooting six-of-21 for his 15 points.
The result confirms the fourth consecutive postseason appearance for the Heat, where they will be looking for their third Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2020.
Towns delivers on both ends in Wolves win
Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns produced one of his best games of the season to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-95 and earn a blockbuster first-round matchup against back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic.
Towns, who was only able to suit up for a career-low 29 games this regular season due to a four-month calf injury, scored a game-high 28 points (11-of-16 shooting), grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and blocked a team-high three shots in a great two-way showing.
The Thunder were down all game, but after trimming the margin to 10 points in the third quarter, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander copped a hard accidental elbow to the face from Rudy Gobert, and while he was able to return, he was nursing a brutal black eye the rest of the way.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished fourth in the NBA in scoring at 31.4 points per game, top-scored for Oklahoma City with 22, but shot a disappointing five-of-19 from the field. He was also the only guard in the league to average at least one steal and one block, and he had one steal with three blocks.
The Timberwolves will now get a chance to face the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round, and with Gobert and Towns, they are arguably the West's most equipped team to deal with Jokic from a size perspective.
The Minnesota Twins came back from the worst possible start to earn a 4-3 road win against the New York Yankees on Friday.
In a stunning first inning in front of their home fans, the Yankees led 2-0 after two at-bats. Rookie Anthony Volpe connected on a 394-foot shot to left-center field for his first career home run, and he was followed by reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, who sent his solo home run 404 feet for his fifth dinger of the season.
Judge's five home runs this season trails only Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan Mountcastle and New York Mets star Pete Alonso for the league's most, both with six.
But those two runs would be the only scores until the sixth inning, when Carlos Correa put the Twins on the board with a solo home run of his own, barely scraping over the short-porch at right-field with a distance of 331 feet.
Giancarlo Stanton answered for the Yankees in the bottom of the sixth, cancelling out Correa's blast with another solo home run, before Kyle Garlick smacked the game's fifth solo homer to cut the New York lead to 3-2.
But after Michael Taylor and Byron Buxton both got on base to lead off the eighth frame, Correa came through again with a two-run double to give the Twins their first lead, setting up Jhoan Duran to come in and pick up the save – his fourth of the season.
The win was the Twins' fourth in a row, improving their AL Central-leading record to 10-4, while the Yankees slipped to 8-6.
Jays end the Rays' historic start
The Tampa Bay Rays have had their perfect start to the season snapped at 13 wins after the Toronto Blue Jays defeated them 6-3 at home.
George Springer gave the Blue Jays an early lead when he sent the second pitch from Rays starter Drew Rasmussen 440 feet for a lead-off home run, before team-mate Bo Bichette doubled their lead with a ground-rule double in the second inning.
Bichette went on to collect five hits from his five at-bats – three singles and two doubles – but it was loose pitching from Tampa Bay that doomed them to defeat.
Trailing just 2-1 in the sixth inning, the Rays issued two bases-loaded walks, and then allowed two more runs to score on an error.
Tampa Bay tied the 1982 Atlanta Braves and the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers for the best start to a season (13-0) since the 1884 St Louis Maroons (20-0).
Ohtani and Trout both hit, walk in Angels loss
The Los Angeles Angels went down 5-3 on the road against the Boston Red Sox, despite their two former AL MVPs both finishing with a hit and a walk.
Shohei Ohtani went one-for-four with a walk, while Mike Trout also went one-for-four with a walk, although his hit went for a double down the left-field line.
The production from the Angels' stars was not enough to overcome three fielding errors as a team, including two costly errors from third-baseman Anthony Rendon to allow three runs, and a fourth run scored on a passed ball from catcher Logan O'Hoppe.
Boston's top bat Rafael Devers was the highlight for the home side, connecting on his equal league-leading sixth homer.
The San Francisco Giants locked up ace Logan Webb for the next five years, agreeing to a $90million extension with the right-hander on Friday that will keep him with the team through the 2028 season.
Webb struggled in his first two seasons with the Giants before he had a breakout campaign in 2021, going 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 27 appearances. He followed that up by compiling a 15-9 mark in 2022 with a 2.90 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 192 innings.
Webb, who grew up in nearby Rocklin, California, will earn $4.6m this season in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and would have been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season. He will receive an $8m salary next year, $12m in 2025, $23m each in 2026 and 2027 and $24m in 2028.
"It was just important for me to be able to say I can wear a Giants uniform for a long time," Webb said. "It's important for not only myself but my family and especially my community back home.
"I know they're very excited. There's a lot of diehard Giants fans in Rocklin, California. This is where I want to be – it's an honour."
Webb was the Giants' opening day starter this season, but has got off to a slow start with an 0-3 record and a 4.76 ERA in three starts.
"I've got to be a lot better, the team knows that, I know that and I'm excited to start showing that. I think I'm really close," Webb said. "It does show they have a lot of faith in me, and some of the stuff that's happened the first couple games is not going to happen hopefully very often.
"I don't think anybody, myself especially, thought I'd be 0-3 to start the season, but I'm excited to fix that, excited to get back to that winning baseball not only for myself but for our team."
Webb is 31-22 with a 3.59 ERA in five major league seasons.
Last week's Masters champion Jon Rahm shook off his poor opening round and rebounded with Friday's best score, while Jimmy Walker opened up a three-stroke lead at the RBC Heritage.
Rahm had a bit of a hangover following his second major victory, beginning his week at Harbour Town Golf Links with a one-over 72, before showing the field how it was done with a seven-under 64 on his second trip around the course.
He birdied holes two, three, four and five to kick-start a bogey-free round with seven birdies overall, jumping from the wrong side of the cut line to a tie for 18th at six under.
Meanwhile, at the top of the leaderboard it was Jimmy Walker who raced clear of the pack, posting his second 65 in a row to head into the weekend at 12 under.
Walker, 44, is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, but his last victory came at the 2016 PGA Championship, and he came into this event with only four made cuts from 12 starts this season.
He has his work cut out for him to hold off a star-studded chasing pack, with world number two Scottie Scheffler joined by major champion Justin Rose and world number six Xander Schauffele at nine under.
Fellow top-10 talents Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland are one stroke further back at eight under, where they are joined by English duo Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood in a tie for fifth.
Jordan Spieth is tied for 10th at seven under with a group that includes Rickie Fowler and former RBC Heritage champion Matt Kuchar, and Rahm is joined at six under by reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Young South Korean phenom Tim Kim missed the cut by one stroke, while Max Homa had a week to forget, finishing at three over to miss the cut by five strokes.
Miles Bridges has been given a 30-game NBA suspension without pay for a domestic violence incident involving the mother of his children.
The forward was arrested last June for felony domestic violence and in November pleaded no contest to the charge. He was sentenced to three years of probation and no jail time.
A further two charges were dismissed, but the 25-year-old remained the subject of an NBA investigation.
Bridges, who last played for the Charlotte Hornets two years ago, on Friday learned the punishment imposed by the league.
The NBA ruled he will only be forced to sit out another 10 games of the ban imposed on him if he signs a contract for next season due to the action he has already missed.
A statement released by the league said: "The NBA conducted its own investigation into this matter, reviewing all available materials and interviewing numerous third-party witnesses, as well as the parties involved.
"The NBA also consulted with a group of domestic violence experts who provide the league with guidance in such cases. The 30-game suspension is based on all facts and circumstances of this matter and considers the conduct and its result, as well as the outcome of the criminal matter, among other factors.
"Following his arrest and plea, Mr. Bridges did not sign an NBA contract for the 2022-23 season, missing all 82 games. In recognition of that outcome, the NBA has deemed 20 games of the suspension to have been already served.
"If Mr. Bridges signs an NBA contract, he will be required to miss the first 10 games for which he is otherwise eligible and able to play.
Bridges averaged career highs of 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the 2021-22 season before his arrest, which came just days before he entered restricted free agency.
The NBA has fined the Dallas Mavericks $750,000 for violating the league's resting policy in a 115-112 defeat to the Chicago Bulls last week.
Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr, Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood were omitted for the game last Friday, while Luka Doncic only played the first quarter at American Airlines Center.
A loss at the hands of the Bulls ensured Dallas missed out on the play-in tournament but retained their number 10 slot in the 2023 NBA Draft lottery, still owing the New York Knicks a top-10 protected pick as part of a 2019 trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd called the selection an "organisational decision", adding: "It's not so much waving the white flag. It's [that] decisions sometimes are hard in this business. We're trying to build a championship team. With this decision, this is maybe a step back. But hopefully it leads to going forward."
The NBA on Friday announced the franchise will pay for "conduct detrimental to the league".
A statement released by the league said: "The Mavericks violated the league's player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organisation's desire to lose the game in order to improve the chances of keeping its first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
"The league did not find that the players who participated in the game were not playing to win."
Joe Dumars, the NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations, said: "The Dallas Mavericks' decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport. The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league."
The 2023 NBA playoffs are here and promise to be as thrilling as ever.
There are narratives all over the place ready to be written, with the Golden State Warriors trying to retain their championship, the Los Angeles Lakers coming from 2-10 to potentially win it all, and the Boston Celtics looking to make up for last season's Finals heartbreak.
Between now and the start of the Finals in June, who knows how many shock results, big performances and memorable moments basketball fans will be treated to.
The final two places will be decided on Friday with the last two play-in games determining who will face top seeds the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets, while the first round gets underway straight away on Saturday.
Stats Perform takes a look at the six confirmed series so far, starting with arguably the most intriguing of them all.
Western Conference:
Phoenix Suns (4) v Los Angeles Clippers (5)
After an outstanding 2021-22 campaign in which they finished as the top seed in the West with a record of 64-18, the Suns began this season with a 6-1 run.
However, by the end of their first game of 2023, Phoenix had already lost as many as they did in the entirety of the previous regular season and only managed a record of 45-37 in the end to finish as a fourth seed.
Adding Kevin Durant in February gave them a much-needed boost, though, and his link-up with Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul feels like it could lead to something special in the postseason. Durant is 8-0 as a Net.
They will be up against a Clippers team who have had stumbles during the season but went 11-5 heading into the playoffs.
Kawhi Leonard's return from injury in November was huge for Ty Lue's team, with he and Paul George both averaging 23.8 points per game for the season.
The teams split their four meetings during the regular season, albeit including a Clippers victory in their final game when the Suns rested their starters.
Sacramento Kings (3) v Golden State Warriors (6)
It feels like the Kings quietly went about their business this season, amassing 48 wins, more than half of which (25) came on the road.
That could not really be further removed from the Warriors' experience, which saw only 11 of their 44 victories come as the away team.
However, after starting 7-29 on the road this season, Golden State won four of their final five. That included a 56-point victory at the Portland Trail Blazers on April 9, tied for the second-largest road win by any team in NBA history (Pacers at Thunder in May 2021 – 57).
De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will lead the way for Sacramento, but a certain Stephen Curry will be expected to shine again in the postseason as he has done so often in the past.
Since 2013-14, Curry has gone 27-2 against the Kings, the second-best record by any player against a single opponent (min. 20 games) during that span (Norman Powell, 19-1 vs Nets). Curry has averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds over those games.
Golden State were 3-1 against the Kings this season, with Curry (25 points) and Klay Thompson (29) doing much of the damage in their victory in the penultimate game of the campaign against shorthanded opponents.
Memphis Grizzlies (2) v Los Angeles Lakers (7)
As LeBron James recently said, the Lakers were given just a 0.3 per cent chance of making the playoffs by analysts when they started the year 2-10.
As it turned out, they nearly reached the postseason without even needing the play-in tournament, but a fairly routine win against the Minnesota Timberwolves got them to the dance.
James has been outstanding again this season, averaging 28.9 points, and will be eager to produce fireworks now that he and the Lakers are back in the postseason.
On the other side, Ja Morant seems to have put recent problems behind him and looks ready to lead the Grizzlies.
His 26.2 points have been ably supported by Desmond Bane (21.5) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (18.6), though they will miss the presence of the injured Steven Adams, who averaged 11.5 rebounds this season.
The Lakers went 2-1 against the Grizzlies this season, although the home team won on each occasion.
Eastern Conference:
Cleveland Cavaliers (4) v New York Knicks (5)
It was a strong year for Cleveland, winning 51 games in the regular season, although they had a losing record on the road (20-21).
Donovan Mitchell (28.3 points) has been sensational for the Cavaliers, who could hold a significant advantage throughout the playoffs as they boasted a perfect 7-0 record for games that went into overtime during the season.
The Knicks are looking for their first playoff series win in 10 years in what is only their second postseason appearance in that time.
Coach Tom Thibodeau has Julius Randle (25.1) and Jalen Brunson (24.0) to thank for guiding his team to a comfortable playoff place, with Randle also averaging 10.0 rebounds.
New York's starters are averaging 86.5 points this season, the most by any starting unit (Cleveland rank fifth at 83.5). That accounts for 74.6 per cent of the team's scoring, which is the highest rate by a Knicks squad since 2010-11 (74.7).
The Knicks were 3-1 against the Cavs this season, including their last one at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse just two weeks ago.
Philadelphia 76ers (3) v Brooklyn Nets (6)
Ever since he went to Philadelphia, it has felt like James Harden has been the story heading into any clashes between these two.
It feels like there is so much more to it now, though, especially since the Nets also lost Durant and Kyrie Irving.
No longer a team of stars, the Nets are reinventing themselves as just a team, and it will be interesting to see how they manage the postseason. The Nets finished the season 10-4 in games decided by three or fewer points, tied with the Knicks for the best record in the league (min. 10 one-possession games).
Harden and Tyrese Maxey have provided capable support to Joel Embiid, who has been his usual impressive self, with an average of 33.1 points, the most in the entire league.
The Sixers certainly have the momentum going into this series, winning all four of their meetings this season, including in the final game. It was the first time one of the teams swept the season series since Philadelphia won all four matchups against the New Jersey Nets in 2010-11.
Boston Celtics (2) v Atlanta Hawks (7)
Few expected the Celtics to make the Finals last year, and even fewer thought they would take a 2-1 lead against the Warriors.
It all went south from there, though, ultimately losing 4-2, but their response this season has been impressive again.
Boston started 21-5, and although that levelled out towards the middle of the regular season, they put together some more impressive runs to finish 57-25.
Jayson Tatum's average of 30.1 made him briefly a contender for MVP, while Jaylen Brown (26.6) and Marcus Smart are expected to be fit again during the first round.
Trae Young led the Hawks through their play-in clash with the Miami Heat, and he and they will now need to step up again.
Young has scored 30 or more points in four straight road games against the Celtics. Since the NBA-ABA merger, just four players have scored 30-plus points in five straight games in Boston (including playoffs): Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Curry and James.
The Celtics won all three regular season meetings, including in their final games before the postseason, although both fielded weakened teams.
Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev were both dumped out at the quarter-final stage of the Monte Carlo Masters, with Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune advancing.
Seeded second and third respectively, Tsitsipas and Medvedev began Friday as the tournament's highest-ranked players following Novak Djokovic's shock exit, but both found themselves on the receiving end of comprehensive defeats.
World number three Tsitsipas was the victim as Fritz claimed his first victory over a top-10 ranked player on clay, ending the Greek's 12-match winning run at the competition with a 6-2 6-4 success.
Tsitsipas – who won the event in both 2021 and 2022 – was unable to contain Fritz as the American hit a series of huge winners en route to his third Masters 1000 semi-final.
Fritz will face Andrey Rublev in the final four after the fifth seed saw off the challenge of German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff, posting a 6-1 7-6 (7-5) win.
Meanwhile, Medvedev came up short in his tussle with Rune, as the 19-year-old waltzed into his second Masters 1000 semi-final with a 6-3 6-4 triumph.
"It wasn't easy for sure, it's always tough to play Daniil," Rune said after his win. "It was actually my first time playing against him in a real match, but we've practised tonnes of times.
"I have huge respect for everything he's done. In the last week it was not easy to stop him, but I'm happy I managed to do it."
Rune now has a 10-8 record in meetings with his fellow top-10 players, and he will have to win another such duel to make the final, with Jannik Sinner his semi-final opponent.
Sinner needed 76 minutes to beat fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-2 6-2, and the 21-year-old now has the chance to reach his third Masters 1000 final, having previously finished as runner-up at two editions of the Miami Open.
Ferrari will begin their challenge to a costly time penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix when they take part in a hearing on Tuesday.
Motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, confirmed the Italian team would get their chance to petition for a review of the five-second penalty when they meet with stewards.
The punishment was imposed on Sainz after his collision with Fernando Alonso during the April 2 race.
Sainz was demoted from fourth to 12th place after making contact with his Spanish compatriot's Aston Martin following a chaotic penultimate-lap standing restart.
There were another two crashes prior to a red flag being waved for a third time at Albert Park.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were involved in a collision, while Logan Sargeant ran into the AlphaTauri of Nyck de Vries but none of those four drivers were penalised.
Sainz was not impressed with the punishment imposed on him and Scuderia team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed Ferrari would appeal against the decision that cost the driver a points finish.
In a statement issued on Friday, the FIA said: "The stewards of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix have received a letter from Nikolas Tombazis, single-seater director of the FIA, attaching a petition by competitor Scuderia Ferrari dated 6th April 2023 under article 14 of the FIA international sporting code, seeking a review of the stewards' decision number 46 made within the framework of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix and requesting that the stewards: 'consider such request and to make a determination whether or not a significant and relevant new element exists in relation to the decision/incident'.
"The driver(s) and team representative(s) are required to report to the stewards for a virtual hearing to be held on 18th April 2023 at 0800 CET in relation to the petition."
Zandre Roye and Jodi Munn-Barrow topped the Jamaica Golf Association's (JGA) Easter Jamboree golf tournament held last weekend at the Upton Estate Golf & Country Club in St. Ann.
Roye won by six strokes over the reigning national amateur golf champion Oshae Haye while Munn-Barrow was the only female player in the Ladies 0-12 handicap category.
Roye shot scores of 69 and 73 over the two days for an even-par score of 142.
"The game plan for the week was just to manage the game as best as possible, try to keep big numbers off the card, hit as much greens in regulation as possible and I think I did that the first day pretty well,” he said.
“(I) didn't putt as how I wanted on the first day but I hit 15 of 18 greens, shot two under par. I had a six-shot lead going into the second day so it was all about maintaining that lead, try and minimize the mistakes and just execute the game plan as best as I could, and the last few holes coming in I think I really did that."
Haye, meanwhile, scored 75 and 73 for an overall score of 148 for second place while William Knibbs finished one stroke back on 149 (79, 70) in third place.
Munn-Barrow posted 155 over the two days on the back of 80 and 75, respectively.
Six women completed the tournament in the 13+ handicap section with Alison Reid winning after posting an overall score of 193, seven strokes ahead of second place Diane Hudson (200) and Valerie Grant (201) who was third.
Tenny Davis - 155, Giovanni Blair - 164 and Richard White - 175 were the top three in the Men & Men Senior 7-12 section.
The Men Super Senior 0-12 went to Mike Gleichman who scored nine over par 151. He won by four strokes ahead of Wayne Chai Chong who shot 155. Dorrel Allen was third with 158.
Philip Wilson (154) won the Masters section ahead of George Watt who had a combined 173 over the period. The juniors who completed the tournament were Boys 18 & U Jerone Thomas - 178 and Jamal Stewart - 192 who competed in the Boys 14-15 category.
Rafael Nadal will not play at next week's Barcelona Open as he waits to return from a hip injury.
The 22-time grand slam winner has not played since going out to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open in January.
Nadal did not feature at tournaments in Indian Wells or Monte Carlo, and his latest withdrawal casts further doubt on his participation at the French Open, which begins at the end of May.
He wrote on Instagram on Friday: "Barcelona is a special tournament for me, because it's my adopted club and because playing at home is always a unique feeling.
"I'm still not prepared and therefore I'm still in my preparation process for the return to competition.
"Good luck to my friend [tournament director] David Ferrer and his whole team for this edition of the Godo that will surely be a success as always on all levels."
Nadal is a 12-time winner of the Barcelona Open, which he last won in 2021.
The 36-year-old recently dropped out of the world's top 10 men's rankings for the first time since 2005 due to his injury absence, and he currently sits in 15th place.
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