World number one Iga Swiatek believes tennis authorities missed the opportunity to take a stand against the war in Ukraine by banning Russian and Belarusian players.
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year – which was aided by Belarus – players from both countries were barred from competing at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon was the only grand slam to implement a ban, however, and affected players will be able to return to SW19 this year as neutral athletes after the All England Club reversed the move.
While Swiatek acknowledges a ban may be harsh on Russian and Belarusian players, she feels the sport missed a chance to send a strong message to Vladimir Putin's regime by enacting such a measure.
"I heard that after World War II, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it's not worth it," she told the BBC.
"I know it's a small thing because we are just athletes, a little piece in the world, but I feel like sport is pretty important and sport has always been used in propaganda.
"This is something that was considered at the beginning, tennis didn't really go that way, but now it would be pretty unfair for Russian and Belarusian players to do that, because this decision was supposed to be made a year ago.
"I feel like tennis, from the beginning, could do a bit better in showing everybody that tennis players are against the war."
On her Russian and Belarusian colleagues, Swiatek added: "It's not their fault they have a passport like that, but on the other hand, we all have some kind of impact.
"I feel like anything that would help stop the Russian aggression, we should go that way in terms of the decisions the federations are making."
The DP World Tour has won its legal battle against members who played in LIV Golf tournaments over a dispute around imposing fines for playing in competing events.
Independent arbiter Sport Resolutions announced on Thursday it had upheld the DP World Tour's decision to punish players who competed in the inaugural tournament run by LIV Golf without a release being granted by the PGA European Tour for the conflicting event.
Fines of £100,000 were handed out to those who chose to compete for LIV Golf, which was initially appealed by the trio of Ian Poulter, Adrian Otaegui and Justin Harding in July last year.
They were later joined by 13 others, though Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Otaegui withdrew their appeals in January.
However, Sport Resolutions confirmed: "The appeal panel ultimately found that the appellants committed serious breaches of the Code of Behaviour of the DP World Tour Regulations by playing in the LIV Golf Invitational (London) and LIV Portland events respectively, despite their release requests having been refused.
"The appeals were dismissed and each of the appellants were ordered to pay the fine of £100,000 originally imposed by the PGA European Tour."
The DP World Tour's chief executive, Keith Pelley, said in a statement: "We welcome today's decision by Sport Resolutions which upholds our regulations and our ability to administer them.
"We are delighted that the panel recognised we have a responsibility to our full membership to do this and also determined that the process we followed was fair and proportionate.
"In deciding the level of these sanctions last June, we were simply administering the regulations which were created by our members and which each of them signed up to.
"It is, of course, regrettable that resources, both financial and staffing, which could have been otherwise deployed across our organisation, have been impacted by this lengthy arbitration process.
"However, with the clarity provided by today's decision, we look forward to continuing to focus on our 2023 global schedule, whilst also continuing to plan for 2024 with the valued support of our many partners and stakeholders.
"We will now carefully consider the details of today's decision with our board, our tournament committee and our legal advisors and take the appropriate action in due course."
LeBron James is open-minded about the Los Angeles Lakers' end to the NBA regular season after their 11th straight defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers.
James was part of a strong Lakers team that lost 125-118 to their LA rivals on Wednesday, leaving them narrowly behind the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors as they look to sneak into the top six of the Western Conference and avoid the Play-In tournament.
The 38-year-old still managed a game-high 33 points, as well as eight rebounds and seven assists to his name, but it was not enough as the Lakers once again came up short against the Clippers.
"It's one of the toughest games we've had this year," James said. "Coming off the road trip... this was one of those scheduling conflicts in the season."
The Lakers have two remaining games, both at home, against the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz, still hoping to make the top six in the west.
James added: "Wherever we end up, that's where we end up. It's been like four or five seasons in one for us. We don't have the luxury of saying: 'This is what we need to do. This is where we're going to be.' We need to still continue to play good basketball.
"We'll see. Wherever we fall, we'll be ready to go."
Wednesday's game was their fourth on the road in eight days, but Lakers coach Darvin Ham refused to use that as an excuse for a performance that at times looked tired, especially in the first half when the Clippers outscored their opponents by 19 points before James inspired a recovery.
"The circumstances weren't used as a crutch," Ham said. "They were just real. The real NBA schedule. Everybody goes through it at some point in their schedule in each and every year."
The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the Eastern Conference top seed with Wednesday's 105-92 win over the Chicago Bulls but lost Khris Middleton in the first quarter after re-aggravating a knee issue.
The Bucks were also without Giannis Antetokounmpo with right knee soreness, but Bobby Portis stepped up with 27 points and 13 rebounds and Brook Lopez added 26 points with Jrue Holiday contributing 20 points, eight rebounds and 15 assists.
Middleton has been restricted to 32 games this season, due to a combination of wrist and knee issues, and exited Wednesday's game having played only eight minutes with no points.
"It's right knee soreness," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters about Middleton. "It's a re-aggravation of something that we've been working with him on all year."
The Bucks have two more regular season games before the playoffs but Budenholzer was unclear on whether Middleton would be available prior to the postseason.
"We'll learn more going forward," Budenholzer said. "So, I couldn't say tonight."
Budenholzer paid credit to his players to earning the Eastern Conference's top seed with an NBA-best record of 58-22.
"It's a credit to the players," Budenholzer said. "The players have really stepped up.
"They've embraced the challenge night-in and night-out in this league is hard. There is great opposition. I think we want to be our best night-in night-out.
"To have the best record is something that matters. It is important. Now we get to take a breath, I have no idea what we'll do Friday and Sunday. We'll take a breath. The guys have earned it."
The Bucks take on the Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors in their final two regular season games on Friday and Sunday.
Kyrie Irving led the Dallas Mavericks' second-half rally from a 13 point third-quarter deficit to boost their play-in hopes with a 123-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Irving scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half as the Mavs claimed an important win to improve to 38-42, having trailed 71-60 at half-time at American Airlines Center.
The win sees the Mavs draw level with the 10th-placed Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth and final play-in tournament spot in the West with two games to play. OKC have the tiebreaker edge.
Dallas play the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs in their final two games, while the Thunder take on the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Mavs point guard Irving shot 12-of-23 from the field with six-of-10 from beyond the arc along with four rebounds, eight assists and two steals.
Luka Doncic was outstanding on Dallas' backcourt too, with 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr scored 24 points including five triples.
Irving led Dallas' third-quarter 12-0 run, flipping the game on its head, ending their own three-game losing skid.
De'Aaron Fox scored 28 points with eight assists for the Kings, with Domantas Sabonis recording a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. All five Kings starter scored double-digit points.
Sacramento also had a season-high 22 offensive rebounds, recording 30-14 second chance points.
Clippers claim crunch win over Lakers
The Los Angeles Clippers claimed a critical 125-118 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the race to avoid the play-in tournament, while extending their recent winning run in the Battle of LA to 11-0.
Norman Powell scored a team-high 27 points off the bench, while Kawhi Leonard added 25 points and seven rebounds. The Lakers, playing the second game of a back-to-back, had LeBron James score 33 points with eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Clippers snapped their two-game losing run and ended the Lakers' four-game winning streak, improving to a 42-38 record to sit fifth ahead of the Golden State Warriors (42-38).
The Lakers are 41-39 in seventh alongside the New Orleans Pelicans (41-39), who won 138-131 over the Memphis Grizzlies despite Jaren Jackson Jr's 40 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Bucks and Celtics clinch No.1 and No.2 seeds
The Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo and lost Khris Middleton midgame both due to knee soreness but triumphed 105-92 over the Chicago Bulls to secure the East's number one seed.
The Bucks flexed their muscle without the star duo with Bobby Portis scoring 27 points with 13 rebounds, Brook Lopez adding 26 points and seven rebounds and Jrue Holiday contributing 20 points with eight rebounds and 15 assists.
Milwaukee have locked in top spot with a 58-22 record, while the Boston Celtics won 97-93 over the Toronto Raptors to confirm the East's number two seed with a 55-25 record.
Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 29 points from 35 minutes, while Jaylen Brown managed 25 points and 11 rebounds with Jayson Tatum out with a bruised left hip.
Top seed Jessica Pegula cruised into the Charleston Open third round with a straight-sets victory over Anna Blinkova on Wednesday.
The American world number three triumphed 6-2 6-0 in 65 minutes, winning the second set to love in 27 minutes.
Blinkova, who is ranked 63rd in the world, was no match for Pegula, who won 71 per cent on first serve and 65 per cent on her second. Pegula also generated 10 break points, winning 71 per cent on the Russian's second serve.
The American will take on Romanian 15th seed Irina-Camelia Begu in the round of 16, after she toppled resurgent 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin 6-1 6-4.
Defending champion and fourth seed Belinda Bencic triumphed in the evening session, breezing past Canada's Katherine Sebov 6-0 6-3 in 62 minutes.
Bencic will meet Shelby Rogers in the third round with the American edging countrywoman Caty McNally 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-1.
Ninth seed Madison Keys beat Hailey Baptiste 6-1 6-2, setting up a third-round clash with eighth seed Magda Linette who got past Varvara Gracheva 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-4.
Third seed Daria Kasatkina defeated Madison Brengle 6-2 6-1, progressing to face 38th ranked American Bernarda Para who beat Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-4.
Spaniard Paula Badosa won 7-5 7-6 (8-6) over 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez and will face Diana Shnaider who upset fifth seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 6-3.
Eugenie Bouchard's campaign at the Copa Colsanitas was halted in the second round with a 6-0 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 loss to fourth seed Kamilla Rakhimova.
Justin Verlander could be making his New York Mets debut sooner than later after an MRI revealed reduced inflammation in the right throwing shoulder of the prized free agent acquisition.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner is cleared to continue throwing and the Mets said Wednesday that a timeline for him joining the starting rotation will be established as he progresses.
The Mets surprisingly placed Verlander on the injured list with a low-grade teres major strain on Opening Day last Thursday – two days before he was slated to make his New York debut.
Verlander helped the Houston Astros to the 2022 World Series title and agreed to two-year, $86million contract with New York in December.
Verlander turned 40 years old in February but is still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.
Despite missing the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander was the unanimous winner of his third Cy Young Award in 2022 after leading the majors with a 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, while going 18-4 with 185 strikeouts to 29 walks in 28 starts.
A nine-time All-Star, Verlander captured his first Cy Young Award in 2011 – a season in which he also won the AL MVP. He also won the 2019 AL Cy Young Award, as well as the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year Award.
For his career, Verlander is 244-133 with 3,198 strike outs, ranking first in both wins and strikeouts among active pitchers.
He is historically fared well against NL East opponents, which bodes well for the Mets, as he is posted a 2.14 ERA against those teams in his career – his lowest ERA against any division. His career ERA is 3.24.
In four starts against NL East clubs last season, he went 4-0 without giving up a run over 25 innings, while striking out 26.
The Tampa Bay Rays improved to 6-0 with their second series sweep of the 2023 season, downing the Washington Nationals 7-2 on Wednesday.
The Rays' exceptional start has included winning all six games by four or more runs, outscoring their opponents by 31 runs (44-13) in the process.
Tampa Bay are the first team win their first six games by at least four runs since the St Louis Maroons in 1884, who managed 13 in a row.
It is Tampa Bay's best start in franchise history and the best start of any franchise in the majors since the Baltimore Orioles opened 7-0 in 2016.
It has been a spread of contributions for Tampa Bay as well, with starting pitcher Shane McClanahan having six strikeouts across six innings, with Wander Franco and Harold Ramirez hitting homers.
Franco's third-inning two-run shot opened up a 3-1 lead, with Ramirez's sixth-inning solo blast over center restoring their two-run lead at 4-2 with two outs.
The Rays added two further runs in the sixth, with Taylor Walls driving home Manuel Margot, before Jose Siri singled to right for Walls to score with Victor Robles losing the fly ball in the sun.
Walls along with Randy Arozarena both had two hits, while the latter took a fine leaping catch on Joey Meneses in the first.
Cole outpitches Nola as Phillies slump
Gerrit Cole piled more misery on the struggling Philadelphia Phillies with eight strikeouts in the New York Yankees' 4-2 win.
The Phillies had claimed their first win of the season against the Yankees on Tuesday but slumped to 1-5 with the defeat, where Jose Trevino's seventh-inning two-run shot opened up a 4-1 lead, with Gleyber Torres having three hits with two RBI singles.
Cole outpitched Phillies right-hander Austin Nola, who had seven Ks across six innings. The Yankees pitcher allowed one run with three hits and three walks across six-and-one-third innings.
The Phillies, who were NL champions last year, were held to two or less runs for the third time in four games with Kyle Schwarber hitting a ninth-inning consolation homer.
More Brewers blasts in walk-off win
Rookie Garrett Mitchell blasted a ninth-inning walk-off home run as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the New York Mets 7-6.
Leading off at the bottom of the ninth, Mitchell fell behind 1-2 in the count before unleashing his game-winning shot into the right-field stands, marking his third blast in his past two games.
The result means Milwaukee have won five games in a row, leading the NL Central division with a 5-1 record. The Brewers, who have homered seven times in two games, have scored 38 runs in their past 36 innings.
For the Mets, Pete Alonso hit a duo of two-run homers, the latter putting his side up 6-4 in the fifth.
Wednesday's play was rained out at the Houston Open with only one set completed, while third seed Brandon Nakashima withdrew from the event.
Persistent rain forced an early abandonment of action on the clay courts in Houston, with all eight second-round matches pushed back to Thursday.
Max Purcell's clash with Daniel Altmaier was the only match to get underway, with the Australian leading 6-4 before rain intervened.
Top seed Frances Tiafoe was due to open his campaign against Steve Johnson, with second seed Tommy Paul to face Yannick Hanfmann.
Nakashima's withdrawal for an undisclosed reason meant lucky loser Zizou Bergs will replace him and take on Cristian Garin.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says re-signing Kyrie Irving is the franchise's top offseason priority while he launched a stunning rebuke at Jalen Brunson's trade to the New York Knicks.
The Mavs are in danger of missing the play-in tournament altogether, heading into Wednesday's slate of games in 11th in the Western Conference with a 37-42 record.
Dallas traded in All-Star Irving to play alongside Luka Doncic in February but the side have gone 8-16 since that move, sliding out of contention. The Mavs are 4-11 when Irving and Doncic have played together on the backcourt.
Irving is eligible to leave in the offseason in free agency and Cuban is eager to ensure he stays with the Mavs, having traded away Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a several of future Draft pick for him only months ago.
Cuban, however, would not be drawn on whether Irving was a max contract player.
"We want him to stay and I think we have a good shot," Cuban said. "I think he's happy here. He tells me he's happy here.
"I think he's a good guy. Everything I thought I knew about Kyrie because of everything I read was 100 per cent wrong."
The Mavs owner was also confident Doncic would stick with the franchise and spend his entire career in Dallas although he acknowledged "we have to earn that".
Doncic is averaging 28.4 points on 45.7 per cent shooting and a career-high 35.3 per cent from beyond the arc with 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists this season.
Cuban was also pressed on guard Brunson, who left the Mavs in July last year for the New York Knicks in a free agency move on a four-year, $104million deal. Doncic admitted earlier this week that the Mavs miss his presence "a lot".
Brunson has since played a key role as the Knicks have clinched a playoffs spot, with career-highs in 24.0 points on 41.6 per cent three-point shooting with 6.2 assists this season.
The Mavs owner blamed the involvement of Brunson's father Rick - who was hired as a Knicks assistant in June last year - in negotiations before Jalen left in a move that attracted an NBA investigation which determined the Knicks had violated tampering rules.
"Things went south when the parents got involved," Cuban said.
Cuban also took responsibility for the Mavs' slide but remained hopeful of a run into the playoffs.
"It's absolutely my fault for not recognising that," Cuban said when asked about their defensive issues. "[But] I haven't heard the fat lady sing yet."
The Denver Nuggets could have clinched the one seed in the Western Conference by the time they face a Phoenix Suns team already sure of the four seed.
Denver will secure the one seed on Wednesday if the two seed Memphis Grizzlies lose to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Should the Grizzlies stay in the hunt with a victory, however, then the Nuggets will go into their penultimate road game of the season knowing a win will see them finish top of the pile in the West. The Nuggets have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Grizzlies.
The outcome of the Grizzlies' game in New Orleans may therefore impact whether the Nuggets elect to play their stars, including MVP contender Nikola Jokic.
Phoenix, meanwhile, have little reason to risk the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.
The Suns are locked into the four seed in the West, but if they want to lay down a marker ahead of a postseason in which they may well face a first-round series with the defending champion Golden State Warriors, this could prove a compelling potential playoff preview.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Phoenix Suns – Kevin Durant
The Nuggets recently received a reminder of the damage Durant can do. The former MVP and two-time Finals MVP tallied 30 points in the Suns' 100-93 win over Denver on March 31.
He followed that up with 35 points against Oklahoma City Thunder, having been booed by the home crowd, fans of the team where he first made his name. Though he cooled off and had only 18 in the win over the San Antonio Spurs last time out, Durant is in ominous form ahead of the playoffs, and a battle with the potential MVP could further whet his appetite for the postseason.
Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokic
Even if the Nuggets already have the one seed wrapped up, perhaps Jokic might play in this high-profile encounter to improve his MVP odds.
Joel Embiid is the heavy favourite after his 52-point showing for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Boston Celtics.
But if Jokic can play a starring role against the Suns, could that be enough to tilt the race back in his favour?
KEY BATTLE – Can Suns foil the fast break?
The Nuggets rank fifth in the NBA in fast break points with 16.3 per game. Phoenix, meanwhile, have excelled at stopping teams scoring in that fashion, allowing an average of just 13 fast break points.
Regardless of the makeup of the two teams and the playoff scenarios at play, that area of the game will go a long way to deciding the victor.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Suns have won three of their last five against the Nuggets. They have won their last two as the home team, having lost their previous five as the hosts in this matchup.
Joe Joyce expressed confidence he could overcome Anthony Joshua and feels he can provide a route back into title contention.
Joshua returned to winning ways against Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena last weekend, albeit not with the most impressive performance.
The 33-year-old is rebuilding his career after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, which saw him cede his three heavyweight belts to the Ukrainian.
Joshua has taken on a new trainer in the United States and called out compatriot Tyson Fury following his unanimous decision win against Franklin.
Discussions for that bout have previously fallen through, however, and Joyce believes he possesses a route back into the title picture that should appeal to Joshua.
"I'd knock both of them out with their performance the other night. I'd definitely force a stoppage on Franklin and Joshua's ripe for the picking," he told Sky Sports.
"It wasn't great but [Joshua] got the job done. He went 12 rounds, I thought he would come with some more firepower and aim to push a stoppage but he wasn't really putting shots together.
"He was [using] single shots and boxed kind of like he did in the [Andy] Ruiz second fight. So, it was a little bit disappointing.
"He seems to have gone, in my opinion, a bit backwards. He hasn't progressed. I think he lacked the combinations, but I think Franklin was a tough guy.
"That would be his route back in. It would definitely be his way back in because I'm in front of him now, at last, high up the rankings and obviously got the WBO Interim.
"I was always trying to catch up with him but now I've overtaken him, so that's good. That's what I wanted. But I haven't caught up to him financially yet so I need to have those big fights."
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman was not invited to this year's Masters to ensure the focus remained on the competition, according to the chairman of Augusta National.
Norman has been the CEO of the controversial Saudi-backed golf league since its inception and has been an outspoken critic of the PGA Tour on numerous occasions
The Australian finished runner-up at the tournament on three separate occasions, but Augusta National chief Fred Ridley confirmed that they did not invite him to this year's tournament to avoid distraction from the on-course spectacle.
"We did not extend an invitation to Mr Norman," Ridley said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"The primary issue is that I want the focus to be on The Masters competition and the great players that are participating – the greatest players in the world.
"Our decision in December ensured we honoured and were consistent with our invitation criteria for players.
"I would also add that in the last 10 years, Greg Norman has only been here twice and I believe one of those was as a commentator for Sirius Radio. It really was to keep the focus on the competition."
Earlier in the week, the Australian confirmed that he would not be on site for the first major of the year, in a move he described as "petty".
"As a major winner I was always invited before, but they only sent me a grounds pass last year and nothing, zilch, this time around," he told The Telegraph.
"I'm disappointed because it's so petty but of course I'll still be watching."
Despite the 68-year-old's absence, players from LIV Golf have still been invited to compete at this year's tournament, including current Open champion Cameron Smith and 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson.
Lewis Hamilton is embracing the challenge facing Mercedes this season despite their struggles to compete for race wins in Formula One.
A second-place finish in Australia for Hamilton marked his best performance of the season, in a campaign that looks to be another difficult one for the team.
Mercedes ceded their Constructors' Championship title to rivals Red Bull last year, while Hamilton finished the year without a race win for the first time in his career, and remains significantly off the pace again in 2023.
Those struggles have reignited questions about Hamilton's future, with his deal set to expire at the end of the year, though he has affirmed his commitment to the team.
Tied with Michael Schumacher for the most F1 title wins of all time, an eighth crown would hand Hamilton the record outright, and he is ready to clinch that honour.
However, for the time being, he is focused on pushing himself to achieve the best possible result despite Mercedes' issues.
"I don't like driving not great cars. I don't like driving a car that's not the car that we weren't meant to have, but I love that challenge of 'OK, what can I do with it?'," he told Fox Sports.
"Wins are not possible right, so what is the maximum we can get? Can we be a little cheeky and if fifth is the best we can get, can we get a fourth or a third?
"Just make sure we are consistent and fit and ready so when the car does all of a sudden switch on, and it is the car you dreamed of having, you're ready.
"I am ready to win a world championship. I have prepared the best way I can this year – the best I have ever prepared – and if the car comes correct tomorrow I will be ready to fight for the world championship, but unfortunately that's not the case.
"I am working with everyone here and back at the factory to get there."
Andrew Wiggins believes his court comeback is just a matter of time after he returned to the Golden State Warriors following a personal absence.
The small forward has missed 22 games for the Warriors since taking a temporary leave from the team in order to deal with a family illness.
Wiggins has declined to elaborate on the specifics, but was back with Steve Kerr's side for Tuesday's 136-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now, with his return to the fold, the 28-year-old has set his sights on playing once again, having last featured against the Washington Wizards in February.
"I don't think it will be too long before I am out there," he said. "I felt really good right before I left. I felt like I was in a rhythm, was making shots, moving well.
"Hopefully, I'll be right back where I left off. [But] when you're in a certain situation and your family needs you and requires your attention and love, that's my first priority.
"My career, everything, family is always first for me. When I felt like I was in a safe space to come back, we got everything settled in a safe place."
Coach Steve Kerr effectively ruled out a role for Wiggins in Friday's trip to the Sacramento Kings, noting they would assess him over the coming week.
"We'll have a better idea in the next couple of days," he added. "There's no way he's playing in the next few days, I can tell you that.
"But I think once we have an assessment over the next couple of days, we'll have a better idea of when he might be able to play."
The Warriors follow their trip to Sacramento with their last regular season fixture, against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
The Denver Nuggets are all but certain to be the number one seed in the West, but Michael Malone does not expect a deep playoff run if his team continue to play as they did on Tuesday.
The Nuggets had the opportunity to clinch the top seed with three games of the regular season remaining, yet instead they lost 124-103 at the Houston Rockets, who are last in the conference.
Denver had won the teams' past 10 meetings, including the previous four by at least 15 points, but struggled even with Nikola Jokic back in the lineup.
Although they are still on course to finish first, theirs is now on course to be the worst record by the number one seed in the West since the 1976-77 Los Angeles Lakers.
And this defeat did not do wonders for Malone's hopes of finally guiding the Nuggets to the NBA Finals.
No team across the United States' four major sports have made more playoff appearances without reaching the championship round. This will be their 29th postseason campaign.
"If that's how we're going to play, we'll be out in the first round," the coach said.
"When we don't do our jobs, there's accountability, and I speak the truth.
"I just called our team 'soft,' and I dared someone to challenge me. No one did, because we as a group were soft tonight.
"I'm not saying we are soft, but tonight, we were."
Indeed, the Nuggets were out-rebounded 55-47, although the Rockets lead the league in average rebound margin.
With the Memphis Grizzlies two games back, the Nuggets have three more opportunities to make sure of top spot, continuing their road trip against the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz before returning home to play the Sacramento Kings.
The Golden State Warriors might not like being where they are, but Steve Kerr is nevertheless enjoying the thrill of the chase.
Reigning NBA champions Golden State have endured a disappointing campaign, yet find themselves in the playoff places heading into their final two regular-season games.
The Warriors are fifth in the Western Conference after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 at home on Tuesday, although they will drop down to sixth after the Los Angeles Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Golden State trailed by four heading into the final quarter against the Thunder, but Jordan Poole turned on the style to lead them to victory, while Stephen Curry top scored with 34 points and Draymond Green chipped in with 17.
It got the Warriors, who were without Klay Thompson, back to winning ways following a loss to the Denver Nuggets. They have now won six of their last eight games, and head coach Kerr is revelling in the excitement.
He told reporters: "It's fun, this is all what it's about.
"We love the competition and even though we'd prefer to be home free in the playoffs right now, this is where we are.
"I'm really proud of the guys what they've done here in recent weeks to put ourselves in this position but now we've got to go finish the deal and get into the top six."
Poole starred down the stretch, with 13 of his 30 points coming in the final quarter.
"They all matter. You try to lock in as much as possible and put us in a really good position to be successful," Poole said.
"He's obviously extremely talented," Curry said of Poole. "He can create off the dribble. He's fast in transition.
"We kind of read the gameplan from them, so we just gave JP space, let him go to work. Our biggest thing is just being decisive on offense. Any time we fall late is because we haven't been decisive in our intention or play calls.
"JP played amazing down the stretch, then our defense allowed us to connect the game."
Moses Moody added: "It definitely had that playoff feel to it being out here in these games, how much each game matters, how much each possession matters."
The Los Angeles Lakers needed LeBron James to drag them through against the Utah Jazz, but he might not be available to face the Los Angeles Clippers.
A 135-133 overtime win in Salt Lake City on Tuesday ensured the Lakers guaranteed their spot in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.
Yet with three games remaining of the regular season, the seventh-placed Lakers could still force their way into the playoffs without having to compete in the play-in round. They face the Clippers on Wednesday, with their city rivals sitting a place above them while holding an identical 41-38 record.
James was crucial against the Jazz, scoring 37 points and playing 38 minutes – the most he has managed since returning from a foot injury that kept him out for four weeks.
However, that strain might limit James' availability for Wednesday.
"The extra five minutes definitely didn't help. It definitely didn't help but we needed to get the win," James told reporters, before explaining his process of deeming whether or not he would be able to feature against the Clippers.
"How my foot feels when I wake up and I step out of bed," he added.
"That's been the most important since I've injured it five weeks ago. The next day after either rehab or training or treatment, whatever. It's always that."
Anthony Davis was unusually slack with his shooting, managing just seven-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from the free throw line for 21 points, though he still contributed 14 rebounds and six assists.
Davis has not played in back-to-back games since returning from a right foot issue earlier in 2023, and like James, he was unsure on whether he would face the Clippers.
"I haven't played in a back-to-back in a long time," Davis said.
"So, I mean, we'll all get on a phone call or something tomorrow morning and go from there."
Coach Darvin Ham confirmed no decision had yet been taken.
"We have our short-term business that we need to take care of and our long-term business that we need to take care of," Ham said.
"We prioritise a player's health, first and foremost. Regardless of what the stakes are or the implications of with a win or a loss or all of that.
"We need our players to know that we care about their health, first and foremost.
"If we see that they won't have any issues, in terms of their health, and we're not putting them at risk, then we'll proceed.
"If there's any kind of question marks, we'll walk through them, talk through them, and go from there."
Joel Embiid's stellar showing against the Boston Celtics led Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers to declare the MVP race "over".
Embiid is a likely contender, alongside Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the NBA's MVP award.
But with just five days of the regular season remaining, the Sixers star made an almighty push for the gong with a remarkable display against the Celtics.
Embiid scored 52 points, over half of Philadelphia's total in a 103-101 victory on Tuesday, while adding 13 rebounds and six assists.
The 29-year-old is the first player in the stop-clock era to score more than half of his team's points and shoot 80 per cent from the field.
Wilt Chamberlain, meanwhile, was the only other player to have previously shot 80 per cent from the field and record at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
For Rivers, it means job done in the MVP race.
"The man just scored half our points, in an NBA game," Rivers said.
"I'm biased, but the MVP race is over.
"We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel Embiid."
Embiid's team-mate James Harden echoed Rivers' sentiment, adding: "Joel should win it.
"He's been in contention for it the last few years. He led the league in scoring last year. It looks like he's going to lead the league in scoring this year.
"We're the third seed in the East. He's been consistent all year."
When the comments of Rivers and Harden were put to him, Embiid quipped: "They're probably right, but we got bigger goals.
"We understand we got a chance, but it's not going to be easy. For me, it was kind of disappointing because we found so many ways to lose the game, and that's on all of us.
"I'm part of it. I could've been better. You know, I had a couple of dumb plays. I could've been better, and we could've been better as a team.
"Like I said, we got bigger goals in mind, but we got to be better than that."
As for how to stop Embiid, who is second in the NBA for points this season (2,162) and leads the way for points per game (33.3), Celtics guard Derrick White is non-plussed.
"I think the whole league's trying to figure that out right now," said White. "So, if you got any ideas, I think every other NBA team would like to know."
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