Two-time Italian Open champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarter-finals of this year's tournament with an impressive 7-5 6-3 win over Angelique Kerber on Monday.
Three-time grand slam winner Kerber provided Swiatek with a real step up after routine victories over Bernarda Pera and Yulia Putintseva in the first two rounds on the clay in Rome.
Kerber responded to Swiatek's first break – which came in the eighth game – with one of her own, but the world number one then recaptured her composure to force a series of break points in Kerber's next two service games, finally converting at the eighth attempt to take the opener.
Kerber refused to go away, breaking straight back in the first game of the second set, but Swiatek upped her game to take the contest away from the 36-year-old.
Swiatek dropped just three further points on her own serve from there, adding three breaks of her own to set up a last-eight meeting with Madison Keys for Tuesday.
Data Debrief: Swiatek unmatched on clay
While Kerber rolled back the years to trouble Swiatek early on, she lacked the staying power to live with the world number one in longer rallies on a surface where she is truly unmatched.
Her win ratio at clay-court events at WTA 1000-level now stands at 88.2 per cent (30 wins, four defeats), the best of any player to have played a minimum of five matches since the format's 2009 introduction, ahead of Serena Williams at 88 per cent.
The 2024 NFL season will get underway when the Kansas City Chiefs open their bid for a third straight Super Bowl title on September 5 against the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
The meeting will be a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won 17-10 at Baltimore.
Kansas City went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the Super Bowl to capture its second straight championship and third title in five seasons.
The remainder of the NFL schedule is expected to be released on Wednesday.
Naomi Osaka's promising Italian Open run was halted by Zheng Qinwen on Monday, as the seventh seed denied the four-time grand slam champion a quarter-final place.
Following Saturday's triumph over Daria Kasatkina – her second successive straight-sets win over a top-20 opponent in Rome – Osaka laughed off the "Clayomi" moniker given to her by some fans.
On Monday, her old troubles on the surface came back to the fore as Zheng dominated from the off to make the tournament's last eight for a second straight year, winning 6-2 6-4.
Osaka saw her serve broken in the very first game only to hit straight back, but Zheng assumed control by taking seven straight games to go from 2-1 down in the opener to 2-0 up in the second set.
The 21-year-old produced a clinical performance and converted all four of her break points, winning 78 per cent of first-serve points to Osaka's 68 per cent as she teed up a quarter-final clash with either Coco Gauff or Paula Badosa.
Data Debrief: 'Clayomi' no more as Zheng triumphs
Osaka impressed on a surface long regarded as her worst in Italy, but it was a bridge too far for her on Monday, Zheng reaching her fourth WTA 1000 quarter-final.
Since the format's introduction in 2009, she is just the second Asian player to reach multiple quarter-finals on both hardcourts and clay at that level before the age of 23, the other being Osaka.
Jalen Brunson refused to make excuses for the New York Knicks after injuries and fatigue hampered them in their Game 4 defeat to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
The Pacers recorded a dominant 121-89 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to level the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2, with Tyrese Haliburton scoring a team-high 20 points.
Haliburton was one of six Indiana players in double figures but it was their defense that did the hard yards, limiting Brunson to just 18 points in support of Alec Burks, who had 20 points of his own.
Brunson entered the contest averaging a league-high 34.6 points this postseason, but he was 6-of-17 shooting and received little support from elsewhere as Josh Hart had two points in 24 minutes and Donte DiVincenzo tallied seven.
The Knicks were sluggish from the off as they played a second straight game without defensive stopper OG Anunoby, who sustained a hamstring injury in Game 2.
Brunson, however, was not about to excuse their poor performance.
"We can talk about fresher legs and you can give us all the pity that we want," he said. "Yeah, we're shorthanded, but that doesn't matter right now.
"We have what we have and we need to go forward with that. There is no excuse. There's no excuse whatsoever. If we lose, we lose. That's what that was."
The series will now head back to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday for Game 5, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle expects a strong response from their opponents.
"New York is a team that has shown that it has an indomitable will to compete and rise above anything people say they can't do," Carlisle said.
"We've seen it throughout the season. We've seen it in this series. We're believers in that, and so we've got to focus on us.
"Everything is going to be a situation where you've got your hands completely full."
Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone quoted former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich after watching his team level their Western Conference semifinal series on Sunday, saying: "Never underestimate the heart of a champion."
The Nuggets levelled their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves at 2-2 with a dominant road performance, triumphing 115-107 at Target Center.
Denver never trailed after taking a 23-22 lead on Aaron Gordon's three-point play near the end of the first quarter, stretching their advantage to as many as 18 points early in the third.
While Minnesota pulled within seven with just under two minutes remaining, they failed to make another basket as the Nuggets levelled things up ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday.
Gordon amassed 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting while NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 35 points, with 16 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
The reigning champions are now slight favourites to reach the NBA Finals as they prepare to host Game 5, leading Malone to hail their mentality.
"What I found is Rudy T is right, man, 'never underestimate the heart of a champion'," Malone said, referring to Tomjanovich's infamous quote in the aftermath of Houston's 1995 championship.
"They were quick to write us off, but these guys, we won a championship a year ago. We went into Miami [in the Finals], won two games in a row.
"This team has been tested time and time again, and we found a way to solve whatever's been thrown at us.
"This series is a long way from being over. We're not celebrating. It's 2-2, but what I found about our group is that they do believe in themselves.
"More importantly, they believe in the man next to them. We have a group that is acting as you would hope a championship team would act."
Gordon echoed his coach's sentiments, saying: "I love it when people count us out.
"A lot of these guys have been counted out before in their careers. They've been the underdogs or the dark horse in their careers before.
"So, I don't think it was anything new to the individuals. It was new to our collective, but I liked the challenge, and I'm glad we accepted it and put ourselves in a good position with home court."
New Zealand captain Sam Cane has announced he will retire from international rugby at the end of 2024, having agreed a three-year contract with Japan Rugby League One team Tokyo Sungoliath.
Cane made his All Blacks debut in 2012 and has represented his country 95 times, including through the team's triumphant run at the 2015 World Cup.
The flanker succeeded Kieran Read as captain in 2020, though his most recent international outing ended with him suffering the ignominy of becoming the first man to be sent off in a Rugby World Cup final, as New Zealand were beaten by South Africa last year.
Cane will be eligible to represent the All Blacks through the second half of 2024 after returning from an initial spell in Japan but will then head there permanently after New Zealand Rugby agreed to release him from his contract.
"A good opportunity came my way with Sungoliath willing to offer me a three-year contract," Cane said. "I had to weigh up everything and, in the end, with a young family it seemed like the best decision to help set us up for our future.
"I had my time as captain and it was a huge honour and privilege. If I'm fortunate enough to be selected for the All Blacks this year then I'll still be myself.
"I love that team, and if part of my role is contributing leadership-wise, I'll be happy to support the new captain as best I can to help with a speedy transition."
Rory McIlroy believes "the stars are aligning" for him as he approaches this week's PGA Championship on the back of a fourth triumph at the Wells Fargo Championship.
McIlroy hauled in leader Xander Schauffele to win in Charlotte with a fine finish to his final round, surging clear with a run of four birdies and two eagles within eight holes.
That saw the Northern Irishman – who also won the Wells Fargo Championship in 2010, 2015 and 2021 – card a six-under 65 as he won by five shots.
Max Homa, in 2019 and 2022, is the only other player to have won the Wells Fargo Championship more than once.
McIlroy has now claimed back-to-back PGA Tour titles, having won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Shane Lowry last month.
With the PGA Championship beginning at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday, the course where McIlroy captured his last major crown in 2014, he feels he is building up a head of steam.
"I really got some confidence winning in New Orleans with Shane," McIlroy said after his final round.
"Coming into this week, at a golf course I am comfortable with, my golf swing feels more comfortable than it has done.
"Going to a venue next week where I have won, it feels like the stars are aligning a little bit. But I have a lot of golf to play and a lot of great players to try to beat.
"I am going into the next major of the year feeling really good about myself."
Even with a double bogey on the 18th hole, McIlroy played the final 11 holes at six under, leaving Schauffele with no way to respond.
"He's Rory McIlroy, you know?" Schauffele said. "He hits it 350 yards in the air downwind and he has shorter clubs into firm greens than anyone else.
"When he's on, he's on. Hats off to him for winning. He played unbelievably well."
Yu Darvish tossed seven scoreless innings and was backed by three San Diego homers as the Padres earned a series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers with Sunday's 4-0 victory.
Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts all had solo homers to support a third straight winning start for Darvish (3-1). The veteran right-hander yielded just two hits and a walk while striking out seven to extend his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 18.
The Padres also got three hits from Jackson Merrill as they took two of three games from the National League West-leading Dodgers and improved to 8-3 over their last 11 contests.
Darvish retired the first 14 Los Angeles hitters and was staked to a quick 2-0 lead on back-to-back homers from Tatis and Cronenworth off Walker Buehler in the first inning.
Buehler (0-1), making his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery performed in August 2022, ran into more trouble in the fourth as the Padres loaded the bases with one out on a Merrill single, a walk and a hit batter. Ryan Yarbrough then relieved the right-hander and got Luis Arraez to ground into a fielder's choice that brought home Merrill.
Bogaerts' homer off Gus Varland in the fifth extended San Diego's lead to 4-0.
Buehler was removed after 3 1/3 innings and was charged with three runs allowed on five hits and two walks.
Yankees belt five homers to take series from Rays
The New York Yankees hit a season-high five home runs, including two from Jose Trevino, before holding on for a 10-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game series between the American League East rivals.
Gleyber Torres added a three-run homer, while Aaron Judge and Jahmai Jones also went deep as New York bounced back from Saturday's 7-2 loss and won for the seventh time in nine games.
The Yankees also received six scoreless innings from Luis Gil (4-1), who allowed just three hits and two walks to win his third consecutive start.
Tampa Bay lost for the third time in four games despite Jose Siri's grand slam and a solo homer from Yandy Diaz.
New York built a 6-0 lead through six innings, with Anthony Volpe starting the scoring by leading off the game with a triple and crossing the plate on Juan Soto's sacrifice fly.
Jones' homer off Tampa Bay starter Tyler Alexander in the third inning extended the margin to 2-0, and Trevino took Alexander's pitch over the left field wall with Anthony Rizzo aboard in the fourth to increase the lead further.
Soto singled in front of Judge's 10th homer of the season to put New York up 6-0 in the fifth, but the Rays got back in it with five runs against the Yankees' bullpen in the seventh.
Tampa Bay loaded the bases against Caleb Ferguson on Richie Palacios' single, a double from Jonny DeLuca and a walk before Siri connected on his first career grand slam.
Nick Burdi then replaced Ferguson and walked the first two hitters he faced before hitting Randy Arozarena to load the bases again. Luke Weaver was then summoned from the bullpen and promptly hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch to force in a run and cut the lead to 6-5.
The Yankees answered, however, by scoring four times in the eighth.
A Giancarlo Stanton single and Rizzo's double put two on for Torres, who blasted a pitch from Shawn Armstrong into the left field seats for a 9-5 lead. Two batters later, Trevino took Erasmo Ramirez deep for his second career two-homer game.
Ian Hamilton served up Diaz's homer in the ninth before closing out the contest.
Rockies complete stunning sweep of defending champ Rangers
Ty Blach's five solid innings and a two-run homer from Ezequiel Tovar helped the Colorado Rockies finish a three-game sweep of the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers with Sunday's 3-1 win.
Blach (1-1) scattered seven hits while allowing one run in his second start of the season before turning things over to the Colorado bullpen, where relievers Victor Vodnik, Tyler Kinely and Jalen Beeks combined for four scoreless innings to close out the Rockies' season-high fourth straight win.
Colorado had compiled an MLB-worst 8-28 record prior to its current streak.
Texas, which has dropped three straight for the second time this season, did take an early lead when Corey Seager singled in the top of the first inning and later scored on Adolis Garcia's base hit.
The Rockies answered in the bottom of the inning, however, when Charlie Blackmon reached on a lead-off single and Tovar followed with his fourth homer of the season.
Those were the only runs allowed by Texas starter Jose Urena (1-3), who threw a season-high 6 2/3 innings and permitted six hits and one walk.
The Rangers couldn't generate any further offence, though, and Colorado tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Ryan McMahon doubled and later crossed the plate on a bases-loaded walk issued to Brenton Doyle.
Beeks worked around a pair of hits in the ninth to record his third save of the season.
Nikola Jokić scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter as the Denver Nuggets held off the Minnesota TImberwolves to earn a critical 115-107 win in Sunday's Game 4 of a Western Conference semifinal series.
Aaron Gordon also provided the Nuggets a huge lift by amassing 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting as the reigning NBA champions evened the series at 2-2. Jamal Murray added 19 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter, to help Denver to its second straight victory in Minnesota after the TImberwolves won Games 1 and 2 on the road.
The best-of-seven series will return to Denver for Tuesday's pivotal Game 5.
Denver also overcame another superb performance from Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, who put up a play-off career-high 44 points for his third 40-point effort in this post-season.
Edwards' All-Star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns struggled, however, as he was held to 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds.
The Nuggets never trailed after taking a 23-22 lead on Gordon's three-point play with 2:39 left in the first quarter. They led 29-24 after one period, then scored the final eight points of the first half to own a 64-49 advantage at intermission.
Murray capped the opening half by draining a 3-point shot from half-court as the buzzer sounded.
Denver's lead swelled to as many as 18 points early in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves gradually chipped away and cut their deficit to 111-104 when Edwards followed teammate Jaden McDaniels' 3-pointer with a running layup with 1:41 left to play.
Minnesota didn't make another basket the rest of the way, though, and Jokic sealed the outcome by scoring off a Gordon feed out of a timeout with 25.8 seconds remaining to make the score 115-107.
Pacers clamp down on Knicks to even series
The Eastern Conference now has a series all even at two games apiece as well after the Indiana Pacers came through with a dominant 121-89 Game 4 rout of the New York Knicks.
Tyrese Haliburton led a balanced Indiana scoring attack with 20 points, but it was the Pacers' defence that provided the biggest reason why the series is now all tied as it heads back to New York for Tuesday's Game 5.
The Knicks shot a meagre 18.9 per cent (7 for 37) from 3-point range, their lowest accuracy rate in a play-off game since 2000, and 33.7 per cent overall in by far their most lopsided defeat of this post-season. Star guard Jalen Brunson, who entered the contest averaging a league-leading 34.6 points per game in the post-season, was held to 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
T.J. McConnell added 15 points and 10 assists for Indiana, which immediately assumed control by opening the game on a 19-6 run and shooting 60.9 per cent in the first quarter.
New York, on the other hand, went 6 of 23 from the field in the opening period and trailed 34-14 entering the second.
The Pacers continued to dominate in the second quarter, building a lead as large as 30 points and taking a commanding 69-41 advantage into the break. Five Pacers scored in double figures in the first half, led by Haliburton's 13 points.
New York failed to mount a challenge in the second half as well, as the Pacers extended the margin to 101-63 after three quarters and led by as many as 43 points in the fourth.
Alec Burks finished with 20 points to lead the Knicks, who played without defensive stopper OG Anunoby for a second straight game due to a left hamstring injury he sustained in Game 2.
The Atlanta Hawks surprisingly won the NBA Draft lottery for the first time Sunday, giving the franchise the top overall selection for the first time in 49 years.
Atlanta had just a three per cent chance to win the lottery after going 36-46 this season and finishing in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks’ campaign ended with a 131-116 road loss to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Play-In Tournament on April 17.
“It’s a significant part of any team building strategies, so this is exciting,” Atlanta general manager Landry Field said Sunday.
Atlanta had never won the Draft lottery and will be picking first for the first time since selecting David Thompson in 1975.
Thompson, however, went on to sign with the Denver Nuggets when they were part of the American Basketball Association.
“It’s been a while,” Fields said. “That turned out a little differently than hopefully what we’ll be expecting here for the future.
“But excited about this (draft) class, excited about continuing to build what we got going in Atlanta.”
The Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards each had the best odds to win the lottery at 14 per cent, followed by the Charlotte Hornets (13.3), Portland Trial Blazers (13.2) and San Antonio Spurs (10.5).
Washington will instead pick at No. 2 followed by Houston, San Antonio and Detroit.
The Spurs selected NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick last June.
This year’s draft will be held June 26-27 in Brooklyn.
Novak Djokovic lamented his dismal showing as Alejandro Tabilo profited from the world number one's "completely off" performance to triumph at the Italian Open.
Tabilo stunned Djokovic with a straight-sets victory in the third round on Sunday, winning 6-2, 6-3 in his maiden ATP Tour clash with the Serbian.
The Chilean advances to the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event for just the second time after Indian Wells in 2023, with Djokovic unable to explain his struggles in Rome.
"I just wasn't able to find any kind of good feelings on the court, to be honest, striking the ball. I was completely off," he said.
A six-time champion in Rome, the 36-year-old won his opening-round match at the ATP Masters 1000 event against Corentin Moutet.
However, Djokovic was inadvertently hit on the head by a falling water bottle when leaving the court after that victory.
Whether that incident impacted his performance against Tabilo remains to be seen.
"I don't know, to be honest. I have to check that," he said. "Training was different. I was going for [a] kind of easy training yesterday.
"I didn't feel anything, but I also didn't feel the same. Today under high stress, it was quite bad – not in terms of pain, but in terms of this balance.
"Just no coordination. Completely different player from what it was two nights ago. Could be. I don't know. I have to do medical checkups and see what's going on."
Tabilo's next opponent will be Karen Khachanov, who saw off Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4, while Djokovic is made to wait for his 1100th match win.
Novak Djokovic is out of the Italian Open after a straight-sets defeat by Alejandro Tabilo in the third round on Sunday.
Tabilo recorded the biggest win of his career with a dominant performance, winning 6-2, 6-3 in his maiden ATP Tour clash with the Serbian.
Djokovic, who was hit on the head by a water bottle following his second-round win over Corentin Moutet, struggled to get going as he saw his serve broken four times.
Tabilo clinched the opening set in style, making few errors, and Djokovic failed to mount a comeback in the second, with double faults costing him at key moments, including one on the final break serve.
The Chilean advances to the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event for just the second time after Indian Wells in 2023. His next opponent will be Karen Khachanov, who saw off Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4.
Data Debrief: Big winner
Tabilo is the second player from Chile to defeat the World No.1 in ATP-1000 events after Fernando Gonzalez, who defeated Lleyton Hewitt at the Hamburg Masters in 2003, since the introduction of the format in 1990.
He is also the first Chilean to defeat a World No. 1 since Fernando Gonzalez beat Roger Federer at the 2007 Nitto ATP Finals Round Robin.
Djokovic, meanwhile, is made to wait for his 1100th match win.
Aryna Sabalenka dominated Dayana Yastremska to reach the fourth round of the Italian Open on Sunday.
Sabalenka, who claimed Australian Open glory for the second time earlier this year without dropping a set, eased to a 6-4 6-2 victory over Yastremska.
Yastremska headed into the third-round contest having beaten Sabalenka in all three of their previous meetings, but the world number two found a crucial break of serve in the seventh game of the opening set before going on to hold twice more to take the ascendancy.
Yastremska's resolve was broken further in an epic third game of the second set, surviving six break points before Sabalenka finally got over the line to tighten her grip on the match.
Sabalenka didn't look back from there, breaking Yastremska again before going on to seal her place in the fourth round.
Sabalenka will take on either Sara Errani or Anna Kalinskaya in the fourth round as she looks to win the Italian Open for the first time ahead of the French Open later this month, where she will bid to improve on her semi-final appearance last year.
Data debrief
Since 2018, when Sabalenka achieved her first WTA 1000 win, she is now the player with the joint-most wins in such events (90, equalling Iga Swiatek).
Sabalenka may have lost her three previous games against Yastremska, but the last meeting between the pair was in 2020, and the two-time grand slam champion showed how much her game has progressed since then as she won all nine of her service games while breaking her Ukrainian opponent three times on her way to victory.
Jaylen Brown praised the Boston Celtics for proving to themselves they are "not here to play around" in their 106-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3.
The Celtics' win on Saturday edged them into a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals after losing Game 2 with a defensive performance Brown described as "unacceptable".
At Cleveland, they bounced back - Jayson Tatum had 33 points and 12 rebounds, while Brown added 28 points as the Celtics avoided a second consecutive defeat.
"I think we just need everybody to be on the same page and everybody to come out with the right effort," Brown said.
"That's 85% of the battle right there. We come out, we play hard, and then we're on the same page and the rest will take care of itself. We got enough talent in the locker room to beat teams.
"But if we're not on the same page, and we're not playing hard, those are when we get ourselves in trouble. So making sure, before the game at film and shootaround, talking to everybody, touching everybody, letting everybody know that 'Hey, we're not here to play around.'
"We didn't come to Cleveland for the weather, so let's go.
"It's the playoffs. Anything can happen, especially if you come out flat. We've got to do a better job of that, we can't think like this series is going to go like last series.
"We've got to come out and have the same defensive effort going into Game 4 and that's just the urgency we need to have."
Donovan Mitchell starred for Cleveland, scoring 33 points, but was forced off late in the game due to a knee injury, and despite showing signs of a comeback, they could not find any answers in the fourth quarter.
"I just think we didn't hit the same shots we did [in Game 2]," Mitchell said.
"For us, just being able to finish. We missed a lot of shots at the rim, myself included, missed a lot of shots that I think we just got to make. And also, we didn't really shoot that great from 3, but not a bad per cent, but we didn't shoot that well.
"So I think those are different things, and we got to get our looks and take them, because if we don't, we're driving back into the crowd, and they want us to. So being able to take our shots when they're open."
Max Fried and two relievers combined on a no-hitter for 8 2/3 innings before J.D. Martinez homered to spoil the bid and the Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Mets 4-1 on Saturday.
Fried pitched seven no-hit innings but was pulled after throwing 109 pitches. Joe Jimenez walked two in a hitless eighth and Raisel Iglesias retired the first two batters in the ninth.
Martinez then homered just over the wall in right field on the next pitch off Iglesias, who walked Jeff McNeil and allowed Harrison Bader’s infield single before getting Brett Baty to fly to center.
The Braves fell just shy of their first no-hitter since Kent Mercker against the Dodgers on April 8, 1994. The no-hitter drought is the fourth-longest in the majors.
Orlando Arcia hit a two-run homer and Michael Harris II added three hits for the Braves, who won their fourth straight following a three-game skid.
Skenes debuts as Pirates outslug Cubs
Paul Skenes struck out 7 over four-plus innings in his major league debut and Yasmani Grandal hit a go-ahead three-run homer to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10-9 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, reached 100 mph on 17 of his 84 pitches. He allowed at least one runner in every inning and was pulled after yielding a pair of hits to open the fourth. He was charged with three runs on six hits with two walks and a hit batter.
Pirates relievers Kyle Nicolas, Josh Fleming and Colin Holderman threw 26 balls in a span of 31 pitches sandwiched around a 2 hour, 20-minute rain delay in the top of the fifth.
The Cubs drew six bases-loaded walks in the fifth, the most by a major league team in a single inning since the Chicago White Sox had eight in the seventh on April 22, 1959.
Connor Joe, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen and Michael A. Taylor homered as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game skid.
Blue Jays rally to cool Twins
Ernie Clement snapped a seventh-inning tie with an RBI single and the Toronto Blue Jays erased a six-run deficit in a 10-8 win over the Minnesota Twins.
Danny Jansen hit a two-run homer and Bo Bichette and Davis Schneider added solo shots for the Blue Jays, who set season highs in runs and hits (16) to send the Twins to just their third loss in 19 games.
Carlos Santana had a three-run home run and Ryan Jeffers also went deep as Minnesota’s seven-game road winning streak was snapped one win shy of matching the team record.
The Twins opened a 7-1 lead headed to the bottom of the third, but the Blue Jays got two runs back in the bottom half and scored three more in the fifth on homers by Schneider and Jansen. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a two-run single in the sixth to tie it and Clement and Schneider had RBIs in the seventh.
Jayson Tatum had 33 points and 12 rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 28 points as the Boston Celtics rode a bounce-back performance for a 106-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
After losing Game 2 at home by 24, the top-seeded Celtics looked more like themselves on Cleveland’s home court.
Tatum opened the second half with a three-point play to ignite a 14-0 run that gave Boston a 71-48 lead.
The Cavaliers got the deficit down to nine three times in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Payton Pritchard and Derrick White midway through the period ended any hope of a comeback.
Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points for Cleveland, but aggravated a left knee injury in the fourth quarter and was laboured. With Boston up 13 with 1:19 left, he left the court and walked directly to the locker room.
Evan Mobley added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who had won their first four home playoff games. They haven’t won consecutive postseason contests since taking the first two against Orlando in the first round.
Cleveland was again without starting center Jarrett Allen, who missed his sixth straight game with a painful rib injury.
Boston center Kristaps Porzingis missed his fourth consecutive game with a calf strain.
Mavericks take 2-1 lead on Thunder
Kyrie Irving hit a running left-hander in the lane in the final minute and scored 22 points as the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 105-101 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Luka Dončić also had 22 points to go with 15 rebounds and P.J. Washington added 27 points, two shy of his playoff high from the previous game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 31 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks as the top-seeded Thunder lost their second straight after opening 5-0 in the playoffs.
Game 4 is Monday night in Dallas.
Chet Holmgren had 13 points and four of the Thunder’s 11 blocks, but Oklahoma City was outrebounded 16-5 on the offensive glass and outscored 16-9 in second-chance points.
Irving bounced back from scoring nine points in Game 2 with 14 points in the second half alone, including six consecutive Dallas points in the fourth quarter that helped the Mavs to their biggest lead of the final period at nine.
Oklahoma City decided to foul Dereck Lively II intentionally in the fourth quarter, and he missed three of the first four free throws before he hit the next four in a row to put Dallas up 100-95 with 3:06 left.
After Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws, Irving’s basket restored the Mavericks’ five-point lead.
Jamaica’s Romelda Aiken-George, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Latanya Wilson continued winning ways in the Suncorp Super Netball League, as their Adelaide Thunderbirds team downed Melbourne Mavericks 59-37 in a lopsided affair at the John Cain Arena, on Saturday.
Aiken-George again led the way with 32 goals from 34 attempts, with support from Lucy Austin, who had 14 goals from 16 attempts, and Lauren Frew (nine goals from 13 attempts), while Georgie Horjus scored the other four goals from six attempts.
Another Jamaican Shimona Jok topscored for the Mavericks with 16 goals from 19 attempts, while Gabrielle Sinclair had 16 goals from 14 attempts, including five two-point Super shots, and Natalie Butler had five goals from seven attempts.
It was another clinical performance by the Thunderbirds, who produced four strong quarters to bring the Mavericks down to earth from the high of their historic win last week. Both teams were shaky at the start, before the Thunderbirds settled with three goals in a row.
From there, it was end-to-end action until the Thunderbirds regained the ascendancy thanks to crucial intercepts by Wilson on the Mavericks centre pass, which allowed her team to open a five-goal lead at 16-11 to end the first quarter.
The back-and-forth of possession between the two teams continued in the second quarter, but the Thunderbirds remained in control and opened a 10-goal lead at one point, which forced the Mavericks to go for the two-point Super shots. However, stellar defending from Sterling-Humphrey and company ensured the Thunderbirds maintained control at 32-18 at the half-time break.
Jamaica's Latanya Wilson of Adelaide Thunderbirds rise highest to win possession.
The one-way traffic continued in favour of the Thunderbirds on the resumption, as Mavericks struggled to penetrate their shooting circle, while the speed and connection between Laura Scherian and Aiken-George made life difficult for the opponents defence.
At the end of it all, the Thunderbirds increased their advantage to 20-goals, as they wrapped up the third quarter at 47-27.
The Mavericks produced their strongest showing of the game in the final quarter, as they looked stronger and more connected, but it was a case of too little too late just too late for Jok and company, who succumbed to a 22-goal defeat.
Meanwhile, another Jamaican Jodi-Ann Ward and her GIANTS team got their first points of the campaign on the board following a nail-biting 86-80 extra-time win over Sunshine Coast Lightning, at the Ken Rosewall Arena.
Sophie Dwyer (39 goals from 38 attempts) and Jo Harten (35 goals from 35 attempts) were in good knick on the day for GIANTS, who had their other goals from Matisse Letherbarrow (12 goals from 12 attempts), the game-changer during extra-time.
Cara Koenen led the Lightning with 45 goals from 47 attempts, with support from Reilley Batcheldor (17 goals from 20 attempts) and Steph Fretwell (18 goals from 23 attempts).
It was a contest filled with twists and turns as both sides traded blows in the opening minutes. Yet, amidst the tit-for-tat scoring, it was the GIANTS that exuded confidence, demonstrating rapid ball movement and unyielding defensive intensity courtesy of Chelsea Pitman and Ward, who disrupted Lightning’s play from their centre pass.
Jamaican Jodi-Ann Ward embraces a GIANTS teammate after their first win of the season.
Ward was a bundle of energy for the GIANTS, working overtime in defence to support the team on both sides of the ball, but the teams ended the first quarter locked at 17-17.
Jo Harten and Sophie Dwyer turned it on in the Power Five time, executing an important Super Shot each. Yet, it was Steph Fretwell's clutch conversion that leveled the scores as the teams approached the first change.
The second quarter intensified in physicality as the Lightning aimed to maintain their momentum from the opening quarter. However, a pivotal turnover by Pitman allowed GIANTS to surge ahead to a five-goal lead before the onset of the Power Five period.
But the Lightning’s superb center pass conversion rate and execution in the circle led by Koenen saw them rally, but the GIANTS held a one-goal lead 37-36 at half-time.
The GIANTS kicked off the third quarter with gusto, extending their lead by four goals within the opening minutes. Harten asserted her dominance on the game, dazzling with a series of spectacular goals to ignite the GIANTS' momentum.
Still the Lightning were resolute and kept pace with their rivals to remain one goal behind at 55-54 and set up a stirring final quarter battle which eventually ended at 71-71 to send the game into extra-time.
Letherbarrow was summoned from the bench, and she delivered a relentless barrage of Super Shots, ultimately spearheading the GIANTS' comeback victory over the Lightning, who lacked composure in the latter stages of the game.
Rafael Nadal will do everything he can to play at the French Open this month, but he admits he has a decision to make on his involvement after crashing out of the Italian Open on Saturday.
Nadal – a 10-time champion in Rome – suffered a resounding 6-1 6-3 defeat against Hubert Hurkacz on the clay, the Pole producing a polished performance to halt his run in the second round.
The Spaniard has said he will likely call time on his glittering career at the end of the season, having been troubled by hip and abdominal injuries in recent years.
The 37-year-old was also beaten by Jiri Lehecka in the last 16 at the Madrid Open last month, and he acknowledges he is currently some way short of the level required to challenge for a record-extending 15th French Open title.
Speaking after Saturday's defeat, Nadal said: "The time has come to make a decision, in case I might not play Roland-Garros.
"One is to say, 'okay, I am not ready, I am not playing well enough'.
"Another is to accept how I am today and work the proper way to try to be in a different way in two weeks. If I have to say which side I lean towards, it's to try to play it and give my best.
"Physically I have some issues, but probably not enough to say no to playing in the most important event of my tennis career."
The year's second grand slam begins at Roland Garros on May 20, with the men's singles final taking place on June 9.
Daniil Medvedev and Noami Osaka both advanced at the Italian Open with straight-sets wins on Saturday, the former eliminating Britain's Jack Draper with a 7-5 6-4 success.
Second seed Medvedev – who won the Rome event last year – was tested by Draper, the world number four saving seven of 10 break points faced in a one-hour, 47-minute contest.
Draper was in the ascendency when he broke Medvedev's serve to make it 5-5 in the first set, but Medvedev hit straight back before serving out the opener.
The Russian stepped things up from there and raced into a 5-1 lead in the second set, one Draper was unable to overturn as Medvedev teed up a last-32 clash with Hamad Medjedovic for Sunday.
In the women's draw, four-time grand slam champion Osaka overcame 10th seed Daria Kasatkina in another impressive straight-sets triumph, two days after recording her first clay-court win over a top-20 opponent in Marta Kostyuk.
She eased to a 6-3 6-3 victory in Saturday's last-32 encounter and will now face China's Qinwen Zheng for a place in the quarter-finals on Monday.
Data Debrief: Osaka's new love for clay
Coming into this year's Italian Open, Osaka was 0-8 throughout her career against top-20 opponents on clay, but she has now recorded two such wins in a row for the very first time.
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