Paul George is unlikely to be fit to feature for the Los Angeles Clippers in their NBA playoffs first-round series against the Phoenix Suns.
The eight-time All-Star forward has been out with a sprained right knee since March 21, but it had been hoped he would be back in time for the start of the postseason.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski though, the Clippers have been preparing for the series without George.
It means they will almost certainly need to rely heavily on Kawhi Leonard in his absence against a Suns team that has gone to another level since adding Kevin Durant in February.
George averaged 23.8 points per game during the regular season, as well as 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.8 three-point shots made.
Game 1 between the Clippers and the Suns takes place in Phoenix on Sunday.
Andrey Rublev came from a set down against Holger Rune to win the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, his first Masters 1000 title.
Having done the same in his semi-final against Taylor Fritz, Rublev showed grit and determination to do so again in the final, eventually winning 5-7 6-2 7-5.
Rublev become only the third player in the Open Era to have comeback wins in both the semi-final and final at Monte Carlo after Ivan Lendl (1988) and Ilie Nastase (1971).
Rune started the stronger of the two and forced a break in the sixth game of the first set with two delightful drop-shot winners, only for Rublev to break straight back in the next game.
After throwing away seven of eight break point chances in the first set, it was somewhat inevitable Rublev was unable to save a crucial one on his own serve with Rune at set point, sending a return long to hand the Dane the first frame.
This was Rune's sixth ATP Tour-level final, making him the fifth teenager to pass five since 2000.
Rublev seemed determined not to make the same mistake again as he immediately broke Rune's serve in the opening game of the second set, although he did pass up two chances for a double break before Rune levelled the set at 2-2.
The heat appeared to be affecting both players' service games in a high-octane encounter, but Rublev steadied himself before breaking again and then racing to another as he comfortably secured the second set.
As Rublev had done after dropping the opener, however, Rune responded defiantly and raced out to a 3-0 lead in the decider, but after missing a chance to go 5-1 up, he was broken back as Rublev came back to 4-4.
At 5-5, a tiring Rune twice hit the net with overhead smashes and then had a double fault at break point, leading to a crucial break for the Russian, who then served out the match to clinch the title.
"I know it's tough to lose a final, but you are too freaking young, man, and already have a Masters 1000 title, so give me one time to win it," Rublev joked with a smiling Rune at the trophy presentation.
Jaylen Brown credited the adrenaline of the game after somehow managing to top-score despite having a hand injury as the Boston Celtics started their NBA playoff first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks with a win.
Brown cut his right hand last week when he smashed a glass vase at his home, but he was able to play on Saturday.
Despite having had stitches following the injury, Brown's cut split open again against the Hawks, and he had to leave the court at TD Garden after just eight minutes to have his bandage changed.
However, he returned to ultimately play 37 minutes and score 29 points as the Celtics won 112-99, with 45 points in the second quarter.
Brown insisted the laceration between his fingers was "fine now", although he is still working out the best way to manage the issue.
"I think it's going to be alright," he said. "It's a constant adjustment, making sure I have a good grip on the ball.
"There's not a lot of padding on it, so it's just a different feel shooting the ball. [The pain] is fine. Especially with the adrenaline of the game, you kind of just get going."
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who scored 25 points, said of his team-mate: "He came out aggressive. He looked like he looked fine and played really well."
Jhanielle Fowler had another near perfect night but her West Coast Fever had to hold off a spirited comeback from the Queensland Firebirds to snatch their fifth-straight victory 73-71 in the Suncorp Super Netball League at the Nissan Arena on Saturday night.
The towering Jamaican goal shooter scored 60 of 61 shots as the defending champions outscored their opponents 25-15 and 18-15 over the first two quarters to take a 13-goal lead into the half-time break. Sasha Glasgow who was a perfect five for five and scored three of six super shots was also key to the victory as the Firebirds provided the champions with a genuine scare.
Whereas the Fever were dominant in the first half, the Firebirds showed that they too could play that game in the second.
Donnell Wallan, who scored 48 goals from 53 attempts and sunk seven of 10 super shots in the game, helped the Firebirds storm back to outscore the Fever 21-15 in the third and 25-20 in the final stanza. She got support from Emily Moore who was perfect inside the circle and who hit one of two super shots and Mia Mayer (2/2) and scored one of two super shots to come within two goals of the champions.
However, that was as close as they would get as the Fever desperately held on for the win.
Fowler has missed only four attempts on goal in five matches this season, scoring 280 goals from 284 attempts.
Meanwhile, Romelda Aiken-George scored 43 goals from 49 attempts to lead the New South Wales Swifts to a close 64-63 win over Sunshine Coast Lightning at the UniSC Arena.
Over at the Ken Rosewall Arena, Shimona Nelson scored 36 goals from 38 attempts but her Collingwood Magies lost 59-55 to GIANTS for whom Jo Harten scored 33 from 35 and Sophie Dwyer 20 from 22.
Veteran wide receiver Robbie Anderson has agreed a contract with the Miami Dolphins.
The 29-year-old, who was released by the Arizona Cardinals last month following a mid-season trade arrival, is heading to Florida for the 2023 campaign.
Anderson – who recently changed his legal name to Chosen Robbie Anderson – posted a video to his Instagram story on Saturday to confirm his new team.
In the clip, he is seen holding up the jersey of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who he will link up with as part of a wide receiver pool topped by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Originally undrafted out of Temple in 2016, Anderson signed with the New York Jets and enjoyed a four-year spell with the franchise as a near ever-present.
He moved to the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and posted a career-best season with 95 caught passes for 1,096 yards and three touchdowns.
A mid-season trade to the Cardinals last term failed to pan out however, with Anderson taking just seven passes for 76 yards during his brief stay.
The Dolphins posted a 9-8 regular season record in 2022 before a 34-31 loss in the AFC Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills ended their campaign.
Mattea Issa conquered the 16-18 age group at the RBL Trinidad & Tobago Junior Golf Open recently, winning the category by 15 strokes at the Brechin Castle Golf Club in the twin-island republic.
Issa shot rounds of 76, 81 and 78 for a combined score of 235 to be crowned champion over Chloe Ajodha 250 (90,79, 81) and Emily Whyatt who was further back on 271 (87, 95, 89) in third place.
"It’s always an honour to get to represent your country and I am so happy that I got the opportunity to do that in Trinidad,” Issa said afterwards.
“It was an extremely tricky course with very windy conditions but I was able to stay calm and bring the win home."
The tournament helped Issa prepare for the Caribbean Junior Amateur Golf Championship scheduled for July 3-8 in the Cayman Islands. She was second to Emily Mayne in the Girls 18 & Under category in the Jamaican trials to select the team for the championship and is looking to ramp up her preparation by competing in other high-level tournaments as she continues to hone her skills for the July championship
Joe Joyce channelled Arnold Schwarzenegger and vowed he will be back after a surprise defeat to Zhilei Zhang.
A sixth-round TKO issued a hammer blow to Joyce's heavyweight title ambitions, relinquishing his WBO interim belt after a commanding display by 39-year-old Zhang.
Pre-fight build-up largely orientated around what lied beyond the Chinese fighter for Joyce, who was in line for a shot at Oleksandr Usyk's belts with his position as the WBO's mandatory challenger.
However, he was third for that shot due to the rotational system in place among boxing's governing bodies, and his defeat has now knocked him out of the queue entirely.
The manner of Joyce's loss will be of the most concern, as Zhang issued consistent punishment to the Brit, particularly around the left eye – which eventually forced referee Howard Foster to bring the contest to a halt.
Though expressing regret at his display, Joyce vowed to return after issuing an apology to his fans.
"I'm just disappointed with my performance, I think the right hand he kept hitting me with I couldn't get out of the way," he told BT Sport.
"Respect to Zhilei Zhang, it was a good fight but I think I could have done better, I think because I haven't fought a southpaw for so long.
"Credit to him because he was a good fighter, and I gave it my all. I think I could do better but it's just disappointing.
"I just couldn't get away from his left hand, I kept on getting hit so I was disappointed, and I'd like to apologise to all of my fans and supporters.
"But I also want to thank you for coming down here, I'll be back, my journey's not over this is just a hurdle I may have tripped over so I'll be back."
A rematch against Zhang remains a likely priority, particularly with other mandatory challengers due to get their shot at the titles first, and Joyce suggested he could take another fight before settling the score.
"We're going to discuss it," he told the BBC. "I could have one in between. I'm just going to decide. I'm going to have some time off and reflect and watch the tape back and see where I went wrong."
Steve Kerr feels the Golden State Warriors are "whole" again with the return of Andrew Wiggins, despite defeat in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series to the Sacramento Kings.
Wiggins featured for the first time since February 13, having missed two months because of a family matter, and impressed in his 28-minute display – finishing with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting and four blocked shots as the Warriors went down 126-123 at Golden 1 Center.
His performance impressed Kerr, particularly his first half display, and the signs look promising for the rest of the series.
"So awesome to have him back. You know, we're whole with him out there. Our team makes sense with Wiggs back. I thought he looked really good," Kerr said.
"The first half was amazing, second half he maybe wore down a little bit, which is to be expected, given he hasn't played in a game in over two months. He was fantastic."
Stephen Curry had a similar assessment of Wiggins' return, saying: "When you go through all the decisions to put a roster together, all of the pieces have to be fit.
"He's a big part of everything we do. When you go into a season, you want to be as fully healthy as possible because that's the way all the pieces are meant to fit.
"We haven't had it for a very long time, and we tried to hold down the fort. Now we have that look back."
The Warriors meet the Kings in Game 2 on Monday, then finishing the series with back-to-back home games on Thursday and Sunday.
Mike Trout joined some elite company with his 300th career double but it was an unhappy return for the Los Angeles Angels who lost 9-7 to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Trout, who went three-for-four, became just the fourth player in MLB history to reach 300 doubles, 300 homers and 200 stolen bases by his age-31 season, alongside Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.
The Angels had skipped ahead to a 4-0 lead after Urshela's first-inning grand slam, with Trout having doubled to left to reach his milestone with a rocket off the Green Monster.
But Rafael Devers halved the deficit with his seventh blast of the season, a two-run shot, taking him up to the top of the majors' charts for home runs.
Yu Chang ended his none-for-29 drought with a go-ahead two-run homer in the fourth inning,
The Angels regained the lead in the sixth inning from Shohei Ohtani's RBI single. Ohtani also extended his on-base streak to 36 games, which is the best active streak in the majors.
But Chang delivered again with a two-run single in the eighth inning to finish with four RBIs. That came amid an eighth where Angels' Matt Thaiss was called twice for catcher interference, prolonging the inning.
Ryan Brasier got the win, with Kenley Jensen taking the final three outs for his fourth save.
Alonso blasts league-leading homer in Mets win
Pete Alonso crushed his league-leading seventh home run of the season as the New York Mets rallied past the Oakland Athletics 3-2.
Alonso's fourth-inning blast got the wheels in motion for the Mets, after the A's opened up a 2-0 lead at the bottom of the second inning.
The Mets rallied into the lead with two runs in the seventh inning, with Mark Canha's 414-foot homer followed by Brandon Nimmo's RBI double.
Alonso leads the majors for homers with seven alongside Red Sox's Rafael Devers, with Baltimore Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle and Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy having six each.
Miggy records 16th career walk-off with single
Miguel Cabrera produced an 11th-inning walk-off single for the Detroit Tigers to edge the San Francisco Giants 7-6.
The Tigers had to rally from a five-run deficit, trailing 6-1 after J.D. Davis' two-run blast at the top of the third inning, pulling back two runs in the fifth, before Javier Baez's two-run double in the eighth followed by Spencer Torkelson's single.
Detroit's 39-year-old pinch-hitter, who recorded his 3,000th career hit last season, brought up his 16th career walk-off with his 3,095th career hit up the middle to score Torkelson.
Stephen Curry missed a clean three-point attempt on the buzzer as the Sacramento Kings claimed their first playoff win in almost 17 years with a 126-123 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
De'Aaron Fox came alight with 15 final-quarter points for the Kings in a back-and-forth encounter, finishing with 38 on 13-of-27 shooting from the field with four three-pointers.
Curry almost sent Game 1 of their first round playoffs to overtime when he received Draymond Green's inbound pass with 2.9 seconds left, only for his shot to rim out.
Andrew Wiggins had missed a wide-open three-point attempt for the lead with 10.1 seconds left, before Malik Monk made two free-throws to open up the decisive three-point lead.
Curry finished with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting with six three-pointers made, along with six rebounds and two assists.
Klay Thompson made five-of-14 from beyond the arc, managing 21 points, while Draymond Green had nine rebounds and 11 assists.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Monk finished with an outstanding 32 points in 29 minutes off the bench, making a perfect 14-of-14 from the line.
Brunson repels Cavs and Mitchell rally
Jalen Brunson helped the New York Knicks steady after a late Cleveland Cavaliers rally to grab a 101-97 road win in Game 1 despite Donovan Mitchell's best efforts.
The Cavs claimed the lead with 2:12 remaining in the final period from Jarrett Allen tip-in capping a stunning 9-0 run, before a clutch Josh Hart triple followed by Brunson step-back jump shot.
Brunson finished with a team-high 27 points, while Julius Randle returned from injury with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Mitchell threw everything at the Knicks, scoring 38 points on 14-of-30 shooting with five rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
The Cavs guard scored 10 points in a row for the Knicks during their fourth-quarter charge, where Quentin Grimes' free-throws with 4.1 seconds left sealed the deal.
Celtics first-half flurry sets up win
The Boston Celtics blew away the Atlanta Hawks with 74 first-half points before easing to a 112-99 victory led by Jaylen Brown with 29 points despite a sore hand.
Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 25 points in the first half where the Celtics led by as much as 32 points, while Derrick White contributed 25 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hawks' shooting letting them down, finishing with five-of-29 from three-point range with Trae Young managing only 16 points on five-of-18 shooting. Dejounte Murray top scored for Atlanta with 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
James Harden scored 23 points including seven triples with 13 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers scored a playoffs franchise-record 21 three-pointers in their 121-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
James Harden called the "perfect game" according to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers after leading them to a 121-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their playoffs first round series.
Harden starred against his former franchise, scoring 23 points on seven-of-13 three-point shooting with 13 assists.
The Nets put attention into MVP candidate Joel Embiid throughout, restricting him to 26 points, but the 76ers stepped up elsewhere, making a franchise-record 21 three-pointers in a playoff game.
"James, I thought that was one of his best games as a 'catcher' where he was calling the perfect game," Rivers told reporters about Harden.
"He's in shape, he's healthy. He's confident in how we play. Last year, even when he was playing, he was like 'am I doing the right thing here?'. There was a lot of good there."
Rivers pointed out that the 76ers also generated 19 more shots than the Nets (89-70), while Harden acknowledged the Nets' tactics to limit Embiid's tactics but hailed his side's shooting, going at 48.8 per cent from beyond the arc. Fifteen of the 76ers' 21 triples were uncontested.
"I mean, he's the MVP," Harden said of Embiid. "So it's like, would you rather him score 40, or live with us making shots? Either way, it's fine. We'll be ready either way."
Embiid's 26 points came on seven-of-15 field-goal shooting with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The MVP contender was full of praise for Harden's impact.
"He's the best playmaker in the league, by far," Embiid said. "But we don't want him settling. I don't want him to fall in love with just that. We need him to be aggressive, and he was today.
"I think that's the key - not just being a playmaker, just being aggressive, going downhill and creating for himself and everyone else."
Reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia labeled Saturday's display as one of his best in MotoGP after setting a new lap record in qualifying and winning the Grand Prix of the Americas Sprint.
Ducati's Bagnaia claimed pole for Sunday's race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin with a new course lap record, edging Honda's Alex Lins by 0.160 seconds.
Bagnaia backed that up with the maximum 12 points from the Sprint where he won by 2.545 seconds from Lins, moving within one point of championship leader Marco Bezzecchi in the early season standings.
"It was one of the best days I ever had in MotoGP considering the performance we had during the whole day," Bagnaia said.
"My feeling with the bike is growing and in this track, for the first time I’m feeling great. This morning with used tyres I was feeling okay, so already I understood where to improve.
"But today for the race it was very difficult because the conditions were very hot and it was difficult to stop the bike.
"I was having a lot of locking and sincerely, it was a bit of a problem at the start of the race. But then I was used to it. Tomorrow will be a different story."
Bagnaia's impressive Saturday came after a disappointing performance in Argentina where he finished sixth in the Sprint and down in 16th in the Grand Prix.
"I started well, and tried to push, do my pace, to build up a gap," Bagnaia said. "Now I've got to focus on tomorrow, that's going to be harder."
Bezzecchi, who finished sixth in the COTA Sprint, will start the Grand Prix from fifth on the grid. Lins, who will start from second, was hopeful of an improvement on his Honda on Sunday.
"Let's see, for sure. We have a good bike," Lins said. "The electronic side was not working at 100 per cent, so let's see if tomorrow it works like this.
"The race today was a little fast, so we need to take a little bit more care of the tyres to arrive with a better performance in the end of the race."
Bagnaia smashed the COTA lap record with a flying final effort of 2.01.892, which was the first-ever sub 2.02.00 lap at the course.
That time came after Bagnaia had attempted to shake off Alex Marquez in his outlap after both recorded identical times.
But Marquez crashed on his final attempt, with Bagnaia released to record his 12th MotoGP pole in style. Gresini's Marquez will start from fourth, with Moorey VR46's Luca Marini in third.
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.
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