Damian Lillard announced he was retiring from the NBA's three-point contest after winning the title for the first time.

Portland Trail Blazers star Lillard, entering the contest for the third time, led the way with 26 points in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

With little-known Philadelphia 76ers guard Mac McClung coming out on top in the slam dunk contest, Lillard was the big winner of the day's All-Star Weekend festivities.

A 37.3 per cent career three-point shooter, with the sixth-most made threes in NBA history (2,334), the 32-year-old felt it was about time he took the title.

"I think all the best shooters in the history of our game, most of them have one of these," Lillard said.

"I just wanted to get it done at least one time. So, I'm happy I got it, now I can retire from it."

Stephen Curry, who has won two three-point contest titles but has not added to his seven entries since winning for a second time two years ago, posted on Twitter: "He said he is retiring from it with the trophy in the hand. I feel you."

Jonathan Marchessault was relieved to snap his 13-game goal drought as the Vegas Golden Knights continued on their winning ways since the break with a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Marchessault scored two first-period goals as the Golden Knights raced to a 4-2 lead in an entertaining start to the contest.

The center is the latest VGK player to end a goal drought, but he was keen to move on, with the side improving to 34-18-4 amid a five-game win streak.

"Yeah, that's probably the longest I have went but you just have to move on," Marchessault told reporters.

"You know, it's on to the next game. We're gonna enjoy this one until midnight tonight and try to get better tomorrow."

The Golden Knights have found form since the All-Star break, holding the lead in the Pacific Division.

"I think we got a bit more resilient," Marchessault said. "I think we've played a full 60 minutes instead of a sloppy area of our games, sometimes half a period.

"Our effort and support has been better as a unit of five out there. We just have to keep it going."

The Lightning suffered their second straight loss, falling to 35-16-4. It marked Tampa Bay's first regulation loss of their four-game trip.

Marchessault's two-goal performance brought him within five points of 400 career points.

VGK head coach Bruce Cassidy added: "I loved our third period. We didn't give up anything and tried to extend our lead.

"First period, getting around the front of the net, scored a couple of goals. I like that part of our game."

Jonathan Marchessault was relieved to snap his 13-game goal drought as the Vegas Golden Knights continued on their winning ways since the break with a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Marchessault scored two first-period goals as the Golden Knights raced to a 4-2 lead in an entertaining start to the contest.

The center is the latest VGK player to end a goal drought, but he was keen to move on, with the side improving to 34-18-4 amid a five-game win streak.

"Yeah, that's probably the longest I have went but you just have to move on," Marchessault told reporters.

"You know, it's on to the next game. We're gonna enjoy this one until midnight tonight and try to get better tomorrow."

The Golden Knights have found form since the All-Star break, holding the lead in the Pacific Division.

"I think we got a bit more resilient," Marchessault said. "I think we've played a full 60 minutes instead of a sloppy area of our games, sometimes half a period.

"Our effort and support has been better as a unit of five out there. We just have to keep it going."

The Lightning suffered their second straight loss, falling to 35-16-4. It marked Tampa Bay's first regulation loss of their four-game trip.

Marchessault's two-goal performance brought him within five points of 400 career points.

GVK head coach Bruce Cassidy added: "I loved our third period. We didn't give up anything and tried to extend our lead.

"First period, getting around the front of the net, scored a couple of goals. I like that part of our game."

Carlos Alcaraz clinched a berth in the Argentina Open in his first tournament back from injury with a straight-sets victory over Spanish compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles on Saturday.

Alcaraz, who had not played since the Paris Masters in early November due to abdominal and right leg injuries, triumphed 6-2 6-2 in one hour and 17 minutes.

The 19-year-old Spaniard will face second seed Cameron Norrie in Sunday's decider, with the Briton needing almost two hours to overcome Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

"It’s a really special moment for me," Alcaraz said. "I was a little bit down after the injury, so I had to recover in those four months the confidence and the rhythm.

"Coming back for my first tournament of 2023 and making the final is so special for me."

Alcaraz has won all three matches at the Argentina Open, dropping only one set against Laslo Djere in his return match in the second round.

Taylor Fritz beat countryman Mackenzie McDonald for a spot in the Delray Beach Open final in Florida, fighting back from a break down in the second set to win 6-3 7-6 (8-6) and a secure a berth in his 10th career final.

Fritz, the top seed at Delray Beach, will take on Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in the decider after he won 7-6 (10-8) 3-6 6-2 over Moldova's Radu Albot.

Jon Rahm rolled in a birdie on the 18th hole to claim a three-shot lead after the third day at the Genesis Invitational on Saturday, while Tiger Woods produced his best round of the tournament.

The Spaniard overtook halfway point leader Max Homa by carding a bogey-free six-under-par 65 on Saturday, taking him to 15-under overall at Riviera Country Club.

Rahm was part of a trio of players, alongside Keith Mitchell and Lee Hodges, one stroke behind Homa heading into the third round but moved into the lead buoyed by four birdies on his front nine.

Woods narrowly made the cut on Friday and backed that up with a three-under round for 67 that included an eagle on the first hole, his 10th of the round, with a brilliant approach setting up a tap-in putt.

The 47-year-old remains well back on the leaderboard at three-under overall but moved up 32 spots for the round.

Homa slipped from the lead with back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes proving costly as he managed a round of two-under-par 69 to be 12-under overall.

Mitchell is one stroke behind him at 11-under, with Patrick Cantlay fourth on 10-under followed by Gary Woodland after his four-under-par 67 moved him up to nine-under overall.

There is a group of four players at seven-under overall ahead of the final day, including Denny McCarthy who shot the best round of the day with a seven-under-par 64 that included an eagle on the par-four 10th hole. He is tied with Collin Morikawa, Tom Hoge and Adam Svensson.

Kevin Durant says his and Kyrie Irving's high-profile NBA trades are "great for the league" after the Brooklyn Nets pair went their separate ways.

The Phoenix Suns prised Durant away from Brooklyn, who also lost fellow star Irving to the Dallas Mavericks after the 30-year-old requested a trade in February.

That saw the Nets lose their only two players to average above 20 points per game this season, although Durant and Irving only shared the court 71 times in the regular season despite joining together in 2019.

Durant has repeatedly lauded the project with the Suns, who sit fifth in the Western Conference, and believes the roster changes are positive for the NBA.

"I don't think it's bad for the league," Durant said Saturday during his All-Star news conference. "It's bringing more eyes to the league, more people are more excited.

"The tweets that I get; the news hits that we got from me being traded, Kyrie being traded; it just brings more attention to the league and that's really what rakes the money in when you get more attention.

"So, I think it's great for the league, to be honest."

Durant expressed his desire to leave shortly after Irving had voiced similar plans, leading to some criticism over the pair's actions with the Nets.

But Irving refused to accept the backlash as he insisted it should be commonplace for such trades to happen, given he was unable to agree a long-term contract extension in Brooklyn.

"It's a bad situation," Irving said Saturday. "Why doesn't anyone have the ability to ask for trades? That's my question.

"When did it become terrible to make great business decisions for yourself and your happiness and peace of mind?

"Not every employer you're going to get along with, so if you have the chance to go somewhere else and you're doing it legally, I don't think there's a problem with it."

"Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time," Durant said, echoing Irving's sentiment.

"Now when a player can kind of dictate where he wants to go and leave in free agency and demand a trade, it's just part of the game now.

"So I don't think it's a bad thing. It's bringing more and more excitement to the game."

Irving added: "Speculation and narratives are what make this entertainment kind of seem a little bit more important or more of a priority than it actually is.

"Like, it's my life. It's not just a dream that everybody can gossip about. When you work as hard as I do or anyone else in a specific profession, I feel like you should have the liberty and the freedom to go where you're wanted, where you're celebrated and where you feel comfortable."

Daniil Medvedev had no problems against Grigor Dimitrov as he eased into Sunday's Rotterdam Open final.

The former world number one took just 82 minutes to win 6-1 6-2, converting six of 13 break points against his Bulgarian opponent.

Medvedev rises back up to 10th in the world rankings after the win, and will go ninth if he can claim the title.

"It was an amazing match," Medvedev said after his victory. "The score [looks] easy, but the match was not. I felt physically like I was playing five sets.

"It would be amazing [to win the tournament]. Every time I come here, and I think it is my fifth time here, everywhere there are photos of the winners and their names.

"I don't remember who won it first time, but then Arthur Ashe won it [twice]. Then [John] McEnroe, [Bjorn] Borg, [Stefan] Edberg, and I'm like, 'Well, that tournament has a history for sure'. To add my name there would be amazing, but for this I need to play well in the final."

That final will be against Jannik Sinner after the Italian overcame spirited home wildcard Tallon Griekspoor.

It was Sinner's impressive serve that saw him through 7-5 7-6 (7-5), not facing a single break point, and ruthlessly taking the only one he carved out all match to take the first set.

He kept his nerve to see out a second set tie-break, and now has the chance to follow up last week's Open Sud de France title with another in Rotterdam.

Iga Swiatek avenged an early-season loss to Jessica Pegula as she stormed to the Qatar Open title on Saturday, completing a stunning trophy defence.

In three matches, Swiatek surrendered only five games, sealing the title with a 6-3 6-0 victory over American Pegula.

A heavy defeat to Pegula in Sydney at the beginning of the year saw Swiatek reduced to tears, and she then lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open in Melbourne, albeit to eventual finalist Elena Rybakina.

Now Swiatek is back, with brutal wins over Danielle Collins and Veronika Kudermetova – allowing both players just one game each – preceding her dismissal of Pegula in the final.

The 21-year-old has 12 career titles and is off the mark in 2023, extending her head-to-head dominance to 5-2 over world number four Pegula.

Swiatek said: "I don't care how many games are won or lost. I just feel like I really found my rhythm here, and after a tough beginning of the season I could stay focused from the beginning to the end of the matches, and I'm pretty happy with my performance.

"I hope playing well here is going to be a routine."

The world number one sent a message of support during her on-court speech to the people of war-torn Ukraine, for whom she has helped to raise funds over the last 12 months.

Swiatek, from Poland, said she felt "a real throwback to last year", when this event was taking place as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

"This was the first tournament where I had a chance to make a speech when the war started in Ukraine," she said. "I feel like we all have pretty short memories, but we should all support Ukrainians with everything they're coping with every day.

"It's pretty disappointing the situation is not changing, but hopefully they will stay strong."

Italy's Jake Polledri will undergo shoulder surgery that is set to rule him out of the rest of the Six Nations, a week after his return against England.

The 27-year-old only made his first appearance for the Azzurri since November 2020 during his side's 31-14 defeat at Twickenham last Saturday.

A long-term lay-off with a knee ligament injury sustained against Scotland kept the forward out for over a year and a half, before his Gloucester form earned a recall this term.

Now, the Italian Rugby Federation has confirmed he will undergo surgery for a shoulder problem that was discovered after he was forced off for a HIA in the closing stages against England.

"Jake Polledri [had a] pain in his right shoulder which led to the discovery of an injury," read a federation statement.

"The examination he underwent revealed the involvement of the rotator cuff tendons. The specialist consultation carried out at his club recommended surgery.

"The prognosis of the injury sustained and the consequent duration of recovery will be evaluated based on the outcome of the scheduled surgery."

Italy have lost both of their opening Six Nations fixtures under coach Kieran Crowley this year, but came close to scoring a major upset in their opener against championship holders France.

Kieran Crowley's side will next face frontrunners Ireland at Rome's Stadio Olimpico next Saturday before another home clash with Wales as they continue to step up preparations ahead of this year's Rugby World Cup.

The Azzurri will compete in Pool A, alongside France, New Zealand, Uruguay and Namibia.

Eddie Hearn remains hopeful Anthony Joshua could fight Tyson Fury this year and is willing to make the bout immediately if Fury's proposed meeting with Oleksandr Usyk falls through.

Talks were held over a meeting between Joshua and Fury following the former's second defeat to Usyk last August, but the Gypsy King ultimately faced Derek Chisora on his return to the ring in December, while Joshua will take on Jermaine Franklin in April.

A deal for Fury and Usyk to clash in the same month is reportedly close to being agreed, but Joshua's promoter Hearn is waiting in the wings if an agreement cannot be reached.

"I'm happy to make Joshua and Fury right now for the summer, whether Fury wins or loses against Usyk," Hearn told BBC Sport.

"If the Usyk fight doesn't get made, our message to team Fury is that we'll make the fight now, for straight after the Franklin fight.

"Whatever way Tyson Fury wants to look at it, the fight with AJ will give him the pay day he wants. He wants to make as much money as possible, and rightfully so, he's a fantastic fighter.

"The fight with AJ breaks all records. I understand their focus is to make the Usyk fight, but we're ready if they want AJ."

While Saudi Arabia was initially suggested as a possible location for the Fury-Usyk fight, Wembley Stadium is now seen as the most likely venue, and Hearn believes the absence of Joshua has harmed the fighters' attempts to secure backing from the Middle East.

"They've obviously gone to the Middle East to get that money, failed because Anthony Joshua is not involved in that fight, and now they've gone to Wembley," Hearn added.

"I don't know how they get the numbers that Fury will demand for that fight, but if they can, brilliant. Hopefully for boxing it gets made because any time there's an undisputed clash it's great for the sport.

"It doesn't matter if they failed in their attempt to secure a big Middle East fight or whatever has happened, it's tremendous for British boxing if it does come home."

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw revealed on Friday that he will no longer be able to take part in March's World Baseball Classic.

Kershaw was announced as part of Team USA's star-studded squad during the initial team reveal on February 9, but according to reporting from ESPN, he ran into a roadblock when it came to getting his MLB contract insured.

Teams require players on their 40-man rosters to have their contracts insured before taking part in the World Baseball Classic, but with 35-year-old Kershaw having missed time with back injuries in five of the past seven seasons, it was far from straightforward.

Speaking to reporters, Kershaw confirmed he is fully healthy and has the Dodgers' blessing, but ultimately could not make it work.

"Super disappointing," he said. "We tried a lot of different things, all sides, we really tried to make it work. 

"Nothing's wrong with me, it just didn't work out. I really wanted to do it, I really wanted to be a part of that group.

"Probably my last chance to do it, so I really wanted to do it. Just didn't work out for a number of reasons. I'm frustrated. 

"They should make it easy for guys that want to play, to play. Obviously if the team doesn't want you to play that's one thing, but if you have the team's blessing, like I do, it should be easier. They should probably look into that."

He added: "There were some factors that were making it hard for me to play, and I tried to work it out on my own, tried to work it out with MLB, the union, the team. Everybody worked hard to try to make it work, and I wasn't able to."

Team USA general manager Tony Reagins also shared his disappointment in the outcome.

"It's unfortunate that Clayton won't be able to pitch for us," he said. "Clayton's desire to wear USA across his chest and represent his country was evident very early on in this process.

"We would have loved to have this future Hall of Famer on the mound for us, we respect all that he would bring to this clubhouse and this group of men. 

"We now have to pivot and turn our focus toward the next man up as we prepare to defend the WBC title. I'm confident in the roster that we've built and we look forward to getting everyone together in just a few weeks."

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf stole the show during Friday's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, dunking and blocking his way to MVP honours.

Metcalf – standing at six-foot-four with explosive athleticism – made sure to show off what he could do on a basketball court at every opportunity, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in a 81-78 win for Team Dwyane Wade.

Team Wade was coached by Giannis Antetokounmpo and his two brothers, Thanasis and Alex, while Team Ryan Smith – named after the Utah Jazz governor, since they are the hosting city – was coached by WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, rapper Fat Joe and Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman.

Metcalf was not the only athlete suiting up, with 37-year-old Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson also taking part, as did tennis star Frances Tiafoe and MLB legend Albert Pujols.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz was too good in his Argentina Open quarter-final on Friday, defeating Dusan Lajovic 6-4 6-2.

The 19-year-old is playing in his first tournament of the year, and after dropping a set in his opener against Serbia's Laslo Djere, he had fewer problems against Djere's compatriot.

Alcaraz will play Bernabe Zapata Miralles in an all-Spanish semi-final after he eliminated Buenos Aires' own Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-3.

England's Cameron Norrie had to come from a set behind for the second match in a row to knock out Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7 6-0 6-3, and he will meet Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas in the other semi-final.

Varillas collected arguably the biggest win of his career against world number 20 Lorenzo Musetti, and he is now two wins away from his first ATP Tour title.

Meanwhile, top seed and world number seven Taylor Fritz is through to the semi-final of the Delray Beach Open after fending off the challenge of veteran Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.

Fritz has lost his past two meetings with Mackenzie McDonald, and he will get a chance at redemption after McDonald joined him in the semi-final with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over Michael Mmoh.

Fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic joins Fritz as the only seeded players to reach the semi-finals after he saw off Marcos Giron 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, while second seed Tommy Paul was upset as a heavy favourite against Romania's Radu Albot 6-2 6-2.