Orlando Magic wing Jonathan Isaac’s long-awaited return to the NBA is nearing an end after a lengthy rehab process.
Isaac will reportedly play Monday against the visiting Boston Celtics, his first game since he tore his left ACL on August 2, 2020.
That game was played at Walt Disney World as part of the bubble the league created to keep players safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He played in just two games in the bubble after initially injuring his knee in January 2020, and it will be 904 days between NBA games for the 25-year-old, who ended up missing all of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
Isaac, who had been practicing with the Magic since early December, recently played in three games for Orlando’s G League affiliate, averaging 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing more than 17 minutes a game for the Lakeland Magic.
In his last G League game on Wednesday he played 22 minutes, and he is expected to be on a minutes limit with the Magic as he works toward regaining his form and fitness.
Selected sixth overall by Orlando in the 2017 draft, Isaac appeared in 32 games in his last NBA season in 2019-20, and averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots.
He will join a Magic team that’s 17-29 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last spot in the Play-In Tournament.
Damar Hamlin met with his Buffalo Bills team-mates ahead of their AFC Divisional playoff clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, three weeks on from his cardiac arrest.
The safety collapsed during the first quarter of the pair's Week 17 clash on January 2, and was hospitalised in serious condition after receiving treatment on the field.
But the 2021 draft pick has continued to show a remarkable improvement since, with coach Sean McDermott revealing earlier this week that he had been attending the team's training facility.
Now, Hamlin has gone one step further after missing last week's opening playoff win against the Miami Dolphins in making the trip to Highmark Stadium for the Bills' crunch clash.
Video footage posted on social media showed him in attendance alongside members of his family, ahead of kick-off in the Sunday encounter.
In Hamlin's absence, Buffalo won a taut opening playoff encounter with Miami last week, running out 34-31 victors at Orchard Park.
Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns in all, with the hosts holding their nerve to keep their visitors at bay in the final quarter.
The winner of the Bills-Bengals match will meet the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game next weekend.
Victor Perez held on to claim a one-stroke victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then claimed the crazy finish was all in a day's work.
The Frenchman posted a final-round 66 to finish on 18 under and edge out Lee Min-woo and Sebastian Soderberg, but had a nervous wait to confirm his win after a bogey on the 18th hole.
Neither the Australian nor the Swede could reel him back in the end, handing Perez his third DP World Tour title and first since May last year at the Dutch Open.
Victory pushes him to the top of the Race to Dubai rankings, with the 30-year-old looking forward to a campaign that has him in the conversation for a Ryder Cup spot.
"It's a great year ahead," he said. "There's a lot of big things coming up. I've had a really good off-season, I've worked really hard, and it's just great.
"I'm just delighted to finish on top. It was a crazy finish, but I'm used to that by now. Hopefully I can make it a little easier for the next one."
Padraig Harrington came home fourth after closing with a 67 to finish 16 under, with the 51-year-old falling short of becoming the oldest winner in tour history.
While Perez took the accolades, the final day at Yas Links also delivered two hole-in-one finishes, with Dan Bradbury and Tyrrell Hatton holing out at the 17th and 13th respectively.
Victor Perez held on to claim a one-stroke victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then claimed the crazy finish was all in a day's work.
The Frenchman posted a final-round 66 to finish on 18 under and edge out Lee Min-woo and Sebastian Soderberg, but had a nervous wait to confirm his win after a bogey on the 18th hole.
Neither the Australian nor the Swede could reel him back in the end, handing Perez his third DP World Tour title and first since May last year at the Dutch Open.
Victory pushes him to the top of the Race to Dubai rankings, with the 30-year-old looking forward to a campaign that has him in the conversation for a Ryder Cup spot.
"It's a great year ahead," he said. "There's a lot of big things coming up. I've had a really good off-season, I've worked really hard, and it's just great.
"I'm just delighted to finish on top. It was a crazy finish, but I'm used to that by now. Hopefully I can make it a little easier for the next one."
Padraig Harrington came home fourth after closing with a 67 to finish 16 under, with the 51-year-old falling short of becoming the oldest winner in tour history.
While Perez took the accolades, the final day at Yas Links also delivered two hole-in-one finishes, with Dan Bradbury and Tyrrell Hatton holing out at the 17th and 13th respectively.
Stefanos Tsitsipas wanted to keep the secrets of his late resurgence to himself after he finally saw off Jannik Sinner in five sets in the Australian Open fourth round.
The number three seed looked to be easing to victory when he claimed the first two sets, but Sinner fought back to force a decider.
Tsitsipas managed to rediscover his earlier form though to finally seal a 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 victory and book his place in the quarter-finals.
The Greek is the youngest player to reach three consecutive quarter-finals at the Australian Open since Novak Djokovic (from 2008 to 2010).
"It was all about getting myself relaxed and ready for the big battle in the fifth set," he explained at a press conference. "Of course, things weren't going my way after being two sets to love up. It seemed like the momentum switched dramatically, to me at least. There was a big gap that I couldn't fill in.
"But I made a few technical adjustments in the fifth, gave myself an opportunity to play a bit more loose. That really helped me serve better. I think I kept on moving. I kept on being active to be on these returns that I couldn't get in the previous sets."
Tsitsipas struggled on his own serve in particular, facing 26 break points in all, but his resilience saw him save 22 of them, and his dramatic improvement in the deciding set got him over the line when it appeared certain the Italian would become only the second player ever to come from two sets down to beat Tsitsipas at a grand slam (after Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final).
"There were some things, for sure, that I can look back to now and say that was not the best thing to do," the 24-year-old added. "I think it's also important to keep it to myself.
"We have certain things that we want to keep to ourselves and get back and improve. Not everything has to be public. Not everything has to be exposed and said.
"But it's a feeling. It's something that showed something different earlier in the match. And for some reason I decided not to follow or I give myself an idea that I can do things more extreme.
"That didn't seem to work at all. But the most important thing, I did fight. When I came to the most important part of the match, I regrouped and did it the way I did it in the first two sets."
Tsitsipas will face Czech 21-year-old Jiri Lehecka in the last eight.
Jiri Lehecka had not anticipated still being in the Australian Open at this point but his latest victory against a seeded player saw him advance to the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The Czech youngster produced another impressive showing to beat number six seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) in the fourth round.
Despite having never won a main draw match at a grand slam prior to this tournament, Lehecka has now defeated three seeds, having also dispatched of Borna Coric (21) and Cameron Norrie (11) during his passage to the last eight.
"Honestly, it feels amazing," he said after the victory. "To be in the quarters, I wouldn't believe it if somebody told me this when I was on my way over here.
"I'm super excited for everything that will come next. Of course, I'll try to do my best to recover well and to show my best tennis again in my next match."
While his Canadian opponent utilised his serve well, hitting 20 aces, it was on net points where Lehecka thrived, winning 33 of 41 while Auger-Aliassime managed just 11 of 26.
The 21-year-old has another big test next as he faces third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, having lost to the Greek in their one previous meeting in Rotterdam in February despite winning the first set.
"I'll be super excited [to face Tsitsipas]," Lehecka said. "I will go for that revenge, for sure. I know that he will remember how we played last year in Rotterdam. One set I was the better player on the court. Then he overtook the match. But I think that he will remember, and he will know what my strengths are.
"He will feel that I can get him under pressure. At the same time, I know that he's a great player. I mean, he's number four in the world.
"I know how to play against him."
Tyson Fury has challenged Francis Ngannou to "kick it up spicy in a cage" in a boxing fight refereed by Mike Tyson.
WBC world heavyweight champion Fury's team are trying to agree terms for an eagerly awaited unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury revealed his return to the ring is "imminent" and a March date has provisionally been pencilled in for the Brit to do battle with Ukrainian Usyk.
Ngannou is set to pursue a boxing career after turning down a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight fighter in UFC history.
Fury and Ngannou have called each other out in the past and the 'Gypsy King' has laid down another challenge to the Cameroonian-French fighter.
He said in an interview with Seconds Out: "Francis Ngannou, I know you're out contract with the UFC.
"You want to earn some big boy money come see the 'Gypsy King' and let's do a big, big fight for the baddest M.F. on the planet.
"Let's kick it up spicy in a cage, four-ounce gloves, on the Queensberry, and let's have a badass referee like 'Iron' Mike Tyson. Did I just sell that to the world?"
He added: "If the contract doesn't get signed with Usyk next, the fight of the century in boxing, we'll do the Ngannou fight. Whether it's going to be in Las Vegas or Wembley, who will know. We'll know quite soon, I think."
Running back Saquon Barkley reiterated his desire to stay with the New York Giants after their Divisional Round defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants were well beaten by the Eagles, who progressed with a 38-7 victory at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.
Barkley recorded 10 touchdowns in the regular season, but made just nine carries for 61 yards against Philadelphia.
After a strong season for him and the Giants though, the 25-year-old said he wants to stay with the franchise "for life" despite his contract expiring this year.
"I don't want to jump to any conclusions. I've been vocal about how I feel and where I want to be," he said. "That's outside my control. I wanted to show the Giants, show them that the guy that they drafted is still here. I hope I did that.
"Everyone knows I would love to be a Giant for life, but I really can't give a 100 per cent answer. It's out of my control. Sometime this week, I'll get a conversation with my agent Kim [Miale] and see what's up.
"The way we played for each other this year, it was special. Obviously, it didn't end the way we would have wanted it to end. Not just because of the record or because we made it to the playoffs, this is probably one of my favourite teams of all time."
Quarterback Daniel Jones – who was sacked five times in Philadelphia – also sees his deal run out at the end of the season, and was less certain about his future intentions than Barkley.
"We will cross that bridge when we get there. I really enjoyed playing here," Jones said. "I appreciate all of those guys in the locker room. It is a special group of guys and I have really enjoyed being a part of it.
"We will figure out where that goes, but I have nothing but love and respect for this organisation and the group of guys in the locker room."
Coach Brian Daboll showed respect to the Eagles for their performance, admitting his team just second-best in every area of the contest.
"Give Philly credit. They did everything better than we did [Saturday]," Daboll said. "Tough game. We really got beat in all facets, so it wasn't one thing in particular. It was a team game, and we just didn't get it done. Congratulations to Philly. They get to move on, and unfortunately we don't."
Elena Rybakina believes she can become the best player in the world if she performs as she did in the first week of the Australian Open after beating Iga Swiatek.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina claimed the scalp of the top seed on Sunday, winning 6-4 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena to reach the quarter-finals.
Swiatek was in a class of her own last year, winning eight titles – including the French Open and the US Open – to firmly establish herself as the best player in the world.
The Pole was the favourite to win the Australian Open for the first time, but the 25-ranked Rybakina sent her packing to set up a showdown with Jelena Ostapenko.
Rybakina made history with her fourth-round win, becoming the first woman representing Kazakhstan to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
The 23-year-old knows she has plenty to work on, but feels she can rise to the top of the rankings if she continues to improve and consistently match the high standards she has set at Melbourne Park.
Asked if she can be the best in the world when she's at her best: "Every opponent is really tough, and for sure for me I think there are still many things to improve.
"If I perform like I did this week and consistently, I will say that I can be number one, I can beat anyone. For now, I need to find my consistency."
Rybakina felt she was rewarded for taking such a positive approach against Swiatek.
"For sure when you play against the number one player, I think you have really nothing to lose. I knew that I had to be aggressive from the first ball because she's a great mover, and she defends really well.
"So I was trying to just attack her from the first ball, and it really worked well."
Karen Khachanov achieved something not seen at the Australian Open in 11 years as he beat Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets at Melbourne Park.
The Russian number 18 seed remarkably won the first 14 games of the fourth-round contest, inflicting two double bagels on Japanese opponent on Sunday.
That had not been achieved in the men's draw since Philipp Petzschner won the first two sets against Lukas Rosol without losing a game in 2012, and was just the fifth time it had happened in the Open Era.
Khachanov completely dominated Nishioka until the third set, incredibly only dropping two points in the whole of the second.
Nishioka, seeded 31, showed some fight to force a third-set tie-break, but Khachanov came out on top in the breaker to seal his place in the quarter-finals, where he will face American Sebastian Korda.
"First two sets I didn't know what was going on, but it's never easy when you are going with the score too easy. You feel it," Khachanov said after the victory. "Then at one point Yoshi tried to turn it around, he pumped [up] the crowd and it's normal.
"I tried to stay focused all the match from the beginning until the end. But it's not easy to win with this score, three sets, so the third set it was a really tough one and I'm playing well, so I'm really happy to go through."
Rui Hachimura put in a strong showing for the Washington Wizards on Saturday, but is unsure how much longer he will be at the franchise.
The Japanese forward scored 30 points against the Orlando Magic, the joint-best effort of his career, and claimed five rebounds as the Wizards won 138-118 at Capital One Arena.
Hachimura has been the subject of trade speculation and has made it clear he only wants to play for a team where he is wanted.
"I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player, and I want to be somewhere that likes my game," he said.
Asked if that place was Washington, he admitted: "I don't know. We've got to find out."
The 24-year-old joined the Wizards in 2019 as the ninth pick of the draft, but after a promising first two years, he has fallen out of favour.
Hachimura started just 13 games last season, and is yet to start this year, with his season average of 13.0 points per game matching his career average.
"I just got to play my game. I know what I can do, and I can help the team to win," he added. "It's either here or [another] team. I can help teams.
"I've just got to keep focus on the moment right now. I know all the stuff going on right now. I've just got to play the games and just to be myself."
Trevor Lawrence is certain the Jacksonville Jaguars are at the beginning of their journey rather than the end after their 27-20 Divisional Round defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Jaguars put up a fight at Arrowhead Stadium, pulling the deficit back to just three points at 20-17 in the fourth quarter before Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs added another touchdown and closed out the win.
Lawrence completed 24 of his 39 pass attempts for a total of 217 yards, with one touchdown to show for it, as well as rushing three times for 26 yards.
"We worked so hard to get here," the quarterback said following Saturday's loss. "Nobody thought we were going to be here and we had our shot and that's what hurts.
"We'll be back. I'm confident in that. This is more the beginning than it is the end of something.
"This is just getting started for us. We got a taste of it and guys are already hungry to get this opportunity again."
Jacksonville reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017, and did so by securing just the second AFC South title in franchise history.
"I think this year obviously was huge for this organisation, for our city, for just our franchise moving forward," Lawrence added. "That kind of sets the bar of who we're going to be and what we're going to do moving forward and that's the mindset and we won't settle for less than that. We got a taste of it being here but there's more left and we all feel that.
"It's going to make us better. This won't be the last you guys hear of us. We'll be back."
Head coach Doug Pederson echoed his quarterback's words, and credited the Jaguars for making Lawrence the number one pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
"I think it's everything," Pederson said about having a franchise QB. "I've said this before that the success of your football team lies with your quarterback and you've got to get that piece and that player right and I feel that Jacksonville got that person right. And he's just going to get better.
"We're all hurting because of the loss, but we're all hurting too because this is the final game of this year and that's the hard thing. But, like I told the guys, these are the games we're going to learn from and we're going to be better because of.
"I told them, 'Just plan on every year of us being in these meaningful games at the end of the season.' We want to be one of the four, five, six teams in the AFC every year."
Chris Eubank Jr. is eager for a rematch with Liam Smith after he was emphatically beaten by his fellow Brit at Manchester Arena on Saturday.
Eubank was stopped in the fourth round of the all-English middleweight bout after being floored twice.
Smith sent Eubank to the canvas with a left uppercut and although Eubank quickly got back up, he was unsteady on his feet.
The 34-year-old Smith pounced to knock his rival down again with a big right hand, prompting referee Victor Loughlin to step in and end the fight.
A third defeat of his career – and a first since 2018 – was a big setback for Eubank, who had not fought for almost a year due to a failed drugs test for Conor Benn that resulted in their scheduled bout being cancelled.
The 33-year-old wants another shot at Smith, who improved his record to 33-3-1.
Eubank tweeted: "Congratulations to Liam tonight, nice lil shot you caught me with there my boy. Felt like I could of kept going but referee is in charge & I respect his decision. We’ll get it on again soon."
Smith had hit the headlines for the wrong reasons after questioning Eubank's sexuality during a press conference this week.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has compared quarterback Jalen Hurts to Michael Jordan after his stirring performance in their 38-7 romp of the New York Giants on Saturday.
The Eagles crushed the Giants to qualify for their seventh NFC Championship Game since 2000, which is the most in the NFC during that period.
Hurts threw two first-quarter touchdowns before a second-quarter rushing TD, with the contest all but settled 28-0 at half-time.
That came in the Eagles' QB's second game back since missing two with a shoulder injury on his throwing arm sustained on December 18, which Sirianni said gave the team an emotional lift similar to Chicago Bulls great Jordan.
"I know this is high praise, but to have him out there is like having – I shouldn't even go there – it's like having Michael Jordan out there," Sirianni told reporters.
"He's your leader. He's your guy. Hopefully, that's the biggest respect I can pay to him, comparing his ability to being on the field to a Michael Jordan-type. This guy leads.
"He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He's as tough as they come. To me, nobody has played any better football than him this year."
Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards and two passing touchdowns, along with rushing nine times for 34 yards with one TD.
When asked how the shoulder felt after the game, Hurts told ESPN: "I never really was in a situation to test it. Fortunate to come out clean. I'm in a good place."
The Eagles progressed to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2017. That comes after an outstanding regular season for the top seed, who finished 14-3.
"We had a lot of hunger built up in us," Hurts said. "I think we were just starving and eager for our opportunity to come out here and play.
"This is a division opponent, they're a really good team. They had a lot of momentum going. We just wanted to come out and play our best ball.
"I think we chose the right time to do that. We were very efficient on both sides of the ball. We scored early and often. We just want to keep it going. We want to be consistent."
The Eagles will take on the winner of Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers Divisional Round clash in the NFC Championship Game.
Jamahal Hill claimed the UFC light heavyweight title with a five-round pummelling of Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
The 31-year-old American won the vacant title in dominant fashion, leaving his opponent bloodied and earning a lopsided vote 50-44, 50-44, 50-44.
Hill's punching combinations and head kicks were too much for Brazil-born former titleholder Teixeira, with the American claiming victory immediately upon the conclusion of the fifth round, having had 248-108 total strikes and 232-75 significant strikes.
"Anything is possible," Hill said during his post-fight interview. "Hard work, dedication, accountability. Don't let nobody tell you nothing.
"Too many people told me I couldn't do it, that it was impossible. I needed to do it in one round. I couldn't go five. What the f*** you got to say now?"
Teixeira was badly hurt by a second-round head kick, along with a third-round punching combination, leaving him with cuts above his eyes. Teixeira announced his retirement after the fight.
In the flyweight division, which co-headlined UFC 283, Mexican Brandon Moreno defeated Deiveson Figueiredo by TKO in the third round by doctor stoppage after the Brazilian's right eye closed over.
Figueiredo sustained the injury from a Moreno left hook, but the Mexican was ahead at the time on all three judges' scorecards.
The Moreno win came in their fourth meeting over the past 25 months, with Figueiredo declaring his intention after the fight to move up a division.
Top seed Iga Swiatek says the pressure of not wanting to lose at the Australian Open got to her and believes she needs a change of mindset after her fourth-round loss to Elena Rybakina.
The three-time grand slam champion had come into the Australian Open as the title favourite but was bundled out by 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes on Sunday.
The Kazakh's power was too much for Swiatek, with Rybakina outstanding on serve, leading to apparent frustration from the world number one as the match slipped away.
"I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win," Swiatek told reporters. "So that's a base of what I should focus on in next couple of weeks.
"It was just tough. But for sure I need to work on my kind of mindset and fight a little bit more as I did last season.
"So, for sure I'm going to take time right now to kind of reset."
Swiatek won both the US Open and French Open titles in 2022, while she went on a 37-match winning streak that ended during Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old Pole denied that the pressure of being the world number one played a part in her exit.
"I don't think that matters," she said. "I experience it differently because I felt differently.
"But I was number one on Roland Garros, I was number one on Wimbledon, and US Open. I was able to - maybe not on Wimbledon - but I was able to play well and compete. I don't think that matters."
Swiatek was able to bounce back from her third-round Wimbledon loss to Alize Cornet quickly by triumphing at Flushing Meadows only two months later but she would not draw an parallels with Sunday's defeat.
"I don't see that many similarities, honestly," Swiatek said. "I feel like it's pretty easy. I just wasted too much energy before the tournament and during the first days of the tournament to worry.
"It's just different period of time for me. Before the US Open I was actually able to kind of let it go because I played pretty bad in Toronto and Cincinnati, and that helped me kind of to reset and just start the US Open without actually expecting much from myself.
"Here was different, so I'm not connecting the US Open with the streak at all. I'm not comparing this situation to my Wimbledon loss."
Swiatek praised Rybakina, who will face Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals, for her play on Sunday, stating she was tactically composed and focused.
Coco Gauff revealed her frustration after her unbeaten start to 2013 was ended as the seventh seed bowed out of the Australian Open to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round on Sunday.
The 18-year-old American came into the Melbourne event fresh from victory at the Auckland Open but had not dropped a set in her three Australian Open victories, including toppling Emma Raducanu in the second round.
Gauff enjoyed a strong 2022 season that included reaching the US Open quarter-finals and finishing runner-up at the French Open.
But on Sunday, 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko triumphed 7-5 6-3 in one hour and 34 minutes, ending Gauff's Australian Open campaign, leaving the teenager in tears as she explained her frustration.
"I felt really good coming into the tournament, and I still feel good," Gauff told reporters. "I still feel like I've improved a lot but when you play a player like her and she plays really well, you know there's nothing you can do.
"I feel like today I would say nothing because every match you play a part in, but I feel like it was rough, so it's a little bit frustrating on that part."
Ostapenko hit 30 winners compared to Gauff's 21, while the Latvian did commit more unforced errors (27-14).
Gauff generated eight break points throughout the match but only took one, while Ostapenko took all three of hers.
"Today I learned a lot," Gauff said. "A little bit frustrated, but I think I'll rewatch and see where I went wrong and if I did go wrong.
"I feel like from the feedback I've gotten that she just played really well today. She stepped up her game when she needed to, and she held and broke me when she needed to, and I didn't do that."
Ostapenko progresses to the quarter-finals where she will take on 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina who knocked off top seed Iga Swiatek.
Evan Mobley scored a career-high 38 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers secured a big win in the Eastern Conference, downing the Milwaukee Bucks 114-102.
The 2021 NBA Draft third overall pick shot 19-of-27 from the field with nine rebounds and three assists for the Cavs, who improved to a 29-19 record to sit fifth in the east, with the Bucks third at 29-17.
Cavs point guard Darius Garland added 21 points, including 10 in the third, with 10 assists.
The Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo who missed his fifth straight game due to knee soreness. Milwaukee are 6-5 on the season when playing without the MVP contender.
Jrue Holiday led the way for Milwaukee with 28 points, four rebounds and 10 assists, while Bobby Portis added 23 points including five three-pointers with 11 rebounds.
In Antetokounmpo's absence, Milwaukee turned to three-point shooting with regularity, but shot 14-of-39 from beyond the arc.
On Antetokounmpo's continued absence, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said: "There's still just things he's working on, I think body-wise, to get to that point where; there's a big difference between practicing and playing a game.
"I know I've said it pretty much every day – we continue to be confident and feel like this is kind of the things we've managed and dealt with for most of his career. So we'll just continue to take it day-by-day. He's getting good work in, good lifts."
Celtics win but pick up injuries
The Boston Celtics won 106-104 over the Toronto Raptors but lost guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams to ankle and knee injuries respectively.
Jaylen Brown top scored with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Boston, for whom Jayson Tatum sat out the game with a sore left wrist.
Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon played increased minutes, scoring 25 and 23 points respectively off the bench, while Pascal Siakam had 29 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors.
Edwards stars as Rockets sink to new low
Former NBA Draft top overall pick Anthony Edwards scored a season-high 44 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the struggling Houston Rockets 113-104.
Edwards shot 17-of-29 from the field with eight three-pointers for the Wolves, who improved to a 24-24 record. Edwards also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks, while D'Angelo Russell contributed 23 points.
The defeat condemned the Rockets to their 13th straight loss, which is the longest streak this season. Houston gave up 23 turnovers that led to 30 Wolves points.
Jalen Hurts answered any questions about his health with a perfect two-touchdown first quarter as the Philadelphia Eagles outclassed the New York Giants 38-7 in Saturday's NFC Divisional Round game.
The NFC top seeded Eagles opened up a 28-0 halftime lead and never looked threatened by the Giants, who they beat twice during the regular season, at Lincoln Financial Field.
The win means the Eagles progress to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2017 when they won Super Bowl LII.
Eagles QB Hurts, who missed two late regular-season games with a shoulder injury on his throwing arm, threw touchdowns for Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith in the first quarter.
Hurts went seven-of-seven for 89 yards in a stunning opening period, where Haason Reddick had sacks on back-to-back plays, forcing a turnover on downs, while ex-Giants cornerback James Bradberry intercepted Daniel Jones' pass.
Midway through the second, running back Boston Scott maintained his remarkable record against the Giants, scoring his 11th of 19 career touchdowns against them.
Hurts, who made 760 yards from 165 rushes during the regular season, got in on the act with a running TD before halftime.
Giants running back Matt Breida ran in a third-quarter TD, before Kenneth Gainwell brought up 100 rushing yards in style in the fourth quarter, with the Eagles' fifth touchdown. Gainwell had 112 yards on 12 carries, while Miles Sanders added 90 yards on 17 carries, with the Eagles totaling 268 rushing yards for the game.
Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards while rushing nine times for 34 yards, while opposition counterpart Jones threw 15 of 27 attempts for 135 yards with no TDs and one interception. Saquon Barkley was restricted to only 61 yards on nine carries.
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