The Baltimore Ravens haven’t had starting quarterback Lamar Jackson on the field in over a month and it does not appear he will be ready to play Sunday's Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jackson missed his 17th straight practice Thursday and then posted on social media that his left knee "remains unstable," putting his availability for Sunday in serious doubt.
"Thank you everyone for your support and concerns regarding my injuries," Jackson posted to Twitter. "I want to give you all an update as I am in the recovery process. I’ve suffered a PCL grade 2 sprain on the borderline of a strain 3. There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable.
"I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery. I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I can’t give 100% of myself to my guys and fans I’m still hopeful we still have a chance."
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has not officially ruled out Jackson returning Sunday, but he has not practiced with the team since December 2, and has not appeared in a game since a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos on December 4.
With Jackson likely unavailable, Huntley would be in line to start, but he has been battling shoulder and wrist injuries that kept him sidelined for the regular-season finale at Cincinnati last weekend.
Huntley resumed throwing at practice Thursday and was officially listed as a limited participant. It was the first time since January 1 that he was seen throwing passes.
"He looked good," Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "It’s day-to-day. He’s making progress. We take stock on it every day."
Rookie Anthony Brown started the final game of the regular season and was 19 of 44 for 286 yards with two interceptions in his only career start, a 27-16 loss to the Bengals.
Baltimore went 8-4 and averaged 23.1 points in games Jackson started this season, and were 2-3 while averaging 13 points in games without him.
"Obviously, Lamar is Lamar," Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said. "You can’t replace that kind of guy, but I do still think that we have quarterbacks who can go out there and get the job done and play at a high level."
Wide receiver Mike Williams has been listed as questionable by the Los Angeles Chargers due to a back injury for their AFC Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.
Williams left Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos with back spasms, though initial X-rays were negative, offering hope the problem would not impact his participation against the Jags.
The 28-year-old has not practiced all week, although head coach Brandon Staley said Williams needed time off, having had chronic back issues for years.
"He's progressing, getting treatment," Staley told reporters. "Just trying to get him as much rest as possible because of the short time frame of the week.
"We're at the point of the season where the reps aren't what matters – the rest is – in his case. Just trying to get him as much rest up until game time."
Under-fire Staley was criticised for not resting key players against the Broncos, given they were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs ahead of the game.
"I stand behind what we did in that football game," Staley added on Thursday. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt in that game regardless of their status."
Williams has 63 receptions for a team-high 895 yards with four touchdowns this season.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss at least a fortnight after suffering a left elbow sprain and mild left knee bone contusion.
The Pacers confirmed the injuries on Thursday, having left Wednesday's 119-113 loss to the New York Knicks on crutches after falling awkwardly in the third quarter.
"He underwent an MRI this afternoon on his elbow and knee in Indianapolis and the team is awaiting additional opinion on the results of those scans," the Pacers announced.
"Haliburton will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks and updates will be provided as appropriate."
The 22-year-old has been enjoying an All-Star level season, leading the league in assists with 10.2 per game. He is also averaging 20.2 points per game while flirting with 50/40/90 efficiency, currently shooting 48 per cent from the field, 39.9 per cent from deep and 88 per cent from the free throw line.
Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown will miss "a week or two" after suffering an adductor strain during Wednesday's win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Brown, who scored 41 points in that win, told reporters after the game that he had tweaked his groin, but he was not officially ruled out of Thursday's road game against the Brooklyn Nets until 90 minutes before the contest.
The 26-year-old is enjoying a career-best season, setting new personal bests in points per game (27.2), rebounds (7.1), field goal percentage (49.8) and free throw percentage (79.5) – all while playing in 40 of the Celtics' first 42 games.
Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown had tried to warm-up in preparation for the Nets, but was unable.
"I anticipate [his absence] being pretty short – probably a week or two," he told reporters. "I'm not sure what the timeline is.
"I know he tried to give it a go today, and wasn't able to do it. We'll know more in the next couple days, see how he responds."
Celtics center Robert Williams III has a chance to eclipse 25 minutes for the first time this season in the absence of both Brown and starting big Al Horford (lower back stiffness), while the Nets will also be without Kevin Durant as he recovers from a knee injury.
The Celtics entered Thursday's game with the best record in the NBA at 30-12, while the Nets are two games back at 27-13.
Bradley Beal is nearing his return for the Washington Wizards after being cleared for full basketball activities.
Beal has not played since suffering a left hamstring strain on January 3, but received a positive update during Thursday's re-evaluation.
The Wizards are scheduled to host the New York Knicks on Friday, but it is unclear if Beal will suit up for that contest, with the team announcing "his return to play will be based on his progression".
The 29-year-old is averaging a team-high 22.9 points, and while that is his lowest figure since the 2017-18 season, he has reached a new level of efficiency this campaign.
Having never posted a field goal percentage greater than 48.5 per cent during his 10-year career, Beal is sitting at a career-high 52.5 per cent this season.
He has done so by being more particular about the kind of shots he takes, with his usage rate of 27.8 also a five-year low.
The Wizards have lost three of their past four games since Beal's injury, relegating their record to 18-24, placing them 12th in the Eastern Conference.
After nine years with the Las Vegas Raiders, Derek Carr appears to heading elsewhere in 2023 after saying goodbye to the fans.
The quarterback only signed a three-year $121.5million extension in Las Vegas last year, though with an exit option included and a dead cap number of $5.6m if the team decided to cut or trade him before June 1, 2023.
Three-time Pro Bowler Carr was sidelined by Josh McDaniels for the final two games of the season, though the coach cited a desire to give younger players a longer look, with Las Vegas essentially eliminated from playoff contention and Jarrett Stidham coming in.
Posting a message to the "Raider Nation" on Twitter on Thursday, Carr said: "It breaks my heart I didn't get an opportunity to say goodbye in person.
"We certainly have been on a roller coaster in our nine years together. From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful and appreciative of the years of support you gave to my family and me. We had our share of both heartbreaking moments and thrilling game winning drives, and it always felt like you were there next to me.
"It's especially hard to say goodbye because I can honestly say that I gave you everything I had, every single day, in season, and in the off season. It certainly wasn't perfect, but I hope that I was able to leave you with more than a few great memories as Raider fans."
The 31-year-old was intercepted three times as the Raiders were held to 201 total yards in his last outing, the 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and had been picked off nine times in his last six starts, completing 55 per cent or fewer of his pass attempts in four straight games for the first time in his career.
Carr compiled a 68.7 per cent completion rate over the course of the 2018 to 2021 seasons, second only to Drew Brees among quarterbacks with at least 1,000 pass attempts during that time frame.
The Cleveland Browns have announced they will interview former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores for their vacant defensive coordinator position on Thursday.
Flores, who led the Dolphins for three seasons before being controversially fired following the 2021 campaign, spent this past season as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 41-year-old filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in its hiring practices following his dismissal from Miami.
The Dolphins were also included in the complaint, which is still pending, as well as two other teams, the Denver Broncos and New York Giants.
Flores, who is black, alleged he spoke with the Broncos and Giants for open head coaching positions only to satisfy the NFL's Rooney Rule that requires teams to interview minority candidates for such vacancies.
Prior to taking over in Miami, Flores spent 11 seasons on Bill Belichick's staff with the New England Patriots, including the last three as linebackers coach.
He handled defensive play-calling duties in his final season with New England in 2018, helping the Pats to a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Flores compiled a 24-25 record with the Dolphins, with winning seasons in both 2020 and 2021, though Miami missed out on the playoffs both years.
The Browns fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods shortly after their season ended with Sunday's 28-14 loss to the Steelers.
Cleveland previously interviewed ex-Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, a former DC for the Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles, for the opening on Wednesday.
Veronika Kudermetova saved five match points as she beat Danielle Collins to reach the Adelaide International 2 semi-finals before Belinda Bencic knocked Caroline Garcia out.
Sixth seed Kudermetova showed great defiance to defeat American Collins 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 on Thursday.
Kudermetova fended off five match points when serving to stay in the tournament at 6-5 down in the second set and duly forced a tie-break.
Collins, runner-up to Ash Barty in the Australian Open final last year, took a 3-0 lead in the breaker, but back came her Russian opponent to level the match.
The world number nine dominated the deciding set to seal a meeting with Bencic in the last four.
Eighth seed Bencic got the better of WTA Finals champion Garcia 6-2 3-6 6-4.
Garcia broke straight back after going 3-1 down in the final set, but Bencic broke for the fourth time in the match to go through.
Paula Badosa and Daria Kasatkina will contest the other semi-final after beating Beatriz Haddad Maia and Petra Kvitova respectively.
Elisabetta Cocciaretto saved two match points as she came from a set down to beat Bernarda Pera 5-7 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the Hobart International.
The 21-year-old Italian will now face 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who also stormed back to defeat Anhelina Kalinina 4-6 6-3 6-1.
Lauren Davis and Anna Blinkova will do battle in the other semi-final following wins over Wang Xinyu and Yulia Putintseva respectively.
Justin Burrowes and William Knibbs will represent Jamaica at the 8th Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) (golf) between Thursday January 12 to 15, in Puerto Rico at the par 72 Grand Reserve Golf Course. They wrapped up their practice rounds on Wednesday.
They were invited by the LAAC executive committee on behalf of the Masters Tournament, The R&A, and the United States Golf Association (USGA), based on their position in the World Amateur Golf RankingTM.. Burrowes is ranked at 973 while Knibbs is ranked at 979.
Burrowes will be competing in the championship for the fourth time while Knibbs will be making his third trip to the event.
Burrowes’ best performance to date was 2022 when he was tied for 34th place with a combined four-day score of 10 over par 298.
Knibbs who is yet to make the cut hopes to do so this time around, on his third time competing in the championship.
Jamaica has been participating in the championships since it started in 2015. It has always sent two representatives to the championship. These include Ian Facey who is now a professional golfer, Sean Morris and Jonathan Newnham. The island’s best placed golfer in the tournament to date is Facey who tied for 24th in 2015 with a best round of 68 on the first day and a four-day total of 4 over par 292.
Defending champion, nineteen year old Aaron Jarvis of the Cayman Islands shot seven under par 281 for the win in 2022. He will be on the course again to try to pull off another win.
The championships will feature one hundred eight golfers from the Latin American and the Caribbean. Host country Puerto Rico will have nine golfers on the course, as per the tournament rules. There is a cut line of the top fifty golfers at the end of the second day. Some of the competing countries are Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Barbados, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Haiti, , Trinidad & Tobago, Panama, Venezuela and Jamaica.
At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).
The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.
At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).
The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.
At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).
The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.
At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).
The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.
Thanasi Kokkinakis is on a roll again at the Adelaide International 2 where the hometown hero and defending champion marched into the semi-finals on just two hours' sleep.
The Australian wildcard saw off Serbian sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 on Thursday to set up a semi-final against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Kokkinakis had a stellar run to the title at this tournament 12 months ago, beating John Isner and Marin Cilic before knocking over Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the final.
A first-round exit followed at the Australian Open, although he memorably won the doubles title with Nick Kyrgios. Kokkinakis struggled for the rest of the year, with his ranking currently at 110.
Kokkinakis said after his latest win: "I didn't sleep much last night. I reckon I got to sleep at about five and maybe slept for a couple of hours.
"I just couldn't sleep for whatever reason, so I was trying to conserve energy. I didn't want to use it too much. I had a couple of Monsters [energy drinks] before I started and tried to get going.
"When I'm serving well my whole game follows, and then when my forehand gets going I think I've been hitting my backhand really well this week. If I'm doing those three things, it's a good recipe.
"I grew up on this court when I was eight, nine, 10 years old. I showed up last year, and hopefully I can ride the wave with you guys and keep it going."
Fourth seed Bautista Agut beat compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-2, while the other Adelaide semi-final will see British player Jack Draper tackle South Korean Kwon Soon-woo.
Draper, who has been drawn to face Rafael Nadal in round one of the Australian Open, beat Russian third seed Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-6 (7-3), while Kwon saw off Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer 6-1 6-2.
At the Auckland Open, second-seed Briton Cameron Norrie beat American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 to set up a last-four clash with another player from the USA, Jenson Brooksby, who edged past France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).
The other semi-final will be an all-French battle between Richard Gasquet and Constant Lestienne, who both came from a set down to see off David Goffin and Laslo Djere respectively.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has added Alex King and Mike Forshaw to his backroom staff ahead of the Six Nations.
Former England fly-half King has been appointed as attack coach, with Forshaw named defence coach by Gatland.
King was Wales' attack coach during the 2017 Six Nations while Gatland was on secondment with the British and Irish Lions. He was most recently working with Premiership side Gloucester.
Forshaw arrives from Sale Sharks, with the duo joining forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys and skills coach Neil Jenkins on Gatland's team.
They have replaced Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins at the start of Gatland's second tenure after the New Zealander replaced sacked compatriot Wayne Pivac last month.
Wales face Ireland in the opening game of the Six Nations at the Principality Stadium on February 4.
"I'm delighted that Alex and Mike are joining the Wales coaching team," said Gatland.
"They both have plenty of experience as players and coaches, which will be hugely important to the development of the squad through the Six Nations and beyond. I'd like to thank Sale Sharks for their cooperation in the process and allowing Mike to take up this position with Wales.
"We have less than a month to our first Six Nations match against the number one side in the world which, as I've said before, is a great challenge to have first up and one that we are very excited about as a coaching group.
"Having our first match this championship at home will be very special and I'm really looking forward to getting back out at Principality Stadium in front of the best fans in rugby."
Nick Kyrgios has poured a chunk of his tennis fortune into Australian basketball team South East Melbourne Phoenix, already planning for a future beyond his tennis career.
The 27-year-old, who was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, said he could even get involved on the playing side with the Phoenix if he feels able.
That might be wishful thinking on behalf of the long-time basketball fan, who still has ambitions left in tennis, including the hope he will be a serious trophy contender at the Australian Open over the coming fortnight.
Kyrgios joins Los Angeles Clippers star John Wall and a string of former NBA players in investing in the Phoenix, and he said on Thursday: "This is a big opportunity. Everyone knows my basketball roots, so to be a part of the NBL, it's a massive move for me in my career.
"I feel I've got some great relationships within that team already. I'm one of the tennis players that doesn't travel as often. I'm looking forward to being in Australia a bit more."
He said he would be "quite hands on", and it remains to be seen whether he does travel less in tennis, cutting down his tour commitments further. Of players ranked in the ATP top 25 – Kyrgios is number 21 – nobody has played fewer tournaments in the last year than the 14 events Kyrgios has entered.
"I've got a lot of things happening at the moment and this is one of the biggest," Kyrgios added. "My tennis career's not going to last forever. I've been on tour now for nine, 10 years and I feel I'm building that platform to have these experiences and relationships, so I've got to use it while I can.
"I'll do anything for the team. I'd get out there, rebound, play with them. If my body's up to it, I'll get out there, 100 per cent."
Last January saw Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis roar to doubles glory in Melbourne, but this time around Kyrgios is making the singles a clear priority.
He will face Russian Roman Safiullin in round one, after the draw was revealed on Thursday. Novak Djokovic is a potential quarter-final opponent.
"I'm one of the best players in the world, so I'm definitely going into the Australian Open, or any tournament, with confidence," Kyrgios said. "I've proven I can go deep in a grand slam, and with the support of the Phoenix and my team, and Australia on my back, hopefully it's going to be a good couple of weeks.
"It's a bit different for me, being one of the favourites. Usually I'm a dark horse.
"This is the first time I've gone into a slam feeling I'm one of the guys that can really take the trophy and knock on the door. Usually I've got a nothing-to-lose [attitude], just putting on a show, but I've got to really find that balance in the next two weeks.
"Obviously I'm capable, but there's so many more players in the draw who are capable as well."
Nick Kyrgios believes only "a clown" would give Novak Djokovic a hard time at the Australian Open as the Serbian chases a major slice of tennis history.
It was Kyrgios who prominently came to Djokovic's defence when the nine-time champion at Melbourne Park was detained in an immigration facility and then deported ahead of last year's Australian Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
The previously testy relationship between the pair has become increasingly friendly, to the point they will meet in a practice match at Rod Laver Arena on Friday, ahead of the season's first grand slam. That match sold out in a flash, reflecting the popularity of both men.
Kyrgios described their growing closeness as a "bromance" at Wimbledon last year, although Djokovic laughed off that label.
Djokovic, who has refused to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, will have many on his side over the coming fortnight as he chases a 10th grand slam in Australia and a 22nd overall, which would match Rafael Nadal's men's singles record.
Tournament director Craig Tiley has said anyone that boos Djokovic would risk being thrown out, while Kyrgios called for "respect" to be shown to the 35-year-old superstar.
Kyrgios described Djokovic as "the best that we've got", adding: "I would say, Novak's here and he hasn't made any rules. He's abided by them for the last two years or whatever.
"He's here and all he wants to do is put on a show. He's chasing things that athletes rarely are able to chase. He's one of the greatest athletes of all time, not just in the tennis court.
"I think as fans we should be appreciating that. I know there's going to be fans who are not wanting him to win, but I think they can't cross that line as fans.
"You guys have paid money to watch a guy play, it's a bit contradictory if you're going to go there and be a clown about it.
"You've got to respect him a little bit at the end of the day because he's one of the best who's ever done it."
Kyrgios has a 2-1 record against Djokovic, though both of his wins came back in 2017 and Djokovic won in four sets in their last meeting: the 2022 Wimbledon final.
Should they both win through the early rounds in the season's first grand slam, the draw is such that they could go head to head again in the quarter-finals.
Already, Kyrgios is talking about possibly abandoning doubles duty with Thanasi Kokkinakis in order to focus on singles.
He and Kokkinakis took the doubles title last year, but Kyrgios said on Thursday: "We're singles players at heart and the doubles grand slam last year was a flash in the pan.
"We haven't had one conversation about doubles yet. If we play, we play; if we don't, we don't."
Ja Morant "felt terrible" and knew he needed to act after a young Memphis Grizzlies fan had her signed basketball stolen.
Morant came good on Wednesday when he presented 11-year-old Ellie Hughes with a signed shirt and as of yet unreleased Nike Ja 1 shoes, saying he hoped it offset the pain she felt after the "unacceptable" swiping of her ball.
Youngster Hughes, who reports said has not missed a Grizzlies home game in six years, had been collecting signatures on a team ball.
It was taken during Monday's win over the San Antonio Spurs, which prompted Morant to act, knowing he could make the situation better.
He said: "Obviously I feel like I come from a good home with great parents, and it's pretty much something I love to do.
"You've touched a mighty heart like that, a big fan of the Grizzlies for years. It's moments like that, that mean the most to them, something they'll never forget, something they'll remember the rest of their life.
"It's not a lot of people who've got a game-worn signed Ja jersey and there's definitely not a lot of people who have signed Ja 1s.
"After seeing what happened to them on social media, I just felt terrible. Obviously it's been years she had that ball, and had the opportunity to get autographs of great players, and to have that taken away from her, I feel it was unacceptable.
"I tried to get in contact with the family, I reached out and offered them two of my courtside seats and told them after the game I would give them my jersey and shoes, so definitely a good feeling to have them there supporting us and see the smile on their face out there."
Morant was on top form as the Grizzlies toppled the Spurs again on Wednesday, scoring 38 points in a 135-129 win.
The Grizzlies are flying high, sitting second in the Western Conference with the same 28-13 record as leaders the Denver Nuggets.
Despite their strong season, Morant says there remains room for improvement, pointing to occasional "mental lapses" and saying Memphis "need to be a little more locked in and paying attention to detail".
"Fatigue can play a part," the 23-year-old added, demanding constant focus. "I feel like if we want to be a great team, no matter what, we have to do that day in and day out, for 48 minutes.
"That's pretty much really just the area I think we can get better."
Bones Hyland spoke of building "championship habits" and hailed the latest Nikola Jokic masterclass after the Denver Nuggets savaged the Phoenix Suns at Ball Arena.
A 12th straight home victory for Denver, and a fourth successive win overall, kept the team top of the Western Conference, with the 126-97 margin reflecting a strong night's work.
Jokic fell just short of a 12th triple-double of the season, finishing with 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.
Jamal Murray added 16 points, with Hyland contributing 21 for the Nuggets.
Hyland said of Jokic, who is making a strong case for a third MVP in a row: "Everybody in the world knows when he gets the ball and you go for a rebound, he's the greatest passer in the world, so when he gets the ball we just run.
"Ninety per cent of the time he's gonna make the right pass so when he's got it we run."
Hyland added after Wednesday's rout, according to the Denver Post: "I was really just feeling it. The basket felt like it was really wide. It was like shooting a rock into the ocean."
Speaking to Altitude TV in an on-court interview, Hyland said: "It's a night when we're playing our game.
"We've got a lot of dynamic players on our team, a lot of good shooters, so it's proving it in the season. We've got to focus on what we've got to focus on, build championship habits and just come out here and get a win."
Guard Murray suffered a left ankle problem late in the game, but coach Michael Malone does not expect him to miss any games.
Malone was impressed with the team's efforts and called for them to sustain a high level.
"Your home court has to have an advantage," Malone said. "Our fans have been terrific, and I just love how we’re playing. Once again, a good defensive performance that leads to our offense.
"We had 24 fast break points tonight to their six, we had 30 assists to only 11 turnovers. But the beginning of that is when we defend, and everything just flows from there.
"So hopefully we can continue to protect this home court at a high level through the regular season and into the playoffs."
Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic will make his return to the Australian Open against Spain's world number 75 Roberto Carballes Baena.
After being deported from Australia last year amid a row over his refusal of a COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic is firmly back in favour and chasing history in Melbourne, with a record-equalling 22nd men's singles grand slam in his sights.
He begins against an opponent who in four previous main draw appearances has only ever won one singles match at Melbourne Park.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal, whose 22 slam titles Djokovic is seeking to match, has a tricky opener against rising British star Jack Draper, the world number 40.
Second seed Casper Ruud will tackle Czech Tomas Machac first up, with the 115th-ranked player unlikely to prove too daunting an obstacle for last season's French Open and US Open runner-up.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev could face an awkward assignment against wildcard and former US Open winner Dominic Thiem, while Australia's Nick Kyrgios begins against Russian Roman Safiullin.
Neither 13th seed Matteo Berrettini nor five-time runner-up Andy Murray would have been delighted to be paired together, but that is what happened in Thursday's draw.
In the women's singles, top seed Iga Swiatek starts her bid for a first Australian Open title against Germany's Jule Niemeier, who caught the eye last year on a run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
American seventh seed Coco Gauff starts against Czech Katerina Siniakova, while Jessica Pegula, Gauff's third-seeded compatriot who recently beat Swiatek in the United Cup, will face Belgian Jaqueline Cristian.
Gauff could face former US Open winner Emma Raducanu in the second round. Unseeded Briton Raducanu starts against Germany's Tamara Korpatsch.
Former champions Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka go head to head in the first round, with American Kenin unseeded this year and Belarusian Azarenka the 24th seed.
Azarenka's compatriot Aryna Sabalenka is fancied to do well, having banished last year's serving yips, and the fifth seed starts against Czech Tereza Martincova.
Tunisian second seed Ons Jabeur, runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open, begins her latest quest for an elusive grand slam title against Slovenian world number 88 Tamara Zidansek.
Former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu is unseeded in Australia and Czech 25th seed Marie Bouzkova drew a possible short straw by getting the Canadian in round one.
The Miami Heat suspended Dewayne Dedmon for one game without pay after the outburst where he swatted a massage gun on to the court in Tuesday's 112-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dedmon reacted angrily after being subbed out of the game, exchanging words with coaches, before storming off and flinging a massage gun back on to the court during play. The reserve center was ejected by officials for that act.
The Heat announced on Wednesday that in consultation with the NBA they had decided Dedmon would be banned for one game for "conduct detrimental to the team".
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra had labelled the outburst as "unacceptable" after Tuesday's game.
"It's the Miami Heat. We're all a bunch of gnarly personalities," Spoelstra said.
"That part was unfortunate. Everything before that, that's the Miami Heat. That part was unacceptable."
Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 41 points and Jayson Tatum added 31 as the Boston Celtics claimed their fourth successive win with a 125-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
Brown recorded his first double-double in a half in his career with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while he added another 18 points in the third quarter.
The Celtics guard shot 15-of-21 from the field with three-of-six from three-point range along with 12 rebounds for the game.
Tatum went 10-of-22 from the field with 10 rebounds and four assists, with Malcolm Brogdon adding 20 points off the bench.
The game marked the seventh time this season that Brown and Tatum have scored at least 30 points each, which is joint for the most before February by two players from the same team in the last 40 seasons.
The other duos to have managed that are Golden State's Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in 2018-19 and Denver's Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe in 1983-84.
The result improves the Celtics to 30-12 overall and 17-5 at the TD Garden, while the Pelicans lose ground on the top two in the west, falling to 25-17.
C.J. McCollum scored 38 points for the Pels, marking the first time in his career he had 20-plus points in a first half in consecutive games.
Jokic falls short of triple-double as Nuggets triumph
Nikola Jokic fell one assist short of a 12th triple-double of the season as the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets claimed their fourth straight win, 126-97 over the Phoenix Suns.
The reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Jokic finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, including a brilliant first-quarter look-away fling to Aaron Gordon.
Jamal Murray added 16 points, although he picked up an ankle complaint, while Bones Hyland contributed 21 for the Nuggets, who have claimed 11 wins in a row at home, along with winning 14 of their past 17.
Grizzlies secure eighth straight win
Ja Morant led the way as the Memphis Grizzlies secured an eighth consecutive victory to keep pressure on the Nuggets at the top of the west with a 135-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Morant scored 21 points in the first half, finishing the game with 38 along with five rebounds and four assists.
The Grizzlies guard also produced a big dunk over Jakob Poeltl in the third quarter, while his put-back with 24.1 seconds left in the fourth sealed the victory.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy says his side are "not living in" last year's premature playoffs exit ahead of their Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.
The Cowboys crashed out of last year's postseason with a 23-17 Wild Card game loss to the San Francisco 49ers after topping the NFC East and finishing as the conference third seed.
McCarthy, who was assured of his job irrespective of Sunday's result earlier this week by owner Jerry Jones, is also seeking his first playoff win in three seasons with the Cowboys.
"We're not living in it, that's for sure," McCarthy told reporters when asked if last year's Wild Card exit had been discussed in the lead-up to Monday's game. "We've acknowledged it.
"The thing that we're really focused on is what we've done, who we are and making sure we have our plan as tight as possible going into this game to do what we need to do to win this game.
"We've had time for the theme speeches, they've been good triggers to talk about, as far as secret wound of losing a playoff game. We've definitely experienced that.
"We talked about the buffalos running through the storm and resiliency. That has served us well, all those experiences are the gold in our concierge. That's really who we are.
"The reality is we're not getting super philosophical, it's a ridiculously long answer here. The reality of it is we need to make sure our focus is tight and we're going into Tampa to win a game on the road against an outstanding football team."
The Cowboys finished the 2022 regular season with a 12-5 record, although they lost two of their final four games, including an uninspiring 26-6 defeat to the Washington Commanders last Sunday.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has thrown an interception in each of the past seven games, including eight in their past five.
"Like how we function internally, we're evaluating everything we do," McCarthy said about Prescott. "Every walk-through, if there's a correction, every practice, you're always correcting to improve.
"That's part of your application and evaluation process. The things that haven’t gone well are the things you learn most from and that's life. That is our gold… We'll be ready to go."
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