James Harden continued his impressive start to life with the Philadelphia 76ers by dazzling in Wednesday's 123-108 victory against the New York Knicks on his home debut.
The 10-time NBA All-Star starred with 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds to make it three wins from three since arriving from the Brooklyn Nets last month.
Joel Embiid led the scoring with 27 points, while Tyrese Maxey added 25 as the 76ers won for a fourth game in a row and improved to 38-23 for the season.
Doc Rivers' side now sit two games back of the Miami Heat for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings after the latter lost 120-119 to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat led by 14 points with six minutes to play but could not see out a fifth victory in a row, with Jrue Holiday's driving layup with 1.9 seconds to go completing the comeback.
Defending NBA champions Milwaukee had Giannis Antetokounmpo to thank for the much-needed win, the two-time MVP registering 28 points, 17 rebounds and five assists.
Suns reach milestone mark
The Phoenix Suns became the first team to reach 50 wins this season by easing to a 120-90 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Footprint Center.
Cam Johnson scored 20 points and Deandre Ayton added 18 as the Suns made light work of being without Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the latter entering the league's health and safety protocols.
Portland briefly put up a fight and were ahead early in the second quarter, but the hosts rallied to lead 63-48 at half-time and pulled further ahead to keep a two-game lead over the Chicago Bulls atop the Eastern Conference.
Pelicans show unity with Ukraine
The New Orleans Pelicans wore yellow socks for their 125-95 win over the Sacramento Kings in a show of solidarity with Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia.
"It's a big mess," said Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, who had 17 points and 14 rebounds. "We're just trying to bring more attention. The enemy is still out there. Innocent people are still dying.
"The whole world is talking about sanctions, support, prayers – but something else has to be done because the war is still going on. It's been a tough seven days."
Elsewhere on Wednesday, injury-depleted Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a surprise 119-107 win over the Denver Nuggets, while Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points as the Utah Jazz held off the Houston Rockets 132-127.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost for a fifth time in six games with a 119-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, despite the return of Darius Garland from injury, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 122-114 thanks to Malcolm Brogdon's 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Tua Tagovailoa will be the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins going forward and there will be no trade for Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson, according to general manager Chris Grier.
As Tagovailoa has been inconsistent since the Dolphins selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, there had been talk Miami would be interested in bringing in a different quarterback.
Miami did take the first steps towards acquiring Watson last year, with owner Stephen Ross being granted permission to talk to the Texans quarterback.
However, no trade was finalised for Watson, who is facing 22 civil lawsuits that remain unresolved as the NFL conducts its own investigation into sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him.
Mike McDaniel was hired as Miami's new coach early last month after five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, serving last season as the team's offensive coordinator.
"I think the door is shut on Deshaun," Grier said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"At the end of the day, Mike and the staff have come to do a lot of work and studied Tua and they feel good about his developmental upside, what he can be and then the fit in the offense. I think we're good with Tua."
There are questions about exactly how high a ceiling Tagovailoa has, and Grier was asked whether he thinks he can be an elite quarterback.
"I can't say he can't be," Grier said. "It's a situation now where this will be built around his skill set and what the offense can be and Mike's vision of how he fits.
"So, I wouldn't say he can't be. It's too early. He's played 20 games maybe. The first year was in and out and missing games this year, but I know he's won games even this last year, and it's hard to win games in this league.
"I know people want to say he doesn't throw the ball downfield, but he's incredibly accurate, and that's the real exciting part for Mike and the coaching staff, his accuracy."
Tagovailoa completed 67.8 per cent of his passes last season and threw 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
"I will say Mike and the offensive staff watched every game, every throw and put together this tape of the roster, and it was pretty cool," Grier said.
"Mike's vision for how Tua fits into this scheme and what he can do, they're all every excited about it.
"So, I think at the end of the day, probably Tua is going to have to come in and work with him and do it on the field, but right now there's a very good comfort level with how they feel he fits into what Mike wants to do with our offense."
Matt LaFleur intends to give Aaron Rodgers time and space to decide his future rather than "annoying" the Green Bay Packers quarterback.
For the second straight offseason, the Packers are waiting to learn if the reigning MVP will return next year.
Despite a long-running saga prior to the 2021 season and then a coronavirus controversy during the campaign, Rodgers excelled again for Green Bay.
The 38-year-old then promised "a decision in the near future", but a series of cryptic social media posts and quotes followed.
While the Packers face uncertainty again, head coach LaFleur is determined not to interfere with Rodgers' thought process.
"I told him: I don't want to be overbearing and tell him every day how much we love him and how much we want him back," LaFleur said at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
"So you just want to be respectful of his space and allow him to think through everything clearly without being annoying, I guess."
Meanwhile, LaFleur confirmed Rodgers had a "significant role" in Tom Clements returning to the team as quarterbacks coach.
Clements was previously with the Packers between 2006 and 2016, including working with Rodgers as QB coach for the Super Bowl season of 2010.
He has been credited with having a key role in Rodgers' development by the player himself.
Kevin Durant will make his return from injury when the Brooklyn Nets face the Miami Heat on Thursday.
The 12-time NBA All-Star has been out since suffering an MCL sprain of his left knee on January 15.
Steve Nash's side have struggled in Durant's absence and are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 32-31 record this season.
Superstar Durant will give Brooklyn a huge lift when he is back on court against Eastern Conference leaders the Heat at Barclays Center. He is averaging 29.3 points per game, the most since his MVP campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013-14 (32).
The Nets on Wednesday confirmed Durant has been taken off the NBA's injury report following over six weeks on the sidelines.
Former Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams’ recovery from an ACL tear in his left knee seems to be going off without a hitch.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the potential first-round draft pick told reporters he’s progressing well in his rehab from the injury he sustained in January’s College Football Playoff National Championship game.
"I was hearing five to seven months, but I'm hearing I'm ahead of schedule," Williams said. "I'm six weeks out of surgery right now. I've been walking without the brace for two weeks, without the crutch for three weeks.
"Hopefully things keep going on this track, and I'll be back as soon as possible."
Prior to getting hurt in Alabama's loss to Georgia in the national title game, Williams emerged as one of the 2022 draft's top receiver prospects with a superb junior season. The first team All-American tied for third in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 15 touchdown receptions while recording 79 catches for a team-high 1,572 yards.
Nine of Williams' 15 touchdown catches were from 40 or more yards, the most in the FBS last season, while his 11 receptions of 40 or more yards tied for second among major college players.
Williams spent just one season at Alabama after transferring from Ohio State, where the St. Louis native registered only 15 catches in two seasons playing behind two other well-regarded draft prospects in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.
The soon-to-be 21-year-old is meeting with teams in Indianapolis despite not being able to take part in testing and drills. Williams said he's hopeful he can be fully cleared in time for the start of his rookie season, but added that he will let the healing process play itself out.
"I won't be rushing anything … really, it's going to take time," he said. "I just want to be ready when it does happen."
Any phone call to the Seattle Seahawks asking about the availability of Russell Wilson will get the same reply – the quarterback is not on the market.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said general manager John Schneider has told potential suitors the team are not interested in trading the franchise QB.
"What John says is, 'We're not shopping the quarterback'. That's what he tells them," Carroll said.
"He has talked to other teams. He's had teams that have asked, just because of all of the media. They think that something is going on, so he's fielded a lot of calls.
"But he's fielded a lot of calls on everybody. But that one in particular, he's got a pretty standard response."
Wilson, 33, has two years left on a $140million contract he signed in 2019, which includes a no-trade clause. Trading Wilson, however, would clear significant salary cap space while also yielding a significant return of draft picks.
"At this time of year there are conversations about everybody," Carroll said. "We talk about everybody and it's commonplace to have conversations with other teams about all of the players, particularly marquee players, and that's not changed.
"It's been the same every year we have been here, so it's the same as it's been. We have no intention of making a move there. But the conversations, John has to field those. He always has. But nothing specific to talk [on Wilson]."
Seattle are coming off a disappointing 7-10 season – missing the playoffs for only the second time since Wilson was drafted in 2012 – and Wilson missed three games due to a broken finger – the first time he was sidelined due to injury in his illustrious 10-year career. He struggled at times after returning and later admitted he came back too fast.
Last offseason, it was rumored Wilson wanted out of Seattle, but he insisted he did not ask for a trade and he had a good relationship with Carroll and Schneider.
Late in the 2021 season, he again said he did not want to leave Seattle, saying he wanted to win more Supers Bowls with the Seahawks.
Wilson finished the season with 3,113 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, but his 64.8 completion percentage and 103.1 passer rating were both his lowest since 2017.
Viktorija Golubic came from a set down to beat lucky loser Mai Hontama and move into the second round of the Lyon Open on Wednesday.
Third seed Golubic was given the run-around by Hontama in the first set before fighting back to win 1-6 6-4 6-4.
Golubic had to dig deep to secure a meeting with Vitalia Diatchenko, who beat Anna-Lena Friedsam, as Hontama's deft drop shots had given her a scent of pulling off an upset.
The Swiss broke six times and saved six break points, wrapping up a well-earned victory in two hours and 10 minutes.
Golubic's compatriot Stefanie Voegele bowed out at the second-round stage, losing 6-3 7-5 to second seed Sorana Cirstea.
Anna Bondar reached the quarter-finals when Katie Boulter retired due to injury after losing the first set 6-3.
Alison Van Uytvanck won the final match of the day, getting the better of Varvara Gracheva 6-2 6-4 to advance to the last eight.
Rory McIlroy says Phil Mickelson should be forgiven for his comments about a proposed Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League and welcomed back following a break.
Mickelson last month apologised for "reckless" remarks over a potential breakaway league.
The six-time major champion claimed the Super Golf League could provide players with "leverage" as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to "reshape how the PGA Tour operates".
Mickelson suggested he and several other golfers paid their lawyers to construct the proposed breakaway competition's agreement, even though he stated Saudi Arabia has "a horrible record on human rights."
The American faced a huge backlash and opted to take time away from playing golf after apologising.
McIlroy declared the Super Golf League "dead in the water" as he accused Mickelson of making "selfish, egotistical, ignorant" remarks.
Yet the Northern Irishman expects the 51-year-old to resume his career and wants the winner of the 2021 PGA Championship to be forgiven.
He said: "I think Phil has been a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf and still is a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf.
"It's unfortunate that a few comments that he thought he was making in confidence or off the record got out there – but this whole situation is unfortunate.
"Look, Phil will be back. I think the players want to see him back. He's done such a wonderful job for the game of golf, and he's represented the game of golf very, very well for the entirety of his career.
"We all make mistakes. We all say things we want to take back. No one is different in that regard. But we should be allowed to make mistakes, and we should be allowed to ask for forgiveness and for people to forgive us and move on.
"Hopefully, he comes back at some stage, and he will, and people will welcome him back and be glad that he is back."
Justin Burrowes held off the challenge of 15 other golfers including to win the Men & Men Senior 0-6 category by 11 strokes at the Caymanas Golf Classic on Sunday.
Burrowes posted seven-under-par 209 for the tournament after opening with a 75 but then carded back-to-back 67s to take the victory.
Zandre Roye shot scores of 69, 77, 74 for an overall score of 220 that saw him finish in second place. Meanwhile, 15-year old Ryan Lue 226 (79, 71, 76) and William Knibbs 226 (71, 76, 79) were tied for third and Sean Morris 230 (75, 79, 76) finished fourth.
The winner said afterwards that he enjoyed getting the victory but it was not easy.
“It was good. It was definitely a very long two days. It didn't really feel like two days, it felt like a whole week but it’s golf and I love playing golf so it’s not that bad,” Burrowes said afterwards.
“It definitely is tough walking 27 holes in one day but I just tried to enjoy it as best as possible. The first 18 holes, I did not play as well as I wanted to. I hit a lot of good shots but I didn't quite just get it done and after the first 18, I kind of just got it together."
Orville Christie emerged the winner among the professionals. He shot an overall score of 230 to finish ahead of Sean Green and Alan Graham, respectively. Christie shot 72 in his opening round and followed up with 79 in each of the final two rounds. Green, meanwhile, shot scores of 82, 78 and 78 for 238 while Graham shot 247 (84, 79, 84).
Like Burrowes, Christie said the tournament was challenging.
“! have not been in any shape recently to be playing on a golf course like this but I should say it was pretty much okay but not very good,” he said.
“It’s really tiring because this golf course is very hilly and also it’s very humid and hot so I had to keep rehydrating myself, not happy with the score but I am happy with the win," he said.
Jodi Munn Barrow won the Ladies’ 36-hole tournament carding 75 and 80 for a total score of 11 over par 155.
“Saturday was very good. I was very pleased with Saturday. Today was a little bit scrappy. I think maybe with everything going on I got a little bit distracted today but its a work in progress so I will keep working at it and look forward to the next event," she said.
As president of the golf association, Munn-Barrow said she was pleased with the turnout.
“Our first tournament for the year, we had a very good turnout for the two days, over 70 participants so we are very pleased with that,” he said.
“The twist is that we now have our 0-6 category, which is our elite amateur golfers playing for world amateur ranking points so we have gotten all of our tournaments approved by the body and so when our amateurs play they can get world amateur points and this augurs well because we can then possibly field a team to the world amateur team championships which you can't do if you don't have people who are ranked in the system, so all events for the 0-6 will now play over 54 holes, either three days or over 27 holes each day on a weekend depending on whether the golf course will accommodate us.
"We are actually in discussion with the Jamaica professional golf association to include the professionals when we have our events so that they too can get more practice and that will help then to augur well going into the Jamaica Open at the end of the year."
The top players in the other categories were Men 0-6 Blue tees - Narada Black 151 (72, 79) and William Lee 159 (83, 76).
Men & Men Senior 7-12 - Quentin Hugh Sam 165 (84, 81); William Mahfood (166 (82, 84) and Philip Gooden 167 (85, 82).
Men & Men Senior 13-24 - Courtney Cephas 195 (95, 100), Delroy Anderson 196 (103, 93), Aubyn Ferguson 198 (102, 96).
Men Super Senior - 151 (74, 77), Wayne Chai Chong 153 (75, 78) and Mike Boyd 158 (83, 76). Ladies 13-24 - Diane Hudson 186 (94, 92), Deborah Newnham 197 (103, 94) and Krystal Chung (214 (109, 105).
Junior Boys 14-15 - Lek Drummond 181 (91, 90); Junior Boys 11-13 - Shasa Redlefsen 185 (93, 92), Kemari Morris 186 (95, 91) and Cameron Coe 204 (103, 101).
Junior Girls 14-15 - Mia Cunningham 191 (88, 103) and Anoushka Katri 192 (98, 94) and the Junior Girls 11-13 - Alessandra Coe 215 (108, 107).
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim have signed contract extensions with the Arizona Cardinals through 2027.
Kingsbury has been the Cardinals' coach for three seasons, having been brought in by Keim, who has completed nine years as GM.
That partnership helped deliver the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 2015, finishing with an 11-6 record in second place in the NFC West.
Arizona made a 7-0 start before quarterback Kyler Murray went down with an ankle injury.
"The leadership of both Steve and Kliff have been key factors in the team's turnaround over the last three seasons," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement on Wednesday.
"We are all looking forward to continuing that progress and recognise these two individuals will be a big part of achieving our long-term goals as an organisation."
The statement also made reference to Murray's contract situation, as the QB pursues improved terms on his rookie deal.
Murray's agent Erik Burkhardt released his own statement earlier this week, addressed to Cardinals fans, in which it said the former first overall pick "absolutely wants to be your long-term QB" and "desperately wants to win the Super Bowl".
However, he added Murray's team had already sent a contract proposal to the Cardinals and were waiting on the team to make the next move.
"It is now simply up to the Cardinals to decide if they prioritise their rapidly improving, 24-year-old, already two-time Pro Bowl QB, who led the organisation from three wins before his arrival to 11 wins and their first playoff appearance in five years," Burkhardt said.
"Or rather, if they choose to financially prioritise committing to other areas and continuing to merely talk about addressing Kyler's long-term future as their QB."
Kingsbury, speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week, said he was not aware Murray's team were to release a statement but that he and the player were "in a great place". The pair have the same agent.
Tiger Woods did not play a single professional tournament in 2021 but still finished in first place in the PGA Tour's new Player Impact Program as its most popular player.
Woods, a 15-time major champion, broke bones in both of his legs in a car crash last February and has since been limited to a single unofficial appearance at the parent-child PNC Championship.
The 46-year-old has remained the source of considerable intrigue as he works his way back to fitness, however.
For that reason, Woods – golf's most famous name – won the inaugural Player Impact Program (PIP) in 2021, earning $8million for first prize ahead of old rival Phil Mickelson.
Revealing the results on Wednesday, the PGA Tour explained the PIP "measured the players who generated the most positive interest".
This considers the number of times a player appears in internet searches or news articles, their social media reach and engagement, television sponsorship exposure and their "general awareness score among broad United States population".
The PIP took into account the full year of 2021, meaning Mickelson came into contention after winning the PGA Championship at 50 to become the oldest major winner of all time. Second place was good for $6m.
In 2022, Mickelson's standing may be impacted by his controversial involvement in the Saudi-backed Super Golf League.
He led Rory McIlroy (third), Jordan Spieth (fourth), Bryson DeChambeau (fifth) and Justin Thomas (sixth) – who each took home $3.5m – last year.
Dustin Johnson (seventh), Brooks Koepka (eighth), Jon Rahm (ninth) and Bubba Watson (10th) closed out the top 10, earning $3m apiece.
Tyson Fury has vowed to be more aggressive than he's ever been when he fights Dillian Whyte next month.
Fury will put his WBC belt on the line in all-British heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium on April 23.
The unbeaten 33-year-old has claimed the fight in London will "100 per cent" be the last of his brilliant career.
If that is the case, Fury says he will sign off in style at the expense of Whyte.
"I'm going to try and come in the heaviest I've ever been," Fury told Sky Sports News. "Biggest fight - so I'm going to be the heaviest, strongest, fittest, more aggressive than I've ever been.
"I'm looking for the knockout. No secret, there's no point in me lying about gameplans. What I'm going to do, is I'm going to come straight to the centre of the ring, back him up and land big heavy punches on him until he's knocked out."
Fury does not expect the fight to go the distance.
"I think someone's getting knocked out," Fury said. "Whether it's going to be me on the front foot or him on the back foot, someone's getting chinned.
"Every heavyweight poses a threat because they're all big men, they can all knock another man out.
"It's something that I'm looking forward to, the challenge, if he can knock me out, good luck to him. If not, onto the next one."
Russian driver Nikita Mazepin will be barred from competing for Haas at the British Grand Prix following measures introduced by Britain's national motorsport authority in response to the situation in Ukraine.
The FIA confirmed on Tuesday that Russian and Belarusian drivers would be allowed to compete in Formula One this season under a neutral flag.
However, Motorsport UK will not allow drivers, teams or officials from those nations to take part at Silverstone in early July, meaning Mazepin will miss out. The ban spans across all motorsports in the United Kingdom.
Motorsport UK chair David Richards, in accordance with the board of the organisation, made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday, a week on from Russia's initial invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
"The entire Motorsport UK community condemns the acts of war by Russia and Belarus in Ukraine and expresses its solidarity and support towards all those affected by the ongoing conflict," Richards said.
"We stand united with the people of Ukraine and the motorsport community following the invasion and the unacceptable actions that have unfolded.
"This is a time for the international motorsport community to act and show support for the people of Ukraine and our colleagues at the Federation Automobile d'Ukraine (FAU)."
Motorsport UK says the decision was "taken in full consultation with the UK government and national sports governing bodies to ensure that there is a unilateral response to the crisis".
Richards added: "It is our duty to use whatever influence and leverage we might have to bring this wholly unjustified invasion of Ukraine to a halt.
"We would encourage the motorsport community and our colleagues around the world to fully embrace the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee and do whatever we can to end this war.
"Motorsport UK stands united with Leonid Kostyuchenko, the President of the FAU, the Ukrainian motorsport community and the Ukrainian people and calls for the violence to end with a peaceful resolution."
Mazepin is the only Russian driver on the F1 grid, with the 22-year-old due to start his second season in Bahrain later this month.
He finished bottom of the drivers' standings in 2021 and his future with Haas was already in doubt prior to Wednesday's announcement, with just three weeks to go until the 2022 season begins.
The Russian Grand Prix, which was due to take place in September, has already been cancelled by F1 chiefs, with the FIA describing that as a decision taken "for reason of force majeure".
LeBron James is adamant the Los Angeles Lakers are still capable of ending their season on a high, despite falling to a sixth defeat in seven games on Tuesday.
The Lakers lost 109-104 to the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena to slide to a season-worst seven games below .500, leaving them ninth in the Western Conference.
James led the scoring with 26 points, one more than Mavs star Luka Doncic, but it was not enough for the 27-34 hosts as their poor run continued.
But despite the Lakers' ongoing struggles, James is not ready to write off the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign with 21 games of the regular season still to go.
"We still have games to play," he told reporters. "Until you stomp me out, cut my head off, bury me 12 feet under, then I got a chance. So that's my confidence.
"Obviously, at the end of the day, we got to come in here and win ball games and we got to play better but as long as we've got more games to play, we should have a chance.
"I feel like poop right now. But tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to be prepared and ready for the Clippers on Thursday. That's just my mindset. That's just who I am."
James has missed 17 games this season through injury, but the 37-year-old shot down suggestions he will use the final stages of this season as an opportunity to rest up.
"The only way it'll be back to full strength is with rest," he said. "But I don't have the luxury of having rest. It can wait until the off-season."
The Lakers made up a 21-point deficit to lead 100-94 with seven minutes to play, but 11 consecutive points ensured the Mavericks claimed an eighth win in 10 outings.
Luka Doncic stepped up by scoring seven of his 25 points in the final quarter and is now averaging 27.5 per game for the season – a tally bettered by only six others.
"We stayed together and just executed the game plan, played the game," Doncic said. "My mentality is to close the game with the best shot possible."
Los Angeles managed only four points in the final seven-plus minutes and head coach Frank Vogel accepted there is a lot to improve on.
"Our guys really competed," he said. "Our helpers really competed, but he had that stretch in crunch time where he scored a few buckets in a row.
"It wasn't good enough. It hurts. All these guys are hurting in there. We're putting in the work."
Elina Svitolina said she "was on a mission" for Ukraine after earning a straight-sets win over Russian opponent Anastasia Potapova in the opening round of the Monterrey Open.
The top seed donned the yellow and blue colours of her homeland for Tuesday's match and eased to a 6-2 6-1 victory in a little over an hour in Mexico.
Svitolina only agreed to play her opener after tennis authorities announced a ban on Russian and Belarussian players competing under the name and flags of their countries.
And as Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its sixth day, the 27-year-old produced an impressive performance that saw her win 73.5 per cent of her first-serve points.
Former world number three Svitolina, who will now face Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova, had previously announced she will donate her prize money to the Ukrainian army.
"It's a special one because of what we are going through right now in Ukraine, it's terrifying," Svitolina told reporters.
"It's been six days and all the Ukrainian tennis players and Ukrainians who are there, we have been really terrified with what is happening.
"For me, playing the match here, I'm not playing only for myself. I'm playing for my country, I'm playing for the help of the Ukrainian army and people in need.
"I was focused. I was on a mission for my country. From the beginning, it was important to be ready for anything that comes my way."
Petra Martic is also through to round two after recovering from behind to beat third seed Madison Keys 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
Marie Bouzkova awaits following the world number 81's 4-6 6-2 6-4 win against Sara Errani. Number eight seed Ann Li's participation in the tournament came to an end with a 6-2 6-1 loss to Wang Xinyu, who will now face Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Stephen Curry says the Golden State Warriors "have to be more in sync as a five-man unit" after going down to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The Warriors hold the second-best record in the NBA at 43-19 but their 129-114 reverse was a sixth defeat in eight games for Steve Kerr's out-of-sorts team.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he saw a "breakdown in our connection" against the Timberwolves, a fact that perhaps should not be altogether too surprising.
Draymond Green has missed 24 straight games, while Andre Iguodala has been absent for 15 of the past 16. Superstar Klay Thompson returned from two straight serious injuries on January 9 but has restrictions on his minutes.
Moses Moody started in place of Thompson against the Timberwolves only to suffer an eye injury and exit the game in the second quarter.
The consequence has been Kerr being forced to mix up his starting five, and Curry concedes the chemistry is not quite there for the Warriors.
"We have a lot of different rotations and lineups and we try to make adjustments on the fly. We have to be more in sync as a five-man unit," Curry said.
"We've had a lot of shuffling. It's not an excuse for how we're playing, but we are built as a full team. And until we get that, I'm not sure if we'll see our full ceiling, but we have to do the little things in the meantime to keep building confidence.
"I'm just trying to stay patient in terms of where we are in the season and what we are trying to do in a month and a half."
The Warriors have the opportunity to return to winning ways when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Luka Doncic stepped up to help the Dallas Mavericks recover and overcome the Los Angeles Lakers 109-104 in Tuesday's topsy-turvy encounter.
The Mavericks blew a 21-point lead in the space of 12 minutes spanning half-time at Crypto.com Arena and trailed 100-94 with seven minutes to play.
But 11 consecutive points ensured Jason Kidd's side claimed an eighth win in 10 outings, while the out-of-form Lakers slid to a season-worst seven games below .500.
While not at his best, Doncic led the scoring for the Mavericks with 25 points – seven of those in the final quarter – as he went 9 of 21.
LeBron James scored 26 points for the Lakers and Carmelo Anthony had 20, but it was not enough to prevent the hosts from tasting a sixth loss in seven outings.
Timberwolves inflict another defeat on Warriors
The Golden State Warriors (43-19) have the second-best record in NBA, but they lost for a sixth time in eight games with a 129-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 39 points and nine rebounds, while going 14 for 22 from the floor, as the Timberwolves made it back-to-back victories.
"We're going to be fine long-term. I'm excited about our team and excited about where we can go, but we've just got to weather this storm," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
Clippers' run goes on, Nets downed by Raptors
The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 113-100 thanks to Ivica Zubac's 22 points and 12 rebounds for their fourth win in a row as they went 33-31 for the season.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the struggling Brooklyn Nets lost to the Toronto Raptors for a second time in two days, going down 109-108 in a tight contest at Scotiabank Arena.
Jayson Tatum's 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists inspired the Boston Celtics to a 107-98 win against the Atlanta Hawks, while the Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons 116-113.
It isn't clear what the San Francisco 49ers' asking price is for Jimmy Garoppolo, but interested buyers have been provided with a very good reason to go under it this offseason.
The Niners appear destined to trade Garoppolo this offseason to pave the way for Trey Lance, for whom they traded three first-round picks to acquire with the third overall selection in last year's draft, to take over as their starting quarterback.
That is despite a 2021 season that saw the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game with Garoppolo at quarterback.
San Francisco surrendered a 17-7 fourth-quarter lead to lose 20-17 to eventual Super Bowl champions the Los Angeles Rams, the tale an all too familiar one for the Niners with Garoppolo intercepted on the final drive having proven unable to deliver victory in similar circumstances in their Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the 2019 season.
Garoppolo's inability to elevate the 49er passing game on the biggest of stages is one reason why the Niners are set to move on from him and any teams in the market for a quarterback were given a reminder of another reason on Tuesday.
According to multiple reports, Garoppolo is set to have surgery on a shoulder he injured in the Niners' Wild Card Round win over the Dallas Cowboys and will be out of action for 16 weeks, meaning he will not be able to throw until after the start of organised team activities.
Durability, or lack thereof, has been a continued problem for Garoppolo, who has missed 25 regular-season games in his 49ers career due to injury.
And the prospect of him starting his career with a new team behind the 8-ball due to his surgery is sure to dent his value to those considering making a move for the former second-round pick.
Yet, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, there is "significant interest" in Garoppolo from multiple teams even with the prospect of him missing the start of preparations for the new season.
The Niners, minus a day-one pick in the draft, are hoping to recoup capital for Garoppolo as they look to retool the roster around Lance.
However, even if the level of interest in high, the compensation on offer to the 49ers may not be for a quarterback with injury issues and consistent problems with turnovers.
Garoppolo finished the 2021 season second in the NFL with 8.64 yards per attempt, but he also led all quarterbacks in yards after the catch per pass attempt with (6.6), illustrating his reliance on short passes and the ability of the likes of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk to do damage with ball in hand.
A limited downfield thrower, Garoppolo completed just nine passes of 21 air yards or more in 2021. Only six quarterbacks (min. 200 pass attempts) averaged fewer air yards per attempt than Garoppolo's 7.38, while his pickable pass rate of 4.82 per cent was the sixth-highest in the league, according to Stats Perform data.
In other words, Garoppolo was not regularly attempting ambitious throws but put the ball in harm's way more than the vast majority of his counterparts.
Having seen San Francisco win and go deep into the postseason in each of the two full seasons in which Garoppolo was healthy, at least one team will be ready to bet they can build an offense around him to allow them to do the same. But, between his injury history, his imminent lengthy rehabilitation period and his obvious shortcomings, they might not be willing to gamble as much as the Niners are hoping for.
The Green Bay Packers have not had a single inquiry regarding a trade for Aaron Rodgers, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Rodgers has yet to make a decision on his future, with another season with the Packers, a move elsewhere and retirement all seemingly on the table for the four-time MVP.
Though there has long since been talk about which teams could get involved in a potential Rodgers sweepstake, Gutekunst is yet to field a single offer.
"Not at all. Not at all. Not a single person," Gutekunst replied when asked if anybody had phoned regarding Rodgers' availability.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Gutekunst added that he expects a decision from Rodgers before the start of free agency on March 16.
"I would hope so, yeah," Gutekunst added. "That's obviously the start of the new league year.
"There's a lot of decisions that have to be made before that. So that would be helpful. I would think we would know something before then."
Relations between Rodgers and the Packers certainly appear more amiable than they were when reports emerged before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft that he wished to part with Green Bay.
Rodgers has recently said as much, telling The Pat McAfee Show of his conversations with the franchise after the Packers' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers: "I would say the meetings were much different than they've been in the past, in a positive way, and that there were some real, honest conversations that I appreciated."
His words seemingly point towards Rodgers potentially remaining in Green Bay, and the Packers' vice president of football operations Russ Ball has been in talks with David Dunn, who represents Rodgers, over a contract.
"It's part of the process [of Rodgers' decision-making]," Gutekunst said of those discussions. "You know, Russ, obviously, does a good job, and he's kind of prepared for kind of any which way we might go."
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