There is light at the end of the NBA tunnel. A difficult regular season played out amid the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic is drawing towards a conclusion.
However, there is still plenty to play for in the closing weeks. For some teams it is about jostling for position as a play-off seed, while others are just frantically trying to make it into the postseason.
For those who have found the pace too tough, there comes the chance to give players opportunities to prove their worth. A strong finish can make all the difference to your career prospects.
Following a busy week that has seen some big names return to action, Stats Perform highlights those who have starred – as well as a few who have struggled – between April 19-25.
RUNNING HOT...
Paul George
With team-mate Kawhi Leonard sidelined due to a foot injury, George has picked up the slack. The seven-time All-Star sat out a win for the Los Angeles Clippers over the Memphis Grizzlies, but scored 33 points against both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets last week.
He also recorded double-digit rebound totals in those outings, helping the Clippers remain firmly in the hunt to finish as the top seeds in the Western Conference. For the season, George is averaging career highs in points per game (24.0), rebounds (6.5) and assists (5.4). He is also shooting 89.1 per cent from the free-throw line.
OG Anunoby
A see-saw season for the Toronto Raptors still may yet wind up with a postseason appearance, though the 2019 champions have some work to do if they are to get inside the top 10 in the East.
Anunoby looks to be set for a strong finish to his campaign, having scored 52 points in his previous two outings following a short spell out of action - the London-born forward had averaged 14.78ppg going into the week. His six three-pointers made against the New York Knicks was a career high, though the landmark came in a losing cause.
Oshae Brissett
Brissett has seized the opportunity to impress for the Indiana Pacers while making four consecutive starts. He reached double figures for points in all of them, including posting a career-high 23 against the Oklahoma City Thunder to celebrate signing a long-term deal with the franchise.
The second-year prospect out of Syracuse played a total of 135 minutes in his rookie season with the Raptors, but nearly matched that number in a week that saw the Pacers win three out of four. Brissett also contributed when it came to rebounds, averaging 9.25 per outing.
GOING COLD...
Anthony Davis
Davis admitted it felt like the Lakers were "starting from zero" after the second outing on his return from an Achilles issue. Prior to his two-month absence, he was averaging 22.5 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in the season.
However, unsurprisingly considering the amount of time spent off the court, the eight-time All-Star has struggled upon his return (albeit on a minutes restriction). Having shot 2-for-10 from the floor in the first of back-to-back meetings with the Dallas Mavericks, Davis followed up by going 5-for-19 in the second game between the teams.
Gary Trent Jr.
After a ridiculously hot start to life with Toronto following his involvement in a deadline-day trade, Trent Jr. has cooled off in recent outings. That is in part due to a drop in his minutes following the return of some of the regular starters for the Raptors, including back-court duo Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
The former Portland Trail Blazer still had 23 points against Oklahoma, but then dipped to a combined total of nine in limited action against the Brooklyn Nets and the Knicks. The three-point shooting is also a reason for a dip in points, as he made just one of his nine attempts from the beyond the arc during the past week.
Tobias Harris
Harris' drop in production in recent times has had less to do with him going cold and more to do with injury management. A bothersome right knee kept him out of games against the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns, both of which the Philadelphia 76ers lost.
His return in a double-header against the Milwaukee Bucks - one of Philadelphia's major rivals in the East - failed to help his team get back to winning ways. Harris had 18 points in the opening game but then just nine in the second, the first time he had recorded a single-digit outing in a game since February 25.
Fernando Tatis Jr. put on a show as the San Diego Padres scored seven unanswered runs to rally past World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 after 11 innings in another thrilling MLB showdown.
The Padres trailed National League (NL) West rivals the Dodgers 7-1 at the end of six innings, but Tatis fuelled the visitors to an epic extra-innings victory in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Tatis scored the game-winning run on Eric Hosmer's sacrifice fly in the 11th inning as the Padres became the first team since the 1918 San Francisco Giants to win a game, despite being on the road, facing a side with a .700 per cent winning percentage, trailing by six-plus runs in the seventh inning or later, per Stats Perform.
San Diego's Tatis hit another home run after back-to-back multi-homer games against the Dodgers, making it five home runs in three appearances as the NL West blockbuster continues to provide postseason energy in April.
According to Stats Perform, Tatis became the first player in MLB history to have five-plus home runs and two-stolen bases in a road series.
Tatis has two games with at least one home runs and two stolen bases – Tony Gwynn is the only other player in Padres history to achieve the feat, while he is the eighth shortstop with at least one three-game span of five-plus homers.
Dustin May had a career-high 10 strikeouts for the Dodgers. Aged 23 years and 231 days, he is the youngest pitcher in franchise history with 10-plus strikeouts in a game since Clayton Kershaw (23 years and 169 days) in 2011.
Bumgarner dominates with unofficial no-hitter
Madison Bumgarner threw a seven-inning no-hitter to guide the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-0 shutout of the Atlanta Braves, clinching a sweep of the doubleheader. Bumgarner struck out seven batters, but it will not officially count as MLB rules stipulate such a game must be a contest of nine or more innings that ended with no hits. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, became the first team to allow one or fewer hits in a doubleheader after Zac Gallen held the Braves to one hit in the 5-0 opener.
Trevor Story hit a grand slam – the third of his career – in a seven-run fourth inning as the Colorado Rockies routed the Philadelphia Phillies 12-2.
The Cleveland Indians defeated the struggling New York Yankees 7-3 behind Franmil Reyes' three-run homer, triple and first stolen base.
A's crash back down to earth
The Oakland Athletics and their 13-game winning streak was snapped by the Baltimore Orioles, who were 8-1 victors. It was Oakland's third longest winning streak since 1968.
Patrick Corbin was put to the sword in the Washington Nationals' 4-0 loss to the New York Mets. Corbin, who suffered his 10th consecutive decision, allowed four runs, seven hits and three walks in four-plus innings.
Oh-tani!
The Los Angeles Angels avoided a sweep against the Houston Astros thanks to some help from Shohei Ohtani. The two-way star crunched a 440-foot homer in the eighth inning to give the Angels a 3-2 lead. The Angels beat the Astros 4-2.
Sunday's results
Baltimore Orioles 8-1 Oakland Athletics
Kansas City Royals 4-0 Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians 7-3 New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox 5-3 Seattle Mariners
Toronto Blue Jays 1-0 Tampa Bay Rays
New York Mets 4-0 Washington Nationals
Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 Atlanta Braves
Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Angels 4-2 Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox 8-4 Texas Rangers
St Louis Cardinals 5-2 Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 Chicago Cubs
Colorado Rockies 12-2 Philadelphia Phillies
San Francisco Giants 4-3 Miami Marlins
San Diego Padres 8-7 Los Angeles Dodgers
Rockies at Giants
It will be an all-NL West clash when bottom team the Rockies (8-13) visit the high-flying Giants (14-8) on Monday. Only the Dodgers have a better record than the Giants in the division this season.
Kevin Durant returned from injury and the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets beat the Phoenix Suns 128-119.
Durant made his comeback on Sunday following a three-game absence due to a thigh contusion, the former NBA MVP posting 33 points off the bench.
Nets superstar Durant was 12-for-21 shooting, including two-for-three from three-point range, while tallying six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 28 minutes.
Kyrie Irving had 34 points (10-of-19 shooting) and 12 assists as the star-studded Nets – still without James Harden (hamstring) – improved to 41-20.
Devin Booker's 36 points and a Deandre Ayton double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds were not enough for the high-flying Suns (42-18) in Brooklyn.
Wizards extend streak
The Washington Wizards claimed their eighth successive victory after topping the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-110. Bradley Beal scored 33 points, while Russell Westbrook added 14 points, 11 assists and five rebounds as the former MVP's triple-double run ended at four games. Washington are in the midst of their longest streak since December 2001, during Hall of Famer Michael Jordan's time with the franchise.
Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points and 14 rebounds, but the Milwaukee Bucks still lost 111-104 to the Atlanta Hawks. Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Hawks with 32 points, however, Lou Williams fuelled Atlanta down the stretch by scoring four three-pointers in the final seven minutes.
Double-doubles from Terry Rozier (21 points and 11 assists), P.J. Washington (22 points and 12 rebounds) and Cody Martin (13 points and 10 rebounds) inspired the Charlotte Hornets to a 125-104 victory at home to the Boston Celtics.
Stephen Curry's 37 points, seven rebounds and four assists helped the Golden State Warriors hold off the Sacramento Kings 117-113. Curry has scored at least 30 points for the 13th time in 14 games, his 30th 30-point display of the season.
Magic's season goes from bad to worse
Rookie Devin Cannady suffered a gruesome ankle injury as the short-handed and struggling Orlando Magic tasted a fifth consecutive defeat – beaten 131-112 by the Indiana Pacers. Cannady sustained an open fracture of his right ankle in the opening quarter after landing awkwardly.
Robert Covington was far from his best in the Portland Trail Blazers' 120-113 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. In 38 minutes, Covington missed all seven of his field goals, including 0-for-four from three-point range, as he finished with two points.
Curry goes deep
Another game, another long-range three. Curry nailed a three-point from just inside half court against the Kings in the opening quarter.
Sunday's results
Charlotte Hornets 125-104 Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets 128-119 Phoenix Suns
Memphis Grizzlies 120-113 Portland Trail Blazers
Washington Wizards 119-110 Cleveland Cavaliers
Atlanta Hawks 111-104 Milwaukee Bucks
Indiana Pacers 131-112 Orlando Magic
Golden State Warriors 117-113 Sacramento Kings
Thunder at 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers (39-21) – second in the east – will look to arrest a four-game slump when they host the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder (20-40) on Monday.
Kevin Durant described his return as "like riding a bike" after the Brooklyn Nets superstar posted 33 points following a three-game NBA absence.
A thigh contusion had sidelined former MVP Durant, who only returned from a 23-game injury lay-off caused by a calf strain earlier this month.
Back in the line-up on Sunday, Durant starred in his 28-minute appearance off the bench as the Eastern Conference-leading Nets trumped the high-flying Phoenix Suns 128-119.
Reflecting on his return, Durant said: "It's like riding a bike. You get your footing right and just get your rhythm going, and I think my team-mates did a great job of looking for me all game, and I just wanted to resort back to that work I put in.
"The shots I work on at practice and shootaround, try to get to those as much as possible to gain my rhythm and then start to get a little more creative as the game progressed. It was a good start. Hopefully I build on this game and keep going."
Durant came off the bench for the third time this season, Nets head coach Steve Nash introducing the two-time NBA champion with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.
He was 12-for-21 shooting, including two-for-three from three-point range, while tallying six rebounds, four assists and two steals at home to the Suns in Brooklyn.
"I just deal with it and adapt to the situation," Durant said. "Coach asked me today if I wanted to start or come off the bench, and I felt like it would be a bigger challenge for me to focus in and lock in if I came off the bench so I wanted to see how that worked.
"If I would've shot bad I probably would've been pissed I came off the bench, but I was able to knock down some shots. But it was solid exercise for me to ease back into the swing of things."
Nash added: "You think big picture. I'd rather fall behind and have Kevin in the back pocket than go up and have to say, 'OK, Kevin, you're done,' in the third quarter.
"I think that's kind of the give and take with it, and he's been on board with it, so props to Kevin to being willing to try something like this that I think gives us a chance to be as flexible as we can be under these circumstances."
"Kevin has shown his scoring doesn't seem to get affected by a long layoff, whether it was coming off the Achilles or coming off the hamstring," Nash said. "He seems to come right back and his rhythm and timing are excellent. It's very impressive, for sure."
Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, had 34 points (10-of-19 shooting) and 12 assists as the star-studded Nets – still without James Harden (hamstring) – improved to 41-20.
"It's more the norm than the extraordinary for those two," Nash said of Durant and Nash's efficiency.
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Trevor Bauer warned San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. about allegedly peeking at signs as the MLB rivalry intensifies.
Tatis continued his red-hot form with another pair of home runs on Saturday, but the Padres still lost 5-4 to World Series champions the Dodgers.
A day after homering twice off star pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Tatis homered twice off Bauer – becoming the sixth player with a multi-homer game off a former Cy Young winner twice in one season and the first to do so in back-to-back games, per Stats Perform.
But a day later, a moment in Tatis' at-bat in the sixth inning caught the attention of the Dodgers after the 2020 Silver Slugger appeared to peek at catcher Will Smith's sign before the pitch.
As the National League (NL) West rivalry dominates MLB, 2020 American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner Bauer said in a video published via his YouTube channel: "That's the type of stuff that would get you hit in other games.
"Now, I'm mild mannered about it. Flip the bat, do all that stuff, fine. If you're going to look at the signs, not OK, and if you do it again, the team that you're playing probably isn't going to take too kindly, and there might have to be some on-field stuff.
"That is disrespecting your opponent, look at their signs, stuff like that. Whereas the bat flips and celebrating with your team-mates is fine, in my opinion."
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also addressed the incident prior to Sunday's clash against the Padres, telling reporters: "When you talk about peaking, that's just not the way you play baseball.
"If that is the case, which I don't know, that'll be noted."
When asked whether he meant adjusting how catchers give signs, Roberts replied: "No, that's not what I'm talking about."
Matteo Berrettini outlasted Aslan Karatsev in an entertaining Serbia Open final on Sunday to win his fourth ATP Tour title.
Karatsev stunned world number one Novak Djokovic on Saturday to reach the final, though the Russian fell just short of claiming another scalp as he slipped to a 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-0) defeat to Berrettini.
Second seed Berrettini could not take a first championship point in a third set that went the distance, but he held his nerve to add to his previous title triumphs at the Swiss Open, Hungarian Open and Stuttgart Open.
Berrettini held serve throughout the first set and broke his opponent in the fourth and sixth games to grab an early foothold in the contest.
But Karatsev, 18 places below world number 10 Berrettini in the ATP rankings, hit back in the second set to pave the way for a tense decider in Belgrade.
The big-hitting pair, competing against each other for the first time on the tour, managed a break of serve each before Italian Berrettini had match point in a gruelling 12th game.
While Berrettini was denied by Karatsev on that occasion, the 25-year-old powered through the tie-break to complete his impressive return to form.
"This title is for my family. This is the first time that they are actually here to see me win the trophy even though it's my fourth one," Berrettini said in his on-court interview.
"This is a special one. We came a long way since I was a kid and they were bringing me everywhere, so I think they deserve to see this kind of tennis and this kind of level. I really love them.
"It's been a pleasure being here. I came here not with the best feelings. I came back from an injury and it's never easy to come back and play this kind of level, this kind of tennis."
Rafael Nadal won the Barcelona Open for the 12th time after saving a championship point in a to end Stefanos Tsitsipas' perfect record on clay this year in a thrilling final.
World number three Nadal, playing just his third tournament of the year, is gearing up for a tilt at a record-extending 14th French Open title.
By defeating the man who landed the Monte Carlo Masters title last week, Nadal showed he is moving through the gears on his favourite surface before heading to Paris.
He won 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 to maintain his 100 per cent record in finals at this tournament on home soil, but Tsitsipas was left to reflect on a missed opportunity after the 20-time grand slam champion fended off a championship point at 5-4 in the final set.
Nadal trailed 4-2 in the opening set as Tsitsipas signalled he was up for the challenge and brimming with confidence, but back came the 34-year-old to sweep up the next four games.
Tsitsipas broke first in the second set too, inching 2-1 in front, and the Greek looked every bit a warrior capable of living with the best for much of the contest.
It was a rout when these two met in the Barcelona final three years ago, Nadal dropping only three games, but here he needed to work far harder, in what was the 69th clay-court final of his stellar career.
Tsitsipas beat Nadal from two sets down in the Australian Open quarter-finals in February, so dropping the opener here was not cause for panic, but nor was gaining the early break in the second any reason to be confident he would be taking the match to a decider.
Nadal duly broke back but then let two championship points slip by in the 10th game, with Tsitsipas serving. A smash followed by a superb drop volley from Tsitsipas meant the match remained alive.
Tsitsipas could not convert 0-40 on Nadal's serve in the next game, but he won a thrilling tie-break to take the contest all the way.
There was not a solitary break point in the decider until Tsitsipas was a point away from claiming the title in the 10th game, but the King of Clay dug in to hold.
He rubbed salt in the wounds by securing the elusive break in the next game and dropped to the clay in delight after serving it out, ending a pulsating showdown that was finally settled in three hours and 38 minutes.
Garrick Higgo landed the second title of his European Tour career as the 21-year-old South African triumphed at the Gran Canaria Open.
After finishing in a tie for fourth at the Austrian Open last week, Higgo produced three sparkling rounds to lead going into Sunday's finale on the Spanish island.
Having gone 65-64-63 in his first three rounds, Higgo knew it was likely he would need to go low again to complete his task, and a seven-under 63, capped by a birdie at the 18th, gave him victory by three shots on 25 under par.
Germany's Maximilian Kieffer finished second after a closing 62 put him on 22 under, with Denmark's Jeff Winther third, a shot back, following a 64 to wrap up his week.
Higgo had a nerve-settling birdie at the second hole before making eagle at the par-five fourth for a second successive day, an expertly measured chip rolling around 25 foot across the green before dropping in. More gains at the ninth and 10th gave him a handy cushion over the field.
Kieffer was waiting for a slip-up from Higgo that never came over the closing holes.
The champion said in a European Tour post-round interview: "It's unreal. It just feels amazing. It's quite a relief finishing now. The birdies on nine and 10 were big for me in terms of my confidence."
Higgo's previous win on the tour came at the Portugal Open last September, and he said of his latest success: "It wasn't over until the last hole really. I knew anything could happen, and with the wind coming up it was a bit stressful.
"I'm just going to keep going forward. I'll see where my game goes."
Sorana Cirstea claimed the Istanbul Open title without dropping a set after overcoming top seed Elise Mertens 6-1 7-6 (7-3) in the final.
Cirstea secured just her second tournament triumph on the WTA Tour – and first since Tashkent in 2008 – in a contest of two contrasting sets on Sunday.
The Romanian dominated in the opener, breaking three times as her opponent committed 16 unforced errors while failing to hold serve.
However, Mertens responded impressively to seize control of the second set, some superb groundstrokes allowing her to open up a commanding 5-2 lead.
Cirstea hit back to take the next four games in a row and while unable to serve out for the match when 6-5 up, she would not be denied a long overdue success in the tie-break.
Victory was secured with a crunching backhand winner on the first of three match-point opportunities, ending a see-saw set that had spanned 67 minutes.
Mertens had reached the final by ending a nine-match winning run for Veronika Kudermetova, who just so happened to be her doubles partner at the event in Turkey.
Ash Barty came from a set down for the third time this week as the world number one continued a superb 2021 with victory at the Stuttgart Open.
Barty overcame Aryna Sabalenka 3-6 6-0 6-3 to lift an 11th career title and her third of the season after successes at the Miami Open and the Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne.
It proved to be another comeback triumph against a top-10 opponent for Barty, who saw off Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina in the quarter and semi-finals respectively.
Sabalenka was ready to seize upon another sluggish Barty start and forced three break points at 3-2 in the opener.
The Australian was able to hang on that time, but Sabalenka fashioned two more and a botched Barty drop shot meant it was fifth time lucky.
The rapid progress of set two suggested Barty had merely been warming up, snaffling her third break point at 1-0 and dispatching a magnificent forehand cross-court winner to surge 4-0 ahead.
A bagel felt inevitable from that point and, after a 20-minute second set, Sabalenka was sinking without a trace when she slipped 3-0 behind in the decider.
The fifth seed broke back before being undermined by an untimely double fault at 3-2 – one of 39 unforced errors – and Barty faced down three break points in the following game.
A superb display, featuring 26 winners and five break points converted from 12 opportunities, concluded when Barty wrapped things up on her second match point.
Julius Randle is proud of the way he has followed Kobe Bryant's example with his work ethic to help lead the New York Knicks to fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 120-103 on Saturday to stretch their winning run to nine in a row.
The team have had seven straight losing seasons, missing the playoffs every year since 2012-13, but are now 34-27 and firmly back in contention to make the postseason.
As all season, Randle was the Knicks' standout performer against the Raptors, scoring 31 points to improve his average for the year to 24.0. He also has 10.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in 2020-21.
This form earned All-Star recognition and could yet see Randle selected to an All-NBA team.
Such a turnaround could hardly have been expected for a player who had averaged 16.1 points per game for his career since he was selected seventh overall in 2014 by Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers superstar's late-career industry rubbed off on Randle, though, with the forward improving this year under Tom Thibodeau, who compared Randle to Knicks great Patrick Ewing.
"That's amazing," Randle said of Thibodeau's comments. "I've actually asked him to talk about that before. He gave me an insight because he saw it first-hand.
"I'm proud of myself for my work ethic. The greats have done it before.
"The guy that I idolised the most and looked up to - which is Kobe - his work ethic was top notch. Nobody was better at putting the time in.
"So, like I say, I'm proud of myself for my work ethic in terms of how I prepare myself to get ready for a season, how I prepare myself to get ready for games."
Thibodeau said: "It always starts with your best players. If they work like that, it sets the tone for the team.
"[Randle] is relentless. It's not an accident that he's having the type of season that he’s having.
"His commitment, I could see it from the first day I met him, just looking at the type of conditioning he had, how committed he was to turning this thing around.
"I can recall back in the '90s, when I first arrived here as an assistant, the thing that blew me away was Patrick Ewing, every morning in the offseason, he was the first guy in the building, worked like crazy, got himself ready, and the rest of the team did the same.
"I think that's leadership. It's not what you say, it's what you do. When you see an example like that, it gives you confidence and gives the team confidence."
This is now the Knicks' longest sequence of wins since 13 straight across March and April 2013, yet Randle is not content.
"We're peaking, but we can still get a lot better," he said.
"Offensively we're playing well, but defensively, for a full 48 minutes, I feel like we can be a lot better."
Anthony Davis feels he is "starting from zero" with his Los Angeles Lakers team-mates following injury, meaning the defending NBA champions must "figure it out on the fly".
Davis missed more than two months with a strained Achilles, finally returning this week for a double-header against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers are still without LeBron James, though, and Davis does not yet look back to himself.
The forward averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last season as the Lakers won the title.
Prior to his injury this year, he had 22.5 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, while his shooting from the field improved from 50.3 per cent in 2019-20 to 53.3.
But across two games - both starts - since returning on Thursday, Davis has just 21 points, seven rebounds and a single block in total.
Although he played less than 17 minutes in his first game back, his accuracy from the field has been most concerning, shooting 24.1 per cent having made just seven of his 29 attempts.
The Lakers lost both games to fall to 35-25 in fifth in the Western Conference, now just 1.5 games ahead of the Mavs.
The situation could have been even worse had the Portland Trail Blazers - 2.5 games back in seventh, a dreaded play-in place - not lost four straight.
"It's like you're starting over with the guys and just trying to find a connection with these guys again," Davis said after Saturday's 108-93 defeat.
"They're trying to find a connection with me. So, it's like we're starting from zero, which is tough so late in the season."
He added: "You've got to try to figure it out on the fly, which we're going to have to do."
James, who had 25.4 points, 7.9 assists and 7.9 rebounds and was in MVP contention before he went down, has been out since March 20 with a high ankle sprain.
Dennis Schroder, the team's third-best scorer with 15.6 points, said: "We're going to talk about it.
"I think when Bron comes back, we're going to have a conversation as a team. Because our chemistry off the court is great. But on the court, we've just got to turn it up some more."
Anderson Silva has posted a message of support for Chris Weidman after the American suffered a gruesome leg injury at UFC 261.
Just 17 seconds into his fight with Uriah Hall in Jacksonville, Florida, Weidman's lower right leg appeared to snap as he landed a kick to Hall's shin.
Weidman, 36, was removed from the Octagon on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital.
The injury came more than seven years after Silva suffered a nearly identical fate while fighting Weidman.
In December 2013, Silva broke his left leg landing a kick on Weidman's leg early in the second round of their UFC 168 match-up in Las Vegas.
Not long after Weidman's injury Saturday, Silva tagged the American in a message posted to Instagram: "My deepest and most sincere sentiments champ. Have faith, I wish you a speedy recovery. In this moment I wish you and your family light, love and knowledge.
"To the fans of the sport, please respect this moment of this incredible warrior and let's wish that he is 100% very recovered soon. May God bless you and your family."
Though many expected Silva's injury to end his career, the Brazilian returned to the Octagon a little over a year later, beating Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in January 2015. That victory was overturned due to doping violations, but Silva would fight six more times -- most recently a TKO loss to Hall last October.
That was Hall's last fight before Saturday, and he took no joy in the way the Weidman bout ended.
"I just want to make sure he's OK," Hall told ESPN.
"There's just no way to celebrate after this. It's unfortunate. I'm sure he put in a lot of time and dedication away from his family, and for this to happen ... I just wish him well."
The Crusaders will host the 2021 Super Rugby Aotaeroa final against the Chiefs after returning to winning ways with a 29-6 victory over the Blues on Sunday in Christchurch.
The 2020 Super Rugby Aotaeroa champions scored four tries to the Blues' none, with two from Will Jordan including a fine solo run to open the scoring in the seventh minute.
Sevu Reece and Codie Taylor also crossed for the Canterbury side who led 12-0 at the interval and never looked back.
Taylor remains the leading try scorer this season, getting his seventh of 2021 on the hour when the Crusaders maul forced their way over following a line-out.
The result also means that the Blues can no longer mathematically make for the top two thus will not feature in the decider despite having a game in hand against the Chiefs in Round 10, having collected no points on Sunday.
The Blues have lost four of their past five matches, fading from contention after a promising 2-0 start.
The Crusaders had gone down 26-25 to the Chiefs in Round Eight, putting at jeopardy their hopes of hosting the Final but Sunday's result ended any doubts.
Scott Robertson's side have been top of the table since Round Two, having started the 2021 season with five straight wins.
Fernando Tatis Jr. put on another show at Dodger Stadium, but it was the World Series champions who won out via small ball, defeating the San Diego Padres 5-4.
After slamming a pair of home runs in Los Angeles on Friday, Tatis repeated that feat Saturday -- and had some fun with Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer along the way.
In early March, Trevor Bauer spent most of the first inning of a spring training game against the Padres pitching with his right eye closed, calling it a training method he uses occasionally to challenge himself.
The Padres didn't forget about it. After Tatis homered off Bauer in the first inning Saturday, the San Diego star covered up his right eye with his hand as he rounded the bases.
Tatis also went deep off Bauer in the sixth to give San Diego a 3-2 lead, but the Padres' relievers would give the game away in the bottom of the inning.
With San Diego starter Blake Snell out of the game, Los Angeles strung together three singles and a bases-loaded walk to Mookie Betts to tie the game, then took the lead on a two-run single by Corey Seager.
Tatis had one last chance to be the hero in the ninth, coming up with the tying run on and one out, but Kenley Jansen got him to ground out, then struck out Trent Grisham to end it.
Yankees' Cole almost untouchable
Gerrit Cole was spectacular for the Yankees in New York's 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. The right-hander allowed just three hits and a run and did not walk a batter while striking out 11 to outpitch Shane Bieber (seven innings, four hits, two runs, nine strikeouts).
The Oakland Athletics won their 13th consecutive game after a 1-7 start, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 7-2. A three-run home run by Jed Lowrie in the fourth inning put the game out of reach for Oakland.
The Houston Astros lost starter Jake Odorizzi after five pitches and one out due to an arm injury, but Kent Emanuel pitched the rest of the game in his MLB debut, allowing a pair of solo home runs in a 16-2 Astros win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Reds hit bottom in NL Central
After spending more than two weeks with at least a share of first place in the National League Central, the Cincinnati Reds dropped to last in the division Saturday after their sixth consecutive lost, this one 2-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds managed only three hits, all singles, off John Gant and two St. Louis relievers in their latest setback.
White Sox walk it off
Up until the final inning of the Rangers-White Sox game Saturday, the only run had come on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the sixth that gave Chicago a 1-0 lead, but things got interesting in the ninth. Willie Calhoun tied the game with a home run for Texas in the top of the inning, but the White Sox put together a rally in the bottom half and won 2-1 on Nick Madrigal's walk-off double.
Saturday's results
Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Chicago Cubs
Oakland Athletics 7-2 Baltimore Orioles
Kansas City Royals 2-1 Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees 2-1 Cleveland Indians
Seattle Mariners 8-2 Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals 7-1 New York Mets
Houston Astros 16-2 Los Angeles Angels
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox 2-1 Texas Rangers
St Louis Cardinals 2-0 Cincinnati Reds
Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 Colorado Rockies
Miami Marlins 5-2 San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 San Diego Padres
Atlanta Braves-Arizona Diamondbacks (postponed)
Padres at Dodgers
San Diego (12-11) send Joe Musgrove to the mound for the final game of their series against the Dodgers (15-6) on Sunday. Dustin May will get the ball for Los Angeles.
Kamaru Usman knocked out Jorge Masvidal before a packed arena Saturday, retaining his welterweight title at UFC 261.
Usman (19-1-0) dropped Masvidal (35-15-0) with a right hand to the jaw one minute, two seconds into the second round.
The devastating blow landed seconds after the American had faced Usman with his hands lowered, smiling at the Nigerian.
Usman has won 14 consecutive fights, trailing only Anderson Silva's 16-fight run from 2006 to 2012 in UFC history.
"I know with my fundamentals I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now," Usman said.
Usman's strike prompted an eruption from the crowd of 15,269 in Jacksonville, Florida, capping an evening billed as the first full-capacity indoor event since the coronavirus pandemic took off in March 2020.
The marquee fight was a rematch from UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi last July, which Usman won by unanimous decision.
Saturday marked only the second time in his long career that Masvidal has been knocked out, with the previous one occuring in 2008.
In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas (11-4-0) knocked out Zhang Weili (21-2-0) with a kick to the head at 1:18 in the first round to reclaim the strawweight title -- the first woman to do so in any weight class in UFC history.
The American originally won the belt in November 2017 but lost it to Jessica Andrade in May 2019. She defeated Andrade in the rematch at UFC 251.
Andrade (21-9-0) also was on Saturday's card, falling via TKO to Valentina Shevchenko (21-3-0) in the second round.
Earlier, veteran fighter Chris Weidman's lower right leg appeared to snap on a kick 17 seconds into his bout with Uriah Hall (17-9), ending the match in a TKO. Weidman, 36, was carried out on a stretcher.
DeMar DeRozan out-dueled Zion Williamson down the stretch to give the San Antonio Spurs a 110-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
DeRozan scored nine of his 32 points in the final three minutes, bringing the visitors back from a late five-point deficit on Saturday.
The Spurs star made all 12 of his free-throw attempts as San Antonio collectively went 27 of 32 (84.4 per cent) from the line. New Orleans, meanwhile, made only 17 of 32 (53.1 per cent).
Williamson's ninth point of the 33 he would score gave him 2,000 for his career in just 79 games, which is 10th-fastest in NBA history. That marks the fewest games a player has needed to reach 2,000 points since Michael Jordan did it in his 73rd NBA game in 1985.
Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram added 24 points each for the Pelicans, but they could not overcome all of the missed free throws.
Randle, Knicks win ninth in a row
Julius Randle had 31 points as the New York Knicks rolled past the Toronto Raptors 120-103 for their ninth consecutive win -- the longest streak for New York since they won 13 in a row in 2013.
Bam Adebayo scored 20 points and added 10 assists as the Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls to move within a half game of the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Rookie Anthony Edwards' 23 points and nine rebounds helped the Minnesota Timberwolves hand the Utah Jazz a rare loss in Salt Lake City, 101-96. Utah are now 26-4 at home this season.
Sixers struggle to score
Playing without Joel Embiid, who missed the game with right shoulder soreness, the Philadelphia 76ers had only one starter score in double figures in a 132-94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia made just 31 of 82 from the field (37.8 per cent) as Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey led the scoring off the bench with 15 points each. Seth Curry paced the starters with 13 points.
Luka gets the roll
The Dallas Mavericks trailed the Los Angeles Lakers by as many as 17 points on Saturday but stormed back in the fourth quarter thanks in part to Luka Doncic doing what Luka Doncic does.
Saturday's results
Milwaukee Bucks 132-94 Philadelphia 76ers
New York Knicks 120-103 Toronto Raptors
Indiana Pacers 115-109 Detroit Pistons
Miami Heat 106-101 Chicago Bulls
San Antonio Spurs 110-108 New Orleans Pelicans
Dallas Mavericks 108-93 Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Timberwolves 101-96 Utah Jazz
Denver Nuggets 129-116 Houston Rockets
Suns at Nets
An appealing match-up of guards is on tap Sunday as Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns (42-17) visit Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets (40-20).
World number one Novak Djokovic was full of praise for his Serbia Open semi-final conqueror Aslan Karatsev but bemoaned his own "low level" performance.
Karatsev got past Djokovic in the longest match of the 2021 ATP Tour in Belgrade, triumphing 7-5 4-6 6-4 on Saturday.
The match went for three hours and 25 minutes, with the Russian securing a spot in Sunday's final against 10th ranked Matteo Berrettini.
The Serbian had beaten Karatsev in the Australian Open semi-finals two months ago, with the 27-year-old Russian, who is now ranked 28th, returning the favour.
"From my side, I played on quite a low level, in my opinion," Djokovic said.
“[I had] some flashes of good quality tennis. I was fighting. That is a positive.
"I was really trying all the way [and] the crowd was great. They carried me and tried to lift me up, all the way to the end.
"Because of them, I think I won the second set. Unfortunately in the third, he was just the better player in the decisive moments. I had my chances, but that is sport."
Djokovic was gracious in defeat, offering a thumbs up immediately after Karatsev secured victory along with complimentary words to his opponent who saved 23 of 28 break points.
"Karatsev showed a lot of courage and that is why I gave him the thumbs up," Djokovic said.
"I felt like he deserved to win… Once the final point is done, there is never bad blood. We are rivals on the court, but I don’t hate anybody. I can’t be upset with him if he beat me.
"I have to be upset with myself and question why I lost the match. Whoever beats me deserves the credit and I gave him that.
"I lost to a better player who was just more courageous. He went for his shots at the right time and it worked for him."
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel turned in a nine-under 63 in four-ball play to take the lead after the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The South African duo are 19-under for the tournament and were one of six teams to record a 63, vaulting them past second-round leaders Tony Finau and Cameron Champ by a stroke.
Australians Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith also shot nine-under and are tied for second with the American pair.
The top of the leaderboard at TPC Louisiana is crowded, with Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler sitting two shots back along with first-round leaders Viktor Hovland and Kris Ventura.
The tournament, which switched to a team event in 2017, features four-ball in the first and third rounds and foursomes in the second and fourth.
Three teams are at 16 under and nine more at 15 under, with the latter group including defending champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer.
The shot of the day belonged to Sam Ryder, who holed a five iron from 206 yards at No. 2 for a double eagle -- the first at the tournament since Rob Oppenheim did it in 2018.
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