Zion Williamson will be day-to-day despite exiting the New Orleans Pelicans' 120-103 preseason loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday early with left ankle soreness.

The 2019 NBA Draft top overall pick missed all of last season with a foot injury, meaning there was concern with his departure with 6:42 left in the second quarter against the Heat after rolling his ankle entering the lane.

But Williamson and Pelicans head coach Willie Green both clarified that the decision was precautionary.

Green said: "He's doing fine. Looks like, I think, he might have rolled his ankle a little bit. He’ll be day to day."

Williamson had 11 points on three-of-seven shooting until that point, having spent a few more minutes on court trying to play through pain.

"It was one of those things where it happened and I popped back up, like, 'Yeah, I'm straight,'" Williamson said.

"Played a few minutes after that, it felt fine. Then they sent me to the back just to double check. We wanted to look at it, had a doc look at it, and he just said a little day-to-day soreness. And, but outside of that, I personally feel fine. Wasn't bad news from the docs."

Williamson averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the 2020-21 season, where he became an All-Star, having played only 24 games in his rookie season.

The Pels have one more preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, before starting their NBA campaign against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

The San Diego Padres tied up the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a nail-biting 5-3 victory in a game that included five solo home runs on Wednesday.

Manny Machado played a key role going two-for-five, including a first-inning solo homer along with a third-inning RBI, while Jurickson Profar got his fifth RBI this postseason to put the Padres up 4-3 in the sixth inning.

Jake Cronenworth added another with a solo blast over right-field in the eighth inning before Josh Hader closed it out.

Yu Darvish pitched five innings with seven strikeouts but allowed seven hits and three runs.

The Dodgers had their chances, with nine batters left on base, while they did not have a hit with a runner in scoring position all night.

Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Trea Turner all scored solo home runs for the Dodgers. Freeman, who went two-for-four, got on base with a ninth-inning double but Will Smith was caught short of the wall in right-field by Juan Soto to end it.

Clayton Kershaw had six K's across five innings for the Dodgers, restoring his position as the MLB's all-time leading postseason strikeout leader with 213.

Pitcher Brusdar Graterol made a key play down 4-3 in the sixth inning, throwing out Wil Myers at home from a Trent Grisham bunt, but the Dodgers could not capitalise with the Padres' bullpen again exceptional, led by Robert Suarez.

The next two games of the NLDS are at Petco Park where the Padres will be playing in front of their fans in a postseason game for the first time since 2006.

Wright leads Braves to level up with Phillies

Kyle Wright threw six stellar innings as the Atlanta Braves squared the NLDS as they blanked the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0.

After a lengthy rain delay, Wright allowed only two hits with one walk, whilst striking out six Phillies, before reliever A.J. Minter pitched a perfect seventh inning.

The Braves piled on all three runs in the sixth inning with three consecutive two-out singles, as Ronald Acuna Jr overcame a 96mph fastball from Zack Wheeler to his elbow to break the tie, driven in by Matt Olson whose line hit got by first baseman Rhys Hoskins on an in-between hop.

Austin Riley's gentle dribble got Dansby Swanson to home plate, before Travis d'Arnaud grounded to center-field to drive in Olson.

Coco Gauff won the battle of the American teenagers as she progressed into the San Diego Open second round with a 6-3 6-3 over Robin Montgomery on Wednesday.

The 2022 French Open finalist beat fellow 18-year-old Montgomery in a rain-affected match in one hour and 23 minutes, to clinch a last-16 clash with Bianca Andreescu.

The match marked Gauff's first game on tour since losing to Caroline Garcia in the US Open quarter-finals last month, although she had to endure an overnight rain delay, resuming on Wednesday up 6-3 3-2.

Gauff only needed 20 minutes on Wednesday to close out the victory, finishing the match with 3-0 aces, winning 76 per cent on her first serve and converting four of seven break points.

Croatian qualifier Donna Vekic continued her strong run with a 6-3 6-2 win over 2022 US Open quarter-finalist Karolina Pliskova. Vekic moved into the third round, having beaten Maria Sakkari in the first round too.

Fourth seed Jessica Pegula eased her way into the third round with a 6-3 6-1 victory over wild card Coco Vandeweghe in only 69 minutes. Pegula can secure her first WTA Finals qualification this week.

Danielle Collins was another American victor, triumphing 6-2 6-4 over Italy's Martina Trevisan in one hour and 27 minutes, reaching her third quarter-final of the year.

Ben Simmons acknowledges that part of being Ben Simmons means he is going to hear plenty of criticism via social media.

The Brooklyn Nets swingman, who has often been on the wrong end of tough criticism, also understands that it is just social media and he can’t let it bother him.

The 26-year-old once again received plenty of jibes after a video of him airballing a shot during an event in a Brooklyn park on Sunday went viral.

It was just another instance of insults directed at the former number one overall pick, but he understands he just has to brush it off.

"It finds me all the time," Simmons told ESPN prior to Wednesday night's preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks. "And it doesn't f---ing stop. Sometimes I'm even sick of it, but then I'm like, 'OK, I'm Ben Simmons, you know? It comes with being Ben Simmons right now'.

"Even the other day there was a clip of me airballing a shot at the park. Meanwhile, like 10 guys airballed multiple shots. So it's like people will find one clip and try to make it that everything - like Ben can't do [this or that].

"Like come on man, you think I'm just airballing every shot? It's not true. But it comes with it, and you got to have tough skin and I realize that, but nah, I can't take everything personally. It's social media."

And there has been plenty of hostility aimed his way over social media in the last 16 months - despite him not playing a game in that time.

In the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, he was ridiculed mercilessly for passing up a wide-open dunk late in the Philadelphia 76ers’ Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

That was his final game for the Sixers, as he sat out last season due to mental health concerns while being called soft by his critics. He then never suited up for the Nets after being acquired at the trade deadline due to a lingering back injury.

Simmons, though, tells himself the reason he is on the receiving end of so much mockery is because he can still produce at a high level on the court.

"Because people know what I can do, what I'm capable of," Simmons said. "I believe that's what it is. Like if I was somebody that wasn't capable of doing certain things, I don't think people would be on my ass as much.

"And I don't mind it because it kind of motivates me in a way. Obviously, sometimes it's a lot for anybody to deal with that, but I look at it a little bit like a respect thing, in a way."

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss another game due to concussion, confirmed head coach Mike McDaniel.

Tagovailoa was highly unlikely to feature in Sunday's game against Minnesota Vikings despite returning to the practice field this week, but McDaniel declared he would not play on Wednesday.

The Dolphins QB has not played since being concussed in the Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 29.

Tagovailoa's replacement, Teddy Bridgewater, was also concussed in their Week 5 game against the New York Jets, meaning rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson will make his first career start versus the Vikings.

"Now, when talking about this week and playing, I don't see a scenario - I don't see him being active. I do not plan to have him play at all," McDaniel told reporters about Tagovailoa.

"As far as his exact timeline of when he's going to play, I'll be excited to consider that whenever that comes up. Right now, I'm just really focused on him getting out there and feeling good and being around his teammates, and that those types of decisions aren't in the immediate future right now. I'll handle that when that comes after."

McDanel revealed Tagovailoa may pass concussion protocol the Week 6 game but that the Dolphins would not rush him back despite being depleted in that department with Bridgewater out.

"He hasn't done a thing on the football field for literally two weeks," McDaniel said.

"I don't think that that would be fair to the player. That wouldn't be fair to the team… I don't feel comfortable putting him in that situation."

Tagovailoa was stretchered off and briefly hospitalized after hitting his head on the turf and being concussed against the Bengals.

That came only four days after a similar incident against the Buffalo Bills where he was evaluated for concussion at halftime, having appeared unstable on his feet but cleared to play on.

The incident led to the NFL Players' Association conducting a review of the league's concussion protocol, which was amended last week to include ataxia as a symptom. Bridgewater was the first player impacted by the protocol change in Week 5.

The Dolphins are on a two-game losing streak, sitting 3-2 after beginning the 2022 season with three successive wins.

Atlanta Braves reliever Tyler Matzek will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire postseason.

Braves manager Brian Snitker confirmed the news prior to Game 2 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Matzek had experienced discomfort in his elbow late in the regular season and the Braves have now determined he requires surgery to resolve the injury.

"Hate it for him," Snitker told reporters. "He's struggled with things all year. I don't know, maybe this is the reason.

"I think him going ahead and getting it done and starting the process, I think he feels really good about that."

The 2021 World Series champion has been a valuable member of the Braves bullpen over the past few seasons.

Matzek appeared in 13 postseason games last year, giving up just three runs as the Braves won the World Series title, although he has been less effective this year.

The surgery puts 31-year-old left-hander Matzek's availability for the 2023 season in doubt.

"He's still a young man, can have a really good career as we've seen what he can do," Snitker said.

"I hate it for him that he can't experience this again. But talking to him, when he left to go for the examination, he was in a good place, and I think he felt good about his future and going ahead and taking care of this."

Matzek later tweeted: "Thank you to everyone for the support. Plan to come back stronger after this."

Coco Gauff believes her and fellow teen Robin Montgomery are products of Venus and Serena Williams' legacy as the Roland Garros runner-up looks to inspire the next generation of African-American talent.

The two 18-year-old Americans collided in the opening round of the San Diego Open, with Gauff prevailing 6-3 6-3 in what was her first match since defeat by Caroline Garcia in the US Open quarter-finals last month.

This season's Roland Garros finalist is widely believed to be the next dominant player from her nation following the retirement of Serena Williams at Flushing Meadows.

Along with sister Venus, the Williams sisters won a combined 30 major singles titles during their highly decorated careers, as well as 14 grand slam triumphs in women's doubles, in which they are also the only pair to win a career golden slam.

And Gauff hopes she can follow the sisters' well-trodden footsteps, while also going on to serve as an inspiration herself.

"It definitely affects the future a lot," she said during her post-match interview. "If Serena and Venus saw this today; two 18-year-olds - both African-American - playing on the WTA 500 level - I think they would be proud.

"I think both of us are products of their legacy. I'm grateful that I had those examples to follow after, and I hope I can be an example myself."

On the match, she said: "It was the first time playing someone younger than me in probably at least seven years. It was definitely a different feeling for me.

"I know Robin very well, we went on a couple of USTA trips back when we were about eight-years-old. She played really well, I expected a good level from her. I was pretty impressed with how well she was striking the ball; it was difficult for me."

Aaron Rodgers was absent from the Green Bay Packers' practice on Wednesday, but head coach Matt LaFleur is not worried about his availability for Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

Rodgers injured his thumb on the final play of the Packers' 27-22 defeat to the New York Giants at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the weekend.

The reigning MVP threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, but could not prevent defeat as Green Bay slipped to 3-2 for the season.

Despite missing Wednesday's practice, LaFleur is confident Rodgers will be fit to play against the Jets on Sunday.

"I don't think we have much concern for game day," LaFleur told reporters.

The Packers sit second in the NFC North, kept off top by the Minnesota Vikings, who beat them 23-7 in Week 1.

Back to work in Green Bay. @AllenLazard | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/ZgdbJXbnN7

Odell Beckham Jr hit out at the Los Angeles Rams for offering him the "lowest of low" contracts, though Sean McVay expects his side will go back in with new negotiations.

The Rams wideout suffered an ACL injury in February's Super Bowl LVI as Los Angeles narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at their home of SoFi Stadium.

Beckham Jr signed a short-term deal with the Rams last November, though it was expected he would re-sign after an impressive postseason.

The 29-year-old is yet to find a new NFL side as he remains a free agent, but a reunion with the Rams appeared seemingly unlikely after Beckham Jr revealed his disappointment with his former team.

"LA knows where I wanted to be… but they didn't offer me….anything!," he posted on Twitter.

"So [I don't know] what people want me to do, I definitely know my worth and what the offer was isn't reflective of that.

"So it's tough to say that I can come on back even though I thought I finally found that home!

"But yes, LA treated me normal and special all in the same breath, we see how that played out! For both sides.

"I went out to win a [trophy] there knowing the risk of playing without an ACL… and then I got the lowest of low offers after that going into the next season."

Beckham Jr ended the series of posts with "Impossible" followed by two laughing emojis, suggesting he values himself far above what the Rams offered.

The Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs are said to be the favourites to sign Beckham Jr, though Rams coach McVay claimed negotiations are far from over.

"I love Odell," McVay told reporters. "We have constant dialogue. He also knows that certainly I don't think that's the last [offer] that would come from us. I'm not familiar with what it is.

"He knows how we feel about him. We've got a little bit of time. But [I] love Odell. Nothing but good things coming from me."

Sometimes in fantasy football, there's one game that proves a bonanza for managers who invested in players from the teams involved.

Anyone who had Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Derek Carr or Davante Adams in their lineup for Monday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders can attest to that.

A week earlier, those who happened to go with players from the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions were likely celebrating wildly as they shared 93 points in a remarkable shootout.

Forecasting such games can be difficult, but the Seahawks could be involved in another this weekend, and their Week 6 matchup features heavily in Stats Perform's fantasy picks.

Quarterback: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals' offense has been an extremely difficult watch so far in 2022, but a trip to Seattle to face the Seahawks represents an extremely favourable matchup.

Only the Detroit Lions (170) have allowed more points than the Seahawks (154) through five games, while Seattle's defense has given up a league-high 8.17 yards per pass play.

Murray has just one 300-yard passing game so far this year, but that seems almost certain to change against an opponent as porous as the Seahawks.

Running Back: Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots @ Cleveland Browns

Over the last three games, Stevenson has racked up 300 yards at an average of 5.88 yards per carry.

Ten of his carries in that time have gone for 10 yards or more. Only Nick Chubb of the Browns (13) has produced more such rushes in that time.

Stevenson and Chubb will both look to make an impact when the Patriots visit Cleveland and the former will be extremely confident going against a Browns defense that struggles to stop anybody on the ground, allowing 5.32 yards per rush.

Simply put, if you have Stevenson on your fantasy roster, you're starting him.

Wide Receiver: Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals

Let's return to the NFC West matchup in the Pacific Northwest, in which there is little reason not to expect the Seahawks to put up points given they have scored 80 in their last two games and face another vulnerable defense here.

The Cardinals held the high-flying Eagles to 20 points but have allowed 6.86 yards per pass play, the eighth-most in the NFL.

Since Week 2, Lockett has 378 receiving yards, fewer than only four other players in that time. With Geno Smith delivering a well-thrown ball on 86.8 per cent of pass attempts, the second-best rate among quarterbacks with at least 100, the Seahawks going against Arizona's defense is a recipe for another big day for Lockett.

Tight End: Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers

The Rams' offense is struggling, and the Panthers' defense is unquestionably the best aspect of their team. So, on the surface, picking out a Rams offensive player not named Cooper Kupp may seem a bemusing move.

But Higbee has been targeted 24 times over the course of the Rams' heavy defeats to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the last two weeks, and he has caught 17 of those passes.

He is a considerable safety net for Matthew Stafford, who is again likely to face a heavy pass rush in this encounter. Going against a 1-4 Panthers team going across the country having just had their head coach fired, the opportunities Higbee will receive should make a valuable fantasy performance, especially in points per reception leagues.

Defense/Special Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Buccaneers' hugely impressive defense, which has allowed the fourth-fewest yards per play (4.7) in the league, should feast on a lowly Steelers team that managed only three points last week in Buffalo.

Pittsburgh's rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has four interceptions in just six quarters of play this season. The Buccaneers have forced nine turnovers, the fifth-most in the NFL. It's an easy decision to start Tampa's defense.

Magda Linette was the highest-profile casualty at the Transylvania Open on Wednesday after suffering a straight-sets defeat against Xinyu Wang.

Four of the seeded players have now fallen at the first hurdle in Cluj, with Lucia Bronzetti also joining Linette, Ana Bogdan and Marta Kostyuk in suffering early exits.

Fifth seed Linette was beaten 6-2 6-4 by Wang, while ninth seed Bronzetti went down 4-6 6-2 6-4 against world number 89 Dalma Galfi.

Anna Bondar is through to the quarter-finals, though, with the eighth seed enjoying a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 victory over Harriet Dart.

Jasmine Paolini took just 58 minutes to wrap up a resounding 6-4 6-1 win over Dayana Yastremska.

Next up for the Italian is a last-eight showdown with Wimbledon quarter-finalist Jule Niemeier, who overcame Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4 6-4.

Roberto Carballes Baena stunned second seed Matteo Berrettini in a thriller at the Firenze Open, winning 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 in the last 16.

Berrettini edged a thrilling first set 7-5, which clocked in at 75 minutes long, and faced another stern challenge in the second.

At one point trailing 4-2, Berrettini fought back to set-up a tie-breaker that was equally tight, with Carballes Baena fighting back from 4-2 down to force a decider.

With the clock past the three-hour mark, Carballes Baena capped off a remarkable comeback in the third set to send Berrettini tumbling out of the tournament, coming back from a break down once again.

Earlier in the day, fourth seed Maxime Cressy was eliminated by American compatriot J.J. Wolf after a 6-3 6-4 defeat and fifth seed Aslan Karatsev was also eliminated, losing 6-1 6-7(6-8) 6-1 in a two-and-a-half-hour showdown.

At the Gijon Open, second seed Pablo Carreno Busta sealed a spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-4 7-6(3) victory over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, forcing three errors from Monteiro in the second-set tie-breaker.

Fifth seed Tommy Paul secured safe passage to the quarter-finals, beating Nicolas Alvarez Varona 6-3 7-6 (7-3), with Pedro Cachin and Sebastian Korda among the day's other winners.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is unlikely to make his return following thumb surgery against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to coach Mike McCarthy.

Prescott suffered a fracture near his right thumb in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' season-opening 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month.

Cooper Rush has deputised ably since then, leading the team on a four-game winning streak, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said he was unlikely to keep the starting spot when Prescott returns to fitness.

Prescott was set to throw for the first time since suffering his injury following Wednesday's practice, but McCarthy is planning to start Rush against the NFL's only unbeaten team on Sunday.

"We are preparing for Cooper to start against the Eagles," McCarthy told reporters.

"I think we're still in the medical rehab phase. So once he [Prescott] clears this phase and he's fully activated, then I think that's when we have our conversation.

"You've got to trust the medical process. This is a 17-game season. That was my immediate response. I know Dak didn't want to hear it, but you've got to make sure that he's right for the long haul, too.

"So I'm not saying we're being conservative because that doesn't line up with him, with the way he approaches preparing to play. But, yeah, this really is following the medical timeline."

McCarthy also stated his belief the team's form had not been significantly altered by their change of quarterback after Week 1.

"He [Prescott] is doing all the things you can possibly do and more to get ready," McCarthy added. "But I don't think it would've changed, from my view."