Stephen Curry has revealed the Golden State Warriors discussed the possibility of re-signing Kevin Durant – a move their superstar point guard would have welcomed.
Durant appeared set to be on the move this offseason after requesting a trade away from the Brooklyn Nets.
The former NBA MVP joined the Nets after leaving the Warriors in 2019, where he had spent three seasons playing alongside Curry, reaching the Finals in each year and winning two titles and two Finals MVP awards.
Curry and Durant won 131 of the 168 regular season games they played together (78.0 per cent), so it was perhaps no surprise the idea of a reunion appealed to the Golden State stalwart.
Ultimately, the Nets announced they had "agreed to move forward with our partnership" with Durant, but Curry has detailed his thought-process as the saga played out.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, conducted in August for the October issue, Curry said: "There was a conversation internally amongst us about, 'If he was available, would you?'
"Every team has those conversations, and obviously in our situation, they're going to call me and ask me, 'How do you feel about it?'
"I was never hesitant. The idea of playing with KD and knowing who he is as a person, from our history in those three years, I think KD's a really good dude.
"I think he is misunderstood. I think he has had certain things happen in his life that hurt his ability to trust people around him, in a sense of making him feel safe at all times.
"So all of those things I understand, having played with him and gotten to know him. I love that dude.
"And if you said, 'Oh, KD's coming back, and we're going to play with him'... I had so much fun playing with him those three years, I'd be like, 'hell, yeah!'
"Then you have to think: what does that actually mean? What does it look like? You tell me I'm playing with [Warriors team-mates Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Draymond Green], I'm like, 'hell, yeah!'
"There's all types of emotion and things that happen to the league. And if anybody's saying that you wouldn't entertain that conversation... no disrespect to anybody on our team, but you don't know how things work.
"But you also understand, if we run this thing back, I've got complete confidence in my team that we can win it again, as constructed.
"So, all those things were true. And it started with me wanting to play with KD at the beginning.
"Yeah, it's about winning, it's about having fun, playing the game of basketball. And that was part of the reaction of, 'yeah, it'd be amazing'... what does that actually mean?"
Williams driver Alex Albon suffered complications following surgery for appendicitis that led to respiratory failure and intensive care, but he is expected to return home on Tuesday.
It was announced on Saturday that Albon would not race in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza having been transferred to hospital, with Nyck de Vries deputising in his place and finishing ninth to secure points in his first ever F1 race.
Albon is expected to return to for the next round of racing in Singapore, but a statement issued by Williams on Monday detailed complications that arose after the 26-year-old's surgery.
"Further to Alex Albon's diagnosis of appendicitis on the morning of Saturday 10 September, he was admitted to San Gerardo hospital for treatment. He underwent a successful laparoscopic surgery on Saturday lunchtime," the statement said.
"Following surgery, Alex suffered with unexpected post-operative anaesthetic complications which led to respiratory failure, a known but uncommon complication. He was re-intubated and transferred to intensive care for support.
"He made excellent progress overnight and was able to be removed from mechanical ventilation yesterday morning. He has now been transferred to a general ward and is expected to return home tomorrow. There were no other complications.
"Alex's full focus is on recovery and preparation ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix later this month."
Aaron Rodgers urged patience with the Green Bay Packers' young wide receiver group after rookie Christian Watson's early drop of a would-be touchdown proved costly against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers, playing their first regular-season game since trading All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason, averaged just 5.3 yards per pass in a listless 23-7 defeat to the Vikings in Week 1.
Green Bay would have put up more points if not for a loss of concentration from second-round pick Watson, who beat veteran Patrick Peterson on a downfield route but let a perfectly placed deep ball from Rodgers slip through his fingers on the Packers' first offensive play of the game.
That would have tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter, and the Packers did not find the endzone until the third, by which point they were in a 20-0 hole.
Rodgers looked visibly exasperated after the Watson drop and cut a frustrated figure during the loss.
However, he accepts that such moments are going to be part of the process of replacing Adams in part with two rookies in Watson and fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs.
"He [Watson] knew there was gonna be growing pains, this is the real football, it counts, it's different, there's nerves," Rodgers said.
"I thought Christian ran a great route to start the game. We talked about it during the week, 'Do you really want to start off with a bomb shot?'
"I said, 'Yeah what the hell? Why not? This kid can really fly, let's give him a chance', we've got to make those plays.
"We've got to have patience with those guys, they're young, they haven't been in the fire.
"That patience will be thinner as the season goes on but the expectation will be high, so we'll keep them accountable but it's gonna happen, there's gonna be drops, hate to see it on the first play but there's gonna be drops throughout the season.
"We had a lot of chances today. Not taking anything away from [the Vikings'] defense, but we hurt ourselves many times, myself included. I had a lot of opportunities to score a lot more than seven.
"[We] made a lot of mistakes in the perimeter, missed some throws, so there's a lot to clean up all the way around."
The Packers will look to bounce back in Week 2 when they have a second straight divisional game, this time at home to the Chicago Bears.
Victory at Flushing Meadows on Sunday night saw Carlos Alcaraz anointed both the US Open champion and the new world number one.
The victor of the New York final between Alcaraz and Casper Ruud would climb to the top of the ATP rankings, and a four-set success for the 19-year-old made him the youngest ever men's number one.
That record had previously belonged to a 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in November 2000.
Although Alcaraz's huge potential has long been public knowledge, the chances of him beating Hewitt's mark still seemed remote when he started 2022 ranked 32nd.
Even Juan Carlos Ferrero, the Spaniard's coach, did not anticipate a major breakthrough this soon, telling reporters after Sunday's win: "Of course, it comes very fast.
"It's a surprise for everybody except maybe to me, because I trained with him every day and I know [how] he's able to play on the court, [but] I was pretty sure that maybe it wasn't this year; it could be the next one."
By the time he took to Arthur Ashe Stadium against Ruud, however, Alcaraz's ascent to the top of the sport was a surprise to nobody.
Moving from number four to first place might have tied the biggest leap to number one in rankings history, but Alcaraz leads the ATP Tour in both match wins (51) and titles (five) in 2022.
There is little prospect of him slowing now, having become the first man in the Open Era to win the US Open title as early as in his second entry; the last to do so in any era was Pancho Gonzales back in 1948.
"Of course, I'm hungry for more," Alcaraz said afterwards. "I want to be in the top for many, many weeks. Hopefully many years.
"I'm going to work hard again after this week, this amazing two weeks. I'm going to fight to have more of this."
And Alcaraz will have to fight – Ferrero knows as much as that.
"The players now are going to play very motivated against him," the teenager's coach added. "Now he's number one. Before he was two or three.
"Even like this, it's like Real Madrid-Barcelona, there's a rivalry that gets you [to] increase your level. It's what is going to happen to him against his opponents. He has to be ready."
Since Roger Federer became the 23rd different men's number one in February 2004, the rankings have been dominated by the 'Big Three', with only Andy Murray and then, this year, Daniil Medvedev also leading the Tour in that time.
Now, as the 28th number one, Alcaraz – compared by Ruud to each of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – can set about securing his own long stay at the summit.
Aston Martin have signed F2 champion Felipe Drugovich as the first addition to their young driver programme.
The 22-year-old Brazilian won five races to clinch the F2 championship in 2022, where he was crowned winner in Monza, and signed his contract with the team on the same day.
Drugovich will take a spot as one of the team's reserve drivers in 2023, with Aston Martin planning for him to be involved in FP1 in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season as well as taking part in November's young driver test at the Yas Marina Circuit.
"Becoming a member of the AMF1 Driver Development Programme is a fantastic opportunity for me – and only adds to what has been an extremely enjoyable and successful 2022 season," Drugovich said.
"Winning in Formula 2 has long been regarded as the best possible launchpad into a career in Formula One, and I see my role at AMF1 as giving me all the tools to take that crucial next step.
"For me, 2023 will be a learning curve: I will be working with the F1 team, but my primary goal is to learn and develop as a driver. I hope that will give me an opportunity to race in Formula One in the future."
Drugovich's position with Aston Martin for 2023 effectively rules him out of the running for any vacancies on the grid, with a number of teams still yet to finalise their two drivers for next season.
Aston Martin may view Drugovich as the ideal successor to Fernando Alonso, who joins the team from Alpine for 2023 on a multi-year deal.
Tyreek Hill offered extremely colourful praise of Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel following their 20-7 Week 1 win over the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins delivered a performance to justify their offseason hype with a comfortable defeat of their AFC East rivals.
Miami held a 17-0 lead at half-time, with McDaniel making a decision that will likely increase his players' confidence in him late in the second quarter.
Leading 10-0 with the ball on the Patriots' 42-yard line on fourth down with seven yards to go, McDaniel - making his debut as a head coach - elected to go for it rather than punt the ball.
The move paid dividends, with Tua Tagovailoa hitting Jaylen Waddle on a slant route for a 42-yard touchdown to put the Dolphins in complete command.
And Hill, who arrived in a blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason, found an interesting way to hail the bravery of his coach.
"He's going to need a wheelbarrow for his nuts to carry around," Hill said of McDaniel. "Because he's got a lot of cojones."
Waddle was more conventional in handing out plaudits for McDaniel, saying: "He's just got confidence in us. We're confident in him, every decision that he makes.”
Tagovailoa, who threw for 270 yards and a touchdown in an encouraging start to what many belive is a make-or-break year for the quarterback, added: "I love it. He has the utmost confidence in the entire offense. That's why."
Hill had eight catches for 94 yards in his Dolphins debut.
Trey Lance conceded the San Francisco 49ers made too many mistakes in their shock opening defeat to the Chicago Bears in a game Kyle Shanahan felt they had control of.
The 49ers were seemingly given a soft landing to start the season by going on the road to face a Bears team starting a rebuild under new head coach Matt Eberflus.
San Francisco looked to be cruising to victory when they led 10-0 early in the third quarter following Robbie Gould's short field goal.
However, Justin Fields' improbable 51-yard touchdown pass to former 49er Dante Pettis on a third-down scramble turned the tide in the Bears' favour.
The Bears scored 19 unanswered points to claim a stunning 19-10 win, with the 49ers unable to mount a comeback after falling behind amid a deluge at Soldier Field.
San Francisco committed two turnovers, a Deebo Samuel fumble in the red zone in the first quarter and a Lance interception that led to the Bears' final touchdown.
The 49ers went one for three in the red zone and had 12 penalties accepted against them for 99 yards, two of which extended Bears scoring drives.
Those mistakes ensured the 49ers lost a game in which they outgained the Bears 331 yards to 204, with Shanahan believing a failure to punch the ball in from the Bears' two-yard line and Fields' subsequent touchdown throw to Pettis to be the turning point.
"We felt very in control... I thought we had every chance to run away with it in those first three quarters, especially those first two drives," Shanahan said.
"Having a fumble inside the 10, and the next drive getting down there and ending up getting a sack on third down that knocked us out of field goal range.
"Getting all the way down there [in the third quarter] and only come up with the field goal. I thought we had every chance to run away with it. We were going to get it right back to go again, then that penalty on third-and-long gave [the Bears] new life and they scored a touchdown. We never got the momentum back."
Lance pinned much of the blame on himself. Beginning his first season as the Niners' starting quarterback, Lance completed 13 of his 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception and carried the ball 13 times for 54 yards.
The 2021 third overall pick produced some impressive downfield throws but was frustrated by one he missed in the first quarter to tight end Tyler Kroft, who was wide open and likely would have strolled in for a touchdown.
"We made too many mistakes. Defense kept us in the game. I had a big miss to Tyler Kroft in the end zone," said Lance.
"I tried to throw a perfect ball, but I should've just put it right on him, he was wide open. Turned the ball over, took a sack, then knocked us out of field goal range. I shouldn't have missed Deebo Samuel on the third down, missed another third down to Jauan Jennings – just too many mistakes.
"I have a lot of stuff to clean up for sure. But man, I'm excited. I've still got my head up. I'm excited to get ready to go next week."
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has explained the reasoning behind two apparent gaffes that occurred during Sunday's overtime defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last season's defeated Super Bowl side had a rollercoaster ride in Week 1 of the new season, quarterback Joe Burrow having five turnovers – four of which came before half-time.
It was, however, two questionable decisions from the sideline that ultimately paved the way for the Steelers' dramatic win, one of which saw Taylor's special teams unit head out with a running clock to punt the ball early.
That gave Pittsburgh enough time to get into field goal range and win it, with questions asked as to why the Bengals did not run the clock all the way down – and Taylor reasoned it was due to a change in long-snapper, after Clark Harris suffered an early injury and was ruled out.
"New operation. We snapped there with 13 seconds, I understand that, trust me, we'd rather do something different," he said after the game.
"But just trying to make sure the operation ran smoothly, it turned out that we sacrificed some seconds just to make sure that we were all on the same page there."
The Bengals may have been able to avoid overtime entirely had the team elected to challenge the play that saw Ja'Marr Chase score an apparent touchdown that was not caught by the officials, Taylor again admitting mistakes were made.
"Part of it was that that's the hardest place for us to see in the entire field is that spot. I didn't think there was a chance there was a touchdown there initially. So, we got on the ball to run it in quickly," he added.
"It's hard with all the craziness in that moment, all the communication to get that 'Stop, stop. Let's evaluate this.'
"We just couldn't get it done fast enough by the time we'd seen a replay and realised 'Oh shoot, he might have gotten in there.' We've just got to learn from those.
"It's a fine line — when you get the ball on the inch, you just want to punch it in real quick. In hindsight, maybe he was in and we could have given ourselves a chance."
The Bengals travel to Dallas in Week 2 to face a Cowboys side set to be without quarterback Dak Prescott due to injury.
Carlos Alcaraz has a mixture of the qualities Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic possess, according to the man he defeated in the men's US Open final Casper Ruud.
Prodigious Spanish talent Alcaraz became a grand slam champion for the first time at the age of just 19 thanks to a 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 triumph at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.
It was a win that propelled him to the top of the world rankings for the first time, while Ruud has now lost two slam finals this year having been defeated by Nadal at the French Open.
Ruud was philosophical about losing to a player many believe will be the dominant force in the men's game, likening his movement on the court to legends Nadal and Djokovic.
"When someone asks about a player's biggest weapon you tend to think forehand, backhand, serve, whatever it is," Ruud said.
"But sort of his movement is one of his many weapons. It makes us other players feel like you need to paint the lines sort of to be able to hit a winner. Sometimes even that's not enough.
"He's very fast. He's very quick. He's a great mover. He can get to balls that we've probably never seen before.
"But you have other great movers, as well. I mean, this game has become so physically demanding, and all the players in the top of the world, they do the right things to improve always.
"Speed, agility of the players I think are just improving, improving. The physical aspect has been not changed but it has improved by everyone.
"I think Novak and Rafa and also [Roger] Federer, I think they kind of set the bar on how well you can move out there.
"Rafa, when he was Carlos' age, he was also similar. He tracked down everything. Almost no one could hit a winner on him. Novak the same with his flexibility. He gets to certain shots that you think, 'how is that even possible?'
"Carlos has sort of a mixture of both. He's fast, flexible. He can slide around. It's impressive. He's a hard nut to crack."
Ruud can take consolation from the fact his second appearance at a slam final was a marked improvement on Roland Garros where Nadal breezed to a 6-3 6-3 6-0 triumph.
The Norwegian conceded he had more belief going up against Alcaraz in New York, though he – somewhat tongue-in-cheek – added he hopes not to play a Spaniard in any future slam finals.
"I think obviously if you reach a grand slam final, whoever you play will be a great player on the opposite side of the net," he added.
"At Roland Garros, it was hard for me to believe that I could beat Rafa. Today was not easier, but I believed it more. I think these two tournaments have sort of made my self-belief to win a grand slam grow.
"Hopefully these two experiences can help me. I guess I hope I don't play a Spanish player if I ever reach another slam final! They know what they're doing in the slam finals. Let's hope for another than a Spanish [player]."
Ruud added: "I still thought I was the underdog in a way because of Carlos, he's on paper higher ranking and all these things.
"But it was more fun for me today. I didn't need to play the biggest idol of my life on the biggest match of my life. It was sort of easier for me to believe that I could win."
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will be sidelined indefinitely after fracturing his right thumb during Sunday night’s 19-3 season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, team owner Jerry Jones announced following the game.
Jones said Prescott’s injury would require surgery and will keep the star quarterback out for "several weeks" when speaking to reporters afterward. Prescott said he would undergo the procedure Monday while wearing a brace on his right hand during his postgame press conference.
"I was told it was much cleaner than it could have been," Prescott said.
Prescott sustained the injury when his hand struck the helmet of Tampa Bay pass rusher Shaquille Barrett with about six minutes remaining in the game. Cooper Rush replaced the two-time Pro Bowl selection for the rest of the contest.
The seventh-year veteran struggled prior to departing, completing just 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards and an interception.
Dallas, who played without one of its top receivers in Michael Gallup, and traded wideout Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason, managed only 244 total yards and finished 3-of-15 on third-down attempts.
After missing most of the 2020 season with a fractured right ankle, Prescott bounced back with an outstanding 2021 campaign in which he threw for 4449 yards and a career-high 37 touchdown passes in leading the Cowboys to a 12-5 record and an NFC East title. Dallas signed the 29-year-old to a four-year, $160million extension in March.
"It’s not the worst thing that has happened to me," Prescott said of this injury. "It’s just a bump in the road, and I will keep moving forward."
The Cowboys went 4-7 in Prescott’s absence in 2020 with three different quarterbacks making at least one start, with veteran Andy Dalton getting the bulk of playing time.
Rush is expected to make his second career start when the Cowboys host the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday. The former undrafted free agent helped Dallas to a 20-16 win at Minnesota in Week 8 of last season by throwing for 325 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
How quickly the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense would adjust to the loss of Tyreek Hill was the question on everyone’s minds entering the 2022 NFL season – but Patrick Mahomes and his teammates had a quick and emphatic answer.
Mahomes was nearly flawless and the offense unstoppable at times as the AFC powerhouses started their campaign with Sunday’s 44-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, extending the NFL’s current longest active wining streak in season openers.
The Chiefs didn’t miss a beat in their first outing since trading Hill, a six-time Pro Bowler who amassed a team-high 111 catches and 1,239 receiving yards in 2021, to the Miami Dolphins in March. Kansas City scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, with each drive 75 yards or longer, to build a 20-7 lead midway through the second quarter and force the Cardinals into catch-up mode right from the outset.
Mahomes capped each of those series with touchdown passes – two to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire – while completing a razor-sharp 16 of 19 throws for 163 yards over the course of those three drives.
"Guys were just ready to go," Mahomes said. "They were excited to get out there and show what we had. Everybody’s asked us the questions of what this offense, what this team’s going to look like. We’ve always believed that we were going to go out there and put on a show and I thought guys did that."
Mahomes didn’t stop there, finishing with five TD passes while completing 30 of 39 attempts for 360 yards without an interception to lead Kansas City to their eighth consecutive season-opening win under coach Andy Reid.
The 2018 NFL MVP has started the past five of those lid-lifters, and thrown for 18 touchdowns and no interceptions in those games.
"It’s coach Reid getting more weeks to game-plan," Mahomes said of his history of early-season success. "That’s always a good thing for me because he’s getting guys kind of running wide open.
"But then I think it’s (also) how we do training camp. It prepares you to be ready Week 1. Coach has a great game-plan in, you have guys flying around that are ready to go, ready to play a game and not be at practice against each other. We’ve done a great job of just executing in Week 1."
Mahomes’ rapport with the two players brought in to help replace Hill was instant as well. Former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster produced six catches for 79 yards (all in the first half) in his Chiefs debut, while ex-Green Bay Packer Marques Valdes-Scantling hauled in all four of his targets for 44 yards.
Six Kansas City players finished with at least three receptions on a day when Mahomes emphasised spreading the ball around, though star tight end Travis Kelce unsurprisingly was the focal point with 121 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.
"With the amount of tight ends, running backs and receivers that we have, it’s going to be everyone,” Mahomes remarked. "It’s going to be a lot of guys catching passes. It’s going to be running the football, it’s going to be throwing the football. It’s going to be the short game. It’s going to be the deep passes.
"I think that makes this a hard offence to stop."
The Dallas Cowboys had no answer for the swarming Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in the first Sunday night football matchup of the season, going down 19-3.
In a low-scoring contest, the only scores in the first half came from field goals, with Tampa Bay's Ryan Succop hitting four-of-five tries while the Cowboys only made it into field goal range once, with their first drive.
After their initial field goal to open the game, the Cowboys had nine more offensive drives in the game. They resulted in five punts, three turnovers-on-downs and one interception.
The only touchdown in the game came on a spectacular one-hand snag from Mike Evans on a five-yard goal-line fade in the endzone late in the third quarter, which would be the last score of any kind in the game.
It was far from Tom Brady's best performance, but the 45-year-old was more than serviceable, completing 18-of-27 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Evans was his top receiver, catching five of his seven targets for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Julio Jones had an impressive debut with his new team, catching three of his five targets – including a 48-yard bomb down the sideline – for 69 yards.
In his return from a torn ACL, Tampa Bay's other elite receiver Chris Godwin left the game after suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter.
Leonard Fournette was excellent running the ball for the Bucs, tallying 127 yards from his 21 carries while also adding two catches for 10 yards.
For the Cowboys, Noah Brown (five catches for 68 yards) and Dalton Schultz (seven catches for 62 yards) were the only players to have more than Ceedee Lamb's 29 receiving yards, while Ezekiel Elliot led the way on the ground with 52 rushing yards from 10 carries.
Things went from bad-to-worse late in the fourth quarter when Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott was hit awkwardly on the hand as he released a throw, leaving the game with three minutes to play and not returning.
Speaking after the game, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed Prescott will need surgery on his hand and will miss multiple weeks.
Carlos Alcaraz never thought his success would come as quickly as it has, with the 19-year-old becoming the youngest men's world number one in history by defeating Casper Ruud in the US Open final on Sunday.
It was Alcaraz's first grand slam final, and in the process he broke the record for the most cumulative court time at a single grand slam after grinding through three consecutive five-set matches in the lead-up to the four-set final.
This is the third big tournament the Spaniard has won this year. He became the first player born after the year 2000 to win an ATP 1000 Masters event when he beat Ruud at the Miami Open, and then followed it up with a straight-sets win over Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open final.
Speaking to the media after his maiden major title, Alcaraz called it "crazy" and a "dream".
"Well, it's crazy for me," he said. "I never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old – everything has come so fast.
"For me it's unbelievable. It's something I've dreamed since I was a kid, since I started playing tennis. Of course, lifting this trophy today is amazing for me.
"Right now I'm enjoying the moment – I'm enjoying having the trophy in my hands – but, of course, I'm hungry for more.
"I want to be at the top for many, many weeks – hopefully many years. I'm going to work hard again after this… I'm going to fight for more of this."
With his rapid rise to the pinnacle of the sport, Alcaraz said his victory in Miami was when he realised the path he was on could include grand slam titles.
"Honestly, since I won Miami," he said. "Since I won Miami, I thought I was able to have a grand slam in my hands.
"But before Miami, I was thinking that I have to still grow up. I thought that I'm able to have good results in a grand slam, but not a champion.
"But I would say after Miami – I won great matches in a row – I would say after that I thought that I'm able to win a grand slam."
Two-time All-Star Justin Turner hit a pair of home runs to help his Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the San Diego Padres 11-2 on Sunday, giving them three consecutive series wins against their California rivals.
It was a bright start for the Padres, who led 2-0 through four innings of action as Joe Musgrove was pitching well and Jake Cronenworth hit a home run – before it all unravelled.
Turner got the first run on the board for the Dodgers with a solo home run in the fifth inning, before Chris Taylor followed suit two batters later to tie the game at 2-2.
A two-RBI, bases loaded single in the next frame from Max Muncy was the end of Musgrove, who finished with four earned runs from six hits and a walk.
But it was just the beginning for the Dodgers, who added six more runs in the seventh inning, capped off with a grand slam from Turner for his second homer of the game and 13th of the season.
Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney gave another good showing as he finished with two earned runs in five innings, striking out six.
After going four-for-five at the plate on Saturday and two-for-three on Sunday, Freddie Freeman now leads the majors in batting average at .331, and he has hit four more doubles (45) than any other player.
The Dodgers are 7-2 in their nine games against the Padres since the All-Star break, opening up a 20-game lead in the NL West.
Ohtani homers again in Angels loss
Shohei Ohtani is now tied for the fifth-most home runs in the league, with his 34th of the campaign coming in a 12-4 loss against the Houston Astros.
Ohtani – who is also seventh in the league for strikeouts as a pitcher (188 in 24 starts) – connected on his big two-run blast as the second batter of the game, but after teammate Andrew Velazquez put the Angels up 3-0 in the second inning, it would be all downhill from there.
The Astros rattled off the next 12 runs in a row, with home runs to Mauricio Dubon, Alex Bregman, Trey Mancini, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker, extending their lead atop the American League to five-and-a-half games.
Pujols moves into fourth place on all-time home run list
Albert Pujols inched closer to the magical 700 home run mark on Sunday as he launched number 697 to help his St Louis Cardinals come from behind in the last inning to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.
Trailing 2-0 in the last inning, a Corey Dickerson RBI double cut the margin to one, before Pujols drilled a high fastball 403 feet over the center-field wall.
Retiring at the end of the season, the 42-year-old seemed incredibly unlikely to reach 700 at the All-Star break, but he has since posted one of the best second halves to a season of his career, hitting 11 home runs in 99 at-bats while slashing .343/.400/.737.
Casper Ruud was understandably disappointed to miss out on the US Open title and the world number one spot, but he vowed to continue his pursuit of a major breakthrough.
Ruud played his second grand slam final of the season at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, yet that match ended in the same manner as his French Open defeat to Rafael Nadal.
The Norwegian, who would have led the rankings had he taken the title, went down 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 to Carlos Alcaraz, who instead himself became the youngest ever number one.
It was the first major final played between two men looking to become number one for the first time.
Ruud was bidding to make the biggest leap to the top of the rankings, having previously been the world number seven.
It was not to be, but the 23-year-old's reward for his form in New York was number two – a fine consolation prize.
"It's tough to explain everything," Ruud said, reflecting on his season. "Things have been going so well. I'm so excited for it.
"Today was a special evening. Both Carlos and I knew what we were playing for, we knew what was at stake.
"It's fun that both finalists would be number two and number one tomorrow. I think it's fitting.
"I'm disappointed, of course, that I'm not number one, but number two is not too bad either. I will continue to chase for my first grand slam and the number one ranking."
Carlos Alcaraz was determined fatigue would not get the better of his US Open title tilt, but he accepted he was "a little bit" tired after defeating Casper Ruud in Sunday's final.
Alcaraz set a grand slam record for the most time spent on court at a single tournament, in large part due to playing five-set matches in the fourth round, quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Still, the 19-year-old had enough energy left to take down Ruud in four sets, with his 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 victory making him a first-time major champion and the new world number one.
Asked if he would now acknowledge the effects of this run on him, Alcaraz replied: "A little bit.
"I always say it's not time to be tired in the final round of a grand slam or any tournament; you have to give everything on court, everything you have inside. It's something I work really, really hard on."
Alcaraz is the youngest player to ever sit atop the men's rankings, and he added: "This is something I dreamt of since I was a kid, to be number one in the world, to be a champion of a grand slam.
"It's something I worked really, really hard for. It's tough to talk right now. There's a lot of emotions right now.
"This is something I tried to achieve. All the hard work I did with my team, my family... I'm just 19 years old, so all the tough decisions are with my parents, my team as well. This is something that is really, really special for me."
Carson Wentz was as inconsistent as ever in his Washington Commanders debut, but he has the support of head coach Ron Rivera.
Wentz, who was traded to Washington from the Indianapolis Colts this offseason, made his first Commanders start in Sunday's 28-22 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The quarterback was typically unpredictable in his play as he threw four touchdown passes and two interceptions.
However, the second of two TD passes for rookie Jahan Dotson put Wentz's new team in a position to win and showed why he has the trust of Rivera.
"I'll take antacids," Rivera said. "We're going to ride with him, we'll go with the good, we'll go with the bad.
"We did a lot of research on him, and we felt comfortable and confident that this is a guy we need around here, a guy that has some courage."
Wentz added: "I've played a lot of football, I've seen the ups and the downs.
"I know from the past trying to do too much in those situations can come back to haunt you. I believed in them and guys made plays when it mattered."
The Minnesota Vikings earned an important divisional win at home in Week 1, defeating the Green Bay Packers 23-7 after a massive game from star receiver Justin Jefferson on Sunday.
Jefferson was named second-team All-Pro last year in his second season in the league, and he showed against the Packers why many feel he could be the top wide receiver in the entire league.
He had three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown on the first drive alone, before going on to finish with gaudy figures of nine catches for 184 yards and two scores.
While Jefferson was the offensive star, the Vikings' defense was the reason they won the game, holding the Packers scoreless in the first half to head into the long break leading 17-0.
With Aaron Rodgers' former top target Davante Adams traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason, he struggled to move the ball downfield. While Adams racked up 10 catches and 141 yards from 17 targets in his Raiders debut, no Green Bay receiver finished with more than Romeo Doubs' four catches for 37 yards from five targets, although running back A.J. Dillon did reach 46 receiving yards after some garbage-time action.
Coming off back-to-back league MVP awards, Rodgers finished a disappointing 22-of-34 for 195 yards, throwing one interception and no touchdowns. He was also sacked four times by the impressive Vikings pass rush, including one by former Packers edge rusher Za'Darius Smith.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins enjoyed a clean start to the season, going 23-of-32 for 277 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, while top running back Dalvin Cook was strong with 20 carries for 90 yards.
Barkley announces return to form in Giants win
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley had not scored a touchdown since Week 4 of last season, but he found form again in style as he carried his side to a 21-20 win on the road against the Tennessee Titans.
Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, had been questioned about if he would ever return to his best, but he looked like the old Barkley against the Titans as he piled up 164 yards and a touchdown from 18 carries, while adding six catches for 30 yards through the air.
As well as dominating through the middle stages of the contest, he also delivered in a big spot to decide the game, converting a two-point conversion after Daniel Jones threw what ended up being the game-winning touchdown with one minute to play.
The Titans got the ball back and worked their way into field goal range, but with a chance to hit a walk-off game winner, Randy Bullock pulled the 47-yard kick left to gift the win to the Giants.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud in four sets to win his first major at the US Open and make history in moving to the top of the ATP rankings.
Either Alcaraz or Ruud would have taken the world number one spot had they won at Flushing Meadows, and it was the 19-year-old who prevailed 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 on Sunday.
The teenager – the second-youngest New York champion of the Open Era after Pete Sampras – therefore became the youngest ever men's number one.
Alcaraz had come through five-set matches in each of the prior three rounds, and he was again worked hard by Ruud – the new number two.
Ultimately, though, the highly talented Spaniard had the staying power to win his first grand slam title, becoming the first teenager to do so since Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.
Despite the draining efforts of previous nights, Alcaraz made a rapid start, quickly forging three break points in the third game of the match and taking the second of them.
Ruud did little else wrong in the first set but had to bide his time to respond, losing the opener and fending off an opportunity for a break in the second before immediately applying pressure going the other way.
The Norwegian reached an Alcaraz drop shot and lobbed his opponent before watching the backhand reply land long to lead, although three unforced errors in the next game almost let Alcaraz back in.
Instead, Ruud dug in and then profited when a sloppy Alcaraz service game allowed him to clinch the second set.
Alcaraz responded in sublime fashion, immediately piling on the pressure in the third frame and breaking down Ruud's defence with a pinpoint drop shot, yet the set was level again when he crashed into the net, with a sensational rally required to reach a tie-break.
A couple of wild Ruud strokes decided the 73-minute set in Alcaraz's favour, though, and the fifth seed went long in the fourth to set his opponent on course, with an emotional victory secured in ruthless style.
Data Slam: Marathon man Carlos crowned in New York
Only the third player to reach the US Open final after winning in five sets in each of the prior three rounds, Alcaraz avoided seeing another match going all the way – even if past results suggest that would have worked in his favour.
Regardless, Alcaraz set a new record for the most time spent on court at a major tournament. Since 1999, when this data was first available, Kevin Anderson's 2018 Wimbledon run had previously represented the benchmark.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Alcaraz – 14/3
Ruud – 4/2
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Alcaraz – 55/41
Ruud – 37/29
BREAK POINTS WON
Alcaraz – 3/11
Ruud – 3/10
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