Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will not rush into any decisions on his playing future after the Green Bay Packers missed the playoffs.

The Packers lost 20-16 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The Packers had rallied from a 4-8 record by winning four straight games to set up a win-and-in situation against the Lions.

But Rodgers and Green Bay failed to uphold their end of the bargain, with the 39-year-old throwing a fourth-quarter interception on their last drive after the Lions had re-claimed the lead with Jamaal Williams' second rushing TD.

Rodgers is under contract for next season, but given his age and public comments, retirement has been a constant topic of discussion. The quarterback opted against being drawn on it in the immediate aftermath of the season-ending defeat.

"It's a little raw right now," Rodgers told reporters.

"It's just a little bit after the game, so I want to take the emotion out of it and have the conversation and see where the organisation is at and see how I feel after some time has passed.

"At some point, the carousel comes to a stop and it's time to get off, and I think you kind of know when that is.

"That's what needs to be contemplated. Is it time? Also, what’s the organisation doing? That's part of it as well. But the competitive fire is always going to be there. I don’t think that ever goes away."

Green Bay's loss was dotted with miscues including Rodgers' interception, along with a second-quarter Aaron Jones fumble and Quay Walker's inexplicable fourth-quarter ejection for pushing a Lions physician in the lead-up to Williams' game-winning TD.

The Packers missed the playoffs for the first time under head coach Matt LaFleur, who said: "Obviously very disappointed right now.

"To have an opportunity to go to the playoffs at home and not be able to get it done in that fashion is extremely disappointing.

"I do commend our locker room and our guys for their ability to overcome adversity throughout the course of the season.

"Ultimately, we dug ourselves too big of a hole and the margin for error in this league is so small, so if you don't capitalise on opportunities and make mistakes, then you're going to lose, especially against good football teams.

"You've got to give Detroit a tonne of credit, they came here and they beat us tonight. Certainly, like I said, [I am] extremely disappointed, but it's going to be a big offseason for us obviously to make sure we all improve.

"We've got to look inward to figure out what it is we need to do to get better, because the expectations here are very high and they should be. Really disappointed right now."

Kevin Durant went down injured before Royce O'Neale scored the game-winning two-pointer with 3.2 seconds left as the Brooklyn Nets edged the Miami Heat 102-101 on Sunday.

Durant exited late in the third quarter with a right knee issue after Jimmy Butler fell on him, but the Nets did enough without him to improve to 27-13 overall and second spot in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn have won 18 of their last 20 games.

Butler put the Heat ahead 101-100 with a dunk with 1:12 remaining, but O'Neale had the final say with a putback after Kyrie Irving had missed a 30-foot three-point attempt.

Irving top scored for Brooklyn with 28 points, including six-of-15 from three-point range with six assists, while Nic Claxton contributed strongly again with 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Durant managed 17 points on five-of-11 shooting from the field with five rebounds in his 30 minutes on the court.

Butler top-scored for the Heat with 26 points, but shot nine-of-21 from the field with two turnovers, while Tyler Herro finished with 24 points before limping off late.

Bam Adebayo was also limited by a right-hand contusion, scoring 10 points with eight rebounds.

Harden records triple-double in 76ers win

James Harden recorded a triple-double and became the 27th NBA player with 24,000 career points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons 123-111.

Harden finished with 20 points on seven-of-14 shooting, including three-of-five from beyond the arc, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Tyrese Maxey also came to the fore for the Joel Embiid-less 76ers, while Pistons guard Killian Hayes had a game-high 26 points, with four three-pointers.

Suns slump to sixth straight loss

The Cleveland Cavaliers consigned the short-handed Phoenix Suns to their sixth straight defeat with a 112-98 victory as Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland scored 22 points each.

Mitchell, who scored a season-high 71 points in last weeks' OT win over the Chicago Bulls, made seven-of-12 from the field, while Garland dished off seven assists in a fine display.

The Suns were missing their backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker but were within one point at three-quarter time before fading.

Duane Washington top scored for Phoenix in 25 minutes off the bench with 25 points including five triples.

Novak Djokovic will face Nick Kyrgios in a practice match ahead of the Australian Open.

Djokovic marked his return to Australia by beating Sebastian Korda to win his 92nd Tour-level title on Sunday in Adelaide.

Kyrgios, meanwhile, did not feature in the inaugural United Cup for Australia after withdrawing due to injury.

They will now meet in a practice match at Rod Laver Arena on Friday, ahead of the season's first grand slam.

Ticket proceeds will go to the Australian Tennis Foundation.

The duo have had a turbulent relationship in the past, though last year appeared to be on better terms.

Kyrgios came to Djokovic's defence when the Serbian was denied entry to Australia and subsequently deported ahead of the 2022 Australian Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.

Australia's policy on non-vaccinated individuals entering the country has now changed, and Djokovic had his three-year suspension from the nation revoked, allowing him to compete in Melbourne this year.

Krygios has a 2-1 record against Djokovic, though both of his wins came back in 2017.

They last met in the final of Wimbledon last year, with Djokovic coming out on top 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

Kevin Durant is set to undergo an MRI after exiting the Brooklyn Nets' 102-101 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday with a knee injury.

Durant sustained the injury with 1:05 remaining in the third quarter when Jimmy Butler fell back into the Nets forward after having his shot blocked by Ben Simmons.

The 2014 NBA MVP remained in the game initially but appeared concerned by the knock and headed for the locker room when the Nets called a timeout 30 seconds later.

"He didn’t finish the game," Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters. "Just right knee, he'll get evaluated tomorrow. Then hopefully we'll have some more info for you.

"Most likely it will include imaging just to make sure we're good."

Durant had injured the MCL in his left knee in January last year, missing approximately a month and half while rehabbing.

The 12-time NBA All-Star is averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season for the Nets, who have rallied after a slow start to be 27-13 and second in the Eastern Conference.

"He's in good spirits as we all are," Nets team-mate Kyrie Irving said of Durant. "The strength of our team is us picking each other up.

"Just being ready for whatever's thrown at us... I think one of the greatest qualities of our team is our bench and the way we support each other, despite who's in the lineup.

"Now it's time to go out and exemplify that until we find out the timeline with K and when he could be available again. So we just got to be mature about it."

The Houston Texans announced the firing of head coach Lovie Smith on Sunday, just hours after he told the media he expected to retain the role for next season.

Smith was promoted in February after spending one season as the Texans' associate head coach and defensive coordinator.

In a rebuilding season following the trade of franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Texans appeared destined all season for the worst record in the league and the top overall pick in the coming NFL Draft.

They produced a stirring late comeback in Sunday's 32-31 win against the Indianapolis Colts to finish the campaign 3-13-1, handing the first pick in the draft to the Chicago Bears (3-14) in the process.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Smith said it is ridiculous to propose intentionally losing a game at this level.

"This is an option that I had," he said. "So you say, 'hey guys ... all that you've been working for your life, you play to win, forget that. Lose the game on purpose.

"That will be a hard one to get by. They won't expect me to say that. I didn't. What we work on each week, our game plan, has been to win the game. It's kind of simple as that. That's what we follow through on the day.

"It's pretty simple – we play to win the game. It's kind of simple as that." 

When asked about if he expected to return for a second season at the helm, he said: "Do I expect to be back? Yes, I expect to be back."

That notion was shot down hours later, with Texans general manager Nick Caserio announcing he personally had made the decision to fire Smith, and would instead hire a new head coach for the third time during his three years in charge, and the fourth consecutive year overall with a new head coach for the franchise.

The statement read: "On behalf of the entire organisation, I would like to thank Lovie Smith for everything he has contributed to our team over the last two seasons as a coach and leader.

"I'm constantly evaluating our football operation and believe this is the best decision for us at this time. It is my responsibility to build a comprehensive and competitive program that can sustain success over a long period of time.

"We aren't there right now. However, with the support of the McNair family and the resources available to us, I'm confident in the direction of the program moving forward."

The Detroit Lions have denied the Green Bay Packers a place in the playoffs as Jamaal Williams broke the franchise rushing touchdowns record in a 20-16 victory at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The result means the Seattle Seahawks will go into the Wild Card round as the seventh seed in the NFC where they will face the San Francisco 49ers.

Seattle's overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams shortly prior to kickoff meant the Lions were out of postseason contention but the Packers had a simple win-and-in scenario yet they could not complete the job.

The Packers, who had won four straight games coming in, miss the playoffs for the first time under head coach Matt LaFleur.

Veteran Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw a fourth-quarter interception to Kerby Joseph after the Lions had re-taken the lead from Williams' second rushing TD. Lions quarterback Jared Goff sealed the win on a fourth-and-one with 1:15 remaining when he found D.J. Chark for first down.

Rodgers finished the game with one touchdown pass and one interception, completing 17 of 27 passes for 205 yards, while Goff threw for 224 yards on 23-of-34 passing.

Williams' game-winning touchdown, which was his 17th rushing TD for the season to surpass Barry Sanders' franchise record, came after Quay Walker was inexplicably ejected after pushing a Lions training staff member attending to the injured De'Andre Swift. It was the second time Walker has been ejected this season.

Lions running back Williams, who ran for 72 yards on 16 carries, had put the Lions ahead with a third quarter TD after Goff found Kalif Raymond for 43 yards, before Rodgers found Allen Lazard on a 13-yard TD pass to immediately re-claim the lead. Rodgers had linked up with Christian Watson for a 45-yard pass two plays prior, with the rookie having 104 yards from five receptions for the game.

The Packers were left to rue Rodgers' interception, Walker's disqualification and a second-quarter Aaron Jones' fumble.

Chicago White Sox All-Star closer Liam Hendriks announced he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and will begin treatment Monday.

Hendriks disclosed his condition Sunday in an Instagram post in which he said he was optimistic he will make a full recovery. The 33-year-old stated he received news of his cancer in recent days.

"Hearing the word 'Cancer' came as a shock to my wife and I, as it does to millions of families each year," Hendriks wrote. "However, I am resolved to embrace the fight and overcome this new challenge with the same determination I have used when facing other obstacles in my life.

"My treatment begins [Monday], and I am confident that I will make a full recovery and be back on the mound as soon as possible. I know with the support of my wife, my family, my teammates and the Chicago White Sox organisation, along with the treatment and care from my doctors, I will get through this."

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement the team does not expect to have a further update on Hendriks' playing status until after the team's March 30 season opener.

"Our thoughts and reactions at this time are for Liam the person, not Liam the baseball player," Hahn said. "I know the entire Chicago White Sox organisation, our staff, his teammates, and certainly White Sox fans, will rally in support of Liam and Kristi during the coming months.

"Knowing everyone involved, especially Liam, we are optimistic he will pitch again for the White Sox as soon as viable. In the meantime, we all will do all everything in our power to support our teammate and his family as they face this challenge, while also respecting their privacy."

Hendriks, a native Australian known for his fiery competitive demeanour, was named an All-Star for the third time in 2022 and finished the season third in the majors with 37 saves.

The right-hander earned the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year award in 2020 with the Oakland Athletics, then received the honour again the following year after leading the AL with 38 saves in his first season with the White Sox.

Hendriks left Oakland to sign a three-year, $54million contract with the White Sox in January 2021.

Jon Rahm completed a remarkable come-from-behind victory on Sunday after shooting a 10-under final round to finish on 27 under and win the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The day was set up to be Collin Morikawa's first win since 2021, entering play with a six-stroke lead after rounds of 64, 66 and 65 – before crumbling under the pressure for a 72.

Morikawa's lead was still at five strokes on the back-nine, but as Rahm put together a four-hole run of three birdies and an eagle, Morikawa began drifting the opposite direction, with three consecutive bogeys.

The switch seemingly happened in an instant, as Morikawa's third bogey – after none through his first 67 holes – left him two down, and another Rahm birdie on the 18th would decide the contest before Morikawa could even tee off on the last.

Morikawa also birdied the final hole to finish at 25 under, collecting a $1.5million purse for finishing as runner-up, but it will be a day that lives long in his memory for all the wrong reasons.

Rahm ended up with nine birdies, one eagle and one bogey in his spectacular final round, earning $2.7m as he banked the third victory from his past five overall starts following European Tour wins at the Spanish Open and the DP World Tour Championship.

Tom Hoge shot nine under and Max Homa put together a seven-under 66 to climb into a tie for third at 23 under, with Tom Kim and J.J. Spaun rounding out the top-five, tied at 22 under.

The Philadelphia Eagles earned the top seed in the NFC and a first-round playoff bye after defeating the New York Giants 22-16 on Sunday.

Despite the contest finishing as a one-score game, the Eagles were comfortably in control throughout as three Jake Elliott field goals and a Boston Scott touchdown run gave Philadelphia a 16-0 lead in front of their home fans at half-time.

It was also a memorable first half for receiver A.J. Brown, who came into Week 18 needing just nine yards to break the Eagles' single-season record set by Mike Quick back in 1983 (1409 yards).

Brown got it done on his first catch, going on to finish with four receptions for 95 yards to set the new mark at 1496.

The Giants tried to make a game of things late, with a Davis Webb rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown to Kenny Golladay in the fourth period, but it was too little, too late for a New York team who already booked their ticket to the playoffs last week.

With the win, Philadelphia joined the Kansas City Chiefs as the only teams in the league to win 14 games, with those two teams earning the right to host all of their playoff games leading up to a potential Super Bowl.

Seahawks keep playoff hopes alive

The Seattle Seahawks will be eagerly awaiting the final result of the regular season after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 in overtime to hold up their end of the bargain.

Seattle came into the final week needing to beat the Rams, as well as needing the Detroit Lions to beat the Green Bay Packers in the night game to sneak into the playoffs.

The Seahawks almost blew it, hitting the upright with a potential game-winning field goal in regulation, but secured an interception in overtime to set up Jason Myers for redemption, nailing a 32-yarder to finish it.

In the process, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw for 213 yards, bringing his season total to a new franchise-record of 4282.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will be "forever loyal" to the team after they ended a six-year wait for a playoff place with a Week 18 win against the New York Jets.

The Dolphins' 11-6 win saw them seal a first postseason appearance since the 2016 campaign as the New England Patriots fell to an emotionally charged 35-23 defeat against the Buffalo Bills in their opponents' first game since Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest.

While that result eliminated the Patriots, it ensured the Dolphins will face the Bills in the wild-card round, which they last progressed beyond in the 2000 season.

Having become just the fifth Dolphins head coach to make the playoffs in his first season in charge, McDaniel expressed his gratitude to the franchise for taking a punt on him.

"I'm not one to feel entitled to anything," he said. "My walk of life has led to me having an infinite memory. Any time someone takes a chance on me, I'm very loyal to that. 

"I know how many other teams were interviewing me – the answer is zero. It feels good that didn't matter, that this is the right fit for everything we're trying to do here. I'll forever be loyal to that.

"It feels tremendous. That doesn't mean the goal was just to get to the playoffs. 

"However, you're talking about a fan base that hasn't seen their team go to the playoffs since 2016, it's very fulfilling for the way it happened."

One of the main focuses in the build-up to the game against the Bills will be the condition of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who remains subject to the league's concussion protocol.

"We'll continue to take it day by day," McDaniel said. "I will not even think about any sort of game, whether that's this year or next year, until he's fully ready to do so, with medical clearance.

"There will be some question marks, but fortunately this team has been proven not to blink with any sort of question mark either way. 

"We have guys that we really believe in, and we'll go with the healthiest group up to Buffalo and play a very good football team."

Damar Hamlin watched on from hospital as the Buffalo Bills claimed an emotionally charged 35-23 win over the New England Patriots in their first game since his cardiac arrest.

Hamlin remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after collapsing following a collision with Tee Higgins in the Bills' game with the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. That game will not be resumed.

The safety has shown continued signs of improvement and was able to speak to his team-mates via videocall in the build-up to the game.

He was a keen viewer as, after pre-game shows of support for Hamlin that included Buffalo emerging from the tunnel and huddling at midfield, the Bills made an extraordinary start.

Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. New England responded well, and touchdown throws from Mac Jones to Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker, sandwiched by a Dawson Knox touchdown, sent the teams into half-time tied at 14-14.

New England, needing only to win to qualify for the postseason, took the lead with a Nick Folk field goal after a Devin Singletary fumble.

However, Hines struck again, taking the subsequent kickoff back 101 yards, becoming the first player since Leon Washington in 2010 to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in the same game.

A stunning 42-yard throw on the move from Josh Allen to John Brown stretched the Bills' lead and, though Parker responded for New England, another pinpoint deep ball from Allen to Stefon Diggs proved the decisive blow, with a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions from Jones ending the Patriots' hopes.

It means the Bills, following agreed changes to the AFC playoffs following the cancellation of their game with the Bengals, will not have to play a postseason road game. As the second seed, they have home-field advantage for the first two rounds and, should they face the one seed Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, it will be held at a neutral site.

That first home game will be against the Miami Dolphins, who took advantage of the Patriots' loss by squeaking by the New York Jets 11-6 to clinch a playoff spot. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Cleveland Browns 28-14, were also eliminated.

Bengals avoid coin flip

The Bengals also prevailed in their first game since Monday's traumatic scenes, beating the Baltimore Ravens 27-16. Despite being the AFC North champions, the Bengals would not have been guaranteed a home game against the Ravens in the playoffs had they lost this second regular-season meeting, with the venue being decided by a coin flip as part of the agreed changes.

It rarely looked as if they would face such a fate in a game Cincinnati controlled throughout. The Bengals' win means they will reunite with Baltimore in the playoffs next week, and it will be in Cincinnati. The Bengals had made no secret of their displeasure at the coin flip decision, and running back Joe Mixon pretended to flip a coin after scoring Cincinnati's first touchdown.

Texans win, but lose number one pick

The Houston Texans would have locked up the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but their current crop of players showed no regard for the long-term future in a thrilling finale.

On fourth down and 20 in the last-chance saloon, quarterback Davis Mills heaved a 28-yard touchdown to Jordan Akins, who then caught a two-point conversion to seal a 32-31 win what could be head coach Lovie Smith's final game. The victory saw the number one pick go to Smith's former team, the Chicago Bears, who lost at home to the Minnesota Vikings.

Luka Doncic will miss his fourth game of the season after being ruled out of Sunday's road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Doncic, who is leading the league in scoring at 34.0 points per game, has played in 37 of the Mavericks' 40 games this season. They are 23-14 in those 37 games and 0-3 when Doncic has not played.

He is officially listed as out due to left ankle soreness after putting up 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Saturday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

It has been yet another spectacular campaign for the 23-year-old Slovenian superstar, who has a Rookie of the Year and three All-NBA First Team selections from his first four seasons.

Doncic has taken yet another step forward on both ends, posting career highs in points, field goal percentage (49.9), three-point percentage (35.5), made free throws per game (8.4) and steals (1.6).

He will be joined on the sideline by Dorian Finney-Smith (adductor strain), Josh Green (elbow sprain) and Maxi Kleber (hamstring tear).

The Mavericks entered Sunday's action sitting fourth in the Western Conference, just 3.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets in first place.

Tom Brady was withdrawn from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' regular-season finale in the first half, but not before he broke one of his own records.

With the Buccaneers locked into the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs, Tampa Bay had nothing to play for going into the Week 18 meeting with the Atlanta Falcons.

Brady, though, still started the game, completing 13 passes before being replaced by Blaine Gabbert with four minutes remaining in the second quarter.

That took him to 490 completions for the campaign, surpassing the mark of 485 he set last season, which many thought to be his last when he retired in March, a decision he reversed 40 days later.

Tampa Bay will have a home game against the fifth seed in the NFC, which will be either the Dallas Cowboys or Philadelphia Eagles, in the Wild Card round next week.