If the Golden State Warriors stay healthy, Klay Thompson sees a clear path to another title this year.
With a single game of the regular season remaining, the defending champion Warriors have not yet booked their playoff spot – in large part due to the key absences they have had this year.
Stephen Curry has been restricted to 55 games so far, while Andrew Wiggins will not add to his 37 games before the postseason, although he is then expected back.
Still, the Warriors have their destiny in their hands: they will avoid the play-in tournament by winning at the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
That is due to an impressive 119-97 victory at the Sacramento Kings on Friday, only their 10th road win of the year.
It is not a record that suggests the Warriors will be among the leading contenders in the playoffs, but Thompson is expecting improvement in the coming weeks.
"It always feels great to win," he said after making five threes and scoring 29 points. "I think it'll click even more when Andrew's in the lineup, because he's such an important player to what we do.
"We still have another level to reach, so I think we should just keep staying humble and working hard, and we'll get there. I know we will."
Health is a key factor, but it is not the only one; the Warriors rank third in scoring (118.5 points per game) but 22nd in defense (117.3 points).
"I always say we have to value the ball more, take great shots and communicate on defense," added Thompson.
"Do those three things, and I don't see a team who can beat us in a seven-game series when we're healthy. If we do those three things going forward, I think we'll be in a great position to repeat."
Thompson's fitness at least has not been a concern this year.
He missed two and a half years through injury before returning for last season's title run, and he is back to somewhere near his best in 2022-23, scoring 21.9 points per game and leading the NBA in made threes (295).
"I've played a full season. I've missed like 13 games or whatever, but to play in almost 70 games is a huge milestone for me," Thompson said.
"To shake off the early season rust and have the shooting year I did is even more impressive.
"I give myself a pat on the back for those years of so much hard work when nobody was watching. Those were really tough times for me, and I persevered and still am hungry to be even greater than I was."
Next, though, focus turns to a must-win game in Portland, where the Warriors are 2-7 since 2017-18 – their fourth-worst road record against any opponent in that span.
Thompson added: "Anything can happen in this league, but we've got to go up there and just take care of business and play with that Warriors brand of basketball that's made us the dynasty we are."
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson produced a vintage performance to carry the Golden State Warriors to a 119-97 road victory against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
One of the few teams still with plenty to play for in the final games, the Warriors needed a win to avoid falling into the play-in tournament placings, as they would get leapfrogged by the 42-39 New Orleans Pelicans if they finish with an equal record.
But with Kings stars Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox both out resting – with Sacramento (48-33) locked into the Western Conference's third seed – the Warriors took full advantage.
In a terrific defensive outing, Golden State did not allow a single Sacramento starter to score more than Harrison Barnes' 13 points, while Curry and Thompson combined for 54 points and shot eight-of-15 from three-point range.
Thompson top-scored with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting (five-of-eight from deep), while Curry chipped in 25 (eight-of-14 shooting, three-of-seven from deep), seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.
Donte DiVincenzo continued to excel when given an opportunity, with the 26-year-old backup guard putting together 18 points (seven-of-10 shooting), nine assists and six rebounds.
He vastly outplayed fellow rotation guard and sixth man Jordan Poole, who shot a poor zero-of-10 from the floor, and the two will likely be competing for minutes in the playoffs.
The victory means the Warriors can secure their spot in the playoffs by finishing the season with a win against the tanking Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, avoiding the play-in tournament in the process.
Reaves, Beasley lead important Lakers win
The Los Angeles Lakers (42-39) are only a half-game behind local rivals the Los Angeles Clippers (42-38) after a crucial 121-107 triumph at home against the undermanned Phoenix Suns.
With Phoenix resting Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, the full-strength Lakers made sure to capitalise, although it was neck-and-neck until the fourth quarter.
Both LeBron James (six-of-19 from the field) and Anthony Davis (four-of-12) had poor shooting nights, combining for just 30 points, but role players Austin Reaves and Malik Beasley came to the rescue.
Reaves was arguably the Lakers' best player, scoring 22 points on nine-of-13 shooting with five assists, while Beasley came off the bench to hit seven-of-14 shots, including four-of-10 from long range for 21 important points.
The Lakers will finish their regular season at home against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, and they can steal the sixth seed if the Clippers lose their final two games against Portland and Phoenix.
76ers ruin Trae's big night
Trae Young put up a ridiculous stat line of 27 points and 20 assists, but it was not enough as his Atlanta Hawks went down 136-131 to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime.
Young's 20 assists broke his previous career-high by two, and he shot an efficient seven-of-14 from the field, but his nine turnovers were costly. It is the eighth time in Young's career he has committed at least nine turnovers in a game.
While the Hawks were at full strength, the 76ers rode a career-high 16 assists from bench guard Shake Milton in a rare start, with stars Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey out of action.
Jalen McDaniels enjoyed his best game in a Philly jersey with 24 points (eight-of-17 shooting), 11 rebounds and three steals, and Georges Niang also added 24 points (nine-of-13) in a starting role.
Pittsburgh Pirates left-fielder Bryan Reynolds showed why he is one of the hottest hitters in baseball as he batted in six runs during his side's 13-9 home win against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
Reynolds came into the game batting .417 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.444. He improved both those figures against Chicago as he went three-for-five at the plate with a single, a triple and a home run.
The 28-year-old had four home runs in his first six games this campaign, and he connected on his league-leading fifth with a three-run shot in the fourth inning. His triple came an inning later, when he also came around to score on the hit after a fielding error.
With his performance, Reynolds improved his batting average to .448 (fourth-best in the majors) and his OPS to 1.572 (third-highest).
It was part of an action-packed contest where the two teams combined for 30 hits, including six home runs.
Exciting 25-year-old White Sox center-fielder Luis Robert Jr blasted two homers – doubling his tally for the season – while going three-for-five with five RBIs.
Pittsburgh right-fielder Connor Joe was the one of two players to record four hits, with three doubles and a single, and he was joined by Chicago lead-off hitter Tim Anderson (four-for-five with two doubles and four runs).
The win improves the Pirates' record to 5-2 as they seek their first playoff berth since 2015.
Trout blasts his first pitch at Angel Stadium this season
Mike Trout could not have made a better start to the Los Angeles Angels' home opener as he crushed the very first pitch he saw for a home run.
The Angels went on to lose to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 thanks to a big three-run homer from Bo Bichette in the seventh inning, but Los Angeles' three-time AL MVP still gave the home fans something to cheer for.
After Taylor Ward was issued a lead-off walk in the first inning, Trout stepped up second and sent a first-pitch fastball 441 feet over the wall at left-center. It was Trout's second homer of the season, and he is slashing .348/.531/.696 in a hot start.
Rays remain MLB's only unbeaten team
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 9-5 to extend their perfect start to the season to 7-0.
After back-to-back series sweeps against the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals to open their campaign, the Rays made a winning start against Oakland thanks to more power hitting.
Tampa Bay hit five home runs in the contest, highlighted by an Isaac Paredes grand slam in the second inning. Harold Ramirez (second inning), Manuel Margot (third inning), Christian Bethancourt (third inning) and Wander Franco (eighth inning) also sent a ball each over the fence.
The Dallas Mavericks entered play Friday facing a must-win game to stay in contention for a play-in spot, but decided as an organisation to give up on their playoff dreams this season.
Facing elimination, the Mavericks decided to sit All-Star Kyrie Irving and four other regulars against the Chicago Bulls in a game with draft implications. They ended up going down 115-112 in a game where superstar Luka Doncic only played the first quarter before sitting out the rest of the way.
Dallas needed to win their final two regular-season games and have the Oklahoma City Thunder lose to the Memphis Grizzlies in their final game for the Mavericks to get the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Despite being alive for the playoffs, the Mavs chose to instead prioritise their potential assets in June's NBA Draft. They had traded their 2023 first-round pick to the New York Knicks back in 2019 as part of the package for Kristaps Porzingis, and placed a top-10 protection on the pick.
It means if their pick this year lands in the top 10, Dallas will get to keep the pick, but if it is 11th or lower it will get sent to New York.
The decision to punt on the rest of this season boils down to the fact that the Mavericks were tied with the Bulls for the 10th-worst record in the NBA at 38-42, but with Friday's loss they greatly improved their chances of landing in the top 10.
Speaking to the media prior to the game, head coach Jason Kidd emphasised that this was not a decision by himself or the players.
"We were fighting for our lives, and understanding this is a situation we're in," he said. "But the organisation has made the decision to change [course].
"So, you know, we have to go by that and that's something that happens. So the guys that are playing, we got to go out there and put our best foot forward, and we talked about that this afternoon.”
When asked if he agreed with the decision, Kidd said: "Those are my bosses – so yes."
Dallas reached the Western Conference Finals last season and appeared primed to make another deep run after pulling off a blockbuster trade for Irving in February, but the team has wilted down the stretch.
The Mavs are just 5-11 when Irving and Doncic play together, and the team are 9-16 since Irving’s debut.
Despite giving their best effort to lose, Dallas led Chicago 91-85 after three quarters as the Bulls rested Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Beverley, having already locked up the East's 10th seed.
The stage is set for a star-studded final weekend at the Charleston Open as top four seeds Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic all advanced to the semi-finals on Friday.
It is the first time since the 2012 Stuttgart Open that all four top seeds reached the final four in a WTA 500 event.
Pegula, the top overall seed and the only remaining American, used her commanding serving game to overwhelm 12th seed Paula Badosa 6-3 7-6 (8-6).
She ended up winning 80 per cent of her accurate first serves – compared to 57 per cent for Badosa – and it resulted in the Spaniard producing just one break point opportunity in the match, which she could not take.
Pegula will meet fourth seed and Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic next after her relatively comfortable 6-3 6-3 triumph against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Switzerland's Bencic needed just 80 minutes to get the job done, creating 12 break point chances compared to Alexandrova's two, while winning the first three games of each set.
After coming into the tournament without consecutive wins since early January, reigning Wimbledon and US Open finalist Ons Jabeur looked back to her best in a dominant 6-0 4-1 (retired) drubbing of Anna Kalinskaya.
Jabeur is yet to lose a set in Charleston, and she will try to keep that the case when she faces Daria Kasatkina in her semi-final.
Kasatkina earned her spot in the final four with Friday's only three-setter, emerging victorious 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-2 against Madison Keys in just over two and a half hours.
Only one match was able to be completed on Friday at the Houston Open as organisers announced they would try to protect the playing surface for a busy weekend of action.
It was the third day in a row that has been washed out due to persistent rain, but after completing their first set on Wednesday, and their second set on Thursday, Max Purcell was allowed to finish off his 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Daniel Altmaier.
It was the final first-round matchup yet to conclude, although there is still a second round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final to schedule in limited time before the ATP Tour rolls on.
The tournament's top seed, Frances Tiafoe, is yet to play a match yet after receiving a first-round bye, and it is the same case for second seed Tommy Paul.
In a statement, tournament director Bronwyn Greer said: "We want to ensure that our courts are in the best possible condition to complete our tournament this weekend, and with that in mind we have decided to forgo play today with the exception of that first-round match that is deep into the third set."
Friday at Augusta National Golf Club was the Brooks Koepka show as the four-time major champion raced out to a three-stroke lead heading into the weekend at the Masters.
Koepka, who opened his week with a seven-under 65 to grab a share of the lead through 18 holes, followed it with a five-under 67 as part of the lucky morning wave who were able to get their rounds in before the harsh weather arrived.
After eight birdies and one bogey on Thursday, Koepka put together a bogey-free round with three birdies and an eagle as he continued his momentum from last week's victory at LIV Golf Orlando.
Jon Rahm was not so lucky to avoid the strong winds and rain arriving later in the day, but he handled it as well as anyone. He started his second round with seven consecutive pars, before birdieing the eighth and ninth to move to nine under right before his round was cut short.
The winds were blowing in with such force that multiple large trees were blown down in spectator areas, but luckily there were reported no injuries.
One further back from Rahm in outright third is 23-year-old amateur Sam Bennett, shooting his second 68 in a row as he bounced back from his first bogey of the week on the fourth hole to go four-under through his final 14.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa and top-10 talent Viktor Hovland (through 10 holes) are tied for fourth at six under, and while Jordan Spieth and Jason Day are still in the hunt at five under, Day will feel he let a golden opportunity slip.
Through 14 holes, Day was in outright second at nine under, but he finished with a double-bogey on 15, a bogey on 16 and another bogey on 18 to slip into a tie for sixth, seven shots off the pace.
In more strong representation from the LIV Golf players, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Joaquinn Niemann are all in the tie for 10th at four under.
Shot of the day
Cameron Smith started his second round with three bogeys from his first seven holes, but his last hole before play was cancelled was one to remember.
On the par-five eighth, Smith found the bunker with his tee shot, but instead of laying up he opted for the aggressive route and hit his fairway wood, trickling its way onto the side of the green and feeding back towards the hole to set up an eagle.
A little birdie told me…
Rookie Bennett made it to the end of his round in solo second at eight under, and if Rahm slips up, Bennett could become the first amateur since 1958 to hold solo second heading into the weekend.
In fact, his score is the second-best 36-hole mark by an amateur at Augusta, bettered only by Ken Venturi in 1956 (nine under), and they are the only amateurs to ever reach the weekend here with a figure better than three under.
Brooks Koepka was pleased with his form after carding a round of 67 to end Friday as the clubhouse leader at The Masters, and suggested his confidence is back after his knee surgery.
Koepka is on 12 under par after two rounds, though with play suspended early due to bad weather, second-placed Jon Rahm still has half of his second round to play, and will resume on Saturday three shots back on nine under.
The American suffered from a knee injury that required surgery, and he explained after his round how that had previously impacted his game.
"In 2021 I was just trying to figure out the best areas to walk because this place is quite hilly," Koepka said. "Downhill was a killer because my knee would get in front of my heel and that's where the MPFL [medial patellofemoral ligament rupture] that's stitched is still in there... [it] would just tighten, and everything was quite painful.
"But I don't have to worry about that any more, which has been great. I feel really good. I like the way I'm swinging the golf club, putting it, chipping it, driving it, iron play is solid. It feels really similar.
"I've got a completely different knee, but swing-wise it still feels the same. I'm able to do everything I need to. And the confidence is there. The confidence was lost just because of my knee and that was it."
Koepka has four majors to his name, but still needs to add The Masters and The Open Championship to complete a grand slam, and is aiming to do just that, starting in Augusta this week.
"Yeah, the whole goal is to win the grand slam. I feel like all the greats have won here and they have all won Open Championships as well," he said.
"I guess it's one more box for me to tick to truly feel like I've done what I should have accomplished in this game."
The 32-year-old was left frustrated at last year's Masters, missing the cut after two rounds of 75, and he revealed how badly he took it at the time.
"Last year, I don't even know if I should be saying this, but I'm pretty sure I tried to break the back window of the car with my fist," he said. "I tried to put it through the back window, not once but twice.
"First time it didn't go, so I figured I'd try it again. The window did not break. Apparently [I'm] not strong enough.
"The ride home was pretty silent. But yeah, I guess Mercedes makes a pretty good back window."
Casper Ruud is through to the final four of the Estoril Open after a routine 6-3 6-0 victory against defending champion Sebastian Baez on Friday.
The number one seed dominated his Argentine opponent from the moment the first set went to 3-3, winning nine-straight games from there to ease to victory.
Ruud did need to save four break points in the second game of the second set, but his ability to hold serve seemed to end any resistance that Baez could muster.
The Norwegian will face Frenchman Quentin Halys in the semi-finals after his own straight-sets triumph over Dominic Thiem
Halys reached his first ever ATP Tour semi after recording a 6-1 6-4 win over the former world number three in just one hour and 19 minutes.
The other semi-final will see Miomir Kecmanovic take on Marco Cecchinato after the latter stunned third seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.
The world number 96 claimed a 7-5 7-6 (7-5) victory in the first meeting between the pair to set up a last-four clash with Kecmanovic, who saw off sixth seed Bernabe Zapata Miralles with a comfortable 7-5 6-2 win.
Elsewhere, Dan Evans is the only seed remaining in the Grand Prix Hassan II as he reached the semi-finals by cruising to a 6-3 7-5 triumph over world number 201 Andrea Vavassori in Marrakech.
Evans will face Roberto Carballes Baena next after the Spaniard toppled fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor 6-3 2-6 6-2.
Second seed Lorenzo Musetti was beaten by Alexandre Muller 6-3 1-6 6-4 in a topsy-turvy encounter, and the Frenchman will now face Pavel Kotov in the final four after the Russian defeated Christopher O'Connell in a thriller, 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-3).
The Tennessee Titans and standout defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons have agreed to a four-year contract extension, multiple media outlets reported on Friday.
The deal is worth a total of $94million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Simmons was entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.
The No. 19 overall draft pick in 2019, Simmons has become a key member of the Titans' defense, being named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro Second Team in each of the last two seasons.
Simmons gave Tennessee fans a bit of a scare on social media earlier on Friday, posting an apparent goodbye to the organisation.
"Titans Nation, thank you for the last 4 years! I am so grateful for you guys…..," Simmons posted on Twitter.
Aware of the ongoing contract negotiations between the Titans and 'Big Jeff', Tennessee fans flocked to the comments looking for answers.
Simmons responded soon after with the other half of his message, seemingly announcing that he will be in Tennessee for the near future.
"But we are not done yet, dammit! LFG!!!! We have so much work to do!" he added in his subsequent post, allowing Titans fans a sigh of relief.
At 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, Simmons has emerged as one of the best interior pass-rushers in pro football, totalling 21 sacks over four seasons, including 8.5 in 2021.
Simmons, who will turn 26 before the start of the season, also has 188 total tackles and 46 quarterback hits in his four years with the Titans.
Brooks Koepka held a three-shot lead halfway through his second round of The Masters and Rory McIlroy is facing a battle to make the cut.
Koepka was joint-top of the leaderboard along with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland after starting with a seven-under 65 at Augusta National on Thursday.
The four-time major champion had the chance to go out on his own on Friday, with Rahm and Hovland starting later in the day, and he was sitting pretty at 10 under through nine holes.
Koepka arrived in Georgia full of confidence following a victory at LIV Golf Orlando and the American has given himself a great opportunity to win a first Masters title.
He birdied the second hole after an excellent third shot from a green-side bunker and eagled the par-five eighth following a majestic approach shot to move into double figures.
Jason Day surged into a share of second place courtesy of gains at the second and third holes, while a couple of early birdies took Collin Morikawa to five under on a day on which tee times were brought forward by half an hour due to the forecast of inclement weather.
Amateur Sam Bennett was six shots back from Koepka along with Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau and Gary Woodland.
McIlroy's hopes of completing a career Grand Slam this weekend look to be over as he was back on two over through three holes following bogeys at the second and third holes.
Defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler dropped back to three under.
More than 60 golfers will tee off on Saturday in the Jamaica Golf Association's two-day Easter Jamboree at the Upton Estates Golf and Country Club in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
National amateur golf champion Oshae Haye leads a strong field of local golfers who will journey to his home course in St. Ann for the event. Three former national champions - William Knibbs, Zandre Roye and Dr. Mark Newnham – are expected to challenge Haye for top honours.
"It is one of our qualifying events where participants get points towards the order of merit which allows them to try out for a national team. We are looking forward to an exciting weekend of golf" said Jamaica Golf Association President Jodi Munn-Barrow, who will be the sole representative in the Ladies 0-6 category.
Seven other women will play in the 13 and over handicap category.
The biggest category of golfers will compete in the Men Super Seniors 0-12 section which has 19 competitors including Peter Chin and Wayne Chai Chong as well as national representatives Teddy Alexander, Metry Seaga and Mike Gleichman.
Four men will play in the Masters.
There will also be several junior players in the 18 and Under, 14-15 and 11-13 age groups, who will be looking to sharpen their skills for the Caribbean Junior Amateur Golf Championship scheduled for July in the Cayman Islands.
Ferrari have lodged an appeal against Carlos Sainz's five-second penalty for his collision with Fernando Alonso during the Australian Grand Prix last Sunday.
Sainz was demoted from fourth to 12th place after the Spaniard was sanctioned for making contact with his compatriot's Aston Martin following a chaotic penultimate-lap standing restart.
There were another two crashes prior to a red flag being waved for a third time at Albert Park.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were involved in a collision, while Logan Sargeant ran into the AlphaTauri of Nyck de Vries but none of those four drivers were penalised.
Sainz was not impressed with the punishment imposed on him and Scuderia team principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed the team have challenged the decision to hit the 28-year-old with a penalty that left him out of the points.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were involved in a heavy collision, while William's Logan Sargeant ran into the AlphaTauri of Nyck de Vries.
Vasseur said: "We did the petition for review of the case, we sent it to the FIA.
"As we are discussing with the FIA, I don't want to disclose any details of this discussion."
He added: "The only thing is that about Gasly-Ocon, also Sargeant-De Vries turn one, and the reaction of the stewards was not the same.
"What we can expect is to at least have an open discussion with them.
"Also for the good of the sport, to avoid to have this kind of decision when you have three cases at the same corner and not the same decision."
The New Orleans Pelicans are still unable to give a timeline for Zion Williamson's return from injury with the playoffs fast approaching.
Williamson has not played for the Pelicans since injuring his right hamstring against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2.
The 22-year-old withdrew from February's All-Star game after failing to recover from the injury, before then aggravating the damage to prolong his time on the sidelines.
Providing another update-of-sorts on Williamson on Thursday, Pelicans vice-president of basketball operations David Griffin confirmed there is still no return date set, even with the team having now clinched a play-in berth.
"After further evaluation, it has been determined that Zion Williamson will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen," Griffin said.
"We will continue to monitor his progression and updates will be provided as warranted."
Injury-plagued Williamson has struggled to remain fit since being taken with the first overall pick by New Orleans in 2019, missing the entire 2021-22 season with a broken foot.
He has played just 29 times this season, averaging 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Barring a late rally, the Pelicans will have to go through next week's play-in tournament to make the postseason, which begins on April 15.
The Seattle Kraken revelled in their "leap" into the Stanley Cup playoffs after clinching a wild card berth on Thursday.
Seattle are in just their second season in the NHL, having fallen 37 points short of the postseason with the second-worst record in the Western Conference in their expansion year.
However, the Kraken's 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes – the only team to finish below them in 2021-22 – made sure they will not miss out this time.
In the existing format, only the Vegas Golden Knights have made the playoffs quicker, doing so in their first year in the league and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.
That was one of two Finals runs in the Golden Knights' first three seasons, but they had only 43 wins in their second season – a mark the Kraken passed on Thursday.
Indeed, Seattle's 44 wins are the most by any second-year team in NHL history, further evidence of their rapid progress.
"You look at the leap that we've made and it's special," said winger Jordan Eberle. "We've got a special group in here."
Kraken coach Dave Hakstol added: "The group in here earned it. They earned it from day one and all the way through tonight, finishing off the two points tonight that solidifies it for us.
"That speaks to everybody about the character and the work ethic in the dressing room."
Rory McIlroy was frustrated by an "untidy" opening round to the Masters but is hopeful his chances of landing the title for the first time are not over just yet.
The world number two, whose best finish at the tournament was as runner-up last year, is left playing catch up after an even-par 72 on day one at Augusta National.
McIlroy carded five birdies, but he double-bogeyed the seventh and dropped shots at three further holes to leave himself in a tie for 37th.
Despite being seven shots behind overnight leaders Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Viktor Hovland, McIlroy is focused on dragging himself into contention on Friday.
"It felt like a bit of a scramble all day, to be honest," he told Sky Sports when reflecting on his first round.
"I missed a couple of tee shots left and paid the price for that on seven and 17. I was just a little bit untidy in some other areas as well.
"I made enough birdies – it's just about keeping mistakes off the card. I salvaged an even-par round and there's still 54 holes of golf left – a lot of things can happen.
"I didn't feel like I was too far away today. I'm probably two or three shots behind how I'd like to be, but nothing that's insurmountable.
"I've got a quick turnaround overnight, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the course pretty quickly and obviously trying to get myself back in the thick of things.
"Hopefully we get some decent conditions in the morning and I can shoot something in the mid-60s and get myself back in the tournament."
Reigning champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler carded a four-under 68 on Thursday and is three shots off the lead.
Scheffler, who made an eagle on the second hole and dropped just one shot, did not feel any additional pressure entering the opening major of the year as defending champion.
"I didn't think about it really at all today," he said. "The only reason I would think of being the defending champion is because I was playing with [amateur] Sam Bennett.
"Just because I'm defending doesn't mean I start under par. Starting at even, it was just about going out there and getting settled into the round, which I did a good job of.
"I got a lot of looks early, made some nice par putts there on six and seven, but didn't see much go in the rest of the day. But four under is a solid start to the week."
Kevin Durant is unmoved by his winning start to life with the Phoenix Suns, knowing there is "a whole new season about to start" in the playoffs.
The Suns won 119-115 on Thursday against a Denver Nuggets team missing Nikola Jokic and several other starters.
Phoenix, by contrast, were at full strength, with Durant starting his eighth game for the team, joining Chris Paul and Devin Booker in the lineup.
Durant is 8-0 since joining the Brooklyn Nets; the last player to move teams and win their next nine starts was Kawhi Leonard on the Toronto Raptors in 2018.
That Raptors team ended up winning the title, beating Durant's Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, and the Suns superstar's focus now is on postseason success.
"We've played a couple of teams that weren't full strength," Durant said. "I don't make too much of it.
"It's a whole new season about to start, so what we're doing right now is cool, record-wise, but we want to keep building good habits and stay healthy. That's the only thing that's important to me."
Even in victory, coach Monty Williams was frustrated by an "inconsistent" performance, while Paul called it a "weird" game.
The veteran point guard had a key role to play in the win, however, making a career-high seven threes.
"I should have made more," Paul said. "I was just trying to take those shots.
"That's why these games are important: it's a new way – I've never really played with guys who are getting doubled like this.
"It's not just [a case of] wait until the playoffs and find our rhythm; you need to use these games to do that."
At the same time, Paul, averaging 8.9 assists per game this year, finished with only two assists.
Only once this season had Paul previously played more than 15 minutes and finished with as few as two assists, losing by 19 points to the New York Knicks in February.
It was the seventh time in his career he has played at least 15 minutes in a win and not contributed three or more assists.
"I'm not used to it, but it's one of those things where guys are telling me to shoot, telling me to shoot, and I just said 'alright'," Paul said.
"It is weird, but it's whatever it takes. If that means scoring, if that means assisting, I've got to shoot to keep them honest."
Durant added: "We're used to him getting nearly double-digit assists every game, but it's good when you're unpredictable and can switch attacks. We're going to need that going forward."
World number three Jessica Pegula was pushed all the way before emerging victorious 7-5 4-6 6-4 against Irina-Camelia Begu in Thursday's Charleston Open third round.
Pegula, the top-ranked American and the tournament's overall top seed, may have thought it was going to be smooth sailing after collecting a break-to-love in the match's opening game, but it was just the beginning of a two-hour-and-32-minute battle.
Begu played terrific tennis against a world-class opponent, winning 47 per cent of the match's total points, but she shot herself in the foot with eight double faults while Pegula had just one.
With the victory, Pegula booked her place in the quarter-final against Spain's Paula Badosa after her stylish 6-1 6-3 result over Russian 19-year-old Diana Shnaider.
Badosa now has a 4-2 record since the beginning of March, but both of those losses came to the in-form Elena Rybakina in eliminations from both the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open.
Meanwhile, reigning Wimbledon and US Open finalist Ons Jabeur needed just 82 minutes to dispatch Caroline Dolehide 6-3 7-5, and combined with her opening victory against Lesia Tsurenko it is Jabeur's first consecutive wins since the Adelaide International in early January.
Jabeur will play Anna Kalinskaya in her quarter-final after the Russian upset two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
It was a strong day for the Russians, as Ekaterina Alexandrova got the better of Julia Grabher 6-4 6-2, and world number eight Daria Kasatkina knocked out Bernarda Pera 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic won the longest match of the day in a two-hour-and-45-minute war of attrition against Shelby Rogers 4-6 7-5 6-2, but the Americans had something to cheer for in the late window as Madison Keys advanced past Magda Linette 6-2 3-6 6-1.
The Phoenix Suns have clinched the fourth seed in the Western Conference after defeating the undermanned Denver Nuggets 119-115 on Thursday.
The victory was Phoenix's seventh in a row, having been ignited by the return of Kevin Durant for their past five fixtures after he missed over three weeks of action in March.
Durant has personally not played in a loss since January 5, winning his last two games for the Brooklyn Nets before being traded while injured, and he has won all eight Suns games he has suited up for.
He was again the key against the Nuggets, scoring a team-high 29 points on nine-of-18 shooting, including six-of-10 from three-point range, while adding seven rebounds and four assists in an eyebrow-raising 41 minutes as head coach Monty Williams gave his star extended run.
Chris Paul was terrific in support, tying his regular season career-high with seven made three-pointers on the way to 25 points (nine-of-15 shooting) and only one turnover.
Devin Booker was the primary playmaker for the Suns, racking up eight assists, but it was also due to a poor shooting night where he finished three-of-12 from the field for his 15 points.
Despite the loss – where starters Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sat out – Bruce Brown showed why he will have a key role in the playoffs as he put up 31 points (11-of-18 shooting), six rebounds and four assists as the stand-in top option.
Thunder hang on to final play-in spot
The Oklahoma City Thunder kept their playoff hopes alive with a 114-98 road win against the Utah Jazz, denying the Dallas Mavericks for the time being.
If the Thunder had lost, they would have slipped to 38-43 and been overtaken by the 38-42 Mavs, but they instead rode a terrific team effort to victory as seven Oklahoma City players scored in double-figures.
The result leaves the Thunder a half-game clear of the Mavericks in the race for the Western Conference's 10th seed, with OKC's last game of the season to come at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, while Dallas will host the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs to close out their regular season.
Miami bring the heat to Philadelphia
The Philadelphia 76ers had almost nothing to play for against the Miami Heat, and it showed, with the visitors collecting a 129-101 road triumph.
Miami (43-37) still have a small chance at avoiding the play-in tournament if they can overtake the Brooklyn Nets (44-36) in the final stages, and they got the job done in Philadelphia thanks to Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.
Butler was rock-solid with an equal team-high 24 points on nine-of-12 shooting, adding six assists, while Herro shot seven-of-17 for his 24 points and five assists.
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