Nikola Jokic said "I need to protect myself" but admits he regrets the "stupid play" that saw him ejected for a violent shove on Markieff Morris in the Denver Nuggets' 113-96 win over the Miami Heat.
League MVP Jokic reacted angrily when Morris came in with a hard foul midcourt, catching his opponent with a left elbow to the chest.
Jokic furiously chased Morris down and responded with a right forearm shove to the back, sending the Heat star crashing heavily to the court.
A suspension and fine could now be on the cards for Jokic, who later rued his moment of madness.
"It's a stupid play. I feel bad. I am not supposed to react that way," he told reporters.
"I thought it was going to be a take foul. I think it was a dirty play. And I just needed to protect myself. I felt bad. I am not supposed to react that way, but I need to protect myself."
He added: "I don't know who showed me the clip, and actually his head snapped back [after the shove], so I feel really bad. It's a bad move."
It poses a potential dilemma for Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was without the already injured Jamal Murray on Monday, while Michael Porter Jr. was absent with a lower back issue.
If Jokic is suspended as well, the Nuggets could be without their three best players when they face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
"I will concern myself when they tell us he's suspended," Malone said.
"I am not going to waste any of my time looking into my crystal ball and my tea leaves. I don't have any of that.
"He's available until they tell me he's not. And I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be available Wednesday night."
Jokic's indiscretion came with just two minutes and 39 seconds remaining in a game where he had produced a triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra labelled Jokic's retaliation as "uncalled for".
"That was a very dangerous and dirty play," he said.
"Keef took a foul, and it was one of those fastbreak-take fouls, and he did with his shoulder. You might deem that maybe as a little bit more than just slapping somebody, but after watching it on film, it was a take foul.
"That's how I saw it. And the play after, that's just absolutely uncalled for."
The Nuggets moved to 6-4 with the win to sit sixth in the Western Conference, while the 7-3 Heat are second in the east.
Stephen Curry posted 50 points and 10 assists to guide the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors to a 127-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Curry enjoyed a season-high night in terms of points as the Warriors won for the ninth time in their opening 10 games of the 2021-22 campaign on Monday.
The two-time MVP became the only NBA player in the last 25 years to have 50-plus points, 10-plus assists and a plus-minus of 30 or better in a single game, according to Stats Perform.
Curry, who had seven rebounds and nine three-pointers, also joined James Harden as the only players to put up 50-plus points, 10-plus assists in 35 minutes or fewer in the last 40 seasons.
The three-time champion became the third Warriors player in franchise history with at least 10 50-point games.
Bulls stop star-studded Nets
Kevin Durant recorded 38 points and 10 rebounds but the Brooklyn Nets still lost 118-95 at the Chicago Bulls. All of Chicago's starters – DeMar DeRozan (28), Zach Lavine (24), Nikola Vucevic (11 and 13 rebounds), Lonzo Ball (11) and Javonte Green (11) – finished with double-digit points to snap Brooklyn's five-game winning streak.
In the absence of Joel Embiid (health and safety protocol), Andre Drummond had 14 points and 25 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers. He became the first 76er with 25-plus rebounds in a game since Charles Barkley in 1987. Shorthanded Eastern Conference leaders the 76ers lost 103-96 to the New York Knicks, however.
Russell Westbrook (17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds), Anthony Davis (32 points and 12 rebounds) and Carmelo Anthony (29 points on seven-of-10 three-pointers) helped the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Charlotte Hornets 126-123 in overtime. LaMelo Ball had a triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for the Hornets.
Jokic loses his head
The Denver Nuggets upstaged the high-flying Miami Heat 113-96, despite having reigning MVP Nikola Jokic ejected. Jokic registered a triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists before he was tossed for violently slamming his shoulder into Markieff Morris late in the final period.
Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. will be sidelined for the "foreseeable future" due to a back injury.
Porter left Saturday's 95-94 win over the lowly Houston Rockets in the opening quarter because of back tightness and sat out Monday's NBA game against the high-flying Miami Heat.
Prior to Denver's matchup with Miami, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said Porter will continue to undergo testing on his back.
"There's no doubt, regardless of his mood, we all have to support Michael, just like we support Jamal [Murray]," Malone said.
"And again, Michael could be back in a week, it could be more than that. So when I say, 'foreseeable future,' I'm not really sure what that means, I just know that he's not playing tonight."
"This is a process where we're being very cautious, talking to doctors, getting imaging all that kind of stuff," Malone added.
Porter, who signed a max contract before the start of the season, has been averaging 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 2021-22.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was awestruck as the Milwaukee Bucks became the first NBA champions to visit the White House in five years.
An annual tradition of the NBA champions making their way to the official residence of the United States president in Washington was put on hold during Donald Trump's term – the Cleveland Cavaliers were the last titleholder to visit the White House when Barack Obama hosted in 2016.
That hiatus ended on Monday when superstar Antetokounmpo and the Bucks – who claimed their first championship since 1971 last season – took centre stage alongside president Joe Biden.
"This is awesome," Antetokounmpo said. ... "A kid from Sepolia, Athens, Greece — grew up from two Nigerian parents who were struggling every day to provide for us. ... It's an unbelievable opportunity to be able to be in the White House meeting the president of the United States.
"I could not be as honoured and happy that something like this — that I've accomplished something like this in my life."
Antetokounmpo added: "For everybody out there, this is a great example that with hard work, with sacrifices — if you dedicate yourself to waking up every single day and try to get better in anything you do, in anything you love and believe in your dreams — you can accomplish great things in life.
"Man, as I said. I've done that my whole life. And I'm in the White House."
Biden hailed the Bucks for their efforts to promote coronavirus vaccinations and for speaking out following the 2020 police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The NBA postponed games in 2020 after the Bucks announced they would not participate in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series, Milwaukee seeking to shed light on racial injustices.
"You took a stand for justice and peace in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and you've gotten people engaged," Biden said.
Collin Sexton is set for an extended period on the sidelines after sustaining a torn meniscus in his left knee, dealing a blow to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers have made an impressive 7-4 start to the season, with Sexton playing a pivotal role by leading the team in scoring at an average of 16 points per game.
However, he went off hurt in the 126-109 win against the New York Knicks on Sunday – Cleveland's fourth straight victory.
No timetable has been supplied for Sexton's return as further examination of his injury is still required, according to the team.
A Cavs statement read: "Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton left Sunday night's road game at New York in the second quarter with a left knee injury and did not return to action.
"Further examination of the injury and an MRI administered today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health revealed a meniscus tear.
"Sexton will undergo additional evaluation after which time his status will be updated."
Sexton is in his fourth season in the league and has only missed 12 games during his NBA career.
Cavs team-mate Kevin Love tweeted: "Damn @CollinSexton02 heal fast you brother know you'll put in the work."
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has entered the NBA's health and safety after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19.
Embiid was expected to sit out Monday's meeting with the New York Knicks as planned rest on the first leg of a back-to-back, but the 76ers subsequently announced he had entered the protocols.
According to ESPN, the four-time All-Star will now sit out for at least 10 days, ruling him out of Philadelphia's next five games. He could return against the Denver Nuggets next week with the 76ers on a six-game road trip.
Embiid is averaging 21.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and a career-high 4.0 assists for the 8-2 76ers, who top the Eastern Conference despite having been shorthanded for much of the season.
The 76ers already had Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe in the health and safety protocols.
They have won all four of their games without Harris, including a 113-103 success over the Portland Trail Blazers that Embiid was rested for.
Danny Green sustained a hamstring injury in that game and was questionable to make his return against the Knicks.
Philadelphia also remain without Ben Simmons, who has yet to feature this season as he seeks a trade.
Jordan Poole proclaimed the Golden State Warriors to be "so lucky" to have Otto Porter Jr after his 40-second heroics against the Houston Rockets.
Porter sunk a trio of three-pointers, made one steal and one rebound all in the penultimate minute of the first half to steer the Warriors back in front during the second quarter.
The former Washington Wizards small forward put up 15 points and nine rebounds in only 18 minutes as the Warriors ran out 120-107 winners to move to a league-best 8-1.
Poole top-scored with 25 points, including shooting seven-of-13 from the field and all nine attempts from the free-throw line, but it was Porter's "huge" contribution that left him most impressed.
"Otto is... we're so lucky to have him," said Poole. "He's a really big threat from the three-point line and he's a mismatch for a lot of fours and fives that guard him, especially on the offensive end.
"Being able to get him going early and seeing him catch a rhythm the way he did was huge."
Coach Steve Kerr said the thrilling second-quarter stretch "had the bench jumping up and down" with excitement.
"Otto and Beli [Nemanja Bjelica] have given us a totally different dimension from anything we've had since I've been here," Kerr said. "Just having two bigs who can shoot threes like that really opens up the floor."
Porter scored 12 of his points in the second quarter just as the 1-9 Rockets had wrestled back control of the contest, recovering from a five-point deficit to move four clear with six and a half minutes left.
The Warriors ended the half 69-61 ahead and never looked back as they won for the fourth game in a row.
"I hit that one in the corner and was just playing good offense," said Porter. "We got some stops. We got some key turnovers, some steals and – we're on defense creates offense – I was able to get a few looks and knock it down.
"We always preach, 'Finish in the quarter'. Going into half-time, that was a big moment in the game where the energy shifted towards us. Like coach said, we've just got to continue to find ways to finish quarters."
While he does not like losing, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo remains calm amid the NBA champions' run of five defeats in six games in a rough start to the team's title defence.
The Bucks claimed their first championship since 1971 last season, but that drought-ending triumph seems so long ago after Sunday's 101-94 loss at the Washington Wizards.
Antetokounmpo posted 29 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and three steals, however, the slumping Bucks still fell to 4-6 for the season.
Former MVP Antetokounmpo vented his frustration after Milwaukee's latest loss in the absence of Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Donte DiVincenzo but highlighted the need to perform at the right time of the season.
"I'm not gonna lie, I don't like losing," Antetokounmpo said. "I don't remember the last time we were 4-6, you know? Or we lost four out of five at home?
"It obviously doesn't feel good but at the end of the day it's about building good habits. As long as we're building good habits, I'm seeing guys taking shots they're supposed to take, guys diving on the floor, rebounding the ball, making the right play, that's what we need to care about.
"Because at the end of the day the playoffs are 72 games away, and we have 72 games to get better, keep building good habits and hopefully we're in a good place mentally, physically, everybody healthy at the right time and play good basketball. That's when you want to play your best basketball."
Milwaukee had won eight consecutive games against Washington, most recently winning 135-134 on May 5 – the Wizards' longest active losing streak against any opponent with the next highest being five games prior to Bradley Beal helping snap that skid.
Antetokounmpo played a season-high 39 minutes for the Bucks as he surpassed Sidney Moncrief for second place on Milwaukee's all-time assists list with three in the first half to reach 2,691.
"Giannis was in that mindset that he wanted to play a lot," said Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer. "It's on me to keep him in a good place. I love his spirit tonight."
Emma Raducanu vowed to maintain her focus in the wake of her sensational US Open title as she prepares for her first WTA Tour event as a number one seed.
Ranked a career-best number 21 in the world, the 18-year-old sensation is atop the singles draw at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz this week.
Raducanu's remarkable run at Flushing Meadows has generated an avalanche of publicity and requests, but she insisted tennis will remain her top priority.
"I made it very, very clear to every single person in my team that I was not going to cancel one training session or practice session for any off-court commitments," Raducanu told reporters.
"That was non-negotiable for me. I wanted to make sure that that is my priority and it is, so everyone is clear about that. But it's just managing my time with the commitments around that."
Raducanu has a bye in the first round and will face the winner of the opening-round match between qualifiers Kateryna Kozlova and Wang Xinyu.
The teen split with coach Andrew Richardson after the US Open and remains without an official adviser but said she plans to have someone in place by January's Australian Open.
That was not something she would have anticipated worrying about during last year's tournament in Melbourne, when she was still a full-time student.
"Only March the 18th was my first session on court in 2021," she said. "And so January, February, March I was literally just sat on my desk staring at a wall for nine hours a day.
"So I feel like where I am now I just need to really take it all in and enjoy because looking back at how far I've come it's pretty surreal.
"I just really need to enjoy it because when I was in the beginning of year I would have never thought this was possible. I'm kind of just really living in the moment right now I feel."
Reigning NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks lost for the fifth time in six games as Bradley Beal led the Washington Wizards to a 101-94 comeback victory on Sunday.
Washington (7-3) scored the first 12 points of the game, but Milwaukee (4-6) led by three at half-time. The Bucks' edge never got beyond four after that, though, and the Wizards took the lead for good midway through the third quarter.
The Wizards had lost eight in a row to the Bucks but turned it around behind 30 points and eight assists from Beal, who said it felt like a playoff game.
Washington played playoff-level defence, limiting the Bucks to 39.4 per cent shooting, including just 10 of 36 (27.8 per cent) from three-point range.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 18 rebounds but was only five-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Durant, Harden lead Nets past Raptors
Kevin Durant had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while James Harden added 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as the Brooklyn Nets (7-3) defeated the Toronto Raptors 116-103. Fred VanVleet led Toronto (6-5) with 21 points and eight assists.
The Golden State Warriors improved to an NBA-best 8-1 with a 120-107 rout of the team that shares the worst record in the league, the Houston Rockets (1-9). Jordan Poole had 25 points and Stephen Curry 20 for Golden State.
Ricky Rubio scored a career-high 37 and became the first player in NBA history to post at least 35 points, 10 assists and eight three-pointers off the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers (7-4) rolled to a 126-109 defeat of the New York Knicks (6-4).
Hornets' woes continue
The Charlotte Hornets' franchise-best 3-0 start is a distant memory after the Hornets watched the Los Angeles Clippers (5-4) close the game with a 27-4 run on the way to a 120-106 victory. The Hornets (5-6) shot just 40.6 per cent from the field en route to their fourth successive defeat.
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant hailed James Harden after his "special" performance in the 116-103 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Harden flirted with a triple-double, posting 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as the Nets celebrated their fifth consecutive victory on Sunday.
Former NBA MVP Harden scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter to lead the championship-chasing Nets (7-3) past the Raptors (6-5) in Toronto.
"James was special there in the fourth," Durant said post-game.
Brooklyn's Blake Griffin – who put up 14 points and 11 rebounds – added: "When he's at that level, he makes us go. We, as a team, can go to a different level."
"I thought in the first half, he didn't give himself enough credit. I thought he had opportunities to attack more. I tried to implore him to go and to be aggressive. In the second half, he was excellent," said Nets head coach Steve Nash.
"This game, the Atlanta game and games he gets to the paint, he can really cause a lot of problems for the defence."
Durant had 20 points for the 10th successive game, extending his career-best streak to begin a season and Brooklyn's record for 20-point games at the start of a campaign.
He finished with 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field, making three of his six three-pointers.
"Like we said since day one, he's been unbelievable this season at both ends of the floor, rebounding, scoring, facilitating" Nash said.
Lewis Hamilton was critical of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas for leaving the "door open" to Max Verstappen at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix as the reigning Formula One champion's hopes took another hit.
Mercedes locked out the front row for Sunday's race after Bottas claimed pole position ahead of Hamilton, but F1 championship leader and Red Bull star Verstappen reigned supreme.
Verstappen went from third to first following the opening turn as he claimed a 19th career win and ninth of the season by more than 16 seconds ahead of second-placed Hamilton.
Hamilton now trails Verstappen by 19 points at the summit of the drivers' championship with four races remaining.
"I had envisaged it differently, naturally, in the sense that maybe Valtteri had got a better start and I would have tried to get into his tow," Hamilton said.
"But I was alongside him which was good, and then I was just covering my side of the track trying to make sure that no-one could come up the inside.
"So I was trying to keep whichever Red Bull I could see in my mirror behind, and I thought Valtteri would be doing the same.
"But obviously, he left the door open for Max, and Max was on the racing line so did a mega job braking into Turn 1. Because I was on the inside on the dirt, there was no hope for me."
Bottas told Sky F1: "The start was OK, not too bad, but Verstappen got a bit of a tow and he braked really late.
"But then suddenly at the apex at Turn 1 I think Daniel [Ricciardo] hit me in the rear and right there I spun I couldn't do anything and then after that the race was tricky to make progress.
"I was too close to cars and managing engine and brakes so I could manage it until I was getting too close then it was not easy."
Despite Red Bull's pace and losing ground in the race to defend his crown, Hamilton insisted he is not giving up.
"I feel like I maximised what I had," Hamilton told Sky F1. "But jeez... their pace was just unbelievable today. There was nothing I could do to battle that."
"If they carry that pace into the next races then we might be in trouble," said Hamilton. "We've got four races to go and we just have to keep pushing.
"I don't know where this performance has come from today but they were half a second quicker than us a lap, which is what we saw earlier on in the weekend.
"All I can do is just squeeze everything out of this car. They clearly have a stronger car so I think all I can do is just make sure we don't leave any stone unturned and we just maximise all we have, and give it my all."
The Los Angeles Dodgers declined to extend a qualifying offer to Clayton Kershaw as the veteran ace prepares to enter free agency amid uncertainty over his MLB future.
Kershaw, who did not pitch in the MLB playoffs as the Dodgers lost to the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) due to the recurrence of a forearm problem, has spent his entire 14-year career in Los Angeles.
The World Series champion and three-time Cy Young Award winner is a free agent following the conclusion of his three-year, $93million contract with the Dodgers.
While the Dodgers lodged offers to free agent All-Stars Corey Seager and Chris Taylor prior to Sunday's deadline – worth $18.4m for one year – there was none forthcoming for future Hall of Famer Kershaw.
However, the Dodgers are reportedly still keen on bringing Kershaw back to LA for at least one more season as both parties take time to determine the 33-year-old's health.
Kershaw – an eight-time All-Star and 2014 NL MVP – made his debut for the Dodgers in 2008.
In 2021, Kershaw finished with a 3.55 ERA, the worst of his illustrious career since his rookie year (4.26) with the Dodgers.
Kershaw had a 10-8 record this season with 144 strikeouts in 121.2 innings pitched.
Overall, Kershaw has a 185-84 win-loss record with 2,670 strikeouts and a career 2.49 ERA.
Max Verstappen insists there is a long way to go in the Formula One drivers' championship race despite a "straightforward" win at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 24-year-old never looked back after moving from third to first after the first turn, wrapping up a 19th career win and ninth of the season by more than 16 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second and Red Bull team-mate and home favourite Sergio Perez in third.
The result meant Verstappen overtook Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Jim Clark as the driver to win most races in the Mexican Grand Prix, with this victory added to triumphs in 2017 and 2018.
Verstappen holds a 19-point lead over Hamilton at the summit of the drivers' championship with just four races remaining, but he is refusing to get carried away.
"There's still a long way to go," he said. "It's of course looking good, but it can turn around quickly. I'm looking forward to Brazil [next Sunday]. I also have good memories there.
"It was quite straightforward today, which was really nice."
Speaking about his electric start, which saw him power past Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, Verstappen said the key was holding off from breaking for as long as possible.
"It was three-wide, and it was just about trying to brake as late as you can," he explained.
"I went from third to first and that was basically what made my race because then I could just focus on myself. There was incredible pace in the car, so I could just do my own thing."
Verstappen's team-mate Perez put on a superb show in front of his home crowd, becoming the first Mexican driver to finish on the podium in this grand prix.
He also briefly led the race when Verstappen went into the pits to become the first Mexican to lead a lap at his country's grand prix.
"Having Checo [Perez] as a team-mate, coming to Mexico is amazing – actually even before that," Verstappen added. "All the fans here have been incredible, they love Formula One. It's really nice to be here."
Brazil awaits the drivers next Sunday in the second of November's triple-header, before a trip to Qatar.
Max Verstappen extended his lead at the summit of the Formula One drivers' championship to 19 points after roaring to victory in the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 24-year-old had already moved from third to first by the first corner, which saw Valtteri Bottas – who had started in pole position – drop down to last after being hit from behind.
Verstappen was rarely troubled after that, claiming a 19th career win and ninth of the season by more than 16 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second and Red Bull team-mate and home favourite Sergio Perez in third.
The race started in dramatic circumstances, Verstappen blitzing past Bottas and Hamilton before the first turn to take an immediate lead.
Things quickly deteriorated for Bottas, who dropped to 18th after Daniel Ricciardo clipped him as he navigated the first turn – an incident that took Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher out of the running.
Verstappen wasted little time stamping his authority on the race after the safety car departed on lap four, opening up a 3.3-second advantage by the 10th lap.
That lead had reached 8.5 seconds by lap 27, before a pit stop gave the home fans reason to celebrate when Perez briefly became the first Mexican to lead a lap at his country's grand prix.
Verstappen soon resumed his position at the front of the pack and, with a comfortable win looking likely, attention turned elsewhere for drama.
That came in the shape of the battle for second, with Perez's team confidently telling the 31-year-old he would catch Hamilton inside the remaining 24 laps.
Despite falling just short, he could at least celebrate becoming the first Mexican driver to finish on the podium in this grand prix.
Novak Djokovic claimed his sixth Paris Masters title on Sunday, overcoming Daniil Medvedev and gaining revenge for his defeat in the US Open final in the process.
Prior to this week's Masters 1000 event, Djokovic had not played since going down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to world number two Medvedev at Flushing Meadows in September.
That defeat ended Djokovic's hopes of sealing a calendar Grand Slam, but he was in fine form this week as he regained the title he last won in 2019, having not played in the competition last year.
Defending champion Medvedev started the final brilliantly, but Djokovic rallied to win 4-6 6-3 6-3, claiming a record-setting 37th Masters title in the process.
And the world number one explained how he learned from the mistakes he made in New York to prevail this time around, taking his head-to-head record with Medvedev to 6-4 in the process.
"I went back and reviewed the final of the US Open to see what I did wrong and what I did right," Djokovic told the Tennis Channel.
"I tried to read the patterns of his serve and the ball toss, maybe. I tried to look for the small details, because it was a match of small margins."
Reflecting on the showdown in Paris, Djokovic added: "He started better, broke my serve in the first game and I came back. He served the first set out pretty comfortably, but I felt as if I was there.
"I thought it was only a matter of time when I was going to read his serve better and start to make some plays.
"You can't go through him. You have to find a way to play with controlled aggression, play the right shots at the right time and make him come in. It's variety that wins matches against him. We both suffered on the court and there was a lot of gruelling rallies."
Djokovic, who had already secured a record seventh year-end number one, has won 49 matches in 2021, losing on just six occasions.
Scotland held off Australia to claim a narrow 15-13 win in their first November Test at Murrayfield, ending the Wallabies' five-match winning run.
Sunday's hosts had beaten Australia in the sides' previous two meetings, but Dave Rennie's men came into the clash in their best spell of form since a sequence of seven straight victories across September and October 2015.
Finn Russell's penalty 12 minutes from time ultimately proved the difference, prompting Hamish Watson to tell Amazon Prime: "Something special is building here."
Watson had opened the scoring in a tense back-and-forth encounter, powering over in the 22nd minute following a lineout.
Michael Hooper thought he had replied before the break, but the TMO intervened to rule out his try – Allan Alaalatoa sent to the sin bin for catching Matt Fagerson in the face – and James O'Connor's penalty instead provided Australia's only first-half points.
The Wallabies' 14 men had their first lead early in the second half through Rob Leota's score, only for debutant Ewan Ashman to squeeze the ball down in the corner for Scotland.
Another O'Connor penalty put Australia back in front heading into the closing stages, but the game was decided from Scotland's tee and the boot of Russell.
Novak Djokovic came from a set down to defeat Daniil Medvedev 4-6 6-3 6-3 and win the Paris Masters on Sunday.
Djokovic lost to Medvedev in the US Open final in September, with that defeat ending his hopes of a calendar Grand Slam.
But the Serbian, whose semi-final win over Hubert Hurkacz ensured he will be the year-end world number one for a record seventh time, got his revenge in France.
It marks a fifth title of the year and a sixth triumph at this event for Djokovic, who did not compete in the tournament last year – Medvedev winning it in his place.
The 34-year-old had it far from his own way, with Medvedev instantly going a break up, and although Djokovic hit back to draw level at 2-2, the world number two held off a second break point before nosing himself ahead at 4-3.
Yet having served out the first set at the first time of asking, the US Open champion slipped up in the fourth game of the second as Djokovic reeled off some superb returns, and he did not look back.
With the momentum and crowd on his side, Djokovic broke Medvedev twice in quick succession in the decider, and although he was denied claiming the win on his serve, it merely delayed the inevitable.
Medvedev's powerful serve was not enough, with Djokovic keeping his composure to seal a record-setting 37th Masters 1000 title with a sublime forehand into the corner of the court following a draining rally.
Francesco Bagnaia's late-season rally did not come in time to push Fabio Quartararo all the way for the 2021 MotoGP title, but the Ducati rider's outstanding form has shown him how to compete next year.
Quartararo clinched the championship at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix when second-placed Bagnaia dramatically crashed out.
On Sunday, at the Algarve Grand Prix, Bagnaia – starting from pole for a fifth consecutive race – won while Quartararo crashed.
If not for his untimely previous retirement, the Italian would be still within touching distance of the season leader heading into the final round.
"If I had the win in Misano, today was perfect for me," Bagnaia told a news conference. "But it's not like this."
Bagnaia's result clinched second and also delivered the constructors' championship for Ducati, who now lead the teams' standings, too.
But attention can start to turn towards next year, when Bagnaia will hope to be competitive from the outset.
"I think we didn't lose the championship in Misano," he said. "I lost a lot of points before and I started to be so competitive after some races.
"For sure, it's a really great base for next year. Also we have worked so hard and so well with our bike, so for next year we have a really great base."
Of course, Bagnaia would have to cope with significant pressure if he were to lead the title race from the outset, and he acknowledged riding this week without the championship on the line was an easier experience.
"I didn't change it compared to Misano," he explained. "But in Misano, I was trying to [keep] open the championship but I was knowing that it was very difficult to win it.
"Today, if I had the win in Misano, for sure Quartararo was not crashing. I was racing without the pressure of the championship, so I just did the same thing."
Quartararo took the title from Joan Mir, who is also keen to respond in 2022 after a difficult championship defence.
He finished second on Sunday for the second time this year but has not won a single race and said Suzuki would have to work on a "better base".
For now, Mir was simply delighted to be back in contention on race day, saying: "Honestly, I'm so happy, I'm especially happy for this podium.
"It's not for the result, it's more for the weekend that we did. It was unbelievable. I felt so good from the first moment and I was able to be competitive from FP1.
"Then, as Pecco said, when you feel good with the bike and the base is good, everything came easily. What I needed was a weekend like this one."
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