Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers issued a warning about Joel Embiid's health despite his injury return, insisting "we're still not out of the woods" as the Eastern Conference top seeds look to bounce back against the Atlanta Hawks.
Embiid returned from a meniscus tear in Philadelphia's shock 128-124 loss at home to the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Eastern Conference semi-final opener on Sunday.
MVP finalist Embiid sat out the series-clinching win over the Washington Wizards due to the right knee injury, which he sustained in Game 4 of the opening-round matchup.
The 76ers outscored the Wizards by 31.6 points per 100 possessions with Embiid on the court but were outscored by 7.5 points per 100 possessions when he went to the bench (excluding Game 5), according to Stats Perform.
Embiid led all scorers with 39 points on 12-for-21 shooting, while he also had nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal against the visiting Hawks in Philadelphia.
Gearing up for Tuesday's Game 2 at Wells Fargo Center, Rivers provided an update on All-Star Embiid following Monday's practice, telling reporters: "He looked pretty good.
"Obviously, we didn't do much today, but just my observation, without being a real medical doctor, is that he looked pretty good. We were happy with everything."
Embiid has been averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in this season's playoffs, while he boasts career highs in field-goal percentage (61.6), three-point percentage (43.8) and free-throw percentage (90.5).
In 2020-21, Embiid has averaged a career-high 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
"I think we always have to worry," Rivers added. "I don't think we're out of the woods, I'll put it that way. I think after each game he's gonna be evaluated for a while.
"I don't know how long that lasts, there may be three or four or five games, but we're still not out of the woods, I guess, would be the best way to describe it."
The 76ers were blown away by Trae Young and the Hawks, who led 75-54 at half-time. According to Stats Perform, that is the highest first-half point total by a road team in a postseason series opener in history.
Young had 25 of his 35 points in the first half as the Hawks outscored the 76ers 42-27 in the first period.
Philadelphia's Ben Simmons (17 points and 10 assists) had a double-double but it was a disappointing outing for the 76ers, who are eyeing their first championship since 1983.
However, All-Star Simmons remains upbeat, adding: "The confidence has always been there. I think it's just more so we got to lock in and be ready for whoever comes in the building because it's not going to be easy.
"It's the playoffs and this is a good team we're facing right now. They play the right way. They share the ball, and they play together. We got to come together and play the right way."
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has been named the 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year, it was announced on Monday.
Thibodeau was recognised for leading the Knicks to their first playoff berth since 2013 in his first season in charge – the franchise lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round.
The 63-year-old received 43 first-place votes and 351 total points to beat Phoenix Suns counterpart Monty Williams to his second Coach of the Year award, while Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder finished third.
Thibodeau also won the Coach of the Year award in his first season as a head coach with the Chicago Bulls in 2010-11.
The veteran is now the first person to be named NBA Coach of the Year in his first season as a head coach with two different franchises.
Thibodeau is also the 10th head coach to win the NBA Coach of the Year Award more than once and the eighth to do it with multiple franchises, while he is the third head coach to be selected as NBA Coach of the Year with the Knicks, joining Red Holzman (1969-70) and Pat Riley (1992-93).
Led by Thibodeau, the Knicks ended the regular season tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference (41-31) as Julius Randle earned All-Star selection for the first time in his career and the Most Improved Player award.
The Knicks starred defensively throughout the season – leading the NBA in points allowed (104.7), opponents' field-goal percentage (44.0) and three-point percentage (33.7), while New York ranked fourth in defensive rating (107.8).
Facing Rafael Nadal at the French Open is arguably the toughest challenge in sport, such is the King of Clay's incredible record at Roland Garros and, for Diego Schwartzman, forgetting about the 13-time champion and his reputation will be half the battle when he faces him in Wednesday's quarter-final.
Schwartzman is enjoying another excellent run at Roland Garros, having reached the semi-finals last year only to be defeated by Nadal in their 11th career meeting.
The Argentinian saw off Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets on Monday before Nadal recovered from a slow start to beat Jannik Sinner in three and set up a reunion in the last eight.
They are the only two players remaining in the draw who are yet to drop a set.
Schwartzman has a 1-10 record against Nadal but has the distinction of having beaten the Spaniard on clay, doing so in Rome in 2020.
And he took a set off Nadal in their first clash at Roland Garros back in 2018, though he could not do the same last year.
Asked about the prospect of a four or five-hour match with Nadal, Schwartzman told a media conference: "I think at the beginning of every match against Rafa, you have to walk on the court thinking to win the match, to have opportunities, to get opportunities, and think about something else and not think about Rafa on the other side of the net.
"If you think about the four, five hours you are going to play, if you think about everything about Rafa in Roland Garros, he's very difficult to play.
"You know, you have to go on court, think about the tactics, think about how to play your best game.
"It's Rafa and you never know what is going to happen, and everyone knows that it's going to be very difficult.
"Playing against Rafa in these kind of tournaments, it's always, I mean, a good step, a good time to know how good are you playing. It's always a good challenge.
"I want to be there one more time. I beat him one time, so is not the same thing. I know we played two times here were good matches, and now let's see what happens. I have to enjoy today, day free tomorrow, and let's see what happens on Wednesday."
Nadal heads into the contest content with his overall performance against Sinner, who failed to serve for the first set and could not produce a turnaround in the second despite fighting from 4-0 down to get back on serve at 4-3.
"I think I started the first two games playing great. Then I had a bad game with 2-0 and with the wind helping, so that was a big mistake. Then I started to play too much against his backhand and too far from the baseline. So then I give him the chance to be inside the court and to have the control of the point from inside," said Nadal.
"From that position he's dangerous. I was a little bit farther every time, no, from the baseline. Then I was able to have the break back in the 5-4 with the wind helping. I know that was a chance. So it was important to hold my serve with the 5-3 against the wind.
"Then with the 5-4, you know that you can have your chances. So that's what happened. I won that game. I had the break. Then I play a solid game with my serve.
"Then from that moment to 7-5, 4-0 I think I played very good level of tennis. Then again, couple of mistakes and he played well, honestly. Four-three until that moment to the
end of the match I think I played great."
Defending champion Iga Swiatek overcame a strong challenge from Marta Kostyuk to reach the French Open quarter-finals.
Swiatek is the only top-10 player in the last eight of the women's draw at Roland Garros after beating the 18-year-old Kostyuk 6-3 6-4 on Monday.
Playing her first night match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Swiatek came from a break down in a thrilling first set and went on to book a meeting with Maria Sakkari – conqueror of last year's runner-up Sofia Kenin.
Eighth seed Swiatek has won 22 consecutive sets at the Paris grand slam and is a strong favourite to win back-to-back titles.
Swiatek, who won a marathon doubles match in combination with Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Sunday, was 2-1 down in the opening set as world number 81 Kostyuk was rewarded for her positive approach.
The 20-year-old Pole responded like a champion, though, breaking back immediately and again after fending off two break points to take a 4-3 lead.
Swiatek, demonstrating her great power and precision, served out the opening set and went a break up at 2-1 in the second, but Kostyuk – playing at this stage of a grand slam for the first time –was not finished yet.
The teenager defended brilliantly and showed great speed over the court as she broke back to level at 2-2 when Swiatek netted a backhand.
Yet Swiatek edged back in front when Kostyuk put a backhand of her own into the net and sealed victory with a magnificent winner – her 24th of an entertaining match.
Luka Doncic appeared to confirm he would be signing a supermax contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks following their NBA playoff exit.
The Mavs were eliminated from the postseason with Sunday's Game 7 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers, despite another outstanding series from Doncic.
The Slovenian has played in only two playoff series – both defeats against the Clippers – but has quickly established himself as one of the league's elite offensive players.
Doncic scored 35.7 points per game across the seven games, improving his career postseason average to 33.5.
That is the best mark of any player to appear in 13 or more playoff games, passing Michael Jordan's 33.4.
Jordan is one of only three men since 1963 to outscore Doncic across the first 13 games of his playoff career, with the Mavs superstar matching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 436 points.
Dallas will pursue an extension to keep Doncic on the team long term, and he replied to questions about an imminent supermax deal: "I think you know the answer."
Doncic is still playing on the four-year rookie contract he signed after the Mavs traded with the Atlanta Hawks on draft night in 2018.
The 22-year-old is set to earn $10.2million in the coming season, but Dallas are expected to make him an offer that would then exceed $200m across the next five years.
Doncic, who averages 25.7 points in the regular season, was the Rookie of the Year in 2018-19 and made the All-NBA First Team last year. He will likely be included in the same selection for 2020-21.
American duo Caty McNally and Caroline Dolehide bounced back from their French Open woe with victories at the Nottingham Open as their grass-court seasons began.
McNally and Dolehide both failed to progress through qualifying at the ongoing grand slam in Paris, but they recovered to make successful starts to their campaign at the WTA 250 event on Monday.
World number 36 McNally – on the day her doubles partner Coco Gauff reached the last eight in the singles at Roland Garros – won 6-4 6-3 against India's Ankita Raina, saving five of the six break points she faced.
McNally – beaten by Gauff in the French Open junior final in 2018 – will now cheer the 17-year-old on from afar while she herself looks to make further progress in England.
Dolehide conceded just one break point as she won by the same scoreline against Giulia Gatto-Monticone, while home hope Harriet Dart beat compatriot Emma Raducanu in straight sets.
Australian pair Lizette Cabrera and Arina Rodionova both beat Chinese opponents, seeing off Wang Yafan and Wang Xinyu respectively.
Number one seed Johanna Konta will begin her campaign on Tuesday against Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove.
The Dominican Republic’s good run of form was halted Sunday when they lost to Russia at the Volleyball Nation’s League in Italy.
Rafael Nadal continued on his serene path to a 14th French Open title by seeing off Jannik Sinner in straight sets.
Having seen Italian compatriot Lorenzo Musetti take Novak Djokovic to five sets earlier on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Sinner made a strong start against the King of Clay.
However, whereas Musetti took two sets from the world number one before being outpunched by Djokovic, Sinner was swiftly reeled back in after spurning a chance to win the first set.
The 19-year-old's spirited efforts were undermined by 40 unforced errors, offering Nadal far too many opportunities to press home the gulf in class and experience in a 7-5 6-3 6-0 win.
Nadal held to love in his first service game and then immediately broke Sinner. However, he was uncharacteristically sloppy across his next two service games, sending down three double faults, as Sinner reversed the tide to surge into a 4-2 lead.
Yet the teenager crumbled as he failed to serve out the set, surrendering a break to love with a double fault.
Then tasked with serving to stay in the set, Sinner had no answer for Nadal, who was now in full flow, an exquisite drop shot bringing up three set points. Sinner saved one, but Nadal's defence forced him into a forehand error that handed the Spaniard his 33rd consecutive set at Roland Garros.
A scorching cross-court backhand saw Nadal craft an early break in the second and he seemingly had a stranglehold on the contest after going 4-0 up.
Sinner surprisingly rattled off the next three games to get back on serve, only to instantly cede the advantage back to Nadal, who subsequently wrapped up the second set with a powerful serve down the middle.
And there was no fightback from Sinner in the third as Nadal coasted to a last-eight clash with Diego Schwartzman, who won earlier against Jan-Lennard Struff.
Iga Swiatek is the only top-10 player remaining in the women's singles draw at the French Open after Maria Sakkari beat Sofia Kenin in straight sets.
Sakkari moved into the quarter-finals of a grand slam for the first time with an emphatic 6-1 6-3 defeat of last year's runner-up Kenin on Monday.
Greek 17th seed Sakkari will face either defending champion Swiatek or Marta Kostyuk in the last eight at Roland Garros.
The 25-year-old is the first Greek woman to reach a grand slam quarter-final in the Open Era.
World number four Kenin made 32 unforced errors and racked up nine double faults in a one-sided contest on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Sakkari broke the 2020 Australian Open champion, beaten by Swiatek in the 2020 final, six times and lost just four points on her first serve to march into the last eight.
Coco Gauff, 17, earlier became the youngest grand slam quarter-finalist for 15 years by beating Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-1, while Barbora Krejcikova thrashed Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-0 in Paris.
Novak Djokovic came from two sets down against Lorenzo Musetti on Monday to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open for a record 12th consecutive year after his opponent retired in the fifth set.
The world number one went into the contest with the 19-year-old having not dropped a set at these championships but found himself in big trouble after a gruelling first couple of hours.
It felt like a different match entirely after that, as Djokovic won 16 of the final 17 games before Musetti retired with the scores at 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-0 4-0 in the 2016 champion's favour.
The Serbian seemed unsettled by Musetti's unpredictable early approach, the teenager mixing up forehand speeds and backhand passes to good effect after an early exchange of breaks.
It looked like Djokovic had control of the opening tie-break only for Musetti to win five out of six points to lead 6-5. Two rasping forehands soon secured the set after a Djokovic error.
Belief in a shock upset really did begin to grow when Musetti took a 3-1 lead in the second set, at which point Djokovic literally took his hat off to his opponent. Whether it was psychological or his cap really was a bother, a bare-headed Djokovic promptly broke back to love.
Djokovic's error count dropped from 20 in the first set to 15 in the second, but the momentum still seemed to be with the Italian, who continued to paint the lines from both sides of the court even when it seemed impossible: early in the second tie-break, a reflex lob from the net somehow bounced on the baseline as his opponent watched in disbelief.
Deserved as his lead was, there was still a feeling that, should Musetti's standards slip even a touch, the door to the comeback would be open. Djokovic seemed to sense as much, returning from a bathroom break to power his way through the third set in just 28 minutes, less than half the time of each of the first two.
Suddenly, doubt crept into Musetti's play as Djokovic began to dictate. He won 16 points in a row to take a 4-0 lead in the fourth and broke again with the sort of drop-shot winner that Musetti had anticipated with ease in the opening two hours.
Djokovic was troubled by his lower back before the fifth set and needed treatment to his hand after somehow winning the first point on the Musetti serve despite falling heavily in the dirt.
Yet it was Musetti whose body could simply no longer keep up, his retirement ensuring Djokovic will now face Matteo Berrettini in the last eight.
Data Slam: Djokovic kept his cool as Musetti froze
Djokovic is rarely shy about showing his emotions on court, so it was interesting to see not a single outburst even after he fell 2-0 down.
Each player had won 85 points in those first two sets and Djokovic seemed to know this was no one-sided affair. When he moved up a gear and Musetti started to falter in mind and body, it was a totally different contest, Musetti winning just 18 points in the final 17 games.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 53/42
Musetti – 30/49
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 11/2
Musetti – 1/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 9/9
Musetti – 2/4
A new generation of NBA superstars established themselves as the playoffs continued last week.
The first round concluded as a talented, young (with the exception of Chris Paul) Phoenix Suns team defeated LeBron James and defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Atlanta Hawks quickly gained an upper hand against the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, too.
And although Kawhi Leonard led the Los Angeles Clippers through to round two, they also suffered at the hand of an emerging talent, as Stats Perform's NBA Heat Check shows.
RUNNING HOT...
Devin Booker
Booker was dominant across the board for the Suns, earning praise from James after getting the better of the reigning NBA Finals MVP.
When comparing last week's performances with regular season returns, Booker ranked third for scoring improvement, second for rebounding improvement and second for three-point makes improvement. This was a staggering show of strength.
Playing in his sixth year, it is easy to forget this was a debut postseason series for Booker, who finished with 47 points at Staples Center and will back himself to deliver again against the Denver Nuggets.
Trae Young
The biggest potential upset of the second round is already under way after the Hawks took Game 1 against the 76ers in Philly despite Joel Embiid's return to fitness.
Young – another playoff debutant – was predictably at the centre of their success, following up 36 points in Game 5 against the New York Knicks with 35 in this opener.
He had 25 in the first half on Sunday on eight-of-13 shooting as Atlanta scored 74, the most ever by a road team in a Game 1. Considering the way the Sixers battled back to make the encounter close, Young might have to be similarly outstanding again in the forthcoming meetings.
Luka Doncic
Young was traded to the Hawks as part of the deal that saw Doncic go the other way to the Dallas Mavericks on draft night in 2018. But the Slovenian will play no further part in the playoffs after Sunday's Game 7 defeat to the Clippers.
Doncic has undoubtedly proven his class in the postseason, though, even if he is yet to win a series. Already one of the league's outstanding offensive stars, his career playoff average of 33.5 points per game is the best of any player to appear in 13 or more games – surpassing Michael Jordan's 33.4.
The Mavs ace reached that mark thanks to an outstanding week that included two 40-point performances despite Dallas' eventual series defeat.
Doncic's performances through 13 career playoff games are a match for the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Only Rick Barry, Bob McAdoo and Jordan have topped his 436 total points at this stage since 1963-64. He was certainly not to blame on Sunday...
GOING COLD...
Kristaps Porzingis
Expensive team-mate Porzingis may well have to take some responsibility for the Mavs' failings, although he was not alone. Among the players with the largest declines in scoring over the past week from their regular season outputs, three Dallas players were in the top seven.
Josh Richardson and Jalen Brunson were also in there, but Porzingis' presence should be of the most concern.
Although the big man put up 16 points and 11 rebounds – his second-most in a postseason game – on Sunday, his failure to make a single one of his five three-point attempts left Doncic short of help.
Enes Kanter
Doncic was not the only superstar left high and dry as he exited the first round. Damian Lillard did all he could to try to carry the Portland Trail Blazers past the Nuggets last week, averaging 41.5 points, but could not advance alone.
CJ McCollum underwhelmed, despite contributing 20.7 points across the series, yet it was the absence of effective defense that meant Nikola Jokic was always able to match Lillard.
Jusuf Nurkic had a combined plus/minus of 45 but fouled out of three of the six games, meaning poor Kanter had to guard Jokic on occasion and ended the series with a -34 plus/minus across only 56 minutes.
Coco Gauff acknowledges she is playing her best ever tennis at a grand slam tournament but is not yet thinking about winning the French Open.
The 17-year-old reached her first major quarter-final by brilliantly beating Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-1 in the fourth round on Monday.
Gauff said afterwards she was "definitely still learning" how to play on clay, but her progress on the biggest stage is evident – to herself and others.
"Yeah, it definitely does feel different," she said. "I just feel like it's been, I guess, professional.
"I feel like all my matches have been pretty straightforward wins, like no crazy three sets and stuff. As we know, I have had a lot of those in the past.
"I just feel like this has been the most consistent tennis I have played at this level. Hopefully I can keep that going."
Gauff had previously reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon but lost on both occasions.
"I think I was just more hungry for it," she said this time.
"I feel like in the past I felt like I was satisfied with the run I made in the tournament, so maybe I feel like I came into the matches not as hungry. I know it's probably not a good thing to say but it's the truth.
"But I think, with a lot of young players, we tend to get satisfied with certain results before we realise that we can really shoot for more.
"You know, my message has always been 'dream big and aim higher'.
"I think that today was honestly coming from that message of aiming higher, because I could have easily said I'm satisfied with the fourth round and everything.
"Today I think I just came in more hungry and wanting more compared to my last times I have been in the fourth round."
The American sensation is now just three wins away from a remarkable first grand slam triumph, but she is not getting ahead of herself.
Gauff refused to be distracted even from an ongoing UNO tournament with her parents in their hotel room, in which she says she leads the way with 16 wins.
"To be honest, I haven't really thought about [the championship]," she said. "I'm really just focused on the match ahead of me.
"I don't want to think too far. You have to focus on what's in front of you. That's really the only answer I have.
"Right now, I'm focused on going to sleep tonight and winning the next UNO match and then tomorrow we focus back on practice and then get ready for the quarter-finals."
Gauff became the youngest major quarter-finalist since 2006 with her win.
"I don't really care if you guys talk about my age or not," she said. "I'm 17. That's the truth. If you guys want to talk about it, it's fine.
"I mean, on the court, I promise you my opponents probably don't care about how old I am. They want to beat me just as bad regardless of my age, and I want to beat them just as bad regardless of their age.
"I don't mind if you guys talk about my age. It's a fact to me and it's going to change every year.
"I'm only going to be 17 once, so you might as well talk about it while I'm 17."
It is already only a matter of time before Coco Gauff becomes a major champion, according to beaten French Open opponent Ons Jabeur.
Gauff raced into the last eight at Roland Garros with a ruthless 6-3 6-1 victory over Jabeur on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Monday.
In doing so, the 17-year-old become the youngest female quarter-finalist at a grand slam in 15 years.
Gauff had previously reached the fourth round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon and won in Paris as a junior.
After a pair of WTA Tour career titles, the next step is to triumph on the biggest stage.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek was still to play on Monday, but Jabeur considers Gauff a good match for the 20-year-old.
"She's playing really good, I've got to say," Jabeur said. "But you never know. Iga is playing really well. It's going to be an interesting matchup if they're going to meet in the semi-final.
"Honestly, if she's not going to win it now, she's probably going to win another time."
Speaking on court, Gauff said: "I'm super happy that I was able to reach my first quarter-final. I played really well today, so I'm happy about that.
"Parma [the Emilia-Romagna Open, won last month] gave me a lot of confidence, especially on the clay.
"It's my first title on clay, so coming here it gave me a lot of confidence and taught me a lot [about] how to close matches and deal with the pressure on important points."
Barbora Krejcikova is up next, having beaten Sloane Stephens, and post-match questions unsurprisingly focused on the quarter-final.
Krejcikova said Gauff "is going to be the next star" and added: "She's young. She's incredible. She's doing really well. She has the weapons. She has the game. I think she's mentally really tough."
The Czech, a 6-2 6-0 winner, said: "I don't know how I would approach this if I was 17 and I was actually doing this well.
"I think it would be just too much pressure, I think it would be just too much pressure for me and maybe I won't be able to handle this. Everybody is different. Everybody is doing a different thing. She's doing really good."
A dejected Max Verstappen declared that "sometimes you can hate this sport" after a late crash cost him victory in a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Verstappen looked destined to take the top step of the podium in Baku until he suffered a tyre blowout when he was leading with five laps to go.
The Red Bull driver booted his car after smashing into a wall, having missed the opportunity to extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the battle for the Formula One title.
Verstappen was able to retain his four-point advantage over Hamilton after the seven-time world champion locked up his tyres and ran into an escape road when the street circuit race restarted for a two-lap sprint.
Sergio Perez celebrated his first victory for Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel, with Hamilton crossing the line in 15th place after being second on the grid when the race got under way again.
Verstappen was left to reflect on what might have been, but the Dutchman said he would not dwell on the cruel setback.
He said: "Frustrating and very disappointing so close to the finish to retire with a tyre blowout.
"It's a big shame. Sometimes you can hate this sport - for a few hours, then I'll be fine again.
"Honestly up until that point it was a great day – the car was on fire, I was just matching whatever I needed to do behind me, I was quite comfortably in the lead. It would have, let's say, have been an easy win. But, of course, there are no guarantees in the sport."
Verstappen added: "It's a shame because we missed out on the opportunity to make the gap bigger [in the championship] because we know when we get to normal tracks Mercedes normally are very strong. So it's a bit of a shame not to open the gap a bit more.
"Of course then at the end we got a bit lucky with Lewis going straight at Turn 1, so we are still leading the world championship, but it's not the way we wanted it to be.
"I wanted to really open up that gap today and win that race because it would have been great for the team."
Reggie Jackson paid tribute to Kawhi Leonard for instigating the Los Angeles Clippers' crucial Game 7 win over the Dallas Mavericks to secure progression to the NBA Western Conference semi-finals.
The Clippers were 126-111 victors on Sunday as they finally got the job done in the last game of the series, going some way to exorcising their 2020 demons.
Last year, the Clippers missed out on a spot in the Western Conference finals as they blew a 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets, who eventually saw them off 104-89 in Game 7 in September.
The Nuggets became the first NBA team to overcome a 3-1 deficit twice in the same playoffs and had been used as a stick to beat the Clippers with practically ever since.
While the Mavs put the Clippers under pressure, with Luka Doncic setting a new Game 7 record for 77 points scored or assisted, it was not enough as two-time Finals MVP Leonard played a starring role.
Although he did not match 22-year-old Doncic's stunning 46-point haul – which made him the youngest player in NBA history to average 35 points each game in a playoff series – Leonard only just missed out on a triple-double, recording 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Almost half (13) of those points came in an emphatic opening quarter, which Jackson felt was vital in setting the tone.
"I think it all started with Kawhi," Jackson said. "Kawhi came in with a mentality that he was going to take this game today.
"He was going to come in and lead and wasn't going to be shy about his play at all. He really got it going early and once he got it going early, guys had to load up and defenses had to change their coverages."
As for the Clippers moving past the disappointment of 2020, coach Ty Lue seemed relieved to look past it.
"Last year was last year," Lue said. "We talked about it when the season started, that's over and we've got to look going forward.
"We can't keep looking behind and what happened in the bubble. That s***'s over."
On the other side of the coin, much like Leonard in last year's semi-finals, Doncic's brilliance came to nothing in the end.
The Slovenian was the star of the series, with numerous Clippers applauding his performances after Game 7, but he cut a dejected figure and feels he has not proven anything about himself because he is paid to win.
Asked what he felt he had proved, Doncic said: "I mean, nothing yet. We made the playoffs twice since I've been here. We lost both times. At the end, you get paid to win. We didn't do it."
The Clippers will go on to face top seeds the Utah Jazz in the semi-finals after they eased past the Memphis Grizzlies 4-1 in the first round.
The Boston Red Sox came from behind to beat rivals the New York Yankees 6-5 for their first series sweep in the Bronx in a decade.
Boston star Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run single with two outs in the 10th inning as the Red Sox held on to defeat the Yankees in their American League (AL) East showdown on Sunday.
The Red Sox rallied behind Marwin Gonzalez's game-tying homer in the seventh inning for their first three-game sweep in the Bronx since June 2011.
"It was real nice," Bogaerts said. "We know we haven't had a lot of success [vs. the Yankees] these last couple of years, but this team is different.
"We have a lot of winning players. You could see that with Kike [Hernandez] last night [Saturday] with that big RBI. Marwin [Gonzalez], these last couple of days, he's been getting hot."
Boston (36-23) – after four consecutive wins – are now a season-high 13 games over .500, though they are still a game behind AL East leaders the Tampa Bay Rays (38-23), who blitzed the Texas Rangers 7-1.
The slumping Yankees (31-29) are fourth in the five-team AL East following four successive defeats.
La Russa second on list for most wins by MLB manager
The Chicago White Sox blanked the Detroit Tigers 3-0 and manager Tony La Russa celebrated a milestone. It was his 2,764th career victory – moving him into second place on MLB's all-time manager wins list. The 76-year-old surpassed John McGraw and now only trails Connie Mack (3,731).
Jesse Winker starred with three home runs as the Cincinnati Reds topped the St Louis Cardinals 8-7. Winker hit a tie-breaking home run in the ninth inning for his second three-homer game this season. It helped the Reds clinch their first four-game sweep of the Cardinals in 21 years.
The Baltimore Orioles had a day out, crushing the Cleveland Indians 18-5 after scoring their most runs since 2015.
Rookie Luis Garcia earned his fifth successive victory and Jose Altuve recorded a lead-off homer in the Houston Astros' 6-3 win at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bauer outpitched in Atlanta
Trevor Bauer and the Los Angeles Dodgers were beaten 4-2 by the Atlanta Braves. Dodgers ace Bauer allowed three runs and six hits across six innings, while matching his season high of four walks – two of the batters who were walked later scored.
Tanner Rainey was tagged by the Philadelphia Phillies, who eased to a 12-6 win over the Washington Nationals. J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run drive off Rainey as the Nationals pitcher gave up two hits, three runs – all earned and a homer in just one inning.
Pujols eclipses Bonds
Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols hit his 671st career home run in a loss for World Series champions the Dodgers. With his homer, Pujols passed Barry Bonds for fourth on the all-time total base list with 5,980.
Sunday's results
Baltimore Orioles 18-5 Cleveland Indians
Miami Marlins 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
Philadelphia Phillies 12-6 Washington Nationals
Houston Astros 6-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Atlanta Braves 4-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago White Sox 3-0 Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins 2-1 Kansas City Royals
Cincinnati Reds 8-7 St Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 Texas Rangers
Colorado Rockies 3-1 Oakland Athletics
Chicago Cubs 4-3 San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners 9-5 Los Angeles Angels
New York Mets 6-2 San Diego Padres
Boston Red Sox 6-5 New York Yankees
Cubs at Padres
The Padres (36-25) will be out to snap their two-game skid against the Cubs (33-26) on Monday. Ryan Weathers starts for San Diego as Chicago counter with Adbert Alzolay.
Serena Williams crashed out of the French Open in the fourth round as 21st seed Elena Rybakina sealed a stunning 6-3 7-5 victory on Sunday.
Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, had not previously been past the second round at Roland Garros but she is enjoying a strong run this fortnight and showed no nerves against her illustrious opponent, hitting a series of impressive winners that the 39-year-old Williams could not match.
After breaking back and then moving 5-4 ahead in the second set, it seemed 23-time grand slam champion Williams might take the match to a decider, but Rybakina reeled off the next three games to seal the biggest win of her career and set up a quarter-final clash against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Rybakina started in a confident mood, winning her first two service games without dropping a point.
Williams came under intense pressure on her second service game, with Rybakina breaking and opening up a 3-1 lead when the American sent a backhand long.
Williams broke back in the seventh game of the match, but she squandered the opportunity to pull level when Rybakina broke again in the next game.
A nervy Rybakina needed four set points to win the opener 6-3, sealing it in 36 minutes when Williams flashed a cross-court backhand long.
Williams found herself in more trouble at the start of the second set, Rybakina comfortably breaking to move 1-0 up, but the three-time Roland Garros champion restored parity in the next game with four consecutive winners.
Rybakina missed a golden opportunity to set up a break point in the fifth match of the second set, sending a backhand long with Williams out of position, the American surviving to serve out the game and move 3-2 up.
The 21-year-old won the next game with an ace, setting the stage for her to break Williams and move 4-3 ahead.
Williams roared back, though, winning the next two games to leave Rybakina serving to stay in the set.
Not only did she do that, but she won the next two games as well to put the seal on a memorable victory that took one hour and 19 minutes.
DATA SLAM: RYBAKINA PUNISHES SLOPPY WILLIAMS
Williams looked well off the pace against an opponent who certainly made the most of her first appearance in the fourth round of a grand slam tournament. Williams won just 59 per cent of the points from her first serve, compared to Rybakina's 69 per cent, while the Russian-born player won 86 per cent of points at the net compared to Williams' 50 per cent.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Williams – 15/19
Rybakina – 21/13
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Williams – 2/1
Rybakina – 4/4
BREAK POINTS WON
Williams – 3/5
Rybakina – 5/7
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid was cleared to start Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
Embiid has been managing a knee injury and missed the final game of the first-round series against the Washington Wizards, having bowed out after just 11 minutes in the previous encounter.
The center's return against a tricky Hawks team represents a big boost for the 76ers, though.
While Embiid has been limited to 24.0 points per game so far in the 2020-21 playoffs due to his knee complaint, he tallied 28.5 points along with 10.6 rebounds in the regular season.
The 27-year-old will be expected to improve on his 19.7 points per game across three meetings with Atlanta this year, although he was limited to 25 minutes or fewer in each clash.
Embiid was selected to start alongside Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Danny Green, the Sixers' most-used starting five this season. They were 27-5 across 32 games.
Lewis Hamilton apologised to the Mercedes team after a "humbling experience" left the Formula One world champion outside the points at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton overcame difficulties in practice to clinch second on the grid in a red flag-laden qualifying session on Saturday, yet he finished 15th in Sunday's race.
Max Verstappen, Hamilton's championship rival, crashed with three laps remaining, and a red flag resulted in a standing start.
Hamilton, who had swiftly caught pole holder Charles Leclerc but had been delayed by Pierre Gasly in the pits, resumed the race behind Sergio Perez.
Yet the seven-time world champion, with his brakes smoking, careered off the track moments after the restart, enabling Perez to cruise to victory.
"Today was a humbling experience," Hamilton tweeted, having initially apologised to the team from his car.
"We worked so hard to put ourselves back in the top 10 today after a rocky week here in Baku. We gave it our all today and a small error caused the brakes to switch off.
"Sorry to the team, we'll come back stronger for the next race."
Mercedes' official team account echoed Hamilton's sentiment.
"This is hard to take. We worked so hard this weekend to put ourselves into the fight after a really difficult start on Friday – only to leave with nothing," the team's tweet read.
"[We] need a big reaction next time out in France."
Sunday's drama means Red Bull hold a 26-point lead in the constructors' championship, with Verstappen (105) four points ahead of Hamilton in the drivers' standings.
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