Milwaukee Bucks star Jrue Holiday labelled Stephen Curry an "alien" as the Golden State Warriors superstar continues to dazzle in the NBA.
Curry had scored at least 30 points in his previous 11 outings – the longest run by any player aged 33 or over in NBA history – before the two-time MVP's streak came to an end against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant previously held the record for successive games with at least 30 points by a player 33 or older, managing 10 in a row in 2012.
Curry's streak started with 32 points against the Chicago Bulls on March 30. Across the 11 games the three-time champion hit 78 three-pointers, also an NBA record.
"He's an alien. I don't understand. I don't understand," 2013 All-Star Holiday said on "The Old Man and the Three" podcast before Friday's clash between the Warriors and Denver Nuggets.
"I fouled him on a half-court shot when we played them [on April 6].
"I'm pretty sure he didn't even look at the rim, and he still almost made it. And they didn't call the foul.
"I'm like what is wrong with you? What do you take [laughter]? Can I get some of it please because you're insane dude."
"He's putting this in the little kids' heads, like this is OK to try," continued Holiday. "No, it's not OK to try. Only he can do this."
Dallas Mavericks veteran JJ Redick, who hosts the podcast, added: "He's on a different planet right now."
"He's tapped into something -- some transcendent level of consciousness or something," he said.
The Cleveland Browns have locked in Baker Mayfield for 2022 after exercising their fifth-year option on the quarterback's contract.
Cleveland announced their move on Friday after Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years last season – a shock win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mayfield – the number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft – had a breakout 2020 campaign in which he threw for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, while his passer rating of 95.9 was the third-best mark in franchise history.
Having thrown 21 interceptions in 2019, Mayfield was picked off only eight times in 2020, his touchdown to interception ratio of 3.25 good enough for ninth in the NFL, per Stats Perform.
Yet the upside of Cleveland's passing game still appeared limited. Mayfield was a disappointing tied for 17th with 43 completions of 20 yards or more.
Mayfield ranked sixth in the NFL in passer rating (118.4) on throws of 21 air yards or more among quarterbacks with at least 25 such attempts.
Since taking over as the full-time starter in Week 4 of the 2018 season, Mayfield has started 45 consecutive regular-season games and made both starts in the team's 2020 playoff games.
In his career so far, Mayfield has thrown for 11,115 yards, 75 touchdowns and 43 interceptions.
The Browns, meanwhile, also exercised their fifth-year option on 2018 number four pick Denzel Ward.
World number one Ash Barty survived a scare to reach the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open with a 2-6 6-1 7-5 win over Karolina Pliskova.
The Australian started slowly in the quarter-final of the WTA 500 tournament on Friday as Pliskova broke her serve twice in taking the first set, before Barty hit back with three breaks of her own to force a decider.
Barty was two points away from losing on five occasions as world number nine Pliskova served for the match at 5-4 in the final set.
But she broke the Czech's resolve eventually, sealing victory when Pliskova hit the ball long after a baseline rally.
The win was Barty's eighth consecutive victory over a top-10 opponent and she said in a media conference afterwards that facing top players in the world brings the best out of her.
"When you come up against top-10 opponents, you have to go to that level above to be able to compete. They force you to bring your best," Barty said.
"With a lot of the girls in the top 10, we've had plenty of matches that have gone either way, different experiences, so each time I love that challenge of testing myself against the best."
Barty will face Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals after she saved two match points to claim a 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-2 victory over Petra Kvitova.
In the other half of the draw, Simona Halep breezed through to the semi-finals with a 6-1 6-4 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Halep clinically closed out the first set, and although Alexandrova showed more fight in the second, the world number three did not allow her a route back into the match.
Halep will face Aryna Sabalenka following the Belarusian's 7-5 4-6 6-1 win over Anett Kontaveit.
In the Istanbul Cup, top seed Elise Mertens secured her place in the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-4 win over Katerina Siniakova.
Mertens will face Veronika Kudermetova who fought back from a set down to clinch a 2-6 6-3 6-3 win over Ana Bogdan.
The other semi-final will see Sorana Cirstea play Marta Kostyuk. Cirstea progressed after Fiona Ferro, trailing 6-4, retired through injury while Kostyuk beat Ana Konjuh 7-5 4-6 6-3.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been the regular season pacesetters in the NBA's Eastern Conference in recent seasons, but they sit third heading into the closing stages of the 2020-21 campaign.
It is the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets who instead lead the way, tied with 39-20 records - 2.5 games clear of Milwaukee.
Yet the Sixers had first place outright prior to Thursday's game against the Bucks in which they failed to recover from a tough first quarter.
Philly do not have to wait long for revenge, though, with the two teams meeting once more at Fiserv Forum on Saturday.
MVP challenges are on the line as well as seedings in the East as two potential title contenders get prepared to go again.
TOP PERFORMERS
Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers
Embiid was the MVP favourite until a knee injury at the start of March that forced him to miss almost a month of action.
He was averaging 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and the 76ers had a 24-7 record with him on the floor. They were 2-5 in the seven games Embiid missed prior to his extended lay-off.
The center returned earlier this month, seemingly with enough time to wrestle the top individual award back from Nikola Jokic, and he has since averaged 30.1 points, missing only a single game.
But the Sixers have now lost three in a row and Embiid's hopes appear to be fading after he was outshone by the reigning MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks
It does not appear there will be a third MVP win in a row for Antetokounmpo after his momentum was checked by sitting six straight games.
But the 'Greek Freak' was back to his best against the 76ers, scoring a game-high 27 points, and can focus instead on a first title triumph in the postseason.
And Antetokounmpo feels playing a fellow challenger again on Saturday "prepares you for the playoffs".
"Playing teams back to back is awesome," he said.
"On Saturday, they're going to come out and they're going to play harder, they're going to try to execute. We've got to do the same. We've got to do exactly the same."
KEY BATTLE - SLOW START CAN SINK SIXERS
For the 76ers, "playing harder" will have to start from the tip-off. Their 14-point first-quarter deficit proved too significant against such a talented team.
As the Sixers missed one of the best defensive players in the league in Ben Simmons due to illness, Milwaukee firmly had the upper hand early on.
Philadelphia had no answer as they allowed 40 points, their second-worst mark in a first quarter this year. This came as the Bucks shot at 73.7 per cent from the field through 12 minutes, the best rate among the Sixers' 2020-21 opponents.
Jrue Holiday, a star on both ends, had seven of his 12 points in the first three minutes alone.
"That first quarter, they get every shot they wanted," Doc Rivers said. "We didn't offer any resistance."
HEAD TO HEAD
Thursday's game was the teams' second this season and the second Milwaukee victory after they won in overtime in March, again led by Antetokounmpo (32 points, 15 rebounds).
Antetokounmpo has averaged 20.8 points for his career but 22.6 against the 76ers, against whom he boasts a 19-5 record and posted a career-high 52 in 2019.
The Bucks have a 113-102 lead over Philadelphia all-time in the regular season.
Damian McKenzie landed a penalty after the final siren sounded to secure the Chiefs a thrilling 26-24 win over the Hurricanes on Friday.
Full-back McKenzie was on target with the match-winning kick in the 83rd minute of a see-saw Super Rugby Aotearoa clash that seemed set to yield an upset result.
Asafo Aumua's 68th-minute try, which was converted by Jordie Barrett, had the struggling Hurricanes on course for just their second victory of the 2021 season.
James Blackwell and Billy Proctor also touched down for the visitors - the former doing so in the opening minute of proceedings - as the team stuck at the bottom of the standings gave their second-placed opponents a serious scare.
Chiefs managed two tries themselves through Pita-Gus Sowakula and Bryn Gatland, but it was McKenzie's trusty boot that proved crucial in deciding the outcome.
The New Zealand international landed both conversion attempts as well as four penalties, the last of which dashed Hurricanes' hopes in dramatic fashion.
Giannis Antetokounmpo felt the Milwaukee Bucks were "locked in" from the start after recording a fourth successive win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Bucks scored 77 points in the first half before holding off a 76ers fightback to triumph 124-117 in a battle between two of the leading contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Antetokounmpo led the way with 27 points, though the two-time NBA MVP had plenty of help from his colleagues. Khris Middleton had 24 points while Bobby Portis contributed 23 off the bench.
Milwaukee landed 20 of their 40 three-point attempts as a team, though Antetokounmpo was just as impressed with their efforts when not in possession of the ball.
"Guys were finding open guys, getting downhill, knocking down shots. Everybody set the tone from the start," Antetokounmpo told the media.
"From the start, you could see that everyone was locked in. Defensively also, we really seemed locked in.
"Offensively, we found one another and knocked down shots."
Joel Embiid had 24 points for the 76ers, though he landed just nine of his 21 shot attempts - including going 0-for-4 from three-point range.
Antetokounmpo praised the work done by Milwaukee center Brook Lopez when going up against Embiid, with the Bucks happy to let the MVP candidate take jump shots rather than work closer to the basket.
"Embiid is a great player, he's been playing well all season long," Antetokounmpo said.
"You've got to live with that jump shot. You don't want to send him to the free-throw line and you don't want him to get downhill, with his right hook, and get an easy lay-up.
"The gameplan was good - he was going to shoot his jump shot all night. If he makes it all night? Great. But if you don't make it, it's good for us.
"Brook did a great job on him, but he [Embiid] is a great player too."
Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers felt his team - still without Ben Simmons due to an unspecified illness - paid the price for a slow start, insisting his team were "soft" defensively to allow Milwaukee to open up a commanding lead.
The 76ers hit back as they held their opponents to just 16 points in the fourth quarter, though in the end the gap proved just too big.
"Everybody seemed fatigued, not just Joel, I would love to say Joel played better than most of our guys tonight," Rivers said.
"I just felt like we were late on everything. We were soft tonight defensively. That first quarter, they get every shot they wanted. We didn't offer any resistance."
Anthony Davis still needs to "get his legs under him" and there will be some "rust" as he works his way back to full fitness, says Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
Davis made his long-awaited return from injury as the Lakers went down to the Dallas Mavericks 115-110 on Thursday, scoring four points, grabbing four rebounds, providing one assist and blocking one shot in 17 minutes.
Davis had been absent since February 14 due to tendinosis and a calf strain in his right leg, missing 30 games for the defending NBA champions.
The Lakers were outscored by 13 points during Davis' time on court and he went just two-for-10 shooting, but Vogel said it will take some time for him to get up to full speed.
"He still needs to get his legs under him, as to be expected," Vogel said.
"You can't simulate NBA action on a practice court, so that's what tonight is going to be about. That's what the next few games are going to be about.
"So we anticipate him having some rust and working out some timing while getting his legs back under him. But this is an important first step for sure."
For his part, Davis was excited to be back playing, even if it was a source of frustration having to take a watching brief in the second half.
"I think it was 15-20 [minutes] was the number, it's just tough when you haven't played in two months, you're not going to get close to that 20 mark," he said.
"I felt good out there, I was able to do some things to give the team a little juice. I came out with a good start, it's just tough when you're able to play and then you have got to watch the whole second half and not be able to contribute on the floor. But I think I felt fine for the most part.
"I didn't think about it [the injury] one time tonight, honestly I just went out there and played. I think you kind of limit what you do if you go out there thinking about your injury.
"I just went out there and played, not think about it, and have some fun. I was just excited to be out there with the guys. I had no limits to any moves. That was a good sign for me."
Trent Grisham homered and the San Diego Padres produced some stout defense to prevail 3-2 over World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers as the two teams renewed their MLB rivalry.
The Dodgers won two of three games in a thrilling National League (NL) West showdown in San Diego last week.
They met again on Thursday, this time at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the series opener, and the Padres came out on top.
Leading 1-0 following the fourth inning, Grisham hit a sixth-inning home run to give the Padres a 2-0 lead before back-to-back homers from A.J. Pollock and Sheldon Neuse levelled the game in the seventh.
The Padres restored their lead in the eighth inning when Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded a double as Jurickson Profar scored.
A stunning double play in the bottom of the inning, sparked by Jake Cronenworth ensured the Padres held off the Dodgers.
Javier lifts Astros as Casali makes history
Each of the first eight outs recorded by Cristian Javier in the Houston Astros' 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels came via swinging strikeouts. Per Stats Perform, he is the first Astros pitcher to claim his first eight outs in a game by strikeout since Jim Deshaies in 1986.
Curt Casali put on a show as the San Francisco Giants blanked the Miami Marlins 3-0. He became the first catcher in the modern era (since 1900) with at least five successive shutouts in his starts, joining Francisco Cervelli (2015), Chris Hoiles (1995), Alan Ashby (1986), Ed Phelps (1903 – six straight). Casali became the first to do so with five different starting pitchers.
The Arizona Diamondbacks outlasted the Cincinnati Reds 14-11 thanks to David Peralta's three-run triple in a six-run 10th inning. Peralta finished with five hits and a career-high seven RBI as the Diamondbacks swept the Reds in Cincinnati.
Mitch Haniger hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning as the Seattle Mariners rallied past the Boston Red Sox 7-3. The Mariners are 12-7 for the season and tied for the best record in the American League (AL).
Cobb crumbles
The Astros jumped on Angels pitcher Alex Cobb for five runs in less than three innings. Cobb gave up six hits, four earned runs and three walks.
Walk-off win in Chicago
A game-ending, pinch-hit single from Jason Heyward in the 10th inning helped give the Chicago Cubs a 4-3 walk-off victory against the New York Mets. The Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Mets.
Thursday's results
New York Yankees 6-3 Cleveland Indians
Seattle Mariners 7-3 Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs 4-3 New York Mets
Houston Astros 8-2 Los Angeles Angels
Arizona Diamondbacks 14-11 Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 Detroit Tigers
San Francisco Giants 3-0 Miami Marlins
San Diego Padres 3-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Athletics at Orioles
The Oakland Athletics (12-7) will put their 11-game winning streak on the line when they face the Baltimore Orioles (8-10) on Friday. Cole Irvin starts for the A's as the Orioles counter with Jorge Lopez on the mound.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis made his long-awaited return but the reigning NBA champions lost 115-110 to the Dallas Mavericks.
Davis had been sidelined since February 14 due to tendinosis and a calf strain in his right leg – the eight-time All-Star missed 30 games, the longest injury absence of his nine-year career.
But Davis stepped back onto the court on Thursday, finishing with four points on just two-for-10 shooting, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 17 minutes.
The Lakers – still without superstar LeBron James (ankle) – were led by Dennis Schroder (25 points and 13 assists), Andre Drummond (14 points and 19 rebounds) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (29 points) but fell short in Dallas.
Luka Doncic fuelled the Mavericks with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Giannis tops Embiid and 76ers
Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 27 points on eight-for-15 shooting, 16 rebounds and six assists as the Milwaukee Bucks took down the slumping Philadelphia 76ers 124-117. It was his 41st 25/15/5 game, the most by a Bucks player since the three-point era (1980). No other Buck has more than four in that span. Milwaukee used a 40-26 opening quarter to hand the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers a third consecutive defeat. Joel Embiid had 24 points for the visiting 76ers.
The Boston Celtics upstaged the high-flying Phoenix Suns 99-86. Kemba Walker was inspirational, shooting 11-for-17 from the field for a game-high 32 points. Boston have won seven of their last eight games, beating Phoenix, the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks and Lakers.
Zion Williamson showcased his efficiency in the New Orleans Pelicans' 135-100 victory against the lowly Orlando Magic. The former number one pick had 23 points in 23 minutes on nine-for-12 shooting, while he made all five of his free-throw attempts.
Oh no, Okeke
It was a forgettable outing for Chuma Okeke and the Magic, who dropped their fourth straight game as they lost for the 23rd time in 28 appearances. In 29 minutes, Okeke made just one of his 12 field-goal attempts. He was 0-for-four from three-point range in a four-point performance.
Jalen McDaniels was just as bad for the Charlotte Hornets, tallying a mere three points on one-for-eight shooting as his team suffered a 106-91 defeat to the Chicago Bulls.
Satoransky slam!
There was no stopping Chicago's Tomas Satoransky as he powered his way to the rim emphatically in the fourth quarter.
Thursday's results:
Boston Celtics 99-86 Phoenix Suns
New Orleans Pelicans 135-110 Orlando Magic
Milwaukee Bucks 124-117 Philadelphia 76ers
San Antonio Spurs 106-91 Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls 106-91 Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks 115-110 Los Angeles Lakers
Celtics at Nets
The Celtics (32-27) will make the trip to face the Brooklyn Nets (39-20) on Friday. Brooklyn have the chance to reclaim the top seed in the Eastern Conference after Philadelphia's loss.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has been diagnosed with a lateral left ankle sprain, the NBA franchise announced on Thursday.
Young hurt his ankle during Wednesday's 137-127 loss to the New York Knicks, having posted 20 points and 14 assists before exiting in the third quarter.
Ruled out for Atlanta's next two games, Young's injury status will be updated.
Young has been averaging 25.3 points, a career-high 9.6 assists – only bettered by Russell Westbrook (10.9) and James Harden (10.9) in 2020-21 – and 3.9 rebounds per game for the high-flying Hawks this season.
The 2020 All-Star (516) is only second to Washington Wizards star Westbrook (557) for total assists this term.
Young has helped the Hawks (32-27) catapult themselves into the playoff picture, with Atlanta fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer is moving closer to his long-awaited debut following an injury-hit start to life with the MLB franchise.
Springer was lured to Toronto on a six-year, $150million contract from the Houston Astros via free agency – the largest deal in Blue Jays history – but injuries have prevented the 2017 World Series champion and MVP from debuting for the MLB hopefuls.
The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger had been nearing a return from a left oblique strain, but tightness in his right quad has sidelined Springer.
However, Springer will play in Friday's intra-squad game and could make his much-anticipated Blue Jays bow in the upcoming three-game series against American League (AL) East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays, with the final two games played on Saturday and Sunday.
"He's excited; we're exceptionally excited," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said on Thursday. "Tomorrow is a great day for George.
"He's doing all baseball activity, he's extremely confident and strong. Now it's just a matter of recovery and putting him in a position to play nine innings and feel like he can face elite major league pitching.
"Tomorrow will be a very important day to determine what that next step is and what's best for him."
Heading into the 2021 season, Springer had led MLB with 136 home runs from the lead-off spot since 2015.
Springer has 39 lead-off home runs in his career – fourth most all-time behind Rickey Henderson (73), Ian Kinsler (48) and Brady Anderson (44).
The 31-year-old Springer has recorded seven career World Series home runs – most from the lead-off spot all-time – and he is 19-for-56 (.339) in the World Series in his career. No other current Blue Jays player has a World Series hit in their career.
Springer's 174 home runs since debuting in MLB via Houston are third most by an Astro in a player's first seven career seasons, behind only Jeff Bagwell (187) and Lance Berkman (180).
Meanwhile, in another boost for the Blue Jays, star Nate Pearson (groin) will start and pitch two-three innings in Friday's intra-squad game.
The Blue Jays (8-10) are third in the AL East, behind leaders the Boston Red Sox (12-7) and Rays (10-9).
Simona Halep started her clay-court season in style at the Stuttgart Open as she saw off Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets on Thursday.
Second seed Halep is hunting her first appearance in a Stuttgart final, and she looked in fine form as she took just 56 minutes to dismiss Vondrousova 6-1 6-3.
Vondrousova – the 2019 French Open runner up – had won both of her previous meetings with Halep, but on this occasion she was no match for the world number three, who has won every major European clay-court tournament other than Stuttgart.
"Starting the clay-court season makes me very happy and motivated, extra motivated actually," Halep said in a post-match news conference.
"I missed playing matches. I had a few weeks without an official match and it was kind of tough when I started the match, but my mind was strong enough just to give focus on what I have to play. So, I did it great and today it was a great match.
"I was a little bit nervous before the match because I played twice against her and she beat me every time.
"It is important for my mind, for my game, because the clay-court season is going to be very tough. Now this match gave me confidence that my level is high, and if I keep doing the same thing, I will be good."
Facing Halep in the quarter-finals will be Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated world number 12 Belinda Bencic, and joining them in the final eight is Elina Svitolina, who defeated Angelique Kerber 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
Two-time Stuttgart champion Kerber and Svitolina had faced off 13 times before Thursday's contest, and the Ukrainian is now 9-5 up in that head-to-head tussle.
While Aryna Sabalenka also progressed, Karolina Pliskova teed up a clash with top seed Ash Barty by coming from behind to beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-3.
At the Istanbul Open, top seed Elise Mertens also needed three sets to forge a path into the last night.
Mertens had to show her mettle in a contest which lasted over two hours, but she eventually got the better of Viktorija Golubic 6-4 4-6 6-1.
Veronika Kudermetova also made the last eight, as did Ana Bogdan, who fended off Barbora Kreijcova, while Fiona Ferro defeated Vera Zvonareva.
Rafael Nadal fended off Kei Nishikori to reach the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open along with the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday.
Top seed Nadal secured an opening-set bagel in just 30 minutes, but Nishikori hit back to force a decider before the 20-time grand slam champion prevailed 6-0 2-6 6-2.
Nishikori hit only three winners as he was blown away in the first set, but broke twice in the second to ensure Nadal was taken to three sets in back-to-back matches for the first time in this tournament – having overcome Ilya Ivashka in the second round.
The world number three saved three break points from 0-40 down in the final set and Nishikori saw another two come and go, with a more clinical Nadal breaking twice to advance.
Nadal will now face unseeded Brit Cameron Norrie, who also won the first set 6-0 and was 5-3 down to David Goffin in the second when the Belgian retired due to a leg injury.
Newly-crowned Monte Carlo Masters champion Tsitsipas defeated Alex de Minaur 7-5 6-3, stretching his straight-sets winning streak to seven matches.
Next up for the second seed is a meeting with Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-2 6-3, while Jannik Sinner beat Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (11-9) 6-2.
Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman and Pablo Carreno Busta also made it through.
Two seeds fell in the Serbia Open, with Federico Delbonis taking out Dusan Lajovic 6-3 2-6 6-4 and Taro Daniel defeating John Millman 3-6 6-2 6-3.
Gianluca Mager moved into the quarter-finals at the expense of Alexei Popyrin and Aslan Karatsev battled past Aljaz Bedene 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in Belgrade.
Carla Suarez Navarro revealed on Thursday she has overcome Hodgkin lymphoma, and the Spaniard is set to resume her tennis career.
The former world number six revealed last September she would undergo six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with the rare cancer.
Suarez Navarro vowed at the time to show "positivity in the face of adversity" and the 32-year-old has now announced she is cured.
The 32-year-old posted on social media: "Another step forward. Today I finished my treatment and overcame Hodgkin lymphoma.
"Thanks to all for your warm messages. Every word of support gave me strength during the past few months.
"All my gratitude to healthcare professionals who take care of us every day. I'M CURED!"
Carla Suarez Navarro announced two years ago that the 2020 season would be her last on the WTA Tour.
However, the WTA said she decided to has abandon that plan and would return to action, confirming her entry for the French Open which begins on May 30 in Paris.
After a trying though ultimately successful rookie season, Zion Williamson has ascended into the upper echelon of NBA players in 2021 and there's every reason to believe he could top that list relatively soon.
Stardom was predicted for Williamson long before the Pelicans made him the number one selection in the 2019 draft, but he dealt with injury problems and conditioning issues as a rookie before the pandemic put the season on hold for a few months.
He still managed to average 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 58.3 per cent from the field in 24 games. Williamson finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting behind winner Ja Morant and Kendrick Nunn, but there's little doubt that he would've taken home the award had he been healthy for a full season.
Now slightly leaner and more in attack mode, Williamson has taken his game to another level in his second season, doing things rarely seen in league history. He ranks eighth in the league in points per game (26.9) and that has come on 61.7 per cent shooting, a level of scoring volume and efficiency few players have ever approached.
Only two other players have previously shot 60 per cent while averaging 25.0 points per game and both trail Williamson. Kevin McHale scored 26.1 points on 60.4 per cent shooting in 1986-87 and Charles Barkley had 25.2 with 60.4 per cent shooting in 1989-90. Shaquille O'Neal in 1993-94 (29.3 points, 59.9 per cent) and Amar'e Stoudemire in 2007-08 (25.2, 59.0) are next on the list.
Of those, Williamson's body most resembles Barkley. Both measure 6ft 6in, though Zion is far more muscular, while McHale (6ft 10in), O'Neal (7ft 1in) and Stoudemire (6ft 11in) all had the advantage of playing much closer to the rim. Williamson's field-goal percentage this season is on pace to be the highest ever by a player of his height or shorter.
After Barkley's 1989-90 season, a second campaign from the former Philadelphia 76ers superstar ranks third for the highest field-goal percentage at this height, shooting 59.4 per cent in 1986-87. That mark was matched by 6ft 5in Mike McGee three years earlier.
Williamson won't turn 21 until July and is just the 10th player in NBA history to achieve All-Star status at 20 years old. The others on that list are Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, O'Neal, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson. Only Bryant, James and Johnson were younger when making their first All-Star Game appearance.
Perhaps Williamson's consistency has been the most surprising aspect of his stellar season. Players of his age, regardless of talent, often have bad stretches where shots don't fall or the energy is lacking, but he seems almost immune to it.
Williamson scored at least 20 points and made at least 50 per cent of his field goals in 25 consecutive games from February 6 to April 6 before that run ended with 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting in a loss at Brooklyn on April 7. His streak equalled O'Neal's record mark of 25 straight games (2001).
In a five-game stretch over February 10-17, Williamson averaged 31.6 points with a 70.1 field-goal percentage. He was the first player to average 30 points on 70 per cent shooting over a five-game span since James during his last MVP season in 2012-13. The only other players to achieve this since 1991-92 are O'Neal (January 1994, December-January 1995-96) and Dwight Howard (February 2011).
Approaching a full 82-game season for his career, Williamson already ranks among some of basketball's legends for total points at this juncture.
With 1,968 points, he ranks sixth through 77 career games among all players to have debuted since 1963-64. Just four players - Elvin Hayes (2,216), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2,197), Michael Jordan (2,161) and Billy Knight (2,049) - passed the 2,000 mark, while Williamson had only a point fewer than David Thompson (1,969).
Already an elite finisher, Williamson has even taken on the role of playmaker for the Pelicans with point guard Lonzo Ball sidelined with a hip injury. Coach Stan Van Gundy played Williamson at the point for a full game earlier this month, following his one-game slump against the Nets, and the result was perhaps the best game of his career.
Williamson had 37 points on 15-of-28 shooting with a personal-best 15 rebounds and career high-tying eight assists in that 101-94 victory over Philadelphia on April 9. He became the youngest player (20 years, 277 days) in NBA history to record at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
This is unlikely to be the season the Pelicans make noise in the playoffs, but the core of Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Ball is in place, so the franchise's future is extremely bright.
Ingram is enjoying another outstanding season and easily could've been an All-Star for the second consecutive season. He's averaging 24.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Williamson and Ingram are on pace to be just the fourth pair of team-mates aged 23 or younger to average 23 or more points per game in the same season. The others are Walt Bellamy and Terry Dischinger (1962-63 Chicago Zephyrs), Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder) and Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins (2016-17 Minnesota Timberwolves).
One area where Williamson does need to improve is on the defensive end. His size prevents him from guarding most opposing power forwards or centers and his 285-pound frame gives him trouble staying with most wings. The Pelicans are a potent offensive group but rank as one of the league's poorest defensive teams and that will be a point of concern in the offseason for Van Gundy.
New Orleans has long been a football town, crazy about the Saints and star quarterback Drew Brees for two decades. But with Brees now retired and the Saints in transition, the time has arrived for Williamson to become the Big Easy's most beloved athlete.
A philosophical Stephen Curry reflected on a "great run" after his record-breaking scoring streak finally came to an end on Wednesday.
Curry went into the game against the Washington Wizards having scored at least 30 points in his previous 11 outings, the longest run by any player aged 33 or over in the history of the NBA.
However, as the Golden State Warriors fell to a narrow defeat on the road, the seven-time All-Star finally went cold.
Successful with just two of his 14 three-point attempts, he finished the 118-114 loss with 18 points, though did also contribute seven rebounds and eight assists for the beaten Warriors.
"It was a great run," Curry said. "It was something that hadn't been done before. It was going to end at some point. Now you've got to start another one.
"It's just a matter of the next-play mentality. Just try to get rejuvenated when we go home – to do it home, road, some big games, put a streak together. It was a special ride, for sure.
"And never really get too hyped up on individual streaks or accolades like that.
"There were some historical names that I was able to pass and doing something at this age was pretty special."
Kobe Bryant previously held the record for successive games with at least 30 points by a player 33 or older, managing 10 in a row in 2012.
Curry's streak started with 32 points against the Chicago Bulls on March 30. Across the 11 games he hit 78 three-pointers, also an NBA record.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised the Wizards for their defensive efforts, but also admitted tiredness was a factor for his players at the end of a gruelling five-game road trip.
"I thought the Wizards played well defensively," Kerr said. "Did some good things to get the ball out of Steph's hands. But nothing that Steph hasn't seen before.
"I thought we were gassed. I thought that included Steph and everybody. We just didn't look like we had our legs out there tonight."
Despite a below-par performance compared to his recent lofty standards, it was still a milestone game for Curry as he passed 18,000 career points.
The Oakland Athletics continued their remarkable season turnaround by extended their winning run to 11 games, with a thrilling 13-12 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The As had started the 2021 MLB season 0-6 and were challenged by the Twins on Wednesday night yet got home in extras, as center-fielder Roman Laureano says they "could smell we were going to win".
Matt Olson had the second home run of the game at the bottom of the third, followed by Seth Brown to give the Athletics a 7-4 lead.
But the Twins refused to go away, with Nelson Cruz having a big game, including his second home run, recording his 38th career multi-run game.
Laureano got home after a Matt Chapman fly ball forcing a 10th, where Byron Buxton teed off for the Twins to establish a 12-10 lead.
Minnesota, though, were let down by sloppy fielding, firstly with an error from Major League second-gamer Travis Blankenhorn with bases loaded, before Luis Arraez's wayward throw allowed Tony Kemp and Elvis Andrus home to seal the walkoff win.
The As are now the first-ever team to win 11 straight at any point in an MLB season after being 0-6.
Rangers deny Angel, Baez grand slam
The Texas Rangers came from behind to deny Mike Trout's Los Angeles Angels 7-4 on Wednesday night.
The Rangers had trailed 3-1 after four innings, after home runs from Trout and Shohei Ohtani for the Angels.
Adolis Garcia hit a home run from Mike Mayers and that opened up a lead they would not give up, with another homer from next batter Nate Lowe.
Javier Baez had a day out for the Chicago Cubs in their 16-4 win over the New York Mets, with his sixth career grand slam.
For the Mets, Pete Alonso scored his third home-run of the year with a 429 foot monster.
There was late drama as the Philadelphia Phillies got past the San Francisco Giants 6-5 with Andrew Knapp hitting to left-field at the bottom of the ninth, allowing Bryce Harper to get the winning run.
Late heroics from Salvador Perez guided the Kansas City Royals to a 9-8 win over the Tampa Bay Rays after trailing 8-7 at the bottom of the ninth.
Tough trot for J.D.
Mets third baseman J.D. Davis is not having a good run, with his third misfield in two games hardly helping his side's cause in their 16-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Shohei Showtime
Ohtani keeps on delivering in MLB this season but after launching a home run against the Rangers he sped around the bases, making it home in a Majors season record of 17.3 seconds.
Wednesday's results:
Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 San Francisco Giants
Miami Marlins 3-0 Baltimore Orioles
Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Detroit Tigers
Colorado Rockies 6-3 Houston Astros
Oakland Athletics 13-12 Minnesota Twins
Washington Nationals 1-0 St. Louis Cardinals
Texas Rangers 7-4 Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee 4-2 San Diego Padres
Atlanta Braves 4-1 New York Yankees
Arizona Diamonds 8-5 Cincinnati Reds
Detroit Tigers 5-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs 16-4 New York Mets
Kansas City Royals 9-8 Tampa Bay Rays
Padres at Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers will start their series against the San Diego Padres in an all-Calfiornia battle.
Joel Embiid almost pulled off a miracle on the buzzer as the Philadelphia 76ers went down 116-113 to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA on Wednesday night.
The 76ers, top of the East, hosted the Suns, second in the West, and Phoenix appeared home when up by six points with 13 seconds to play.
But Philadelphia stayed alive after Furkan Korkmaz's three-pointer, before Chris Paul missed a free-throw, with Embiid grabbing rebound and firing off a long-range shot immediately which came remarkably close only to rim out.
Earlier, Embiid had scored 38 points and collected 17 rebounds for the 76ers, while Suns guard Paul had 28 points and eight assists.
The Suns improve to 41-16 while the 76ers are 39-18 but remain top in the Eastern Conference after the Brooklyn Nets lost 114-103 to the Toronto Raptors.
Still missing their star pair Kevin Durant and James Harden, the Nets relied on Kyrie Irving with 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
However, the Raptors all contributed led by Pascal Siakam with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, as they reeled in a 36-23 quarter-time deficit to win by 11.
Curry streak ends, Knicks streak extends
Stephen Curry's 11-game streak of 30-plus points came to an end at the hands of the Washington Wizards who won over the Golden State Warriors 118-114.
Russell Westbrook produced another triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists and an outstanding 20 rebounds, while Bradley Beal had 29 points. Curry could only manage 18 points for GSW.
On the topic of streaks, the New York Knicks extended their winning run to seven games with a 137-127 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks after Bogdan Bogdanovic forced over-time with a clutch three.
Julius Randle was exceptional with 40 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, including six three-pointers, while the Hawks lost Trae Young to a sprained left ankle.
The Utah Jazz reinforced top spot in the Western Conference with a comfortable 112-89 win over the Houston Rockets with Rudy Gobert having 19 points and 18 rebounds.
The Los Angeles Clippers kept up the pressure with a 117-105 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, with shooting guard Luke Kennard adding 28 points and seven rebounds.
Curry covered at every turn
Curry was not afforded any time or space against the Washington Wizards and subsequently shot two-from-14 beyond the arc.
OMG from OG
Up by two in the third, OG Anunoby made a big statement for the Toronto Raptors with a block down one end and then a monster right-hand dunk over Joe Harris after Fred VanVleet's assist down the other in the same play.
Wednesday's results:
Toronto Raptors 114-103 Brooklyn Nets
Indiana Pacers 122-116 Oklahoma City Thunder
Washington Wizards 118-114 Golden State Warriors
Phoenix Suns 116-113 Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers 121-105 Chicago Bulls
Utah Jazz 112-89 Houston Rockets
New York Knicks 137-127 Atlanta Hawks
Miami Heat 107-87 San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Mavericks 127-107 Detroit Pistons
Denver Nuggets 106-105 Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings 128-125 Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Clippers 117-105 Memphis Grizzlies
76ers at Bucks
Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers (39-18) will look to bounce back from Wednesday's loss to the Phoenix Suns when they travel to Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks (35-22) in a bumper East clash.
Novak Djokovic thought he was "pretty flawless" in his first match of the Serbia Open, but Rafael Nadal was given a scare in his clash with qualifier Ilya Ivashka at the Barcelona Open.
World number one Djokovic suffered a shock third-round exit to Dan Evans at the Monte Carlo Masters last week but ruthlessly dispatched Kwon Soon-woo 6-1 6-3 in his home city of Belgrade.
Djokovic broke his opponent five times to set up a meeting with eighth seed and fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, who battled past qualifier Arthur Rinderknech in three sets, in the quarter-finals.
"I thought it was a pretty flawless performance," Djokovic said. "I moved well, I was mixing up the pace quite well, making him play. I served well in the important moments, [and] overall I just felt great."
On playing in front of his family and friends, the two-time Serbia Open champion added: "It gives you an extra push, an extra motivation, energy to really give your best and leave it all out on the court.
"I think also that made me feel comfortable and confident on the court and I played really good. I'm really pleased with the quality of tennis."
Second seed Matteo Berrettini defeated fellow Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-4 6-3 and will face either Filip Krajinovic or Nikola Milojevic in the last eight of the clay-court tournament.
Over in Barcelona, Nadal – an 11-time champion at the event – was out to make a statement after a rare defeat on the dirt to Andrey Rublev in Monte Carlo.
But the 'King of Clay' needed two hours and 20 minutes to fight back against the unheralded Ivashka 3-6 6-2 6-4 to reach the round of 16, where he will face Kei Nishikori. Nadal is now 62-4 at a tournament where he once won 41 straight matches.
Second seed and Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas hammered Jaume Munar 6-0 6-2, while third seed Rublev - runner-up to the Greek on Sunday - joined Pablo Carreno Busta (6) and Alex De Minaur (14) in making it through.
Evans was unable to follow up his run in Monte Carlo with the 16th seed beaten by Corentin Moutet in a lengthy three-setter, while Fabio Fognini (9) was defaulted for unsportsmanlike conduct after verbally abusing a line official when trailing 6-4 4-4 to Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
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