Three weeks ago, it appeared this season was shaping up to be like each of the previous 14 for the Sacramento Kings.
A 115-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on January 20 marked the sixth defeat in seven games for the Kings and dropped their record to 5-10 – third worst in the Western Conference.
A month into the season and it was already looking like Sacramento would match the Clippers' dubious record of 15 consecutive seasons without a playoff berth from 1976-77 to 1990-91 for the longest playoff drought in NBA history.
Now one-third of the way into their season, however, the Kings have pulled within a half-game of the eighth-placed Golden State Warriors in the West on the heels of a 7-2 stretch. on Friday night, they take on the Orlando Magic.
The turnaround began two nights after the blowout loss to the Clippers with a 103-94 victory over the New York Knicks. The Kings' performance that night was emblematic of how they've managed to climb back into the playoff picture, but is their formula for winning sustainable?
Against the Knicks, the Kings found themselves up 89-87 with just under four minutes remaining after New York went on an 8-0 run. Sacramento then went on a 7-0 run of their own, punctuated by a Tyrese Haliburton three-pointer with 2:35 to play to put the game away.
The Kings ended up scoring 14 of the game's final 21 points, and over the next few weeks displayed a proficiency for closing out tight games.
Prior to January 22, the Kings had the NBA's third-worst fourth-quarter point differential at minus-2.8 while ranking 23rd in fourth-quarter scoring with an average of 25.5 points. Since then, they are averaging 28.1 points over the final 12 minutes of games.
It's been in the game's final moments, however, that the Kings have really excelled. Their 10.0-scoring average in the final three minutes since January 22 is the best in the NBA.
The Kings are finding ways to grind out victories and have a league-high eight wins this season by five points or less, but this typically is not a blueprint for success in the NBA.
The Kings' 5.9-point differential in their wins is the lowest in the NBA, and no team have finished a season with a point differential of less than 6.0 in their victories since 2005-06, when the Portland Trail Blazers were at 5.6 and the Atlanta Hawks were at 5.8. Sacramento, however, do not want to be too closely linked to those teams, as Portland were a league-worst 21-61 while Atlanta were not much better at 26-56.
Winning close games rarely leads to long-term success, seeing as only one team in the last 30 years have reached the playoffs while having a point differential of less than 8.0 in their wins – the 2007-08 Cleveland Cavaliers at 7.8.
In fact, in NBA history only two teams have reached the playoffs while outscoring their opponents by fewer than 7.0 points in their wins and those instances came well before man even walked on the Moon – the 1954-55 Rochester Royals at 6.6 and the 1948-49 St Louis Bombers at 6.8.
Grinding out wins over the long haul of a full season takes its toll and it may have caught up with the Kings in their last time on the court.
In Tuesday's 119-111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Kings seemed to tire down the stretch, missing seven straight shots over a three-minute stretch in the fourth quarter as the Sixers went on a 10-0 run to turn a two-point deficit into an eight-point lead with just over four and a half minutes to play.
Sacramento were playing for the third time in four days, so they were playing on tired legs, but it's also possible fatigue was setting in because each of their previous three games went down to the wire and the minutes are piling up for their stars.
De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield each played the entire fourth quarter on Tuesday and have regularly been playing in crunch time.
Since January 22, the Kings have four players ranking in the top 20 in fourth-quarter minutes – Haliburton (1st, 10.7), Fox (11th, 9.9), Hield (12th, 9.7) and Harrison Barnes (18th, 9.4).
The Nets are the only other team to have more than two players ranking in the top 20 in fourth-quarter minutes in that period.
Sacramento have counted on Fox down the stretch, as his 11 field-goal attempts in late and close situations since January 22 trails only the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (15) and the Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul (13) for the most in the NBA. Late and close situations here are defined as the last two minutes of the final quarter when the game is within four points.
Fox's shots, however, weren't falling on Tuesday.
Over a five-game stretch from January 30 to February 7, Fox led the league with an average of 13.2 fourth-quarter points (minimum three games) while shooting 57.8 per cent. He misfired on 10 of 13 shots, though, while scoring seven points in Tuesday’s fourth quarter.
Haliburton's fourth quarter – as well as his third quarter for that matter – was even more forgettable. His final points on Tuesday came on a three-pointer with 2:00 remaining before halftime.
It was a sub-par showing for someone who is shooting at a staggering clip when the game moves to the fourth quarter.
The 20-year-old rookie is making 60.6 per cent (40-of-66) on all fourth-quarter shots – tied for fourth in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo among the 109 players with at least 50 shot attempts in the fourth – and has been connecting at an even higher percentage from beyond the arc.
Shooting an absurd 61.5 per cent on three-pointers (24-of-39) in the fourth quarter, Haliburton is on track to become the only player seeing regular minutes to shoot at least 60 per cent from deep in the final quarter in the last 15 seasons. Since 2005-06, Kyle Korver for the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks has the highest fourth-quarter shooting percentage on three-pointers at 57.4, among players with at least 50 3-point attempts.
Haliburton has also made seven clutch three-pointers this season to trail only James (11), the Charlotte Hornets' Devonte’ Graham (eight) and the Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving (eight) for most in the league. Here, clutch is defined as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when a game is within six points.
Considering Haliburton is knocking down 44.1 per cent of his shots in the game's first three quarters, his fourth-quarter shooting has been especially baffling. His increase in shooting of 16.5 per cent from the first three quarters to the fourth is the biggest in the NBA this season (minimum 125 field goal attempts in first three quarters and 50 in fourth).
His shooting has been exceptional but hitting a rookie wall could be a concern. Tuesday marked the 22nd game of the season for Haliburton – the exact same number of games he played all of last season collegiately at Iowa State.
The fourth-quarter exploits of Haliburton and Fox have played a big role in Sacramento's climb in the standings, but the climb is just beginning. The season is only a little more than seven weeks old and time will tell if the Kings have the strength to continue their playoff push.
The Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed the signing of free agent Trevor Bauer on a three-year deal on Thursday.
Bauer, who was the National League Cy Young award winner with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, confirmed last week he was joining the Dodgers instead of the New York Mets.
The 30-year-old pitcher will reportedly earn a record-breaking $40million in his first season with the World Series champions in 2021.
Bauer is set to then break that record again in 2022 as he earns $45m, although there are opt-out clauses after both years. It is said he will then take in $17m in the final year of his contract.
The ex-UCLA ace, who was presented at Dodger Stadium, is the first Cy Young winner to enter free agency since Greg Maddux in 1992.
Bauer led the NL in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.795), opponents' batting average (.159), opponents' BABIP (.215), adjusted ERA-plus (276), hits per nine innings (5.1), shutouts (two) and complete games (two) in the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign.
The 2018 All-Star also ranked second in strikeouts (100) and strikeouts per nine innings (12.3).
Scotland have made three changes to their XV for Saturday's Six Nations clash against Wales at Murrayfield.
Head coach Gregor Townsend has brought in back-row Blade Thomson, centre James Lang and winger Darcy Graham for injured trio Jamie Ritchie, Sean Maitland and Cameron Redpath.
Scotland are seeking consecutive over the Welsh for the first time since 2003 with Townsend in a confident frame of mind after their first Twickenham win over England since 1983 last time out.
"It was a very encouraging performance at Twickenham and the squad performed to a level which has to be the benchmark throughout the tournament," he told Scottish Rugby's website.
"Wales are also coming into this game after a win and will have the same objective, so it will be a tough challenge as always.
"Both teams were involved in physical contests last weekend, and that is evidenced by the injuries Wales and we ourselves have picked up.
"For us, we are able to bring in three quality players in Blade, James and Darcy. They have been training well and are highly motivated to make the most of this opportunity."
Wales began with a 21-16 win over Ireland in Cardiff and their injury-hit team is boosted by the return of Liam Williams after a three-match ban.
Williams replaces Hallam Amos, with Gareth Davies taking the number nine shirt and Aaron Wainwright called into the back row, as coach Wayne Pivac makes five enforced changes.
Nick Tompkins and Owen Watkin also come into midfield for George North and Johnny Williams with Dan Lydiate and Tomos Williams also dropping out through injury.
New Zealand-born Willis Halaholo could make his debut off the bench.
Pivac said: "We were pleased to kick the tournament off with a victory last weekend and to be heading to Scotland with a win behind us.
"We continue to build and to move forward and it is great to do that from a position of winning. It is a quick six-day turnaround this week but we are looking forward to getting back out there.
"We have picked up a couple of injuries but we see it as more of an opportunity for those coming into the side."
Scotland team in full
Stuart Hogg; Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, James Lang, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Rory Sutherland, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Jonny Gray, Blade Thomson, Hamish Watson, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements
David Cherry, Oli Kebble, WP Nel, Richie Gray, Gary Graham, Scott Steele, Jaco van der Walt, Huw Jones.
Wales team in full
Leigh Halfpenny; Louis Rees-Zammit, Owen Watkin, Nick Tompkins, Liam Williams; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Aaron Wainwright, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements
Elliot Dee, Rhodri Jones, Leon Brown, Will Rowlands, James Botham, Kieran Hardy, Callum Sheedy, Willis Halaholo.
Fernando Alonso is "conscious and well in himself" after the two-time Formula One world champion was involved in a road accident while cycling.
Alonso, 39, is set to return to F1 with the Alpine team this season, after a two-year absence, though there will now be doubts over his participation at the first race in Bahrain next month.
The Spaniard won successive F1 world championships in 2005 and 2006.
On Thursday, Apline confirmed in a statement that Alonso had been involved in an incident while cycling in Switzerland.
However, the statement did not confirm if Alonso was in hopsital.
It read: "Fernando is conscious and well in himself and is awaiting further medical examinations tomorrow [Friday] morning.
"Alpine F1 Team will not make any further statement at this point in time. Further updates will be given tomorrow."
Jamaican Olympian Alia Atkinson opened her long- course season this past weekend in Plantation Florida, winning two gold and a silver medal at the Florida Gold Coast Senior qualifier.
Rafael Nadal said he felt pity for the woman who hurled abuse at him and flipped a middle-finger gesture before being thrown out of Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open.
In the last match of the day on the main show court, the fan was ejected near the end of the second set, viciously taking issue with the time Nadal was taking before each serve.
She yelled out as Nadal repeatedly bounced the ball, readying himself to send down a serve to second-round opponent Michael Mmoh.
The fan appeared to call Nadal an "OCD f***", and he responded with bafflement and some amusement before looking up to the stands, with the spectator staring down at him, the middle finger on her right hand raised in an aggressive manner.
The umpire then spoke out to declare: "Thanks madam, you're delaying everything."
Moments later, security arrived to escort the woman out of the show court, to the roaring approval of the vast majority of the crowd.
"Yeah, it was to me I think," Nadal said of the gesture.
"Maybe she took too much gin or tequila. I don't know. But honestly it was a strange situation, but funny at the same time."
He had laughed at the bizarre nature of the incident when it happened, with the 20-time grand slam champion having been unused to facing any such sniping during his career.
"For me it was funny," Nadal added in his post-match news conference after tying up a 6-1 6-4 6-2 win.
"Honestly, somebody doing the finger to me. I don't know the reason, but yeah, I was surprised, but at the same time I was thinking, 'Poor girl'. Because probably she was drunk or something like this. I don't know."
Nadal will face Cameron Norrie in round three.
The Toronto Raptors will play the remainder of their 2020-21 home games at Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
The Raptors – who won their first NBA Championship in 2019 – announced in November that they would be based in Tampa for the first half of the season, due to border restrictions and public safety measures in place between Canada and the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the pandemic and such restrictions still ongoing, Toronto have now taken the decision to remain in Florida for the rest of the season.
"Florida has been really welcoming to us and we're so grateful for the hospitality we've found in Tampa and at Amalie – we're living in a city of champions, and we intend to carry on the tradition of winning for our new friends and fans here," Raptors president Masai Ujiri said, also referring to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' recent Super Bowl triumph.
"But home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto. We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can't wait until we can all be together again."
The Raptors, along with the rest of the NBA teams, are set to find out their schedule for the second half of the season in the coming days.
Toronto are fifth in the Eastern Conference, with Nick Nurse's team having won five of their last six games.
Matthew Stafford is excited to join the Los Angeles Rams, but he expected to end up playing with the Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers or Washington Football Team in 2021.
The 33-year-old quarterback left the Detroit Lions in a trade after representing the team for 12 years, with the Rams sending QB Jared Goff and a package of draft picks that contained two first-round selections in the other direction.
Stafford and the Lions agreed it was the best move as the team embarked on a rebuild after firing head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn towards the end of a 5-11 season in 2020.
The number one overall pick in 2009, Stafford leaves the Lions without having won a playoff game.
He hopes the chance to represent the Rams, who were in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2018 season, will give him a chance to play in the biggest NFL games.
Stafford should upgrade the QB position for Rams coach Sean McVay, but he was not expecting to join the likes of Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey in LA when his offseason began.
"I've always wanted to play in those big games," Stafford said to the Detroit Free Press. "I feel like I will excel in those situations. I wanted to shoot my shot.
"I thought [I would go to] all the places that everybody else thought. Indianapolis. San Francisco - although you didn't know what was gonna happen with Jimmy [Garoppolo] - Washington.
"But we obviously didn't know what was gonna happen there. I just didn't know how they [the Rams] would ever be able to [pull it off]. You know, I'm not a salary cap guru. It kind of got to a point where I'm like, 'OK, I can't sit there and go crazy'. I just tried to let it happen and LA aggressively jumped into it.
"I'm excited about their roster, their coaching staff, what they can bring to the table and their recent success."
Stafford initially thought he would never leave Detroit, but he came to realise a rebuild could be on the cards if the 2020 season did not meet expectations as the pressure grew on Patricia.
"To be honest, [my wife] Kelly and I probably started talking about it before last season," he said. "It was one of those where we were hoping, 'Golly, let's go, I hope this thing takes off and we play great'.
"But if it doesn't, you just knew what was going to happen. They were going to tear it down and rebuild.
"Anytime you switch GMs and a head coach, you know that they're going to want to bring their own people in, and that's going to take time. Frankly, I didn't feel like I was the appropriate person to oversee that time."
Stafford thought his ability would hinder the Lions' rebuild as he would win too many games to prevent them from topping the draft order.
He leaves with 45,109 passing yards, 282 touchdowns, 144 interceptions and 74 wins – all franchise QB records.
Stafford finishes with a record of 74-90-1, though, and with no NFC North titles after enduring three consecutive losing seasons between 2018 and 2020.
He added: "Sometimes it's not the perfect storybook ending in the same place, but I can leave here knowing that I gave this team every damn thing I had."
Rafael Nadal was able to ease through to the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday, thanks in part to the help of YouTube.
The Spaniard looked in impressive form as he swept aside Michael Mmoh 6-1 6-4 6-2 in the evening session at Melbourne Park, with perhaps the biggest hinderance for Nadal caused by a rowdy spectator who was eventually escorted out of Rod Laver Arena.
Having come through qualifying, Mmoh had rallied to stun Viktor Troicki in the opening round. However, he never threatened a stunning upset of the 2009 champion, who will next face Cameron Norrie.
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev marked his birthday with a routine win of his own, the in-form Russian stretching his unbeaten run to 16 matches to suggest he is a serious contender for the title.
Stefanos Tsitsipas found life a little tougher in his outing but while the Greek survived the scare to move on in the main draw, fellow seeds Borna Coric and Lorenzo Sonego were knocked out.
NO VIDEO NASTY FOR NADAL
Ever the consummate professional, Nadal revealed he did his research online to find out more about second-round foe Mmoh, who had to get through three qualifying rounds just to make the main draw.
The world number 177 managed more aces than the 2009 champion but failed to create a break-point opportunity in a contest that lasted one hour and 47 minutes. Like the fan who disturbed play by shouting and making gestures towards Nadal as he served for the second set, Mmoh perhaps knew he was heading for the exit.
"I always have a lot of respect for every opponent. Yesterday, I was watching some videos of him on YouTube, trying to know a little bit more about him," Nadal said in his on-court interview after the match.
"Every day when you go onto the court, anything can happen - you can win, you can lose. You need to be ready to accept both things."
Norrie is next for the 34-year-old, the Briton defeating qualifier Roman Safiullin in four sets.
NO TIME TO CELEBRATE FOR MEDVEDEV
While Roberto Carballes Baena offered some resistance in the second set, Medvedev provided a further demonstration of his obvious talent with a 6-2 7-5 6-1 thrashing of the Spaniard.
The fourth seed from Russia was on court for one hour and 44 minutes but insisted afterwards his focus will now switch to his next opponent - Filip Krajinovic - rather than celebrating turning 25.
"There's no time to celebrate my birthday in a tournament. I got presents from my wife, but I'll soon look to my next match," he said. "If I'd have lost, I probably would go and celebrate, but I won so I can't now."
Krajinovic defeated Pablo Andujar 6-2 5-7 6-1 6-4 to progress. He was triumphant in the only previous meeting with Medvedev on the ATP Tour, winning in straight sets when they went up against each other at Indian Wells in 2019.
TSITSIPAS FIGHTS LIKE LION, LOPEZ EXTENDS SLAM STREAK
Tsitsipas was stretched to the limit but came out on top against Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 in a gruelling encounter.
Tsitsipas - who reached his maiden grand slam semi-final at the Australian Open two years ago - rallied from a set down to eventually see off Kokkinakis after four hours and 32 minutes.
Local hope Kokkinakis was playing his first major since the 2019 US Open and threatened a huge upset against the fifth seed.
"Great match towards the very end, and I fought like a lion," said Tsitsipas, who next meets Mikael Ymer. "I fought like a real warrior out there, and it was an amazing ending with lots of emotion and great spirits."
In his 75th consecutive grand slam, 39-year-old Feliciano Lopez came from two sets down to top 31st seed Sonego 5-7 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4.
Fabio Fognini was involved in a thrilling five-setter against Salvatore Caruso, which ended with the pair engaging in a tense verbal exchange that led to security intervening.
Record-chasing Rafael Nadal cruised through to the third round of the Australian Open after outclassing Michael Mmoh in straight sets.
Nadal is bidding to move clear of Roger Federer with a record 21st grand slam title, while the world number two is also looking to become the first man in the Open Era to win each of the four majors twice.
The 2009 Australian Open champion remains on track thanks to Thursday's 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory in warm conditions under the Rod Laver Arena lights.
Nadal was aiming to maintain his perfect record against qualifiers at the Australian Open - the Spanish star having won 25 of the 26 matches played against qualifiers at a grand slam, with his only defeat coming to Dustin Brown at Wimbledon in 2015.
He did not have much trouble against Mmoh, Nadal schooling the 23-year-old in a merciless and devastating first set, which saw him win 80 per cent of first serves, hit 10 winners and break twice.
Mmoh, who was looking to surpass the achievement of his father after Tony reached the Australian Open second round in 1988, provided some flashes of quality.
On just one occasion had Nadal lost to a player as low as number 177 Mmoh at ATP Tour-level - world number 690 Joachim Johansson in 2006, while Nick Kyrgios (144) was the lowest-ranked player to upstage the veteran at a slam via Wimbledon in 2014.
But it was trademark Nadal, who despite Mmoh's best efforts, broke in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead and never looked back, though one unruly fan tried their best to derail the former world number one before being escorted out of the stadium.
Amid concerns over his back pre-tournament, Nadal raced through the third set with a couple of highlight shots to set up a clash against Cameron Norrie.
Data Slam: Nadal stays perfect
Nadal improved to 50-0 when winning the opening two sets at the Australian Open, dating back to 2004.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Nadal – 40/24
Mmoh – 16/25
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Nadal – 7/3
Mmoh – 8/4
BREAK POINTS WON
Nadal – 5/11
Mmoh – 0/0
England head coach Eddie Jones has named a new-look front row and recalled George Ford for the Six Nations game against Italy on Saturday.
The reigning champions went down 11-6 to Scotland on the opening weekend of the 2021 tournament, their first defeat to their Calcutta Cup rivals at Twickenham in 38 years.
As he looks for a response following that setback, Jones has selected Ford at fly-half in his starting XV, meaning captain Owen Farrell switches to inside centre for the clash with the Azzurri.
In the pack, the fit-again Mako Vunipola comes in to play opposite fellow prop Kyle Sinckler, while Luke Cowan-Dickie gets the nod at hooker ahead of Jamie George, who is on the bench.
Courtney Lawes also gets a start at flanker, joining Tom Curry and Billy Vunipola in the back row.
Ollie Lawrence – who was handed his first Six Nations start against Scotland – is absent from the 23-man squad entirely, with Henry Slade picked to play next to Farrell in midfield.
"As always, we've picked what we think is our strongest 23 to try and win the game," Jones said.
"We're pleased to have Mako and Kyle back into the team and we've made some changes to our starting XV, but our finishers are just as important to our gameplan. We look at the whole 80 minutes.
"We've trained very well this week, I've been very pleased with the players' attitudes and work-rate. We're hoping to put on a good performance on Saturday and kick on with our Six Nations campaign."
England team to face Italy at Twickenham:
Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson, Henry Slade, Owen Farrell (captain), Jonny May, George Ford, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Jonny Hill, Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola
Replacements: Jamie George, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Charlie Ewels, Ben Earl, Jack Willi, Dan Robson, Max Malins.
Sofia Kenin's title defence came to a shock end in the second round of the Australian Open, where world number one Ash Barty advanced amid injury concerns.
Kenin was looking to become the first woman to defend her crown at Melbourne Park since Victoria Azarenka in 2013, instead, she was a high-profile casualty in warm conditions on Thursday.
Barty, who lost to Kenin in last year's semi-finals in Melbourne, stayed alive with a straight-sets win over fellow Australian Daria Gavrilova.
Former world number one Karolina Pliskova also progressed beyond the second round as fifth seed Elina Svitolina blitzed American sensation Coco Gauff.
KENIN OUSTED IN BOILOVER
The American star arrived at the year's first grand slam with high expectations and looking to become the first woman to go back-to-back at a major since Serena Williams in 2016.
But fourth seed Kenin fell to experienced Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-3 6-2, having tallied 10 winners and 22 unforced errors in windy conditions in Melbourne - the scene of her breakthrough slam more than 12 months ago.
It was Kenin's first defeat to a player ranked outside the top 50 since going down to then-number 54 Iga Swiatek in the 2020 French Open final.
Asked why she was nervous pre-match, Kenin told reporters: "It's like the outside pressure. I felt really nervous. I haven't felt my game for, I don't know how long, but I haven't really felt my game so well, even in my first round.
"I played well, but still haven't felt 100 per cent game-wise. It's obviously tough."
STRAPPED THIGH? NO WORRIES FOR BARTY
Barty's left thigh was heavily strapped amid concerns but the 2019 French Open champion still booked her spot in the third round with a 6-1 7-6 (9-7) win over countrywoman Gavrilova.
The first Australian woman to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne since 1984, following last year's run, Barty gave up a 5-2 lead in the second set before saving two set points in the tie-break.
Reflecting on Kenin's surprise exit, Barty talked up the standard of the WTA Tour.
"There are no easy matches," said Barty, who next meets 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova for a spot in the round of 16. "There are no easy matches in any tour event, any slam, anything. I think every time you walk on the court, you have to try and be able to bring your best tennis to be able to compete with everyone.
"That's just the level that there is now on the women's side. That's something really exciting about women's tennis now, is that every single match, it's a fair match. You go out there, you play hard, you try to do the best that you can."
PLISKOVA AVENGES LOSS, SVITOLINA TOO GOOD FOR GAUFF
Beaten by Danielle Collins in the third round of the Yarra Valley Classic just eight days ago, sixth seed Pliskova got the better of the 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist this time around.
Pliskova - also a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park two years ago - defeated Collins 7-5 6-2 and next plays 25th seed Karolina Muchova.
"I just played better in some moments, which I didn't last week. Then she was not playing that well as she did last week," Czech star Pliskova said. "I knew if I at least maintain little bit, just play at least similar as I was playing last week, I knew it's going to be difficult for her to repeat what she played last week. I think she really played great."
Owning a 6-1 record in the second round at Melbourne Park - falling only at this stage in 2016 - Svitolina produced a mature performance to conquer 16-year-old star Gauff 6-4 6-3 on centre court as 26th seed Yulia Putintseva awaits.
Elsewhere, seeds Belinda Bencic, Elise Mertens, Anett Kontaveit, Jennifer Brady and Donna Vekic moved through.
Giannis Antetokounmpo said "I don't want to get fined" when asked whether he felt Jae Crowder had "pulled the chair" on him late in the Milwaukee Bucks' narrow defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
Bucks superstar Antetokounmpo went off for a season-high 47 points to go alongside 11 rebounds and five assists but it came down to a couple of late plays as the Suns ran out 125-124 winners.
In the Bucks' penultimate possession, the Suns regained the ball following the incident between Crowder and Antetokounmpo, who then missed a 20-foot buzzer beater.
The Bucks consequently saw a five-match winning streak snapped, but their main man was reluctant to get drawn into his thoughts on a crucial finish.
"I just don't want to get fined. What do you want me to say? You gotta live with it," he said when asked about Crowder.
"If people out there think he pulled the chair on me, I cannot change what happened. At the end of the day, it was a play. That's the part of what we gotta execute better.
"That's the part we have to get a shot off no matter what happens."
Asked how the Bucks can be better in clutch moments, he replied: "Practice, always practice. You cannot practice too much. Just got to trust one another.
"Who wants to have close games? We want to beat teams by 10, 15, 20 points but when we have close games we learn from it.
"Moving forward if we run the same play, I hope me and Khris [Middleton] don't turn the ball over. We have great players who can execute down the stretch.
"We have good playmakers who can read the right play and make the right play down the stretch. Game by game we learn from each possession."
It was a particularly frustrating game for the Bucks given they took a 71-59 lead into half-time after going 13-of-24 from three-point range.
Antetokounmpo finished 15-of-23 from the field, draining 15-of-19 from inside the arc.
The final play may not have gone how the Bucks wanted but head coach Mike Budenholzer will have no hesitation putting Antetokounmpo in that same spot in the future.
"Yeah, that's definitely one of the options for Giannis to be top of the key. He got a pretty good look. Definitely one of the options," he said.
"We want Giannis to continue to grow and develop and have the ball in his hands lots of different times, including late when one down.
"He can attack, he can find team-mates, him getting to a spot, getting a shot is part of his growth and his development – in the long run that's good for us.
"We got I think a little bit sloppy in the second half, there were some stretches we could have played with each other better.
"We weren't as sharp as we needed to be. We gotta be better defensively, they flipped it from a 12-point lead to six up or so. We weren't as good as we have to be second half."
Coby White felt the Chicago Bulls had been due a good shooting night after he and Zach LaVine made NBA history against the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the Bulls' 129-116 success against the Pelicans on Wednesday, White and LaVine became the first team-mates in NBA history to each make at least eight three-pointers in the same game.
The pair combined for 76 points, the third time they have accumulated at least 75 together – only Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have achieved that on more occasions (six) for Chicago.
LaVine was 17-of-25 from the field, including 9-of-14 from distance, as he racked up a season-high 46 points. White went 8-of-17 from beyond the arc for 30 points, with the Bulls shooting 59.3 per cent overall as they made a franchise record 25 three-pointers.
"We were due for a good team shooting night. We haven't been shooting the ball well as a team, especially at home, so it was time for a good team shooting night," said White.
"Everybody contributed and everybody came out locked in. We knew we let a couple games slip away. Tonight was a much-needed win for us, so we've got to come out and play big. Come out and compete and play the right game."
White shot over 50 per cent from the field for just the fourth time this season and is trying to ignore criticism from outside and focus on improving his on-court relationship with LaVine.
"I just stay the course. Basketball's filled with ups and downs. You're never gonna please everyone," said White.
"I'm still growing and I'm still learning and I know that. I've just got to be who I am, come out and play and block out all the noise – that's the most important thing."
He added of LaVine: "We're continuing to grow. We're continuing to get better, we're continuing to figure each other out playing together. This is the first time we're playing together this year, so we're continuing to grow. We both never get too high or low, we're more focused on the winning part."
LaVine, who also put up seven rebounds, four assists and one block, was not surprised by his performance and was pleased to see White getting hot too.
"That's big. I didn't know that," LaVine said when asked for his reaction to the historic performance from himself and White.
"We're explosive to be able to do that, two really good shooters. Obviously you're not gonna be able to hit shots like that throughout the whole entire game but I'm glad and very happy for Coby that he got back on track. He showed that confidence in him again.
"Coby's a very explosive scorer. Sometimes he's just got to go out there and play his game to get back in rhythm."
On his own display, he added: "I expect to do that. I put in the time and effort. It happens that way. You hit a couple, get hot. You wish it could happen every game. Obviously, it can't. But when you get in a zone, you want to stay in it."
LeBron James showed in the Los Angeles Lakers' latest overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder why he is likely to win this season's MVP award, according to head coach Frank Vogel.
The Lakers claimed a second straight overtime victory against the Thunder on Wednesday, having needed two additional five-minute periods to get past the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
It was the first time in franchise history the Lakers won three straight overtime games, with the last NBA team to achieve the feat being the Minnesota Timberwolves in January 2007.
James played at least 40 minutes in all three – he last played that much in three successive games in January 2017 – and became the first player aged 35 or older in NBA history to do that in a trio of consecutive overtime triumphs.
Despite his increased time on the floor, the four-time MVP showed no noticeable dip in production. In a total of 130 minutes across the three wins he had 86 points, 30 assists, 25 rebounds and eight steals. The last NBA player to reach those numbers over a three-win span in the regular season was Michael Jordan in January 1989.
The Lakers were without Anthony Davis for a second straight game and Vogel felt the leadership LeBron displayed offensively and defensively was evidence of why he is a frontrunner for the MVP award.
Asked if he was concerned by the minutes James had racked up, Vogel replied: "Of course, there's always concern but his body's been feeling good.
"These aren't scripted plans to go to overtime each night and get him up to 40 minutes, but he's gonna be there in those situations to win the game.
"We'll continue evaluating how he's feeling, his workload on a day-by-day basis and make decisions on a game-by-game basis.
"He made several defensive plays to be honest with you, he's really leading the charge taking a matchup of [Al] Horford on certain situations. That's what Bron does. Bron does it on both sides of the ball.
"That's why he's probably going to be this year's MVP; carrying the load offensively and quarterbacking the number one defense in the league and taking these tough assignments and making the plays down the stretch, so he's played terrific."
Vogel joked that James was getting rest after the game by being excused from media duty.
He added: "These are the toughest games to play, when you have a sub-.500 team that comes in with guys out. Everybody on their team is getting an opportunity. You've got an opportunity to be the go-to guy. We've seen that with a few different games.
"We've certainly got to be better, we're not making things easy on ourselves but at the end of the day we're doing enough to grind things out in the second half and do what we need to do to get that W. Happy to get three wins but certainly got to be better.
"We're not worried about being tired. We're a no excuse team."
Kyle Kuzma praised James mentality after he contributed 25 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals in the 114-113 success over the Thunder.
"You've heard it from him: being tired is just in your head," said Kuzma, who contributed 15 points and nine rebounds.
"If you put your mind to it, you don't really see yourself getting too tired and that's always been his mindset through his unbelievable career. That dude's a beast. If he says he's not tired, doesn't get tired, [then] he doesn't get tired."
Zach LaVine and Coby White proved unstoppable from downtown as the Chicago Bulls delivered a record-breaking display, while Luka Doncic's superb triple-double powered the Dallas Mavericks.
The Bulls exploded to post an all-time franchise best total of 25 three-pointers as Chicago halted the New Orleans Pelicans' four-match winning streak, 129-116, at the United Center.
LaVine delivered 20 points in the first quarter before going on to drop 46 in total, draining nine of his 14 three-point shots, while White added 30 points including eight of 17 buckets from distance.
The duo became the first team-mates in NBA history to each hit eight three-pointers in the same game as the Bulls came back from eight points down at the half to blow away the Pelicans.
The scorching-hot LaVine also became the first Chicago player to post 120 points in a three-game stretch since Michael Jordan in 1997 as the Bulls improved to 10-14.
Doncic posted his 32nd career triple-double as the Mavericks edged a nail-biting 118-117 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks to extend their winning streak to three.
The Slovenian star dropped 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as Dallas trailed by nine at the start of the fourth quarter but finished strongly to close out the win and take their record to 12-14.
Atlanta's John Collins was the game's top scorer with 33 points, while Trae Young notched 25 points and 15 assists, but the Hawks could not find the decisive play in a wild final 90 seconds.
Giannis produces fireworks but Suns claim comeback win
The Phoenix Suns kept their momentum rolling, claiming a fourth straight win by edging Milwaukee 125-124 after coming back from 16 points down, but Giannis Antetokounmpo exploded for the Bucks.
The two-time NBA MVP carried his team on his shoulders, scoring a season-high 47 points and claiming 11 rebounds and five assists. Antetokounmpo almost snatched a remarkable victory but his buzzer-beater bounced back off the rim.
Indiana off the pace against Brooklyn
Malcolm Brogdon had a day to forget as the Indiana Pacers were held under 100 points, falling to their fourth straight defeat, in a 104-94 reverse against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Indiana guard had a 29.4 per cent field-goal success rate, scoring five of his 17 attempts, as the 12-13 Pacers could not match Kyrie Irving and James Harden's high-power offense.
LeBron sets up Matthews for key bucket
With less than a minute remaining in overtime and the Los Angeles Lakers level against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wesley Matthews came up clutch.
LeBron James drove towards the paint in heavy traffic, before flipping the ball out right for Matthews to sink the key three-pointer.
The Lakers clinched a 114-113 overtime victory to improve to 20-6.
Wednesday's results
Toronto Raptors 137-115 Washington Wizards
Dallas Mavericks 118-117 Atlanta Hawks
Los Angeles Clippers 119-112 Minnesota Timberwolves
Memphis Grizzlies 130-114 Charlotte Hornets
Brooklyn Nets 104-94 Indiana Pacers
Chicago Bulls 129-116 New Orleans Pelicans
Denver Nuggets 133-95 Cleveland Cavaliers
Los Angeles Lakers 114-113 Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns 125-124 Milwaukee Bucks
76ers at Trail Blazers
Led by the in-form Joel Embiid, the 18-7 Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers go on the road to face another team with a winning record, the 13-10 Portland Trail Blazers, on Thursday.
Nick Kyrgios has the weapons to overcome the "super physical" Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open on Friday.
The eccentric Australian continued to excite at Melbourne Park with a five-set win over Ugo Humbert in the second round, saving two match points.
Kyrgios, 25, is into the third round of a grand slam for the 15th time in his career, but it has been a difficult hurdle for him to cross. He is 6-8 in the third round of majors, although three of those wins – and just one loss – have come at the Australian Open.
While he has all the weapons, Kyrgios faces third seed Thiem, the US Open champion and last year's runner-up in Melbourne.
"He's probably one of the most physical guys on tour. He's an extremely good player. I have actually seen him progress. He's a bit older than I am. I actually saw him in juniors and then I saw him struggle for a couple years, futures, challies, and then to see him get to the top of the game. It's been actually pretty cool to see him develop and finally find what he needs to do to win matches," Kyrgios said about Thiem after overcoming Humbert.
"He trains like an absolute animal. He's consistent every day. And I actually have a lot of respect for him. I think his style of tennis is not easy to play. He's super physical, but I'm not even thinking about it. Like, I'm just hurting thinking about playing him right now."
He added: "Whatever happens against Thiem happens. I'm going to go out there, serve, play with instinct, and if it's enough, it's enough. If it isn't, I'm all right with that."
With much of the talk at the year's first major focused on the fast courts, Kyrgios' serve will be vital.
The Australian has seen 50 per cent of his first serves in the opening two rounds go unreturned, with 44 aces. He has also served at 72 per cent and won 81 per cent of the points when his first serve has gone in.
Thiem has recorded wins over Mikhail Kukushkin and Dominik Koepfer to begin the tournament, winning 13 of 27 return games. Kyrgios has won eight of 42 return games.
Kyrgios has been among the men more willing to serve and volley to begin the event, playing 26 such points and winning 16. He has also won 39 of 55 net points, while Thiem is an impressive 31 of 36.
Novak Djokovic is among those who have talked about the fast courts at Melbourne Park this year, and the world number one said that would suit the big servers. Thiem said he had never played on courts as fast at a grand slam so far in his career.
"I prefer last year's courts, if I could choose. It's pretty fast, as I said the days before. It's probably one of the fastest grand slam tournaments I've played so far," he said. "Well, we have to get used to it, yes. But if I have to choose, I would choose the last year's condition."
The opportunity is there for the big-hitting Kyrgios, but he will need to be at his best.
A teary Sofia Kenin admitted she was unable to handle the pressure of defending her Australian Open title after a second-round exit.
The American fourth seed departed at Melbourne Park on Thursday, when she was beaten by Kaia Kanepi 6-3 6-2.
Victoria Azarenka was the last woman to defend the Australian Open crown in 2013, while Serena Williams was the most recent to go back-to-back at any major, winning Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016.
Kenin, 22, said she struggled to cope with the pressure of defending a grand slam title for the first time.
"Obviously I haven't experienced that. I obviously felt like I'm not there 100 per cent physically, mentally, my game. Everything just feels real off obviously. It's not good," she told a news conference.
"I know I couldn't really handle the pressure. I'm not obviously used to this, so right now I just got to figure out how to play at that level that I played at.
"Because like today and those matches, it just hasn't been there. It's weird. I've been practising for two weeks. Luckily I've been able to practice. I felt fine in practice. Just couldn't do that in the game."
Kenin had 22 unforced errors against Kanepi, while she failed to convert any of her seven break points.
After a second loss in as many meetings with Kanepi, Kenin gave credit to the 35-year-old Estonian.
"She obviously played well. I obviously felt like I couldn't find my rhythm. I was obviously way too nervous," she said.
"Yeah, I mean, she played really well. She came up with some good shots. She obviously had a good plan against me. I just couldn't execute my shots."
Ash Barty insisted her leg issue was not impacting her at all after reaching the Australian Open third round.
The world number one overcame Australian compatriot Daria Gavrilova 6-1 7-6 (9-7) on a warm and windy Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.
But Barty's left thigh was heavily strapped and she gave up a 5-2 lead in the second set before saving two set points in the tie-break.
However, the 2019 French Open champion played down the severity of the issue.
"The bandage is very big, but that's more just support so that the tape itself doesn't fall off. It's not a very subtle tape job, you often see it on a lot of the girls," Barty told a news conference.
"The guys can hide it beneath their shorts a little bit better. Just a little bit of support. I played a lot of matches in the last 10 days after not playing for 12 months, which is natural. It's more of an assistance than anything else."
Barty added: "It came on early Tuesday, warming up for the match. But, yeah, obviously it's not affecting the way that I can play in any way.
"It's just more giving the leg some assistance to make sure it doesn't get to a point where it's going to affect me."
Barty will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round.
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