LeBron James and Lonnie Walker IV sparked a furious second-half rally as the Los Angeles Lakers put the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors on the brink of elimination with a 104-101 win Monday in Game 4 of the teams’ Western Conference semifinal series.
James finished with 27 points and Walker scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter as the seventh-seeded Lakers overcame a 12-point third-quarter deficit and grabbed a 3-1 series lead.
Led by Stephen Curry’s 31-point, 14-assist, 10-rebound triple-double, Golden State looked poised to even the series after building a 77-65 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Los Angeles then outscored the Warriors 21-7 over the next seven minutes, with James scoring seven points during the run that Walker capped with a layup that put the Lakers up 86-84 with 9:27 remaining.
The Warriors answered and took a 99-96 lead on Klay Thompson’s 3-pointer with three minutes left, but the Lakers scored the next six points before Curry’s layup brought Golden State within 102-101 entering the final minute.
Curry missed two shots in the final 30 seconds, however, and Walker hit two free throws to extend the Lakers’ lead to three before the Warriors turned the ball over in the waning seconds.
Anthony Davis added 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who will try to clinch the series in San Francisco in Wednesday’s Game 5, while Austin Reaves contributed 21 points to the victory.
Heat handle Knicks again to take 3-1 series lead
Jimmy Butler had 27 points and 10 assists and the Miami Heat moved a win away from a return trip to the Eastern Conference finals with a 109-101 victory over the New York Knicks.
Bam Adebayo added 23 points and 13 rebounds to help the Heat take a 3-1 series lead and move closer towards becoming only the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to reach the conference finals. The Knicks accomplished the feat in 1999 and ultimately reached the NBA Finals before losing to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Miami, which upset East No. 1 seed Milwaukee in five games in the first round, can advance to its third conference final in four years with a win in New York in Wednesday’s Game 5.
Adebayo had 16 first-half points to spur Miami to a 56-48 lead at intermission and the Heat held a 90-81 advantage entering the fourth quarter. They shot just 27.3 per cent in the final period, but the Knicks never got closer than six points down and were further hampered when All-Star Julius Randle fouled out with 3:08 left.
Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points and 11 assists, while RJ Barrett finished with 24 points and Randle had 20 points and nine rebounds before exiting.
BB Coke High School won its first-ever U16 rugby league title after defeating Campion College 12-4 in the National U16 9s tournament at The Cedar Grove Academy in Portmore, St Catherine on Friday, May 7.
The win means BB Cokes ended the tournament on six points after also beating Spanish Town 24-8. However, they lost to Cedar Grove Academy 16-20. Spanish Town also ended on six points had an inferior points difference.
“The boys promised to bring the 9s title back home after they lost the 13s semi-finals to eventual champions Campion College. The win was built on getting the ball to our speedsters on the wings and strong defense in the middle of the park,” said winning coach Kamar Findlay.
“I was a bit surprised when we lost to Cedar Grove in our second match, but it served as a wake-up call for the team because they came out well against Spanish Town and got the win needed to top the tournament.
“We are extremely happy. This is our first title at the Under 16 level and the school and the entire community of Junction is celebrating with us.”
Jordan Spieth has withdrawn from this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson Classic due to a left wrist injury.
Spieth said in a statement posted on his social media accounts that the injury had flared up over the weekend.
It raises doubts over Spieth’s fitness for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill later this month, the last major Spieth needs to win to complete a career Grand Slam.
Spieth wrote: “Over the weekend, I had severe pain in my left wrist and had doctors confirm an injury that requires rest and limited movement.
“The AT&T Byron Nelson means the absolute world to me and I’m disappointed to miss it this week.
“Playing in front of family and friends in Dallas is one of the highlights of my year, and the tournament staff and volunteers are second to none.
“I look forward to being back next year and many years after.
“I’m focused on healing as quickly as possible and will have to evaluate my recovery week to week.”
Nikola Jokic will be available for Game 5 of the Denver Nuggets’ Western Conference semi-final series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in Denver.
Jokic reportedly has been fined $25,000, but the NBA decided on Monday they would not suspend the superstar centre for his involvement in a scuffle with Suns owner Mat Ishbia on Sunday that resulted in a technical foul for the two-time league MVP.
There was speculation that Jokic could be suspended for an incident that occurred with less than 3 minutes to go in the second quarter in the Suns’ 129-124 win to even the series at 2-2.
The play began when Jokic blocked a Deandre Ayton shot sending the ball heading out of bounds by the baseline.
The ball ended up in the arm of Ishbia, who cradled it under his arm as Jokic attempted to grab it back.
Ishbia did not immediately return the ball and it flipped a few rows back as Jokic tried to pull it from his arm.
As Jokic then reached for the ball he raised his elbow up to Ishbia’s chest and made contact.
Ishbia then fell down into his seat with his arms raised.
The refs then huddled to discuss what transpired, and decided Jokic’s actions were worthy of a technical foul.
That decision, however, sparked significant debate as to whether Ishbia flopped or if the Denver big man used excessive force.
Kevin Durant ended up making the technical free throw to tie the score at 55.
Jokic defended his actions after the game in which he finished with a career-high 53 points on 20-of-30 shooting, along with 11 assists.
Earlier Monday, Ishbia showed no ill-will toward Jokic, tweeting out that he was hopeful the league wouldn’t punish him.
“Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!” Ishbia posted. “That should be and is the only story. Suspending of fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have a lot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!”
The home team has won every game in this series, and the Nuggets are 5-0 in Denver this postseason.
Jokic has been outstanding in this series, averaging 36.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the four games.
Orlando Magic wing Paolo Banchero headlines the NBA All-Rookie first team as the only unanimous selection.
The league revealed the first and second teams on Monday, and the 20-year-old Banchero was the only player to be selected to the first team on all 100 ballots.
Banchero, who was previously announced as the NBA Rookie of the Year on April 25, is joined on the first team by Utah Jazz centre Walker Kessler, Indiana Pacers small forward Bennedict Mathurin, Sacramento Kings small forward Keegan Murray and Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams.
The second team featured two pairs of teammates – Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason from the Houston Rockets – as well as San Antonio Spurs power forward Jeremy Sochan.
Banchero, who was the first pick of last year’s draft, received 98 out of the 100 possible first-place votes for Rookie of the Year award, with Kessler receiving the other two to finish in second. Williams was the third finalist.
Banchero led all rookies in scoring with an average of 20.0 points per game, while his average of 3.7 assists ranked third among all qualifying first-year players and average of 6.9 rebounds placed fourth.
Kessler, who was the 22nd overall pick of the 2022 draft, ranked fourth among all players with an average of 2.34 blocks – the most by any rookie since the New York Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson averaged 2.44 in 2018-19. Kessler’s average of 8.4 rebounds per game ranked second among rookies, and he also averaged 9.2 points.
Williams, who was selected 12th, averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.37 steals – the highest average by any rookie.
Duren led all rookies in rebounds with an average of 8.9 per game, while Ivey’s average of 5.2 assists were the most by any first-year player.
Sale boss Alex Sanderson has admitted his interest in bringing England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie to the club amid reports his proposed move to Montpellier has fallen through.
The 29-year-old Exeter forward was due to join the Top 14 club this summer, but reports from France have suggested the deal has broken down on medical grounds with Cowan-Dickie working his way back from ankle surgery.
Montpellier have been linked with Tolu Latu, previously a target for the Sharks, and director of rugby Sanderson revealed during a press conference on Monday that he had heard the Australia international had agreed a deal for “twice the amount of money that we offered him.”
Asked if he would be interested in Cowan-Dickie, he said: “Yes, why wouldn’t you? He’s a great player.
“I don’t know if we would be in the right price point, but he’s got mates up here as well, he fits our kind of game model in that Ewan Ashman, Akker van de Merwe mould, doesn’t he? He’s a banger, so he ticks the box on a lot of fronts there.
“But I haven’t spoken to him, I haven’t spoken to Luke, so there’s nothing there in terms of that actually materialising.”
In the meantime, Sanderson will concentrate on the task of preparing his players for Sunday’s Gallagher Premiership semi-final clash with reigning champions Leicester Tigers and to that end, has enlisted the help of rugby league great Jamie Peacock.
Peacock won nine Super League Grand Finals, four Challenge Cup finals and four World Club Challenges during his glittering playing career, and Sanderson is hoping his “champion attitude” will rub off on his charges.
He said: “We’ve got JP coming in, who’ll have a little chat to us about what champion attitude looks like.
“He’s won nine Super Leagues and four World Challenges or whatever it is. He was a legend, so we’ll hopefully take a little leaf out of his book and add it to our own.”
Sale last won the Premiership final in 2006, and lost out in the semi-finals to Exeter two years ago.
This time around, they have proven winners George Ford, who was in the Tigers side which lifted the trophy last season, and Manu Tuilagi among their ranks, and Sanderson is convinced their winning mentality is key.
Asked how important it could be, he said: “It’s crucial, isn’t it, because these are leaders who come to the fore at this time of the season.
“There are guys that have to step up on the field and are able to keep their heads and respond and find ways when the plan doesn’t work – which it invariably doesn’t against the better teams – find ways of navigating to good outcomes, to better outcomes.
“Being able to draw on their experience is crucial, like I did this morning and I will tomorrow as we go through the week. I’ll continue to lean on them, not that it’s a chore for them, they want to.”
Jamaican Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Randy “Rude boy” Brown will open a new five-fight deal with the promotion with a bout against Brazilian Wellington Turman.
This fight will be the first of a new five-fight deal Brown signed with the UFC after his last fight, a submission loss to Australian Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 284 in February.
“Just one of those things where I had one fight left on my contract and the company decided that they need to re-sign me,” Brown told SportsMax.TV.
“The price that they wanted to re-sign me at wasn’t right initially so we did some negotiating back and forth and settled on a deal in the middle that everybody was happy about,” he added.
The 32-year-old will take on Brazil’s Turman at UFC on ABC 5 on June 24th at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
Turman, 26, currently has an MMA record of 18-6 and a UFC record of 3-4.
Brown, whose record now stands at 16-5, says he has already started preparation for the bout.
“I started camp probably about three weeks ago. So far, it has been great,” he said.
A successful team of young gymnasts returns to Jamaica on Tuesday after its encouraging exploits at the recent Caribbean Classic in Trinidad and Tobago.
The 19-member group was assembled from schools in Kingston, Westmoreland, Montego Bay, Mandeville and St. Catherine after being selected from the Jamaica School of Gymnastics Regional Schools Championship recently held in March 2023.
These young athletes, considered by Jamaica Gymnastics Association President Nicole Grant to be the foundation of the Future Stars Program, won an array of medals on the bars, floor, beam and vault exercises.
Among them were Akayla Ireland, who was second on the beam and floor routines and third on the vault and bars, respectively and finished second overall.
Akeela Bonas was third overall after claiming second on the vault and bar and third in the beam and floor exercises. Jazharia Johnson won the beam, was second in the vault and third on the floor for second place overall.
Abigail Carpenter finished third on the beam while Kelli-Jo Reid was second on the beam and floor.
Bria Eubanks was third on the floor.
Max Verstappen said he is targeted by Formula One’s boo brigade because they are jealous of him winning.
Verstappen landed a third victory of the season with a fine drive from ninth at Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix to extend his championship lead to 14 points over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
The double world champion was heckled as he was introduced on the grid in the moments before the race, and then also on the podium as he was presented with his winner’s trophy.
But a typically bullish Verstappen said: “If I am driving at the back nobody will be doing anything in terms of a reaction.
“It is normal when you are winning and they don’t like who is winning. This is something which is absolutely fine for me as long as I stand on the top step of the podium.
“That is the most important thing. I take the trophy home and they can go back to their houses and have a nice evening.”
Verstappen was jeered during the pre-race razzmatazz which involved American rapper LL Cool J acting as Master of Ceremonies and will.i.am conducting an orchestra.
It is understood the pre-race show seen in Miami will only take place at certain events, possibly eight in all, this season.
George Russell called the spectacle “distracting” and Verstappen was also not a fan.
“Some people like to be more in the spotlight, and some people don’t,” said Verstappen. “Personally I don’t. So for me, what they did was not necessary.
“I prefer just to talk to my engineers, walk to my car, put the helmet on and drive. I understand the entertainment value, but I hope we don’t have this at every single race, because we have a very long season ahead of us, and we don’t need to enter like that every time.”
Fernando Alonso, who finished third behind Verstappen and Perez to claim his fourth podium this season, disagreed that the pre-race introductions should only be reserved for certain races.
The 41-year-old Spaniard said: “If we do it here, we have to do it everywhere because I don’t think the Miami fans are better than the Italian fans in Imola or in Spain or in Mexico or in Japan.”
However, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose arrival on the grid was greeted with huge cheers, said: “Formula One is trying new things and trying to improve the show and I am in full support of that.
“I grew up listening to LL Cool J, and LL Cool J was there. You look over and will.i.am is there, too, and he is an incredible artist. I thought it was cool.”
A huge bounce-back performance from James Harden got the Philadelphia 76ers right back in their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics.
Harden capped a 42-point effort by hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in overtime, lifting the 76ers to a crucial 116-115 Game 4 victory on Sunday that evened the series at 2-2.
The 2017-18 NBA MVP earlier forced overtime by hitting a 16-foot floater with 16.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and rebounded strongly from subpar outings in Philadelphia’s losses in Games 2 and 3. Harden shot a combined 5-of-28 from the field in those games, but finished 16 of 23 in Sunday’s win while making 6 of 9 attempts from 3-point range.
Boston’s Marcus Smart nearly answered Harden’s winning shot with some late heroics of his own, but got off a 3-point attempt that went through the net a split second after the final buzzer sounded as the Sixers held on.
Joel Embiid added 34 points and 13 rebounds for the 76ers, who blew a 16-point third-quarter lead and trailed 105-100 with two minutes left in regulation before closing out the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run.
Jayson Tatum shook off an 0-of-8 shooting start to finish with 24 points and 18 rebounds and help key the Celtics’ comeback in regulation. Jaylen Brown ended with 23 points and Smart had 21.
Game 5 will take place Tuesday in Boston.
Suns withstand Jokic’s 53 points to pull even with Nuggets
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each scored 36 points and the Phoenix Suns overcame a monster game from Nikola Jokic to earn a 129-124 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the teams’ Western Conference semifinal.
The Suns recorded their second straight home win to even the series at 2-2 despite Jokic amassing a Nuggets’ playoff-record 53 points on 20-of-30 shooting.
Booker had 17 points in the third quarter to help Phoenix take a 98-92 lead into the fourth, and the Suns stretched the advantage to 116-106 on Landry Shamet’s 3-pointer with 4:56 left.
Denver countered with a 12-5 run to close within 121-118 with under two minutes remaining, but the Suns kept the West’s top seed at bay by going 8 for 8 from the foul line in the closing stages.
Jokic’s 53 points were a career high and eclipsed the Nuggets’ single-game record for a playoff game of 50, set twice by teammate Jamal Murray in 2020.
Shamet delivered four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 19 points off the bench for Phoenix, which will head back to Denver for Tuesday’s Game 5. The home team has won every meeting in the series thus far.
Manchester City will target Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch if they miss out on the signing of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, according to the Daily Mirror. The 20-year-old Dutch international has been linked with a move to Liverpool.
Brentford are looking to Liverpool as they look to strengthen next season, reports The Sun. The London club are keen on taking Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, 24, from Anfield with Manchester United reportedly targeting Bees keeper David Raya.
Victor Osimhen will not be leaving Napoli this summer according to the Daily Mail. The Nigerian striker, 24, has been linked to several leading European clubs but president Aurelio de Laurentiis says the newly crowned Italian champions are not selling.
Another Napoli star could be heading to the Premier League with Manchester United eyeing a move for defender Kim Min-jae. The Daily Mirror, via Corriere dello Sport, says United are winning to meet the £53million release cause for the South Korean, 26, to replace captain Harry Maguire.
Social media round-upPlayers to watchJames McAtee: Manchester City are keen to open contract talks with the midfielder, 20, who played a key role on loan in Sheffield United’s promotion to the Championship.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: The Gabon striker, 33, is keen on a return to Barcelona as he prepares to part company with Chelsea.
Sven-Goran Eriksson named 17-year-old Theo Walcott in his provisional England World Cup squad on this day in 2006, despite the forward not having played in the Premier League for Arsenal.
Walcott became England’s youngest international when he played in a pre-tournament friendly against Hungary.
But he did not make an appearance at the tournament as England reached the quarter-finals but lost to Portugal after Wayne Rooney’s red card.
Walcott was no stranger to making history at a tender age. He had become Southampton’s youngest ever player when he featured in a 0-0 Championship draw at home to Wolves aged 16 and 143 days, then became their youngest goalscorer with a strike in a 2-1 defeat to Leeds two months later.
His early promise persuaded Arsenal to sign him for an initial £5million, potentially rising to £12m, in January 2006, but he had been kept waiting for his first-team chance before Eriksson came calling in the summer.
Walcott got the news of his selection from his dad, and later said: “I thought he was having me on. I was shocked and surprised as everyone was; my eyes were just popping out of my head.”
Eriksson admitted at the time the selection was “a gamble” but he felt Walcott’s pace could offer England a wild card option.
But the Swede later admitted he did not help Walcott when saying the player had never quite reached the levels expected of him.
“Maybe the expectations on him were too high, and maybe I didn’t help him there,” Eriksson told OLBG last year.
Walcott went on to earn 47 England caps, but agreed his first call-up came too soon.
“I was thrown into the limelight straight away having not even played a Premier League game,” he said.
“Suddenly you are surrounded by these top-quality players and you are thinking ‘do I deserve to be here?’”
George Russell said he is not in Formula One for the show after taking aim at the pre-race razzmatazz put on by the sport’s bosses for the Miami Grand Prix.
In a break from convention, the grid’s 20 drivers were individually introduced to the crowd by American rapper LL Cool J as will.i.am conducted an orchestra.
It is understood the pre-race show seen in Miami will only take place at certain events, possibly eight this season.
But Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said: “It is distracting. I’m here to race, I’m not here for the show, I’m here to drive and I’m here to win.
“We’re on the grid for half an hour in all of our overalls in the sun. I don’t think there’s any other sport in the world that 30 minutes before you go out to do your do your business, that you’re out there in the sun, with all the cameras on you, making a show of it.
“I appreciate that we are in the entertainment world and we only want the best for the sport. We’re open to changes. I guess we have to roll with it.”
Russell drove well to finish fourth as Max Verstappen won from ninth on the grid to extend his lead in the championship to 14 points over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton started 13th, but a late comeback saw him take the chequered flag in sixth.
Mercedes are due to bring an upgrade to the next round in Imola on May 21 which the team hopes will propel them forward.
However, Hamilton said: “It is not like I have a second upgrade coming, which is what I need.
“But it’s something and it’s a step in the right direction for us to really be able to progress.”
Wyndham Clark overcame the swift loss of his overnight lead to claim his first PGA Tour title in the Wells Fargo Championship.
Clark’s two-shot advantage was wiped out in the first three holes and the 29-year-old American found himself a shot behind playing partner Xander Schauffele after seven holes of the final round at Quail Hollow.
However, Clark responded superbly to birdie five of the next eight and with Schauffele stumbling around the turn, the win became something of a formality.
A closing 68 gave Clark a winning total of 19 under par and four-shot victory over Schauffele, with England’s Tyrrell Hatton and American Harris English three strokes further back in third.
Tommy Fleetwood and former world number one Adam Scott finished in a tie for fifth on 11 under.
“Gosh, sorry, I’m a little choked up,” Clark told CBS after joining the likes of Anthony Kim, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Max Homa in making the Wells Fargo Championship their maiden PGA Tour title.
“It’s been a long five years to get to this point on Tour and I thought I would have had one earlier, but it’s well worth the wait and I’m so grateful.
“There’s so much that goes into this and there’s so many times I wanted to cry and break clubs – and I did break the club sometimes – in this journey and to get to this point is so sweet.
“It’s just amazing to finally do this.
“I didn’t start out great, I was kind of shaky and I think in years past I might have folded. This time I just stayed patient and hung in there and got hot on the back side.”
Max Verstappen hailed his victory at the Miami Grand Prix as “simply f****** lovely” after he beat Sergio Perez and the boo brigade to extend his world championship lead.
Verstappen was jeered before and after the race, as he celebrated a triumph that moves him 14 points clear of team-mate Perez, who finished second.
Fernando Alonso was third for Aston Martin. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and sixth for Mercedes.
Verstappen divides opinion in the sport and he was targeted by the Hard Rock Stadium crowd as he was presented on the grid ahead of the 57-lap race by rapper LL Cool J.
But the boos did not faze the double world champion as he raced from ninth on the grid to top spot to claim his third win from five rounds.
“Simply f****** lovely,” said Verstappen on the radio before he was also jeered on the podium as he collected his winner’s trophy.
Verstappen added: “It was a good race. I stayed out of trouble in the beginning. I had a good battle with Checo and we kept it clean and that was the most important thing. A great win today.
“Yesterday was a setback in qualifying but today we kept it calm and clean and winning a race from ninth is always very satisfying.”
Verstappen, who started on a different strategy to team-mate and pole-sitter Perez, was up to second on lap 15. He stopped for tyres with a dozen laps to go and then cruised into the lead by out-braking Perez at the opening corner on lap 48.
Perez said: “I gave it my all. The first stint was poor and that compromised my race.
“Max was particularly good today so a well-deserved win for him. We need to analyse what happened today because I didn’t have the pace.”
Max Verstappen overcame the boo brigade and Sergio Perez to win the Miami Grand Prix and extend his world championship lead.
Verstappen was subjected to a chorus of jeers by the 90,000-strong crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium as the sport’s drivers were introduced by rapper LL Cool J for Sunday’s 57-lap race.
But the double world champion put his poor reception to one side by racing from ninth on the grid to pass Perez with nine laps remaining and take his third win from five rounds.
Verstappen increased his championship lead from six points to 14.
Fernando Alonso completed the podium places with George Russell fourth. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth after starting 13th.
Sunday’s race marked the first of three to be staged in the United States this season, with Austin’s grand prix at the Circuit of the Americas and a debut event on the Las Vegas strip to follow later in the year.
And the event here in the Sunshine State was sprinkled with stardust for a show-stopping pre-race grid.
Actor Vin Diesel, singer Shakira, influencer-boxer Jake Paul, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Roger Federer – with 50 tennis Grand Slam titles between them – watched on as will.i.am conducted an orchestra and LL Cool J assumed his role as Master of Ceremonies. Only in America.
On came the 20 drivers and the biggest cheers were reserved for Hamilton, Alonso and Perez, backed by a large contingent of Mexican fans. But Verstappen, last on to the stage, was booed.
Verstappen, by now in the sanctuary of his flying Red Bull machine, had moved up to eighth at the end of lap one, as pole-sitter Perez held off Alonso on the charge to the opening corner.
Verstappen then blasted his way past Charles Leclerc and Kevin Magnussen in his DRS-assisted Red Bull to take sixth at the start of lap four.
Further behind, Hamilton appeared in trouble after making light contact with Nico Hulkenberg at the first corner.
“I don’t know if we are going to last in this race,” he said, fearing his front wing was broken.
Up front, Verstappen was still on the move.
On lap eight he passed Russell under braking at Turn 17 for fifth place, which became fourth the next time round following a carbon-copy move on Pierre Gasly.
Verstappen sped past Carlos Sainz on lap 14 at Turn 11 and then Alonso on lap 15 to take second place with team-mate Perez 3.7 sec up the road.
In came Perez on lap 20 for fresh rubber with a 1.2 sec lead over Verstappen. The Dutchman, who started on the harder, more durable rubber stayed out.
Despite his earlier worries, Hamilton was able to continue but he was failing to make headway and on lap 32 he was ushered aside for team-mate Russell.
Hamilton, on a different strategy after starting seven places behind his team-mate, resisted at first before allowing his team-mate through.
“Thank you very much,” said Russell over the radio. “Very much appreciated.” Hamilton made his sole tyre stop on lap 37, dropping back to 13th.
Russell did not appear fazed in a machine team principal Toto Wolff described as “a nasty piece of work”, and on lap 39 he was up to fourth after fighting his way past Sainz.
“That is how we roll,” said the celebrating Briton.
Verstappen finally stopped for new tyres on lap 45 and he emerged from the pits just 1.2 sec behind Perez.
Verstappen was soon all over Perez’s Red Bull gearbox and he made his first move at Turn 17 only for his team-mate to defend the left hander.
But Perez’s defence made him vulnerable on the main straight with Verstappen jinking to his team-mate’s left and making the move stick at the first corner on lap 48.
Verstappen crossed the line 5.3 sec clear of Perez.
Hamilton, like Verstappen, started on the more durable hard rubber and the strategy also worked for the seven-time world champion as he made up a number of positions in the closing stages – including the scalp of Leclerc with two laps to run – to salvage sixth.
Michael van Gerwen claimed his first European Tour title in a year after winning the Belgian Open.
Van Gerwen, who was a beaten finalist in Germany last month, overcame Luke Humphries 8-6 in the final to enter the winners’ circle for the first time since winning the European Darts Open in May 2022.
Humphries finished with a higher average and threw more 180s than Van Gerwen, but it was the Dutchman who prevailed thanks to his finishing prowess, which included a 129 checkout in the decisive 11th leg.
Van Gerwen, who now moves up to number two in the world behind Michael Smith, had earlier beaten Gary Anderson before gaining semi-final revenge on Josh Rock, the Northern Irish youngster who beat him in Leeuwarden last week.
It was a second successive final defeat for Humphries, top seed in this tournament, following his defeat to Dave Chisnall in Holland seven days ago.
The 28-year-old almost made darting perfection in the seventh leg but missed double 12 on his attempt at a nine-dart finish and then had to watch Van Gerwen lift the trophy.
Carlos Alcaraz is primed to become world number one once again after defending his Madrid Open title.
The Spaniard, who turned 20 on Saturday, beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 3-6 6-3 to complete the Spanish double for the second successive year following his victory in Barcelona a fortnight ago.
Success in the capital means he will return to the summit of the rankings, displacing Novak Djokovic, if he plays the next ATP Tour event in Rome.
Alcaraz’s latest win came amid the news Rafael Nadal will miss the Italian Open as he continues to recover from a hip injury, and with Djokovic also nursing an elbow problem he is rapidly establishing himself as the French Open favourite.
German Struff became the first lucky loser to reach the final at a Masters 1000 event and gave Alcaraz a tough match, having taken the second set to force a decider.
But Alcaraz was too good and came through to defend his title on home clay.
“For me it is so, so special,” Alcaraz said on the ATP Tour website. “To lift the trophy here in Madrid. In my country. It is always special to play and to be able to do a good result here and (being) a champion is so special.
“In front of my home crowd, my family, my friends. Everyone close to me. For me it is a special feeling that I will never forget.
“It was a really tough match. Jan was playing great, really aggressive. In the second set I had a lot of chances to break his serve and I didn’t take it and it was tough for me to lose it.
“I told myself that I had to be positive all the time and that I would have my chances and I think I did it in the third set.”
Michael Beale described Rangers as the “most wasteful team” he has ever seen after Sunday’s 1-0 home win over Aberdeen.
On the day that Celtic retained the cinch Premiership title with a 2-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle, midfielder Todd Cantwell gave the Ibrox fans something to cheer about in the 65th minute with his fine volley from a James Tavernier corner.
Rangers had an experimental look to their side, partly due to injuries, but the Gers boss returned to a familiar theme as he bemoaned missed chances throughout the game.
“We had some good moments with the ball all day,” said the former QPR boss, who revealed defender Ben Davies came off with a hamstring problem which could make him a doubt for next week’s game against Celtic.
“Sometimes I feel that we are the most wasteful team in the final third that I have ever seen. We created unbelievable chances and didn’t take them.
“We suddenly face two 80-yard dashes to our own goal. On another day we could find ourselves behind.
“In the first 15 minutes of the second half we missed more unbelievable chances, and when the balls hit the bar I thought it wasn’t going to be our day.
“I know it was their player who got the last touch (when Aberdeen captain Jonny Hayes inadvertently smashed a Rabbi Matondo cut-back against his own crossbar) but we have two or three players there.
“It is not unlucky when we are missing these chances. After a while it has to be poor play or poor final pass, movement, decision-making.
“It has happened in every single day since I came back to the club – we have missed incredible chances.”
Asked if the current squad could provide answers or if new attackers were required, Beale appeared unhappy with the contribution of substitute Alfredo Morelos, who is leaving at the end of the season.
The Colombia striker came off the bench with Scott Arfield, Glen Kamara and Scott Wright just after Cantwell’s goal.
Beale said: “I think you saw a difference when Alfredo came on in terms of energy but not a positive difference as well.
“I think we will need a focal point for the team, for sure.
“Antonio Colak is not fit at the moment and Alfredo is obviously going to be moving on.
“Fashion (Sakala) and Rabbi (Matondo) gave us a different type of front line and it was also nice to see Ianis Hagi get some minutes.
“Throughout the game we had some passages of really good play but we have to be more decisive if we want to feel at ease at the end of the game.”
It was a first defeat in eight for Aberdeen, who remain in third place, five points ahead of Hearts.
Manager Barry Robson revealed that Ross McCrorie, twin brother of Rangers goalkeeper Robby, missed the game with a hernia injury, saying: “He had surgery, we hope to have him back pretty quick.”
Robson was also unhappy with his side’s finishing, especially the two chances Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes missed in the first half – a shot saved by McCrorie before he chipped the ball over the bar when again he only had the Gers keeper to beat.
He said: “First half we should have scored a couple of goals. We had two brilliant chances to get a couple of goals up on Rangers.
“You need to take them wherever you are, not just coming here. But it’s probably more important to take them here.
“You have those two unbelievable chances in the first half – they don’t come much better than one-on-one chances.”
Robson also complained about a first-half incident when Gers defender Connor Goldson tangled with Duk at the edge of the box, with referee John Beaton awarding only a corner.
He said: “And then obviously the first half, is it a penalty or a free-kick outside as well? I don’t know.
“It was one or the other. Where was VAR? Anyone see it? Where was it? I don’t know. Was it in the building today? I am being serious.”
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