Ross County manager Malky Mackay expects the cinch Premiership relegation battle to be closely-contested with nerve and fortune playing their part.

The Dingwall side slipped four points adrift at the foot of the table with a 6-1 defeat by Hearts immediately before the split and have lost seven of their past nine matches.

But they have beaten four out of five of their bottom-six rivals so far this season, including Saturday’s visitors, Livingston, and Mackay believes his side will make a fight of their survival quest.

When asked what will influence the survival fight, Mackay said: “The team that holds their nerve on the day… I also think the rub of the green will come into it over the five games in terms of maybe some decisions, and the VAR decisions that may take place.

“But I think there will be not a lot between the teams.”

It appears the Miami Heat will have their best player back on the court when their Eastern Conference semi-final series against the New York Knicks resumes on Saturday.

Jimmy Butler plans to play in Game 3, according to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, after he sat out Tuesday’s loss with a right ankle sprain sustained in Miami’s Game 1 victory at Madison Square Garden.

“Jimmy is working,” Spoelstra said Friday. “We’ll see. … We know what his intentions are.”

Butler injured his ankle late in the series opener on Sunday, and though he never came out of the 108-101 victory, he was noticeably limping after getting hurt and played a smaller role in Miami’s offense.

The injury was severe enough, however, to keep him on the bench Tuesday as New York evened the series with a 111-105 win.

One advantage that is working in Butler’s favour is the lengthy layoff between Games 2 and 3.

By sitting out Tuesday, the 33-year-old Butler will have five days off between games to get treatment on the ankle.

A return in Game 3 would be a huge boost for the eighth-seeded Heat after they scored their fewest points of the postseason without the NBA’s playoff scoring leader in Game 2.

The six-time All-Star is averaging a league-leading 35.5 points per game in the playoffs on 58.5 per cent shooting, along with 6.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

The last time the Heat played at home on April 24, Butler had a career-high 56 points in a 119-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks as Miami seized a 3-1 lead over the East’s top seed.

Steve Smith’s LV= Insurance County Championship debut innings was overshadowed by Sussex captain Cheteshwar Pujara’s classy century at Worcestershire.

Attention was fixed on former Australia captain Smith, whose union with Sussex for three Division Two matches ahead of this summer’s Ashes has raised eyebrows, after the visitors lost two quick wickets on the second morning.

But, just as he was finding some rhythm, Smith fell for 30 to a debatable lbw call before Pujara demonstrated why he is as highly regarded as the Australian with a fine 136 in Sussex’s 373 all out.

Worcestershire reached stumps on 34 for one – trailing by 75 heading into day three.

Australian fast bowler Michael Neser took the spotlight away from the returning Jonny Bairstow with a brilliant hat-trick as Glamorgan dominated against Yorkshire.

Bairstow made an unbeaten 20 in his first competitive innings after more than eight months out injured but he could only watch on from the non-striker’s end as Neser ripped through his colleagues at Headingley.

The 33-year-old, left out of this summer’s Ashes touring party, showed the Australia Test selectors what they could be missing as he claimed career-best figures of seven for 32 off 11 overs to help skittle Yorkshire for 106.

Boasting a first-innings lead of 139, Glamorgan reached 57 for two in their second innings before proceedings were brought to an early finish.

Nottinghamshire opener Haseeb Hameed fell three runs short of a first century of the season before Lancashire took the upper hand on a rain-affected second day at Trent Bridge.

England bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad both finished the day wicketless as Lancashire overturned a first-innings deficit of 35 to lead by 63 runs with nine second-innings wickets in hand.

Essex seamer Jamie Porter claimed four wickets to pose the first serious questions about Surrey’s credentials of retaining their title.

Porter took his season’s total to 18 in four Championship games to help dismiss Surrey for 240, with the lead extended to 89 by Nick Browne and Sir Alastair Cook in five overs before stumps.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore blasted a thrilling first half-century for Somerset to bat them into a promising position against Northamptonshire at Taunton.

The visitors began by extending their overnight first-innings score of 137 for four to 255 all out. In reply, Somerset slipped to 61 for three before Cameron Bancroft (39) helped Kohler-Cadmore on his way to an unbeaten 95 off just 71 balls, with his side 199 for four and trailing by 56.

Sam Hain passed 50 for the third time in five innings this season as Warwickshire continued to dominate Hampshire.

Hampshire had found hope with three wickets in a truncated morning session to fashion a collapse from 83 without loss to 95 for three but half-centuries for Alex Davies (51), Ed Barnard (91 not out) and Michael Burgess (60no) accompanied Hain’s 85 as Warwickshire ended day two on 364 for five – a lead of 135.

Leus du Plooy and Wayne Madsen batted Derbyshire into a dominant position against Leicestershire at Derby.

The pair shared a stand of 122 from 184 balls, with Du Plooy failing by six runs to become Derbyshire’s first century maker of the season. The hosts closed on 326 for seven, a lead of 204.

France’s Matthieu Pavon maintained his two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the DS Automobiles Italian Open.

Pavon followed an opening 63, his lowest-ever round on the DP World Tour, with a 70 on Friday to reach nine under par, with compatriot Julien Guerrier and Spain’s Adrian Otaegui on seven under.

Poland’s Adrian Meronk is a shot further back after a second consecutive 68.

Starting on the back nine at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Pavon threatened to leave the field trailing in his wake when he carded a hat-trick of birdies from the 11th, but dropped three shots over the next 13 holes before closing with a 57-foot birdie on the ninth.

“Quite an up and down day,” Pavon said. “I started quite fast with a lot of good shots, made some birdies earlier on and that was great, but then I made some mistakes.

“Nothing really big but when you miss something here it feels like it is really tough to get the up and down done, so I dropped a few shots.

“I was a bit tired in the end also after a poor night yesterday, so to finish my round under par I am really happy.”

Defending champion Robert MacIntyre had earlier been forced out of the tournament due to a back injury less than an hour before he was due to tee off alongside home favourite Guido Migliozzi and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard.

The Scot wrote on social media: “Gutted to withdraw this morning from the @ItalianOpen with a back strain. Hopefully nothing too serious. Now for a week of rest before the PGA Championship.”

MacIntyre, who defeated US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off to win his second DP World Tour title last September, had carded an opening two-over-par 73 on Thursday.

Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald missed the cut after consecutive rounds of 74 left him six over par.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Donald said.

“Great to be back here again, obviously had a nice dinner with the vice-captains one night and did a lot of work behind the scenes, it was a busy week and a productive week, (but) my game was a little bit off this week.”

Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his 20th birthday by beating Borna Coric to reach the final of the Madrid Open.

The Spaniard is bidding to win back-to-back titles in his homeland for the second year in a row after successfully defending the title in Barcelona last month.

Croatian Coric put up a good fight, with the first set in particular full of gruelling all-court rallies, but ultimately Alcaraz was too good and he claimed a 6-4 6-3 victory.

After the pair had shaken hands, the home hero was presented with an enormous birthday cake while the crowd sang happy birthday.

“It means a lot to me, playing a final again here in Madrid,” said Alcaraz. “It’s such a special place for me and I have great memories since I came here to play under-12s. Of course last year was amazing.

“Turning 20 like that is special, so I will enjoy the final here and of course I will try to make all of Spain happy.”

Alcaraz’s latest win came amid the news Rafael Nadal will miss the Italian Open in Rome next week as he continues to recover from a hip injury, and the younger Spaniard is rapidly establishing himself as the French Open favourite.

Novak Djokovic missed Madrid with an elbow problem and, if he wins the title this weekend, Alcaraz will only need to play a match in Rome to ensure he returns to world number one.

Andy Murray defeated French teenager Luca Van Assche to reach the semi-finals of the Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence.

The Scot opted to drop down to the second tier after his first-round loss at the Madrid Open last week and the decision has paid off, with Murray’s 6-2 7-6 (6) victory over 18-year-old Van Assche his third in a row.

The teenager is regarded as a big talent and is already ranked in the top 100 but Murray was solid from the baseline and, unlike in his second match against Laurent Lokoli on Thursday, he managed to avoid being taken to a deciding set.

The second set was not without its frustrations, with Murray missing a match point at 5-4 and then seeing an early lead in the tie-break slip away.

Van Assche had two set points but Murray, who needs one more victory to climb back into the top 50, saved both and yelled in delight when he made it over the line.

The 35-year-old is looking for his first title at any level since Antwerp in 2019 having lost his last four finals.

Rafael Nadal’s hopes of defending his French Open crown suffered another blow with the news he has pulled out of next week’s Italian Open in Rome.

The tournament is the last big event before the tennis tour moves to Roland Garros at the end of May but Nadal is still not in good enough shape to compete following the hip injury he suffered at the Australian Open.

Nadal had hoped to be fit by the start of the clay-court season but a gloomy update last month revealed the treatment he had been having had not worked.

The 36-year-old said on Twitter on Friday: “Hello everyone! I am very sorry to announce that I will not be able to be in Rome.

“You all know how much it hurts me to miss another one of the tournaments that have marked my professional and personal career for all the love and support of the Italian tifosi.

“Despite having noticed an improvement in recent days, there have been many months without having been able to train at a high level and the re-adaptation process has its time, and I have no choice but to accept it and continue working.”

Nadal has won the title in Rome 10 times and has never gone into the French Open before without at least one warm-up event on clay.

For all his injury troubles, Nadal has never failed to play at Roland Garros since the first of his 14 titles in 2005, although he did pull out ahead of the third round in 2016 because of a wrist problem.

There are events in Lyon and Geneva the week before the start of the French Open on May 28 that Nadal could potentially seek wild card entry to but his hopes of a 15th title in Paris appear to be receding by the day.

Olympic gold medallist Oliver Townend has made a strong start to his quest for a first Badminton Horse Trials title since 2009.

The Shropshire-based Yorkshireman leads after day one of dressage, guiding Swallow Springs to a score of 23.2 penalties from an early morning draw.

Townend, a member of Great Britain’s eventing team that won gold at the Tokyo Games, holds a narrow lead over Gemma Stevens and Jalapeno, with world number one – New Zealander Tim Price – lying third on Vitali.

Townend’s Tokyo ride Ballaghmor Class is among a raft of Badminton contenders in dressage action on Saturday, when his Olympic team-mates Tom McEwen, riding Toledo De Kerser, and Laura Collett with Dacapo will also enter the arena.

And there is also likely to be a strong challenge launched by 2018 world champion Ros Canter, who returns aboard last year’s Badminton runner-up Lordships Graffalo in pursuit of a £105,000 top prize.

Sunday’s demanding cross-country test will be pivotal to the final outcome before the concluding showjumping phase on Monday.

“That was a very good start to the week,” said Townend, who was third on Swallow Springs at Badminton 12 months ago.

“I have two older horses here and I don’t think they have ever felt better, which is a great tribute to my team at home.

“I am very happy with the draw for Swallow Springs and think it will suit him. He is the quickest event horse I have ever sat on.”

Hollywood star Brad Pitt is set to drive at this year’s British Grand Prix to film scenes for his upcoming Formula One blockbuster.

It is understood that the 59-year-old American will race an adapted Formula Two car at Silverstone during the weekend of the Grand Prix which takes place on July 9.

Lewis Hamilton is helping to produce the movie, and the British driver’s Mercedes team has designed the bodywork for Pitt’s modified machine.

Pitt is expected to take to the track between practice sessions at the sold-out Formula One event, and no other cars will be on the circuit.

Apple has bought the rights to the movie with a reported budget of 140million US dollars (£125m). Joseph Kosinski, the man behind Top Gun: Maverick, will direct the film, in which Pitt’s character comes out of retirement to take on a rookie driver.

Speaking about his role in the blockbuster ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton, 38, said: “I am focused on making sure the script is where it needs to be, and making sure we have a great and diverse cast.

“Joe’s focus is to make sure we are as embedded into this sport as much as possible and it is current, and for me it is to make sure that it is authentic, and that it is believable and also to provide a view of racing from a different perspective than you might see on TV.

“I am spending a lot of time right now helping Joe and the team get the script right, and that is an amazing process and something I am really enjoying.”

Lewis Hamilton has raised the remarkable prospect of extending his Formula One career into his fifties on the eve of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton has only six months to run on his current £40million-a-year deal at Mercedes, but both sides say a contract extension – which is set to carry the seven-time world champion beyond his 40th birthday – will be agreed.

Hamilton, 38, is the second-oldest driver on the F1 grid behind Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard, 42 in July, is enjoying an upturn in his career with his rejuvenated Aston Martin team.

Hamilton is also heavily involved in a new Hollywood F1 blockbuster starring Brad Pitt. The 59-year-old American actor will play the role of a former driver emerging from retirement.

It emerged here in Miami that Pitt is set to drive an adapted Formula Two car during filming for the movie at the British Grand Prix in July.

“You can never say never,” said Hamilton, when asked about his longevity and the possibility of competing against Alonso in his fifties.

“Brad is going to be racing in the movie in his fifties, so I would be the third-oldest driver.

“There are people out there like Tom Brady [who retired, aged 45]. There are different ways you can train, how you can eat, and your focus.

“The technology in our bodies is shifting, and it is just about the mentality and whether or not you still have the drive to sacrifice the same as you did when you first started, and I do.

“I cannot speak for Fernando but I am hoping for more great fights with him moving forward.”

Juan Manuel Fangio is the oldest man to win a world championship. The Argentine captured his fifth title when he was 46 in 1957.

Hamilton was then asked if the physical demands of the sport’s gruelling record-breaking calendar are impacting his recovery.

But the Mercedes man replied: “It is not taking me longer to recover. It is better because I am more focused on recovery than I ever have been before.

“When I was 22, I was not focused on recovery. I didn’t know anything about it. I was just going home having a pizza, and not knowing what I needed to do the next day.

“I did not have any specialists around me to help me navigate that. I didn’t have the details of what to eat, how to replenish the liquids I lost, stretching, and all those different things.

“I wasn’t doing that back then. I don’t know if the drivers back in the day were that fit. They probably fell off quicker than us because we train a lot more than they did.”

Hamilton remains motivated to win a record eighth title. However, the British driver is on the longest losing streak of his F1 career.

Red Bull have won 14 of the last 15 races with Hamilton already 45 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen after just four rounds.

And Hamilton warned Red Bull’s dominance could last until 2026 if the current regulations – ironically introduced last year to make the racing closer – are not changed.

“We need to do better as a sport,” said Hamilton. “They have tried to bring the teams closer but it never seems to work.

“It is good that we are trying new things and evolving, but it is just unfortunate that we see the same kind of gaps between teams.

“I don’t know what the solution is for the future but we have to continue to adapt the regulations otherwise it could be the same as it is now until 2026.”

Klay Thompson felt "moments of euphoria" as his impressive performance led the Golden State Warriors to a 127-100 win over the Lakers in the NBA playoffs.

Golden State levelled their second-round series at 1-1 on Thursday, as Thompson thrived by scoring 30 points in a display that included eight 3-pointers.

The hot-shooting Warriors bounced back from Tuesday’s close Game 1 loss to recapture the momentum ahead of Game 3 in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Golden State shot over 50 percent overall and set an NBA record for the most 3-pointers in the first two games of a playoff series with 42.

And Thompson now has 12 playoff games where he has made at least seven 3-pointers, giving him an NBA record.

"These are moments you work for," Thompson said after the game, per NBC Sports.

"You might not see them all the time when you're in the gym, when you're conditioning, running a thousand miles.

"Those short moments of euphoria and that flow state where you just feel like you can't miss, make all those hard days more than worth it. 

"I was just trying to get the crowd going, and it's always fun when you shoot the ball well. But it's even better when you couple that with a win."

Thompson was visibly animated in the closing stages of the game, often shouting and jumping in delight as he converted shot after shot.

He was 8-of-11 from 3-point range and 11-of-18 shooting, with 14 of his points coming in a third quarter that the Warriors dominated 43-24 to end any hopes of a Lakers comeback.

"Sometimes when you are out there and you're having fun, things just come about without intention or thought," explained Thompson. 

"I think I was saying something along the lines of probably a few cuss words I'm not proud of. But those are the moments I feel the best as an athlete - when you feel like you're just clicking with your game, it’s just effortless."

Thompson had 25 points in Game 1, but shot only 9-of-25 in the opener.

"I relaxed a little bit more," Thompson said about his improvement in Game 2.

"I was not happy with my Game 1 performance. Shot the ball very inefficiently and probably rushed some shots. So I just let it come to me. I was telling myself to stay patient and it paid dividends."

Draymond Green came up just short of a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He relished seeing his fellow four-time NBA champion Thompson thrive.

"I just knew he was locked in," said Green. "He was really p****d off with our [Game 1] performance and he was dialled in coming in.

"When he's getting great looks like that, we know he's one of the best shooters to ever play this game."

Stephen Curry had 20 points and 12 assists, while JaMychal Green added 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting in his first playoff start since 2019.

Tao Geoghegan Hart can show he is back to his best at the Giro d’Italia over the next three weeks, according to two-time former winner Alberto Contador.

Londoner Geoghegan Hart enjoyed his breakout moment at the pandemic-affected 2020 edition of the Italian Grand Tour, claiming the pink jersey on the final day by beating Jai Hindley in the decisive time trial in Milan.

Since then, the 28-year-old has endured a difficult period with illness and injury, but last month he took two stage wins and overall victory at the Tour of the Alps last month – his first general classification win since the Giro.

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Geoghegan Hart will go into the Giro as a co-leader of the Ineos Grenadiers alongside 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, 36, while the squad also includes emerging talent Thymen Arensman.

“I think that the 2020 Giro was a little bit different (because of Covid-19) but we know that Tao has an incredible talent,” Contador told the PA news agency.

“At the Tour of the Alps he was very strong. Many riders that will be at the Giro were there and he won two stages and also the GC so for sure he is a good option and Tao can come back at the top.”

But, although Geoghegan Hart is seen as a contender, the main focus going into the race is on world champion Remco Evenepoel and three-time Vuelta a Espana winner Primoz Roglic.

“Everyone expects a big battle between Remco and Roglic but there are some up riders who can shake things up like Arensman, Thomas, (Joao) Almeida, and Tao, and they can make things difficult for the two big favourites,” added Contador, part of Eurosport’s analysis team for the race.

“If those two riders make a mistake they can have their chance. I cannot give to you one name. Both are very strong in the time trials and also the climbs, but the important thing in the Giro is always to not have a bad day as you can lose many minutes.”

An imposing Giro route – which covers a total of 3,489 kilometres and includes 51,400 metres of climbing – begins with an 19.6km time trial from Fossacesia Marina to Ortona on Saturday, the first of three time trials that cover a total of 73km over the three weeks.

There are also summit finishes on the Crans Montana, Monte Bondone, Val di Zoldo and Tre Cime di Lavaredo, plus seven stages of more than 200 kilometres and four others that come within a whisker, promising a gruelling three weeks for those intending to go all the way to Rome.

“This year the Giro comes back to the old style, the traditional long stages, days with more than 5,000 metres of climbing and 11 stages close to 200 kilometres,” Contador said. “It will be very important to recover day by day because the last week is normally the hardest week.

“I think the last time trial (18.6km from Tarvisio to Monte Lussari Tudor on stage 20) will make the difference because some riders can lose everything there.”

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Contador won the Giro in 2008 and 2015, part of a career that also brought two Tour wins and three Vuelta crowns. The Spaniard was additionally stripped of the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro title after testing positive for clenbuterol.

“For me, the Giro is my favourite race for sure,” he said. “I was there my first time in 2008, going at the last minute because of a sponsor, and three weeks later I won the Giro. The Tifosi love me and for me it is the most beautiful because you can break from the script and go on the attack.

“The Vuelta is special for me, my home race, and the Tour de France is the biggest race in the world, but my favourite is the Giro.”

:: Watch live and exclusive coverage of the Giro d’Italia on Eurosport, discovery+ and GCN+