Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan called Lonzo Ball's road to recovery an "uphill battle" as the 25-year-old went under the knife on Monday for the third procedure on his troublesome left knee.
Ball last played in an NBA game on January 13 last year. The latest update on his situation was that he was failing to make any significant progress, and that this extra procedure – a cartilage transplant – could rule him out until the middle of 2024.
One of the best guard defenders in the league, Ball has a career average of 1.6 steals per game. This season there are only five players – O.G. Anunoby (2.0), Jimmy Butler (1.9), Fred VanVleet (1.7), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (1.7) and Herbert Jones (1.7) – averaging a higher figure.
Speaking ahead of Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Donovan said while it is a long road ahead, he is confident in Ball's work ethic and motivation to get back to full strength.
"I know he's going to work really hard [on his rehab]," he said. "[The doctors] felt like the surgery went well.
"I do know that Lonzo, just based on the information he was able to gather from different sets of doctors, [was] making the decision that he felt like this was the best chance to be able to get him back on the court.
"We all understand that that is going to be an uphill battle for him, but I know he's going to do everything possible in his rehab to get himself back on the court.
"He's certainly got a long road to recovery, a long road to get himself at a place where he can get back on the court and playing again.
"But I am hopeful with his work ethic and his commitment and drive and just how eager he is to play, that he's gonna exhaust every opportunity to do that."
The Carolina Panthers are taking their time to evaluate their options after trading up for the NFL Draft's number one pick but new head coach Frank Reich says height will not play a major role.
Reich was officially unveiled by the Panthers on Monday having been appointed in late January, after Matt Ruhle was fired five games into the 2022 season which ended with a 7-10 campaign.
The Panthers since traded up for the number one pick, giving up several picks including their first and second-rounders in this year's draft along with wide receiver D.J. Moore as they look to access the best available quarterback to help resolve their offensive issues.
Alabama's Bryce Young is viewed as the best quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, along with Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis.
But Young's height, at 5-foot-10, is seen as his biggest drawback and Reich has a history with taller quarterbacks.
"Don't read anything into it,'' Reich told reporters. "I'm just saying that because all these people are putting this label on me that I only look at big quarterbacks.
"We're, first and foremost, just looking for playmakers. You look at everything. Every trait that a guy has, and you weigh it. Right? You weigh it.
"The thing is – if there’s 10 categories that you look at in a quarterback, or any player for that matter, the real question is not how to evaluate each of those categories. A big part of the question is how much are you going to weigh each of those categories.
"So, everything’s a factor. But, ultimately, it really comes down to being a playmaker. Being a guy who can make plays all over the field and that happens a lot of different ways."
When asked about which categories he viewed most importantly, Reich laughed: "That'd be like giving the proprietary formula for Kentucky Fried Chicken."
Reich added that the evaluation process was ongoing, with the Panthers having nothing to hide given their position in the draft, scheduled for April 27.
"When you have the number one pick you don't have to play games, right?" Reich said. "It's not like we're trying to fool anybody. What we're trying to do is take all the time we can on the evaluation.
"There's a lot of conviction, as [general manager] Scott [Fitterer] said, on some of these top quarterbacks. The old adage, 'don't make a decision before you have to' – we're going to take every second every day, or every hour every day, to make this decision. And we've still got plenty of time left."
Reich hailed Fitterer for trading up to get the top pick, stating their previous first pick at nine was a "hard spot" given their resolution to solve their QB issues of the past few years.
"Is there more pressure with that? I guess so," Reich said. "But I don't feel it like that. I feel more freedom. We can actually get the guy that we want. We can take the time. We're in the driver's seat."
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is "hopeful" All-NBA point guard Ja Morant will make his return on Wednesday after completing an eight-game suspension.
Morant, 23, was suspended after a March 3 road game against the Denver Nuggets for "conduct detrimental to the league".
The NBA was forced to investigate after Morant appeared to brandish a gun on social media while at a nightclub.
Morant was "holding a firearm in an intoxicated state", the NBA said, but it did not prove the gun was owned by the Grizzlies star, or that he took it on the team flight or into any league facility.
When asked prior to Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks, Jenkins said Morant had "a good first day back" with the team, which included addressing his team-mates and coaches after spending a brief stint in counselling.
Despite missing Morant's 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game, the Grizzlies have gone 5-3 during his eight-game absence.
It was a similar story last season when they went 20-5 in the 25 games their star spent on the sidelines.
"What the group's done in his absence has been phenomenal from a defensive standpoint, offensive standpoint, execution standpoint, togetherness standpoint," Jenkins said.
"That's obviously our expectation with Ja reintegrating with the team. He's been connected with us player-wise, staff-wise, he knows what we're doing.
"He's excited to be a part of the group and get back and help his team [reach] our ultimate goal.
"I think it's going to be a seamless reintegration. We know how important he is to us. We know how important he is, he knows how important his team-mates are to him."
At 43-27, Memphis are tied for the second seed in the Western Conference, and they have 12 games remaining to overtake the Sacramento Kings, or even make a run at the top-seeded Nuggets (48-24).
The Houston Texans are still over a month away from picking their quarterback of the future, but they are continuing to build around him.
On Monday, the Texans added a starting tight end to their roster, signing Dalton Schultz to a one-year deal worth up to $9million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Schultz did not have the market he might have anticipated after his contract with the Dallas Cowboys expired, but he will have the chance to cash in next offseason if he can thrive in Houston playing with the quarterback whom the Texans will almost certainly select with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Last season, Schultz finished with 577 receiving yards and five touchdowns, having racked up 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021.
His 13 receiving touchdowns over the last two seasons rank fifth among tight ends.
Houston also added to their backfield, signing former Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary.
Singletary is unlikely to be the starter following the emergence of Dameon Pierce, who had 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground as a rookie.
Also arriving on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports, Singletary gives the Texans versatile depth at running back.
He has produced over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons. In 2022, he finished with 819 yards rushing and five touchdowns, as well as 280 yards receiving and a further touchdown through the air.
Singletary has 2,197 scrimmage yards since 2021, putting him 20th among running backs across that span.
Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has been hired by St. John's to revitalise a storied programme that has not won an NCAA Tournament game in more than two decades.
The school announced the hiring on Monday, and the deal is reportedly for six years.
"Coach Pitino is one of the most brilliant minds in the history of the game and has won at the highest levels everywhere he has coached," St. John's athletic director Mike Cragg said in a statement.
"There is no doubt in my mind he will restore a championship-level programme and culture for St. John's Basketball."
Pitino spent the last three years coaching at nearby Iona – leading the mid-major to a pair of NCAA berths – and this will be the 70-year-old's third coaching job in the Big East after stints at Providence and Louisville.
He guided Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013) to national titles, has been to seven Final Fours and has coached five schools to the NCAA Tournament, beginning with Boston University in 1983.
Pitino went 64-22 during his three seasons with Iona and takes the St. John's job three days after the 13th-seeded Gaels lost to UConn 87-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Now he is tasked with turning around a St. John's programme that has appeared in only three NCAA Tournaments over the last two decades – most recently in 2019 – and has not won a tournament game since 2000.
The Red Storm went 18-15 in 2022-23 and finished eighth in the Big East, leading to the firing of Mike Anderson on March 10.
In 34 seasons as a head coach, Pitino has an unofficial record of 834-293 (.740) – but 123 wins at Louisville have been vacated by the NCAA, including the 2013 national title, for recruiting violations.
Pitino was dismissed at Louisville in 2017 over corruption and allegations of NCAA violations.
William Knibbs battled the weather and a tough field to emerge champion of the two-day Constant Spring Golf Classic that concluded on Sunday at the Constant Spring Golf Club in Kingston.
Knibbs had a two-day score of 152 to end up five shots ahead of Zandre Roye after both had scored 78s on Saturday’s opening day.
"It felt great to win today (Sunday). I was tied for the lead coming into today. (I) didn't get off to a hot start, doubled the first hole. (The) first swing went out of bounds so after the first hole today (Sunday) I gave myself a three-shot deficit to overcome, which at times extended to a four-shot deficit between me and Zandre (Roye) but I was able to hold it down towards the end. I played really well on the back-nine. That helped me to narrow the gap," Knibbs said afterwards.
Dr. Mark Newnhan with scores of 83 and 79 (162) was the third spot edging last year's winner Sean Morris who scored 164 after posting 89 and 75 over the two rounds.
Jodi Munn-Barrow was the only woman in the field and gave a good account of herself with scores of 77 and 76 for a combined total of 153.
The top performers in the various categories were:
Men & Men Senior 7-12 - Bruce Levy 159 (77, 82), Bruce Lopez 173 (88, 85) and Christopher Carvalho 174 (88, 86).
The Men and Men Senior 13-24 category went to Mitchell Watson - 185 with scores of 86 and 99.
Mike Gleichman 159 won the Men Super Senior 0-12 section over Metry Seaga 164. Ronald Ross 166 copped third place.
Linval Freeman 194, George Wright 197 and Paul Chai Chong 199 were the top three in the Men Super Senior 13 -24.
The Masters category went to Vivian Monteith who posted 183 over the two rounds.
The only junior in the field was Jerone Thomas who competed in the Boys Under 18 category. He posted 184 for his two rounds.
Roger Goodell is expected to agree a contract extension at the upcoming NFL owners meetings.
The NFL commissioner is set for a "multi-year" new deal, according to ESPN.
Goodell, who has been in his post since 2006, has previously signed extensions in 2009, 2012 and 2017.
The 64-year-old's most recent deal was said to be worth $200million over five years.
ESPN's report said no length of time had yet been agreed for Goodell's upcoming deal, although "the sides have discussed a three-year extension".
Reported by Adam Schefter, it added: "The coming years also are expected to bring an increasing emphasis on identifying potential candidates to be Goodell's successor."
The two commissioners before Goodell, Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue, retired at 63 and 65 respectively.
On September 6, 2022, US Virgin Islands born fighter Karl Williams competed on Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, a platform where fighters do battle to earn a UFC contract.
The 33-year-old heavyweight was able to secure a unanimous decision win over American Jimmy Lawson and secure a contract with the world’s biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion.
On March 11, Williams won his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 221-Yan vs Dvalishvili.
He was able to dominate 30-year-old Polish fighter Lukasz Brzeski on the way to a unanimous decision win.
“Have fun and see where it goes,” was the game plan for the fight according to Williams.
“I wanted to come up with a game plan but I decided to just go out there and have fun. I prepared for everything so I just saw what he gave me and enjoyed,” he added.
Williams, who now boasts an 8-1 record in professional MMA, was born in the US Virgin Islands and now lives and trains in Atlanta.
With regards to his UFC debut, Williams says he was in awe.
“It was everything and more. I’m sitting in front of all these cameras. People aren’t going to see what I’m seeing, but this is amazing. The crowd, the people backstage, everything in the UFC leading up to this was just wonderful.”
Williams, who has competed at light-heavyweight (205 pounds) in the past, signaled his intentions to remain at heavyweight and return to the octagon as soon as possible.
“Not at all,” was his response to the media’s questions about a possible return to light heavyweight.
“The best thing about the UFC is having the performance institute (P.I.). Right after my fight on the Contender Series, I was staying here (in Las Vegas) to corner Chris Barnett and I went to the P.I. for a week and did all these tests. I was 237 thinking I was fat and out of shape. Then, when I went there and did a DEXA scan (scan to test bone density), they told me I had a lot of muscle so it would be hard for me to get down to 205. So, I took the easy way out and said I’ll just stay at heavyweight.”
Jack Draper has pulled out of the Miami Open due to an abdominal injury that forced him to retire from his match against Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells.
The Briton suffered a tear to his oblique muscle during his fourth round encounter with the Spaniard, forcing him to bring the match to a premature end in the second set.
While Alcaraz went on to win the tournament and reclaim his position as world number one, Draper is now set for a spell on the sidelines.
The 21-year-old has decided to withdraw from Miami, in order to focus on making a full recovery rather than risk aggravating the issue.
The world number 43 struggled for fitness during the 2021 season, but played 22 events last year and reached the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open.
Alcaraz won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami last year by beating Casper Ruud in the final.
After being awarded a bye into the second round, he will face either Facundo Bagnis or a qualifier and could take on Andy Murray in round three as he eyes a Sunshine Double.
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury until April 1 to agree to a heavyweight unification bout, the World Boxing Association (WBA) has said.
The pair are seeking to come to terms on a fight that would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Though discussions have appeared close to producing a resolution on several occasions, changes in demands from both camps have prolonged the process.
With time running out to meet the provisional April 29 fight date pencilled in for Wembley Stadium, the WBA has now issued a final deadline.
"March 10 was the deadline for the initial negotiations granted by the WBA," a WBA statement read.
"After the WBA announced the situation, Usyk and Fury’s teams contacted each other to inform that the pact was on its way and that the fight was going to take place.
"Now, the WBA has given them this new deadline that expires on April 1 and hopes that the fight can take place, since it is what the fans are asking for and what the whole boxing world is waiting for."
The WBA has held off on issuing Usyk with a mandatory fight against Daniel Dubois. Usyk holds the 'super' champion belt while Dubois is the 'regular' champion.
Usyk and Fury's potential fight has dominated the sport across the first few months of 2023, with the pair trading barbs as they seek to hammer out a deal.
The Ukrainian last fought in August, when he defended his titles against Anthony Joshua in their rematch, while Briton Fury completed his trilogy with Derek Chisora in December, winning with a 10th-round knockout.
The Brooklyn Nets will attempt to arrest their slide in the Eastern Conference when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Brooklyn and the Cavs square off twice in New York this week, the second meeting coming on Thursday.
And the Nets head into the first game of the doubleheader on the back of a three-game losing streak.
The Nets, sixth in the East, are now 39-32, just two games in the loss column ahead of the Miami Heat at 39-34.
As such, they are at risk of slipping into the play-in tournament places, and the Nets understand they must get better at rebounding if they are to return to winning ways.
The Nets are last in total rebounds in home games and were outrebounded 40-33 by the Denver Nuggets in Sunday's loss to the Western Conference leaders.
Cleveland represent formidable opposition, with the Cavs sitting at 45-28, fourth in the East. They have won seven of their last 10 games.
But this is a matchup in which the Nets may actually have an edge on the boards to help them end their losing run.
PIVOTAL PLAYERS
Brooklyn Nets – Mikal Bridges
Bridges has quickly become the Nets' talisman having been acquired in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, and he has been one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA in March.
He is averaging 27.1 points per game this month, putting him 10th in league. No other Brooklyn player is averaging 20.
Cleveland Cavaliers – Jarrett Allen
The player who will bear much of the responsibility for ensuring the Nets continue to struggle on the boards is a former Brooklyn player.
Cavs center Allen has thrived on the glass this season, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, the 11th-most in the NBA.
KEY BATTLE – Can Nets win the rebound challenge?
After their struggles on the boards against the Nuggets, head coach Jacque Vaughn was asked about how the Nets need to go about improving their rebounding.
"We have to accept it, it's truth, it's staring us in the face," he said. "The scouting report says try to go to offensive rebound versus the Nets, and we have to understand that and really do a diligent job of trying to do it together. We can't do it with two people or three people.
"We're trying to be systematic in how we embrace this problem, but I just want our guys to embrace it and realise that it is really a big difference from us being a pretty good defensive team, and that challenge we have to take on, and we have to win it. We have to win that challenge."
Winning that challenge may be easier against the Cavs who, despite Allen's prowess on the glass, are 25th in the NBA in rebounds per game with 41.4, just 1.2 more than the Nets.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Nets were victorious over the Cavs in their previous meeting in Cleveland on December 26 and have won five of the last six games between the teams.
Former New Zealand coach Steve Hansen warned in-form Ireland they still have a huge point to prove at the Rugby World Cup this year.
Andy Farrell's side completed a Grand Slam against England on Saturday, sealing a Six Nations crown and reaffirming their place as the world's number one team.
But with France 2023 looming in just under half-a-year, they will have to overcome their own history, having never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage.
Hansen, who knocked Ireland out in the last eight with the All Blacks four years ago in Japan, feels they must defy their own tournament reputation to triumph.
"They are going well, [are] ranked number one in the world, and they have had a great year so far," he said.
"Every time a team is number one in the world, you have got to consider them to be a World Cup contender. But it is a tough tournament to win.
"They have seemed to struggle a little bit at World Cups. If it was the All Blacks, they would probably be called chokers. They have come a long way, they believe in themselves. They are a very good side.
"So they are definitely a contender. But they will have to overcome the pressure of not having gone past the quarter-finals before, and there will be a lot of pressure involved in that.
"If they get through to the semi-finals, then they are in new territory. That is something they will have to deal with that they've never dealt with before, and it is always hard to deal with something you haven't dealt with before."
Ireland open their campaign against Romania on September 9, before they face Tonga, Scotland and reigning champions South Africa.
Andy Farrell believes Ireland have "a long way to go" before reaching the peak of their powers despite winning the Grand Slam.
Ireland were crowned Six Nations champions on Saturday after beating England 29-16 at the Aviva Stadium.
Farrell's side are top of the rankings following 10 consecutive victories and will be expected to mount a strong challenge to win the Rugby World Cup for the first time in France later this year.
Yet the Ireland head coach is demanding more from his players after they celebrated a fourth Grand Slam triumph.
"I said to you in New Zealand, 'now this was the start of our World Cup year'," Farrell said.
"The most pleasing thing is that we've continued to be successful. To find a way. Everyone was nervous about that except us.
"This is part of the journey, isn't it? Obviously this stands on its own right, as does the New Zealand tour.
"But it's part of the journey of us as a group going forward into a World Cup. Like I said, we'll get two or three months pre-season training for the first time together and I expect ourselves to be better obviously because of that.
“We've carried on winning, is that the yardstick? I don't know.
"We just go on the performances and the performances were pretty good in New Zealand and we've continued to again find a way.
"It's never been perfect, but the game is not like that, so the mental strength of our game and large parts of our game are in a good place.
"There's a long way for us to go for us to be at our best which is a great sign."
Rafael Nadal dropped out of the world's top 10 men's tennis rankings on Monday, the first time he has not been a presence there since his arrival on April 25, 2005.
After struggling with a hip injury since the Australian Open, Nadal has been unable to play much in the early months of 2023, causing his ranking to drop to 13th.
The 22-time grand slam winner has been an ever-present among the elite of the men's game for the best part of two decades.
Having spent half of his life as a top-10 player, Nadal will be determined to get back there once his injury has healed and prove there is still plenty of life in him yet, though may also be a tad sad to realise that new world number one and compatriot Carlos Alcaraz wasn't even two years old in April 2005.
In the interest of nostalgia, Stats Perform has taken a gander back at how the world looked then, and what has changed since.
The Special One makes his mark
Jose Mourinho made quite the impact when he became Chelsea manager at the start of the 2004-05 season, guiding the then Roman Abramovich-owned Blues to their first Premier League crown, and first English top-flight title since 1954-55.
After coining his own moniker of the "Special One" at his first press conference, Mourinho set about living up to it, also adding the EFL Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Two days after Nadal had entered the top 10 though, Chelsea hosted Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, drawing 0-0 at home, before losing 1-0 in the return leg at Anfield to suffer elimination at the hands of their Premier League rivals.
Mourinho did not take kindly to Luis Garcia's goal being awarded, with goal-line technology not available back then, something the now 60-year-old brought up again as recently as last week.
The Portuguese coach went on to have a storied career that is still going, having won the inaugural Europa Conference League with Roma last season.
He remains as outspoken as ever though, aiming a dig at Roma's rivals Lazio after their elimination from Europe ahead of the Rome derby on Sunday, which Lazio won 1-0 before Biancocelesti defender Alessio Romagnoli revealed: "We were already very energised before this match, his quotes hyped us up even more."
Tennant's Who-per
It was also a different time in television, pre-dating the streaming services so many rely on today, not least tennis players on the road, such as Nadal.
David Tennant was announced as the 10th doctor in Doctor Who, while the first UK series of The Apprentice came to a conclusion and adult-themed animated series Family Guy returned due to popular demand after initially being cancelled following its third season.
Nearly 18 years later, Tennant has reprised his role in Doctor Who, The Apprentice is airing its 17th series in the UK and Family Guy is airing its 21st season in the United States.
The more things change, the more they stay the same... but you can at least now stream all three shows on demand.
Charles and Camilla get married
In April 2005, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles tied the knot, getting married at a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
It is fair to say quite a bit has happened in the British royal family since then, with Princes William and Harry both getting married to fairly different receptions.
With the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September at the age of 96, King Charles III took the throne, and will have his coronation on May 6.
After Alcaraz became the youngest player to end the year as world number one in December, King Charles III will officially become the oldest person to accede to the British throne.
When Nokia ruled the world
If there is one area that has advanced almost immeasurably in the last 18 years, it is phone technology.
In 2005, it was still around two years before the dawn of the smartphone. Statistically, it is likely that even stars like Nadal had to make do with a Nokia 1110, the best-selling phone of the year.
Flip-phones were also becoming popular, with the Motorola RAZR V3 and Samsung Z500 among them, and both companies have revived the design in recent times, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 one of the biggest selling phones of today.
Who knows, perhaps Nadal's superfast reflexes and anticipation came from logging hours and hours of practice playing Snake.
Let's see Alcaraz do that.
Rafael Nadal has dropped out of the world's top 10 men's tennis rankings for the first time in almost 18 years.
Nadal has been in the top 10 ever since April 2005, but on Monday fell to 13th in the ATP rankings after injury forced him to miss Indian Wells.
The 36-year-old's run came to an end on the same day that teenage compatriot Carlos Alcaraz reclaimed his number one spot from Novak Djokovic after beating Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's Indian Wells final.
Nadal is yet to recover from the hip injury that has hampered him since his Australian Open exit to Mackenzie McDonald in January.
Though the 22-time grand slam winner could return to the top 10 once he is back in action, it will not be in the next month as he has also withdrawn from the Miami Masters.
The latest ATP rankings saw Djokovic drop to second place, while Medvedev moved from sixth to fifth, Felix Auger-Aliassime leapt from 10th to sixth, Hubert Hurkacz nudged into the top 10 as he moved up two places to ninth, while Taylor Fritz dropped from fifth to 10th.
The Carolina Panthers have signed Adam Thielen to a three-year deal as they look to prepare a strong offense for their expected number one pick quarterback.
Thielen spent 10 years with his hometown team, the Minnesota Vikings, before being released in early March.
The 32-year-old was voted to two Pro Bowls in his time with Minnesota and was an All-Pro Second Team selection in 2017.
Starting all 17 games last season, Thielen finished with 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns, though he was not used as often towards the end of the campaign, making just seven catches in the Vikings' final four games.
He had previously expressed a desire to play his entire career with the Vikings, but their offense has shifted towards younger players like T.J. Hockenson and K.J. Osborn to support All-Pro Justin Jefferson.
Overall, Thielen recorded 534 catches for 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns in 135 appearances for Minnesota.
The Panthers will get the number one pick in the NFL Draft after trading wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears, with Thielen providing plenty of experience in his place, which should aid whichever young starting quarterback they presumably acquire in late April.
It continues a busy time for Carolina, who have also recently added running back Miles Sanders, tight end Hayden Hurst and backup quarterback Andy Dalton.
Austin Reaves was lost for words after praise from four-time MVP team-mate LeBron James following his career-best 35 points led the Los Angeles Lakers to a crucial win on Sunday.
Reaves top scored for the Lakers, including scoring their last 10 points, in the 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic, which moved them into a tie for ninth in the Western Conference with a 35-37 record.
The shooting guard made his telling contribution in 30 minutes off the bench. Reaves became the seventh player in franchise history to score 35 points or more off the bench.
The Lakers bench contributed 61 of their 111 points, but Reaves earned special praise from James.
James, who missed his 11th straight game due to a right-foot injury, wrote on social media "You toooooo TOUGH!!" about Reaves after his game-winning display.
"You're talking about arguably one of the greatest players ever," Reaves told reporters. "I mean I don't know what to say.
"For him to accept me the way he accepted me from day one, obviously I felt there was a really good chemistry, IQ-wise, from day one. But not just him, everybody else."
Anthony Davis, who contributed 15 points with 11 rebounds and four blocks, heaped further praise on Reaves.
"He carried us tonight with his play," Davis said. "We know what we have in Austin. He's very confident and he played that way tonight."
The Lakers' Crypto.com Arena crowd went so far as to chant M-V-P towards Reaves for his performance, which he revelled in.
"For them to recognise what I do – obviously not an MVP-calibre player, those guys are really good – but for them to do that for me is special, it means a lot to me," Reaves said.
"Every time I take the court, play with a sense of urgency and leave it all out on the floor, because that's how I feel basketball should be played."
Reaves is averaging 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this season, but has managed double-digit scores in the Lakers' past eight games, averaging 15.9 points during March.
New world number one Carlos Alcaraz says he played "perfect" in Sunday's final demolition of Daniil Medvedev to cap a "perfect tournament" as he lifted the Indian Wells title for the first time.
Despite Medvedev coming into Sunday's decider on a 19-match winning streak, Alcaraz dominated 6-3 6-2 to win in 72 minutes.
Alcaraz's Indian Wells triumph was his third ATP Masters 1000 crown from three finals, not dropping a set in any of those deciders.
The 19-year-old Spaniard went through the Indian Wells Open without dropping a set and reflected that it was a "perfect" fortnight for him.
"It feels amazing to lift the trophy here [and] to recover the number one," Alcaraz told reporters, having reclaimed the top rank from Novak Djokovic due to his victory.
"It has been the perfect tournament. It was a goal for me, this tournament that I really wanted to win. For me, it's amazing."
The lopsided nature of Alcaraz's victory over Medvedev in the final caught many by surprise, hitting 19-4 winners against the in-form fifth seed.
"Honestly I didn’t expect that," Alcaraz said. "I expected a tough match but I played perfect. I said before against Daniil you have to play your best and tactically at your best level as well. I did perfect today. That's why it looks easy but it wasn’t."
Alcaraz added he was delighted to reclaim the number one rank which he had lost after Djokovic won the 2023 Australian Open which he missed due to injury.
Djokovic was unable to participate at Indian Wells due to being unvaccinated for COVID-19, with the pair actually not facing off at any events this year.
Alcaraz returned from abdominal and hamstring injuries last month at the Argentina Open and Rio Open before competing at Indian Wells, while Djokovic was in action at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The next opportunity for the pair to face off as at April's Monte Carlo Masters.
"Novak is one of the best players in the world," Alcaraz said. "That's obvious. I always say, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I really wanted to play against Novak again. We miss him on tour and hopefully to have him back very, very soon."
Alcaraz added: "It feels great to be back on the number one. Of course, every player on the ATP wants to be the number one. For me, it's a dream come true again. Obviously being in front of such great players like Novak, the top player, it's an amazing feeling."
Despite Djokovic being unable to compete at Indian Wells, Medvedev said he felt Alcaraz's return to the top rank was a true number one.
"One hundred per cent," Medvedev said. "It's unfortunate Novak can't play all the tournaments. If you get injured, Rafa is injured for some time, we cannot say if Rafa isn’t injured he would be number one, because we cannot know. Same about Novak.
"For sure if he was able to play last year and this year all the tournaments there is a possibility that the rankings would be different but Carlos is deservedly number one, he won more points than everybody else in the last 52 weeks and he was also year-end number one last year."
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer simply called Giannis Antetokounmpo "special" after shooting a perfect nine-of-nine 22-point triple-double in Sunday's 118-111 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Antetokounmpo brought up his 33rd career triple-double with 22 points on 100 per cent shooting from the field, with 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Greek forward became only the ninth NBA player to achieve a triple-double with perfect shooting from the field. It was only the 13th perfect triple-double in NBA history.
"It was mentioned that he was perfect from the field, it's like a pitcher with a perfect game," Budenholzer told reporters.
"It is fascinating to go nine-of-nine from the field and have a triple-double. I'm a little surprised it's happened 13 times. It seems like a rarity. I'm not a huge stat guy or historian but he's special."
Antetokounmpo was more interested in the Bucks claiming their 51st win of the season, improving their NBA-best record to 51-20, having lost their previous game 139-123 to the Indiana Pacers.
"I'm happy we were able to get a win, get back on track," Antetokounmpo said. "When you're in the moment it moves that fast, you don't slow down and appreciate it.
"Maybe when I'm older and I'm done and gonna look back like, 'Oh, that was cool I was able to do that, now I'm not able to run or jump or chase my kids.' Right now, when you're into it, it moves too fast."
Antetokounmpo is fourth in the NBA for points per game (31.4) and second for rebounds (11.9) this season.
Budenholzer was delighted with Brook Lopez's impact in Sunday's win, leading their 29-16 fourth-quarter charge with the first eight points of the final period.
Lopez scored 17 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, with the Bucks flipping the game early in the last on a 15-2 run. The Bucks center also had five rebounds and two blocks.
"It changed the game," Budenholzer said. "I think what he did offensively was important, and then the defense always stands out.
"It was a little bit muddy, not a pretty game there, and he stepped up and kind of just changed our feel and changed the momentum for us, particularly offensively, which we needed tonight."
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