Stephen Curry has vowed to "keep shooting" in Game 6 after his all-time streak of 233 successive games with a 3-pointer came to an end against the Boston Celtics.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Celtics 104-94 at Chase Center on Monday to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series.
Curry has played a huge part in the Warriors' drive for a seventh championship, but the 34-year-old endured an off day in Game 5 as he went 0-for-9 from three-point range.
He had 16 points overall and laid on eight assists in what was a below-par showing, with Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson stepping up to help secure the pivotal victory.
Historically, when a seven-game series is tied at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series over 82 per cent of the time.
Curry, who scored 43 points in the Game 4 triumph in Boston, is confident he will respond in the best way possible in Thursday's Game 6.
"I'll keep on shooting. It's very simple," he said. "I'm not afraid to go 0-for-whatever because I'm going to keep shooting and taking shots that you normally feel like you can make.
"And I've responded well when I've had games like that from the three-point line. But I don't think I've ever been happier after a 0-for-whatever type of night.
"Knowing the context of the game, the other ways you tried to impact the game and the fact that you had four guys step up in meaningful ways to help us win offensively.
"So all that stuff matters. Yeah, there's a fire burning and I want to make shots, but the rest of it is about how we win the game, and we did that."
Curry has made 285 three-pointers this season, 23 more than next best Buddy Hield, with an average of 25.5 per game through his 64 appearances in 2021-22.
And after digging deep as a team to pick up the win, Draymond Green believes team-mate Curry's off-day could work in the Warriors' favour when the teams reconvene.
"Whether Steph gets 43, 10, four, or whether he finishes with 16-for-22 shooting, a win is a win," Green said.
"Obviously, we have spoken about helping him, and I don't think he's been out there helpless, like that's the narrative.
"But everybody's doing their part, and tonight, a night that he didn't have it going, we found offense elsewhere, and that's kind of what it's been.
"On the same token, if he's got it going, we're going to be heavy Steph Curry. That's just what it is.
"The whole notion of this guy doesn't have help, well, you've got 43, he's going to keep shooting, and we're going to do all that we can to get him shooting it.
"It was huge. Now, that's good for us. He was 0-for-9 from three. He's going to be livid going into Game 6, and that's exactly what we need."
Jayson Tatum has admitted that the Boston Celtics need to 'focus' on their game and avoid refereeing distractions following defeat to Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the NBA finals.
Andrew Wiggins starred in the victory that put the Warriors 3-2 up in the best-of-seven series, but Tatum outscored him in the game, putting up 27 as the Celtics went down 104-94.
The Celtics' slow start proved to be costly, with the third quarter their best display, with decisions from the referees clearly irritating the team.
Tatum insisted those distractions must be ignored heading into Thursday's win or go home Game 6, though.
"I mean, you saw it. I wasn't in all of those conversations. I didn't hear everything that was talked about," Tatum said.
"But in those situations, especially on the road, regardless if we feel like calls are going our way or not, just in those moments we just got to be better not letting distractions, things like that, distract us.
"Down one going into the fourth quarter, just got to focus on what's important at the time. That's on all of us. We'll regroup and bounce back. I'm sure of it."
Despite the odds being against them, Tatum remains confident the Celtics can salvage the series with two games to play.
"You know, I've said it before: You better be confident, right? We ain't got to win two in one day. We just got to win one game on Thursday," he added.
"We've been in this situation before. So it's not over. Got to win on Thursday. That's all we got to worry about right now."
Draymond Green described Andrew Wiggins as a player you want in the big occasions after his star turn in Game 5 of the NBA Finals put the Golden State Warriors on the cusp of championship glory.
Wiggins contributed 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Klay Thompson had 21 points as the Warriors scored a 104-94 win against the Boston Celtics on home court to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
It was a particularly valuable contribution from Wiggins in the context of an off night for superstar Stephen Curry, who had scored 43 points in the Game 4 triumph in Boston.
Curry had 16 points and laid on eight assists but surprisingly went 0-for-9 from three-point range, ending his record run of at least one three in a postseason game at 132, and ending his streak of regular and post-season combined at 233.
Green concedes Wiggins has had to grow in stature with the Warriors but says he is now the kind of player to excel on the big occasions.
"I think he started to feel it out, but coming into this year, he was an All-Star starter for a reason," Green said.
"He defended very well. He scored the ball very well and really just plugged right in. Like it wasn't like 'oh, you need to call a set for him every time'. He's kind of been getting it. He's continued to do that.
"I think the bigger the challenge has been that we've thrown in front of him, the bigger he's responded. You want a guy like that, when the stage gets big, they respond and play their best basketball, and that's what he's been doing."
Wiggins was able to reflect on a special moment, and said the celebrations from the likes of Klay Thompson at his performance were a sign of the "love" among the roster.
"It's something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage. It doesn't get bigger than this. I was out there being aggressive. It was a good game," Wiggins said.
"That's [the celebrations] love. That's what makes it all work. We all support each other, and we want to see each other do good and succeed. That's why we're here."
Asked how he earned the respect of his team, Wiggins added: "Before I even got here, they have been great.
"You know, things that worked for them. And I feel like I'm pretty easy going, so I just came in here and hoop. I'm playing basketball, and I'm playing hard, and I feel like people respect that. And I'm just trying to win.
"At the end of the day, no matter what it takes or whatever they need from me, I'm here to help them win."
It was a dominant display from the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday as their stars shone brightly, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 11-1 in front of their home fans.
Blue Jays ace pitcher Alek Manoah never gave the Orioles a chance, allowing just one hit and one walk as he held the Orioles scoreless through six innings, striking out seven.
With the bat, Alejandro Kirk gave Toronto a lead in the first inning with an RBI single, before MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left his mark.
Guerrero made it 2-0 in the third inning when he drove in a run with a single, and he repeated his efforts in the fifth inning, driving home another run with an infield single to make it 3-0.
With some breathing room, the Blue Jays blew things out in the fifth frame, with Teoscar Hernandez's RBI double, followed by two-run base hits to both Santiago Espinal and Raimel Tapia, capped off by an RBI triple to Cavan Biggio.
Ultimately the Blue Jays scored seven runs from seven hits and a walk in the inning.
Guerrero put the finishing touches on in the eighth, crushing a 432-foot home run for his team-high 15th for the season, while Bo Bichette and George Springer both finished with a pair of hits.
Harper keeps hitting while Phillies keep winning
Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper's quest to go back-to-back received another boost in the Philadelphia Phillies' 3-2 win against the Miami Marlins.
Harper was walked in the first inning, and then took advantage during his second at-bat, opening the scoring with an RBI double in the third frame.
He was walked again in the eighth inning, putting Rhys Hoskins into scoring position and setting up the tying run, and Hoskins then delivered again in the ninth, sending the Phillies fans home happy with a walk-off RBI double.
It is the 10th Phillies win from their past 11 games, bringing their rapidly improving record to 31-30.
Braves win 12th straight
The hottest team in baseball kept their streak alive as the Atlanta Braves won their 12th consecutive game, beating the Washington Nationals 9-5.
Dansby Swanson was the star for the Braves, with a two-run RBI base hit in the second inning, before a 423-foot, two-run homer in the sixth inning.
He was one of five Braves players to go deep, as Travis d'Arnaud (373 feet), Marcell Ozuna (410 feet), Adam Duvall (397 feet) and Michael Harris II (388 feet) all hit home runs.
The Golden State Warriors showed their championship pedigree in Monday's 104-94 home win against the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
With the win, the Warriors have taken a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven. Historically, when a seven-game series is tied at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series over 82 per cent of the time.
While it has been all Stephen Curry for the Warriors up this point, Game 5 was a true team performance as Curry struggled.
It started on the defensive end for the Warriors, holding the Celtics to just eight points in the first nine minutes of action on the way to a 27-16 opening frame.
Andrew Wiggins had seven points in the first quarter, and backed it up with another nine in the second, clearly the Warriors' best player in the first half as they won the second frame 24-23 to head into half-time leading 51-39.
A classic Warriors third quarter would have put the game to bed, but it was the Celtics' turn to flip the game on its head, starting the second half on a 10-0 run.
The road team would hit six-of-eight three-pointers in the period to pull ahead 74-72 in the closing stages, before a running heave from Jordan Poole banked in off the backboard to beat the buzzer. Replays showed the ball left Poole's fingertips with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock, giving the Warriors a one-point lead.
Poole's launch ignited the crowd, and they carried that momentum in the opening stages of the fourth, starting the quarter on a 10-0 run of their own to take a stranglehold on the contest.
In the biggest moments, Wiggins did not cede the floor to Curry, scoring 10 points in the last quarter, capped off with an emphatic slam dunk.
Wiggins finished with a team-high 26 points on 12-of-23 shooting, backing up his career-high 16 rebounds in Game 4 with another 13 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Averaging 34.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the first four games, Curry went ice cold from long range as the series returned to Golden State, going seven-of-22 from the field and a shocking zero-of-nine from deep for his 16 points and eight assists.
It was the first of Curry's 133 career playoff games that he has not made a three-pointer, and breaks a streak of 233 consecutive total games without hitting one, and a streak of 38 straight playoff games with multiple makes.
Incredibly, Curry and Wiggins combined to shoot zero-of-15 from long range, but they received some crucial shooting performances from Klay Thompson (five-of-11 from three, 21 points) and Jordan Poole (three-of-six from deep, 14 points in 14 minutes).
Gary Payton II also played a big part in the win, coming off the bench to score 15 points on six-of-eight shooting, ripping away three steals and providing a game-changing presence on the defensive end of the floor.
Ultimately, the Warriors played playoff-proven, winning basketball. They finished with six combined turnovers as a team, with just four coming from the starters, and hit 86 per cent of their free throws (13-of-15).
For the Celtics, their big three of Jayson Tatum (four turnovers), Jaylen Brown (five) and Marcus Smart (four) combined for 13 of their side's 18 total turnovers, while they shot 67 per cent from the free throw line (21-of-31).
Tatum was the visiting side's top performer, finishing with 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting, going five-of-nine from long range, adding 10 rebounds and four assists, although he did miss four of his six free throws.
The Warriors now have a chance to close out the series – and secure their fourth championship in eight seasons – when they head to Boston for Game 6. If the Celtics are able to win Game 6, Game 7 will head back to Golden State.
Justin Thomas called it "sad" that LIV Golf continues to dominate the headlines in the lead-up to the U.S. Open.
LIV Golf's first event took place this past weekend, with South Africa's Charl Schwartzel pocketing $4.75million as the inaugural winner.
Made possible through Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, the upstart tour has thrown exorbitant sums of money at PGA Tour players to poach them away, including Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson.
Speaking to the media after opting to not play in Monday's U.S. Open practice round, Thomas said the ubiquitous LIV Golf discussion during one of the great weeks on the golfing calendar was "sad".
"I grew up my entire life wanting to play the PGA Tour," he said. "Wanting to break records, make history, play Presidents Cups, play Ryder Cups.
"The fact that things like that could potentially get hurt because of some of the people that are leaving, and if more go, it's just sad.
"It's really no other way to say it. It just makes me sad, because like I said, I've grown up my entire life wanting to do that, and I don't want to do anything else.
"The people that have gone, like I said, they have the decision that they're entitled to make. Not necessarily that I agree with it one way or the other, but everything has got a price, I guess."
He later added: "You can't go anywhere without somebody bringing it up.
"It's sad. This is the U.S. Open, and this is an unbelievable venue, a place with so much history, an unbelievable field, so many storylines, and yet that seems to be what all the questions are about.
"That's unfortunate. That's not right to the USGA. That's not right for the U.S. Open. That's not right for us players. But that's, unfortunately, where we're at right now."
Thomas was not done there, going on to discuss why he does not think the money is worth it, but also why it is not fair to make character assessments on the players who decided to make the move.
"There's no amount of money that you could get that [can make you happy doing something] you don't love or enjoy," he said.
"You're still going to be miserable. You're still not going to enjoy it. Although you might be miserable in a bigger house or a nicer car, that doesn't necessarily mean that your life is going to be any better.
He added: "I'm the first to admit that there's times where people do something, and I bash them – obviously not externally – maybe internally with friends or whatever it is. It's not necessary.
"You can disagree with the decision. You can maybe wish that they did something differently… being in the media as a writer, you have to write about it. I understand that.
"But for people at home to necessarily say that Dustin Johnson is now a bad person, that's not fair. That's just not right.
"Now, again, I said it last week, I'll say it again, do I wish he wouldn't have done it, and am I a little sad about it? Yeah – but it is what it is."
Bryson DeChambeau called his decision to join the LIV Golf series "very difficult", but the promise of a massive payday made the difference in the end.
The first LIV Golf event took place this past weekend in London, with South Africa's Charl Schwartzel pocketing $4.75million as the inaugural winner.
Criticism has followed the Saudi-backed tour every step of the way, with its motivations being questioned due to the fact that it appears unlikely to turn a profit.
Speaking to the media for the first time since making the jump away from the PGA Tour, DeChambeau admitted his priorities were financial.
"It was a business decision, first and foremost," he said. "That’s all there was to it.
"It’s given me a lot more opportunities outside of the game of golf and given me more time with my family and my future family. So for me, that was the decision."
The 2020 U.S. Open champion said less than two weeks ago that joining LIV Golf would be a "risk" for him, but DeChambeau was reportedly offered a total of $100 million to participate in the series’ seven remaining events.
"There was a lot of financials to it, and a lot of time," he said. "I get to have a life outside of the game of golf as well."
While some players – notably Dustin Johnson and Kevin Na – have resigned entirely from the PGA Tour, DeChambeau has not surrendered his tour card. The PGA suspended 17 players for participating in the rival circuit, which resumes on June 30 at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland, Oregon.
PGA commissioner Jay Monahan said any future LIV players will receive the same punishment.
DeChambeau largely avoided addressing the controversial nature of LIV Golf, which is funded through Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, but he did make his first comments about concerns many fans have about the series’ connection to the Saudi government’s human rights violations.
"What’s gone on has not been great," he said, “But they’re moving in the right decision from what I can see and what we’ve had conversations about."
DeChambeau told the Golf Channel that he wants to play some PGA Tour events in the future.
"I want to play where people can see great entertainment. I want to deliver that anywhere I'm at."
Fresh off one of the best seasons in franchise history, the Memphis Grizzlies and head coach Taylor Jenkins have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Monday.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In his third season as a head coach, Jenkins led the 2021-22 Grizzlies to a 56-26 record, including a franchise-record 26 road wins, leading to the Western Conference’s two-seed seed, and a playoff series win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He finished second in Coach of the Year voting.
Memphis finished their season with a second-round playoff loss to the eventual West champions, the Golden State Warriors.
The Grizzlies' head of basketball operations, Zach Kleiman, called the extension well-deserved in a statement.
"The year-over-year progress under Taylor speaks for itself, but his growth-oriented, selfless and competitive approach has been a driving force in the establishment of a sustainable culture," Kleiman said.
"We have full confidence that Taylor will steer us to Memphis’ first championship."
Jenkins, 37, is 128-99 in three seasons coaching the Grizzlies and led Memphis to playoff appearances in each of the past two seasons.
Simona Halep won her first match on grass since 2019 as she cruised past Lesia Tsurenko to reach the second round of the Birmingham Classic on Monday.
Halep's last grass-court match was the impressive 6-2 6-2 defeat of Serena Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final.
While Monday's triumph may not have been of comparable importance, the 6-1 6-4 win was a positive step in Halep's preparation for a return to SW19 later this month.
After saving three break points in the very first game, the former world number one rarely looked in trouble against her Ukrainian opponent, breaking Tsurenko's serve at the first opportunity.
She repeated the feat to go 5-1 up before serving to love to close out the set, though Tsurenko showed a bit more fight at the start of the second – only one of the first five service games was a hold.
Halep ultimately weathered the storm, however, taking her chance to go 5-4 up and once again served to love to wrap up the match.
Seeded second, Halep was the only seed in action on Monday and will meet home favourite Harriet Dart next, with the Brit impressively seeing off Camila Osorio – ranked 45 places better off – 6-2 6-0.
In Berlin, fourth and sixth seeds Karolina Pliskova and Daria Kasatkina secured their passage to the last 16.
Pliskova struggled initially against Kaia Kanepi but went on to produce two near-flawless sets to progress 6-7 (6-8) 6-0 6-0 – Kasatkina also came from behind, with an ankle injury to Anhelina Kalinina potentially aiding her 5-7 6-3 6-1 victory.
Bianca Andreescu was also among the winners in Berlin, with the Canadian beating Katerina Siniakova to claim only her second career success on grass.
With the NBA draft just 10 days away, teams have begun the process of reshaping their rosters for the 2022-23 season.
The Denver Nuggets have agreed to trade forward JaMychal Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 30th overall pick in this year's draft, according to multiple reports.
The Nuggets also sent a protected 2027 first-round pick and will receive the Thunder's second-round picks in 2023 and 2024.
Denver now owns the number 21 and number 30 overall selections for the draft on June 23, while a rebuilding Oklahoma City owns numbers two, 12 and 34, along with a deep collection of future picks available as trade fodder.
Green is likely to pick up the $8.2million option on his contract for next season, and his departure allows some flexibility for Denver to build around two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
The move is the Nuggets' first with Calvin Booth pulling the strings after Tim Connelly departed to head basketball operations with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Green shot 39.9 per cent from three-point range in 2020-21, his first season with Denver, but that mark fell to 26.6 per cent last season.
Andrey Rublev was a surprise first-round loser at the Halle Open, while numerous seeds fell on the first day of the Queen's Club Championships.
Rublev came unstuck against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, succumbing to a 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 loss as the world number eight crashed out in Germany.
Laslo Djere progressed after Henri Squire retired when 4-3 down, while sixth seed Pablo Carreno Busta secured a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) over French Open quarter-finalist Holger Rune.
Ugo Humber got the better of a topsy-turvy affair against qualifier Radu Albot, eventually triumphing 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 and Mackenzie McDonald defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler in straight sets.
Fourth favourite Taylor Fritz went down 6-3 6-3 against British wildcard Jack Draper, his first career win against a top-20 ranked player.
Reilly Opelka, the eighth seed, crashed out in the first round to New Zealand's Alex de Minaur, who claimed a straightforward 6-4 6-4 win.
Grigor Dimitrov, who won the event in 2014, battled past third seed Cameron Norrie 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-4, while Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina eased past compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5 6-4.
Alexander Bublik was 6-3 up before Italian Lorenzo Musetti retired, while seventh seed Marin Cilic capped the day's play in London by beating home hope Liam Broady 6-1 4-6 7-5.
Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Queen's Club Championships due to an abdominal injury, leaving his Wimbledon participation in doubt.
The former world number one made a great start to the grass-court season, reaching the Stuttgart Open final before falling to Matteo Berrettini.
Murray experienced discomfort during that showpiece in Germany, twice requiring medical timeouts as he battled the pain against the Italian.
The three-time grand slam winner Murray is a five-time Queen's champion but has had to pull out of the tournament, just two weeks before Wimbledon starts.
"After having a scan this afternoon, an abdominal injury means I won't be fit to compete at Queen's this year," Murray said in a statement.
"The tournament means a lot to me, and it's disappointing not to compete, especially after playing some good matches on the grass already."
The Scot was scheduled to play Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the first round, but has been replaced by lucky loser Denis Kudla.
James Wiseman's long road to recovery appears to be nearing an end, as the Golden State Warriors centre could return to play in the NBA's Summer League in July.
Wiseman, who has not played in an NBA game since April 10, 2021, is reportedly sprinting pain-free and is nearing clearance for full-contact workouts, according to the Athletic.
The second overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, Wiseman has been recovering from a meniscus tear in his right knee, for which he underwent surgery last April.
The Warriors were hoping he would be able to return at some point during the 2021-22 season, but he encountered multiple setbacks and the team made the decision to shut him down with nine games to go.
Then in April, he reportedly received a plasma-rich injection in his arm to help promote healing throughout his body.
Though the 21-year-old has appeared in just 39 games in his two seasons with Golden State – averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds – he remains part of the team's long-term plans and is expected to have his fourth-year option picked up.
Wiseman has been on the bench during the Warriors' playoff run, and was on the court putting up shots during shootaround prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The Finals between the Warriors and Boston Celtics are tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Monday in San Francisco.
The Washington Commanders open their three-day minicamp on Tuesday but Terry McLaurin is not planning on attending, according to reports.
The fourth-year wide receiver is seeking a contract extension as he moves into the final year of his rookie deal and will not report to camp as the two sides remain far apart on negotiations, according to ESPN.
If he were to miss all three days, McLaurin - who is slated to make $2.79million in 2022 - would be fined more than $95,000. He would also miss out on practice time with new Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz.
Despite playing with several mediocre starting quarterbacks over the last three seasons in Taylor Heinicke, Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins Junior and Case Keenum, McLaurin has put up stellar numbers.
A third-round pick in 2019, McLaurin has led the team in receptions and receiving yards each of the last three years, and is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Since 2019, his 3,090 receiving yards rank 14th in the NFL, while his average of 13.9 yards per catch ranks 11th among the 61 players with at least 150 receptions.
Daniil Medvedev has replaced Novak Djokovic as world number one ahead of the start of Wimbledon, where the Russian is banned from featuring.
The ATP and WTA boards decided to remove ranking points from the third grand slam of the year, with Russian and Belarusian players not allowed to compete due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The 26-year-old Medvedev will miss out from the grass-court major, which starts on June 27, alongside Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Victoria Azarenka.
But that could aid Medvedev's cause at the end of the tournament as Djokovic is the defending champion and therefore would have more ranking points to lose.
Djokovic has dropped to third in the world rankings, with the injured Alexander Zverev – who made the French Open semi-finals before retiring against Rafael Nadal – in second.
That means it is the first time since November 2003 that none of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Andy Murray have appeared in the top two rankings spots.
Medvedev, who lost in the final of the Rosmalen Grass Court Championship on Sunday, became the first player other than Djokovic, Nadal, Federer or Murray to top the men's rankings in 18 years when he replaced the Serb as number one in February.
Lewis Hamilton has declared himself fit for the Canadian Grand Prix despite a back injury suffered in Baku, stating he "would not miss it for the world".
Seven-time world champion Hamilton finished fourth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but repeatedly struggled with his Mercedes W13 car porpoising – otherwise known as bouncing unevenly.
That issue combined with the bumpy street circuit of Baku caused severe back pain for Hamilton, who described the race as the "most painful" of his illustrious career.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested his star driver may be unable to feature in Montreal due to the injury, adding there was a "definite" risk of him missing out.
However, Hamilton took to Instagram on Monday to confirm his participation in Canada, with practice starting on Friday.
"Good morning world," Hamilton wrote on his Instagram story.
"Yesterday was tough and had some troubles sleeping but have woken up feeling positive today. Back is a little sore and bruised but nothing serious, thankfully.
"I've had acupuncture and physio with Ang and am on the way to my team to work with them on improving [the car]. We have to keep fighting. No time like the present to pull together and we will.
"I'll be there this weekend, wouldn't miss it for the world. Wishing everybody an amazing day and week."
Hamilton sits sixth in the drivers' standings with 62 points, some 88 points behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who is on course for back-to-back titles.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that Lewis Hamilton is doubtful to compete in next weekend's Canadian Grand Prix due to a back injury sustained in Azerbaijan.
The seven-time world champion had an impressive drive to finish fourth in Baku, one place behind team-mate George Russell, but encountered physical struggles due to severe bouncing during the 51-lap race.
Mercedes' W13 has encountered issues with bouncing throughout the season so far and the addition of a bumpy street circuit left Hamilton describing the race as the "most painful" of his illustrious career, having complained over team radio about the pain in his back during the race.
Wolff said there is a "definitely" a risk that Hamilton will sit out of the next race in Montreal, stating: "I haven't seen him or spoken to him afterwards, but you can see this is not muscular anymore. This goes properly into the spine and can have some consequences.
"He's really bad and we just have got to find a solution at this stage. He's maybe the worst affected of all drivers, but pretty much everyone, as far as I understand from the drivers, said something needs to happen. I couldn't give you an explanation as to what that is."
A debate in the paddock has been developing as to whether Formula One's design regulations for the 2022 season need to be revised to protect the drivers, with bouncing being an issue for several drivers across the grid.
There were questions as to whether the issues in Baku were caused by bottoming, where the bottom of the car makes contact with the road, or whether it was bouncing in general, but Wolff believes it is both.
"I think they are very much linked together. We are seeing tracks where we have porpoising and then we have bouncing," he said.
"Some cars are bottoming so it's not really clear – it's all interlinked with the aerodynamic performance of the floor."
McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo was among those to suffer with bouncing in Baku and, while it hasn't been a regular problem for him throughout the course of the season, he expressed his sympathy to Mercedes and stated he will support any push for changes.
The current regulations are in place until 2026 but are likely to be revised along the way, with increases to the annual budget and the potential of a driver salary cap currently being hot topics throughout the paddock.
Andy Murray is unsure of the severity of his abdominal injury, but is hopeful it will not affect his preparations for Wimbledon.
The three-time grand slam winner struggled with the issue during Sunday's 6-4 5-7 6-3 defeat to Matteo Berrettini in the Stuttgart Open final.
Murray, who was competing in his first tour-level final on grass since 2016, twice received medical treatment but was able to finish the match.
He played five matches in Germany last week and four matches in Surbiton the week before en route to reaching the semi-finals.
Murray is due to play at Queen's this week before Wimbledon in a fortnight.
While frustrated with the manner in which his bid for a first grass-court singles title in six years ended, Murray says it is understandable that he is struggling physically.
"I felt like I was playing well enough to win and I got myself in a really good position going into the third set so a frustrating end to what was a good week," he said.
"I got some pain in my abdomen when I was serving. It's not something I've had before. I'll need to get it checked when I get home.
"This is the most matches I've played in two weeks since probably 2016. That's a really long time.
"It's probably normal that I would feel some stuff in my body but I don't really know the severity of it. Hopefully it's all right."
Adam Duvall homered twice of Jose Quintana as the Atlanta Braves secured a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
William Contreras and Matt Olson also went deep off Quintana and Chase de Jong respectively, as the reigning World Series champions claimed their 11th consecutive victory.
Kyle Wright pitched solidly for the Braves in his start, striking out seven and giving up five hits over 79 pitches in six innings with an ERA of 2.57, moving to a 7-3 record over 12 games started.
Atlanta have outscored their opponents 74-30 over that 11-game winning streak, with an ERA of 2.47 over that period.
They continue to chip into the New York Mets' lead atop the National League East, moving to 34-27 for the season so far.
Mets account for Angels
The Mets were able to recover from Saturday's defeat away to the Los Angeles Angels however, winning 4-1 to claim their second game in a three-game series.
J.D. Davis and Pete Alonso homered for the NL East leaders, while Starling Marte had two hits and one RBI as they ended their two-week Californian road trip.
Taijuan Walker was in impressive form, striking out ten and giving up six hits over 97 pitches in six innings, maintaining the Mets' five-and-a-half game lead over the Braves.
Carpenter crushes Cubs for series sweep
Matt Carpenter claimed two home runs and tied his career high of seven RBIs, propelling the New York Yankees to a massive 18-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
The 36-year-old Carpenter only signed for the Pinstripes in May as a free agent, with a release by the Texas Rangers following his Triple-A ball assignment, to account for injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson.
The three-time All-Star has now hit six home runs in his first 10 games, with the Yankees now winning 11 of their past 12 after this three-game sweep.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
