World Rugby has no plans to issue any public explanation regarding the controversial decision not to award Scotland what would have been a match-winning try in last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations defeat by France at Murrayfield, the PA news agency understands.
The Scots – trailing 20-16 – thought they had secured victory when replacement lock Sam Skinner pushed through and appeared to ground the ball on the line under a ruck of bodies as the clock ticked past the 80-minute mark.
Referee Nic Berry’s on-field decision was “no try”, and after several minutes of high drama while footage was reviewed from various angles, TMO Brian MacNeice, having initially suggested he could see the ball on the ground, advised that there was “no conclusive evidence” to change the original call, much to the hosts’ dismay.
“I just don’t understand how the referee didn’t see it,” former Scotland international Craig Chalmers told PA on Monday. “He should have got in closer to it and put his hands in and had a better look.”
Head coach Gregor Townsend was similarly bewildered by the process that led to the try not being awarded. “I don’t understand the rationale,” he said in his post-match media briefing on Saturday.
“When you see the pictures, and when you also see the conversation, they have already said between them that the ball has been placed on the tryline.”
When asked last weekend if Scotland would be seeking further explanation from World Rugby, Townsend said: “It doesn’t really matter.
“We’ll get feedback, we do regularly, and that’ll be one of some incidents we’ll ask for clarification on, but it doesn’t change the outcome, unfortunately.”
Townsend regularly liaises with World Rugby regarding issues arising from matches and he wrote to the governing body after the France game, as he had done the previous week when seeking clarification over the number of penalties that went against his side in their victory away to Wales.
The head coach spoke with referee Berry after the France match and communication lines remain open between Scottish Rugby and the sport’s governing body, but Scotland are not demanding or expecting an apology or an admission that a mistake was made regarding Skinner’s disallowed try.
Despite the ferocity of the backlash, World Rugby will be sticking to their stance of not commenting publicly on specific officials’ decisions and are not expected to issue any clarification to clear the situation up in the public domain.
Although there remains a deep sense of injustice among Scotland’s players, coaches and supporters, the furore surrounding Saturday’s pivotal last-gasp flashpoint appears to be subsiding.
Aston Martini puts her unbeaten record on the line in the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown on Thursday.
Both Love Envoi and You Wear It Well have used the race as a stepping-stone towards Cheltenham Festival glory for the past two seasons, and another informative renewal looks to be in prospect.
Nicky Henderson’s Aston Martini was first past the post at Lingfield on Winter Millions weekend, only for the raceday stewards to deem she had caused interference to runner-up Ooh Betty. However, Aston Martini’s connections appealed the decision and were successful.
“It’s very exciting. She’s still got that unbeaten record to protect – she’s still a big work in progress, but so far so good,” said Liz Rutter, racing manager for the Henry Ponsonby syndicate.
“I think going back up in trip will probably help her as she’s won over further.
“Hopefully the ground won’t be too bad, but she did handle Lingfield and she seemed to handle that very well.
“She battled on very well there, she was headed and came back to win and really that was her first proper race, the first time she’s had to battle. She still seems progressive.
“Hopefully that form holds up as they think a lot of the Irish horse (Only By Night) in third. Obviously it will be hugely competitive and a big step up for her, but she’s an exciting one to have.”
Henderson also runs Either Or, a winner at Warwick last month.
Nigel Twiston-Davies inherited Smiling Getaway from Dan Skelton after she had run just one bumper, finishing fourth, but she has won both starts for her new yard.
Impressive at Ludlow, she made even more of an impression under a penalty at Warwick.
Assistant trainer Willy Twiston-Davies said: “She’s done absolutely nothing wrong since she came to us, she’s two from two.
“Her jumping has been fantastic, she stays very well so we’re hoping for a very good run.
“She’s earned this step up in grade, Aston Martini won OK last time but on the figures she should be bang there.
“I thought she won very well the last time and she’d taken a big step forward from her win at Ludlow to Warwick and hopefully there’s a bit more improvement to come.”
Skelton’s Cherie D’Am, Olly Murphy’s Little Miss Dante, Fergal O’Brien’s Springtime Promise and Lucy Wadham’s Jeune Belle complete the runners.
Blazing Khal will miss the Cheltenham Festival having suffered a fibrillating heart when defending his Boyne Hurdle crown – with a question mark over whether he will race again.
Charles Byrnes’ stable star won the Navan Grade Two following a long absence 12 months ago, teeing up an unsuccessful shot at the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival.
Off the track for a further 332 days since finishing sixth in that Prestbury Park contest, connections were attempting to see if history could repeat itself when sent off 4-1 at Navan on Sunday.
However, he was one of the first to come under pressure, weakening after three out and eventually being pulled up by Philip Byrnes.
Blazing Khal’s trainer has now confirmed a return to the Cotswolds is off the cards and the eight-year-old will be given an easy time before a further decision is made on his future.
Byrnes said: “We’re going to give him a few weeks off, he had a fibrillating heart afterwards and that was the reason he ran so bad.
“He is not going to Cheltenham and we’re not making any plans going forwards at the moment.
“Whether he’ll race again or not we don’t know, we will just see how he is in a couple of weeks and make a decision then.”
Elliot Minchella is determined to build on the memory of last season’s near-misses and steer Hull KR to silverware starting with Thursday night’s Betfred Super League derby opener at the MKM Stadium.
Minchella kicks off his fifth season at Craven Park and his first as captain having played a pivotal role in Rovers’ re-emergence last season, when they reached the play-off semi-finals and suffered an agonising Challenge Cup final defeat to Leigh.
But despite the plaudits directed at both himself and his team, the 28-year-old insists he was far from satisfied and wants to see his side take the next step and bring a first major trophy to club in almost 40 years.
“We came up short last year,” admitted Minchella. “It was a great experience to play at Wembley and in a Super League semi-final, but we came home with nothing and the trophy cabinet got nothing added into it.
“That’s massive motivation for me. When you get so close to success it’s an addictive feeling and you want to go one better and get over the line.
“We’ve made a few semi-finals in the last few years but I’m not happy with that. When I finish playing I’m not going to look back and think that was really good. I want to have a medal around my neck and to win trophies for Hull KR.”
Minchella assumes the captaincy from Shaun Kenny-Dowall, who has retired to take up a place on the coaching staff, and is one of a number of high-profile departures in the off-season, including the less-than-serene exits of Jordan Abdull and assistant coach Danny McGuire.
But head coach Willie Peters looks to have recruited well, with Tyrone May their high-profile addition from Catalans, while NRL back Peta Hiku and rugged ex-Wakefield prop Jai Whitbread both look set to boost their hopes of another impressive season.
Hiku and May are both set to start for Rovers in one of the most eagerly-anticipated openers of recent times, while hosts Hull are without influential home-grown prop Brad Fash, for whom the derby means more than most.
Hull head coach Tony Smith, who is also acutely aware of the passions that swirl around the Hull derby having first tasted it at KR before his controversial cross-city switch, is also keen to use to kick-start a more promising campaign after last year’s poor 10th place finish.
“I think it’s great that the new season is kicking off with a Hull derby,” said Smith.
“We can sit here and say it’s just another game but when you live in the city you see how passionate people get about their teams, they have to live next door to rival neighbours and it’s a big deal for a lot of people.
“It’s also very important for us because in the previous few years we probably don’t have a good record against KR at our home stadium, so it’s important for us to get rid of that and give our supporters something to cheer.”
Naomi Osaka has reached the quarter-finals at a tournament for the first time in nearly two years.
The four-time grand slam champion was given free passage through to the last eight at the Qatar Open after opponent Lesia Tsurenko withdrew because of injury ahead of their scheduled contest.
Osaka returned to the tour in January following the birth of daughter Shai last summer and had won only one of her first four matches prior to heading to Doha.
View this post on InstagramBut the Japanese star has hit form in the Qatari capital, reversing her Australian Open loss to Caroline Garcia in the first round and then defeating Croat Petra Martic.
It is her best run since she reached the final of the Miami Open in April 2022, losing to Iga Swiatek.
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova’s difficult start to the year continued with a 7-5 6-3 loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, while Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen was beaten 7-5 6-3 by Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.
Craig Kieswetter has paid tribute to the training prowess of Willie Mullins, as the former England cricketer begins to dream of Cheltenham Festival glory with Leopardstown scorer Il Etait Temps.
Owned by the Kieswetter family’s Barnane Stud in conjunction with the Heffer family’s Hollywood Syndicate, the six-year-old struck at the Dublin Racing Festival for the second year in a row.
Having lowered the colours of Facile Vega over hurdles 12 months ago, Il Etait Temps was back to cause another upset in the Irish capital, this time the beneficiary of Marine Nationale’s Irish Arkle no show, as he battled past Found A Fifty in the hands of Danny Mullins for his second Grade One success.
The South Africa-born Kieswetter played 71 times for England in white-ball internationals and is also a scratch golfer, having competed on both the PGA EuroPro Tour and MENA Golf Tour since his retirement from cricket.
As such, he is well qualified to judge sporting excellence and has always spoken in glowing terms of Il Etait Temps’ trainer, the master of Closutton.
“He’s probably along the lines of a Messi or Ronaldo or a Schumacher – he’s a champion,” said Kieswetter when explaining what makes Mullins so prolific.
“He’s going to go down as one of the all-time greats, but there is still plenty of life in the old dog yet. He certainly isn’t ready to hand over the reins yet and you can see how passionate and energetic and driven he is to keep winning and getting the results.”
The 36-year-old also reserved plenty of praise for Il Etait Temps and his jockey, as they both advertised their class at the back-end of a thrilling renewal of the two-mile Grade One event.
“It was very impressive and it might have just been fate or destiny with it being a year to the day since he won his first Grade One,” continued Kieswetter.
“We were delighted and it was another terrific ride from Danny (Mullins) – I was very hoarse the next day after shouting so loudly at the TV.
“It was terrific to have Ross Doyle there on course; Peter, Ross and Anna Doyle are good friends of the family and sourced the horse for us, so it is fantastic that they were there.
“He’s quite a difficult horse to follow I suppose, because his jumping – even though it is getting better than it was over hurdles – is still quite inconsistent and he is certainly a horse who puts you through the full range of emotions when you are watching a race.”
Il Etait Temps’ gutsy triumph came on a weekend where Mullins claimed all eight Grade One prizes on offer at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Mullins’ dominance at one of Ireland’s premier meetings left people questioning if his superiority is diminishing the competitive nature of the sport.
However, Kieswetter has leapt to Mullins’ defence – highlighting his winning mentality and great ability to treat every owner and horse among his vast arsenal equally.
“I have read articles questioning if it is good for the industry that Willie is dominating, but at the end of the day, Willie Mullins provides results and this is a results-based sport,” continued Kieswetter.
“With Willie and his team – not only his management team, but the whole staff – you have never once had a feeling of bias in the yard, which is probably a very difficult thing for them to do.
“Every single horse is treated equally and given the opportunity to run their race, no matter how many he may also saddle in the same race.
“You go to Closutton and you see the professionalism of Willie and his staff. What we have always been impressed with about Willie is he gives a lot of ownership to his staff in terms of the horses, which is impressive to see.
“His results speak for themselves and we have always been delighted to be associated with him.
“He’s set up a model at his yard that works and I think it is a bit unfair for the industry to be having a crack at him and saying it is the Willie Mullins Festival. The drive at the yard is very impressive and very fun to be a small part of.”
Il Etait Temps is now the general second-favourite for the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival and, having twice ran with credit at the showpiece meeting, has connections excited ahead of his third bite of the Prestbury Park cherry.
Kieswetter added: “Horse racing is about selling the dream and I’ve never enjoyed going into a race with lots of media and talk about a horse, but he has certainly proven that he deserves to be not taken lightly.
“We will certainly be over there and we’re excited every year for Cheltenham – and we can’t wait to be there cheering on Il Etait Temps with the team.”
Broadway Boy was found to be suffering from stomach ulcers after he disappointed at Warwick behind Grey Dawning.
Having won three of his first four outings over fences, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained novice was prominent in the betting for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase next month.
However, having been harried for the lead he was beaten approaching the second last and finished over 30 lengths behind Grey Dawning.
Whether he now steps up in trip for the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham or goes for the Grade One Brown Advisory has still to be decided.
“It’s completely up in the air and there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge yet,” said assistant trainer Willy Twiston-Davies.
“It’s been narrowed down to either the Brown Advisory or the National Hunt Chase but that is it, we’re not sure yet and we’ll make a decision the week before, probably. Both options are definitely open.
“It will be a case of seeing who goes where and what the ground is looking like.
“He’d be close to the top of the ratings for the National Hunt Chase whereas he might have to improve slightly for the Brown Advisory, but we’ll see nearer the time.
“He scoped badly after Warwick and then we also found that he had stomach ulcers as well, but we’re back on track now.”
Tellherthename is all systems go for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle having missed out on a shot at Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle on account of the testing ground.
Trainer Ben Pauling has never hidden his admiration for highly of his talented novice, who has won two of his four starts to date in taking fashion at Huntingdon.
The Cheltenham Festival opener has always been on the radar for the Megson family-owned five-year-old, but Pauling was keen to stop off at Newbury en route and try to exploit a rating of 135.
However, with persistent rain in the days leading into the prestigious handicap turning conditions in Berkshire heavy, connections made the decision to skip the contest in favour of heading to Prestbury Park without the risk of a gruelling race prior to his main objective.
“It’s ironic because the Betfair Hurdle is such a valuable race and takes a lot of thinking about, but the Supreme is one of the sort of blue riband events of our sport,” said Pauling.
“To have a horse we think is good enough to feature in it doesn’t happen very often and the owners were keen to save him for that day rather than end up at Cheltenham having had a harder race than necessary in the Betfair.
“We had always said to ourselves we would love to go via a Betfair Hurdle if everything fell right. So he was trained for the race and couldn’t have been in better form, but unfortunately the rain that Newbury got meant the ground was always going to be too testing.
“Actually, the fact the rain stopped and it started to dry out a little bit meant it was going to be quite tacky and hard work, so that even further secured our thoughts not to go there which was a shame because we thought we had him going there in great form and off a very nice mark and a good position to do himself justice.
“He’s at home in his stable looking magnificent and we will now prepare him for the Supreme.”
The Naunton Downs handler has tasted success three times at the Cheltenham Festival and heads to the showpiece meeting in four weeks time with the best squad of novice talent he has ever assembled.
His Festival hopes were enhanced by Handstands’ impressive victory in Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle last week and he will now head attempt to repeat Willoughby Court’s 2017 victory in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle, while Fiercely Proud and Challow Hurdle third The Jukebox Man are other smart prospects Pauling could unleash in the Cotswolds.
“We do seem to have a lot of novices that are going the right way at the moment and they are a very talented and progressive bunch. It’s nice to have such nice younger horses.” continued Pauling.
On Handstands, he added: “He’s come out of Huntingdon well and I was really, really pleased with his performance in the Sidney Banks.
“He’s a horse that previous to that race had only beaten what he had beaten, but Ben Jones who had ridden him twice before felt we were only scratching the surface and had not got to the bottom of him.
“You are not quite sure until you run them in that better grade what you have, but we were thrilled by the way he went about it and he put the race to bed quite nicely – when he got to the front he didn’t do an awful lot and probably won a bit cosily, so it was a good performance.”
England will be reinforced for their Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland by the return from injury of Manu Tuilagi, George Martin and Luke Cowan-Dickie.
The trio missed the opening two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations but come into contention for the trip to Murrayfield on February 24 after being included in a 36-man training squad named for the first fallow week.
Ollie Lawrence faces a battle to prove his fitness with the Bath centre continuing to rehab his hip problem in camp, alongside Marcus Smith, who has a calf problem. No date has been set for either player’s comeback.
Maureen Mullins, matriarch of the famous Irish racing family, has died aged 94.
Wife of multiple champion trainer Paddy Mullins, who died in 2010, Maureen Mullins was the mother of trainer Willie, fellow Grade One-winning handlers Tony and Tom, renowned horse transporter George and daughter Sandra – all of who were victorious in the saddle.
She was also a winning rider herself, steering Razzo Forte to glory in a female riders’ event at Gowran Park in 1982, a race which her daughter also rode in.
Her grandchildren include record-breaking amateur rider Patrick, multiple Grade One-winner Danny, and David, who rode Rule The World to win the 2016 Grand National.
Grandsons Charlie and Emmet have also ridden winners while the latter trained a Grand National victor in 2022 Aintree hero Noble Yeats, underlining the family’s incredible influence on National Hunt racing.
Danny Mullins posted on X (formerly Twitter): “What a woman, such an inspiration. RIP.”
She was involved as an owner and breeder down the years, with Kilcruit a recent feather in her cap having won the Grade One Punchestown bumper following his sale having initially raced in her colours.
The British Horseracing Authority paid tribute to her “tremendous passion for the sport”, saying: “All of us at the BHA are saddened to learn of the passing of Maureen Mullins. We extend our condolences to the Mullins family today.
“Maureen Mullins had a tremendous passion for the sport to which she gave so much and her legacy will continue to be felt for generations to come.”
Sir Alex Ferguson will have the chance to secure further international honours after Richard Fahey confirmed his Spirit Dancer is on course for the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia later this month.
The former Manchester United manager was no stranger to glory overseas during his time in the dugout and alongside co-owners Peter Done and Ged Mason saw Spirit Dancer collect £500,000 when victorious in the Bahrain International Trophy in November.
The seven-year-old has since tuned up for his outing in Riyadh by finishing fourth in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan and Fahey is confident that will put him spot on for the $2million event on February 24.
“I was delighted to get that run in Dubai into him,” said Fahey.
“We were pleased with the run and we were probably just drawn a little bit wide – hopefully the run will put him 100 per cent right for Saudi.
“We’re going to run in the Neom. I was keen to go for the big one there (Saudi Cup), but I just felt nine furlongs on the dirt would be sharp enough for him. He’s a horse I would probably want to go a mile and a half in Saudi rather than a sharp nine, if that makes sense.”
Spirit Dancer’s owners revelled in their Bahrain success before Christmas, with Ferguson describing it as his “best ever” victory as an owner.
All of the son of Frankel’s ownership trio appear keen on another visit to the Middle East, with Fahey predicting a strong showing from his charge in the extended 10-furlong turf contest.
“Barring problems I’m sure his owners are very keen,” continued Fahey.
“Peter Done and Ged Mason are both very keen and Sir Alex is keen as well, so it looks like they are booking and barring problems I would say they will probably be there.
“We certainly enjoyed Bahrain and anything now is a bonus, but we’re expecting him to run a big race in Saudi.”
George Baker is ready for a jet-setting weekend as he saddles Lucander in Bahrain and Cemhaan and Cumulonimbus on the snow in St Moritz.
The trainer is no stranger to either jurisdiction and has enjoyed success at both, but he has never taken in both meetings on the same weekend before.
Lucander runs in the H.H Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup on Friday and Baker is eyeing further riches in the sun.
“We have seven horses over here this season. Lucander has won a Turf Series race and ran a massive race in the Crown Prince’s Cup,” he said.
“He will run this week in H.H Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup. He has also been invited to stay here for the King’s Cup which is a very valuable race in the beginning of March. It’s been a very good campaign so far and it’s been great to be involved.”
Ancient Greece broke new ground for Baker when winning three times on the White Turf at St Moritz in 2013 with Wargrave another winner on the ice.
Cumulonimbus also the distinction of being owned by the owner of a Kentucky Derby winner, Ramiro Restrepo.
“Cumulonimbus is a new addition to the team. He is a horse that my wife Candida and I loved when we saw him at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale in October but he went for 150,000 guineas so we thought he was gone on to other pastures,” said Baker.
“But we were called that night by Ramiro Restrepo, who is involved in the syndicate that won the Kentucky Derby last year with Mage. Ramiro had noted our exploits on the frozen lake at St Moritz and the call was a lovely one to get as it was to ask us if were interested to train the horse and prepare him for St Moritz.
“Cemhaan has always been a quality performer in the UK. He was third at Royal Ascot last year and the previous year he won the Heritage Handicap on 1000 Guineas day at Newmarket. He is a proven horse.
“Both horses have done everything we have asked of them. All we can do is send them in good form and good health and that is the case right now.”
Lewis Hamilton said it felt “surreal” to be taking part in the final car launch of his Mercedes career.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his blockbuster move to Ferrari for 2025 was confirmed, Hamilton, 39, said: “(The last few weeks) have obviously been emotional and it is very surreal to be here.
“The focus through the whole of winter training is getting the team back to where we once were.
“We have had these difficult couple of years which have been really grounding for us. It has helped us regroup and really look at things.”
Team principal Toto Wolff, standing alongside his soon-to-be departing star driver, added: “It has been a very busty winter. It will be our last season with Lewis so we are keen on bringing a quick car.”
Hamilton, who joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, won six of his record-equalling seven world championships with the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes only last August, but over the winter he stunned the sporting world after he elected to end his deal 12 months early and join Ferrari.
Hamilton, who fielded just three questions from the Mercedes moderator during a brief nine-minute launch, added: “I came here in 2013 so 11 years with the team and now I am starting my 12th.
“It is such a privilege to work with a group of people where you see the work they do over the winter and you see a car come together at the beginning of the year and it is the most exciting part of the season.”
Hamilton, without a win in two years, and team-mate George Russell, will get their first taste of this season’s Mercedes during a shakedown test at a wet Silverstone on Wednesday.
Hamilton added: “We have to be diligent, maximise practice and even one lap, George and I might get in the rain today will give us a feeling of what is to come.”
Nick Taylor believes it may be too late to change the unruly behaviour of spectators at the WM Phoenix Open.
Taylor birdied three of his last four holes in regulation and both holes of a play-off with Charley Hoffman to win his fourth PGA Tour title in dramatic fashion on Sunday.
However, the 35-year-old’s victory was somewhat overshadowed by ugly scenes at TPC Scottsdale, with Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel exchanging angry words with fans on the final day and one man arrested after jumping over the ropes and diving into a greenside bunker on the 16th.
Tournament officials were also forced to shut spectator gates earlier than planned after being overwhelmed by the turnout and sales of alcohol were temporarily halted.
“From the videos that I’ve seen, those instances are unfortunate, but I don’t think it’s a standalone, it’s been like that for a bit,” Taylor said in a press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational.
“But I think the cat’s probably out of the bag. I don’t know how much they can change. I think it’s a week where the classic line is that I can do this for one week but multiple weeks, probably not.
“It’s a shame when only a very small percentage of fans are like that, it gets exposed a bit, but the majority of the fans are great, they’re just trying to watch some good golf and cheer.
“[Bad behaviour] needs to be cut out. I don’t know how they’re going to be able to do that.
“I think this year again with the weather [delays], everybody getting in the same area waiting around, it was probably a perfect storm to cause some of that a little more, but I’m not sure how they would reel it back to be honest.”
Taylor revealed he has surprisingly never met Genesis Invitational host Tiger Woods, who will also make his first competitive appearance of 2024 at Riviera Country Club.
The 15-time major winner underwent ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.
Woods finished 18th in the 20-man field in the Bahamas, but the 48-year-old said he was pleased with his progress and believes it is realistic to compete in one tournament a month this season.
Neither of the last two winners of the Genesis Invitational are in the field this week, Joaquin Niemann (2022) and Jon Rahm (2023) having subsequently joined LIV Golf.
Rahm’s victory 12 months ago was his third of the year and fifth in his last nine worldwide starts, the Spaniard’s 10th PGA Tour title eclipsing the tally of his compatriot and idol Seve Ballesteros.
LeBron James will be rested against the Utah Jazz after leading the Los Angeles Lakers with 25 points in their 125-111 home win over the Detroit Pistons.
Wednesday's road game in Utah is the second game of a back-to-back and James has been playing with a sore ankle, so he will be granted the opportunity to sit out of the last game before the All-Star break.
LeBron had a game-high points total on 9-for-15 shooting against the Pistons, as all five Lakers starters topped 15 points.
D'Angelo Russell had 21 points and Anthony Davis added 20 with 14 rebounds and six blocks.
Los Angeles has now won five of its last six games and improved to 29-26, with the NBA-worst Pistons (8-45) relatively comfortably brushed aside on Tuesday.
The Lakers racked up a 24-point lead early in the contest and led 71-48 at halftime.
LeBron, who also had eight assists, was full of praise for Davis after the victory, backing him to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
"Offensively, we are sharing the ball and everybody has been in a good rhythm," he said, per ESPN.
"And then defensively, we've been on a string and if anything breaks down, the Defensive Player of the Year cleans it up for us. So, definitely, we are playing some good ball."
Spencer Dinwiddie had six points and seven assists in his Lakers debut, while Ausar Thompson led the Pistons with 19 points as James Wiseman scored 18 points and added nine rebounds.
LeBron still expects to be fit for Sunday's All-Star game in Indianapolis, as he prepares to make his record 20th appearance.
"I'm just humbled and very blessed, obviously," he added. "I don't take it for granted, being an All-Star."
Los Angeles remains ninth in the Western Conference, two spots above Utah (26-28), which has lost two straight games.
Connor McDavid notched his first career six-assist game and the Edmonton Oilers won their eighth straight at home, 8-4 over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
McDavid matched a career high with six points, done previously against Colorado on Nov. 14, 2019, when he had three goals and three assists.
His third assist of the game was the 600th of his career and came in his 616th game. He is the fourth-fastest to 600 assists, trailing Wayne Gretzky (416), Mario Lemieux (514) and Bobby Orr (608).
McDavid has 12 goals and 34 assists during a 19-game home point streak.
The Oilers are one victory shy of matching their franchise record of nine consecutive home wins, done in 2017 and 2022.
Alex DeBrincat, Joe Veleno, Patrick Kane and David Perron had goals for the Red Wings, who dropped to 10-3-2 since Jan. 1.
Ovechkin extends goal streak in loss
Alex Ovechkin scored in his sixth straight game, but Artturi Lehkonen had two goals and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche snapped a four-game skid with a 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin’s goal was his 14th of the season and 836th of his career, leaving him 59 shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.
Ross Colton and Miles Wood each had a goal and an assist for Colorado, which won for the first time – in the fifth game of a six-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Nathan MacKinnon had a pair of assists for the Avalanche to end a season-high three-game pointless streak.
Marchand has two assists in 1,000th game
Brad Marchand set up two goals and nearly scored in overtime, but Brayden Point scored the lone shootout goal to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins.
Marchand became the eighth player in franchise history to reach the milestone, and the Bruins said they will honour him with a ceremony before Monday’s game against Dallas.
Andrei Vasilevskiy denied Marchand in overtime and finished with 36 saves as the Lightning concluded their road trip 2-2-0.
Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk scored for the East-leading Bruins, who dropped to 1-3-1 in their last five home games.
Friday’s meeting at Ffos Las has been called off due to a waterlogged track.
Officials inspected the course on Wednesday morning and after heavy rain, the venue is not fit for action.
The track tweeted: “Due to 70 millimetres of rain in the last seven days and with further rain forecast, racing on Friday 16th February has been abandoned.”
Thursday’s fixtures at Newcastle and Leicester are also subject to inspections.
Newcastle will check conditions at 8am on raceday, with the course reported to be heavy with further rain expected, while Leicester inspect at 4.15pm on Wednesday with areas of waterlogging reported.
Wednesday’s meeting at Fontwell did get the go-ahead following an 8am inspection.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 of his 41 points in the first half and the Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 118-110, for their fifth straight win in the opener of a home-and-home series on Tuesday.
Jaylen Brown scored 19 points, Al Horford had 16 on 6-for-6 shooting in place of the injured Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday added 14 points and 12 assists.
The Celtics have won nine of 10 against the Nets and the past six meetings in Brooklyn.
Mikal Bridges had 27 points and Cam Thomas added 26 for the Nets, who have lost four of five.
Brooklyn closed within 99-93 with Tatum resting on the bench with 7:55 remaining, but he returned and combined with Brown on a 7-0 run that pushed it to 109-95 with 5:38 left.
These teams meet again in Boston on Wednesday.
Suns overcome Sabonis, Fox
Kevin Durant scored 28 points with 12 rebounds and Devin Booker added 25 points as the Phoenix Suns overcame the loss of Bradley Beal in a 130-125 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Beal injured his left hamstring in the first quarter and didn’t return. The three-time All-Star has often been injured and has played in just 30 of the team’s 54 games.
Eric Gordon scored 23 points and Grayson Allen contributed 19 as the Suns won their fourth in five games.
Sabonis had his third straight triple-double with 35 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists, and De’Aaron Fox scored 40 for Sacramento, which has lost four of five.
Edwards leads Timberwolves past Trail Blazers
Anthony Edwards poured in 41 points and Rudy Gobert added 16 with 15 rebounds to pace the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 121-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Edwards, who was questionable entering the game due to right knee soreness, was 16 of 27 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He hit the 40-point mark for the second time this season.
Edwards and Gobert helped offset an off night from Karl-Anthony Towns, who had foul trouble early and was limited to 13 points in 19 minutes.
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Blazers, who dropped their fifth straight.
Mike Ruddock resigned as Wales head coach on this day in 2006.
The then 46-year-old stepped down just 11 months after he led his country to their first Six Nations Grand Slam triumph in 27 years, leaving the side in turmoil.
Ruddock left the top job after deciding he did not want to sacrifice his family life to lead Wales into the 2007 World Cup.
After he resigned, he said: “After consultation with my family, I have made the decision to stand down as national coach.
“I have decided to withdraw from contract talks to take Wales to the 2007 World Cup in France. This has been a tough decision to make but I have decided to put my family first.
“What I have found during my two years as coach is that the position is ‘more than a job’. That has meant I have spent long periods away from my family, in camp and overseas.
“As a consequence, I felt the intense build-up to next year’s World Cup would mean more time away from my family. That is something, on refection, I would like to avoid.”
Ruddock won 13 of his 20 games in charge, guiding them to Grand Slam success in 2005 with a 32-20 victory over Ireland alongside a famous 24-22 win over Australia – for the first time in 18 years – at the Millennium Stadium.
Ruddock’s resignation came days after he saw Wales claim a 28-18 win over Scotland in Cardiff.
Gareth Jenkins succeeded Ruddock and signed a two-year deal to take over.
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