Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to fight each other in early 2023 without either man taking any bouts in the interim, according to promoter Bob Arum.

There has been plenty of talk of a unification battle between WBC heavyweight champion Fury and Usyk – holder of the WBA-Super, IBF, WBO and IBO belts – since the latter beat Anthony Joshua for a second time in August.

Having made a U-turn on his decision to retire earlier this year, Fury beat Derek Chisora in a trilogy fight this month.

Plans for the 'Gypsy King' to meet Usyk next appeared to have been jeopardised when the Ukrainian was ordered to defend his WBA belt against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

Frank Warren – who represents both Fury and Dubois – has insisted the huge unification bout will take place first and Arum claims there should not be long to wait for that fight.

"The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next," Arum told Sky Sports.

"With Fury and Usyk we're dealing with two adults, not a lot of back and forth. Usyk is a good friend of mine, he's very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect.

"So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there'll be very little, if any, messing around. We'll be able to make that happen. I'm very, very confident. 

"As I said, the fighters have both agreed to fight each other next without any interim fights. We'll have it all sorted out, I hope maybe by the end of the year."

Arum remains uncertain over the likely venue for the fight, though he described the prospect of being held at Wembley as "wonderful".

"Now the question is what's the date, and what's the site?" Arum said. "But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.

"We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Middle East, and also there's the possibility of doing the fight in the UK at Wembley with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance.

"Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important, so if the money which has been proposed to us is real, that has to be taken into consideration.

"To go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood. It would be crazy. It would just be wonderful."

Andy Murray has conceded he is just one major injury from being forced to retire, though the three-time grand slam winner remains keen to play on.

Murray underwent two hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019, causing him to spend much of the last four years on the sidelines.

However, Murray returned to the top 50 of the world rankings after making two tour-level finals in 2022, while his run to the third round of the US Open represented his joint-best grand slam campaign since Wimbledon 2017.

The two-time Wimbledon champion saw rival Roger Federer retire from the sport in September after struggling with a knee injury, and while he acknowledges fitness concerns could force his hand, Murray is not yet looking to follow suit.

"If my body is in good shape and I'm still able to compete consistently, I'll keep playing," Murray said.

"But I can't look so far in advance with the age I'm at and with the issues I've had. If I was to have a big injury, I probably wouldn't try to come back from that."

Murray has been training with coach Ivan Lendl in a bid to ensure he enters next month's Australian Open in peak condition, having missed three of the last five editions of the tournament.

"I spent three weeks in Florida, getting my body right and getting some work done on my game and it went really well," he said.

"I'm certainly in better shape than I was. A lot of work was done in the gym, trying to build up my endurance and my stamina a bit and I'm hoping that's going to help me next year.

"I wasn't happy with how last season went – certainly the last six months or so from a physical perspective – but my ranking still went from 125 to 50 in a year. 

"I'm hoping that this year, with the work I've done, things will continue to improve and I'll still be motivated to get out there and compete."

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks have each contended for and won titles in the past 10 years, but they have very rarely both been good at the same time.

LeBron James led the Cavaliers to four straight NBA Finals between 2014-15 and 2017-18 as they enjoyed an epic rivalry with the Golden State Warriors.

But Cleveland were tied for the second-worst record in the league the following year, with James in Los Angeles, as Central Division rivals Milwaukee came to prominence with the NBA's best record in Giannis Antetokounmpo's first MVP year.

The Bucks have since had control of the division and again lead the Eastern Conference through 30 games at 22-8.

Yet now there is a challenge from the Cavs, who are a competitive 21-11 and have won four straight games ahead of hosting the Bucks on Wednesday.

Having already shown real signs of progress last year in reaching the play-in tournament, Cleveland have kicked on again after a trade for Donovan Mitchell that they hope will turn them into a serious player in the East.

So far, that looks to be the case, with Mitchell's career-high 29.3 points per game leading the team – and ranking eighth in the NBA – while he has produced in big games against the Boston Celtics.

The Cavs are 2-0 against the second-placed Celtics this season; however, they are 0-2 against the Bucks, who will be intent on batting away their division rivals ahead of Christmas.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Cleveland Cavaliers – Jarrett Allen

The Cavaliers will hope the physicality of Allen can be the missing piece against the Bucks. He has played only 12 minutes against Milwaukee so far this season, absent for the first game and withdrawn injured in the second having scored only a single point.

Since returning from that hip injury earlier this month, Allen has averaged 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds, with 26 rebounds across his past two outings.

Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Nobody likes playing against Antetokounmpo, but only against the Brooklyn Nets and the Utah Jazz has he averaged more points per game across his career than against the Cavaliers.

Although the Cavs have spoken of Evan Mobley having the potential to become a player in the Giannis mould, neither he nor his team-mates have a fix for the 'Greek Freak' when he is in form – as he was in scoring 38 points in their last meeting.

KEY BATTLE – Can Cavs keep focus after halftime?

Two of the Cavaliers' three worst quarters this season in terms of points differential were the two third quarters they have played against the Bucks. They represented two of Milwaukee's four best quarters of the year.

The Cavs, again on a four-game winning run, had dominated the first half of the teams' most recent meeting, up by 11 before losing the third quarter 35-10 as they were blown away by the Bucks' title0calibre intensity.

Cleveland must show they are capable of going toe-to-toe with such opposition if they are to be a genuine threat this season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Cavaliers may have struggled badly in Milwaukee this season, but they won their final two home games against the Bucks last year, providing hope of another win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where they are a league-leading 15-2 in 2022-23.

The Bucks have a 130-97 all-time lead in the series, although the Cavs have a 60-53 advantage in Cleveland.

Boris Becker described his time in prison as “the loneliest moment I've ever had” but "I believe I rediscovered the human in me" after he was released last Thursday.

Six-time grand slam singles champion Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in jail in April after being found guilty of hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts when he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

The German reportedly spent the first few weeks of his sentence at Wandsworth Prison in London before being moved to the low-security Huntercombe prison in Oxfordshire in May.

The 55-year-old served just eight months of his sentence before being allowed out and has returned to his homeland, with reports he is not allowed back in the United Kingdom for a decade.

In an interview with Sat.1 that was broadcast on Tuesday, the tennis legend has opened up on the dark days he has experienced but says he has learned a "very expensive" lesson.

"In prison you are a nobody, you are only a number. Mine was A2923EV," he recalled when breaking his silence. "I wasn't called Boris, I was a number. And nobody gives a s*** who you are.

"When the cell door closes, the whole world collapses. This is the loneliest moment I've ever had. 

"There is only you with your thoughts. There's a carousel in your head, of course. You try to breathe calmly. I was afraid, I didn't cry.

"I believe I rediscovered the human in me, the person I once was. I've learned a hard lesson. A very expensive one. A very painful one. 

"But the whole thing has taught me something very important and worthwhile. And some things happen for a good reason."

Recalling the day of his release, Becker, who lived in London before he was sent to prison, said: "From six o'clock that morning I sat on the edge of my bed, and hoped that the cell door would open. 

"They came to get me at 7.30am, unlocked the door and asked: 'Are you ready?' I said: 'Let’s go!' I had already packed everything beforehand."

With Mike White still not cleared to play, the New York Jets will once again start Zach Wilson at quarterback on Thursday against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars in a game both teams need to win to stay in the AFC playoff picture.

Jets coach Robert Saleh made the announcement on Tuesday, saying White is still being evaluated as he recovers from broken ribs.

That means Wilson will be back under centre for a second straight start after being benched for the previous three games in favour of White.

Wilson had an uneven performance last Sunday against the Detroit Lions in his first start since Week 11. He threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns but again struggled with his accuracy, completing just 51.4 per cent of his 35 passes while also throwing an interception in a 20-17 loss.

That defeat marked the third in a row for the Jets, dropping them to 7-7 on the season and into ninth place in the AFC standings.

While New York's season is slipping away, Jacksonville have won back-to-back games to improve to 6-8 and pull within a game of the Jets, making this clash significant in the AFC playoff hunt.

It also pits the top two picks from last year's draft up against one another, with Wilson set to square off against Trevor Lawrence.

Lawrence, the number one overall pick in 2021, has been instrumental to the Jaguars' recent success, compiling 14 touchdown passes to only one interception in his past six games.

Wilson, meanwhile, has six TD passes and six interceptions in eight games all season.

LIV Golf players will be able to play in the 2023 Masters provided they meet the tournament's existing entry criteria.

Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Charl Schwartzel joined the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway LIV Golf series this year, but will be eligible to compete at Augusta next April due to being former Masters champions.

Cameron Smith has been invited to play due to his Open triumph this year, while Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka can also tee off in Georgia as a result of their major successes.

Augusta National Golf Club Fred Ridley said in a statement: "From its inception in 1934, the purpose of the Masters Tournament has been to benefit the game of golf.

"Each April, the Masters assembles the world’s leading golfers to compete for the Green Jacket and a place in history.

"Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it.

"Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent field of golfers this coming April.

"Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament.

"We have reached a seminal point in the history of our sport. At Augusta National, we have faith that golf, which has overcome many challenges through the years, will endure again."

Mickelson did not play in the Masters this year as he took time out from the sport after coming in for huge criticism over comments he made about Saudi Arabia's human rights record before joining LIV Golf.

Tom Brady has expressed sympathy for Kylian Mbappe after his remarkable hat-trick was not enough to win the World Cup final for France.  

Mbappe became just the second man to score a treble in the tournament's showpiece game – after Geoff Hurst in 1966 – as Les Bleus forced a penalty shoot-out at the end of an epic 3-3 draw with Argentina.

The forward's eight goals in Qatar won him the Golden Boot, but he was unable to get his hands on the trophy for a second time as the Albiceleste triumphed on spot-kicks.

Speaking on the Let's Go podcast, seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady said Mbappe's World Cup final heartache was proof no sportsperson was "entitled" to victory.

"Man, losing sucks. That's just the reality. There's not a lot of explanation," the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said.

"I have a lot more empathy for guys who are putting in a lot more time and energy and things aren't going their way. 

"That could be not just a football player. That's anyone in their job. That could be the guy working at UPS. That could be the guy working in the military. That could be the guy working in the sales office.

"That could be Kylian Mbappe, who scored three goals in the World Cup final, and you know what? The team didn't win. That's life. 

"You're not entitled to winning. No one is guaranteed winning. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. 

"The sun came up today, and you're going to try and make this the best day you can."

 

Formula One drivers will be required to obtain prior written permission to make "political statements" after the FIA updated its International Sporting Code.

The sport's governing body has added a new clause into its rulebook for next season.

It states: "The general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its Statutes, unless previously approved in writing by the FIA for International Competitions, or by the relevant ASN for national competitions within their jurisdiction."

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who retired from F1 at end the end of last season, are among the drivers who have made political statements.

There was a ruled chance over attire after Mercedes driver Hamilton wore a T-shirt at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix protesting against the death of American Breonna Taylor.

He also competed in a rainbow pride helmet during races in the Middle East, while last year Vettel sported a rainbow-coloured T-shirt promoting LGBTQ+ rights ahead of the national anthem at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll were also reprimanded for failing to remove 'We Race As One' T-shirts at the same race as Vettel.

Luka Doncic felt his ejection during the Dallas Mavericks' defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves was uncalled for after he and head coach Jason Kidd were thrown out by the officials.

The pair were both ejected during the third quarter as the Mavs slipped to a 116-106 loss, moving them to 15-16 for the season.

Doncic's protests for a no call after a possible foul saw him earn two quick whistles from referee Rodney Mott, before Kidd was also sent with two technicals from referee Nick Buchert for his angry response.

The Slovenian played just over 28 minutes before then, amassing 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Having finished second with 18 technicals last season, Doncic acknowledged he likely earned his first, but professed his puzzlement at being handed a swift second.

"I probably deserved the one, but two for sure no," he said. "I deserved the first one, I'm not going to lie. But for sure not the second one.

"I was really shocked when I was ejected. It was confusing. I don't even know what was going on. I heard that I got ejected [and] I was like 'that was [a] surprise'."

Kidd bit his tongue when it came to his own post-match comments, having been left fuming at the call to toss Doncic and then his own ejection, effectively cutting his media conference to the bare minimum.

"I'm here because I have to be here," he said. "I already gave up money, so I don't want to give up any more. So no questions.

"We'll go back and look at the tape and see how we can get better. They were the better team tonight, and we'll go from there."

With another clash against the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Dallas will get the chance to offer an immediate response.

The Mavericks then travel to the Houston Rockets on Friday, before a Christmas Day home game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged 2022 has been "a very humbling season" after the Super Bowl champions were eliminated from playoff contention.

Less than a year on from winning Super Bowl LVI, an injury-wrecked Rams side slipped to a 24-12 loss against the Green Bay Packers on Monday to officially put the postseason beyond their reach.

No Baker Mayfield heroics were able to save them this time around, and with a 4-10 record, they are tied with the 1999 Denver Broncos for the most losses coming off claiming the sport's biggest prize.

Asked whether he could have imagined his side's underperformance just months on from the greatest high of all, McVay acknowledged it had been a chastening campaign for his team and himself.

"I think it's hard to say that you could [have expected this]," he said. "You certainly can't, but this is the reality that we're in, and this is where we're at.

"My job is to focus on [finishing] up the season with the right competitive spirit, with the mindset and mentality that's reflective of who those guys are in the locker room and who those coaches are.

"There's been a lot of things I've thought about that I think you can make sense of, but it still doesn't make it any easier. It's a very humbling season, for sure."

McVay was adamant the Rams will not fold in the remaining weeks of the campaign, even with only pride to play for now, and credited his team for their performances amid a number of trying situations.

"This has been a real struggle in a lot of instances, a lot of adversity that we've gone through," he added. "But I think what we've seen from our guys is they're going to continue to battle.

"They're going to finish up these last three games the right way, with the right mindset and mentality, and we'll compete to the best of our ability.

"That's all I know how to do, and I trust that that's exactly what we'll do collectively as a group."

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged 2022 has been "a very humbling season" after the Super Bowl champions were eliminated from play-off contention.

Less than a year on from winning Super Bowl LVI, an injury-wrecked Rams side slipped to a 24-12 loss against the Green Bay Packers on Monday to officially put the postseason beyond their reach.

No Baker Mayfield heroics were able to save them this time around, and with a 4-10 record, they are tied with the 1999 Denver Broncos for the most losses coming off claiming the sport's biggest prize.

Asked whether he could have imagined his side's underperformance just months on from the greatest high of all, McVay acknowledged it had been a chastening campaign for his team and himself.

"I think it's hard to say that you could [have expected this]," he said. "You certainly can't, but this is the reality that we're in, and this is where we're at.

"My job is to focus on [finishing] up the season with the right competitive spirit, with the mindset and mentality that's reflective of who those guys are in the locker room and who those coaches are.

"There's been a lot of things I've thought about that I think you can make sense of, but it still doesn't make it any easier. It's a very humbling season, for sure."

McVay was adamant the Rams will not fold in the remaining weeks of the campaign, even with only pride to play for now, and credited his team for their performances amid a number of trying situations.

"This has been a real struggle in a lot of instances, a lot of adversity that we've gone through," he added. "But I think what we've seen from our guys is they're going to continue to battle.

"They're going to finish up these last three games the right way, with the right mindset and mentality, and we'll compete to the best of our ability.

"That's all I know how to do, and I trust that that's exactly what we'll do collectively as a group."

Chris Paul told Patrick Beverley to "just play basketball, man" after the latter's celebration that appeared to make fun of the 37-year-old's height during the Los Angeles Lakers' defeat to the Phoenix Suns.

Beverley was fouled by Paul while scoring a layup before placing his hand just above the floor, seeming to imply his opponent was not tall enough to deal with him.

It was a questionable time for Beverley to make such a gesture as Phoenix were comfortably leading the game, while he himself had otherwise struggled compared to fellow veteran Paul's impressive showing.

After the Suns completed a 130-104 win on Monday, Paul dismissed the celebration, saying: "You can't pay attention to that stuff. That ain't new. He ain't come up with it. But just play basketball, man."

Paul recorded 28 points, with eight assists and four rebounds, compared to Beverley's nine points, three assists and one rebound as the Suns strolled to a routine win against a depleted Lakers side.

Coach Darvin Ham was without Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves due to injury, and it showed as the Lakers could not keep up with their opponents at Footprint Center.

Ham did, though, defend Beverley's actions, saying: "Pat is Pat. He wears his feelings on his sleeve. I think everybody is getting a little too uptight with guys celebrating.

"Obviously, there's sportsmanship issues, and you have to be respectful of your opponent. I get that. And I think for the most part, we are. But I don't want to see the league get to a place where players can't have natural enthusiasm.

"The passion and emotion that's involved with this game, and the trash talking, as long as no one is disrespecting another person's family or spouse or kids or anything like that, I think it's fodder. It's fun fodder, man."

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 42 points while Zion Williamson was largely subdued by an excellent performance from Jrue Holiday as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New Orleans Pelicans.

Antetokounmpo made 12 of 17 field goal attempts, while also sinking 17 out of a hefty 22 shots from the free-throw line.

Williamson was restricted to 18 points in his team's 128-119 defeat at Smoothie King Center, with former Pelican Holiday shining back in New Orleans.

"I'm guessing I've done it quite a bit here," Holiday said, after also scoring 18 points with 11 assists. "So, just coming off that screen and letting it fly.

"We know [Williamson] is such a big part of their offense that if he's not scoring, we had a good chance. I feel like we kind of frustrated him."

Along with Antetokounmpo, three other players scored 30+ points, with Brook Lopez helping out his fellow Buck, while Jonas Valanciunas (37) and CJ McCollum (31) stepped up while Williamson struggled for the Pels.

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer reserved praise for Holiday and the job he did on Williamson.

"Jrue, in a kind of subtle, understated way is very, very strong and I think he loved the challenge, beating him to a spot, having the strength to kind of take a hit, pressuring him a little bit," he said.

"There's probably only a handful of guards, if even that many, like Jrue that could maybe pick him up higher, pick him up earlier, do some different things to him."

Aaron Rodgers believes his Green Bay Packers are good enough to win the rest of their games and make a charge for the playoffs after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 24-12 on Monday.

In freezing conditions, Rodgers led the Packers to their second consecutive victory to take their record to 6-8, but they will need to win-out against the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions to have any chance of postseason action.

The Rams were without several of their top players, including defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who was named to his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl before the game.

Rodgers said "nobody was upset AD wasn't playing" and that the Packers "should have scored 30" in his absence.

He was rather dismissive of the undermanned Rams in his post-game media appearance, but said he now believes the Packers can go undefeated the rest of the way, despite the tough tests that lie ahead.

"I do [believe]," he said. "We are going to play three better football teams, but I do, definitely.

"They're all good football teams. Miami are playing for the playoffs, Minnesota are obviously division-winners and coming off a big win, and Detroit have won six out of seven and are playing really well.

"It's going to be three difficult games, but two of them are at home against dome teams, and it will be January for those two. We've notoriously been pretty good in those games over the years."

When asked what has been the difference between the Packers in their past two wins compared to the eight-game stretch before where they went 1-7, he said this league is all about momentum.

"You win a game, the vibes are pretty good." he said. "We've just been practising a little bit better, the energy's been a little bit better. 

"It’s hard to put your finger on it. We've played a couple of teams we should have beat, but that being said, it's still tough to win in the league. 

"I think we can beat anybody. We can also lose to anybody, but when you win a couple in a row, it starts to give you some confidence."

It was Rodgers' ninth consecutive win in Monday night fixtures, but he joked that the primetime slot does not have the same shine it used to.

"When you're a young player, you dream about playing on Monday nights," he said. "When you're an older player, you want those noon games. 

"It's past my bedtime. I'm ready to go home and go to sleep."

Damian Lillard wrote his name into his franchise's record books on Monday as he surpassed Hall-of-Famer Clyde Drexler to become the Portland Trail Blazers' new all-time leading scorer.

He entered the contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder trailing by just 20 points, and he crossed that mark with a three-pointer late in the third quarter on his way to 28 points on nine-of-17 shooting.

Lillard is also the franchise leader for career points per game at 24.7, meaning he reached the 18,040 point figure in 137 fewer games than Drexler, who sported a career average of 20.8 per game.

Speaking after the game, Lillard said how despite being largely unbothered by individual accomplishments, this is one he has had his eye on.

"It's a great feeling to reach the top," he said. "It's been a goal of mine, and the list has so many players, great history of our organization, so to finally be number one is a special accomplishment that I'm proud of.

"Even during the game tonight, I wasn't playing focused on getting to the record. I was playing the game just trying to win. I knew it would happen eventually."

In a statement, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin paid tribute to his star player.

"Damian's commitment to Portland is now incapsulated with this prestigious career milestone," he said. "His dedication, humility and hard work have been pillars for his path to this very moment.

"On behalf of the organization, we would like to congratulate Damian on this great achievement and look forward to many more."

It is one of many franchise records Lillard will likely claim by the end of his stint in Portland, already owning the record for three-pointers with 2229 – almost 1000 more than C.J. McCollum in second-place (1297) – as well as made free throws (4047).

He is also only 460 assists away from Terry Porter's franchise record (5319), and at his current career average of 6.7 per game, Lillard will reach that mark in another 69 contests.

While it was all about Lillard for Portland, the Thunder rained on his parade as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a game-winning buzzer-beater to cap his 35-point night, including 24 in the second half.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's third-leading scorer this season at 31.3 points per game, and is the current favourite for Most Improved Player.

The Green Bay Packers remain in the playoff hunt for at least another week after a relatively comfortable 24-12 home win against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday.

After a field goal each to open the game, the Packers pulled ahead in the second quarter through A.J. Dillon's eight-yard touchdown run, and they were never in danger of being tracked down.

Dillon's second touchdown run of the game – this time from the one-yard line – gave Green Bay some breathing room, before fellow running back Aaron Jones got on the end of Aaron Rodgers' only touchdown pass of the game to extend the margin to 24-6.

The Rams snagged their only touchdown of the game in the final seconds of the third quarter, with Baker Mayfield finding Tyler Higbee on an eight-yard connection to make it a two-score game heading into the last, but they could not mount any more meaningful offense.

In freezing conditions, Rodgers completed 22 of his 30 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but it was the Packers' two-pronged rushing attack that was the difference.

Dillon was inefficient with just 36 yards from his 11 carries, but he made up for it with his two tough touchdown runs and three catches for 35 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Jones totalled 90 yards from his 17 carries, adding four catches for 36 yards and a score.

The Packers are now 6-8 after back-to-back wins, and they will need to keep it going to defeat the Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions in the final three weeks to finish above .500 and potentially sneak into the playoffs.

Anthony Edwards continued to show what he can do as a true top option in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 116-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

With Karl-Anthony Towns still out, Rudy Gobert was also ruled out in the hours leading up to tip-off, leaving the home Timberwolves as the underdogs against a full-strength Mavericks outfit.

But after one of the best games of his career against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday – when Edwards had 37 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds – the former number one overall draft pick showed it was no fluke.

Playing against arguably the league's top one-man-show in Dallas' Luka Doncic, Edwards produced an all-round performance with 27 points (seven-of-21 shooting), 13 rebounds and nine assists, helping his side build a 20-point buffer heading into the last quarter.

After only exceeding six assists in two of his first 23 games this season, Edwards has now registered at least seven in five of his past eight outings.

He was supported strongly against the Mavericks by Naz Reid, with the sweet-shooting center taking full advantage of his team's absences and his expanded role. He had 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 13 rebounds, after a 28-point, nine-rebound performance on Friday.

Doncic was kept quiet in his 28 minutes, hitting just five-of-17 from the field for 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

The win is the Timberwolves' third in a row, pulling their record above .500 at 16-15 after starting the season 2-6.

Giannis, Lopez dominate the Pelicans' interior

Giannis Antetokoumpo put up his third-highest point total of the season as he dropped 42 in the Milwaukee Bucks' 128-119 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Both teams entered the contest in the top-three of their respective conferences, but it was the 2021 NBA Champions coming out on top, with Antetokounmpo shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 17-of-22 from the free throw line while adding 10 rebounds.

Brook Lopez was similarly impressive, also shooting 12-of-17 from the field for 30 points, although his league-leading figure in blocks per game (2.8) took a small dip after only blocking one shot against the Pelicans.

Young carries the Hawks' offense

Trae Young had his fifth game of the season with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a close 126-125 victory to snap a six-game Orlando Magic winning streak.

Young finished with 37 points on 11-of-22 shooting, while also dishing 13 assists. None of his teammates scored more than rookie A.J. Griffin's 19 off the bench.

It was comfortably the best game of the season for former number one draft pick Markelle Fultz, scoring 24 points with nine assists and six rebounds as the Magic's starting point guard.

The best defensive player of his era, Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald was named to his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl on Monday.

Donald was one of the initial two Pro Bowl announcements, with Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander also receiving the honour ahead of Monday's clash between the Rams and Packers.

Drafted in 2014, Donald was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year, making the Pro Bowl in the process, and he has gone on to earn selection in every season of his career.

He joins Hall-of-Famers Joe Thomas, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Franco Harris, Derrick Thomas, Mel Renfro, Barry Sanders and Merlin Olsen as the only players to achieve the feat in their first nine seasons.

It adds to one of the sport's greatest defensive resumes, as Donald also has three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and seven consecutive selections to the All-Pro First Team from 2015 through 2021.

Having never played less than 14 games in any of his eight previous seasons, Donald's streak of All-Pro First Teams is in jeopardy after only tallying five sacks in 11 games, with his campaign likely over due to injury.

Meanwhile, Alexander, a first-round pick in 2018 will compete in his second Pro Bowl after also earning selection in 2020, a season where he was named to the All-Pro Second Team.

The rest of the Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Wednesday.

For so much of the 2022 season, the stars have seemed to be aligning for the Cowboys as they look to finally justify the hype that surrounds Dallas before every NFL campaign.

The Cowboys survived an early season quarterback injury to Dak Prescott to start 4-1 with Cooper Rush under center, and have since consistently shown signs of being a team that has the ingredients to go all the way to the Super Bowl.

Prescott, following an unconvincing performance on his return from injury in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions, has rediscovered the level of performance that has helped him ascend to the fringes of the NFL's elite at the quarterback position. The loss of Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns has had a minimal negative impact on the offense, with CeeDee Lamb thriving as the undisputed number one receiver and Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard forming an explosive running back tandem.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys' defense has frequently shown its ability to derail opposing offense through dominance on the defensive line and success in generating takeaways, in which Dallas lead the NFL with 26.

Yet their strength on that side of the ball is now worthy of being called into question following a four-game stretch in which the Cowboys went 3-1 but saw their proficiency on defense drop off significantly.

Indeed, since Week 12, the Cowboys have allowed an average of 359.8 net yards per game. Only 10 teams have given up more in that span. Between Weeks 1 and 11, the Cowboys were the ninth-best defense in the NFL by the same measure.

The Cowboys were able to survive their defensive decline across Weeks 12 to 14, beating the New York Giants by a possession and blowing out the Indianapolis Colts with a fourth-quarter avalanche, before they narrowly avoided a humiliating loss to the Houston Texans in a game in which they gave up 23 points to the NFL's second-worst offense by yards per play.

But their Week 15 meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars arguably served as a harbinger of what could come for the Cowboys in the postseason if Dan Quinn's defense cannot get back on track.

Though their loss to the Jaguars was settled by a Prescott pick-six as Rayshawn Jenkins returned an overtime interception that clanked off the hands of Noah Brown, it was one borne of the Cowboys' inability to kill the Jaguars off having led 27-10 in the third quarter.

Dallas gave up two 75-yard touchdown drives, sandwiched by a 39-yard drive, to surrender that advantage in just under nine minutes of game time. The Cowboys' defense conceded eight explosive runs of at least 10 yards and 11 such passes, and were unable to preserve the lead Prescott restored with just over three minutes remaining with his second touchdown pass to Brown.

Of course, the Cowboys' defense did get the ball back to Prescott with a forced fumble from Trevor Lawrence immediately after that score, and criticism of the Dallas offense for calling a shot play to Brown on third down on the subsequent drive that fell incomplete and gave Lawrence another shot with a minute left is merited.

But the offense is rarely going to be perfect on every drive, and the frustrating thing for the Cowboys as that this was a defeat suffered amid one of Prescott's finest performances of the season.

Prescott delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 27 of his 30 pass attempts. His well-thrown rate of 90 per cent was the fourth best among quarterbacks with at least 10 attempts going into Monday and the best for signal-callers with an average of at least eight air yards per attempt. Prescott averaged 8.33, with his impressive combination of aggressiveness and accuracy exemplified by his perfectly placed 20-yard touchdown throw to Peyton Hendershot on a wheel route to put the Cowboys up 14-0 in the second quarter.

In terms of turnovers, the defense did offer support to Prescott by producing three, and the Cowboys' quarterback was not blameless in their loss of the original 17-point lead, throwing a third-quarter interception to Jenkins that set Jacksonville up for a touchdown to trim the advantage to 27-24.

But the reality is the offense scored enough points to beat Jacksonville and, instead of complementing that effort with a display that frustrated the Jags and an improving Jacksonville attack, the Dallas defense instead delivered volatility that should worry a team that will almost certainly have to go on the road as a Wild Card in the NFC playoffs.

Brown's unreliability in the clutch could be seen as an error that justifies owner Jerry Jones' continued apparent lobbying for the Cowboys to sign Odell Beckham Jr. for their playoff push.

Yet the Cowboys are not a wide receiver, especially one whose status in his recovery from a torn ACL remains unknown, away from winning their conference. They are instead seemingly short the kind of defense that can propel them to glory against opponents like the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers who can stymie their offense and whom they will surely need to overcome to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

With a postseason berth secured, there's plenty of reason for hope in Dallas, but there could be trouble ahead if the Cowboys cannot halt a worrying defensive downturn.

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