Jamaica’s lone rally cross driver Fraser McConnell capped off a fine 2022/23 Nitro Rally Cross season by finishing second in the season finale Group E Round 10 event at Glen Helen Raceway in California last weekend. McConnell demonstrated his tactical prowess during the damp six-lap final, only to be edged out by Dreyer&Reinbold Swedish teammate Robin Larsson, who took the final event in a time of 4:58:964.
Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud made it a clean sweep for team DRR after finishing third.
For his efforts, McConnell ended the overall championship third in Nitro RX 2022/23 and his contribution also allowed for team DRR to secure the team title which was pleasing for the Jamaican. “It has been a really great season in Nitro with me having a lot on the table and racing alongside people like Travis Pastrana, who is my childhood hero,” McConnell said.
“To be able to get third in the Championship with such a stacked field, was a big accomplishment for myself and Jamaica.”
McConnell entered the final day as one of the top five racers who were close in the championship standings. With Larsson eventually sewing up the championship, it was down to McConnell and Pastrana to see who would finish second and third, with the American just edging out the Jamaican in the last race of the season.
Following another successful season made possible by the support of sponsors Tru Shake, Just Bet, Proven Wealth, Jamaica Tourist Board and Rainforest Seafood, McConnell is already looking ahead to next season with his team in talks with the Nitro RX organizers to kick off the new season in June of this year.
“I am very happy with where I am at in my career and this past season really developed me as a driver. This shows that I can compete and beat the best in the world,” added McConnell.
After a break back home, McConnell will next turn his attention to the X44 Vida Carbon Racing, the Extreme E Team founded by Seven-Time Formula 1 Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.
McConnell will join season-two winner and World Champion Cristina Gutiérrez as his race partner.
Rory McIlroy supports the controversial proposals that would see new golf balls introduced to tackle ever-increasing driving distances.
The R&A and United States Golf Association (USGA) last week proposed a "Model Local Rule" that would allow organisers and tournaments the option to use a modified ball that reduces hitting distance by approximately 15 yards.
The move was first mooted in 2020 as a way of decreasing the distance modern tour professionals hit the ball amid fears golf courses will soon not be long enough to provide a suitable test in elite competitions.
The proposals have been met with widespread criticism from manufacturers and players alike, with Justin Thomas last week describing the move as "so bad for the game of golf."
However, four-time major champion McIlroy, who is currently playing at the World Golf Championships Match Play in Texas, is not so angry.
Speaking to No Laying Up, he said: "For elite-level play, I really like it. I really do.
"I know that's a really unpopular opinion amongst my peers, but I think it's going to help identify who the best players are a bit easier. Especially in this era of parity that we've been living in these past couple of decades.
"Selfishly, I think it helps me. I think this is only going to help the better player. It might help the longer player too, in some ways but I think it's going to help the overall professional game.
"I think making guys hit some long irons again, and some mid irons, and being able to hit every club in your bag in a round of golf.… I can't remember the last time when I've had to do that.
"I don't know if this change in the ball will make us do that, but it certainly is a step closer to that."
Martin Slumbers and Mike Whan, the heads of the respective organisations, confirmed the rule would not be implemented until 2026 but would then be introduced for their elite events – the Open Championship and the U.S. Open.
There is no obligation for the PGA Tour to adopt the rules, but McIlroy suggested he might still consider using a rolled-back ball in regular-season events to better prepare for the majors.
"Honestly, for me, the major championships are the biggest deal, so if the PGA Tour doesn't implement it, I might still play the Model Local Rule ball, because I know that'll give me the best chance and the best preparation leading into the major championships," he added.
"And again, this is personal preference and personal opinion at this stage of my career. I know that I'm going to be defined by the amount of major championships that I hopefully will win from now until the end of my career. And that's the most important thing for me.
"If that gives me the best chance to succeed at the major championships and feel as prepared as I possibly can be, then that's what I would do."
Karl-Anthony Towns hopes to return the "very complete" player he was before his injury as he prepares to make his Minnesota Timberwolves comeback.
The forward suffered a serious calf strain on November 28 and has missed the last four months.
However, Towns was upgraded to questionable ahead of Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks and is planning to play.
The 27-year-old was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and a career-high 5.3 assists per game before his lay-off and felt he was in peak form.
With the T-Wolves ninth in the Western Conference but only a game behind the Golden State Warriors in sixth, Minnesota will need Towns back at that level.
"I'm super excited to get back out on the court and help my team, because these next nine games are super important," he told ESPN.
"I'm just trying to pick up where I left off. I was telling my dad: right before I got hurt, I felt the most complete as a player in my career.
"From the defensive end, from the offensive end, from a mental aspect, leadership aspect, I felt very complete."
Towns is confident he can immediately make an impact, highlighting the specific areas in which he believes he can provide the T-Wolves a boost.
"I don't feel like I lost the step. I actually gained steps, because I've been able to learn from a different aspect, in a way that I've never looked from just sitting on the sideline," he added.
"I think anytime I step on the court, I can make an impact. But specifically we've been struggling a lot right now with free throws, and I've always been a really good free throw shooter.
"I think that, shooting-wise, it's going to be great to add that kind of three-point component to us."
Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Miami Open with a rib injury.
The world number was due to defend her title, having won the tournament last year without dropping a set.
However, she will be unable to feature in Florida due to an ongoing rib issue that has plagued her since the Qatar Open in February.
Swiatek reached the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Open last week, losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina, and hinted at concerns over her condition.
The Pole confirmed on Wednesday that after consulting with her medical team, she will not play her second-round match against Claire Liu on Thursday and will also miss the Billie Jean King Cup, which takes place in April.
"You know that in and after Doha I was struggling with a strong infection," Swiatek said.
"I was allowed to play, but a strong episode of tough cough led to a rib injury. We were trying to handle it and continue to play as long as it was safe for me. We were analysing the data in the last [few] days and my doctor prepared my diagnosis.
"Unfortunately, I'm still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain and I can't compete.
"I will keep you updated about where I play next, because it depends on my process of recovering and the recommendation of my medical team.
"I have the best team behind me, we only need some time to deal with the injury. It's a truly difficult call to not play in Miami and the Billie Jean King Cup, but health is the most important [thing].
"I'm grateful this is the first health issue in a long time and I was able to compete in perfect shape for so long, but that's sports, it happens sometimes, without our control.
"Time to accept it and get well as soon as possible."
Swiatek will be replaced in the women's draw by lucky loser Julia Grabher.
The 21-year-old will now hope to be fully fit in time for the clay-court season, including the French Open, where she is the reigning champion.
Oleksandr Usyk's team doubt Tyson Fury ever wanted to fight the Ukrainian after talks over a heavyweight title clash broke down.
Usyk's promoter Alexander Krassyuk raised the question after the two camps were unable to compromise on the financial details of the fight, such as any potential rematch purse split.
The pair were due to meet on April 29 at Wembley Stadium, having previously agreed to a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury.
Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, confirmed his client had pulled out after seemingly growing frustrated at Fury's continued demands.
In an interview with Sky Sports, promoter Krassyuk explained: "The Usyk side pulled out of further negotiations as the Fury side never had enough [and wanted] to pull everything and all rights to their side, I don't want to go into details as all negotiations were confidential, but I will tell you one thing, when a fighter doesn't want to fight he overprices himself knowing that the fight won't happen.
"They most likely forgot that Usyk is holding the majority of belts in the heavyweight division and Tyson just has one."
Fury only holds the WBC heavyweight title, after his trilogy victory over Deontay Wilder, whereas Usyk holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts after twice defeating Anthony Joshua.
Krassyuk added: "They claimed Tyson is a face and must have all the rights, but look at statistics on pay-per-view with Tyson vs Chisora and Usyk vs Chisora and then tell me who is who?"
Last year Fury's fight with Derek Chisora reportedly reached 500,000 pay-per-view sales, under half those supposedly made for when Usyk fought the same opponent in 2020.
A deadline of April 1 for the fight to be agreed had been set by WBA president Gilberto Mendoza, and this latest setback looks likely to put pay to any chance of the event being set before that date.
Novak Djokovic does not regret his decision not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, despite losing the world number one ranking.
Djokovic has spent a record 380 weeks at the top of the rankings but was unable to compete in the first two ATP 1000 events of the season – the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open – after his request for special permission to travel to the United States was declined.
The US currently bars unvaccinated travellers from entering the country, although that policy is set to be scrapped in May.
With the 22-time grand slam champion unable to feature, Carlos Alcaraz returned to the top of the rankings with victory at Indian Wells.
"I have no regrets," Djokovic told CNN.
"It's a pity that I wasn't able to play in Indian Wells [and] Miami. I love those tournaments. I had plenty of success there. But at the same time, it is the conscious decision I made and I knew that there was always a possibility that I wouldn't go.
"It is the current state or current situation that I hope will change later this year for the US Open. That is the most important tournament for me on American soil.
"I've learned through life that regrets only hold you back and basically make you live in the past and I don't want to do that.
"I also don't want to live too much in the future. I want to be as much as in the present moment, but of course, think about the future and create a better future."
Alcaraz, who won the US Open in 2022, romped to last week's title at Indian Wells with a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory against Daniil Medvedev in the final.
"I congratulate Alcaraz," Djokovic said. "He absolutely deserves to come back to number one."
Djokovic's attention will now turn to the clay season in Europe as he gears up to try and win a third French Open title.
"I'm as enthusiastic as ever, as motivated as ever for the sport, my family, my foundation, all the projects and everything I'm doing off the court," he added.
"The dignity, and integrity, and staying true to myself, and my beliefs and my rights are above everything."
A confident Tobias Levy dominated the Jamaica Squash Association's national junior trials for the U19 and U17 age groups for girls and boys at the Liguanea Club in Kingston. The trials ran from Friday March 17 to 19 with 16 players vying for spots to represent Jamaica at the Caribbean Junior Squash Championship in July.
Competing in the U19 category, Levy, who also benefitted from a walkover, won three of his other four matches in straight sets but was taken the distance by Arjan Trehan, who eventually lost 5-2. At the end of it all, Levy won 15 of 17 games for a winning percentage of 88 per cent.
Alex Chin, meanwhile, was second with a 12-8 win-loss margin while Rhys Greenland was third with 11-9 margin.
Levy credits his dominance on the court to his work ethic.
"I have been playing squash since I was young. I have been dominant from I came on the scene,” he said. “I would say my racquet skills and how smart I am on court definitely puts me above everyone else. I think I understand the game very well. I have been training hard. It's not just talent, I have been training hard from when I was young so it helps me stay dominant,” said Levy, who said winning the U19 category was crucial.
"It means a lot, especially because I get to go represent my country as the best player in the junior age. It also feels good because I have a lot of competitors that are out for me and train hard to beat me but I keep training hard and play well so I stay dominant."
Thomas Overton won his three matches to top the Boys U17 ahead of the very competitive Lucas Thompson.
Savannah Thompson emerged top of the Girls U19 matches after beating Eleanor Hind in straight sets 3-0 before beating Katherine Risden 3-2.
Risden finished second overall.
Sanjana Nallapati did not drop a game to come out the victor in the Girls U17, despite being pushed by Mehar Trehan, who won half her six matches.
Nallapati said that it was tough to play her.
"Mehar and I go far back. It's always a tough battle because we are family and going against family is very tough because you don't want to whip them,” she said.
“With the two of us it’s always a five setter. It’s been that way for a really long time and its never really known who is going to win. This time Mehar played phenomenally. I thought I played well as well. We definitely played at a high intensity like we usually do.
"For the Caribbean Championship I hope to do extremely well."
Vice President of the Jamaica Squash Association expressed optimism about Jamaica’s chances of doing well at the Caribbean Championships.
"We have some strong players here in these categories, experienced players who have been to the Caribbean tournament before,” said Levy, who is also chairman of the selection committee.
“I think we have a good opportunity to win a couple of categories and hopefully also the team event. Hopefully we can bring home the Caribbean trophy this year for the team event and one or two of the individual events as well. It would be great."
The trials for the U15, U13 and possibly U11 players, will be held in June.
England fullback Freddie Steward has been cleared to play for his country with immediate effect after the red card he received against Ireland was overturned.
Steward was dismissed in England's final Six Nations clash of this year's tournament as they lost 29-16 to Grand Slam winners Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
The 22-year-old received the contentious red near the end of the first half after his shoulder connected with the head of Hugo Keenan.
Steward appeared before an independent disciplinary committee via video link to protest his innocence.
The committee determined that head contact with an opposing player had occurred and believed it had been an act of foul play, adding Steward "had been reckless in his actions and in his upright positioning as he approached and came into highly dangerous contact with the other player".
However, it was also decided that "there were sufficient mitigating factors including the late change in the dynamics and positioning of the opposing player which should have resulted in the issue of a yellow card rather than a red card".
The decision means Steward will not face a ban and is free to play again immediately.
England captain Owen Farrell said after the game: "I was surprised [at the red card] if I am honest. But it is not up to us, we don't make the rules, we don't put them in place, we don't hear what goes on on the ref mic and the process that they go through.
"That is the decision they came to and you have to accept it."
Aryna Sabalenka received "hate" in the dressing room after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sabalenka finished as runner-up at Indian Wells last week, losing to Elena Rybakina, who she defeated in the Australian Open final in January.
Born in Belarus, an ally of Russia, the 24-year-old revealed ahead of her Miami Open campaign that "weird conversations" had come from members of other players' teams, rather than her fellow pros.
"It was really tough for me because I've never faced that much hate in the locker room," she said. "There are a lot of haters on Instagram when you're losing matches, but in the locker room I've never faced that.
"I had some, not like fights, but I had some weird conversations with, not the girls, but with members of their team. It was tough. It was a tough period. But now it's getting better.
"It was really tough to understand that there's so many people who hate me for no reason. I did nothing."
Players from Russia and Belarus have been classed as neutral since the invasion, and were banned from last year's Wimbledon.
Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko pulled out of her match against Sabalenka at Indian Wells after suffering a panic attack following a conversation she had with WTA chief executive Steve Simon about tennis's response to the invasion.
World number one Iga Swiatek had called for greater support for Ukrainian players as a result of the conflict but another Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, disagreed.
"There are certain players that have different feelings and behaviours. Overall, I don't necessarily share the same opinion as Iga does," Azarenka said.
"I'd encourage her to look at the things that have been done before she makes comments. As a player council member I'm happy to provide the facts. That would be a more appropriate way to have that conversation."
Tyson Fury's heavyweight unification clash with Oleksandr Usyk is off after talks between the pair collapsed, according to reports.
A fight date had been agreed for April 29 at Wembley Stadium with progress made in recent weeks after the pair had agreed to a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury.
However, the two sides have since been unable to match up on other key details such as a rematch purse split, with Ukrainian fighter Usyk now said to have shut down his training camp.
"No matter how much Usyk compromised, he was pushed for more," Usyk's manager Egis Klimas said, according to reporter Steve Kim.
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza previously set a deadline of April 1 for the fight to be agreed, with the latest setback likely to scupper any chance of reaching an agreement before that date.
Usyk, who has the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, now looks set to return in June or July in a mandatory defence against Daniel Dubois.
The 36-year-old was the undisputed champion at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight.
Back-to-back victories against Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and August 2022 saw him capture and retain the three belts.
Fury, who last fought Derek Chisora in December, holds the WBC heavyweight title. It is unclear who or when he will next fight.
The Briton had previously announced he would be entering a social media blackout as he began training camp for the Usyk fight.
He had made numerous demands in order to make the fight happen and suggested his opponent only warranted 30 per cent of the total fight purse.
Usyk had agreed to this proposal but also requested that Fury donate $1million to relief efforts in Ukraine.
The bout would have marked the first crowning of an undisputed heavyweight title in the four-belt era.
New Zealand would have been better off biding their time before announcing Ian Foster's replacement, according to former head coach Steve Hansen.
The All Blacks confirmed on Tuesday that Crusaders coach Scott Robertson will succeed Foster after this year's Rugby World Cup in France.
Robertson, who lost out to Foster on the position when Hansen stood down four years ago, has been handed a deal that will run through until after the next World Cup in 2027.
Foster revealed earlier this month he would not be reapplying for the job when his contract expires in November.
The 57-year-old questioned New Zealand Rugby (NZR)'s decision to find his successor while their tournament preparations are in full swing.
NZR said "significant competition for elite coaching talent" forced them to act now, but Hansen believes that decision may backfire.
"I think they got burned last time so they were worried about that," he told The Platform podcast. "What they didn't take into account was everybody had their coaching sorted.
"In my opinion, they would have been better to wait, but in their opinion they wanted to push the button and they've done that.
"They're in charge of New Zealand Rugby, so it's them that die and fall on these decisions.
"Just like coaches there's got to be repercussions if it doesn't work. If it does work, well they've been super."
Robertson played 23 Tests for New Zealand and has been praised for his work since moving into coaching, having won six successive Super Rugby titles with Crusaders.
That made Robertson an obvious contender to take over as the All Blacks' next head coach, but Hansen questioned NZR's handling of the situation.
"It doesn't come as a surprise because he's been offered the job. [Foster] fought back and maintained it [last year]. He was obviously the prime candidate," Hansen said.
"I don't know who else applied and they're not telling us, so I think [NZR's] leading us in the dark whether there was more than one candidate or not."
New Zealand, who are third in the rankings, begin their Rugby World Cup campaign against hosts France before facing Namibia, Italy and Uruguay.
Shohei Ohtani was described as a "unicorn to the sport" by United States manager Mark DeRosa after he led Japan to victory in the World Baseball Classic final.
Ohtani struck out Los Angeles Angels team-mate Mike Trout to seal a 3-2 victory in a thrilling conclusion in Miami on Tuesday.
Named the tournament's MVP, Ohtani ticked off a list of achievements during the game that had only ever previously been matched in an MLB or WBC game by the legendary Babe Ruth in October 1921.
The 28-year-old started in the batting lineup, drew a walk, got a hit, came on to pitch in relief, struck out a batter and was the finishing pitcher.
"What he's doing in the game is what probably 90 per cent of the guys in that clubhouse did in Little League or in youth tournaments, and he's able to pull it off on the biggest stages," DeRosa said.
"He is a unicorn to the sport. I think other guys will try it, but I don't think they're going to do it to his level.
"What blows me away on this stage is the fact that no moment is too big for him. He did not seem rattled by walking Jeff McNeil on a close pitch, not rattled that three MVPs were coming up to bat."
Ohtani himself was happy to accomplish one of his career goals by winning the tournament, and believed the victory over the USA was also proof that Japan can get the better of anyone.
"In my baseball life, [winning the World Baseball Classic was] one of the things that I wanted to achieve," Ohtani said. "Today I was able to achieve one of the goals.
"Of course, I happened to get the MVP, but this really proves that Japanese baseball can beat any team in the world."
The Los Angeles Clippers' hopes of a deep playoffs run may have suffered a major blow after Paul George exited their 101-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a leg injury.
George fell to the floor after his right knee collided with Luguentz Dort's knee in the air while attempting a rebound.
The eight-time All-Star got up with help and exited the game with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said during his post-game press conference that George was still being evaluated and that he had not spoken to him.
ESPN reported George was spotted exiting the arena in the back of a cart with his right leg extended.
George scored 18 points with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals before exiting, with the loss seeing the Clippers fall to a 38-35 record in fifth in the West.
The 32-year-old is averaging 23.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season.
Team-mate Kawhi Leonard said the Clippers would take on a "next man up" mentality if George was unavailable for a significant period.
"Next man up, but we'll see," Leonard told reporters. "We've got a group of guys that still want to win and like to play basketball. We'll see happens."
The Carolina Hurricanes secured their first back-to-back 100-point seasons in franchise history on Tuesday as they scored three in the third period to defeat the New York Rangers 3-2 on the road.
With the victory, the Hurricanes improved their record to 46-15-8 – trailing only the 54-11-5 Boston Bruins for the league's top mark – and 69 games is the fewest needed to reach 100 points in franchise history.
Adding to their historic night, Carolina set another franchise record with their 10th third-period comeback of the season.
Despite the action-packed finish, it was a defensive grind through two periods as an early goal from New York's Tyler Motte was the only score heading into the last.
Jalen Chatfield equalised nine minutes into the third period, but Kaapo Kakko put the Rangers back in front 2-1 just 31 seconds later.
The hectic scoring sequence was not over, as Stefan Noesen made it 2-2 only 18 seconds after the restart, setting up Teuvo Teravainen for the Hurricanes' winner with 2:33 remaining.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said he was inspired by the way his team refused to drop their heads after going down.
"I thought it was a great effort, right from the start," he told reporters. "We didn't come off of it. We had a game plan and the guys knew what we needed to do.
"They've got a high-offense team, so we were trying to limit their chances. Everybody – all 20 guys – contributed in this win.
"Even though it wasn't looking good for most of the game, we were down, then we tied it up and they got another right away, I just loved the way we [shook it off], next shift.
"It was great to tie it up and then get the late one. We got what we deserved tonight, for sure."
Offseason acquisition Brent Burns also got in on the history-making fun, adding to his franchise record for points by a defenseman (53) with the game-winning assist, and he pointed to Brind'Amour's system as the catalyst for his terrific year.
"The system has been great," he said. "We play with a deep team and we just roll. It's been a lot of fun.
"I've said it before, but it's a great group, and a special group. It's been a lot of fun to try and come in and find a place."
Chatfield pointed to how previous comebacks have given the Hurricanes "more confidence" when faced with difficult situations, and they trust what they are doing as a unit.
"We know what we've got in this locker room, and we know how we want to play every night," he said.
"To be able to match up against these guys, another great team, [is great]. We lost the first two to them, so to be able to get this one feels nice. We just have to keep going from there."
Donovan Mitchell says his dunk on Brooklyn Nets wing Yuta Watanabe is up there with his best, and that it also sparked the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 115-109 win on Tuesday.
Mitchell, who finished with 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting and five rebounds, slammed over Watanabe early in the fourth quarter as the Cavs looked to repel the Nets' rally.
The Cavs were up 96-80 with 10:55 remaining when Mitchell received the ball on a fast break from Caris LeVert, taking four steps before dunking over Watanabe who contested the attempt.
"Everyone's reaction was like 'that's your best one'," Mitchell told reporters after the game.
"It's up there. I don’t know if it's my best one, but it's definitely up there."
In a moment of celebration, Mitchell was caught out of position, allowing Mikal Bridges to score down the other end, before glancing up to the Barclays Center screens for a replay.
"I was trying to see it but I forgot we're on the road," Mitchell said. "They’re definitely not going to show it.
"First time I saw it was when we went back in the locker room. It was not bad."
The poster dunk sent social media into a frenzy but it also "sparked" the Cavs according to Mitchell, pulling ahead to a 22-point lead which put the game to bed.
"It really sparked us," he said. "It gave us a little bit of a boost. Those are defining plays. Different plays for different moments to continue to push us going forward.
"It's not like I go into a game thinking 'alright, I'm going to try get a dunk on somebody', but sometimes that's what's needed.
"I felt good enough to try get up there and dunk it. I figured I'd try use my body and finish. It worked out."
The result saw the Cavs firm up their grip on the four seed in the East with a 46-28 record ahead of the 42-31 New York Knicks, while the Nets are sixth at 39-33.
In a clash between two of the seven best records in the NBA, the Boston Celtics produced an impressive 132-109 road blow-out win against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
It was shaping up as a shoot-out as both teams started red hot from three-point range, but the Kings could not keep up as the Celtics scored at least 30 points in all four quarters.
Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with a game-high 36 points on 14-of-25 shooting, adding eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. His All-Star co-pilot Jaylen Brown chipped in an efficient 27 points (10-of-16 shooting) with five rebounds and four assists.
Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis put together his 12th triple-double of the season with 16 points (seven-of-12), 13 rebounds and 12 assists, although his six turnovers were costly.
The win improved the Celtics' record to 50-23, becoming the second team in the league to reach 50 wins this season, while their 24-14 mark on the road is bettered only by the Philadelphia 76ers (22-12).
Sacramento are still sitting pretty at 43-28, holding a five-game buffer in the Western Conference's third seed.
Mitchell poster highlights Cavs victory
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell threw down arguably his biggest dunk of the season to put an exclamation point on a 115-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Mitchell ended up with a game-high 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting, including five-of-nine from three-point range, highlighted by a monstrous fast-break poster jam over Yuta Watanabe as both leapt off two feet and met chest-to-chest.
After missing 10 days due to an eye injury, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen looked right back to his best with 12 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, with eight of his rebounds coming on the offensive end.
The victory improves Cleveland's record to 46-28, and while they have been a disappointing 17-20 on the road, they have now won four of their past five away from home.
Top pick Banchero flirts with first triple-double
Orlando Magic top draft pick and overwhelming Rookie of the Year favourite Paolo Banchero nearly posted the first triple-double of his career in a 122-112 home win against the Washington Wizards.
The 20-year-old finished with 18 points (six-of-nine shooting), nine rebounds and eight assists for his second close call of the month. It comes 10 days after he put up 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in an overtime win against the Miami Heat.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 30 points (12-of-22 shooting), six rebounds, three assists and two blocks, continuing what has been arguably the best season of his eight-year NBA career.
In a clash between two of the seven best records in the NBA, the Boston Celtics produced an impressive 132-109 road blowout against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
It was shaping up as a shootout as both teams started red-hot from three-point range, but the Kings could not keep up as the Celtics scored at least 30 points in all four quarters.
Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with a game-high 36 points on 14-of-25 shooting, adding eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. His All-Star co-pilot Jaylen Brown chipped in an efficient 27 points (10-of-16 shooting) with five rebounds and four assists.
Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis put together his 12th triple-double of the season with 16 points (seven-of-12), 13 rebounds and 12 assists, although his six turnovers were costly.
The win improves the Celtics' record to 50-23, becoming the second team in the league to reach 50 wins this season, while their 24-14 mark on the road is bettered only by the Philadelphia 76ers (22-12).
Sacramento are still sitting pretty at 43-28, holding a five-game buffer in the Western Conference's third seed.
Mitchell poster highlights Cavs victory
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell threw down arguably his biggest dunk of the season to put an exclamation point on a 115-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Mitchell ended up with a game-high 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting, including five-of-nine from three-point range, highlighted by a monstrous fast-break poster jam over Yuta Watanabe as both leapt off two feet and met chest-to-chest.
After missing 10 days due to an eye injury, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen looked right back to his best with 12 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, with eight of his rebounds coming on the offensive end.
The victory improves Cleveland's record to 46-28, and while they have been a disappointing 17-20 on the road, they have now won four of their past five away from home.
Top pick Banchero flirts with first triple-double
Orlando Magic top draft pick and overwhelming Rookie of the Year favourite Paolo Banchero nearly posted the first triple-double of his career in a 122-112 home win against the Washington Wizards.
The 20-year-old finished with 18 points (six-of-nine shooting), nine rebounds and eight assists for his second close call of the month. It comes 10 days after he put up 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in an overtime win against the Miami Heat.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 30 points (12-of-22 shooting), six rebounds, three assists and two blocks, continuing what has been arguably the best season of his eight-year NBA career.
Japan superstar Shohei Ohtani struck out Los Angeles Angels team-mate Mike Trout to end a 3-2 victory over the United States in a thrilling conclusion to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Tuesday.
The two pre-tournament favourites ended up meeting in the final, and almost like the script of a sports movie, fans were gifted the most anticipated matchup in baseball for the last out of the game.
It was the United States striking first, with Trea Turner continuing his remarkable tournament with a solo home run in the second inning. With it, he broke the US record for most home runs in a single WBC (five) and the most RBIs (11).
But their lead was short-lived, as 23-year-old Japan slugger Munetaka Murakami crushed a 432-foot bomb to tie the game with the first pitch in the bottom of the second frame.
With the final being played in Miami, the visiting team jumped ahead 2-1 later in the second through a Lars Nootbar RBI ground-out with bases loaded.
That score would hold until a solo home run from Kazuma Okamoto in the fourth inning to put Japan up 3-1, and while the United States finished with nearly double the amount of hits (nine against five), they failed to string them together and score.
The game was injected with life in the eighth inning as Kyle Schwarber put together a 10-pitch at-bat against Texas Rangers star Yu Darvish – including five foul balls in a row – before blasting a 436-foot homer to cut the lead to one.
All-Star Devin Williams pitched a clean eighth inning for the United States to reach the ninth with the scores still at 3-2, when Ohtani was sent out to close the show.
After a Jeff McNeil walk to open the inning, Ohtani got Mookie Betts to ground into a double-play, putting Japan one out away from securing their third WBC title.
The only thing standing in his way was Trout, and with the entire stadium on their feet – with a full count – Ohtani struck out the three-time AL MVP to collect the save.
Japan are the only team with more than one WBC crown, denying the United States a chance to tie them with two each, while the Dominican Republic also has one.
The Minnesota Timberwolves could receive a massive boost for their Wednesday clash against the Atlanta Hawks with Karl-Anthony Towns upgraded to questionable.
Towns, who earned his second All-NBA selection this past season, was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and a career-high 5.3 assists per game before suffering a calf strain on November 28.
Nearly four months have passed since he last suited up for the Timberwolves, and with co-star Anthony Edwards also currently out injured, Minnesota's playoff chances appeared to be hanging by a thread.
Sitting eighth in the Western Conference at 36-37, the Wolves are only one game behind the six-seeded Golden State Warriors (37-36), but are also only a half-game clear of the 11th-ranked Los Angeles Lakers in a tightly bunched play-in tournament race in the West.
But Minnesota are preparing for some reinforcements to arrive for their final nine games of the regular season, with Towns being upgraded to questionable for the first time since his injury. The team sent down backup center Luka Garza to the G League in a further indication that they are expecting their star back in action.
Edwards is also listed as questionable, likely indicating that they will return to the line-up if they successfully make it through their warm-ups without any incident.
If they cannot get up for Wednesday's game, they will have a few more days to prepare for Sunday's road trip to take on the Golden State Warriors.
The Wolves have gone 26-26 in the 52 games that Towns has missed this season.
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