The Boston Celtics will begin defence of their NBA championship without the services of standout center Kristaps Porziņģis.
Porzingis underwent surgery for a left ankle injury that sidelined him for much of the Celtics' run through the NBA Finals, the team announced Thursday. The one-time All-Star is expected to need five-to-six months of recovery time, which could delay his season debut into December.
The Celtics said in a statement that Porzingis' procedure was to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left ankle, an injury he sustained in Boston's win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the Finals on June 9.
Porzingis sat out Games 3 and 4 before returning for a limited role in the Celtics' title-clinching 106-88 victory in Game 5.
The eight-year veteran previously missed 10 play-off games with a strained right calf before returning for Game 1 of the Finals.
Porzingis will also miss next month's qualifying tournament for the Summer Olympics in Paris, where he was to compete for his native Latvia.
Acquired from the Washington Wizards last June as part of a three-team trade that sent former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart from Boston to the Memphis Grizzlies, Porzingis played a major role on a Celtics team that compiled the league's best regular-season record at 64-18 before going on to capture the franchise's first championship since 2008.
The 7-foot-2 Porzingis ranked third among Boston players in scoring at 20.1 points per game, shot 37.5 per cent from 3-point range and also averaged 7.2 rebounds in 57 games.
Porzingis, an All-Star with the New York Knicks in 2017-18, was limited to just seven games this post-season and averaged 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds.
The 28-year-old is under contract for one more season after signing a two-year, $60 million extension shortly after last summer's trade.
Porzingis' injury will likely push veteran Al Horford into a starting role to begin next season. The 38-year-old Horford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists while starting Boston's final 15 post-season games and recently said he intends to return for an 18th NBA season.
Emma Raducanu crashed out at Eastbourne in straight sets against Daria Kasatkina as her attention quickly turns to Wimbledon next week.
The former US Open champion was outclassed by her opponent, with the Russian cruising to a 6-2, 6-2 triumph to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.
Having started brightly, Raducanu would drop an early break point in the fourth game, allowing Kasatkina to race into a commanding lead before seeing out the first set.
The Brit would again start slow as Kasatkina found another early break, and despite Raducanu's best efforts, was unable to mount a comeback.
Kasatkina would end the match with a strong serve, with Radacanu sending the ball long to confirm the win for the Russian, who will play Jasmine Paolini in the next round.
Data Debrief: Raducanu second-best at Eastbourne
Radacanu was outclassed by the world number 14 throughout but can take confidence from her two impressive wins over Jessica Pegula and Sloane Stephens.
For Kasatkina, she reached her second consecutive semi-final at Eastbourne, impressing on centre court as she won 68% of her first serve points against Raducanu.
Emma Raducanu crashed out at Eastbourne in straight sets against Daria Kasatkina as her attention quickly turns to Wimbledon next week.
The former US Open champion was outclassed by her opponent, with the Russian cruising to a 6-2, 6-2 triumph to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.
Having started brightly, Raducanu would drop an early break point in the fourth game, allowing Kasatkina to race into a commanding lead before seeing out the first set.
The Brit would again start slow as Kasatkina found another early break, and despite Raducanu's best efforts, was unable to mount a comeback.
Kasatkina would end the match with a strong serve, with Radacanu sending the ball long to confirm the win for the Russian, who will play Jasmine Paolini in the next round.
Data Debrief: Raducanu second-best at Eastbourne
Radacanu was outclassed by the world number 14 throughout but can take confidence from her two impressive wins over Jessica Pegula and Sloane Stephens.
For Kasatkina, she reached her second consecutive semi-final at Eastbourne, impressing on centre court as she won 68% of her first serve points against Raducanu.
Alpine have announced that Pierre Gasly has signed a new multi-year contract, keeping him with the team until at least the 2026.
Gasly, who joined Alpine at the start of 2023, will have a new team-mate next year after it was announced that Esteban Ocon would be leaving at the end of the season.
The Frenchman is currently 15th in the driver's championship with five points, with Alpine enduring a difficult start to the campaign and sit seventh in the constructors.
However, their poor start did not deter Gasly putting pen to paper on a new deal, and he is looking forward to helping the team improve moving forwards.
"I feel very much at home at this great team. I enjoy being a real part of both the Formula 1 project and the wider Alpine Cars vision," said Gasly.
"I've been officially here for over 18 months and it has always been the plan to build a long-term project with the team. While on-track it's been a challenging season so far, I remain faithful to the project and I am not going anywhere.
"I am happy with the changes made, the hard work, and the direction the team is taking. There is a lot of potential in this team's personnel and resources.
"I'm excited for what is to come in the future and right now I'm focusing on the everyday details that we are putting in to improve our performances."
Red Bull will be on home soil at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, but Lando Norris is positive about his chances of putting more pressure on world champion Max Verstappen.
Norris has managed six podium finishes and one race victory this season, his maiden F1 win coming in Miami last month.
With 150 points, the McLaren driver now sits second in the drivers' championship standings for the first time in his career, 69 points back of Verstappen.
While Verstappen approaches this weekend – which features the third sprint race of the year – with back-to-back victories in Canada and Spain under his belt, Norris believes McLaren have every chance of pushing him close again.
"We're on a roll and we're doing well," Norris said this week. "I need to tidy up a few little bits and pieces and we'll be on top. I am confident.
"Every weekend we go into now, the car is performing extremely well and we're always there, or thereabouts, within a couple of tenths."
Five of the last six races have seen Verstappen and Norris finish in the top two positions, and the McLaren driver has 10 runner-up finishes since the team introduced transformative upgrades to their car at last year's edition of the Austrian Grand Prix.
With Red Bull heading home after seeing their huge lead over their rivals chipped away in recent weeks, Verstappen expects plenty of thrills and spills.
"It is another sprint race this weekend, which always ends up being a hectic and busy weekend for us," Verstappen said.
"It is really important to nail the set-up of the car straight away and analyse how best we build and improve on our previous races, especially as qualifying is always close here.
"The track lends itself to a lot of overtaking so I'm sure it will be an exciting race.
"The team performed well here last year so hopefully, we can do the fans proud this weekend and bring it home with another win."
This weekend's sprint will be the 15th since the format's introduction, and no driver has more wins (nine), pole positions (seven), fastest laps (seven), podium finishes (13) or points (89) in the sprints than Verstappen.
The Dutchman's four wins in the main race in Spielberg are also an F1 record.
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Lando Norris – McLaren
After two years of near-total dominance, Verstappen finally has a consistent challenger in Norris, who has finished inside the top four at each of his last six races, as many as in his previous 15.
He has already led for a career-high 58 total laps throughout the 2024 season, while his next podium finish will see him match John Watson and go joint-13th in the all-time charts for British drivers, with 20.
Verstappen has not been on pole for any of the last three races, with Norris unable to capitalise when starting at the front of the grid in Barcelona last week. He will be desperate to go one better here.
Sergio Perez – Red Bull
While Verstappen's latest battle with Norris will capture the headlines, Red Bull's home race is also a big one for the Dutchman's team-mate Perez, who is enduring a difficult year.
Perez has finished outside the top five at each of his last four races (two eighth-place places and two retirements). He could find himself outside the top five on five straight outings for the first time since 2021, when he had a miserable five-race run between races in Austria and the Netherlands.
The Mexican, who got a two-year contract extension from the team earlier this month after much speculation regarding his future, needs to be far more consistent, starting here.
With Ferrari 60 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship standings and eating away at that advantage, Christian Horner will be desperate to see Verstappen get some support.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 219 points
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 150
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 148
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 116
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 111
Constructors
1. Red Bull – 330
2. Ferrari – 270
3. McLaren – 237
4. Mercedes – 151
5. Aston Martin – 58
Dusan Lajovic has praised Novak Djokovic's resilience as he continues his preparations for Wimbledon next week.
Djokovic, who has won the tournament seven times, underwent knee surgery earlier this month having withdrawn from the French Open.
As a result, the Serbian was forced to relinquish his number one spot in the world rankings to Jannik Sinner.
However, the Serbian was pictured training at Wimbledon 18 days after his successful operation, but remains unsure over his participation in the competition.
Lajovic, who beat Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Srpska Open last year, says his compatriot will make the right decision on his fitness.
"It just shows his grit," Lajovic said. "He's always been such a fighter, even if he gives himself a one per cent chance to compete, he's going to do everything to maximise that,"
"He's going to wait until probably the last minute to see if he's ready and if his body can support the stress of playing in a grand slam.
"So, in the end, he normally makes good decisions about his body, and about his tennis as well. If he thinks he can make it, then he probably can make it."
Aston Martin have confirmed that Lance Stroll will remain as a driver with the team for at least two more years.
The 25-year-old, who is the son of the team's owner, Lawrence Stroll, will partner Fernando Alonso, who also signed a new contract in April.
Stroll is currently 11th in the driver's championship, having picked up 17 points from the first 10 races of the season ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.
"I'm super happy to have committed to staying with the team for 2025 and beyond," Stroll said.
"It's amazing to see how far we've come in the last five years; we've grown so much as a team and there's still so much more to look forward to."
Stroll joined the team in 2019 after his father bought it and saved it from bankruptcy in August 2018.
The team rebranded as Aston Martin in 2022 and finished fifth in last year's constructors' championship, with team principal Mike Krack delighted with the news.
"We are delighted to confirm Lance's future with Aston Martin Aramco," Krack said. "He has played a key role in building this team.
"His technical feedback, alongside his committed simulator work, has helped contribute to the continuous development of the car each season.
"The consistency and stability of both Lance and Fernando remaining with our team is a great platform to continue to realise our ambitions.
"We look forward to creating some more incredible memories and achieving further success together."
Aston Martin will switch from Mercedes to Honda engines in 2026 as part of a works deal with the Japanese manufacturer under F1's next set of technical regulations.
Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer for the second straight game and extended his RBI streak to a franchise-record 10 consecutive games in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the lowly Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.
Ohtani took Erick Fedde deep on a full-count fastball for his National League-best 25th home run. It was his third leadoff homer of the season and his eighth home run in the last 10 games.
He is batting .310 (27 for 87) with 11 homers and 23 RBIs in 23 games this month.
Gavin Stone shut down the White Sox on four hits in his first career complete game. He struck out seven and walked none to improve to 8-1 with a 2.03 ERA in his last 11 starts.
Los Angeles (51-31) won its fourth straight and has won eight of 10 to move a season-best 20 games over .500.
The major league-worst White Sox (21-61) have lost seven of eight to fall 40 games under .500. They were shut out for the 12th time this season and were 1 for 21 with runners in scoring position while totalling three runs and 17 hits in the three-game series.
Streaking Astros roll Rockies
Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high 10 over seven scoreless innings and was backed by Yainer Diaz’s three hits as the Houston Astros won their season-high seventh straight, 7-1 over the Colorado Rockies.
Arrighetti limited the Rockies to three hits and didn’t walk a batter for the first time in the longest start of his rookie season.
Houston (40-40), which opened 7-19, reached .500 for the first time this season and is batting .320 while averaging 6.9 runs during the seven-game streak.
The Astros broke open the game with a four-run seventh to take a 6-0 lead. Cesar Salazar had a sacrifice fly before Jose Altuve hit a soft grounder to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and his throw home was high, allowing another run to score.
Alex Bregman then grounded into a forceout, but a throwing error by second baseman Brendan Rogers sent another run home. Yordan Alvarez hit a ground-rule double and Diaz’s single stretched the lead to 6-0.
The Rockies are 0-4 against the Astros this season and have dropped 11 in a row at Minute Maid Park, dating to Aug. 15, 2018.
Orioles end skid, cool Guardians
Cedric Mullins snapped a tie with a seventh-inning home run and Gunnar Henderson belted his 26th of the season as the Baltimore Orioles snapped the Cleveland Guardians’ seven-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory.
Ryan O’Hearn also went deep for the Orioles, who had lost five in a row since a 17-5 pounding of the Yankees on June 20. It was their longest losing streak since May 2022.
Mullins connected off Xzavion Curry to lead off the seventh, putting Baltimore ahead 3-2.
Grayson Rodriguez surrendered solo home runs to Jhonkensy Noel and Gabriel Arias but not much else. He gave up three other hits over seven innings without a walk and struck out four.
Cionel Perez pitched a perfect eighth and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 17th save and 434th of his career.
Noel was recalled from Triple-A Columbus and became the fourth Cleveland player to homer in his first major league at-bat. The last Cleveland player to go deep in his first at-bat in the majors was Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006.
For the second year in a row, a player from France was selected first overall in the NBA draft.
As a testament to the NBA being a global game, a player from France was also taken with the second and the sixth pick in the 2024 draft.
The Atlanta Hawks started off Wednesday's draft from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn by selecting Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, and the Washington Wizards followed their lead by taking fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr with the No. 2 pick.
The run on French players continued with the Charlotte Hornets selecting forward Tidjane Salaun with the sixth pick, making this the first time in modern history that a country other than the United States had three players selected in the top 10.
Risacher is a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist and an exceptional defender on the wing, while the big man Sarr possesses the ball-handling ability of a wing and is an elite rim protector.
Salaun was the youngest player taken in the draft at 18 years old, and is considered an excellent athlete with a high motor.
There was one more player from France taken before the first round ended, with the New York Knicks taking Pacome Dadiet at No. 25.
With another Frenchman, Victor Wembanyama, being selected first overall last year by the San Antonio Spurs, this also marked the first time in NBA history consecutive No. 1 picks didn’t play collegiately in the United States.
It wasn't all players from France selected, however.
After the top two picks, the Houston Rockets took sharp-shooter Reed Sheppard from Kentucky, and the San Antonio Spurs used their first of two top-10 picks to select guard Stephon Castle from two-time defending American collegiate national champion Connecticut at No. 4.
Three picks later, Castle's team-mate at UConn, centre Donovan Clingan, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Spurs then used their second top-10 pick to take Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham at No. 8, but later traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Forward Ron Holland II, an American who skipped college to play in the G League, went three picks earlier to the Detroit Pistons at No. 5.
Perhaps the biggest - no pun intended - surprise of the first round was the Memphis Grizzlies taking Zach Edey with the ninth pick.
The 7-foot-3 Canadian is the back-to-back American collegiate AP national player of the year, yet was slotted to get picked much later by many experts.
The Utah Jazz rounded out the top 10 by selecting Colorado forward Cody Williams - a strong defender and adept ball-handler.
One name absent from the first round was Bronny James - son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James.
The elder James had previously said it would be a dream to play with his son, but his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, ended up taking Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick.
Knecht, a prolific scorer and an AP All-American this past season at Tennessee, was projected by many prognosticators to be a top-10 pick, but slid down the draft board.
The younger James hadn't been predicted to be selected in the first round, but could be taken at some point on Day 2 of the draft on Thursday.
The Atlanta Hawks are turning to a 19-year-old French phenom with the hopes he can revive their scuffling franchise.
Ditto for the Washington Wizards.
The Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick of Wednesday’s NBA draft, and the Wizards followed by taking fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr with the No. 2 pick.
Risacher, Sarr and two-time defending American collegiate national champion Donovan Clingan were all mentioned as possibilities to be picked first, but ultimately the Hawks settled on Risacher.
The decision had been somewhat speculated for days after Sarr had recently worked out and met with the Wizards while declining an invitation from the Hawks, but Atlanta was keeping all options open.
Risacher worked out for Atlanta last week, and ownership evidently liked what it saw from the 6-foot-8 wing, making him the franchise's first No. 1 pick since 1975, when it selected David Thompson.
After another Frenchman, Victor Wembanyama, was picked first overall last year by the San Antonio Spurs, this marks the first time in NBA history consecutive No. 1 picks didn’t play collegiately in the United States.
Considered to have the biggest upside of anyone in this draft class, Risacher is not only a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist, but also an exceptional defender, thanks to his length.
Not even on the draft radar a year ago, Risacher first started appearing on a lot of mock drafts with his sensational start to the LNB Pro A season in France. He then entered the conversation as a potential top pick with his stellar play at the EuroCup.
He now joins a Hawks team that is in search of a spark after being stuck in mediocrity the past few seasons.
After reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2021, it totalled three play-off wins in being ousted in the first round in 2022 and ’23 and missed the post-season entirely this past season after finishing 10th in the East.
With Atlanta, Risacher will have an opportunity to hone his game and add some weight to his lanky frame as he makes the transition to the NBA.
Atlanta’s offence revolves around the guard play of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, so Risacher won’t be asked to do too much too soon.
Risacher is far from being a finished product, but the Hawks believe he has the tools to develop into being a core member of the team for years to come.
Atlanta’s decision to draft Risacher, made Washington’s choice at No. 2 a no-brainer, especially after Sarr decided not to meet with the Hawks.
Sarr reportedly viewed Washington as a favourable landing spot over Atlanta, and the Wizards didn’t hesitate in snatching up someone who for a long time was considered the top prospect in the draft class.
The French-born Sarr, who spent the last season playing for Perth in the Australian Basketball League, is an athletic two-way player. He is effective as a finisher near the hoop off the pick-and-roll and is an elite rim protector on the defensive end.
With a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Sarr gives the Wizards interior length and should provide an upgrade on the defensive end considering Washington allowed a league-worst 123 points per game last season.
The Wizards are coming off their worst season in franchise history, going 15-67, and have missed the play-offs each of the last three seasons with only one play-off appearance in the last six.
Sarr is now the centrepiece of Washington’s rebuild.
At 6-foot-11, he has the size of a centre, but possesses the ball-handling ability of a wing, able to dribble through traffic or deliver an accurate pass to an open team-mate.
Sarr needs to add bulk – and a mid-range and 3-point shot – but has enough strengths to his game that he should be able to step right in and help the Wizards on both ends of the court.
OG Anunoby plans to re-sign with the New York Knicks, agreeing to a five-year, $212.5million contract.
The deal, which includes a player option and a trade kicker, was first reported Wednesday by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. It can't officially be signed until July 6, when the NBA's moratorium period on free agents ends.
It was also reported one day after the Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets for forward Mikal Bridges.
New York acquired Anunoby at the end of December from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
In 23 regular-season games for the Knicks, he averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.74 steals.
He scored 28 points in New York's Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals to help the Knicks take a 2-0 lead, but sustained a hamstring injury in the process and played just five minutes the rest of the play-offs as New York was eliminated in seven games.
Drafted 23rd overall by the Raptors in 2017, Anunoby has career averages of 12.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.26 steals in seven seasons.
Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo will sign a three-year, $166 million maximum contract extension to remain with the team through the 2028-29 season, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
Adebayo, a three-time All-Star and five-time member of the NBA's All-Defensive Team, intends to formally sign the new deal when the league's moratorium on the free agent period ends on July 6.
The 26-year-old has two seasons remaining on a five-year, $163 million extension he signed in 2020.
Adebayo has spent his entire seven-year career with Miami after being selected by the franchise with the 14th overall selection of the 2017 draft, and has developed into a cornerstone player for a Heat team that reached the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023. The 6-foot-9 center has also emerged as one of the NBA's premier stoppers, having been named to the All-Defensive Second Team four times before earning First Team honours this past season.
The former University of Kentucky standout received his third career All-Star selection in 2023-24 after averaging 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 71 games.
One of seven active players to average at least 15 points and nine rebounds per game in each of the last five seasons, Adebayo has career rates of 15.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game over 489 regular-season contests.
Adebayo has appeared in 74 post-season games as well and has averaged 16.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in those outings.
The Heat's current captain will also participate in his second Olympics this summer as part of the United States team headed to Paris. Adebayo previously helped the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Anthony Joshua is set for another shot at the IBF heavyweight title but Daniel Dubois hopes to become a "king slayer" when the pair meet at Wembley Stadium.
Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF heavyweight championship just five weeks after becoming the undisputed world heavyweight champion with his win over Tyson Fury, confirming his decision on X on Tuesday.
The all-British showdown was confirmed the following day as the duo prepare to battle at Wembley on September 21.
Joshua will bid to become a three-time world champion, while Dubois will appear in his first title fight after becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF crown with his win over Filip Hrgovic this month.
The meeting will be Joshua's first at Wembley in three years, and Dubois hopes to bring his homecoming crashing down.
"That's just where I'm aiming for, to fight the best and be the best," Dubois said at Wednesday's press conference.
"AJ's been the king for a long time and on the night, I need to become a king slayer and that's my goal, that's the mission at hand.
"I'm learning more about myself as a fighter, as a person, coming out of the darkness and into the light, improving all round as a fighter and as an athlete. I'm up for this and ready to go."
Joshua has repeatedly been suggested as a potential opponent for Usyk or Fury, though says he will turn his attention solely on the upcoming Dubois bout.
"Congratulations to Daniel for winning his last fight," a measured Joshua said at the same press conference.
"I've been having Dubois on my mind for a while and he'll be on my mind for the next 12 weeks until I get my hand raised.
"The goal is just getting through a successful training camp, performing on the night and the shiny stuff comes at a later date."
Emma Raducanu secured her first win over a top 10 opponent as she defeated Jessica Pegula to reach the quarter-finals at Eastbourne.
The former US Open champion came from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5, emerging victorious after two hours and 42 minutes.
Pegula stamped her authority on the game from the start, winning break point in the opening game and remaining in control despite a spirited comeback from Raducanu.
However, the Brit built on her improved display in the second set, trading blows with the world number five and coming out on top to take the game to a decider.
Raducanu looked set to close out the contest as she claimed consecutive break points, but the American showed her class to drag herself back level.
But it would be Raducanu who would emerge victorious, meaning there will be three British women in the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 1978.
Data Debrief: Raducanu roars to victory
Raducanu's victory saw her reach her first ever quarter-final at Eastbourne.
The Brit's success was also the first time she has won a match on tour after being a match point down.
Emma Raducanu secured her first win over a top 10 opponent as she defeated Jessica Pegula to reach the quarter-finals of the Eastbourne Open.
The former US Open champion came from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5, emerging victorious after two hours and 42 minutes.
Pegula stamped her authority on the game from the start, winning break point in the opening game and remaining in control despite a spirited comeback from Raducanu.
However, the Brit built on her improved display in the second set, trading blows with the world number five and coming out on top to take the game to a decider.
Raducanu looked set to close out the contest as she claimed consecutive break points, but the American showed her class to drag herself back level.
But it would be Raducanu who would emerge victorious, meaning there will be three British women in the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 1978.
Data Debrief: Raducanu roars to victory
Raducanu's victory saw her reach her first ever quarter-final at the Eastbourne Open.
The Brit's success was also the first time she has won a match on tour after being a match point down.
Lando Norris has "emerged from the pack" to represent the main threat to Red Bull, says the team's principal Christian Horner.
Alongside reigning champion Max Verstappen, Norris has finished in the top two positions at five of the last six races, including Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver has also finished in the top four in each of his last six races, as many times as in his previous 15.
He has led for a career-high 58 laps this season and his next podium finish will see him match John Watson for 13th place in the charts for all British drivers, with 20.
Looking back on last week's race in Barcelona, Horner acknowledged Verstappen – who triumphed by 2.219 seconds – was fortunate to make a strong start count.
"If Lando had track position it would have been difficult to beat him," Horner told Sky Sports News.
"It was so close between the two of them and they were 18 seconds ahead of the rest. I would say Lando has emerged from the pack as the most consistent challenger.
"We've had four pole winners in the last four races. It's very, very tight.
"But Lando I would say, he seems to have worked out these tyres, McLaren have done a great job as well, and they're going to push us hard for the rest of the year."
Red Bull are on home turf this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, for the third sprint race weekend of the season.
"On such a short lap, it's going to be so tight and we expect McLaren and Lando to be fast again," Horner added.
"Ferrari and Mercedes? Who knows. If you look at the gap to those guys after the race it was pretty similar to last year. The one who has stepped up is Lando."
Oleksandr Usyk has vacated the IBF heavyweight championship just five weeks after becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion with his win over Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian handed Fury his first professional defeat via a split decision last month to unify the WBC belt with his WBA, WBO and IBF titles.
The fighters are set to face off in a rematch in December and Usyk had requested he keep the IBF belt to make that contest another undisputed bout.
However, the IBF's rules dictated that Usyk had to be stripped of the title if he did not face mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois next.
Dubois is expected to face fellow Brit Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium on September 21, and that fight is now likely to be for the IBF championship.
Addressing Joshua and Dubois in an Instagram post, Usyk wrote: "The IBF belt is my present for you.
"Your friend, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Oleksandr Usyk."
Usyk was the first undisputed heavyweight champion since the turn of the century, with Lennox Lewis last achieving the feat in the three-belt era in 1999.
Adelaide Thunderbirds Head coach Tania Obst has lauded the work rate of Jamaican Latanya Wilson in the push to retain their title, as they dynamic defender consistently displays immense potential and versatility on a weekly basis in the Suncorp Super Netball League.
Obst’s praise for Wilson follows the Thunderbirds’ comprehensive 26-goal win over the Melbourne Mavericks last Saturday, which kept their spotless home record alive this season. In fact, that win not only pushed Thunderbirds up to second on the ladder, but more importantly, guaranteed them finals action in 2024.
The competitions best defence were at their stingy best once again, keeping the Mavericks to just 41 goals, and just 16 goals from a mere 20 attempts in the second half.
Mavericks fans might have expected their side to make inroads in the second quarter when Thunderbirds star and Jamaican goalkeeper Shamera Sterling-Humphrey left the court, but the equally dynamic, if undersized, Wilson stepped up to the plate.
Wilson looked more than comfortable in the goalkeeper bib, as she racked up four deflections, two gains, one rebound, one pickup and 32 Nissan Net Points across her 13-minute stint in the position.
Obst obviously would have preferred if Sterling-Humphrey did not have to leave the court, but she found a silver lining in Wilson’s move to the last line of defence.
Tania Obst
“Goalkeeper isn’t unfamiliar for her [Wilson]; she has played there,” Obst said, referencing Wilson’s previous playing experience outside the SSN.
“To be able to swing Latty [Wilson] back, gets Hannah (Petty) onto the court at wing defence and that allowed us to see some other things and get some more evidence around things we do really well with different combinations,” the coach added.
Wilson has been nothing short of incredible this season.
The 23-year-old sits second in the competition for intercepts on 38 and is in the top five for both deflections (65) and gains (65).
Obst pointed out that Wilson’s hunger to grow has been the main catalyst behind her step up this season.
Shamera Sterling-Humphrey left the court after getting knocked in the face.
“She is growing every time she hits the training track. She goes to training wanting to know what it is she’s working on and what does it (her role) look like for her this week. She just has an ability to be in the right position to be able to see where her player is as well as the ball,” Obst shared.
The Thunderbirds once again utilised their bench to its full capacity in the win over the Mavericks, something they have done weekly this season following their success with the same tactic last year.
Obst believes this flexibility represents a major part of their push for back-to-back premierships. Another Jamaican, Romelda Aiken-George has been leading the Thunderbirds attacking line.
“We have players now who have been together for a while. They have done the hard yards, years of work, not just this year, and that is starting to play to our strengths,” Obst noted.
“To be able to roll people on and off the court in different positions and it is pretty seamless, and to be able to push on every quarter is going to be a real strength of ours moving forward,” she declared.
Jose Ramirez hit a three-run homer and Gabriel Arias had three hits and three RBIs as the Cleveland Guardians won their seventh straight, 10-8 over the struggling Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
Bo Naylor fell a home run shy of the cycle and scored three runs as Cleveland collected 14 hits and went 7 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
Ramirez’s drive to center capped a five-run fourth that extended Cleveland’s lead to 8-4. With 237 homers, he’s now in sole possession of third place on the franchise’s career list.
The major league-leading Guardians used five relievers after Logan Allen was tagged for six runs and nine hits over three-plus innings.
Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his AL-best 25th save.
Jordan Westburg went 4 for 4 and Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, James McCann and Anthony Santander homered for the Orioles, who lost their season-high fifth straight.
Santander’s home run was his 12th this month, tying the club record for June shared by Boog Powell (1964), Rafael Palmeiro (1998), Albert Belle (2000) and Chris Davis (2013).
Surging Mets rough up Cole
Mark Vientos homered twice off Gerrit Cole and the New York Mets took the New York Yankees’ ace deep four times before holding on for a 9-7 victory in the first Subway Series matchup of the season.
Reed Garrett gave up Aaron Judge’s grand slam – his major league-leading 29th home run – in the eighth inning but worked a perfect ninth to preserve the Mets’ 10th win in 12 games.
Vientos led off the second with his first home run of the night and Harrison Bader connected against his former teammate one out later.
Vientos opened the fourth with another longball to extend the Mets’ lead to 4-0 and Brandon Nimmo’s two-run shot off Cole in the inning made it 6-0.
Cole allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings with four walks and no strikeouts in his second start of the season.
He surrendered a career-high five home runs at Minnesota on June 9, 2022.
Juan Soto also went deep for the Yankees, who have lost seven of nine but maintain a two-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East.
Padres’ Profar hits grand slam after benches empty
Jurickson Profar broke open the game with a grand slam after he was the focal point of a benches-clearing dustup and Manny Machado had a two-run homer as the San Diego Padres defeated the Washington Nationals 9-6.
With one out in the first inning, Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz jawed at Profar and put a hand on his shoulder just before his at-bat. Machado, who was on deck, then put a hand on Ruiz’s shoulder as he got in between them, and players and coaches from both teams swarmed onto the field.
Plate umpire Brian Walsh warned both teams, and Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore hit Profar with a pitch but wasn’t ejected.
Machado followed by taking Gore deep for a 2-0 lead.
Profar’s fourth career grand slam and second this season came in the sixth off Derek Law and extended the lead to 9-4.
The Nationals apparently felt Profar trolled them after hitting a walk-off, two-run single in the 10th inning in Monday’s 7-6 win.
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