The NFL has not yet made a decision on when, how or if the Buffalo Bills' game against the Cincinnati Bengals will be completed while "everything is being considered".
Monday's game was postponed after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed in the first quarter.
Hamlin had collided with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and suffered a cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated on the field, then rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
The Bills player has remained in hospital in critical condition, but the NFL has started to look at potential resolutions for the suspended game.
Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations for the NFL, ran through various considerations in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.
While looking at all options, Vincent said the league would be guided by Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
"My concern is making sure the men have what they need to function," Vincent added.
Sean McDermott set the tone for the response to Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest, according to Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor.
Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter of Monday's game against the Bengals following a collision with wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field, before being rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he has remained in critical condition.
An unprecedented incident saw the NFL community rally around Hamlin, although the procedure in the immediate aftermath was understandably unclear.
That was where Bills coach McDermott came in, Taylor has revealed, with his focus on supporting Hamlin as the game was suspended.
"I always knew Sean. We've never worked together, never had a meal together, but I had respect for him," Taylor said.
"Seeing the way he led his team deepened that respect for him and verified everything I thought he was about as a man."
He added: "I don't want to disclose any of the private conversations Sean and I had except this.
"When I got over there, the first thing he said was, 'I need to be at the hospital with Damar, I shouldn't be coaching this game'. That to me provides all the clarity.
"'Unprecedented' is the word that gets thrown around a lot in this situation, because that's what it is. In that moment, he really showed who he was.
"All his focus was just on Damar and being there for him, being there for his family, at the hospital.
"At that point, everything trended in the direction it needed to trend. The right decisions were made.
"I really felt Sean McDermott led in that moment. He was there for his players, he processed the right way, which was incredibly difficult, and really helped us get to the solution we needed to get to."
The Philadelphia Eagles still do not know if Jalen Hurts will play in Week 18, although the quarterback will take part in Wednesday's walkthrough.
Hurts has missed the Eagles' past two games with a shoulder injury, having been a leading NFL MVP contender in a 13-1 start to the season.
Philly have lost twice in the QB's absence, meaning fans are eager to see him back before the playoffs, with work still to do in their final regular season game to clinch the top seed in the NFC.
The Eagles play the New York Giants, another postseason team, but have not yet decided on Hurts' involvement.
"We'll still keep that day by day," said coach Nick Sirianni. "We don't have to make a decision yet.
"We'll see how the week goes and see how [Wednesday's] walkthrough goes. [On Thursday] we'll see a little bit more because we'll be doing more than a walkthrough, we'll be practicing, so we'll get a better idea."
Damar Hamlin remains in intensive care in critical condition but with "signs of improvement" noted on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills have said.
Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter of Monday's game between the Bills and the Bengals in Cincinnati following a collision with wide receiver Tee Higgins.
The safety suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field.
He was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he is said to have since been sedated on a ventilator.
As the NFL world has rallied around Hamlin, there have been positive updates from Hamlin's family regarding the 24-year-old's condition.
And the Bills offered more encouraging news on Wednesday in a post on their Twitter account.
It read: "Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday [Tuesday] and overnight.
"He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him."
Michael Smith considered himself darts' equivalent of Andy Murray after beating Michael van Gerwen to land his maiden world title triumph.
The 32-year-old claimed a 7-4 victory in Tuesday's thrilling PDC World Championship final at Alexandra Palace in London, which included a perfect nine-dart leg in the second set.
Smith, who had lost eight successive major finals before his breakthrough triumph at the Grand Slam of Darts in November, is now the world number one as a result of his victory.
He is just the 11th winner of the tournament in its 30-year history, with Phil Taylor having won it 14 times prior to his retirement in 2018.
And Smith believes there are parallels to tennis star Murray's memorable 2012 US Open final win against Novak Djokovic – his first of three grand slam triumphs after four final defeats.
"I'm like the Andy Murray of darts," Smith told Sky Sports. "He has come through with these three amazing players in [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and Djokovic.
"He managed to get Queen's and then won the US Open, Wimbledon, and Wimbledon again, and he had to work hard for that.
"I know he got to world number one and then, unluckily for him, he had his injuries, although it didn't cost him his career as he's still playing now."
Five different players have now had their name on darts' biggest trophy in the past six years, with Peter Wright the only multiple winner in that period.
"Back in the day it was Phil Taylor and someone who pushed him," Smith said. "Barney [Raymond van Barneveld] was there, Adie [Adrian Lewis] pushed him for a bit as well.
"Then Michael [Van Gerwen] came along, then you've got Gary Anderson, Peter Wright and Gez [Gerwyn Price].
"You've got really unbelievable players where anyone in the top 32 can win a TV title and it's not just Phil Taylor dominating the sport. The sport is wide open now, which is good."
Smith averaged 100.71 across the 11 sets, with that the highest in the World Championship final since Van Gerwen's 102.88 three years ago when losing to Wright (102.79).
Iga Swiatek dragged Poland into the semi-finals of the United Cup with inspired performances in her singles and doubles matches against Italy.
Poland trailed after Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Berrettini secured wins against Daniel Michalski and Hubert Hurkacz respectively, only for Swiatek and Magda Linette to level things with respective singles victories over Martina Trevisan and Lucia Bronzetti.
That sent the Brisbane city final to a decider in the mixed doubles, which Swiatek and Hurkacz won with ease 6-1 6-2 against Musetti and Camilla Rosatello, though there was a pause in the second set to dry rainfall on the court.
Despite defeat, Italy also advanced to the final four as the city finals loser with the best record.
It was more routine in Sydney as the United States eased to a 4-1 win against Great Britain.
Madison Keys came from a set down to beat Katie Swan, while Jessica Pegula eased past Harriet Dart 6-2 6-0 after Cameron Norrie had defeated Taylor Fritz in three sets.
Despite going a set behind, Frances Tiafoe came back to beat Dan Evans 3-6 7-5 6-3 to clinch the win for his country, before Pegula and Fritz added some gloss after beating Dart and Evans in the mixed doubles.
The third city final in Perth included a thriller as Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Borna Coric 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 7-5. Donna Vekic had no trouble getting Croatia on the board as she eased past Despina Papamichail 6-2 6-0.
Maria Sakkari put Greece 2-1 ahead when she beat Petra Martic 6-3 6-3, but Borna Gojo defeated Stefanos Sakellaridis in straight sets to make it 2-2.
However, Greece secured the win and their place in the last four after the pairing of Sakkari and Tsitsipas saw off Martic and Gojo 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
Greece will take on Italy in the semi-finals, while Poland face the USA, with both taking place in Sydney on Friday.
Daniil Medvedev cruised into the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International with a straight-sets victory over Miomir Kecmanovic on Wednesday.
The Russian, seeded third in South Australia, made short work of his Serbian opponent in a 6-0 6-3 win to reach the last eight with little hassle.
"It's always better to win 6-0 than to win 7-6 saving nine set points and playing one hour, 20 [minutes]," Medvedev said.
"But tennis is not as easy, otherwise everyone would be number one, but we have only one. So happy with my level today against a strong opponent. Second set was tougher, but managed to close it out at the end and looking forward to my next matches."
It sets up a match with countryman Karen Khachanov, who defeated Britain's Jack Draper in a 6-4 6-2 straight sets victory of his own at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre.
Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka will also compete in the quarter-finals after a 6-4 6-3 win over American Mackenzie McDonald, and will face home favourite Alexei Popyrin.
At the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune, top seed Marin Cilic needed to survive a second-set fightback from Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena before he progressed 6-3 3-6 6-1.
Aslan Karatsev meanwhile took a two-set thriller against Tim van Rijthoven, prevailing in a 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (10-8) triumph.
Novak Djokovic is set to miss the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open after the United States extended the requirement for all non-American nationals to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The 21-time grand slam winner was forced to sit out both tournaments last year, as well as other events in America and Canada, due to not being vaccinated.
Whereas many countries are relaxing vaccination requirements, meaning Djokovic is able to compete in this year's Australian Open, US travel authorities are asking for proof of being fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter the country until at least April 10.
That will see Djokovic sit out the prestigious Indian Wells between March 6 and March 19, and the Miami Open between March 20 and April 2.
Djokovic is currently competing in the Adelaide International, where he kicked off his season with a 6-3 6-2 win over Constant Lestienne on Tuesday, ahead of beginning his quest for a 10th Australian Open crown later this month.
The Serbian was deported from Australia this time last year after his visa was revoked due to his unvaccinated status and was initially banned from entering the country for three years, but that was waived in November.
Jon Rahm wants the PGA and DP World tours to collaborate in making a decision on the inclusion of LIV Golf players at this year's Ryder Cup.
A number of high-profile players have left both tours for LIV Golf since the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit's inception last year.
Henrik Stenson was stripped of the Europe captaincy in July after making the switch, with Ryder Cup veterans like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood among those in danger of being ruled ineligible, while the United States have ruled out the selection of LIV players.
Speaking ahead of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Rahm said it would not be smart to have a situation at the Ryder Cup – which takes place in Rome in September – where one team calls up LIV Golf players and the other does not.
"Listen, there's some people that are going to have to make some tough choices," he said. "I hope the PGA of America and European Tour make a decision together. I don't think it would be smart to have one team allowing LIV players and one not to.
"And besides that, even if they decide not to on that side, I think it's going to give an opportunity for a lot of great young players to show up and have the chance in Europe, right? It's just going to be an opportunity for all of them. We saw a younger United States team last Ryder Cup and they did what they did [beating Europe 19-9 in 2021].
"I'm hoping these younger guys who have grown up watching the Ryder Cup and seeing their idols do what they do, let's say, it energises the team a little bit in any manner and we show up there to win."
Rahm also joked about the "chaos" around the LIV Golf breakaway, saying: "I've had two kids in 15 months, so compared to that, I don't know if what's happened around golf is as comparable."
He insists it has not changed his perception of his fellow professionals, though, adding: "I didn't feel a difference in any of the majors last year. If somebody has a problem with LIV players, they're just not going to deal with them and that's about it.
"In my mind, like I've said it before, I respect their choice and the ones I was friends with before I'm still going to be friends with, right? It doesn't change the way I'm going to operate with them."
Rahm, a big football fan, was also asked for his opinion on the recent World Cup final that saw Argentina and Lionel Messi beat France on penalties after an exciting 3-3 draw in Qatar, which also featured Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick for Les Bleus.
"That final was incredible," he said. "I think I took more inspiration from Mbappe. He put the team on his back and tied a final that they had no business tying, let's be honest.
"And Messi, I mean, I've been watching Messi play for so long that it's amazing that he can still surprise a lot of people. When the debate of greatest of all time is up in the air, he does what he did and carried Argentina to a World Cup final.
"It's not my business to decide who is the best or who is not because I never saw [Diego] Maradona play, but he's made a pretty good argument.
"I don't know if I'll see a final this good ever again in my lifetime. I hope I do, but I doubt it. The only way this could have been better if it was Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo facing off and they each had a hat trick and things like that. Kylian being the next closest thing, because he's clearly the future of this sport."
Steve Borthwick will bring a "clarity" to England as their new boss, with defence coach Kevin Sinfield indicating they will prioritise memories over medals.
The duo departed Leicester Tigers last month, where they won the Premiership together, to take charge at Twickenham following Eddies Jones' exit.
With only an incoming Six Nations campaign and a handful of friendlies before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in September, the pair will immediately have their hands full.
But Sinfield is relishing the challenge, and has outlined how the two of them will strive to unite a side that struggled across a bruising November campaign.
"We will provide an environment where there is clarity, but also there is a togetherness and a fight and a spirit where they look after each other and care for each other," he told BBC Sport.
"That is really important to us. We need to have a system, we need to understand each other's roles within that, we need to understand within that we will get stuff wrong.
"But I think if they can understand that the things that are important in your career, [we will be alright].
"You can have a load of money and a load of medals, but ultimately the friendship and the memories are what is really, really important."
The second-in-command post with England marks a meteoric rise through the ranks for Sinfield, who cut his teeth as a player in rugby league with Leeds Rhinos.
Among the most successful players of the modern British game, he adds that he can feel the desire among his new charges, and that his role is to successfully translate it to the pitch.
"I think they are hungry; I've seen that over the last few days," he added. "I've sat in front of them and seen the sparkle in their eyes.
"I am learning every day and I don't think that ever stops. There is so much knowledge and rugby intelligence in our players.
"I need to tap into that too. To see the calibre of players we have available is really exciting."
Aryna Sabalenka secured a straight-sets win in her first match of 2023, but was made to work for it by Liudmila Samsonova at the Adelaide International.
The number two seed won 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-3), saving seven set points after going 5-1 down in the first set, before roaring back to take both tie-breaks.
Sabalenka will face Marketa Vondrousova in the quarter-finals, with the Czech having produced a dominant performance in a 6-0 6-4 win against Kaia Kanepi.
"When it's 1-5 down, it's like you have nothing to lose, and you just go for your shots without thinking," Sabalenka said.
"That really helped me to stay in the set, to keep fighting and to keep trying."
Fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova eased through after a 6-4 6-0 victory against Bianca Andreescu, while Marta Kostyuk also advanced with a hard-fought 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-3 win over Elena Rybakina.
At the ASB Classic in Auckland, second seed Sloane Stephens is out after falling to Rebeka Masarova.
Having been forced to resume on Wednesday after rain suspended play the previous day, Stephens struggled against her Spanish opponent, eventually losing 6-3 7-6 (7-5).
Fifth seed Wang Xiyu is also out after retiring from her match against Karolina Muchova, but seventh seed Danka Kovinic is through after a simple 6-1 6-4 win against Nao Hibino.
Kovinic will face Lauren Davis next after she overcame Tamara Zidansek 6-2 6-1, while fellow American Sofia Kenin will take on number one seed Coco Gauff in the last 16 after she beat Wang Xinyu in straight sets.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to make his performances so consistently brilliant that people become bored by him.
The Greece-born star scored a career-high 55 points in the Milwaukee Bucks' 123-113 win against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, while also claiming 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.8 points per game after 31 appearances for Milwaukee this season, with only Luka Doncic (34.3) and Joel Embiid (33.5) averaging more in the league.
"I want to get in a position... that my game is boring," Antetokounmpo said after the win. "I just do what I do and people don't talk about it because it becomes boring, I do it every single night.
"That's what I want to do. I want other people to feel like my game is boring. But I don't get bored. The greats, the best players, never get bored. They go out there and they always give their best any given night."
The 28-year-old also became the first player to average 45.0+ points, 15.0+ rebounds and 5.0+ assists per game over a three-game period since Wilt Chamberlain 59 years ago.
"He's been kind of playing with this kind of determination, this kind of just willing us in games," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Tonight we were able to win it. He's just been phenomenal."
Brooks Lopez, who scored 21 points along with 12 rebounds and three assists, claimed there were not enough words available to describe his team-mate.
"He's just constantly improving," Lopez said. "When you think where else can he go and how else can he improve, he just improves again. We're going to have to expand the English language in some way to come up with words [to describe him].
"I don't know if I've said that before, but I'm sure he's going to improve again. Who knows what he's going to do next? He's just so otherworldly."
Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan reserved special praise for Quinton Byfield after the youngster helped his team to a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars.
After placing forward Arthur Kaliyev on injured reserve last week, Byfield was promoted from the Kings' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
The 20-year-old – who was the No. 2 overall pick for the Kings in the 2020 draft – claimed an assist in Tuesday's contest at Crypto.com Arena, with goals on the night coming from forwards Rasmus Kupari, Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.
Speaking after the win, McLellan outlined his admiration for Byfield's all-round performance, saying: "I thought he had a tremendous game. He's always been fast and quick, but he really used his body to his advantage.
"He stripped pucks, he created and loosened up pucks for his linemates, backchecking, he caught people from behind, he was responsible defensively and he set up a number of offensive plays.
"To me, that was as good a game as we've seen from Q all year and he had some good ones at the beginning. Real positive sign for him."
Although beaten twice in the contest, first by Miro Heiskanen and then Jason Robertson, Kings goaltender Pheonix Copley made 28 saves as his team produced their seventh win from their last nine games.
"The game as a whole was very competitive," McLellan said. "It was a hard, heavy, physical – not always big hits – but just the battles for loose pucks and for ice, it had a big forecheck component to it.
"That part of it and for us to play the way we did, a lot of things we had to fix from the last time we were in Dallas and I thought we accomplished some of that."
The Kings are now 22-13-6 for the season and sit second in the Pacific Division on 50 points, but their coach is only looking as far as the next game, which comes at home to the Boston Bruins on Friday before a trip to the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, who sit four points ahead of L.A.
"I think we can be [a 100 point team], we're working towards that, but our goal is to become a 52 point team," McLellan added.
"I know that's not what you want to hear but the team coming in here on Thursday, what are they shooting for, their 70th point, that's the type of challenge that we have.
"Then the next game after that, we've got to go into Las Vegas and play and then after that we have Edmonton coming in. So, this string of games right now, every night is a big battle and I think if we start thinking about big numbers and chunks, it's not going to do us any good. One at a time."
Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his red-hot form on Tuesday as he scored a season-high 55 points in the Milwaukee Bucks' 123-113 win over the Washington Wizards.
His 55-point outburst on 20-of-33 shooting – including an impressive 15-of-16 at the free throw line – comes after games of 43 points and 20 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, and 45 points, 22 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
In doing so, Antetokounmpo became the first player since Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 to average at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists over a three-game span.
He added 10 rebounds and seven assists against the Wizards, while fellow defensive stalwart Brook Lopez was also terrific. Lopez scored 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking six shots.
His 2.7 blocks per game is the best figure among those who have qualified for the league leaderboard by playing at least 70 per cent of their team's games, although Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr is averaging 3.1 blocks in his 20 appearances.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo boosted his scoring average to 32.8, placing him third in the league, and he is also third in rebounding at 11.8 per game.
With the win, the Bucks are now 24-13, which is tied with the Denver Nuggets for the third-best record overall.
Thunder shock the Celtics
The Oklahoma City Thunder produced one of the more unlikely performances of the season as they broke their franchise scoring record with a 150-117 home win against the league-leading Boston Celtics.
Making the feat even more impressive was the fact that the Thunder were without franchise player and the NBA's fifth-leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after he was a late withdrawal due to an illness.
OKC were led by Josh Giddey with 25 points (10-of-15 shooting), five rebounds, five assists and two steals as one of five Thunder players to score at least 20.
The 150 points is the second-most the Celtics have ever conceded in a game as Oklahoma City piled on quarters of 34, 40, 48 and 28 in a completely one-sided contest.
Fox delivers game-winner for the Kings
De'Aaron Fox nailed a game-winning lay-up with under one second remaining to give the Sacramento Kings a 117-115 road win against the Utah Jazz.
Fox led all scorers with 37 points on 15-of-22 shooting, adding six assists, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
He was supported strongly by two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who had 21 points (eight-of-13), 14 rebounds and eight assists to help the Kings into the Western Conference's fifth seed as they seek to break the NBA's longest active playoff drought (2006).
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will be reevaluated in three weeks he suffered a right hamstring strain during Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the team announced Tuesday.
Late in the third quarter of Monday’s game, Williamson grabbed a defensive rebound and began pushing the ball in transition, before pulling up sharply as he crossed mid-court, holding his hamstring.
He was evaluated in the locker room by the team’s training staff and did not return to the game.
Imaging on Tuesday revealed a strain that will keep him off the floor until late this month at the earliest.
Williamson’s absence will be a blow to a New Orleans club that has been without co-star Brandon Ingram since November 25 because of a left toe injury.
Despite Ingram’s injury, the Pelicans began Tuesday with the third-best record in the Western Conference at 23-14.
Ingram has begun doing individual shooting drills and appears nearing a return, but C.J. McCollum will likely be asked to carry the offensive load in the meantime.
Larry Nance Jr. would be the most obvious candidate to step into Williamson’s forward spot in the starting lineup, but he has played in just two of the past eight games due to a neck contusion and soreness in his right Achilles tendon. Third-year forward Naji Marshall may fill that role until Nance can return.
Dominant when on the court, Williamson has had his young pro career marred – and perhaps defined – by a series of injuries that have kept him on the sidelines. Since being drafted first overall in 2019, Williamson has played just 114 games, and he missed all of last season with a fractured right foot.
Williamson is averaging 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season in 29 games.
Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins said the entire team is "devastated" after witnessing team-mate Damar Hamlin suffer a cardiac arrest during Monday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hamlin was administered emergency CPR on the field before being loaded into an ambulance and rushed to hospital, with the game being suspended halfway through the first quarter.
The Bills confirmed he is currently sedated and in a critical condition, while Hamlin's uncle Dorrian Glenn told NFL Network that his nephew is on a ventilator.
Speaking to CNN, Dawkins reflected on the frightening moment when he realised this was not a normal situation.
"I seen Tre [Tre’Davious White] turn around, I seen Dane [Jackson] sprint over towards him," he said.
"You see the medical staff doing their job, when things like this are going on and they’re waving really fast and calling for the elite medical staff, that’s when we realised something is really really wrong.
"In that moment you kind of just realise you really can’t take anything for granted. It’s just a drastic state… you’re thinking 'what can I do?'
"It immediately breaks you down into prayer, whether you’re a believer or not. In that moment you kind of just have to be vulnerable."
He went on to discuss the risks each player takes every time they step on the field.
"All of us out there, we’re giving our lives to this game," he said. "Not one second of our life is promised, this play has shown this.
"This play has taken a 24-year-old man to his knee and he’s fighting. This is real life. Football is real, it takes 100 percent to play this game. He gives it his all and he’s still giving it his all to this second.
"Damar is a fighter and he’s going to keep fighting. He’s gonna make it and he’s going to just keep pushing."
He added: "We are all devastated, it’s a shock to all of us. It’s a dramatically unique thing that has happened.
"We’re all going through it together. We’re all handling it in different ways."
The Brooklyn Nets will look to extend their winning streak to 13 games when they travel to take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Brooklyn's current 12-game run is the best streak in the NBA this season, and they are showing no signs of slowing down, with their past two victories against the San Antonio Spurs (139-103) and the Charlotte Hornets (123-106) coming by a combined 53 points.
Over that 12-game span, the Nets have gapped the field as the best offensive team in the league. In fact, their 124.2 points per 100 possessions is 6.0 points better than the second-placed Portland Trail Blazers (118.2).
That gap is greater than the distance between the Trail Blazers and the 24th-ranked Minnesota Timberwolves (112.9).
Their offensive firepower has been ignited by some unbelievable, and perhaps unsustainable efficiency by their All-NBA duo.
Over the past 12 games, Kevin Durant is shooting 59.2 per cent from the field – well above his career-best field goal percentage of 53.7 from his 2016-17 and 2020-21 campaigns. It is the same story for Kyrie Irving, who has led the team with 29.3 points at 54.3 per cent shooting, which would both comfortably set new career-highs.
The all-time record for team three-point percentage in a season belongs to the 1996-97 Charlotte Hornets at 42.7 per cent, while during this stretch the Nets have shot the three-ball at an unprecedented 44.2 per cent.
Unless that pair – who are both in their 30s – as well as the Nets as a whole are truly about to shatter their own personal and franchise records, they will, at some point, have to come back down to earth.
However, there is no indication the Bulls will be the team equipped to stand in their way.
During the Nets' winning streak, the Bulls have had the third-worst defense in the NBA, conceding 119.2 points per 100 possessions.
A big part of that has been their inability to rebound and finish off their defensive possessions. They are allowing 16.8 second-chance points per game – the second-most – while at the same time being the league's worst offensive rebounding team, grabbing only 21.9 per cent of their own misses.
The Bulls have also been the absolute worst team in the league at restricting three-pointers, allowing an average of 15.7 made threes per game at an efficient 38.6 per cent.
But while the three-pointer has been the Nets' best friend and the Bulls' worst enemy, it is also the most volatile method of scoring, and teams will generally regress to the mean over the course of an 82-game season.
It means the Nets will not keep shooting this well, and the Bulls will not continue to get lit up from long range at this rate – and while it is impossible to predict when things will begin to swing in the opposite direction, both teams are due for a change of fortune.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Brooklyn Nets – Kyrie Irving
While Durant is the Nets' undisputed best player, Irving is the X-factor, and his strong games generally coincide with wins.
Irving is shooting 52.6 per cent from the field and 43.7 per cent from deep in the 18 wins he has been a part of, while those figures plummet to 44.9 per cent from the field and 24.7 per cent on three-pointers in his nine losses.
Chicago Bulls – Zach Lavine
It is a similar story for the Bulls, who have DeMar DeRozan as their consistent centrepiece, but rely on Zach Lavine to bring the additional firepower to a team lacking in three-point threats.
For the season, the Bulls are hitting just 10.6 three-pointers per game – the fourth-worst figure in the league – but in the 15 wins Lavine has played in he has hit 3.5 threes per game at a red-hot 46.1 per cent clip. It is a stark difference to his 2.2 made threes at 30.6 per cent in his 18 losses.
KEY BATTLE – Who can control the paint?
It seems clear that whoever catches fire from long range will likely emerge victorious, but with so much volatility attached to high-volume three-point shooting, it may come down to whichever team gets the easiest baskets.
A diet of lay-ups, dunks and free throws will always be the most sustainable form of offense, and the Nets are a team that lack much true size beyond starting center Nic Claxton.
If Bulls center Nikola Vucevic can impose his will on Claxton early and perhaps get him into foul trouble, it could open up the paint and force Ben Simmons to play extended minutes as the Nets' primary rim protector, which is not where he shines defensively.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Bulls have won three of their past four meetings with the Nets, including the most recent fixture on November 1, coming away 108-99 victors after holding Irving to just four points.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be without their franchise player for Tuesday's home game against the Boston Celtics after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out due to an illness.
Gilgeous-Alexander, 24, is in the midst of a breakout season that has him the favourite for the Most Improved Player award.
After averaging 24.5 points per game this past season on shooting splits of 45/30/81, the Canadian has jumped up to 30.8 points per game on 49/35/91 to sit fifth in scoring.
Almost a lock for his first All-Star appearance this season, Gilgeous-Alexander has helped his relatively mediocre Thunder team to a 10-9 home record, although they are 5-12 on the road, leaving them with the sixth-worst record in the league at 15-21.
On the flip-side, the Celtics own the league's best record at 26-11, and the league's best offense, scoring 117.2 points per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, the Thunder are way down with the 24th-ranked offense (110.5) despite Gilgeous-Alexander playing all but three games.
Michael Smith wants to "take over the sport" after becoming world champion for the first time with a stunning 7-4 victory over Michael van Gerwen in an epic final on Tuesday.
Smith is a two-time runner-up at Alexandra Palace, having been beaten in the 2019 and 2022 finals by Van Gerwen and Peter Wright respectively, but he finally got over the line with a stunning display in which he hit a nine-dart finish - only the second time that has been done in a PDC World Championship final.
After Van Gerwen won the opening set, they took a leg each in the second before an extraordinary third leg, with the Dutchman missing double 12 for a nine-dart finish, only for Smith to step up to the oche and take out 141 for the nine-darter himself and send the crowd into ecstasy.
The match continued to be a topsy-turvy affair, with Van Gerwen looking to have seized control by taking a three sets to one lead, only for Smith to roar back and win four sets on the spin to open up a 6-3 advantage.
Van Gerwen pulled it back to 6-4, but Smith sunk in double-eight with the 11th set tied at two apiece to win the title, as well as become world number one.
Asked how being described as a world champion sounded, Smith told Sky Sports: "[It] sounds amazing. I don't want to start getting into the crying and emotions.
"Michael let me off there, and for once I finally took a chance I didn't deserve. I want to apologise to Michael, I've been in that position.
"It's 1-1 now in the worlds. I took my chances, but he knows and I do that it won't be the last world final between us. He is the best player in darts, I've said it for years, and you have to take your chances and I finally did that.
"I want to do what this man has [Van Gerwen] done, I want to take over the sport."
Smith says the crowd spurred him on to hit the incredible nine-dart finish, explaining: "I didn't hit a nine-darter in practice today but I keep going 180, 180, miss, so I thought, 'Do one now, give the crowd what they deserve.'
Van Gerwen was humble in defeat after missing out on the opportunity to become a four-time world champion, stating: "He played really well. I had my chances, we all know that.
"When you don't hit them, he'll throw everything at you. You can only blame yourself, but it doesn’t take anything away [from Smith] because he played brilliantly all the way through.
"I wasn't what I wanted to be, but that’s part of the game and you have to take it on the chin.
"It's part of the job unfortunately. When we celebrate it's a nice job, and when we lose games it's hard. We all know that."
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