Giannis Antetokounmpo was not surprised the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics due to his team's approach to Thursday's game and warned their rivals would "kick our a**" again if they repeated the performance.
The Bucks retain a two-game lead over the Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference but suffered a humbling 140-99 defeat in the teams' final meeting of the regular season.
Milwaukee will expect to meet Boston again in the playoffs, and Antetokounmpo hopes they will "change some stuff" for that matchup.
He bemoaned the Bucks' attitude in their home loss, saying: "We know what the deal is. It's not hard to understand. If you're not focused, if you don't play hard, they're going to kick our a**. Simple as that.
"There's no level of concern. It's a fact. Now you have this in your head, and it's up to us to see how we're going to deal with it.
"Are we going to go and play the same way? If we play the same way, we'll have the same outcome.
"We've got to change some stuff. We've got to compete. We've got to have some pride."
The Celtics have lost ground in a month in which they have gone 9-6 – to the Bucks' 11-5 – following a number of unexpected defeats.
But Boston continue to respond well to those setbacks, the latest being this week's loss at an undermanned Washington Wizards.
"We've been pretty consistent all year long for the most part," said two-time All-Star Jaylen Brown. "We probably should be closer to 60 wins at this point, but we're a better team than we were last year. We've won more games than we did last year.
"Overall, we haven't dropped the ball; we might have lost some games, but we haven't let a bad game turn into a bad two weeks or a bad month. We've been able to bounce back."
Nikola Jokic sat out the Denver Nuggets' loss to the New Orleans Pelicans as an "ultra cautious" step to protect the two-time MVP ahead of the NBA playoffs.
The Nuggets were beaten 107-88 and have lost their last four matches in which Jokic did not play. He missed this one with a calf injury that appears to be a minor problem.
On this occasion, Denver turned in a largely shabby display in the home loss, proving especially dire from three-point range where their 4-of-28 shooting pointed to a clear deficiency.
Sitting top of the Western Conference, three games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver could afford to let Thursday's game get away from them.
The playoffs are approaching, so it was a night where coach Michael Malone felt Jokic needed a rest.
When assessing afterwards how the game went so badly wrong for the Nuggets, Malone said: "Well, Nikola didn't play."
He expanded on his reasons, but it is clear Jokic's unavailability was a major factor behind the team's performance.
Once again, Jokic is a leading contender for MVP honours, chasing a hat-trick of consecutive individual accolades.
The 28-year-old Serbian is averaging 24.9 points per game, plus 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists, and it looks to be between him and Joel Embiid for MVP, albeit with Giannis Antetokounmpo a potential dark horse.
Malone, quoted in the Denver Post, said before the game began it was a smart move to give Jokic a rest, following his triple-double against the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the week.
"Yeah, I think it's just been something kind of brewing a little bit," said Malone.
"He was able to get through the Philadelphia game. In practice yesterday he didn't do a whole lot. Obviously, being ultra cautious with where we're at in the season. If there's any doubt, we're going to definitely err on the side of caution with seven games remaining in the regular season."
After his record-breaking 2022 season, there was no one more fitting to hit the first home run of the 2023 campaign than Aaron Judge as the New York Yankees won 5-0 over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
Judge, who blasted an American League single-season record 62 home runs last season, lit up Opening Day with the first home-run shot of 2023 in the first inning at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees outfielder needed only two pitches before launching Logan Webb's sinker over the center-field wall. Judge's blast had an exit velocity of 109.3 mph and traveled 422 feet according to Statcast projections.
Gerrit Cole did the rest on the mound, recording an Opening Day franchise record 11 strikeouts across six scoreless innings.
Gleyber Torres creamed a two-run blast in the fourth inning to open up a 3-0 lead, while Torres scored again from a D.J. LeMahieu single in the seventh.
Judge chimed in with a broken-bat RBI single in the same inning, with Jose Trevino scoring, securing a 5-0 win and initiating "M-V-P!" chants from the home crowd.
Top prospect Anthony Volpe also got a rousing reception from the Yankees faithful, finishing 0-2 with a walk in his maiden start at shortstop.
Jays edge Cards in 19-run, 34-hit epic
The Toronto Blue Jays edged the St Louis Cardinals 10-9 in a wild 19-run 34-hit Opening Day classic where Vladimir Guerrero Jr played a key role.
Guerrero brought home the decisive run with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly for new addition Kevin Kiermaier to score the go-ahead run. Guerrero finished with three RBIs from two hits.
Alejandro Kirk had helped the Jays to a 3-0 first-inning lead with a two-run single on a line drive, after Daulton Varsho drove in George Springer on a double.
The chaotic contest saw the Jays become the first MLB team to allow a go-ahead run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings on the road and still win since the Boston Red Sox in 1938.
Ohtani sends down 10 Ks in Angels defeat
Shohei Ohtani took the unusual step of calling his own pitches, sending down 10 strikeouts, but it was not enough for the Los Angeles Angels in a 2-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
Ohtani threw six shutout innings, allowing only two hits, but the A's capitalized after he exited, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory, scoring two at the bottom of the eighth.
Tony Kemp doubled on a fly ball past Mike Trout in center field with Esteury Ruiz scoring, before Aledmys Diaz's line drive drove in Kemp.
Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe produced a moment of magic in the fifth inning with a no-look catch, leaving Ohtani stunned.
The Boston Celtics produced a stunning 140-99 blowout on the road against the full-strength Milwaukee Bucks in Thursday's potential Eastern Conference Finals preview.
Although the Bucks did roll out their full team, they were playing their third game in four days and were on the second leg of a back-to-back, and their fatigue showed in a horrible first half defensively.
The Celtics piled on 34 points in the first quarter, and added another 41 in the second to open up a commanding 75-47 lead at half-time. Instead of coming out of the locker room with extra intensity, the Bucks proceeded to give up another 39 in the third period to kill the game.
Boston's All-Star duo were nearly faultless, led by Jayson Tatum's 40 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He finished eight-of-10 from three-point range, and a perfect eight-of-eight from the free throw line while adding eight rebounds and zero turnovers.
Jaylen Brown was just as impressive as he made his way to 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting with five rebounds, five assists and just one turnover, while Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon chipped in 14 points (six-of-13), five assists and four steals off the bench.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo led his side with 24 points and seven rebounds through three quarters before sitting out the last, although he was a disappointing 11-of-27 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts.
The win pulled the Celtics (53-24) to within two games of the Bucks (55-22) in the race for the Eastern Conference's top seed, and for the best record in the league.
Ingram shows recent improvement is no fluke
New Orleans Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram has performed at an All-NBA level since the All-Star break and continued to shine in a 107-88 triumph over the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets.
Ingram, 25, posted the first triple-double of his career last Thursday and followed it with a career-high 13 assists on Saturday, and he now has his second triple-double after 31 points (13-of-22), 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Nuggets.
Across his past eight games, Ingram is averaging 29.6 points, 8.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 51.8 per cent from the field and 48 per cent from deep.
The result improved the Pelicans' record to 39-38, leapfrogging the Minnesota Timberwolves into the Western Conference's seventh seed, with Zion Williamson's return potentially imminent after working out on-court prior to Thursday's game.
Elena Rybakina is now one win away from completing the Sunshine Double after defeating Jessica Pegula 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in Thursday's Miami Open semi-final.
Only four women have ever claimed the Sunshine Double – which requires winning both the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open. Steffi Graf did it in both 1994 and 1996, Kim Clijsters did it in 2005, Victoria Azarenka accomplished the feat in 2016 and current world number one Iga Swiatek did it just 12 months ago.
Rybakina sent a message to the tennis world as she knocked out both world number one Iga Swiatek and world number two Aryna Sabalenka to take home the Indian Wells crown, and she has carried that form into Miami.
After prevailing in three-setters against Anna Kalinskaya and Paula Badosa, the Kazakhstan representative has now rattled off consecutive straight sets victories against Elise Mertens, Martina Trevisan and Pegula to extend her winning streak to 13 matches.
Against Pegula, Rybakina served 11 aces to the American's one, and in the process she became the first woman to serve at least 10 aces during five matches in the same tournament since Serena Williams back at Wimbledon in 2016.
By securing the first-set tiebreaker, Rybakina claimed her tour-leading seventh tiebreaker win of the season, with a perfect 7-0 record.
She will meet the winner between Petra Kvitova and Sorana Cirstea in the final after the Czech veteran emerged victorious 6-4 3-6 6-3 in her quarter-final against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The neck-and-neck contest saw Kvitova only narrowly edge the total point count 96-91, but she created nine break points to Alexandrova's six.
Kvitova, 33, is now one win away from her 41st WTA singles final, where she would be seeking her 30th WTA title, and her ninth at the WTA 1000 level. It would be her first at this level since the 2018 Madrid Open, following defeats in the finals of the 2019 Dubai Championships, the 2020 Qatar Open and the 2022 Cincinnati Open.
Justin Lower leads the Valero Texas Open through nine holes with play suspended due to darkness as Padraig Harrington and Matt Kuchar joined the group one stroke behind on Thursday.
The opening round was called off early in fading light, with play having been delayed numerous times in the morning due to fog in South Texas.
Lower, 33, got through the first half of his round, managing an eagle on the par-five 14th hole along with three birdies for a five under start.
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, 51, wound back the clock in his 333rd start in his 28th season. The Irishman, playing in familiar conditions, carded a four-under 68 with six birdies.
Fellow veteran Matt Kuchar had a similar round with six birdies and two bogeys for a four-under 68 to be tied for second.
The 44-year-old American and Harrington are alongside South Africa's M.J. Daffue, Mexico's Roberto Diaz and USA's Patrick Rodgers.
Fresh from winning last week's Corales Puntacana Championship, Matt Wallace is in a group of eight players, including Canada's Corey Conners (through nine holes), one stroke behind at three under overall.
Pre-tournament favourite Tyrrell Hatton only got through 10 holes to be two under, while Rickie Fowler and defending champion J.J Spaun were both even after 11 holes.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz made it 10 wins in a row in Miami and kept alive his hopes of a rare Sunshine Double as he beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets in Thursday's quarter-finals.
Alcaraz swept aside the 2022 Indian Wells champion 6-4 6-2 in a lopsided Miami Open contest which lasted only 79 minutes, with the Spaniard breaking Fritz in the opening game of both sets.
Both players hit 20 winners, including 11 each on their respective forehands, but Fritz almost doubled Alcaraz' unforced errors count (28-13).
The 19-year-old was impressive from the baseline and overwhelmed Fritz in the end. The American only won 38 per cent on his second serve.
Alcaraz, who won the Indian Wells title a fortnight ago, remains on track to become the eighth male to win the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami), with Roger Federer the last to achieve that in 2017.
The Spaniard would join Federer (2005, 2006, 2017), Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016), Andre Agassi (2001), Marcelo Rios (1998), Pete Sampras (1994), Michael Chang (1992) and Jim Courier (1991) in achieving the Sunshine Double.
Alcaraz will take on Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, after the duo faced off in the Indian Wells last four a fortnight ago, with the Spaniard winning in straight sets.
In-form Daniil Medvedev progressed to the semi-finals with a 6-3 7-5 victory over American qualifier Chrstopher Eubanks, who had enjoyed a dream run in Miami.
Medvedev has a 27-3 record this season and will pursue a fifth straight ATP Tour final when he takes on compatriot Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals.
Khachanov, who made this year's Australian Open semi-finals, defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 6-2 in 76 minutes.
Daniil Medvedev says he has never started a season this well before following his 27th victory of the year to secure his place in the Miami Open semi-finals on Thursday.
The Russian world number five prevailed over American qualifier Christopher Eubanks 6-3 7-5 to qualify for the Miami semis after falling in the last eight in both 2021 and 2022.
Medvedev's progress comes after his 19-match winning run was ended in the Indian Wells Open final by Carlos Alcaraz a fortnight ago.
The 27-year-old has now won 22 of his past 23 matches and is 27-3 on the season, having won titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai and is now chasing a fifth straight appearance in an ATP Tour final.
"I have never had such a good start to the season," Medvedev said. "A lot of matches won, tournaments won. I am really happy.
"I was disappointed at Indian Wells when my streak ended on the same number as last time. The only thing you can do is begin a new streak and I am happy to bring my form into Miami."
Medvedev will rise up to fourth in the ATP rankings if he lifts the Miami title, with the incumbent Casper Ruud suffering a third-round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp earlier this week.
The 2021 US Open champion is clear atop the ATP standings for most match wins in 2023, with his 27 well ahead of the next best, Cameron Norrie (21-5).
The Russian, who will take on countryman Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals, credited work with mental coaches for his improvement in 2023.
"That's something I want to improve," he said. "For example, talking about Indian Wells, I had my tantrums, which it's not good.
"It can throw you out from the concentration, and it's not a good look anyway, but I managed to still win matches and still be concentrated during those matches."
On the Khachanov match-up, which he leads 3-1 on head-to-head, he added: "I think maybe just a little bit you have to kind of force yourself even more to be focused, and when I say this, it's just because they know your game so well and you know theirs so well.
"I'm almost sure we know how the match is going to go tomorrow, and it's a question of who's going to make the best shot out of [the shots] we're going to play."
Offseason acquisition Justin Verlander has been placed on the New York Mets injured list with a low grade muscle strain near his pitching shoulder.
The Mets made the announcement on Thursday, the Opening Day of the 2023 MLB season, citing a "low grade teres major strain" with the 40-year-old reigning Cy Young Award winner to be reevaluated next week.
Verlander will be able to continue to throw at "moderate intensity" in the meantime, with the pitcher seeking treatment on the issue after Wednesday's bullpen session where his velocity fell.
"This isn't best-case scenario," Verlander told reporters in Miami where he was scheduled to pitch on Saturday against the Marlins. "But I would think this is probably second-best case. Very minimal."
The 2022 World Series champion, who crossed from the Houston Astros in the offseason, said the issue had been lingering.
"Looking back, it's something that was lingering, but it's spring training and it's very normal to work through stuff, so I didn’t give it much credence," Verlander said. "I just thought it was something I was working through. My last start was able to go out and pitch through that, so I got over that hurdle.
"In my bullpen yesterday, I still felt a tiny bit of something. When I looked back, when I thought I was over it and still felt something, I connected the dots and my velocity was down a bit in my last start.
"That was the main thing where I was like 'well something's going on to cause my velocity to be down one or two miles an hour'.
"I've dealt with a lat [lateral injury] before a couple times in my career. It's not something to mess around with at all. I missed three months one time. In my mind it was to be prudent and smart and get it looked at."
Verlander finished 18-4 in a near career-best 2022 season, posting a 1.75 ERA in 175 innings for the Astros. He joined the Mets after they lost Jacob deGrom in a free agency move to the Texas Rangers.
The right-hander watched on from the dugout as the Mets opened their season on Thursday with a 5-3 win over the Marlins.
The New York Knicks will be without Julius Randle for the rest of the regular season as he races to heal from an ankle injury before the playoffs.
The All-Star was hurt in Wednesday's 101-92 win over the Miami Heat, after his left leg landed on Heat center Bam Adebayo's left foot as he pulled down a rebound with 2:40 remaining in the second quarter. He was ruled out at half-time.
Randle, who leads the Knicks in both scoring (25.1 points per game) and rebounding (10.0), has played all 77 games this season, but will miss the final five after the team announced he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The timeframe means he would be unavailable for the play-in tournament, but crucially the Knicks (44-33) sit four games clear of the seventh seed Miami Heat (40-37).
Two weeks from now would be just two days before the first round of the playoffs are due to begin, and it appears likely the Knicks would begin their playoff run on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference's four-five matchup.
It has been a great bounceback season from Randle, who was named to the All-NBA Second Team back in 2021, before his points dropped from 24.1 to 20.1 with all his percentages falling off a cliff in 2022.
The introduction of point guard Jalen Brunson has breathed new life into New York, and has made Randle's job far easier.
With his new partner-in-crime, Randle has set career-highs in scoring, free throw makes and attempts, three-point makes and attempts, and his 46.0 per cent mark from the field matches his best percentage since arriving with the Knicks, all on career-high volume.
The third staging of the Sandals Foundation Golf and Jerk Festival is expected to bring together over 100 of the island’s best golfers competing for Sandals and Beaches Resorts stays and an extraordinary two Hole-In-One bonus prizes of JMD$2million cash and a 2023 Kia Sportage.
Set for the Sandals Upton Estate Golf and Country Club in St. Ann on Saturday, May 6, 2023, the event, which is a fundraiser for the philanthropic arm, will support the Port Maria Hospital and the continued development of the Care for Kids Junior Golf programme.
“This festival reinforces our mandate to not only create opportunities for our young people to thrive through sports but it also connects them to a larger responsibility to give back to those in need,” says Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation.
“With proceeds this year going towards the purchase of security systems for the Port Maria Hospital, we are making a solid investment in ensuring our medical professionals, staff and patients are in a safe and secure environment.”
The jerk competition will see 12 teams of two compete for a grand prize of $50,000 while the golf tournament will take on a four-person scramble with at least one junior player independently chosen or selected from the foundation’s Care for Kids Junior Golf Programme.
“We are proud of our junior golfers who are learning great discipline through the sport and opening avenues to represent Jamaica on the international arena. We want to provide them and other young golfers a place at the table to showcase their skills and compete with the best of the best,” said Clarke.
Already its organizers have accomplished an extraordinary feat pulling in two Hole-In-One prizes with United States based golf and utilities company, Tropicars offering over JMD$4 million cash with a 50/50 split towards the winner and the charities. The second Hole-In-One comes from ATL Automotive with the stunning 2023 Kia Sportage up for the take.
A host of prestigious local partners has also joined the bill including Best Dressed Chicken, CPJ, Rainforest, Starbucks, Wisynco, and AC Hotels.
Registration for Golf Teams is US$500 with a 10 per cent early bird discount up to April 16. Interested Jerk chefs can register at $10,000 per team.
For more information, contact Johnny Newnham This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Natasha Burnett This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Alabama All-American forward Brandon Miller will enter the NBA draft.
The decision, which was reported on Thursday, comes as no surprise for the 20-year-old Miller, who excelled on the basketball court but was also associated with a major off-the-court situation as he was involved in a fatal shooting in January.
A projected top-5 pick in the draft, the 6-foot-9 Miller averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds while connecting on 38 per cent of his shots from 3-point range in leading Alabama to the SEC regular-season and conference title.
He helped the Crimson Tide to their first No.1 ranking in The AP poll in 20 years and first No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A groin injury late in the season slowed his production in the NCAA Tournament, and Alabama were ousted by San Diego State in the Sweet 16.
Miller played in all 37 games for Alabama this past season despite his involvement with a fatal shooting on January 15.
According to police testimony, Miller brought the gun belonging to former Alabama player Darius Miles to Miles, and Miles and another man were charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
Miller’s attorney said Miller never handled the gun and did not know Miles' intension.
Miller was never charged with a crime and was not punished by the team.
The decision by Crimson Tide coach Nate Oates to allow Miller to continue to play as the school was in the midst of an historic season was criticised by countless pundits.
Novak Djokovic looks set to appear at the 2023 US Open after the United States Senate passed a bill to end COVID-19 restrictions.
The 22-time grand slam champion last competed in the tournament two years ago, losing to Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the final.
He missed the 2022 edition because he had not been vaccinated against coronavirus, with the USA making vaccines a requirement for international travellers arriving in the country from November 8, 2021.
Djokovic was also absent for the 2022 Australian Open as he was deported from the country after immigration officials cancelled his visa because of the Serbian's unvaccinated status.
He returned to Melbourne Park at the start of this year and won a 10th Australian Open title – he will be hoping for a similar impact at Flushing Meadows after his return moved a step closer to reality.
On Wednesday, the US Senate voted in favour of ending the COVID-19 national emergency declared in March 2020, meaning the bill is now set to be considered by President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign.
As such, Djokovic will – assuming he is not ruled out for other reasons – be able to compete at this year's tournament, which is due to begin on August 28.
The news will surely come as major boost to Djokovic, who has already been prevented from entering US-based tournaments in 2023.
The 35-year-old was denied clearance to enter the US earlier in March ahead of Indian Wells and the Miami Open, with his application for special permission turned down by officials.
Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes will require the rest of the Formula One campaign to get into a position where they can challenge early pacesetters Red Bull.
Red Bull have started the 2023 season with back-to-back one-twos, with Max Verstappen triumphing at the Bahrain Grand Prix and Sergio Perez winning in Saudi Arabia last time out.
Mercedes, meanwhile, sit third in the constructors' championship having started a second consecutive year off the pace, with Hamilton posting successive fifth-place finishes.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton was pessimistic about his team's chances of matching Red Bull in the short term.
"It is going to take us the rest of the year to potentially close that gap," the seven-time world champion said.
"If you look at the Red Bull, it is just going to continue to evolve most likely. Some cars do plateau in terms of performance. At some point it can't just keep going. But maybe it can.
"They have a great team around them and I am sure they will continue to add downforce.
"We just have to make sure when we do make the change, hopefully the drop isn't too far, and it is going to take us the rest of the year, for sure, to potentially close that gap."
Hamilton has been outspoken in his criticism of Mercedes' troubled W14 car, which the team plan to make major alterations to just two races into the season.
Expanding on the car's issues, Hamilton said: "I don't know if people know, but we sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers. Our cockpit is too close to the front.
"What that does is it really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. It makes it harder to predict compared to when you're further back and sitting more centred. It is just something I have really struggled with.
"There is a part of me that is just hopeful we find the trick and are straight on to the right track that is not far away from the others."
South Africa assistant Felix Jones will join England's coaching staff after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Jones featured 13 times for Ireland during his playing career, before taking on assistant coach roles with Munster and the Springboks.
England are planning ahead after a disappointing Six Nations campaign in which they finished in fourth place, losing three of their five games.
Speaking to the England Rugby website after the future appointment was confirmed, head coach Steve Borthwick expressed his excitement at eventually having Jones on board.
"We are continuing to build our programme to be in a position to compete to be world champions once again," Borthwick said. "At the same time, I also want to ensure we are preparing for long-term success for this England team, and I am excited that a coach as talented as Felix is joining next year.
"Felix has been competing at the top of world rugby during his four years with South Africa and will bring invaluable experience to our set-up. Like with Aled Walters, Felix was an integral part of the team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
"Together with Richard Wigglesworth and Kevin Sinfield, we are putting in place a coaching team who have spent their careers at the highest level competing for trophies. That is exactly what we want for this England team."
Jones has worked with South Africa since 2019, and will join up with assistant Wigglesworth (assistant) and another former Springboks coach in Aled Walters (head of strength and conditioning) as well as Borthwick and Sinfield (defence coach) in 2024, with Wigglesworth and Walters due to come in at the end of the Premiership season.
"Coaching the Springboks is one of the biggest privileges in rugby and I intend to do everything I can to ensure the team is successful until the day my contract comes to its natural end," said Jones.
"The last four years has been an incredible journey for me and my family, both professionally and personally, I am indebted to so many people at the Springboks and in South Africa for that.
"My commitment to the Springboks until the end of the Rugby World Cup is unquestionable, and Rassie [Erasmus, director of rugby], Jacques [Nienaber, head coach] and the entire Springbok team know that.
"The next five months are going to be exciting and demanding, and I'm looking forward to preparing for the World Cup with this coaching team."
Max Verstappen is relieved there is a break in the Formula One calendar coming up as the drivers' champion battles back from an illness that left him feeling as thought one lung was incapacitated.
The Red Bull driver, seeking a third consecutive title this season, was left stricken ahead of the last race in Saudi Arabia and only just hauled himself together to be able to compete.
In the end, he pulled out something special, finishing second after starting in 15th place on the grid, having dropped out in Q2 due to a mechanical failure.
Verstappen also retained his place at the top of the drivers' season standings by recording the race's fastest lap right at the death, so he leads the way heading into this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
After competing in Melbourne, there will be a break before F1 resumes in Azerbaijan across the April 28-30 weekend, a gap that was created by the cancellation of a planned race in China.
Three clear weeks without competition should allow Verstappen to get back on an even keel, although he signalled the worst of the illness has already passed.
"I was not looking forward to the break, but then I got really ill and have just been struggling a bit since that time, especially last race out," Verstappen said.
"So I think for me now these three weeks are just about getting back to full fitness, getting a full programme in."
Reflecting on his tough experience prior to racing in Jeddah two weeks ago, Verstappen said: "At home I was really ill, I could barely just walk around. It felt like I was just missing a lung, and I got to the weekend really believing that it was gone.
"Normally when you get sick like two, three days after, you’re normally all right – you can just do your workouts – but then when I jumped into the car in FP1, even just one performance lap, I felt like I had to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally."
He added: "It definitely did affect me throughout the weekend, which I didn't like. It was one of the first races where I felt I was physically limited, and that's really frustrating when you're in the car.
"Since then I've been trying to work on it, trying to improve it, and I do think it has improved a lot, so this weekend should be all right."
Verstappen has yet to have a win at the Australian Grand Prix, with third place in 2019 being his best finish to date.
The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and last year Verstappen retired from the race at Albert Park as Charles Leclerc claimed a dominant victory for Ferrari.
George Russell has refuted Lewis Hamilton's suggestion his result at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was down to luck – and Hamilton has now explained his comments.
Russell finished fourth in Jeddah, though he looked set to take third place when Fernando Alonso was penalised.
Aston Martin managed to overturn that decision, leaving Russell in fourth, one place ahead of Mercedes team-mate Hamilton.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Hamilton seemed to suggest after the race that Russell made a fortunate choice when deciding to alter his set-up.
Hamilton claimed that call would "more often than not" have been wrong. Russell, however, disagrees.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Russell said: "I don't think there's any luck in it at all.
"I think it's down to the preparation you put in before the event.
"The changes we made overnight, I knew that was going to be the right direction with the work we did with the team. And I believed it was going to be better than the set-up that Lewis opted for.
"I think everybody's got different preferences, I was happy with the direction I took and the work I'm doing with the engineers."
Keen to avoid any animosity, Hamilton sought to clarify what he had meant in Jeddah.
He said: "I want to reiterate how great a job George did.
"I think the thing I was commenting on is that there's one specific thing that you can change in the suspension that you have to do over Friday night, and when you make that change, once you start P3, you can't change it for the rest of the weekend, so when you make that change, you're basically rolling the dice. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
"I've done it in the past. Sometimes it hasn't worked, sometimes it has, and it worked great for George and he did a great job.
"The thing that I was lacking in the race was a lot of front end, which that set-up gives you, so, in hindsight, that would've been great."
Sergio Perez is adamant Red Bull will not steer him away from a battle with Max Verstappen for the Formula One title.
Red Bull have dominated the opening two rounds of the season, securing one-two finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with Verstappen holding a narrow one-point lead over his team-mate courtesy of the fastest lap in Jeddah.
Verstappen's push for the extra championship point last time out saw sparks flying at Red Bull, with Perez unhappy he was not given a similar message over team radio and ultimately not making a bid himself to set the fastest time.
Suggestions that tempers are flaring in the paddock have been downplayed, however, and Mexican driver Perez feels he has support within the team to launch his own bid for the title.
The season continues this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
"When I first came to the team [ahead of the 2021 season], things were very different. Basically, they were just going racing with two cars because they had to," Perez said, quoted by BBC Sport.
"I can now say that I really feel part of the team, have my place and am well respected.
"I really believe I have the team's full support, as much as Max does, and that I will have every opportunity to win the championship, as much as Max."
While going wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen could lead to tensions over the course of the season, Perez feels the pair have the maturity to deal with any rivalry that could emerge on track.
"I'm here to do the best possible thing for myself as well. To be honest, we have a lot more respect for each other than people might think," Perez said.
"Inside the team, there is a very high level of respect with each other. I think we are both mature enough to know what's right and what's wrong and, as long as that keeps being the case, I don't expect anything to change."
Joel Embiid believes it would be a nonsense if his MVP hopes are affected by him missing this week's big showdown with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Philadelphia 76ers superstar Embiid is leading the way in the NBA with a 33.2-point scoring average per game, beating last season's career high of 30.6.
He is also averaging a healthy 10.2 rebounds, albeit that is his lowest season mark since 2016-17.
However, Embiid sat out Monday's clash with the Nuggets due a calf injury, and Jokic led Denver to a 116-111 victory, scoring 25 points alongside 17 rebounds and 12 assists.
The triple-double made Jokic just the third player in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season, sparking debate over whether it could be a key moment in the MVP race.
After that game, Jokic said the absent Embiid would be "remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league".
Whether Embiid can deny Jokic a third straight MVP award remains to be seen, and recency bias may help to tilt it the way of the Nuggets star, who is averaging 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists.
Embiid's message was a simple one – "I don't care" – as he prioritises team success over individual glory.
The Nuggets head the Western Conference, with Philadelphia third in the East, so both main contenders for the MVP have done a lot of winning this season and will hope to do plenty more in the playoffs.
Embiid said: "If one game is going to hurt anybody's chances, then I guess everybody should be out of it. We all have bad games. Guys miss matchups.
"That's not the first time, and it's not really a matchup about me and Nikola. He's a great player, amazing player. He's one of the best players in the league, and I'm a huge fan.
"So not playing against him was a huge bummer. But there's a bigger goal in sight, and that's to make sure we're healthy for the playoffs."
Embiid had a standout game against the Nuggets on January 28, outshining Jokic with 47 points and 18 rebounds in a Sixers win, so he is adamant there was no desire to duck another clash with Denver's talisman.
He added on Wednesday, after returning to score 25 points in Philadelphia's 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks: "I've got nothing to prove. The last matchup, we won, and I had whatever I had.
"To go out there and say that I'm scared after what I did the last time is kind of stupid. But, like I said, I don't care if I win it or not. I'm just focused on trying to win a championship, and whatever happens, happens."
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers supported Embiid's stance, saying ahead of Wednesday's game: "Joel's body of work speaks for itself. You're not judged for one game. You're judged for the entire season of work and your team's record and how you perform, and he's been dominant all year."
Looking at whether missing out last time out could harm Embiid's MVP prospects, Rivers said it might have an impact, but he is baffled as to why that would be the case.
"Will that hurt him? I doubt it. But it could," Rivers said. "I don't know what people use for criteria. It seems like it changes weekly, what the real criteria is.
"Before, it was a bunch of numbers. Now, it's wins. I'm like, 'Well, it wasn't wins last year'. You know what I’m saying? It just feels like, every year, it keeps changing."
Jokic took MVP honours last season when the Nuggets finished sixth in the Western Conference.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
