De'Aaron Fox led the Sacramento Kings to victory in the second-highest scoring game of all time but had no interest in repeating the experience.
The Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in double overtime on Friday, with the two teams combining for 351 points.
Only the Detroit Pistons' 186-184 victory over the Denver Nuggets in 1983 had seen more points in a game.
Indeed, only those Pistons and Nuggets teams had previously reached 175 points as both the Kings and the Clippers did in this encounter.
It was the first game in NBA history to go to overtime after both teams had scored 150 points, with the game then tied at 153-153.
Three players across the two teams had 40-point games, but Fox was the undoubted star.
He had 42 points, along with 12 rebounds and, vitally, five steals – with many of those coming down the stretch as the Kings recovered from 11 points down with three minutes left in regulation.
Fox acknowledged it was the best regular season game he had been a part of but also called it a "grind" before adding to some laughter: "Obviously, we don't want to play in a game like this again.
"I think we have to be more consistent defensively, and we've talked about this, we've talked about this all year. But that is what it is, right there."
Fox, described as "unbelievable" by coach Mike Brown, recognised the standard of the offense, too, though.
"It was very high-level offensive play today from just about everybody who is out there," Fox said before explaining what he thought was the key.
"We were able to win this game because we lasted a bit longer, we're younger, and we just tried to keep the tempo up, even in the fourth, even in both overtimes," he said.
"We wanted to keep the tempo up, keep it up. I felt like we were able to get some easy buckets out of that.
"Once we started causing turnovers and just creating chaos in the game, that's where we were successful."
Russell Westbrook was making his debut for the Clippers, but that was of no concern to Fox, who said: "Is it about Westbrook, or is it about us?
"Because I don't give a f*** who's over there. It doesn't matter.
"You see the talent in this league, there are a lot of talented teams. Obviously we added talent to this team, but we come in and we worry about us."
Clippers coach Ty Lue was at least enthused by what he saw from Westbrook, who finished with 17 points and 14 assists.
"I thought he was great," Lue said. "He's still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball, running the plays and things like that. I thought he did a really good job."
The Sacramento Kings emerged victorious in the second-highest scoring game in NBA history as they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in double overtime on Friday.
With a grand total of 351 points, it eclipsed the previous second-highest score by 14 points, set back in 1982 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Milwaukee Bucks 171-166. Only the Detroit Pistons' 186-184 victory over the Denver Nuggets in 1983 had more.
In a wild back-and-forth affair, both teams had hit 110 points by three-quarter time, and after the Kings trailed by 11 with three minutes left, the visitors rallied back with a 17-6 run to close regulation and tie it up at 153-153.
All-Star Domantas Sabonis fouled out in the first overtime period with 20 points (eight-of-14 shooting), 10 rebounds and four assists to his name, leaving Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox to run the show.
A pair of clutch Monk free throws forced a second overtime, where Monk again rose to the occasion with a deep three to cut the Clippers' lead to one with a minute to play, setting up Fox for the go-ahead basket with 36 seconds on the clock.
Monk finished with a career-high 45 points on 15-of-24 shooting, while Fox finished two points shy of his career-high with 42 on 17-of-27 shooting with 12 assists.
Both the Kings and Clippers set new franchise-records for their most points in a single game.
Kawhi Leonard finished one point away from his career-high with 44 points (16-of-22 shooting), three steals and two blocks, and he also tied his career-high for minutes played with 46.
With the win, the Kings strengthened their position sitting third in the Western Conference at 34-25, while the Clippers (33-29) are 2.5 games back in fifth.
Randle ties career-high
New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle tied his career-high with 46 points during Friday's 115-109 road win against the Washington Wizards.
Randle shot 16-of-29 from the field, including seven-of-14 from deep, making up for an off shooting night by running-mate Jalen Brunson (six-of-20).
In his first game since returning from an injury he suffered on January 18, Mitchell Robinson returned to the Knicks' starting line-up and put together a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double, while finishing with a game-high plus/minus of plus 13.
Klay catches fire
Future Hall of Fame marksman Klay Thompson put on a shooting display against the Houston Rockets as he drilled 12 three-pointers in the Golden State Warriors' 116-101 victory.
All 12 of Thompson's field goals came from long range, finishing 12-of-19 from the field and 12-of-17 from deep for his game-high 42 points.
There have only been eight instances in NBA history of a player hitting 12 threes in a single game. Thompson has three of them – two of which have been this month – and he is the only player to make 14.
It will be third time lucky for followers of Jake Paul and Tommy Fury on Sunday as their twice-rescheduled bout finally takes place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and there are more than a few scores to settle.
Boxing has changed a lot recently, as demonstrated by the sheer interest generated by a fight between a YouTube personality and a Love Island runner-up.
While purists may sneer at Paul's lack of boxing clout and his stated ambition of becoming world champion, the fighters' rivalry has undeniably set tongues wagging.
Their feud can be traced back over two years and involves accusations of faking injuries, interventions from Tyson Fury and pledges from both men to end the other's career.
Here, Stats Perform takes a look back at the taunts, the postponements and the controversies that have marked their rivalry.
March 2021: Tyson throws down the gauntlet
Tommy Fury's all-conquering brother Tyson Fury is often good value on social media, and the Gypsy King got the ball rolling for one of boxing's most talked-about feuds.
After Tommy Fury dispatched Scott Williams, his older brother offered congratulations on Twitter, suggesting Paul – who was gearing up to face former mixed martial artist Ben Askren – as his next opponent.
Paul responded by claiming he didn't know the elder Fury had a brother, but the duo would quickly become familiar with one another.
May-November, 2021: Paul gets personal, bout gets made
After British fighter Fury pledged to face Paul "any time, any place", the American stepped up his taunts and insults.
"Tommy, no one gives a f*** about you if it wasn't for your older brother, who I respect, or your catfish girlfriend [Molly-Mae Hague, a fellow Love Island contestant]," he said. "We all made you famous. You didn't make yourself famous."
Paul then provoked Fury by sharing a message he alleged he had received from Hague, asking him to give her a tour of the United States, which she claimed to be fake.
Paul told Fury to "make the right choice" and sign a deal to face off before the end of 2021, with a bout agreed shortly thereafter.
December 6, 2021: Fury's fitness woes
It's fair to say the reaction to the bout – initially set for Tampa, Florida on December 18, 2021 – was mixed. The prospect of a 'genuine' boxer – even one whose previous victories had largely come against journeymen – stepping into the ring with a YouTuber drew extreme reactions.
While Fury acknowledged he only agreed to the fight for financial reasons, promoter Eddie Hearn said: "If Tommy loses, he should go to a desert island and stay there for life."
With less than a fortnight to go before the fight, a chest infection and a broken rib prompted a "heartbroken" Fury to withdraw, attracting Paul's ire.
"He was scared," Paul said, before knocking down Fury's late replacement Tyron Woodley in the sixth round.
June 2022: Madison Square mayhem
Fury returned to the ring to beat Daniel Bocianski in April 2022, but negotiations for a rearranged meeting with Paul rumbled on, with a breakthrough reached in June.
"It's official, I'm taking little Fury's head off," Paul wrote on Twitter as the fight was pencilled in for August 6 at Madison Square Garden.
While Fury avoided fitness issues, the Manchester-born fighter was denied boarding when attempting to travel Stateside, with visa problems causing another postponement.
Referring to Fury as "Tommy Fumbles", Paul accused his opponent of deliberately avoiding the fight. Paul then returned to action in October, recording his most impressive win yet against former UFC champion Anderson Silva.
January 27, 2023: Third time lucky?
"The moment of truth has finally arrived," Paul announced last month. "On February 26, I will get in the ring with a 'real boxer,' and show the world the truth."
With Paul now 6-0 in professional bouts, a deal was finally agreed for him to face Fury in Diriyah.
Englishman Fury was in bullish mood.
"Jake Paul's boxing career ends on February 26 and I can finally move on with mine," Fury declared. "The world is about to see what happens when a proper boxer faces a YouTuber."
Shortly before the bout was confirmed, Tyson Fury weighed in once more. "It's going to be fun, and I expect Tommy to chin him," he said. "If he doesn't, he can stay in Saudi Arabia!"
January 29-30, 2023: Paul's doubts and baby controversy
Despite an agreement being reached for the fight, Paul told BBC Sport he "definitely" harboured doubts as to Fury's willingness to appear.
Paul attracted heavy criticism in the immediate aftermath of the bout being made, after 'announcing' the birth of Fury and Hague's child on Twitter before the couple staged their own reveal.
When Hague posted an image of newborn daughter Bambi on social media, Paul commented: "Just in time to watch your dad get knocked out."
February 23, 2023: 'Double or nothing' deal as foes face off
Despite Paul's doubts, Fury hailed "the best camp of my life" on social media before jetting off to Saudi Arabia last week.
The duo finally came face-to-face at Thursday's press conference, shaking on a "double or nothing" offer from Paul, who suggested Fury should receive no payment if he loses.
Paul and Fury were separated amid a minor fracas as both taunted the other about their previous fights, with the latter sending out a warning.
"This is in my heart, blood and soul, and you're going to feel that," Fury said. "You should have stuck to easy money fighting old men."
For a fight two years in the making with the backdrop of a deeply personal rivalry, the stage is finally set.
The Milwaukee Bucks are waiting for an update on Giannis Antetokounmpo after their two-time MVP was forced to leave Friday's game early after a clash of knees.
Antetokounmpo played just six minutes before he signalled to the bench to take him out, but the Bucks did not miss a beat as they blew out the Miami Heat 128-99.
All-Star Jrue Holiday picked up the slack with a team-high 24 points on nine-of-14 shooting, adding seven assists and five rebounds, while Bobby Portis chipped in 18 points (seven-of-11 shooting) and 11 rebounds off the bench.
For the Heat, Kevin Love was given a spot in the starting line-up after being bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he finished with eight rebounds, four assists and zero points, missing all four of his three-point attempts.
Touching on the status of his star player after the win, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said he is still not sure of the severity.
"I haven’t gotten the full breakdown, but I’m pretty sure either on a drive or on a screen or something like that, he knocked knees with somebody and just wasn’t able to return," he said.
Antetokounmpo was only able to make a ceremonial start in the All-Star Game as he used the break to recover from a wrist injury, and Holiday said he would like to see the franchise exercise some caution with him, given their strong position.
"Sometimes you have to stop him from himself," he said. "Being able to calm down and maybe even not play a couple of games, knowing that we're the number two [seed], knowing that we're all right.
"I know he doesn't like it. He tries to play every single game, which I completely understand. I feel like I'm the same way."
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra agreed that the Bucks can survive without Antetokounmpo if necessary.
"It didn't slow them down one bit when Giannis went out," he said. "They just put it in overdrive."
The win improves the Bucks' record to 42-17, just one game behind the league-leading Boston Celtics (43-17), while the Heat sit seventh in the East at 32-28.
The top two seeds at the Rio Open remain on a collision course after both Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie advanced to the semi-finals on Friday.
World number two and top overall seed Alcaraz was strong in his 6-4 7-6 (7-0) victory over Serbia's Dusan Lajovic, improving his unbeaten record in 2023 to 6-0.
Alcaraz has his eyes set on his second title win in a row after also emerging triumphant in last week's Argentina Open.
Meanwhile, Norrie had to fight back from an early deficit to eliminate Hugo Delien 4-6 6-1 6-4, with the world number 13 and second seed now boasting eight wins from his past nine matches. The only loss during that stretch was to Alcaraz in the Argentina Open decider.
For a chance to avenge that loss, Norrie will have to beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles after he overcame Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4 2-6 6-4 in an all-Spanish quarter-final.
Alcaraz will contend with Nicolas Jarry, after the unseeded Chilean knocked out his second seeded opponent of the tournament, this time getting the better of Sebastian Baez 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is nearing an agreement to fill the Atlanta Hawks' head coaching vacancy.
According to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, Snyder is expected to command a salary in the range of $8million per year to replace Nate McMillan, whom the Hawks fired Tuesday with the team sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break.
The 56-year-old Snyder is arguably the top available coach on the market after leading the Jazz to six consecutive postseason appearances before resigning in June. Utah compiled a 294-178 regular-season record over that six-year stretch, the highest winning percentage among Western Conference teams and the third highest in the NBA.
Utah was not able to achieve the same success during the postseason, however, as the Jazz failed to advance past the conference semifinals in each of those six playoff trips.
Atlanta's interest in Snyder, a Hawks assistant under current Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer in 2013-14, was already known after general manager Landry Fields told reporters Wednesday the former Duke player and assistant coach was among those the team was considering to replace McMillan.
McMillan took over as Atlanta’s interim head coach after the team fired Lloyd Pierce during the 2020-21 season and went 27-11 to lead the Hawks to the East’s fifth seed. Atlanta later upset top-seeded Philadelphia in the second round to reach the conference finals before losing to Milwaukee in six games.
The Hawks removed the interim tag from McMillan shortly after that strong run, but Atlanta was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in 2021-22 and struggled to find consistency this season. Atlanta took a 29-30 record into the All-Star break after entering the campaign with high expectations, fuelled by the offseason acquisition of guard Dejounte Murray to pair with All-Star Trae Young.
McMillan amassed a 98-80 regular-season record with Atlanta, who tabbed assistant Joe Prunty to serve as interim coach for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Reigning Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Justin Suh has a chance to win his first PGA Tour event after finishing Friday's second round of the Honda Classic with the outright lead.
Suh, 25, produced a near-perfect campaign last season on the Korn Ferry Tour, finishing number one overall in points, winning the Tour Championship and being voted the tour's Player of the Year.
He has made the cut in eight of his 11 events to start his PGA Tour career, and after collecting his first top-20 in January's Farmers Insurance Open, he is looking to break through in a big way.
After his opening 66 at PGA National, Suh followed it up with a six-under 64 to reach 10 under overall and take a one-stroke lead into the weekend.
Alone in second place is Chris Kirk, who sits one shot back at nine under after posting a 62 for Friday's round of the day.
England's Ben Taylor is joined by American Monday qualifier Ryan Gerard in a tie for third at eight under, while the trio of Ben Martin, Eric Cole and Brice Garnett round out the top-five at seven under.
After finishing the opening round tied for the lead, both Billy Horschel and Joseph Bramlett fell back into a tie for 28th, following their 65s with a pair of 73s.
With none of the world's top-17 golfers in the field, world number 20 Shane Lowry will feel he still has a chance from his position at four under, tied for 16th, while 18th-ranked Im Sung-jae is at two under.
Andy Murray will play Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final after the 35-year-old came through yet another lengthy contest in his semi-final against Jiri Lehecka.
Murray appeared to be on course for a routine win after taking the first set 6-0, but was broken early in the second, eventually losing 6-3 to take him to a fourth three-set contest in four matches this week in Doha.
Lehecka should have won a hard-fought decider when 5-4 and 40-0 up on his own serve, but Murray's trademark resilience saw him break back despite facing five match points against, before ultimately winning the tie-break 8-6.
"I don't know how I managed to turn that match around," Murray said after the win. "In the 5-4 game, I think I played most of the match points really well. He missed one bad shot on the deuce point in that game at 5-4, but I played the match points pretty well.
"It's been an amazing start to the year. I have never experienced this in my whole career, like this many matches... It was sort of looking [like it might be a quicker match] for 30 minutes and then it turned into something completely different. Yeah, just amazing that I managed to turn that around."
Murray equalled Jimmy Connors for the fifth-most ATP hard court wins in the Open Era (489), and will play Medvedev in the final after the Russian's 6-4 7-6 (9-7) win against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The Canadian had three set points in the second set tie-break to try and force a decider, but Medvedev showed determination to turn it around and seal his place against Murray in the final.
At the Open 13 Provence, number one seed Hubert Hurkacz is through to face Alexander Bublik in the semi-finals, with both also having to come through three-set matches in a deciding tie-break.
Hurkacz was finally able to overcome Mikael Ymer 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8-6) before Bublik defeated Grigor Dimitrov 7-5 3-6 7-6 (8-6).
Third seed Alex de Minaur was shocked by Benjamin Bonzi, who broke the world number 23 four times on his way to a 6-2 6-4 victory to avenge his third-round defeat at the Australian Open.
Bonzi will meet qualifier Arthur Fils in the final four after the French 18-year-old beat former world number three Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-3 to reach a second straight tour-level semi-final.
The Kansas City Chiefs have promoted Matt Nagy to offensive coordinator for the 2023 season, the team announced on Friday, filling the void created by Eric Bieniemy's departure.
Nagy is a longtime mentee of head coach Andy Reid and previously served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator from 2016-17.
Nagy was head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018-21, compiling a 34-31 record and collecting honours as the AP's Coach of the Year in 2018.
After he and the Bears parted ways, Nagy returned to Kansas City last February as a senior assistant and quarterbacks coach, helping the Chiefs win their third Super Bowl in franchise history.
Bieniemy had served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator for the last five seasons before leaving this offseason for Washington, who named him their assistant head coach and OC.
Nagy has been professionally connected to Reid since 2008, when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles' staff as a coaching intern.
After playing quarterback for the University of Delaware, Nagy was not selected in the 2001 NFL Draft and ended up in the Arena Football League, where he threw over 300 touchdown passes from 2002-08.
As the national women's softball team prepares to leave the island shortly, they do so confident in the backing they have received from the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).
The team leaves for the US Virgin Islands where they will participate in a qualifying tournament for the Pan-American Games as a precursor to an Olympic bid.
The national association is funding the aspirations of softball on a journey which, hopefully, will be historic.
“History making and their love for country compel our support for softball and I have watched them in training exemplifying commitment and going beyond the challenges of not having the luxury of resources in the sport to creating a wealth of talent,” said JOA President Christopher Samuda.
The national team has been in training at their home ground at Up Park Camp and for JOA Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, “the JOA is proud of and committed to the softball artillery as part of our armoury of building capacity in several sports in giving them a fighting chance in the international arena of combat. This investment is bankable.”
Softball Jamaica’s President, Marvalyn Campbell, thanked the nation’s governing sport body “for believing in softball and responding every time to the call which will not be forgotten and for which the team is very grateful.”
The JOA Executives also lauded the directors of Softball Jamaica for growing the support and providing our sportsmen and women opportunities for self-actualisation and national representation.
Barbora Krejcikova will play Iga Swiatek for the Dubai Tennis Championships title after settling a see-saw semi-final against Jessica Pegula in ruthless fashion.
Having seen Swiatek brush aside Coco Gauff in straight sets in the first match of the day, Krejcikova would have been confident of doing likewise after taking the opener against Pegula.
Third seed Pegula battled back to take the second set, though, and the American appeared to have momentum on her side, only to bow out in a one-sided decider, losing 6-1 5-7 6-0 for her first defeat to Krejcikova.
The pair's only prior meeting had been a straight-sets win for Pegula at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Pegula's sole other tournament since Melbourne had ended in similar circumstances to this one, with a 6-3 6-0 crushing at the hands of Swiatek in the final of last week's Qatar Open. The Pole is who Krejcikova must play next.
Krejcikova is the first player since Svetlana Kuznetsova in Cincinnati in 2019 to beat two top-three opponents at the same WTA 1000 tournament.
Yet after seeing off number two Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals and number three Pegula in the semis, she faces the world number one in the final.
Swiatek has had a rather more straightforward path, granted a walkover in the last eight and then, on Friday, playing Gauff, who she continues to dominate.
The Pole is now 6-0 across her career against Gauff, winning all of those matches in straight sets.
Gauff at least made Swiatek work a little harder than she has in many recent matches, going down 6-4 6-2 – the first match since Melbourne in which the number one has not won a set either 6-0 or 6-1, piling up the 'bagels' and 'breadsticks'.
Swiatek is 2-1 against Krejcikova for her career, although the Czech won their most recent meeting and their only encounter in a final in Ostrava last year.
Jamaica’s former WBA Super world featherweight champion Nicholas ‘Axe Man’ Walters says he was encouraged to return to the ring by several trainers in Panama where he is based.
The 37-year-old is set to break a six-year layoff with an eight-round super lightweight bout this Saturday in Santa Marta, Colombia, against local fighter Luis Diaz Marmol.
In recent years, Walters had been visiting the boxing gym to keep in shape but admits he “wasn’t really serious about fighting” until experts around the gym encouraged him to come out of retirement.
“After sparring with other fighters here in Panama, my coach and other coaches asked me to come back to the sport,” Walters said.
“I was making it very difficult for the guys that I was sparring with, so everyone was saying I should make a comeback,” added Walters, who boasts a solid ring record of 26 wins (21 kos) against one loss and one draw.
The 29-year-old Marmol brings an aggressive style to this Walters bout and upset unbeaten Colombian prospect Diego Silva his last time out. Marmol has a ring record of 19 wins (11 kos) against 16 losses.
Originally from Montego Bay on Jamaica’s north coast, Walters became the first Jamaican ever to win a world boxing title at home when he defeated Daulis Prescott on December 8, 2012 in Kingston via a seventh round TKO. He will be fighting for the first time since 2016 but has been actively training for months.
Walters has also enlisted the services of well-respected manager Gabriel Barron as he returns in a weight class 14 pounds above his title-winning featherweight division. In his last bout on November 20, 2016, Walters quit against Vasiliy Lomachenko after being dominated by the outstanding Ukrainian for seven rounds in Nevada, USA.
Walters had turned pro in 2008 after an amateur career that included bronze at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and two gold medals at the Caribbean Championships in 2005 and 2006. Within a few years he became one of the world’s most exciting fighters of the lower weight divisions after defeating big names like Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan.
Ireland centre Garry Ringrose has been ruled out of their Six Nations trip to Italy after failing to overcome a calf injury in time.
Ringrose suffered the problem during their week two victory over holders France but was named in the starting XV for Saturday's game at Stadio Olimpico.
He has failed to overcome the issue however and has now been withdrawn, with Stuart McCloskey now in line to start and utility back Jimmy O'Brien elevated to the bench.
Andy Farrell will hope Ringrose recovers in time to take part in their final two games next month, against Scotland and England.
Ringrose had been in line to win his 50th cap for Ireland in this weekend's fixture and was looking to score on his third consecutive visit to Rome.
The centre has been a standout performer for Ireland in the Six Nations too, beating more defenders than any of his team-mates in the tournament so far, on eight occasions.
Ireland will be expected to stay in the hunt for a Grand Slam when they resume the Six Nations against Italy while Scotland's title credentials will face a stern test in Paris.
Andy Farrell's Ireland side showed why they are the top-ranked team in the world by halting France's long winning streak with a 32-19 victory at the Aviva Stadium before the break.
The leaders ought to make it three wins out of three at the expense of Italy at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday before third-placed England take on wounded Wales at the Principality Stadium.
Scotland followed up their win over England by hammering Wales and will be braced for a response from defending champions France in what should be an entertaining contest at Stade de France on Sunday.
Stats Perform previews the three tussles with the help of some standout Opta data.
ITALY v IRELAND
FORM
The Ireland juggernaut will take some stopping, with their winning run now at seven matches.
They have come out on top in 19 of their past 21 Tests, losing only to France and New Zealand last year in that period. Farrell's ruthless men have averaged 4.4 tries per game in those 21 matches.
In his 32 Tests in charge, Farrell has a 78 per cent win rate – the best of any Ireland head coach to have been at the helm for two or more games.
Italy have lost each of their 23 home games in the Six Nations since beating Ireland in Rome in 2013. After almost pulling off a shock against France in the opening round, they suffered a 31-14 loss to England last time out.
ONES TO WATCH
Italy powerhouse Sebastian Negri has made 30 carries in the Six Nations this year, the joint-most along with Scotland playmaker Finn Russell. He must play a big part if the Azzurri are to trouble Ireland.
Garry Ringrose will win his 50th cap for Ireland. On the six occasions the centre has faced Italy, he has scored three tries – two of those coming in his past two trips to Rome.
Ringrose has been more defenders than any other Ireland player in the tournament so far, doing so eight times.
WALES v ENGLAND
FORM
The start of Warren Gatland's second spell as Wales head coach has not gone to plan, losing twice and having to contend with a dispute over contracts that resulted in the threat of strike action from players this weekend.
Gatland has made nine changes after it was confirmed the game will go ahead in Cardiff, where Wales will attempt to avoid starting the tournament with three straight defeats for only the third time – having previously done so in 2003 and 2007.
England got their first win under head coach Steve Borthwick against Italy and will be looking to avoid a third successive away loss to Wales.
The Red Rose have won seven of their last nine meetings with Wales, though, with the previous six of those coming by a margin of no more than six points.
ONES TO WATCH
Gatland has dropped big names such as Dan Biggar, Liam Williams and George North after the heavy loss to Scotland.
Josh Adams is among the players who have retained his place, though, and the wing could help to lift the gloom. The flyer and Ken Owens have made four dominant tackles apiece in the tournament, with only seven players have produced that many.
Alex Dombrandt will start at number eight once again for England, having made more effective contributions at defensive rucks than any other player in the Six Nations with seven.
He has won two jackal turnovers and slowed down a further five rucks, so he can make his presence felt again.
FRANCE v SCOTLAND
FORM
Scotland put on another show to see off Wales, turning on the style at a raucous Murrayfield after winning a thriller against England.
They won on their most recent visit to the French capital, defeating Les Bleus 27-23 in 2021. Scotland have not won back-to-back games in Paris since 1967-1969.
France have won 18 of their past 19 Test matches on home soil, including nine in a row. Their only loss during that time was that one at the hands of Scotland.
A victory this weekend would give them a 10th straight home win for the first time since 1986-1989.
ONES TO WATCH
Damian Penaud finished superbly to score for France in their loss to Ireland.
The wing has beaten 15 defenders in his two appearances in this tournament and another livewire display could be on the cards.
Russell produced a masterclass against Wales and Scotland will need him to pull the strings once again.
The fly-half has made three line-break assists and also laid on three tries in the tournament so far and there should be more to come.
Warren Gatland is keen to "draw a line in the sand" ahead of Wales' Six Nations clash with England, saying the threat of strike action had taken the team "to the brink of disaster" this week.
Saturday's fixture at the Principality Stadium was in serious doubt as Wales players considered making themselves unavailable amid a dispute with the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) and Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).
On Wednesday, however, PRB chair Malcolm Wall confirmed an agreement had been reached with the Welsh Rugby Players' Association on several key issues, including wages and changes to the 60-cap rule that governed international selection.
Wales coach Gatland was forced to delay naming his team due to the uncertainty, and he says the effects of Saturday's game not taking place would have been dire.
"Looking back now, few people realise just how close we came to the brink of disaster," Gatland wrote in a column for The Telegraph. "What took me by absolute surprise was the level of frustration and anger that boiled over from the players on Monday morning.
"Learning the extent of their frustration was one of the hardest things I had to deal with. I have always prided myself on putting the demands of the players first.
"I was caught in the middle. You want to support the players as much as possible, but you've got to be very careful about how much of the line you cross from that perspective.
"I'm not sure that they had thought about the potential consequences or the long-term effects of the game not going ahead. It would have had such an impact on all rugby in Wales, and potentially led to one or two of the regions going under.
"What hurt me most was hearing a couple of emotive comments from players, second hand, that I didn't care about them. That was the hardest thing because I have always been about putting the players first and looking after them. I just think it was the emotions of the time."
Gatland was eventually able to name his team on Thursday, as Wales look to respond to defeats against Ireland and Scotland in their first two Six Nations contests.
While the 59-year-old is acutely aware of the impact this week's events have had on Wales' preparations, the team are now keen to move on.
"I am pretty sure I would have easily got a team if I had walked up St Mary Street and asked who was up for beating England. But thankfully we never got that far," Gatland said.
"On Thursday morning I finally named the team. I said it had been a challenging week and we needed to draw a line in the sand and focus entirely on playing against England.
"In fairness to the boys, given what has been going on, they have trained hard and been good in the sessions. It has probably been a welcome distraction to them and I have to take my hat off to them.
"The difficult thing to assess is what impact the mental stress of this week has had on the players. One thing I can promise the Welsh supporters is that the players know how much it means to you. Armageddon or not."
Wales captain Ken Owens said the ordeal had made Welsh rugby "a laughing stock" as he urged the players to pull together in order to get a much-needed result in Cardiff.
France head coach Fabien Galthie has selected Mohamed Haouas as the replacement for the suspended Uini Atonio for France's Six Nations clash with Scotland.
Atonio was handed a three-week ban for a high tackle on Ireland's Rob Herring, with Haouas coming in at tighthead despite not featuring in France's first two games.
That is the only change made by Galthie from the 32-19 defeat in Dublin on February 11.
Captain Antoine Dupont will play alongside Romain Ntamack in the half-backs, while Yoram Moefana and Gael Fickou remain as the centre pairing.
France have won 18 of their last 19 Test matches on home soil, including their last nine in a row, with their only defeat in that spell coming against Scotland in 2021. They will be aiming to win 10 straight home games for the first time since 1986-1989.
Scotland are looking to make it three wins from three after victories over England and Wales, and coach Gregor Townsend has also made just the one alteration to his side from last time out.
The 2021 Six Nations Player of the Championship Hamish Watson comes in to replace Luke Crosbie after recovering from a head injury sustained against New Zealand in December.
Crosbie and Chris Harris are not even named on the bench, with Sam Skinner coming in, while Ali Price is also back and among the replacements.
Stuart Hogg went off with a head injury in Scotland's defeat of Wales in round two, but has been passed fit to start.
France XV: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont (c); Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Mohamed Haouas, Thibaud Flament, Paul Willemse, Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt.
Replacements: Gaetan Barlot, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Romain Taofifenua, Francois Cros, Sekou Macalou, Baptiste Couilloud, Matthieu Jalibert.
Scotland XV: Stuart Hogg, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie (c), Hamish Watson, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, WP Nel, Jonny Gray, Sam Skinner, Jack Dempsey, Ali Price, Blair Kinghorn.
Eric Bieniemy is content with his new role as offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders and insists he is not already looking for a head coaching opportunity.
Bieniemy has joined the Commanders after his second Super Bowl win in five years as the Kansas City Chiefs' OC.
Despite his success in that job, the 53-year-old repeatedly failed to land a position as an NFL head coach following a number of interviews.
It is something that will appeal to Bieniemy again in the future, he suggested, but his sole focus for 2023 is on the Commanders.
"Being a head coach right now is not in my thought process," Bieniemy said. "What I'm focused on is being the best coach today; everything else will take care of itself.
"I live in the moment. Right now, my feet are planted here.
"[Getting a head coaching job] hasn't happened. It's not anything that's going to impact me moving forward.
"All that stuff about being the head coach, we can talk about that next year sometime. I'm focused on the job at hand."
Bieniemy's Chiefs offense led the league with 413.6 total net yards per game in 2022 as the Commanders ranked 20th (330.3 yards per game).
That was merely the Chiefs' third-best season under Bieniemy in that regard, while their worst performance saw 379.2 yards per game in 2019 – a mark Washington have topped only four times in their history.
Bobby Wagner has agreed an imminent departure from the Los Angeles Rams after only a single season on the team.
Reports revealed Wagner had come to an agreement with the Rams on Thursday, meaning he will return to free agency ahead of the 2023 season.
The linebacker spent the first 10 years of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, winning Super Bowl XLVIII and earning six First-team All-Pro selections.
Wagner then entered free agency for the first time last year and joined the Rams, then the defending Super Bowl champions.
A dismal season saw the Rams finish with a 5-12 record and miss the playoffs, although Wagner – having signed a five-year, $50million deal with $20m in guarantees – was a Second-team All-Pro for the third time.
With the Rams $13.7m above the salary cap approaching the new league year, they have saved $5m in space by releasing Wagner.
He will be free to join a new team as soon as the agreement is made official.
The Los Angeles Lakers might still be "figuring things out" but Anthony Davis is confident they are in position to make a push for the playoffs.
Malik Beasley scored 25 points and Austin Reaves stepped up with 17 from the bench as the Lakers defeated reigning NBA champions the Golden State Warriors 124-111 on Thursday.
The Lakers did not have it all their own way, having to shrug off the blow of losing D'Angelo Russell to a sprained ankle in the first quarter.
While Russell's initial scans came back clear of major damage, he is set for further assessments on Friday.
But without him, and with LeBron James – 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists – not finishing with the kind of contributions he is accustomed to, the Lakers nevertheless got the job done in convincing fashion.
The Lakers are onto a 28-32 record for the season, just one win behind the Warriors, who occupy the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
For Davis, who added 12 points and as many rebounds, the Lakers showed they are a "complete" unit.
“We're still figuring things out on the fly," he told reporters.
"The past two games we've really looked good as a whole. I think we've got a complete team where we're able to make a run."
Beasley top scored, three points ahead of the Warriors' Klay Thompson (22), as the Lakers made it three wins from four since the trade deadline passed.
The Lakers traded Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz, with Beasley one of the players sent their way.
While Westbrook never ultimately linked up with the Jazz, instead buying out his contract to join the Los Angeles Clippers, Beasley has settled in quickly at his new team.
"LeBron and AD didn't get going as much as they wanted tonight, but we're deep, I think that's the statement we want to make," Beasley said.
"It can be any player on any given night."
Coach Darvin Ham added: "Just overall great team win. Everybody contributed, everybody had different moments and guys stayed aggressive.
"I feel great about what we've been able to do. It's paying dividends right now and we've just got to continue to get more and more familiar with one another."
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