Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue says there is no timeframe for Kawhi Leonard's return to play as he continues to struggle with stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee.
Leonard has only played twice this season and not since October 24, having missed all of last season after rupturing his ACL during the 2021 playoffs.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP missed a seventh straight game on Sunday when the Clippers took on the Utah Jazz, with Lue offering an update prior to tip-off amid ongoing uncertainty about Leonard's return.
"There's really not a timeframe of when he is going to be back," Lue told reporters.
"The biggest thing is just the testing that he has to go through with the medical and the slow progression of just getting better every single day. So we're just taking it day by day right now, not really a timetable."
Lue insisted that five-time All-Star Leonard was making progress, having been managed with 21 minutes off the bench in each of his two games early in the season.
"He is progressing well," Lue said. "We knew coming off an ACL, it wasn't going to be a straight line. We talked about it before the season.
"The biggest thing is he's progressing well. We are going to follow the lead of our medical staff, we got to be smart about the situation, but he is progressing.
"He is in a good place, he is progressing and he is getting better so that is the most important thing."
Chicago Bears emerging star Justin Fields set an NFL single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback with a 178-yard performance in Sunday’s contest against the Miami Dolphins.
Fields eclipsed the previous high mark of 173 yards set by Atlanta’s Michael Vick in 2002. Former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick still has the most rushing yards by a quarterback in any NFL game when he ran for 181 in a playoff victory over Green Bay in January 2013.
The 2021 first-round pick also set a franchise record for the longest run by a quarterback when he eluded a rush and scrambled for a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter of Chicago’s 35-32 loss.
Fields' continued development as a passer was also on display, as he threw for a career-high three touchdowns and finished with a quarterback rating over 100 for a second straight game.
"I think I’m just growing and getting better each and every week," he said afterward. "My main goal is just to continue to do that, continue to trend up. Each and every day I practice, just keep getting better and better. That’s really all you can do."
After recording a 71.8 passer rating with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 9-to-13 through his first 14 NFL starts, the 23-year-old has posted a 99.7 rating with eight touchdown passes and just two interceptions over his last five outings.
"Obviously, start of the season [he’s] feeling his way, and now the last three games he’s really taken off," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. "We are excited about that as a group and we are excited about that for the Chicago Bears and the franchise."
Sunday’s effort gave Fields 602 rushing yards in 2022, making him the fifth quarterback since 1960 with 600 or more rushing yards through nine games in a season. The former Ohio State star joined a list that includes Vick, former Bear Bobby Douglass and two active players, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.
"He’s as fast as any skill position runner," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel remarked. "He is really, really fast and he can cut and break tackles.
"There are a lot of running quarterbacks. This one in particular I think is very elite and adept at that."
Aryna Sabalenka eliminated world number one Iga Swiatek 6-2 2-6 6-1 on Sunday to advance to the decider of the WTA Finals.
Swiatek had not lost a set during her week in Fort Worth entering the contest, earning her spot in the semi-final after straight-sets wins against Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina.
Needing to start well to give herself a chance against the in-form Polish star, Sabalenka did just that, breaking Swiatek in her first service game.
Swiatek broke back instantly, but she had no response when the BelaruSsian secured two more breaks of serve in the opening frame to wrap it up in 40 minutes.
After winning only 43 per cent (12-of-28) of her service points in the first set, Swiatek seemed to figure things out in the second, raising that number to 61 per cent (17-of-28) to win the first four games and run away with it and send the match to a decider.
But Swiatek's uncharacteristic errors came back to bite her, committing two double faults in each of the three sets, and after posting a combined 21 winners with 17 unforced errors in the first two frames, she mustered only five winners with nine unforced errors in the last.
Sabalenka rattled off five consecutive games to close out the match, utilising her imposing serve to get the job done, serving 12 aces to Swiatek's one.
She will now face Caroline Garcia in the final after the Frenchwoman proved too strong for Maria Sakkari in a 6-3 6-2 victory earlier in the day.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Sabalenka - 12/9
Swiatek - 1/6
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Sabalenka - 23/19
Swiatek - 26/26
BREAK POINTS WON
Sabalenka - 6/13
Swiatek - 4/10
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill made history in his side's 35-32 road win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and gave plenty of credit to his quarterback.
Hill caught seven passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, and in doing so, broke Hall-of-Famer Calvin Johnson's record for the most receiving yards through a team's first nine games in a season.
It was the fifth time this campaign Hill has eclipsed 140 receiving yards in a game, and he now has 1104 yards for the season, surpassing Johnson's record of 1083 in his first nine games for the Detroit Lions in 2013.
Hill, who is a four-time All-Pro, is only 375 yards away from his career-high total of 1479 from his 16 games in the 2018 season.
Speaking to NFL Network before leaving the field, Hill was grateful for the position he is in.
"For me, man, just to touch the paint – I haven't scored since Week 2, I believe," he said. "To be able to get into the endzone, I just want to thank God for blessing me with this amazing opportunity.
"Blessing me with this chance to play with this special group of young guys – Tua [Tagovailoa] and Jaylen [Waddle] – and just the whole offense.
"Also, you add coach McDaniel and Wes Welker – they're legends – I'm extremely blessed and I'm looking forward to playing more football this season.
"I don't even know what to say [about breaking the record]... I tell people all the time, keep faith in whatever goals you've got, just believe in yourself and always put God first.
"You never know when it's your time, and I feel like this is my time."
When asked his thoughts on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Hill doubled-down on his preseason comments calling him the most accurate quarterback in the game.
"He's the best in the league," he said. "He's the most accurate quarterback in the league. Know that."
The Miami Dolphins are now 6-3 in the stacked AFC East, trailing the 6-2 Buffalo Bills and the 6-3 New York Jets, while the fourth-placed New England Patriots (5-4) are also above .500.
Donovan Mitchell's spectacular start to life with the Cleveland Cavaliers continued against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, scoring 33 points in a 114-100 win.
Mitchell's 33 points was a game-high, and he delivered his production efficiently, hitting 10-of-17 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line.
Through his first eight games with the Cavs since being acquired from the Utah Jazz in an offseason trade, Mitchell is averaging 31.1 points and 7.1 assists per game – both comfortably above his career-highs (26.4 points and 5.3 assists).
He was supported strongly by fellow All-Star Darius Garland, who chipped in 24 points (seven-of-18) and seven assists, while Kevin Love contributed a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) in 20 minutes off the bench.
For the Lakers, LeBron James was strong with 27 points on 13-of-23 shooting, adding seven rebounds and four assists, and Russell Westbrook posted 19 points (six-of-13) with 10 assists as he continues to produce well in a sixth-man role.
Cleveland are now 8-1, and are one of only two teams, along with the 9-0 Milwaukee Bucks, who are yet to record their second loss.
VanVleet steps up in Siakam's absence
With the Toronto Raptors' top option Pascal Siakam out for at least the next two weeks, Fred VanVleet stepped up and led his team to a 113-104 victory against the Chicago Bulls.
VanVleet finished with 30 points on nine-of-22 shooting, and also added 11 assists in an offensive masterclass from the diminutive point guard, posting a plus/minus of plus 27 in his 39 minutes. That means in the nine minutes VanVleet was on the bench, the Raptors were outscored by 18.
Starting in the place of Siakam was rookie Christian Koloko, and he made a big impression as he blocked six shots with his 11 points and seven rebounds.
Alex Caruso produced a noteworthy performance for the Bulls, finishing with an unconventional double-double as he collected 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while shooting one-of-11 for four points.
Bane, Morant carry the Grizzlies
Desmond Bane and Ja Morant combined for nearly half of the Memphis Grizzlies' points in their 103-97 win against the Washington Wizards.
While Morant struggled with his efficiency, only hitting nine of his 27 shots on his way to 23 points, Bane was terrific, scoring 28 on nine-of-16 shooting.
The Grizzlies are now 7-3, and Bane has been at the centre of their early success, elevating himself to potentially an All-Star level in his third season as he is averaging 24.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46 per cent from long-range.
Tom Brady showed once again why he is considered the greatest player in the history of the NFL after another miraculous game-winning drive to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
It was not a good offensive game from either team, with the only touchdown from the first 59 minutes of action coming from a 69-yard pass by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp in the second quarter.
But after a fourth-quarter field goal trimmed the margin to 13-9 with eight minutes on the clock, all eyes turned to Brady as he looked to break the all-time record for game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.
His first attempt saw Brady lead the Bucs 53 yards, before failing to convert a fourth-down at the seven-yard line. Luckily for Tampa Bay, they would get another chance after a quick stop forced the Rams to punt the ball with 50 seconds remaining.
In just 35 seconds, Brady completed four passes and drew a pass-interference penalty to take the ball to the one-yard line with 15 seconds to play.
Brady then swung a quick pass out to tight end Cade Otton, slipping past a potential tackler for the score with nine seconds on the clock.
It was Brady's 55th game-winning drive, breaking his tie with Peyton Manning to take sole possession of the all-time lead.
With the win, the Buccaneers move to 4-5, and now lead the NFC South as they own the tiebreaker against the 4-5 Atlanta Falcons.
Walker carries the Seahawks
Rookie running back Kenneth Walker III was the star of the show in the Seattle Seahawks' 31-21 road win against the Arizona Cardinals.
Walker carried the ball 26 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns, making it five consecutive games where he has found the endzone after also tallying 167 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Both of the Seahawks' starting receivers also scored, with quarterback Geno Smith completing a four-yard touchdown pass to D.K. Metcalf and a nine-yarder to Tyler Lockett.
Seattle are now 6-3, while Arizona fall to 3-6.
Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to reach 100,000 passing yards during the first/second/third/fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was always likely to hit the landmark in the 2022 season, and the 45-year-old did exactly that against the Rams, achieving a feat that may never be matched.
Brady entered the Week 9 clash with 86,787 passing yards in the regular season, adding 13,049 yards in the postseason.
He stands more than 14,000 yards ahead of the second-placed quarterback all-time in that regard, Drew Brees.
Only once in the past 12 seasons has Brady failed to rack up more than 4,000 passing yards for the campaign, finishing with 3,554 in the 2016 season for the New England Patriots after missing the first four games due to his Deflategate suspension. Brady ended that season by leading the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Despite the Bucs struggling mightily on offense in 2022, Brady is on pace to hit the 4,000 mark again this season, having entered Week 9 with 2,267 to his name.
Last season, Brady became the first player to throw 700 career touchdown passes, and when he does retire for good after swiftly reversing his decision to hang up the cleats this past offseason, he will undoubtedly do so as the greatest of all time.
One of the top free agents is no longer on the market on the first day of the offseason, with the New York Mets reportedly bringing back closer Edwin Diaz on a five-year, $102million contract, which was agreed to on Sunday.
The deal – which is pending a physical – includes an opt-out clause, a full no-trade clause and a sixth-year option.
It is being reported as the largest contract in baseball history for a reliever, making Diaz the first at his position ever with a nine-figure deal and first to make $20million annually.
The 28-year-old Diaz secured the massive contract after a phenomenal 2022 season, in which he posted a 1.31 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while converting 32 of 35 save opportunities – his second straight season with 32 saves.
Armed with a vicious slider and an overpowering fastball, the shutdown closer earned his second All-Star team selection while proving to be one of the most difficult pitchers to hit, racking up 118 strikeouts in just 62 innings. That rate of 17.13 strikeouts per nine innings is the second-best in MLB history among pitchers with a minimum of 50 innings, trailing only Aroldis Chapman’s rate of 17.67 for the Cincinnati Reds in 2014.
Diaz made his first All-Star team with the Seattle Mariners in 2018, when he compiled 57 saves – tied for second most in a season in baseball history. His 205 career saves are the sixth most by an active pitcher.
Caroline Garcia produced a dominant performance to overcome Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-2 in the last four of the WTA Finals in Fort Worth on Sunday.
Garcia emerged as the victor of a topsy-turvy tussle with Daria Kasatkina on Saturday, but enjoyed a far more routine outing as she sealed her first final appearance at the competition.
Sakkari had cruised through the Nancy Richey Group with three straight-sets victories, but fell some way short of those lofty standards as she failed to force a single break-point in the opener.
Garcia took 80 per cent of points on her first serve in the opening set, breaking in the fourth game and dictating proceedings from the baseline in impressive fashion.
The match resembled something of a procession after Garcia claimed consecutive breaks to seize the initiative in the second set, and the French Open champion sealed the victory when Sakkari's weak return clipped the net.
Garcia has now won seven matches against top-10 opponents in 2022, becoming the first French player to post seven such victories in a calendar year since Amelie Mauresmo in 2009.
The world number six is also the first player to reach the title match at the WTA Finals after turning 29 years old since Venus Williams did so in 2017, and will now bid to cap a tremendous year with victory over either Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Garcia – 21/17
Sakkari – 8/19
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Garcia – 6/1
Sakkari – 0/1
BREAK POINTS WON
Garcia – 4/5
Sakkari – 1/3
Russell Henley sealed a four-shot victory in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba as he cruised to a fourth PGA Tour title.
It was Henley's first win since the 2017 Shell Houston Open, and he tied the tournament low-scoring record – set by Viktor Hovland last season. Henley's final aggregate of 23 under was secured by rounds of 63, 63, 65 and a 70 on Sunday.
He finished four shots clear of the field, but after going bogey-free for his first 58 holes, Henley's first blemish for the week came with a six at the par-five fifth, adding another bogey on 16 to go with his three birdies.
Speaking to NBC after stepping off the final green at the event in Mexico, Henley said he was guided by experience of previous occasions where he has not been able to convert 54-hole leads into wins.
"Just tried to learn from my past, and my screw-ups," he said. "That's kind of what I took from the last two events this season – what am I doing wrong, and how can I get better with it.
"All those events that I haven't closed out [five times he has held the 54-hole lead and not won], they hurt. You don't know if you'll ever get to win another one, it's so hard out here.
"To come down 18 with a four-shot lead, it's really cool. I don't even know what to say. I felt very nervous this weekend, I slept on the lead both nights – I've never slept on a six-shot lead.
"You just don't feel the same as when you're practising at home, you can't create that environment that you get out here when you're leading at a PGA Tour event.
"I guess all the times I didn't get it done, I learned from it, and here we are."
Alone in second place at 19 under was Brian Harman, who posted rounds of 66, 66, 67 and 66 in an incredibly consistent week which included a hole-in-one on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler was two strokes better than anyone else in the final trip around El Camaleon Golf Club, shooting a nine-under 62 to fly up the leaderboard into a tie for third at 18 under.
Joining Scheffler at 18 under were fellow Americans Joel Dahmen, Troy Merritt and Will Gordon, as well as last week's winner of the Bermuda Championship, Ireland's Seamus Power.
Sweden's David Lingmerth joined Sam Ryder at 17 under in a tie for eighth, while defending back-to-back champion of this event Hovland was one further back, tied for 10th.
Collin Morikawa finished the week at 15 under, and former world number one Jason Day was joined by former Masters champion Danny Willett at 14 under.
Aaron Rodgers lost a fifth straight game for just the second time in his NFL career as the Green Bay Packers were upset again by NFC North rivals the Detroit Lions.
The Packers are enduring a torrid season and fell to 3-6 with this latest 15-9 defeat on Sunday.
Green Bay had not previously lost five in a row since 2008 – Rodgers' first year as a starter – but there is no sign of their misery ending any time soon.
Rodgers, previously so dominant in division matchups, threw three interceptions in a game for only the fifth time in his career and for the first time against NFC North opponents.
Two of those came with the game still scoreless, giving the lowly Lions a foothold they fought hard to protect.
Detroit had traded T.J. Hockenson within the division to the Minnesota Vikings at the deadline, but that void was filled by a pair of career-first touchdown catches from tight ends.
Shane Zylstra – elevated from the practice squad on Saturday alongside wide receiver brother Brandon – got the Lions on the board with his first catch of the year, while rookie James Mitchell's score at the start of the fourth quarter ultimately proved decisive.
Bills loss leaves AFC East in the balance
The fourth of Rodgers' five successive defeats had come against the Buffalo Bills last week, but Josh Allen was also on the end of a shock loss on Sunday as the New York Jets blew the AFC wide open. Despite two rushing TDs, Allen was every bit as hapless as Rodgers through the air as he threw two interceptions in the Jets' tense 20-17 win.
With the Bills 6-2 and the Jets 6-3, the AFC East is among the year's closest fought divisions, with the Miami Dolphins just about improving to 6-3 by fending off the Chicago Bears 35-32. Justin Fields kept the Bears in touch, throwing three TD passes and rushing for 178 yards – a Super Bowl era record among quarterbacks. His stunning 61-yard TD run was the longest of his career.
Mixon makes hay with Bengals' first five-TD game
There was no late drama in the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Carolina Panthers, which was dominated by running back Joe Mixon. He rushed for four TDs and had five total scores – also catching a Joe Burrow pass. It was just the ninth five-plus-TD game of the Super Bowl era – and the first by a Bengal – and set up a 42-21 victory.
England boss Eddie Jones said his team were "not good enough" and captain Owen Farrell raised discipline worries after a surprising 30-29 defeat to Argentina at Twickenham.
In front of an 80,000 full house, the home side were edged out by the Pumas, getting their Autumn Nations Series campaign off to a rocky start.
Head coach Jones said England were left "chasing our tail" after letting a half-time lead slip away.
"We made silly mistakes, but I like the way the team went about it. We didn't finish well, there was that lack of cohesion," Jones said on Amazon Prime Video.
"It's not good enough – we realise it's not good enough. We kept making fundamental mistakes."
As Argentina celebrated a first win against England since 2009 and a first at Twickenham since 2006, the defeated hosts set about working out what went wrong.
They allowed Emiliano Boffelli and Santiago Carreras to cross for second-half tries, with Boffelli finishing with 25 points in all thanks to his strong kicking performance.
Farrell said England must show a response, with matches against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa to come this month.
"We've got a long way to go this autumn and need to make sure we don't drop any confidence because of this," Farrell said.
On a boggy surface, England failed to cope as well as their visitors, and Farrell said: "We kind of let the pressure off a lot of the times. We played the game we thought we needed. It's a wet, wet pitch and both teams didn't really move the ball that well.
"We weren't at our best, definitely not, and that's what were here to do, to get the best out of ourselves.
"We'll have a good look. There were some good bits, and it felt like it was coming. I just think a bit of discipline and errors of not quite being on the same page at times cost us that extra bit of momentum, what it takes to get in front and stay in front."
Boffelli said Michael Cheika's victorious team would enjoy their big moment.
He said: "I'm very happy, we are very happy. Tomorrow we will think about Wales, that follows. We spoke about how we must try to stay close in the score."
Speaking about the influence of Australian coach Cheika, who guided Argentina to wins over Australia and New Zealand in this year's Rugby Championship, Boffelli said: "Everyone knows Michael Cheika as a coach, and it's very important for us.
"He has experience in international rugby and he is confident in us, and that's good. I'm very happy with that, but the team did a good day."
Kevin Durant is interested in becoming part of the Washington Commanders' new ownership group after Dan and Tanya Snyder announced they were considering a sale of the franchise.
On Wednesday, the Commanders released a statement confirming the owners had hired BofA Securities to explore a potential sale.
The decision comes amid an NFL investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct from Dan Snyder, who is also being probed by attorney generals in Washington, D.C. and Virginia over alleged financial improprieties.
Reports have credited Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos, as well as musician and producer Jay-Z, with an interest in making a joint bid for the team, and Durant wants to be involved.
Two-time NBA champion Durant, who grew up in the D.C. area, told ESPN: "In a perfect world, I would be a part of it.
"I would love to do it. I would love to give a little bit of my money to be a part of the Commanders, but we'll see. Hopefully it's somebody nice. I heard Bezos and Jay-Z, but you never know.
"I don't have a lot of money, though. I don't have that much money to say, 'Look, man, let me get a piece of the team.'
"I'm sure it would have to work out some way, somehow. I would love to, obviously, but to be honest, I doubt that it'll happen. It's a five or six-billion-dollar team."
Dan Snyder brought the Washington franchise in 1999, and while Durant is surprised to see him exploring an exit, the Brooklyn Nets star is excited about the team's future.
"How long has he had it now, 20-something years? He's probably the only owner I've known, since I've been alive, for the Redskins or Commanders," Durant added.
"It's definitely shocking to see him put them up because it's his baby. NFL teams are precious, they're important.
"That's going to be a team that everybody [wants]. Everybody wants to be a part of the league. It's one of the most lucrative teams in sports, so I'm sure there's going to be a lot of bidders.
"Our market is incredible. There's a lot of support in D.C., a lot of money in D.C. to be made. I feel like we drafted well the last couple of years, we got some foundation pieces that can help you win football games moving forward.
"I know we've had some losing seasons, but it's starting to come around for us. I'm excited as a fan.
"I'm excited about the sale. I'm excited to see who they bring in and who they sell the team to, and to see how we move forward with it."
Holger Rune stunned Novak Djokovic to win the Paris Masters title as the teenager confirmed his ascendancy into the tennis elite.
The 19-year-old defeated Djokovic 3-6 6-3 7-5, fending off the six-time champion at the indoor event to earn a place in the top 10 for the first time, becoming the first Danish man to reach such heights.
Rune becomes the first player since the ATP rankings were launched in 1973 to have beaten five top-10 players in the same tournament, other than at the season-ending ATP Finals.
His scalps on the route to his maiden Masters 1000 final included Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz – who retired when trailing in their quarter-final – and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Now Rune can add last year's Paris champion Djokovic to that list, defeating the 21-time grand slam winner who had described his young opponent as the future of tennis on the eve of the final.
Rune becomes the youngest Paris Masters champion since an 18-year-old Boris Becker triumphed in 1986, and he did it the hard way too, coming from behind after Djokovic made the stronger start.
Djokovic broke Rune's serve in the fourth game to lead 3-1 and take an early grip, soon seeing out the opening set.
Yet Rune charged 3-0 ahead in the second and grew in confidence. There was even a Djokovic-like raised fist after getting the better of his illustrious rival in one thrilling rally
Djokovic roared ahead in the decider, but not intimidated by the occasion, Rune struck back to recover the early break.
Rune then broke to lead 6-5, as his Serbian opponent became erratic.
Nobody beats Djokovic without a fight though, and the 21-time grand slam winner had six chances to break back in the next game.
Rune survived them all and clinched victory on his second match point when Djokovic, who had been chasing a record-extending 39th ATP 1000 title, netted on the half-volley.
Addressing Rune in an on-court interview, Djokovic said: "You absolutely deserve this victory. What an amazing week you had.
"I'm not happy that you beat me, but on the other hand I'm happy for you because I like your personality, I think you're a very dedicated guy that loves tennis and puts a lot of hours into hard work.
"It's paying off for you, and I'm sure the future is bright for you and your team, so congratulations."
Rune, who is working with Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, said: "This must be my favourite tournament now, I really enjoyed my time here."
Fabio Quartararo turned off his television to avoid witnessing Francesco Bagnaia's title celebrations before quickly turning his attention to reclaiming his MotoGP crown next year.
Quartararo's hopes of retaining his championship were slim heading into Sunday's season-closing Valencia Grand Prix.
The Frenchman needed to win the race while seeing rival Bagnaia finish no better than 15th.
Instead, Quartararo could only manage fourth, while Bagnaia crossed the line in ninth to secure an ultimately comfortable title triumph.
The dethroned champion's pain was clear after the race, but he sought to focus on the positives, using his frustration as motivation for 2023.
"That's the positive and the negative side, of course," Quartararo told BT Sport. "It hurts a lot – I had to turn off the TV.
"But it's motivation to say, 'okay, we lost the title, but I will be back'. The team is working super hard, so there is no reason we cannot fight for the championship next year."
Quartararo referenced "an up-and-down season", which included "quite a lot of struggle", but there is optimism ahead of a post-season test on Tuesday.
"It will be really important," he said. "I want to always be in the top position, and I will try my best. I will work super hard, and I am pushing the team to make the same.
"I think next year is going to be a good year, and hopefully we can really bring a performing bike to fight with them."
Francesco Bagnaia broke down in tears after withstanding an issue with his Ducati to become MotoGP world champion on Sunday, ending a 50-year wait for an Italian to win the title on an Italian bike.
Bagnaia needed only two points at the Valencia Grand Prix to hold off 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo and clinch his first championship.
But the 25-year-old has done things the hard way this year, recovering from a slow start to surge to the top of the standings, and the season-ending race was far from straightforward.
Although Bagnaia enjoyed a strong start to the race to keep the pressure up on Quartararo – who needed to win even if his rival failed to finish – contact between the pair saw the championship leader lose part of his right wing.
It was a struggle then for the former Moto2 champion to get to the finish in one piece, meaning he was in an emotional state after crossing the line in ninth and sealing the title.
"It was the worst race of the year, for sure, maybe of my life, because I was there, fighting with my bike," Bagnaia told BT Sport.
"At the start, everything went well, everything was okay. But after losing my wing, I started struggling a lot – a lot, a lot, a lot. It was very difficult to manage everything.
"I just tried to arrive in the last laps with a bit of calm. Finally, when I saw on the pit board I was world champion, I started to cry a lot. It's something incredible."
Valentino Rossi had been the last Italian MotoGP champion in 2009, while Casey Stoner was the last man to triumph with Ducati in 2007.
Not since Giacomo Agostini took the title with MV Agusta in 1972 had an Italian won on an Italian bike.
"To be world champion is the main thing for every rider in MotoGP," Bagnaia added. "To be world champion with Ducati as an Italian is something unbelievable.
"I'm very happy. It's difficult to share with you my happiness in this moment. I'm very emotional, so it's difficult to say what I really want to say."
Francesco Bagnaia dethroned Fabio Quartararo as MotoGP champion by holding his nerve at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix, where Alex Rins won on Sunday.
Bagnaia needed only two points – a 14th-placed finish – to become the first Ducati champion in 15 years; even had he fallen short of that modest target, Quartararo would have needed to win the race.
The 2021 victor vowed to be "aggressive but intelligent" after qualifying in fourth, and was good to his word.
But Bagnaia, starting from eighth, did enough early on to ensure a race win was out of Quartararo's reach, then settling in for a careful ride that sought to ensure there would be no late crash to alter the outcome.
Rins dashed away to victory ahead of Brad Binder as Suzuki bowed out of the series in style, but the focus was further back in the field at the end of the longest ever MotoGP season.
Bagnaia passed Quartararo into Turn 1, only for the Frenchman to quickly recover and then attack Jack Miller, moving back into fourth.
Despite five retirements in 2022, the season leader was not going away quietly, and he battled back before contact between the two title rivals robbed him of his right wing.
Quartararo came out on top in that tussle, but the distraction allowed the race leaders to build a significant gap back to the contenders – one that became increasingly difficult to bridge as Bagnaia did not relent.
Finally, with those in front out of sight, Bagnaia backed off, riding home in ninth as Quartararo's fourth-placed finish left him 17 points short of back-to-back championships.
Marcus Smart described the Boston Celtics' performance against the New York Knicks as a "thing of beauty" after they broke a franchise record on Saturday.
The Celtics drained 27 three-point attempts in their 133-118 victory against the Knicks, the most they have ever managed in a single game.
As usual, it was Jaylen Brown (30 points) and Jayson Tatum (26) who led the way in scoring, while Smart added 13 of his own, including hitting three from five attempts from beyond the arc.
"It felt amazing," Smart said after the win that put the Celtics on 6-3 for the season. "[Head coach Joe Mazzulla] was just preaching to us, 'Don't get tired, we're playing the right way.' I think every coach preaches that, but to see it actually happen in action is a thing of beauty.
"It's good for us. It felt good for guys to hit shots, felt good for the team to see how we play when we play that way and the things we can do, so we have to keep preaching that, we have to keep working."
It was a productive night for Boston at Madison Square Garden, needing just 41 attempts for their record 27 three-pointers, and shooting 53 per cent from the field overall.
Sam Hauser played his part from the bench, scoring five threes in just 21 minutes, going some way to justifying his full contract signed with the Celtics in the offseason.
"Once you get the first couple to go it opens it up a little bit," Hauser said. "I definitely had a lot of confidence tonight and I think I'm getting my feet under me and getting more comfortable knowing these guys and where I'm supposed to be. So I'm just going to keep playing off them and doing my part."
Kevin Durant says it has been "camaraderie" within the Brooklyn Nets that helped put a difficult week behind them with a 98-94 comeback win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The small forward posted 27 points and helped his side erase a double-digit gap to earn back-to-back triumphs after victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Amid a seven-day stretch that saw Kyrie Irving suspended after initially refusing to apologise for promoting a movie and book with anti-Semitic overtones, and with head coach Steve Nash also dismissed, the going has been tough for the Nets.
Speaking after his side moved their record to 4-6 for the season, Durant reflected on what has been a strange period, but credited the team's resolve to keep the focus on their game as key to their revival.
"It was a unique experience for sure," he stated. "But a lot of guys been through different things in this league before, and a lot of guys have been through some adversity in this league off the court
"Having to lock back in and focus solely on the game, I think that we all get a little bit of solace in doing that.
"[It's] just playing the game of basketball, getting that camaraderie, that fellowship with your teammates, I think that was able to get us through.
"I just think we rallied around each other. It was a tough week for us. And it's always good to just get back to the game. Once the ball is tipped, [it all] goes out the window.
"I think everybody was just waiting to get back to playing. It's good for our character, it's good for the energy of the team and to fight through adversity."
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