A four-year deal for Christian Kirk reported to be worth up to $84million is to be among a significant outlay by the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.

Within hours of the start of the legal tampering period on Monday, the Jaguars secured five deals, according to widespread reports.

The Jaguars had $39.3million in cap space to work with – the fifth-most in the NFL – and made the most of it in addressing key needs at receiver and on the offensive line.

Kirk was the player they identified as a target for second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, albeit at a significant cost.

The former Arizona Cardinal, who fell 18 yards shy of 1,000 receiving last season and has 11 touchdowns over the past two campaigns, is said to be due a $20m signing bonus, $37m fully guaranteed and $39m over the first two years, with $12m available in incentives.

Lawrence will also be able to look to tight end Evan Engram and will do so under the protection of five-time Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff, having been sacked 32 times in 2021.

Linebacker Foye Oluokun and defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi are also heading to Jacksonville after a busy day for the Jaguars.

Former New England Patriots star cornerback J.C. Jackson will suit up for the Los Angeles Chargers going forward after signing a reported five-year deal worth up to $82.5million, with $40m guaranteed.

The Patriots allowed Jackson to walk when they opted to not use the franchise tag to lock him up for one more year.

Over the past three seasons, no player in the NFL has record more interceptions than Jackson's 22. His closest challenger is Xavien Howard (16).

Jackson finished 2021 having allowed a big play on 18.9 per cent of his targets, the eighth-best rate among corners with at least 50 targets.

At 26 years old, Jackson is an elite player at one of the sport's premier positions with seemingly plenty of gas left in the tank, and if the $82.5m figure is accurate, it would place Jackson as one of the six highest-paid cornerbacks in the league based on average annual salary. 

The Chargers are in their prime spending window while exciting quarterback Justin Herbert remains on his rookie contract for the next two seasons.

Herbert is currently making less than $9m per season and is expected to fetch an average annual salary north of $40m when the time comes for his extension, giving the Chargers a two-year window to go all-in surrounding their QB with a championship-level team.

The Green Bay Packers have re-signed linebacker De’Vondre Campbell.

The deal will not be official until the start of the league-year on Wednesday, with Campbell's five-year contract reportedly worth up to $50million if he plays out the entire deal.

A fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft, 28-year-old Campbell spent the first four years of his career in Atlanta, before a one-year stint in Arizona where he caught the eye of the Packers.

Playing on a one-year 'prove it' deal, Campbell established himself as a first-team All Pro inside linebacker by managing 102 solo tackles and adding six quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

The move represents a big investment by the franchise, eating into salary cap space that may be required to bring back superstar offensive duo Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.

Both Rodgers and Adams are expecting contracts that would reset the market in their respective positions.

The reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves appear to be moving on from free agent and fan favourite Freddie Freeman at first base, having acquired Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

The Braves are sending four prospects – outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and right-handed pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes – to Oakland in return for the left-handed slugger.

The 27-year-old Olson, who was raised in the Atlanta suburbs, enjoyed a breakout season in 2021 and was named to his first All-Star Game, leading the A's in homers (39), doubles (35), RBIs (111) and OPS (.911).

Since his first full season in the majors in 2017, his 142 home runs are tied with Mike Trout for 10th in MLB.

The addition of Olson signals that the Braves will be moving on from Freeman, who has spent his entire 12-year career in Atlanta, culminating with a World Series championship last November.

A five-time All-Star and the 2020 National League MVP, the 32-year-old Freeman is a career .295-hitter and ranks sixth on the Braves all-time home run list with 271 and third in doubles with 367.

The Philadelphia Eagles have boosted their pass rush by agreeing a three-year deal with Haason Reddick.

According to a report from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Reddick will sign a contract worth $45million with $30m guaranteed.

It comes following back-to-back double-digit sack seasons for Reddick with two different teams.

A first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, Reddick registered 12.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 15 tackles for loss for Arizona in 2020.

He then signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, for whom he racked up 11 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss.

Now Reddick gets the chance to head home, having been born just five miles outside of Philadelphia in Camden, New Jersey and played his college football for the Temple Owls, who play their home games at the Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field. 

Reddick could form an exciting duo with the Eagles' Josh Sweat, the 2018 fourth-round pick who last season recorded a career-high 7.5 sacks.

In 2021, the Eagles finished eighth in Stats Perform's pass rush win rate and will hope Reddick's arrival can help them maintain that top-10 status.

Following up on her podium finishes at the Liga Autonomica de Féminas in Spain on Saturday, Llori Sharpe enjoyed another good day in competition on Sunday when she was second in the U23 category and seventh overall in the Trofeo Dulcinea.

Sharpe, who signed with German cycling outfit Canyon-SRAM Generation in December 2021, tells Sportsmax.TV that both she and her coach, Adam Szabo, were quite pleased with her accomplishments on the weekend.

“I'd say it went pretty well,” she said of how she performed on Sunday. “The weekend, in general, was a great way to start the season. He (Szabo) too said both races went extremely well.”

All-in-all, it was a solid start to her career but Sharpe said there is much to improve upon. 

“I'd say to be more aggressive in the pack and to believe in my capabilities more,” she said about what she took away from her race on Sunday.

On Saturday, on what was her professional debut, Sharpe finished in third place in the Elite Category and second place in the Under 23 Category.

She now looks forward to her next race which comes up on the weekend.

England head coach Eddie Jones insists questions surrounding his future are "part of the job" after defeat to Ireland at Twickenham in the Six Nations last Saturday.

The 32-15 loss means England can no longer win this year's tournament and could even finish in fifth place again if they are beaten by leaders France in Paris in their final match this weekend.

It was announced on Monday that Jack Willis has been included in the squad for the first time in over a year for Saturday's clash.

The flanker suffered a serious knee injury against Italy in February last year and only returned to action for Wasps last month.

Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, Jones said his nationality may not help matters, but that questions of his suitability are part of the role.

"I took on the job of England and I knew this was going to be the case," he said. "I don't think it helps being an Australian but that's part of the deal. When I decided to do another [World Cup] cycle, I knew that would be more intense.

"The longer you're in the job, the more people probably don't want you to be in the job. It's all part of the job that we have."

Jones took the job in 2015 and has enjoyed success, winning three Six Nations titles and reaching the 2019 World Cup final, ultimately losing to South Africa in Japan.

The team's form has dipped since then, finishing fifth in last year's Six Nations and potentially doing the same this time.

However, Jones believes his side is developing, adding: "It's for other people to judge whether we're growing as a team.

"I've got my own internal assessment and I like what I see. I like to see the growing spirit of this team. We're moving in the right direction but I'm sure other people have their own judgement."

The Cleveland Browns have released five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the franchise confirmed on Monday.

The Browns agreed a deal for Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday and had permitted Landry to seek a trade.

However, no deal was forthcoming for the 29-year-old, who was due to make $14.3million in base salary, and so he has been granted his release.

It is expected to clear $14.9m in cap space for the Browns, and cost around $1.5m in dead cap.

Landry had a frustrating 2021, playing just 12 games due to injuries and contracting COVID-19, making two touchdowns and catching 52 passes for a season total of 570 yards.

However, he was otherwise a near ever-present for Cleveland since arriving from the Miami Dolphins in 2018, making more than 80 receptions in each of his first two seasons and receiving for a total of 1,174 yards in 2019.

Arguably his finest game for the Browns came in the 40-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens in that season as he made eight catches for 167 yards, the best single game numbers of his career.

Speaking to the Browns' website, executive vice president and GM Andrew Berry said: "The trade for Jarvis Landry in 2018 was a key moment for our organisation.

"Jarvis' on-field production and fiery competitiveness speaks for itself, but his leadership and team-oriented attitude impacted our culture in a way that will last in time even beyond his release. These decisions are always difficult, but we wish Jarvis well and we look forward to the day when he returns as a storied Browns alumnus."

Landry's best career season came in 2017 with Miami as he led the league with 112 receptions.

The Green Bay Packers have moved to ensure they enter 2022 with the same edge-rushing duo who starred last season, re-signing Preston Smith but releasing Za'Darius Smith.

The pair had played together for two years following their 2019 arrivals, before Za'Darius Smith's back injury saw him spend the majority of 2021 on injured reserve.

He played briefly in the Packers' Week 1 loss to the New Orleans Saints and only returned following back surgery in the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, in which he recorded his only sack of the year.

In Za'Darius Smith's absence, Rashan Gary stepped up to establish himself alongside Preston Smith.

Gary, who had only four career starts prior to 2021, led the Packers with 9.5 sacks, just ahead of Preston Smith (9.0), who matched his team-mate's two fumbles forced.

That breakout performance from Gary meant there were contrasting fortunes for Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith three years to the day since they both signed with the team.

Za'Darius Smith, whose 26 sacks across 2019 and 2020 – in which he started 32 games – tied third in the NFL alongside Aaron Donald, had the option to stay with the Packers at this year's owed cash amount, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, but instead agreed with the team's decision to move on.

Meanwhile, Preston Smith was granted a contract extension, with general manager Brian Gutekunst saying: "We are excited to have Preston continue his career with the Packers.

"Since coming to Green Bay, he has not only contributed with production on the field but has been a great presence in the locker room and a leader for this team."

All-Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. could be sidelined up to three months with a fractured left wrist that will likely require surgery, San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller said on Monday.

The 23-year-old Tatis hurt his wrist earlier in the offseason, according to Preller, and the injury reappeared when he intensified baseball activities leading up to the start of spring training.

The injury is a major let-down for one of the brightest young stars in baseball on a Padres team hoping to make a return to the playoffs in 2022 after collapsing down the stretch last season, finishing 79-83.

Despite missing time in 2021 due to left shoulder inflammation, Tatis still managed to lead the National League with 42 home runs in just 130 games.

He hit .282, stole 25 bases and had the league's third-highest OPS at .975, finishing the year third in the NL in MVP voting.

The Padres are scheduled to begin the season on April 7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and will play their home opener a week later against the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves.

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have settled on Mitchell Trubisky as the successor to Ben Roethlisberger.

According to multiple reports, the second overall pick in the 2017 draft has agreed a two-year contract with the Steelers.

The former Chicago Bears quarterback spent last season as Josh Allen's backup with the Buffalo Bills having failed to live up to his draft status.

Trubisky will now get the chance to reinvigorate his career in Pittsburgh and has significant shoes to fill after future Hall of Famer Roethlisberger retired following his 18th season in the NFL.

The Steelers had been said to be in the mix for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is available for trade as the Niners get set to start Trey Lance in 2022.

But they have instead avoided sending draft capital to another team and elected to bet on their ability to harness Trubisky's physical tools, something which the Bears largely failed to do.

The Bears traded up from the third pick to the second in 2017 to land Trubisky but, save for a 2018 season in which he was part of a team that won the NFC North only to lose in the Wild Card round to the Philadelphia Eagles, his time with the team was unsuccessful.

Chicago did get back to the playoffs in 2020, a season in which Trubisky and Nick Foles alternated at quarterback, but they suffered a meek Wild Card exit at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.

In his time with the Bears, Trubisky threw for 10,609 yards, 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also ran for eight touchdowns.

His final season with Chicago saw him record a pickable pass rate of 5.48 per cent, the fifth-worst among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts.

 

Free agency was supposed to be the headline act of March in the NFL calendar.

But then a blockbuster Russell Wilson trade, the end (for now) of the Aaron Rodgers saga and the small matter of the unretirement of Tom Brady happened in a whirlwind week for the league.

As such, many of the moves that are reported when the NFL's negotiating window opens may seem insignificant compared to the events of the last seven days.

However, the right acquisition on the open market can have a substantial impact for teams looking to contend for the Lombardi Trophy.

Just look at the Cincinnati Bengals, who were in touching distance of winning the title for the first time thanks in part to the defensive efforts of two free agent signings in edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

With the salary cap increasing to $208.2million, the first time in league history it has been over $200m, plenty of teams will be ready to loosen the purse strings.

Yet free agency is often not about making the big splash move, it is more a matter of finding the right fit between player and team.

Using advanced metrics, Stats Perform looks at six of the best potential fits for this year's free agency cycle.

J.C. Jackson to New York Jets

Jackson is in for a monster payday after the New England Patriots elected not to place the franchise tag on a cornerback coming off a second-team All-Pro season.

Though they are clearly not ready to contend in 2022, the Jets present the perfect marriage of positional need and cap space, of which they have the second-most in the NFL.

Only four teams allowed more yards per pass play than the Jets (7.11) last season, with the secondary a long-standing problem for New York.

Over the past three seasons, no player in the NFL has record more interceptions than Jackson's 22. His closest challenger is Xavien Howard (16).

Jackson finished 2021 having allowed a big play on 18.9 per cent of his targets, the eighth-best rate among corners with at least 50 targets.

Pairing him with a corner in Bryce Hall who had the best combined open percentage (14.61) across man and zone coverage of any player at his position in the NFL last season (min. 100 coverage matchups) would go a long way to shoring up the Jets' defensive backfield.

Terron Armstead to Cincinnati Bengals

It almost makes too much sense. The Bengals are in obvious need of help on the offensive line and will have the seventh-most cap space of any team in the NFL with which to acquire it, making Armstead an obvious fit.

Though injuries limited him to eight games for the Saints last season, Armstead remains one of the premier left tackles in the NFL.

Armstead's stunt-adjusted pass block win rate of 91.93 per cent was third among tackles with at least 100 pass protection one-on-ones in 2021.

That is exactly the kind of excellence in protection the Bengals need to ensure Joe Burrow can keep them in contention for Super Bowl titles in the coming years.

Tyrann Mathieu to Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have been mentioned as a potential destination for several free agents, which is unsurprising given they are in the top half of the league in terms of cap space and have a premier quarterback on a rookie deal in Justin Herbert.

They have already shown a desire to be aggressive in striking a trade to pair edge rusher Khalil Mack with Joey Bosa on the defensive line, yet there is no doubt the secondary would also benefit from an infusion of experience and added quality.

Mathieu would bring just that if the Chargers were able to lure him from the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. With free safety Nasir Adderley having so far struggled to live up to his status as a second-round pick, Mathieu's arrival would allow the Chargers to rotate him and former first-round pick Derwin James, who each possess the versatility to play free and strong safety and one on one with wide receivers and tight ends in man coverage.

Last year, Mathieu finished ninth among defensive backs with at least 100 coverage matchups across man and zone with a combined open percentage allowed of 20.3.

With another three interceptions added to a career tally that now stands at 26, there is no doubt Mathieu still has the playmaking ability and coverage skills to be an asset to any defense.

Von Miller to Denver Broncos

Everybody loves a reunion, and this would be a quick one after the Broncos dealt Miller to the Los Angeles Rams last season, with the veteran edge rusher going on to win his second Super Bowl title.

And after the Broncos struck a stunning trade to acquire Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, bringing back Miller to boost a defense that will be run by former Rams secondary coach Ejiro Evero would be an ideal next move to make for a team clearly eyeing an immediate run at a Lombardi.

Miller ranked fifth among edge rushers with a stunt-adjusted pass rush win rate of 43.4 per cent in 2021, with that ability to generate pressure highly valuable to a defense that was a disappointing 30th in win percentage last year.

The Broncos are set up to contend, and a return to Denver would potentially give Miller the chance to compete for further titles while ending his career where it started.

Cordarrelle Patterson to San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have a host of more important needs than a wide receiver-turned-running back, and given San Francisco possesses the gold standard in that regard in 'wide back' Deebo Samuel, signing Patterson would be a luxury move rather than a necessity.

Yet the thought of head coach Kyle Shanahan having both Samuel and Patterson to work with is an extremely enticing one.

Among running backs with at least 150 carries in the regular season, only James Conner (22.7) produced a higher percentage of big plays on targets in the passing game than Patterson (22.6).

Putting him with the play-caller who arguably does the best job of getting offensive players in space would be a match made in heaven.

Christian Kirk to Indianapolis Colts

It's not clear who will be playing quarterback for the Colts in 2022 following the Carson Wentz trade to the Washington Commanders, but that signal-caller will need receiving help beyond 2020 second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr.

With T.Y. Hilton on the downswing of his career and injuries preventing Parris Campbell from making any sort of discernible impact, the Colts are light on legitimate pass-catching weapons.

Kirk could stock the cupboard in that regard, giving Indianapolis a legitimate deep threat who fell 18 yards shy of 1,000 receiving last season and has 11 touchdowns over the past two campaigns.

He registered a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 66.4 per cent of targets (the average for receivers with at least 100 targets was 62).

Among receivers to meet that target threshold, Kirk was fourth in the NFL in 2021 with a burn yards per target average of 13.2, with his ability to separate much needed by an offense that heads into the offseason in questionable shape.

Ireland will have to do without James Ryan and Ryan Baird in their crunch Six Nations showdown with Scotland on Saturday.

Ryan was unable to return to the field after he was floored by a dangerous tackle from Charlie Ewels only 82 seconds into Ireland's 32-15 win over England at Twickenham last weekend.

Ewels was shown a red card for clashing heads with Ryan, who failed a subsequent head injury assessment.

Lock Ryan will not be available when Andy Farrell's side do battle with Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on the final day of the tournament.

Fellow second row Baird also missed the encounter in Dublin due to a back injury, so Ross Molony and Joe McCarthy have been called up to train with the squad.

Second-placed Ireland are two points adrift of leaders France and must win to keep their hopes of winning the title alive, with Les Bleus facing England in Paris later in the day.

 

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he is set to change his name as he prepares for the 2022 Formula One season.

The seven-time F1 world champion will include his mother Carmen's maiden name, Larbalestier, in his name.

Hamilton's parents, Anthony and Carmen, separated when he was only two.

The 37-year-old is not sure when his new name will be confirmed, stating it is a work in progress ahead of the first race of the year in Bahrain this weekend.

"It would mean the world to my family [to win a record eighth F1 title]," the British driver said at the 2022 Dubai Expo.

"It would mean a lot to me knowing that, for example, I'm really proud of my family's name: Hamilton. Actually, none of you might know that my mum's [sur]name is Larbalestier.

"And I'm just about to put that in my name. Because I don't really fully understand the whole idea of why, when people get married, the woman loses her name. I really want her name to continue on with the Hamilton name."

Asked if he will have a different name in the first race of the season, he replied: "It will be soon. No, I don't know if it will be this weekend. But we're working on it."

Jack Willis has been included in England's squad for the first time in over a year for Saturday's Six Nations clash with France.

The flanker suffered a serious knee injury against Italy in February last year and only returned to action for Wasps last month.

With Tom Curry ruled out of the contest at Stade de France with a hamstring problem sustained in the 32-15 defeat to Ireland, Willis has a chance of featuring.

Kyle Sinckler was also part of the 34-player squad named by Eddie Jones on Monday and will follow return-to-play protocols after being concussed against Ireland.

England are out of contention for the Six Nations title ahead of their final match of this year's tournament after winning two and losing two of their first four games.

Opponents France are top of the standings as they seek a first title and first Grand Slam since 2010.

Russia have been replaced by Serbia in the Davis Cup and Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed.

Russia, who won both competitions in 2021, have been suspended from competing in international team events following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

As the highest-ranked losing semi-finalist from last year, Serbia will take Russia's place in the Davis Cup Finals.

The wild card previously handed to Serbia will now go to one of the 12 nations knocked out in the qualifiers that took place earlier this month.

Likewise, as the highest-ranked side among the 2021 losing Billie Jean King Cup semi-finalists, Australia will replace Russia in that competition.

Australia were due to take part in April's qualifiers, but opponents Slovakia will now receive a bye and advance directly to the Finals.

Belarus have also been barred from competing in both events, meaning Belgium will receive a walkover in their qualifying match and advance to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Emma Raducanu knows she must "get stronger" after losing to Petra Martic in the third round of the Indian Wells Open.

Martic came from a set down to beat US Open champion Raducanu 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-5 on Sunday.

Teenager Raducanu has been troubled by a back injury and an issue with her hip.

The Brit says she was hampered at Indian Wells, but is confident she will be fit for the Miami Open next week.

"I think it's just part of not playing and having so much stop start and having five, six days to prepare for matches and then playing at that intensity,” she said.

"It was a tough one not being able to serve full out so I was having to work so hard just to hold.

"I've just got to get stronger. I've had it for the last few days, just a product of training hard and probably the last match was pretty intense too and it didn't settle down.

"When you are crossing your fingers to hold serve every time, it's tough. I couldn't really drive up and I was kind of struggling to turn and reach.

"The margins were so small. I should be good for Miami, for sure."

Andy Murray has expressed his sympathy for Naomi Osaka over the abuse she was subjected to at Indian Wells but says athletes must deal with it.

Osaka was reduced to tears as she crashed out of the Indian Wells Open with a 6-0 6-4 third-round defeat to 21st seed Veronika Kudermetova on Saturday.

A member of the crowd could be heard shouting "Naomi, you suck" after the four-time grand slam champion had been broken in the first game of the match.

Osaka approached the chair umpire to report the incident and held further discussions with the court supervisor after being insulted again.

Murray says there is no place for such conduct, but believes players must be able to ignore it.

He said: “It's a difficult one. I've often thought watching certain sports, I wouldn't say I've often seen it loads in tennis … but if I watch a football or a soccer match and a player's going to take throw-in or a corner kick and the crowd are just hurling insults at those individuals.

"I always think, how is that allowed? Like, you can't do that. If you're doing that to someone when you're walking down the street or in any other sort of work environment, that's obviously not tolerated.

"I've played in certain atmospheres as well myself in tennis, like Davis Cup atmospheres, away from home, especially where the atmosphere's intense, and sometimes things are said and it's not that comfortable.

"The people that come to watch, you want them to be there and supporting the players and not making it more difficult for them. I don't know, but it's also something that's always just kind of been part of sports as well."

He added: "If you go and watch a basketball match, for example, and a player's taking free throws, I would say like almost every basketball match I've been to one of the players has been heckled by the crowd as well

"While it's wrong for those individuals to be doing it, the athletes obviously have to kind of be used to that as well or be able to deal with that too, even though it's not pleasant.

"I feel for Naomi, that obviously it upset her a lot, but it’s always been something that's been part of sport, I guess, as well.

"You have to be prepared for that in some ways and be able to tolerate it because it does happen regularly across all sports."

LeBron James was lost for words after becoming the first player in NBA history to surpass 10,000 points, rebounds and assists.

Four-time MVP James achieved the feat with his six assists in the Los Angeles Lakers' 140-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

The second of those assists against the NBA-leading Suns, alongside his 31 points and seven rebounds, saw James reach five figures in that category.

After managing something nobody else has come close to, the 37-year-old was left to revel in another historic achievement.

"I get lost for words anytime things like this are happening to me because of where I come from," he said. 

"I start thinking to my hometown of Akron [Ohio] and my upbringing and where I come from and the dreams that I had of being in this league and playing at the highest level.

"To now sit alone at a statistical category in this league that I've really modelled my game after: being able to score, rebound and assist...

"To sit alone at a stat is pretty, I'd say, 'cool,' but it doesn't quite make sense to me."

 

James' 10,000th assist arrived in another defeat for the Lakers, who are now 29-38 for the season and down in ninth in the Western Conference.

"It's an honour to be a part of this league. No matter what's going on, you try to take the victories that happen throughout the course of a long marathon," James added.

"Tonight is one that happened not only for myself but for my family and friends."

James now has 1,457 points this season, tied with Luka Doncic for the 11th most, while his average of 29.7 across his 49 games is bettered only by Joel Embiid (29.8).

Only in two previous seasons – 30 in 2007-08 and 31.4 in 2005-06 – has James averaged more points than he is this season for the Lakers.

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