Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 50 points to help snap the Brooklyn Nets' four-game losing run with a 132-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.
Kevin Durant took a backseat to Irving's "master class", as the Nets point guard hit nine three-pointers, shooting at 79 percent from the floor, making 15-of-19.
Irving scored 30 points in the second half, with his Nets teammates contributing 33, helping them claim their fourth win from their past 21 games.
The 29-year-old became one of 22 players in NBA history with five 50-point games, along with becoming the second guard – behind Michal Jordan - in NBA history to have multiple 50-point games while shooting 75 percent or better from the floor.
Durant added 14 points with three rebounds and seven assists while Andre Drummond had 20 points with 14 rebounds.
Giannis stars as champions win fifth straight
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 39 points, shooting 13-of-19 including four-of-four from beyond the arc, as the Milwaukee Bucks crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 142-115 for their fifth straight win. Khris Middleton added 25 points while Bobby Portis had 18 points with 14 rebounds.
Devin Booker was still out but the Phoenix Suns triumphed after a late Mikal Bridges block in a 102-99 win over the Orlando Magic. Deandre Ayton had 21 points with 19 rebounds for the Suns.
Ja Morant scored 24 points with eight rebounds and eight assists as the Memphis Grizzlies downed the New Orleans Pelicans 132-111, while Darius Garland became the fourth player in Cleveland Cavaliers history with 40 points and 10 assists in a game (41 and 13) as they won 127-124 over the Indiana Pacers.
Splash brothers shooting off
The Golden State Warriors' splash brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson only managed a combined three-of-15 from beyond the arc but they snapped their five-game skid with a 112-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry and Thompson finished with 15 and 20 points respectively, while Reggie Jackson struggled with two-of-14 shooting for the Clippers.
Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe's Six Nations campaign is over after his red card for Worcester resulted in a three-game ban.
The 26-year-old was dismissed for "reckless or dangerous play" on London Irish's Kyle Rowe in Saturday's Premiership match which Worcester lost 43-12.
The suspension means van der Merwe will miss Scotland's final two Six Nations matches against Italy and Ireland.
Van der Merwe had scored his 10th try for Scotland in their 36-17 loss to France at Murrayfield Stadium on February 26.
Scotland have one win and two defeats in the Six Nations, having beaten England 20-17 in their opening game before losses to Wales and Les Bleus.
PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan has joked that Rory McIlroy has been "suspended" following comments he made calling for more transparency from the governing body.
The Northern Irishman said on Tuesday that the PGA Tour needs to be less of a "closed shop", with criticism around transparency on topics such as fines, suspensions and the vote for the player of the year.
McIlroy currently sits as one of four player directors on the Tour's policy board and prompted a sarcastic response from Monahan.
“I would just say, effective immediately, Rory McIlroy is suspended," the commissioner joked.
Monahan added: "Rory is a member of our policy board. He's a player director. That's something that has been raised in the past, and if that's something that a member of our board feels strongly about, rest assured it's a conversation we'll have with our Player Advisory Council and ultimately our board.
"That's the way the system works. It's a criticism that has been lobbied against the PGA Tour through the years, and I think we always have to be open to evolving. That's something that we are open to."
Monahan also revealed that he has not spoken to six-time major winner Phil Mickelson since facing a major backlash and taking time off from the game after comments he made about a proposed Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League.
Mickelson claimed the Super Golf League could provide players with "leverage" as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to "reshape how the PGA Tour operates".
Monahan said the ball was in Mickelson's court on whether he returned to the tour, although he declined to confirm if he had been suspended for his comments.
"I have not talked to Phil since he made his comments and since he said that he was stepping away. Like I said, I think the ball is in his court. I would welcome a phone call from him," Monahan said.
"But it's hard for me to talk about the different scenarios that could play out. Listen, he's a player that's won 45 times on the PGA Tour. He's had a Hall of Fame career.
"He's won here at The Players Championship. He's inspired a lot of people and helped grow this Tour, his Tour.
"So as difficult as it is to read some of the things that were said, ultimately a conversation will be had when he's ready to have it, and I will be ready to have it, as well."
Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton will retire after the 2023 World Cup despite signing a new deal with Irish Rugby.
The 36-year-old, who earned his 100th cap in November and won the 2018 World Player of the Year, wants to go out on a high at next year's World Cup in France.
Irish Rugby confirmed on Tuesday that Sexton had signed a new contract up until the 2023 event but the 103-cap veteran said he would finish up after that.
“Yeah, finished, 2023 World Cup – it’s up to me to work hard, get the body and mind in the best shape possible and attack the last 18 months,” he said.
“I’m still very driven to get there and perform at the World Cup. I always said that if I am enjoying my rugby and the Ireland and Leinster set-ups believe I can add value to the environment then it would be an easy decision to sign another contract.
“There is some great talent coming through at Leinster at present and I am excited about the prospect of competing at a fourth World Cup with Ireland and the potential for growth in this group between now and then.”
Sexton has played 103 times for Ireland in his storied career and reached the milestone of 500 points in the Six Nations in the 29-7 win over the defending champions last month.
A four-time European Champions Cup winner with Leinster, Sexton is now looking ahead to the prospect of a fourth World Cup finals appearance in France next year.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has confirmed Ben Simmons will be with the team on the bench for Thursday's return game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Simmons is expected to receive a frosty reception from the 76ers fans at the Wells Fargo Center as he returns for the first time since last month's trade to the Nets.
The point guard had a major fallout with the 76ers after a nightmare playoffs period, leading to him requesting a trade and opting not to play all season until a trade was finalised in February.
Nash said Simmons, who is yet to debut for Brooklyn, will not play for the Nets on Thursday but will be in attendance with the team which he felt he needed to get out of the way.
"It's great," Nash told reporters prior to Tuesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
"He's on our team, he needs to be with his teammates and get the whole Philly thing out of the way a little bit. Maybe it never goes away, but the first time it's always nice to kind of deal with it and move on."
He added: "I don't think he's naive to think he's not going to get some boos. I hope he enjoys it. It's a part of the game I miss."
Simmons has not played since his trade due to a back complaint which has hampered his ability to get reconditioned to game standard having not played all season.
Nash was not clear-cut on Simmons' likely debut, with the Australian still not cleared to practice.
"It's to be determined," Nash said. "I think he's progressing this week, but I don't know what that means as far as Saturday.
"He'll see us [Wednesday] in Philly. I don't think he's ready for 5-on-5 basketball but he's improving, working out, and he'll join us in Philly, and a few good days of rehab."
The Green Bay Packers have kept the Aaron Rodgers-Davante Adams band together.
On the day that it was confirmed Rodgers would be staying with Green Bay, the Packers also moved to keep hold of his favourite target Adams, franchise tagging him before the deadline on Tuesday.
It means he will at least play 2022 under a one-year franchise tender, and gives the Packers until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal.
Adams has established himself as arguably the premier wide receiver in the NFL in recent years, topping 1,000 yards in three of the last four seasons.
He racked up a career-high 1,553 yards while also scoring 11 receiving touchdowns in 2021 as the Packers clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a 13-4 record, only to lose in the Divisional Round of the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers.
Recording a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 65.6 per cent of his targets (the 2021 average for receivers with at least 100 targets was 62), Adams finished the year fifth among wideouts with an average of 3.5 burn yards per target.
In other words, he was again one of the NFL's elite when it came to creating clear separation from defenders, and the Packers will hope they can come to a long-term arrangement that ensures he will be doing so for Green Bay for many years to come.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have again utilised the franchise tag to keep Chris Godwin on the roster, doing so for the second year in a row.
Godwin was tagged last season following the Buccaneers' victory in Super Bowl LV, with Tampa Bay then unable to reach a long-term deal with the wide receiver.
Despite having his 2021 season curtailed by injury, the Bucs still see Godwin as a key cog as they plot a path to staying competitive following Tom Brady's retirement.
They have, therefore, taken the step of tagging him again, giving Tampa Bay until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal with Godwin.
The odds of them succeeding in that aim appear better than in 2021, as the Bucs and Godwin's representatives have reportedly already been working on a deal between the two sides.
Godwin will play under a one-year, $19.18million franchise tender if he does not sign a long-term contract with Tampa Bay by the deadline.
Though his 2021 campaign was ended by a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints, Godwin still finished the year with 98 receptions for 1,103 yards - both career highs - and five touchdowns.
According to Stats Perform data, Godwin registered a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 70.4 per cent of his targets. That ratio was third-best in the NFL among wideouts behind team-mate Mike Evans (72.7) and Tyreek Hill (70.8).
With a multi-year contract potentially on the horizon, the Bucs are banking on Godwin recovering from his injury and maintaining that kind of form in an era where he and Evans may need to elevate whoever is handed the difficult challenge of filling Brady's shoes.
Aaron Rodgers has confirmed he will return to the Green Bay Packers next season but denied signing a contract and refuted the alleged figures involved.
NFL Network on Tuesday reported that Rodgers had agreed a four-year, $200million deal with Green Bay to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
The quarterback was said to be receiving $153m guaranteed while giving the Packers room in the salary cap, which would have opened the door for the franchise tag to be placed on Davante Adams.
Reigning MVP Rodgers took to Twitter to confirm he would be back on the field for the Packers next season. However, he claimed the details that had been reported were "inaccurate".
"Hey everyone, just wanted to clear some things up; YES I will be playing with the @packers next year," Rodgers posted.
"However, reports about me signing a contract are inaccurate, as are the supposed terms of the contract I 'signed'.
"I'm very excited to be back. #year18"
Rodgers was named MVP after throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions in the 2021 season. He ended the campaign ranked first in the NFL in touchdown percentage (7.0), interception percentage (0.8) and passer rating (111.9).
Mike Williams has reportedly agreed a three-year, $60million deal to stay with the Los Angeles Chargers.
According to ESPN, the wide receiver will sign a contract that includes $40m guaranteed and $28m in the first year.
Williams, who was drafted seventh overall in 2017 by the Chargers, had been heading for free agency but will be in Los Angeles when he begins his sixth year in the league.
The wideout had a career-high 1,146 yards on 76 receptions in the 2021 season, the 12th best total in the league.
The Chargers were expected to give Williams the franchise tag if an agreement could not be reached on a new contract.
Phil Mickelson "doesn't owe the game of golf anything" and should be allowed to apologise and move on from his recent comments, Justin Thomas says.
The six-time major winner claimed a proposed Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League could give players "leverage" as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to "reshape how the PGA Tour operates".
The American suggested he and others had paid lawyers to construct the proposed breakaway competition's agreement, despite acknowledging Saudi Arabia has "a horrible record on human rights".
Mickelson later apologised for what he described as "reckless" comments following huge criticism and is now taking a break from the sport.
Rory McIlroy insisted last week that the players want to see Mickelson return and that he should be forgiven for his remarks.
Thomas, the former world number one and 2017 US PGA Championship winner, has echoed McIlroy and says he hopes Mickelson is "doing okay".
"I mean, there's plenty of people who are like, 'Look, [Phil Mickelson] said some things that he shouldn't have said'. And everybody does stuff like that," said Thomas.
"He should be able to apologise and move on. I think a lot of people are probably just a little upset with how it's happened or how he went about it.
"But I mean, at the end of the day, he's proven himself in the game of golf. He doesn't owe the game of golf anything. He's done plenty for it and for us. But now I just think it's more of what he wants, you know, if he wants to try to come back and play a certain number of events, or if he wants to try to create his own thing or do whatever he's got to do.
"Nobody knows what's going on inside of Phil's head besides Phil, and I think the last couple of weeks have proven that more than ever.
"Hopefully, he's doing okay. But it definitely was a bit of a shock for all of us with some of the things that he said. I guess he’ll just come back whenever he feels like he's ready."
Thomas is in action at The Players Championship this week, looking to defend the title he won in Florida last year.
The Denver Broncos have agreed in principle a trade to acquire Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, according to multiple reports.
The Broncos had been viewed as a potential destination for Aaron Rodgers, but any talk of the reigning NFL MVP moving to Denver was put to bed when it was reported he had agreed a record-breaking four-year, $200million contract extension to stay with the Green Bay Packers.
Instead, it is Wilson who looks set to take his career to Denver after the Broncos agreed to send multiple first-round picks, as well as additional selections and players to the Seahawks to land the nine-time Pro Bowler, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the trade is pending a physical and Wilson's approval, and that Broncos quarterback Drew Lock is part of the deal.
The Denver Broncos have agreed in principle a trade to acquire Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, according to multiple reports.
Andy Murray has pledged to donate his prize money for the remainder of 2022 to children affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The conflict has led to more than two million people fleeing the country over the past two weeks, according to figures released by the United Nations.
Tennis' governing bodies, the ATP, WTA, and International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the four grand slam organisers, announced on Tuesday that they are to donate a total of $700,000 to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Three-time major winner Murray is also doing his bit by working closely with UNICEF – the world's leading organisation helping children in danger – to provide medical supplies and development kits.
"Over 7.5m children are at risk with the escalating conflict in Ukraine," Murray posted on his personal Twitter page.
"It's vital education continues, so UNICEF is working to enable access to learning for displaced children, as well as supporting the rehabilitation of damaged schools, together with replacement equipment and furniture.
"I'm going to be donating my earnings from my prize money for the rest of the year, but anyone in the UK can support UNICEF's humanitarian response by donating to our appeal."
Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska donated her prize money from last week's run to the Lyon Open final, where she lost in three sets to Zhang Shuai, to help her home country.
Dak Prescott has had his contract with the Dallas Cowboys restructured.
After seeing his 2020 season cut short by injury, Prescott played 16 times in 2021, as the Cowboys clinched the NFC East with a 12-5 record.
The quarterback led a prolific offense that finished the season with a league-high 530 points, yet the Cowboys fell short in the playoffs, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round.
Prescott's tally of 4,449 passing yards ranked seventh in the NFL, while his completion percentage of 68.8 was fourth and only three quarterbacks threw for more touchdowns than his 37.
In 2021, the 28-year-old restructured his franchise-record $160million deal to create space for the salary cap and it is a similar story this time around.
With a $208.2m cap announced on Monday, teams have until March 16 to create financial wiggle room and the new structure of Prescott's deal will result in roughly $15m being saved before the start of free agency.
Five-time All Pro Zack Martin has also had his deal restructured, which will give the team an additional $7m in cap space.
The restructuring of the deals sees a portion of the players' salaries for 2022 being converted into signing bonuses.
Dallas needed the space after placing a $10.9m franchise tag on tight end Dalton Schultz.
Only four tight ends scored more than Schultz's eight receiving touchdowns last season, as he racked up a career-high 808 receiving yards.
However, Dallas will still need to make more changes to get under the cap.
According to reports, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has declined a pay cut, while Blake Jarwin has also been approached by Dallas to take a hit on his salary.
ESPN, meanwhile, reported that Amari Cooper is likely to be released, which would free up $20m in cap space.
The Dallas Cowboys will not let Dalton Schultz test free agency this offseason, electing to place the franchise tag on the tight end.
Schultz enjoyed a breakout year for the Cowboys in 2021, racking up a career-high 808 receiving yards at an average of 10.4 yards per reception.
Only four tight ends scored more than his eight receiving touchdowns last season, Mark Andrews, Hunter Henry, Travis Kelce and Dawson Knox all hauling in nine.
He was set to hit unrestricted free agency and potentially receive a substantial payday from a rival team, however, the Cowboys have moved to prevent that from happening.
Instead, they will now have sole negotiating rights with Schultz and have until July 15 to come to terms on a long-term deal and avoid having him play on the one-year franchise tender.
The move comes after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that wide receiver Amari Cooper is likely to be released by Dallas.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Cooper finished last season with 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, but the Cowboys have decided to focus their resources on paying Schultz and wideout Michael Gallup, who is expected to re-sign with the team.
Releasing Cooper will free $20million in cap space for the Cowboys.
Aaron Rodgers has agreed to terms on a four-year, $200million contract extension with the Green Bay Packers to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
The quarterback's future had been the subject of much speculation, with the four-time MVP non-committal on whether he would return to Green Bay for the 2022 season having entered the 2021 campaign in the wake of a stand-off with the Packers after his desire to leave was reported on the opening night of last year's draft.
A move elsewhere and retirement both seemed to be options on the table for Rodgers, who won a second successive MVP by leading the Packers to a NFL-best 13-4 record last season.
But relations between Rodgers and the Packers at the end of the season appeared more amiable than they were back in April of 2021.
Rodgers told The Pat McAfee show of his conversations with the franchise after the Packers' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers: "I would say the meetings were much different than they've been in the past, in a positive way, and that there were some real, honest conversations that I appreciated."
Green Bay's hiring of Tom Clements, who worked with Rodgers and the Packers from 2006 to 2016, as their quarterbacks coach for 2022 pointed towards him staying at Lambeau Field.
And Rodgers will now likely end his career where it started after agreeing to a deal worth $50m annually that keeps him under contract with the team for the next five seasons.
With the burning issue of the offseason resolved, Green Bay's attention will likely turn to keeping Rodgers' favourite target, wide receiver Davante Adams, on the roster and preventing him testing unrestricted free agency as the Packers plot a way to get over the hump after coming up short in the postseason yet again.
Having ended his staring contest with the Packers and reported for training camp, Rodgers' 2021 campaign was partly defined by controversy after a positive coronavirus test revealed previous misleading statements about his vaccination status, while his spread of misinformation regarding vaccines has unquestionably damaged his reputation.
On the field, he did not quite reach the heights of his magical 2020, but he still finished the regular season with 37 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, giving him the best touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL.
Among quarterbacks with 200 passing attempts, only Justin Herbert (2.30) threw a lower percentage of interceptable passes than Rodgers (2.36).
No quarterback delivered a higher ratio of throws that resulted in a first down than Rodgers, who did so on 40.1 per cent of his attempts, while he was second in passer rating on third down (112.2) behind Kyler Murray (118.5) among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts in that situation.
However, Rodgers was shackled by the 49ers' defense in the playoffs as the Packers went one and done, losing 13-10 in the Divisional Round in an all too familiar tale for Green Bay.
Since Rodgers led the Packers to glory in Super Bowl XLV at the end of the 2010 season, they have reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs eight times but have never returned to the Super Bowl.
Now, the 38-year-old has until the end fo the 2026 season to change that fact.
Aaron Rodgers has agreed to terms on a four-year, $200million deal with the Green Bay Packers to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Mike Gesicki looks set to have a role in the Miami Dolphins' offense in 2022 after he was franchise tagged.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Dolphins had elected to keep Gesicki around for a fifth season by opting to place a one-year franchise tender on the tight end.
Miami can still sign Gesicki to a long-term deal, but the Dolphins must do so before July 15. Otherwise, Gesicki will play on the tender, which for tight ends is worth $10.9million.
Last season, Gesicki recorded career highs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (780), though he caught only two passing touchdowns.
He will hope to have a greater impact under new head coach Mike McDaniel, who replaced Brian Flores after he was fired despite a second successive winning season, the Dolphins going 9-8 in 2021.
McDaniel arrived in Miami having served as Kyle Shanahan's offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and spent the vast majority of his career working with Shanahan.
The coaching switch would therefore appear to bode well for Gesicki. Since Shanahan took charge of the Niners in 2017, only Travis Kelce (78.8) has averaged more receiving yards per game among tight ends than San Francisco's George Kittle (67), giving Gesicki cause for optimism he can enjoy a significant bump in production playing under one of the newest members of that ever-expanding coaching tree to land a top job.
The ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the four grand slam organisers have announced the Tennis Plays for Peace campaign.
Along with the campaign, which will include efforts on social media and at tournaments, each of the seven organisations has pledged to donate $100,000 to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine.
Russia invaded the country on February 24 and the conflict is still ongoing. Well over one million refugees are estimated to have fled to neighbouring countries in Europe.
A joint statement from tennis' governing bodies on Tuesday explained that the campaign is not just about donations.
"The seven bodies will also signal support via their social and digital platforms by prominently featuring the Ukraine ribbon icon, with everyone in the tennis ecosystem encouraged to use the hashtag #TennisPlaysforPeace," it read.
"In addition, physical ribbons will be distributed for ATP and WTA players to wear at the upcoming BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells."
Last week, the ITF banned Russian and Belarusian teams from competing at the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean King Cup. Russia are the holders of each title.
The ATP and WTA, meanwhile, allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to carry on competing, but only under neutral banners.
That includes ATP world number one Daniil Medvedev and WTA world number three Aryna Sabalenka.
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