Paul George says he "can't worry" about critics after his masterful Game 5 display against the Phoenix Suns kept the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA playoffs.
George was the star of the show in a resounding 116-102 victory at Phoenix Suns Arena on Monday.
The seven-time NBA All-Star scored a career postseason-high 41 points, including 30 in the second half, to reduce the Suns' lead to 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals.
George became the first player in NBA history to score 40 points or more with at least 75 per cent field goals, 50 per cent three-pointers and a perfect record with free-throws.
The shooting guard feels he has been harshly singled out, but will pay little attention to those who continue to point the finger at him.
Asked if he feels he has been criticised more than other NBA stars, he said: "I do. And it's the honest truth. It's a fact.
"But I can't worry about that. It comes with the job, I guess. I still try to go and dominate and so I'm beyond that, you know what I mean. I am who I am. I wish I could shoot 80 per cent, 75 per cent, on a nightly basis, but it's not realistic."
He added: "What I can do is do everything else. They can judge me on what they want to. That part don't matter to me. I'm going to go out there and hoop and give it everything I got."
George has put up at least 20 points in all 18 games he has played during this postseason. The only other players in NBA history to score at 20 or more points in their first 18 games of a single NBA playoffs are Michael Jordan (1992, 1997, 1998), Kobe Bryant (2008) and Kevin Durant (2012, 2018).
George becomes the third player since the 1996-97 season to score 30-plus points on 80 per cent shooting or better in the second half of a postseason game, joining Anthony Davis (2020) and Dwyane Wade (2010).
Clippers coach Ty Lue has been baffled by criticism of George.
"PG has been great for us all year and I just don't understand why it's magnified so much when he doesn't play well,” said Lue.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were served with a warning by head coach Jon Cooper after launching their Stanley Cup Finals mission with a 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Cooper said his team still had a heap of work to do if they are to clinch back-to-back titles, and borrowed a string of baseball metaphors as he spoke of potential "curveballs" to come.
Two goals and an assist from Nikita Kucherov helped the Lightning to their comprehensive win in Game 1 at Amalie Arena.
Kucherov now has 30 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs for a second straight year, after seven goals and 23 assists. He has 64 points across this season and the previous campaign in the playoffs, a total only ever surpassed in successive playoff campaigns by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
The Russian became just the fifth player in NHL history to achieve multiple 30-point playoff campaigns, following Gretzky (six), Mark Messier (three), Jari Kurri (two) and Lemieux (two).
Cooper sounded a note of caution though, dialling down the euphoria and saying in his post-game news conference: "Consistency is the key.
"You have your plan, you stick with it and you consistently rock it, and if you do that we like our chances in games, but it doesn't guarantee results.
"For us we have found something that works with us. It doesn't mean you're going to win every night, but it's sticking with that process.
"You look no further than the last series we played in."
That was the semi-final against the New York Islanders that went all the way to the seventh game, the Lighting taking a 1-0 win in that decider.
"Teams in this league push you to the brink," Cooper said. "You have to hang in there and stick with it and this group has found a way to do that.
"You're not going to win a series in one night. There's curveballs and sliders and fastballs, and they're all thrown at you at different times, but if you're consistent with your game we trust that good things will happen.
"Tonight was just one, but the series is long from over. We're happy with tonight and now we're just going to improve on what we're doing and try and replicate it in Game 2."
That second game comes on Wednesday night, also in Tampa.
Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson, leading the team in the continuing absence of Dominique Ducharme who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, expects a tighter battle next time.
Richardson said: "The rink was buzzing, and that's something that we will get over and we'll be a little bit more used to next game.
"I think maybe just to strike early for us will be key next game, to try and weather that storm and quiet the building a little bit and let us get a rhythm going."
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani continued his red-hot form with his 26th homer of the season in a 5-3 win over the slumping New York Yankees.
Ohtani moved into a tie with Toronto Blue Jays sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the most home runs this MLB season on Monday.
After going 0 for nine in his previous appearances at Yankee Stadium, Ohtani recorded his first career hit at the venue thanks to his powerful opening-inning homer.
Ohtani – who is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday – now has nine homers in his last 12 games.
"That definitely sent a message," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "He's so easy to speak to during the game. He never gets upset. He never loses focus.
"He's able to turn the page to the next one. But yeah, that was just the right way to start his trip to New York, with him hitting a home run."
The loss condemned the Yankees to a fourth consecutive defeat following their series sweep at the hands of bitter rivals the Boston Red Sox.
Schwarber's historic night
The Washington Nationals topped the New York Mets 8-4 thanks to Kyle Schwarber, who homered twice. He became the first player in MLB history to hit 15 home runs in a 17-day span, according to Stats Perform.
Schwarber and Trea Turner went back-to-back to open the game for the Nationals. Mookie Betts and Max Muncy did the same thing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their 3-2 win over rivals the San Francisco Giants. According to Stats Perform, it is the first time in major league history that two teams have started a game with back-to-back home runs on the same day.
Manning mauled in Cleveland
Matt Manning was rocked for nine runs in the Detroit Tigers' 13-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers pitcher allowed nine hits and two home runs across 3.2 innings, while striking out just two batters.
As the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated a sixth successive win, the Chicago Cubs were left to pick up the pieces following a 14-4 demolition. The Cubs allowed 10 runs in the eighth inning. Trevor Megill was tagged for a three-run homer in the outburst. He gave up four hits, six runs, two homers and two walks in less than an inning.
Castellanos slam
The Cincinnati Reds crushed the Philadelphia Phillies 12-4. Nick Castellanos hit a grand slam in the seventh inning. He finished with three hits and a career-high seven RBIs. Tyler Naquin, Jesse Winker and Castellanos have all had six-plus RBI in a game for the Reds this season. Cincinnati are the first MLB team ever to have three different outfielders with a six-RBI game before the All-Star break, according to Stats Perform.
Monday's results
Colorado Rockies 2-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Cincinnati Reds 12-4 Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Angels 5-3 New York Yankees
Washington Nationals 8-4 New York Mets
Cleveland Indians 13-5 Detroit Tigers
Boston Red Sox 6-5 Kansas City Royals
Baltimore Orioles 9-7 Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers 14-4 Chicago Cubs
St Louis Cardinals 7-1 Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 San Francisco Giants
Minnesota Twins-Chicago White Sox (postponed)
Twins at White Sox
After Monday's game was postponed, the White Sox (45-32) will host the Twins (33-43) in Tuesday's all-American League (AL) Central clash. Lucas Giolito starts for the White Sox as the Twins counter with Kenta Maeda.
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue does not understand the criticism of Paul George after the star helped the team avoid elimination from the NBA playoffs with a 116-102 win over the Phoenix Suns.
George scored a career postseason-high 41 points, including 30 in the second half, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals as the Clippers stayed alive in the postseason series on Monday.
The 31-year-old stepped up when the Clippers were challenged in the third quarter, with second-seeded Phoenix hitting the lead briefly, as George hit back with 20 third-quarter points.
George became the first player in Clippers history to record 40-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in a postseason game, while also becoming the first player in NBA history to have 40-plus points on at least 75 per cent field-goal shooting, 50 per cent three-point shooting and 100 free-throw shooting in a playoff contest.
HE is also the third player since the 1996-97 since to score 30-plus points on 80 per cent shooting or better in the second half of a postseason game, joining Anthony Davis (2020) and Dwyane Wade (2010).
George has been criticised in the past and has missed some key free-throws against the Suns, but he has been the Clippers' top scorer in all five games this series in the absence of Kawhi Leonard (knee), while he led all three categories – points, rebounds and assists, for the second successive game for the fourth seeds.
"I just don't understand why it's magnified so much when he has a bad game, when he doesn't play well," Lue said during his post-game news conference.
"A lot of people play bad. Like I said, I'm just happy he came back, played a great game, we needed every bit of it."
George has put up at least 20 points in all 18 games he has played this season. The only other players in NBA history to have at least 20 points in their first 18 games of a single playoff campaign are Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.
Lue added: "That's what great players do. You always bounce back, if you have a rough game.
"Our team needed it… We fed off Marcus' [Morris Snr] momentum in the first half. Every time they made a run, we responded."
The Clippers have already come from behind to win two series this postseason, triumphing 4-3 over the Dallas Mavericks after trailing 2-0, while they won four straight games against the top-seeded Utah Jazz, having been down 2-0.
Lue and the Clippers would need to win three straight games to overcome the Suns, having trailed 3-1 but they can level the series in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
A championship-winning coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lue moved to a 10-2 coaching record when his side is facing elimination, but preferred to focus on his players who he labelled "resilient".
"It's been all season long," Lue said. "Guys have been out, different guys are stepping up and playing well.
"I keep saying the same word resilient but this group is. We got a gritty win without three starters, we gotta do it again two more times."
He added: "It is fun. I was just talking to our team about not winning three games but winning each quarter. The journey is too long if you think about three games, six days. I thought our guys came out with that mindset, we won three of four quarters."
Paul George posted a playoff career-high 41 points as the Los Angeles Clippers avoided elimination with a 116-102 win over the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
George flexed his muscles away from home on Monday and in the absence of star team-mate Kawhi Leonard, scoring 30 second-half points to keep the series alive against the second-seeded Suns.
The win means the Clippers, who have come from behind to triumph in their past two playoffs series, trail the Suns 3-2 in the matchup ahead of Game 6 back in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
George and the Clippers had led at half-time for the first time in the series, up 59-52, but the Suns earned a 62-61 lead before the visitors launched a 10-0 run and never looked back.
Clippers star George entered the must-win game as the fourth player in NBA history to score 20-plus points in each of his first 17 games of a single postseason, joining Michael Jordan (1991, 1992, 1997, 1998), Kobe Bryant (2008) and Kevin Durant (2012 and 2018).
George also had 13 rebounds and six assists, dominating for the fourth-seeded Clippers, who were without injured pair Leonard and Ivica Zubac.
The Clippers continued their resilient playoff campaign, having trailed 2-0 against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round before winning 4-3, while they won four games in a row against the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semi-finals, having fallen 2-0 behind.
The Suns refused to surrender, with Devin Booker scoring 31 points and Chris Paul contributing 22 of his own, but the Clippers always had an answer to silence the home crowd.
George, who shot 15-from-20 from the field for the game, had good support from Reggie Jackson (23 points, including four three-pointers), while Marcus Morris Sr. finished with 22 points after scoring 20 in the first half.
The Clippers dominated with 34-8 first-half points in the paint and 58-32 for the game.
Suns center Deandre Ayton could not capitalise on Zubac's absence, only managing 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Paul missed all six three-point attempts for Phoenix, while he had eight assists.
Bucks at Hawks
The Milwaukee Bucks can claim a 3-1 lead over the Atlanta Hawks when they visit State Farm Arena for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is questionable for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals as he deals with bone bruising in his right foot.
Young hurt his ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's 113-102 defeat as the Milwaukee Bucks claimed a 2-1 series lead in the NBA playoffs.
Hawks guard Young suffered the freak injury when he stepped on referee Sean Wright's foot in Game 3 at State Farm Arena.
Young hobbled off and was taken to the locker room to get his injury assessed, but was able to return to the court early in the fourth quarter.
The 22-year-old was able to post 35 points in a losing effort at home to the third-seeded Bucks, who were fuelled by Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He began the series last week by scoring 48 points and 11 assists as the Hawks took Game 1 in Milwaukee.
Young tied Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James (2007) and Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant (2001) for the most points scored in a playoff game in NBA history before turning 23 years old.
The 2020 All-Star (22 years and 277 days) also became the second youngest player in league history to record 45-plus points and 10-plus assists in a postseason game, with Luka Doncic (22 years and 98 days) the youngest to do so.
Young's 48 points were also the third most scored in a playoff game in Hawks history, behind only Bob Pettit (50 in 1958) and Dominique Wilkins (50 in 1986).
In Game 2, Young was held to 15 points but bounced back with 35 in the third game, going six for 14 from three-point range, taking his points per game for the week to 32.67, way up on his already impressive average of 25.3 from the regular season.
Andy Murray made clear he is far from finished after overcoming a fourth-set wobble to upset 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round at Wimbledon.
The two-time champion at SW19 has seen his career beset by injury issues in recent years, with this his first appearance in the main draw since reaching the quarter-finals in 2017.
However, he won two matches at Queen’s Club ahead of the third grand slam of the season and treated the Centre Court crowd to a trip down memory lane on Monday, including a dramatic twist when seemingly on the brink of victory.
Having taken the first two sets, Murray somehow contrived to lose the third despite at one stage holding a 5-0 lead. The sudden collapse sent nerves jangling among the spectators as the roof was closed at the venue, but he responded impressively to the setback to triumph 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-3.
Speaking during his on-court interview after the triumph, the Scotsman once again reiterated he has no plans to make this year his Wimbledon swansong.
"It's been extremely tough. Even these last few months. It has been extremely frustrating not being able to get on the court," Murray said.
"I've had such little momentum over these last few years. I've kept trying, doing all the right things to be back in this position. I feel very lucky I get to do it again.
"I keep getting asked is this going to be my last Wimbledon. I don't know why I keep getting asked, though. No, I'm going to keep on playing.
"I want to play, I'm enjoying it. I can still play at the highest level. He is ranked 28th in the world and I beat him, so I will keep going."
Basilashvili saved two match points as he somehow survived in the third set by winning seven games in a row, though Murray responded to the setback impressively.
"I did well to win the fourth set in the end because that was mentally not easy going to the locker room after losing that third," Murray added.
Next up will be either Oscar Otte or Arthur Rinderknech, their contest having been locked at 9-9 in the deciding set when play on the opening day was suspended on the outside courts.
Jason Kidd is excited at the prospect of working with Luka Doncic and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks roster after he was confirmed as the franchise's new head coach.
Kidd is no stranger to Dallas, having had two spells with the team during his illustrious playing career. The Mavs drafted him in 1994 and following his departure to the Phoenix Suns two years later, he returned as part of an eight-player trade in 2008.
The 10-time All-Star won the NBA title in 2011 while working under Rick Carlisle, the head coach he has now replaced at the Mavs.
"Dallas has meant so much to me as a player and I want to thank Mark Cuban for the opportunity to return as a head coach," Kidd said.
"I am excited to get to work with this young, hungry and incredibly talented team and to continue to build a winning legacy for the Mavericks organisation."
Kidd, previously head coach at both the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, leaves his role as an assistant at the Los Angeles Lakers – where he won a championship last season - to take charge in Dallas.
He boasts a 49.1 per cent win rate when serving as head coach in the NBA and was tipped for the Mavericks job by Carlisle, who left the team after 13 years at the helm.
Kidd sits second in the all-time list for assists (12,091) and steals (2,684), behind only John Stockton in both categories.
"We are excited to welcome J-Kidd and his family back to Dallas," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said.
"He possesses a winning mentality that carried him through a hall of fame career as a player and has helped him successfully transition to the NBA's coaching ranks.
"We are eager for him to get to work and lead our franchise and talented young players into the future."
The Mavs - who lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs for a second successive year - have also announced the appointment of Nico Harrison as general manager and head of basketball operations.
We could soon know who will be fighting it out for the NBA title, with both Conference Finals in danger of being decided emphatically.
The Phoenix Suns have surged into a 3-1 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers, while title favourites the Milwaukee Bucks have recovered from a Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Hawks to lead 2-1.
The coming week will decide who will face off for the Larry O'Brien Trophy and, in this edition of Heat Check, Stats Perform looks at which players are on form heading into the decisive matchups, as well as those who need to step up.
RUNNING HOT
Reggie Jackson - Los Angeles Clippers
With Kawhi Leonard showing no sign of making a return from a knee injury that has kept him out for the past six games, the Clippers need players to improve if they are to save their season.
Los Angeles face an elimination game on Monday in the Western Conference Finals, but they can take heart from what Jackson has done in Leonard's absence.
Jackson has scored at least 20 points in five of the last six games, including a 27-point performance in the Game 7 win over the Utah Jazz.
He averaged 20.67 points per game last week, exactly 10 points more than he did in the regular season. The Clippers must have another big effort from him in Game 5.
Deandre Ayton - Phoenix Suns
Ayton enjoyed one of the defining moments of these playoffs with his game-winning alley-oop in Game 2 of the Conference Finals. He is blossoming into the star center the Suns thought they were getting when Phoenix selected him first overall in 2018.
His dramatic final basket in the second game capped a superb performance in which he produced 24 points and 14 rebounds.
Not content with just one double-double, Ayton produced another in Game 4, putting up 19 points and tallying 22 rebounds.
Over the course of the three matchups last week, Ayton recorded 20.33 points and 15 rebounds per game, both significant increases on his averages of 14.15 points and 10.54 rebounds in the regular season. No wonder Ayton has received such effusive praise from team-mate Chris Paul.
Trae Young - Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks' hopes of upsetting the odds once more against the Bucks hang in the balance with star point guard Trae Young having been diagnosed with a bone bruise, making him questionable for Game 4.
If he is ruled out, it will be a great shame as Young has played phenomenally in the playoffs, including making a superb start to the Eastern Conference Finals.
He began the series last week by scoring an astonishing 48 points as the Hawks took Game 1 in Milwaukee.
Young was held to 15 in Game 2 but bounced back with 35 in the third game, going six for 14 from three-point range, taking his points per game for the week to 32.67, way up on his already impressive average of 25.3 from the regular season.
GOING COLD...
Bogdan Bogdanovic - Atlanta Hawks
Young's presence is even more important given one of Atlanta's secondary scoring threats is having to fight through a knee injury.
Bogdanovic has continued to battle knee soreness and the impact on his play has been obvious.
He averaged over 16 points a game in the regular season, but has put up only 6.67 so far in this series.
The Hawks may need him to produce more amid the pain to improve their odds of stunning the Bucks.
Clint Capela - Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks also haven't quite got the desired production they desire from center Capela.
That may be a slightly unfair statement given that Capela has tallied double-digit rebounds in two of the three games in the series, including a double-double in the Hawks' opening win.
Yet in terms of putting up points, his output has disappointed in comparison with his regular-season numbers. Tallies of 12, two and eight give him a per-game average of 7.33 that is in stark contrast to the 15.17 he delivered in helping the Hawks clinch the fifth seed in the East.
In a series with a Bucks team whose leading lights are firing on all cylinders, that isn't going to cut it.
Paul George - Los Angeles Clippers
With the Clippers competing in a place in their first Finals without Leonard, it is a bad time for George to go cold from deep.
Having made 3.17 threes per game in the regular season, George was off the mark from beyond the arc in three games against the Suns last week.
He made an average of 1.67 threes per game, hitting on one triple in two contests, including the Game 4 loss that has put the Clippers on the brink of elimination.
George simply must rediscover his aim to keep their season alive.
Justin Burrowes and William Knibbs both began the final day of the Jamaica Golf Association's (JGA) National Senior Trials at Caymanas Golf Club on Sunday on even par 216 but it was Burrowes, who took home the trophy at the end.
The leaderboard showed four birdies and a bogey on the front-nine for three under par 33. On the back-nine, he shot a birdie, two bogeys and one double bogey for a three-over-par 39, for an even-par 72.
His combined score of even-par 288 was three strokes ahead of runner-up Knibbs.
“Today (Sunday) was pretty good. I shot even par. I was three-under on the front-nine and three over on the back-nine. I would say that I felt like I had my best game today. I felt like I struck it the best,” he said.
“I felt like I was swinging the best today out of all the four days. I didn't quite score like I wanted to. I didn't quite finish like I wanted to but a win is a win and I am very grateful for it and I am thankful to my entire team around me for all the support. It's just always an amazing feeling when you can execute and come out on top and I am just very grateful for that."
Knibbs was on target up to hole number 15 but had a double bogey on 16 and a bogey on 18 for a three-over par 75 for a total score of 291.
"My ball-striking wasn't where I wanted it to be over the course of this weekend so the last two rounds (I) missed a lot of greens with irons and short clubs which is usually the strength of my game but I just made a bad swing on 16, lost a ball, made double - just one of those things but I take a lot of positives from the past week because my ultimate goal was to break par for the four rounds and I came really close to it so I know that if I tighten up on a few things, then I should be good for the Caribbean Championships," he said.
Dr Mark Newnham with a score of 301 (78, 74, 75, 74) was third, while junior golfer, 16-year-old Rocco Lopez, who improved his position after every round, ended in fourth after the final round of 76 for an overall score of 304.
Shamar Wilson was one stroke back on 305 (77,80, 74, 74) in fifth.
Junior golfer, Emily Mayne copped the Ladies category, which she led from round one.
She posted her best round of five over par 77 in the final round for a total score of 316 (80, 79, 80, 77) to win by 32 strokes ahead of Mattea Issa who ended on 358. Many-time national champion Jodi Munn-Barrow, who was in second place, did not compete on the final day.
“Today (Sunday) was a good day. I had a very good start which was different from the first two days which I had a bad start. I kept it consistent,” she said.
“Obviously, I had two bad holes, which is what resulted in me shooting five over. However, the pin positions on a lot of the greens were very difficult and you had to know your way on the greens which I did not succeed in on the holes which I finished badly on, however, I am proud of myself for my finish today."
The golfers were competing for places on team Jamaican for the Hoerman Cup for men and the George Teale Trophy for women in the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship which is tentatively set for Puerto Rico August 8-13.
The top three golfers in the various categories in the two-day (Saturday/Sunday) Caymanas Golf Classic which ran concurrently with the national trails were:
Men & Men Senior 0-6: Justin Burrowes - 140, William Knibbs - 145 and Dr Mark Newnham - 149.
Men & Men Senior 7-12: Dave Cameron - 171, Gregory Mayne - 172 and Ryan Lue - 173.
Men & Men Senior 13-24: Philip Gooden - 165, Delroy Anderson - 191 and Richard Wayner - 200.
Men Super Senior 0-12: Robert Chin - 156, Mike Boyd - 157 and Wayne Chai Chong - 160.
Men Super Senior 13.24: George Wright 182, Fred Sutherland - 191 and Howard McKenzie - 201
Ladies 0-12: Emily Mayne -157, Michele McCreath 173 and Winni Lau 174.
Junior Boys 11-13: Aarron Ghosh - 165, Ramsay Wayner 177 and Kemari Morris 193.
Junior Girls 11-13: Khatri Anoushka 188.
Geraint Thomas, Primoz Roglic and Peter Sagan were among the big names to crash during an incident-packed Stage 3 of the Tour de France, one that saw Tim Merlier take victory.
Aided by the work of his Alpecin–Fenix colleagues, Merlier was able to come out on top in a sprint finish, crossing the line ahead of team-mate Jasper Philipsen at the end of the 182.9-kilometre journey from Lorient to Pontivy.
"I'm living the dream, I think," the Belgian said in his post-stage interview.
"After the Giro d'Italia I wasn't really very happy, but now I've won a stage on the Tour - the biggest race in the world - I can't believe it."
Having won on Sunday, Mathieu van der Poel was seventh this time around as he retained the yellow jersey, making it a double celebration for the Alpecin-Fenix squad.
However, there was little to cheer about for 2018 winner Thomas, who suffered a shoulder injury following a heavy fall in the early going that saw Robert Gesink forced to retire from the race.
That was far from the end of the drama, though. Roglic came a cropper with just under 10km remaining, leading to him losing over a minute in the standings.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar's progress was then delayed by a mass pile-up not long after the breakaway group was caught, while Sagan's spillage came when he tangled with Caleb Ewan in the closing metres.
Pogacar sits in sixth place in the general classification, now 38 seconds behind Van der Poel. Julian Alaphilippe remains in second, while Richard Carapaz is up to third, sitting on the same time as Wout van Aert.
STAGE RESULT
1. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) 4:01:28
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix)
3. Nacer Bouhanni (Team Arkea-Samsic)
4. Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-QuickStep)
5. Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious)
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 12:58:53
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +00:08
3. Richard Carparaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:31
Points Classification
1. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 80
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 62
3. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) 50
King of the Mountains
1. Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe) 5
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 4
3. Anthony Perez (Cofidis) 3
Frances Tiafoe is confident he can cause further shocks at Wimbledon after he claimed the impressive scalp of third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round on Monday.
Unseeded American Tiafoe ousted Tsitsipas in straight sets, winning 6-4 6-4 6-3 to make the Greek the first major casualty of the men's draw.
Tsitsipas was in action for the first time since losing the French Open final to Novak Djokovic on June 13 and struggled to cope with Tiafoe's aggressive style, suffering a break of serve in the very first game.
While that was the only break of the first set, it gave Tsitsipas a deficit he never recovered from, and he was broken again at 4-4 in the second as Tiafoe made his lead even more commanding.
Tiafoe then saw things out impressively, his 17 winners to his opponent's 10 in the third set reflecting the American's greater confidence as he made Tsitsipas the first third seed to lose in the opening round of the grass-court tournament since Andre Agassi in 1996.
And Tiafoe reckons there is more where that came from.
"Definitely one of my best [performances], from start to finish it was pretty clean," the 23-year-old told the BBC.
"This is what you train for this is what it's all about. I live for these kind of moments.
"I'm not even close to where I want to be. I've had a lot of great achievements but I haven't even scratched the surface I feel personally.
"Today was big, I definitely needed that, a guy at his level, that guy's special, he's going to do a lot of great things, win a ton of grand slams but not today."
Tiafoe will face Vasek Pospisil or Roberto Carballes Baena in the next round.
Novak Djokovic came from a set down to start his Wimbledon defence with an ultimately comfortable victory over Jack Draper in the first round.
Djokovic can move level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on a record 20 grand slam singles titles if he prevails again at the All England Club.
But he found himself unexpectedly trailing against the British teenager after a rusty first set, Djokovic having had little time to adapt to the grass following the clay-court season that saw him win the French Open.
However, Djokovic soon found his rhythm despite an admirable display from the wildcard and will now face either Kevin Anderson or Marcelo Barrios Vera in the second round after a 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-2 win.
A shaky service game saw Draper claim the first break of the match, an advantage he was able to cling on to as Djokovic failed to take any of his seven break points.
But the world number one was ruthless in the second, taking his first opportunity to break as he surged into a 3-0 lead en route to levelling the match emphatically.
A mishit overhead from the big-serving Draper helped Djokovic forge ahead in the third and there was no way back for Draper thereafter.
Indeed, by the fourth, Djokovic was in full flow, excelling with his serve, his footwork and the accuracy of his groundstrokes, the slickness of a Centre Court not played on for two years causing more problems than Draper as he clinched triumph in just over two hours.
Shohei Ohtani's superb MLB season continued as he hit his 25th home run of the campaign for Los Angeles Angels to follow in the footsteps of all-time great Babe Ruth.
Ohtani led from the front in a 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday with a double, triple, a home run and three RBIs as the Angels won the series finale at Tropicana Field.
The 26-year-old from Japan improved his season tally to 25 homers - becoming the fastest Angels hitter ever to reach the milestone in a season after 77 games.
He also has 11 stolen bases for the Angels in 2021, and recorded 82 strikeouts as a pitcher.
According to Stats Perform, only two players in American League (AL) history have had 25-plus home runs, 10-plus stolen bases and 75-pitching strikeouts in their careers – Hall of Famer Babe Ruth and Ohtani (reached all three already this season).
It left his opponents and team-mates alike in awe of Ohtani's all-round prowess.
"He's special,” said Rays catcher Mike Zunino told a media conference.
"There's no hiding his ability, his talent. Being able to see him three days in a row, hitting-wise is impressive, then knowing every fifth or sixth day he's on the mound throwing 100 [mph]. An unbelievable talent."
Angels skipper Joe Maddon added: "Beyond everything you're seeing, this guy really likes to compete.
"He really likes the moment. There's all this ubiquitous talent that he's got, but he loves to compete, and he plays the game."
The Angels are next in action against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
The Portland Trail Blazers have appointed Chauncey Billups as their new head coach.
Billups spent the 2020-21 NBA season as Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach and has given been the chance to take the top job at Portland.
The five-time All-Star replaces Terry Stotts, who departed after the team's elimination in the opening round of the NBA playoffs this month.
Billups, named Finals MVP when the Detroit Pistons were crowned champions in 2004, is relishing a new challenge with the Trail Blazers.
The 44-year-old said: "I'm very excited and humbled to be the next coach of the Trail Blazers.
"Portland is a special place and a unique franchise. As a player I always loved playing here because the passion and knowledge of the fans brought out the very best in me as a competitor.
"Now I'm looking forward to being on the other side of that energy and engaging with the Portland community on a whole other level.
"I want to thank Jody Allen, Bert Kolde and Neil Olshey for their trust and for giving me this incredible opportunity. And, most importantly, I want to say to the fans that I know what this team means to you, and I promise to pour every ounce into continuing to make you proud of what the Trail Blazers stand for."
Trail Blazers chair Allen said: "Chauncey is a proven and consistent winner with NBA championship experience as an All-Star NBA player.
"He has demonstrated throughout his career, first as a player, and currently as an assistant coach a unique ability to lead. We are very happy to welcome him to Portland."
Billups played 17 seasons in the NBA for Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit, New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Trae Young hopes to be fit for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals after the Atlanta Hawks star suffered a freak injury in a 113-102 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
The point guard sprained his right ankle late in the third quarter when he stepped on referee Sean Wright's foot in Game 3 at State Farm Arena.
Young hobbled off and was taken to the locker room to get his injury assessed, but was able to return to the court early in the fourth quarter.
The 22-year-old's movement was restricted when he was returned and he will undergo a scan on Monday after doing damage in a game he finished with 35 points - a tally only bettered by Khris Middleton.
Young said following the defeat: "It's sore right now. It's hurting, it's frustrating. It's hurting a little bit and it's sore.
"I got some treatment on it. I'm going to go get some more in the morning. That's all I can do right now, is to get treatment."
Young said he had not spotted official Wright, who was out of bounds when he stepped on him.
"I didn't see him. I guess I’ve got to have eyes in the back of my head now to see who's behind me," he added.
Hawks coach Nate McMillan withdrew Young with a minute to go and is unsure if he will be able to call upon such a key man in Game 4 on Tuesday.
"I don't know right now," McMillan said when asked if Young will be fit. "When he returned to the floor, he was obviously limping on that [ankle]. When I subbed for him, we just decided to keep him out."
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 33 points and 11 rebounds and Middleton put up a game-high 38 points and 11 rebounds for the third-seeded Bucks.
Andy Murray plays his first Wimbledon singles match in four years on Monday – with the journey back to Centre Court hailed as an equivalent achievement to his grand slam titles.
The former world number one has battled through injuries that threatened to end his career, so it will be a remarkable feat when he walks out to face Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Murray, who has won Wimbledon twice and the US Open once, as well as landing two Olympic gold medals in singles, underwent hip resurfacing in 2019 but has continued to be plagued by fitness problems.
The tribute to the resilience of the 34-year-old came from women's British number one Johanna Konta, who was cruelly ruled out of Wimbledon on Sunday when a close contact tested positive for COVID-19.
Konta, who spoke to Stats Perform before receiving that painful news, reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2017, the last year Murray played singles at the All England Club.
He was fit enough to play doubles in 2019, partnering Serena Williams in the mixed event, but a billing on the main show court promises to be an emotional occasion for a player who is struggling to repeat past glories.
"I think Andy really represents tenacity and perseverance," said Konta, a Jaguar ambassador.
"He loves this game, he loves winning in this game, he loves being good and great in this game. I think he will keep doing everything he can to keep putting himself back into position to be great."
"I think maybe bringing the attention more on the fact he is trying to do that, with the challenges he's had, is what we should be celebrating and we should be really acknowledging.
"I think this is probably equally as difficult as when he won his slams and his gold medals.
"I think it's on a par with that achievement. I think and hope people can see that and really acknowledge it because he really deserves that."
:: Johanna Konta is a Jaguar ambassador. Jaguar is the Official Car of The Championships, Wimbledon. To discover Jaguar’s unmatched experiences visit jaguar.co.uk/Wimbledon
Giannis Antetokounmpo said he witnessed "greatness" after Khris Middleton led the Milwaukee Bucks past the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
While Antetokounmpo posted 33 points and 11 rebounds, Middleton fuelled the Bucks with a monster fourth quarter in Sunday's 113-102 NBA playoff victory away to the Hawks.
Middleton scored 20 of his career high-tying 38 points in the final period, singlehandedly outscoring the Hawks (17), to help give the third-seeded Bucks a 2-1 series lead.
After Middleton's big display, which also included 11 rebounds, seven assists and six three-pointers on 15-for-26 shooting, it was the second time ever a Bucks player had a 30/10/5/5-three playoff game. The first was also Middleton.
Bucks superstar and two-time MVP Antetokounmpo hailed Middleton post-game.
"What he did today was unreal," Antetokounmpo said. "He was unbelievable. Carried the team at the end. ... What I saw today was greatness. Simple as that."
"He turned the ball over like two times and after that he was locked in. Like, 'Pass me the ball,' and we gave him the ball. ... We know when to set screens for him, we know when he wants the ball, and that was the moment.
"We were like, 'Get the hell out of the way, get him the ball, take us home Khris.' And that's what he did."
Of two-time All-Star Middleton, Antetokounmpo added: "The day you retire is going to be the toughest day of my career.
"He's special for a reason and he showed it tonight."
Middleton said: "I just finally got them to go. I've been struggling some with the ball going in the basket. Finally they started dropping for me at the right time. I'm thankful for that."
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer also lauded Middleton as attention turns to Tuesday's Game 4 in Atlanta.
"Just being around him a lot, he starts to see it go in, he starts to feel good, he gets in a rhythm, he can score different ways.
"He and Giannis in a two-man game, it's a tough choice. So huge fourth quarter. I think he had 20 in the fourth quarter and yeah, just glad he's on our side."
Brazil head coach Tite insisted "perfection does not exist" after the Selecao's 10-game winning streak was snapped following a 1-1 draw with Ecuador at the Copa America.
Neymar was rested for Brazil's final Group B fixture as the defending champions played out a disappointing stalemate against Ecuador at the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico on Sunday.
Eder Militao's first international goal gave Brazil – who made 10 changes to the starting line-up – a 37th-minute lead before Angel Mena secured a point for Ecuador eight minutes into the second half.
Tite had been looking to extend Brazil's winning streak in pursuit of the country's all-time record – 14 under legendary boss Mario Zagallo – but his team were forced to share the spoils in their final group fixture.
"Saying that you cannot err is not human, perfection does not exist, what we have to do is minimise the margin of error for a team," Tite said post-match.
"When we talk about defensive solidity and also when we talk about game generation, we have to find the balance point without being too defensive or offensive.
"During matches there are different ways to play, dominance is when you have the ball and you try to attack, control when you stand further back, you do not have the ball and the opponent does not generate danger.
"So to play these difficult games we have to find the balance between dominance and control."
It was the first time Brazil had scored at least one goal at the CONMEBOL showpiece tournament and did not win since the 2015 edition.
Brazil, meanwhile, are the only team to score more than one header at this year's Copa America – Militao's goal was the nation's third consecutive headed goal.
Tite's Brazil will face either 15-time Copa champions Uruguay or two-time winners Chile in the quarter-finals.
"I can't choose, they both have tradition, quality, individual technique and weight of the jerseys, great technicians, outstanding players," Tite replied when asked who he would prefer to face in the last eight.
"The three of us are the last Copa America champions and with Uruguay we are a historic South American classic, I can't choose."
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