Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag said he is "ready" to coach abroad and would be "happy to take up that challenge" amid reported interest from Manchester United.

Ten Hag has been linked with Premier League giants United, who are eyeing a long-term manager following the interim appointment of Ralf Rangnick until the end of the season.

Ajax's Ten Hag has impressed in his time in Amsterdam, where the 51-year-old has delivered two Eredivisie titles and embarked on a memorable run to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals.

Ten Hag's men have been the entertainers of Europe this term, dazzling their way into the Champions League round of 16, while topping the Eredivisie ahead of rivals PSV by a point.

"I think I'm ready for it [coaching abroad]. I would be happy to take up that challenge," Ten Hag told De Volkskrant, with Ajax managing to score 48 goals while only conceding twice in the league this term.

"But I'm not chasing it. If it turns out that that step will never come, I will not say that my coaching career has failed.

"But I think I have sufficient competencies to take on that challenge."

The Rangnick era, albeit on an interim basis, started with a 1-0 win for United at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Rangnick became the sixth German to manage in the Premier League and the first German to win his first game in charge in the competition (Felix Magath, Jurgen Klopp, Jan Siewert, Daniel Farke and Thomas Tuchel all failing to do so before him).

Following the victory against Palace, six of the last seven managers (including caretakers) have won their first game in charge of United in all competitions, with Louis van Gaal being the only exception during this period (a 2-1 loss to Swansea City at Old Trafford in August 2014).

Darius Garland missed a buzzer-beating winner as the Utah Jazz extended their winning streak to four games with a thrilling 109-108 NBA victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

Garland's potential game-winner from three-point range hit the rim, with both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley unable to tip in the rebound with 2.9 seconds remaining.

Donovan Mitchell starred for the in-form Jazz, who improved to 16-7 for the season, posting 35 points – including four three-pointers – and six assists.

It was All-Star Mitchell's third consecutive game with 30 or more points for the Jazz, who are hot on the heels of the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.

Utah had led by 15 points at one stage but needed a Mike Conley three-pointer followed by a Rudy Gobert dunk (six points and 20 rebounds) to re-claim the advantage late in the game before Garland had the chance to snatch victory on the buzzer.

The result saw Cleveland's winning streak stopped at four games, despite Garland's 31-point display.

Bridges' Hornets edge Hawks, Rockets soar

The Charlotte Hornets overcame the absence of LaMelo Ball (COVID protocols) to win 130-127 against the Atlanta Hawks, despite Trae Young's exceptional 25 points and 15 assists. Miles Bridges scored 32 points with four assists and three steals for the Hornets. He has six 30-point games this season having only managed three in his first three campaigns combined. Bridges is averaging 20.4 points and 7.3 rebounds – one of only 14 players to be averaging 20/7 this term.

Brandon Ingram put up 40 points, but it was not enough for the New Orleans Pelicans, who went down 118-108 to the streaking Houston Rockets. Houston have won six consecutive games to improve to 6-16.

Beal silenced by Raptors

Bradley Beal was shut down, managing just 14 points as the Washington Wizards lost to the Toronto Raptors 102-90. Beal went four of 12 from the field. It was the third game in a row that Beal has scored less than 20 points.

Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade said it is "still too early" to discuss Dusan Vlahovic's future as the wantaway star entered the Serie A history books.

Vlahovic is set to leave Fiorentina after opting against signing a new deal in Florence, with the Serbia international's current contract expiring in June 2023.

The 21-year-old has been linked to Serie A champions Inter, Juventus, Premier League holders Manchester City, Manchester United, Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich, LaLiga titleholders Atletico Madrid, Tottenham and Arsenal.

Amid the growing speculation, Vlahovic maintained his red-hot form with another goal in Sunday's 3-2 victory over Bologna.

Vlahovic became only the fourth player in Serie A history to score 30 goals or more in a calendar year aged under 22 after Giuseppe Meazza in 1930, Felice Borel in 1933 and Antonio Valentin Angelillo in 1968.

Prior to taking his season haul to 13 goals in 16 games, Prade was asked about Vlahovic.

"It's still too early to say what will happen with him," Prade told Sky Sport Italia pre-game.

"We are in a delicate moment and talking about the transfer market would be wrong for everyone.

"He's being a professional, [coach Vincenzo] Italiano is happy with this and so are we."

Before Vlahovic, only three Fiorentina players in the three points for a win era (since 1994-95) have managed to score at least 13 goals in the first 16 Serie A games of the season – Giuseppe Rossi, Luca Toni and Gabriel Batistuta.

Since 2004-05, only David Suazo (14/14), Romelu Lukaku (12/12) and Vlahovic (12/12) have converted 100 per cent of penalties taken among those who have attempted at least 12 in Serie A during this period.

Fiorentina are sixth in the standings – level on points with Juventus, and seven points behind fourth-placed Atalanta.

The Viola have collected at least 27 points in the first 16 Serie A matchdays for the first time since 2015-16.

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe admitted he was "disappointed" not to join LaLiga powerhouse Real Madrid after his failed off-season transfer.

With his contract expiring at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, Mbappe was heavily tipped to swap PSG for Madrid, who have made no secret of their admiration.

However, a transfer did not materialise as Ligue 1 giants PSG – still determined to re-sign the France international – refused to part with Mbappe.

Madrid are expected to sign Mbappe as a free agent at the end of the current campaign but the 22-year-old was asked about his frustration at the failed swich to the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Disappointed with not leaving? A little," Mbappe told Amazon while speaking to France great Thierry Henry.

"It's not easy, but whatever happened, I was going to play for a great club. I'm Parisian, I feel great, but I wanted to discover something else."

Speculation had mounted about Mbappe's future at Euro 2020, when the forward missed the decisive spot-kick in France's last-16 penalty shoot-out defeat to Switzerland.

Mbappe failed to score at the Euros and provided one assist as world champions France fell well short.

"During the Euros they asked me a lot of questions. I talked a lot with my parents, I knew I wanted to go out," Mbappe said. "My parents told me to concentrate on the pitch. Maybe I was putting too much energy into other things."

Mbappe, who joined PSG from French rivals Monaco initially on loan in 2017, has won three Ligue 1 titles with the capital club.

PSG top Ligue 1 this season, boasting an 11-point advantage over Rennes after 17 rounds.

Despite PSG's lead, Mbappe, Neymar and off-season signing Lionel Messi are yet to fully play a cohesive attacking brand of football.

"We are aware that the three of us must do more, we cannot hide, we assume it," Mbappe said.

"If I am the boss? It is difficult when you are in a team with Neymar and Messi, it would be audacious to say it, although it matters little."

Mbappe has been involved in 15 goals this season in Ligue 1 (seven goals, eight assists), with only Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (17), Madrid forward Karim Benzema (19) and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (22) doing better in the top five European league.

In the 1-1 draw against Lens, Mbappe was decisive in coming off the bench for the first time in the top flight since 5 December 2020 (goal against Montpellier).

Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to stay at Milan for "life" as the evergreen superstar eyes a Rossoneri contract extension.

Ibrahimovic celebrated his 40th birthday in October but the veteran forward has shown no signs of slowing down amid Milan's Serie A title bid.

Out of contract at the end of the season, Ibrahimovic has scored six goals in nine league appearances to help Scudetto-chasing Milan to the top of the table through 16 rounds.

Ibrahimovic has been a revelation since re-joining Milan for a second spell in January 2020 and as the Swede continues to defy 'Father Time', he has no plans to leave San Siro.

"I want to play as long as possible, and as long as I have that adrenaline, I will continue," Ibrahimovic – who was part of the last Milan team to win Serie A in 2010-11 – told Rai Tre's Che Tempo Che Fa.

"Let's put pressure on Milan here to give me an extension and I hope to stay at Milan for life.

"I still have objectives that I can achieve and I want to win another Scudetto."

Ibrahimovic added: "I don't know what will happen after football, so I am a little scared to stop. We'll see, but I want to continue playing so that I don't have any regrets."

Milan defeated Salernitana 2-0 on Saturday, with Ibrahimovic watching from the bench.

In Milan's previous victory – a 3-0 win over Genoa on Wednesday – Ibrahimovic scored his 153rd Serie A goal, drawing level with Stefano Nyers and Hernan Crespo in 26th place among the top scorers in the Italian competition.

His 73 league goals for Milan also took Swedish forward Ibrahimovic to 10th in Milan's standings, alongside Filippo Inzaghi.

Ibrahimovic has played alongside Milan great and current Rossoneri technical director Paolo Maldini, and his son Daniel – spanning two generations.

"It's wonderful, we'll see if the adrenaline continues and I can play with Daniel's son as well!" Ibrahimovic joked.

Adi Hutter apologised to supporters after his Borussia Monchengladbach team were trounced 6-0 at home by Freiburg, with all six goals coming in a remarkable first half.

High-flying Freiburg became the first team ever in the Bundesliga to score five goals away from home inside the opening 25 minutes of a match, and Gladbach midfielder Patrick Herrmann bemoaned "a catastrophic performance".

Maximilian Eggestein and Kevin Schade put the visitors two up with only five minutes gone, before Philipp Lienhart, Nicolas Hofler, Lucas Holer and Nico Schlotterbeck got in on the act to shock those in attendance at Borussia-Park on Sunday.

Gladbach had previously been the only side to score five goals in the opening 25 minutes of a match, that coming at home to Braunschweig in October 1984.

The loss leaves Gladbach in 13th place in the Bundesliga, with just 18 points from 14 games, and head coach Hutter made clear after the game that it was an unacceptable performance and result.

"I am incredibly disappointed," Hutter told the official club website. "I'm also very sorry for the spectators who made their way to the stadium. We win together and we lose together.

"A few weeks ago, we beat Bayern 5-0 here and we were all over the moon. Today, we saw a match that should never have played out the way it did. Of course, we knew that Freiburg are strong from set-pieces and we prepared for that in training, but I had the feeling that we were paralysed from them.

"I don't have an explanation for that right now. First and foremost, we have to apologise for the way we played today. That is unacceptable. If you saw the level in training, you would never imagine that a performance like that could happen. But then when you're 5-0 down after 25 minutes, it's obviously very disconcerting."

Sporting directer Max Eberl also spoke to the club website, making mention of the Foals' "lethargy", saying: "We conceded two early goals, and you could see how nervy it made everyone. No one wanted the ball, although, to be honest, we didn't have much of the ball in the opening period anyway.

"We just had this inexplicable lethargy and didn't carry a threat at all. I'm a bit bewildered right now. Tomorrow is about picking ourselves back up and digesting the defeat. We conceded four goals in Cologne, and now six today, but we also didn't do enough going forward with enough incisiveness either."

Gladbach's Herrmann simply added: "It's hard to put the game into words. We had already thrown it away after a matter of minutes. We just weren't at the races at all in the first half – it was a catastrophic performance. If you're 4-0 down after 20 minutes and then concede the fifth goal, everyone knows that the game is over."

Massimiliano Allegri acknowledged Juventus have to sharpen up in front of goal following their 2-0 Serie A win over toothless Genoa on Sunday.

Juventus were in dominant form at Allianz Stadium – tallying 27 shots – but a combination of superb goalkeeping from Genoa's Salvatore Sirigu and wasteful finishing ensured the scoreline did not truly reflect the hosts' superiority.

Such was Juve's dominance, Genoa finished the game with an expected goals return of zero after failing to register a single shot – the club are yet to score in the four games since Andriy Shevchenko was named head coach.

It was the first time Juve have not faced a shot in a game in Serie A since Opta started collecting such data in 2004.

Sirigu's 10 saves was the joint-most made by a goalkeeper in a single match in the top five European leagues this season, with Allegri accepting his side need to be more ruthless.

"I think we wanted to reinforce our position when it comes to percentage of scoring opportunities converted into goals," the Juve head coach jokingly told DAZN. "We're the worst in Serie A, I think, so wanted to consolidate those statistics!

"I enjoyed watching the team play this evening, as I have done in other games, even when we lost. We can only improve our effectiveness in front of goal, that’s for sure."

Allegri was involved in a heated exchange of words with forward Alvaro Morata when he was hauled off for Moise Kean in the 73rd minute, moments after receiving a yellow card for dissent.

The Juve boss did not expand on the specifics of their row, but said the Spain international was brought off for his own good.

"He was booked and he was continuing to argue and so I preferred to take him off," added Allegri.

"It's disappointing as Alvaro had played well and so did the whole team."

The victory was Allegri's 250th in Serie A (150th with Juventus), making him just the second coach to reach that landmark in the competition in the three-points-per-win era, after Carlo Ancelotti (275).

It marked Juve's fourth win in five Serie A games, yet they are still seven points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta.

Allegri is not throwing the towel in yet, though, insisting Juve will keep fighting on all fronts this season.

"At this moment, we are fifth along with Fiorentina," he said. "It was important to win today; the top four are doing very well and currently deserve their positions. I don't know what will happen at the end of the season, if things will change.

"We have our objectives, in Serie A, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, so we'll get there step by step, one game at a time."

Juve, who have already qualified for the Champions League knock-out stage, wrap up their Group H campaign at home to Malmo on Wednesday before a trip to Venezia in Serie A on Saturday.

New York City FC will play Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup after coming from behind to beat Philadelphia Union 2-1 in the Eastern Conference final on Sunday.

An Alexander Callens own goal was cancelled out by Maxi Moralez, and a late Talles Magno winner sent NYCFC to their first ever appearance in the championship game, which will take place in Portland on Saturday.

Ronny Deila's New York side were missing star player Valentin Castellanos through suspension and struggled to impose themselves on the game until they were forced to do so when falling behind.

A nervy contest burst into life just after the hour mark as Philadelphia took a 63rd-minute lead. Daniel Gazdag whipped a searching ball into the box and New York City defender Callens diverted it into his own net as he tried to stop striker Kacper Przybylko from getting on the end of it.

NYCFC replied swiftly as Moralez fired in an equaliser just two minutes later. Maxime Chanot hit a shot from range that was saved by Matt Freese, but the ball eventually fell to Moralez, who made no mistake.

Nathan Harriel should have put Philadelphia back in front with four minutes remaining but sent his free header just over the bar, and the Union were made to regret it as NYCFC won it in the 89th minute.

Gudmundur Thorarinsson stole the ball from Olivier Mbaizo before putting it on a plate for substitute Magno to score the winner.

Australia will be expected to ensure normal service is resumed in the heat of an Ashes battle at the Gabba when they start a new era on Wednesday.

The Tim Paine sexting scandal presented Pat Cummins with the opportunity to become the first fast bowler to captain the Australia Test side.

Cummins was appointed less than a fortnight before his side start their defence of the urn against fierce rivals England, with Steve Smith his assistant as Paine takes an indefinite mental health break from cricket. 

The paceman has long since been talked of as a potential successor to Paine and gets his chance earlier than expected.

Cummins was already on a high from playing his part in Australia's maiden T20 World Cup triumph in Dubai last month and should thrive on the extra responsibility of being skipper.

Australia have not played a Test since they were consigned to a 2-1 home defeat to India in January and although England have had plenty of action in the longest format this year, poor weather in Brisbane has badly hampered their preparations.

Stats Perform picks out some of the storylines, sprinkled with some Opta data, from an Australia perspective before one of the great sporting rivalries gets under way again.

Cummins to get Australia going?

Cummins has led Australia's pace attack on many occasions and was the pick of the bowlers in a 2-2 Ashes series draw in England two years ago, taking 29 wickets at average of 19.62.

Since the start of 2018, no bowler has claimed more scalps in the longest format than the 28-year-old's 128 - which have come at 19.9 apiece.

Cummins, the number one Test bowler in the world, will no doubt be licking his lips at the prospect of ripping into what has been a fragile England batting line-up.

Josh Hazlewood will also pose a huge threat and Mitchell Starc will be out to silence critics such as Shane Warne, while Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser show Australia's strength in depth in the pace ranks.

Gabba no longer a fortress?

Australia had not lost a Test at the Gabba for 33 years until India's famous victory in January.

Joe Root fanned the flames last month by stating the hostile Brisbane venue is no longer such a "stronghold" for Australia.

It has most certainly not been a happy hunting ground for England, who have only won four of 21 Tests at the stage for the curtain-raiser for the series. The tourists' last Test win at the Gabba came in November 1986.

England have not won a Test in Australia since January 2011, losing nine and drawing one of their previous 10 contests, and they will be braced for a barrage of pace when they start their quest to regain the urn this week.

England must find an answer to Smith and Labuschagne 

The England bowlers had seen more than enough of Smith by the end of the 2019 series.

He racked up 774 runs at an average of 110.57 from seven innings, reaching three figures on three occasions and scoring a sublime 211 at Old Trafford.

The former skipper broke his own record for number of runs in a Test series in the 21st century. Only the great Don Bradman (19) and Jack Hobbs (12) have more Ashes centuries than Smith's 11.

Marnus Labuschagne was also outstanding in England two years ago, averaging 50.42. He has been a revelation at number three and will have a big role to play.

Australia in safe hands with Carey?

Alex Carey will take the gloves and make his Test debut at the Gabba in the absence of Paine.

Carey has plenty of experience at the age of 30 and has 83 international white-ball experiences under his belt.

He comes into his Test bow on the back of making a timely century for South Australia against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield and has a chance to cement his spot in the side.

Freiburg made Bundesliga history as they put sorry hosts Borussia Monchengladbach to the sword with a ruthless first-half display, moving 6-0 ahead at the break on Sunday.

Struggling Gladbach were humiliated by high-flying Freiburg, who became the first team in the German top flight to score five goals away from home inside 25 minutes of a match.

Freiburg had lost their previous two games, but Maximilian Eggestein and Kevin Schade put them two goals up with only five minutes gone.

Philipp Lienhart, Nicolas Hofler and Lucas Holer got in on the act before Nico Schlotterbeck put rampant Freiburg 6-0 up at half-time.

Stefan Lainer and Alassane Plea were substituted in the first half of a horror for the Foals, with boss Adi Hutter's job surely hanging by a thread.

Gladbach had previously been the only side to score five goals in the opening 25 minutes of a match, that coming at home to Braunschweig in October 1984.

Joe Root has predicted the upcoming Ashes series against Australia will "define" his reign as England captain.

Root will go up against new Australia skipper Pat Cummins in the five-Test series, and he acknowledges results against the old enemy have been the yardstick for judging England captains in the past.

The 30-year-old's only other series in the role in Australia resulted in a 4-0 defeat four years ago, but Root sees this as an opportunity for himself and his team-mates to make an impact.

Speaking ahead of the first Test which starts on Wednesday in Brisbane, Root told reporters: "Of course it will define my captaincy – I'm not naive enough to think that it won't – but what a great opportunity.

"If you look how hard it's been for English captains and English teams [to win in Australia] over the years, it has been something which doesn't happen very often.

"I'm very excited about it and can't wait for the series to get going."

Root is the top-ranked Test batsman in world cricket, ahead of Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

In 2021, Root has scored 1,455 Test runs in 12 matches at an average of 66.13, over 500 runs more than India's Rohit Sharma in second place.

He is also set to overtake Alastair Cook as the player to have won the most caps while captain of England during the series.

"You look at some of the players, some of the individuals, some of the performances guys have put in," Root added. "The senior guys have done it time and time again and the junior guys have shown glimpses of what they can do and their potential.

"What better stage to really grab a series and make an announcement on the international stage. I'm an Ashes player and I want to live in the history of this great rivalry. That carrot is there for everyone."

Australia have already named their side for the first Test at the Gabba, including Travis Head and Mitchell Starc.

The Australians have won seven of their last eight men's Test series against England on home soil, not losing a single match in three of their last four series hosting the Ashes.

Root said England were not yet in a position to name their team but did suggest that spin would be important, hinting that Jack Leach could feature.

"We've got all the options on the table right now. We're not going to name a team just yet. We'll have to see a closer forecast and how that pitch changes over the next couple of days," Root said.

"But I do think it is a good place to bowl spin. If you speak to some of the great spin bowlers from Australia, they've always enjoyed bowling here.

"It's something we'll weigh up, but we're not in a position to make a call on that right now."

Ravichandran Ashwin struck three times as India closed in on a series victory after Ajaz Patel claimed New Zealand's second-best Test match figures on day three at the Wankhede Stadium.

India declared on 276-7 in Mumbai on Sunday to set the Black Caps a highly improbable 540 to win, and the tourists are facing a crushing defeat in the second and final Test of the series after closing on 140-5.

Patel became only the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings on day two and the New Zealand spinner finished with incredible match figures of 14-225, surpassing Ian Botham's 13-106 in Mumbai in 1989 as the best taken against India.

It was very much India's day once again, though, after Mayank Agarwal top scored with 62, having made a magnificent century in the first innings.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill made 47 apiece, while captain Virat Kohli chipped in with 36 before Axar Patel smashed an unbeaten 41 off 26 deliveries.

Ashwin (3-27) came to the fore yet again on a challenging surface after Kohli declared late in the afternoon session, removing openers Tom Latham and Will Young before sending Ross Taylor on his way.

Daryl Mitchell (60) played with great assurance as New Zealand moved beyond their embarrassing first-innings total off 62 all out until he holed out off the bowling of Axar and Tom Blundell was run out for a duck.

Henry Nicholls batted with admirable patience and was still there on 36 at stumps, but India are on the brink of gaining a measure of revenge for their defeat in the inaugural World Test Championship final.

Patel only second to Hadlee

Spinner Patel shot to prominence with his astonishing display with the ball in his city of birth on Saturday.

The 33-year-old tweaker's one-man show continued when he dismissed Agarwal and Pujara before Rachin Ravindra (3-56) became the first Black Caps bowler other than Patel to take a wicket in the match, Gill the man to become his first Test victim.

Only Richard Hadlee has claimed better match figures for New Zealand than Patel, when the legendary all-rounder took 15-123 against Australia in November 1985.

Ashwin ending memorable year on a high note

It has been an outstanding year for Ashwin, who followed up his devastating first-innings exploits by reaching the 50-wicket landmark for 2021.

The wily Ashwin took 4-8 on day two and the New Zealand batsmen struggled to read him once again, Latham pinned lbw before Young was caught at short leg and Taylor's positive approach did not pay off when he was taken by Pujara.

Mitchell and Nicholls made a fight out it in a stand of 73, but Ashwin looks poised to take yet another five-wicket haul with two days remaining.

Steve Kerr saluted the San Antonio Spurs after they ended the Golden State Warriors' 11-match winning home streak in the NBA on Saturday.

The Spurs consigned the Warriors to a shock 112-107 defeat at Chase Center, halting their longest run of victories in their own backyard since they reeled off 54 in a row from January 2015 to March 2016.

League leaders Golden State rallied from 18 points down in the third quarter, but a run of 8-1 closed out an upset for the 8-13 Spurs.

Dejounte Murray scored 22 points and claimed 12 rebounds, with Derrick White finishing with 25 points in a stunning success for San Antonio as Stephen Curry's 27-point haul to go with eight rebounds and five assists was in vain.

Warriors head coach Kerr praised the Suns for a stirring display.

He said: "The Spurs were great. They took it to us right from the outset. They came in playing well, they had a ton of energy, they ran right through us, right past us.

"We just had a tough time getting going, but the fact that our guys gave themselves a chance in the second half with that competitiveness was indicative of the kind of team we have and the kind of guys we have."

The Warriors (19-4) were brought back down to earth on the back of halting the Phoenix Suns' 18-game winning run.

Yet Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich felt Kerr's men showed why they are such a force with the manner in which they rallied in the third quarter.

He said: "They really showed their championship mettle by coming back and playing as hard as they did.

"You can see why it's a special program and why they're championship calibre guys. It's not just about the talent, it's all the other stuff and they've got it in spades."

Kevin Durant bemoaned the Brooklyn Nets' "bad" loss to the Chicago Bulls after the Eastern Conference leaders squandered a double-digit lead.

Saturday's blockbuster NBA showdown between the east's top two teams went in favour of the Bulls 111-107 at Barclays Center, where the Nets had led by 11 points in the third quarter.

The Bulls (16-8) – spearheaded by Zach LaVine (31 points) and DeMar DeRozan (29 points) – rallied to take down the Nets (16-7) on their home court.

"We just gotta go out there and play with some force and confidence, like we want to win," said Durant, whose double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, and four assists and two blocks, were not enough for the Nets.

"And understand it's a long game, and just stick with the game plan. It's a bad, it's a tough loss. We didn't take advantage of being up nine, 10 points.

"We just let them stay in the game and we were supposed to just bury them."

Fellow Nets superstar James Harden also had a double-double of 14 points and 14 assists, but the former MVP was just five-of-21 shooting from the floor.

"Blame this one on me," said Harden. "I had a lot of opportunities at the rim that I didn't convert that could have settled this game down."

Durant defended Harden by saying he should have taken more shots against the Bulls.

"That would've taken pressure off of him," Durant said.

Nets head coach Steve Nash added: "We did a lot of good things. Our guys did what we asked them to do. We got 111 shots at the basket. They just didn't go tonight."

After snapping the Phoenix Suns' franchise-record winning streak, the high-flying Golden State Warriors crashed back down to earth in a shock 112-107 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs.

In the second of back-to-back games, having halted Phoenix's memorable 18-game run, the league-leading Warriors (19-4) were unable to rally past the Spurs on home court in the NBA on Saturday.

The Spurs (8-13) used an 8-1 run to close out the game for their fourth consecutive victory, fuelled by Dejounte Murray's 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Stephen Curry scored 27 points for the Warriors, who had won 11 successive home games – tied for their longest home winning streak since they claimed 54 straight from January 2015 to March 2016.

Bulls battle past Nets

The Chicago Bulls went on a rampage at Barclays Center, where they overturned a double-digit deficit to trump the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets 111-107. Zach LaVine (31 points) and DeMar DeRozan (29 points) inspired the Bulls in the Eastern Conference blockbuster. Kevin Durant led the Nets with 28 points, while James Harden had 14 points and 14 assists.

Jayson Tatum (also 10 rebounds) and Dennis Schroder scored 31 points apiece to lead the Boston Celtics to a 145-117 blowout of the Portland Trail Blazers, who were without Damian Lillard.

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic put up 32 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in just 27 minutes as the Denver Nuggets beat the slumping New York Knicks 113-99.

No Giannis Antetokounmpo? No worries for defending champions the Milwaukee Bucks, who defeated the Miami Heat 124-102. Bobby Portis sparked the Bucks with 19 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He is the first Bucks player with a 15/15/2/2/2 game in under 30 minutes since 1984.

George unable to lift Clippers

Paul George finished with a double-double but it was a rough night for him and the Los Angeles Clippers following a 104-99 loss at the Sacramento Kings. George only made five of his shots from the floor, while turning the ball over five times on the road.