Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery has learned to normalise the success of his team this season, even as they made NHL history on Thursday.

In beating the Buffalo Sabres 7-1, the Bruins improved to 48-8-5 and 101 points for the year.

The Bruins passed 100 points in their 61st game, beating the previous record set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens, who reached that mark in 62 games.

But Montgomery was relatively unmoved by the achievement, having grown used to his brilliant team setting the benchmark over the course of the campaign.

"For me personally, it doesn't mean that much," the Boston coach said. "We try to stay in the moment, and we've been doing that.

"We started off 11-1, and I was like, 'man, that's unreal,' and then you catch yourself and you go back into the moment, and we've probably gone 11-1 every 12 games to have the record we have.

"It's been really amazing to watch them want to be great, because with the schedule and everything, it's really impressive."

The latest win came on an eventful day for the Bruins, who tied David Pastrnak to an eight-year, $90million extension earlier on Thursday.

Pastrnak then had a goal and two assists against the Sabres just hours later.

The Bruins also traded for forward Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings ahead of Friday's deadline.

Jurgen Klopp has described Manchester United as a "results machine" and backed Liverpool's fierce rivals to compete all the way for the Premier League title.

United travel to Anfield on Sunday unbeaten in 11 matches and having lost only one of their 20 games since the World Cup break, winning 16 of those.

That run of form has propelled the Red Devils within 11 points of leaders Arsenal with a game in hand, while they ended a six-year trophy drought with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final last Sunday.

Indeed, no Premier League team has won more points than United (23) since the campaign resumed in December, which Klopp believes stands them in good stead to push for the title.

"They have turned into a results machine," Klopp said at Friday's pre-match news conference. "They are squeezing results out with some really good performances.

"They're playing some top football, and if it is not going so well for them they still get results. That's why they are there [in the table]. 

"Everyone knows it: they are fully in a fight to win the league. That's not really important for Sunday because we are there as well when we try to be at our best."

Marcus Rashford's goalscoring form has played a massive part in United's impressive first campaign under Erik ten Hag, particularly since the World Cup.

The England international has scored 10 goals in his past 10 league games, netting in each of his past five appearances, and has 25 goals for the season in all competitions.

Only Ruud van Nistelrooy (three separate runs), Eric Cantona (in April 1996) and Cristiano Ronaldo (in April 2008) have scored in six successive league games for United.

While reluctant to praise any players of Liverpool's biggest foes, Klopp says it is hard not to take some joy from Rashford's upturn in fortunes.

"It's pretty much impossible to be happy about something positive at Manchester United when you are the Liverpool manager, but I am really happy for Rashford," Klopp said.

"He had a very difficult last year where he was not performing on the level that he is able to perform. 

"I knew this would change again but sometimes in life we don't have enough time to change it. Now he is playing incredible. His speed, his technique – it is a mix of everything. 

"How calm he is in front of goal. He scores worldies, he scores the simple ones, he can put his head in. All these kinds of things.

"We have to defend against that collectively. He is not their only world-class player."

With one trophy in the bag, United are still competing for silverware on three further fronts, whereas Liverpool are now effectively just battling for fourth place in the league.

The Reds trail Real Madrid 5-2 ahead of the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, but Klopp is remaining upbeat heading into some key fixtures.

"I said before last game, this is a week to give the season a proper push. Now we have to make the next steps," he said.

"Nothing is done yet which is good for us. We all know everything is possible in football. We need to use our crowd in home games."

Liverpool are unbeaten in six home league games against United (W3 D3) since a 1-0 loss in January 2016 – their longest run without defeat since a run of nine in the 1970s.

United will be confident of ending that run on Merseyside this weekend, but Klopp insists form will play no part in what remains one of the biggest fixtures in the game.

"They have had a better season so far but thank God it means absolutely nothing on Sunday," Klopp said. 

"We have to show it's still incredibly difficult to play against us. We have to make sure they realise that. I couldn't be less interested in what United are doing, I just respect it.

"It's what I enjoy most. Around these games we put ourselves out of this sometimes not so nice reality and dig into the game. 

"Football is the most important thing for 98 minutes or whatever. I love that. The whole world will watch it. I would watch it if I was not here.

"It's 'the game'. They are playing a much better season than us but that means nothing. It doesn't mean you win the game, it just means you have more points."

Trent Alexander-Arnold knows Marcus Rashford will be "difficult to stop" at Anfield on Sunday but the Liverpool full-back is relishing the challenge of facing in-form Manchester United.

Rashford has been outstanding for the resurgent Red Devils this season, scoring 25 goals in a new era under Erik ten Hag.

United travel to Merseyside on a high from winning the EFL Cup last weekend and coming from behind to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over West Ham – stretching their unbeaten run to 11 matches.

Rashford has 10 goals in his past 10 Premier League games and could join Ruud van Nistelrooy, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only Red Devils players to score in six consecutive top-flight encounters this weekend.

Alexander-Arnold is not surprised to see his England team-mate thriving as he prepares for a blockbuster showdown, with the sixth-placed Reds in need of a win as they strive to snatch a Champions League spot.

He told Sky Sports: "The only thing that's really changed is he's [Rashford] probably scored a lot more recently, but he's the same player, he's always a threat and I'm sure he will be a threat on Sunday.

"It will be a tough game but it's one I'm looking forward to and it will be a good test.

"It's difficult [to stop Rashford]. He's a player who's got a lot of weapons in his arsenal, but I think it's more of a team effort, it won't be just a one-on-one thing.

"They'll have more than just Marcus going forward, it's a team thing and as long as the team wins on Sunday, that's all I'm bothered about."

Goals from Rashford and Jadon Sancho gave third-placed United a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford in August, but they have not won at Anfield since Wayne Rooney secured a 1-0 victory back in January 2016.

The surging Denver Nuggets (44-19) host the struggling Memphis Grizzlies (38-23) on Friday in a clash between the top two teams in the Western Conference.

Since the turn of the year, only the 22-5 Milwaukee Bucks have boasted a better record than Denver's 21-7, and the Nuggets have surged to a five-game lead atop the West.

Their closest challengers are the Grizzlies, who have been flailing since starting center Steven Adams suffered a knee injury on January 22, going 7-8 in the 15 games since.

Adams is only averaging 8.6 points per game in his 27 minutes of action, while shooting a league-worst 36.4 per cent from the free-throw line, but his impact on the Grizzlies' success has proven to be immense.

During the first 46 games of the season – prior to Adams' injury – the Grizzlies owned the best defensive rating in the NBA, while also boasting the second-best rebounding rate, and a top-10 offense.

Since then, Memphis have held up surprisingly well defensively and have been fourth in defense over the past 15 games, but their offense has cratered – becoming the 24th-ranked unit – and their ability to rebound has fallen off a cliff.

Adams leads the team at 11.5 rebounds per game, but his value goes far beyond just the rebounds he hauls down himself, as he is almost universally considered the physically strongest player in the league, and he uses that to wreak havoc on the offensive boards.

The Grizzlies have been 27th in rebounding rate since his injury, falling from the second-best offensive rebounding team to 18th in that category, while also dropping from 15th in defensive rebounding to 28th.

While it is easy to point to some recent cold shooting from Memphis as the reason for their recent struggles – 29th in three-point percentage (31.7 per cent) since Adams' injury – it is their failure in the rebounding department that is ruining a lot of their good work.

It is great to have a top-five defense, but when you are only gathering 68.2 per cent of opponents' misses, it means that even your strength is no longer a strength.

It goes to show that while Jaren Jackson Jr is Memphis' best defensive player – and a strong favourite to win Defensive Player of the Year – Adams may be their most important piece on that end. 

That is even more true when the other team rolls out a center like Nikola Jokic.

Jokic, the reigning back-to-back league MVP and favourite to earn the first three-peat since Larry Bird from 1984-86, is essentially unguardable, but it is incredibly helpful to have a physical presence like Adams who is impossible to push around and can at least dictate Jokic's catch positions.

With Adams out, Jackson will likely assume the responsibility, and while that is a mouth-watering matchup between arguably the league's most gifted players on each side of the ball, the Grizzlies ace will need to be on his most disciplined behaviour.

Leading the league with 3.3 blocks per game, Jackson also sits sixth in fouls per game (3.4), and could leave his team without an anchor on the defensive end if the crafty Jokic draws a couple of early calls and puts his opponent in foul trouble.

But Jokic, while almost flawless on the offensive end, still has his own exploitable warts defensively.

The Serbian has shed the reputation of being a poor defender – leading all centers with 1.3 steals per game – but remains a liability when it comes to protecting the rim, with Denver ranking 25th when it comes to preventing points in the paint.

That is where the Grizzlies will see their greatest advantage as the league leaders for points in the paint, with Ja Morant's 14.8 points per game in that area trailing only Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15.5) for the most among all guards.

Denver's plan of attack will likely be the complete opposite, as Memphis are the fourth-best team at preventing points in the paint but allow the fourth-most made three-pointers per game, while the Nuggets lead the league in three-point percentage (39.2 percent).

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant

Sometimes it is complicated to see whose impact will have the greatest effect on their team's success, and sometimes it is painfully obvious.

Morant is the Grizzlies' franchise player, leading scorer (27.1 points per game), leader in assists (8.2) and the heartbeat of their fast-paced, rim-attacking offense.

It will be his responsibility to exploit Jokic's defensive deficiency and generate high-quality looks inside for himself and team-mates, as Memphis are likely doomed if they have to rely on outside shooting (24th in three-point percentage).

Denver Nuggets – Jamal Murray

The Nuggets know what they are going to get from the metronomically consistent Jokic on a nightly basis, but the contributions from second star Jamal Murray are often what make or break their results.

In the 35 wins he has played in this season, Murray is averaging 21.7 points and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 48.3 per cent from the field, 41.6 per cent from deep and 85.5 per cent from the free-throw line.

In 14 losses, those figures plummet to 16.3 points and 5.5 assists on dismal shooting splits of 38.2/29.7/76.9 – illustrating that when it is not Murray's night, it is usually not the Nuggets' night either.

KEY BATTLE – Can Denver capitalise on the absence of Adams?

While Jokic is one of the best defensive rebounders in the league, having the third-best rate among players averaging at least 20 minutes, he is not even close to the same kind of threat on the offensive boards, where Adams' absence will be felt.

If Memphis can figure out how to limit Denver to one shot per possession and secure the defensive glass, it will not just limit second opportunities, but it will ignite the Grizzlies' fast-break offense and allow Morant to operate in the open floor with a runway.

Another key factor is that while Denver have been shooting the lights out, and Memphis have been struggling from distance, three-point percentage is often a stat that regresses to the mean over time, meaning at some point their fortunes will likely reverse.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

These sides have split their two meetings this season, with Denver securing a 14-point home win in December, before Memphis evened the ledger with an 18-point home win of their own in January.

It fits with their evenly matched recent history, with a 2-2 record from their past four meetings, and a 5-5 record dating back to January 2020.

Kyrie Irving feels he has finally "joined the party" after partnering with Luka Doncic to make franchise history in the Dallas Mavericks' 133-126 win against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The pair became the first Mavs team-mates to score at least 40 points each in the same game, with Doncic shooting 13-of-22 for his 42 points and Irving 15-of-22 for 40.

It is the third time Irving has reached the 40-point mark this season, and the first time since making a high-profile trade from the Brooklyn Nets on February 6.

The eight-time NBA All-Star spoke about "scaling back the pressure" earlier in the week in order to "show up to the party", and he did just that with his display against the Sixers.

"Like I said last time I was sitting up here, I just had to join the party and just make sure my team-mates were going to follow along," he said.

"Luka was ready for the party, I was ready for the party tonight, and it was one of those games where we had some special performances. I'm grateful that the work translated.

"I've got to keep it up. I've just got to keep it up and stay consistent in terms of just being prepared for when he's going to pass and get used to his flow in the game."

Irving has averaged 27 points across his 48 games for Dallas and Brooklyn this campaign, while fellow superstar Doncic leads the way in the NBA with 1,801 points overall.

The duo also combined for 18 assists, eight rebounds and four steals in Thursday's win against Philly at American Airlines Center, while hitting 13-of-21 from three-point range.

"I enjoyed watching those two working off of each other," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "As much as we play the game on paper, it's still played on the court. 

"They've got to work through the kinks, but I think at the end of the day, we'll be happy with what we have."

Irving is the only player in NBA history to be part of a team-mate duo scoring 40-plus points each in regulation for two different teams.

The 30-year-old previously did so with LeBron James during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it is now Doncic who is starting to build a strong partnership with Irving.

"Playing with him is so easy," said Doncic on the back of his sixth 40-point, 10-assist showing of the season. "He helps me a lot.

"The offense I don't think is a problem. I think offensively, we're good. It's just the defensive end. We've got to get stops."

The 33-31 Mavs are sixth in the Western Conference ahead of facing the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

Australia completed a nine-wicket victory over India early on day three of the third Test in Indore to seal a place in June's World Test Championship final.

The tourists required just 76 runs on Friday at Holkar Cricket Stadium and reached that target before lunch to trim India's lead to 2-1 in the four-match series.

Travis Head made 49 not out and Marnus Labuschagne an unbeaten 28, with Usman Khawaja (0) the only man to fall early on in a routine victory stroll.

Australia, who had lost their past three Tests played in Asia, will now face either India or Sri Lanka in the World Test Championship final at the Oval in London.

India require victory over Australia in next week's fourth and final Test to book their place in the showpiece contest.

Eight wickets from Nathan Lyon, who was named player of the match, left Australia on the verge of victory at the end of day two.

A challenging pitch gave India slim hope of at least dragging out day three, and they started strongly as Khawaja was caught behind by KS Bharat for a second-ball duck.

But Labuschagne saw off some tricky early bowling to keep Australia on course and shared an unbroken stand of 78 with Head to see his side home in just 18.5 overs.

Australia snap losing run

This was a welcome victory for Australia, who avoided losing four Tests in a row against India in the format for the first time ever.

India can have no complaints with the margin of defeat as they missed out on a fourth Test victory in a row for the first time since a seven-game stretch in 2019.

Labuschagne and Head hold firm

After strong work on Thursday from Lyon, whose total of 113 career wickets in Australia versus India Tests is a record in the rivalry between these teams, it was left to Labuschagne and Head to get Australia easily over the line.

Their 78-run partnership ranks as the highest unbeaten stand by a batting pair in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between Australia and India, which will go down to the wire.

Gabriel Martinelli can maintain his excellent form at Bournemouth's expense on Saturday after capitalising on Everton's defensive frailties.

Martinelli scored twice as the Gunners thrashed the sorry Toffees on Wednesday to go five points clear at the top of the Premier League – and hopefully earned you a healthy haul of fantasy points.

If the Brazil winger is not in your team, then it'll perhaps be better late than never, with struggling Bournemouth travelling to Emirates Stadium on the back of a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City.

Danny Ings can make his mark in West Ham's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, while Harry Kane and Antonee Robinson can also rack up the points.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform highlights why that quartet deserve to get the nod.

Antonee Robinson (Brentford v Fulham)

Fulham have exceeded expectations so far this season and left-back Robinson has played a big part.

No defender has had more top-flight clean sheets (5) since the World Cup than the United States international, who was also in the Fulham side that shut out Leeds in a 2-0 FA Cup victory on Tuesday.

Robinson provided an assist in the draw at Wolves last week, and only four defenders have created more chances from open play than his eight in the Premier League since the World Cup ended.

Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal v Bournemouth)

A brace for Martinelli on Wednesday took his Premier League goal tally for the season to 11 – as many as he had scored in his previous three campaigns combined.

Unfortunate with injuries early in his career, Martinelli is putting those woes behind him and has found the back of the net in three consecutive games.

He has scored six top-flight goals since the World Cup and should cause the Cherries all sorts of problems.

Danny Ings (Brighton and Hove Albion v West Ham)

Ings opened his Hammers account in a 4-0 rout of Nottingham Forest last Saturday, scoring a double.

The striker can build on that when David Moyes' men head to the south coast to face Brighton, who Ings has also scored twice against this season during his time at Aston Villa.

Ings clearly enjoys facing the Seagulls, as he has netted five times against them and he can get on a roll to help the Hammers climb the table.

Harry Kane (Wolves v Tottenham)

It may be that Kane is a mainstay in your side, but if not then you can reap the rewards of investing in the Tottenham striker this weekend.

Kane came on as a second-half substitute in Spurs' shock 1-0 FA Cup loss at Sheffield United on Wednesday and the London club should be fired up after seeing another opportunity to end their trophy drought pass them by.

England captain Kane scored his 18th Premier League goal of the season in a derby win over Chelsea last Sunday and you should back him to put on a show at Molineux.

Jack Grealish could not have imagined he was setting himself up for a fall when he picked on Newcastle United flop Miguel Almiron while celebrating his first Premier League title triumph.

On an individual level, Grealish's debut season at Manchester City had not been a roaring success.

But his six goal involvements in the Premier League dwarfed Almiron's one, giving Grealish the confidence to talk down the Newcastle winger the day after City's dramatic 3-2 title-clinching win against former club Aston Villa.

Misfiring City team-mate Riyad Mahrez needed to be substituted "as soon as possible" in that match, a drunken Grealish said, because he had "played like Almiron".

For his part, Almiron brushed off the barb and wished Grealish well.

Meanwhile, the horrified City winger, having sobered up, sought to apologise to the Paraguay international and acknowledged he deserved "a lot of stick off the Newcastle fans".

Grealish was at least spared slightly in that regard as a minor injury kept him out in August when City visited St James' Park for a match in which Almiron scored his first of 10 goals this season.

Almiron then netted six in October alone, when it seemed he could do no wrong. Only once in his Premier League career has Grealish tallied more than six across an entire season.

But heading into Saturday's reverse fixture between City and Newcastle in Manchester, Grealish is the form man, playing his best football under Pep Guardiola.

Since the World Cup, a period in which fellow left-sided attacker Phil Foden has struggled for fitness, Grealish has two goals and four assists in the league. Including cup competitions, he has a further two assists on top.

Those eight goal involvements in 16 matches (one every 134 minutes) compare to 11 in 55 (one every 343 mins) over the first 16 months of Grealish's City career.

However, his is an upturn that can be explained no more easily than Almiron's.

Following the World Cup, looking at slightly more granular per-90 metrics, Grealish has actually seen a decline in chances created, passes into the box, touches and touches in the box. A very slight boost in expected assists does not account for those improved assist numbers.

Yet as long as Grealish continues to deliver in big games, supplying goals against Manchester United and Arsenal and assists against Chelsea and Arsenal, Guardiola is unlikely to mind.

City at least have alternative options if this run proves unsustainable. They head into Saturday's latest sizeable match on a high – in complete contrast with a stuttering Newcastle and their leading marksman regressing to the mean.

Almiron outperformed his xG by 3.3 across that inexplicable October but has otherwise almost exactly matched his expected figure over the rest of the season.

Worse still for Newcastle, Almiron's team-mates have failed to even do that since the World Cup.

In all competitions, only four Premier League teams have scored fewer goals per game than Newcastle (0.9) over that period, yet the Magpies rank fifth for xG per game (1.8).

Eddie Howe's side should have scored roughly twice as many goals as they have, underperforming their total xG of 25.6 by 12.6. Chelsea's underperformance of 9.4 is next-worst, followed by a distant 6.3 from Everton.

While Newcastle have won only five of 14 matches since the restart, they have come out on top on xG in 11 of those.

Almiron is not the problem, it appears, but another run like that of earlier in the season might be required to set Newcastle back on track.

Instead, confidence is again on Grealish's side, with the England man primed to this time do his talking on the pitch after last May's title party mishap.

Carlo Ancelotti is convinced Real Madrid have the firepower to overturn their 1-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg defeat to a Barcelona side he suggests did not want to play.

Barca claimed a smash-and-grab victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday to take a slender advantage into next month's return game at Camp Nou.

The decisive goal came in the 26th minute when Franck Kessie's shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois before going in off Eder Militao.

Madrid were largely dominant otherwise, with Barca having just 35.3 per cent of the possession – that is their smallest share of the ball in a single match since Opta records began (2013-14 season).

Similarly, it was only the third time since the start of last year that Barca have recorded less than 50 per cent possession in a match.

Ancelotti was unimpressed by Barca's performance and remains confident Madrid will reach the final, despite Los Blancos failing to get a single shot on target for only the third time in a decade.

"The team played well," he told reporters. "Barcelona played like they didn't want to play.

"We haven't been good in the last third. Defeat hurts, but if we do the same in the second leg, we have a chance to progress.

"We played the game we have to play: pressing, playing with intensity. We lacked a goal, but they did nothing to score. They were lucky with a rebound. We have 90 minutes [to turn it around]."

He added: "We've failed, but we did not deserve to lose. But in 90 minutes we can score a goal in Barcelona."

Despite the obvious frustration in his voice, Ancelotti was undoubtedly impressed with how Madrid managed to control the majority of the game, forcing Barca to play mostly on the edge of their own box.

"It's a very bad result, undeserved, but it was a game well done on our part, with intensity and commitment.

"We didn't let Barca play the way they want. They had a very low block, not because they wanted to, but because we made them do it.

"It was difficult to have opportunities, we tried from outside the box, but they have great defenders and they gave us problems in the crosses.

"It was difficult to find spaces. They were very closed off. I have nothing to reproach. I am very happy and I am very excited to do the same in the second leg.

"They have an advantage, but we have all the confidence in the world to be able [to turn it around]."

The second leg is at Camp Nou on April 5.

Xavi was not entirely satisfied with Barcelona's performance despite a 1-0 win away at El Clasico rivals Real Madrid in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, and still believes their opponents are favourites for the tie.

An own goal by Eder Militao in the first half at the Santiago Bernabeu was enough for a Barca victory, while Madrid enjoyed plenty of the ball and had 13 shots, but did not hit the target once as they fell to defeat.

Barca's head coach was pleased with the win, but appeared eager to put the pressure back on Los Blancos ahead of the return leg on April 5 as he insisted they were still favourites to reach the final.

"We have a certain advantage," he told reporters. "We will have to compete very well [in the second leg at Camp Nou]. We have defended well. The return home, with our fans, is positive. But I still see Real Madrid as favourites."

Xavi was pleased with his team's defending, but concerned by their inability to keep the ball as the visitors claimed just 35.3 per cent possession in the game, completing just 309 of their 380 passes (81.3 per cent).

"I'm not satisfied... It's not the percentage we're looking for," he said.

"The result is very positive. I'm happy with the work, solid defence, we minimised Real Madrid on their field. The game was difficult.

"The victory is tremendous [but] we didn't know how to keep the ball, it was difficult for us to win duels. We defended well without the ball and fought well without the ball.

"The people are supportive. I am satisfied, but we have to improve in our game with the ball. We cannot give the opponent dominance.

"I am satisfied with the result but not so much for the match."

Barcelona will take a slender advantage to Camp Nou after they beat Real Madrid 1-0 in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.

An Eder Militao own goal was all that separated the two Spanish giants, with Carlo Ancelotti's men having a lot of the ball but unable to craft much in the way of chances.

Militao's own goal was only the fourth this century in a Clasico, three of which have favoured Barca after Ivan Helguera's in May 2002 and Raphael Varane's in February 2019.

Madrid may consider themselves fortunate not to lose by more, however, with Ansu Fati inadvertently denying team-mate Franck Kessie a certain goal in a second half largely dominated by the hosts.

Karim Benzema had the ball in the net early on when he chested down a cross from Vinicius Junior and volleyed home, only to be flagged offside.

Despite Madrid dominating early on, it was Barcelona who took the lead in the 26th minute.

Ferran Torres played in Kessie, whose shot went in off Militao after Thibaut Courtois had initially saved from the Barca midfielder.

Vinicius saw an effort blocked by Ronald Araujo early in the second half, while the visitors should have doubled their lead 18 minutes from time.

Kessie met Torres' cut-back but saw his goal-bound shot deflected wide by substitute Fati with Courtois stranded.

Nevertheless, Xavi's men held on despite Madrid's desperate late onslaught.

Novak Djokovic clinched a 20th win in a row and maintained his perfect year to date with victory against Hubert Hurkacz at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The world number one cruised in the opening set, before Hurkacz put up more of a fight in the second.

Djokovic eventually prevailed to seal a 6-3 7-5 win, successfully seeing off his opponent despite Hurkacz valiantly throwing everything at him.

The 35-year-old Serbian has now won 15 consecutive matches in 2023, with his latest impressive display including just seven unforced errors, less than half Hurkacz's 15 as Djokovic's clinical edge proved decisive.

Fifteen successive victories is the fourth-best start to a season in Djokovic's career, though he remains some way off the 41-0 record he began 2011 with.

A semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev awaits following the Russian's comfortable 6-3 6-2 victory against Borna Coric, which clocked in at one hour and 21 minutes.

Medvedev is also in the midst of an impressive winning streak, rattling off 12 consecutive successes since being eliminated by Sebastian Korda at the Australian Open in January.

Andrey Rublev booked his spot in the final four with a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) victory over Botic van de Zandschulp to maintain his title defence.

He will face seventh seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-final, the German having seen off Lorenzo Sonego 7-5 6-4.

Kagiso Rabada took six wickets as South Africa recovered from a batting collapse on day three to beat West Indies by 87 runs in the first Test in Centurion.

A haul of 6-50 from Rabada carried the hosts home as West Indies were bowled out for 159 in their second innings, with Jermaine Blackwood's terrific 79 from 93 balls providing the chief resistance.

The SuperSport Park crowd had seen South Africa fall from their overnight 49-4 to 116 all out in the morning session, with Aiden Markram following his century in the first innings with 47 as only two others reached double figures.

Kemar Roach took 5-47, with Markram among his victims, to fuel hopes of a first Test win for West Indies against South Africa since December 2007.

Yet momentum began to tilt back the Proteas' way when West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite fell to Rabada just before lunch, before any runs went on the board in the chase.

The tourists needed 247, but a wretched start saw them crumble to 20-4 and left the middle and lower order with a cliff face to climb.

Rabada had Brathwaite and Raymon Reifer caught behind by Heinrich Klaasen, before Marco Jansen drew a badly timed hook from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and then bowled Roston Chase with the next ball.

They were 33-5 when Gerald Coetzee had Kyle Mayers taken at slip, and it was only Blackwood keeping West Indies in the game.

He delivered a sparkling innings that nobody else could match, with Joshua Da Silva (17) and Jason Holder (18) briefly joining him in handy stands, but both fell to edges off Rabada.

Eventually, so too did Blackwood, a fiery delivery from Rabada into the body jabbed to Markram at second slip.

That gave South Africa a ninth wicket and it was effectively job done with the dangerman out of the way. Rabada duly wrapped it up, pinning Roach lbw.

Rabada hits Windies for six

This was Rabada's first six-wicket haul in Tests since taking 6-54 against Australia in March 2018, and his three best innings performances have all now come at Centurion. This ranks third on the list, behind the 7-112 and 6-32 that he took in the same game against England in January 2016.

It was not enough for man-of-the-match honours this time, though, with Markram taking that award.

Proteas keep rivalry one-sided

South Africa led by 130 after the first innings of this match, meaning their dismal display with the bat second time around did not prove too costly. The result means they are now unbeaten against West Indies in their last 11 Tests (W9 D2), with this a fourth victory on the bounce. Indeed, all four matches between these sides at SuperSport Park have been won by the hosts.

Home captain Temba Bavuma made a pair of ducks in his first game as skipper, but got away with it. The second and final Test of this series begins at the Wanderers in Johannesburg next Wednesday.

Kevin Durant scored 23 points in his Phoenix Suns debut as Devin Booker stole the show with 37 points in a 105-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

Durant stepped out for the Suns for the first time since his trade last month, having been sidelined with a sprained right knee, shooting 10-of-15 from the field and two-of-four from beyond the arc with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Booker shot 15-of-26 from the field in his 37-point haul with six rebounds and seven assists, while Deandre Ayton scored 16 points with 16 rebounds.

Veteran guard Chris Paul took a back seat, with only two points whilst providing 11 assists as the new-look Suns showed off their multi-dimensional line-up.

The victory snapped the Hornets' five-game winning streak, with the Suns going wire to wire in a strong display, improving their record to 34-29.

Charlotte got within six points at three-quarter time but Durant played his part at the start of the fourth with nine points, registering only 19 minutes for the opening three periods, as Phoenix pulled away.

Tatum and Mitchell record 40-point games

Jayson Tatum recorded his ninth 40-point game of the season as the Boston Celtics overcame Donovan Mitchell's Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113.

Tatum finished with 41 points with improved 13-of-21 shooting including four-of-six three-pointers with 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Al Horford added 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Mitchell shrugged off an apparent quad concern in the third quarter with 44 points, piling only 29 in the second half. That was Mitchell's seventh 40-point game of his season.

Knicks down Nets to continue win streak

The New York Knicks extended their winning streak to seven games as Jalen Brunson scored 39 points in a 142-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Brunson hit 30 of his 39 points in the first half, with the Knicks piling on 47 points in the first quarter as they opened up 81-57 half-time lead. The Knicks improved their record to 37-27, sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Cam Johnson scored a season-high 33 points for the Nets, who fall to their fourth straight loss and a 34-28 record as they continue to slide in the east.

Virgil van Dijk hailed "an important win" for Liverpool as they beat Wolves 2-0 at Anfield ahead of welcoming Manchester United on Sunday where he says they will "need a big atmosphere".

Van Dijk scored the opener as the Reds finally broke down their resolute opponents in the 73rd minute on Wednesday, heading in a Diogo Jota cross before Mohamed Salah made the points safe with a second four minutes later.

Liverpool move up to sixth in the table, while the Dutchman has now scored 20 goals in the Premier League, the most of any central defender in the competition since he joined Southampton from Celtic in 2015.

"An important win, so it's time to recover and focus on the next one," Van Dijk told Premier League Productions. "Of course [we had to be patient]. I think we see the games we played against them this season, they have been quite tough and today it wasn't any different so we had to be patient and wait for the moment."

Liverpool face an in-form United at home on Sunday, and Van Dijk is in no doubt as to how difficult the game will be, which is why they will need the fans' help.

"I think we need a big atmosphere on Sunday," he said. "I think today obviously it was quite nervous and hopefully on Sunday we can get everyone in their best – including us, because we obviously have to do the hard work on the pitch against an in-form Man United. So, we will recover now and we will be ready for Sunday of course."

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also looked forward to Sunday's game, saying: "I think Man United is the team in form at the moment, maybe together with Arsenal and [Manchester] City are [also] doing well.

"The teams up there are all in a pretty good moment and I didn’t see yet the line-up [for United’s FA Cup win over West Ham] but maybe they changed quite a few? That means some of them will be a bit fresher than us, but it's a home game and it's Anfield.

"I thought Anfield proved a point tonight again, it was super, super-enjoyable. It felt like a proper unit, we were all together – I loved that. That's what we need again on Sunday, but of course it will be difficult.

"Again, if you face United at the weekend whichever result you've had before, either way you have to strike back or whatever, but now we have to use it for our general situation. We have to build on the performance and on the result – and we try everything to do exactly that."

Klopp was also pleased with the performance of Van Dijk, as well as the rest of his team's defensive showing as they recorded a fourth clean sheet in a row in the league.

"Yeah, we all need that [performance] and [Van Dijk] needs that as well and it's obviously a really good one, in a tough game for defenders," Klopp said. "I thought we performed tonight, we played a really good game in general.

"But I really think the centre-halves and Fabinho together, how they covered that area, how they denied the counter-attacks, how they defended into midfield, which is very important against a team who play with one striker. I thought they did really well."