win

DR Congo reach inter-confederation playoffs for 2026 World Cup after beating favourites Nigeria on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo kept their hopes of a World Cup place alive as they edged Nigeria 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time to win the African qualifying playoffs in Morocco.

DR Congo now await the draw on Thursday for the inter-confederation playoffs in March where six teams will chase two places at the 48-team finals.

Captain Chancel Mbemba converted the decisive kick on Sunday after Congolese substitute goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, brought on a minute before the shootout, made two saves in the shootout.

Frank Onyeka had Nigeria ahead in the third minute but Meschack Elia equalised for the two sides to be level 1-1 after extra time.

The mini-tournament in Rabat was for the best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups, whose fixtures were completed last month with the nine winners automatically booking a berth at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States next year.

Nigeria, who have been to six previous World Cups, were off to a perfect start as the Congolese cleared an early cross but only onto the edge of their penalty area where Onyeka snapped up the ball and powered home an effort, helped into the net by a slight deflection off Axel Tuanzebe.

But the Congolese could have been level within nine minutes had Ngal’ayel Mukau not put his close-in effort over the crossbar after Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali had flapped at the ball.

They did equalise in the 32nd minute after Alex Iwobi had been stripped of possession inside the Congolese half, and a quick counter saw Cedric Bakambu square for Elia to score despite the efforts of Nigeria captain Wilfred Ndidi to intercept the ball.

A clever backheel at a corner early in the second half from Bakambu saw Nwabali make a sharp stop, and there looked a decent penalty shout for the Congolese as Noah Sadiki was upended by Benjamin Fredrick in the Nigeria box in the 55th minute, but the referee did not show any interest, and there was no VAR check.

DR Congo looked more ambitious as the contest wore on, but it was characterised by a wary approach from both sides, keen not to make any mistakes with so much at stake.

Nigeria needed extra time to get past Gabon in their Thursday semifinal and looked much more fatigued than their opponents, who beat Cameroon inside 90 minutes in their semi later the same night.

There were two opportunities in extra time on either end, with Nigerian substitute Tolu Arokodare heading over and then with the last effort of the game, Mbemba had his effort saved by Nwabali.

DR Congo went on to hold their nerve in the shootout and still have a chance to compete at their first World Cup since 1974, when the country was still known as Zaire.

Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Ghana, Cape Verde, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Tunisia have already qualified directly for the 2026 World Cup from Africa.

Bolivia from South America and New Caledonia from Oceania have already reached the six-team continental playoffs.

In Asia, the UAE host Iraq in their second leg on Tuesday to decide another playoff entrant. The first leg was 1-1.

Also included will be the best two group runners-up from the North American, Central American and Caribbean federation once normally qualifying ends on Tuesday.

Europe has its own playoff system for the remaining non-automatic berths for the 48-team World Cup.

Having etched his name into Republic of Ireland folklore, Troy Parrott let the tears flow.

At the end of a whirlwind 72 hours, the striker’s raw emotion was understandable. On Thursday, Parrott upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo with two goals to sink Portugal and take the Republic of Ireland’s play-off push into the final game.

Carrying a nation’s hopes on his back in Budapest, the 23-year-old Dubliner rose to the occasion in spectacular fashion.

Against Hungary, his penalty brought the Irish level after they fell behind to an early Daniel Lukacs header. Then, after Barnabas Varga’s stunning strike, he equalised again with a deft finish 10 minutes from time.

The Republic of Ireland needed a win to make the play-offs, and after substitute Johnny Kenny was denied, Parrott seized the match-winning moment when he latched on to Liam Scales’ header, poked the ball into the Hungary net and wheeled away in ecstasy in a heart-stopping finale at Puskas Arena.

“I’m really, really emotional. They’re tears of joy. Ah, what a night, what a night,” the AZ Alkmaar striker, who led the line in Evan Ferguson’s absence, told RTE.

“This is why we love football, because things like this can happen. Look, I love where I’m from, so this means the world to me. My family is here.

“It’s the first time I’ve cried in years as well, I really, really can’t believe it. Everyone is crying.

“I said against Portugal that this is what dreams are made of, but this tonight, I don’t think I’ll ever have a better night in my whole life.

“That is really a fairy tale. You can’t even dream about something like that. Honestly, I have no words to describe my emotions right now.”

Sierra Canyon faced a familiar foe Saturday night in the Southern California Regional Open Division girls’ volleyball semifinals in Chatsworth.

The Trailblazers needed five match points to finally put away Mission League rival Marymount, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23, and move within two wins of a state title.

It was the fifth meeting between the teams — the most in a season between two Southern Section schools from the same league since 2006 when Bay League rivals Redondo Union and Mira Costa also faced off five times. Sierra Canyon improved to 11-2 in its last 13 best-of-five set matches against Marymount — including the last seven in a row — though none of them have been easy.

Lucky Fasavalu serves an ace in Sierra Canyon’s four-set victory over Marymount in the Southern California Regional semifinals at Chatsworth on Nov. 15, 2025.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“It gets harder every time we play them because they know our tendencies,” said Missouri-bound setter Lucky Fasavalu, who dished out 44 assists. “It makes us better, but it makes them better too.”

Hanna McGinest had 15 kills, the last of which ended the match. McKenna McIntosh had 13 kills and 15 digs, Kendall Omoruyi had 13 kills and four blocks and Eva Jeffries added eight kills and eight digs for Sierra Canyon.

Washington commit Sammy Destler led Marymount with 20 kills, seven of them in the second set. Elle Vandeweghe had 14 kills, Katelyn Oerlemans added 13 and Olivia Penske had 41 assists for the Sailors, who pushed the Trailblazers to five sets in the section semifinals.

Top-seeded Sierra Canyon (41-3), which has already set the program single-season record for wins in a season, improved to 4-1 this fall against the fifth-seeded Sailors (38-7) and has not lost a match in California (its three losses came in out-of-state tournaments).

Having defeated Mater Dei for the first time in its history to win the Southern Section Division 1 title, Sierra Canyon will try to make it two in a row against the visiting Monarchs on Tuesday night in the regional final. Sierra Canyon’s four-set victory on Nov. 8 at Cerritos College marked its first in 10 tries against Mater Dei, which beat Torrey Pines in four sets in Saturday’s other semifinal.

“They’re both incredible teams,” Fasavalu said, referring to Marymount and Mater Dei. “Marymount is scrappy, has weapons everywhere and has two great middles. Mater Dei’s pins are explosive and they have great game I.Q. Both are full of seniors so they really want to win — but so do we!”

Asked if she is happy to be playing Mater Dei, Fasavalu admitted she was since her cousin Westley Matavao plays for the No. 2-seeded Monarchs (33-5).

“We know how good they are but we can play great volleyball,” Fasavalu said. “I’ve got great options as a setter. McKenna and Kendall demand the ball a lot and it’s my job to read the other side of the net and see where mismatches are.”

Luke Littler will become world number one for the first time after booking his place in the Grand Slam of Darts final in Wolverhampton.

The world champion’s 16-9 victory over the Netherlands’ Danny Noppert means he will overtake rival Luke Humphries to top the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) world rankings regardless of the result of Sunday evening’s final.

At just 18, Littler will become the youngest PDC world number one, surpassing Michael van Gerwen who achieved the feat aged 24 in 2014.

Littler’s earnings over the two-year period that determine the Order of Merit total £1,770,500 after making the final, a figure that will rise to £1,850,000 if he wins.

With Humphries defending the money he won from triumphing in this tournament in 2023, even if he lifts the trophy again, he will have earned £1,769,000 – just short of fellow Englishman Littler.

“It is has not even been two years that I’ve been on the tour and I’m already world number one,” Littler told Sky Sports.

“That is job done – I am world number one – but there is a bigger match tonight.

“I am the best in the world. No matter what, I’ve said it throughout the year that Luke Humphries is the best in the world.

“No matter if you go out in the first, second or third round you are the best in the world.”

Japan had double the number of carries and forced Wales to make almost 100 more tackles than the visitors.

The Brave Blossoms were the more impressive team on show, although head coach Eddie Jones avoided a couple of attempts to say that afterwards.

“The only thing anybody ever remembers is the scoreboard,” said Jones. “That tells the story and is all that matters.”

Jones has suffered previous defeats in Cardiff inflicted by superior Welsh sides and has close-up knowledge of the current squad, having played them three times this year.

“Having spoken to a few people, the big thing Wales has to look at is the development system,” said Jones.

“Coaches can only coach the players they have got and Wales for a long period of time had a strong and tough team under Warren Gatland.

“It is obvious the young players have not been developed enough or as quickly as you would like, because now you have a gap in the team.”

Jones believes Wales can return to rugby’s top table.

“There are plenty of good players in Wales,” said Jones.

“Wales is one of the traditional hotbeds of rugby in the world, albeit it’s a small country.

“If they can improve the development pathway and get that right, Wales will get its place back in rugby.”

South Africa secured their first Test victory in India since 2010 as they triumphed in a low-scoring thriller inside three days in Kolkata.

The Proteas, who won the World Test Championship at Lord’s in the summer, had trailed by 30 runs on first innings – but reversed that to pull off a 30-run victory as the hosts, needing only 124 to win, were bowled out for 93 in 35 overs.

Veteran spinner Simon Harmer, 36, did the damage with four wickets in each innings for match figures of 8-51.

India were a batter short in their second innings after captain Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury on day two.

Gill remains in hospital for observation, with India having announced before play on Sunday that he would take no further part in the game.

More to follow.

Makhachev makes light of stepping up a weight class to beat Della Maddalena by unanimous decision.

Islam Makhachev out-classed Jack Della Maddalena in a five-round beat-down to claim a unanimous decision victory and win the UFC welterweight championship at Madison Square Garden, with Valentina Shevchenko retaining her flyweight title in the co-main event.

Makhachev made light of stepping up a weight class after relinquishing the lightweight crown to chase a new challenge, utterly dominating his Australian opponent for 25 minutes with his smothering grappling to claim his 16th UFC victory in a row on Saturday night.

The 34-year-old softened up his 29-year-old adversary with calf kicks before launching a relentless wrestling attack and Della Maddalena had no answer, getting stuck on the mat dealing with submission threats under tremendous pressure for long periods.

“This is my plan. It’s not a secret, all my opponents know this, and nobody can stop it,” Makhachev said before calling for his first title defence to be at the proposed event on the White House lawn in 2026.

All three judges scored the contest 50-45 as Makhachev became the 11th fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes.

Della Maddalena – who ended an 18-fight career win streak, that featured 14 finishes – walked out of the cage without conducting the traditional post-fight interview and lost his first title defence since he beat Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision in May to wrest away the welterweight championship.

In the co-headliner, Zhang Weili’s dream of joining the elite group of double-champions came up short as the wily Shevchenko out-pointed her in another dominant performance to retain the flyweight crown.

Shevchenko (26-4-1) won her 11th overall title fight once she swept the scorecards 50-45 against Zhang.

Shevchenko displayed her full array of skills, sniping at her Chinese opponent and hurting her with punishing kicks to the body, and taking her to the mat and controlling her whenever she felt in danger.

The fighter from Krygyzstan became the first female UFC fighter to record 60 career takedowns – and the fight indeed ended with Zhang on her back.

“I was preparing for this fight as the hardest challenge in my life,” Shevchenko said in the cage after her customary victory dance.

“This is what I call the art of martial arts. When they are here in front of me, they cannot do anything.”

The show went on without an appearance from President Donald Trump, a close friend of UFC CEO Dana White, who normally has a cage side seat for the tri-state area’s biggest events.

UFC fans at the Garden, though, did get a big fight well ahead of the main event when a massive brawl broke out near one of the tunnels used for fight entrances and spilled through the stands and near press row.

The stir – which involved MMA fighter Dillon Danis – had the crowd howling and caused a short delay to the start of the pay-per-view card as police and security tried to bust up the melee.

Fists continued to fly at a furious pace once UFC 322 truly got under way.

Beneil Dariush (in 16 seconds of the first round), Carlos Prates (at 1:28 of the second round), and Michael Morales (at 3:27 of the first round) each won with devastating knockouts to open the card.

Conor Benn scored a unanimous points victory over Chris Eubank Jr in their rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Conor Benn dominated Chris Eubank Jr for 12 rounds in their middleweight clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday to claim a unanimous decision victory, exacting revenge for his defeat in the pair’s first meeting in April.

Benn lost that fight after all three judges scored it 116-112 in favour of his opponent, but there was no doubting who won Saturday’s clash as the 29-year-old put on the most complete performance of his professional career over 36 minutes.

Similar to the first fight, Benn came out strongly in the opening rounds, coming in under his opponent’s jab to land some heavy blows, but this time, there was to be no fall-off in production as Eubank Jr struggled from the opening bell.

Eubank Jr looked to make his height and reach advantage tell midway through the third round, punishing Benn when he allowed his head to go over his front foot, but Benn’s fast footwork allowed him to get in and out without suffering too much damage.

With Benn controlling the tempo, Eubank Jr found himself forced to lock his opponent up in the clinch to avoid damage when his guard was breached.

Sensing his adversary beginning to tire, Benn stepped on the gas in the seventh round, launching savage shots to the body to slow him down even further. Eubank Jr tried to respond, but there was little malice in his usually potent jab until he finally landed some offence late in the eighth round.

That was to be as good as it got for Eubank Jr, and Benn went for broke in the final frame, knocking his opponent to the canvas twice, with the bell coming to Eubank Jr’s rescue at the end of another epic clash between the two British boxers.

Benn-Eubank feud closed

With the two boxers’ fathers engaging in a heated rivalry in the 1990s that echoed in their sons’ two 2025 clashes, Benn recorded his family’s first victory over the Eubanks and quickly drew a line under it, saying there would be no rematch.

“I feel like this is the end of the Benn-Eubank saga. Done. Finished. It’s over … this ends here,” he said, before taking a swipe at his detractors and praising Eubank Jr.

“Everyone’s saying, I can’t box? Put that in your pipe and smoke it … credit to Chris man, that’s all I say. Thank you for sharing the ring with me.”

For his part, Eubank Jr was gracious in defeat, giving no excuses for his flat performance and hailing his opponent as the better man.

“I’ve been through hell and back to get to this night, and it is what it is. I tried my best, and listen, the kid fought hard. He fought tough. He’s got power,” he said.

“Who knows, maybe we will see something new between me and him, and maybe we won’t, but for right now, it’s all about this man. It’s his night.”

Chris Eubank Jr’s rematch defeat to Conor Benn may be the time to retire, according to former boxers Carl Frampton and Barry Jones.

Eubank, 36, was beaten unanimously by Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, seven months on from Eubank’s victory in the first meeting between the two.

All three judges scored the fight convincingly in favour of Benn with Eubank struggling to even challenge his rival, months after beating him.

“It was a great performance from Conor, but this might be the time to call it a day for Chris,” retired world champion Frampton told DAZN.

“I’m not trying to be harsh, I’m just being honest.”

Former WBO super-featherweight champion Jones echoed Frampton’s sentiment, pointing to Eubank’s struggles throughout fight.

“I do think it should be the end for Chris,” said Jones on DAZN.

“It was evidence from round one that he was flat. It could be weight or it could be wear and tear, I think it’s the latter.

“We should give all the credit to Conor Benn, but there were opportunities for Chris to pull the trigger.

“He didn’t throw his punches from round one. He was quite lethargic.”

Lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson, who has won belts in multiple weights, said Eubank was clearly “weight drained”.

Eubank has fought most of his recent career at middleweight but was restricted by a rehydration clause on fight day that prevented him from putting more than 10lbs.

Boxing legend turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya also defended Eubank’s performance.

“Let me give you a little tutorial on boxing,” he said on X.

“Eubank never had a chance due weight drain.”

Coach and former boxer Paul Smith said before the fight he felt it was a step too far for Eubank but praised the Briton for a “great career”.

“People who always seemed to dislike or hate him ended up growing to love him in the end. Like his dad,” he added.

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti says Gabriel will be assessed on Sunday after the Arsenal defender suffered a groin injury in a friendly win over Senegal in London.

The 27-year-old pulled up off the ball just before the hour mark and received treatment to his right thigh before being substituted.

Gabriel has formed a key part of the Arsenal defence as they top the Premier League table, having conceded just five goals in 11 league games.

The Gunners face North London rivals Tottenham on 23 November before welcoming Bayern Munich in the Champions League the following Wednesday.

“Bad? I don’t know. He had an injury in his adductor,” said Ancelotti. “The medical staff has to check tomorrow.

“We are really sorry for this, really disappointed. When a player has an injury, you hope they can recover well and soon.”

Brazil beat Senegal 2-0 at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium through goals from Chelsea’s teenage winger Estevao and Manchester United midfielder Casemiro.

Meanwhile, Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso says Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has left the international camp.

He did not play in Italy’s World Cup qualifying win over Moldova on Thursday, having been following an individual training programme for load management.

“We tried Calafiori, he had a few issues,” Gattuso told Sky Sports Italia, external before Italy’s match against Norway on Sunday.

“I thank him for his commitment. He stayed here for a week, he could have played perhaps, but it wouldn’t have been fair to him or Arsenal.”

A source told BBC Sport that Calafiori has not returned to Arsenal for any treatment.

“It is just moments where we need to smarten up. Tomorrow is another day.

“We made it a bit easy for them at times. We had too many blips in the circuit.”

England took an early lead in front of a noisy crowd in their first match since February.

But New Zealand, who denied England a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, fought back and led 15-14 after the first quarter with a score on the buzzer.

New Zealand extended their lead to 33-30 by half-time. Goal shooter Grace Nweke proved near unstoppable and was supported by sisters Kate and Georgia Heffernan, while England made unforced errors.

Thirlby made changes at half-time and her side were reinvigorated for the third period as they stormed back to level at 47-47.

Goal keeper Jaz Brown was impressive on her England debut with crucial steals.

However, the tourists showed their quality in the fourth quarter despite England shooter Eleanor Cardwell coming off the bench for her first appearance since suffering a knee injury which threatened her career.

The second game takes place at the same venue on Sunday and the final match is at AO Arena in Manchester on Wednesday.

England play Jamaica in December.

A look at the top performers from high school football across the Southland during the first week of the playoffs.

RUSHING

• Zastice Jauregui, Garfield: Had touchdown runs of 76, 65 and 70 yards en route to 440 yards rushing and five touchdowns in 30 carries in win over Palisades.

• Chris Fields III, Carson: Rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in win over King/Drew.

• Malaki Davis, Corona Centennial: Rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns in win over Servite.

• Noah Penunuri, Rio Hondo Prep: Rushed for 230 yards and four touchdowns in win over Troy.

• Lenny Ibarra, Los Alamitos: Rushed for 116 yards and four touchdowns in win over San Juan Hills.

• Kamden Tillis, Los Alamitos: Rushed for 112 yards in defeat of San Juan Hills.

• Dallas Jones, Birmingham: Rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns in win over Kennedy.

• Jacob Jimenez, Chino Hills: Rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns in win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

• Ty Hall, Saugus: Scored four touchdowns in win over Calabasas.

PASSING

• Trace Johnson, Santa Margarita: Passed for two touchdowns in win over Sierra Canyon.

• Timmy Herr, San Juan Hills: Passed for 271 yards in loss to Los Alamitos.

• Diego Montes, Granada Hills Kennedy: Passed for 207 yards, ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns in loss to Birmingham.

• Domenik Fuentes, Cleveland: Passed for three touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns in win over North Hollywood.

RECEIVING

• Ryan Clark, Santa Margarita: Caught touchdown passes of 33 and 34 yards in win over Sierra Canyon.

• Luc Weaver, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: Caught five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

DEFENSE

• Isaia Vandermade, Santa Margarita: Had two sacks and batted down a pass vs. Sierra Canyon.

• Weston Reis, Palos Verdes: Returned an interception for a touchdown vs. Dana HIlls.

• Jaden Walk-Green, Corona Centennial: Had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, in win over Servite, giving him 10 interceptions this season and his sixth defensive touchdown.

• Thomas Alexander, San Clemente: Returned interception 80 yards for a touchdown in win over Vista Murrieta.

• Shaun Scott, Mater Dei: Had two sacks in win over Mission Viejo.

• PeeWee Wilson, Oxnard Pacifica: Recorded 12 tackles in win over Bishop Amat.

• King Rich Johnson, Orange Lutheran: Returned interception 45 yards for a touchdown in defeat of St. John Bosco.

• Devin Sandville, Orange Vista: Returned two interceptions for touchdowns in loss to Agoura.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Dabe Nwude, Palos Verdes: Blocked an extra-point attempt in 14-13 win over Dana Hills.

• Bo Ausmus, Redondo Union: Returned kickoff 86 yards for touchdown in win over St. Paul.

• Kyron Rattler, Crenshaw: Returned a punt for a touchdown and returned an interception for a score in win over San Pedro.

• Paul Turner, Birmingham: Returned a kickoff for a touchdown and had three catches for 92 yards in win over Kennedy.

• Jimmy Renteria, Birmingham: Returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in defeat of Kennedy.

England: Steward; Roebuck, Lawrence, Dingwall, Feyi-Waboso; Ford (vc), Mitchell; Baxter, George (vc), Heyes, Itoje, Coles, Pepper, Underhill, Earl

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge (vc), Stuart, Cunningham-South, T Curry, Pollock, Spencer, M Smith

New Zealand: Jordan; Carter, Proctor, Tupaea, Fainga’anuku; B Barrett, Roigard, De Groot, Taylor (vc), Newell, S Barrett (c), Lord, Parker, Savea (vc), Lakai

Replacements: Taukei’aho, Williams, Tosi, Lord, Sititi, Ratima, Lienert-Brown, McKenzie

DALLAS — James Harden scored four of his 10 overtime points in the second extra period and finished with season highs of 41 points and 14 rebounds, along with 11 assists, as the Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 133-127 in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.

Harden had the 82nd triple-double of his career and Ivica Zubac added a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Clippers (4-8) snapped a six-game losing streak and improved to 2-0 in the NBA Cup.

Naji Marshall, making his first start of the season, and D’Angelo Russell, coming off the bench, scored 28 points apiece to lead the Mavericks (3-10), who are 0-2 in group play. Dallas has lost three straight games and seven of its last eight.

Harden, who had two three-pointers in the first overtime, followed two made free throws with a driving basket to give the Clippers a 129-125 lead with 3:07 left in the second overtime.

It appeared the Clippers took a 125-123 lead with 1.4 seconds left in the first overtime when Dallas’ Daniel Gafford was called for goaltending on a Harden shot, but video review reversed the call.

The Clippers’ Bogdan Bogdanovic had five three-pointers and 21 points — both season highs — off the bench.

Dereck Lively II, who missed the previous nine games with a sprained right knee, returned to the Mavericks’ shorthanded frontcourt. Lively, coming off the bench on a minutes’ restriction, had four points — all in the fourth period — and five rebounds. Dallas played without big men Anthony Davis (eighth consecutive game missed with a strained left calf) and P.J. Washington Jr. (left shoulder strained in Dallas’ previous game).

The Clippers played their second game after Bradley Beal was lost for the season with a fractured hip on Saturday. Kawhi Leonard missed his sixth consecutive game with a sprained ankle.

Up next for the Clippers: at Boston on Sunday.

NEW ORLEANS — LeBron James is making progress in his return from injury, and that’s a good sign for a Lakers team that has performed unevenly over a five-game trip.

Before the Lakers’ 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers coach JJ Redick said James, who has been dealing with sciatica, took part in an individual workout on Friday following consecutive days of five-on-five practice with the South Bay Lakers.

The Lakers finish their trip against Milwaukee on Saturday night. James will then practice with the Lakers on Monday. If all goes well, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer could start his league-record 23rd season Tuesday against Utah at Crypto.com Arena.

When he does return, how will James, who turns 41 next month, adjust to the chemistry the Lakers have established with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the center of the offense?

“I’ve certainly thought about it,” Redick said about how James’ return will affect the team. “The reality is, next week will be a great week for all of us to assess where we’re at and figure out what we want to work on. It’s rare that you have one game over the course of a week, so probably will think about it more then. But typically when you’re playing every other day, you’re using your time until 3 a.m. to review the game that you just played and then using the time the next day until 3 a.m. to get ready for the next game.”

Last season, James averaged 24.4 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season, while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.

Lakers players don’t think James’ return will cause any issues.

Jarred Vanderbilt said James “can bring an element that we need, essentially, knowing that he can provide that.”

“I know it’s probably tough,” Vanderbilt said. “But even just the integration, trying to integrate himself as a player, as a team mid-season is kind of tough. But we’re excited for his return, whenever he comes back, and I know he can provide exactly what we need for this team.”

Reaves led the way against the Pelicans, finishing with 31 points and seven assists as the Lakers (9-4) improved to 2-0 in NBA Cup play.

Doncic scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half and finished with 12 assists and six rebounds.

Deandre Ayton was a force for the Lakers inside with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans (2-10) with 35 points and six rebounds.

Etc.

Lakers rookie Adou Thiero, who has been out all season recovering from left knee surgery, was activated, but did not play against Pelicans, but did not play. Redick said he hopes to potentially give Thiero some playing time against the Bucks.

LAS VEGAS — All-American Lauren Betts had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 3 UCLA to a 78-60 victory over No. 11 North Carolina on Thursday night in the WBCA Challenge, the Bruins’ second win over a ranked team this week.

UCLA (4-0) also topped No. 6 Oklahoma 73-59 on Monday in Sacramento. Coming off the program’s first trip to the NCAA Final Four, the Bruins are making an early case as one of the favorites to get back there.

Betts also had seven assists. Teammate Kiki Rice overcame an 0-for-3 first half to finish with 15 points on six-for-12 shooting as well as 10 rebounds. Angela Dugalic added 14 points and Gabriela Jaquez had 12.

Elina Aarnisalo led North Carolina (2-1) with 13 points, and Indya Nivar and Ciera Toomey each scored 11. Nyla Harris, a transfer from Louisville, was held to six points on three-for-10 shooting. She scored a combined 25 points in the Tar Heels’ two victories.

The teams swapped scoring runs before UCLA took charge with a 10-point surge to end the third quarter for a 58-46 lead.

The Bruins dominated inside, winning the rebound battle 46-30 and outscoring the Tar Heels in the lane by a 46-22 margin. Four UCLA players had at least eight rebounds.

At least five WNBA teams were represented: the Sparks, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Toronto. Jackie Young, Dana Evans and Kiah Stokes, who helped the Aces win their third championship in four years, watched courtside.

Up next for UCLA: vs. South Florida in the WBCA Challenge on Saturday.

Sinner reached all four major finals in a year when he also served a three-month doping suspension after twice testing positive for a banned substance in 2024.

Wada accepted Sinner “did not intend to cheat” and Djokovic said he believed the Italian “didn’t do it on purpose”.

However, Djokovic warned that the case would remain a “cloud” over the 24-year-old throughout his career.

“That cloud will follow him as the cloud of Covid will follow me,” said Djokovic, who was deported from Australia in 2022 because he was not vaccinated against the virus.

“Over time it will fade, but I don’t think it will disappear.”

A number of players questioned the timing of Sinner’s ban, with Djokovic adding: “There is the lack of transparency, the inconsistency, the convenience [of] the ban coming between the slams so he doesn’t miss out. It was very, very odd.

“I really don’t like how the case was being handled. You could hear so many other players who had similar situations coming out in the media and complaining that it was a preferable treatment.”

As Trent Perry made his first collegiate start, he stepped into a familiar role.

The UCLA sophomore always plays point guard in practice, going head to head against star counterpart Donovan Dent. Whenever they play together in games, Perry has to shift his approach, becoming more aggressive in trying to grab rebounds.

But with Dent sidelined as a precaution because of a muscle strain Monday night at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins needed Perry to assume the role of lead facilitator.

Finding out that he was going to start only shortly before tipoff, Perry received encouragement from his sidelined teammate.

“He really just said, ‘Keep going,’” Perry said of Dent. “Just kept giving me confidence throughout the entire game. You know, keep going right now, you’re the engine and just keep your team moving. Just be a leader.”

Perry eagerly complied, leading the No. 15 Bruins to an 83-62 victory over West Georgia that was far closer than the score indicated. The Wolves used a bombs-away approach that yielded a flurry of three-pointers and kept the game competitive for 25 minutes before Perry helped UCLA avoid embarrassment on its home court.

Making most of the highlight passes, including one in which he barreled into the paint before flinging the ball to teammate Eric Dailey Jr. in the corner for a three-pointer, Perry logged career highs across the board with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds along with only two turnovers in 37 minutes.

It was a performance that pleased coach Mick Cronin, who said he was primarily concerned with Perry’s defense and ability to take care of the ball while finding his teammates.

“Off certain plays that we ran, he read the defense, did a good job with that,” Cronin said. “That’s what you’ve to do as a quarterback — calling the plays, if the quarterback can’t deliver the ball, you’re a pretty limited coach.”

With UCLA holding just a five-point lead against an opponent in only its second season in Division I, Perry ignited his team’s 10-0 push early in the second half that provided breathing room with an assist and a layup in transition. Eventually the Bruins (3-0) found themselves ahead by 20 points, leaving West Georgia (1-2) with no way to catch them even on a night when the Wolves made 13 of 25 three-pointers (52%).

UCLA also persevered thanks to forward Tyler Bilodeau’s 21 points on seven-for-12 shooting and Dailey’s 14 points. The Bruins were far more efficient on offense in the second half, making 14 of 25 shots (56%) to finish the game shooting 49.1%.

UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau, left, tries to drive past West Georgia forward Kenneth Chime during the first half Monday.

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

But the outcome wasn’t a foregone conclusion until there were about 10 minutes left thanks to West Georgia’s success from beyond the arc. The Wolves made nine of 13 three-pointers in the first half before cooling off considerably.

“We were losing shooters,” said Perry, who was pump-faked out of the way on one three-pointer in the game’s early going. “Our deflection [total] was really low. Coach said comfortable teams make comfortable players. And they were pretty comfortable in our home gym, especially in the first half.”

Cronin said he was grateful that his team was challenged by a third consecutive lesser-conference opponent after struggling to put away Eastern Washington and Pepperdine.

“It was great that they made us compete tonight — we do not need a false sense of security,” Cronin said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, so the worst thing you can have is [an opponent] that just lays down, doesn’t pass the ball, can’t make a shot, you’re running and dunking, the crowd’s going wild. It’s such a false sense of security for what we’ve got coming Friday.”

Cronin was alluding to an early season showdown against No. 5 Arizona at the Intuit Dome.

UCLA will need not just Dent back but also the defensive intensity that has made Cronin’s teams far more formidable than they looked for much of Monday night. Dent likely will play against the Wildcats, Cronin said.

“He’s banged up, got a couple of different areas he’s banged up,” Cronin said. “It was a great chance to get him some rest.”

And, in the process, learn that the Bruins have someone else capable of running their offense.

Philadelphia Eagles win their third match in a row while the Green Bay Packers fall from the NFC North division lead.

Jalen Hurts has turned consecutive big plays into Philadelphia’s only touchdown to back a dominant performance by the Eagles’ defence in a 10-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay’s Brandon McManus was short on a 64-yard (53.5-metre) field goal on the final play of the game on Monday night.

Nursing a 3-0 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles needed just four plays to cover 80 yards and go in front 10-0, ending with a 36-yard catch by Devonta Smith from Hurts. The Packers answered with an 11-play, 75-yard march for a 6-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs to pull within 10-7.

The Packers got the ball back on their own 36 with 27 seconds left. Jordan Love passed to Bo Melton for 19 yards to the Philadelphia 46. Love spiked the ball to stop the clock, then was incomplete on a short pass, forcing the long field goal attempt.

The Eagles (7-2), who lead the NFC East by three and a half games over the Dallas Cowboys, won their third straight after back-to-back losses.

Green Bay (5-3-1) fell a half-game behind the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in the NFC North after losing two straight, scoring just one touchdown in each defeat.

Hurts completed 15 of 26 passes for 183 yards and a TD. Saquon Barkley carried 22 times for 60 yards.

Love connected on 20 of 36 passes for 176 yards. Jacobs finished with 74 yards on 21 carries.

Philadelphia got back-to-back long pass plays to go in front 10-0 with 10:35 remaining. On third and 7, Hurts hit Barkley with a quick toss to the left flat that he turned into a 41-yard gain to the Green Bay 36-yard line. Hurts then connected with Smith, who made a leaping grab over a defender at the goal line.

Green Bay answered on its ensuing possession, capitalising on a pass interference call for a first down at the Philadelphia 13. Jacobs’s touchdown cut the deficit to 10-7 with 5:49 left.

The Eagles punted on their next possession with Green Bay taking over on its own 10 with 2:18 remaining. On fourth and 1, Jacobs fumbled, and Philadelphia recovered at the Green Bay 35 with 1:26 left.

After a scoreless first half, the Eagles got on the board on their opening possession of the third quarter on Jake Elliott’s 39-yard field goal.

Neither team generated much offence during a mistake-filled first half. The Eagles had 125 yards total offence while Green Bay managed just 83 yards and was 0-for-5 on third-down conversions.

The Eagles wound up with a 294-261 edge in total yards.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For once, Luka Doncic had to serve the punishment. For not hitting any half-court shots during his pregame warmup, Doncic had to drop to the court and give his coaching staff push-ups.

The exercise seemingly powered him up for the two-handed dunk to come.

Doncic dazzled in the Lakers’ 121-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday at Spectrum Center, scoring 38 points with seven assists, six rebounds and one emphatic third-quarter dunk to help the Lakers flush the memories of a blowout loss in Atlanta.

Austin Reaves returned from a three-game absence with 24 points and seven assists while Rui Hachimura scored 21 points with perfect three-for-three shooting from three-point range.

Reaves, who was out with a right groin strain, announced his presence by throwing a lob to Deandre Ayton for the Lakers’ first basket. After Charlotte (3-7) blitzed the Lakers with eight three-pointers in the first quarter to take a 40-36 lead, Reaves answered by scoring seven of the Lakers’ first 10 points in the second. He gave the team a jolt of energy by racing for a transition layup to beat the halftime buzzer, giving the Lakers (8-3) a two-point lead.

“He’s an All-Star-level player,” coach JJ Redick said before the game. “He’s, along with Luka, an incredibly dynamic offensive player. I think our depth increases, the lineup optionality increases, so not having him in the lineup really, really hurts us.”

The Lakers went 2-1 in games without Reaves, but the 20-point loss to Atlanta on Saturday was so striking that Redick was left questioning the identity of his team. The Lakers looked lifeless. Redick waved the white flag by the middle of the third quarter after the starting unit let the deficit balloon to 25.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves shoots over Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges during the first half Monday.

(Chris Carlson / Associated Press)

With Doncic and Reaves back, the Lakers wouldn’t repeat their third-quarter woes.

The Lakers started the second half with an 11-4 run that forced the Hornets to call a timeout. Reaves then assisted a three-pointer from Hachimura that pushed the lead into double digits. Doncic hit a step-back three to put the Lakers up by 12. Doncic’s assist to Hachimura extended the lead to 17.

A driving, two-handed dunk was the exclamation point, stunning the Charlotte crowd as he hung on the rim and screamed. With two dunks this season, he already doubled his total from last year.

Doncic assisted a Reaves three with 8:01 remaining in the fourth quarter and Reaves put up his arms and threw his head back in relief. He had missed his first seven three-point attempts and finished two for 10 from three-point range.

Reaves’ return gets the Lakers one player closer to their full roster. LeBron James is scheduled to practice with the South Bay Lakers this week as he progresses through his return from right sciatica.

Rookie Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) is also nearing his return as Redick estimated the forward could make his NBA debut during this road trip, which continues Wednesday at Oklahoma City and ends with a back-to-back set in New Orleans on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday.