data-mm-id=”_p70fga2z2″>The Lakers staved off the Thunder on Tuesday night to make it to 12-2, as they and the Celtics at 11-2 have the best records in the NBA thus far. LeBron James had a triple double and Anthony Davis had 34 points while this win came potentially at a long-term cost: They both had to play 37 minutes to make sure they beat a team against whom they were favored by 11, at home.LeBron and AD are tied for 11th in the NBA with 34.9 minutes per game. Davis has missed a game with shoulder issues, while LeBron has played in all 14 of the Lakers' contests. It seems pretty clear that their strategy (at least for now) is to feast on the league as the rest of the teams ease into the season, build a buffer, and solidify a playoff spot in case something goes awry with their bodies later in the regular season like what happened with LeBron's groin on Christmas last year.Nonetheless, LeBron especially deserves credit for gutting out all these minutes right now. He is 35 years old, coming off the first season he sustained a serious injury of his career, and he's treating the regular season like it actually matters. This is something customers of the NBA — ticket-holders, the TV partners, and people who watch the games on TV — should appreciate in an era where load management and general minutes and effort modulation make October through April feel more like a tune-up for the two-month playoff gauntlet.Whether this is actually in the Lakers' long-term best interest is debatable. Perhaps they'd be better suited to win a ring if LeBron and Davis have fresher bodies in May and June. But at the same time, they have to make sure they get there first, too, and the Lakers don't really have the depth to win so many games while massaging minutes. In the end, though, LeBron could easily be playing less minutes and less games. But he's committing to the idea that the journey matters. As we rightfully criticize Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers for doing the opposite, we should applaud LeBron for leading by example.
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Pep Guardiola remains hopeful Kyle Walker will be fit to feature at the World Cup as he offered positive updates on fellow England internationals John Stones and Kalvin Phillips.
Walker has not featured for Manchester City since suffering an abdominal injury in the Premier League champions 6-3 win over Manchester United earlier this month.
The 32-year-old subsequently underwent surgery, leaving his chances of making the trip to Qatar in the balance and dealing Gareth Southgate another selection headache.
Chelsea right-back Reece James also faces a race against time to make the squad, while Liverpool s Trent Alexander-Arnold has been in poor form this season.
However, Walker offered hope to England supporters last week, telling BBC Radio 5 Live he was conf…
Best odds: 4/5
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Arguably the main event of the 23rd round of the La Liga season this weekend is the derby of the Spanish capital, set to take place on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Real Madrid will play host to Atletico Madrid. The game between these teams isn t perhaps as high-profile as the El Clasico between Real and Barcelona, but it s certainly important for both sets of supporters in the city. Further more, both teams will desperately need any point they can get between now and the end of the season.
Real Madrid
Real go into this match buzzing from their comprehensive triumph over Liverpool earlier this week, in the first leg of the clash of these titans in the Champions League round of 16, proving once again the bane of the Merseysid…
According to a recent report from AS, Barcelona manager Xavi has spoken to Ilkay Gundogan about the possibility of signing the midfielder.
The Manchester City star has been with the club since back in 2016. His contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, with Xavi telling Gundogan that Barca will be doing everything in their power to bring him to the Nou Camp.
Of course, they first have to try and resolve their ongoing financial issues, which have threatened to cause them a great deal of grief as of late.
The belief is that Gundogan may be willing to accept some kind of wage cut in order to make the move. The 32-year-old likely still has a few good years left in him, but perhaps not with the Premier League champions.
Either way, it does…
Mauricio Pochettino challenged his Chelsea players to match Luton’s fight and to expect “real football” at Kenilworth Road when the teams meet on Saturday.
The visitors have lost four in a row away from home in the Premier League and are without a win on the road since beating nine-man Tottenham early in November.
By contrast, Rob Edwards’ side go into the game off the back of their first consecutive victories of the season, having defeated Newcastle and Sheffield United to pull to within a point of safety.
A third straight win in the lunchtime kick-off would see them escape the bottom three at least until other sides play later in the day.
Plenty of big teams have struggled at Luton’s 11,500-capacity home ground this season, with Liverpool, Ars…
The World Cup begins on Thursday and captains will wear FIFA’s new ‘Unite’ armbands, but the governing body of world football has been criticised for a lack of pro LGBTQ+ stance.
It was announced last month that FIFA had partnered with the United Nations to create eight stakeholder-sanctioned armbands that can be swapped out or worn during the month-long tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The ‘Unite’ armbands are a solution to the ‘OneLove’ armband debate that sparked the threat of sanctions being issued to countries, including England and Wales, during the men’s World Cup in Qatar last winter.
FIFA has teamed up with several agencies to harness the power of football and spread positive messages globally during all 64 matches of t…
Hansi Flick has confirmed he wants to step down as Bayern Munich boss at the end of the season.
Flick has been tipped to take over as Germany coach when Joachim Low leaves his post following this year s Euro 2020.
Having previously worked as assistant to Niko Kovac, Flick took sole charge of the Bavarian giants following the Croatian s sacking in November 2019.
He subsequently led them to a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble, earning a new contract that ran until 2023 in the process.
However, after weeks of speculation, Flick has now revealed that he wishes to depart at the end of the season.
I told the team today that I would like to get out of my contract this summer, he told Sky following a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Market: Over 1.5 goals
Odds: 2/5 @
Two camps who will be looking to extend on their Concaf Nations League final ticket in the early hours of Friday, Canada will travel to the Allegiant Stadium when they meet Panama.
Starting with the hosts, eventually cruising their way to the Nations League semi-finals earlier in the year after enjoying a stellar Group B romp, Costa Rica will be looking to make another statement here. Mustering 10 points from their four appearances and showing a major clinical edge in the final third, Los Canaleros were also last seen picking up another morale boost. Claiming an action-packed 3-2 win against Nicaragua in a friendly showdown last weekend, Thomas Christiansen s men should also be excited by their continued success on home soil. I…
AC Milan are interested in signing Santiago Bueno from Girona in the summer of 2023, according to . The report in the Italian news outlet has claimed that the defending Serie A champions are looking for a new and young centre-back, and that they have identified the 24-year-old as a potential target.
Bueno has been on the books of Girona since 2019 when he joined from as a free agent after leaving Spanish giants Barcelona. The Uruguayan centre-back has developed into a superb defender at Girona and is one of the better players in his position in Spanish football.
So far this season, Bueno has given one assist in 19 La Liga matches for Girona. Girona are 11th in the La Liga table at the moment with 24 points from 20 matches. Meanwhile, Milan currently find themselves sixt…
France get their Euro 2020 campaign underway against Germany on Tuesday in a game described by Didier Deschamps as a meeting of Europe s best two teams.
Les Bleus, winners of the 2018 World Cup, are bidding to win the European Championship directly after being crowned world champions for the second time, having done the same double in 1998 and 2000.
Head coach Deschamps played at each of those tournaments and is bidding to become the first person in history to win the World Cup and the Euros as both player and coach.
France were handed a devilish group, though, alongside Portugal who beat them in the Euro 2016 final on home soil and 2014 world champions Germany, who lost to the hosts at the semi-final stage five years ago.
France are unbeaten in their pa…
Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema has suffered another injury setback after head coach Jonas Eidevall revealed she requires knee surgery.
The 27-year-old Netherlands international missed almost 10 months last year following an ACL injury suffered in December 2022.
She has made just four Women’s Super League appearances since returning to action in October and now faces “several weeks” back on the sidelines.
“She requires a minor knee surgery and that is going to have her off the pitch for several weeks,” Eidevall said.
“We will have an update on that after the surgery and when we see how she is progressing.”
Miedema had played for the Dutch in the recent international break but Eidevall played down any suggestions of a club versus cou…