F1 CHAMPION MAKES CRUCIAL ASSESSMENT OF MAX VERSTAPPEN AS PRE

© Red Bull Content Pool

Max Verstappen has been declared "relaxed" and with "nothing to lose" in his F1 drivers' championship battle with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

From a position where even Verstappen was suggesting he was not in contention to become a five-time F1 champion, a stirring run of results have propelled the Red Bull driver back into the fight with Piastri and Norris.

In the five grands prix since F1 returned from the summer break, Verstappen has scored three wins and finished second on the other two occasions, whilst he also triumphed in Saturday's United States Sprint.

The addition of a new floor and front wing on his RB21 over the Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix respectively have transformed his RB21, providing it with the aerodynamic grip and balance it was so previously sorely lacking.

Heading into this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, Verstappen trails Piastri by just 40 points, eating into what was once a 104-point deficit just four races ago.

Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 champion, senses Verstappen's approach to the second half of this campaign has been the key danger to Piastri and Norris.

"He's relaxed," said Hill, speaking to RacingNews365. "He's got nothing to lose. Don't misinterpret that. He wants another world title. Then he's got five.

"This is a game of winning the most, but he's not under the same pressure as the other two."

Whilst Red Bull has continued to upgrade the RB21, McLaren switched off the development of its MCL39 a few races ago.

Despite the precarious position it now finds itself in, with Verstappen breathing down the necks of Piastri and Norris, team principal Andrea Stella has insisted there is no change of mind given the focus and resources required for 2026.

Teams have been forced to balance their needs accordingly. Red Bull has clearly had the means and opportunity to continue with updates to its car, in contrast to McLaren.

"The budget cap has done its job," said Hill. "It's actually closed things up towards the end of the season. In a way, it's a good regulation. It's what we want."

As to whom he would put his money on for the title now given what has happened, Hill said: "What are the odds? I'd put it on Max, wouldn't I, because the odds are going to be ridiculous.

"If you ask me, who's going to win, I don't know. I would just say, if you're talking about who's the biggest threat, it's Max."

- Ian Parkes

SYRACUSE MEN'S BASKETBALL LEGEND BASKETBALL LEGEND FOUND DEAD IN WASHINGTON D.C. HOME

Lawrence Moten was Syracuse University's all-time leading scorer in men's basketball with over 2,300-hundred career points.(AP/Cliff Schiappa)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University men’s basketball legend Lawrence Moten was found dead in his Washington, D.C., home on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

The 6-foot-5 Moten, who was affectionately known as “Poetry in Moten,” was 53.

Moten, who played guard for the Orange between 1991-95, finished as Syracuse’s all-time leading scorer with 2,334 career points.

“This is a tragic day for the Syracuse basketball family,” former long-time Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement via the school. “Lawrence’s passing is such a sudden thing — it’s very hard to take. He was one of the most underrated college basketball players of all time. I believe some people took his ability for granted because he made it look so easy. Lawrence was one of our greatest players and one of the best in the history of the Big East Conference.”

Moten, who earned All-American status at Syracuse, averaged 19.3 points per game over the course of his four-year career. He helped the Orange reach the NCAA men’s basketball tourney three times during his four-year career.

He was drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995 and played three seasons in the NBA, including a stint with the Washington Wizards. He averaged 6.3 ppg. during his time in the NBA.

Syracuse retired his No. 21 during the 2017-18 campaign.

Prior to his collegiate days, he starred at Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C.

- Charlie De Biase

DIEGO MARADONA ON PABLO ESCOBAR | 1991

"In 1991, I was invited by Pablo Escobar to play a match for a huge sum of money. We played the match, and that night, a party was thrown with the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. I was in a prison. In the morning, he paid me and said goodbye very kindly."

- DIEGO MARADONA 🇦🇷

EAGLES, CHIEFS SUPER BOWL FAVOURITES; SPORTS BOOKS SMILING AFTER LION'S LOSS

A lone Detroit Lions fan reacts to the stunning 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional round NFL playoff game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

Sportsbooks took a partial victory lap following the elimination of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl favorites entering the divisional playoff with the highest handle and ticket percentage for most major operators in that futures market.

The Lions were bounced from the NFC field by the Washington Commanders, who were a 10-point underdog by kickoff on Saturday night. Money shifted to Washington as the number grew ahead of the game and it paid off in a 45-31 win. The Commanders had a moneyline of anywhere between +376 to +430 and wound up in their first NFC Championship game since 1991.

"The Lions losing was a great result for the futures market at BetMGM. On top of knocking our biggest liability out of the running, the Commanders win also ruined the popular chalk money line parlay of Lions, Chiefs, and Ohio State," Christian Cipollini, BetMGM trading manager, said Monday.

After wins at Tampa Bay and Detroit, the Commanders are ticketed for a third road game this weekend and their third matchup this season with NFC East division rival Philadelphia. The Eagles and Commanders split two entertaining games in the regular season.

FanDuel lists the Eagles as 5.5-point favorites Monday and the Commanders are fourth of the remaining four teams in the Super Bowl futures odds market. Kansas City is a 1.5-point favorite over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship at ESPN Bet and Fan Duel.

BetMGM moved the Eagles from +400 to win the Super Bowl last week to current +180 odds, overtaking the Lions as the favorite.

The Chiefs went from +350 last week to +240, narrowly ahead of the Bills. Buffalo went from +400 to +250 and the Commanders moved from +3000 at kickoff of the Lions' game to +700 at BetMGM. FanDuel lists Washington at +750, the Eagles as the favorite at +180 and Kansas City (+220) ahead of the Bills (+250).

The most popular exact result Super Bowl matchup on the board at FanDuel and Draft Kings is the Chiefs beating the Eagles (+380), just ahead of the Eagles beating the Chiefs (+410).

Like Washington to keep it rolling? Consider the Commanders to beat the Chiefs (+1300) or Bills (+1600) at Fan Duel.

Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is +700 in the Super Bowl MVP futures market, fifth behind Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (+550) and quarterback Jalen Hurts (+400) and co-favorites Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (+280) at Draft Kings.

- Field Level Media

HISTORIC! BRUMRAL BREAKS BEDI'S RECORD

IMAGE: Jasprit Bumrah celebrates Marnus Labuschange's wicket -- his 32nd wicket of the series. Photograph: BCCI/X

Jasprit Bumrah etched another record to his name as he created history, picking up the most wickets by an Indian bowler in an away Test series.

The fast bowler continued his stellar run with the ball in Australia as he overtook spin great Bishan Singh Bedi's all-time record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in an away Test series.

Bumrah dismissed Marnus Labuschagne caught behind to take his wickets tally to 32 in the series before he went off the field for precautionary scans after feeling some discomfort in the post-lunch session.

The India captain has been the standout performer with the ball in the series, claiming 32 wickets at a phenomenal average of 13, including three five-wicket.

This is the most wickets taken by an Indian bowler in a series away from home. The previous record belonged to Bedi, who took 31 wickets in five Tests at an average of 23 in the 1977-1978 series in Australia.

In that same series, another spin legend Bhagwat Chandrasekhar picked up 28 wickets averaging 28 as Australia defeated India 3-2 in a thrilling series.

Subhas Gupte had bagged 27 wickets during India's tour of West Indies in 1952-1953.

Kapil Dev held the previous record for the most wickets by an Indian pacer away from home when he picked up 25 wickets at an average of 25 during the tour of Australia in 1991-1992.

- REDIFF CRICKET

MIKA HÄKKINEN | 1991

Mika Häkkinen and Tamiya RC Car Lotus 102B, 1991
 

PANTHERS KEEPING COOL AS HOSTS OILERS TRY TO FORCE GAME 7 IN FINALS

USA TODAY Sports 

 Pressure? What pressure?

That is the attitude of the Florida Panthers are they prepare for their third chance to close out the Stanley Cup Final on Friday against the host Edmonton Oilers.

The Panthers appeared well on their way to claiming the first championship in franchise history while winning the first three games of the best-of-seven series. They have dropped the last two games, the latest Tuesday's 5-3 loss in Sunrise, Fla.

The Panthers are doing their best to remain calm about the moment, knowing full well the screws will tighten if they drop this game and head to a deciding Game 7 at home.

"Go up there and we've got to win one game," forward Evan Rodrigues said. "That's our mindset and that's what we're going to do."

That said, the Panthers are not sticking with the status quo. Coach Paul Maurice appears set to make a couple of changes based on Thursday's practice. Left winger Carter Verhaeghe, in need of an offensive jolt, skated on the top line while fellow left winger Rodrigues switched spots and was moved to the second line.

As well, forward Nick Cousins received a present on his 31st birthday with news he will be back in the lineup in place of Kyle Okposo on the fourth line. Cousins had been a healthy scratch for the past eight postseason games.

"Those guys that have kind of come in and out of the lineup, you can just tell that it's not easy for them," Maurice said. "But in their off-time, and being under less game intensity, they come back in and they're jacked."

Whether those roster moves and the reset after last game are the tonic for the Panthers remains to be seen, but the Oilers have pulled back from the brink with a couple of outstanding performances.

They are looking to join only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup after losing the first three games of the finals.

"We feel very fortunate to be in this situation, but I know I have a team full of guys who are hungry to make sure they get to play two more games and not just one," coach Kris Knoblauch said.

The Oilers have executed the game plan perfectly to turn the tide. Wins in Games 4 and 5 came in emphatic fashion by a combined 13-4 score. Holding the Panthers in check while showing their high-octane offense has been an impressive feat.

"It's been lovely to see," goaltender Stuart Skinner said. "I think we've got a lot of guys fully committed to playing both ends of the ice, which is an absolute need, especially at this time of the year."

Of course it helps when the Oilers have superstar captain Connor McDavid leading the way. McDavid, who is only the third player in NHL history to collect 40 points in a single postseason, posted consecutive four-point performances to elevate his team to this point in their comeback. He is at 42, only behind Wayne Gretzky with 47 in 1985, Mario Lemieux with 44 in 1991 and Gretzky with 43 in 1988.

This year's playoff run has shown McDavid's ability to embrace the biggest of moments and excel during them.

"You spend your life working to get into a position like this. When you're here, you think there's going to be some magic feeling, but it's all been pretty normal," McDavid said. "This has always been part of the plan for our group. A position like this, playing big games at home, big moments, and there's another tomorrow night."

Oilers forward Evander Kane is a game-time decision for Game 6, Knoblauch announced Friday morning.

Kane sat out the last three games due to an undisclosed injury. He skated with forwards Sam Gagner and Sam Carrick outside of the team's top four lines in practice on Thursday.

- Reuters 

CELTICS BEAT MAVS IN GAME 3

 DALLAS -- For a few minutes in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, it looked like the Boston Celtics' bad habits would come back to haunt them.

The Dallas Mavericks, who appeared finished when they trailed by 21 points with 10 minutes to go, roared back with a 22-2 run, putting Boston's lead in peril and threatening to make this a series.

But just when things looked their bleakest, the Celtics flipped the script, holding Dallas to one field goal over a five-minute span, and claimed a 106-99 victory for a 3-0 series lead.

Boston is one win away from a record-setting 18th NBA championship -- one the Celtics can capture Friday in Game 4 here at American Airlines Center.

"Experience is the best teacher," said Jaylen Brown, who finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 41 minutes. "All year long we've been hearing about the Celtics are the past, for the last six to eight months, that's all we've been hearing is all the different shortcomings we've had in the past.

"This is a new team, you know what I mean. We've learned from those experiences. And in these moments, you can see that we learned from it. We stepped up to the plate, and we found a way to win."

It looked like Boston had found a way much earlier, having responded to a 25-12 spurt by the Mavericks over the opening seven minutes -- a run that saw Kyrie Irving, who finished with 35 points after combining for 28 in the two games in Boston, get going for the first time in the series. The Celtics' 79-45 burst over roughly the next 29 minutes allowed them to take a commanding 91-70 lead with 11:07 remaining.

At that point, Dallas appeared to be staring at another loss despite Boston's Kristaps Porzingis sitting out Game 3 and his status in doubt moving forward because of an unusual tendon injury in his left leg sustained in Game 2.

But just as quickly as Boston had established control, Dallas rediscovered itself. As Boston went 1-for-11 and committed three turnovers over the next 7:57, Dallas pulled to within 93-92 on an Irving layup with 3:37 remaining despite playing without Luka Doncic, who fouled out a few seconds earlier. However, things started to swing back in Boston's direction, as a Brown putback of a Jayson Tatum miss was followed by a Derrick White 3-pointer and a Tatum dunk, pushing the Celtics' lead back to six points.

"Yeah, I think just we had some turnovers, which allowed them to get out in transition," White said. "And just a couple of things that we've been doing really well, we kind of just let go of the rope for however many minutes that was. It seemed like, what, two minutes, they cut it to two, three or something.

"It happened quick, and we just settled back down. Understand it's a game of runs, and we just trust what we do."

In the past, it might have been a moment when the Celtics let go of the rope and allowed Dallas to close the game out. But Boston persevered and improved to 7-0 on the road in these playoffs. It is 21-7 on the road over the past three postseasons -- the best winning percentage over a three-year span in NBA history, breaking a tie with the 1991 to 1993 Chicago Bulls.

And the Celtics did it by getting contributions from across the board. Backup center Xavier Tillman stepped into the rotation and played 11 impactful minutes, hitting a corner 3, grabbing 4 rebounds and recording 2 blocks, including one against Doncic. Sam Hauser went 3-for-4 from 3-point range and was a game-high plus-16 off the bench after going 0-for-5 from 3 in Game 2.

And Tatum, after going 6-for-22 in Game 2, finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as he and Brown combined for 61 points. The Celtics are within one victory of moving ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for all-time league titles.

But after the Celtics were down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals last year and forced a Game 7 against the Miami Heat, Boston knows the job isn't done.

"Honestly, not too difficult from the standpoint of last year [when] we were down 0-3 in the conference finals, and we really felt like we were going to come back," Tatum said. "We almost did. You know, we were [my] sprained ankle away from having a real shot.

"So, you know, we are not relaxing or anything like that. You know, not even focusing on winning or Friday or whatever. However long it takes, that's our motto. However long it takes, that's what it's going to take, and nobody is not trying to relax at all."

- Tim Bontemps, ESPN

MARTIN BRUNDLE EQUATING NORRIS TO SENNA

 Brundle has said he thinks Norris' victory in Miami is more nuanced than just luck. 

Lando became the 21st British driver to win an F1 race in Miami at the weekend 🇬🇧

 #Formula1 #norris #McLarenF1 #landonorris #mclaren #f1 #formula1 #GPblog #kevinmagnussen #formula1sport #F1News #maxverstappen #newey #f1news #lh44 #lewishamilton #f12024 #redbullracing #f1racing #sport

GRANIT XHAKA SETS SWITZERLAND RECORD WITH 119TH NATIONAL TEAM GAME IN EURO 2024 QUALIFIER

AP Photo 

FELCSUT, Hungary (AP) — Granit Xhaka set a Switzerland record Wednesday by playing in a 119th game for the men’s national team.

Xhaka captained the team in a 1-1 draw against Israel in a European Championship qualifying game in Felcsut, Hungary. Israeli teams are playing “home” international games in neutral countries because of the war with Hamas.