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WASHINGTON — Seth Curry and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 26 points and the Dallas Mavericks snapped Milwaukee’s 18-game NBA win streak on Monday 120-116 despite 48 points and 14 rebounds by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Mavericks, lacking Slovenian star big man Luka Doncic due to an ankle sprain, held off the host Bucks, who made a furious rally with a late 17-6 run that fell just short.

Latvia’s Porzingis, who scored 11 in the first quarter, shot 9-of-19 from the floor and 4-of-8 from 3-point range as well as grabbing 12 rebounds while Curry, brother of injured Golden State star Stephen Curry, came off the bench to spark the Mavs.

Bucks reserve Kyle Korver had 17 points, hitting 5-of-7 3-point shots.

Porzingis said the Mavericks are playing better as they adjust to playing without Doncic for a while.

“Without Luka, we got used to him. It threw us off a little bit not having him out there,” Porzingis said. “Tonight we looked a little better. We want to keep getting better and we want him to get better and come back as soon as possible.”

Milwaukee settled for the second-longest win streak in team history, two shy of the club’s record run from the 1970-71 NBA championship campaign.

Greek playmaker Antetokounmpo sank his final points with 5.2 seconds remaining to pull Milwaukee within 119-116, then missed a free throw hoping the Bucks could get a rebound.

Milwaukee did get the ball but Porzingis blocked Sterling Brown, and the Mavericks added a free throw for the final margin.

The Bucks, who fell to 24-4, lead the NBA in points, rebounds and shooting accuracy but fell behind by as many as 16 points in the first half and could not overcome Dallas (18-8).

Antetokounmpo averaged 32.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game during the streak, in which only two teams came within eight points of Milwaukee.

The Bucks will play host to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (24-3) on Thursday in a matchup of conference leaders that could be a preview of the NBA Finals.

Houston’s Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, the last on the final play to secure a win, as the Rockets made the greatest rally in club history to beat San Antonio 109-107.

The Spurs, ahead 72-53 at half-time, led by as many as 25 points before the Rockets made that the largest point total they had ever trailed by in a victory. Houston outscored the Spurs 56-35 in the second half, aided by 18 San Antonio turnovers.

“Just heart,” Westbrook said. “Sometimes you have to just take basketball out of it and just play. We put our heart into it and came out with the win.”

James Harden had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, who also got 15 points and 15 rebounds from Clint Capela.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead San Antonio.

Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam scored 33 points, Norman Powell added 26 and Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 11 assists to spark defending NBA Champion Toronto over visiting Cleveland 133-113.

Chris Paul scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added eight assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder a 109-106 home victory over Chicago.

Zach LaVine scored 39 points in a losing cause for the Bulls.

Lithuanian centre Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds while Ja Morant added 20 points and 10 assists to power host Memphis over Miami 118-111. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 25 points.

C.J. McCollum scored 30 points and Damian Lillard added 27 for Portland as the Trail Blazers edged host Phoenix 111-110.

Kelly Oubre Jr. led Phoenix with 24 points, while Spanish guard Ricky Rubio had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists for the Suns.

Lillard’s free throw on a 3-point play with 26 seconds remaining produced the margin of victory. Rubio missed a last-second 3-point try for Phoenix.

Bradley Beal scored 35 points and passed off 10 assists while Isaiah Thomas added 23 points to power Washington over host Detroit 133-119.

MILAN — Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus beat Udinese 3-1 to join Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table on Sunday after Antonio Conte’s side were held 1-1 at Fiorentina.

Dusan Vlahovic snatched a point for Fiorentina two minutes into injury time to frustrate Inter Milan who had led following Borja Valero’s opener after eight minutes in Tuscany.

Both Juventus and Inter Milan have 39 points from 16 games, with Antonio Conte’s side ahead on goal difference.

Ronaldo struck twice in the first half to make it five goals in four games as the reigning champions got back winning after last weekend’s first defeat of the season to Lazio.

“That’s how we have to play, with confidence,” said Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star tapped in a Paulo Dybala rebound after nine minutes at the Allianz Stadium, and burst through to finish off a Gonzalo Higuain cross on 36 minutes.

Leonardo Bonucci sealed the three points just before the break when he headed in from close range.

Ignacio Pussetto pulled a goal back for 17th-placed Udinese four minutes into injury time.

“It is the first time after a Champions League match that we managed to attack the game well,” said Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri.

“We played very well for 60 minutes.”

In Florence, Valero scored off a Marcelo Brozovic cross against his former club.

But the visitors failed to kill off the game.

Lautaro Martinez had the ball in the net after 39 minutes but it was disallowed because of Romelu Lukaku’s offside position.

And Fiorentina goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski did well to deny Lukaku minutes later at full stretch.

But just as it looked like Fiorentina were set to fall to a fifth consecutive defeat, 19-year-old Serb Vlahovic broke through from his own half, outpacing Milan Skriniar to rifle in from an angle.

It condemned Inter to their second consecutive stalemate after Roma last weekend, and follows their Champions League exit to Barcelona on Tuesday.

“It’s the third game where we did not get what we deserved,” said Conte.

“We weren’t good at taking our many chances.

“Maybe we’re paying for fatigue. We’ve had seven games in 21 days, with Lautaro and Lukaku playing constantly.”

The pressure remains on coach Vincenzo Montella with Fiorentina’s last win on October 30, and their next game against in-form Roma.

Roma move fourth

Roma moved up to fourth and into the Champions League places after three second-half goals sealed a 3-1 win over rock bottom SPAL.

Andrea Petagna had put SPAL ahead from the spot just before the break after Aleksandar Kolarov clumsily brought down Thiago Cionek in the box.

But Lorenzo Pellegrini pulled the hosts level eight minutes after the interval with a shot that took a deflection off Nenad Tomovic.

Diego Perotti put Roma ahead with a 66th-minute penalty before substitute Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed victory seven minutes from time.

Roma are one point behind third-placed city rivals Lazio.

“Today it was important to win,” said Roma coach Paulo Fonseca. 

Napoli drop to eighth — 11 points off the top four — after last season’s runners-up lost 2-1 to Parma on Saturday.

Atalanta are sixth after falling 2-1 at Bologna just days after the Champions League newcomers sealed their place in the competition’s last 16.

Rodrigo Palacio opened the scoring after 12 minutes for Bologna off a rebound after a Riccardo Orsolini effort came off the post.

Andrea Poli nodded in the second eight minutes after the break, before Ruslan Malinovskyi pulled a goal back on the hour mark.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are sixth on 28 points, four points off the Champions League places.

AC Milan were held to a goalless draw against Sassuolo at the San Siro as the former European giants marked their 120th anniversary in tepid style.

Theo Hernandez had a goal ruled out after half an hour following a Franck Kessie handball in the buildup, with Rafael Leao hitting the crossbar and the post.

Stefano Pioli’s side failed to make it three wins in a row and sit 10th with Sassuolo three places and five points below.

Hellas Verona battled back from three goals down with all three substitutes scoring in a 15-minute second-half spell to hold Torino 3-3.

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James scored 32 points one day after taking a trip down memory lane as the Los Angeles Lakers won their seventh straight game with a 101-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

James made 12 of 21 from the field, and added 13 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks to help the Lakers extend their road-winning streak to 14 games. 

“Highlights: sometimes they happen, sometimes they don’t,” James said. “I try to play the game with a lot of joy.”

That kind of talk is a way for James to return to his basketball roots.

And he did just that on Saturday with a side trip to his homestate of Ohio so he could watch his son Bronny play a high school game in Columbus. James grew up in Akron. 

James’ unexpected jaunt came a day after he scored 28 points in a win over his former team, the Miami Heat.

He never considered sitting out against the Hawks.

“I don’t know how many games I’ve got left in my career,” the 34-year-old James said. “I don’t know how many kids show up to come see me play. That’s my obligation. My obligation is to play.”

The Lakers also got 27 points and 13 rebounds from Anthony Davis, who picked up his 12th double-double. 

Trae Young scored 30 points for the Hawks, who have lost four straight. Young went nine-of-23 from the field and nailed three three pointers.

It was the 13th time Young has scored at least 30 points this season. Atlanta also got 12 points from Jabari Parker.

The Lakers’ 14 game road winning streak is the longest by the club since they won 18 straight away from home during their NBA record 33-game winning streak in 1972-73. 

Their only road loss this season was at Staples Centre, when the Clippers were designated the “home” team in the building they share. 

The Hawks, who lost to the Lakers by 21 last month in Los Angeles, were in the game until the end. 

De’Andre Hunter hit a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to cut the Lakers lead to 98-96.

But James made one of two free throws with 15 seconds left to extend the lead to 99-96. Lakers’ Danny Green grabbed a rebound, was fouled and made two free throws to help seal the victory. 

Meanwhile, Jonathan Isaac scored a team high 21 points as eight Orlando players finished in double figures as the visiting Magic handed the New Orleans Pelicans their franchise-worst 12th consecutive loss 130-119. 

Isaac also had 11 rebounds and Nikola Vucevic scored 20 points for the Magic who made 17 of 34 shots from beyond the arc. Vucevic missed the previous 11 games with a ankle injury.

D.J. Augustin scored 17, while Evan Fournier had 16. Terrence Ross added 14, Mo Bamba 13 and Michael Carter-Williams and Markelle Fultz had 10 each. 

Gentry tossed

The Magic halted a three-game losing streak that came against some of the elite teams in the NBA — the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. 

Jrue Holiday scored 29 points, JJ Redick added 23, Brandon Ingram had 21 and Josh Hart had 20 for the Pelicans, who haven’t won since November 21. 

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was thrown out after being called for two technical fouls in the third quarter.

BERLIN — Philippe Coutinho scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich signalled their return to form with a 6-1 thrashing of Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while RB Leipzig took over first place. 

The Barcelona loanee was everywhere for Munich at the Allianz Arena, chalking up two assists in addition to his three goals, but Bayern remain six points adrift of Leipzig.

Julian Nagelsmann’s ambitious side replaced Borussia Moenchengladbach at the top following a comfortable 3-0 victory at Fortuna Duesseldorf. 

Bayern had lost their previous two games in the Bundesliga and appeared to be in for another long afternoon when the champions fell behind to Bremen midfielder Milot Rashica’s goal in the 24th minute.

Two goals in three minutes at the end of the first half, however, turned the game on its head, with Coutinho and Robert Lewandowski both scoring to fire Bayern into a 2-1 lead.

Bayern ran riot after the break, adding four more goals — including two more for Coutinho, one more for Lewandowski and a goal for Thomas Mueller. Coutinho’s second, a brilliant chip over keeper Jiri Pavlenka, came right out of the Brazilian trickster’s top drawer.

Bayern coach Hansi Flick praised Coutinho’s performance as “just great”.

“It was great fun for everyone to see how he performed. What made me particularly happy was the way that the team really celebrated his efforts — it was from the heart.

“We’re all incredibly pleased with the effort he put in today.”

Coutinho’s form has been questioned since he arrived from Barcelona in the summer, however, he was given a standing ovation by the Bayern crowd when subbed off in the 82nd minute. 

Singh makes history

He was brought off for another summer arrival Sarpreet Singh, who became the first player of Indian descent — and just the second New Zealander — to play in the Bundesliga. 

Bayern defender David Alaba said after the game that his side didn’t panic when they went behind, knowing they had the quality to reel in the visitors.

“You saw the character that our team has — we completely turned the match in the moments before half-time,” he said. 

Leipzig recorded their sixth league win in a row against Fortuna to move two points clear of Gladbach. 

The visitors opened the scoring after just two minutes, with Patrik Schick volleying in a cross from Konrad Laimer.

Timo Werner then scored a penalty in the 58th minute to bring up his 16th goal of the season, before defender Nordi Mukiele put the game beyond doubt in the 75th minute with Leipzig’s third.

Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund continued their superb recent form, winning 4-0 away at Mainz to keep hold of third place. 

Marco Reus scored his first away goal of the season with a stunning volley from the edge of the box, before Jadon Sancho, Thorgan Hazard and Nico Schulz all scored in the second half.

Sancho has now scored in six games in a row for Dortmund, while Schulz’s goal was his first in Dortmund colours.

In Berlin, Hertha registered their first win under former German national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, winning 1-0 over a disappointing Freiburg. A goal from Vladimir Darida in the 53rd minute was enough to see Berlin claim the three points.

Struggling Cologne picked up a vital three points at home against nine-man Bayer Leverkusen to take them off the bottom of the table. Leverkusen lost Aleksandar Dragovic and Leon Bailey to red cards in a 15-minute period in the second half and were unable to hold on as Cologne won 2-0.

Union Berlin’s recent run of victories came to an end following a 1-1 draw against lowly Paderborn. Union, who had won four of their last five before travelling to Paderborn, started well, scoring through Marcus Ingvartsen in the seventh minute, before Paderborn equalised via Kai Proger in the 33rd.

LONDON — Marcus Rashford has always had the tools to become a world-class forward. Now he has added a clinical touch to his searing pace and box of tricks.

The 22-year-old already has 13 goals for United this season — equalling his best-ever return for the club in a single campaign and is the undisputed leader of the team’s attack.

Just weeks ago Rashford was struggling for goals in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s misfiring team, finding the net just once between the opening day of the season and the match against Liverpool on October 20.

But then things clicked for the former United trainee and he has scored regularly for club and country, including three in his past two appearances, against Tottenham and defending champions Manchester City.

His goals have lifted United to fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, after an unbeaten run of five Premier League games, with Everton to come at home on Sunday.

Playing mostly on the left side of United’s lightning-quick attack alongside Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Daniel James, Rashford frightens defenders with his blistering pace and trickery.

Solskjaer spoke in glowing terms of Rashford after his two goals in the recent 2-1 win against Tottenham.

“The boy is 22 and he played like he was in the backyard, garden or playground with his mates,” said United’s Norwegian boss, who has compared his attributes with former United player Cristiano Ronaldo, who also took time to become a prolific goalscorer.

“Sometimes, maybe, there is expectation and pressure on him because we do expect a lot from him, as he has shown [what he can do] so many times.”

The elegant Rashford says he is tougher on himself than any critic and has talked about minor adjustments he has made to his game.

“Just little stuff like, for me holding off defenders is a big one,” he said in an interview with former England player Gary Lineker for Goalhanger Films. 

“It’s something that I speak about quite often a lot with my brothers who see me play all the way through. I always say if you’re trying too hard to do it then you’re not quite at your maximum.”

“I feel like this season I’m doing little stuff that shows that it’s becoming a bit more natural and easier,” he added.

Centre-forward dream

Rashford’s dream is to play as the focal point of United’s attack.

“I want to be able to play in all positions,” he said. “Number nine is obviously the dream, but for me in this day and age now, it’s ideal to be as effective as you are in number nine, on the left and the right.”

Rashford made his debut as a 18-year-old under the leadership of Louis van Gaal in February 2016, scoring twice against Midtjylland and then repeating the feat against Arsenal a few days later.

He was immediately taken to heart by United fans hungry for a home-grown superstar to bring back the good times to Old Trafford.

But the weight of expectation has at times appeared to hang heavy. He struggled to pin down a permanent starting place and his goals return has often been sub-par.

In his defence he has been used as a substitute many times. He has played 191 times for United, scoring 58 times, but he has come off the bench 62 times.

But now, established under Solskjaer, Rashford speaks positively about how the boss, a former striker at United, has infused the side with attacking intent.

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis scored a game-high 33 points and delivered a pep talk to LeBron James as the Los Angeles Lakers handed the Miami Heat their first loss at home with a 113-110 victory on Friday.

James scored 28 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds and leading scorer Davis also had 10 rebounds, for the Lakers, who extended their winning streak to six games.

The matchup between two of the top teams in the league resulted in a playoff-type feel as the Heat suffered their first loss at home after going 11-0 to start the season. 

“It was like a heavyweight bout,” said James, who led Miami to two NBA titles in 2012 and 2013. “It was like the old days, [George] Foreman and [Muhammad] Ali-type atmosphere. These are two teams that play physical and are both playing extremely well this season.”

Davis said he had to reprimand James, who finished with eight turnovers, because he could see the future Hall of Famer was struggling in the first half.

“I had to get on him tonight, he was thinking too much,” Davis said of James. “He was playing a little timid for me. 

“I told him, ‘We are going to ride with you whether you go two-for-20 or four-for-25, I don’t care. You got to make an impact on the game’.

“We have great chemistry. Us two are the leaders of this team, we are the head of the snake.”

James agreed with that critique and said he needed a wake-up call.

“We were down today because of me,” said James. “I was reckless. I am supposed to be the quarterback and my teammates got on me. 

“They told me to be myself. Get my head out of my ass and just play basketball. 

“I had seven turnovers in the first half. The second half I just got back to myself.”

Jimmy Butler had a team-high 23 points for the Heat, who had won six of its previous seven games.

Miami trailed 112-110 with eight seconds left. But they couldn’t rebound a missed free throw by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Butler then missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.

Elsewhere, James Harden made Orlando pay for covering him one-on-one, delivering another brilliant 50-point performance as the Houston Rockets trounced the Magic 130-107. 

Harden pounded Orlando from the outside and under the basket by scoring 54 points and seven assists. 

Orlando chose not to double team Harden in the first half and then half heartedly attempted to do it in the second, but it was too late.

One man show

“I feel like we lost against just him tonight,” said Magic guard Evan Fournier. “He’s the MVP for a reason. We talked about in pregame that he’ll take shots, and we’ll just live with the results. He did not miss.”

Harden scored 50 or more for the fifth time this season and the fourth time in his past seven games. The rest of the NBA has combined for only five 50-plus games this season.

Harden’s 54-point night comes two nights after he embarrassed the Cleveland Cavaliers with 55 points. 

Harden nailed a franchise record 10 three-pointers against the Magic. He finished 10-for-15 from behind the arc against Orlando.

Evan Fournier led Orlando with 27 points for the Magic, who have lost three straight after winning four in a row.

Also, Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a one-game absence to post 37 points and 11 rebounds, and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks came from behind to post their 17th straight win with a 127-114 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Milwaukee now has the second-longest winning streak in franchise history, behind the record of 20 which was set in 1970-71.

In Philadelphia, Tobias Harris scored 31 points and the 76ers remained unbeaten at home following a 116-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ben Simmons added 24 points and 11 assists as the Sixers improved to 14-0 at home. It’s their longest winning streak at home to open a season since winning 22 in 1966-67.

PARIS — Atletico Madrid claimed the final spot in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow, after Atalanta completed an impressive comeback in Group C to qualify.

Bayern Munich sealed consecutive victories over Tottenham with a 3-1 success at the Allianz Arena, while Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus also finished their group campaigns on winning notes.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico went into their game knowing defeat, coupled with a Bayer Leverkusen win against Juve, would see them dumped out.

Kieran Tripper had a second-minute penalty brilliantly saved by Lokomotiv goalkeeper Anton Kochenkov at the Wanda Metropolitano, but Joao Felix made no mistake from the spot a quarter of an hour later.

Atletico wasted a string of chances and Alvaro Morata had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside.

But their place in the knockout rounds was secured when centre-back Felipe volleyed home Koke’s cross after a short corner routine.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second Champions League goal of the season as Juve, who were already sure of top spot, saw off Leverkusen 2-0 in Germany in the other Group D game.

Substitute Paulo Dybala was the creator of the 75th-minute opener, crossing low for Ronaldo to tap in a record-extending 128th goal in the competition, before Gonzalo Higuain’s injury-time clincher.

“Ronaldo and Higuain led by example, they were always the first to work hard for the team,” Juventus ‘keeper Gianluigi Buffon told uefa.com.

Champions League debutants Atalanta claimed a famous 3-0 triumph at Shakhtar Donetsk to qualify with Manchester City despite having lost their first three games.

The Italian outfit, who finished third in Serie A last season, conceded 11 goals in their opening three matches, but drew with City at the San Siro before beating Dinamo Zagreb to keep their hopes alive.

Timothy Castagne stabbed in the crucial first goal in the 66th minute, before Mario Pasalic found the net shortly after Shakhtar full-back Dodo was controversially sent off in Kharkiv.

Robin Gosens grabbed an injury-time third as Shakhtar tired, sparking wild Atalanta celebrations in front of the visiting fans.

“It will remain in the history of football and of this club. I think it’ll also stay long in the memory of everyone who was in the stadium,” captain Alejandro Gomez told Sky Sport Italia.

Atalanta’s win ensured that all 16 of the sides in the knockout stage are from Europe’s “big five” leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France for the first time.

Dinamo needed to beat English champions City to progress, but despite taking an early lead through Dani Olmo, were sent packing by a Gabriel Jesus hat-trick before teenage midfielder Phil Foden wrapped a 4-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s side.

PSG run riot

Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham failed to exact revenge on Bayern Munich for their 7-2 humbling in London in the reverse Group B fixture.

Kingsley Coman put Bayern ahead as they looked to bounce back from successive Bundesliga defeats, although Ryan Sessegnon marked his first Spurs start with a goal to equalise.

But Thomas Mueller, on as a substitute for the injured Coman, and Philippe Coutinho ensured the Bavarian giants became the first German side to win all six group games.

Youseff El Arabi’s late penalty saw Olympiakos edge past Red Star Belgrade 1-0 and pip their opponents to a place in the Europa League last 32.

Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi and Edinson Cavani all scored as PSG thrashed Galatasaray 5-0 at the Parc des Princes.

Thomas Tuchel’s French champions had already wrapped up top spot in Group A ahead of Real Madrid, but ran riot in the capital.

Icardi and Pablo Sarabia put PSG in control at the break, before Neymar and Mbappe teed each other up for second-half strikes and Cavani came off the bench to score a penalty.

Real Madrid also rounded off the group stage in style by beating a spirited Club Brugge 3-1 with goals from Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric.

SALZBURG, Austria — Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp praised his side’s “intensity” after two goals in as many minutes from Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah meant they avoided an embarrassing early Champions League exit by winning 2-0 in Salzburg on Tuesday.

The European champions needed to avoid defeat against the Austrian titleholders to book their place in the last 16 and victory ensured they did so as winners of Group E ahead of Napoli.

Salah had been guilty of missing a host of big chances as Liverpool walked a tightrope for nearly an hour, but made amends with a sumptuous finish from a narrow angle after Keita’s header had settled the holders’ nerves.

“What a team,” Klopp told BT Sport. “What an effort. It was a tough game.

“In the second half they [Salzburg] couldn’t cope with the intensity. We scored two wonderful goals. We could have scored six or seven which is crazy. We won the group, we won the game, all good.

“When we had the ball we had sitters and didn’t score. Then Mo [Salah] scored the most difficult situation of the whole night — he scored that goal,” the German added.

Salzburg had scored 87 goals in 24 previous games this season, including three when Liverpool edged a seven-goal thriller between the two back in October.

But Norwegian wonderkid Erling Braut Haaland was thwarted as the Reds recorded their first clean sheet in the Champions League this season.

Liverpool needed goalkeeper Alisson Becker to be at his best early on as the Brazilian blocked from Takumi Minamino and Haaland.

However, the better chances were coming for the Premier League leaders at the other end.

Salah dragged his first big chance wide on his favoured left foot at the end of a brilliant Liverpool break from one end of the field to the other.

Keita had been rewarded for his goalscoring return to the team in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Bournemouth and seemed keen to make a mark against his former side.

But the Guinea midfielder failed to beat Cican Stankovic when played in by Salah’s slick reverse pass in first-half stoppage time.

Salah was the culprit of more missed opportunities at the start of the second half when he fired over from Sadio Mane’s brilliant through ball and seconds later he was denied by Stankovic as he tried to round the goalkeeper.

Liverpool’s profligacy could have been punished when Haaland had his big chance to live up to the hype linking him with a host of Europe’s top clubs, but the 19-year-old hit the side-netting with just Alisson to beat.

Seconds later the visitors finally made the breakthrough when the two ex-Salzburg men in Mane and Keita combined.

Stankovic rashly rushed off his line as Mane sped onto Andy Robertson’s pass and his dinked cross was headed into an unguarded net by Keita.

A minute later, any hope left for Salzburg to spring an upset evaporated when Salah implausibly scored from the most difficult chance he had all evening.

The Egyptian seemed to have been forced too far wide on his right foot as Stankovic raced from his goal once again, but Salah somehow bent the ball with unerring accuracy into the far corner.

In each of the last two seasons Liverpool have also needed to get points in their final group game before going onto reach the final and no one will want to face Klopp’s men again come the knockout stages.

However, a first English title in 30 years may be the priority for the Reds.

MADRID — Diego Simeone has called it a transition season for Atletico Madrid but while he was the best man before, results have raised doubts about whether he is right for what comes next. 

A 1-0 defeat at home to Barcelona this month crushed Atletico’s chances of rejoining La Liga’s title race before a draw away at Villarreal on Friday might have made it impossible for another year. 

Yet less than an hour after Lionel Messi darted inside and fired a winner into Jan Oblak’s bottom corner, Simeone was framing Atletico’s season in a way he had never done previously.

When Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin, Rodri, Juanfran and Filipe Luis all departed last summer, the fear was not that Atleti would need time but that they might not recover at all. 

Then as the replacements came in, expectations rose. Joao Felix, Hector Herrera, Kieran Trippier, Marcos Llorente, Renan Lodi, Mario Hermoso and Ivan Saponjic all signed, with Felix the headline arrival. 

The 126 million euros Atletico paid Benfica for the Portuguese gem increased hope a new era would usher in a new style too. 

But Felix was 19, now 20, and in the starting line-up against Barcelona, there was not a single player over the age of 29. More than just experience, Atletico have lost leadership and a sense of identity. 

Godin, Juanfran and Filipe Luis were respected figures in the dressing room and three out of the four-man defence Atletico had come to be defined by. 

“My Spanish is bad and my words can be confused,” said Simeone, referring to the idea of a transition on Friday. “I speak of players like Lodi, who is 21 years old, and has replaced someone like Filipe, who is 34. 

“But I have eight years here as a coach and three as a player and anyone that believes the word transition means just sunbathing and waiting for the flowers to come out, they don’t know me.” 

Few would doubt Simeone’s sense of urgency but the fate of someone like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, where Simeone has been linked with a move, shows stagnation even under a cherished coach can only last so long. 

Simeone’s problem has not just been high expectations. His claims of inexperience would be more persuasive if Atletico were suffering from naivety. 

Instead, their weakness, an all too familiar one, has not been in throwing away leads but rather failing to take them. 

When they won the title in 2014, Atletico had scored 43 goals at this stage of the season. In the last three, they had 29, 25 and 24 by now and this term they have managed only 16. 

Tactically, Simeone’s tendency is to prioritise solidity at the back but he appears to have been too cautious in the transfer market too. 

Alvaro Morata’s form has been encouraging but with four league goals, he is already some way behind chief scorers at Real Madrid and Barcelona. Karim Benzema has 11 goals and Lionel Messi 12. 

Moves for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani in January would add nous and quality but it is likely to be too late in La Liga, and perhaps even in the Champions League. 

Atletico play Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday, needing a victory to guarantee second place in Group D and a spot in the last 16. 

Anything less at the Wanda Metropolitano and they will have to match what Bayer Leverkusen manage at home to Juventus, who are unlikely to be at full pelt having already won the group.

Simeone cannot afford another slip.

LOS ANGELES —Anthony Davis scored 50 points to power the Los Angeles Lakers to a 142-125 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday that gave the Western Conference leaders the best record in the NBA.

Davis unleashed his aggression to notch the fourth 50-point game of his career and his first with the Lakers.

He connecting on 20 of 29 shots from the field — with 16 baskets in the paint and not a single three-pointer.

“One for the ages,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.

“The first thing that stands out to me was he had four steals, a block and great defence for all 39 minutes he was out there,” Vogel said. “To be able to perform on that end of the floor and anchor us and still go for 50 in what I feel is an old-school, smashmouth way of getting 50.

“No threes, right? Twenty of 29, living at the free throw line, post-ups, offensive rebounds, crashes, all those types of things... just an old-school performance.”

Davis, a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line, also pulled down seven rebounds and handed out six assists.

“I just came out aggressive, playing hard,” said Davis, who laid in a floater with 4:39 left to play to reach 50 points for the night. “My teammates did a good job of finding me.”

LeBron James added 32 points with 13 assists despite finding himself in foul trouble with four in the first half.

Alex Caruso chipped in 16 points as the Lakers improved to 21-3.

Eight Minnesota players scored in double figures.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins scored 19 apiece and the Timberwolves led by five late in the second quarter. Ultimately, however, they had no answer for Davis.

In Miami, rookie Tyler Herro scored 27 points and made a go-ahead three-pointer with 38.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the Heat to a 110-105 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Herro’s heroics included a three-pointer with 7.1 seconds left in regulation, which ended with the score tied at 97-97.

He made three more from beyond the arc in the extra session — including one to tie the game and one to give the Heat the lead for good as Miami improved to 10-0 at home this season and 17-6 overall.

“My teammates trusted me with the ball,” the 19-year-old reserve guard said. “Every time I get a shot, I have confidence.”

In Dallas, Luka Doncic scored 27 points with seven rebounds and eight assists for his 19th straight game of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

He passed NBA icon Michael Jordan for the most such games in a row since the NBA/ABA merger in the 1970s, but it wasn’t enough to deliver a victory for the Mavs, who fell 110-106 to the Sacramento Kings.

Doncic missed a potential game-tying basket with 7.7 seconds remaining as Sacramento thwarted a late Mavericks rally.

Nemanja Bjelica, who led the Kings with 30 points, closed out the scoring with a layup after Richaun Holmes grabbed the rebound of Doncic’s miss.

Buddy Hield added 26 points for the Kings, former Maverick Harrison Barnes had 13 and Holmes chipped in 12.

Clippers bounce back

The Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from an embarrassing 28-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday with a 135-119 victory over the Wizards in Washington.

Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Clippers as they improved to 1-1 in their six-game road trip.

“We just wanted to come in and execute,” Leonard said. “Last game, we played very sluggish on the offensive end.

“It’s really not about missing shots or making shots, it’s about getting into our offence and executing and making the right play.”

Paul George added 27 points as five Clippers players scored in double figures. Montrezl Harrell added nine of his 20 in the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles put away the determined Wizards.