Sports

MILAN — Napoli are sweating on the return of Victor Osimhen for the first leg of their all-Italian Champions League quarterfinal as they head towards possibly the biggest two matches in the club’s history in unconvincing form.

Southern Italy’s biggest club need just four more wins from nine matches to secure their first league title since 1990 after a 2-1 win at Lecce — though they lacked a cutting edge which Luciano Spalletti’s side will need in Wednesday’s first leg at AC Milan.

Friday’s win only came about thanks to a bizarre own goal, and before Antonino Gallo’s unwitting backpass slipped through his surprised goalkeeper’s fingers Napoli were put on the back foot by lowly Lecce. 

And while the three points take Napoli one step closer to the league crown as a performance it wasn’t much of an improvement from the previous weekend’s 4-0 home hammering at the hands of Milan.

Napoli have never before been in the last eight of the Champions League.

The way they have progressed through the competition, and being placed on the other side of the draw from European football’s contemporary powerhouses, has made them dark horses.

However as the season has progressed Napoli have become increasingly dependent on the dynamism of Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and a thigh injury for Serie A’s leading scorer has highlighted his importance to his team’s overall play in their last two matches.

“It does become difficult without him, because he has this way of running into space and a physical presence, he can draw everyone to him and then create space,” said Spalletti after the Lecce win.

Spalletti will be hoping the Nigerian international returns on Wednesday also because he will probably be without the 24-year-old’s main replacement Giovanni Simeone, who suffered a thigh injury of his own after coming on as a substitute on Friday.

‘It’s hunger’

Osimhen has stayed — compared to previous seasons at least — relatively injury free this season and the impact that has had on Napoli is very easy to see.

Regardless of the 25 goals he has scored in all competitions, Osimhen provides Napoli the perfect outlet for his team when things aren’t going according to plan.

He works incredibly hard to chase down and hold onto long balls sent forward from under-pressure teammates, allowing midfielders to break through opposition pressing and latch on to his lay-offs.

“When I say that I always put the team first, those aren’t just words. You can see that in how I play, right?” said Osimhen in an interview with France Football published on Saturday.

“It’s hunger, something I’ve always had inside myself. And thankfully here with the coach Spalletti you don’t have any choice — at Napoli the attackers are the first line of defence.”

Milan coach Stefano Pioli will have most of his first choice players available, save the injured Pierre Kalulu, after making a host of changes for their goalless draw with Empoli last Friday.

The San Siro has seen plenty of big European nights and will be packed out again on Wednesday as Milan hunt their first semifinal since they were the continent’s kings for the seventh and last time back in 2007.

Milan might not have beaten Empoli but it wasn’t for the want of trying, 23 shots and 70 per cent possession in a dominant performance which only missed the goalscoring touch.

And Pioli is expected to stick with the same XI which gave Napoli the biggest beating of their otherwise triumphant season, in the hope that his team’s European pedigree shines through.

BARCELONA — A lot of responsibility lies at the feet of Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos, who is aiming to fire his side past Inter Milan and into the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 1990.

The striker is growing used to the pressure, shooting into the global football consciousness during the World Cup in December when he was picked to start for Portugal ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the last 16 against Switzerland.

Ramos hit a hat-trick as his country thrashed their opponents 6-1, leaping into the limelight having made his international debut just a few weeks earlier, in a friendly.

In March the striker dazzled against Club Brugge in the Champions League last 16 second leg, scoring a brace in the 5-1 win to guide Benfica into the quarterfinals for the second season running.

Inter’s visit to Lisbon on Tuesday is an opportunity for the forward to put himself in the shop window, as many other young Benfica talents have done over the years.

The latest was midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who joined Chelsea in January for a stratospheric 121 million euros ($133 million) fee after winning the World Cup with Argentina, following the likes of Joao Felix, Ruben Dias and Ederson.

Ramos’s development took a step forward at Benfica after Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez last summer for an initial 75 million euros ($82 million), leaving a void up front, which he willingly filled. 

The 21-year-old forward became the focal point of the attack, having played a supporting role to Nunez and others since making his debut in 2020.

Ramos came through Benfica’s admired Seixal academy after joining the club at 12 years old, and nearly a decade later many of Europe’s giants are chasing him. 

The forward has been linked with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea of late, while Patrick Kluivert recommended his former side Barcelona to sign him. 

“I am very satisfied with Gonçalo Ramos, but not only for what he did against Club Brugge,” said Benfica coach Roger Schmidt in March.

“I love his attitude, which he gives to the team. He is young, he is scoring goals in the Champions League and it is normal for him to attract the attention of other clubs.”

‘Extraordinary’

Ramos’s 17 goals in 23 appearances in the Portuguese top flight have helped Benfica open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

They did stumble to a 2-1 defeat against rivals Porto, second, on Friday, although it was Ramos hitting the bar which forced Diogo Costa’s own goal to open the scoring.

The striker has also netted seven times in 12 appearances in Champions League, including the qualifying rounds.

“Goncalo has had an extraordinary season at his club,” admitted new Portugal coach Roberto Martinez in March, although for now he is relying on the veteran Ronaldo.

Ramos has formed a strong link on the pitch with Joao Mario, who is enjoying the best goalscoring season of his career.

The former Inter Milan and West Ham midfielder is benefitting from Ramos’s build-up play and well-rounded game, honed over his seasons as a support striker. 

“Above all, he is a team player,” said former Braga coach and current Celta Vigo boss Carlos Carvalhal.

“He has an unusual mix — he works, runs, he fights — and he’s a good finisher. He shoots well with his head and both feet.” 

Some have compared Ramos to Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller, a parallel the forward enjoys, although he is stronger in the air.

“I think I have some similarities to him, and he is also an example for me. I like being compared to him,” said Ramos.

Muller, 33, has won the Champions League on two occasions, the same number as Benfica have in their history — while Ramos is yet to lift a trophy in his fledgling career.

Teammate Rafa Silva, who was officially given the man-of-the-match award in the 5-1 quarter final second leg romp over Club Brugge, gave the trophy to Ramos after his brace.

Benfica are undefeated in Europe this season and have a strong defence, but are fully aware their best chance of reaching the semifinals hinges on Ramos and his superior finishing.

PARIS — Lionel Messi scored one goal and set up another for Sergio Ramos as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-0 at Nice on Saturday to restore their six-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table and ease the pressure on coach Christophe Galtier.

Messi converted a Nuno Mendes cross in the 26th minute before Gianluigi Donnarumma produced several key saves and Dante was denied by the woodwork as PSG’s goal lived a charmed life on the Cote d’Azur.

Ramos then ended any doubt about the outcome when he headed in a Messi corner with 14 minutes remaining, as PSG bounced back from suffering consecutive home defeats.

Those losses had piled the pressure on Galtier amid reports he may not even see out the season.

The result clearly meant a lot to Galtier, who was in charge at Nice last season and expressed his displeasure at a banner unfurled by the home supporters aimed at his mother.

“My mum is 83 and has just had cancer. That’s all. And if these people in the stands have been watching games in Europe this season it is because of the work I did last season,” said Galtier, who led Nice to fifth in his single campaign at the club.

A win for PSG’s nearest challengers Lens on Friday had cut their lead at the top of the table to just three points before this game, and before the top two meet in Paris next weekend.

“We knew we had a lot of pressure on our shoulders both because of our poor performances and because of Lens winning, and especially because Nice are a really good team who have been on a great run,” Galtier told broadcaster Canal Plus.

“It was definitely not our best performance of the season but the players fought for each other and it is obviously three important points.”

He added: “It is better to have a six-point lead than be chasing after a six-point deficit but we know we have a very important match next weekend.”

It was a first defeat in 15 matches in all competitions for Nice since former PSG midfielder Didier Digard replaced Lucien Favre as coach in January. The Ineos-owned club remain eighth in the table.

Donnarumma stars

Messi’s 14th Ligue 1 goal of the campaign that opened the scoring came at the end of a week in which it emerged he was likely to leave Paris when his contract expires in the summer.

Before that, Danilo Pereira had already hit the woodwork for the visitors, who also saw injury-prone midfielder Renato Sanches come off hurt early on.

Donnarumma saved well from Nicolas Pepe and Terem Moffi before half-time, and Dante then sent an effort off the underside of the bar six minutes into the second half, with the ball bouncing down onto the line and then hitting the post.

It was an incredible let-off for the league leaders, who were grateful to Donnarumma again as he made further stops from Pepe and Youssouf Ndayishimiye.

Ramos made it 2-0 but there was still time for Danilo to head against his own crossbar late on.

Earlier, bottom side Angers claimed their first Ligue 1 win since September as they beat European hopefuls Lille 1-0.

Substitute Halid Sabanovic scrambled in the only goal of the match with six minutes left as Angers ended a run of 21 matches without a win.

That means they will not match the French top-flight record for the most games without a win in a single season — that record is held by Arles-Avignon who went 23 matches without a victory in 2010/11.

They nevertheless remain seven points adrift at the bottom of the table and 12 away from safety with only eight games left.

MILAN — Napoli had unfortunate Antonino Gallo’s own goal to thank for getting their Serie A title bid back on track with a 2-1 win at Lecce on Friday, while AC Milan were held to a goalless draw by Empoli.

Napoli are 19 points clear of closest challengers Lazio after Gallo’s unwitting backpass from a Mario Rui cross slipped through the fingers of surprised Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone midway through the second half.

The hosts had been deservedly level with Napoli at the Stadio Via del Mare after Federico Di Francesco’s powerfully struck finish cancelled out Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s 18th-minute header.

Di Francesco’s second league goal of the season was his team’s first since mid-February and had a tired-looking Napoli at risk of slipping to another defeat after they were hammered 4-0 by champions Milan last weekend.

Instead Lecce stay eight points above the relegation zone in 16th while Napoli take another step towards a historic Scudetto with their seventh straight league away win, earned without top scorer Victor Osimhen.

“It wasn’t easy getting the result after that defeat [to Milan]... this result gives us some comfort ahead of the coming matches,” Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti told DAZN. 

Nigeria forward Osimhen might be back for Wednesday’s first leg of the all-Italian quarter-final with third-placed Milan — who drew 0-0 with Empoli in Friday’s late match — but they look to have lost his replacement Giovanni Simeone to a thigh injury he suffered late on.

“Osimhen wants to play every match... but these are situations that need to be assessed properly,” added Spalletti. 

As it stands Spalletti’s team only need four more wins from their final nine matches to secure the title, and that target will get smaller if Lazio fail to beat Juventus.

However, it will be all change if Juve have their 15-point penalty for illicit transfer activity revoked later this month, as they are 11 points behind Lazio ahead of their clash at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

Milan flop

Milan flopped at the San Siro ahead of Napoli’s visit as Stefano Pioli’s much-changed side failed to break down defensive Empoli.

The hosts thought they had claimed the points in the final moments when substitute Olivier Giroud netted but his strike was rightly ruled out for handball after he celebrated.

That was the second time supporters were ruing VAR officials after Milan were also denied a penalty on the hour after Tyronne Ebuehi had initially been penalised for handball.

Empoli held out for a draw which meant third-placed Milan failed to fully capitalise on another bad evening for Romelu Lukaku in rivals Inter Milan’s 1-1 draw at Salernitana.

Antonio Candreva’s miscued cross in the final minute moved Salernitana 10 points above the relegation zone and left Inter at risk of being knocked out of the Champions League positions.

Wasteful Inter would have been out of sight before old boy Candreva’s fortuitous strike had they made the most of their opportunities after Robin Gosens netted their first goal from open play in a month in the sixth minute, with Lukaku the worst culprit in Salerno.

Lukaku, who was racially abused by Juventus fans midweek, headed a simple opportunity straight at Guillermo Ochoa in the first half. 

And he somehow managed to scoop a diving header onto the bar from inside the six-yard box in the 65th minute before the superb Ochoa brilliantly kept out Stefan De Vrij on the rebound.

“Our big regret is that we couldn’t get that second goal, right now we keep paying a heavy price for not killing matches off,” said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi.

Fourth-placed Inter are a point behind Milan and head to Benfica for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday winless in six and in the midst of a goalscoring crisis.

Inzaghi’s side are just one point ahead of Roma, who are at Torino on Sunday, while sixth-placed Atalanta can also move above Inter on goal difference if they beat Bologna.

BARCELONA — Karim Benzema struck a hat-trick as Real Madrid hammered Barcelona 4-0 at Camp Nou to reach the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday, progressing 4-1 on aggregate.

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring just before the break as Carlo Ancelotti’s side mounted a spectacular comeback from their one-goal semifinal first leg deficit, with Benzema adding a second-half treble.

After netting three at the weekend against Real Valladolid in La Liga, Benzema repeated the trick to humiliate Barcelona on a painful night for coach Xavi Hernandez in front of almost 95,000 distraught fans.

Los Blancos trail their arch-rivals by 12 points in La Liga and were beaten by Barca in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, but triumphed here to reach the Copa final for the first time since 2014, where they will face Osasuna.

“It was a complete game — when you play a complete game, you win 4-0 like that,” said Ancelotti.

“This is the most important moment of the season and when we’re at the right temperature [like this], we’re good.”

Madrid turfed out the record 31-time cup winners with a muscular performance on a spiky night in Barcelona, where they also ended a demoralising run of three consecutive Clasico defeats.

Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto said letting in Vinicius’ goal on the stroke of half-time was a huge blow.

“Their goal at the end of the first half killed us, we didn’t deserve to let in that goal. I think we were better in the first half,” the midfielder told RTVE.

“We created more chances that we didn’t put away, and that goal hurt our morale. In the second half they scored the second and we couldn’t play our game.”

The Catalan said defeat would not damage Barcelona’s title bid in the final weeks of the season.

“Now we have a considerable points distance, it will not affect us, we have to continue and go for the league,” he added.

Lethal Madrid

Xavi was without injured quartet Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen, and eventually it told.

The game started at a furious pace and intensity, both teams keen to reach the final, but absolutely desperate not to be knocked out by the other.

Barca coach Xavi was booked for protesting a foul as tempers boiled over, while Gavi and Vinicius were also issued yellow cards as they scrapped.

Thousands of Barcelona fans chanted Lionel Messi’s name in the 10th minute, amid speculation he could leave Paris Saint-Germain, and they would have dearly loved some of the Argentine’s magic.

Los Blancos took the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half, when they showed their prowess on the counter-attack.

Thibaut Courtois made a fine save to deny Robert Lewandowski and exactly 20 seconds later, Vinicius struck at the other end.

Rodrygo cut the ball back to the forward, who squeezed a shot home despite Jules Kounde’s best attempt at a goal-line clearance. Benzema was on hand to make sure, but Vinicius’s effort had already crossed the line.

The French forward soon was able to pounce though, finishing lethally from the edge of the box in an ocean of space after Luka Modric easily skipped away from Sergi Roberto.

Barcelona collapsed after that — Benzema slotted home his second from the penalty spot before the hour mark, sending Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way after Franck Kessie clumsily fouled Vinicius.

Ter Stegen denied Marco Asensio and then Benzema completed his hat-trick with a cool finish after a fine dribble and pass by Vinicius.

“Congratulations to Real Madrid, they had a great second half and compete very well,” said Xavi.

“If you let Madrid off the hook, they don’t forgive you. It’s not by chance they have won the Champions League — they have a great team.”

Madrid have lifted the Copa del Rey on 19 occasions, while their opponents Osasuna have never won it, securing passage to their second final after beating Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday.

LONDON — Chelsea wasted a host of chances to beat Liverpool as the troubled Blues were held to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday in their first Premier League match since Graham Potter’s sacking.

Potter was axed on Sunday after the former Brighton manager’s disastrous reign climaxed with a wretched home defeat against Aston Villa.

Chelsea are seeking their third permanent manager of the campaign, with Potter hired in September following Thomas Tuchel’s shock dismissal.

In the meantime, Bruno Saltor, a member of Potter’s backroom staff, made his managerial debut as Chelsea interim boss.

Bruno managed to coax a lively performance from Chelsea, but — as was so often the case under Potter — they paid the price for a lack of cutting edge.

Chelsea remain 11th, leaving them with an uncertain future despite the massive investment in new signings made by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly since he took over last year.

“These have been emotional days and the players have been able to keep focused. It’s a difficult season for them. To come back from what we have had in the last few days is incredible,” Bruno said.

“I have asked the players to play with their hearts and I think we saw that on the pitch. We create chances and I think we deserved to win.”

Liverpool hardly looked much better as a third successive league game without a win damaged their faint hopes of finishing in the top four.

Eighth-placed Liverpool are seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

“I saw a lot of great challenges, people flying into tackles and that’s what we need,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said.

“That’s what we have to build on it. If things don’t go your way you have to fight through this and make steps. Sometimes smaller ones, sometimes bigger ones. This was a smaller one.”

In response to Liverpool’s dismal 4-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday, Klopp dropped Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold as the Reds boss made six changes.

It was Chelsea who made the stronger start of the two troubled teams and Mateo Kovacic’s shot was blocked on the line by Ibrahima Konate.

Reece James saw his fierce finish disallowed for offside against Enzo Fernandez, while Wesley Fofana was narrowly off target with a headed chance.

Chelsea’s Kai Havertz dragged a good chance wide from N’Golo Kante’s pass.

Leicester woe

Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez forced good saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga as Liverpool finally threatened just before half-time.

Kovacic blazed a glorious chance over soon after the interval, while Havertz’s effort was disallowed for handball when the German’s shot hit Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker and rebounded into the net off his arm.

Leicester’s first game since Brendan Rodgers’ departure on Sunday ended in a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes, led by caretaker bosses Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler after Rodgers’ exit by “mutual agreement”, have now gone seven league games without a win and sit second bottom of the table.

Ollie Watkins put Villa ahead in the 24th minute and although Harvey Barnes equalised after 35 minutes, Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was sent off in the 70th minute for a second booking.

Bertrand Traore’s 87th-minute curler, his first goal for Villa since 2021, piled on the misery for Leicester.

Leeds climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest at Elland Road.

Orel Mangala bagged his first goal in English football to fire Forest ahead.

But Jack Harrison equalised eight minutes later with a close-range finish after Keylor Navas spilled Marc Roca’s shot.

Luis Sinisterra put Leeds in front in first-half stoppage time, cutting inside and curling his shot into the far corner.

Leeds are two points clear of the relegation zone, while Forest are outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Third-bottom Bournemouth remain in deep trouble after a 2-0 home defeat against Brighton.

Albion took the lead in the 28th minute through teenage forward Evan Ferguson’s audacious backheel, with Julio Enciso’s first goal for the club wrapping up the points in injury time.

PARIS — A malaise has set in around Paris Saint-Germain since their exit from the Champions League, with a section of the club’s support turning on Lionel Messi amid a run of results that has given their domestic rivals an improbable glimmer of hope in the French title race.

On Sunday Messi’s name was jeered by some fans at the Parc des Princes as the teams were announced prior to PSG’s home game against Lyon.

The Argentine then turned in a flat display as his team lost 1-0 against mid-table opponents, their second straight defeat in Ligue 1, both at home and both without scoring a goal.

As a consequence, PSG’s apparent march towards a record 11th French title — and a ninth in 12 seasons of Qatari ownership — has been slowed and their lead at the top of the table from Lens and Marseille is down to six points with nine games left.

As Europe’s biggest clubs prepare for the quarterfinals of the Champions League this month, PSG have to try to lift themselves to see the domestic title over the line. It is all they have left to play for.

“We must show a reaction of champions,” said coach Christophe Galtier after Sunday’s game, which was PSG’s eighth defeat in 18 outings in 2023.

It is their worst start to a calendar year since 2001, and PSG’s next match will be away to a Nice side who are themselves unbeaten since early January.

“Every spring, after their elimination from the Champions League, the Parisian players display their lack of interest for all things Ligue 1 and make you doubt that the Parc des Princes is their favourite place to spend an evening in Paris,” wrote Vincent Duluc in sports daily L’Equipe.

One difference at PSG this year is the backdrop of Qatar’s interest in Manchester United, which has led to questions about the Gulf state’s commitment going forward.

Galtier hanging on

Meanwhile, jeering Messi might seem absurd, just a few months after he crowned his career by leading Argentina to glory at the World Cup.

Nevertheless, some fans see him as a symbol of all the club have done wrong in focusing on superstar signings while failing to build a genuinely competitive team.

L’Equipe suggested one reason for booing Messi is that he spends so much time on the pitch walking, apparently not putting in the necessary effort.

Yet Messi has, for years now, appeared to run less than most other players on the field — research by statista.com showed that during the recent World Cup Messi covered over 14 kilometres at walking pace just during Argentina’s three group games.

Walking is not the problem with Messi, but age is. He will be 36 in June, when his contract expires after two years in Paris.

PSG must ponder whether it is wise to retain an ageing player who is costing them around 40 million euros ($43.6m) a year in wages at a time when the club have to keep in line with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.

Messi’s mind may in any case already be elsewhere, with Barcelona openly courting their former number 10.

“I would love it if he returned,” said Barca vice-president Rafael Yuste last week as he admitted there had been “contact” with the player.

Meanwhile Luis Campos, effectively PSG’s sporting director, is pondering how to build a team around Kylian Mbappe that will be strong enough to finally go all the way in the Champions League next season.

There is no suggestion PSG will listen to offers for Mbappe this year, but the future of Galtier is very much up in the air after an underwhelming first season in charge.

“The problem in Paris is that once the main objective is no longer reachable, everyone says the season is finished,” observed Lyon coach Laurent Blanc, in charge of PSG from 2013 to 2016, of the job facing Galtier.

While major clubs like Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have all sacked managers in recent weeks, Galtier is hanging on in Paris for now.

LOS ANGELES — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points as the Milwaukee Bucks returned to form with a statement 117-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

Eastern Conference top seed favourites Milwaukee — routed 140-99 by Boston in their last outing on Thursday — bounced back in style to score an emphatic win over the third-placed Sixers.

Antetokounmpo led a balanced Milwaukee offensive display that saw five players finish in double figures in a wire-to-wire victory at Fiserv Forum.

Antetokounmpo finished with 14 rebounds and six assists in addition to his 33-point haul, while Brook Lopez (21 points), Khris Middleton (19) and Jrue Holiday (18) all contributed.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers scoring with 29 points while Joel Embiid added 28.

The win edged Milwaukee closer to sealing top spot in the Eastern Conference.

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Bucks lead the East on 58-22, with Boston second on 54-24.

Philadelphia remain third on 51-27 following Sunday’s loss.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, meanwhile, said Antetokounmpo’s performance confirmed his belief that the Greek star should be the front-runner for the regular season MVP award.

“We certainly feel like Giannis is the MVP,” Budenholzer said. “What he does at both ends of the court — he does everything,” Budenholzer said. “We feel like he’s in the conversation and he should be the guy.”

In other games on Sunday, Western Conference leaders Denver — still missing Nikola Jokic — held on for a tense 112-110 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray combined for 55 points as the Nuggets withstood a late Warriors rally to hold on. 

Warriors star Klay Thompson missed a last-gasp three-point attempt before a desperate block from Murray thwarted another effort as time ran out.

In Los Angeles, LeBron James bagged the 107th triple-double of his career as the Lakers continued their late season resurgence with a 134-109 romp over the Houston Rockets.

James finished with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, while Anthony Davis led the Lakers scoring with 40 points.

The Lakers third consecutive victory leaves them seventh in the Western Conference, just one spot outside the automatic postseason places.

In Oklahoma City meanwhile, Kevin Durant scored 35 points against his old club as the Phoenix Suns romped to a 128-118 win over the Thunder.

A thrilling duel in Atlanta saw the Hawks squeeze home 132-130 in overtime after Irving gave up a costly foul with 1.8 seconds remaining to hand two game-winning free throws to Trae Young.

It was the final act of a nail-biting encounter which saw Irving lead Dallas back from a 15-point deficit to tie the game after a wild ending to regulation where momentum swung back and forth in the closing seconds.

But Irving’s heroics were in vain as he bundled over Young in overtime to give the Atlanta playmaker the chance to win the game that he converted.

Young finished with 24 points and 12 assists while Dejounte Murray led the Hawks scoring with 25 points. Seven Atlanta players finished in double figures.

The victory left Atlanta on course for a place in the play-in tournament with four games of the regular season remaining. 

The Hawks are eighth in the East with a 39-39 record.

But Dallas’s hopes are fading fast after another costly defeat that followed Saturday’s loss to Miami.

“We know the situation we’re in — we’re playing catch up,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ve got to find a way to win. 

“Right now we’re coming up short when we need to win games. Unfortunately we’re not winning right now.”

Elsewhere Sunday, the New York Knicks assured themselves of a first playoff appearance since 2021 with a 118-109 win over the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden.

Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes scored 27 points apiece for New York.

In other games on Sunday, Chicago staged a stunning comeback from 23 points down to rout the Memphis Grizzlies 128-107 in the Windy City.

Memphis roared into a 68-53 halftime lead but were then blown away after the break as the Bulls poured in 75 second-half points.

Zach LaVine scored 36 points while DeMar DeRozan added 31 to power the Bulls to victory.