Nikola Jokic is not your usual NBA Most Valuable Player -- slightly doughy, not the quickest, media-shy and he rarely dunks.

Utah center Rudy Gobert was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday, the third time the Jazz's French big man has earned the award.

Chris Paul scored 17 points and handed out 15 assists Wednesday to propel the Phoenix Suns to a crushing 123-98 victory over Denver and a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.

Rafael Nadal reached the French Open semi-finals for the 14th time on Wednesday, setting up a potential blockbuster against Novak Djokovic, while Maria Sakkari stunned defending champion Iga Swiatek.

Donovan Mitchell scored 45 points and Rudy Gobert made a clutch block at the buzzer as the Utah Jazz rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-109 in the opening game of their NBA playoff series on Tuesday.

The regional Olympics are due to be held in Hanoi and 11 other locations -- some of them at the epicentre of the fresh Covid-19 wave -- from November 21 to December 2.

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player on Tuesday, completing a remarkable rise to the pinnacle of basketball after entering the league in 2014 as a lowly 41st draft pick.

More Japanese government officials and 2020 Tokyo Olympics organisers are in favour of holding the Games with domestic spectators as COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out and case numbers decline, the Asahi newspaper reported, without citing sources.

Rafael Nadal reached the French Open quarter-finals for the 15th time on Monday to stay on course for a 14th title and record-setting 21st Grand Slam with his biggest challenge posed by blinding stadium lights.

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was named the NBA's coach of the year on Monday following a successful season which saw the franchise return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Kevin Durant had 32 points and six assists as the Brooklyn Nets rolled to their largest win in playoff franchise history on Monday with a 125-86 beat down of the Milwaukee Bucks in game two of their NBA series.

Tohoku University professor Hiroshi Oshitani was an architect of Japan's "Three Cs” approach to the pandemic, which advises avoiding closed spaces, crowds and close contact situations.

A dual citizen with a Filipino mother and Japanese father, Saso tied Park Inbee as the youngest champion at the tournament, exactly the same age -- 19 years, 11 months, 17 days -- as the South Korean was when she won in 2008.

"We have received notification that Naomi Osaka cannot start in Berlin. After consulting her management, she will take a break," said a spokesman for the Berlin tournament, which starts June 14.

Before every game, the Polish 20-year-old's routine has her arrive on court with headphones on, tuning out the noise as thumping rock music sets the mood for her to dominate her opponents.

The "ceremonial" weigh-in on Saturday produced no surprises with the 6 feet, 2 inches (1.88 m) Paul always going to have an advantage on the scales coming in at 189.5 lbs with the 5-foot, 8-inch (1.73 m) Mayweather checking in at 155 lbs.

Star forward Neymar scored a retaken penalty as Brazil maintained their perfect start to South American World Cup qualifying with a 2-0 win over Ecuador on Friday.

Veteran Argentina great Carlos Tevez announced on Friday he was quitting Boca Juniors and would no longer play football in his homeland, but stopped short of officially retiring.

Sweden will have to do without the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Euro 2020, but young talents like Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski are bidding to make sure the veteran's absence isn't too keenly felt.

LeBron James remains a "championship pillar" of the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA club will pour all it can into making sure he and Anthony Davis are at full strength next season, general manager Rob Pelinka said Friday.

From training on a basic dirt pitch to earning his first top-scorer titles, Robert Lewandowski experienced highs and lows during his early years in Warsaw that made him the star he is today.

Fresh from scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final, Chelsea star Kai Havertz is hoping his club form can earn him a starting berth for Germany at Euro 2020.

ReTuchel took over midway through the 2020-21 season after the Premier League club sacked Frank Lampard and the German led them to a top-four finish as well as the FA Cup final.

The Phoenix Suns, fueled by 47 points from Devin Booker, toppled the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers 113-100 on Thursday, handing superstar LeBron James his first first-round playoff exit.

When the Czech Republic begin their Euro 2020 bid against Scotland in Glasgow, many will pay a thought to a player who will not be on the pitch at all.

The last time Croatia played an international tournament, Luka Modric went on to win the Ballon d'Or, becoming the only player since 2007 to beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to football's most prestigious individual award.

After 23 years in the wilderness of international football, Scotland are back in a major tournament and have more history to make at Euro 2020 as Steve Clarke's men aim to take their country beyond the group stage for the first time ever.