Luka Dončić’s MVP march continued in Indianapolis, where he erupted for 21 first-quarter points and a total of 43 in a 137-130 win over the hapless Pacers.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar became the first player to average 40 points over six road games since Michael Jordan in 1986, according to ESPN.

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Jordan, then 23, actually averaged 41.3 points during a seven-game road trip early in the 1986-87 campaign. He won the first of his 10 league scoring titles that season, although he didn’t win his first MVP until the following season.

Dončić, now 27, is hoping he earns that honor this year. He’s currently leading the league with 33.6 points per game, and he averaged a blistering 40.7 during the six-game swing away from L.A.

The Lakers (47-26) won five of those six games and are 13-2 in their past 15 outings.

Dončić’s latest showcase came against a bottom-dwelling Pacers squad that made the score look closer than it was with a 45-point fourth quarter. 

Still without Tyrese Haliburton, who is sitting out the season while recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered during Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals, Indiana (16-57) could have used the city’s other star point guard: Caitlin Clark.

She was on the floor, after all — taking photographs. Clark was humorously caught by the broadcast snapping photos as LeBron James argued with officials late in the first half.

James was one of four Lakers starters to score at least 21 points in the win. He finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. 

Jaxson Hayes had 21 points and 10 boards. Austin Reaves chipped in 25 points and eight dimes. Meanwhile, Dončić added seven assists and six rebounds to his stat line.

Dončić has scored 40-plus points 14 times this season, including three times during this recent torrid road stretch, in which he maxed out with 60 versus the Miami Heat.

Joel Embiid started it, and Paul George finished it: a 157-point inferno, the Philadelphia 76ers’ highest single-game scoring output since they put up 159 against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 15, 1970.

Embiid and George both returned to the floor Wednesday and combined for 63 points — the most they’ve amassed together in one contest — in a 157-137 victory over the Chicago Bulls. 

Embiid was back after missing the previous 13 games with a right oblique strain. George was in the fold again after serving a 25-game suspension without pay for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.

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Embiid accounted for 12 of the first 14 points Philadelphia (40-33) tallied and was singlehandedly outscoring the Bulls (29-43) midway through the opening frame. He stacked 23 first-half points and closed with 35. Meanwhile, 13 of George’s 28 points came in the fourth quarter.

It took George a bit to shake off the rust he expected in the wake of a lengthy midseason absence that stemmed from him taking a banned substance to accommodate for what he described Tuesday as a mental health issue related to the pressure of the physical limitations he was facing.

George went a mere 2 of 10 from the field in the first half. He ended his scoring drought by using a jab step to get by Josh Giddey on a baseline drive, which set up a shot at the rim.

He was in search of his jumper most of the opening two quarters.

The nine-time All-Star forward finally hit a 3-pointer before halftime. Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe located George on the right wing, and the 35-year-old knocked down a much-needed triple.

Edgecombe came into the matchup having scored at least 35 points in two of his past three outings. He wound up with 22 against the Bulls. He and Embiid combined for 26 in the first quarter, matching Chicago’s total scoring output in that frame.

The Bulls quietly poured in 53 points in the fourth quarter. They were led by Giddey’s 23 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds.

Embiid wasn’t just shooting the ball well. He also made an impact on the defensive end, notably rejecting former Sixers teammate Guerschon Yabusele in the second quarter. Plus, the seven-time All-Star center dished out seven assists, one of which arrived in the form of a one-handed, one-timed pass that teed up Edgecombe for one of his four 3-pointers. That highlight-reel play followed another in the third quarter. Moments earlier, George lofted a pass to Embiid in the post, and he turned and threw down a one-handed dunk over 6-foot-8 Bulls forward Matas Buzelis.

Wednesday marked just the 19th game this season in which Edgecombe, George and Embiid have all been on the court at the same time. Philadelphia, of course, is still missing two-time All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey. He’s recovering from a sprained right pinkie finger that he sustained on March 7.

The Sixers are waiting for wing Kelly Oubre Jr. to rejoin the lineup, too. That said, they had an abundance of firepower against a Chicago squad that’s now 6-21 in its past 27 games. 

The Sixers got 13 points from wing Quentin Grimes and nine more from forward Dominick Barlow. That pair teamed up for another head-turning play while the Sixers piled up 51 points in the third quarter, the most they’ve logged in any quarter this season and tied for the most they’ve ever registered in a third quarter. Following a steal, Grimes delivered a no-look dime to Barlow, who cashed in for a two-handed jam.

Later in the frame, George finally found a groove. He drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and then a catch-and-shoot midrange jumper that came with a friendly bounce.

He maintained that momentum in the fourth quarter, and fellow vet Kyle Lowry put an exclamation point on the team’s offensive clinic. 

Lowry celebrated his 40th birthday with a 3-pointer in the game’s waning moments. 

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A former Australian Football League (AFL) player has come out as gay, becoming the first man in the competition to do so.

Leigh Ryswyk played one match for the Brisbane Lions in 2005 in the AFL before he was delisted due to injuries. He went on to play more than 220 games for North Adelaide in the South Australian league.

Ryswyk shared the news in a radio interview on Wednesday, saying he had been openly gay among his friends for five years and when he told his parents, they were supportive.

It comes seven months after Mitch Brown – who played for the West Coast Eagles between 2007 and 2016 – came out as bisexual, the first time an AFL player has done so in the sport’s 129-year history.

Prior to Brown’s news, the AFL had been the only major professional men’s sport globally to never have had an openly gay or bisexual player, even after retirement.

Asked how the AFL could support current players who might want to come out, Ryswyk was optimistic.

“I think the AFL, and the community, will wrap their arms around that player,” the 41-year-old said on Melbourne radio station Joy 94.9’s GayFL programme.

“I think the community itself, obviously the queer community, the fan base, I think in the whole they will celebrate that when the time comes.”

Ryswyk said it took him about three years to work up the courage to tell his parents.

“When you come out to your family it’s always a massive experience, there’s a lot of things going on in your head,” he said.

“I had the opportunity to sit down with mum and talk to her about it, and let her know, which was massive. She obviously was crying, I was crying, and she goes ‘I still love you’, so for me, that was a wow moment.”

His dad was also supportive.

“I really didn’t know what to expect, but he was like, ‘I love you, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy I’m happy for you’, that blew me away to be honest.”

He said his close circle of friends know about his sexuality but for many others, it would be the first time they knew.

“I’m a very private person, so it’s not all over my social media, and things like that, and that’s fine.”

Originally from Victoria, Ryswyk moved to Queensland to join the Lions and played a match against Fremantle in Perth. After a successful career with North Adelaide in the state’s league, he was inducted into the AFL Queensland Hall of Fame.

In August last year, Brown came out as bisexual, saying that the weight of hiding his sexuality played a “huge” part in his decision to retire.

• Former player makes AFL history by coming out as bisexual

Women’s college basketball has never been short on talent, but some rosters were just built differently. These are the teams that didn’t just win games in college, but they produced players who went on to reshape professional basketball entirely. The WNBA has been home to some of the world’s best athletes, and a large chunk of its greatest names came from these exact programs.

What Bleacher Report set out to measure wasn’t just wins and championships. The focus was on how much professional talent these rosters produced, how many players made it to the WNBA, how long they lasted, and how much they accomplished once they got there. A team that went undefeated but sent one player to the pros ranks very differently from one that lost in the Final Four but produced six long-term professionals.

Some of the teams on this list won national titles. Some came agonizingly close. What they all had in common was this: they sent elite talent into the professional game, and those players delivered for years. We count down from 10 to 1, with the greatest saved for last.

#10 1994-95 UConn women (35-0)

Overall rank: #40 | Pro seasons: 25 | Hall of Famers: 1 | Won national title

They went undefeated, won the title, and sent four players to the WNBA. Seven-time All-Star Nykesha Sales averaged 14.2 points across nine pro seasons. Rebecca Lobo made the Hall of Fame on the back of her college dominance, an Olympic gold medal, and her role in growing the sport.

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#9 2012-13 Notre Dame women (35-2)

Overall rank: #39 | Pro seasons: 42 | Pro All-Stars: 2 | Top-10 picks: 3 | Lost Final Four

All four players on this roster made the WNBA, and all played at least 9 years. Skylar Diggins is a seven-time All-Star, averaging 16.4 points and 5.3 assists for her career. Jewell Loyd has three championships and six All-Star nods. They lost in the Final Four, but the professional legacy is as strong as almost anyone on this list.

#8 2007-08 Tennessee women (36-2)

Overall rank: #30 | Pro seasons: 35 | Pro All-Stars: 2 | Top-10 picks: 2 | Won national title

Six players from this roster made the WNBA, but the story is Candace Parker. She won two MVPs, two titles, Defensive Player of the Year, and made seven All-Star teams in a career spanning nearly two decades. She has since been nominated for the Hall of Fame. One all-timer can carry a team’s legacy, and Parker did exactly that.

#7 1997-98 Tennessee women (39-0)

Overall rank: #27 | Pro seasons: 31 | Hall of Famers: 1 | Pro All-Stars: 2 | Won national title

Tamika Catchings is a Hall of Famer with five Defensive Player of the Year awards, one MVP, and one championship. Chamique Holdsclaw made six All-Star teams and averaged 16.9 points for her career. Two players of that caliber sharing one college roster is rare in any era.

#6 2005-06 LSU women (31-4)

Overall rank: #25 | Pro seasons: 38 | Hall of Famers: 2 | Pro All-Stars: 2 | Top-10 picks: 2 | Lost Final Four

Seimone Augustus made eight All-Star teams and topped 20 points per game in three separate seasons. Sylvia Fowles won MVP and four Defensive Player of the Year awards while averaging 15.7 points and 9.8 rebounds for her career. Two Hall of Famers from one college roster is not something you see often.

#5 1982-83 USC women (31-2)

Overall rank: #21 | Hall of Famers: 2 | Pro All-Stars: 1 | Won national title

This team predated the WNBA, but Cynthia Cooper showed up for the league’s inaugural season at age 34 and won MVP. Then did it again. And again. Cheryl Miller won three straight National Player of the Year awards and led the 1984 US Olympic team to gold. Two all-timers on one roster, and the sport felt it for decades.

#4 2016-17 South Carolina women (33-4)

Overall rank: #18 | Pro seasons: 38 | Pro All-Stars: 2 | Top-10 picks: 6 | Won national title

Six players made it to the WNBA, and every one was a top-10 pick. A’ja Wilson is what separates this team from the rest. In eight WNBA seasons, she has won three championships, earned four MVP awards, and made seven All-Star teams. Her averages of 21.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals are unprecedented in league history.

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#3 1993-94 USC women (26-4)

Overall rank: #17 | Pro seasons: 32 | Hall of Famers: 2 | Pro All-Stars: 2 | Lost Elite Eight

Lisa Leslie was a three-time MVP and two-time champion who averaged 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks for her career. Tina Thompson made nine All-Star teams and finished fourth on the all-time scoring list. The Elite Eight exit is the only blemish on a roster that delivered at the highest level for over a decade.

#2 2015-16 UConn women (38-0)

Overall rank: #8 | Pro seasons: 50 | Pro All-Stars: 4 | Top-10 picks: 7 | Won national title

Eight pros, four All-Stars, and a 38-0 season capped with a national title. Breanna Stewart has two MVPs, three championships, and career averages of 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Napheesa Collier won Defensive Player of the Year and averages 18.4 points. This UConn team was dominant in college and even more so in the WNBA.

#1 2001-02 UConn women (39-0)

Overall rank: #1 | Pro seasons: 82 | Hall of Famers: 2 | Pro All-Stars: 4 | Top-10 picks: 5 | Won national title

Undefeated. National champions. Seven WNBA players. Thirty combined All-Star appearances. Ten combined championships. Diana Taurasi averaged 18.8 points and 4.2 assists for her career. Sue Bird dished 5.6 assists a game across 19 seasons. This roster doesn’t just top the women’s list; it’s also the top of the men’s list. It sits at number one across all 68 college basketball teams ever evaluated. The 2001-02 Huskies are the standard.

The court of history

Ten teams. Dozens of Hall of Famers, All-Stars, and champions shared the same college locker rooms before they rewrote professional basketball. Women’s college basketball has produced some of the sport’s greatest talent, and this list is proof of exactly that.

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The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.

To honor all of the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.

With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.

And for today’s article, we will continue with the seventh of 21 who wore the No. 10, forward alum David Wood. After ending his college career at Nevada, Wood went unselected in the 1987 NBA Draft, playing in other leagues until he signed with the Chicago Bulls in 1988.

The Spokane, Washington native played the first seasons of his NBA career with Chicago. He also played in other leagues before he signed with the Houston Rockets in 1990. His stay with the team lasted until he was dealt to the San Antonio Spurs in 1992.

During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Wood wore only jersey No. 10 and put up 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets jersey history No. 10 – David Wood (1990-92)

Bayern Munich overcame two equalizers to secure a 3-2 advantage from the first leg of its UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinals bout with Manchester United.

The presumptive German champions were unfazed by going on the road to Old Trafford and stunned the hosts with a goal after just about 90 seconds courtesy of Pernille Harder, via an excellent long-range pass from Arianna Caruso. The ball looped over the shoulder of United captain Maya Le Tissier and Harder ran onto it, nutmegging the United center-back and flummoxing keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce with her clever shot.

That would be Bayern’s only real chance of the first half, however, and United managed to strike back. Hinata Miyazawa threaded in Lea Schüller, whose smart inside run took out four Bayern players dragged out wide as she barreled into the box. The ex-Bayern striker took on the shot at a tight angle, but the block — from Bayern defender Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir — was a handball. Le Tissier promptly stepped up and converted from the spot.

For a while the match then settled into a stalemate, both sides squandering what opportunities came their way, and the scoreline stood at 1-1 heading into the break.

Enter Momoko Tanikawa. Like her Japanese international teammate Miyazawa on the other side of the pitch, Tanikawa is freshly returned from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where Japan lifted the trophy after triumphing over Australia in the Final. Tanikawa was introduced at the hour mark, and wasted little time taking over the game.

In the 72nd minute, Tanikawa found Harder with a perfect slicing pass through the lines to send the Dane on her way to a brace. After United equalized just five minutes later, it was up to Tanikawa again to find another moment of magic for her side…and find it she did, first setting up Franziska Kett with another excellent long-range pass and then arriving just outside the box to collect the return, set her feet, and laser it into the back of the net.

It was a moment of stupendous quality, set up by Tanikawa’s first touch, which teed up the shot more perfectly and faster than anyone on United was ready for. Teammate Vanessa Gilles knew what was coming, too, raising her arms in celebration before the shot had even come off.

This was a blow that United could not come back from in time for the full-time whistle, but the scoreline remains tight at 3-2. Bayern will take the result but know that the gap could have been wider, and that hard work remains to be done next week in Munich. Yet it was the Bavarians that delivered the more composed, more complete, and more mature performance today on the road — and they will undoubtedly be the favorites to advance to the semis.

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If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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