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Rohit on India's unbeaten ICC run: 'Shows the quality in the team'

Although in this Champions Trophy, India have played all of their five matches in Dubai, their schedules in the 2023 World Cup (albeit at home), and in the T20 World Cup they won last year, were more challenging. In 2023, they played in nine different venues, losing only the final to Australia. In last year's T20 event, they played three matches in New York state to start, but then played their last six matches (one of which was abandoned) across five different venues.
"That's a great, great milestone to have, honestly speaking," Rohit said about India's 23 victories. "It speaks to the kind of team this is. I know we reached the ODI World Cup and lost that final. But then we went to the T20 World Cup and didn't lose a single game. We went on to win the trophy here as well.
"That shows the quality in the team. A lot of depth. A lot of understanding within the group. A lot of excitement. And that is how we want to play our cricket. That's what we had spoken before the tournament - that there's too much pressure on the outside. If one game, India loses, or the match goes here and there, there's so much speculation that happens.
"But the boys and the team have actually managed to put that aside, and just focused on how to win games and how to enjoy the game. That's been the most important aspect of our game in the last two or three years that we've been here."
If you narrow the sample down to just 2024 and 2025, India have now won 13 out of 13, across two different formats. MS Dhoni helmed India's victory charges to all three limited-overs trophies, winning the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. But only in the 2013 Champions Trophy did his team go undefeated through the tournament. And at no point did Dhoni's India team win two ICC trophies in succession.
"It is a great team achievement for the team to win two ICC trophies and to go undefeated is the icing on the cake," Rohit said. "I have seen very few teams that have won two tournaments undefeated. We used the conditions well and won. There's no future plan, whatever is happening will keep happening.
"We lost the 2023 final after playing such terrific cricket in nine games. So with the same mindset, with the same intention, with the same game plan, we went to play the final. But we talked about the fact that [we] don't give up till the game is over. This is what we spoke about before these two finals - that we've to stay in the game till the end."
Rohit also paid tribute to a versatile XI, packed with allrounders, with almost everyone who played making a serious impact on the tournament.
"If you look at Nos. 1 to 11, the players who got a chance to bat or bowl, they have contributed in their own ways. Eventually, when everyone plays together and a lot of people contribute, you get a lot of success consistently. In this tournament, we saw the players who got a chance to bowl played their part. The players who got a chance to bat won us games.
"It was not like only one player scored all the runs in the tournament. Everyone has contributed here and there because we knew that wickets were challenging here, and it's not easy for everyone. So getting all contributions from top to bottom was crucial.
"There is a lot of hunger and a lot of passion. These things are not supposed to be taught. It is very natural to a lot of guys here."
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
Top spot up for grabs in clash of in-form Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants

Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Gujarat Giants (GG)
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, 7.30pm IST
What to expect: Top spot up for grabs
Giants have to win to entertain thoughts of finishing at No. 1. Mumbai have a game in hand and can get there even if they lose on Monday, but it would then mean a three-way tie should they beat RCB. They would want to avoid this logjam, having been in a similar position last year and then going down to RCB in the Eliminator.
GG are on a bull run, having won more games (three) over the past week than they did all of last season. But there's one thing they haven't done yet: beat MI, who have a 5-0 record against them in the tournament's short history. If that wasn't pressure enough, they now face the challenge of playing Harmanpreet Kaur's MI in Mumbai, at the Brabourne Stadium, where they are yet to lose a single game.
MI look equally strong but have changed their batting combinations because of Yastika Bhatia's prolonged lean run. In their previous game, Amelia Kerr was promoted to open with Hayley Mathews. It remains to be seen if this will be their plan at the back end too. If it is, it could mean a bigger batting responsibility for S Sajana and Amanjot Kaur in the middle order.
Mumbai Indians WLWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Giants WWWLL
D Hemalatha's poor run at the top of the order may force a change for GG. Simran Shaikh, who plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket, could get a look-in to inject some lower-order firepower.
Gujarat Giants (probable): 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Phoebe Lichfield, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ash Gardner (capt), 5 Deandra Dottin, 6 Simran Shaikh, 7 Kashvee Gautam, 8 Bharti Fulmali, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Meghna Singh, 11 Priya Mishra
Mumbai have no reason to tinker with their XI.
Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Amelia Kerr, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amanjot Kaur, 6 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 7 G Kamalini, 8 S Sajana, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 9 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Parunika Sisodia
Players to watch: Hayley Matthews and Kashvee Gautam
Santner says New Zealand missed Henry but proud of group

And yet, the injury kept him out of the final, against an opposition he has tended to dominate. In 11 ODIs against India, he has 21 wickets at an average of 21.00, with an economy rate of 4.48. India's chase in Dubai suffered stutters through the middle, but they eventually got home with four wickets to spare, and an over in reserve.
"He was the leading wicket-taker going into this game, and he's an outstanding bowler, as we've seen," Santner said. Henry's ten wickets at an average of 16.70 still leads the Champions Trophy wickets chart, despite his missing the final. "He seems to be able to nip it on wickets that don't look like they should nip, so I guess we missed that today. I feel for Matty. He's a massive team man, and he looked pretty distraught.
"We just kind of said, like, let's do it for him. To come this far and then be injured for the main event was pretty tough for him and I guess for us. He tried everything he could to be ready for this game, and unfortunately for us, he wasn't quite there."
There were other battles that New Zealand had had to fight through in the course of the tournament. Where India played all five matches in Dubai, New Zealand had to zip between Dubai and all three venues in Pakistan - the only team in the Champions Trophy to play at four venues.
"It's never going to go perfectly in these tournaments, I guess, with the quick turnaround of games like we had," Santner said. "But I think what's most pleasing is different guys got opportunities and stepped up as. I couldn't be prouder of the group.
"There were guys coming in and out due to injury. And then the way Rachin came back straightaway after his head knock and hit the ground running was great. And Kyle Jamieson flying over and coming straight into the team - I thought he bowled extremely well in the games he played."
Although New Zealand made mistakes in the field as they attempted to defend a target of 253 in the final, it was the first innings that had been definitive, Santner said. New Zealand were 57 for no wicket after 7.4 overs, but then lost Will Young, Ravindra and Kane Williamson in quick succession, to be 75 for 3 after 12.2 overs. Varun Chakravarthy struck the first blow, before Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Ravindra and Williamson within his first seven deliveries.
"I think the way we went about it for the first eight overs or so was outstanding. And then it took some brilliance from the spinners to really peg us back and make it challenging through that middle phase," Santner said. "After the start, we were probably thinking of a score around 275 or 280. Credit has to go to Kuldeep for the way he bowled straight after the powerplay, and Varun inside the powerplay."
NSW hope to have Abbott, Tanveer Sangha for crucial final Shield round

Even though pole position was up for grabs in the fight to make the Sheffield Shield final, both Western Australia and New South Wales decided to play it relatively safe in an anti-climax of a finish that resulted in a draw at the WACA.
NSW then decided that the chase was too difficult on a tricky surface that had proven tough for batters against the new ball.
"We wanted anywhere between 250 and 300," Cartwright said. "We knew when the ball got soft it was easier to bat. We didn't want to give them too many overs with not enough runs. If we gave them 70 overs to chase 250, that probably would have been quite easy for them.
"We wanted to try and work out the balance... trying to give ourselves enough time to bowl them out, but also entice them to try and chase the score. We did think that they might have had more of a crack at the total because [a win] would go a long way towards being in the final."
"Maybe [expecting a declaration] a bit earlier," NSW captain Jack Edwards said. "They batted us out of the game and earned the right to drive the game. Losing [Maddinson], we decided to pack it up. [Konstas] played well. He showed how much of a good natural player he is when is applying himself."
The fates of both teams are out of their hands, but they will need to stay focused in what are now must-win games. NSW will next travel to Bellerive Oval and will be favoured against Tasmania who have little to play for with their season over.
"I'm hoping so, having guys like that come back goes a long way for us to win that game," Edwards said. "We're looking to win the next match and just put our best foot forward and see what happens."
Coming off a stress fracture last winter as well as a quad strain late in the pre-season, Morris has a restriction of around 30 overs a game. He claimed a first-class career best of 5 for 26 from 20.3 overs in NSW's first innings and there was intrigue over how many overs he would bowl on the final day.
Morris ended up bowling 12 overs, including a couple at the end where he unleashed several searing yorkers in a last gasp attempt at a miracle. But Morris was unable to rediscover his control and accuracy from earlier in the match to finish with 0 for 41.
"[Connolly] came in during the game and said g'day, it's always good having him around. He'll bolster the batting," Cartwright said. "We've got to entirely focus on what happens in our camp. If things fall our way, obviously that will be nice if that happens. But we've got to tick our own boxes before we look at [the other] games over east."
UCLA finally bests USC as teams eye 4th meeting

INDIANAPOLIS -- Before the USC and UCLA women's basketball teams met in their much-anticipated first matchup of the season on Feb. 13, Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb made a hopeful statement to Bruins counterpart Cori Close that came a bit closer to fruition Sunday.
"Lindsay said, 'I'm really hoping we're going to get to do this four times,'" Close said.
UCLA on Sunday prevailed in the teams' third meeting of the season, each game seemingly becoming more consequential. This one came with the Big Ten tournament championship on the line, with the Bruins knocking off the Trojans 72-67 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to win the title in the schools' inaugural season in the league.
Doing so required a valiant second-half defensive effort against USC and guard JuJu Watkins, the second-leading scorer in Division I, with UCLA holding her to three field goals after halftime and 9-for-28 shooting overall.
Now, as the teams look toward the NCAA tournament, they both remain in contention for No. 1 seeds -- something that would keep the possibility of that fourth potential meeting -- the biggest yet -- on the table.
"I thought whoever won this game should be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament," Gottlieb said.
UCLA had lost by double digits in the previous two regular-season meetings, the Bruins' only two losses. The competition between them has seemed to strengthen the mutual respect while making the specter of another meeting more real.
"We were No. 1 in the country for 13 weeks," Close said. "[USC] has, really, I think, shown the steadiness and the quality of their wins and how they have grown and changed. They're an excellent team. They're a championship-caliber team."
She added, "I think it would mean a lot for us both to be No. 1 seeds. I think you have to prove yourself. Your play has to back that up. And I hope we do get the chance to do it in Tampa [in the Final Four] a fourth time."
As for the third matchup, it was UCLA that figured out how to finish as USC faltered late.
For much of the game, that seemed unlikely. USC used multiple runs in the first half to take control, including a 9-0 spurt to close the second quarter. When Trojans guard Talia von Oelhoffen hit a 3-pointer 13 seconds into the third to extend that run, USC took its biggest lead at 48-35.
Then, everything changed.
USC, which entered Sunday on a nine-game winning streak, converted just three field goals the rest of the quarter, holding a 2-point lead by its conclusion.
Watkins scored on a jumper with 4:21 left in the third but did not score again until hitting a pair of free throws with 3:13 left in the fourth, as UCLA's smothering defense and rotations created havoc and forced Watkins and the Trojans into a flurry of turnovers.
Lauren Betts, named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, patrolled the paint for the Bruins. When the Trojans opted for outside shots, they were consistently errant. USC shot 22.2% in the second half.
Betts helped key UCLA's offense, too, scoring a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
"I know the amount of work that went into it and this team means everything to me," Betts said. "The confidence that this team has [from] winning that game going into March Madness is a lot."
USC still sees its goals as achievable -- if it can right what went wrong Sunday.
Said Von Oelhoffen: "We missed shots that we usually hit, and it felt like every time we missed an open look they came down and capitalized on it. So, I think we just need to be better navigating the shooting struggles."
Ovechkin scores No. 886, 9 shy of setting mark

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 886th career goal into an empty net to seal the Washington Capitals' 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, moving nine back of breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record and helping the Eastern Conference leaders win their fourth game in a row.
Ovechkin backhanded the puck in from center ice with 1:31 left, sending the crowd into jubilation and chants of "Ovi! Ovi!" His 33rd goal of the season was also his 1,600th career point.
According to ESPN Research, it was Ovechkin's eighth empty-net goal this season, which pushed him one ahead of Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen and Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel for the NHL lead. Ovechkin also extended his NHL record for the most career empty-net goals with 65.
THE COUNTDOWN HAS OFFICIALLY HIT SINGLE DIGITS#Gr8Chase | @Venture_Global pic.twitter.com/2AowIfZZLM
Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 9, 2025
Connor McMichael scored the go-ahead goal a few minutes earlier, not long after a line brawl nearly broke out and all five skaters on each team were sent to the penalty box, where players kept jawing at each other before Washington's Brandon Duhaime was escorted to the locker room for his 10-minute misconduct.
The post-whistle pushing and shoving kept flaring up and went on for some time as officials worked to keep Tom Wilson and John Hayden from fighting.
Martin Fehervary and Dylan Strome also scored, and Charlie Lindgren made 30 saves for Capitals, who padded their lead atop the East and the Metropolitan Division.
Shane Wright and Jordan Eberle scored, and Joey Daccord stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced for the Kraken, who were unable to string together back-to-back wins on the weekend.
Ovechkin and the Capitals will open a three-game California trip Tuesday night at Anaheim. His next goal in March, according to ESPN Research, will be the 158th of his career, which will surpass Gretzky for the most in any calendar month. Gretzky finished his career with 157 tallies in December.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rams to sign ex-All-Pro WR Adams to 2-year deal

Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams, the team announced Sunday.
Adams arrives as the Rams prepare to move on from standout wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
The New York Jets released Adams on March 4, three weeks after announcing they were parting with his favorite quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
Adams' two-year deal with the Rams has an $8 million base salary in 2025 and $16 million in 2026. His 2025 base salary is guaranteed and he has a $6 million roster bonus guaranteed on the third day of the 2026 league year. He also has a $12 million signing bonus and $1 million available in incentives each year.
Adams was due to count $38.3 million on the Jets' salary cap -- a 2025 league high for wide receivers. That includes $35.6 million in nonguaranteed base salary, the contract they inherited in October when they acquired Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 third-round pick.
The Jets received major cap relief, clearing $29.9 million from this season's cap.
The Jets' new regime -- coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey -- worked to shed all remnants from the Rodgers era, which ended last season with a 5-12 record and triggered an organizational reboot.
After a slow start, Adams came on strong toward the end of last season and finished with 67 catches, 854 yards and 7 touchdowns in 11 games for the Jets. Combined with his Las Vegas production, he exceeded 1,000 yards for the fifth straight season. His signature performance was a nine-catch, 198-yard performance with the Jets in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Adams, 32, a three-time first-team All-Pro, has 957 receptions for 11,844 yards and 103 touchdowns in 11 seasons.
A second-round pick of the Packers in 2014, Adams spent his first eight seasons in Green Bay and ranks second in franchise history in touchdown catches (93) and receptions (669) and fourth in receiving yards (8,121).
ESPN's Rich Cimini and Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.
Sources: QB Allen, Bills reach record $330M deal

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Bills have rewarded NFL MVP Josh Allen with a record-setting six-year, $330 million contract through the 2030 season that includes $250 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.
It's the largest guaranteed total given to an NFL player, surpassing the previous mark of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who received $230 million guaranteed.
Allen, who was previously signed through 2028, will be 34 years old when the final year of this extension begins. The extension takes Allen from the 14th-highest average annual value among quarterbacks ($43 million) to tied for second ($55 million). Only Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has a contract with a higher average annual value ($60 million).
"I love Josh and so proud of what he's done, and so, I could be here all day talking about how great he is and what he's done for our team and where he belongs in the pecking order of all that stuff," general manager Brandon Beane said at the end of the 2024 season. "He and I have a great relationship. We talk a lot. When the dust settles, before we're ever really talking to his agent or his agents calling me, like, Josh and I will have those conversations [about a potential extension], holistically about the team, things like that. And I'm not saying it will happen, I'm not saying it won't happen. ... There'll be a time and place, and not saying we will, but not ruling it out either."
Allen became the first player in NFL history to record at least 25 touchdown passes and 10 touchdown runs with fewer than 10 interceptions in a season. He finished with 28 touchdown passes, 12 rushing touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Allen has accounted for 260 touchdowns in his career via passing or rushing, the most in a player's first seven seasons in NFL history and 29 more than the next-closest player, Patrick Mahomes.
Improving turnovers was a focal point for Allen heading into the 2024 season, and he responded with the lowest number in a season for his career (eight). That went a long way toward the Bills' success as they won their fifth consecutive AFC East title.
Allen also took a step forward in leadership in 2024, after an offseason of transition, by serving as one of two team captains.
"Josh Allen's leadership, his consistent leadership, was the biggest reason why we did what we did this season. So, anybody that tries to say otherwise, I know better," coach Sean McDermott said at the end of the season. "I've seen it, and him now doing that every season for us, not an easy undertaking."
Allen's play and leadership "went hand in hand," McDermott said.
"He continues to do that, we're going to win a lot of football games."
Allen became the team's third player to be voted MVP, joining Thurman Thomas (1991) and O.J. Simpson (1973).
Since entering the league in 2018, Allen has 65 rushing touchdowns -- 10 more than the next closest quarterback (Jalen Hurts). Allen has accounted for at least 40 touchdowns (passing or rushing) in five straight seasons, the longest streak in NFL history. No other player has done that in four straight seasons, and only Aaron Rodgers has had more such seasons (six).
Allen will go into 2025 with consistency, as coordinator Joe Brady enters his second full season in the role. Allen is coming off his second AFC Championship Game appearance and going into his eighth season looking for his first Super Bowl appearance after going 0-4 against the Kansas City Chiefs and Mahomes in the postseason.
"We're going to continue to turn every stone over and cross the T's, dot the I's and do whatever we can to try to bring a Lombardi back here to Western New York," Allen said at the end of the season.
The extension tops a slew of recent new deals for Buffalo players: defensive end Greg Rousseau reached a four-year, $80 million contract; linebacker Terrel Bernard got a four-year, $50 million contract; and receiver Khalil Shakir agreed to a four-year, $53 million extension.
Allen, the No. 7 pick in 2018 out of Wyoming, became the first player in 21 seasons to win MVP without being selected first-team All-Pro. Since MVP was first awarded in 1957, the only other players to win despite not being a first-team All-Pro were Broncos quarterback John Elway (1987, when Joe Montana was first-team All-Pro) and Titans quarterback Steve McNair (2003, Manning).
Sources: Steelers trading for star WR Metcalf

PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers cannonballed into free agency Sunday night, acquiring wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks for a 2025 second-round draft pick and agreeing to a five-year, $150 million extension, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Steelers and Seahawks also are flipping 2025 picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, sources said.
Metcalf, 27, a second-round pick in 2019, requested a trade Wednesday as he entered the final year of a three-year, $72 million extension signed in 2022. He previously had one year left on his contract worth $18 million, but the Steelers worked quickly to secure their new wideout to a deal worth $30 million annually.
That figure puts him in rare air among wide receivers and among Steelers free agents. Only six other wideouts have contracts currently valued for at least $30 million annually, and before Metcalf's extension, the most the Steelers had spent on an outside free agent was linebacker Patrick Queen's three-year, $41 million contract signed last free agency.
Metcalf's trade comes only a few days after the Seahawks dealt quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Following both trades, the Seahawks have five picks in the first three rounds of the 2025 draft: Nos. 18, 50, 52 (via Pittsburgh), 82 and 92 (via Las Vegas).
In Metcalf, the Steelers finally landed their long-sought-after big-play pass catcher to round out a wide receiver room that lacked depth and star power behind 2022 second-round pick George Pickens. Metcalf averaged 15.0 yards per reception and 66.1 yards per game in 2024, collecting 66 receptions, 992 receiving yards and a career-low five touchdowns.
Metcalf was more productive in the first six games of the season, averaging nine targets. But after hurting an MCL in Week 7, Metcalf missed two games and averaged just under six targets per game over the rest of the campaign.
Since the Seahawks traded up to snag Metcalf out of Ole Miss with the final pick of the second round in 2019, the big-bodied wideout has averaged 1,054 receiving yards and eight touchdowns per season along with 14.4 yards per reception. Meanwhile, Pickens -- the Steelers' top receiver -- averaged 64.3 yards per game and 15.3 yards per catch in 2024 during his third season in Pittsburgh. He also caught three touchdowns in an injury-shortened season.
Pickens is eligible for an extension this offseason as he enters the last year of his rookie deal, and general manager Omar Khan expressed a desire to keep the mercurial wide receiver in Pittsburgh when he spoke with reporters at the NFL combine less than two weeks ago.
"I can tell you that he has a desire to be great," Khan said of Pickens, via the team's website. "He has a desire to be great here. We have a desire for him to be great and to be great here with respect to the contract. But you know, we won't discuss that publicly, and usually those things are addressed at a later date."
The next-most productive wideout on the Steelers' 2024 roster was fellow 2022 draft pick Calvin Austin III, who averaged 15.2 yards per reception and finished the season with just 548 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
The Steelers' pursuit of a top-tier wide receiver dates back to the previous offseason, when they were in the mix for the 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk, however, opted to remain in San Francisco with a four-year, $120 million deal. The Steelers also landed wide receiver Mike Williams at the trade deadline from the New York Jets for a 2025 fifth-round pick, but Williams wasn't a major contributor after a game-winning catch against the Washington Commanders less than a week after being traded.
Though the Steelers significantly upgraded their wide receiver room with the Metcalf acquisition, they still don't have a quarterback under contract for the 2025 season. Both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are slated to be free agents when the new league year opens Wednesday afternoon, and sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Fields wants to test the market before making an informed decision.
Wilson and Metcalf both starred together in Seattle, with Wilson serving as Metcalf's quarterback for the first three seasons of his career.
The Jets also have expressed interest in Fields, the former Chicago Bears first-round pick, sources indicated to Fowler. Khan told reporters at the NFL combine that Pittsburgh's top priority was sorting out the quarterback position; but Metcalf requested a trade earlier this week, expediting the Steelers' roster-building timeline.
ESPN's Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert returned to action Sunday against San Antonio after a 10-game absence due to a lower back injury -- and joined in the team's highest-scoring game of the season.
Gobert was reinserted in Minnesota's most common starting lineup this season, with Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards at guard and Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle at forward. Naz Reid returned to a reserve role, after averaging 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds as a starter while Gobert was out.
In 20 minutes, Gobert had 16 points and eight rebounds as the Timberwolves beat the Spurs 141-124 for their fifth straight victory.
"Do you believe in coincidences?" Gobert said jokingly afterward. "No, it was great. It was fun. When the ball is moving like that and the mindset is how it was tonight, I think we have a very powerful team."
Gobert is averaging 11.1 points per game this season, his lowest mark in 10 years. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner is in his third year with the Timberwolves. He missed the opportunity Sunday to face fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs center who's out for the rest of the season with a blood clot in his right shoulder.