Briton Heather Watson overcame Christina McHale 6-3 1-6 6-1 to reach the Mexican Open last four.

After taking the first set in 39 minutes, Watson was broken twice in the second as the American levelled.

Seventh seed Watson broke twice in the decider before serving out the match and will play China's Xiyu Wang next.

In the men's event, fellow Briton Kyle Edmund was defeated 6-4 6-3 by American world number 35 Taylor Fritz in his quarter-final.

Fritz, who fired down 11 aces in the match, broke at 5-4 to take the first set and then broke the world number 44 twice more in the second.

Spain's Rafael Nadal eased into the last four with a 6-2 6-1 win over South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo. The 19-time Grand Slam singles winner will now play Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated third seed Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-4.

If Nadal wins the Acapulco title and Novak Djokovic loses his semi-final against Gael Monfils at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Spaniard will regain top spot in the world rankings.

Briton Watson, now ranked 69 in the world, said of her victory over McHale: "I knew I had to be aggressive because she wasn't going to give me any freebies."

When asked about their friendship, she added: "We've been hanging out here every day. We've got both of our mums here, we both went to the party together and have practised with each other.

"It's tough [playing your friend], but we're both used to it."

Sabrina Sobhy makes it three Americans in round two
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Two amazing marathon matches lit up day one of the Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family, with astonishing triumphs for Egypt’s Youssef Soliman and England veteran Selby.

Egypt’s World No.19 Mostafa Asal suffered a surprise defeat against compatriot Youssef Soliman in a 109-minute battle which was halted due to a 35-minute injury break during the first game.

Asal left court on a wheelchair in the opener after going down with an injury to his right leg, but he hobbled back onto court and fought through the pain barrier to lead 2-1. The 18-year-old then went 6-1 up in the decider, only to see Soliman take 10 points in a row to finally halt the World Junior Champion.

That was the longest match of the first round, with the second longest seeing Selby overcome Frenchman Lucas Serme 15-13, 8-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8 after 98 minutes of action.

“I think we both move well, he’s exceptional around the court and he picks up everything,” said Selby, 37.

“I’ve got to use my experience at those crucial times. The two games I won in the first and fourth were both tie-breaks, and it’s those crucial points that make the difference.”

Selby’s England team-mates Declan James and Adrian Waller also won through, against Tsz Fung Yip (Hong Kong) and Eain Yow Ng (Malaysia) respectively, but Tom Richards fell to Qatar’s Abdullah Mohd Al Tamimi in a spectacular match full of incredible, attacking play.

World No.16 Mazen Hesham required five games to overcome fellow Egyptian Mohamed ElSherbini, while Scotland’s Greg Lobban overturned five match balls against Hong Kong’s Max Lee to advance.

Lobban will now be looking for another top-class performance against New Zealand’s No.5 seed Paul Coll, who he beat on the way to the final of the recent Edinbugh Open.

World No.63 Shahjahan Khan saw his tournament come to an end after he was on the receiving end of a masterclass of a performance from Hong Kong’s Leo Au.

Khan, who was born in Quetta, Pakistan before switching allegiance to the United States, was backed to the hilt by spectators at the University Club of Chicago and showed some nice touches throughout the 34-minute clash. But Au was always ahead, and it was a consummate performance from the World No.22 as he went about his business with minimum fuss. He will line up against top seed Ali Farag next.

“I’m happy to come back to this event, it’s always nice to play at such an amazing place,” Au said. “I’m happy to get through the first round and I hope I can keep the performance up. I think it will be a tough match [against World No.1 Ali Farag] and I will look forward to it.”

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United States No.3 Sabrina Sobhy overcame Egyptian teenager Nada Abbas in the spectacular Cathedral Hall of the University Club of Chicago to join older sister Amanda and compatriot Olivia Blatchford Clyne in round two of the Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family – which will feature three Americans for the first time.

The match was played at a ferocious pace, with both players looking to attack whenever the opportunity presented itself. Sobhy didn’t start well as Abbas dominated the opening stages, but grew into the match as it went on. Buoyed by partizan home support, the World No.30 claimed an 4-11, 14-12, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8 victory to set up a second round clash with Egypt’s Yathreb Adel.

“I wasn’t expecting this support at all, but I guess that’s one of the perks of being on the glass, you get fans from all over, which is really rewarding,” said Sobhy, who has based herself in Cairo since the latter stages of 2019.

“It’s a complete 180 from what I’m used to [moving to Cairo]. It’s 100 per cent all squash and I think I needed that as a big motivator. There are no distractions, it’s just squash, and you’ve got to be really focused with it. I clearly needed it to get going in my squash career as I was pretty lenient in the past couple of years with it, I think.”

Sobhy was almost joined by fellow American Olivia Fiechter in the last 32. World No.36 Fiechter put in a tenacious display against Australia’s Donna Lobban, ultimately going down 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 11-13, 14-12 after a gripping 62-minute battle. Brooklyn-born Haley Mendez was the other female American in action on day one, and she went down to Belgium’s Tinne Gilis in straight games.

On the side courts, England’s Lucy Turmel has reached the second round of a PSA World Tour Platinum tournament for the first time after a superb comeback saw the 20-year-old defeat 2007 World Champion Rachael Grinham.

It was youth versus experience, and experience looked to be winning out as 43-year-old Grinham took the first game after a lengthy tie-break, winning it 15-13, and the momentum stayed in her favour she then went on to take the second game 11-8.

However, World No.46 Turmel fought back to win the last three games, restricting the 43-year-old to just 13 points across them all. That win, her second over Grinham, has seen Turmel set up a clash with compatriot Victoria Lust in the last 32.

“I am very pleased to get through in five today,” Turmel said. “I had a very nervy start going 2-0 down and I felt a bit lost on court, but I managed to turn it around and play good squash at the end.”

Elsewhere, France’s Melissa Alves saved three match balls to beat Egypt’s Zeina Mickawy, while a 77-minute encounter between former World No.5 Low Wee Wern and English youngster Jasmine Hutton went the way of the Malaysian in five games.

Round two begins today (Friday February 28) as the battle continues for the $500,000 prize fund – the most lucrative on the PSA World Tour this season.

Top seeds Raneem El Welily and Ali Farag will get their tournaments under way. Play starts at 12:00 and matches from the glass court in Cathedral Hall will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour. 

2020 Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family, Chicago, USA.

Men’s First Round:
Leo Au (HKG) bt [WC] Shahjahan Khan (USA) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-5 (34m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 12-10, 12-10, 11-3 (41m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-2: 12-10, 8-11, 6–11, 11-6, 11-6 (109m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 16-14 (48m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-9 (51m)
Iker Pajares (ESP) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 (44m)
Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 3-1: 2-11, 11-6, 11-4, 13-11 (49m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Edmon Lopez (ESP) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (25m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 3-0: 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 (40m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 13-11 (49m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Max Lee (HKG) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7 (65m)
Declan James (ENG) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (42m)
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 3-1: 16-18, 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (55m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Vikram Malhotra (IND) 3-2: 6-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-6, 11-4 (53m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-2: 12-14, 11-9, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8 (69m)
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-2: 15-13, 8-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8 (98m)

Men’s Second Round (Top Half today, February 28):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Leo Au (HKG)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Joel Makin (WAL)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [6] Diego Elias (PER) [bye]
[8] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v Youssef Soliman (EGY)
Borja Golan (ESP) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) v Arturo Salazar (MEX)
Raphael Kandra (GER) v [3] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
Saurav Ghosal v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
Adrian Waller (ENG) v Zahed Salem (EGY)
Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v [7] Simon Rösner (GER)
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) v Greg Lobban (SCO)
Declan James (ENG) v Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Women’s First Round:
Julianne Courtice (ENG) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 (27m)
Coline Aumard (FRA) bt [WC] Hana Moataz (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 11-4, 14-16, 11-8 (47m)
Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-1: 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6 (42m)
Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 3-1: 10-12, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 (45m)
Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-2: 11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 8-11, 11-7 (41m)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Sivasangari Subramanium (MAS) 3-1: 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 12-10 (42m)
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Tze Lok Ho (HKG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (40m)
Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-2: 5-11, 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 14-12 (77m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Lee Ka Yi (HKG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (21m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-2: 13-15, 8-11, 11-1, 11-6, 11-6 (57m)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-2: 4-11, 14-12, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8 (50m)
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-2: 7-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-8 (51m)
Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-2: 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-1, 11-3 (35m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 (26m)
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-2: 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 11-13, 14-12 (62m)
Joey Chan (HKG) bt Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 (21m)

Women’s Second Round (Top Half today, February 28):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v Julianne Courtice (ENG)
Coline Aumard (FRA) v [12] Salma Hany (EGY)
[15] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) v Emily Whitlock (ENG)
Nadine Shahin (EGY) v [6] Joelle King (NZL)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [10] Annie Au (HKG)
[16] Nele Gilis (BEL) v Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
Low Wee Wern (MAS) v [3] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) v [13] Victoria Lust (ENG)
[14] Yathreb Adel (EGY) v Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
Melissa Alves (FRA) v [8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) v [17/32] Mariam Metwally (EGY)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[11] Joshna Chinappa (IND) v Donna Lobban (AUS)
Joey Chan (HKG) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Eden Hazard fully intends to return to action for Real Madrid before the end of the season, according to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.

Real Madrid have yet to decide whether the Belgium forward will undergo surgery to repair a fracture to his right distal fibula sustained during Saturday's 1-0 La Liga loss at Levante.

Martinez is in contact with Hazard, who a week ago had returned from a similar three-month layoff. Coach Martinez had previously suggested Hazard's season was over.

"He is someone that never falls apart," Martinez told Cadena Ser radio.

"He is very strong mentally but he is sad because he was very eager to show Real Madrid fans what he is capable of at such an important stage of the season.

"We've been in contact. We are very sad. Now we have to look ahead and hope he recovers as soon as possible. He is very focused on wanting to recover for the end of the La Liga season. He is already looking ahead."

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Martinez says no decision has been made on whether Hazard will undergo surgery or opt for a conservative treatment.

"Real Madrid's medical staff are looking at all the options," he said.

"We are confident the right decision will be taken. We are very confident in Madrid's medical staff. We have all the information."

Asked if he was worried about Hazard missing the European Championship, which kicks off on June 12, Martinez added: "No. I'm not worried. It's 15 weeks [until then] and I'm confident that Eden will play for Madrid this season.

"How he arrives at the European Championship is a different matter but I'm certain he will play before the end of the campaign."

South Africa 195 for 2 (Lee 101, Luus 61*) beat Thailand 82 (Ismail 3-8, Luus 3-15) by 113 runs

Lizelle Lee's maiden T20I century formed the cornerstone of a thumping South Africa victory over Thailand in Canberra as they compiled the highest total in a women's T20 World Cup, although their catching left much to be desired.

Lee and Sune Luus added 131 in 12 overs for the second wicket and South Africa plundered 115 runs from their second ten overs. Lee did not bother with too much running: 82 of her 101 runs came in boundaries.

South Africa's performance in the field started with two very poor dropped chances - overall, they spilled four - but they were soon among the wickets which included a team hat-trick, starting with a run-out and completed when Shabnim Ismail's pace claimed two in two.

Larruped by Lee

Lee was up and running with a brace of boundaries in the opening over and never looked back in a display of her trademark power. Thailand had done reasonably well to restrict South Africa to 37 for 1 in the Powerplay but, as against England, they struggled to maintain pressure. Lee was given a life on 45 when Onnicha Kamchomphu dropped a return catch and the next over from Chanida Sutthiruang cost 20 as Lee went up a gear during which she went to a 35-ball fifty. Her next fifty took just 24 deliveries and there was no lingering in the nervous nineties as she collected three boundaries in five balls off Suleeporn Laomi to reach the landmark. With four overs still to go, there was potential for a huge score, but Laomi had an element of revenge when the ball after her hundred Lee punched a return catch.

Luus enjoys promotion

In the absence of the unwell Marizanne Kapp, who withdrew shortly before the start with a respiratory infection, Luus had the opportunity to bat at No. 3 and built her innings after Dan van Niekerk had carelessly chipped a full toss to midwicket in the third over. "That was the worst shot I've ever played. My head was nowhere," van Niekerk told the host broadcast afterwards. Luus would have been run-out on 19 had a throw from Kamchomphu hit, but had no problems moving along at better than a run-a-ball. Her fifty came off 35 balls when she dispatched a big full toss from Nattaya Boochatham for her second six. Chloe Tryon helped add the finishing touches to the innings as she plundered 20 off the penultimate over from Sornnarin Tippoch which included being dropped at long-on.

South Africa drop their guard

Although the result was a formality, the slipshod nature of South Africa's catching will not have pleased captain or coach. Ismail dropped a chance at deep square-leg first ball when Nattakan Chantam pulled Nonkulueko Mlaba, and in the second over, Nadine de Klerk spilled a sitter at mid-on offered by Boochatham. South Africa got it together when Trisha Chetty pulled off a direct hit from behind the stumps to run Chantam out, and then Ismail, by far the fastest bowler Thailand will have faced, speared deliveries through Nannapat Koncharoenkai and Naruemol Chaiwai. With slips and gullies lined up, Tippoch was able to survive Ismail's hat-trick delivery. The fielding lifted, too, when Laura Wolvaardt plucked out a superb one-handed diving effort at cover to remove Tippoch. There was a note of defiance from Kamchomphu, who struck van Niekerk for Thailand's first six of the tournament, but van Niekerk then dropped another chance, a simple caught and bowled, and a fourth went down at long leg when Mlaba added her name to the guilty list. Though the misses weren't costly today, they could be in the remaining matches.

India have lost their last four international games on their tour of New Zealand, following up a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series with a 10-wicket loss in the first Test in Wellington, which snapped a seven-match winning streak in the format. Their coach Ravi Shastri, however, isn't perturbed.

"I wouldn't judge ODI and Test cricket [together], they are totally different things," he said on the eve of the second Test in Christchurch. "For us, the least priority is ODI cricket at the moment. Because of the schedule and what's coming up in the next two years (the immediate global events are the ongoing World Test Championship cycle and the T20 World Cup later this year).

"Our focus is Test cricket, number one, and T20 cricket. If you look at that, we have had a great run in the Test arena. We've played eight and won seven. One loss, there is absolutely no need to panic, neither is anyone looking in that direction when you look at this team. They are ready, they would have learnt what to expect. They know what to expect and they are mentally tuned and ready. Now it's the execution part when it comes to tomorrow."

At the time of Shastri's press conference, it wasn't yet known if Ishant Sharma might miss the Test match with a recurrence of the ankle injury he had picked up last month. In any case, whichever fast bowlers India go in with would do well to heed Shastri's words on how to bowl on a green, seaming pitch. He pointed to the approach of Tim Southee and Trent Boult at Wellington as the ideal one for such conditions.

"Like on a paata (flat) wicket, batsmen must think whether to hit or to defend. Similarly here, [the fast bowlers] have to strike the right balance and be patient, which Southee and Boult showed you," Shastri said. "What New Zealand showed in the first game, do exactly that. Be patient, get more balls in the right areas, create the pressure, and then take it from there. It is very easy to get excited and then bowl all over the shop and then be hammered all over the place."

There was a sense that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami weren't quite at their best in Wellington, but Shastri dismissed those concerns.

"Bumrah is very close to getting a five-for or a six-for, might happen tomorrow," he said. "Then don't come and tell me I told you so. That can happen tomorrow. Similarly with Shami, so nothing to worry about."

After India were bowled out for 165 in Wellington, their bowlers, led by Ishant, struck back to have New Zealand 225 for 7, before the last three wickets swelled the lead to match-winning proportions, adding 123 runs at more than four-and-a-half per over. Leaking runs against the lower order has been an issue for India in the past as well, and Shastri said India would need to find ways to improve on that front.

"That is a good question because it has been a problem for us in the last year or so," he said. "In spite of us doing well, there have been days when we've just cleaned up the tail, on other days where there has been some resistance.

"We have had a chat on that, how to look into bowling at the tail. Either at times, are we being over-aggressive, or at times are we being too defensive. We have had a chat on that and we will look to address it in a different manner. You will see it."

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R Ashwin was India's spinner in Wellington, and though he bowled well and picked up three wickets, he failed to get into double figures in both innings to continue a worrying run of lean form with the bat.

"He is a world-class bowler, there is absolutely no doubt about it," Shastri said. "But we have to make sure that we pick the right sides for the right conditions and see what a player can bring to the table. He has bowled well over the years and, if anything, he will be disappointed with the way he has batted. He would want to improve on his batting in time to come."

Ravindra Jadeja, with his ability to bowl tight overs in most conditions and exploit wear and tear if there's any in the second innings, would be a more defensive bowling option than Ashwin, if India were to pick him as their spinner, but his outstanding batting form - he averages nearly 50 in Tests since the start of 2017 - would make him a tempting option.

"You will see how much of a role a spinner has, first of all," Shastri said, when asked about what factors India would consider when it came to picking their spinner. "How many overs you think he is going to bowl in the game. Is there going to be something for him on day four/five. Will the second innings be that important. Do you need him more in the first innings of a game. Is his batting going to count. Is his fielding going to count. Is his overall fitness going to count.

"Those are areas you look into, not just for spinners. When you have four fast bowlers, you have to pick three and leave one out, same thing happens."

Shastri also revealed the thought process behind Rishabh Pant taking back the wicketkeeping gloves from Wriddhiman Saha in this Test series.

"Again, conditions. We went for Saha in India because there would be a lot of spin, and on turning tracks where bounce could be uneven, you need an experienced keeper and Saha is, to be honest, one of the best around," he said. "But when you come here, there is not much of spin bowling. Emphasis is on fast bowling, and then the batting becomes a key factor. Plus the fact that he (Pant) is a left-hander, an aggressive batsman lower down the order, that tilts the scales in his favour here."

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Los Angeles Lakers hardly ever practice, and shootarounds are even rarer for the veteran squad. So getting Markieff Morris, who signed with the team this week after receiving a buyout from the Detroit Pistons, up to speed takes some creativity.

"We've kind of beefed up our film sessions," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said before playing the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. "They're part directed to tightening the screws for us and part directed towards Kieff in terms of, 'This is what we call this, this is what we call that. This is what level we want you up on pick-and-rolls, and here's the switching lines.'"

Morris, who played 15 minutes in his Lakers debut on Tuesday, got to extend his run to 19 minutes in the Lakers' 116-86 win against the Warriors, with the extra burn on the board because LeBron James was sitting out with a sore groin.

As much as the Golden State game was an opportunity for Morris, James' absence also provided a chance for the team to practice playing without him.

Sure, common sense suggests that Los Angeles' title hopes are directly tied to how well James can turn it on in the playoffs. That doesn't mean the Lakers can't aspire to improve upon the precipitous drop-off that happens when James sits -- even if it's just for rest, instead of an entire game like on Thursday.

Coming into the Warriors game, the Lakers' net efficiency with James on the court was plus 10.7 points per 100 possessions, which would rank second in the league, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information. With James off the court, that production plummets to a net efficiency of minus 2.6 points, which would rank 22nd.

"I don't really pay attention to those kind of stats. I think when everybody's best player leaves the floor, they might go down a little bit," Lakers backup guard Quinn Cook said when presented with the numbers illustrating James' impact.

Cook cited ancillary reasons why the Lakers struggle without James -- "We get everybody's best shot ... You're going to get crowds that want to see us lose ... We have a big target on our back" -- before spelling out just what James brings to the table that they have to replicate.

"His presence. His IQ. Everything," Cook said. "His scoring. He's the best distributor in the league. So, we get easier shots when he's out there. And just his defensive communication; he's quarterbacking everything, letting everybody where he needs to go. He can guard 1 through 5. And with the ball, he's just the best. There's a reason why he's the best."

And there's a reason that, even with Thursday's triumph, James' teams are just 15-42 in games he has missed since he left the Miami Heat in 2014.

Even if this year's Lakers are 2-1 without him after the Golden State victory, it's important to remember the Warriors came into the game on a seven-game losing streak and are owners of the worst record in the league at 12-47.

Still, it was an impressive showing. Thursday marked the 101st time James has missed a game in his career and the first time his team won by 30 or more points without him. The Lakers scored 35 points off drives, tied for their most in a game this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

After leading by only two at halftime, the Lakers blew the game open, outscoring the Warriors 40-17 in the third quarter to render the final period irrelevant.

Six players scored in double digits, led by Davis' 23 points, and the Lakers' bench totaled 57 points.

"Everyone played great," Davis said. "Came in and tried to fill the shoes of a guy who comes in and does it all. Bron, when he's out, he's taking away a lot of things that we do. So it's on all of us to make sure we try to fill those voids, and I think we did that tonight."

Morris didn't eclipse the 10-point plateau, but he was close -- finishing with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, four rebounds and an assist.

"I think defensively he's getting more comfortable with our coverages, and you saw him knock down two 3s, got him a couple of post touches, another way we can use him," Vogel said. "I think every minute he's out there with these guys gets him more comfortable."

And Morris' presence combined with James' absence meant a bevy of touches for Kyle Kuzma at the wing. Kuzma responded with 18 points on 8-for-17 shooting and three assists.

"Obviously, LeBron not playing allows me to have the ball, pick-and-roll, but there's certain times when LeBron's not playing where I'm able to do that, when he's not on the court," Kuzma said. "But when he's on the court, you kind of just fall in line and let that kind of dictate."

L.A. still showed some of the same symptoms that have plagued it when James rests during a game, of course; the Lakers on Thursday shot just 8-for-24 from 3 without James creating those easy looks that Cook was talking about. They average only 9.1 made 3s per 48 minutes when Davis is on the court without James, connecting at a 33.7% clip, figures that would rank around the very bottom of the league for NBA teams this season.

And the Lakers turned it over 17 times against the Warriors without the ball running through one of the greatest playmakers in league history, though that paled in comparison to the 27 turnovers they forced against Golden State's hapless offense.

Overall, Thursday night's visit to The Bay was a step forward -- and a testament that competing without James on the court is an area the Lakers can and should improve in.

"We got to get better at that," Davis said. "Usually when [James is] playing and he comes off the floor, we kind of take a dip in all aspects of the game. Just the way, the same way we played tonight without him, we got to play like that when he's playing but when he's not on the floor.

"It's good for guys to kind of get those reps. And I think when he comes back that we got to make sure we keep the same pace, same intensity, when he's not on the floor."

Big picture

In Wellington, India came face to face with how subtle New Zealand's home advantage is. Theirs is not the kind of dominance that comes from knowing no other place can produce two spinners of the quality you have. Or batsmen who demoralise opponents before their big untiring fast bowlers bash out every assistance from their pitches.

New Zealand do things differently. They take down attacks that look better than theirs on paper. Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner might be a somewhat incomplete trio in other conditions, but in New Zealand, they kill you with a thousand paper cuts. Their knowledge of conditions - when it will swing and how to swing it, when to attack and when to bowl dry - and exploitation of winds and angles is second to none. Teams such as India do themselves no favour by playing just two Tests in New Zealand in five years, giving themselves no shot at familiarity.

After the near three-day defeat in Wellington, India go to Christchurch looking for two quick fixes: how to swing the ball for longer periods, like New Zealand did, and how to bat with more freedom against New Zealand. The first one is slightly tricky because of the nature of the bowlers involved in the contest. Southee and Boult are out-and-out swing bowlers, and thus have the ideal wrist positions and seam at the point of release for swing on most occasions. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are more seam bowlers; Shami in particular bowls with a beautiful upright seam.

Twenty-seven overs, 40 runs, one wicket. That is Colin de Grandhomme's returns from Wellington. That is what Virat Kohli doesn't want a repeat of. Good as New Zealand's bowlers are, they aren't always threatening the wickets like, say, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja do at home. Or that's what the thinking within the India camp is. How much of a risk it is to try to be more proactive, and what the rewards might be, will be seen in Christchurch.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WLLLD

India LWWWW

In the spotlight

The coin toss. Just consider how much the chances of a side losing the match reduce the moment it wins the toss. The last time New Zealand lost a home Test despite winning the toss was way back in 2009. The last time Kohli lost a match after winning the toss was… never. The credit belongs to both the sides for playing excellent cricket after winning the toss, but the one losing the toss will be fighting massive odds.

Neil Wagner is now a dad, and is back to test batsmen with his own grammar of Test-match bowling. There were times when New Zealand missed him in Wellington, in the second innings especially, but will Wagner feel the pressure of having to bowl the kind of ball Kyle Jamieson did to Cheteshwar Pujara to take his maiden Test wicket? Not if both of them are playing.

Virat Kohli has gone 20 international innings without a century. While it is never smart to pool together formats when judging how a player has been doing, a small worry for India will be that he felt the need to play too many shots at the start of both his innings. This is not how he batted in Australia, which was when he seemed at most peace with his game and his captaincy.

Team news

Wagner will definitely be back, but whom does he replace? If the pitch calls for a spinner, the sensational debutant from last week, Jamieson, will have to sit out. However, if New Zealand feel there might not be much for a spinner to do, both could play. Only once in five Tests at Hagley Oval have New Zealand gone in without a specialist spinner, losing that Test to Australia. After having missed India's second innings with a shoulder injury, Tom Blundell is fine to open again in Christchurch.

New Zealand 1 Tom Latham, 2 Tom Blundell, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Kyle Jamieson/Ajaz Patel, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent Boult

Ishant Sharma looks very likely to be out on the sidelines for this one after a recurrence of the ankle injury he had picked up during the Ranji Trophy in January. If he doesn't make it, Umesh Yadav will be the likely replacement.

India are no longer the side that made spot judgments and impatient changes. The only question might be whether India want to strengthen their lower-order batting with Jadeja ahead of Ashwin. India coach Ravi Shastri's assessment of Ashwin might make Jadeja a slight favourite. "He is a world-class bowler," Shastri said of Ashwin. "There is absolutely no doubt about it, but we have to make sure we pick the right side for the right conditions, and see what a player can bring to the table. I think he has bowled well over the years. If anything, he will be disappointed with the way he has batted. He'll want to improve on his batting in time to come."

India 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Rishabh Pant (wk), 8 R Ashwin/ Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Ishant Sharma/ Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The Hagley Oval pitch looks green with approximately 12mm grass, which is less in length than what the Basin in Wellington had. It is expected to be quicker than Wellington, and perhaps flatten out more, maybe after day two. There should not be more than the odd interruption from the weather.

Stats and trivia

• Only Broad-Anderson and Wasim-Waqar are more prolific new-ball combines than Southee-Boult, who have taken 426 wickets at 26.51 in innings that they have shared the new ball. They have left behind Walsh-Ambrose, McGrath-Gillespie and Donald-Pollock.

• Sharma, if he plays, is set to become the slowest man to 300 Test wickets, but since the start of 2018, only Jason Holder (among those who have taken 50 wickets at least over the period) has a better average and strike rate than his 71 wickets at 19.14 and 41.7.

• New Zealand have lost only two home Tests when both Southee and Boult have played, both in 2015-16 to Australia. That is close to the Ashwin-Jadeja domination in India; they have lost just one Test when playing alongside each other, again to Australia.

Quotes

"They are the No. 1 side for a reason, and that is because they can adapt to any conditions. We are definitely expecting them to adapt pretty quickly, and be positive coming into this Test match. Their record speaks for themselves."
Trent Boult expects India to hit back hard

"We are here not to give any excuses, we were outplayed in the first Test, but I always believe that when you are on a run like we were, a shake-up like that is good. Because it opens your mindset. When you haven't tasted defeat, you can have a closed mindset. Here you have seen what has happened, which is good, there is opportunities to learn. You know what strategies New Zealand are going to employ, you know what to expect, and you have your plans how you are going to counter them."
India coach Ravi Shastri believes the Wellington loss was not necessarily a bad thing

Ishant Sharma is unlikely to feature in India's attack for the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, starting tomorrow. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the fast bowler has suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury that he picked up on January 20, during a Ranji Trophy match in Delhi, which had threatened to prevent his participation in the Test series altogether.

Umesh Yadav is set to replace Sharma in India's XI.

The flare-up calls to question India's handling of Sharma's injury, a grade-three ligament tear. These usually take at least six weeks to heal, but Sharma was back playing a Test match in just over four weeks. India may not have had any reason to doubt his fitness ahead of the first Test in Wellington, however, since he had cleared a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru on February 15, and then bowled for at least an hour and 15 minutes at the nets four days later.

A jetlagged Sharma was India's best bowler in the first Test, picking up a five-for in New Zealand's first innings. He caused problems for New Zealand's batsmen with his bounce and movement while keeping them on a leash with his discipline, even as his pace-bowling colleagues, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, endured slightly below-par games.

Sharma will be a massive miss for India if he doesn't feature in Christchurch. Since the start of 2018, he has arguably been their best bowler away from home, taking 53 wickets in 13 Tests while returning the best average (20.00) and strike rate (44.8) of all their main bowlers.

Yadav has been a rampant wicket-taking force at home in this period, with 38 wickets in seven Tests at 13.86, but he hasn't tasted anywhere near the same success away from home, where he's generally been India's fourth-choice (or occasionally even fifth-choice) fast bowler. His two away Tests since the start of 2018 came at Edgbaston in August 2018, when Bumrah was out injured, and in Perth in December 2018, when India played four quicks. Those two Tests, both of which India lost, brought Yadav five wickets at 43.00, and an economy rate of 3.52.

Overall, Yadav has a modest record away from home, though he hasn't had much of a chance to rectify it in the last three years or so, when his bowling has stepped up another level. In 17 away Tests, he has 46 wickets at 42.19, as against 30.26 overall, and an economy rate of 4.15.

If Sharma doesn't play in Christchurch, India will miss his control more than any other facet of his bowling. With Bumrah still finding his way back to rhythm after recovering from a stress fracture, and with Shami better suited to an overtly attacking role, Sharma was the one India fast bowler who could have been relied on to perform a holding role.

With a green pitch awaiting India at Hagley Oval, the loss of perhaps their most important fast bowler - if not their most important player away from home - will present them their biggest test as they look to level the series from 1-0 down.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers after picking up two technical fouls in the second quarter. Green now has 14 technicals on the season -- two more and he will receive an automatic one-game suspension.

The first technical came after Green was whistled for a foul under the basket with 5 minutes, 56 seconds left in the second quarter. Green exchanged some words with official Tyler Ford and earned the technical. The second technical came a few seconds later after Green felt he was pushed by Lakers center Dwight Howard. Official Marat Kogut whistled Green for trying to trip Howard after Green fell to the ground. Watching Green yell about the call from behind the play, Ford gave Green his second technical and ejected him from the game. Green continued yelling at the officials for a few moments before walking off the floor and directly back to the Warriors' locker room.

Green, who missed the previous two games because of a pelvic contusion, finished with 2 points, 4 assists and 4 fouls in 10 minutes before being ejected.

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Bobby Ryan recorded a hat trick in his first home game in more than three months, leading the Ottawa Senators to a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

Ryan, who made his return Tuesday night at Nashville, entered the joint NHL/NHLPA assistance program on Nov. 20 after admitting to having a problem with alcohol. Prior to Tuesday, his last game had been on Nov. 16 in Buffalo, though he had been skating on his own since late December.

Fans were quick to cheer Ryan on Thursday, giving him a standing ovation and chanting his name.

Connor Brown and Rudolfs Balcers also scored as Ottawa snapped a four-game winless streak. Marcus Hogberg made 32 saves.

J.T. Miller and Tyler Toffoli scored for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko stopped 21 shots.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.